Chương 312: Safety First

My mission will begin soon, and it has made me realise that it has been a while since I stopped being a wandering menace. Even then, the continent is besieged by many problems, many of which are my fault, but not all…

Apparently, my sheer existence causes pieces of machinery to pop into existence and spread the nightmare plague, but it also seems like I am the root cause for the apparition of a lot of abnormal creatures–Leou has recently informed me that never-seen-before, crooked, misshapen beings have begun forming what seemed to be cults. Cults praising me as their goddess and creator, no less.

It really is a good thing that I have a bunch of decoys running distraction for me, and also that the continent has other problems to deal with… As a monster being worshipped is typically very bad news. Being worshipped like this is a way for something to potentially get a hold of divine energy and step into godhood–Much like the serpent I slaughtered back then.

Thankfully, with the other messes I caused, and the still ongoing issue with portals to realms opening randomly, and unusual creatures showing up out of nowhere… I can somewhat evade notice as long as I don't actively make waves and don't actually harvest anything from these prayers. I should be fine–Hopefully. However, being reminded of the true extent of danger I am in due to my past actions, I know that I need to do something to protect those close to me.

My ghostly little sisters are spectres and can retreat to the Mindscape at will. Coco can dive into the shadows, and Rose can hide in the Mindscape too, now… However, Xlown can not do any of this, and the same is true for Mari and Leou. If something happens, they don't have a perfect escape route at the ready. My daughter and lovers are far too exposed for my liking. Which is why I decided to bring Mari and Leou into the Gravescape.

I was worried that they wouldn't be able to handle the mask and pool as well as Rose, so I presented them with the much safer version–The suit. These were akin to the Glown costume I used to wear, only colourless. Unlike the mask and pool combo, using this wouldn't bring any strength boost or anything of the sort. The suits were studied merely to give one the ability to enter the Mindscape. That was it.

I told them about the short instant of pain it would cause, but as expected, they trusted me way too much and didn't even question the safety of the suits for a second. I am glad that they trust me so greatly, but I sometimes wish that they would be a bit more self-centered at times. This is about their own safety, after all. Alas, I am aware that trying to explain this to them would lead nowhere. It would just lead us to a bedroom somehow, as they think that this is the solution if I seem a bit cranky…

Not that they are wrong. It's just that they clearly are on the lookout for any excuse to drag me into a bed.

"Alright then. Put on the suits and stand still. If there is a problem, I am here" I had to help Leou put hers on, as her fur got in the way, but both suits ultimately fitted them perfectly. Unlike the Glown suit, it didn't modify a person's appearance in the least. It merely stuck as closely to their bodies as possible.

"Focus on your body, flex your muscles as if you're expecting to get hit, keep calm and breathe in and out sharply… Now close your eyes" I made sure that they focused on my voice. I knew when the suits would activate exactly, so I knew when the sudden surge of pain would come. The point was to distract them so that they wouldn't see it coming and barely even realise the pain had struck them, since it would only last for a brief instant. It would be like they missed it.

After a few dozen seconds, when they were so focused on listening to me that they nearly forgot about the oncoming pain–It happened, they both completely straightened their backs at the same, emitting a low grunt of surprise before the suits were torn apart, and they fell on their knees as though all strength had been sapped from their legs.

"Do you feel any different?"

"I… I don't know, but it felt like I suddenly got whipped!"

"Whipped? I thought it felt more like a big slap…" Leou and Mari had felt it differently, which was consistent with my previous tests. No one seemed to experience the pain in the same way. Though it seemed quite clear that they would feel it very suddenly, and that it wouldn't linger on, making it difficult for those who experienced the suit to actually realise that they had gone through much more severe pain than how they ended up describing it. In any case, things were successful.

Both of them were able to enter and exit the Mindscape without any problem now. Naturally, they spent some time marvelling at the scenery inside. They explored the various areas and especially the manor, which seemed to have suddenly expanded as a response to the two of them gaining access to the Mindscape. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

They really wanted to test how 'things' were inside of the Mindscape, but I repelled their puppy-eyed demands by telling them that they should rest, as the suits had changed something about them. Unable to resist my very logical demand, they went back to the tower to lie down, allowing me to speak with my daughter. Xlown was a brilliant and pretty young woman, but she did have a few bad habits, especially when it came to fighting and hunting.

She wasn't the most discreet and had the compulsion of letting people know that she was there instead of lying low. It was technically a good idea as she grew stronger by feeding on negativity. Thus, being overt and public was more effective in causing people to have negative thoughts and feelings, but it made me–Her mother–Worry about her safety. Hence, I wanted her to also be able to enter the Mindscape for protection if the need be. Unfortunately, the suit had no effect on her.

It wouldn't even fit her body, as though it didn't even recognise her as a living being. Even the mask wouldn't latch onto her face, and there was nothing that I did that seemed capable of solving this issue. … I knew in my guts that Xlown had the potential to enter the Mindscape on her own, but I worried that it wouldn't come to be a thing for a while, and I couldn't just keep her locked in the tower or Gravescape all the time. She was a young woman with a lot of energy to spend.

It wouldn't be right to keep her overly safe as if she were a rare gemstone. Well, she is like a rare gemstone in my eyes. She's my only daughter, born from the Glown suit I used to wear. She isn't just my daughter because I decided to call her that. She's the closest entity to genuinely being my child.

Since I can't actually have children, her being born from this suit and my own negativity for the most part, Xlown is truly the closest I will probably ever come to having given birth, and I don't think I would handle it well if harm were to come to her.

"Listen, since it doesn't seem like it will be possible to get you access to the Mindscape, take these" I handed her a bunch of trinkets that allowed her to go in and out of the Gravescape.

"Use those wisely, alright? They are for your safety. If something happens, you don't need to fight. The most important thing is that you come out of it fine""I probably won't be around for a while, and I can't know if I need to warp back. If there is any danger, hide in the Gravescape. Mari and Leou can go into the Mindscape, and Coco can hide in the shadows if necessary" Xlown always kept her smile on, but I could tell the subtle differences in her expressions regardless. She nodded.

"Don't worry, Mommy!"

"Good, please be safe" I gave her a kiss on the forehead and pulled her into a hug. With all the dangers lurking around, it truly made me concerned to know that one member of my family was lacking in ways of defence compared to the rest. I know that Xlown is almost unkillable, especially since she was already made aware of her weaknesses, but what can I say? Even if she were the strongest being in the world, I wouldn't be able not to worry about my daughter. …

Not long after all of this, the time for me to invade Baron Hyotrask Devilblood came. Although I could theoretically run into most of the people I was leaving at the tower in the Mindscape or Gravescape, I bid them goodbye as though I wasn't going to see them again until my mission was over. It was always best to expect the worst. Then you would be pleasantly surprised when the worst didn't come to pass.

The travel from Heldinot to Malkazert was a lengthy one, even when travelling atop the bag of a giant winged beast. It wasn't just a matter of getting from one country to another. Rootriska was in between those two nations, so I had to get through a whole kingdom and then some to get to my destination… Devilblood's territory was a slightly peculiar one. It was quite obvious that his noblehood and thus his ownership of these lands had only been a thing for a fairly short amount of time.

Part of his land had become fields for farmers to cultivate crops upon, while another part was still lush with a great forest, which was currently the beating heart of his territory's economy as the wood harvested there apparently sold for quite a high price. He definitely could have razed everything already if he so desired, but the demon noble was smart enough to know that it would hurt him if he flooded the market with the wood. It would only make the prices go down. As such, he was taking his time.

Trying to find other sources of income and jobs for the people of his territory before turning the forest into more farmable land. From what I had heard, there were a fair number of established nobles who were quite irked by how competent the supposedly dumb brute was. It had made me quite confused when I heard of this from Leou. Did those nobles think their king would give a title and land to an idiot? If he had wanted to reward a silly warrior, he would have given him something else.

Perhaps I am too naive and expect rulers to be smart and competent, but as far as I am aware, Argras Juliper Malka has been ruling for a long time without anyone ever opposing him, and Malkazert has been flourishing under his reign. Thus, I doubt that he is a fool who can't think forward. Anyway, this guy's residence is bigger than I would have expected… Thanks to Ergonip's careful preparations, I was going to show up right on time for when he would be recruiting people to work in his residence.

As he had 'lost' a few people due to the silent intervention of the silent skeleton, and also due to his own actions, causing some of his maids to now be future mothers. In any case, as long as I played my cards right, I was guaranteed to get in without a problem. In the dead of night, I stepped off the flying beast, landing upon the ground with a boom. The recruitment would take place in the morning, so it gave me some time to familiarise myself with the surroundings. Well, well, well…

So this is what Malkazert looks like? Everything is quite… Red.