Golden Order Era—no one quite remembers which year.
Volcano Manor.
Lloyd hadn't been to this place in a long time.
Not because he disliked it, but because there simply wasn't much reason to come here anymore.
The environment was harsh, the population sparse. After the wars—and especially following Rykard's transformation into a Serpent—few living souls remained. The knights were long dead, and even Rykard himself still existed in his massive serpentine form.
The only change was that he'd grown a few tentacles to crawl with, though most of the time he still preferred rolling his oversized head to move around.
As for the Serpentfolk, there were plenty of them here. Even the new mistress of the Volcano Manor—our lovely Miss Zorayas—was a half-Serpentfolk.
But Serpentfolk… well, those who know, know.
They might look somewhat cute, even a bit endearing in their awkward way, but their nature is anything but gentle. It's no wonder they've earned second place—just behind the Frenzied Flame—in the "Most Hated Creatures of the Lands Between" list.
Rya, of course, is adorable. But aside from being an anomaly among the Serpentfolk—once rejected and shunned by her own kind—she's also someone who can, with the calmest tone imaginable, ask Lloyd to kill a thug harassing the blind, believing that the ability to strike down one's own kind is the mark of a true "heroic spirit."
If Rya is like this, then there's little more to say about the others. In truth, much of what Rya became came from the influence of her surroundings.
As for why Rya, raised in such a nest of serpents, didn't turn completely dark…
"That's thanks to Tanith."
"Frankly, even as her father, I hardly ever looked after that child. It was Tanith—not even her real mother—who cared for her so tenderly, treating her as if she were her own flesh and blood..."
Yes, it sounds absurd, but Tanith was the one who raised Rya, shielding her from the corruption of the manor's true nature. Even until Rya became its mistress, she had no idea what the Volcano Manor really was—believing it to be a gathering place for heroes, a noble cause.
And this Tanith—the woman who embodied the sins of corruption and serpents, the former mistress who had once overseen all the manor's atrocities—had done it all.
Though when one thinks about it, it isn't that strange.
"I'm not insane," Tanith had once said sincerely. "I just love Lord Rykard as he is—and I'm willing to follow him into the abyss. But I never meant to drag that child into it."
As strange as it sounds, for all her twisted obsessions, Tanith was surprisingly clear-headed—especially when her love-struck side wasn't in control. When it came to motherhood, she was exceptional. In sheer maternal instinct, she could almost rival that of the village maiden before she meddled with the Golden Order. It was no wonder Rya adored her.
Corrupted by sin and serpentine desire, yet still an excellent mother—able to separate duty, affection, and obsession with perfect clarity...
That kind of contradiction was rare, rivaled perhaps only by a certain "loli-loving mother" of legend.
But that wasn't the issue at hand.
The real concern was what to do with the Volcano Manor and its surrounding lands.
Unlike other regions, this place had suffered immense damage. The various "serpent legacies" here were difficult to manage—and even Lloyd, for all his inclusivity, couldn't simply integrate truly "born-evil serpent spawn" into the Lands Between.
Even Marika hadn't been able to do that. Say what you will about her expertise in other areas—like revising laws—but when it came to discerning the nature of life itself, her judgment was impeccable.
Still, it didn't matter much, because Lloyd had already come here with a plan.
"No matter what kind of law or world it is, there will always be shadows."
"Serpents are, by nature, greedy and cruel. In theory, I could alter them—make them harmless—but even setting aside how troublesome that would be, the real question is: would they still be serpents after that?"
"So, I have another idea."
Lloyd looked up at the massive serpent head before him and spoke his plan aloud.
"Originally, Volcano Manor was a prison—a place to contain those sentenced to the gravest of crimes."
"From now on, I intend for it to resume that role. And you—Rykard—will be one of its prisoners."
"But at the same time, you will serve as its warden. On one hand, you'll continue your duty; on the other, you'll atone for the sins you've committed."
"Do you object?"
"None."
The great serpent head answered without hesitation.
There was no need to hesitate.
After all, in his current state—worse than death—he had nothing left to resist. If Lloyd wanted him dead, he wouldn't have fought back; he might even have welcomed it as release.
Lloyd's plan not only allowed him to atone and remain useful, but also catered perfectly—perhaps even too perfectly—to Tanith's peculiar desires. And in the process, Rykard could still aid the young mistress of the manor in his own way.
He had no reason to refuse. In fact, he was deeply grateful.
But Lloyd's conditions went beyond simply reopening the prison.
After Rykard agreed, he raised a few additional requests—things like "purging the prison's culture, banning the senseless torment of inmates," and "not mere confinement, but rehabilitation as the goal," and so on...
Given the rather primitive level of civilization in the Lands Between, even Rykard—once a Praetor—found Lloyd's ideas a little too lofty. He could vaguely sense there was something profound in them, but couldn't quite articulate what.
Still, he decided it best to simply follow through.
That was Rykard's conclusion.
Lloyd's words were often incomprehensible, his mental leaps outright insane at times, but facts spoke louder than reason—up to now, he had never once been wrong about serious matters. Those abstract ramblings of his always turned out, in hindsight, to be the right solution.
So even if he didn't entirely understand Lloyd's reasoning, Rykard chose to act on it. After a careful discussion, clarifying what questions he could, he returned to begin drafting his proposal.
...After that, Lloyd went to see an old friend.
"Old Patches isn't interested in doing overtime for you anymore."
After chatting for a while, Patches lifted his head and looked out the window.
"Once things settle down around here, I'm planning to leave—to see what's beyond the Lands Between.
That way, you won't keep pulling me back into your schemes every other day."
Lloyd eyed him quietly.
"Come on. You just think you and Tanith are done for, and you want to get away from this heartbreak, don't you?"
Silence.
Then a sigh.
"Well... maybe that's part of it."
Normally, Patches' mouth was harder than a Carian's shield, and he'd never admit something like that.
But he'd known Lloyd too long, far too deeply. With no one else around, he didn't bother keeping up appearances. For once, he looked genuinely serious.
And Lloyd could tell from that look—he really had moved on.
"Well, fair enough," Lloyd said after a pause. "You're strong enough to roam wherever you please. And besides, it's better out there than here anyway."
He thought for a moment, then added, "And how does that saying go? 'A scourge lives a thousand years.' I figure even if everyone around you dies off, you'll still be out there, kicking just like always..."
"Right back at you," Patches muttered, giving him a sidelong glare. "You're no better."
They talked a bit longer, making sure there were no loose ends, and then Patches was about to leave—when Lloyd suddenly stopped him.
"Oh, right, Patches—since you're heading out, I've got an idea."
"What kind of idea?" Patches asked warily.
Lloyd spread his hands.
"You won't have much to do anyway. I've wrapped up the Great Caravan affair. I'll give you two tokens—one from the Golden Order Dynasty and one from the Great Caravan. They'll mark your status and save you trouble when traveling.
And when you've got downtime, you can use them to send messages—any intel or discoveries you pick up outside. If you run into any problems, you can also just say..."
"You want me to be your spy, huh?"
"Yes."
Lloyd didn't even hesitate to admit it.
"But you'll get paid, of course. You won't go unrewarded."
"I'll think about it."
Of course, both men knew perfectly well that if Lloyd ever truly needed help, that old scoundrel would lend a hand even without pay.
And honestly, this was little more than a government-funded vacation—so in the end, Patches wasn't about to refuse.
Incidentally, when he officially departed later, he'd originally planned to travel alone. But since Lloyd had given him an official assignment, he figured it would be a waste not to take advantage. So he filed a "request for attendant support."
"Can't let old Patches do all the work by himself!" he'd said.
Lloyd approved it—and then...
...he assigned him a staff-wielding demi-human monk (the beautified model), a spiked hippopotamus variant from Messmer's side (or a porcupine, depending on perspective), a quiet troll to haul luggage, and a white-maned mare from the Horse Girl Academy who'd volunteered to go see the outside world.
"This feels weird," Patches said flatly. "You're definitely up to something."
"Nah," Lloyd replied. "Just giving you a classic bond lineup. Consider it my blessing."
"I don't believe a damn word of that."
Still, for all his grumbling, Patches didn't refuse. He set off westward with his little party—three people and one horse.
And, as a side note—
Since all three humans and the horse were weaker than Patches, and they needed some kind of title for their group (and since Patches himself liked the idea of forming a small gang), the three and one horse held a quick discussion and formally took the bald man as their master, calling him "Master Patches."
It was... surprisingly authentic.
...
Back to the present.
After parting ways with Patches, Lloyd visited Rya again. After a moment of tenderness, he went to find Bernahl and told him his plans for the area.
Bernahl had no objections. As Rykard's close friend, he had no intention of leaving anyway. He planned to stay as both "prisoner" and "warden," helping Rykard manage the manor and its affairs.
Lloyd had no problem with that. Even if Rykard agreed wholeheartedly, being just a giant head made things inconvenient. Having a capable partner was certainly an advantage.
After finishing his talk with Bernahl, Lloyd took another look around the Volcano Manor to assess its recovery progress. Then he teleported to the Mountaintops of the Giants, where he sought out Yhorm the King.
And there, he saw it—
The towering giant, vast and powerful as a mountain, sitting motionless atop a peak, lost in silence.
As for why...
"The trolls—I really can't—"
He didn't even need to finish. Lloyd already knew where this was going.
By now, he'd dealt with trolls plenty of times and knew full well that their intellect left much to be desired. And the ones up here in the snowfields, completely untouched by civilization? The dumbest of the dumb. Half of them couldn't even form a full sentence.
As for Yhorm, despite his grand speeches about rebuilding the civilization of the giants with these trolls, well… leaving the trolls aside, Yhorm himself wasn't exactly a genius. He fit more into the "straightforward fool" category.
So, even though things had seemed promising at first, Lloyd had never placed much hope in that project. And now, reality had proven him right.
Still, it wasn't a big problem.
"You eat a meal one bite at a time, and you walk a road one step at a time. Rebuilding a civilization doesn't happen overnight.
Think of this as a chance to get familiar with the work. Take your time."
That wasn't just comfort—it was exactly how Lloyd intended things to go.
But then...
"Actually, you don't need to limit yourself to the trolls, do you? The natives of this land aren't only trolls."
"Why not try bringing others into it as well?"
At Lloyd's words, Yhorm paused for a moment, then seemed to catch on.
"You mean... those 'Fingers'?"
At the mention, Yhorm scratched his head, scattering sparks and ash from his scalp.
"I've been looking after them like you asked, but the problem is—I can't understand what those Fingers are trying to say. I can't communicate with them at all..."
"That's easy enough."
As he spoke, Lloyd disappeared from sight.
When he reappeared, he was holding an old woman in one hand.
"Here—Finger Reader Crone."
"Since the Two Fingers are under my control now, they've got nothing to do anyway. They can come help you as translators."