"This is... a beastman?"
Inside the dungeons of Heim, a small secret chamber had been built after being modified by Hel herself.
At this moment, Allen's corpse lay on the table in the center of the room, surrounded by Heim's key personnel.
"Judging from the fur, he should be a wolf beastman from the Aella Royal Court—specifically from the Fang Clan. That would mean his status isn't low, even in the Beastman Empire."
"You seem to know a lot about this, Sebas."
Hearing Sebas's explanation, Hel looked surprised—apparently, there were still things her butler knew that she didn't.
"You flatter me, young master. Back when the old marquis and I fought at the Watchwall, I learned a few things about beastmen. Our defensive line mainly guards against invasions from the Aella Royal Court.
The Aella Royal Court is ruled by wolf beastmen. Aside from them, there are also the dog, jackal, and fox beastmen, as well as a large number of minor beastman races who live as slaves.
In the battles along the Watchwall, we mostly fight those enslaved beastmen and, secondarily, the dog and jackal beastmen.
As for the wolf beastmen, they are the nobles of the Aella Royal Court, and it's rare to encounter them on the battlefield.
The Fang Clan, to which this one seems to belong, is one of the three great wolf clans, their status second only to the royal Silvermoon Clan.
Their distinctive trait is the tuft of white fur at the tip of their ears—shaped like a wolf's fang."
"So we've managed to offend a rather troublesome enemy, haven't we?"
"My apologies for bringing you this trouble, young master."
Upon hearing that, Sebas quickly bowed deeply. Hel, seeing this, immediately reached out to help him up and said reassuringly:
"It's not your fault. I was the one who gave the order.
Even if I had known their identities at the time, I would still have given the same command.
Anyone who dares to cause trouble in my territory should be prepared to pay the price.
Still, it's a nuisance all the same.
Originally, my plan was to crush the city's nobles through business competition—slowly taking over their industries and eventually driving them out of Heim.
But plans never keep up with change, do they?
It seems we'll need less... gentle methods now."
She paused for a moment, then continued thoughtfully:
"Sebas, tomorrow notify every noble in the city to come to Heim Castle to meet me.
As for the reason..."
Hel's eyes glinted coldly as she came up with something they wouldn't be able to refuse.
"Tell them I plan to adjust the commercial tax system and reorganize the city's economic structure.
We'll be dividing what's left of Heim's commercial value. Any noble who fails to attend will have their assets divided among the rest.
Yes—say it exactly like that. Since they were shameless enough to collude with the thieves' guild, I'll stop being polite."
"Understood, young master. What should we do with those who refuse to submit? Should I use the Soul-Eating Worms to control them?"
"You mean the same kind of worm you used to control the thieves' guild leader—the ability you gained after awakening your Dragon Lich bloodline?"
"Yes, young master."
As he spoke, Sebas summoned a small, bean-sized worm and offered it to Hel.
"The Soul-Eating Worm allows me to control beings whose power level is lower than mine. It's very difficult to detect—even the host won't realize they're being controlled."
Hel studied the worm in his hand, frowning slightly as she sensed its aura.
After thinking for a moment, she shook her head and said:
"The undead aura is still too strong. It's fine if the nobles stay in their mansions, but if any of them go to the church, they'll be discovered by the clergy.
Still... there is a workaround."
Her tone shifted. She raised her hand and cast a spell—[Aura Concealment]—into the worm's body.
Visibly, the faint deathly aura that had been coiling around the worm dissipated and became completely hidden.
"The death aura's now masked, but the purification barrier in the churches will still break its control if the host enters one.
So, only use it on nobles who rarely visit the church.
By the way, Sebas, how many nobles do we currently have in the city?"
"Currently, there are four landed viscounts and twelve landed barons. Together they control four towns and twelve villages—about seventy percent of Heim's grain output.
In addition, six honorary viscounts and eighteen honorary barons reside in the city. They mainly own businesses here.
Also, the heads of the Mage Guild, Knight Guild, and Adventurer Guild each hold the title of honorary viscount.
However, by imperial law, they cannot interfere with city administration or directly own industries here—and they're not citizens of the Mandrake Principality."
"So, they're basically stationed here on official assignment. In that case, there's no need to summon them.
Those honorary nobles don't matter; they can't stir up any real trouble.
As for the landed nobles—use your Soul-Eating Worms on those who don't show up.
If any of them aren't suitable targets, I'll find an excuse to unite the rest against them."
"As you command, young master. If you have no further orders, I'll make the preparations immediately."
"Go ahead... Wait, one more thing."
Hel's expression grew thoughtful.
"How's the investigation into that strange situation at the mining town?"
"I must apologize, young master. Despite my best efforts, I've found nothing conclusive. I've sent many Soul-Eating Worms to investigate, even took control of several overseers in the town, but there's been no sign of irregular activity.
The only suspicious thing is that Viscount Raymond of the mining town has gone missing.
His son, Rael, is currently in charge. However, he wears a protective charm from the Church. To avoid alerting him, I haven't attempted to infiltrate his castle."
"Forget it. We'll deal with the nobles first, then handle that issue later. Go summon them."
"As you wish, young master."
After sending Sebas away, Hel turned to Arwen and handed him his equipment, which she had personally repaired.
Then she assigned him a new mission: lead the squad of skeletal heavy cavalry into the Monster Forest, collect the corpses of magical beasts, and—if possible—check whether the undead from the Free Nation had crossed the border yet.
If they had, he was to bring them under her command.
Trouble had come knocking when she least expected it.
She hadn't provoked anyone, yet some lunatic cult wanted to turn her city into a sacrificial ground.
Even though Sebas and the others had cleaned up the witnesses swiftly, Hel knew word of their clash was bound to leak.
To prepare for potential retaliation—and to grow stronger so she could protect herself—Hel had no choice but to send her strongest forces out on missions.
As for her own safety?
That didn't worry her at all.
She was a Magister—who could possibly break into her arcane workshop?
It's not like she was Director Ken.
Heim Castle and the lands around it were already covered in hidden magical traps.
Forget small fry—even if a Grand Magister came knocking, they'd walk in standing... and leave lying down.