The next morning.
Draco opened his eyes to find Albedo sleeping elegantly beside him.
Her long hair was scattered across the pillow, and her face was peaceful and beautiful.
Looking at Albedo, Draco couldn't help but kiss her forehead.
"Mmm~ Master..."
The movement woke Albedo. She slowly opened her eyes and looked at Draco dizzily.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, Master."
The two of them got dressed and went to the dining room.
Milim and Kurumi were already sitting at the table eating a sumptuous breakfast.
Today, Shuna had specially prepared a bit more, but it was still quickly devoured by the two of them.
"Wow! This is so delicious-noda!"
Milim rubbed her slightly bulging belly with a look of total satisfaction.
If possible, she would never leave this place for the rest of her life.
Originally, Milim's food was prepared by her followers, the so-called Dragon Worshipers.
They are a group of Dragon God Cultists who worship the Dragon Princess.
Because they worshiped Milim too much, the cultists became a group of strange fellows who could feel happiness just by believing in the Dragon Princess.
This caused their civilization to stagnate, thus they were evaluated by Milim as "a boring group of people."
Their lifestyle was also very eccentric compared to ordinary people.
They believed that within their territory, the abundant natural flavors were the best seasoning.
They preferred eating raw food and held an extreme reverence for nature.
They believed that natural products in their original form were the ultimate heavenly delicacies and required no processing at all.
This applied to both plants and animals.
They did not domesticate, did not cut, did not cook with fire, and did not season. However, because raw meat easily accumulates toxins, they were almost entirely vegetarian.
As the object of faith for the Dragon Worshipers, Milim's meals were provided by the High Priest.
It was a salad platter known as the "Nature's Bounty Platter" (without salad dressing, mayonnaise, or Thousand Island dressing).
Not only was it entirely vegetarian, it was also raw.
Since the Dragon Worshipers spontaneously believed in and worshiped Milim rather than her forcing them to,
Milim felt embarrassed to make excessive demands regarding the food they actively offered up.
The Dragon Worshipers thus assumed Milim also enjoyed eating these things.
This misunderstanding had persisted for over a thousand years.
Poor Milim had eaten raw vegetables like this for over a thousand years.
That was why Milim was tricked by the Demon Lord with just a bit of honey and refused to leave the Jura Tempest Federation.
Now, with Draco's appearance, she had been liberated ahead of time.
After the meal, Kurumi received a new mission from Draco.
That was to accompany Milim and play everywhere.
As soon as Kurumi heard this mission, she immediately became excited.
When it came to playing, she was a professional.
Draco was also happy with this, as it saved him a lot of trouble... Draco brought Albedo over to the Ogre Tribe's side.
After naming Souei, Kurobe, and Hakurou, he brought several of them into Nazarick.
He didn't want outsiders to know information regarding Nazarick.
But since the six of them had already been named, they now counted as his own people.
The original Ogre Tribe village would have been destroyed by the Pig-Headed Emperor's army two years later.
The chief and 300 Ogres would all have perished, with only Benimaru and the other six escaping.
Now that Draco had changed the plot, he didn't know what changes would occur in the future.
He led the six of them into the teleportation gate.
Along the way, they were constantly filled with wonder and amazement.
They couldn't imagine that such a sight existed underground.
They arrived at the circular Coliseum on the Sixth Floor.
At this time, Cocytus was training a group of soldiers. Seeing Draco and the others arrive, he immediately came forward to greet them.
"Greetings, My Lord!"
Cocytus knelt on one knee, and the other soldiers also offered their salutes one after another.
Draco nodded. "Everyone, rise."
"Cocytus, let me introduce you. This is Hakurou."
"Without considering raw power, Hakurou's technique is not much inferior to yours."
Cocytus was startled. "Oh? Then I would certainly like to see it for myself."
Hakurou nodded with a beaming smile.
"Ho ho ho, the Lord overestimates me. This old man doesn't have that much ability."
Hakurou's attitude was humble, yet it held a kind of stubbornness that refused to admit defeat.
"In that case, let us spar a bit."
Cocytus was clearly eager to try.
To be honest, Draco was also very curious.
Between Hakurou's Qi Manipulation and Cocytus, the master of weapon combat—who exactly was superior?
"Then you two should have a spar."
Draco waved his hand to signal.
The two of them walked to the center of the Coliseum.
"Mister Hakurou, please."
Cocytus swung the white halberd in his hand, assuming a stance ready to attack at any moment.
"Then I shall be so bold."
In a flash, Hakurou charged with a flickering shadow.
Draw sword, strike!
Cocytus's pupils contracted. Not daring to be careless, he hurriedly raised his axe to parry.
*Clang—!*
The blades collided, and a gust of wind swept through the surroundings.
Cocytus refused to show weakness and turned defense into offense.
He slashed toward Hakurou.
Hakurou's body leaned to the side, dodging the strike.
The two of them were purely comparing techniques; Cocytus did not use any skills.
Hakurou likewise did not use the Magical Essence within his body.
However, due to his Fighting Qi Manipulation, Hakurou's tachi was enveloped in white Fighting Qi.
That was a realm of mastery, similar to sword intent.
Hakurou's sword strikes grew faster and faster, the sound of blades clashing ringing incessantly.
Cocytus continuously defended and parried, narrowly avoiding danger again and again.
He finally understood what Draco meant by 'not much inferior to him'.
If he didn't bring out his true abilities, he would probably be defeated.
Thinking this, Cocytus took a deep breath, and two weapons appeared in his previously empty arms.
A long saber and a short blade.
With the enhancement of the three weapons, Cocytus stabilized the situation.
Seeing this, Hakurou's eyes flashed with a red glow.
His sword techniques began to become unpredictable: Absolute Sound, Absolute Taste, Absolute Temperature, Absolute Qi.
Each move contained a certain rhythm.
"Is this the Qi Manipulation Method? It's indeed powerful."
Draco was deeply shocked.
He had heard of Hakurou's sword techniques before, but witnessing them now, he found them profound and unfathomable.
Amidst the clashing blades, both sides retreated.
"Hahahaha, what a thrill, what a thrill!"
"As expected of the master, he truly has good judgment."
"Hoo-hoo-hoo, your strength is also very formidable."
Cocytus held back, not using all four weapons.
And Hakurou also didn't use the strongest ultimate technique of the Qi Manipulation Method: Oboro.
At this moment, these two seemed to have many common topics, chatting happily and exchanging their understanding of sword techniques.
Draco was preparing to have these two train soldiers.
Cocytus's training was relatively gentle, but as for Hakurou... he hoped they could withstand Hakurou's devilish training.
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