“Thank you for entrusting the city's construction to our Giabella Construction Company!” Noir said with a bow.
Dozens of demonfolk were lined up behind Noir, who was wearing a hard hat over a suit.
With Noir’s employees consisting of many different races of demonfolk, each with their distinct differences, the group of demonfolk was displaying a great array of different appearances. Among their number were a few succubi like Noir and also quite a few Daemons, the most common race of demonfolk. The giants stood out from the rest with their huge bodies, and there were even a few demonfolk with multiple pairs of arms.
They were all part of the executive staff of Giabella Construction, and just like Noir, they were dressed in hard hats and suits, with the words “Giabella Construction” printed across each of their hard hats.
“Now then,” Noir said, holding her arms up high.
At this gesture, the eyes of everyone attending the Inauguration Ceremony were drawn upwards.
A huge curtain was hanging behind Noir and her executives.
Noir savored the attention of each and every gaze that was fixed on the curtain behind her and announced with a bright smile, “Allow me to reveal the Lionheart’s new mansion!”
Swiiiish!
As the curtain drew back, a large mansion was revealed.
Pampababam, pampababam, pampampampam!
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
Fireworks soared into the sky amidst the loud fanfare before erupting in a colorful and flowery display that covered the clear, blue sky. Eugene and the rest of the main family had already seen the mansion several times while they were inspecting the construction, but not everyone who was attending the Inauguration Ceremony had seen the mansion before. There was an extended cry of amazement at the beauty and grandeur of the stately mansion.
The previous Lionheart mansion had already been beautiful enough to rival any mansions belonging to the noble families on the continent, but this new Lionheart mansion was literally on a different level. Even the Emperor of Kiehl, who owned several castles, was so shocked that his jaw dropped open speechlessly.
Of course, the mansion wasn’t as tall or as large as a castle or palace. This had been done because if one counted all of the main family members who regularly lived at the main estate, that number didn’t even add up to ten people. Even if one included the butlers and servants, the mansion was still only ever meant to house a few dozen.
However, the size didn’t matter, as the finished mansion as a whole looked like a work of art. No, in fact, all of the sculptures decorating the mansion were actually works of art renowned all across the continent.
“Well then, where should I start with my introductions? If I were to explain the artistic intentions and origins of all my favorite features, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that I could keep talking about them for weeks. Or are you all perhaps curious about the functional features? The outdoor swimming pool perfectly replicates the beaches of Sernia Island, the most beautiful holiday resort in the whole continent; the open-air bath was inspired by the Livar Hot Springs, a famous attraction in Ruhr, and....” Noir began to deliver a long explanation.
The dozens of guests invited to the Inauguration Ceremony were guided through the grounds of the mansion as they listened to Noir’s explanation.
But the outer appearance of the mansion wasn’t the only noteworthy thing here. There was also the carefully landscaped forest growing around it. Behind the mansion, the saplings of the World Tree stood tall, as if they were standing guard, and they were surrounded by the other fairy trees, each of which was several times more valuable than their same weight in mithril. The guests could feel the perfect harmony that had been cultivated between the forest and the mansion.
As Vermouth stood there silently, someone approached his side and said, “This took me a lot of hard work.”
It was the White Tower Master, Melkith El-Hayah. The moment she approached him, Vermouth unconsciously took a few steps to the side to distance himself from Melkith.
The impression that Melkith had left on him from their first meeting had been ingrained deeply into Vermouth. This was the Spirit Summoner who had chased after them while screaming when they had left the battlefield. The one who Sienna had cast a spell at and sent falling without any hesitation or mercy. At the time, he couldn’t understand why she would do such a thing, but now....
During the time he spent at the main estate, Vermouth had come to know exactly what kind of person Melkith El-Hayah was. She might be similar to Carmen in a way, but at her core, she was far more insane.
“Phew...,” Melkith pursed her lips and blew a kiss at him.
The sweetly scented breath that she exhaled should have been too far away to reach Vermouth, but the wind spirit that was summoned by her will carried her breath over to him.
Whooosh....
Her breath, now reinforced by the wind, tickled Vermouth’s ear. For Melkith, who held contracts with four Spirit Kings and could exert total control over any of the lower-ranking spirits, distance held no meaning when it came to blowing her kisses or whispers.
“Dear~[1],” Melkith whispered with a sickly sweet voice and smile.
The touch of her breath and the way her whisper lingered in his ear sent goosebumps running throughout Vermouth’s whole body. The way he hunched his shoulders and shakily glanced at Melkith made it seem like Vermouth was confronting some primal and ancient fear.
“I did a lot of work. All for you, dear. And for the family,” Melkith slowly whispered.
The family? Whose family? Vermouth felt afraid because it wasn’t quite clear which family Melkith was referring to.
“You can feel it, can’t you, dear? You were the greatest spirit summoner before I came along, after all. An incredible depth of spirit-summoning expertise went into the design behind this mansion and its forest,” Melkith proudly declared.
Melkith was telling the truth. The successful construction of this mansion and the forest, no, of this entire city, was only possible thanks to the cooperation of Aroth’s Archwizards, and even among their number, the Red Tower Master and the White Tower Master, in particular, had played significant roles. Led by Lovellian, the summoners of the Red Tower of Magic had provided much of the labor needed for the construction, and the spirit summoners of the White Tower of Magic had used their earth spirits to build the city’s roads.
Melkith had also devoted much of her time to creating the forest. Thanks to her, the spirits of the earth had been thoroughly taught how to keep the land fertile so long as the forest above wasn’t somehow burnt down, and they had also been trained to arrange the growth of anything new that was planted so that it wouldn’t mar the existing landscape.
“So anyways, dear,” Melkith’s voice and the look in her eyes grew even more sickly sweet.
As she took a step forward towards him, Vermouth had to swallow back a nervous gulp.
“Don’t I deserve some praise...,” Melkith’s whisper was mixed with a note of wistful desire, her breath continuing to tickle the corners of his ears.
The one who saved Vermouth from this human-shaped source of dizzying fear that was making him feel like he was suffering from vertigo was Carmen, who resolutely stepped forward to defend Vermouth.
“Don’t get so close to my father,” Carmen spat out, glaring at Melkith with eyes full of disgust.
Melkith sniffed and said, “Why are you calling my dear your father?”
Carmen narrowed her eyes, “Why are you calling my father dear?”
But could this really be called salvation? Caught in the center of this verbal duel, Vermouth squeezed his eyes shut. Even as he tried to ignore what was happening around him, Carmen and Melkith continued to exchange fierce glares.
Why was Carmen Lionheart calling the Great Vermouth, the Founding Ancestor of her clan, father? And why was Melkith El-Hayah addressing the Great Vermouth as her dear?
The honored guests who had been invited to the Inauguration Ceremony were very curious about the reasons behind such strange behavior, but no one dared to ask the participants directly. This was because both women looked to be taking this argument far too seriously for anyone to feel comfortable asking them what was going on, and the Great Vermouth appeared too distressed to welcome any further disturbances.
“If I could, I would like to guide you through the interior of the mansion, which boasts a decor just as artistic as its exterior, but unfortunately, that is meant to be the living space for the main family. There is also the issue of privacy, so please inquire separately with the members of the Lionheart’s main family about viewing the inside of the mansion,” Noir finished her long spiel with a bright smile. “Now then, let us continue by touring the Lionheart’s new city that is built around this mansion!”
Just like the Lionheart’s previous mansion, their new mansion also had a warp-gate installed on the grounds of the estate. This was necessary because the grounds of the new mansion were far too large for anyone to walk out of easily.
As Eugene followed Noir, who was leading the tour group away while still wearing a hard hat, he suddenly asked a question, “How are the preparations?”
“They’re all complete,” Sienna replied. She had been sticking closely by his side.
Although she had been up all night until early morning hours, preparing to teleport the entire forest, Sienna’s face didn’t show even the slightest trace of fatigue.
She lifted her chin and proudly declared, “Hmph, who exactly do you think you’re talking to? Of course, I, Lady Sienna, finished preparing everything perfectly.”
“There’s no room for even a single mistake to be made,” Eugene warned her.
“Don’t worry about it. After all, you’re not the only one who’s been looking forward to this,” Sienna assured him as she exchanged glances with Molon and Anise.
Anise nodded back silently. Molon’s expression was hidden behind his thick, bushy beard, but his fists were clenched in excitement and anticipation.
“I won’t be participating in this,” Kristina responded when Sienna’s eyes turned towards her.
She had received their offer to be involved but refused their invitation, and Eugene had no intention of forcing her to participate.
“If you don’t want to do it, it can’t be helped. But if you do change your mind, you can join in any time,” Eugene said with a bright smile as he looked back over his shoulder.
Even now, Vermouth was being tortured to the point of insanity while he was caught between Carmen and Melkith.
Stepping through the mansion’s warp-gate, they arrived at one of the city’s many landmarks.
Ooooooh.
The guests erupted in gasps upon arriving at their destination.
Unlike the mansion, there wasn’t a curtain hiding the site from view.
However, just like the last time, Noir held her arms up at the entrance to the landmark and shouted an introduction, “This is the symbol of the Lionheart’s new city! The only institution of its kind in the entire history of the continent! A place of learning that will pave the way to the future!”
This site was the only location in the new city that made use of as large an area as the Lionheart’s new main estate. Magnificent buildings that looked like they had been copied from a royal palace had been built on this site.
Noir suddenly shot Eugene an enthusiastic look. The other guests also seemed to be expecting him to step forward. Eugene hesitated amid this atmosphere of eager anticipation, only for Sienna to push him forward with a mischievous smile.
“What are you doing? Go ahead and give them an introduction to your new school,” Sienna said teasingly.
Eugene stumbled forward a few steps due to her push. He shot a resentful gaze back at Sienna, but sensing the many eyes directing eager looks of anticipation towards him, Eugene swallowed back the curses he had been about to blurt out.
“This place is...,” Eugene began to speak, only to pause and clear his throat as he glanced back over his shoulder.
Behind Eugene were six statues erected on the campus plaza that connected the various buildings together. The statues were of Eugene, Sienna, Molon, Anise, Kristina, and Vermouth. The dwarven craftsman who had been living at the main estate had especially carved out these statues just for today.
“...the Dynas Academy,” Eugene finished announcing.
Eugene had discussed with many people what to name his academy. At first, he had just wanted to name it Lionheart Academy without giving it much thought, but Gilead had opposed this idea. He said that the Lionhearts had no intention of claiming ownership of the academy and that the name as a whole didn’t fit the purpose of the academy or represent what the academy meant to Eugene.
Since “Lionheart Academy” had been rejected, if he truly had to name it something else, Eugene wanted to name his academy something that sounded impressive and appropriate. However, all the names that Eugene suggested had been rejected by the various people he had spoken to.
The only name that had finally made the cut after all the discussion was over and done with was Dynas Academy. The name had been taken from Hamel’s last name. It was just an idea that Eugene had mentioned without giving it much thought, but surprisingly, everyone had accepted it and thought it was a good idea.
Vermouth had fathered the Lionheart clan. Molon had founded the Kingdom of Ruhr. Sienna had created the Circle Magic Formula and was admired by all wizards. Anise’s deeds as a Saint had even been recorded in Yuras’ religious scriptures, which meant that every future priest of Yuras would learn how to cultivate their faith through the life and writings of Anise that were passed down through these scriptures.
However, Hamel hadn’t left behind any legacy for the future generations. If one really had to pick something, there was the “Hamel-style” that had been passed down through Genos’ family, but that had actually been something left to them by Vermouth, not Hamel himself.
Because of that, they all agreed to name this place “Dynas Academy.”
“This place is... um...,” Eugene awkwardly trailed off.
He had prepared a lot of things to say in advance, but now that the time had come to actually say them, Eugene felt too embarrassed to do so. In the end, just like he had before, Eugene continued his speech by saying whatever came to mind.
“Here, you can learn a lot of things. It won’t just be swordsmanship; there are all sorts of other weapons.... You can also learn various types of magic and spirit summoning. Then there are pure theology courses... ah, in the case of theology, we don’t just teach the doctrine of the Light. If you want to, um, you can also study the doctrine of War or Victory... and once you graduate—? Or maybe as an internship? What I mean is that I’m thinking of making it possible for you to become a priest or a paladin.... If you want to become a knight instead, you will need to take a course on your weapon of choice and another course on the subject of chivalry,” Eugene hastily concluded.
Although he may have just made it up on the spot, everyone had been listening intently to Eugene’s speech.
Eugene felt pressured by the intent silence of his captive audience, but he just continued to speak without stopping to think about it. “I also plan to include opportunities to study abroad, like with Aroth’s Towers of Magic, as well as actively inviting experts in the various subjects to speak to the students, allowing students to make an informed choice on whether they want to further their studies in a subject.... But for now... the Dynas Academy that I have always wanted to create is a place where you can learn everything and become anything. Of course, their final outcome still depends on how hard the students are willing to work for it, but as the principal of Dynas Academy I will do my best to ensure that my students don’t waste their precious youth and that they can realize their dreams for the future.”
“A round of applause!” Noir shouted as soon as Eugene had finished speaking.
Pampababam, pam, pam, pam!
The fanfare everyone had heard earlier was played once more as fireworks shot up into the sky.
Clap, clap, clap....
Eugene felt embarrassed by the applause that all the guests were showering him with and he quickly returned to the side of his companions.
“Why are you crying again?” Eugene scolded Gerhard, who kept wiping away his tears with a damp handkerchief.
However, unable to stop his tears, Gerhard simply stammered, “M-my son... to think that my son would have such grand ambitions.”
“What do you mean, grand ambitions,” Eugene awkwardly mumbled.
“To think that you wouldn’t just be satisfied with saving the world, but would go on to try and make the work a better place,” Gerhard sobbed into his handkerchief.
Eugene tried to defend himself, “I never said anything like that....”
“But the more exceptional people there are, the better the world will become,” Gerhard insisted.
Just a quick glance around showed that Gerhard’s reaction wasn’t unusual.
Gilead’s eyes were also red, and it appeared as if he had been deeply moved by Eugene’s speech.
“If you officially open a course on chivalry, might I be able to give a few lectures as a Visiting Professor?” Alchester requested.
“I’ll allow it if you also give my students a chance to train with the Knights of the White Dragon,” Eugene counter-offered.
“Haha, as long as they’re of sound mind and solid skill, I would be willing to take them on as full-time members, not just as trainees,” Alchester said with a bright smile.
“I’m saying this just in case, but don’t think that I’ll favor Leo just because he’s enrolling in the academy,” Eugene warned.
“Of course, that’s how it should be,” Alchester said with a quick nod. “There’s no need to think of him as my son. If Leo tries to use the Dragonic family’s influence as a shield, please feel free to expel him immediately.”
As they were having this conversation, everyone had walked through the campus plaza and were about to enter the main building. Since the academy buildings were so large and spacious, it would be impossible to showcase and introduce everything in the time they had left, so everyone started moving separately after entering the main building.
“Where should we do it?” Eugene asked.
“The plaza that we passed through earlier should be fine,” Anise said.
“One of the classrooms would also work just as well,” Eugene argued.
Sienna shook her head and said, “That wouldn’t give it the right sense of openness, it needs to be done out in the open.”
Eugene couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion at Sienna’s response. What was so important about being out in the open? In the end, as Anise had suggested, the campus plaza was confirmed as the location for their plan.
Eugene nodded decisively and said, “Well then, let’s get a move on.”
After looking around the academy for thirty minutes, the tour group was ready to move on once more.
Noir continued to act like a skilled tour guide, her mouth constantly moving without a moment’s rest. “The place we’re headed to now is the dwarven industrial zone. That is where the dwarven artisans who originally lived on the Lionheart estate, as well as the other dwarves who formerly lived in the southern islands, will be forming their independent commune. From there, the dwarves will be able to create and receive commissions freely, unlike in the past, and by doing so they will contribute their strength to the economy of the new city.”
The King of Shimuin’s face crumpled at this news about the dwarves.
Originally, the dwarves and their skills had been virtually monopolized by the kings of Shimuin, but during the construction of the new city, all of the dwarves who had been living on the islands of Shimuin began preparing to move to the continent. However, out of fear of Eugene, the King of Shimuin couldn’t even express any of his complaints regarding this....
From the industrial zone, Noir then launched into a full-scale tour of the city.
They were shown past the city hall, which stood ready to listen to any complaints of the city’s citizens, the guild complex, the library, the park, and the downtown area. The new city had been installed with more warp-gates than any other city on the continent. There were also floating stations in the sky above the city that controlled the city’s weather while also providing access to flying carriages that gave a great view of the city below; and below the city, there was a subway, just like the one in Giabella City. Thanks to that, even though the tour group had visited many different landmarks, it was still daytime when the tour finally ended.
“The new city looks even more beautiful at night,” Noir promised with a grin as she looked at the sun slowly setting in the sky. “And such a beautiful night view can only truly be complemented by a splendid festival. Now then, since it has reached this hour... shall we head back to the city gates?”
Hundreds of thousands of people had gathered at the city gates, waiting to see the new city. As soon as those gates opened, all of the lights in the city would be turned on, and the festival would begin.
Although no one had moved into the city yet, there wouldn’t be any problems with running the festival. Noir’s vassals, who had lost their jobs with the collapse of Giabella City, would be doing all of the work in the city for today only.
“If you do anything strange, I’ll kill you,” Eugene threatened Noir.
“I’m already deceased,” Noir pointed out.
Eugene frowned gravely, saying, “Do you want to know what it feels like to die a second time?”
“When you say it like that, instead of a warning, it actually sounds quite a tempting promise, you know that?” Noir teased.
Eugene shot the grinning Noir a glare.
“Fine, fine, I understand. Haven’t I already said that I won’t show anyone a fantasy or a dream? I also won’t steal any life-force. In the first place, there’s no longer any need for me to suck out someone’s life-force,” Noir said with a giggle as she pointed up to the city walls. “Well then, shall we get going?”
There was still a lot of work that needed to be done before the end of the Inauguration Ceremony.
Aaaaaaah....
The crowds of people who had been making a fuss in front of the tightly shut city gates all cheered when they saw the group of people who had suddenly appeared on top of the gates.
“Do I really have to do this?” Eugene turned to Noir and asked, his face twisted in a scowl.
“Of course you do! This is truly the whole point of the Inaugural Ceremony,” Noir answered firmly. She still hadn’t taken off her hard hat. “Now then, everyone, line up quickly.”
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