I looked around at the cave leading to my base, observing the working demons and undeads digging on either side. Our members are growing, so they need a decent place to live and maybe get some privacy. Those excavations will be their home.
They work faster than usual. Once levelled up after that war, I chose a passive skill that increased their work speed by 10%.
Imagining that this place might eventually become a small town, I smiled.
Emily came over to me. "Are you still not going to tell me that secret project, Your Majesty?"
I was stunned by Emily's appearance. Usually, he wore full armor, but now she was wearing a white backless, low-cut tank top and dark purple shorts. Because the clothes were quite tight, the curves of the undead supreme were pretty much exposed.
Perhaps the voluptuous level of her body was still below that of a succubus. Still, with such clothes, she had a different charm.
"My lord." Emily snapped her fingers in front of my eyes, then turned around. "What do you think? Robyn made this for me. Even though it's simple, I think it's good."
I chuckled. "Yeah, that's good for you."
"So what about my question?" Emily continued. "What exactly is your project beyond that?"
Instead of answering, I put my arm around her waist. "You will also find out in a moment."
"Kyaa!!!" She screamed as soon as I took her flying. "Hey, my clothes almost came off because of the wind!"
I laughed and quickened my flight, then landed outside. Before heading to the 'project' that Emily was referring to, I approached Ayre, who was briefing several individuals.
"Are they ready?" I asked the shapeshifter general.
She nodded, wearing her trademark blank expression. "They can depart at any time, my lord."
I looked at those individuals whose appearance resembled the captives we captured after the war. Yes, they are shapeshifters who will have a particular task. The mares had filled their heads with the characteristics of the top army officers and soldiers they imitated. Over the past few days, they have also practiced adequate skills, such as fighting.
Even the clothes they wore belonged to those people. No human could ever guess that they were actually demons.
"You're John, right?" I stopped in front of the 'commander,' a man with long blonde hair and stern facial bones.
At that time, I did use the new shapeshifter to imitate the commander. However, that man was a noble and one of the top people in the army. The shapeshifter who plays that role must be experienced.
"Now, my name is Henry Kensington II, my lord." He showed that arrogant grin. "I will do this task to the best of my ability."
"You have successfully carried out the task of infiltration into the army. I expect a lot from you." I patted that man's shoulder, then looked at his clothes. "But, before you guys leave, it's better to break and dirty your clothes, smear your weapons with blood, then pretend to be injured. You guys will look like you just fought your way out of here."
In no time, the faces and bodies of the shapeshifters were covered with wounds of varying degrees.
"Ah, this is so that they are not suspected and are still respected by people, huh?" Emily commented.
"Good luck to you all." I looked at my thirteen agents. "Remember that your main task is to find information about poison for the demons. Whether the material or the location of manufacture, if you get any of those things, please contact me immediately."
"Very well, my lord!!!" They answered in unison, and I continued on my way.
A few minutes later, I paused to check on Bran. That man sat under a tree with a succubus clinging to him.
"Remember, the essence of this magic is your imagination in creating a small universe!" He gave instructions while squeezing one of the succubus' breasts. "And keep moving your hands!"
The shapeshifters kept moving their hands in a big circle, but no one had yet managed to form a portal. Only Lexi managed to do it. She jumped for joy at the sight of the slowly swirling halo.
"Yeah, you made it." Bran got to his feet with a snort. "But, it's still not perfect…."
"I think it's a pretty good portal," I commented. Lexi's vortex of light did look more perfect than the ones made by the royal mages.
Bran flinched at my voice and quickly bowed. "That's right, Your Majesty. She doesn't need to train anymore."
"How long does it usually take for a mage to create a portal of that size?" I went to Lexi, who didn't care about Bran and started making circular motions with her hands again.
"A-about three months to six months."
This is their tenth day of practice, and Lexi can already do it. That's what makes Bran want to bully the doctor.
"You're good at it, Doc. You don't need to practice that anymore." I patted Lexi's shoulder and smiled at her. "You'd better come with me to see my secret project."
Lexi stopped. "But..."
"If you want, you can practice on your own." Emily tugged at Lexi's arm and glanced slightly at Bran. "You don't need that man."
"Continue to practice." After giving such orders to Bran and the shapeshifters, I continued my journey with Lexi and Emily.
"I hate people like Bran who don't like to see others succeed." Emily snorted after we got a bit away from that man.
"But he taught us in an easy-to-understand way." Lexi chimed in.
I shrugged. "Well, that might be true, but that doesn't mean he won't bully you."
We ended up in an area surrounded by tall wooden poles. Giant white cloths connected from one pole to another. So, no one can really see what's in that area.
I even ordered the workers to cover the top with a similar cloth. It was so the succubus couldn't see this project from above. Besides that, I also put some minotaur to guard outside that place.
Ozig–the general of the working demons–came to me with a smile. "This project is completely finished, my lord."
"No one has managed to figure out what this is, have they?" I asked with a smile too.
"Some humans tried to get close to peek, but we managed to chase them away."
"Good." I opened the communication icon. "I'll invite the others."