Chapter 40: The Ruler’s Eye (4)

After sending Karma and Beryl away, they finally had a moment to catch their breath and assess the situation to formulate a countermeasure.

And that ‘assessment’ mostly took the form of threats.

“If you know anything, it’s best to spill it all now, unless you want to spend the rest of your life developing a taste for eating crap,” Isabella growled.

“Eek?!!”

The sole surviving minion of the Demon King’s Army (his name was Chik) recoiled in fear.

He had just witnessed his superior being turned into a puppet of light right in front of his eyes. And he knew that Isabella could do the same to him anytime she wanted.

Naturally, he became very cooperative.

“A-anything you want to know! What would you like to ask? Hehe…”

He replied with a deeply submissive expression, looking ready to spill his guts.

Lancia crossed her arms and asked, “There are many things we’re curious about, but let’s start with this, What were you people doing here?”

“Ah, well…”

What came out of Chik’s mouth next was truly shocking.

First of all, the Giant Death Worms were indeed beasts from 500 years ago, preserved without any adaptation treatments or modifications.

Sion had already suspected this, after all, when she fought them, their armor and vitality had been just as intact as they were in the past.

The real question was how they had survived.

To answer this, Chik pulled out a small crystal from his pocket, its core pulsing with a red liquid, almost as if it were alive.

“This is what we call a Bloodstone. The way it’s made… well…”

The materials required to create a Bloodstone were threefold.

First, there was a substance called “Ruinstone,” which was the remnant left after the collapse of the Demon Realm.

According to Chik, the Demon Realm hadn’t vanished from existence; rather, it had compressed to the point where all matter shattered into tiny fragments, merging into one.

Thus, the Demon Realm was now like the Elemental Plane of Earth, filled entirely with a dense, hard substance.

This substance, when somehow extracted and mined, was called Ruinstone.

Ruinstone was incredibly hard, making it difficult to mine, but it was also the highest quality magic stone, densely packed with the purest demonic energy.

To obtain it, the Demon King’s Army had built large-scale underground facilities and opened gates to mine the Ruinstone, even deploying Giant Death Worms to aid in the process.

If they could manage to extract it, they would obtain a high-density magical concentrate unavailable anywhere else on Elpidion.

The second material was the sacred herb they had in abundance—Holy Grass.

This was the easiest natural source of holy power to obtain.

It was the reason they had chosen to set up base beneath the Salangs Mountains.

They would either collect the Holy Grass or cultivate it in large quantities and then mix it into molten Ruinstone.

Of course, since holy power and magical power naturally repel each other, simply mixing them would result in nothing more than a volatile liquid magic bomb.

Therefore, a few stabilizing agents were added to prevent immediate explosions and allow a certain level of coexistence.

And finally, the third ingredient was…

“Human… souls?”

Lancia asked, her face horrified.

Indeed, the third ingredient was none other than human flesh itself.

Living humans were forcibly captured, tied up, and thrown into cauldrons of molten Ruinstone, where the liquid boiled.

And then, what happens?

An immense amount of magical energy with a hint of holy essence—the very combination that constitutes what is commonly known as a “spirit.”

Thus, the mixture of Ruinstone and Holy Grass, when stabilized into a liquid form, is essentially a precursor to a spirit stone.

It only needs a slight nudge to take shape into something new.

What is lacking at this stage is simply directionality—the element of “what kind of spirit to create.”

So, a living human is added. The “life” aspect gives a firm direction to this aimless mass of magic.

The blood gives it color, the bones and flesh add thickness, and the screams and wails become an essential seasoning.

Then, the boiling liquid, heated to 1500 degrees Celsius, is stirred and stirred again until every last drop of their dying agony is thoroughly dissolved.

Stirred until even the final fragment of despair is ultimately consumed.

This was the unprecedented recipe for a “mass-producible artificial spirit stone” in the history of the continent.

The process of creating a Bloodstone.

“…..Ugh….!”

After hearing the explanation, Isabella turned away, covering her mouth with her hand, as if trying to suppress a rising wave of nausea.

Lancia’s face, though not as severe, had also turned pale. Perhaps the story had been too much for the young ones.

Sion was the only one who remained composed.

“So, you’re feeding these Bloodstones to the beasts to prevent their bodies from deteriorating in low-magic environments?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

It made sense. A high-density spirit stone, infused with life force, could certainly prevent death from magical depletion.

Whoever came up with this was quite creative. Sion couldn’t help but admire it.

Though she had a good guess who that “whoever” might be.

“So… you’re saying that even now, those cursed stones are being produced down below?”

“Y-yes… that’s correct…”

“…….”

Lancia’s expression grew more and more troubled.

If that was true, they had to act immediately. This meant that someone might be being melted in molten metal at this very moment.

It wasn’t just Beryl’s life at stake anymore.

She naturally turned to Sion.

“Master, what should we do?”

“…..”

Sion fell into thought.

In truth, she felt no particular sense of duty about being a Hero.

The only reason he saved Beryl from the Death Worms earlier was because it would have been unpleasant to watch someone she knew die in front of her.

If it had been dozens of strangers dying, it wouldn’t have stirred much emotion in Sion, who was originally a demon.

Exploiting others for one’s own gain was something humans also did on a daily basis.

But it was different when she was being watched like this.

While she had no intention of embodying the mindset of a Hero, Sion did feel a strong sense of duty to uphold the brand value of the “Hero.”

She believed it was the greatest respect she could offer to an old friend.

So, when she was met with such expectant gazes, she had no choice but to act in a way that would align with those expectations.

After all, Lier would have certainly done so.

And more importantly…

-“What are you hesitating for, Sion?! Of course, we have to go! Those villains who see life as a mere resource need to be torn apart! Only when they suffer the same fate will they understand its value!”

There was also this fiery one, who was practically jumping up and down while spouting unusually violent language for a holy sword.

Sion glanced down at the sword for a moment and sighed. Then she turned to Chik and asked,

“How many people are currently being held in this underground base you mentioned?”

“Uh… I haven’t counted exactly, so I can’t be certain, but roughly around 300?”

Quite a number, indeed.

With that many, sneaking them out without getting caught would be difficult.

More precisely, it wouldn’t be impossible, but it would require revealing that she was the Demon King.

It might be safer to just destroy everything without leaving any witnesses.

“Oh, and now that I think about it, there were some Anatolia students captured recently. Somehow, one of the entrances around here was discovered, so they were taken in.”

“That’s why Lord Karma had the artifact. They were planning to brainwash them and turn them into collaborators before releasing them…”

“Students? Who are they?”

“Uh… I think their names were… Therese and Marianne?”

Correction: this problem was no longer someone else’s business.

It had now become a very personal matter concerning the safety of her descendants.

The Bloodstone production facility of the Demon King’s Army, the special prison known as Tartarus, was rarely used under normal circumstances.

After all, the primary source of material for the Bloodstones were the downtrodden of the slums or the cheap slaves from the markets.

People who couldn’t escape even if they weren’t shackled.

To be safe, the facility was warded against spatial transfers, but beyond that, there was little need for elaborate security. After all, these lives would be gone in three days, at most.

Contrary to this, when it comes to important individuals who require special management, they are never captured in the first place.

Unlike slaves or beggars, whose disappearances go unnoticed, the disappearance of nobles or other privileged individuals triggers search warrants and a flurry of search magic to locate them.

After all, whether a noble or a beggar, melting them down produces the same single Bloodstone. There is no reason to take on such unnecessary risks.

Therefore, the special prison was only filled in one specific scenario:

When they needed to detain a VIP who had, by some stroke of luck (or misfortune), stumbled upon an entrance to Tartarus.

Unlike the other slaves, these VIPs were not killed but imprisoned until they could be brainwashed with [Eye of the Overlord], have their common sense twisted, and then be released as collaborators.

And right now, that special prison had two new guests.

“I’m hungry, sister.”

“Endure it, sister.”

*Grumble… Grumble…*

The sound of growling stomachs echoed in sync, as if to emphasize their twinship.

Marianne sighed and muttered, “What’s going to happen to us now? Are we going to die?”

“I don’t know…”

Therese thought back to the moment they set foot in this hellish place.

When they had accidentally discovered the cave entrance hidden by illusion magic, that had been their only chance.

If they had grabbed each other’s hands and run without looking back at that moment, they might have survived.

But the pull of curiosity had been too strong, and they couldn’t resist stepping into the cave.

And within just three minutes of entering, they were attacked and subdued by a mysterious mage who introduced himself as Karma.

All the attendants who had followed them were killed by arrows, leaving only the two of them alive in this miserable state.

“Tsk….If only the Demon King’s power within my right arm had awakened in time, I wouldn’t have lost…!”

“Sister, I don’t think role-playing is appropriate even in a situation like this.”

Marianne retorted with a weary look.

They were mentally exhausted to the point where they resorted to such ridiculous jokes just to cope.

The two of them were not fools. They were not so naive as to be unaware of what kind of end this situation might lead to.

If it ended with a quick death, that would be better. It would spare their family any disgrace and spare them any personal humiliation.

The real problem was that their captors were unlikely to let them go peacefully.

The twins, with their annoyingly vivid imaginations, were already envisioning all sorts of horrific outcomes.

“They’ll do… things like in those manga, won’t they?”

“Probably…”

Stuff that was inappropriate for viewers under 19. Whether it was something erotic or gory, both seemed possible. Maybe even both.

Imagining the former, Marianne cried out in a tearful voice.

“No…! I swore my first time would be with Lord Sien…!”

“That was never going to happen, you crazy girl.”

Sometimes, Therese thought her sister was genuinely insane.

The fact that she said such nonsense with 100% sincerity was proof of it.

Did she seriously plan to study necromancy just to sleep with a skeleton?

Of course, even such a mad idea would only be possible if they managed to escape this mess…

As the two tried to soothe their anxiety with such banter, a change occurred in the situation above.

-Boom!!!

A sound like an explosion burst forth, followed by a low, rumbling vibration that filled the air beyond the ceiling.

It was as if a herd of elephants was stampeding above them.

“W-what is that…?!”

“Is it an earthquake?!”

The two girls shrank down in fear.

Their homeland, the demon territory of Sanchina, was a place where earthquakes and other natural disasters were common.

Naturally, they were well aware of the dangers such disasters posed.

They knew that in the event of an earthquake, they should crawl quickly under something sturdy—like a desk or chair—for cover.

But this was a prison.

There were no desks or chairs.

The only thing they could use to cover themselves was each other.

“W-what should we do, sister?! Quickly, hug me and protect me!!”

“Huh?! It should be the other way around, you fool! The younger sister should sacrifice herself for her elder sister!”

“That’s nonsense! You’re the older one, yet you have no intention of protecting your little sister?!”

“What nonsense! There’s only a 30-second age difference between us! Just be my shield already!”

“No way! I don’t want to die—!!”

Still shackled, the two sisters began to wrestle each other fiercely, in what could only be described as the most pitiful fight imaginable.

They continued their squabble for about three minutes.

Gradually, the booming noise began to subside and eventually ceased altogether.

“Is… is it over?”

“Seems like it.”

The two blinked in unison, staring up at the ceiling. In moments like these, they were strangely in sync.

In hindsight, it was odd that the floor they were on hadn’t shaken at all, despite the earthquake-like noise.

“Hey, maybe it wasn’t an earthquake. Maybe a rescue team has arrived?”

Marianne suggested, her voice full of hope.

“The school must have realized we were missing and sent a bunch of teachers or soldiers to find this place! The commotion upstairs could have been from the two groups clashing in battle.”

“Could it be…?!”

Therese’s complexion brightened a little.

If that were true, they might just be able to get out of here alive—without enduring any humiliation.

The two leaned their faces against the bars, staring expectantly at the door, hoping to see a familiar face appear.

Soon enough, there were footsteps, the door opened, and then…

“Oh, you two are still intact! How fortunate—”

“Kyaaaaaaa!!!”

They both screamed and stumbled back simultaneously.

The face that appeared was familiar, yes, but in a decidedly bad way.

It was Karma, the sly-eyed mage of the Gluttony Legion, who had brought them here.

“W-what do we do…?! It’s our turn now!!”

Marianne whispered, panicking.

“Keep your head up, Marianne!! At least for the last moment, maintain the dignity of the House of Rambouillet!”

Though their dignity had already been thrown out the window during the earlier argument over the earthquake, Therese stood upright, determined to act with nobility before others.

However, Karma only laughed loudly at her serious stance.

“Haha, what are you so afraid of? Do you think I’m here to eat you or something?”

“Don’t pretend! You’re capable of far worse things…! But remember, you may be able to harm my body, but you will never conquer my soul—”

“Oh, spare me the drama. I might have done that in the past, but right now, I have more important matters to attend to.”

More important matters? What could that mean?

Therese narrowed her eyes suspiciously as Karma turned and called out behind him.

“This way! Please, come inside!”

With that, Karma stepped aside and courteously made way.

The twins exchanged confused glances. Who could it be for Karma to be acting so deferentially?

Could it be one of the Seven Deadly Sins Generals of the Demon King’s Army, whom they had only heard about in stories?

With tense expressions, the two peered through the doorway.

And then—

“It’s been a while. I’m glad to see you both are safe.”

“!?!!?”

The person who entered was entirely unexpected.

With silver hair flowing down to her waist, she was the last beacon of hope in this era.

The very face they most wanted to see in this dire situation.

“I’m here to rescue you, Lady Therese, Lady Marianne.”

The Hero, Sion, smiled warmly at the two sisters.