"This central area will also serve as the gateway to my Void Ark."
A portion of the Void Ark's space would overlap with the central area.
Entering the central area was equivalent to entering the Void Ark.
This was precisely why Damien chose to place his residence there.
Should the town ever face danger, the majin could quickly take refuge in the central area.
That space was isolated from the outside world, undetectable even by world-destroying forces.
This ensured the Monster Kingdom's losses would be minimized to the greatest extent.
Indeed, with resources and people prepared, Damien could evacuate everyone at a moment's notice if danger arose.
"Justeaze."
Damien called her name. "Tell everyone about the Soul Guild."
"Of course, Lord Damien."
Justeaze, setting aside her saintly demeanor, spoke with a girlish enthusiasm akin to Irisviel's. "The Einzbern castle is quite grand, you know... a creation I'm rather proud of."
"Lord Damien has permitted us to establish an office on the castle's outskirts."
"There will be an office, a records archive, and a residential area."
Using magic, Justeaze projected a structural diagram of the castle, highlighting the purpose of each section.
"Going forward, you can treat it as our exclusive guild, where you can issue commissions."
Justeaze's artificial angel maids would serve as receptionists for the majin, addressing their concerns and needs.
They would also be responsible for the castle's cleaning and management.
These tasks would fall under Irisviel's oversight.
She would act as the guild's vice-president, working alongside Justeaze, the president, to handle soul-related commissions.
Of course, cleaning duties weren't taxing.
The angels wielded magic, making castle maintenance effortless.
Additionally, Justeaze would create special artificial golems to serve as castle servants, assisting the angels.
"It sounds like a lot of work." Shuna remarked. "Need any help?"
"Please trust in the Einzbern family's artificial angel technology." Justeaze replied, her eyes narrowing as a confident aura emanated from her.
'As expected!'
Shuna realized Justeaze was trying to monopolize the role of caring for Damien.
'No way I'll let you succeed!'
Shuna immediately began arguing her case.
In terms of eloquence, Justeaze was no match for Shuna and had to concede a step.
"In the future, Lord Damien's residence will be relocated to the castle's interior."
"It will also serve as our administrative hub for gatherings and meetings."
This was Justeaze's strategic move, using the lavish castle to secure proximity to Damien.
"Lord Damien's daily needs will still be handled by the kijin shrine maidens." Shuna asserted, fiercely defending her authority. She was already planning to train her shrine maidens to form the first line of defense against the white-haired angels.
Zzt zzt zzt!!
The next moment, their gazes clashed in midair, sparking with intensity.
"She's rattled…" Snow Empress observed, instantly recognizing Justeaze's tension. 'It seems Shuna and Shion's success last night has put certain people on edge.'
This included Snow Empress herself.
Learning of the two women earning Damien's favor had left her own heart unsettled.
"That's the plan." Damien interjected, cutting off their rivalry. "From now on, the Einzbern castle will serve as our Demon Lord Castle."
"Executives can choose rooms inside and decorate their quarters."
Thus, the castle became Damien's palace, the future center of power.
Issues reported from below would first be reviewed by the artificial angels.
Simple matters could be assigned directly to high-ranking majin.
Only problems the majin couldn't resolve would reach Damien for his personal review, followed by discussions with the executives.
"That concludes my initial plans for the town's layout."
Damien wrapped up the discussion on infrastructure, then presented new information. "Not long ago, Benimaru and Hakurou brought me good news."
"After negotiations, the Tengu has shown interest in our invitation."
This interest didn't mean immediate allegiance to Damien.
Rather, they were considering an alliance first, to assess the situation before deciding on full submission.
"Just interest?" Artoria remarked.
Having seen the strength of the Monster Kingdom, she fully grasped its power.
In her view, a nation this formidable already had the might to dominate the Jura Forest.
If the Tengu recognized this, they shouldn't be talking about alliances.
Alliances implied equal strength.
The Monster Kingdom was clearly far superior to the Tengu.
If Kaede were truly wise, she would have made her stance clear.
"It's just words on paper." Damien said with a smile. "Kaede-san has actually agreed, but she's cautious about the Tengu's sentiments and hasn't stated it outright."
Originally, the Tengu's pride would never allow them to submit to anyone.
But this visit to the Sacred Mountain was led by Hakurou.
The previous Tengu elder... or chieftain... had been Hakurou's lover and had borne him a daughter.
"Hakurou has a daughter?" Akahiko exclaimed, shocked. "And she's the daughter of the Tengu's chieftain?"
"Yes, even Hakurou didn't know he had a daughter." Damien said.
He was aware of this, but Hakurou had been in the dark.
When Hakurou learned of it, he was just as stunned.
With this connection between Hakurou and Kaede, many things didn't need to be spelled out.
"Kaede-san is willing to have the Tengu join us."
This wasn't an alliance but full submission, with the entire Tengu pledging loyalty to Damien.
"She holds significant influence within the clan."
"With her support, subduing the Tengu should go smoothly."
Damien explained the reason behind the "alliance" phrasing. "However, Kaede-san's authority only goes so far and doesn't represent all Tengu."
"According to Hakurou, a faction of Tengu has rallied behind acting elder Momiji, opposing Kaede."
"This group seems strongly resistant to the idea of submission."
***
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