As it turned out, the Hornsent's old traditions couldn't withstand the wheels of a new age.
It took Lloyd almost no effort. After just a few bursts of magic, the Hornsent's body collapsed to the ground—dead beyond doubt.
Even in death, his eyes remained wide open. The hatred carved into his face had not lessened in the slightest, and his gaze still burned with the fury of resentment.
But what good did that do?
Stowing away his Duel Disk, Lloyd looked down at the corpse and shook his head.
"They weren't innocent or righteous—just the ones who happened to lose..."
That was how Leda had once described them.
And for Leda—even while under enchantment—to make such an assessment said enough about their worth.
Neither innocent nor strong, clinging to old ways, refusing to change...
What else could Lloyd say? All he could do was accept it.
[Acquired Ash of War: 'Swift Slash']
After dealing with the Hornsent, Lloyd returned to Shadowfall.
He had been out for quite some time. By the time he got back, the newly arrived Numen in the city had completed their adaptation period. After some discussion, they finally made their decision.
"We... wish to go with you."
Having already talked about this with Messmer, Lloyd wasn't surprised. He nodded and led them to the Golden Dungeon, entrusting them to the former Black Knife Assassins.
After settling them in, Lloyd didn't forget the matter at hand. He teleported to the Haligtree to brief the Millicent sisters on the situation and brought out the Malenia shell he had taken earlier.
Because of what had happened within Miquella's consciousness space—though that had only been a mental realm, and Malenia hadn't truly become the Goddess of Reincarnation—after Lloyd helped her overcome herself, rescue Kira, and lift the enchantment, this body had willingly pledged loyalty to him, becoming his possession.
However...
Holding the body close, Lloyd sent his soul into it. After a thorough, unrestrained search, he located the remnants of her will—those fragments fading away after fulfilling their purpose—and, seizing them, infused his own soul into them.
Malenia was already fractured. The remnants of her will couldn't form a complete being, especially after fulfilling her final wish and beginning to fade.
But that didn't matter. If conventional methods failed, Lloyd had unconventional ones.
Like...
"I brainwashed her. Forced her soul and will to bind themselves to me."
After explaining, Lloyd turned toward the still-dazed Malenia, reaching out to pinch her cheek.
She looked confused for a moment. When she realized what had happened, she dropped to her knees and looked up at him.
"Why...?"
"Because operating an unconscious puppet by hand is too much trouble," Lloyd replied plainly.
"I asked Seriel and Millicent. Though they were once part of you, they now see themselves as separate individuals, not 'Malenia'. They don't intend to use this body either.
"So with only one body left, I figured I might as well put it to use..."
"What? You don't want to?"
After a pause, a faint voice answered.
"I... do."
And it wasn't just willingness.
In short, this had been nothing but an empty shell, sustained only by enchantment and obsession, without even the ability to think.
After completing the Miquella questline, her obsession vanished, and the enchantment was broken. She should have disappeared entirely.
But after Lloyd's intervention, the fading remnants of her will were filled with his own essence. Even the lost enchantment was restored—more perfectly than before—through his own skill and the warmth within his soul.
After all this, though she still lacked a true soul or consciousness, she now possessed a clearer mind than before, moving freely—as if reborn.
But the price...
"Master, do you have any orders?"
"Master, where are you going?"
"Master..."
As mentioned, since her original will had already fulfilled its purpose, Lloyd infused his own soul into her to preserve her existence.
The result was that while she regained thought, all those thoughts revolved around him—every instinct bound to his will.
And though Malenia was aware of it...
She didn't mind.
Even knowing she'd been brainwashed, she understood Lloyd had done it to keep her alive. She bore no resentment, willingly accepting her place as his.
And then...
"Take off your clothes."
Lloyd instructed Malenia to remove her outer garments. After examining her for a while, he nodded.
"Hmm. Your condition's about the same as Millicent's. I'll make you a temporary souls prosthesis first. Once you've adapted to it, I'll help you deal with the rot in your body."
"Yes, Master."
Malenia responded with perfect obedience, her demeanor entirely fitting for someone who had been brainwashed.
After tending to Malenia, Lloyd went on to "examine" and "treat" each of the five sisters in turn.
When the treatments were done, Lloyd summoned two flowers from his inventory. After some discussion, Seriel and Trina decided to stay behind at the Haligtree for the time being.
"The Haligtree has only just been restored—it still needs tending..."
"Malenia's vessel may have strength, but she lacks leadership. And the Law of Abundance now resides with me..."
"If our brother doesn't return, my sister can act as the spiritual pillar here for now. Through the bond of 'God and King,' she can then transfer that faith onto you, allowing you to truly become the 'Lord of the Haligtree.'"
Since the Haligtree did indeed need caretakers, Lloyd nodded in agreement with Seriel's proposal.
But after he agreed, Seriel hesitated, as if there was more she wished to say. When Lloyd asked, she suggested moving somewhere more private to talk.
Then...
"Um... I don't carry any rot, and... I should taste rather sweet, so..."
In a quiet corner, the Empyrean of Abundance blushed, her voice breaking up in nervous pauses.
"You've helped me so much... so, if you don't mind..."
"Please... enjoy yourself..."
Some time later—
[The bond of their Covenant has grown stronger]
[Obtained Item: 'Blessing of Abundance']
[Blessing of Abundance]
[Passive effect: Increases maximum HP while held]
"Abundance... truly lives up to its name," Lloyd remarked quietly.
After leaving Seriel satisfied, she rose on her toes and kissed him softly before departing with her sister to tend to the Haligtree on his behalf.
...
Once Seriel was gone, Lloyd returned to his previous location. He finished the remaining treatments for the Millicent sisters, chatted with them briefly, and—since they needed to assist Seriel's work—parted ways with them as well, including Malenia, though all of them seemed reluctant to leave.
When they were gone, Lloyd turned toward the nun who had been there from the beginning, silently watching without a word.
"You really haven't changed at all, have you?"
Fried lifted her head as Lloyd approached.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"No matter where you go, you always have to 'collect everything.'"
"What, jealous?"
"No. Just... a bit nostalgic."
Having spent so long by his side, Fried had grown used to this habit. Her tone carried quiet understanding more than reproach.
After a brief silence, she looked at him again.
"Is my mission here complete?"
Lloyd nodded.
"Yeah. Since Malenia's returned, you don't have to stay here anymore."
"Then next..."
"Come with me."
Thanks to his previous experience with the Young Lady of the Painting, Lloyd had already fine-tuned Fried's strength to stay within the limits of her original dungeon, allowing him to bring her along directly if needed.
But he didn't take her in immediately.
Because besides Fried, there was someone else he needed to arrange for.
"Miss Leda, you have two choices now," Lloyd said. "Either stay here at the Haligtree and work, or come to my castle and serve as a maid."
Since Leda was a living human and couldn't be stored in the inventory, Lloyd couldn't just carry her around. He needed a place to keep her safe.
As for why he didn't leave her at the Haligtree...
"Well, because of what she's done in the past, Leda isn't exactly welcome here," he explained.
"So aside from keeping her under control, I wanted to find her somewhere she could actually belong. If I don't come back, even if she returns here, she'd just be rejected anyway."
That was what Miquella had told him.
And he'd been right.
When they returned to the Haligtree, nearly everyone who saw Leda reacted as if they'd seen a ghost, and Leda herself didn't bother to hide her contempt for them.
After a tense and unpleasant exchange, Leda gave up on staying at the Haligtree and accepted Lloyd's second offer. Together with Fried, she was brought to Lloyd's castle.
...
And once they arrived, Leda froze.
Watching the endless stream of golden-haired carriages passing by, she stood there speechless, unable to decide what to say.
What left her completely at a loss for words was what she saw inside a changing room while Lloyd had a Black Knife maid guiding her around to get familiar with the place.
Those markings, those colors, their positions...
Staring at the Black Knife maids' bodies, each covered with custom, wildly different patterns, Leda was struck speechless.
"What... what is that?"
"It's the 'Blessing' our Master gave us," the Black Knife maid answered blissfully, her face glowing with joy.
Leda's eye twitched.
No, that didn't look anything like a blessing. And that expression... was definitely not helping.
After leaving the changing room, Leda was shown the cafeteria, bathhouse, underground dungeon, and other facilities to get acquainted with her surroundings.
The dungeon itself felt ominous, but after everything she'd already seen around Lloyd, her sense of normal had shifted beyond repair. Having witnessed too many bizarre things, she'd built up quite a bit of resistance. Still...
"...What's that place?"
"That's the prayer room."
"...And what are they doing?"
"They're praying."
Leda's mind went blank as she stared into the prayer room.
That's... prayer?
There was Lloyd, sitting atop one Black Knife maid, each hand resting on another, tracing new markings across their bodies. Leda fell silent for a long time before deciding not to think too hard about it.
Fine. Let's just say they're praying.
...
Not long after Leda left, still trying to process what she'd seen, Lloyd decided to rest. The long trek during the Godwyn incident had worn him out, and engraving those markings had been more troublesome than expected. After finally calming the Black Knife maids, he returned to his quarters, ready to lie down.
Then Nadisha—Lloyd's Finger Maiden, currently serving as his housekeeper—appeared.
"My Lord, during the last sweep, we came across a special architectural blueprint. Using it could unlock something the maids might enjoy. Would you like to take a look?"
She handed the blueprint to him.
Lloyd examined it and saw it was for a clothing shop that could be built inside the castle.
He wasn't sure what purpose it would serve, and it looked rather costly, but he had plenty of resources to spare. Besides, the clothes listed seemed to function as equipment that could boost certain stats. So he nodded.
"Alright, go ahead and build it. I'll rest for a bit—I won't be joining you."
"Understood, my Lord. I won't disturb you."
With that, Nadisha withdrew. Using the power of the Law, she consumed the necessary resources and constructed the clothing shop in one corner of the castle.
By coincidence, as Nadisha was overseeing the construction, Leda happened to pass by. Intrigued, she stopped to watch the process, listening as Nadisha briefly explained the purpose of the place.
Curiosity got the better of her. When the shop was completed, she followed Nadisha inside to see what it looked like.
The moment she stepped through the door, she froze. The array of garments displayed before her was dazzling—and shocking.
[Ready-to-Drink Series]
[Cool Maid Series]
[Land of Reeds Ninja (Battle-Damaged Edition)]
This was...
While Leda stood there, stunned, Nadisha, already familiar with the catalog, remained perfectly calm. She scanned the displays with a satisfied nod.
Previously, since hiring staff required some form of compensation, Lloyd had arranged a salary for the Black Knife maids—paid in Dungeon Points, even though they hadn't asked for it.
But with resources abundant and few things they wanted, the maids never knew what to spend their wages on.
Now, however...
Picking up a skimpy yet enchantment-laced "Cool Maid" outfit, Nadisha felt the faint pulse of magical energy running through it. She nodded approvingly and murmured to herself,
"This should motivate them a little..."