Chapter 27

Leaving the paper on the desk, the Paladin hummed in concentration. 

She picked it up again, reading it slowly, a grimace forming on her lips, and she frowned as she finished reading the letter, seeing the red seal of the Royal House of Re-Estize at the end...

Fools... Ignorant fools... She gave them a chance and they rejected it... 

"So there will be war…" The Kingdom of Re-Estize had a vast territory. From what she knew, it had quite strong warriors in terms of the New World, or well, in reality, only two, both belonging to the government, the Warrior Captain and Brain Unglaus, not counting adventurers, but the guild was a separate association from any government and adventurers couldn't be recruited for political matters like wars between nations. Anyway, back to the forces of Re-Estize, they were summarized in Gazef and Brain, the few trained knights and warriors they had, and a massive amount of inexperienced farmers and civilians recruited for the war.

So... Basically, she would be facing a... A meat farm for something like Deorum Regnum... And possibly that would be the use Dont would want to give it... 

Or at least it would be hidden under the dark veil that Dont brings with her evil, but well-crafted paths. 

She couldn't stain the name of the kingdom with concentration camps and such things, but she wouldn't deny that it was beneficial for Deorum Regnum and Titania to resort to morally dubious experimentation... While Black Abyss would illuminate the good with her divine light, Dont would hide the shady under her claws filled with dark miasma... 

Hm~ They were so perfect~ The ultimate duo~ And considering that Dont would act as the real queen hidden by Superbia being the public queen, and Black Abyss would act as the Titania heroine, and the kind Black Abyss of foreign affairs... It was exactly that~

Without a doubt, Dont was made for her~ 

Black Abyss leaned back in her chair, thinking about what that meant with a smile for the latter, but somewhat serious about the problem at hand, that is, Re-Estize... She really felt bad for them, but they were asking for it... It's not like she didn't give them the chance to avoid it... She even convinced Dont to do it, and that was saying a lot... But...

Black Abyss sighed, crumpling the paper and throwing it into a trash can. Yes... If Dont or Superbia fought, many of those men would be turned into livestock or something worse... 

She looked at her hand covered with a glove with metal plates, and with a movement changed to Titania's equipment... 

Yes... She would fight in that war... Killing them would be the last thing she could do for them... After all, surviving would be a far worse fate than death considering Dont, Superbia, and other members of Titania... On the other hand, Black Abyss... Well, she was kind. Too kind for her own good. 

Their bodies would be used as sources of meat and/or experimentation after all. And she knew doing it while they were alive would be unethical. 

Of course, pagans like them were nothing more than savages who deserved little more than death for resisting to the end with their false beliefs... But well, even then, she had kindness to give, just as the Sun had countless rays and days to gift.

And perhaps... Perhaps she could make valuable men like Gazef Stronoff see reason and join Deorum Regnum, she wanted to recruit the talented. And obviously convert him to her faith. 

Now that she thought about it... What could she call her religion...? The Word of the Sun...? But Dont was missing there... Hm... She would have to think about it carefully...

…

And while the Titania Paladin had such doubts… Dont happily sipped her coffee while reading one of the books from the library. It was about a detective and a funny fat man solving crimes in strange and complex ways. 

She hummed as she read the last page and placed the book on her desk. 

"Aim, could you take this to the library for me~?" she asked the servant on duty, a voluptuous woman dressed in an English maid outfit with two large black wings, a feathered coat, and two more wings sprouting from her temples. She was very monochromatic, with white skin, and the rest of her body being basically black. 

{Maido Aim PNG}

"Of course, Lady Dont~," she said kindly and respectfully, approaching her lady's desk, taking the book with a bow, and leaving the office at a slightly quick pace. 

The Queen of Titania hummed while ignoring the slight, unintentional sway of the maid's hips. 

It used to be a challenge to ignore the curves of Titania's women, but… Lately, the only thing she thought about was one thing… The Sun. Well, it was more a figure of speech. More than the literal ball of gas and cosmic 'fire' in the sky that illuminates a part of the planet as it rotates around it. 

She referred to something that, hypothetically, was also a Sun, or at least represented one. A cute, white thing, but as hard as to withstand a hundred nuclear bombs and more. 

One that, ironically, illuminated her world with its divine light… 

Black Abyss•White Flower.

She coughed into her hand as she felt embarrassed for thinking that way, and looked at the enormous pile of reports and papers beside her to distract herself. 

"Wuh… Too much…" She cried. 

She grabbed the first paper from the pile and sighed as she simply approved it without reading it. 

She wasn't in the mood to think about anything other than her… Although it was a strange thought… Well, the Devil inside her easily attributed it to the recent events. Especially with her being forgiven by Black Abyss and such, and returning to normal. It must have been normal to think a lot about the Paladin, as she was the source of her relief and happiness lately. Though also of her sorrows and fears… 

But well~ Nothing is perfect~ More or less~ Dont was quite perfect~ And Black Abyss wasn't far behind~ 

On the other hand, she started to see what else to do, she needed to kill time instead of overthinking everything about Black Abyss…

She looked around the room, and didn't see anything new, not that she expected to find anything beyond the usual. 

She could go bother Black Abyss, or play around with Black Abyss, maybe chat with Black Abyss, or make conspiracy theories co- Well… Maybe she was thinking of too many things to do with her… 

She touched her chin as she thought, making the 'Serpent' inside her push aside the thoughts of Black Abyss. 

Beyond that… She could organize something for Deorum Regnum… Oh, right, surely those reports had something to do with it… And yes… Black Abyss was there… 

She rested her cheek against the dark wood, trying to think of what to do that didn't involve the Angel, showing the uselessness of the 'Serpent's' effort in keeping those thoughts at bay… but… Did she really want to do things without her…? 

Well, she could summon more Demons… She hadn't used her daily summons yet, and there were still plenty of corpses left from the Baharuth incident. 

She hummed as she found something to do, mentally connecting to the threads that tied her summons to her.

There were many. Too many. But it didn't take long to locate the demons closest to the 'Pit,' where there were… Well, enough corpses to use for a while. 

She frowned as she noticed something strange. 

Was there a thread very far away? 

She focused on the thread and noticed that from that thread, more threads branched out. Except some of those threads were getting cut off from time to time. 

"And who is that?" She tried to remember why there would be a summon so far away… If she calculated correctly, that direction led to the Holy Kingdom…

However, she couldn't recall and just shrugged. Probably a summon that Dont had ordered to go somewhere and took it too literally. 

"Well, some nonsense that will be solved by blaming Komodo." She dismissed it, not bothering to check what that summon even was. It would be problematic if it were one of the stronger ones, but Dont was sure she wouldn't forget a 'strong' summon if she had sent it somewhere. 

She grabbed another of the reports and stamped it with an approval without reading it. She was going to take a bath~ With water as hot as the Sun~ 

Oh… Well, supposedly one thinks better while showering, so she guessed she could think about all this more appropriately there… About the Sun of her World~…

Er… No, wait… Better a cold shower… The thought seemed more acceptable as the 'Serpent' finally managed to contain, albeit temporarily, the thoughts about 'the Sun'...

…

"Father, please let me join you on the battlefield!" The one who had shouted in the meeting room was Prince Barbro, who had been silently waiting on the side throughout the entire strategic meeting. 

"… No, no. There is no need for the eldest son and heir to the throne to go to the field. I will take care of this." Barbro turned toward the one who had spoken, the second prince, Zanack. 

Barbro's response was short and concise. 

"No need?!" His answer was filled with rage. 

The response was reasonable, but Prince Barbro… Well, he didn't have much appreciation for his brother, especially given the boost in Zanack's popularity after publicly helping deal with the Komodo Disaster. 

The Crown Prince was a reasonably talented warrior, which matched his appearance. Not to mention his charisma with women~ Who knows how many bastards he had out there? Actually none, since infertility wasn't a possibility that occurred to Barbro. Anyway. 

Although he had been raised in a pampered lifestyle, the boy Climb had a decent chance of defeating him in a one-on-one combat, especially due to his combat experience, training, and more, it could still be said that Barbro was the strongest fighter in the royal family. 

For him, it was unthinkable that his fat younger brother could be considered a better warrior than him. The possibility that Zanack could be a strategist or something like that didn't even occur to him. 

"I certainly agree!" The voice of Marquis Bowlrob was heard, the main supporter of Barbro in the noble faction. "If you allow it, I would gladly contribute my strongest troops to the effort and to the protection of Your Majesty's person. What do you think of that, Your Majesty?" 

"Umu. Warrior Captain, what do you think?" Ramposa III asked his loyal friend and officer. 

Gazef Stronoff looked at him and quickly answered the question from his king. 

"I believe it depends entirely on Your Majesty's opinion." 

The King nodded deeply, and Gazef suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

"So it is… Well, if that's the case…" After a moment of deep thought, considering some things, he finally decided. "Then you will come as well." 

"Yes! Allow me to bring this so-called 'Marble Queen' to her knees before you, Father!" said the prince with a satisfied and proud smile, eager to taste this supposed queen. If she wasn't an ugly old hag, of course. 

However, the strings were cut, replaced, and pulled by a new puppeteer, one who was desperate and terrified by the monster that had strung threads over all of Re-Estize as if even the puppeteer were one of the many dolls in the dollhouse. And Marquis Raeven swallowed nervously, he had to do something for that puppeteer.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty. If I may add something," Raeven requested politely. 

The king merely looked at him and granted him the floor. 

"According to what the Warrior Captain has told us, the kingdom's now-traitor… The adventurer Titania, who joined the ranks of Deorum Regnum to fight by their side, along with the famous merchant, Lady Nyx, appeared to save the village called 'Carne.' If it had been just the altruism of the maidens, who proved to be very generous and kind, and they hadn't switched sides, that would have been fine." He swallowed nervously. "However, they might have had another motive… A strategic one. I feel it would be appropriate if we mobilize some troops and try to interrogate those villagers for details. I would like to entrust the leadership of that unit to the Prince… I am willing to lend some of my troops if that helps," he said with a knot in his throat… having to send his men to die… 

"W-!? Marquis!" Barbro choked, glaring furiously at Raeven. 

"Silence." Said the King, grabbing his chin, actually considering it for a moment, to Barbro's disbelief. "That's not a bad idea, actually. Considering that Lady Nyx and Titania are with the enemy, it's unlikely they're in that village, as E-Rantel is close by anyway. My son, I order you to go to Carne Village, obtain all the information you can from the villagers about Lady Nyx and Titania." 

"W-W-...!? B-But Father!" 

"I will not accept excuses, Barbro. It is an order, as your king and your father." Ramposa stood firm, making Barbro grit his teeth and lower his head. "I can grant you a couple of weeks to gather troops with Marquis Raeven's help, and if you wish and Marquis Bowlrob is willing, from his forces as well. After that, you have two days to depart." 

Now Bowlrob was gritting his teeth while Raeven maintained a serene and impassive face. 

"... Y-Yes… Father…" Barbro reluctantly conceded, with Zanack wanting to sigh at his brother's resistance. 

He was sure that his father just wanted to hurry and deal with the onset of the war without Barbro. Although the king was not the best father in the world, at least he cared about them… 

Gazef let out a slight smile under his strict demeanor knowing this.

…

The sound of falling water was delightful, and the nearly infernal temperature was pleasant for the only person in the bath.

The Queen of Titania sighed in satisfaction as she soaked her hair, making it look like ink in the water. 

Evidently, in the end, she didn't take the cold shower. The warm ones were always the best~

Her naked body was one of the greatest works of art in the world, and unfortunately, no one was there to appreciate it.

"Fu~ So relaxing~ That little princess informed me that we have approximately 2 weeks of preparation before the war more or less~ Así que estará bien relajarse un poquito~ {So it would be fine to relax a bit~} With things back to normal with Black Abyss… Ha~ What happiness~" Dont sighed happily as she sank down to her elbows, letting her mind wander.

She could hardly remember moments when she had felt so relaxed and well, happiness itself~ Especially since they had been quite busy and worried lately…

Although… Actually, she could do it, she felt like that when… When Black Abyss forgave her for the first time after hiding the projects in Titania…

Dont slightly lifted herself out of the water while tilting her head slightly, looking at the boiling water… It was something curious… 

Well, she was the only friend she had, the only one of the other 33 members who came with her… You could say that even Black Abyss was the replacement for her sister… So… More than anything in the world, she wanted her to be by her side…

Even so, when Black Abyss got angry… She felt bad, much more when it was with her that she was angry… 

It was as if she just wanted to feel the pats she gave and the smiles she showed… 

They were curious thoughts… And in fact… Umu…

"Hm…" It was interesting to think about… When she saw the flowers in her private garden, she instantly remembered Black Abyss, or well… She couldn't stop thinking about her all day yesterday and today… The flowers were mainly selected for how pretty they looked in their mix of red, white, and black… Which amazed Dont… But…

Moreover, if she thought about it… She and Black Abyss formed the same color mix that amazed her so muc-

"Oh… H-Huh?" I-It went from interesting to something… Confusing… Out of nowhere, she blushed… 

I-It couldn't be for that reason that she chose that plant… No… T-That didn't make sense. At the time, Dont only chose it because it was one of the pretty plants she could cultivate, and in fact, she didn't interact much with Black Abyss then until a couple of months later.

Although… If she thought about it… It was with her that she spent her most memorable moments… Both in Yggdrasil and… Here… 

She didn't understand why she suddenly remembered Black Abyss giving her that pat and letting her rest against her shoulder not long ago… At that moment she felt… True happiness and relief, being with her in the way she always liked was… Wonderful…

Not only was she the only person she could fully trust, but the only one she could talk to while being… Herself… The only one she could express herself to, the only one who could understand her, that's why she didn't want to let her go… She was HER Sun… Her light…

She didn't want Black Abyss to get angry with her because… Losing her would be losing everything… It would mean plunging into the cold darkness of the abyss without even the slightest speck of light… Into the eternal and lonely night… 

She didn't know what she would do with Titania. She would surely go crazy interpreting the inscrutable 'queen' she had to be… With no one to talk to or be so personal with…

Her chest hurt a bit just thinking about it… Since when did she have so much appreciation for her…? 

Well, she always saw her as someone fun and charitable, but… For some reason, now… It was something more than that… Did she think that? No… She felt that…

The fact that her own race as a Demon prevented her from… Deceiving herself with emotions, and forced them to come out as something more 'impulsive and sinful', that is, the essence of 'anger' and 'lust', like the unbridled nature of emotions, didn't help. Especially since her 'other selves' wanted nothing to do with it. 

The Demon Queen just raised an eyebrow at Dont's emotional mess, but left her be. The Devil was only interested in the essence of emotions, investigating it, but not interfering. Komodo didn't care at all, beyond just wanting her to cause something intense. And the 'Serpent' was neutral and silent as always.

Dont touched her chest, feeling her heart beating rapidly. 

"B-Better leave this for later…" She said, sinking into the water, trying to forget her own thoughts but… 

For some reason, she couldn't stop wondering… 

What would Black Abyss be doing now…? Would she be free? 

If so, maybe she could visit her and chat a b-...

She growled when she saw that she was thinking about being with the Paladin again…

"Mo… Silly angel…"

…

"[Enhanced Drain Soul]" The imposing and elegant, yet malicious voice murmured, as it efficiently consumed the soul of today's target. 

A man who called himself the 'Blue,' or something like that.

Anyway, the Archarchaeologist only had to send hordes of Imps and flying Demons towards the frigates and ships that the man boasted about as his 'trump card' against the Demons. With the Archaeologist himself using [Teleportation], his wings, and then a simple bombardment of [Fireball], the ships were no problem, and the 'Blue' was easily defeated.

He sighed in satisfaction when he finally managed to level up again. 

"Good. Good… I'm one step closer…" The Archiarcheologist nodded to himself. 

He had to 'spam' [Enhanced Drain Soul] as much as he could since it doubled the experience he absorbed from his targets. 

In fact, he was now level 67 after using a technique with a group of humans that he had hooked up to the Infernal Protectors like dogs.

By simply absorbing a percentage of the experience without taking all their 'experience'. Or well, his Queen called it like that, and he would follow her example. In fact, slowly sucking souls and letting them recover thanks to the Infernal Clerics was a good, though small, endless source of experience. 

Of course, he had to be careful. If he absorbed too much, he would kill them instantly.

He hummed as he looked at his army. 

At this point, they numbered 1000. 

Hordes of Demons ranging from levels 10 to 60. Of course, the higher-level summons were much fewer, but they were very useful to him. 

He felt somewhat confident now that he could simply go and ravage those filthy humans. 

However… He looked towards the vast ocean… 

Maybe…

He looked at his army again, and then at the 'captured soldiers.' 

His mouth opened, and he sucked in. 

The prisoners groaned in pain as something left them… And when that something entered the Demiurge's mouth, they died.

"Umu. Not much, but better than keeping them for nothing. My army! Go and destroy human settlements! You will follow the orders of the Pope of Sin under my control! He will command you. Do not kill all the humans you find. Let some escape and take others prisoner. Make them reproduce to get more humans, and therefore, more experience. Gather all the bodies here, where it will be our 'base.' Go! Servants of Her Majesty, the Demon of Komodo!"

All the Demons roared, like soldiers listening to their leader's speech, in unison in a symphony of Hell's horrors.

"I will not disappoint you, Blessed by Her Majesty." The Pope of Sin nodded to his summoner. 

The Archiarcheologist nodded, and his wings extended from his back. He floated forward… And began to descend, sinking into the sea.

...

The magnificent Queen of Titania walked through her palace, the guild's base, the Palace of the Pact of Titania. 

All while being followed by the maid on duty, Guison. A dark-skinned woman, dressed in an English maid outfit with a chest window that showed a bit of her modest bust, short blonde hair, hazel eyes with a mole under her left eye, and pointed ears.

{Maido Guison PNG}

Dont had only one goal in mind as she walked: something to calm herself a bit. Black Abyss. The faint blush that she felt even on her face made her walk a little faster. 

Not enough to leave Guison behind, but enough to make her maid have to exert herself a bit to walk with elegance.

The Demon Queen finally found herself at the door to Black Abyss's room and was about to open it without needing to ask for permission. 

However, her incredible hearing allowed her to eavesdrop through doors as if she were standing right next to those speaking.

And she stopped when she heard her voice.

"U-Umu, M-My Lady. There were those kinds of rumors... T-That's why I wanted to ask you... W-What do you think of L-Lady Dont?" That was... The voice of a maid. Dont could recognize it, perhaps it was... Sallos. She had heard her once and could remember her well~

A white-haired demoness with good curves, dressed in a classic maid outfit, green eyes, and usually quite clumsy. Though of course, clumsy enough to be amusing, yet efficient in her work despite that.

{Maido Sallos PNG}

B-But that wasn't the important thing! Did she really hear the question correctly?

"What do I think of Dont?..." Black Abyss repeated, sounding curious. So yes... She heard it correctly...

Dont became quite nervous at the question.

"My Lady... Are you alright?" Guison asked, somewhat worried as she saw Dont pressing her ear against the door.

"U-Umu... Yes... I'm just doing a... Uh... Security check on the doors... Don't pay any attention..." She blurted out the first thing that came to mind. A silly excuse, but it seemed to work as the maid looked at her with bright, adoring eyes.

"She is... Like an aurora borealis." ... Huh? What was that supposed to mean? Dont went from nervous to confused by the response...

"An aurora borealis...?" Dont smiled at Sallos' question to Black Abyss, deciding she should reward the maid later for being so useful~ Even if the maid didn't know it.

"A phenomenon in the sky that's hard not to look at, which looks best in the dark. That's how she is, wonderfully beautiful. Classic, refined, very distinguished by her elegance, someone who stands out more in the darkness. Sometimes she may be too much, but the more wicked she is... Well, the more beautiful she becomes~ She is simply very herself~ And being herself is what makes her shine so beautifully~" Black Abyss said with... Honesty, basically. There was no trace of a joke, mockery, or anything else... They were... Real words...

W-Wah!? W-What was this stupid pigeon talking about!?

Dont froze, and her pale skin took on a faint red hue in her cheeks. 

And it was only faint due to the strict control that the Demon Queen within her took to prevent Dont from showing 'weakness,' that is, nervousness. She had enough of Titania's queenly nonsense over the matter of Black Abyss.

Fortunately, Guison didn't notice.

"S-So, are the Supremes really... In a relationship?" Sallos! What kind of questions are those!?

But Black Abyss answered quickly.

"Oh, no. I think we are best friends or something like that. Although... Maybe it's not something that would bother me, I just wish she was more... Considerate... Ah, don't talk about this with anyone..." She murmured, well, cautiously, almost shyly.

"Y-Yes! I-I will keep the secret with my life!"

... She... She had said that... Being in a relationship with her was not an idea that disgusted her...? She really said it! Yes~! No, wait... What was happening...? Why was she so happy to hear that...? Ugh!

"My Lady, you look very happy~" Guison said, seeing the ':D' expression on Dont's face.

"Umu... I suppose? Ahem. Anyway, let's go..." Dont frowned slightly, then continued on her way to escape the scene of the crime.

Since when was she so interested in this topic? For about... Half an hour? This was... Like a poorly done romance. The kind where 'love at first sight' exists, or where one of the protagonists falls in love with the other over some trivial thing in less than half a minute, transitioning from one type of relationship to a nervous or awkward one.

Well, the relationship between Dont and Black Abyss had been nervous and awkward recently, but that was because the Paladin had been... Not very pleased with Dont not long ago.

Was it because she was emotionally unstable? Because she was a Demon? Or was she confusing things in a delusion due to the desperation of possibly being left alone? Or was it an effect of the heat of the moment in the bath? They say temperature can make one dizzy. Was Dont dizzy then and didn't even notice?

She was a Demon, so she should be immune to side effects from heat, and due to her racial level, she was immune to fire and heat itself. She also had good resistances to dizziness, confusion, and things like that. Especially with the Demon Queen inside Dont taking the reins and stabilizing the Daemon's mind if something happened.

Was it because of the Demon Queen's influence? Or the others? The 'Komodo' in her was very explosive, it could have influenced a much more intense state of emotions. The Devil was more like an ironic romanticism of the existence of 'Demons making contracts,' it could be that it confused Dont by 'beautifying' reality. And the other Demon in Dont, the 'Serpent'... Well... He was always silent, she didn't think he had anything to do with Dont's state.

And Elizabeth? Well, two very terrible failed relationships, emotional instability, emotional dependency, psychological abuse in childhood, fear of abandonment and loneliness... Well, it could have had a lot to do with it as well.

She hummed. Now she was interested in the topic, in a less emotional and more... Experimental sense. How could a Demon like her express herself? Could she do it properly? Why was every emotion she felt so... Intense?

Umu, she would have to experiment a bit with herself. A psychological self-autopsy. She wasn't a psychologist, and she doubted she could just go to an NPC and ask them to psychoanalyze her.

"Umu~" All her worries were calmed, especially by embracing her less concerned nature about the future, the present, and emotions, and more interested in simply conducting morally and humanely dubious experiments, as was her style of psychological experimentation with Demons.

Of course, she wouldn't open her own head, she wasn't crazy. She would do it with summons~

Yes~ Nothing like crimes against human rights, or would they be 'demonic rights,' to calm her~

…

Echidna wasn't a fully conscious entity, but at the same time, she was. 

An almost philosophical contradiction about whether a machine was conscious or not. 

As such, Echidna was just an object. In the literal sense of the word.

Echidna is a Mecha Mount built and refined by the guild's blacksmith of G.O.D.S., Juan∾, the guild's architect, Arigameplayin't512, and the other two creators of Miia, Exile-Hell, and Belerick. 

It could be said that Echidna is the epitome of Yggdrasil's Valkyrie Fall expansion. 

Since Echidna itself technically counted as its own level 100 NPC.

However, at the same time, Echidna was more like a Mercenary NPC, as it was not accounted for in the leveling system that the guild could spend on customized NPCs. 

And considering that buying a Mecha, farming data crystals, materials, equipment, gold, and who knows what else to create what was now Echidna, then it could be said that Echidna was the most expensive Mercenary NPC in the entire guild.

However, the incredible thing about Echidna's existence was that she couldn't die.

She could be defeated. She could run out of 'HP', or rather, 'Energy', and become inactive in an equivalent to a Player dying, but because Echidna was, in short, an Object of Divine Class, that is, something unbreakable against almost all means, Echidna couldn't die, unless they use special classes that destroy equipment, a World Item, or take possession of Echidna after defeating and disassembling or selling it.

That's why Miia is one of the strongest NPCs in the guild outside of the resident of the Central Tower of Titania. 

Because Miia possessed specialized classes in offense, and at the same time, in 'mecha mounts'.

Originally, Echidna would only be a Mecha that Miia would ride, and with which she could fight physically without problems, or improve her offensive capabilities with a bow. 

However, thanks to the wonderful work done by G.O.D.S. with Echidna, even the Developers were impressed. Mainly because the expansion of the Valkyrie Fall was made to attract more Players during the game's decline, and the functions of Mechas and things not so fanciful, but science fiction, did not attract much attention, and therefore, not exploiting the possibilities with such things.

However, G.O.D.S. did it. And that's why the Developers decided to implement a new class specially made for the use of G.O.D.S. and Echidna during a patch.

Remote Battle Mecha.

A class that, in short, converted the Player's Mecha, or in this case, NPC, into another NPC. It gave the Mecha an independent AI, with adaptable settings and patterns that could range from simple to complex, turning Miia into a double NPC at no cost to G.O.D.S., it was one of the only times that Juan and Exile-Hell thanked the Shitty Developers for something.

Therefore, Echidna's existence was an artificial automaton consciousness that depended entirely on Miia to exist. Even if another being with the same class, Remote Battle Mecha, somehow took control of Echidna, the programming in Echidna that her creators implemented for Miia would not apply to her new 'carrier', but would be saved in a backup, and the new carrier would have to do their own programming and configuration on the Mecha.

And considering that, in this world, Mechas were literally legendary gadgets that could only be found due to the minimal possibility of another guild base, or Players, having Mechas or equipment of that style, which was not exactly valuable most of the time beyond some nonsense, exceptions, or collection, Echidna was practically invincible in that sense.

Miia and Echidna would be together forever, as long as Miia didn't die. 

In fact, the weakness of Echidna and the Remote Battle Mecha class was that, generally, the 'pilot' of the Mecha was weak. Or at least susceptible compared to their Mecha.

Of course, Miia was built and distributed in such a way that she herself was very powerful, and had many survival capabilities, but Miia was a glass cannon, just a little less weak in that sense than the Supreme Dont-Say-My-Name due to her more balanced distribution of statistics.

And if Miia, the Mecha's carrier, died, then Echidna, her consciousness, would shut down, and become common equipment, with all her configuration going to a backup until Miia revived and regained control of her Mecha.

That's why Echidna never strayed from Miia. For a sense of pure connection, due to the configuration of Miia and Echidna as inseparable sisters from other mothers, or well, fathers, although hypothetically they shared 3 fathers, and for a sense of survival.

Without Echidna, Miia wouldn't have as much protection, and her overall combat capabilities would be massively reduced. Without Miia, Echidna would be nothing more than a quiet armor with minimal consciousness, waiting for someone to use it.

Therefore, the fact that Echidna had been ordered by Miia herself to 'watch over' the wall of the practically new fortress city that had once been a city of the Baharuth Empire, far from Miia, who was in a city closer to the capital, organizing some forces by orders of the Supreme Ladies, left the Mecha very anxious. At least in the rare sense of a Robot feeling something like anxiety.

Echidna, as a Mecha, counted as an Automaton, in short, therefore, she was immune to mental ailments, as she didn't have a mind, she had a central base, something digital, mechanical, or a mixture of engineering and magic.

Of course, against one of the Valkyrie Fall classes, 'Hacker' and 'Technomancer', Echidna would be in trouble against someone specialized. But, at least according to the Supremes, those classes were so useless in the overall picture that no one would ever use them unless it was for a temporary and silly construction.

After all, why would you bother specializing in a class only useful against a single race or a single type of equipment that wasn't even that popular?

And since there was no electronics and digital stuff in the New World outside of tiny exceptions, and with the inhabitants being unable to read whatever language the Yggdrasil virtual object was in, then it was impossible for anyone to become a Technomancer or Hacker through the means of this world. And even if someone could teach it, the chances of those same classes being used on such a person were still practically 0.

So there was no need to be so afraid of leaving Echidna alone for a while... Only that she was afraid for Miia's safety.

Although she was with Alucard, someone relatively stronger than Echidna, physically capable enough to match both Echidna and Miia in combat at the same time.

The mission of Echidna right now, was solely to monitor that Re-Estize doesn't rush into its invasion, or that nothing else comes, like Undead or whatever. 

Thanks to one of Echidna's capabilities, surveillance was very easy. 

After all, the dozen deployed drones allowed her to see 11 places at the same time with a good amplitude, without any hassle due to her non-human, but artificial nature. 

And she had the other 5 drones monitoring the city where Miia was. 

If something happened, Echidna would find out, and therefore, go immediately. 

She did the equivalent of a sigh, although no sound came out. 

Nonetheless, she felt somewhat uneasy because she was nervous about Miia herself. Since such nervousness about Miia's safety implied that Echidna didn't trust the Supreme Ladies, who developed their magnificent and inscrutable plan. 

She shook her head, leaving the two Principalities summoned by Black Abyss who escorted Echidna as shields of flesh, which at the same time would make her look divine and holy, somewhat confused. 

For the moment, she would continue with her tasks. She couldn't disappoint the Supremes. Her creators and Ladies.

…

With steady, elegant, and calm steps, Kalos, the playful Imp summoned by the Trumpet of the Demon Circus artifact, walked along the main road of his home. The village of Carne. 

Or known to him and his subordinates as the Carne Carnival. 

Although it seemed that Kalos was doing nothing more than looking around, observing the circus-like village, in reality, Kalos, as the Master of the Circus Troupe, that is, the strongest and the leader of the other imps, had to verify that his subordinates were carrying out their tasks properly. 

After all, they were preparing for the winter that would arrive very soon. 

And considering that Carne had received a heavy decrease in labor due to 'that day,' the workforce of Kalos's piles of subordinates was indispensable. 

He hummed and took a step aside, avoiding a closed bucket of black paint from falling on his head. 

"Remember, boys~ For every drop of paint wasted, you'll lose a day of food~" He said charismatically, causing the pair of imps to whom the bucket had fallen to laugh as they climbed down from the roof of the house where they were to retrieve the bucket. 

Kalos chuckled at his subordinates' antics and looked aside, watching his summoner and mistress, Enri Emmot, the Village Chief for some time now, especially thanks to Kalos's own recommendation and support, happily chatting with her apparent partner, Nfirea. 

Of course, Enri had the two Circus Tamers, Pierrot and Vallecas, with her. They were the strongest ones just below Kalos, which wasn't saying much. 

Especially considering that the not-so-recent arrival, Brita, an Iron-ranked adventurer who decided to retire after encountering a powerful and terrifying demon, was stronger than Kalos and the Tamers, although the three of them together could defeat the human. 

There were also Goblins who fled from the forest and wanted to join Carne's forces because there were many 'monsters' there, preventing them from living in peace. Even Ogres had come for the same reason. 

And thanks to the Tamers, they had a couple of tamed wolves. 

Therefore, it could be said that the village was experiencing a great boom. Especially with Nfirea helping to make so many chemicals that helped build more appropriate things, in addition to paint, of course. All thanks to Kalos's instructions and other circus members with the appropriate knowledge. 

And well, of course, thanks to the great support of the two saviors of the village.

Lady Nyx Morgause, or as Kalos was surprised to discover when he found himself in her presence during one of her 'little trips' to Carne, the Demon Nyx. 

He instinctively felt there was something odd about this Nyx and her two companions and wanted to have a few words with her while her bodyguards unloaded some goods for free and charitably in Carne. 

He almost died that day because the woman grabbed him by the chin and examined him before revealing that she was a Demon and not to tell anyone, not even Enri, unless he wanted her to make the little village disappear.

And the other savior, of course, Lady Titania. She seemed much friendlier, and she always brought some things. 

Although the last time she came, she wanted to speak privately with Mrs. Enri and Mr. Nfirea. And according to Enri, it was about being careful not to mention the village's relationship with Lady Nyx and Lady Titania… 

Kalos sighed at the memory but adopted his best smile. 

"Ah~ Lady Enri~ Or should I start calling you Chief Enri~? Ajajaja~" Kalos chuckled as he greeted his summoner with a slight bow. 

"E-Eh? Oh, Kalos~ It's you." Enri smiled as she saw the Imp. 

"In fact~ My Lady~ I have no inconvenience to report, except for the usual jokes~" The Circus Master replied. 

After all, there were maaaany jokes from the imps, which at first were recounted by Kalos to his lady when she asked for reports on whether anything out of the ordinary was happening. 

Of course, after the first 4 times, Enri asked him not to tell her any more details about that, only if they caused any inconvenience. 

"That's good then." The Village Chief smiled. Nfirea just looked with an almost dazed smile at the somewhat haughty and proud Enri. 

"In fact~ The preparations for winter are already done, my Lady~ Only the additional measures to make the cold season more comfortable are missing~" He reported, giving a wide smile, showing his yellow and sharp teeth. 

Before they had been somewhat unsettling for Enri, but she had come to appreciate and get used to Kalos's always cheerful smile. 

"Perfect~ So no one will have to suffer during the winter~" Enri said cheerfully. After all, the village was like a family, something Kalos could relate to, as a circus was the same. Everyone was one. 

"For your part~ Anything to report, girls~?" Kalos asked the duo of imps guarding Enri. 

The 'elder,' as she was called for her warmer attitude, Vallecas, began to make hand gestures. 

They were mute after all, alluding to mimes, although it didn't have much to do with a circus itself. 

"Vallecas! What are you saying!?" Enri blushed to her ears as she saw the obscene gesture Vallecas made while finishing her report of the only 'interesting' thing in Enri's routine. 

After all, the Chief didn't expect these two to know what she and Nfirea did secretly... Or at least what she believed was secret... The embarrassment made her cover her face while Nfirea blushed at Enri's own blush. 

Enri had only been instructed on sign language so she could understand what the Tamers were saying. Additionally, all the imps knew sign language, so they could communicate that way, and considering that Nfirea saw it as something weird, as mute people didn't tend to know sign language due to the lack of education, and that they generally came from poor families, it was a good way to communicate silently among themselves in code. 

The teenage couple had started their relationship thanks to Lady Titania indirectly, and the efforts and support of the imps for some drama.

Actually, ironically, the whole village thanked the Imps, as they had been waiting for that to happen for a long time. Even little Nemu thought the same. 

In fact, Kalos had to severely punish the group of Imps who taught that girl about the birds and the bees. 

Enri turned pale when she saw them crucified in the middle of the village, with a balloon on their heads that said 'It wasn't funny, Bad Clown'. 

Of course, they were Imps, so once their punishment was over, they continued playing pranks as usual, just not touching the topic for which they were punished.

"Hm~ Hm~ The usual then~ Well done, girls~ I'll make sure to bring you a rabbit as a reward by the end of the week~" Kalos said with a generous tone, making the pair of Tamers look somewhat happy, with their Imp tails moving from side to side, and saliva starting to drool from their jaws. 

Enri saw a drop fall from her temple as she watched the pair of female imps drool so much, while Nfirea just scratched his cheek. 

"A-Anyway, Kalos... Is there anything else you need?" 

"Not at all, my Lady~ We're still in the process of training with some of the town members and newcomers~ And the Anti-Tax shelter is ready~ So we won't have to hide the entire Troupe in the barn like the last time the fun Tax Collector came~" Kalos said with his chest inflated, expecting at least some praise, although it wasn't necessary. 

"I see... Thank you very much, Kalos~ You do so much for the village... I really don't know how to repay you for it~" Enri smiled from ear to ear, incredibly grateful for Kalos's help. 

After all, as the leader of a circus, Kalos knew various ways to efficiently distribute food, organize, do some construction, and more. And since they were small Demons, they didn't need water, just small amounts of food once a week, and to sleep at least 1 hour a day, nor such extensive places to sleep, as the Imps themselves could create or obtain, somehow, circus materials to feel comfortable, improve the aesthetics of the village, and help build. 

Especially because the 'circus facilities', that is, the tent where most of the Imps sleep, the rebuilt stable, where even now the wolves were calmly living with the cattle, the community dining hall, for newcomers and Imps, and some other installations, like the twins' tent and Kalos's tent, were very useful to take advantage of the time and resources to expand and improve the quality of life in the village. 

If they were Goblins, they would have to feed them, and they wouldn't have the availability of so much construction efficiency or labor. 

It's not that Enri had thought much about it, but she always had the Horn of the General Goblin, the gift given to her by the generous Lady Nyx, in her pocket. Within reach... Just in case. 

"Oh~ My Lady~ Your words honor me~ However, I cannot ask anything of you~ Being your loyal and willing Troupe Master is enough~" Kalos said theatrically, with Enri smiling, already accustomed to the Demon's antics. 

Enri placed a hand on Kalos's top hat, tensing a bit at the involuntary hiss he let out, although she had already gotten used to the Imp reacting like this every time Enri touched his hat, and she stroked the Imp in a reassuring and grateful manner. 

In fact, everything was perfect now. Her sister was happy, she was happy... She had a stable and successful partner... Lovely friends... She became the Village Chief and was doing a great job... With the whole village being happy~ 

Just... She made a slight grimace for a moment... 

Lady Titania's words... About the Deorum Regnum... She hoped nothing would happen to her village.

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Name: ☆King69Jamon☆ 

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