Dungeon Defense (WN)

00337 Aroma of Anemone

I lay down with Laura. The bed gently welcomed us both.

I swiped Laura's hair and called her a lullaby. I was not good at singing, but I could sing plainly when I was growing up listening to it from a very young age. It was a song my mother used to play me.

“In a lullaby...... sung by the sea. ”

Laura rubs her face against my chest. Like a bird breaking its shell and digging through it looking for a broken shell. A smile was drawn on her mouth as if she was babbling. I did not reject it, I totally accepted it.

Laura mutters in a freshly captivated voice.

“Lord. I hear you live forever if you become a vampire." ”

“Yes, that's what I heard. ”

“I want the girl to become a vampire by asking the Vampire. That way you can stay with the Lord. As beautiful as it looks... …. ”

One memory flashed through my mind. There was a girl. Only death was the child who brazenly declared his own. The boy gave up on himself without a doubt.

It was a warm memory.

There were few pleasures and surprises in life. I was about to give you a proper burial in memory. I put the memory in the glass tube of my mind and smiled softly.

“Very well. I'll ask you later if I have a chance. ”

“Yes, Joo. Together forever... ”

Laura falls asleep, lengthening her words. Holding the corner of my clothes in my hand.

About 30 minutes ago. I quietly got out of bed. Luckily, Laura doesn't notice anything. Stress and fatigue have piled up over the last few days. All she needs now is a good night's sleep. I kissed Laura on the forehead.

And I walked without a care.

I liked it wherever it reached my feet.

Where no one can see you.

There were too many people in Castle Marwan. There were too many people in the territory. I followed the passageway made for escape to the field behind Castle Crane. It was a river where reed forests grew. A passageway was laid out where the ground was damp, making it difficult to chase the cavalry.

I walked slowly along the river.

“ ……. ”

The sound of the river flowing through my chest, I felt a thin rot. Comfortable depression drenched my body. I changed my mind as I felt a stream flow through my mind. In fact, I was surprised that I had the strength to think of something else.

The plague was almost entirely eradicated from the continent.

Severely, depending on the region, half of the population died from an epidemic. However, the overall damage stayed between two and three halves of the total population. Humanity was originally quite upbeat, considering that the plague was supposed to take away more than five people on the continent.

Farmers' rights will grow dramatically from now on.

The land is intact and there are not enough people to cultivate it. Since the output will be diminished indefinitely, the holders will use enormous amounts of money to save people. There is competition between stakeholders. The farmer sells his goods to the holders who call for a higher price....

Farmers aren't the only ones who died of an epidemic. Death fell equally among the various classes. Whether you're a blacksmith or a grain merchant or a footballer, you hire people without asking where you're from or where you're from to replenish a large number of people.

The phenomenon of avoiding the military is widespread.

I don't need to be a mercenary to be old enough to live. Unless you're a bloodthirsty lunatic, you want to make your living by other means than going to war. Mercenaries will never disappear, but at least the ransom will be enormous.

As a result, the size of the war itself decreases.

Even if the monarch and the monarch want to go to war, the funds in the war are too large. It is not a direct war, but a diplomatic way to resolve conflict.

Nevertheless, there must be a human monarchy that will insist on war. They're idiots.

They'll raise taxes to raise money. However, farmers are no longer powerless exploiters. A real force based on high wages, with a unique unity of rural societies.

Farmers don't pay taxes for wars that have no interest in them at all. I dare to speak up against the lord. The aristocrat, who still does not understand the situation, accepts this as a challenge to authority.

The Lord's oppression, the peasant resistance...... The huge peasant uprising is almost inevitable...... The continent is once again in chaos.

How do you use this chaos? It was no exaggeration to say that the future of the Demon Prince depends on it. In some cases, republicism can arise. It can also enhance ties with the Royal Party countries. Or both...

“Dantalian palace? ”

I heard a familiar voice in my ears. Upon raising her head, the Lady Longgwi stands a little distance away. My hair remained wet, whether I washed my body in the river.

“What are you doing here? No, but you...? ”

The Longgwi girl looked at my face and opened her eyes wide. There was silence for a moment. She is horrified, as if she had seen a creature that should not exist in the world.

Several times, the saint opened her lips and closed them again. Then he frowns and sighs a little.

“... If you have any regrets in front of the goddess, there's nothing I can't hear for you. It's because I'm a saint. ”

I couldn't understand what I was saying. Perhaps my life was full of regrets after all. I shrugged.

“Thanks, but no thanks. My adage is that even if I reflect, I won't regret it. Personally, I think that's quite a quote. ”

“… what nonsense is he making that face……. ”

The girl mutters because her voice is small and hard to hear.

It'll be useless anyway. This woman's political senses have already been tested. It was worse than Parsi. I didn't feel the need to talk.

“The landscape of the Lady who just finished her bathing suit is a rare sight, but I'm afraid the goddess will punish me if I watch any further. I'll step back now.”

“Wait a minute.”

The opponent stopped him as he tried to walk past her. It was a little annoying. I felt like being alone. I stared at her silently.

“What's going on? ”

“That's... ugh. What a dump. ”

Long Gwi scratches her pink head. She hesitates for a long time, then decides to put her strength into her eyes.

“A palace bag. I have some very precious liquor. I'd like to have a drink today, but unfortunately, no one will share a cup with me in this barren territory. I'd appreciate it if you could take care of the White Palace together. ”

“Yes?”

I felt a groan because it was so absurd.

“No, you can pick anyone. ”

“People worship the idea of a woman called a saint whispering. You can't do great things without being close. And I've just come to your territory, and I have no friendship at all. ”

“I'm sure it is. ”

I looked at her with a clear eye.

“So you're going to drink with me? ”

“... I don't mean to be rude, but you're the only one. ”

The Saint was a terrible face. I don't know why you invite me to drink alone. Something else was clearly hidden.

“Is there anything noble about your queen? ”

“Yeah, well. Let's put it that way. ”

It was a fairly ambiguous answer, but there was no reason to refuse the drink. I indicated an unwelcome acceptance by shrugging my shoulders. Then the saint sat on a wool towel that was flat on the ground.

“Holy Virgin Longgwi. Are you sure you want to have a drink here? If my eyes weren't broken, I'd rather have a glass of wine here... ”

“Claustrom.”

Did the Holy Mother take care of the Magic Ingot? A white aura spreads over her wrist. There seems to be an invisible pouch in the air. The saint shoves her arms into the crowd of lights and shakes them around. A moment later, she pulls out seven bottles of wine and two glasses from the swarm.

“Here. That should do it. ”

“…… May I ask where you got it? ”

“Instead, I'm a warehouse. You can pick up your warehouse whenever you want. ”

In short, the Lady Longgwi had just taken the unauthorized liquor that people had given her before Athena. I frowned as I sat on the wool towel.

“I can't believe the saint has stolen the temple's merchandise. It's not weird that the goddess should be punished right away. ”

“It's a drink the goddess can't even drink anyway. On behalf of Goddess Dory, I'd say I did well. ”

The Longgwi girl naturally spoke back as if she was fine. Indeed, not only was she a saint with a temper, but a woman with a flaw in personality. However, I could not bear the absurd position of a saint without going crazy.

We exchange wine with the flowing river by our side.

I waited to find out what was so important, but the girl kept her mouth shut with strange and trivial questions. How I came to rule this land, and how I lived until I became the Demon King's Chief of Staff...

She was a strange woman. She had no idea what her intentions were, so I gave her a rough answer.

“Ugh!”

It was around sunset. A wolf approaches the bar. I nodded and motioned to the wolf in the sense of reassurance.

The wolf approaches quietly and shoves its head into my arms. I brushed his fur with my palm. The wolf growls as if it's in a good mood. Seeing that, the saint became Zinc.

“Old, palace white. What the……. ”

“I'm drawn to my magic. If I were as powerful as the other Demon Kings, I'd run away scared again, but I'm just right. And for some reason, animals love it. ”

“Ahh... ”

The Longgwi girl looks at the wolf with a frowny face. The child's gaze at the toy displayed beyond the window was dull.

I laughed bloody.

“Would you like to touch her, too? ”

“Yes? There. Is it still safe?”

“You'll be safe unless you kill me. ”

The saint swallows her saliva and slowly approaches. She gently touches the wolf's hair with her fingertips. The wolf turns its head and looks at the saint. The girl stops, but soon the wolf cries in a cheerful manner.

As the girl's face lit up, she stroked the wolf. The wolf reaches out to the ship and enjoys the woman's touch.

“Heh. The Magic of the Demon King is something else. ”

“Magician scholars have speculated that this might be a clue to the relationship between animals and magic. Well, it's a difficult story, and it's unfamiliar to me. ”

The drink grew longer. Even after the sun went down and it became the night sky, the bottle of wine that the saint took out did not stop.

Meanwhile, a deer, a rabbit, a fox, and a dozen animals were enchanted by my magical powers. They sat around me and the saint. The girl shed a little smile in front of me because she liked the view.

Eventually, the "important story" implied by the saint didn't even appear until after dawn. The saint was drunk first and fell to the ground.

“Mmmm, I can't drink any more.... ”

I was snoring in front of my eyes. I jumped beyond absurd and laughed. What the hell was that? Well, there are days like this.

I lifted her up. I took her to the wolves and drove her to Castle Marwan. I threw her in the guest bedroom, and then I went back to my bedroom.

I didn't feel depressed because of the alcohol. I lay in bed comfortably. I didn't think I'd have a nightmare today....