* * *
Elena returned to her room, not even remembering how she ended her last conversation with Adelaide.
"Haah..."
She lowered her head while grabbing her hair.
Legs spread wide apart, hair roughly pulled at.
It was too rough behavior to be called ladylike, but there was no one to point out her current actions.
Even if there was, if they knew her situation, they wouldn't dare open their mouths.
"Why... why are you worrying about me now...?"
She muttered as if throwing out a question, but in fact, Elena already knew the answer.
Adelaide must have always been worried.
She just hid that feeling behind a cold mask.
"No way. Is it deception...?"
It wasn't entirely impossible.
If Adelaide knew that her senses had become far superior compared to before...
But she soon dropped that thought.
Sensory training wasn't that easy.
As one's level rises, senses naturally improve too, but it's not necessarily proportional.
"...Really, she was originally a person with affection..."
If so, if so.
"Why did she try to send me to the outskirts...? She must have known it's safer to keep me close."
Elena muttered like that while continuing to mistreat her hair.
"You know the answer, don't you? Elena."
Until Yuran, who appeared at some point, came close and removed her hands gripping her hair one by one.
"Lady Yuran...?"
"At least there, you wouldn't be seen as a competitor and killed."
Although no one knew until monsters infiltrated this inner castle hiding their ears and tails, it was natural for Elena.
It was she who informed her master about the security vulnerabilities of the inner castle.
"Were you watching?"
"I planted eyes in your shadow. Now, come here. Treating your clothes and hair so roughly. You lack refinement as our lord's servant."
"I-I'm sorry..."
Meeting Elena's eyes as she recited words of apology, Ran smiled once and tidied Elena's dress and hair.
The movement of magic occurring at the tips of her long fingers was exactly like what Libertas did when tidying up other people's appearances.
"So... what do you want to do?"
"Um..."
At Yuran's question while fixing her hair, Elena swallowed her saliva and couldn't answer.
With eyes full of confusion, she just shook her head.
"I... I don't know. What I should do..."
"Shall I tell you the simplest answer? Elena."
Looking down at her like that, Yuran spoke with a seductive expression, folding the corners of her eyes.
"What is it...?"
"If you want to throw a tantrum to our lord, do so. Your master will make a way for you."
"Ah..."
Hearing those words, Elena unconsciously nodded.
* * *
"There are plenty of people who are clumsy at expressing themselves."
-Are you stupid?
"You little. Don't say bad words."
-Kak kak.
My evaluation was very calm.
It wasn't because I thought her misfortune was lighter than mine.
Unless it's a very clear case, all misfortunes are greatest to the person experiencing them.
If we compare my case with Elena's, nine times out of ten mine would be considered more unfortunate, but I don't sympathize with that.
Because at this moment, I'm living intensely but happily.
"That's right. Who would have thought that something hidden from everyone for 30 years would be revealed like that?"
In that sense, Elena's current situation was more pitiful than mine.
A younger brother who couldn't feel affection for his family, repeatedly misbehaved, got caught by a Dungeon Lord and became a monster.
An older sister who tried to hide her weakness as a successor, not knowing what her younger brother went through and allowing him to approach.
It was a tragic comedy.
"I should tell her to keep her alive."
"Is that alright?"
"Didn't she ask you to convey that question?"
"She didn't say it directly."
Come to think of it, I could quickly guess why Elena didn't say it.
She herself probably hasn't accepted yet that the sister she resented all her life was such a person.
I shook my head.
"Anyway, it will take quite some time for her to become Marquis. We can let her think calmly."
"What if she decides to kill?"
"Then, I'll do as I please."
Ran smiled.
As if she knew what decision I would make.
Honestly, even I think I probably won't simply kill and dispose of her.
"Then. I'll go again."
"Yes. Take the platoon assigned to Elena."
My skeleton army and Ran's jiangshi army for Elena are planned to attack the Marquis's domain wearing United Kingdom uniforms.
There's no need to engage in battle and sacrifice pawns unnecessarily.
If we do that, it might be discovered that the attackers are undead.
After attacking like that for the first few times, the situation will naturally spread greatly due to the Marquis's domain's response.
It will become Elena's insidious merit known only to a few people within the family.
By repeating this several times and eroding the power of competitors, she would be able to establish herself as one of the Marquis's successors.
Finishing my thoughts, I smiled at Ran who was waiting for my greeting.
"Ran."
"Yes, my lord."
"I cherish you."
"I adore you."
"Take care of yourself. Have a good trip."
"Yes!"
And once again like that. Ran left the dungeon.
* * *
The very next day after Libertas set up war policies, two Alraunes left the dungeon.
It was the morning a week later when they arrived at the rendezvous point with Kamaya.
"My goodness. Were we too late?"
Jade of the Jade Vine Alraune said this, but actually this was quite fast.
For Alraunes who have large plant roots stuck in the ground to move long distances, they had to use magic to move their entire plant body.
This was by no means a fast process.
The reason they were able to arrive in a week was because they could move in a straight line ignoring terrain, not because their speed was fast.
"You're finally here. Hurry and do what you need to do."
Knowing this, Kamaya expected quick role performance rather than reproaching them.
"Is this the child? My, look how white her skin is."
"As expected, human noble children really... look delicious...♥"
"Wh-who are you ladies...? Why do you look so strange...?"
Of course, the naturally leisurely Alraunes lightly betrayed such expectations of Kamaya.
"Hmm..."
While veins gradually bulged on Kamaya's forehead, the two Alraunes unintentionally ignored her and began examining various parts of the young noble girl.
The only reason Kamaya wasn't getting angry yet was because the Alraunes were direct subordinates of Nirvana.
It was minimal respect for a fellow queen.
"It's okay, little one. These sisters came to play with you."
"You need to hurry, Alraune sisters. Otherwise Mom will really get angry."
The ones who stepped forward between them were two women.
Former noble slave Josephine who came out from the dungeon to help Kamaya, and Kamaya's younger daughter Serha.
"Oh my... that's right."
"We need to go report to the Great Master quickly. Understood?"
Fortunately, the Alraunes also knew well that there were things to think about ahead of their preferences.
If they disobeyed or acted lazily towards the Great Master's orders, Kamaya and Nirvana might tear their roots to shreds right away.
"Now, little one... come here?"
"Huh...?"
Of course, there was a reason for their leisure.
No matter how much nobles grow tempered by magic and elixirs, this girl was still too young.
She had no strength to resist the charm magic emitted by the Alraunes.
"Good. Now let's report and receive the next instructions."
At Kamaya's words, finally free from displeasure, everyone bowed.
"Whew..."
"Thank you, Aunt Josephine. For helping."
"Not at all. It's only natural, Lady Serha."
"Hehe. You're more courageous than you look."
Of course, Josephine and Serha who finally regained peace heaved sighs of relief.
* * *
Conference room of the lord's castle, Damamollon domain.
Tension hung in the air as the regular meeting held on the 1st of every month was suspended.
"What on earth is going on..."
Because Count Dorian Eisaph, who should be presiding over the meeting, couldn't come to his senses.
"Ah, Viola...! Viola!"
The name he was calling out was not his wife's or lover's, but his youngest daughter's.
A late daughter born when he was in his 50s.
"What on earth is going on? Ah, Viola...!"
That's right.
The whereabouts of his beloved youngest daughter had now disappeared.
The precious young daughter born with a big age gap from her brothers after only sons were born for a long time.
"Who dares... who dares to do this...!"
An abduction carried out during an outing.
However, neither the culprit's identity nor traces could be found.
As the best trackers all shook their heads, the count's sense of despair deepened as he heard the news.
"What should we do...?"
"Someone say something. We need to prepare for the imminent war first..."
"You say something! You usually strut around saying you're the lord. Now you don't have the courage...!"
"What!"
Even though the count had lost his usual intelligence and was just grabbing his head, none of his vassals and subordinates stepped forward to wake him up.
It was natural.
They had no desire to incur his anger by saying they should prepare for the approaching war in this situation.
"Urgent news!"
"What is it!"
Cutting through the desperate atmosphere in the room, a messenger rushed in.
"Y-Your Excellency! This is...!"
"Th-this is..."
The count's hands begin to shake violently as he confirms what the messenger brought.
"Th-that... it can't be."
Some vassals who recognized what was in the count's hands also fell into shock.
"What is it that you're like this?"
"It's Lady Viola's headdress...!"
What the count held in his hand was Viola's headdress.
Because the count had boasted about his daughter so much, the vassals also knew well what that headdress meant.
A splendid ornament specially ordered from a master craftsman in the United Kingdom's capital to commemorate receiving his daughter's first embroidery gift.
Viola's hair was stuck to it. Covered in blood.
"This... this...!!"
The count's eyes gradually began to burn red, and blood tears flowed from burst capillaries at the corners of his eyes.
Clear signs of intense anger and madness that anyone could see.
As the vassals shrank back and retreated from the messenger, the count's emotions burst out violently.
"Where!! Where was this found?!"
"Kough... kuk! That...!"
That emotional expression was much more intense in contrast to his usual wisdom.
The count was so angry that he rushed down from the throne almost rolling and grabbed the messenger's collar.
Although the strength in it wasn't great, as a soldier who couldn't shake off that hand for touching a noble's body, he could only endure even if he was suffocating.
"C-calm down! Your Excellency! Shouldn't we listen to the soldier's words!"
"You'll kill him like that, Your Excellency!"
Fortunately for him, thanks to the vassals moving just before he passed out, he was able to avoid dying in vain.
"Speak quickly! Quickly! There's no time to breathe! You'll really die like that!"
"Th-that..."
At the urging words of one of the count's guard knights who approached, the soldier finally spilled out the whole story.
About where the headdress was found.
"Ma-Matepith! It was found near the Grand Duchy of Arilit's territory!"
And only then did all the vassals properly realize why the soldier had hesitated so much.
It was a signal to fire the starting gun for war.
"How dare... how dare they...!"
Even in his madness, Dorian thought.
That they too wouldn't properly cooperate over this matter.
Because he had provoked Matepith using the death of his domain's people as an excuse, and was inducing them to declare war.
It was extremely emotionally biased thinking, but he didn't have the capacity to judge that now.
"Oh. This..."
"Damn it."
"Is this an opportunity..."
The clever ones among the vassals all sensed it.
A small war that was supposed to start with the other side's provocation and end simply with a concession.
That war would not end easily at all.
"Right now! Send a declaration of war to Matepith's hound!!"
"Y-Your Excellency?"
"Hurry... hurry...!!"
"Your Excellency!"
The war began with Count Eisaph fainting, unable to control his anger.