A day passed, and most of the materials from Ribest finally arrived at Oden, along with many of Ribest's men, led by Robert, who had come to assist.

Upon their arrival, Raze did not allow them to enter the town or mix with the people of Oden. Instead, he had them set up camp strategically outside the town and went to meet them there himself.

Their first order of business was to build a large bathhouse.

Raze stood beside a table with Robert, studying the plans laid out before them. The design was for a bathhouse even larger than the one in Ribest, taking into account Oden's greater population.

Seraph approached from behind. She glanced at the plans, then spoke.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked. "Wouldn't it be better to start rebuilding Oden immediately and push the people to your side?"

Raze paused, lifting his gaze for a few seconds before looking back down at the papers.

"It's not that simple," he said. "I can be a good leader to them, or I can be a one-of-a-kind leader."

He tapped the plans lightly. "The same way I handled Ribest is the same way I want to do things here. Incentives and rewards are one way to spark interest. When people realize they're gaining those rewards for honest work, not slavery, but real work, they tend to grow attached to the one who gave them that opportunity."

He continued calmly, "That's what I need if I'm going to rebuild Oden. I could promise good pay and put them straight to work, but that gives them nothing to look forward to. Worse, they might believe that once the work is done, they'll be cheated out of their money."

"That's not an image I want to create."

"But if you do this, won't it create a situation where they'll believe that whatever they do for you must be followed by a reward?" Seraph asked.

"Well, yes," Raze replied calmly. "Everyone deserves a reward after working, regardless of loyalty, respect, or personal feelings. People should be paid for what they do. There's a saying, you've probably never heard it, that goes, the laborer is deserving of his wages."

He continued, "When someone puts in work, there should be a reward in one form or another. It doesn't always have to be money or something physical, but something of equal value must be given. When people work and receive nothing of equal value in return, that's slavery. Working for no reward means doing something and gaining nothing from it."

Seraph paused, trying to follow the flow of his reasoning. The more she thought about it, the more sense it made. Still, another thought came to mind.

"What about children?" she asked. "They do what their parents tell them to do without necessarily getting rewards in return."

Raze looked at her and raised a finger.

"First of all, some parents do reward their children for good behavior. But even putting that aside, children are given a home, food, shelter, and amenities. Everything they're provided with is a reward. The least they can do is help out in certain ways."

He added, "The world works on give and take. No matter how much people want to deny it, effort should always be met with compensation."

With that said, Raze turned his attention back to the bathhouse plans.

Seraph stood there for a moment, stunned and a little surprised. Then she stepped closer to the table and studied the designs herself.

"Why not build separate bathhouses for men and women?" she asked.

"Because it's pointless," Raze replied. "The bathhouse is already divided down the middle, one side for men, one for women. Building two separate structures on different plots of land would be a waste of resources."

She nodded, her curiosity satisfied.

Straightening up, she spoke again. "Either way, some people want to see you."

Raze looked up.

"I actually came here to tell you that," she added flatly. "But I got carried away."

"Hm? Who?" Raze asked.

"Representatives," she said. "Sent on behalf of most of Oden's elite, the rich and powerful. Seeing your workers and materials arrive without consulting them has made them genuinely angry. They want to speak with you."

Raze stared at her for a few seconds before smiling.

"Tell them that if they want to speak with me, they can come find me," he said. "If not, they're free to sit back and watch me work."

She nodded without hesitation and walked away.

"Young master," Robert said carefully, "is it really wise to provoke the people who hold influence over the town?"

"They hold influence because they provided something no one else could," Raze replied. "That's exactly why we're here, to provide the same things, but with better conditions and without slavery attached to them."

He smiled faintly. "It's nothing but benefits stacked on benefits. I know it's going to create conflict and friction, but honestly, I'm looking forward to it."

After saying that, Raze and Robert finalized the last aspects of the plan. Raze rolled the documents up and handed them to Robert.

"Alright. Call everyone over," he said.

Robert nodded, gave a slight bow, and left.

A few minutes later, all the workers were gathered in front of Raze. He stared at them with a blank expression for several seconds, each of them waiting for him to speak.

Then he did.

"Alright, you know how this goes," he said, his expression twisting into something else, almost like a Yakuza member. "Anyone who dares not work properly will have their pay docked!"

His voice boomed across the camp.

None of them flinched.

They were already used to this. If they worked efficiently, they were paid well, often with bonuses. If they worked poorly, something was cut. That was the way of their demon master, the young master of Ribest, Raze.

"We're finishing this within a single day and moving on to the next project," he continued. "We don't have time to waste, but your work must be perfect. Fast and perfect. Is that understood?"

"Yes, sir!" they replied.

Raze paused, eyes narrowing.

"I didn't hear a damn thing. Is that understood?" he bellowed again.

"Yes, sir!" they roared back, their voices thundering through the air.

"Good," Raze said. "Make sure everything goes exactly to plan. We don't have time for remakes. If anyone causes serious issues, I'll dock your pay for an entire month and revoke your access to the bathhouse and any other amenities provided by Ribest."

That sent a ripple of fear through the group.

"We understand, sir!" they shouted.

"Good. Now get to work. Let's finish this."

Inside the town of Oden, some people watched from afar, shocked by the way Raze spoke to his workers. His tone was harsh, domineering, almost tyrannical. Yet the workers themselves were full of vigor, moving with purpose rather than resentment.

They did not look angry.

To outsiders, it made no sense. Any normal tyrant who shouted like that would be hated. Cutting pay over mistakes sounded cruel. But the men of Ribest understood something no one else did.

They understood Raze's logic.

The benefits they had gained under him were enormous, far beyond what they had ever experienced before. Strict rules, yes, but fair ones. Clear rewards. Clear consequences.

The people of Oden did not see that.

Rumors began to spread through the town. Whispers of a strict young master, someone no better than the Viscounts before him. Skepticism took root, doubt growing with every retelling.

And that was exactly what Raze wanted.

He wanted his image to be slightly tainted in their minds. He had already promised change, but now his harsh methods painted him as contradictory, someone difficult to read, someone dangerous.

So when he finally revealed the true extent of what he had to offer, the impact would be overwhelming.

They would not see it coming.

After all, Raze had always been good at one thing.

Doing very abnormal things all the time.

All this was how Raze found his fun.

[...]

Meanwhile, in the underground lab, Magus Alice was drenched in sweat.

Several vials and containers filled with liquids of varying shades of black and purple were scattered across the workspace. She had spent two full nights experimenting relentlessly on the abominations. Papers lay strewn everywhere, covered in dense notes, symbols, and frantic scribbles.

She took a deep breath and pulled out one final sheet of paper she had been working on.

Sigh.

Relief washed over her.

"This has to be it," she said softly. "It's literally perfect."

A wide smile spread across her face as she placed the paper on the table. She reached for a vial nearby, lifting it carefully. Inside was a liquid of a deep reddish-black hue, thick.

"This should work," she said happily.

Her gaze shifted to the last abomination, locked behind reinforced bars. The bodies of the others littered the floor, some mutilated, others partially dissected, clear signs of the experiments she had carried out to reach this point.

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