Reports

"So this is the throne room…" Aurora commented as she looked around the room, then raised her head, noticing there was no roof. "It looks…" She tried to find the words but was unable to.

"Like shit. Yes, I've noticed. Thank you for your input," The Dark Lord grumbled as he sat on his broken throne. "Think one of your spells might repair some of it? From what Iden told me, some rooms are about to collapse,"

"I've studied magic in total reclusion and limited resources, so I can't say I have learned that many spells compared to Jenna… Contrary to what you may believe," Aurora replied as the Dark Lord's helmet faded, letting her see his annoyed frown. "A fix item spell could have worked on some of the inner structures, but the whole castle is enchanted. The castle as a whole is too big of a target anyway," She explained further while the Dark Lord tapped on his throne's armrests with impatience. "You will either need a mage with specific spells or a team of good builders as well as the necessary materials,"

"This is preposterous!" He snapped as he slammed his fist on one of his armrests, breaking off the tip. He glared at the broken tip, then breathed in and out to control his anger. "I can't live in a castle in ruins! What will the mere mortals think of me? They see me as this… Great Lord of Evil or something, and that reputation will be unwarranted if they see this dump," He slumped on his throne. "If only I were at my full power… I would reshape this entire nation as I see fit!" He waved his hand as Aurora remained stoic.

Ever since she threw herself even deeper into learning magic, she slowly began having better control of her emotions, keeping them hidden deep inside. Her past actions certainly helped her gain a more sinister look at the world. When she was distressed before, it was only due to her past, Thorrin, and her mother. Now that Thorrin was gone, and her mother was avenged, there weren't many things that could drag her down. Unfortunately, she was recently feeling lust when faced with the Dark Lord, even more so after the time she had given him a handjob.

"We won't be out of trouble, even after we fix it," Dark Lord's voice got her out of her thoughts. "Someone will notice the castle was repaired and the surrounding area was changing, and it would only be a matter of time before Drulla comes to finish the job. We can't allow that to happen," He explained as Aurora nodded along.

"I can use an illusion spell to make it seem like the castle is still destroyed and deserted, but I will need a lot of mana to maintain it constantly. Unless you have a crystal we can store the spell in," Aurora replied as Dark smirked with pride.

"That's what I was hoping you would say! Don't worry about the crystal. I'm sure we have one laying around. That reminds me I'll have to give you a tour of the castle and show you your room… Although, you likely won't need it since my room will be available to you at any time," Dark chuckled as Aurora kept an impassive expression, but was madly blushing and looking away.

What was she supposed to say to that? Did he need to make constant advances and try to charm her all the time? She hated it because it kept working on her for some reason! Maybe it was because she wasn't used to it? After all, she spent most of her time alone or with corpses, so it wasn't like anyone would hit on her. Especially since the villagers despised her guts. Except, she was sure she would have cut a man's balls off if they ever flirted with her before, so that couldn't be the reason… Maybe she was actually attracted to the Dark Lord? She was saved from having to answer to his advances when a black crow flew down from the hole in the ceiling and landed in front of the Dark Lord, then changed shape to take the form of Iden, kneeling before his master.

"My Lord," He said with his head down while Aurora silently thanked him.

"Iden, I am glad to see you! What's your report?" Dark inquired, seemingly forgetting what he was talking about with the witch earlier.

"The bandits have brought the villagers into the castle, and I have personally led them to the dungeons," Iden reported before being interrupted by the Dark Lord.

"Oh? The dungeons are operational?" He asked in surprise and delight.

"When the enemy troops raided our castle and freed our prisoners, they mostly used spells instead of brute force, so the dungeons are mostly intact. The entrenchments are still there, too. They are dusty and dirty, though, but the cleaning and few needed repairs will be swift," Iden explained as Dark beamed.

"Finally some good news! I did always love the dungeons, and I hope the enemy realizes their foolishness in not destroying them completely when they had the chance," He declared while Aurora looked surprised.

"How big are these dungeons? You'd need a lot of space if you are to hold the villagers you've captured," She asked, bringing their attention to her.

"The dungeons are underground, so there was a lot of space, to begin with. However, Lady Jenna used dimensional magic to make the dungeons much larger on the inside than they are on the outside. We had rooms like these inside the castle, too. Unfortunately, many have been obliterated during our last battle," Iden replied as Dark smiled proudly.

"Ah… Jenna was truly like a gem…" Dark started warmly until the room grew colder. "To think that some of Drulla's bootlicking worms would kill her…" He added, a dark aura escaping his body while his eyes were filled with fury. It was enough to make even Aurora tremble. "If it happened a hundred years ago, the culprit is likely dead already, so I'll guess I'll have to take my revenge on what remains of their descendants…" Dark promised out loud as Iden gulped, then looked into his lord's eyes.

"My Lord… The bandit is ready to give his report, too," He remarked as their master's aura slowly faded away, and the room grew warmer again.

"Ah, yes. I nearly forgot about that mortal. Bring him in. I hope he has good news," The Dark Lord ordered as Iden nodded, then motioned something to someone with his hand.

Since the doors to the throne room were reduced to splinters, a guest would be seen from far away, but it seemed Baldur was waiting in the shadows.

The bandit approached Dark, then kneeled when he was at an appropriate distance.

"You may raise your head and speak," Dark authorized him as Baldur obeyed.

"The attack was a complete success, my Lord," He announced as the Dark Lord raised an eyebrow in a bored manner.

"I am aware since Iden, here, already told me. Not that it was supposed to be a difficult mission. A mere village is nothing compared to the worlds I will conquer," Dark retorted as Aurora raised an eyebrow at the word "world" he used. She didn't understand what he meant exactly, but it didn't seem to shock Iden in any way, so she kept quiet. "Tell me how many you have captured and killed instead,"

"As you wish, my Lord," Baldur nodded. "As you have ordered, we killed the elders and let the children escape. From what I have counted, we have killed about 784 elders and let about 200 children escape. Since the younger men resisted a lot, we had to kill most of them, but we still managed to capture 342 of them. And finally, of the 674 women living in the village, we've captured 589 of them," Baldur reported while the Dark Lord stroked his chin.

"You could have done a better job…" Dark started, making Baldur shake in his boots. "But… this will do. I am pleased," He added, calming the bandit down as he breathed in relief. "That is a lot of women… It wouldn't bother me to have so many maids since my castle was so much larger than it looked from the outside. But with the state, it is now… That may be too much… No matter, I will deal with this at another time. Iden, I hope you can make the necessary outfits for them?"

"Of course, my Lord. However, I will also need to give them some training before they can begin their duties," The shapeshifter replied.

"Which is as expected. As for you, Baldur. I will need some of your men to stay here and serve as guards and soldiers. You can keep the rest of the troops in your underground hideout. Iden will give you orders and tell you about the future changes, but until then, don't change anything about how you've been operating this bandit business. Understood?"

"Yes, my Lord,"

"Good. You may leave then," Dark commanded him as Baldur stood up and exited the room. The Dark Lord turned his gaze to Aurora, making the witch stare into his eyes. "Now… Why don't I give you that tour?"