Infinite Adaptation: Starting As A Level 1 Slime-Chapter 56: Awake

A woman stepped forward from the ruined doorway, her eyes fixed on the spot where the maid had vanished.

A smile played at the corner of her lips.

"Shadow movement?"

She tilted her head.

"Is she from the Abyss Cult?"

Her smile widened.

"How interesting. For her to come all the way here."

She raised her hands and pulled them apart.

The sound of a whip snapping echoed through the corridor. Between her fingers, a long leather whip materialized from thin air.

"I haven’t had a good hunt in..."

A weathered hand settled on her shoulder.

She paused, turning her head.

"Father?"

An elderly man stood beside her. His face was lined with age, but his eyes were sharp and clear. He wore robes befitting his station, and despite his years, he carried himself with undeniable authority.

He shook his head slowly.

"Elara. I know you enjoy solving your problems with violence."

His grip tightened slightly.

"But you need to think as well. This could be a trap."

The woman - Elara - pursed her lips but said nothing.

The elderly man turned to the gathered knights.

"Hunt down the spy. Search every shadow in this city if you must."

His eyes hardened.

"Bring them back. Preferably alive."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The knights scattered immediately, their armored footsteps thundering through the halls.

...

The city streets were chaos.

Knights poured through every district, questioning civilians, searching buildings, overturning anything that might conceal a hiding intruder.

A group of soldiers rushed past a narrow alleyway.

"Check the eastern quarter!"

"She can’t have gotten far!"

Their voices faded into the distance.

Silence returned to the alley.

Then...

The shadows at the far end rippled.

A figure rose from the darkness.

A woman in dark clothing, a mask concealing the lower half of her face. She pressed her back against the cold stone wall, chest heaving.

She exhaled slowly.

That was close.

Her eyes scanned the rooftops, the street corners, every possible angle of approach.

Getting away won’t be hard. But...

Her expression grew serious beneath the mask.

It’s been three days.

Three days since she had last been able to contact her Lord.

I really hope nothing bad has happened.

The distant clatter of armored boots reached her ears.

Her form rippled and she sank into the shadows once more, vanishing without a trace.

...

The room was silent save for the sound of frantic footsteps.

Roselle paced back and forth beside the large bed, her breathing heavy and uneven. Her fingers found their way to her mouth, teeth gnawing at her nail.

"No no no no no no no..."

She continued pacing, her tail rigid with anxiety.

"What is going on?"

Her eyes darted to the still form lying on the bed.

"It’s been three days already. Why has the Lord not yet woken up?"

She stopped. Her hands trembled.

"If something happens to the Lord... then..."

Her breath caught in her throat.

"No no no no...everything is falling apart. What do I do? What do I..."

Suddenly, the figure on the bed stirred.

Roselle’s head snapped toward him instantly, her eyes wide.

"My Lord?"

Lunaris sat up slowly, blinking against the light.

Relief flooded Roselle’s face. Her legs gave out beneath her and she dropped to her knees before him, pressing her forehead to the floor.

"This servant was unable to protect the Lord and deserves punishment!"

Lunaris looked at her.

Then he looked to the side.

How could I punish her when this all happened because of me?

He coughed lightly.

"Ahem."

He cleared his throat.

"I was conducting an experiment and accidentally overexerted myself."

Roselle didn’t raise her head.

"It was because this servant was unreliable that the Lord had to overexert himself."

Her voice was tight with guilt.

"I ask for punishment."

Lunaris climbed down from the bed.

He reached down and gently helped her to her feet.

"It was not your fault."

He met her eyes.

"You are very reliable. I did this to test a hypothesis I had."

He paused.

"And now that I have succeeded, I will rely on you from then on."

His expression was sincere.

"Can I rely on you?"

Roselle’s eyes widened.

Then she dropped back down, smashing her forehead against the floor with a resounding thud.

"Of course the Lord can rely on me!"

"Ahem. Good."

Lunaris straightened.

"Gather everyone. I will brief them on our next moves."

"Yes, my Lord!"

She rose and hurried out of the room, her earlier anxiety disappearing.

The door closed behind her.

...

Lunaris walked to the window and gazed out.

Three days.

He had been unconscious for three days.

He knew this because he had managed to maintain a single tiny thread of consciousness throughout - barely aware, capable of nothing more than counting the passage of time.

I really outdid myself this time.

He exhaled slowly.

I need to be more careful from now on.

That said...

He turned and began to move through the space, taking in his surroundings properly for the first time.

This place is quite nice.

He was still inside the cathedral.

The way he had designed it, this building served as the main structure of the nation - housing all the core facilities within its walls.

There were private quarters. Rooms for him and for guests.

There was an open training area designated for Roselle’s core army.

There was a research hub for development and experimentation.

There was a conference room for holding official meetings with high-ranking individuals like department heads.

And of course...

He descended the stairs slowly, his footsteps echoing through the grand interior.

He came to a stop before the statue of the Eternal Moon.

The main area.

This was the common place for worship. It was also where he would hold large-scale meetings to address everyone at once.

He looked around, taking in the vast space.

Although this place was quite large, it was actually still lacking. As their population grew, they would gradually run out of space.

Of course, I could always expand the building.

But he didn’t think that would be necessary.

He already had other means to solve that problem.

As for worship - this was the cathedral. They would build other churches throughout the territory for everyone to worship in.

He nodded to himself.

The experiment was quite successful. Now I can easily construct buildings like these.

That didn’t mean he would, though.

While him handling things directly was much faster, this could lead to having incompetent subordinates. He needed to let others serve him - to grow and develop their own capabilities.

He would share all this knowledge with everyone. Before long, they would be mass-producing high-quality buildings on their own.

At that moment...

He sensed something.

His expression changed.

「My Lord...」

This voice...

It’s Mira.

Did she encounter some trouble?