Dont tested one of the configurations of her weapon, causing the level 1 POP serving as a training dummy to explode.
She hummed as she changed the settings and aimed at another POP.
She spent 3 hours trying out different configurations and movements, and there was still a long list to go through. Even with all this time, she still had to test a bunch of things, from bullets to abilities, combos, and more.
For example, she had Gandolfo, from a while back anyway, try using [Greater Tornado] and then cast [Rock Crucifixion], causing the tornado to 'take' the rocks from the second spell, turning the tier 7 spell into a mixed one with a tier 9 in a combination of approximately tier 8 that took advantage of both, as the initial effects of the two spells were applied before combining, creating a tornado that caused constant earth, cutting, penetration, and blunt damage in addition to the usual wind damage and immobilization, making it more lethal against flying units.
Dont even thought it was better than [Shark Tornado].
Of course, she also tried more things, like what happened if she hit an Infernal Protector she summoned.
It was good to know that if she hit them, their passive effect wouldn't activate on her, so she could use explosive abilities with them present and not die from her own reflected damage.
Putting aside the memories of her successful experiments, she sighed as she stored her weapon, already bored, dismissing the Skeleton POPs from the dungeons. Without any enthusiasm left, she used her medallion to leave before Sir Gerald and whoever else might catch up to her and start praising her. Honestly, she didn't want to talk to anyone.
She appeared on her bed and sank into it. The servant on duty was in the outer room, so she could indulge herself.
"Uuuuugh... Black Abyyyyyyyss... You are sooooo annooyiiiing..." She complained as she tossed and turned in frustration…
Honestly, she didn't even want to know what she was doing now. As long as she wasn't canceling or messing with any of the projects and things that were for the good and development of Titania, she would let her do whatever she wanted... She deserved it... She deserved some free time... But Dont didn't want her to get too stubborn...
Ugh... How annoying...
She lay still and looked up at the ceiling.
… If she threw a level 1 human from such a distance, and threw a level 1 POP from the same distance, would they receive the same damage as long as they had the same stats? Several questions and ideas for experiments came to distract her... Half of them would probably not be approved by Black Abyss...
The thought made her abandon such theories... And just immerse herself in a loop of... Sadness and guilt.
The Demon Queen didn't like it at all, and just grumbled. It was the Devil who stopped her from intervening.
It was Dont who would have to deal with this.
…
"Well... One can really discern the nearby element by testing the nearby stones." Black Abyss said curiously, chewing on a nearby stone that had flown after the forceful blow she struck the ground with.
She had called in excavation teams. they could have more precision with the dimension of this mine, besides, of course, increasing the wealth of Titania even more, improving the standard of living for the people.
She wondered if she should perhaps mint some coins from the New World with this gold. It could help with acquiring potions from this world for inspection or simply facilitate her travels by posing as an Adventurer.
She sighed and instructed a Hanzo to send a notice to Dont about this discovery, but she was already worried that she might want to completely appropriate the gold from this mine and put it in her own treasury...
For now, she had ordered an exact count of the weight of each molecule of gold they extracted, and if they hadn't been corrupted as well, they would do it as she ordered.
She was already returning to Titania, but perhaps it was time for her to return to her duties as an Adventurer. It would be very odd for someone like her to disappear for two days, even though she received a 7-day leave of absence with which her rank would not be affected by her absence due to the battle she had.
She had to show that she was someone very resilient, besides, of course, her Adamantite medal should already be made.
"Eyesight, open a portal to E-Rantel, as usual." She said listlessly, her attire changing to that of an Adventurer.
[Gate] opened in front of her after a few seconds, and Black Abyss crossed the portal.
…
"Eh…" Dont blinked as she looked at the report. "Gold, huh..."
"Yea, my queen. Lady Black Abyss hath desired to apprise thee. The faculties to discern such riches with such celerity... Once more, I am amazed by her prowess, my Ladies." Bachelory bowed with adoration, but carefully... The Doppelgänger knew that Dont was not in a good state... And internally, he was scared...
Of course, Bachelory was also empathetic, and he didn't tell any of his fellow NPCs about this. He didn't want to worry them, some of them would go to extremes at the thought of the possibility of the Supremes leaving Titania.
"Umu... Well, then. Send it to the treasury. I have no idea if Black Abyss wants to do something with it, so leave it aside. Then conceal the area where you found it and use POPs and summons to continue extracting resources." Dont sighed as she gave the instructions after thinking for a while.
"It shall be accomplished, my queen..." The Doppelgänger responded without saying much more.
Dont held back a sigh.
"Any results from our experiments?"
"Oh! Aye! The utilization of human hide for the crafting of scrolls is minimal, solely tier 1 incantations may be ensorcelled upon such hides. Yet, we ought to engage in experimentation concerning the hides of other creatures and ascertain their capacity to bear spells."
"Mm... Well, that... That assures us of scrolls of [Message] and things like [Clean] at least..." She sighed.
"We are yet engaged in the experimentation of interspecies breeding. At present, we have garnered no outcomes." He informed.
Dont made a face. The truth was, she didn't care much, she was only curious about the existence of interspecies races in Yggdrasil, such as Half-Elves, Demigoddesses, Demons, etc. But well. Could they even make a Nephilim? Technically, it was the offspring of an Angel and a human... Could she make Gerald impregnate a human? Would an actual Nephilim come out...? Well, she didn't really want to involve Gerald in the matter...
"Regarding the endeavor concerning boundless meat, it has demonstrated efficacy. Employing the flesh of human captives and animal POPs, and subsequently restoring them indefinitely, has proven fruitful. All credit to your splendid concepts, my queen." Bachelory said elegantly, honestly praising Dont, earning a weak smile from her.
"Umu... Of course~ Thank you... Well, that's enough, then give me the reports regarding the results and everything else."
"Verily, it shall be executed, my queen." Bachelory bowed, then froze. "Eyesight hath just relayed that Lady Black Abyss hath ventured unto E-Rantel."
Dont blinked and made a face.
"... I see. Well, let her be... I'll try to talk to her later..." She avoided a sigh.
She just took a deep breath and proceeded to grab another report.
She blinked when she saw a bright purple aura in her hand, in fact, it was all over her body, causing Bachelory to freeze.
"By the Supreme Lords!... 'Tis the G.O.D.S Leadership Aura!" He exclaimed dramatically, it was the same aura that Rey Jamon had when he connected...
She raised an eyebrow. It was just a cosmetic effect that didn't serve anything basically. In fact, Ham only put it on because it was called 'Supreme Leader Aura' initially, Basically, it was just purple smoke that he added once the strategy of the 'False Leader' came into play, that is, pretending among everyone that the Guild Leader was not Jamon, but Perorin, it stopped working.
Of course, being just smoke, it was not useful for anything, and even some people wouldn't even be able to recognize it because there were countless cosmetic effects in Yggdrasil, and anyone could put it on. For example, the 'Devourer's Stomach' cosmetic that State-Your-Business had, which changed the appearance of his Cosmos Beyond Aura to something similar to a black hole accretion disk. Or Camello-Soberbio's 'Like a Boss' effect, which more or less made him give off a very epic aura, and the Yggdrasil coins he gave seemed like green bills instead, and things like that.
There were cosmetic effects for everything. There was even one for Dont's bullets to look like ducks instead of bullets. Of course, the Demon Queen had never implemented those cosmetic effects herself outside of a couple of days for a bet she lost.
Now, Dont had never implemented this cosmetic effect. She didn't even like it, so she was confused why she was emitting such an aura.
"And this...?"
"M-Mayhaps she too holds the title of Queen within G.O.D.S!?" Bachelory asked dramatically.
"Eh..." Dont blinked, looking at her hand in silence. What did this mean?
…
A giant Orc attacked with its mace, but it didn't even budge the sword of the white warrior, being pushed back with just a hand movement from her.
The warrior raised her sword, which shimmered with power, pointing it at the Orc and firing a beam of light at its chest, piercing through it while charring its chest, causing it to fall dead from the attack.
The warrior, Black Abyss, sighed. She was alone now, she hadn't brought Alicia, after all, she needed time alone to make important decisions.
"That makes it 30." She said with a sigh, approaching it and cutting off a hand. "Take it to Titania." She said, turning around, as several shadows extended from the trees and grabbed the corpse, carrying it away until it disappeared.
She glanced at the specialized map she had been given in the Guild, showing where beings of Adamantite missions were located, as allowed by her new Rank, although it was still a map with things drawn on it…
She slightly turned around as she felt a [Gate] opening nearby, behind her.
And Dont crossed the portal with her attire as 'Nyx', accompanied by an NPC mercenary knight.
"..." Black Abyss looked at her with a raised eyebrow under her hood, seeing her approach with an expression somewhat... Between doubtful and almost happy... And at the same time, cautious, nervous...
"... Black Abyss..." She murmured, looking slightly to the side.
"What happened? It's still a while before you return." She said to the woman dressed as a noble.
Dont raised her hand, and the purple aura emanated from her. It was unmistakable. The cosmetic effect that the arrogant Jamon boasted of having...
"Suddenly, I have... This."
"The possession of the Guild Leadership is transferred after the leader is absent for 6 whole months in the game. For years, we ignored that, because if Jamon connected, he would get very angry. But now... I doubt he'll ever appear again... The vote was tied 1 to 1 between you and me, but I've resigned myself to it, you're now the leader of G.O.D.S." She explained expressionlessly, returning to look at the map and taking out a pencil to draw a line.
"Oh... Is that so...? Hm..." Dont made a grimace.
"But don't get confused." She stopped, staring at Dont. "If you think that with that I'll follow your harebrained orders, you're mistaken. I'd stab my own heart before doing that." She said with a sigh.
"... M-Mm... I-I don't really order you that much..." Dont said hesitantly, looking at the trees, as if to distract herself from the discomfort. "You don't have to exaggerate either." She muttered more to herself with a slight pout.
"Exaggerate...?" Black Abyss said, almost irritated. "Do you think it's an exaggeration...?" She asked, annoyed. "This is where we've come to... First, I'm lied to for months, and then I'm not even taken seriously... Tch." She muttered angrily, squeezing the map in her hand.
"Hey, hey, hey! Calm down!" Dont shouted more... Worriedly. "I just made sure that no one mentions things to you that you wouldn't approve of or like to hear, no matter how useful they could be for Titania. I'm sure you don't approve of skinning humans alive to make [Message] scrolls." She tried to say as gently as possible.
"That's the problem! All of Titania lied to me because of your stupid order! The NPCs, everyone... Even my own creations, you turned the Commanders into a disloyal band against me!" Black Abyss put away the map and pointed an accusing finger at Dont.
"I-I only told 2 Commanders not to say anything! The others didn't know anything!" Dont spat, starting to get frustrated. Her more 'Komodo Demon' side growled threateningly. "Half of Titania might not approve of my things, so I only spoke to those with negative karma about these morally incorrect matters. Stop exaggerating again! No one is being disloyal to you!" Her tier 1 Demon Aura was released unconsciously.
"You speak very well of your selfishness by only listening to one side and not even considering the other! Without any honor! All this time you've done nothing but obstruct me!" Now her tier 1 Celestial Aura escaped her.
"HONOR!? I'm a Demon with -500 Karma! Not to mention the things I did... Before this. I never had honor, Black Abyss. I'm just doing what's best for Titania. Mercy and kindness interfere with development at the moment. Do you think I could allow the freedom to waste scrolls with [Message] if we had a limited source? Thanks to me, we now have an unlimited amount of food and tier 1 scrolls. Don't talk to me about selfishness." She narrowed her eyes while, unconsciously, her [Demon Eyes] activated, flashing red.
"And even with that kind of thinking, I wouldn't have deceived you and ordered anyone to hide anything from you. And I would have listened to you and even let go of the atrocities you did before... That's the difference... But no. My words were ignored... From the beginning, I was lied to and deceived! You know what? I should have logged out on that day like everyone else did!" Sounding more annoyed than ever, she shouted at Dont.
Dont's expression changed from annoyance to panic. Her irritation turned to a paleness that made her skin look like paper, like a dead person. Her vision blurred, and she looked blankly in Black Abyss's direction. Her hostile posture disappeared, now she just looked trembling.
The 'Komodo Demon' stepped back upon noticing how Dont reacted, and the pain throbbed from the shared heart.
"How can I be a leader under these circumstances...? You already have the G.O.D.S Leadership, do what you want." Black Abyss said with a sigh, putting away the broken map in her hand, sounding almost resigned to the guild.
"N-No..." She said weakly, stepping back. "D-Don't go..." She started hyperventilating as her legs trembled. If the Queen of Titania was an imposing, evil, and proud figure, this was nothing more than a pathetic shadow that seemed on the verge of mental and emotional collapse.
"..." Black Abyss looked somewhat guilty at her, but that's what she felt after what happened. "I'll continue with this... I... I'll be back to Titania in 5 days." She exclaimed somewhat hesitantly.
At those words, Dont seemed to react a little, looking at Black Abyss. The shadow of tears could be seen gathering in her eyes. Her lower lip trembled a bit.
But she said nothing.
"I don't need daily reports anymore. I'd rather not have too many problems during this time." She indicated.
Dont seemed like she was going to faint... But she just let out a weak 'yes'.
"... I'll continue my way then. The Guild is yours, try to use the crown later. But remember what I told you, I won't follow any order that isn't totally reasonable for the good of Titania, and only benefits one part. I repeat it to you, I'd stab my own spear before following it." She threatened seriously...
The Demon said nothing, looking at the ground, completely blank.
"... See you later." Black Abyss said, turning around and taking out the map again, walking in the opposite direction to Dont, letting out a sigh.
Dont followed in silence, raising her hand tremblingly, as if she wanted to reach Black Abyss, but she withdrew her hand.
…
Bulldoger, one of the 5 Commanders of Titania, looked at the Lizardmen who were bowing before him. And the albino Lizardman, unique among all he had seen so far, was at the front, as a representative.
"We bow before the power of the Supreme Lords..." Said the Semi-Human, with resignation and submission in her voice.
"Fuahahaha!" Bulldoger laughed nonetheless. "No need to throw yourselves to the ground! You are my people now!" The Commander said cheerfully, pointing to himself.
Upon hearing this, the Lizardmen looked at each other, puzzled, confused, and cautious.
And Bulldoger looked at some Lizardmen who were nearby.
"Ah! You're the ones who gave Superbia trouble, right? Fuahaha! Now I regret not seeing the battle!" He laughed again loudly and cheerfully.
The mentioned Lizardmen, one brown, two green, one yellow, and one purple, looked at Bulldoger in silence. Bulldoger then remembered what his queen had told him.
"Hm... My queen ordered me to take care of all of you and make you stronger." He said more calmly, less excited to talk about things not so related to combat. "You won't be enslaved or mistreated, and in fact, your quality of life will be improved while I personally train you. This will be done with all races under the dominion of Queen Dont-Say-My-Name in the Great Lake!" He shouted victoriously.
"... My apologies... Do we...?" murmured the albino.
"Ah, yes! For now, we'll focus on rebuilding your homes and building farms for food! Some subordinates will handle it, and I would appreciate if you help with the infra-... Stuture or something like that." The Commander said somewhat hesitantly at the end.
Certainly, he wasn't the brightest, but he wasn't stupid, he just specialized in an area more related to combat than anything else.
"And don't worry! As long as you don't insult the Supreme Ladies, attack us, start riots, or things like that, no one will be harmed." He said confidently.
The Lizardmen didn't trust him. But they would have to.
…
Five days had passed... Dont was at her desk, continuing with her work, when Bachelory entered her office. "My queen, Lady Black Abyss hath returned from her sojourn…" He said cautiously to Dont, who had been practically depressed for almost a week.
"..." Dont paused her writing on the document and weakly raised her gaze, silently looking at Bachelory. There was a certain emotion in her eyes, but she did nothing, maintaining the neutrality she used to conceal her discouragement and any negative emotion.
For an hour, she did nothing, waiting for the door to open, and when it finally did, she quickly glanced up as Black Abyss entered, still in her Adventurer attire. "I see that Titania remains the same." She murmured, looking around the room.
"... Yeah... Only the precious stones and minerals found in the... Mine you discovered were added. They are in the treasury in case you need them."
"Hm. I see." Black Abyss approached, taking out a notebook and placing it on Dont's desk. "That's all that happened. Not much, just a few 'strong' monsters by human standards, but they only took away 1 HP point with 100 hits on average without my skills or equipment. I also met a group of Adamantite Adventurers, Blue Rose is their name. One of them is called Lakyus, the others don't seem to be very strong except for someone named Evileye. That Evileye is a very powerful mage according to those I surveyed, and that Lakyus has a supposed demonic sword or something, didn't say much more apart from it being a 'Sword of Darkness' that a supposed Dark Knight of the Thirteen Heroes wielded... It's more detailed in the notebook." She explained quickly.
"... I see… I'll read it then... Resources were mobilized to improve the living conditions of the dominated species in the Great Lake." Dont murmured neutrally as she grabbed the notebook, storing it in her inventory.
"Hm? I was already sure you were going to wipe out all the species in the Great Lake." Black Abyss said almost as… As an attack…
"... As planned, Bulldoger was put in charge of the area to test his capabilities as a governor of an area. He will train the warriors to make them stronger. Eyesight and several NPC mercenaries are watching over him, while the area is surrounded by Achernar's subordinates in case of enemy infiltration or internal revolt."
"Uh-huh. And why did you decide not to massacre them all?" Black Abyss asked, raising an eyebrow under her hood.
"... I found it interesting to experiment with governing a non-human race. I don't... Despise them like humans, so it's actually not a bad idea."
"Hm. I'll go rest." Black Abyss said, turning around and changing her adventurer set to a casual one, which was not armor but rather casual white garments, heading towards the door again.
The Queen of Titania said nothing. She didn't know what to say after all. She just silently watched Black Abyss leave.
As time passed, she knew there was now not a good relationship after so long without Black Abyss even coming to do some nonsense, and even at midnight, she hadn't heard anything from her. Bachelory entered, delivering the latest reports, which were simply about the extraction of resources from the mine.
She remained seated in her office, reading everything she had to read. She didn't even bother to distract herself out of boredom, her mood was such that she couldn't even get bored to break out of the cycle of emotional collapse. Only that internal fury, like a voice whispering to her to burn everything to ashes, kept her semi-sane before she collapsed, which was the 'Komodo Demon.'
With a deep breath, she calmed herself.
She got up from her seat and used the G.O.D.S. medal.
…
Dont walked through the forests of Tob.
She wasn't alone. Alucard followed her.
She had insisted on not bringing guards, but after Bachelory and Alucard's insistence, and considering the possibility of encountering that Riku again, she agreed to bring Alucard and a few Eight-Blade Assassins, insect-type mercenary NPCs, along with Eyesight's surveillance.
She should give that girl a reward. She was working so hard...
She suppressed a sigh, lightly jumping over a huge root.
"My queen, may I ask why you wish to walk through the forest?" Alucard inquired.
Dont continued walking but responded,
"I want to clear my mind a bit. I need to have a clear head for Titania's next steps." She said, sounding somewhat dejected but disguising it with her usual neutrality when in such a mood.
"I see. My apologies for disturbing you." Dont didn't need to look back to know that Alucard was bowing, although she didn't stop.
"... There are several bothersome monsters around here, huh?" Dont murmured, noticing how the marks of entities she could detect faded as they approached, being eliminated by the Eight Edge Assassins instantly.
She was especially alert to the marks she could detect. If she detected one that was particularly faint or one that was very strong, she would retreat and deal with it with broader support from Titania.
However, Dont frowned and looked toward the reason.
"And that?"
"They appear to be dead trees, my queen." Alucard clarified in response, although that wasn't really what Dont wanted to know...
She curiously eyed several dead and decaying trees as she advanced. She wasn't an expert on trees, but she was sure these weren't trees that died naturally.
But with all the NPCs ensuring the forest was healthy and abundant, it was strange.
"Are we in an area not traveled through or supervised by Titania?"
It was a possibility. The Forest of Tob was huge, and although Titania had several creatures specialized in plant care due to the large amounts of places like forests and gardens within the palace, they weren't enough to care for the entire Forest of Tob. If they deployed POPs and summonings, then they could, but she didn't delve into it.
According to Black Abyss's reports, she dealt with several 'notable' monsters from the area. The Wise King, the Eastern Serpent, the Northern Giant, etc. The most notable was that Undead who seemed beyond being a Lich, and in fact, was of a notable level, but died from a single blow.
It had research notes and things that Dont wasn't interested in because it was magical theory of this world, and she didn't understand that, so she left it to individuals like Don Pulpon, Quasimodon't, Eyesight, Bachelory, etc. Titania's scholars, basically.
Speaking of them... She should interact more with them. In fact, she wasn't interacting much with anyone, she was always holed up in her office, or eating or working... She could share the workload with some free NPCs, but she couldn't overload them with work and not visit them... She could even try how the intelligence variable worked in summonings like Ancient Liches or Devils, maybe they would even do a better job.
And come to think of it, in the role, there were basically no ministers. Just Bachelory as the Prime Minister... She should deal with that later if necessary.
"My queen? What do you wish to do?"
Dont blinked, coming out of her thoughts... Since...
"Hm... Let's investigate these dead trees more thoroughly."
"Of course, my queen." Alucard obediently nodded, following in perfect silence and guarding the Demoness.
The duo, followed by the units trailing them, walked through the forest.
…
"And with that, I conclude my report for today." Miia said monotonously as she looked at Bachelory.
"Excellent. I shall dispatch this missive unto the queen forthwith." The Doppelganger finished writing as he closed the daily reports folder. "Stay alert and ready to deploy a specially reinforced attack team. The queen is out in the forest with Alucard. If the order comes, both that team and you and I will go immediately to assist Lady Dont. Lady Black Abyss will also be informed immediately."
The Valkyrie nodded without changing her expression, but her eyes gleamed with determination.
The giant armor behind Miia, Echidna, seemed eager to set off.
Bachelory wasted no more time and turned on his heels to walk to his next destination. The Throne Room.
In the absence of Dont-Say-My-Name and Black Abyss unwilling to take charge, Bachelory was left in charge of managing Titania's defenses as the Prime Minister.
Lord Bachelory Antoinette Sheoler II. Nothing more and nothing less than the being born of the blood of the last queen of the greatest empire and of Hell itself. At least that's what his configuration said, and it's not like he knew he had just been a bunch of text affiliated with him.
Bachelory looked to the side, seeing a couple of Titania's 50 main Maids.
As prime minister, he knew each one of them, remembering their names and even knowing their hobbies and habits.
The two maids, although they had their characteristic personalities, paused what they were doing for a second to give a slight bow to Bachelory, to which he greeted them.
After all, even if they were mere level 1 maids, weaker than the average civilian within the walls of Titania, they were creations of the Supreme Lords.
Even if they were level 1, their rank would be above any civilian turned elite knight or general. They had the blessing of having been created with the perfect will of the Supreme Lords. And therefore, even if they were just maids and he was the prime minister, Bachelory respected them as companions.
And what kind of wonderful and noble gentleman like him wouldn't return a greeting?
Bachelory was a knight after all. A noble of high lineage and will, being in charge of being second in command to the Supreme Lords, and even being one of the few worthy of having the honor of receiving a World Class Item from the Supreme Lords.
The Trumpet of the End of the World.
As a high-ranking Doppelganger, it required him minimal unconscious effort to read the thoughts of the maids as he passed. He would smile if he had a mouth or lips at all.
While he enjoyed the internal praises of the maids, he decided to keep quiet. A knight shouldn't pry into a lady's privacy.
Continuing on his way, he made calculations while thinking about the best way to manage Titania's defenses, economy, and systems in his time.
Although there wasn't much to manage in terms of economy. After all, the basic resources in Titania were basically unlimited. Food? There were Cooks, as well as many ways to create and obtain food. Water? A mere [Create: Water] spell and you're done. Warmth? The maids could take care of it in such a short time that they would humiliate even the most famous tailors on the entire continent.
Even Titania's blacksmith was making strong equipment for the recruited soldiers, as well as ready to strengthen Titania's new foreign implementations. The races of the Great Lake.
And while he was more than happy with his duties, he couldn't help but feel some unease.
Things were tense in Titania. The last two Supreme Ladies had fought like never before.
A supposed betrayal of Lady Black Abyss's trust. This caused uproar among the NPCs.
Would this cause the last two Supreme Ladies to leave Titania? To kill each other? Bachelory himself didn't know what to think of it.
Of course, if it were between his creator and Lady Black Abyss, he would undoubtedly side with Dont. But he didn't like to think about taking sides. He knew that Achernar, as Black Abyss's creation, would do the same on his part. And the worst came when it came to other NPCs. Those who were not created by either of the two.
Whom would Kronos choose, for example, if she (They) had to choose one? Sir Gerald?
The doubt itself, even for him, who had his choice clear, gnawed at the NPCs like fire in a dry forest.
If it were Bachelory himself who had to say it, he was sure that NPCs with positive karma would mostly go with Black Abyss, and those with negative karma with Dont, with those with neutral karma varying as they wished.
But just because they were on one side, the NPCs wouldn't fight against the Supreme Ladies. As Bachelory pondered the crisis in Titania, he arrived at the throne room.
Internally requesting permission with total respect and reverence to the Supreme Lords, he sat on the throne carefully and opened the control console.
If Titania's console were compared, which was one of the few things from Yggdrasil as a game that remained, to the World Class Item console, the Throne of Kings, of which only Dont had knowledge because she had only seen its mention somewhere. It's just that Titania's console had fewer options and complexities, and was simpler.
But it was better than nothing.
Touching different settings, looking at the few areas that could be seen, and managing as he should, the prime minister went over and over his queen's plan regarding the kingdom of Re-Estize. One in which he had to give his all to at least appease the two Supreme Ladies a bit, while impressing them.
He was a gentleman after all, and besides that, an actor. A Doppelganger who had to play his role as the perfect tool for his ladies.
(Oh, my noble Ladies. Fear not, for I, Bachelory, shall not falter in my duty to serve you.)
…
Dont scratched her head as she looked at the massive tree in front of her.
"Okay, that's big." She confirmed the obvious while not being sure what to do.
She wasn't an expert, but she could tell the tree might measure around 100 meters, perhaps.
"Surely it must be some ancient and ancient tree." Alucard commented.
"Yeah, that's the most likely. I heard that some trees could live for an incredibly long time." Dont recalled the words of one of her guildmates.
But the weirdest thing about the tree was that it had teeth, or rather, a kind of mouth. Full of giant wooden teeth, leading somewhere.
Again, she wasn't a tree expert, but it didn't seem normal to her. Although it could be one of those typical hollows in trees where animals lived. Maybe it was a unique tree even.
Her collector's instinct flashed as she basically considered claiming this tree as her own and making a treehouse out of it.
There were several in the Seelie Forest in Titania, and the largest, the 'bastion' where several NPC mercenaries were ready to protect, was worthy of a palace on its own. But Dont liked the idea of 'building' a house, or a castle, in this giant tree.
"Should I call SatinMan to start drawing up plans for a castle in that tree?" She thought out loud.
"If you wish, my queen, we will create a palace that is able to rival the beauty of Titania." The knight bodyguard said with confidence and conviction.
"Fufu~ I doubt even we, the Supreme Lords, would be able to recreate something as beautiful as Titania~" She said playfully, with a slight smile.
After all, for Dont, the Palace of the Pact of Titania was the greatest jewel that ever existed in this, and any other world.
"Well, anyway. We'll have to secure a perimeter. And this area wasn't mapped or explored, so it'll be a good starting point." Seeing the dead trees around the massive tree, she could assume that it was because this plant took so many nutrients that it left the surrounding vegetation without food.
She might as well have Wanda fertilize the whole place.
A loud, heavy noise, which made the earth tremble slightly, snapped her out of her thoughts.
It was the sound of something moving.
"My queen... It's moving." Alucard said cautiously, positioning himself in front of Dont to protect her.
The Demon activated her abilities, noticing the presence mark from the... Tree.
The roots of the massive tree moved heavily, while the 5 giant branches twisted with a flexibility more like vines or tentacles.
And there was a thunderous roar, which was really nothing for the two level 100 beings.
"That's... Hm..." Dont frowned, reaching into her inventory. And she pulled out her divine weapon, just in case. "I see. A tree monster... There was something like that in Yggdrasil... But that one was rather pitiful..." She recalled the Christmas event, and used her [Demon Eyes] to detect an approximation of the HP and MP of the giant tree.
There was no MP, but... The conceptualization of the HP value she could see made her pale.
"[Message]!"
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(¡Lady Black Abyss!) Bachelory shouted through the [Message] channel to the paladin. His concern and fear were notable despite his usual composure.
"Ah!" She was surprised to hear the shout in her mind after accepting the connection.
(What the hell is wrong with you?)
(My most sincere apologies, my Lady! Lady Dont has signaled to elevate Titania's defenses to their utmost without expenditure of gold... She has forewarned of an encounter with a formidable entity of high level. She has requested your presence, as well as that of Miia and Achernar. Alucard is already in attendance with the Queen, accompanied by several guards and under the watchful eye of Eyesight.)
Black Abyss sighed, standing on the roof of the gigantic South Palace of Titania, surveying the surroundings. She was so calm until this happened, but she couldn't ignore what Bachelory was saying.
(Isn't this another one of her super exaggerations? What does she mean by something High Level? She's calling practically all the Commanders.) Black Abyss said annoyed.
(The queen did not specify further, but she commanded the swift return of Bulldoger and Alicia. Furthermore, she instructed me, Superbia, and Bulldoger to fortify the defense of Titania… She hinted at the possibility of the adversary being of level 100, and advised Superbia to entrust her World-Class Item to Miia.)
Black Abyss opened her eyes in surprise, but with an annoyed sigh, she stood up, her main equipment appearing over her, along with her Divine-Class Shield.
(Tell Eyesight to open a portal for me.)
(Aye!)
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Name: Zy'tl Q'ae
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