Between Asura, the others, and me running wild, the mansion where the King of Curses had nested was left half-destroyed. Rather than patch it up, we decided to tear it down completely and build a new one from scratch. Naturally, I asked for Lucile and her companions' consent, and they readily agreed. To them, this estate held far too many painful memories. Destroying the source of those nightmares so they could walk a new path with a clean slate seemed like a fine idea.
Besides, countless sinister rumors surrounded the property. Over a hundred innocent citizens had fallen victim to it, after all. If word got out that we were living in such a place, our already abysmal reputation would only sink lower. In that regard, demolishing the original building would let Babel casually conclude the dark tales were just baseless rumors in the end.
At any rate, the grounds we had acquired were vast. With clever use of the space, we could erect quite a substantial residence.
There was no need for the sort of pointlessly extravagant palace favored by the nobility of the Holy Amelia Kingdom. What we needed was a structure built purely for functionality. Having laid that out, I entrusted the project to Daedalus, the foremost master of architecture among the merry companions of the Subjugation Compendium. Personally, I thought she was the ideal choice for the job, but...
"Wah, it is!"
While Faf cheered in delight beside me,
"..."
Rose simply stared, mouth agape, at the structure towering before us. Well, just this once, I couldn't blame her. In fact, this was truly—
"Hmm. We might have gone a bit overboard."
Before us stood a stark white edifice resembling a colossal, streamlined clam. Dazzling light spilled from behind the thin, transparent metal lining its exterior, brilliantly illuminating the dark night.
"Kai, what on earth is that?!"
Having finally snapped out of her stupor, Rose pointed a trembling finger at the building, sputtering with agitation.
"The house we'll be living in."
"A-A house? You call that a house?!"
"Yeah, it should be."
I had asked Daedalus for our residence in Babel. There was no way she would have mistaken the order. Still, this was a dilemma. Just as Rose said, it looked nothing like a home. If even Rose—a royal accustomed to lavish mansions—reacted this way, ordinary folk would never accept it as a dwelling.
I had told Daedalus to design something that would dispel the ominous image of a haunted mansion. She had certainly eliminated the gloom, but at this rate, it was bound to be branded as a freakish monstrosity instead. Above all, if the outside looked like this, the interior was bound to be even more unhinged.
Then again, Daedalus was an artisan through and through, possessing an obstinate pride that rivaled Hephaestus's. She had been brimming with enthusiasm when I commissioned the estate, and if I were to suggest toning it down now, she would surely pout and turn sour.
"Master! Faf wants to go inside, it is!"
A ball of pure curiosity, Faf tugged eagerly on my sleeve with sparkling eyes.
"Right. For now, let's head inside before we decide anything."
After all, there were plenty of ways to alter the exterior using magic tools.
Taking the excited Faf by the hand, I walked toward the building.
As we neared the stark white structure, the doors slid open automatically. Stepping inside revealed a completely different world, exactly as I had anticipated.
We entered a colossal cylindrical hall. The beautifully decorated floor tiles were polished to a mirror shine, catching the light from the chandeliers above and blending with the luxurious sofas to create a truly otherworldly sight.
Needless to say, an environment boasting such boundless opulence was beyond the reach of even this world's royalty.
"No more... I can't take this!"
Overcome by a mounting headache, Rose finally slumped down, clutching her head in an attempt to escape reality. Given the spectacle before us, even someone less prone to theatrics than Rose would likely have had the same reaction.
Then, my gaze fell upon a girl with a blue bob cut wearing khaki work clothes, proudly puffing out her chest in the center of the lobby. It was the architectural demon herself, Daedalus.
"Good work, Daida. It turned out quite impressive."
At my praise, she beamed.
"Yup! Da-chan gave it her all!"
She reported with her nose held high in pride. I walked over and rested my right palm on her head.
"Yes, you did well."
I offered her my thanks.
"Now then, could you show us to our rooms?"
"Of course!"
I resolved to propose revisions only after seeing the full picture.
Taking a card-like object from Daedalus, I followed her lead to a set of doors set into the cylindrical wall at the center of the hall, then held the card up. The door slid smoothly to the side. Stepping through brought us into an entranceway for a private suite.
The quarters were staggeringly vast, looking out onto a meticulously manicured garden and what appeared to be a swimming pool. Thoughtfully enough, there was even an artificial sun overhead. It was night right now; there was no way a real sun could be in the sky. In other words—
"You warped space, didn't you?"
This card likely granted access to an entirely separate dimension. And that space was one Daedalus had created from scratch...
"Wah! Wah! It's so big, it is! So soft, it is!"
Faf dashed across the room and dove headfirst into the bed, rolling around on the mattress with joyful squeals.
"It's Da-chan's masterpiece!"
To her, this was the pinnacle of her craft. I had never seen her boast of her own work with such absolute confidence. Nine times out of ten, this place was packed with miraculous features far crazier than the scenery alone.
Architectural techniques of this caliber were virtually nonexistent in this world. This was refined to such a degree that Daedalus herself called it a masterpiece. If word ever leaked out, it would cause a massive uproar.
Besides, Rose was still a student. Living in such absurd luxury couldn't be good for her. In fact, knowing how timid she could be, seeing all this might make her faint on the spot.
On that point alone, I had no choice but to ask Daedalus for adjustments.
On the other hand, this was Babel. The city crawled with Rose's political enemies, and an ambush could happen at any moment. What was more, our adversaries were likely among the strongest in this world. Having our rooms partitioned into distinct pockets of space would at least buy us valuable time in an emergency. The mechanism itself was well worth keeping.
"Splendid! Truly well done!"
"Praise me more!"
She clung to me, rubbing her face against my stomach.
Hmm. As the one about to ask for modifications, having her this thrilled made it awkward to bring up. I had to frame my request in a way that preserved her pride.
"Having seen your incredible skill, there's another favor I'd like to ask."
"What is it?"
"Regarding Rose's quarters and the others'... could you reconfigure the rooms to match my exact specifications?"
"Of course I can! Being able to change its layout at will is this child's greatest strength!"
Change its structure at will, was it? Coming from Daedalus, that was almost certainly not a metaphor. Which meant...
"Does that mean its exterior can be altered as well?"
"That's right! Just give this child the order, and it'll change all by itself!"
"..."
I was left utterly speechless. Changing forms at a simple command? A living building like that would allow for extraordinarily sophisticated security measures. In fact, this place could become an impenetrable fortress bristling like a hedgehog.
"Daida, in that case, change it according to my instructions."
"Understood!"
My primary concern had been security, but if the building managed itself in real time, it could easily isolate and neutralize intruders. On top of that, its exterior and interior could be reshaped at will. As it stood, this truly was our ideal estate.
"All right, then—"
I began to describe the design best suited for our needs.