After the giant dragon fell, several more dragons—roughly a tenth of its size, yet still larger than a human—burst forth all at once.
I spun the magic sword Leviathan around and thrust it into the ground.
The blade gleamed.
From the junction between the hilt and the blade, multiple pillars of water—or rather, what could only be described as raging torrents—shot out.
They were water pillars narrowed down with needle-like precision, even sharper than the torrent I had once used to snipe the leader of the Rebel Army from a distance.
One after another, they pierced through the dragons right between their eyes.
The dragons dropped in heaps, struck down and perishing in an instant.
"Guuuoohhhh!!"
Heaven and earth shook.
The initial giant dragon let out a roar.
I was slightly surprised by its sheer vitality, remaining alive even after having its head severed in a single stroke.
Rising to its feet, the giant dragon lunged toward me.
"Insolent fool."
A young, yet dignified voice echoed quietly.
The next moment, a water dragon manifested.
A dragon of water, a size larger than the giant dragon.
Leviathan.
At her manifestation, the giant dragon was utterly overwhelmed.
Trembling with a start, it froze, unable to advance or retreat.
After quivering and shaking, it took a step back as if tucking its tail between its legs to flee, but—
"Death to you."
The water dragon muttered in a low voice.
The next instant, the giant dragon was enveloped entirely in water.
The water gradually compressed, squeezing the giant dragon along with it.
Crushed and burst within the water, it eventually vanished.
Water and dragon alike shrank rapidly until they completely disappeared.
"Well done."
"Understood."
Still in the form of the water dragon, Leviathan gave a slight nod before returning inside her vessel, the magic sword Leviathan.
The fact that Leviathan—both a loyal dog and a mad dog—had returned meant the enemy had been wiped out.
I stored the sword in my bracelet and turned around to Evelyn.
"..."
"What is it? Your eyes and mouth are wider open than necessary."
"Huh? Ah... I-I am sorry. It was just so incredible, I do not even know what to say."
"You already know how much of a mad dog Leviathan can be, don't you?"
"It is not that... well, that too, but what is truly incredible is you, Master, for having tamed that Leviathan to such an extent... Hearing that you 'command' her is entirely different from seeing it in person."
"I see."
I nodded, bringing that topic to an end.
I gazed at the ground—at the earth.
It was exactly as Evelyn had just said.
Knowing something and seeing it in person were entirely different.
After defeating the giant dragon, it became even more pronounced.
The flow of power visible in the earth became clear and distinct to my eyes.
Like a real river, the power flowed in and gathered at a single point.
Then, a change appeared in that previously empty space.
Out of thin air, a single drop of water dripped down with a plop.
"Ah."
"Do not touch it!"
"—!"
I stopped Evelyn as she reached out to catch it.
"That is the pure power of the earth materialized. Think of it as ultra-concentrated mana."
"Y-Yes."
Evelyn hurriedly pulled her hand back.
Using Huwawa, I fashioned a container and caught the drop.
Then, just as I had made the first one, I processed the earth's drop into a potion.
"Is that... a potion?"
"Yeah."
I nodded and scratched my palm with my fingernail.
It was a deep wound, enough for blood to gush out instantly, and I splashed the potion over it.
The wound healed in an instant.
"—! A-Amazing!"
"Henry said the same thing. That it would change the very concept of warfare."
"It is not just that. It will change the very state of the world."
"Indeed. That is precisely why it requires management for a while. Evelyn."
"—Yes!"
Evelyn's demeanor, having been that of a maid and attendant until then, shifted completely.
She realized what was happening the moment I addressed her by name again.
Like someone who could grasp the whole picture from a single clue, she instantly understood her position and role, switching gears immediately.
"I leave the management of this place to you. The production as well. I'll teach you the process thoroughly later."
"Understood."
Evelyn raised her hand smoothly.
Then, men dressed in identical attire appeared out of nowhere.
With just a glance from Evelyn, half the men firmly guarded the earth's drop, while the other half began drawing lines and digging into the ground—commencing construction.
"Your subordinates?"
"Yes. Please rest assured. They are all men whose lives I have saved or whom I have aided. They are completely devoted to my orders."
"Is that—"
"Yes, it is the method I learned from you, Master."
"No wonder."
I gave a faint, wry smile.
"No wonder?"
Evelyn tilted her head slightly.
I reached out and touched Evelyn's collar.
"I felt a sense of nostalgia from your attire. Now I understand why."
"Eh?"
"Your appearance is too ordinary, too frugal. Look, this collar has no fraying whatsoever, but it's faintly faded from repeated washing. It's not something a governor-general should wear."
"Ah..."
Evelyn's face flushed red.
"I-I apologize."
"Very well. From now on, I will grant you nine thousand Rien every year."
"Eh?"
"It is the same amount as an imperial prince's basic stipend."
"Ah... back when you were first..."
Evelyn, who had been a maid since the earliest days of the imperial prince's residence, remembered that.
"It will come from the Ministry of Internal Affairs—in other words, from my own pocket. Use it as you see fit."
"However, even without such things—"
"You act out of loyalty to me."
Touching her collar, I cut Evelyn off.
"You yourself might be able to live on air alone. But your subordinates won't be able to do that, will they?"
"That is..."
"Then let me ask you. Do you have subordinates who share the same level of loyalty toward you as you do toward me?"
This was a rather mean question.
No matter what she thought, Evelyn could not say "yes."
Thus, Evelyn's words were just as I expected.
"N-No, I do not."
"Then raise them with money. With money, you can increase both their numbers and their quality, right?"
"I understand. I swear I will use it all as I see fit."
"Umu."
I nodded.
Then I began walking, signaling Evelyn with a glance to have her follow me away from that spot.
"And one more thing. Once the effects of the potion become known, there will inevitably be those who try to siphon it off."
"...Yes."
Not denying that possibility was Evelyn's strong point.
"If we know in advance, we can take any number of countermeasures. I will prevent it."
"No, don't."
"Eh?"
Evelyn looked blankly at me.
After walking far enough that her subordinates could definitely not hear us, I stopped and turned to face her.
"Rather than preventing it, use it to weed them out."
"Weed them out."
"It's more advantageous that way."
"B-But this potion is vital to your strategy, Master. Allowing such a thing to leak—"
"People are treasures."
"—!"
"If we know in advance, the leak will only amount to a few dozen bottles at most. If that small a loss allows you to flush out the scoundrels and build a cadre of loyal subordinates, wouldn't you say it's cheap?"
"...You truly are amazing, Master."
"Hm?"
"To use that potion, an incredible item in its own right, in such a way..."
Evelyn gazed at me with eyes full of even greater admiration.
"Understood. Both the potion and the nine thousand Rien a year. I accept them all into my charge."
"Yeah."
I nodded and placed my hand on Evelyn's head.
She was once a girl taller than me.
As I grew and she aged, our heights had completely reversed before I knew it, allowing me to lightly rest my hand on her head like this.
"I grant you the title of Model Admiral. Once I return, I will announce it nationwide via official decree."
"...Yes."
Evelyn nodded solemnly with a straight face.
She understood.
The very first retainer to venture out from my residence.
If she served as a model, others would imitate her methods.
Even if it was merely to curry favor with me—with the Emperor—having them replicate her conduct would be a boon to me.
People, after all, are treasures.