"Hmm, that should do it."
I lowered my arm as the spell concluded. A mountain of ice now loomed before me, its massive bulk seemingly shoving aside the houses of the Imperial Capital. My gaze fixed on a spot near the summit.
Deep within the frost, a figure remained trapped: Dolda, still clutching his axe. He was frozen fast, unable to move a muscle. A faint groan reached my ears; it seemed he was still conscious. Having become an undead, he was capable of remaining active even in such a state.
My confrontation with the Dullahan had been brief. Dolda was undeniably powerful—possessing physical enhancements and lightning magic even more potent than when he lived, all channeled through the fragments of his remaining ego. Freed from the constraints of a living body, his raw strength had surged. He could now shrug off wounds that would have been fatal to a human.
One could certainly say he was a more formidable opponent than he had been in life. However, he was still just an undead. Even if he refused to follow my orders, he was undeniably under my dominion. As the one who held the Authority of the Valley of the Dead, he was not an opponent I could possibly struggle against. Knowing his fighting style as I did, I had simply used my magic to methodically corner him. There was no logic that allowed for my defeat.
I cut away the block of ice containing Dolda and brought it to ground level. He was curiously docile, showing no signs of hostility. Perhaps two consecutive defeats had finally hammered the master-servant dynamic into what was left of his mind. It was for the best; a perpetually rebellious subordinate would have been a nuisance.
I did not intend to destroy Dolda. Instead, I planned to bring him back to the Royal Capital as he was. While his lack of reason meant he couldn't be trusted as an Executive, he was still a potent military asset. If I set him loose on an enemy's front lines, he would surely wreak havoc.
I began the journey back to the Royal Capital with Dolda and the other undead in tow. Upon our arrival, I sequestered the rank-and-file undead in the Unused District and proceeded toward the castle with only the ice-encased Dolda.
Sensing my return, Grom immediately rushed out to greet me.
"My Lord! Welcome back, si—...?" Grom froze mid-sentence, his gaze fixed on Dolda behind me. He began to tremble violently, looking strangely agitated. He attempted to regain his composure with a sharp, forced cough. "...Who might this frozen immortal be?"
"A man known as 'Dolda of the Roaring Thunder,' a General of the Empire. He became a Dullahan after resonating with my Miasma."
"I-I see..." Grom’s voice cracked.
His behavior was decidedly odd. Was he ill? It was difficult to imagine an undead suffering from an ailment, but Grom was a unique specimen; perhaps he was prone to conditions others were not.
"Wait, is that really the 'Roaring Thunder'!?" an astonished voice called out from above.
Luciana came soaring out of a castle window, gliding down to land before us. She immediately began poking and prodding the ice block.
"You knew him, Luciana?" I asked.
"Of course! Back when I served the previous Demon Lord, Dolda's Pirate Crew was a constant thorn in our side. They had no qualms about plundering demon territories." Luciana sighed and shrugged, likely recalling past headaches.
Despite being an independent organization, Dolda’s crew had possessed formidable power. I knew the demons had found him difficult to manage, but this was the first time I’d heard a firsthand account. Her words carried the weight of experience.
"I always thought he was the sort of man who wouldn't die even if you killed him, but it looks like he finally met his match. So, is he still aware of himself?"
"A fragment remains," I answered with a nod.
Dolda’s obsession with finding his head suggested a clear sense of purpose. If he were mindless, he would be wandering aimlessly like the other undead. Moreover, a mindless creature would never have been able to defy my commands.
I released the icy restraint. The frost melted rapidly, and Dolda stumbled out. As a precaution, I applied a series of magical seals using Forbidden Magic. While his appearance didn't change, the seals were designed to dissipate his internal Magic Power and Miasma the moment he tried to manifest a spell. Dolda could no longer exert his true strength; his combat potential had dropped to that of a common undead. He would find it impossible to go on a rampage.
"Head... my... head..." Dolda muttered hollowly.
He was significantly calmer than he had been during our battle. If anything, he looked discouraged. Suddenly, the head he had been balancing on his neck tumbled off. The moment he became headless, Dolda fell silent.
Luciana picked up the severed head and set it back in place. Its pale blue eyes glowed, and its mouth began to move once more.
"Where is it... give me... my head..."
"Wait, can he only talk when his head is attached?" Luciana asked.
"It appears so."
The vocal mechanisms of the undead were a mystery. Some, like Grom and myself, could speak even as skeletons. While the biology of a Dullahan was unknown, it seemed they possessed their own strange quirks.
"Gnnnuuu... an undead subordinate with an ego... I feel as though my position is being encroached upon..." Grom muttered to himself, his back turned to us.
His strange behavior finally made sense—he was worried about his standing.
"Grom, are you quite alright?"
"Y-Yes! This one is as energetic as ever! As you can see, I am quite lively!" Grom snapped to attention, the soul-fire in his eye socket burning ferociously.
Luciana let out a sarcastic snort. "...An undead calling himself 'lively.' That’s a riot. Truly hilarious."
Mocked, Grom began to radiate a dark, murky bloodlust. He drifted toward Luciana, his Miasma swirling aggressively. "Do you mock me again, girl? I wouldn't mind sewing that flapping tongue of yours shut."
"Oh, how terrifying! Demon King-sama, save me~!" Luciana squealed with exaggerated fright, gleefully clinging to my arm.
"You! Let go! Do not touch My Lord with your filthy hands!" Grom roared, frantically trying to pry her off. Luciana simply shook her head and held on tighter.
It was a scene I had grown used to—their daily brand of bickering.
Leaving my two Executives to their antics, I turned my thoughts toward the future. It was safe to say the engagement with the Empire had concluded. We were moving into the cleanup phase. Despite the unexpected turn of events in the Imperial Capital, we had suffered no losses. We had gained an excellent warrior in Dolda and successfully seized a significant portion of enemy territory. All in all, the results were excellent.
"...Honestly, I’ve gone and gotten myself tangled up with a truly monstrous existence," a voice muttered from behind me, thick with exasperation.
I turned, startled.
"Head... where is... my head..." Dolda was back to his hollow mumbling, repeating the words in a monotonous loop.
It hadn't been an act, yet for one fleeting second, a spark of his living consciousness had surfaced. To regain one's senses even in this state—he truly possessed a spirit of iron.