SWNOVELXO Chapter 119
– 1 –
On the very afternoon the enemies declared war on us.
“To the esteemed Lady Libertus,
…
I look forward to a swift response.
Lord Melzeros.”
“All the self-proclaimed barons are high-level Dungeon Lords. While they currently act independently, further investigation revealed that they belong to Duke Dantalion and Duke Astaroth.”
The one who promptly gathered and relayed this information about our enemies was Succubus Scarlett from the Mammon Trading Company.
Considering her original authority and the position of the trading company, this was a small overreach and also an investment.
I couldn’t help but express my gratitude.
“Thank you, Scarlett.”
“Not at all! For you, Lady, I, Scarlett, would even take up a sword and dive into battle…!”
“Oh, here we go again.”
“Partially sincere, though…”
After briefly halting her comical banter with a single word, I examined the documents she had brought.
As she stated, the Dungeon Lords under Melzeros, the three of them, were indeed high-level.
“Melzeros, Zarkra, Quirisia.”
Each a Dungeon Lord of Monster, Green Skin, and Were Beast, respectively.
Unlike me, they likely wouldn’t have the clarity of a well-defined system. Still, at the very least, they must be at least mid-level high Dungeon Lords.
“Dantalion and Astaroth.”
I could guess why their subordinates came to test or eliminate me.
If Dantalion in the north could hold off potential chaos from the continental center, it would deter the growth of Alliances like Agaris and Eligos before he personally arrives.
Astaroth, in the East Sea, would need to suppress the growth of Eligos for the expansion of the Magical Realm.
“Conversely,”
This means that Eligos and Agaris, which the two dukes are trying to rein in, could provide assistance to me…
But no contact had been made from that side.
This signified one thing.
“At least the dukes themselves aren’t directly involved.”
“That would be the case.”
“Why is that?”
“Because if they were, the other side would have reacted as well, Scarlett.”
As Evangeline remarked in response to Scarlett, if someone of the duke’s stature had directly commanded it, such a small-scale operation would not have taken place.
The opposing forces couldn’t just ignore such actions.
So this must have been either the barons’ autonomy or an excessive loyalty from the subordinate Dungeon Lords calling themselves the Nine-Tails.
“Or rather, that’s surely the case.”
“The Demon World Reputation – 1,098 (a newbie backed by an influential family)”
Originally, I wasn’t in a position to provoke the dukes.
Even if I were just starting to make a name for myself in the Demon World, I’d still be treated like a novice or at best, someone just scratching the surface.
“Indeed…! Lady, your insight is sharp!”
“Yes. Thank you.”
For me, it was quite a fortunate time.
They are unaware of the situation on the surface—how the queen of wild monsters has joined me.
And each of them possessed strength equivalent to elite-level monsters, with their subordinates trained to the level of well-prepared Dungeon Summons.
With both of them, it would be sufficient to face a high-level Dungeon Lord, making our overall strength roughly equal.
At least regarding the information on hand.
“Their power needn’t be stretched too thin.”
“Indeed.”
Lan agreed with my musing.
“We don’t need to hide everything.”
“Indeed, there’s no need to reveal all either.”
As I spoke while meeting her gaze, she answered promptly with an understanding look.
As we had decided, we would keep hidden about half of the elite-level monsters they possessed.
To prepare for more critical situations in the future.
“They’re our secret weapon…”
“Those elite-level summons will be a finely tuned sword against the approaching enemies, who likely underestimate us.”
Just like Xue and Eve said.
The queen’s strength would only need to be at the level of “typical allied support.”
That won’t leave my own power lacking either…
“This is the perfect challenge for our first war.”
Originally, there was no need for that.
The map I’d received from the Mammon Trading Company indicated where the dungeons of those three Dungeon Lords are located.
Upon confirming the red dots marked on it, a smile naturally crept onto my face.
There were clues embedded within.
“I need to go hunt some monsters.”
“Okay…”
“I’ll get things ready.”
One week until the war.
There’s no need to believe the enemies will wait a whole week in such a straightforward manner, but because they’re trading formality, perhaps they will show some patience.
“Maybe four to five days at most.”
That was the deadline by which I needed to maximize the strength of my dungeon.
“Scarlett, I have a favor to ask.”
“Yes?”
“Please take this.”
“A letter…? You don’t mean…?”
“Don’t think of anything strange.”
And during that time, I planned to ensure a pre-victory in this war.
– 2 –
The time invested in training was about three days.
However, having cleared out all humans and external Dungeon Lords’ influence in this vicinity now.
“Excellent.”
With no humans or other monsters impeding the hunt, using all of the dungeon’s monsters for “sacrifice collection” turned out far more efficient than I’d anticipated.
While I focused on other preparations, it was sufficient to enhance my subordinates solely with the sacrifices they brought back.
Right before me lay the fruits of that labor.
“Name – Mire”
“Attributes – Health 35, Agility 43, Durability 38, Magic Power 44, Resistance 27”
“Name – Axe”
“Attributes – Health 56, Agility 39, Durability 34, Magic Power 23, Resistance 30”
Excluding Evangeline, these two could be considered my oldest soldiers, already reaching a refined high level merely by their specs.
With a little nudge or focus, achieving elite-level specs wouldn’t be a stretch.
“You’ve worked really hard.”
-Snap!
-Crack!
Though I couldn’t give them as much attention, the enhancements from the sacrifices and their continuous training bore fruit.
Additionally, I assigned a commando to each of them, and something new emerged as a result.
“Characteristic – … Field Commander …”
Commanding non-homogeneous monsters effectively with a leadership trait.
While not quite reaching Evangeline’s level, it nonetheless signified that these guys were beginning to develop tactical skills.
“You’re truly wonderful. You’re doing great.”
-Clink.
-Jangle.
Indeed, such growth surpassed all others and brought immense joy.
“You are my pride.”
Not just them, even the first-generation skeletons who were bandits or low-level adventurers were in the same boat.
Now they each were capable of performing as warriors or archers to a degree exceeding one unit.
“My Lord. Don’t just look there; look over here too…”
“I’m sorry, Lan. Of course, you are wonderful too.”
“Hehehe…”
“Name – Yu Lan”
“Title/Entity Name – Three-Tails”
“Attributes – Health 34, Agility 47, Durability 29, Magic Power 56, Resistance 41”
Currently, Lan’s actual abilities reached the level of elite monsters, though graded as high-level.
She’s demanding as a Dungeon Lord, but that’s just how it goes.
“Characteristic – … Elite Specialization: Fire Sorcery…”
Instead, she’d focused on enhancing the aggression of fire sorcery more than her current primary trait “Nine-Tailed Fox.”
“The tails need to increase quickly…”
The three-tailed fox spirit, known as ‘fox spirit.’ Among them, the kind twisted into a youkai and dubbed ‘three-tailed youkai.’
Lan’s power manifested primarily through the number of tails she possesses.
For that reason, she typically kept only one tail visible to avoid trouble with enemies recognizing her power.
“Don’t think too hastily. You’re advancing at a perfectly fine pace.”
“Hehe. Thanks for the encouragement, My Lord. I feel at a loss.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
However, she presently felt so good that her tails were swaying in three directions.
It was quite impressive that a single compliment could elicit such a response, and yet, it didn’t feel bad.
“Kyaa – !!”
“Name – Sonia Medivh”
“Class and Level – Elite Cursed Sorceress”
At that scream-like sound, I turned my head to see my first disciple, who was experimenting with the curse manipulation she recently learned.
“Attributes – Health 31, Agility 46, Durability 40, Magic Power 60, Resistance 50”
With Sonia having sufficient magic power already, I focused on increasing her stability.
Given her affinity for magic, her magical capacity grew quite impressively.
Even using trolls or wild stone spirits, brute strength or solidity were deemed as mere offerings.
“Characteristic – Elite Specialization: Curse…”
Moreover, her primary ability, the curse, had simultaneously progressed to elite-level through persistent learning and training.
“Have you noticed anything strange lately?”
“…My strength has increased so suddenly, it’s strange.”
“That makes sense.”
Even if it feels strange, that might be better for her.
Continuing to use magic in her original state could have built up minor injuries over time.
While it wouldn’t be life-threatening like magic overdoses, it wouldn’t have been beneficial in battle.
“Master, what if I suddenly turn muscle-bound…?”
“That won’t happen, Sonia.”
The reinforcement of her physical abilities due to magic doesn’t induce changes to her body.
Of course, if she had such traits, the story would be different, but generally speaking.
“Oh, you’re right…”
Having never been in good health, Sonia seemed overly aware of her condition when I ruffled her hair, meeting her gaze with a smile.
It was a relief to see her look reassured.
“Thud!”
“I’m back, My Lord.”
“Thank you for your hard work, Eve.”
Just then, Evangeline entered, clutching an ogre by the scruff of its neck.
She brought back a massive ogre, which at least looked fully matured, without a single scratch on her.
Even though it was a wild monster, this was an excellent achievement.
“Name – Evangeline”
“Alias, Title – Hero, Scales the Balance”
“Attributes – Health 59 (54), Agility 69 (63), Durability 45 (40), Magic Power 60 (55), Resistance 42 (37)”
In Eve’s case, there had been no dramatic enhancements in specs.
In reality, it hadn’t been long since she’d reached the elite level.
At this point, fighting a high-level Dungeon Lord wouldn’t pose major issues. Considering her traits, she might even overwhelm in some scenarios.
Nevertheless, she was now stronger and more capable than before…
“Characteristic – … Empire’s Imperial Guard Swordsmanship, … Advanced Specialization: Fire Magic, Advanced Specialization: Water Magic, …”
The reason being, he had secured several additional traits beyond just enhancing attributes.
As if to prove she was not merely a knight but a hero, she’d learned two elemental magic types alongside the swordsmanship traits she brought from who-knows-where.
“You’re being too greedy, aren’t you?”
“I’m good. I’m only learning what I can manage, My Lord.”
“Ah, is that so…”
“You can trust me to any extent, My Lord.”
With her asserting that, I merely nodded, and Eve grabbed my hand, planting kisses on the back of my palm as she spoke.
She had been unusually affectionate lately.
Her growth had been so rapid that I felt I didn’t need to intervene, and while I trusted her…
“Of course. I trust you.”
Feeling a bit neglected, I said no more, simmering in that thought.
“Yay!”
Beaming with joy, as if she’d gained the world, her smile made me somewhat embarrassed.
“Name – Lin Xue”
“Title/Entity Name – Blood Demoness”
And finally.
“Huuh…”
“How do you feel, Xue?”
Seeing my first mercenary, just having completed a transformation, with her hair fully turned red.
She looked similar to how she appeared when the previous “Madness” was buffered, but she was not rampaging.
In a state of immense calm, she smiled at me.
“Very… good.”
“You certainly do look it.”
There were many monsters I could capture, but elite-level monsters aren’t that common in this vicinity.
Using the ogre Eve caught as a sacrifice, I promoted Xue to elite-level.
All upper-grade summon slots in my dungeon were filled, but since she was treated as a mercenary, she didn’t fall under this limitation.
Of course, an ordinary mercenary wouldn’t grow by consuming sacrifices like this…
But she wasn’t your ordinary mercenary.
“Attributes – Health 62, Agility 46, Durability 56 (51), Magic Power 59, Resistance 60 (54)”
“The main characteristic she held was that of ‘Madness of Blood’ transforming into ‘Bloodlust.’ ‘Blade of Blood’ became ‘Blood Tide.'”
The multi-characteristic merging the four traits made up the composite characteristics.
The central part in combat had shifted from “Madness” to “Bloodlight,” while “Beast Seeking Blood” became “Blood-Seeking Beast.”
Though I suspected her name hinted at a continental theme, discovering her traits followed suit was indeed intriguing.
“Evangeline… Let’s fight again.”
“Here? We should probably stop that. If you and I were to fight now, everything would break and then My Lord would be displeased.”
“Ah…”
“Let’s set a time and a place later.”
As I watched her unable to contain the power surging within her calm down at Eve’s words.
‘Preparations for the critical events are complete.’
I anticipated the impending battle.
The day I expected my enemies would actually assault was drawing near, just two days away.