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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Uninvited Guest
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Having stayed in the neighboring territory and watched over Waryongjang, Pandora knew a fair amount.
She knew about the dark elves' migration.
She knew about the slaves purchased from the Ketlick Merchant Guild.
And she knew that Dion had taken Arsha as his concubine.
But she hadn't paid it much mind.
He had passed the bridegroom competition, but he was still a man not yet even engaged, and it was obvious he had taken Arsha as a concubine for political reasons.
"Arsha, cake."
"Yes, my lord husband."
"This time, you too, Arsha. Ah."
"I-I can eat on my own…"
"Aah~"
"…Ah."
Yes, that's what she had thought.
That is, until she saw Dion and Arsha together in person.
Of course, many couples in political marriages acted amicable, but Pandora was certain that the bond between these two was not merely formal.
Whatever one might think of the boy happily accepting a piece of cake gently offered by a dark elf on a fork…
Arsha's face, bright red as she accepted the cake, was clearly not an act.
"You two seem to have a wonderful relationship."
"Right? My Arsha is so pretty and cute, I can't help but dote on her."
"C-Cute? I'm, ah, my age…"
"And the way you get so flustered you don't know what to do when I compliment you is another one of your charms."
"...!"
The dark elf, blushing even more furiously, finally covered her face—which looked as if it might melt away—with both hands.
The dark elf maid behind her watched this with a cool gaze.
Feeling her daughter's eyes on her, the mother's face grew even redder, her ears trembling slightly.
Pandora nodded quietly.
"Honestly, I was a bit worried, but it seems my concerns were unfounded."
"Concerns? About what?"
"About when Lady Arsha might bear the Young Master's child."
"…?!"
"The more heirs, the better. Please, continue to do your best every night."
"D-D-Do my best?!"
She had shot up without thinking… or tried to.
But Dion's arm, wrapped around her waist, wouldn't let go, and she only ended up nestled deeper in his embrace.
Giving up on escaping, Arsha protested as best she could.
"I don't know what misunderstanding you may have, my lady, but my lord husband and I do not yet share that kind of relationship."
"You are so intimate with the Young Master, yet you say you have not even spent a night together?"
"Th-That is…"
"Yes, not yet."
Perhaps because making such a claim while held in Dion's arms felt utterly unconvincing even to herself…
As Arsha could only move her lips, Dion answered nonchalantly.
"To be honest, I want to spend some quality time with Arsha soon, but now is not the time."
"The time, you say?"
"Before being my concubine, Arsha is the grand steward of our domain. It would be a bit troublesome if she were to suddenly have a child."
"I see. I understand."
Pandora readily accepted his explanation.
Whether it was the Unlights or the elves…
Both were races for whom descendants were precious, but one never knew when a child might be conceived.
No matter how much one needed heirs or blood relatives for the future, it would be putting the cart before the horse if the domain's administration became paralyzed.
"In that case, you must quickly take a second concubine."
"Hm?"
"I would recommend you find someone from a more respectable family to take as your wife."
"Hmm…?"
"…?"
Even if she was a prospective bride herself, why would she encourage her potential husband to find his next wife?
As Dion accepted another piece of cake from a puzzled Arsha, he asked bluntly.
"Is there a reason I should hurry?"
"So that you have a pretext to flee, should something happen to this domain, of course."
"Something happen to the domain? Why?"
Pandora did not answer Dion's question immediately.
Instead, she gazed at the boy with her blindfolded eyes before calmly posing a question of her own.
"How much do you know about the Grotesque City?"
* * *
The Grotesque City.
Home to orcs, goblins, kobolds, and other demi-humans with high fertility rates.
It was a city that boasted a plentiful population, even among the five fortresses and one hundred spirits of Odobaekryeong.
Though most were of lower species, numbers meant power, and their reproductive rate—birthing twenty thousand for every ten thousand that died each year—was terrifying.
The problem was that supplies and food were scarce for its overflowing population, meaning most species suffered from starvation.
Thus, the inhabitants of the Grotesque City had only a few paths to choose from.
Become an Awakened One.
Sell their lives for cheap.
Enter a Labyrinth and die.
Or…
"They plunder from others, right?"
"Indeed."
"…Certainly. That is why the Grotesque City is particularly famous for its abundance of bandits."
As Arsha calmly affirmed Dion's words…
Pandora continued dispassionately.
"The problem is that those numerous bandits are likely eyeing Waryongjang."
"Them? Our domain?"
"To them, Waryongjang must look like an empty house."
"Hmm…?"
Given the number of plunderers, it was standard for even small and medium-sized domains around the Grotesque City to be well-fortified.
That was why Waryongjang, which lacked even proper lookouts, was a mouth-watering target for plunder.
Hearing Pandora's explanation, Dion wore a look of interest.
"So you're saying I should run away from the bandits?"
"Of course, the Young Master could fend off one or two raids on his own…"
"The numbers are the problem, I see."
"One hand cannot block ten, can it?"
Of course, the vast majority of bandits were starving commoners, and even if a few Awakened Ones were mixed in, they would be no match for Dion, who had passed the bridegroom competition.
But facing a never-ending swarm of bandits would inevitably leave the domain in tatters.
Perhaps even the residents, and Dion himself, would be in danger.
Watching the witch speak so calmly…
The boy narrowed his eyes.
"Is that why you suggested a new concubine?"
"If you were to return to your main family for a wedding or to raise a child, you could avoid the disgrace of having fled."
"Hmm, is that so?"
Dion tilted his head.
He glanced at the dark elf mother-daughter duo—one on his lap, the other standing behind him—and asked casually.
"What do you two think?"
"Why do you even ask something so obvious? Hurry up and prepare to defend the domain."
"We shall reinforce the domain's defenses and have our clan prepare as well."
"That's what I thought."
Was it because their clan, having turned the Soma fortress upside down, now had nowhere else to go?
Or was it because of Dion's situation, where he couldn't afford to abandon the domain if he wanted to survive the succession contest?
Watching the dark elf mother and daughter, who, far from suggesting retreat, were more than eager to stand and fight, Pandora calmly advised.
"If you are thinking of hiring mercenaries, I suggest you don't. It would be like inviting a wolf into the fold."
Mercenaries were cheap in the Grotesque City, as it was the second most popular profession after plundering, but they were little better than bandits themselves.
It was common for them to survive by raiding when they had no clients, and they wouldn't hesitate to betray a client if the price was right.
In that sense, hiring mercenaries to stop bandits was a perfect way to get stabbed in the back.
Especially for a weak domain like Waryongjang, which lacked the forces to defend itself.
However…
"It's fine. I can handle a few bandits without hiring mercenaries."
"…Is that so?"
It was impossible to defend the domain with only the dark elves. What was this boy relying on to make such a bold claim?
Just as Pandora was wondering…
Dion, as if suddenly remembering something, picked up his fork.
He then stabbed a piece of the cake in front of Pandora—one she hadn't even touched—and held it out.
"Here. For you."
"…What is this?"
"A reward for coming all this way to warn me."
For a moment, Pandora looked askance at the cake offered by the brightly smiling Dion.
Then she politely declined the reward.
Or rather, she tried to.
"I'm quite alrigh— Mph."
"Don't refuse. The cake our slave made is quite delicious."
The moment she opened her mouth to decline…
A piece of cake was slipped inside by Dion, leaving Pandora flustered.
She reflexively reached out to grab his arm, but then…
She froze.
Realizing her bare hand was exposed, she looked troubled, then finally resigned herself to chewing the cake in her mouth.
She had to eat it quickly to be free from Dion's feeding.
*Plop.*
But perhaps due to her lack of practice in being fed…
Crumbs of cake she couldn't quite catch smeared her fine lips and cheek with cream before falling with gravity.
…Onto the particularly white and soft skin peeking out from the gap of her revealing white dress.
The slender dark elf, who had been watching her with a look of shared suffering, gaped blankly, while the maid's face became twice as expressionless.
The boy who had created this scene, however, reached out his hand without a second thought.
*Swipe.*
"Now, now, we can't let it go to waste."
"…!"
She had been willing to accept the cake just to avoid him touching her bare skin.
But as if mocking her efforts, a warm finger unhesitatingly swept across the corner of her mouth, wiping away the cake.
For a moment, she was dumbstruck by the warmth and sensation she hadn't felt in a long time.
Pandora's eyes widened.
She saw the finger that had wiped away the cake move all too naturally toward the boy's own mouth.
And then…
*Lick.*
"…?!?!"
"It would be a waste, right? A cake this delicious."
Before the cursed witch, who was frozen in shock, her eyes looking as if they might pop out from behind her blindfold…
The beautiful boy smiled sweetly, his red tongue slowly tracing over his finger, licking off the piece of cake.
The two dark elf mother and daughter thought to themselves.
If they didn't do something about this sly devil of a husband, and soon, they would be in big trouble.
* * *
"A shame. She didn't have to leave in such a hurry."
"Are you saying you don't know why?"
"Hm? What reason?"
"…If you don't know, then fine. Just stay a blockhead."
If he had done it intentionally, she could at least despise him for it.
For a moment, Parsha looked at the boy—who claimed not to know why Pandora had left with a beet-red face—as if he were an insect.
Then, ignoring her mother's piercing gaze, which seemed to ask just how she had raised this lord husband of hers, she spoke.
"In any case, I didn't realize the Calamity Princess had such a kind disposition."
"Hmm, you think so?"
"She hasn't even married you, yet she came all this way to warn the man who took her domain."
As if she had asked the most obvious question…
It was not Dion but Arsha who countered Parsha's cold retort.
"Parsha, do you truly believe Lady Pandora's warning came purely from goodwill?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"It is a question of who stands to gain the most if our lord… if my husband were to flee as she suggested."
"…"
Parsha's face hardened.
Having survived for over a decade as a dedicated maid in the viper's nest that was the Unlight family, she quickly understood.
She saw all the complex gains and losses that could, or were already, unfolding over Waryongjang.
And if her guess was correct…
"Be careful."
"…"
"She is a great strategist, but she may be an even more dangerous hypocrite."
Not just anyone could become one of the Eight Evils among the Eight Sects and Six Demons.
As the dark elf maid fell silent, listening to the advice given not as the domain's grand steward, nor as a concubine to her master, but as a mother…
The boy, who had been happily eating the cake Pandora left behind, muttered.
"Well, I wonder about that."
"Was my assumption incorrect?"
"It's correct. I'm just saying there's a bit more tangled up in Pandora's warning."
"…?"
"Including the fact that Pandora is far more dangerous than Arsha thinks, and just as interesting."
Why did the word 'dangerous' sound like a synonym for 'interesting'?
As the mother and daughter wore complicated expressions, looking at the master and husband who became harder to understand the more they knew him…
Dion calmly set down his fork and spoke.
"How many do you think will come?"
"If Lady Pandora's words are to be believed, it won't end with just a few dozen."
"And it won't just be a ragtag army of half-breeds who are after our domain."
"Yeah, probably."
Dion smirked.
Pandora's warning—that the easiest way for the people of the Grotesque City to survive was to become bandits and plunder others.
Most lords would have fled just from understanding the hidden meaning behind her words.
The fact that she had put it so indirectly was why Pandora was a hypocrite, but…
"I wonder if Pandora knows she's in no position to be advising others right now."
"…?"
"Well, maybe the problem is that she knows all too well."
"What are you talking about?"
"It's nothing major."
Dion chuckled, recalling a question he hadn't been able to ask because of Pandora's hasty departure.
Then, to the dark elf maid, who looked utterly bewildered, and his concubine, who looked puzzled…
He spoke nonchalantly.
"It just means the Cortel family will be destroyed within a year at most."
"…?!"
"Well, that's not something we need to worry about right now."
Whether the Lord of Nakrang Citadel lived or died…
For now, preparing for the bandits who would soon visit Waryongjang was the priority.
Thus, Dion wore a truly satisfied expression before speaking, as if he had just remembered something.
"Ah, and could you call the kids over?"
"You mean the slaves?"
"Yes."
A grin spread across his face.
Dion spoke with a meaningful smile.
"—Since their progress is slow, it looks like I'll have to carry them myself for a few days."