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[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 344

A massive, dome-shaped seal.

It looked like quite a bit of preparation had gone into it—various materials, different layers of magic—but ultimately, this was a seal constructed instinctively, not through proper research or refinement.

The work of a Sealer who relied on raw talent rather than structured study.

That an entire race could be endangered by something of that level was absurd, but that was the nature of Sealers.

Beings defined not by destructive power, but by overwhelming suppression.

Even across the continent, only a handful existed.

That was what made them unique.

Come to think of it, considering the succubi’s traits, they had the potential to make excellent Sealers…

Perhaps I should cultivate a few into domain-specialist Sealers.

The process wasn’t easy, and the failure rate was high—but I had something that could solve that.

The item I’d taken from that cultist not long ago.

Kuralion’s Staff.

In other words, the Void Enchanter.

It would need some modification, but that was something Lispa could handle.

She knew her way around staves better than anyone.

This seal was fairly sophisticated, yes—but…

I currently possessed the sealing power taken from the Hall of Silence, and my Contract Mana had already grown overwhelmingly vast.

And the Sealer’s art wasn’t like elemental mana—no need to juggle multiple circles or complex resonances.

It relied purely on extreme skill and pure attunement.

That alone was enough.

Meaning—

My sealing ability now wasn’t far behind what it had been back in Labyrinthos.

* * *

[Analysis]

As my Contract Mana poured out—enough to flood the entire seal—Marian’s eyes widened.

“By the heavens… It’s stronger than what I saw before…”

She clearly misunderstood something, but I didn’t care to correct her.

I brushed off her remark and pressed the mass of Contract Mana tightly against the surface of the installed seal, wrapping it without a single gap.

Then came a flood of information.

This kind of brute-force analysis would’ve made even a Labyrinthos Sealer’s head ring, the sheer data density overwhelming.

But I had long since learned to endure such mental torrents—through the memory transfer of Labyrinthos, and the Heart of the Machine God.

Accepting, dividing, and discarding vast quantities of information had become second nature.

After all, sealing techniques were solid walls, not intricate machines.

[Correction]

Using the analyzed data, I quickly pinpointed the weak points—the traps, the false layers—and neutralized all safeguards.

What a joke.

This man didn’t use technique at all; he just brute-forced his way through.

Once the conclusion was reached, the next step was simple.

[Destruction]

Contract Mana coursed down my fingertips, gripping the massive seal and squeezing.

Cracks began to spread across what had stood firm for years.

Crack… craaack!! Crash!!!

With a thunderous noise, the whole structure shattered like glass.

The seal that had tried for years to slowly strangle the succubi—collapsed, pitifully, in an instant.

A man with a tangled beard, wearing rags.

Wrinkled, hardened skin that had borne the storms of age—his face was twisted with disgust and rage.

In the mercenary world, everyone knew of him—and avoided him.

There was no profit in provoking such a man.

The few mercenaries who’d once mocked his appearance had vanished overnight without a trace.

That had been warning enough.

He was gulping down liquor when suddenly, his body stiffened.

“Who dares…?”

He had been so close.

He had nearly finished it—subjugating the vile succubi who’d taken his daughter, breaking them into slave beasts unworthy of mercy.

He’d hunted down their lair, prepared for years, and cast a powerful city-wide sealing spell.

The cost?

Half his Contract Mana, burned away forever.

And yet, he remained powerful.

Seal Masters grew stronger with age, after all.

But now—

His seal had been broken.

His eyes blazed with fury.

Bang!!!

He slammed his cup down and stood.

Everyone in the tavern turned, murmured, and then quickly pretended not to notice.

“S–sir… is everything alright…?”

The terrified barmaid stepped closer.

He turned a freezing gaze upon her.

“Hic!”

The girl flinched.

Then he smiled kindly and patted her head.

“Forgive me, child. Did I scare you?”

“N–no, sir…”

“Here’s payment for the drink. Grandpa’s got somewhere to be—please tidy up for me.”

“Y–yes, sir!”

He looked gentle, but the girl trembled.

Everyone in town knew the rumors—what kind of man he really was.

“Tsk, tsk. Another corpse tonight, I bet.”

“Whoever pissed him off, they’re dead.”

“Forget it. Don’t get involved. That man’s a walking disaster.”

And the mercenaries turned away, knowing another bloodstorm was coming.

The man’s name was Valdibord—the Sealer.

* * *

The seal holding the succubi broke.

Inside, glowing orbs of light floated—each one containing a sleeping woman.

“When we could no longer absorb life-force or venture out for food, the former queen ordered us into deep sleep,”

Marian explained.

“Those are Dream Eggs. They’re not meant for this, but… it was the only way for us to survive.”

I touched the surface of one orb out of curiosity.

Crack—crack—

The eggs shattered in sequence, and from the light emerged dozens of women.

“What’s happening—Heavens! Princess!”

Among the confused succubi, a woman in her late twenties spotted Marian Desibilt and ran to her.

Marian burst into tears and fell into her arms.

“Elder!”

“By the stars… to see you again… how long has it been?”

“Years. It’s been so long… I was so lonely.”

They wept together, and the others gathered to share in the reunion.

I turned away, giving them a moment.

“Where are you going?”

“Just giving them space. And checking around. When I broke the seal, I left one weak point on purpose.”

“One?”

“If the man who made this is what I think—a human consumed by hatred—then he’ll come looking. No matter what.”

It was part of Marian’s condition for revenge, after all.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

And from what I could tell, the succubi didn’t seem to have done anything wrong.

Once I settled things with the Sealer, all sides could rest easy.

But after a while, no one came.

Eventually Marian returned, eyes swollen from crying.

“Finished crying?”

“I–I didn’t cry!”

“Sure. Let’s go with that. The others?”

“Still inside. I told them your offer, but… they’re confused, and it’s hard for them to trust.”

Understandable.

After being sealed by humans, trusting another human wasn’t easy.

“Then I’ll speak to them myself.”

Following her inside, I found a large hall filled with succubi staring at me with wary eyes.

They were grateful, yes—but uneasy.

“Greetings. I’m from the Ducal House of Cascadia, in the Bata Kingdom.”

“We’re unfamiliar with that land. But… thank you for freeing us. We won’t forget this debt.”

“I appreciate that. I also have a proposal, if I may sit?”

They looked uncertainly at Marian.

She nodded.

“He’s bonded with a pure spirit unaligned with any realm. If he’s that spirit’s contractor, he can be trusted.”

Reluctantly, they nodded.

I repeated to them what I had told Marian.

“If you need a home, I’ll provide one in Cascadia. You’ll receive fair treatment—no prejudice, no exploitation.”

“……”

“If you need life-force to feed on, we can provide for that too.”

“We’re grateful, but… our ancestors claimed this land. We don’t wish to abandon it.”

“Then there are two options.”

“Which are?”

The elder asked, voice tight.

“The elves did something similar. I’ll install a teleportation gate here—one that connects only to Cascadia. If you wish to limit outside contact, you can control the access yourselves.”

“A teleportation gate… Have humans truly advanced that far?”

One succubus asked quietly.

I shook my head.

“To be exact, it’s a personal technology. My own.”

No need to spread it.

Even if I did, they couldn’t replicate it.

Then Marian stepped forward.

“Everyone. I won’t force your choice. But I’ve made mine. I’m going to Cascadia.”

“Princess…”

The heir of the succubus throne spoke calmly.

“Humans once imprisoned us. But they’ve also helped us. I understand if there’s hatred—but this man isn’t our enemy. The one we must resent is the Sealer who bound us.”

The elder raised a hand.

“Then let me go in your stead, Princess. You said they need an artifact craftsman, didn’t you?”

I nodded.

“That’s right. It’s your decision. The gate will be built regardless. Cascadia lies in the central continent—you’re in the west. Travel by land or sea would take ages. And… the living conditions aren’t bad enough that you couldn’t return someday.”

They asked for time to deliberate, and I granted it.

For those who had lived isolated underground for so long, this was no simple choice.

While they discussed, I began unloading the materials for the gate from my subspace.

I picked a suitable spot—safe, discreet, and stable enough to serve as the core for a citywide barrier that would protect them.

I placed my hand on the ground and activated the Heart of the Machine God.

The prearranged materials rose, assembling themselves into a massive gate as if alive.

“Big brother, what’s that?”

A small succubus girl had wandered over, clutching a doll and looking up at me.

She was lightly dressed—typical of her kind—but simpler, more innocent.

“What do you think it is?”

“Building a tower?”

She looked about five or six, the age of pure curiosity.

“You might get hurt. Could you step back?”

“No! Mama always says that too! I wanna watch!”

She must’ve just woken from her long sleep, unaware of how much time had passed.

“You’re not afraid of me, are you?”

The other children had hidden at the sight of me—

understandably, since humans had once attacked them.

But this one stood fearlessly.

“You’re not that old man.”

“Uh… I guess not.”

“And your life-force smells sweet. Bad humans smell rotten.”

She could smell that?

Fascinating.

“The others are dumb. If someone smells nice, they can’t be bad…”

A naïve, but charming logic.

“Maybe. But smell alone doesn’t tell you everything. There’s a saying—‘You can know the ocean’s depth, but never a person’s heart.’ It means… most living beings don’t even understand their own desires.”

She pouted.

“That’s boring talk! Show me something cool!”

Right.

Win over the kids first—then the adults will follow.

After a moment’s thought, I pulled out an artifact.

“What’s that?”

“An artifact called Paradise. Have you ever seen the ocean?”

“The ocean? No… just stories.”

“There’s one inside this. Want to see?”

Her eyes lit up.

So did the eyes of the other hiding children.

“Yes! I want to see the ocean!”

Having lived their whole lives underground, they had no idea what the world above was like.

‘Welcome to dopamine, kids.’

When she returned from the simulation, the little succubus stared blankly into space, waving her hand as if still touching waves.

“I want to see it again…”

“No fair! You already did! My turn!”

Soon enough, a crowd of excited children gathered around.

“Alright, alright—take turns. But promise not to bother me while I work.”

“Yes!!”

I handed out a few more Paradise artifacts, and soon the hall was full of laughter.

High-quality succubus-made artifacts…

Once they hit the market, the entire continent would be buzzing.

[Translator - Night]

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