Chapter 166 - Damn Reincarnation

Queen of the Dream Demons

The demon lands of Helmuth. This empire was a good place to live, for humans and demons alike.

Its citizens were guaranteed a basic standard of living even if they did not work.

Ancient undead raised by high-ranking demons and black mages, along with countless demonic beasts personally bestowed by the Demon King, performed the citizens’ labor for them. Thanks to them, Helmuth’s vast farmlands were always awash in gold, regardless of the season.

Helmuth’s citizens did not pay taxes in currency. What they owed was vital essence. In other words, even someone without a penny to their name could maintain a basic livelihood in Helmuth simply by paying their taxes in vital essence.

But, as with most beings, there was no end to their greed. Humans who immigrated to Helmuth mortgaged their souls in exchange for ten years of labor after death and enjoyed lives of luxury in Helmuth.

And the demons?

They were not so different. However, demons did not trade away their souls as readily as humans did. Familiar as they were with soul contracts, they knew just how dangerous trading souls could be, and how much care it required.

Thus, demons preferred to work with their own bodies. Undead and demonic-beast laborers were certainly convenient, but Helmuth did not persecute workers with wills of their own. Anyone who wanted work was given priority and guaranteed a job.

Helmuth’s Ministry of Employment and Labor was that competent, and His Majesty the great Demon King, ruler of this vast empire, respected and guaranteed all his subjects’ rights and freedoms.

That was why this construction site had many demons of the lowest class in addition to undead workers. For today’s labor, they had been promised a daily wage of murky vital essence and one hundred thousand sals. Naturally, what these lowest-class demons wanted was the vital essence rather than the cash.

For demons, vital essence was indispensable to growing stronger. But who would ever make a contract with a mere lowest-class demon and provide it with a soul and vital essence?

For that reason, the Ministry of Employment and Labor had enshrined in law a minimum allotment of vital essence as part of their daily wages. Oh, great Demon King of Incarceration!

“Heave-ho! Heave-ho!”

... Who could possibly have imagined it?

Who could have guessed the identity of the woman wearing a yellow hard hat and work coveralls, standing atop an observation platform? She called out encouragement in a clear, singsong voice, dancing as she waved the safety batons in both hands like a cheerleader’s pom-poms.

“Keep it up! Keep... Wait, wait! You over there! Stop slacking off! It’s not break time yet!”

TWEEEET!

The woman blew hard on the whistle hanging around her neck. A lowest-class demon who had been sitting in a corner of the site catching his breath got up.

“... Who the hell is that young lady?”

“Don’t, hiss, don’t know.”

“Why is there a cheerleader at a construction site...?”

“Hu, squeak, man?”

“Mr. Komu, you’re not getting any funny ideas, are you? This isn’t some backstreet slum or sewer... Drool over a human and someone will report you. Then they’ll put restrictions on your soul.”

“Squeee...”

“I know, I know. You’ve been through it before, Mr. Komu. That’s why you have to be even more careful. Those restrictions already make it hard enough for you to talk... Imagine how difficult it’ll be if the next one forbids you from speaking at all.”

“Squeeeee...”

At the one-eyed demon Mr. Gargal’s words, the filth-slime demon Mr. Komu looked dejected. Like these two, the lowest-class demons were far removed from humanoid form. That was only natural: they were low-grade demonic beasts that had evolved after acquiring a sense of self.

“Heave-ho! Heave-ho!”

Once she had confirmed that the lowest-class demons had awkwardly risen and resumed their work, the woman began swinging her safety batons again, cheering them on.

“It’ll be lunchtime soon! As you all know, lunch will be prepared according to the questionnaires you filled out and submitted this morning! Within the bounds of the law, of course!”

There were occasionally demons like that. Perhaps because they were ignorant and uneducated, some idiots wrote human flesh on their lunch surveys.

That was why the woman shouted the words “within the bounds of the law” with particular emphasis.

“And the reason we can prepare all the meals you desire is the generosity of Duchess Noir Giabella, the client behind this project and CEO of our very own Dreaming Construction! Now, workers! ‘Thank you, Duchess Giabella!’ Let me hear you all together!”

“...”

“Duchess Giabella!”

“Thank you!”

Thunderous cries rang out from all across the forest. The woman looked pleased at the resounding cheers, then turned and leaped down from the dizzyingly high observation platform.

“... Truly impressive.”

A man with neatly slicked-back hair stood below the platform, dressed in a black uniform. Gold epaulets adorned his shoulders, and splendid medals decorated his chest.

Yet no one here paid him any attention. Nor was he alone in that. The busily working laborers did not spare so much as a glance for the woman who had leaped from that towering platform.

“What do you mean?”

“Your shamelessness.”

“Aha. Did hearing them shout ‘Thank you, Duchess Giabella’ grate on your ears?”

The woman took off her hard hat as she spoke. A luxuriant cascade of black hair spilled out in waves, far more than seemed possible to fit inside it.

“Then I’ll add your name next time. ‘Thank you, Duchess Giabella. We love you, Duke Lindman.’ How does that sound?”

The queen of the dream demons.

Noir Giabella spoke with a bright smile. Gavid Lindman shrugged at that radiant expression.

“That was not what I meant. I have known for hundreds of years how deeply you love yourself.”

“Then what could have upset our dear Duke Lindman?”

“As I understand it, the meals served here are porridge, made solely for nutrition with no consideration whatsoever for taste.”

“What does it matter, as long as they’re happy when they put it in their mouths and can taste it?”

Noir Giabella smiled, her eyes curving into crescents and sparkling as though studded with stars.

“Besides, their nutritional needs are being properly met, so I find your criticism rather presumptuous. In any case, they’ll see the food they want and taste it as they eat.”

The Demonic Eyes of Fantasy.

Even among dream demons, who toyed with beings as they moved between dreams and reality, these demonic eyes had been passed down as a legend. Noir Giabella had always been a powerful dream demon, but long ago, the Demonic Eyes of Fantasy had suddenly manifested in both her eyes.

From that moment on, Noir Giabella had been called the queen of the dream demons. Hundreds of years later, she reigned as one of the handful of mightiest archdemons even in the demon lands of Helmuth.

“Surely someone of your stature hasn’t come to argue over the workers’ meals? I haven’t broken any of our august Demon King’s laws in the first place.”

“Do not worry. There is no particular reason for my visit. If I had to name one, it would be personal curiosity.”

Gavid Lindman, Incarceration’s Sword, calmly surveyed his surroundings. Noisy sounds filled the air. This vast forest was being logged at Noir Giabella’s behest.

“Just so you know, I received permission quite some time ago.”

“I know. This forest recently became your private property, and you are free to do whatever you like with it. Provided you can handle it yourself.”

Gavid turned to look at Noir.

“... But what exactly are you planning to do with this forest?”

“Build a casino.”

“... This is far too much land for a single casino.”

“Leaving it as a forest won’t do me any good, so I’m clearing the whole thing. To start with, a casino and a hotel... And I’m planning to build all sorts of other things too.”

Noir answered with a bright smile.

“To put it simply, I’m creating an enormous tourist attraction that represents me. Staffed by dream demons. I’ll add attractions for children, and perhaps a museum all about me? A few statues too... Oh, shall I include you? I suspect I might have trouble filling out the lineup all by myself.”

“... Why not do that for the Demon King of Incarceration instead?”

“Whatever for? There are already statues of the Demon King of Incarceration all over Helmuth, and every public library is packed with biographies celebrating His Majesty’s accomplishments.”

“There can never be enough worship and reverence, however abundant they may be.”

“Exactly. So I’d like some too. I’m building something for myself on my own land, after all. There’s no problem with that, is there? And I guarantee this ‘Giabella Park’ will become Helmuth’s premier tourist destination.”

She had already decided on a name? Gavid nodded with a wry smile.

“If you put your mind to it, I imagine it will. If you staff it exclusively with dream demons chosen for their skills... Hmm. I cannot even begin to estimate the amount of vital essence you will draw from the tourists.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t evade my taxes.”

“I am well aware that you are scrupulous in that regard. Just take care that the greed of the dream demons under you does not grow excessive.”

“Have any of my children ever been reported for exceeding the standard vital-essence intake?”

“I am speaking of other desires.”

Gavid regarded Noir with a calm, steady gaze.

“... Aha.”

Noir nodded with a bright smile.

“As I said three years ago, I won’t make excuses for Olpher. Becoming a baron went to his head, and he overstepped.”

Olpher the Good-Natured.

An incubus who had held the title of baron. Three years ago, he had attempted to form a contract with Eward Lionheart.

In truth, it was no crime for a demon to make a contract with a human. But the human in question had been the eldest son of the Lionheart main family. When Lionheart took issue with it and flew into a rage, the Demon King of Incarceration had personally beheaded Olpher, apologizing for causing offense to the family of his “dear” Vermouth.

“Surely you don’t suspect me of involvement in that recent internal conflict at Black Lion Castle?”

“There is a precedent.”

“That really is unfair. I never told Olpher to make a contract with the young master of Lionheart.”

Noir tilted her head as she spoke.

“And likewise, I had no involvement in the rebellion at Black Lion Castle.”

Not everything about the rebellion at Black Lion Castle had become known.

Eward Lionheart, the main family’s eldest son; Dominic Lionheart of the Black Lion Knights; and Hector Lionheart of a collateral branch. Those three, together with an organization called Pride—a cancer within the family made up of collateral branches dissatisfied with the main family—had attempted to perform an evil ritual at Black Lion Castle.

In the process, Decon Lionheart of a collateral branch and Doynes Lionheart, head of the Council of Elders, had died. Eward and Dominic, the ringleaders, had also perished.

Hector Lionheart had fled, and the families belonging to Pride had disappeared as well.

That was the entirety of the publicly known account. The spirit of darkness, the remnants of the Demon Kings, and their intended resurrection through those remnants remained unknown.

“Why would I have any reason to get involved in the first place?”

However.

Even if those details were not public knowledge, demons who had lived for so many years could make a reasonable guess at the nature of the horrific ritual Eward had attempted.

Doynes had died, and Dominic had participated. That meant the Crushing Hammer and Demonic Spear had been involved in the ritual. But how could knights without any real knowledge of magic, rituals, or sacrifices have orchestrated it?

“Something” had helped those three perform the ritual.

If the Crushing Hammer and Demonic Spear had been present, the identity of the beings directing it was easy enough to deduce.

“Why would I want the Demon Kings of Carnage and Cruelty, who died three hundred years ago, to come back to life?”

Every demon dreamed of one day ascending to the throne of a Demon King.

And among all those countless demons, Noir Giabella, queen of the dream demons, was one of those closest to that throne.

“Perhaps servants of Carnage and Cruelty who have survived since three hundred years ago might want that. If they still haven’t abandoned their loyalty, that is.”

Gavid Lindman smiled wryly at that. Hearing those words from Noir Giabella, of all people, was amusing.

As she said, some servants of Cruelty and Carnage were still alive, even three hundred years later. But did they still possess the strength they had wielded on the battlefields of old?

No. Most had lost their power. Over those long three hundred years, they had succumbed to sweet pleasures, becoming ruined and broken. And it was Noir Giabella who had made them that way. She had sent out her dream demons in droves to comfort the surviving war heroes. With Noir Giabella deliberately interfering, those demons had deteriorated to the point of signing contracts with their own power as collateral.

“... Indeed. You would have no reason to be involved.”

“If you absolutely need someone to suspect, why not visit Dragon Demon Castle instead of me?”

Noir continued with a sneer.

“Though I doubt that dragon, so drunk on his own greatness, will open the gates for you.”

“... Do not concern yourself with Dragon Demon Castle.”

“How long am I supposed to leave it alone? I’m being extraordinarily merciful, you know. If I had my way, I’d gobble that place up too.”

“Helmuth’s Three Dukes have significance because there are three of us. You, the queen of the dream demons. I, Incarceration’s Sword. And the first dragon to fall into corruption. His Majesty does not wish that balance to be broken.”

“What a shaaame... I doubt I’ll ever get a chance to taste a dragon.”

Noir murmured as she licked her lower lip.

“Was devouring this forest not enough for you?”

Gavid looked around the forest as he spoke.

“Surely you don’t feel sorry for her?”

This forest had originally been the domain of Iris, the Rakshasa Princess. For three hundred years, she had lived here with her dark elf followers, striving to revive Fury’s Independence Army and bring about Fury’s return.

But recently, the queen of the dream demons and the Rakshasa Princess had fought a territorial war, staking their respective domains.

“I’ll admit I needled her a little. But I couldn’t help it either. Iris has no grounds to be proud of her own race... Yet she sneered at me and called me the queen of whores!”

Territorial wars and duels to establish rank were common among demons.

Only three hundred years ago, demons had been conquerors bent on indiscriminately tearing the continent apart. They might mingle with other races now, but demons still believed that resolving disputes by pitting strength against strength was simpler and more proper than relying on someone to mediate.

So Noir Giabella and Iris had fought a territorial war. Had three hundred years of resentment finally boiled over? That was part of it, but Noir Giabella had also intended this outcome. Recently, Iris had begun taking beastfolk mercenaries into her service and started letting go of her fixation on dark elves.

In truth, it had been a gamble worth considering from Iris’s perspective. This forest was her entire domain. In contrast, Noir Giabella’s duchy was among the largest and wealthiest in Helmuth. Victory in the territorial war would have given Iris that entire duchy, so it had been well worth the risk.

“She should be grateful to me for the rest of her life simply for not killing her.”

Noir snorted.

“... I heard it was an overwhelming victory.”

“I didn’t allow spectators... But if you’d wanted to watch, I would have made an exception.”

“What enjoyment is there in watching a match with such an obvious outcome?”

“Still, she wasn’t weak. It seems she worked quite hard over those three hundred years. Though she’s nowhere near challenging for a Demon King’s throne.”

“... Have you heard what Iris did after leaving Helmuth?”

Losing a territorial war did not mean one had to leave Helmuth, but Iris had taken her dark elves and departed. Humiliation? That was probably part of it, but more likely she had realized that, with her sole domain taken from her in its entirety, she would struggle to survive in Helmuth.

Dark elves were not well regarded in Helmuth. The Rakshasa Princess herself was also proud and had many enemies. Having lost her own territory, she would have needed to seek refuge in another demon’s domain, but with her temperament, Iris would sooner die than bow her head and ask to be taken in.

“Apparently, she entered Kiel illegally and attempted a hostage scheme against Lionheart.”

“She’s out of her mind.”

Noir gave a little laugh and pressed the hard hat back onto her head.

“A hostage scheme... Against that Eugene Lionheart?”

“So you remember his name as well.”

“It isn’t such an insignificant name that I wouldn’t remember it, is it? I hear he became the youngest person ever to gain access to Akron, and that Senya herself transferred ownership of Akasha to him.”

“... Senya Merdein. Do you truly believe she is alive?”

“Akasha went without a master for hundreds of years, and now it’s been passed on. We have to assume she’s alive.”

She even picked up the safety batons she had set down.

“... But... She doesn’t seem to be in good health, does she? If she were perfectly fine, she wouldn’t have stayed silent for hundreds of years... I imagine she’d have stormed into Helmuth long ago and tried to assassinate His Majesty.”

“Do not speak such blasphemy.”

“But isn’t it true? Senya Merdein. You and I both know from firsthand experience just how strong she was, and how much she hated demons. Her magic put me in danger more than once, in particular.”

Pulling a safety vest on over her work coveralls, Noir looked back at Gavid with a bright smile.

“Then again, perhaps you remember Hamel Dynas better than Senya?”

“... I do not wish to dishonor the dead. But his death was fortunate.”

Gavid searched his distant memories. His first encounter with Hamel Dynas. Senya Merdein had been there too. The two had been scouting ahead of their companions when they happened upon Gavid.

He had thought it a golden opportunity. So he had tried to kill them, but failed.

Fortunately, he had never had cause to regret that failure. The Demon King of Incarceration’s castle. ... Hamel Dynas had fallen along the way, never reaching its summit.

“... If that Hamel had survived... The promise might never have been made. Of all Vermouth’s companions, he was the only one who could have opposed Vermouth.”

“He did have a foul temper. Perhaps that’s why he died so young.”

Gavid murmured those words, then took a step back. Noir stared at him as he prepared to disappear, then gave him a mischievous smile.

“... You said Iris attempted a hostage scheme against Eugene Lionheart, didn’t you?”

“So I hear.”

“If it ended in failure, does that mean Eugene Lionheart drove Iris back?”

“... Presumably.”

“I wasn’t particularly interested in Lionheart’s eldest son... Hehe. But I’m finding myself rather tempted by this Eugene Lionheart. I wonder if he’ll come visit Helmuth sometime? Or perhaps drop by a succubus establishment.”

“... Do not try anything foolish.”

Gavid’s face twisted into a scowl.