Our camp was destroyed. While we had spare tents they were not as great as the magical one we had lost. But we were able to get a nice fire going. I stored Lucy’s kill since we had already eaten. Then we sat down around the fire and I told everyone about my fight against Beira.

  “So we don’t know if she still lives. Are we going to continue our search?” Lucy asked.

  “Her body was destroyed. If Beira is still around she needs time to reform it. Meanwhile there would only be a phylactery. A small object that you can easily hide. We have no idea where her base was. We would have to find and capture some high ranking subordinates. Even then, it seems unlikely that she would tell anyone about the hiding place of her phylactery.” I reasoned.

  “Lady Chione had some contact with Beira. She might know more.” Lilith added.

  “True.” I agreed. “We should definitely inform Lady Izanami about it. She would know where Chione lives. But I doubt that Chione knows anything about the phylactery. Maybe we should focus on countering the runes themselves. Check in with Josef and see if they made any progress.”

  “It would be nice to see our county.” Lucy said.

  “I agree with lady Lucy.” Lily said. “Strengthening your county seems wise. If you recruit more servants and expand the maid knights it will make it easier to deal with Beira in the future. Maybe you should create a spy organisation.”

  “Actually, that is a good idea.” I agreed. We should invest in some intelligence gathering. “Do you think they should be maid knights too? Or maid spies?”

  “You are obsessed with maids.” Lucy teased.

  I nodded. “Sure. But think about it. Maids make good spies if you can infiltrate notable households. People often don’t pay much attention to their staff and talk about business in their presence. Especially if you have a maid with excellent hearing and maybe a bit of magic.”

  “Succubi would be excellent as spies. Maids or otherwise, my lady.” Lily said.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Are you asking me to share some of my succubi?” Lilith asked.

  “Well, there are still some unaffiliated ones in hell, right? I am not trying to steal your people but I would be interested in offering employment to some.” I replied.

  “I could help you, for a price. I would have to contemplate what I want in return.” Lilith replied.

  I grinned. Our maid army was growing.

  “So we are going to collect our dryads and return home?” Lucy asked.

  “I think that is wise.” I replied. It was time to build our own networks, grow our army and make sure we were prepared for whatever came next.

  “So, what about the shiny gem?” Lucy asked.

  “Oh. That is a good question.” I summoned it from my inventory and looked at it. It was pretty.

  “If that was the Crown of Dominion that gem should have the power of Imperius.” Lilith said.

  “He is kind of a jerk. Does this limit how you can use it?” Lucy wondered.

  “I don’t think so. Beira certainly used it in a questionable way.” I replied.

  “Imperius is misguided, as I now understand. But he is not fond of necromancy.” Sir Franics added. I suppose the former paladin would be an expert on divine magic.

  “Does it have a direct connection to Imperius?” I asked.

  Sir Francis shook his head. “No. It is said that divine artefacts retain their power even if a god perishes. Not that something like that has happened in a long time. But the items draw power from the divine realm, not a god itself.”

  That made sense. “So normal enchantments, once created, replenish their power from the mortal realm or from one of the elemental planes. And a divine one simply draws from the divine realm. Actually, are divine artefacts created by the gods themselves, or by mortal priests?”

  “It can be both. Often the origin of an item is debated. But an item created by Imperius, or his priests, will excel with any magic that dominates. He is the god of rulers.” Sir Francis explained.

  I scratched my head. “Control is a pretty vague subject. I can control lightning, for example. Is ruling an element different from ruling people, from the magic’s perspective?”

  “Imperius’ magic can help you control an element. His domain is about ruling and the definition is pretty broad.” Lilith replied.

  Interesting. Could I use it to empower myself? Could I expand my control over the storm? Or should I just ignore its aspect and use it as a power source for something. Suddenly an idea hit me and I grinned.

  “What is so amusing? What idea did you have this time?” Lucy asked.

  “You remember the gate I looted? The old one that Beira used to travel to the fairy realm?” I asked.

  “Yes…” Lucy replied.

  “It needs power. What if we use the gem on it? The biggest issue with a portal to hell is the amount of magic needed. I am not sure if it will be enough to outright power it but it should certainly help. Maybe we can create a permanent portal to hell.” I suggested.

  “I do not think Imperius would be amused by that.” Lilith added.

  “That makes it even better.” I replied.

  Lucy laughed.