We looked incredulously at Ceallach. But, as we took a better look at him, we realised he lacked many details. He resembled a stone statue where one half was smoothed by the ages, lying in a river. I called all my wives to join us as well as most of the Dungeon Cores, except for the frontier city cores, who joined only as an audience. To our surprise, Demesne and Ceallach weren't the only ones ascending. Bob, Talla, and Kirin were turning into statues. Of the three of them, Kirin's statue resembled an Elven warrior, sitting on the ground with his shield on his legs and gently smiling. He had started slowly turning into a translucent crystal. Though everyone was concerned and worried about Demesne, they accepted Luna's explanations about ascension.

"Why now?" Kirin asked.

"To be honest, I don't know." Luna shrugged and shook her head. "There is so much we still don't know. My skill has not hinted at what could trigger the ascension but, honestly, we can easily guess. Monsters evolve after reaching a certain level though some of them have to gather additional materials to aid the process. People gain a subclass but can't level it above their base class but once they reach level one hundred, they wield impressive power. I guess, Dungeons start ascending after reaching a certain level. You were at level ninety when we found you, Freya?"

"Ninety-three." Freya shrugged. "But I was already a crystal doll for a few hundred if not a thousand years. I don't really remember what level I was when I turned into crystal."

"I think it's connected with your humanity. For most of your life, most of you spent your time fighting people." Luna slowly spoke her theory loudly. "Even Kirin, despite being close with Dryads, wasn't so much affected by their positive influence... Or maybe on the contrary? Hmmm... What if you were affected but their influence was limited since they were your residents and the fact that you talked only with Lavender?"

"That's plausible." Lavender crossed her hands and slowly nodded. "I noticed a rapid change in you, my old friend, once you were able to speak with everyone."

"Hmmm..." Kirin hummed. "There is some truth to this. I got stronger, much stronger than I thought possible since many more people moved within my domain."

"We also level up faster than before. At higher levels, it took years, if not centuries, to advance just one level. But now? We are all almost maxed." Bob calmly pointed out. "It seems obvious that levels are directly connected with any sort of evolution."

"Even though I joined recently, I can confirm that I have levelled up a few times already, which is incredible." Ruiell's voice came from the ceiling.

"I agree. The rate at which we can level up is almost frightening. Before I..." Talla made an awkward pause and giggled. "...almost voluntarily entered your service, my Lord, I had maybe a few hundred adventurers delving into my Dungeon yearly. But now? Hundreds of people are exploring and challenging my Dungeon daily! Not to mention the fact that almost three hundred thousand people live in my Dungeon City." Her Core shone with blue light as her gemstone wasn't fully covered by the stone. "The closeness to the people gave us a completely new perspective and a chance to learn as never before... Demesne?! Is that you?!"

We all turned towards the sickly pale but otherwise good-looking young Wolfkin woman. She was a bit shorter than Luna and had black fur covering her ears and a fluffy tail. Her hair was black and long with white streaks. She was wearing a comfortable green dress that I recognised as one of Luna's dresses. Behind her was a refreshed Irene and a still concerned Hestia. Demesne's purple eyes were dim and it was apparent that she was very tired. Even her ears were helplessly flopped on the side of her head which was an unmistakable sign of distress and exhaustion.

"I'm so weak..." Demesne rubbed her eyes and the maids helped her lie on the bed Freya summoned earlier.

The poor girl was still shaking but the goosebumps on her pale skin showed that, this time, it was from the cold. Hestia grabbed a fluffy blanket from one of the Slime Maids and put it on Demesne. The Wolfkin woman was surprised by the warmth provided by the blanket and smiled at my wife with gratitude.

"Don't strain yourself, Demesne," I said with pity in my voice. "I know it hurt..."

"But you saved me, Master!" She smiled and weakly wagged her tail under the blanket.

"Master? Really?" I sighed with resignation. I thought I had managed to convince her to stop calling me that a long time ago.

"Yes!" She smiled cheerfully and pulled the blanket higher. "You are my teacher!"

Hestia sat near her and gently swiped away the still-wet hair from Demesne's face.

"It works, but barely, and only for this meaning..." I put my hand on my face and slowly pulled the bridge of my nose with an exhausted sigh. "We will return to this when you feel better."

"She should be much better in the morning. The most dangerous part is behind us." Irene sighed and extended her hand over Demesne's body. A faint golden light encompassed the body of the Wolfkin. "We must assume that, sooner or later, all of you are going to ascend. It looks like Demesne skipped through the statue and into humanoid form. The rest of you will have to periodically check your physical form to watch for its ascension."

"Especially since I felt nothing strange before I tried to answer Ceallach. The moment I assumed my physical form, I thought I was going to die." Demesne trembled on the bed. Her voice was far better now. "But I still feel strange burning in my mouth and my belly hurts inside..."

"You are thirsty and hungry, Demesne," Freya explained with a soft smile. "But don't worry! Once you are healed, you will be able to try the delicious food Mortals prepare in their taverns and restaurants!"

"Really?!" She asked with an excited but weak voice and started coughing.

"Hush, now!" Hestia patted her long, black hair with white strands that very slowly turned violet. "You must rest. We will stay with you until we are sure that nothing else happens to you. As for the rest of you... Shoo!"

We left the bedroom and sat in an adjacent living room, mostly around the table except for the Cores who were light enough to rest on the table. Irene, Hestia, and Lavender stayed with Demesne and I left the maids and some of the Praetorians with them. Hrulf was nervously waiting for us near the doors. He was lying on the floor in a submissive bow.

"Your Highnesses! My Lords!" His voice was strained but slightly relieved. "How is my Lady feeling?! We felt her pain the same as if a mana drinker was trying to kill her but there were no enemies anywhere!"

"She ascended and there were complications but we managed to save her," I explained, but the black-fur, giant hell-wolf tilted its head, jingling its chains.

"Ascended?" He asked, repeating the unknown word.

"It's similar to evolution, Hrulf." Luna nodded.

"Ahh... So, my Lady will be more powerful now?"

"Yes. But I doubt that you will notice the difference." Freya grinned and looked at the remaining Cores. "This is an unexpected but very welcome development."

"But, as we have seen, very dangerous," I added with a far more serious tone than my Dwarven-like wife. "In case of any complications, no amount of mana would save you because there isn't a respawn. If someone is struck similarly to Demesne, don't hesitate to use all the mana at your disposal to assist in the transformation of your body. I will notice immediately and we will come to help you as soon as possible."

They all murmured in agreement. We continued sitting quietly as if there was a silent agreement that we weren't going to return to our respective homes until we confirmed Demesne's well-being in the morning.

"But... How did you manage to help her, my Lord?" Kirin asked after a while.

"Well..." I hummed. "We, Dungeons, are beings born of mana. The more of it we have, the more powerful we are. Even I, despite my shallow knowledge, know that much. However, I also understand another mentality, call it a human mentality, that accepts the need to sacrifice something important to obtain something else. As a Dungeon Core, I can't deny that mana is our life. But, what if we had to spend it to achieve something more? Isn't that also true? After all, we use it for everything."

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"That's true, my Lord..." Ceallach agreed slowly.

"That's why I poured a steady stream of mana into her body. Demesne was so terrified and her pain was so numbing that she could barely think. But isn't that logical? As beings born from mana, it's only natural for us to use it to ascend." I said and leaned back in my chair. After taking a sip of the cold juice I grinned widely. "Besides, it was obvious to me, at least. Nothing made of stone can naturally or easily change to flesh and bones!"

"Well... It's not so obvious to most of us." Kirin sighed. "Does that mean that Demesne is now a mortal?"

"Not at all." Luna denied with a smile. "Once she fully embraces her new form, Demesne will be as immortal as each one of you."

"But you are immortal as well, my Lady!" Hrulf, who still was lying near the doors to his Mistress bedroom lowered his massive head. "I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be sorry or worry." Luna chuckled. "Contrary to you, I can't respawn."

"Ahhh..." Garmr hummed and yawned. "I'm so sorry... For some reason, I feel urged to return to my spawner..." He stood up and bowed to everyone. "If you will excuse me."

"Of course!" I nodded with a confident grin. "You will also evolve soon!"

Hrulf just nodded and left the room but, suddenly, I felt how the remaining cores were staring at me.

"Into what?" Freya finally asked with a thick disbelief in her voice. "Garmr Lord is the highest possible evolution of his evolution tree."

"My working theory is that he will assume the shape of Fenrir while he will remain Garmr Lord," I said but almost felt their protests incoming so I raised my hand to stop them. "On her statue, Demesne was standing with a large Fenrir. It's just a hunch, nothing more, really, but I think since she had no Fenrirs but Garmrs, which are still technically dogs... Well. In my opinion, Hrulf as a scion will assume the form matching Demesne's statue."

"Hmmm... Sounds probable..." Freya slowly nodded. "We will learn soon."

"Indeed..." Amber picked up a cup of hot chocolate from a Maid who appeared silently as usual.

"The timing of these last events is most concerning." I crossed my arms and lowered my head with closed eyes. "The Ibrevell Kingdom is constantly plotting in the shadows, stirring a fuss in the south. The discovery of the remnants of the Balantican Empire involved many scholars and the workforce. The project of the Dam of Darius in Iceleon and Metaka also drained our resources and manpower. The sudden arrival of Ebrusians and my stupid idea of purging the Cursed Land additionally split our forces... And now, this. Ascension of the Cores. Everything during the war with such a demanding foe as Vestargo..."

"I wouldn't call the purification of the Cursed Land a stupid idea, Theon." Mia slowly rubbed her chin while Tia crossed her arms, crossed her legs, and said: "The existence of any significant enemy in our rear, especially in such close proximity to our weakest ally, would prove fatal sooner or later. While our forces will be spread, there is also a very limited number of locations where we could be attacked by enemy forces."

"I agree with Mia and Tia. Hmmm... But it certainly spreads our forces thin..." Amber nodded in confirmation. "Not to mention our own projects like the railroad network, building an army and navy, and all the civil projects..."

"Yes... This is certainly an evil work of art." I nodded with a grim smile. "Urbil is fully aware that he can't beat us in conventional warfare but, unfortunately for him, I'm not a stranger to the hybrid operations. Death by a thousand cuts is the most proven way of killing any superior foe. He has the luxury of working from the shadows and simply throwing little inconveniences at us. Of course, those don't sound very dangerous or, you could even say, they are petty and absolutely not something that a grand force of evil would do... But..."

I grinned and looked out the window at the starry sky and smiled. Everyone followed my gaze as if they expected to see Ubril standing atop some tower and laughing in the darkness, like some cheap villain.

"But we are immortal..." I sighed. "Those little inconveniences will pile up through the ages until we won't be able to solve them anymore. But..." I smiled coldly. "Haven't you, my dear and most beautiful wives, already prepared me for this? A long time ago you taught me to delegate my responsibilities... With an opportunity like this, when more the Dungeon Cores assume their humanoid forms, Arcadia will gain more guardians. Once you achieve forms similar to mine, you will be entrusted with new duties."

"As you will, it shall be, our Lord!" Kirin responded with enthusiasm.

"Indeed. We will help you protect the prosperity of Arcadia! You showed us the true value of life!" Talla happily added.

"And wonders beyond comprehension." If Torgirm could smile he probably would.

"Everyone, we need to prepare ourselves for a very long war." I rested my head on the cushion of the backrest. "Vestargo is like us. Tixlon called me an Ancient Lord which, supposedly, was a description given to him by Vestargo and what he was. Frankly, I can only guess because the Gryphon never saw Vestargo. Then, we have the eternal threats of Void and Chaos who are going to try to corrupt you."

"They can try, but what can they offer us?" Aurora of the Sleeping Dungeon yawned but she wasn't bored. "I don't have to do anything right now and I can sleep all day. Power? I'm a Dungeon... A lazy one to be precise. I have my priorities straight. Maybe, once I ascend, I will add bathing and eating pastries to my wishlist because I think they are nice... I doubt the forces of Void and Chaos can offer me anything better than I already have. They will want something in return and doing anything is such a hassle..."

We looked at the huge white diamond resting on the table in silence. It was the longest statement we have ever heard from her since the day she happily surrendered to Sebastian. It wasn't a forced submission as in most cases. When he promised her she could sleep as much as she wanted, she enthusiastically accepted. No one questioned her since we all knew she was dead serious but, nonetheless, my wives chuckled.

"While I'm not lazy like Aurora, I don't see the point in rebelling against you, my Lord." Milo of the Tower of the Infinity Dungeon carefully said. "Most of us lived for hundreds of years and no one bothered to reach for power over Mortals. They always did their things and we did ours. Even now, I would find it troublesome to manage them and do what you do, my Lord. The point is, we are not humiliated by you and you basically allow us to play with our Dungeons as we see fit as long as we don't kill people on purpose. Which, admittedly, is stupid since we all now know that keeping them alive is far more profitable and fun. Seeing them crawl through the floors I carefully designed and face fair dangers brings me much more joy than I expected. Observing their small triumphs and failures is extremely amusing."

Most of the Dungeons murmured in agreement except for some new in my fold. They were observing my more talkative subordinates with curiosity instead.

"I still can't fathom why we were so stupid..." Twilight huffed and her tone suggested that she would have waved her hands if she could. "All those pointless centuries of constant wars and scaring Mortals. In the name of what? We barely existed! I heard the whispers of Void and Chaos many times, like probably everyone here, but they can't promise us anything. On the contrary! Their existence is a threat to our very existence, so we are their natural enemies."

"Indeed..." Bob hummed gently. "How can we live with things that want to destroy mana?"

That rose to another round of far more outraged confirmations. I was glad they understood the problem, albeit they weren't as selfless as they seemed. On the other hand, self-preservation was, arguably, a far stronger motivation than selflessness. I wasn't going to point out that since I wasn't a saint either. The silence slowly broke into a light discussion about various issues and the exchange of experiences between my Vassals. After midnight, all my wives except for Freya returned to Avalon to rest. I knew that Irene, Hestia, and Lavender were already taking turns sleeping in the room with Demesne. If anything happened with her newly personified Core, everyone would be close and ready to help. On the fringes of my perception, I felt the distant war and much closer preparations for the expedition to the Cursed Land. In times like that, I often wondered how the hell I ended up as the Emperor.

For millions of people, I was their absolute ruler whom they followed according to the code. They followed a stiff protocol that separated them from any perceived royalty. The Dungeon Cores weren't as strict about protocols as people. For them, it was almost a role-playing game during which they often slipped out of character in various goofy ways. I greatly appreciated their attitude once they accustomed themselves to my rules, which they very quickly embraced. They become something more than just my vassals or immortal subjects but more like carefree friends who always had time... But despite their attitude, they were absolutely loyal. However, their loyalty wasn't simply explained as we weren't people. They were loyal to me as their King and the most powerful of them. They were loyal to my wives for various personal reasons and they saw my reflection in them. Lastly, they were loyal to Arcadia because they understood it was their home. They loved and cared about the Arcadians and they would spare no expense to save them from any peril...

I don't know how long I stayed submerged in my thoughts but, when I opened my eyes, it was already dawn. As if on cue, the doors to the bedroom opened, releasing a cheerful Wolfkin woman followed by my wives. Demesne was smiling and you couldn't tell that, just a few hours ago, she was on death's doorstep. Her purple eyes were sparkling and there wasn't a single white strand on her head anymore. Instead, she had shining purple strands matching the colour of her eyes. She was wearing another one of Luna's dresses, a simple blue one with embroidered flowers. Demesne stopped in front of me and curtsied with a soft smile.

"I always wanted to do that but I never imagined I would ever be able, Lord Theon!" She smiled with a pure innocence that I thought only children had. "There is something charming in this Mortal's gesture."

"I'm happy that you are better, Demesne..." I smiled with relief.

"I sensed that you were thinking about us, the Dungeon Cores of Arcadia?" She tilted her head, surprising me that she could sense so much.

"And the fragile people of our country..." I responded with a soft smile.

"We will protect our people forever, as you taught us, Master!"

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