- Chapter 9 -

Nine Millennia Wonder

[Veteris - Capital City Of The Holy Land]

The priestess couldn’t keep the doubts at bay. She had noticed the oddity of her Goddess’s behaviour and in her many years of service she never seen Her so agitated. As the priestess mulled it over, she muttered, “Could it be the Demons? But how can that be?” She has never shown concern over them in the past, not even with their recent activity. Frowning, she stopped her pacing and knelt at the altar. She clasped her hands, ready to pray.

“Come.” Came an otherworldly voice from inside the priestess’s head.

“Goddess! You wish to tell me something?”

“In person.”

The priestess let out an involuntary gasp. How many hundreds of years had it been since her Goddess had imparted her word face to face? It’s as I thought, something is wrong. The situation must be terribly grave. Sparing no thought for her image the priestess made haste. Despite the time that had elapsed since her last visit and the constant speculations flittering through her head she made no mistake on her way to the Goddess’s Core Room.

[Dermilion - Capital City of the Demonic Land]

“I don’t care what it takes, find it!” Roared the figure that managed to loom over Digero, despite the distance between them and the fact that the imposing figure remained seated on his throne. Digero could feel every being in the throne room bowing a little bit deeper, trembling and cowering just a little bit more, himself included. He’s so emotional, Digero thought, this is the perfect opportunity to gain his favour. Digero carved his words into his heart and dared his eyes to dart upwards. Peering further into the throne room, lusting after an honoured position at the front of the assembly, or, Heavens forbid, on the steps leading up to his throne. A small voice in the back of Digero’s head dared to whisper, Or on the throne itself. He did his best to stifle such ambitious thoughts. His inner circle of personal summons is far beyond my reach, let alone the throne of the Demon King.

It was then that Digero thought one of those few figures on the steps had caught sight of him, but her words soon alleviated him of that notion, and his goose bumps, “Master, to divert resources from the war effort at such a time may be ill advised.”

Digero sensed movement from the throne. He didn’t know what the king's reaction was as he dared not look, but the adviser said nothing further. Given the lack of rage Digero perceived from the king he could only assume that adviser was silenced out of habit. Almost certainly because of the presence of us. Pawns. Lowly servants the had no privilege to know His Majesty's plans. Not that you would be hard pressed to find anyone who did not know of the of the war. It was only because of the birth of a treasure that had bothered to summon servants of Digero’s lowly station, it was our luck to be able to assemble in His throne room. Our merger strength barely had the right to put our foot in the door. Digero doubted he would have even told us if it had not appeared on every Dungeon’s Menu.

“Each and every one of you will conduct a thorough check of your own territories and report your findings.” His voice thundered throughout the hall. “...NOW! Begone from my sight!”

For once, I was grateful to be at the back of the hall. It saved me from the stampede that followed. Hmp. If I ever become the Demon King, I will never allow this sort of disgraceful behaviour in my presence. Where is his dignity? Digero thought, ambition rearing its ugly- and ever so dangerous- head.

***

[POV Switch]

The Demon King watched as his minions scrambled to obey, a faint smile tugging the corners of his lip. However, the amusement faded as his thoughts converged on the problem at hand. He eyed his servants that littered the steps. Only the strong were permitted such a privilege. The System guaranteed their loyalty, something he was always grateful for. He focused his full attention on Dextra, the one that had spoken out earlier. “Spit it out.”

Some of Dextra’s tension receded as she spoke. “Master, with all the preparation that has been put into the war effort, taking a step back now...”

“No,” The Demon King interceded before continuing, “This matter’s importance cannot be understated, we MUST obtain the Chimera’s Heart. If not just to deny our enemies.”

“I understand the lure of the recipe’s benefits but I still don’t quite see its value outweighing the current opportunity for invasion.”

“You misunderstand. If anything, this is only reason to accelerate our plans for war. I have no doubt that those three have come to the same conclusion that I have- they are almost as old as I am after all. I bet they have also given out similar orders in the vain hope that no one else has realised... and most importantly, only a fool would ever waste such an item on that recipe.”

Everyone in the room were complementing what the Demon King was implying. Dextra voiced her confusion, “... I don’t quite understand.”

“Think about it. Recipes like that, that directly upgrade Dungeon Core’s, aren’t rare. They’re impossible. There is only one way for a Dungeon Core to upgrade its foundational strength in such a way. Cannibalism.” The Demon King roared with laughter, elated. “We have witnessed the birth of a Godlike Dungeon Core. Ripe for the taking.”