<521 – The Evil Undertakings of the Dark Shadow’s Daughter>
Becoming the daughter of Emperor Hiuqmag.
Masugaki worried if Oknodie would feel fear upon hearing this.
To be honest, her Abama wasn’t a good emperor or a good father at all.
– Your Majesty, why do you intend to start a war?
– The grain output of the Western Three Kingdoms has decreased. A country that doesn’t maintain its output must pay for it with war.
– It has been confirmed that the ancient gods of the Eastern Empire were utterly defeated by the gods of our Western World. Please issue the advance orders!
– The war is over. The East has promised to offer a sufficient amount of grain as tribute.
– No, what the heck does that grain even matter that it determines the country’s major affairs based on getting as much grain as possible? At this rate, if someone produces fertilizer that increases the annual grain output by 5%, would you replace the Prime Minister with them?!
– 5% is not enough. It’s 100%. Anyone who drafts a plan to double the output will be granted the position of Prime Minister.
Where all the gathered food storage has disappeared, not a single grain is given to the people even when famine strikes, revealing the Imperial food storage as a one-way street.
The tale of the emperor being so crazed with gathering grains he couldn’t even consume them spread widely across the continent.
– “But at least they give me a lot of pocket money~!”
The human psyche allows one to feel that a lack of connection can be overlooked if provided with wealth.
“Maid~? Take me to where my new little sister is♡”
Where should I start the introductions?
A tour showcasing all four seasons across the twelve celestial palaces?
No.
Oknodie might be curious, but that interest wouldn’t last a minute.
She was a child who liked to make and collect things herself.
Yes, crafting it.
Before making the Twelve Celestial Palaces, let’s bring in the architect who showed the palace layout first.
When she receives the materials and magical tools used for construction, Oknodie will likely enjoy stacking the blocks one by one, moving them around, and planting little grass with tweezers.
“Make sure to find the architect and materials♡ How much time should I give you to bring them back~?”
“Contact within 5 minutes, personnel recruitment within 30 minutes, and we’ll supply the prepared materials in order as they get ready. By starting work on some parts of the overall landscape plan, you’ll be able to continue without interruption.”
“Do that♡”
While heading towards Oknodie’s palace, the Chief Court Magician blocked her way in front of Jeido.
Masugaki wasn’t too pleased to see that face.
Unlike her former Chief Court Magician who was also her protector, his disciple, the current Chief Court Magician, declared neutrality with magic skills surpassing his mentor.
He even went as far as to kill his mentor during a magical duel, whether it was an accident or intentional doesn’t matter.
To Masugaki, it was simply the loss of a protector and the gain of an enemy.
“Survived, have you? It would’ve been nice if you had collapsed permanently during the mana backlash from that pathetic knock of yours♡”
“I apologize for not meeting expectations, but my life tends to be quite resilient. I regret reaching you with unwelcome news while wearing this unwelcome face.”
“What news~?”
“The Monster Legion is showing signs of disbandment as it loses its focal point. Disposal is easy, but the Chamberlain has asked for help, saying it wouldn’t do to kill your carriage!”
Masugaki frowned.
“Are you telling me to control them with my Dark Mana~?”
“Currently, you are the only royal of the palace who has deeply mastered Dark Mana.”
Though she was on her way to meet Oknodie, she couldn’t help but think about the sadness of losing her carriage if she didn’t help.
“If you’re that desperate for power, why not learn Dark Mana here~? It’d be nice to have some use for it at times like this♡ Pathetic♡ The murderer of your own mentor♡”
“… Then, I shall take my leave.”
Having taken a light jab at him and relieved some stress, Masugaki headed off to control the Monster Legion.
Rumble rumble… Flame!
Mud aaaa!
Stoon!
Sparkl-spark! Sparkl-spark-spark!
Are-you-kidding-me?! Why ask me to kill ten-thousand as an example!? If not, then kill them already!!
Commanding the high ranks under the influence of Dark Mana among the chaotic Monster Legion.
“Each of you, quiet down! ♡ If you don’t calm down within a minute, I’ll turn you all into ‘Food’ for the Imperial Food Storage♡”
Several monsters protested with displeased cries.
Mud aaaa!
Fuck-spark!! Fuck-spark-spark!!
Though she didn’t know the reason, it was clear the Mud Golem and Blade Fly monster were furious.
Oknodie would’ve been able to communicate with those monsters, but it was too much for Masugaki.
So, she fed the large Mud Golem a ton of mud and had the smaller Blade Fly disassembled in the hands of Alexander the Great Sword, who delivered it as materials for the forge and food storage.
“Keeping one alive and taking one out has made it perfectly quiet. Was there a reason you differentiated punishment and reward?”
“The big one was engraved in a magic circle as a toy, while the little one didn’t have any, right? It’s like losing a cherished doll is noticed, but it wouldn’t matter if you tossed one away♡”
“Your Highness is truly meant to be a Dark Princess.”
“Thanks for the compliment♡”
After finishing the hard work, she returned to find the architect who had been recruited awkwardly greeting her with his modeling toolkit and materials box.
“Did you prepare well~?”
“Yes. I adjusted the difficulty by increasing the part sizes to make assembly easy, even for a 10-year-old. You’ll certainly find it engaging and satisfying.”
“That’s good♡”
Visiting Oknodie’s palace, the maid entered to announce the guest’s arrival.
Then, with a flustered expression, the maids started bustling around the mansion.
– Not in the bedroom!
– Cleaning maid! Do you see any signs of her through the window?
– None!
– Tea maid! Has the number of pastries decreased?
– Haven’t touched them yet.
– Assassin maid! Haven’t you seen anything from the ceiling?
– …
– Assassin maid!
As the door opened, the maids inside the bedroom turned in surprise at Masugaki.
“Entering the bedroom while Her Highness the Fourth Princess is absent goes against the law of the palace…”
“Isn’t it a disappearance? ♡ So, what happened to her~?”
“She fainted.”
The nursing maid discovered bite marks on the assassin maid’s neck.
Using a needle she brought with her, she lightly pricked the neck and drew out a drop of blood to taste.
Frowning, the nursing maid cast magic on herself to trigger a debuff removal.
“She was injected with a liquid containing sleeping properties. There’s a small amount, but it’s quite potent. To deceive an assassin maid capable of sensing nearby mana fluctuations would require a skill that exceeds mere telekinesis—this must be the work of an intelligent small-type demonic beast.”
“What small-type demonic beasts are there in the Monster Legion that Oknodie Her Highness handles?”
“Mosquitoes♡”
The maids panicked.
“Second Princess. No matter what, it’s a bit hard to believe the assassin maid fell to a mere mosquito…”
“Oknodie raises mosquitoes with status effects by each attribute! ♡ She sneaks around restricted areas at the academy, and if she runs into instructors, upperclassmen, or escaped experimental subjects, she puts them to sleep with her sleep mosquito and passes by! ♡”
“Teaching a tiny creature to acquire specific attribute compatibility skills… please do teach us the lacking ones. Are there more of those mosquitoes with Her Highness the Fourth?”
“I know of more! Blind Mosquito, Deaf Mosquito, Mute Mosquito, Venomous Mosquito, Thunder Mosquito, Gatling Mosquito, Sniper Mosquito, Self-detonating Mosquito, Coin-obsessed Mosquito…”
The maids’ expressions turned stoic.
“Anyone seen Her Highness Oknodie near those mosquitoes?”
Not a single maid raised their hand.
Just kidding, right?
Please just say that.
The silent gaze of the maid head.
Masugaki had no choice but to crush the hope contained within that gaze.
“Just for reference, they all have characteristics of ‘invisibility,’ ‘silence,’ ‘detection disruption,’ and ‘darkness,’ so keep that in mind♡”
Seeing the maids’ stiff expressions, Masugaki thought.
Many maids would likely submit requests for a change of workplace within the October Celestial Palace this month.
“Your Highness, do not worry too much. Even if the maids fall asleep, the Chamberlain will be watching over her, so he must already know where she has gone.”
The clever Alexander pointed to someone who would likely know where, and the Chamberlain fulfilled that expectation.
“If it’s the Fourth Princess, she’s hard at work enhancing in the Gold Region Storage. She’s quite impressive, outclassing even the palace enhancement specialists. I’m curious about what her skills are honed on.”
But as always, the Chamberlain’s answer couldn’t shake the notion of ‘strange.’
Masugaki already knew that the palace enhancement specialists enhanced food supplies.
The royals had access to the Gold Region, and the spectacle of grains bursting forth through enhancement, gathered from all around the world into the Jeido, was something she had seen many times, sometimes even witnessing a magnificent kaleidoscope of colors as it was enhanced.
“That really is strange♡”
How could Oknodie surpass the proficiency gained by enhancing grains to the point of famine?
If she had been enhancing something, what had she been enhancing?
There must be something that, although it obviously exists in the world, has diminished to the point of corresponding disaster due to her enhancing.
‘World peace~?’
Masugaki chuckled softly at the ridiculous thought.
Concepts like peace or love aren’t something greedy humans can rule over.
So, it must be that the world manages to maintain itself in this minimal form.
“So, what is Oknodie enhancing~?”
Whatever it is, it’s certain that even Emperor Hiuqmag is pursuing enhancement for very wicked purposes.
Otherwise, how could he carelessly enhance grains while people perish from famine and join the Revolutionary Army?
Just how evil is Oknodie’s purpose, and what is she enhancing to explode?
Thump thump.
Curiosity made Masugaki’s heart race.
The Chamberlain opened a magic panel and started to operate it, wearing an adorably stupid smile.
“Hmm. Looking at the bounty items dispatched to the enhancement workers in the Gold Region, it seems they are enhancing this.”
“What is it~?”
“Little Girl’s Teddy Bear Panties.”
