In the vast and magnificent throne room, Elvar sat alone on his large chair. Only two humanoid servants stood silently near the towering exit door, along with several black-armored guards stationed in the corners of the room and outside the door. The residual aura from using the Aura of Destruction skill a while ago began to fade from the air, leaving a heavy silence. Currently, Elvar still felt waves of pain from the skill's backlash, but the intensity was starting to lessen, not as severe as the initial explosion of pain that had tormented him.
And right at that moment, I began to realize something important. The immense pain that struck me earlier... was actually fading slowly over time. This was different from the effects of a normal physical injury. If I had really broken bones or torn my muscles, the healing process would surely be much longer. But this 'Burden of Pain,' although it felt incredibly real, seemed to be temporary. It disappeared after some time had passed.
As Elvar sat silently, waiting for the last remnants of pain to completely disappear, his mind returned to the development plan. He wanted to know what kind of housing model would be suitable for each race among his kingdom's residents. Recalling his brief tour with Valeria, he had seen citizens living in very different environments: caves, tree crevices, holes in the ground.
Then Elvar summoned Valeria, who was now officially his personal assistant, to ask about many things he needed to know about this world and its inhabitants.
Valeria appeared immediately, standing with perfect posture a few steps in front of the throne. Elvar then asked about what he had been thinking earlier.
"I am currently thinking about the settlement development plan," Elvar said, his tone calm and authoritative once more. "Do I need to make different types of houses for each demon type, or one uniform shape for all? I saw the residents' living places are very diverse, like in caves, in trees, and in holes?"
"You don't need to worry too much about that, Lord," Valeria replied. "For us demons, a dwelling is just a temporary nest, so any form is fine as long as its function is met. What is most needed isn't the type of house, but its safety. For example, some citizens choose caves because those places are safe from rainstorms, and we can guard our eggs or children comfortably inside."
"Very well," Elvar replied. "So the shape of the house won't be the main issue, hmm? In that case, I want to make those dwellings no longer temporary. I will make them feel sturdy, comfortable to live in, and above all, safe from natural disasters like rain, strong winds, or others."
"Yes, Lord. I will support you fully," Valeria said. "Whatever you wish to ask, just ask me."
Now, regarding the house shape, there are no specific rules. We just need to think about the placement and structure on this difficult terrain.
"Oh yes," I asked Valeria, remembering the lava river under the bridge. "Has the volcano that flows the lava ever erupted? And will it erupt again anytime soon?"
"No, Lord," Valeria answered softly. "Ever since the previous Demon King who built this palace, that mountain has never erupted again. It only flows lava stably, like the river we saw under the bridge yesterday."
"Why is it like that?" I asked curiously. "Is it because the lava is flowing that the mountain doesn't erupt?"
"No, Lord," Valeria explained. "The previous King (the Fire Dragon) had already sealed the volcano's core with his extremely powerful magic so it wouldn't erupt again. The excess lava flow was diverted into the stable lava river we know now."
Okay, now we know the natural conditions. Safe from volcanic eruptions, at least for now. But, the possibility of a mountain erupting must always exist over thousands of years, even if we don't know when. We can't eliminate even the slightest potential threat just because it feels safe now, even if it's been said to be sealed.
Next, the layout of the houses in our kingdom.
This kingdom's environment is steep cliffs and deep ravines. So, what kind of houses can we implement? Maybe hanging houses? Or houses with supports on each side of the cliff? And what about access? Let's discuss it now.
With a steep cliff structure like this, and even a lava river below, logically... Obviously, building ordinary boxy houses on flat ground like on Earth is impossible. There isn't enough flat land, and even if there were, it might not be safe.
"Hanging houses?" That was the first idea that crossed my mind, maybe inspired by that rickety bridge earlier. Building structures that hang from the cliff tops or between bridges. Visually, it would be dramatic. But structurally? A nightmare. Imagine the wind load in this chasm. Not to mention the anchor foundations at the cliff top would have to be super strong. And access? Constantly climbing up and down with ropes? Not practical.
"Houses with supports?" Meaning, like stilt houses on a steep slope? Could be. Building horizontal platforms supported by tall stilts driven into the cliffside. But given the near-vertical slope of the cliffs here, the support stilts would have to be extremely tall and strong. It would require extraordinary materials and complex foundation techniques. Plus, the risk of landslides or rock erosion underneath.
What about utilizing the cliff itself?
First... You know rice paddies? Ever seen the ones on steep hills? Shaped like stairs, right? But on a wider scale than regular stairs which are just one step. In the world of architecture, that's called terracing. Cutting the cliff face into flat, horizontal steps.
Each terrace needs a very sturdy retaining wall at its base. This is an ancient method proven successful in many civilizations on Earth. The advantage is we create stable, artificial flat land. The disadvantage? The excavation work on this volcanic rock would be incredibly hard. It needs a massive workforce.
Second... Maybe many modern houses today use this model. What model? A cantilever structure. What's that like? Let's imagine this symbol: |= . Making buildings that jut straight out from the cliff wall, like giant balconies. The load is supported by horizontal beams anchored deep into the cliff rock.
But... this is a very advanced technique. It requires precise structural calculations and beam materials that are extremely strong and corrosion-resistant (from the volcanic air?). And again, the anchor foundation inside the cliff must be perfect.
Third... cliff dwellings? Like the homes of the Anasazi tribe in America. Expanding on the existing caves. Enlarging them, reinforcing their structure, maybe adding a facade or wooden (or other material?) balcony in front.
Valeria said many already live in caves. This might be the most realistic solution for the initial phase. We use what's already there, providing natural protection from the weather and lava heat. The only question is how to connect these caves with safe and convenient access.
Access... that's the next problem. With a vertical structure like this, how do the citizens move around? Steep stone stairs? Simple pulled elevators (by strong demons like Terrax?)? Or maybe suspension bridges between levels?
And materials? Wood from those strange trees? This black volcanic rock? Or the super-strong rope fibers from that bridge? I need to know more about the local resources I tasked Terrax with.
Hmm... Even though the situation is dire, to be honest, as an architecture student, the challenge of designing a vertical settlement in an environment this extreme... makes me a little excited. This is like the craziest final thesis project ever.
You must be bored, right? No fighting action or other tense scenes? Just discussing planning? Try asking the author; I bet the author is also bored having to write things like this.
So you're not bored, tomorrow I'll be exploring the deeper forest region with Carmilla and Grakthos. Maybe there's something interesting there? So in this chapter, just let me finish my task on the house concepts I need to build first, okay?
At least now I have a few basic concepts. I need more data on materials, labor (are there any Golem demons besides Atlas who can help with construction?), and the specific needs of each demon race here.
Let's move on to another topic. You must be wondering what skills the Demon King before me had, besides the one I used accidentally yesterday, right? Same, I'm curious too. Let's ask Valeria.
"Valeria," I called softly. "Do you know what powers the Demon King before me possessed?"
"Powers..." Valeria seemed to think for a moment. "I don't know many details about what powers the Demon King before you had. What I'm sure of is, one of his skills was exactly like what you did to Grakthos earlier. An incredible aura of intimidation, unexpected speed of movement, and immense physical attacking power. It was very similar to him," she explained.
"Then what else do you know besides that?" I asked further.
Valeria then explained several other skills she had seen or heard the previous Demon King use:
Aura of Destruction: Activates an aura that floods the body with demonic energy to drastically increase physical strength, speed, and endurance. (The one I just used).
Infernal Gravity Ball: Creates a dark energy ball from gravity magic for a destructive long-range attack.
Shadow Step: Moves lightning-fast over a short distance, like a brief teleportation. (This must be what I used earlier).
Hellfire Pillar: Summons a pillar of fire from the ground to burn a target from below.
Eye of the Ifrit: The ability to see heat (thermal vision) to detect enemies.
Demonic Regeneration: Heals minor wounds (scratches, punctures) quickly.
Scorched Earth: Stomps the foot, releasing a wave of dark energy on the ground (radius ~10 meters) that kills plants and weakens enemies.
"That is all I know for certain, Lord," Valeria concluded. "And that is only a small fraction of his true power."
This means, all of these Demon King skills can likely be used by me through this mask as well. But what's the payment for each skill? I don't know and I'm not brave enough to try them carelessly yet. Just using Shadow Step and that physical attack already made my entire insides feel like they were destroyed. The pain was insane.
At least we know some of this Demon King's basic skills. From Valeria's information, this is just a small part. And honestly, just from the skills mentioned, it's already very overpowered for me.
The next question that pops into my head... How strong is that Hero from the continent across the way? Valeria said the previous Demon King's fight ended in a draw, which means that Hero is also extremely strong.
Can I defend this Kingdom if that Hero attacks again?