"What an incredible domain skill." Natsuki Subaru couldn't help but marvel after carefully reading the skill's description.
"This is practically a divine skill born for legion warfare. With it, the overall strength of my Shadow Soldiers will take a quantum leap."
"A 50% increase to all stats... that's almost like raising every single Shadow Soldier by more than half a level out of thin air, and it's a permanent boost with no side effects, as long as they're within my Monarch's Domain."
It had to be said, the value of this skill was far beyond what a personal power-up could compare to; its core strength lay in its ability to systematically enhance the combat power of the collective.
Currently, Natsuki Subaru had over three thousand battle-hardened Shadow Soldiers under his command.
If the scale of the Shadow Legion were to expand further in the future, reaching one hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, five hundred thousand... or even a million.
Imagine it: a million-strong shadow army all receiving a 50% boost to all stats simultaneously. What a terrifying sight that would be.
Attack power, defense power, speed, mana... a comprehensive increase across all stats. That would forge an invincible Shadow Legion.
"However, the Monarch's Domain currently has a radius of five hundred meters, and it will continue to expand as my level increases..." Natsuki Subaru calculated mentally, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.
"It seems the true potential of the Shadow Monarch class is being unearthed step by step."
"Including this newly acquired Monarch's Domain, I now have four exclusive skills as the Shadow Monarch: Shadow Preservation, Shadow Extraction, Shadow Exchange, and now Monarch's Domain."
Natsuki Subaru sorted through them in his mind.
"Every single skill is inextricably linked to commanding the Shadow Soldiers under me."
"Just as I thought. The System had a deeper reason for choosing this class for me. It's not just a simple combat class, but a commander class capable of leading a massive army."
Natsuki Subaru slowly exhaled, calming his excitement. He carefully placed the precious loot into his inventory, then raised his head, his gaze falling upon the teleportation light screen leading to the fifty-first floor.
"I've rested enough. Time to move on." Natsuki Subaru gripped the familiar hilt of his Kasaka's Venom Fang and said in a low voice.
"I wonder what kind of world will be waiting for me on the fifty-first floor."
"I'm clearing the Demon Castle alone, leveling up and growing stronger on my own. This path to the peak is truly endless!"
With that, Natsuki Subaru walked with determined steps toward the portal that emanated a golden light.
....
....
Roswaal Mansion, the courtyard bathed in sunlight.
"These are Subaru's clothes..."
Rem gently hung a black jacket on the line, her face beaming with happiness, the corners of her mouth turning up unconsciously.
Although Natsuki Subaru had repeatedly offered to do his own laundry, Rem always insisted on washing it for him, claiming it was a maid's duty.
She had even said that if he didn't let her wash his clothes, it meant he disliked her.
In the end, Natsuki Subaru had no choice but to compromise, completely entrusting the task of laundry to Rem.
For this, Rem felt utterly content. After all, it was one of the ways she expressed her love.
Every time she touched the clothes Subaru had worn, she could feel his presence, which brought Rem an immense sense of peace.
"Subaru is truly a one-of-a-kind person."
Just thinking about Natsuki Subaru filled Rem's heart with a sweet sensation. In her eyes, Subaru was the most special man she had ever met, different from anyone else.
Rem especially loved the feeling of Subaru patting her head. Through the contact of his palm on her hair, Rem felt she could connect with Subaru's heart, as if she could feel the tenderness within him.
Rem also loved to hear Subaru's voice, because every word sent a warm current through her heart, making Rem feel incredibly at ease.
Rem was captivated by Subaru's eyes. Though his gaze usually looked sharp, when he wanted to comfort someone, those black eyes would become exceptionally gentle, making Rem unable to help but lose herself in them.
Rem admired Subaru's fingers. For a boy, he had long, beautiful fingers, yet when she held them, she could feel a masculine strength that put her at ease.
Rem also particularly loved the way Subaru walked. When they walked together, he would always unconsciously look back to make sure Rem was keeping up.
This small gesture always warmed Rem's heart.
Rem loved seeing Subaru's sleeping face even more. Because at that moment, Subaru looked as defenseless as a baby, his eyelashes fluttering slightly, making him look exceptionally handsome.
Even if Rem playfully touched his lips, he wouldn't notice, giving her a secret joy in having this adorable sight all to herself.
"I love you... Subaru."
Rem silently confessed this feeling she couldn't easily say aloud, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.
"Rem."
Just then, Beatrice's voice suddenly came from behind, interrupting Rem's thoughts.
"Lady Beatrice."
Rem took a soft breath, quickly suppressing the turbulent emotions in her heart. She turned to face Beatrice, who was strolling over, placed her hands one over the other in front of her skirt, and gave a slight curtsy, a standard maid's greeting.
Speaking of which, this spirit who used to always stay deep within the Forbidden Library, almost never venturing out, had certainly changed a great deal recently.
Since forming a contract with Subaru, Beatrice's appearances around the mansion had increased significantly.
"Hasn't Subaru returned yet?"
Beatrice tilted her small face up to ask, her soft golden hair swaying slightly with the movement.
As Natsuki Subaru's contract spirit, Beatrice had become incredibly clingy to him lately. She would either follow behind him to watch him practice his swordplay, or drag him to the library to flip through magic books.
Even when Subaru went to the kitchen for a snack, she would follow him every step of the way. This inseparable behavior made even Rem, who meticulously cared for Subaru's daily life, feel a faint, imperceptible pang of jealousy in her heart.
She was the first one to be by Subaru's side, and now there was a dedicated little shadow tailing him.
"He has not returned yet, Lady Beatrice." Rem replied, maintaining her usual polite tone. "Is there something urgent you need to see him about?"
"It's not urgent, but he made a promise to Betty!" Beatrice suddenly pouted, her pink lips pursed in dissatisfaction. She stomped her small, fair foot lightly on the stone path, causing her dress to flare in a small arc.
"He promised me yesterday that he'd read the new 'Analysis of Ancient Yin Magic' with Betty today in the library, and that he'd listen to Betty explain the interesting cases from the book... And what happened? First thing this morning, he just had Otto pass on a message saying he was going out for a bit, and then he vanished!"
"Subaru mentioned before he left that he would be back as soon as possible."
Rem gently soothed Beatrice in response to her complaint about Natsuki Subaru.
It's worth noting that although Natsuki Subaru had told Rem, Emilia, and the others that he would be out for a while, he hadn't revealed he was going to a dungeon. After all, that was a secret deep in Natsuki Subaru's heart.
Of course, both Rem and Beatrice knew Natsuki Subaru was hiding something, but they were considerate enough not to press the issue. After all, everyone has their secrets, and they believed that Subaru would tell them of his own accord one day.
"Hmph, Betty will just wait here for Subaru to come back."
Beatrice crossed her arms and deliberately turned her face away, her golden twin-tails swaying with the movement.
However, in the next second, Beatrice's gaze involuntarily drifted to the clothes Rem was hanging—that black jacket. It was clearly the one Subaru had been wearing often recently. Her eyes instantly lit up.
"Those are Subaru's clothes, aren't they? Let Betty help you hang them!"
Before Rem could respond, Beatrice had already skipped over to the laundry basket, nimbly grabbing a white shirt that Natsuki Subaru often wore and, copying Rem's earlier actions, tried to hang it up.
Unfortunately, due to her short stature, she stood on her tiptoes and stretched with all her might, her little face flushing slightly from the effort, but she just couldn't reach the clothesline.
The shirt dangled in Beatrice's hands, looking exceptionally obedient.
"Pfft..." Seeing this, Rem couldn't help but cover her mouth and let out a soft laugh.
"Lady Beatrice, would you like me to bring you a small stool?"
"No! Betty can handle this on her own..."
Beatrice shot Rem an indignant glare, as if she felt she was being underestimated. A faint magical glow then emanated from her fingertips, and the shirt immediately floated up lightly, hanging itself on the clothesline, albeit a bit crookedly.
Having accomplished this, Beatrice turned proudly to Rem and tilted up her small chin:
"See... it's simple. A little thing like this is no trouble for Betty at all."
"But... Lady Beatrice, that's not how you hang clothes."
Rem couldn't help but frown slightly as she looked at the shirt that had been handled roughly by magic. She walked over, took the shirt down, and gently smoothed out the wrinkles on the shoulders, straightened the creases on the cuffs, and carefully spread the hem flat before finally hanging it back on the line properly.
"You have to smooth out every wrinkle carefully first, otherwise it will be uncomfortable for Subaru to wear, especially areas like the collar and cuffs, which need extra attention."
"What..." Beatrice watched Rem's meticulous movements, pouting in frustration.
"Betty can do it well too, I just wasn't paying attention to the details... Let Betty try again."
"That won't be necessary. Please leave Subaru's clothes for Rem to handle."
Rem immediately shook her head in refusal, then bent down and took a piece of Natsuki Subaru's black underwear from the basket, preparing to hang it.
"Betty knows!" Beatrice suddenly stepped forward and snatched the underwear away, her small, delicate face filled with seriousness.
"You're supposed to shake it out like this, then fold it like this, and then clip it up like this!"
She stood on her tiptoes, fumbling in a flurry to hang it according to how she imagined it should be done, but she only managed to get the soft underwear into a wrinkled mess and even nearly dropped it on the ground.
Rem sighed softly, quickly retrieving the underwear from the line before it could fall, and then straightened and smoothed it out again.
"Lady Beatrice, it would be best to let Rem handle such trivial tasks."
"No!" Beatrice immediately snatched it back, hugging it tightly to her chest and declaring righteously.
"Betty is a Great Spirit who has lived for 400 years! I've witnessed the secrets of countless magics. How could I possibly not know how to hang a single piece of clothing? Are you questioning Betty's abilities?"
To be honest, as a noble Great Spirit, Beatrice had never once personally done a daily chore like hanging laundry in her long life. The library was full of spells to keep clothes pristine and new, making such effort entirely unnecessary.
"Sigh... Lady Beatrice, Rem is not questioning your abilities, but... looking after Subaru is Rem's duty as a maid." Rem struggled to maintain her smile, and picked up a pair of Natsuki Subaru's dark trousers from the bamboo basket, patiently explaining.
"Although Subaru has considerately said many times that I don't need to bother, managing his daily life and taking care of these trivial details is part of Rem's job, and it is Rem's responsibility as a maid."
"No!" Beatrice suddenly reached out and grabbed a corner of the pants, her brow furrowed tightly, her blue eyes flashing with stubbornness.
"Betty is Subaru's contractor, too! I'm the important person who shares mana with him, whose life is linked to his... I have a right to take care of him, too! These clothes... these clothes today... Betty is going to hang all of them!"
Rem quickly held on to the other end of the pants to prevent them from being torn, her tone tinged with helplessness as she said,
"Lady Beatrice, you are of noble status. It would be best to leave this menial work to Rem, the maid."
"What menial work!" Beatrice seemed stung by the words, glaring haughtily at Rem, her grip on the pants tightening.
"Anything related to Subaru is never menial work to Betty! Besides... besides, only Betty can hang Subaru's clothes! If you don't let Betty do it, you're just trying... you're just trying to monopolize the chance to take care of Subaru!"
As she said this, Beatrice seemed to have finally found a reason she believed to be perfectly correct, and her voice grew several pitches louder.
And so, the two girls stood, each holding one end of the pants, neither willing to give an inch.
Although Rem's face maintained the perfect, dignified smile of a maid, the strength in her hands had not lessened in the slightest.
Beatrice, meanwhile, puffed out her fair, soft cheeks, which were flushed a faint pink, wearing a stubborn expression that screamed 'Betty will never lose,' her eyes burning as she stared at Rem.
"Um... I think I'll just be on my way."
Just then, Otto happened to be passing by with a stack of documents. He keenly sensed the palpable, almost solidified tension between the two girls, as well as the pair of pants stretched taut between them.
He immediately knew better, shrank back his neck, and turned to walk back the way he came, his steps quickening.
"Girls are really scary... especially when it's about Mr. Natsuki..."
Otto muttered under his breath, practically fleeing for his life, afraid that if he were a second slower, he'd be dragged into this bizarre yet exceptionally dangerous battle.
However, his premonition soon came true. This dispute over who was qualified to hang Subaru's clothes finally ended with a clear, tragic sound.
"Riiiiip—!"
With the crisp sound of tearing fabric, the poor pair of pants could no longer withstand the two girls' silent struggle. A long gash split open from the cuff, nearly tearing them in two.
The air instantly froze, becoming exceptionally quiet, with only the rustling of the wind through the courtyard leaves remaining.
"...Huh?"
"Ah..."
Beatrice and Rem both let go at the same time, staring at the brutally dismembered pants as they fluttered to the ground. They looked at each other, both falling into a stunned silence, their faces a mixture of bewilderment and the guilt of having caused trouble.
_____
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