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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Development
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Development
Low-rank Awakened.
High-rank Awakened.
1-Star and 2-Star.
And the wall that separated them from 3-Star and above.
It was an exceedingly thin, yet impossibly vast barrier.
This was especially true given that dozens of low-rank Awakened Ones gathered together would still struggle to handle a single high-rank Awakened One.
And what was most important to Dion was that a high-rank Awakened One could single-handedly wipe out a 1-Star Labyrinth.
After all, even Sirgal Alcan, though he had used his soldiers as sacrifices, had overturned a Labyrinth with a single spell.
"Parsha, I've become a high-rank Awakened One, so I'm going to the Labyrinth to level up a bit."
"…What kind of insane nonsense is that, my lord?"
"It's true. Here, look. Black magic."
"…"
"So, Parsha, there's something I need you to do for me in my stead while I'm gone, instead of being my escort."
About ten days ago.
When Dion had made that sudden declaration, it was only natural that Parsha had inadvertently let slip a sharp retort.
Just yesterday, Dion's abilities had been at the level of a low-rank Awakened One; for him to suddenly become a high-rank one was truly unbelievable.
…The problem was that Dion had actually managed to do the unbelievable.
In any case, looking at that alone, it wasn't a bad thing. The issue was that Dion, just as he had declared, began to frequent the Labyrinth.
And he did so taking only a mute Beastkin Hunter slave with him instead of Parsha.
Of course, the chances of Dion, now a high-rank Awakened One, being in danger in a mere 1-Star Labyrinth were extremely low.
But a Labyrinth was an unnatural, demonic realm.
It was a place where even high-rank Awakened Ones often died in vain, so common sense dictated that one shouldn't even go near a Labyrinth unless it was absolutely necessary.
Yet this young master was punching his time card at the Labyrinth every day, leaving not only Parsha but also Arsha and the dark elves anxious day after day.
However, Dion himself wasn't the least bit worried.
To Dion, who knew why Labyrinths were dangerous for high-rank Awakened Ones, they were hunting grounds flowing with blood and honey.
Experience points for all sorts of classes.
Various materials that could be turned into money.
And on top of that, all kinds of useful traits.
A hunting ground where he could reap three benefits at once just by catching monsters.
'All the 1-Star classes are max level now.'
That was why.
The reason for Dion's disappointment.
Thanks to his grinding, he had not only maxed out seven different classes to Lv10.
He had also acquired a total of 13 additional traits, including class traits and racial traits.
It was an absurd achievement for just ten days, but…
'It seems this is the limit in a 1-Star Labyrinth… And I don't have the luxury to go to a 2-Star one.'
The problem was that his growth was beginning to stagnate.
The higher the grade of a class, the more experience was needed to level up, growing exponentially. There was a limit to what he could achieve by only hunting low-level monsters.
The only reason he had been able to max out even the 1-Star classes in just ten days was thanks to the boost from [Blood Slaughter Star].
In this case, the best method would be to simply absorb magic stones… but that was something only nobles overflowing with money could afford.
It wasn't something a poor, young head of household like Dion could do.
The next best option, then, was to hunt stronger monsters in a deeper Labyrinth.
But unlike 1-Star Labyrinths, which could be infiltrated on a day trip, 2-Star Labyrinths took several days to traverse and were mixed with gimmicks that made them difficult to conquer with strength alone.
Even for Dion, he couldn't just hunt as he pleased without forming a proper party.
'I suppose it's time to focus on other things.'
And so, on the evening of the tenth day.
After returning from the Labyrinth and washing up with Parsha's assistance.
While Orr Kai was gobbling down meat, Dion accepted a steak carefully cut for him by Arsha, cleansed his palate with tea, and then looked around Waryongjang.
The butchery, where all sorts of monsters, large and small, caught over the past ten days were being disassembled.
The kitchen, where meat was being soaked in purified water to draw out the tainted mana before being smoked.
The smithy, where the bark of tree monsters was being processed to make spears and armor.
The garden, where flower beds had been tilled to create a vegetable patch, now planted with various greens.
Besides those, there was a sewing room for mending clothes, an apothecary for drying medicinal herbs, and a still-empty storehouse and stables.
A manor with nothing more than a single mansion.
Nevertheless, the state of Waryongjang, which had all the necessary facilities for a domain and was bustling with activity, was more than satisfactory.
But what satisfied Dion the most were the individuals moving most busily within those facilities.
'Hmm, it seems they're finally able to pull their own weight.'
A succubus woman with prominent burn scars, hammering away in the smithy.
An old soldier, practicing his spear thrusts despite a nagging cough.
A ratman kitchen hand, dressing meat so quickly his tail never touched the floor.
A frog-headed Frogkin farmer, plowing a field while sweating profusely.
The 30 slaves, who stood out among the racially homogenous dark elves.
To be precise, Dion watched the 31 slaves he had bought from Ketlick, including Orr Kai, and smiled faintly.
『[Kitchen Hand]☆ Lv2』
『[Carpenter]☆ Lv2』
『[Soldier]☆ Lv3』
『[Farmer]☆ Lv2』
『[Blacksmith]☆ Lv2』
『[Archer]☆ Lv3』
『[Librarian]☆』…
Ketlick would never have known that these slaves, whom he considered the worst of the worst because they were old or disabled, were all Awakened Ones.
If he had known, he would never have sold them for such a paltry sum, even if it meant getting stabbed and dying for it.
Thanks to that, Dion, who had acquired about 30 Awakened Ones for a steal, was truly pleased with the result.
Even if they were considered half-baked 1-Star Awakened, they still demonstrated genius-level talent in their respective fields.
Indeed, it had only been ten days.
And they had never done this kind of work before.
Yet with just a little training in the right places, the slaves were already showing promise, keeping the facilities of Waryongjang running.
It was no wonder that polygamy was a virtue and common sense for the nobility.
The more Awakened Ones a domain had, the more it prospered, but among commoners, you were lucky if one in dozens awakened.
That was why it was common for poor, small-to-medium domains to have fewer than a dozen low-rank Awakened Ones.
In that respect, Waryongjang had a relatively large number of Awakened, but that didn't mean Dion was entirely satisfied.
'It's a shame their levels are so low, though.'
Even though he had assigned Parsha to educate and train them.
Dion smacked his lips as he looked at the slaves, who had yet to even escape the [Beginner] level.
It was an expected result.
Dion, whose levels rose so rapidly, was the exception. Even for an Awakened One, it took at least a few months, or as long as several decades, to properly master their talent.
Just as even a culinary genius needs time to become a true master.
In fact, the only reason their levels had risen at all in ten days was due to the 'shortcut' Dion had used.
That is, he had entrusted the slaves to Parsha and had them hunt in the Labyrinth in shifts.
'If I took them hunting in the Labyrinth myself, their growth would be a bit faster, but…'
The reason Awakened Ones grew stronger by consuming magic stones was that they absorbed the mana and converted it into experience points.
Similarly, hunting monsters, which were masses of tainted mana, also accumulated experience.
In terms of efficiency, hunting was actually better.
Of course, their pace would be incomparably slower than Dion's with his [Blood Slaughter Star], but he was confident he could get them all to max level within a month or two.
The problem was that his own growth would stagnate during that time.
The reason he had only taken the Beastkin Hunter girl, Orr Kai, with him so far was to maintain his hunting speed.
'In short, it's a question of whether to prioritize my growth or the domain's growth, I suppose.'
He could either leave the domain's affairs aside and venture into deeper Labyrinths with just Parsha and Orr Kai, despite the risks.
Or he could take his time, run through shallow Labyrinths, and ensure the stable growth of his slaves.
Dion fell into thought, weighing the options, each with its own pros and cons.
The Voice would have advised him to balance the two methods, but that was the Voice's way, not his own.
And so, as he was lost in thought.
Dion suddenly tilted his head.
"Ah, come to think of it, wasn't the [Disaster at the Crooked Tree Ranch] around this time?"
As if calculating something.
Dion counted on his fingers and then crossed his arms.
The [Disaster at the Crooked Tree Ranch].
A tragedy that occurred in a nearby small-to-medium domain.
Of course, to Dion, who had seen and experienced countless major incidents in his second life, it was an event so trivial it wasn't even worth his attention.
He only remembered it because the circumstances surrounding the disaster were a bit peculiar.
But if he could intervene in that matter…
'Hmm, if I play my cards right, I might be able to solve all my problems at once.'
After carefully recalling his memories, Dion ended up leaving early the next morning.
To find a way to use the [Disaster at the Crooked Tree Ranch].
And for that brief time, Waryongjang was peaceful for the first time in a while… but that peace was soon shattered.
By a figure who arrived unannounced, yet could by no means be called an unwelcome guest.
"Would you relay a message to the Young Master?"
"…To Lord Dion, you mean?"
"Yes, that I would like to share a cup of tea if his time permits…"
As if she had just stopped by on a whim during a walk.
Dressed not in a luxurious gown, but in a much simpler and lighter white one-piece dress.
Yet, because of her black eye patch and unsettling aura, the woman looked as ominous as a statue in a graveyard.
The original owner of Waryongjang, now a neighboring lord and one of the Eight Evils of the Paljongyungma.
The words that followed from the already terrifying witch caused the pupils of the dark elves guarding the main gate to tremble.
"If possible, I would like the lady he recently took as his concubine to join us as well."
***
The garden, with its neatly arranged flower beds and vegetable patches at the center of the mansion, surrounded by four buildings in a square, was Waryongjang's most prominent feature.
…Although since the dark elves had moved in, the vegetable patches had come to overwhelmingly outnumber the flower beds.
It was a measure Arsha had taken so the dark elves could be at least somewhat self-sufficient.
And as a result, the garden's scenery had become more rustic.
'…This is truly predicament.'
That was why.
As she watched the woman sipping tea at a table set up in the one remaining patch of flowers, Arsha could only remain silent.
Having lived a long life, she was well-versed in how to deal with nobles.
There was just one problem.
Even Arsha had no experience entertaining her husband's guest in the capacity of a concubine.
Especially not an uninvited guest who was also a woman that might one day become her husband's concubine, the former lord of this domain, and one of the renowned Eight Evils of the Paljongyungma.
With Dion unfortunately away, she couldn't just turn the woman away at the gate and had hastily welcomed her in, but…
She was on pins and needles, to say the least.
Her long life experience felt useless as Arsha simply fiddled with her teacup, trying to bide her time.
It was Pandora who finally broke the silence.
"Did you cultivate this garden yourself?"
"Please, speak comfortably. Unlike you, Lady Gongnyeo, I am merely the Young Master's concubine."
"I must refuse. As a guest, how could I commit such a discourtesy?"
"Even so, as a lowly elf, I cannot casually address a lady of the Cortell family."
"I, too, am ultimately but an adopted daughter of the Cortell family. My original station was by no means noble."
"…"
"…"
Pandora, her eye covered by a patch, and Arsha, wearing a mask of composure.
Two women, acting with formal decorum, yet revealing no emotion.
Of the two, it was Arsha, in the socially inferior position, who finally spoke.
"I did not cultivate the garden myself. It is the result of everyone tending to the domain with my husband's permission."
"You call the Young Master your husband?"
"…Yes."
"I see. It seems you are much loved by the Young Master."
"…"
Why was it?
That pure admiration felt even more difficult to handle than if it had been a barb laced with envy or jealousy.
To affirm it would sound like boasting; to deny it would become a sarcastic retort. As Arsha could only stare into her teacup.
Her savior arrived.
"Sorry, am I too late?"
"Husband!"
"…You have returned."
Was it because he had come straight here after hearing Pandora had arrived?
The reactions of the two women to the boy in the white half-mask, who appeared covered in dust, were starkly different.
Arsha immediately and meticulously wiped the dust from Dion's face and mask, while Pandora simply watched the scene from her seat.
Only after Dion had cleaned his face and approached did she rise from her seat and bow her head respectfully.
"My apologies for arriving so suddenly."
"Don't apologize. Neighbors can drop by whenever they're passing through."
"I thank you for your generosity."
After the simple greeting.
Pandora sat down again and asked calmly.
"From where do you return?"
"Oh, I was out and about, looking for a way to grow the domain a bit more."
"I see. Now I understand."
"Understand what?"
"The reason why you, Young Master, were able to bring such vitality to this once-empty domain."
"Not at all. It's more that our Arsha here is exceptionally capable."
"You are too kind."
He had done nothing special; the substance of this domain was all Arsha's achievement.
Dion shrugged his shoulders.
As Pandora nodded and marveled at Arsha's polite reply.
*Tap, tap.*
"…!"
"…?"
Pandora tilted her head slightly.
It wasn't just that she couldn't understand Dion's action of tapping his own thigh as soon as he sat down.
It was because Arsha's reaction upon seeing it was so strange.
"What are you doing, Arsha?"
"B-But, my lord… husband. We have a guest right now…"
From her ears, which had gone rigid, to her trembling pupils and her stuttering, broken words.
As Pandora watched Arsha, who was now so openly agitated as if her earlier composure had been a lie, she grew puzzled.
Dion spoke again.
"—Arsha."
"…"
He wasn't particularly forceful or angry, just smiling at her.
And yet, those blood-red eyes made it impossible to refuse.
Arsha, whose long ears were trembling, finally lowered her head slightly as if in resignation.
And…
*Rustle.*
The soft press of her shifting hips.
Thighs gently overlapping.
The smooth touch of skin brushing against skin.
The slender dark elf settled naturally onto the boy's lap, as if it were already a familiar act.
Only then did Dion show a satisfied expression, and as if giving a reward, he pressed a kiss to the nape of her bandaged neck.
*Mwah.*
"Hnngh…?!"
Was it her last shred of pride, or was it shame, that made her suppress the gasp that almost escaped?
Arsha flushed a deep crimson from the nape of her neck to the tips of her ears.
Watching Dion, who was beaming at his concubine.
Pandora found herself unconsciously muttering the same words as before, but with a completely different meaning.
"…I see. Now I understand."