In a dimly lit corridor, surrounded by empty cells and ghostly entities roaming freely, there was a beautiful woman who stood out completely from that place.
Luxian walked through the Thorns Prison, heading toward the room where the interrogation was taking place.
The light from her halo illuminated the surroundings, making her presence almost divine—like a pure angel walking through a forgotten valley. The scattered ghosts immediately turned their eyes toward her, mesmerized by the glow.
She, unaware of it, simply kept walking, wondering what kind of praise she might receive for bringing valuable information to her beloved.
Closer to the cell, the desperate screams of a grown man echoed. "STOP! I TOLD YOU EVERYTHING I KNOW! I BEG YOU, PLEASE STOP!"
The scene soon revealed itself: the man who screamed was intact—not a scratch on him. But his eyes were fixed on the woman before him, a figure whose facial skin had been peeled off, exposing raw, pulsating muscles. Luxian saw only that before covering his eyes with his wings.
As she got close enough to the cell, a twisted creature covered in spines slowly turned around. "Oh~, Lady Luxian. Just in time."
Luxian looked away. "Looks like you're enjoying yourself, Gorus."
Gorus bowed, hand over his chest, one leg slightly back and head low."But of course, Lady Luxian. I'm grateful for the gift, though I must report that one of them... didn't make it."
He pointed to the corner, where a male body lay dead—groin missing, eyes dull, foam trailing from his mouth.
"Luckily, those two are a couple. The moment I touched her, he started talking. But it wasn't enough, so I went deeper. Would you like me to describe the details of her torture?"
Luxian showed clear disgust at the suggestion of wasting time hearing how he messed with trash."No. I don't want to waste time. Did you get the information?"
Before Gorus could answer, the man screamed, "You filthy monsters! You'll pay for this!"
Luxian smiled, crouching to look him in the eye. "And who's going to make that happen?"
He spat at her.
Without thinking, Luxian slapped him. The side of his face caved in from the impact.
"Trash. Why do I even bother talking to these pests?"
She wiped the spit off the feathers that adorned her head, clearly repulsed.
Her anger overflowed. "How dare you spit on the feathers my beloved Khan made, you bastard!"
The man didn't react. He was already unconscious.
Luxian raised her leg, ready to crush him, but was interrupted.
"Please, Lady Luxian, wait!"
She turned her face with irritation. "Give me a reason not to."
"He's a knight, so he's still useful. And we can get more from he with the woman if she stays alive. He seems to care about her a lot."
She stepped back slowly, face full of disdain. "Lucky piece of trash."
After cleaning the feathers again, she refocused. "What did you find out?"
Gorus began reporting. "We're in the kingdom of Engracia, in the county of Lantches. The village they were in is isolated. He grew up there and became a knight as an adult. Knights here use something called QI to fight."
Luxian thought. Hm. I wonder if this so-called QI is powerful... though he didn't seem strong himself.
She left the doubt for later. "Alright. Seems we'll need to run more tests on him. Did you learn anything else?"
"A thousand apologies, Lady Luxian. Before that, may I heal the woman? She doesn't seem like she'll last much longer."
Luxian looked over the woman and nodded. "Go ahead."
Gorus poured a liquid on the prisoner's face. Her skin regenerated instantly. Her face now looked plain, nothing remarkable.
"I'll give you the rest of the info now, Lady Luxian."
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Back in the throne room, Luxian was kneeling in reverence before me. After a short pause, she resumed her report.
"Aside from the kingdom of Engracia, there's also the Azure Kingdom, a coastal region. Our island extends partially into it. And further away, there's Netus—a kingdom where it always snows."
That made me pause. Those names… they were really similar to the ones in the company's game. And that QI too. It was part of the knight system. But why was that knight in that village? Just visiting? If so, bad luck.
"Well done, Luxian. I'm proud of you. And that idea of testing the man's limits was splendid."
She trembled slightly but soon smiled. "O-Of course. I'm glad you approve."
I noticed something off in her voice. "Did something happen?"
She shook her head firmly. The silence stretched.
In my thoughts... What if the county retaliates? Do I try to negotiate? Maybe I'll leave that for future me.
"Any more info?"
"None. But I can have the dragons capture more natives, if you wish."
That felt like overkill. If the armies noticed mass disappearances, they might see us as a threat.
"Not necessary. Tell the dragons to only observe from the sky. Also check for any losses among them."
She nodded and stood up. "Understood. I'll go now."
As she walked toward the door, she vanished halfway through, just like last time.
I sighed and slumped into the throne. My head throbbed. Can I really trust their loyalty? They were created to obey me, but does that still apply here?
Tired of overthinking, I decided to explore the castle. I wanted a view of the city.
I got up and walked through the halls, my footsteps echoing in the emptiness.
As I walked, I thought... What should I do from now on? Would it be wrong to just live here? Back in the other world, no one was waiting for me. I didn't even have news about my family.
I sighed and kept going.
Eventually, I reached one of the main gates and climbed the stairs.
From atop the walls, I saw an incredible sunset in this world. The artificial sun nearly set too. Below, the city buzzed. Busy streets, multiple races living together.
What a view. But… how can I see this far? Am I that OP? Strength, magic, absurd vision... What price will I pay for all this in the end?
Before I could sink into those thoughts, a cheerful voice called out. "Yaahoo~."
I looked to the side. A little girl was balancing dangerously on the ledge.
White hair tossed by the wind, bright pink eyes, an innocent face. She wore a boy's overalls and striped clothes underneath.
I spoke coldly. "You're gonna fall like that, Iris."
She ignored me and walked toward me, still on the ledge. Once close, she sat down and swung her legs.
We stayed silent for a few moments. The city below, the orange sky.
"What are you doing here, Khan?"
"Just wanted the view. Too much going on. Took a moment to rest."
Iris, still smiling, but with concern in her tone. "You okay? You seem the most affected since we got here."
"What do you mean affected?"
"Like… frozen on the throne, more thoughtful now, that kind of thing."
I touched my chin. "I see..."
She tried to shift the mood. "Come on! How about dropping this gloomy talk and deciding what to do in this new world?"
I thought. What do I want here? What would make sense...?
I muttered. "Take over this world?"
For some reason, she took that as a serious decision.
She laughed. "Hahahah~ what a fun thought. Thrown into a strange world and already thinking like that. I love it."
She stood up and opened her arms. "Yes! That would be fun. Imagining the chaos, the secrets, everything to explore... hehehe~, I can't wait."
She turned, stepped lightly, arms behind her back. "You know, Khan, if you ever feel sad, call me. We can do all sorts of crazy stuff. Or... more obscene things."
I wasn't expecting that and blurted out, "EH!-"
Blushing, she smiled and threw herself off the wall, disappearing into the bushes.
I was frozen. I could only slam my fist on the wall, chipping off a piece.
Did she misunderstand me? Do I really seem that down? And that part about… obscenities? Was that what I thought it was?
I sighed and scratched my forehead.
I looked forward. The streets were still bustling. Stalls running on their own, products replenishing magically.
The sun on the horizon nearly gone. I began descending the stairs. The castle now lit from within.
The magic streetlights turned on, lighting my way.
I entered, alone. No one waiting. I walked silently through the entrance hall, then the corridors.
Something bugged me.
Why is this castle so empty? I didn't do anything to populate it…?
A few seconds later, I remembered. I wiped everything. Was going to redo the system... but ended up here before finishing it.
I let out a long sigh. There went my beautiful maids...
But maybe… what if I hired citizens to be maids? My seven creations wouldn't oppose that and citizens were paid. Everyone wins.
Almost decided, I was struck by an important doubt.
Do we have money?I don't remember ever implementing that...