Dungeon Maker

The southern area shared its border with the territories of the three kings—the King of Violence, the King of Fury, and the King of Gluttony.

If two of them were the King of Fury's allies, the only king left out was the King of Gluttony.

Since there was only one hostile border and the King of Gluttony had to confront the other three, it was only natural that the King of Fury would see a greater stable area than now.

"The southern area was a land that none of the kings was supposed to occupy. But if somebody joins hands with the king of the southern land quickly, other kings won't dare to do anything."

This was in line with what the King of Gluttony had thought of initially. But he differed on the method of using the southern area.

The King of Gluttony intended to set up a puppet king and rule the southern area from behind the scenes, but Kirtimuka wanted the King of Fury to obtain the whole southern land through a marriage alliance.

"Fourth, since he is an outsider, he doesn't have any interests in our eight-race people. In other words, there is no chance he can cause any political conflict here."

As the name suggests, 'eight-race people' consisted of eight different clans.

They were the Deva, Dragon, Garura, Gandharva, Yacha, Asura, Kalavinka, Maharaga.

With the clans as many as eight in one country, there were constant quarrels.

Their fighting did not escalate because of bigger enemies surrounding them. But there were some clans pitted against each other, such as Dragon vs Garura, and Kalavinka vs Maharaga.

That was one of the reasons why the King of Fury did not choose her groom until now.

If the King of Fury, the head of Gandharva clan and the king of the eight clans, chose a man from any particular clan as her groom, it was highly likely that her selection itself would disrupt the stable order within the eight clans.

So, she had to choose her groom from the outside, but she could not find the right candidate until now because those who were qualified to be her groom were under the control of another king without any exception.

She continued, "Fifth, he has a good personality. If he can make a delicious dish as a gift like this, he must be a fine character. Are you listening to me now?"

Kirtimuka narrowed her eyes. The King of Fury, who was enjoying original fried chicken with relish after dipping it in salt, nodded quickly, startled by her question.

"Of course, I am. I was listening," she hurriedly replied.

The red seasoning on her left finger belied her reply, but Kirtimuka approached her a little closer instead of questioning her further.

Then she said in a strong tone, "Then, do you agree with me?"

The King of Fury was about to nod on impulse, while Gardimundi, watching her reaction quietly, clicked her tongue. She struck Kirtimuka in the back of the head with her hand full of chicken oil,

"Hey, Gardimundi!"

She shouted angrily, which was terrible enough to reveal her nature as a Yacha woman. However, Gardimundi took it leisurely and gave her a chicken leg.

Even the enraged Yacha woman relented, enchanted again with the fantastic taste of the fried chicken that she just received before she knew it.

"I know you're pretty much impatient, but don't rush it too much," said Gardimundi.

With a grumpy expression, Kirtimuka ate the chicken leg.

Gardimundi grinned at her then put her ass close to the King of Fury.

She asked in a gentle voice, "What do you think of him? Do you like him?"

"I really like it. Especially, I love this seasoned chicken... Good… Hmm."

Blushing a bit after she knew she gave the wrong answer, the King of Fury tried to hide her embarrassment by clearing her throat.

After catching her breath once, she said calmly, "Since the current situation in the border area is not unusual, we can't stay relaxed forever. I think it is necessary to properly build an alliance with the House of Mammon in the southern area. If we can build a coalition with the King of Violence and the master of the House of Mammon, we can not only effectively pressure the King of Gluttony, but also keep the king of the northern area at bay."

She didn't yet know the fact that Yong-ho literally had smashed the Ten Warriors, who could be called the core of the King of Gluottony's forces.

If she had known it, even Kirtimuka would have wanted an alliance with the House of Mammon more.

After listening to the King of Fury seriously, Gardimundi nodded as if she expected it.

Then she took her face closer to the King of Fury and said, "Then I have a clever scheme."

"Clever scheme?"

A bit anxious, the King of Fury asked back, pulling her body slightly back.

Gardimundi said, getting closer to her more even after the King of Fury stepped back, "Yes, it is. Why don't you propose to meet him? Whether you want an alliance or more than that, you need to meet the master of the Mammon family anyway."

The King of Fury could not respond readily.

Gardimundi put her face much closer to her and said, "Yes, you meet him."

Normally, the King of Fury would have ignored her words, calling her crazy, but for some reason, the king rolled her eyes shyly before nodding quietly.

A bright smile was on Kirtimuka's face, and Gardimundi was satisfied.

She suddenly stood up and said, "Tomorrow, I will visit the House of Mammon again to convey your message. Please give me your handwritten letter... Oh, no, please make a video."

"Video?"

"Yes, video."

The King of Fury blinked then gulped before she knew it.

***

"Chicken and peace."

[Everyone seems to be happy.]

Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits were floating in the blue water prepared by Scathach at her mansion.

He was rather tired at the chicken party held to celebrate the war victory right after seeing off Gardimundi, but he felt fully satisfied with the results.

'I think I have to go back home soon and bring some more ingredients, especially Coke.'

He closed his eyes, thinking of his trip back to the human world.

He wanted to have a good and sound sleep right away, but he couldn't, for he had to devise some plan to deal with the new proposal from the King of Fury.

"The key is how the King of Gluttony moves forward," said Ophelia, who was in the blue water like Eligos.

"The Ten Warriors he lost this time were not only his subordinate spirits but also generals who led their own army. Although there are still many powerful demon kings under his command, it's certain that his main force has been weakened considerably."

That was what Tigrius had already pointed out. However, the situation now was somewhat different from when he mentioned it first, for an envoy sent by the King of Fury visited the House of Mammon.

"The King of Gluttony is now engaged in a war of nerves with the forces of the two kings, the King of Violence and the King of Fury, at the borders. It is very likely that the King of Gluttony was trying to hide the fact that his Ten Warrior group was annihilated because the current crisis facing him is a golden chance for the other two kings."

"Then, would it be better to leak the tips about this to the King of Fury?" Yong-ho asked.

The fact that the House of Mammon defeated the Ten Warriors was significant in various ways. It could reveal the power of the Mammon family to the King of Fury, but at the same time, it had the symbolic meaning in that he gave the King of Fury a 'gift' with sensitive intelligence about the King of Gluttony.

Generally, both sides should be roughly equal in power for a strong alliance. In other words, a unilateral alliance with one dependent on the other would not last long.

Tigrius, who was silent, answered Yong-ho's question, "I don't think it's a bad idea. The more aggressive the King of Fury becomes, the more difficult it will be for the King of Food to pay attention to us. In the meantime, we will be able to gain more time."

Time.

As it was important to everybody, time was especially a valuable resource to the House of Mammon.

Being strong in a short time was only possible for a beginner. So, it was common for those who had already reached a certain level to go through ups and downs while growing stronger.

However, there was still enough room for growth on the part of the Mammon family. Yong-ho had yet to occupy half the Labyrinth of Greed, and there were many floors for him to challenge in the arena.

Crucially, Yong-ho had the power of evolution.

He could gain more evolution EXP through hard struggles. Having gained considerable EXP during their fight with the Ten Warriors, he could use the power of evolution once again if all of his subordinate spirits strived a little more effort in the arena.

Mammon, the King of Greed, also had the power of evolution.

And Yong-ho understood why the 12 Spirits of Mammon could become so strong.

It was because of the power of evolution. That power led their power to the highest level.

"Come to think of it, even synthetic evolution could combine other items, right?"

As if he suddenly remembered it, Yong-ho asked, looking at his right arm.

Aamon answered immediately.