Chapter 94 - The Capital Base
We were lounging idly at House Gerdodus, passing the time in quiet anticipation.
Savoring the rich aroma of expensive tea poured by a maid whose graceful movements were a work of art, I let myself sink into an oddly elegant mood.
As I relaxed, I absentmindedly pulled out the magical hairpin holding up my long hair, ran my fingers through the strands to smooth them, then tied it back again—just because.
Lost in this small, idle ritual, I suddenly felt a gaze. I turned my eyes toward it.
There he was—the sleazy middle-aged man. He’d somehow entered the room without me noticing. His eyes burned with something uncomfortably intense, but maybe it was just my imagination. The moment I looked at him, he began speaking as if nothing had happened.
“I do apologize for keeping you waiting. Everything is ready. Allow me to escort you.”
Time to move, then. I’d have preferred a proper building, but we’d see what fate had in store.
“The Intelligence Unit will stay behind. Josephine, I’m leaving everything in your hands—if anything happens, you have full authority.”
“Understood. If push comes to shove, we’ll use the last resort.”
Let them eavesdrop if they’re listening. Might as well scare them a little. Not that I’m too worried.
Truth be told, I’d entrusted Josephine with several dangerous magical potions—our trump cards. Even in a real crisis, we’d find a way out.
“Try not to use those if you can help it. Even I don’t know what might happen.”
“I wouldn’t mind testing them out, just a little.”
I wonder how our conversation—so casually tossing around terrifying words—was received. Not that I care, but part of me is curious to see their faces.
“Well then, we’ll be on our way. Uh… Next Head, lead the way, please.”
Channeling my thriftiest instincts, I downed the last of my tea in one gulp before stepping out of the parlor, escorted by the farewells of the Intelligence Unit.
I didn’t care about the few pairs of eyes glaring at me in disbelief. Not at all.
Walking down the long corridor outside the room, the socially adept sleazy middle-aged man started chatting with me enthusiastically. What was his name again?
The topics weren’t particularly interesting, but not rude enough to ignore. I humored him halfheartedly—until the conversation took a strange turn.
“Might I have the honor of dining with you this evening?”
What the hell? Since when did I give any indication I’d say yes?
And what a disgustingly cheesy line. Honestly, it’s not just unappealing—it makes me want to knock him flat.
I’ve had plenty of meals with men before. In Exembra, I’m someone of decent standing, moving significant sums of money. Important figures and wealthy men often use business talk as an excuse to flirt. It’s happened more times than I can count.
As embarrassing as it is to say myself, I’ve been called the “beautiful female CEO” in magazines and such. And just so you know, I’ve got a reputation for being an incredibly stunning woman! Not that I’m saying it—it’s what people say! Got a problem with that?
So really, it’s no surprise some lecherous old man would take interest in me. It might even be inevitable.
But there’s no way I’d ever accept such a perverted invitation. I won’t let them touch even a single finger. If any man dares to underestimate me as just a woman and spout some idiotic line, I’ll crush him without mercy. I’ve done it enough times that word must’ve spread—these days, I hardly get any sleazy offers anymore.
Life’s been much more comfortable since. Sure, I might’ve missed a few big deals, but who cares? I’d rather die than entertain such invitations. Besides, we’re not desperate enough to let anyone take advantage of us.
They need to understand—any foolish act toward me, the president of the Kikyo Society, is practically declaring war with destruction as the price.
This one’s no different—blatantly lustful, utterly unpleasant. Even if it’s just a meal, I have no obligation to humor him.
“…You clearly don’t understand your position.”
I shot him a glacial glare. He broke into a cold sweat, flustered and panicking. All traces of dignity he’d shown earlier crumbled to nothing. He’s got a long way to go before he can carry himself like a true marquis.
Even though we’ve made peace, the Kikyo Society and House Gerdodus aren’t exactly on friendly terms. Share a meal? Not even as a joke.
Whether his plan failed or he just lost interest, the sleazy middle-aged man quickly excused himself after guiding us to the entrance.
I’d assumed he’d be escorting us all the way to our new base, but apparently, an elderly butler would take over from here.
The butler led the way, driving a small vehicle.
Our convoy followed slowly behind. The location turned out to be a large warehouse on the outskirts—just as I’d expected. It was quite a distance from the Noble District.
As we leisurely drove past the dull, run-down cityscape, the Bloomstar Galaxy finally reached the warehouse district.
Shortly after continuing forward, the butler’s vehicle came to a stop—our destination.
The butler stepped to a control panel beside the large entrance and operated it. Slowly, the massive doors began to open.
Inside was a space about the size of an exhibition hall. The ceiling wasn’t particularly high, but the floor area was vast—roughly equivalent to a standard exhibition hall. There’d still be plenty of room even with our entire convoy inside.
Externally, it was hardly flattering to call it “presentable.” Pockmarked by blast damage or war scars, parts of the walls had collapsed or been torn open. The surrounding buildings looked similar, though this one might’ve been in slightly better shape.
The butler gestured for us to enter, and we drove in without dismounting.
After parking the vehicles haphazardly, we stepped out and glanced around.
Absolutely nothing. Just thick layers of dust and sand. That was it.
Since this is to be our new base, repairs and cleaning come first.
After giving the butler a perfunctory thanks and sending him off, we got to work. The Intelligence Unit wouldn’t be back for a while, so we had time—might as well make it somewhat livable.
By the way, according to the butler, the Royal Capital is littered with abandoned land and buildings with no known owners. House Gerdodus and other powerful figures simply seize them and claim ownership without hesitation. This large warehouse was one such property. Their pockets weren’t dented in the slightest. Clever, really.
Facing the vast, empty space, I called out to the slightly dazed Kikyo Society members—and the captured nobles who were still with us.
“Everyone! Time to clean! Use purification magic like you’re erasing every speck of dust from existence! Those who can use earth magic, come with me for repairs! This is our home for now—let’s do this thoroughly!”
“Annoying, but whatever. Alright, let’s go!”
“Yes, Boss!”
“I don’t wanna sleep in a dusty place, so let’s do it right!”
“I’m on repair duty, huh…”
“W-will we have to work too?”
I didn’t care about the nobles, but aside from their attendant maids, they couldn’t just stand around watching. They reluctantly joined in.
Kikyo Society members had more than enough mana—purifying this entire warehouse would barely make a dent.
Besides, I’d drilled hygiene into them, so most were surprisingly neat. Once they committed, I could trust them to handle it.
Earth magic users, however, were few in number. With such a large warehouse, each person’s repair area would be massive. Mana-wise, it wasn’t an issue, but these were fighters who only ever thought about combat—how well they’d handle repairs was another matter.
Still, one of the young members I’d brought along was supposedly skilled in construction magic. His name was Priene, if I recalled. Since this was his specialty, I’d let him take command. A good chance to test his abilities.
I wouldn’t burden the others with complex tasks. Just patching holes and fixing collapsed sections would do.
“Repair team, gather up. You lot, start fixing the walls. I’ll inspect and reinforce them once you’re done—call me when you finish. Priene, you’re in charge.”
“Got it! Repair work? Easy peasy—leave it to me!”
I nodded at his energetic reply and left it in his hands.
Now, until I’m called, I might as well handle the ceiling. It didn’t look like there were any holes, but if it rained and started leaking, that’d be a pain. Even without gaping damage, there might be wear and tear. Better safe than sorry.
Stepping outside, I lightly jumped and landed softly on the edge of the roof.
The open view revealed nothing but the dreary, desolate cityscape—boring as ever. And the clouds were thickening. Rain might come. Better hurry.
The warehouse roof wasn’t flat, but shaped like a series of sharp, jagged peaks.
For most, inspecting it thoroughly would take forever. But for me, with abundant mana and mastery over mineral magic, it was nothing.
Touching the corrugated-like surface, I instantly reshaped the entire roof into the material I envisioned. Titanium alloy—lightweight, strong, and corrosion-resistant. I even smoothed out minor damages and uneven thickness, making it perfectly uniform. Good. That’ll do.
Indulging in unnecessary perfectionism, I smiled in satisfaction as I finished crafting a sturdy roof. For something done in such a short time, it turned out quite well.
Why do I always get carried away like this once I start? I got so absorbed that I ended up carving intricate bellflower patterns and inscriptions into the roof—a hidden game for no one’s eyes. Before I knew it, quite some time had passed.
“President—where are you?!”
Ah, they were calling. Had I forgotten? I wonder if the wall repairs are done.
“Coming!”
Cutting my play short, I leapt from the roof toward the source of Priene’s voice. The repair team had gathered—looks like they were finished.
“Oh, President! How’s it look? We did it!”
They hadn’t worked randomly or individually—Priene had coordinated them. The repairs were even, with no obvious weak spots. Not bad at all.
Turns out they’d repaired all four walls using the same method. At this rate, no issues. I was satisfied with the result and gave them a brief word of praise.
As I spoke, I casually touched the walls, subtly reshaping their internal structure while keeping the exterior unchanged. The plain stone walls now concealed a thin layer of Composite Armor—another unnecessary but welcome boost to our defenses.
“Good. If the cleaning’s done inside, let’s start preparing dinner.”
The younger members were already noisy about being hungry, and we stepped through the open entrance into the warehouse.
Apparently, purification magic made short work of the cleaning—the interior now gleamed as if brand new.
Meanwhile, the core members had already started preparing meals from our rations and set up makeshift beds using camping gear.
“Hey, Yukari. You done? We’ve already started cooking. Should be ready by the time Josephine’s group gets back. Take a break.”
Hmm. The Kikyo Society really does gather hard workers. Looks like there’s nothing left for me or the repair team to do.
As I watched everyone cheerfully at work, the Intelligence Unit returned right on cue. The familiar sound of their vehicle grew closer. Good—they made it back before the rain.
Things won’t start moving just yet.