Chapter 14

I watched the former lord run away from the window.

Hugging the statue of the goddess, he got into the carriage with a flourish and disappeared into the night.

"May you live a peaceful life with that precious treasure."

Of course, a man like him will surely repeat the same mistakes.

He will forget how much he has suffered and lost everything but the statue of the goddess due to his own foolishness...

I have prepared enough assets for him to live a life of moderate luxury and a decent position in the neighboring country until he dies.

Still, he will soon squander it all on gambling and women, and his assets will be depleted.

When that happens, he will surely come to extort me, claiming that his territory was taken by foul means.

So, I have put a surveillance on him.

A tiny clone created by Shier's ability to split, the Evol Slime, is attached to him.

It is separated from Shier and set to independent operation mode.

If he tries to harm me, it will take care of him on the spot.

...Considering the trouble, it would be better to just eliminate him after he signs this document, but that would go against my aesthetics.

As long as he keeps to the contract, I won't resort to rough measures.

"Lord Demon King, we have established a base now."

"Yes, thanks to Shier, it went well."

What I did was extremely simple.

First, I created a forged household register.

While noble registers are difficult, commoner registers can be made with a bit of money.

Then, I bought the necessary documents from another fallen noble.

These documents were for adoption and the inheritance of titles and wealth to his own children.

I bought the household register of this world, became the adopted son of that noble, and inherited everything, including his debts.

By submitting these documents to the country, I can legally obtain the title and territory.

"Ugh, I have one complaint. Just a baron, Lord Demon King? A higher rank would have been better."

"No, this is fine. Higher ranks are troublesome."

"That's a shame. If Lord Demon King orders it, I can take over this country in a 'pew pew'."

Not the usual 'pew,' but an extra 'pew' means it's that much more troublesome.

However, there's no need for such trouble.

A baron is a position that barely allows one to have their own territory, not a high rank.

That's why no other nobles will bother me.

I will have to grovel to the powerful and seek their protection.

That's why it's convenient.

As long as I pay what I owe, I will be left alone.

The problem is that I am in arrears, but I will pay it off along with the debt.

◇

After that, I gathered the people in the mansion.

The servants and the mercenaries who guard the mansion.

They looked doubtful when I introduced myself as the new master, but they were convinced when I showed them the family crest and documents left by the former lord and gave them a generous bonus.

...Especially the last bit of money worked well.

I gave them a two-week break.

I will use this mansion as my base. I don't want anyone to see what I'm about to do.

I took out a crystal in a room where no one else was left.

"Finally, Lord Demon King!"

"Yes, the construction of the dungeon... no, the city in this world begins."

I infused the crystal with magic.

A dungeon is a different world.

When it manifests, it can incorporate the surrounding area.

The pages of the Demon King's Book opened.

I chose the [Plains] floor, which provides the largest area.

Then, I set it to incorporate the territory of this city into the [Plains].

"My name is Procell, the Demon King of [Creation]. I will now build my sanctuary here... [Castle Open]."

The words flowed naturally.

The crystal glowed blue, and the dungeon began to form.

The dimensions twisted, and the [Plains] appeared as a floor of the dungeon.

The [Plains] is literally a flat, empty land, but being empty means it is easy to manipulate.

The Farnade territory was swallowed, and the space around the crystal further distorted.

A room adjacent to the [Plains] floor was born.

Or rather, this room transformed into the crystal room.

If someone enters this room and takes the crystal, the dungeon will disappear.

"Already, the emotions of the citizens are flowing in... all of them are oppressive. Cold, hunger, resignation, fear, pain."

This is completely different from the vibrant city of Avalon.

These are low-output emotions.

Negative emotions can become extremely strong at the brink of death, but such gradual, suffocating emotions are not powerful.

This won't fill my stomach, and it's not good.

The flavors I like are hope, expectation, joy, happiness, and enthusiasm.

To get these, I need to make some changes.

If the land doesn't change, the people won't change.

Fortunately, now that I have a dungeon, I can create monsters.

I have accumulated a considerable amount of DP, which is needed to expand the dungeon floor and purchase monsters, so I will use it now.

Inside the dungeon, I can open the [Demon King's Book] and purchase monsters by paying DP.

First, I need to improve the infrastructure of this territory.

The monsters suitable for this task are the ones I have worked with in Avalon.

"Come forth, Dwarf Smiths. High Elves."

I created five B-rank Dwarf Smiths and five B-rank High Elves.

"「「「「「What are your orders, my master?」」」」」

The Dwarf Smiths are short girls with brown skin and white hair. The High Elves are tall, beautiful girls with golden hair, white skin, and emerald eyes.

Ten beautiful girls knelt on the spot.

When creating monsters, you can choose between fixed levels and variable levels.

Fixed levels mean they are born at the level corresponding to their rank, while variable levels mean they are born at level 1.

When fully grown, variable levels are stronger.

However, what I need now is immediate combat power, so I created all of them at fixed levels.

B-rank monsters are the trump cards of an average Demon King. These ten alone are a considerable force.

However, I didn't create them for combat power.

The upper-class Dwarves and Elves are experts in forging and nature, respectively.

Ideally, I would like to create the highest-ranking Elder Dwarves and Ancient Elves, like Lolo and Aura, but I can only purchase monsters two ranks below those I have created.

"I command the Dwarf Smiths. The infrastructure of this territory is nonexistent... Install waterways, construct defensive walls, demolish dilapidated abandoned houses, and build comfortable new homes. Transform this into a city suitable for human habitation."

"As you wish."

"Shier, you should know the knowledge of the best Dwarves, the Elder Dwarves, and the facilities used in Avalon. Choose what can be achieved with their abilities, create a construction plan, educate the Dwarf Smiths, and give them instructions. Use the materials inside your body as needed."

It's a tall order, but Shier can do it.

Even if she is in the [Complete Imitation] state, she can't build with the forging skills that have dropped in rank due to [Imitation].

However, she can give instructions to the upper-class Dwarves, the Dwarf Smiths.

The Dwarf Smiths will understand quickly if taught.

Dwarves have a genius-level intuition in the field of forging.

"Leave it to me, pew!"

There are five upper-class Dwarves, and there are reference materials and rough blueprints.

This territory will be transformed into a city with the latest infrastructure in a few days.

Next are the High Elves.

I took a quick look, but the land here is terrible.

Originally a poor land, it has become even poorer due to attempts to increase the harvest.

No matter how hard the farmers work, they can't get a proper harvest from this land.

Still, the High Elves can heal the land.

There is no infrastructure, and watering is mostly dependent on rain. When there is no rain, they use wells, but there is no manpower for that.

"High Elves, I want you to enrich this poor land. Bring the blessing of the Elves to my dungeon. There isn't enough land for farming, so cultivate the land simultaneously. From now on, I will entrust the weather management of this dungeon to you... the instructions are"

I called out a High Elf from the [Storage] that I brought from the original world.

"I will entrust it to you."

A High Elf created at a variable level and trained to the limit.

An old-timer who has been with Avalon since its birth and is reliable.

She will be able to guide the newbies well.

"Yes, I will properly guide the new sisters."

Reliable. With her and the five newbies, this land will be transformed into a rich one.

Land blessed by the Elves will produce better crops and be less prone to disease.

Moreover, the effects will extend to the people living there.

Additionally, the High Elves are creatures that coexist with nature and can control the weather. We will rely on the rain until the waterways are built.

"Understood. We, the High Elves, will bless this land."

By improving the infrastructure, enriching the land, and controlling the weather, we can create an almost ideal environment for humans.

...But that's not enough.

I want strong emotions.

For that, I need to be worshipped by the people.

I can consume the emotions generated within the dungeon, but being directly targeted by emotions fills me more.

It's too late today. Tomorrow, I will gather the citizens and gain their faith all at once.

I will leave the environment creation to the monsters and the manipulation of human hearts to the Fox sisters.

I will prepare tonight and make it explode tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to what will happen from now on.