Through Otto's "questioning"—which had actually been Benjamin's one-sided intimidation and Otto's trembling, complete confession—Benjamin roughly learned what had happened in his territory over the past fifty years.
The course of events was more or less what he had expected.
He had been gone for too long—long enough to exceed more than half a mortal's lifespan. Many of the first-generation servants had come to believe that their godlike master had fallen in some unknown world.
As for the second and third generations born afterward, they had never witnessed firsthand the terror and greatness of wizards and related beings. The legends of the "Master" passed down by their ancestors had gradually lost their awe-inspiring weight.
Over time, humanity had naturally formed a new social order within this semi-enclosed territory of his.
After explaining the basic situation, Otto cast aside all image of a "king," crawled down from his throne, and dropped heavily to his knees. His forehead pressed against the cold stone floor, his body trembling violently with fear.
In a tone that was almost pleading, he defended himself.
"Great Master! I... at first, I truly did nothing but faithfully manage the human population according to your requirements! But later—later, there were more and more people, and the food you left behind simply wasn't enough—"
"I-I had no other choice. I could only take the risk of leading some people into the forest outside to search for edible plant seeds, then send people to cultivate them—"
"Over time, those newly born humans, grateful for the food, began to... began to worship me as their king..."
"Master, please believe me! I never harbored any thought of betraying you! Please—please forgive my sins!"
On the other side, the soldiers who had only just recovered from Benjamin's pressure and rushed into the great hall stared