Life at the Southern Archive took on a new rhythm with Lyra's presence. The homunculus didn't just process information; she lived it with a curiosity bordering on obsession. Merlin, seeing in her the "perfect vessel," wasted no time and assumed the role of mentor, though her methods were... questionable.
"Lyra, what do you see when you look at this particle of mana?" Merlin asked, making a small sphere of light dance between her fingers in the tower library.
"I see a fluctuation in energy density with a 4.2 signature on the stability scale, Master Merlin," Lyra replied, her voice flat and her gray eyes focused.
"Wrong!" Merlin dispelled the sphere with a snap. "You see a possibility. Mana is not a number; it is a desire. If you try only to calculate it, you will be a calculator. If you learn to feel it, you will be the world itself."
Lyra tilted her head, processing the information. Eryon, watching from the upper balcony, smiled. Merlin was teaching Lyra to think outside the logic of systems—something not even the Saga could fully do. Lyra was becoming the bridge between Eryon's precision and Merlin's creative chaos.
"She is progressing fast," Esdeath commented, appearing beside Eryon. The general seemed bored, tapping the hilt of her ice blade against her palm. "But she still smells of clay. She lacks survival instinct."
"She will have time for that, Esdeath," Eryon replied. "For now, she is our memory."
The Return of the Redhead
The sound of loud laughter and the scent of raw ore announced Shanks' return. He didn't come alone; a caravan of dwarves sent by Gazel Dwargo brought the first official shipment of rare metals for the Archive's expansion.
Shanks walked in front, a bag of coffee beans and barrels of strong Dwargon ale under his arm. But as soon as he stepped into the clearing, his relaxed smile vanished. The atmosphere shifted.
Eryon descended from the tower to greet him. "Shanks. How did the visit go?"
"Dwargon is an amazing place, Eryon. Gazel knows how to treat a guest," Shanks said, but his gaze was serious. "But the news on the trade routes isn't good."
He dropped the barrels and looked at Eryon, Merlin, and Esdeath as they approached.
"Falmuth hasn't given up. They are hiring high-risk mercenaries from outside the Kingdom," Shanks reported. "And these aren't ordinary soldiers. I heard they're recruiting the 『Shadow Ravens』 and some renegade mages expelled from the Academy of Magic. They aren't coming for an open battle."
"They are coming for sabotage," Merlin deduced, her eyes gleaming. "They want to test our defenses without committing Falmuth's official army."
"Exactly," Shanks nodded. "And there's more. Rumors are circulating that the Western Church has given a silent 'blessing' to eliminate the 'Southern Anomaly.' They're calling you 'The Heretical Architect,' Eryon."
Esdeath let out a cold laugh. "Sabotage? Let them come. I will turn every shadow of theirs into a monument of eternal ice."
Eryon's Decision
Eryon felt the 「Arcana Customize」 resonate. Danger was closing in, but he now had the resources of Dwargon.
"Merlin, use the rare metals to create a network of magic sensors around the forest," Eryon ordered. "Shanks, help the dwarves strengthen the tower's foundations. If they want sabotage, we'll give them a labyrinth they'll never escape."
Lyra stepped forward, holding a notebook she had made herself. "Master Eryon, if the mercenaries are on the way, I can coordinate the sensor logistics. My 『Total Memory』 skill allows me to map every mana fluctuation within a five-kilometer radius."
Eryon looked at his creation. She was already taking on responsibilities. "Do it, Lyra. This is your first real test."
As night fell over the South, the Archive glowed with purple and blue light. The South was no longer a secret; it was a fortress preparing for its first clash against the greed of men.
Mist crawled across the southern forest floor like a living creature. Under the cloak of darkness, the 『Shadow Ravens』, elite mercenaries hired by Falmuth, moved with supernatural silence. Among them was Kaldor, a renegade mage known for his water and ice manipulation magic.
"The target is the crystal tower," Kaldor whispered. "Kill anyone who isn't the Architect. He must be taken alive to the Church."
They didn't know that, at the top of the tower, Lyra stood with her eyes closed. Through Merlin's sensor network and her own 『Total Memory』 skill, she saw every heartbeat in the forest.
"Master Eryon," Lyra's voice resonated calmly through the ring. "Thirty-two targets have entered the perimeter. They are divided into three groups."
"Merlin, Shanks, keep the tower protected," Eryon ordered, his voice echoing cold. "Esdeath, you have what you asked for. Have fun."
Ice against Ice
In the middle of the clearing, Kaldor stopped. He felt a sudden drop in temperature that did not come from his own magic. Before him, sitting casually on a pillar of ice, was Esdeath.
"So you're the 'specialist' Falmuth sent?" Esdeath smiled, and the glint in her eyes was terrifying. "Show me if your water can flow before I turn it into dust."
Kaldor roared, invoking spears of black ice. The confrontation was a dance of destruction. However, to Kaldor's despair, every time he tried to freeze the environment, Esdeath's ice simply "devoured" his own, empowered by her 『Ice Devil Slayer』 essence.
"It's useless," Esdeath said, appearing behind him in the blink of an eye. "Your ice is afraid of mine."
With a gesture, she didn't kill him. She froze him only up to the neck, forcing him to watch his men be decimated by the ice soldiers rising from the shadows.
The Warning from Tempest
While the battle raged, the ring on Eryon's finger glowed intensely. Rimuru's voice emerged, charged with an urgency Eryon had never heard before.
"Eryon! Listen to me!" Rimuru shouted. "I just heard from my spies... Hinata Sakaguchi has left Ruberios. She isn't coming to Tempest. She is heading directly South. She believes your 'Archive' is a distortion of sacred laws that must be eliminated immediately."
Eryon felt a tightening in his chest. Hinata was no mercenary; she was the pinnacle of human strength.
『Elem of Saga』 reacted violently to the imminent danger.
[Analysis: Disaster-class threat detected.] [Critical Condition: The Architect's current level of existence is insufficient to protect the Archive.]
The Demon Lord Seed
Eryon looked at the forest. He saw the blood of the mercenaries spilled, the destruction caused by Falmuth's greed, and the threat of a Church that accepted nothing but submission. A cold fury, a will to preserve what he himself had built, began to burn in his mana core.
"I won't let them erase this place," Eryon whispered.
The Voice of the World echoed, not just for him, but making the entire forest vibrate:
[Confirmation complete.] [Individual: Eryon Arclight has met the requirements for mana accumulation and will to rule.] [The seed of a new monarch has been planted.] [Unique Skill 『Arcana Customize』 is evolving...] [Individual Eryon Arclight has acquired: 『Demon Lord Seed』.]
An explosion of purple and gold mana erupted from Eryon, knocking down nearby trees. His body began to change; his skin grew paler, and his eyes now glowed with an authority that made even Shanks, in the distance, stop and look back with a serious smile.
"So that's it..." Shanks said. "The captain finally decided to take the throne."
Merlin appeared beside Eryon, watching the transformation with pure fascination. "A simultaneous biological and spiritual evolution. The Archive now has a true King."
Eryon took a deep breath. His fatigue vanished, replaced by an absolute perception of every mana molecule in Jura. He looked north, where Hinata was approaching.
"Let her come," Eryon said, his voice now carrying a supernatural echo. "I am no longer just the Architect. I am the guardian of this world."