Crusch stood dumbfounded, staring at the image transmitted via remote reconnaissance magic.
At first, when she saw the endless, overwhelming Imperial army stretching beyond the horizon, her face showed deep concern. However, when a rainbow-colored beam of light shot out from the floating fortress beneath her feet—like a divine sword cutting down the Imperial forces—the world fell silent.
Aside from a handful of soldiers on the edge of the beam's range, the 250,000-strong army, including the Empire's most accomplished Grand Marshal, elite knights, and fearsome Mage corps, was annihilated. In the heart of the beautiful grassland, a massive circular glass crater now gleamed with iridescent light under the sun—a testament to the devastating power unleashed.
Crusch felt an overwhelming sense of unreality as if she were dreaming.
"If you think this is just an illusion created by magic, I can give you time to confirm it," came Ryou's voice beside her.
Startled, Crusch turned sharply, only to see Ryou looking at her with a faint smile. His gaze made her feel like a rabbit caught by a hunter, leaving the otherwise strong-willed Crusch deeply uncomfortable. Yet, she did not let her face betray even a hint of her inner turmoil.
Why was the Astrea family, with only their inherited Sword Saint blessing, able to remain above Lugunica's political struggles? Why did the mere mention of Satella, a single individual, strike terror into the hearts of the entire world?
The answer was simple: in this world, power reigned supreme—especially power capable of reshaping the balance of the world.
Crusch couldn't help but recall the nobles in the royal capital who had foolishly planned to use Ryou to repel external enemies, only to betray him later. Such absurd naivety! The man before her, who could obliterate an Imperial army of 250,000 with ease, could just as effortlessly annihilate the royal capital of Lugunica.
The sheer magnitude of Ryou's absolute power crushed all of Crusch's schemes into dust. She took a deep breath and slowly knelt.
"Crusch Karsten pays her highest respects to you, my lord," she declared.
Seated on the throne at the center of the floating garden, Ryou smiled, knowing that her submission signified complete surrender. Crusch's allegiance was significant; she represented not only Lugunica's old nobility but also a royal candidate and acting queen. Her submission symbolized the surrender of Lugunica itself.
The devastating light cannon that obliterated the Imperial army was none other than Semiramis's Noble Phantasm, the Hanging Garden Babylon, unleashing an EX-level magic blast. Unlike diluted EX-grade tools, this was the true essence of heroic-grade power. Only those with EX-level Magic Resistance, like Ryou himself, or wielders of comparable EX-grade relics, could survive such an attack. None but the gods could hope to endure.
As for when Semiramis acquired the floating garden, it was no secret. Ryou had spent the past 30 days not idling but working with Semiramis to construct this replica of the legendary garden. Thanks to his ample energy points, he overcame material shortages by trading directly for resources and replenishing mana with blue potions. Through relentless effort, he and Semiramis had completed the new floating fortress.
If one demon king capable of slaying divine dragons and Sword Saints wasn't enough, adding a Witch of Envy, and now a fortress suspended in the sky, would certainly suffice to bring despair to the world.
With the groundwork complete, Ryou moved to the second phase of his world-conquering plans. But first, he indulged in the spoils of victory—a beautiful duchess. Though Crusch was gravely injured and spared from ultimate humiliation, Ryou left no opportunity to tease and dominate her otherwise.
As the sun set the next evening, Ryou entered her room. He was dressed in elegant robes, his hair carefully coiffed. He moved with a grace that belied his brutal nature, his eyes fixed on the object of his desire. Crusch lay on her bed, her body bathed in candlelight. She was trembling with fear, her heart pounding in her chest. Ryou approached the bed slowly, his gaze taking in every inch of her exposed skin. He ran his fingers lightly over her collarbone, down her sternum, and across her flat stomach. Ryou continued his torment for hours, teasing and pleasuring every inch of Crusch's body. He paid special attention to her sensitive nipples, flicking them with his tongue until they were hard and aching. He traced lazy circles around her clit, sending waves of pleasure coursing through her. Finally, when he could stand it no longer, Ryou positioned himself between her legs and thrust into her with a force that left her gasping. She wrapped her legs around his waist, arching her back as he pounded into her. As they moved together in a rhythm of passion and power, Ryou leaned down and captured her lips in a searing kiss. It was the taste of victory, of conquest. Crusch felt herself slipping away, losing herself in the sensation of his body moving within hers. With one final thrust, Ryou let out a roar of triumph, his release filling her up, claiming her completely. As she lay panting beneath him, she knew that she had surrendered not just her body, but her soul as well.
The following day, when a certain cross-dressing knight saw the duchess barely able to stand, his face darkened with fury, much to Ryou's amusement.
The Empire's elite had been destroyed, and the armies of the Kararagi Federation and Gusteko Kingdom retreated in silence. It seemed as if everything had returned to normal—except for Lugunica's acting queen abdicating and the second-generation Witch of Envy officially ascending the throne as the Queen of Lugunica.
At first, the nobles resisted. They believed Ryou and Emilia needed their support to rule the kingdom, seeing them as tools to be used and discarded. This illusion proved fatal. With Crusch's signed declaration in hand, Ryou revealed his ruthless fangs. When the nobles attempted to renege, he slaughtered them without hesitation, turning the Council Chamber into a bloodbath.
The leading dissenters, from their patriarchs to their youngest heirs, were wiped out entirely, leaving not even an ant behind. Within months, the once-holy Council Chamber was dyed permanently crimson, its marble floor stained with blood that no amount of scrubbing could erase. Outside the city, mass graves overflowed with the bodies of nobles and knights alike.
A month later, Emilia was officially crowned Queen of Lugunica. And before her coronation, the kingdom's chancellor paved her path with the blood of countless nobles, a crimson carpet symbolizing her new reign.
...
Like a fleeting steed galloping past a gap, ten years passed in the blink of an eye.
During this decade, Ryou chose not to expand the territory of Lugunica. Instead, he fully embraced his farming-game mindset, focusing on cultivating Lugunica intensively.
On one hand, the Vollachia Empire lost 250,000 elite soldiers in their conflict. The Vollachia Empire could still rapidly assemble another 100,000–200,000 troops, a feat impossible for the smaller, less populous Lugunica.
On the other hand, Emilia had only just ascended the throne, with the populace in despair over the death of the divine dragon, gripped by fear of the Witch of Envy, and wary of the bloodthirsty Ryou as chancellor. Coupled with instigation from neighboring countries and disruptions by remnants of the noble class, Lugunica faced severe unrest in the first few years of her reign, with multiple rebellions erupting.
At its worst, Luugnica lost control over all cities except for the capital. Fortunately, the authority of Crusch and the cunning of Ryou gradually pacified the internal turmoil.
As an adept farming-game player, Ryou understood one truth: early stages require patience, while late stages demand decisive dominance.
Thus, when faced with provocations from the Vollachia Empire, Ryou positioned the Hanging Garden on the border and ignored further provocations. The Vollachia Empire loathed the fortress that annihilated their 250,000-strong army, attempting multiple covert infiltrations by elite units and experts to sabotage it. However, even Ryou avoided recklessness in the Hanging Garden under Semiramis's command. One wonders who gave them the courage to attempt such suicidal missions on her territory.
Every Vollachia Empire force that infiltrated—whether a team or a group—met their demise. Eventually, it seemed the Empress lost patience and obliterated the Empire's border fortress with a single energy cannon blast. After that, the Empire fell silent.
Meanwhile, in the capital, Ryou launched a crazy farming strategy using the forbidden knowledge and advanced technology of the Witch—more accurately, the Witch of Greed. Combining her insights with the world's magic, he spearheaded agricultural innovation.
In this magic-centric world, spells were largely monopolized by the elite, with their application focused on destructive power. Few mages ever considered using magic to benefit ordinary people.
Except for troublemakers, 95% of the populace only care about having enough to eat and wear, rather than who sits on the throne.
Recognizing this, Ryou prioritized increasing crop yields to feed more people. This drew the immense interest of Echidna, the Witch of Greed, whose expertise lay in biological research. Her past creations, like the three artificial spirits and the hybrids sealed in the Sanctuary, highlighted her talent.
With her help, Ryou developed an otherworld version of hybrid rice, along with high-yield potatoes and corn. These advancements resolved Lugunica's dependency on imported food and even enabled the export of surplus to the Kararagi Federation and Gusteko Kingdom.
Of course, it wasn't all smooth sailing. For Echidna, the pursuit of knowledge trumped everything. Initially, she found novelty in running agricultural experiments like a lab scientist, but soon grew bored and slacked off.
Ryou knew better than to force compliance. Coercion could lead to deliberate errors or delays, wasting time and resources. Instead, he had his methods to deal with her. He dragged Echidna into the basement and srutal beggs her over three sleepless days and nights.
From then on, whenever she showed signs of slacking, Ryou would wordlessly haul her back to the basement for correction. This ensured her cooperation and greatly accelerated Lugunica's agricultural transformation.
Within a year, Lugunica became less reliant on imported food. By the third year, its high-quality fruits, spices, and sugar products were being exported internationally. Even Vollachia Empire merchants risked their lives to smuggle Lugunica's spices.
This was just the first step in Ryou's transformation of Lugunica.
After eliminating the old aristocracy and breaking free from the constraints of the previous governance structure, Ryou implemented sweeping reforms. The most significant was the separation of military and political powers.
City lords no longer controlled military forces, with all military power centralized under the royal government. Additionally, the administrative authority of city lords was curtailed, with villages consolidated into towns and power concentrated in town leaders.
This was far from redundant. Ryou understood the dangers of concentrating power in the hands of city lords. In the old Lugunica, overly powerful city lords became local warlords. During the capital's turmoil, they quickly seized autonomy, forming their armies.
Ryou was determined not to repeat this mistake. Empowering town leaders diluted city lords' power while improving governance. The smaller scale of towns also prevented town leaders from becoming similarly problematic—after all, it was laughable to think a settlement of 10,000 people could stage a rebellion.
In military reforms, Ryou aimed for two key objectives: professionalization and nationalization of the armed forces.
Previously, Lugunica's military was composed of knights in the royal guard or private forces under noble families, resembling feudal Europe's system where "the vassal of my vassal is not my vassal." This fragmented structure left the nation without a professional army and rendered its military as disunited as scattered sand.
Ryou found this unacceptable. His reforms were radical, completely restructuring Lugunica's military and political systems to fit his vision.
While Crusch might have achieved these goals without such harsh measures, Ryou's choice of Emilia—a ruler with no foundation and a tarnished reputation as the second-generation Witch of Envy—necessitated drastic actions.
To secure Emilia's reign, Ryou dismantled Lugnica's existing power structures and rebuilt them according to his ideals.