Marco's POV
"Sorry Brunzetta, but I'm gonna need a hand," I said, sitting on my tribal throne.
The hall was filled with warriors, men and women sporting exotic tattoos, each giving me looks of admiration, just like they did with their guardian goddess, Brunzetta.
The atmosphere swung between relaxed, ceremonial, and solemn.
I was trying to embody the aura of a true leader for my future project.
I had already picked six people to receive my blessing, but Brunzetta wasn't one of them.
It wasn't that she distrusted me, she just wasn't interested.
I could have influenced her will with my powers, but since I modified her memory about our first meeting and the impression she had of me, I've been keeping my hands off her free will.
However, I've made extensive use of my abilities to adjust the mindsets of those I deemed worthy of receiving my blessing, aka my blood.
The first was the chief of the elders, or simply Rou.
I didn't give him my blessing by real choice, but out of pure convenience.
The former chief's daughter, Ehwa, didn't show any real interest in joining me voluntarily, which forced me to find a regent to handle day-to-day affairs here.
You should know that the time gap between this world and Earth is huge!
If I leave this place for a few days to return to Earth, several centuries will pass here.
So I needed someone to ensure my legacy and make sure it wouldn't die of old age in my absence.
This pushed me to adjust Rou's mentality with my power. He literally sees me as his reason for living.
For him, his tribe is just a tool in service of his master.
The other five chosen people are the most talented folks I could dig up. Even Hekapoo admitted their skill level was decent by her standards.
I proceeded the same way with all of them, except an unexpected thing happened with one of them: Sonia, an elder's daughter.
This child, disabled following a hunting incident, had shown remarkable skill in theoretical and tactical matters.
A naturally competent leader, but overshadowed by the weight of tribal traditions and culture.
Thus, my policy focused on efficiency and village development, which consisted of rejecting certain sexist traditions or discrimination against disabled people, had naturally led this girl to sincerely admire me.
By offering her my blood and healing her disability, I unknowingly intensified this admiration.
She became hyper fanatical.
I admit that sometimes, her aura when she watches me gives me the chills.
I could fix her mindset by toning down her admiration, but I'm afraid she might notice the interference and start having doubts about me.
After all, the conquest devil's domination isn't infallible.
The Angel Devil is living proof of that.
Sonia is a smart and incredibly talented girl. I'd rather not lose her due to clumsy mind manipulation.
"It's normal to help each other out, Marco. We're friends, right?" said Brunzetta, showing her friendly smile. But there was a slight nuance in her voice when the word friend was spoken.
'Sorry, Brunzetta, but I'm planning to deal with Hekapoo first.'
I don't know yet if she's the jealous type, but I won't take any risks for now.
She's literally my second priority relationship-wise, after Star.
Why?
Her potential, of course.
Although Brunzetta is a minor goddess in this dimension, Star and Hekapoo touch on higher power domains.
So they're more profitable in the long run.
Not to mention I've always had a childhood crush on them.
Of course, that doesn't mean I won't eat Brunzetta if I get the chance.
"Thanks for coming to the rescue anyway," I added, settling into a more relaxed posture on my tribal throne.
"Can you provide me with recent scout information?" I asked, turning to the hunter captain, who also supervised the scouts.
"Affirmative..."
I remained silent, carefully listening to the reports along with Hekapoo and Brunzetta. Unfortunately, apart from the rough location of the Necromancer, no other really important information had been obtained.
"Alright, we're gonna track down this intruder right now!" I announced, not hiding my excitement to start the hunt. But before I could move, Hekapoo interrupted me.
"You're going without any plan?"
"Yes and no," I replied.
My words seemed to trouble Hekapoo, who slightly furrowed her brows. Brunzetta, too, was staring at me with a skeptical look.
"I planned to send an overwhelming number of birds and rodents to swarm the target, before sending the Oja warriors to check his death or finish the job."
It wasn't really an elaborate strategy, just a brutal exploitation of my domination power to avoid a prolonged battle.
"So you're just charging in headfirst, huh?" said Hekapoo, squinting her eyes, clearly trying to make me admit I was being lazy about this matter.
"Uh... *cough* Lord Marco, I think it would be better to approach this problem with Miss Brunzetta and our Oja tribe, without having to waste your efforts," declared the elders' representative after a fake cough to get my attention.
His proposal made me think. However, it was Sonia's words that finally made me give in.
"Lord Marco, our tribe and I wish to prove our strength and worth to such a formidable being as yourself," she said, kneeling, placing one knee on the ground before me.
Faced with so much fervor and sincerity in Sonia's voice, I shrugged. "Alright. Take this task in hand, but bring me any interesting objects you might find."
As I sat back down, I remembered it was possible to use magic without Star's wand, but this aspect hadn't been sufficiently explored in the original story.
I only know that Star was able to do it, and since Mewmans are basically Earthlings who got lost in a dimension that would later be known as Mewni.
I figure I can use magic with enough intellectual help.
It's just too bad that I only have Glossaryck's vague words as a clue and no real teacher to help me.
Of course, I had asked Hekapoo for advice on this matter.
But her magic was purely instinctive... an element presumably linked to her nature as a magical creature or clone?
...
Sonia's POV
Crack – The zombie's skull in front of me was properly split by Ehwa's axe.
"You're too far ahead, Sonia. You should fall back."
I just smiled in response, since she's not looking down on me.
She's just a bit protective of me because of my former disability, but that's already been healed, and I've even received much more from the Lord.
"Are you listening!?"
Bam – I simply smashed the skull of a skeleton that popped up in ambush with a casual punch.
"W-what!!" Ehwa's face was funny to see.
"It's a minor effect of the Lord's blessing, but madam rejected it~"
She turned away to hide her expression, which clearly betrayed her embarrassment about the situation.
Although I enjoy teasing her, I decided to let it slide this time.
It would be awkward if Ehwa's concentration was disturbed because of my words or actions.
Caw – As we advanced through the dead woods, corrupted by the necromancer's magic, a crow approached us before delivering a message.
"What's the news from Elder Rou's side?" I asked while walking deeper into the Desolate forest.
"He found the necromancer's hideout, but... he's more troublesome than expected."
"I see. Elder Rou tried to keep all the credit for himself to gain more favors from the Lord. Tsk..."
I couldn't help clicking my tongue in annoyance.
This old ancestor is a pain to deal with, and his authority is too great for now... but that won't last long.
"Are we going to support him??"
I nodded at my childhood friend's question.
Even if I don't appreciate this underhanded act, the Lord's interests come before my personal feelings toward this old fox.
"Ehwa..."
"Yes?"
"I have an idea."
The person who'll drag this black mage to the Lord's feet will be me.