The last location I visited was the Kingdom of Farmenas.
Following our agreement, Youm had gathered workers to prepare for the opening of the magitrain route. Reports told us they had already completed the preliminary track route and finished the initial site surveys.
All of it was progressing faster than even I anticipated.
They were supposed to wait until after the farming season—but Youm… or rather, Myuran, had chosen to prioritize the magitrain's construction.
"It's only rational," Myuran said with a confident smile. "If we can export our agricultural goods to foreign nations, their currency will flow into Farmenas. It enriches us. And, if famine ever strikes, a working magitrain ensures immediate ration support. When this magnificent system is complete, we must not be the nation caught unprepared."
Her conviction exceeded even that of many kings I had met.
Despite being queen of Farmenas, Myuran still worked tirelessly on the nation's policies—her loyalty and drive were genuine.
"Hahaha, I'm utterly useless these days," Youm confessed with a crooked grin. "Rommel was always better at this sort of thing, so I sent him to supervise."
He introduced me to Rommel—a mage who had once walked with Youm through life-and-death adventures. I remembered his face clearly.
Rommel nervously began reporting.
Using the precision national map—one normally considered a state-level secret—he pointed to ideal track routes, road paths, and detailed terrain indexes according to the surveys, exactly as I had instructed before coming.
We had agreed that I, Atem, would finalize the measurements personally.
Thus, I journeyed straight to the construction zone and spent the remainder of the day examining the data myself.
"While there is still room for improvement," I said, "your progress is promising. Did someone record the details for each region?"
"Yes," Rommel replied firmly. "All records are completed according to your orders."
"Good. Then inform the survey team: these three areas must be rechecked."
The drafts were surprisingly accurate—well within the tolerance I permitted. Some groups even exceeded expectations. Though I ordered them to redo small portions, I did so because they needed to catch the flaws themselves.
If I completed the work using the precision Solarys granted me, it would rob them of growth. And Eterna—and Farmenas—needed capable hands beyond my own.
This re-evaluation would not take long.
We might even begin full construction earlier than scheduled, so I would have to inform Kaijin and the others to prepare magic-barrier generators ahead of time. These devices had already proven themselves. Thanks to those generators, the road linking Eterna and Blumund remained safe by night, their stone tablets glowing from reacting with magicules like guiding stars.
Farmenas had a lower magicule concentration than the Great Jura Forest, but I still intended to deploy several units.
That evening, Youm and the others held a grand welcoming ceremony for me.
"To be honest," Youm laughed between drinks, "I never expected you to come here by yourself. Young Master, you're really something. I'm jealous."
He was mistaken.
I was not alone.
"Ranga is here."
"Do you require my service, Master?"
Ranga's massive head emerged from my shadow—silent as death, loyal as fate.
"WH—!? He was there the whole time!?" Youm nearly fell over.
"Of course," Ranga rumbled. "No one would dare attack the King of Eterna, but protecting my master is my duty. Please keep this in mind, as you are a ruler now yourself."
"I'll pass," Youm grumbled. "When Edgar can stand on his own, I'm dropping this king role."
Edgar, son of the former king Edmalis, was intelligent and unquestionably royal-blooded. Youm believed his own ascension lacked legitimacy and wanted Edgar to inherit the throne.
But Edgar himself—
"Your Majesty Youm, please don't speak nonsense!" Edgar cried. "Now that Lady Myu is expecting the heir, it is natural for that child to inherit the crown! My dream is to serve that future king!"
He rejected the throne outright.
But—I froze mid-motion while handing Ranga a drumstick.
'Lady Myu is pregnant with the heir'
—that meant Myuran was pregnant.
A greater majin conceiving with a human so effortlessly…
"Could it be," Edgar asked in surprise, "that your Majesty hasn't told your benefactor, Atem-sama, about the heir?"
"Well… it felt embarrassing to bring up…"
"I thought it was awkward to mention…"
Youm and Myuran answered almost at the same time.
A perfect match, indeed.
I worried briefly—monster births often weakened the mother.
But Myuran dismissed my concern gracefully.
"I was originally human. Even if I weaken, it won't matter. I have my magic and skills."
My worries eased.
"But… Grucius took the news hard," Youm added. "He hasn't been the same."
I had wondered why I hadn't seen him.
He would need to resolve this struggle himself. I knew well the weight of longing unresolved.
But his absence raised concerns.
"Is the knight order stable without him?" I asked.
"It's fine. My companions are there, and besides—Uncle Razen is incredible. A living legend."
Ah, yes.
Razen—Diablo's captured servant.
He served Farmenas now with great effort, bound by Diablo's Unique Skill Tempter. Betrayal was impossible.
"Razen-sama has been amazing!" Edgar declared with shining eyes. "He oversees the domestic situation, contacts us through magic, and eliminates dangerous elements!"
For a man once seen as a schemer, he was now a hero in the eyes of the people.
History is written by the victors.
Had we lost our war with Farmus, we would have been labeled the monsters.
Youm's reign was a success because he preserved talented survivors from the old regime while pacifying public unrest. They controlled information too—transforming Eterna into a respected ally instead of a feared enemy.
Human prejudice toward monsters was fading rapidly.
Diablo's mastery of human psychology had achieved my desired outcome with surgical precision.
Everything was proceeding exactly according to plan.
Feeling satisfied, I spent the rest of the day conversing with Youm and his companions beneath the warm lights of Farmenas, the rails of the future drawing ever closer to completion.
During my absence, Ramiris and Veldora appeared to have been working diligently—at least in their own eccentric ways.
After finishing my inspections of the major construction sites and returning home, the two of them came rushing out of Eterna's palace corridor to greet me. I wondered if there was an urgent problem… but judging by their sparkling eyes, it was clearly the latter.
They had something to boast about.
"Great news, Atem-sama!" Ramiris chirped. "The prototype is finally complete! If the test run succeeds, we can begin mass production immediately!"
"Umu! This time, I am certain of its success," Veldora added with dramatic flair. "Come,
Pharaoh—witness the fruits of our genius!"
With their excitement overflowing, I followed as the two hurried ahead.
Currently, Eterna houses several research facilities. The one open to the public was the smithing workshop led by Kurobee and his disciples. The techniques they used were complex enough that neither adventurers nor foreign engineers could easily steal or replicate them.
Weapons I personally commissioned were kept secret, but other armaments and tools were displayed openly to promote Kurobee and Garm's growing reputations. The goal was to turn their craftsmanship into a national brand.
But the true heart of Eterna's innovation lay elsewhere.
The real research facilities—those tied to Eterna's deeper secrets—were located where few could enter and fewer could comprehend.
They were built in the one place even gods would hesitate to trespass:
The Underground Labyrinth.
On the hundredth floor sat the personal research area used by myself, Ramiris, and Veldora. Gabil oversaw Eterna's official national research institute. Meanwhile, the ninety-fifth floor had grown into a massive forest-city research zone, created after the beastmen refugees had returned home.
Alchemists from Dwargon, magic researchers from Sarion, and vampiric scholars from Lubelius—each frustrated and bored in their home countries—had migrated to Eterna, eager to work. The variety of their backgrounds was astounding.
The alchemists from Dwargon were experts in spirit engineering—the science connecting natural phenomena to the elemental spirits: earth, water, fire, wind, and space, along with the greater spirits of light, dark, and time. The "Magic Armored Soldier" project that Kaijin and Vesta once explored belonged to this field.
Sarion's magic researchers studied the hidden realm of Magic Science, founded by the legendary elven researcher—the mother of Emperor Elmesia. It was a discipline combining philosophy, elemental mastery, and reality manipulation.
Even Diablo would be entranced by it.
Magic Science theorized that by forcibly altering phenomena, one could transcend the limitations of spirit engineering. Yet only mages who had mastered elemental magic could understand the theory.
Naturally, Sarion guarded it as a national secret.
Then there were the vampiric scholars—the Surmounters—sent by Luminas. Despite being Calamity-class individuals, they were surprisingly… manageable.
"Yo—Atem-sama! Moi adores anything exciting!" their leader declared cheerfully.
They blended in faster than expected—probably because Ramiris's assistant Beretta and Treyni ensured that anyone who acted arrogant was swiftly corrected. Rather violently.
"Oi! Where is my tea?" Veldora demanded.
"At once!" a Surmounter scrambled.
"My shoulders are sooo stiff today," Ramiris sighed dramatically.
"Th-then… shall I massage them…?" another Surmounter offered.
Their leader buried his face in his hands. "They bring shame to Surmounters everywhere…"
At least they behaved.
Their research, however, diverged sharply from the others. While Magic Science rewrote phenomena with magic, the Surmounters pursued a field devoid of magic—pure natural law, something akin to the engineering physics of my previous world.
They meticulously recorded natural phenomena, analyzing them until patterns emerged. Though simple, the accumulation of such data could lead to breakthroughs once integrated with magical disciplines.
Aeternal progress was born not from grand revelations, but from thousands of smaller ones.
To maintain security, the researchers wore specialized bracelets Ramiris crafted—devices that removed the limitations on resurrection bracelets while granting communication and restricted teleportation within the labyrinth. All teleportation data was logged to prevent espionage.
Any attempt to bypass the labyrinth's security systems would be… unwise. Even I, the King of Eterna, could not list every trap hidden within the labyrinth's depths.
And because of the threat of angelic invasions, these precautions were absolutely necessary.
No place was safer than Ramiris's labyrinth—especially the ninety-fifth floor. Ramiris had boasted that she could swap the ninety-fifth and ninety-ninth floors instantly if needed, turning the city into an impregnable fortress.
Thus, this deep city—isolated, secret, and heavily guarded—became Eterna's academic sanctum.
The sealed cave, once a major research site, had been retired due to decreasing magicule concentration from hipokute herb cultivation. The wyverns now lived there, making it a military zone off-limits to civilians.
As expected, the two were leading me to the ninety-fifth floor.
We weren't heading to their personal chambers—meaning this was the result of our joint research. They did mention a prototype. It seemed everything was progressing well.
The ninety-fifth floor had transformed into a forest-city the last time I saw it.
A beautifully maintained park surrounded the structures. The elves' wisdom had clearly shaped the architecture. Treants had contributed as well, blending trees and buildings seamlessly.
Only official labyrinth challengers had the right to enter this hidden city.
I had visited the elven cabaret many times, though rarely during the morning hours. I hadn't realized the place had changed so drastically.
Leaving much of the labyrinth's evolution to Veldora and Ramiris had yielded surprising results. Other floors had evolved too. I found myself anticipating a casual exploration in the near future.
The research facility sat in the park's center—a massive building of reinforced concrete. Unsubtle. Practical. Surrounded by several other large structures, including dormitories for foreign researchers.
Despite being newly built, the architecture looked slightly… aged. As if Veldora and Ramiris had deliberately imbued it with ancient "mystique."
"It's so quaint surrounded by all these trees!" Ramiris said proudly.
"Indeed! A research facility must possess an aura of mystery!" Veldora declared.
An aura of mystery? This was nothing more than children building a secret hideout in the woods.
"Everyone gets along now! They even said they want to form a secret society!" Ramiris added.
A secret society?
What exactly happened while I was away?
"Hahaha! Atem-sama, you once revealed all nations' research records together, did you not? That act forced everyone to abandon their selfishness and cooperate."
That explanation made sense.
Researchers had originally planned to protect their homeland's secrets while stealing others.
Cooperation would have collapsed. Solarys, Sovereign of Wisdom, effortlessly analyzed every nation's technology. I compiled everything into a universal manual and distributed copies—printed on high-quality paper Yuuki had procured for Eterna.
My intention was simple: reset the playing field.
After that, barriers dissolved. Researchers began working together purely for the pursuit of knowledge.
Ramiris puffed out her chest. "We even held a recognition party! Everyone became comrades!"
The unity forged afterward was… unexpected. Even the Surmounters became equal members of the community.
However, unity came with complications.
Their growing camaraderie had formed its own structure—one led by Veldora and Ramiris. The result resembled… an evil secret organization.
Of course Veldora was the ringleader.
"These idiots," I muttered.
"Yes, yes! Isn't it cool—our secret base?" Veldora teased.
As I suspected, he was recreating the "secret headquarters" he'd read about in my memories—dragging the entire research department into his nonsense.
"You all certainly enjoyed yourselves while I was away."
"GAHAHAHA! Worry not! What matters now is strengthening Eterna. We will need your
judgment, Atem-sama."
"That's right! We tried our best to impress you!" Ramiris beamed. "Come see our research before you say anything!"
I allowed myself a small sigh, then steadied my posture. A king must never appear flustered.
I straightened my cloak, regained composure, and stepped inside the facility.
It was time to see the prototype born within Eterna's deepest secrets.