Chapter 264 - Prettiest at the Ball

Note : Chapter 266 has been written and added to the queue !

Oh hey, Patreon seemed to have fixed their text editor.

Also I've been working on an updated map of the continent. I'll post it on patreon so you guys can give me your opinions (might need to add some notes since it's currently meant for the world anvil interactive map and thus missing labels).

Chapter 264

Red Sands Desert, Duchy of Sarth

City of Darthar

"Be good to your people, and one day they will pave your way with their bodies, prostrated in gratitude."

Thus had spoken the First Empress of the Eris Empire.

Allya had found the quote funny. The first ruler of her homeland had a certain sense of humor, that was for sure.

Now she understood what the founder of the largest empire in the world meant.

Her arrival in Darthar had already been interesting. She'd shivered as she at last saw the siege lines for herself, the fortresses, including the one Alexandra had pounded into submission. Then there was the breach, the airship's gutted carcass still firmly jammed in the mound of rubble, and she swallowed as she remembered the images the dungeon core had showed her.

Of course, the cleanup was long done. Whoever could be resurrected had been, and those that couldn't…

The slaves had been separated into individual bodies as best they could, small scraps of hair or flesh kept aside and tagged for later identification by mages. Then they were interred, in endless rows. It was far from perfect, but it was the best they could do for them.

Sunrise's more elite troops however had been thrown into a pit and incinerated like the dogs they were. Whoever came looking for them could sift through the damned ash. Battle standards were planted above the now covered pit, the regiments of Darthar proclaiming victory over their fallen foe.

Dead center, in the place of honor, stood her own colors, or rather Rebirth's, flanked closely by Alexandra's. She knew the dungeon core had insisted upon Rebirth's standard taking precedence, though she hadn't explicitly said so.

There were political reasons for that, and strategic ones as well, but Allya had the sneaking suspicion that everyone would see it as an attempt at modesty.

Then they had landed, and Allya had met with a variety of officials. The count had come to meet her, and she'd almost hugged the poor bastard. He looked a decade older than when she'd last met him. Hell, he seemed older than her now, not the opposite as it should be.

Many of the others she'd recognized. Philia and Elkaryos, of course, as well as Steve Orland, the commander of the city guard, which she had briefly met after the aborted attempt on her and Pyn's lives during her previous, and until then only, visit to the city.

The rest had kind of blurred together. Anyone who was anyone had tried to get in to meet the hero of the hour. Which was then she'd realized how deeply uncomfortable many were with thanking the dungeon core. Even if she'd actually done nothing, she was far easier for people to approach and see as a hero than one of the gifts of the God of Fire. Not to mention she was easier to adore, since she had the glory without all the blood on her hands, at least in their eyes. They may honor the dungeon core, but it was hard to forget the piles of corpses, including that of innocents caught in the crossfire, that Alexandra had made.

That adoration, however, was only truly hammered home when the First Empress' quote suddenly made sense to her. And that came when she moved through the streets.

Alexandra had told her what had happened when she'd gone to the palace. It was nothing compared to what she was subjected to. There were roses, fireworks…sweet merciful Gods, some people managed to push their way through the guards and throw themselves at her feet! Like if they were trying to kiss the very ground she was threading!

Alexandra's golems had come to the rescue, as always, and managed to get her through most of the way unmolested. Not because of their physical prowess or threat, but because the people seemed entirely unwilling to force their way through. A mix of awe, respect, and sheer fear. Even if they're saved them, they were very aware of the carnage those golems were capable of unleashing, and no one was willing to brave them.

Finally, she'd arrived at the palace…and treated like royalty.

It had felt odd, to say the least, but she'd been able to navigate the army of servants and sycophants without too much issue. She had to rescue Pyn though, and the elf had spent most of the day glued to her. Sometimes she forgot her fiancée was a commoner, while she had been born and raised at the highest levels of the nobility. She could push her way through it because, well, as Cassissa's Knight-Valiant she had faced much worse.

Half forgotten lessons of her childhood came back to her, and she whirled through the servants and other hangers on, gracefully accepting some help, rejecting others, and making it clear that no one was separating her fiancée from her, and no, they didn't need maids to join them tonight, after the reception and subsequent ball.

Being back amongst the ranks of the 'true' nobility, and not the half assed frontier one she'd implemented in Rebirth was strange, to say the least. But at least she had some inkling of what might happen, and packed accordingly.

Once they'd been escorted to their room, she'd laid out the pair of dresses she had commissioned.

The maids had quickly bathed and dressed her up…only for her to almost walk into a pillar, diverted at the last second by a maid, as she was so thoroughly distracted by Pyn's own appearance.

The tailor had been inspired, to say the least. Her own dress was black and purple, the colors of her assassin suit, but Pyn…deep, emerald green with lighter hues reminiscent of the deepest forests, a reflection of her eyes…

It was fortunate that they were surrounded by servants, otherwise Allya would have had her fiancée out of that dress in seconds, damn the reception and ball.

Instead they'd tried to pretend like they weren't ogling each other as they made their way to the banquet hall. The palace was beautiful, and quite sizeable, as befitted a city this size. It would have been impolite to remark out loud upon the concealed defensive features however, many of which had the look of having been recently manned.

"Baroness Allya Aubétoile, and Knight Pyn Windwrath of the Principality Rebirth!" Called out the Seneschal, a surprisingly young cat eared beastkin, as they entered the room.

Conversation died for a second, then got going again. It was one of the games of the nobility, to feign disinterest when one entered.

It was a delicate balancing act of course. Act too distant, and you risked offending someone powerful. As it was, many of the participants clearly decided to be on the safe side, and came to greet them quickly, after disentangling themselves from their cliques, foremost among them the count, who formally welcomed them to Darthar, though in truth it had been done already on the airfield.

To Allya's surprise, she found the dungeon core, clad in a superb naval dress uniform, holding court with what little remained of the city's and royal naval officers. They exchanged a glance, and the Earth-born smiled. Clearly, she was more at ease with the soldiers, which given her previous life, made a lot of sense.

Still…Allya looked around, and could see no hint of another white haired woman. Where the hell was-

"The Crimson Queen, boss and general of the Dungeon Factory dungeon!"

Everyone looked as CQ entered the room. Conversation died down…and stayed dead.

Pyn had been magnificent in her emerald dress, and she'd insisted her fiancée looked good in her purple and black one. But even Allya had to admit they both were beached whales compared to Alexandra's daughter.

She was clad in a white dress that seemed to be made of liquid crystal, pure white with red highlights, large rubies embroidered within the fabric, forming complex patterns that inevitably drew the eye to her face.

The boss advanced like she owned the entire palace, her heels clicking on the floor in the stunned silence, turning every head in the room both figuratively and literally.

The count went to meet her, and kissed the back of her knuckles like he was handling the most delicate of flowers, greeting her, and the spell broke. Conversation resumed, and most managed to tear their eyes away…except for the count, who seemed like he wouldn't be able to tear his eyes off of the boss to save his life.

Then Allya glanced at Alexandra, and suddenly realized that it may become literal if she didn't intervene. No one else here knew the dungeon core well enough to see it, but she could read the murderous rage inside her eyes.

The wrath of a protective parent wasn't one to be kindled lightly, and Alexandra had murdered whole armies to protect her family.

This…was going to be a long, loooong evening, she could feel it.

*****

The count gave CQ one last smile, before they parted on the dance floor, and he went for one of the concealed doors. He needed a bit of time to breathe, and he could take a bit to check on how the servants were doing. It was the least he could do for their efforts tonight, alongside a nice bonus. Though they seemed to have quite appreciated the days off during the wild victory celebrations in the city, when Sunrise's army had retreated.

He made his way through the ballroom with practiced ease, brushing off those that were trying to pin him down with kind words and a few anecdotes.

A group of merchants moved towards him, and he winced internally. Those…he couldn't afford to just brush off.

Thankfully, his seneschal intercepted them, and they exchanged discreet nods. Felix was, as ever, a treasure to his family, though few would realize the impeccable seneschal had once been a street urchin, who happened to be in the right place at the right time, and defended a total stranger from a hired assassin.

Finally, he reached the door, and slipped out of the room with a sigh. Functions such as this weighed heavily on him. He accepted his role, but it did not mean that he enjoyed all of its aspects.

He started walking through the hallway, intent to reach the servant ready room, where they gathered for breaks and refreshments, and-

"Count."

He almost hit the ceiling as he heard the voice, before relaxing as he recognized both it and saw the speaker.

"Lady Crystal! Goodness, I nearly had a heart attack." He swallowed as he saw her face. She seemed…cold? Odd, she always seemed to be burning with a passion most of the time, even if it was a low, discreet fire. "Is something wrong?"

"Do you know who CQ is, count?"

The Count tilted his head.

"She is your boss, and second in command, I believe?"

"Wrong. She is my, and my second in command's, daughter."

"Ah."

The boss was the dungeon core's daughter. And the other parent...her advisor, maybe?

That...might explain the worried glances and hints Allya had given him all evening.

The wrath of a parent, protective of their child, was terrible to behold.

And he had witnessed Crystal's rage firsthand. The blood of those who had provoked it still imbibed the soil of his domain.

"Indeed. The real question here, is who CQ is to you?"

As he met her gaze, and he saw the deepest of colds…and Death. Death made manifest.

The Count had the sudden, inescapable feeling that giving the wrong answer would mean he would not leave the room alive.

"She's someone I met, and yes, was bedazzled by her beauty and character." He squared his shoulders. Crystal respected strength and honesty. He was told so by Allya. Possibly because she knew this was going to happen. "I don't intend to take anything further than she wishes to. I do hope she will be my friend however. There are few I can mingle with who I respect as much as I respect her, and whose company I enjoyed."

He knew he'd said the right things as the aura of pure terror that had been gripping his heart relaxed, and the dungeon core's eyes ceased to be cold as the darkest of voids.

"Good." Simply said Crystal, before walking away. "Good night, Count."

"Good night, lady Crystal." Said the count, softly, as he tried to still his beating heart.

What...in all the hells had just happened?