Chapter 42: A Monstrous Housewarming

Chapter 42: A Monstrous Housewarming The subordinate performance reviews had left Ragnar feeling a strange mixture of pride and profound exhaustion. His new recruits were powerful, effective, and had a collective sense of self-preservation that made lemmings look cautious. He was sitting on his throne, trying to figure out how to write a "Don’t Kill Yourself for Being Too Good at Your Job" memo, when Isabelle and Pixia approached him. "My Lord," Isabelle began, her voice holding a new, unfamiliar weariness. "We have a request." Ragnar raised an eyebrow. "If it’s about getting better snacks, I’m working on it. The Goblins keep eating the supply shipments before they get to the kitchen." "It’s not that, my Lord," Pixia chimed in, zipping anxiously near his ear. "It’s a matter of biological necessity. We... we require sleep." Ragnar blinked. Sleep. He was a vampire now. He didn’t sleep, he entered a state of death-like torpor for a few hours, which was not nearly as restful as it sounded. His monster minions just sort of... powered down in whatever corner they happened to be in. But Isabelle was still human, even if she was a Bloodkin. And Pixia was a pixie. They had needs. Needs he hadn’t even considered. "You mean you can’t just... lean against a wall and shut down for a few hours?" he asked, genuinely curious. Isabelle gave him a look that was part pity, part exasperation. "No, my Lord. We need beds. A room. Some small measure of peace and privacy." The reality of his situation hit him. He was the king of a growing, multi-species society. He couldn’t just treat everyone like a video game unit that could be stored in a barracks. He had advisors, commanders, people who had lives and needs beyond just fighting for him. "Right. Of course. A room," he said, pulling out his phone and rubbing his temples. A new problem. He needed a long-term solution. He remembered an ability Pixia had mentioned. "[Separation]." "Pixia, that ’Separation’ ability," he mused aloud. "It lets me split off a part of my Domain and give a subordinate control, right? I could just give you and Isabelle a whole sector to yourselves. A nice, quiet corner of the library." Pixia paled. "My Lord! The cost! The ability requires you to permanently sacrifice one of your True Cores! You would lose the +100 CP bonus from my old core, and the subordinate you place in charge would need to be powerful enough to defend it on their own! It is a monumental strategic decision, not a solution for interior decorating!" Ragnar’s eyes widened. "It costs a True Core?! What kind of insane price is that? Never mind, terrible idea. We’re not doing that." He thought for a moment. He couldn’t afford to lose the CP bonus, and he certainly didn’t trust any of his subordinates, not even the loyal ones with their own dungeon. Chloe would probably turn it into a shrine dedicated to him, and Isabelle was still too new. Pixia would build another library, and he didn’t have the emotional strength to watch it burn down a second time. A simpler, more direct solution came to him. It was almost... domestic. "Fine," he declared, standing up. "If you need a room, I’ll build you a house." He led them to the vast, newly created residential area on the third floor of the old library section. It was a huge, empty cavern, waiting for his touch. He opened the Demon King System, went to the Facilities tab, and found the option for [Subordinate Housing]. The DP cost was surprisingly reasonable. "Alright, stand back," he said, feeling a bit like a home renovation TV show host. "Time for a little magic." He poured the DP into the system. The stone floor of the cavern began to groan and shift. Walls of dark, polished stone rose from the ground, flowing like liquid into a new shape. Windows of smoky quartz formed, and a roof of jagged, obsidian-like tiles materialized overhead. In less than a minute, where there had been an empty cave floor, there now stood a surprisingly elegant, two-story house. It looked like a modern minimalist home had been designed by a goth architect. It was perfect. Ragnar walked to the front door, which was made of heavy, dark wood, and pushed it open. The interior was spartan but functional. A central living area, a small kitchen, and a staircase leading up to two separate bedrooms. The system had even furnished it with simple, sturdy-looking beds and chairs. Isabelle and Pixia stared, speechless. "It’s not much," Ragnar said with a shrug, trying to sound casual. "The plumbing is probably a nightmare, and the only TV channel it gets is ’Static Void,’ but it’s yours. Someplace to rest. To be... people. Not just soldiers." Isabelle walked inside, running a hand along the cool stone of a wall. She looked at the simple bed in one of the rooms, and a complex emotion flickered in her eyes. It was the first time she’d had a personal space, a place that was just for her, since the world had ended. "Thank you, my Lord," she said, her voice quiet but sincere. "Yes, thank you!" Pixia squeaked, zipping around the room and analyzing the furniture. "The structural integrity is excellent, and the ergonomic design of this chair offers surprising lumbar support! A most efficient use of resources, my Lord!" Ragnar felt a strange warmth spread through his cold, vampiric chest. It wasn’t power or victory. It was something else. A sense of responsibility, maybe. Or just the simple satisfaction of having done something good for the few people and pixies, who depended on him. He was a Demon King. His goal was world domination. He commanded an army of monsters and lived in a fortress of death. But right now, as he watched his two most important advisors settle into their new home, he felt a little less like a commander, and a little more like a king. "Don’t get used to it," he grumbled, turning to leave. "We have another dungeon to invade next week. Get some sleep. You’ve earned it." As he walked away, leaving them to the quiet peace of their new home, he knew he had made the right choice. A happy subordinate was a productive subordinate. And he was going to need them at their best for the wars to come. Read latest chapters at fr(e)ewebnovel.com Only