NOVEL NEXT Chapter 30
– 1 –
“Am I going too?”
“I think that would be best.”
After Eve left her seat, I embraced Xue as she nestled into my arms without refusing her presence.
Earlier, when I pushed her away and then accepted her back, it was out of guilt for what she had to face upon arriving at our dungeon without a proper welcome.
With a slight smile on her face, Xue came back down to sit beside me. She spoke in a mix of a whiny tone and a flat voice.
“That’s nice…”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
“But I don’t want the Lady to go out…”
“Why not?”
“The outside is dangerous. The Lady is fragile.”
“You’re saying that too?”
Her expression remained unchanged, but her demeanor was filled with affection, reminding me of a well-known mythical creature—looking like a cat but behaving like a puppy.
The funny part is, she’s actually a wolf.
“It’s a bad joke to say a Dungeon Lord is fragile. Anyone hearing that would say to stop making such malicious jokes. Did so many people die at the hands of that weak thing?”
“But the Lady…”
Most humans would dismiss this as nonsense. There’s a reason the ‘system’ treats Dungeon Lords twice as strong as ordinary monsters or humans.
Dungeon Cores are masses of magical power.
The body of the Dungeon Lord, which utilizes that magical power, is akin to a monster developed by concentrating mana.
The ‘stats’ indicate which part of the body is developing due to that magical power.
Moreover…
“I’m not just someone who stays behind. But thanks for worrying.”
“… It’s okay. Still, I’ll protect the Lady.”
“How commendable.”
– Grrr…
As I petted her head and touched her ears, she let out a pleasant growl. It reminded me that dogs enjoy being petted, and her response was quite nice.
I naturally didn’t mind her affectionate demeanor either.
Her appearance was extraordinarily beautiful, and the first impression wasn’t bad. Her eyes sparkled with affection whenever she looked at me.
How could I dislike her?
Of course, that didn’t mean I’d stop thinking about what I needed to do.
“By the way, I hope both forces can manage an equal battle.”
“Then there will be plenty to eat…?”
“What you said is a bit primitive, but yes. You’re not wrong. Quite clever, Xue.”
“Yep… I’m smart. Because the Lady said so.”
Is she smart because I called her smart? At this point, it could be seen as bordering on fanaticism.
I was really starting to wonder where such a lady popped out from.
Before I entered this body, I felt suspicious if anything happened between us.
“However, that probably isn’t the case.”
“The Dungeon Lord is an ‘infant’ with the blood of demon world races.’ This was established in Mill Don 1.”
If I stretched my thoughts to an unreasonable extent, I might have an inkling of a choice, but it would still be something nonsensical.
“And that’s not even important.”
What mattered was now, at this moment.
That they care for me and that I ponder how much I can do for them.
To survive for that, becoming stronger.
That was my top priority.
“There isn’t even a good situation for someone like me, to begin with.”
It’s better to leave speculations about them being from the future as mere fantasies.
That’s just absurd.
– Tweet tweet.
I gazed out at the unusually red sunset outside today.
I thought the forest near the dungeon would be devoid of animals or birds, but perhaps due to a considerable number of wild monsters kept around that hunt them, it has been relatively noisy lately.
A peaceful scene not fitting the term ‘dungeon.’
“It’ll be my second journey.”
It had been about a month since my last outing to Solemio.
– 2 –
“Have you already figured it out?”
Three days after Scarlett returned, I reached out to her, stating that “the situation of the Dungeon Lord has been confirmed,” and that was her response.
She seemed flustered, with a tone saying, ‘That’s impossible.’
It wasn’t her intention, but it had a subtly pride-stirring tone. It wouldn’t be unusual for a regular Dungeon Lord to get angry at that.
“Oh, I’m sorry!”
I had no reason to be angry over such a thing, and since she seemed to realize that, she quickly apologized, so I didn’t care.
“Okay. Want to come and hear it?”
“W-well, I’m busy today… No! I’ll come even if it’s on my day off!”
“No need for that.”
“There’s no need to take a day off! I just meant to say I’m committed!”
“Alright.”
She then really succeeded in coming quickly that morning.
Accompanied by someone I had never seen before but somehow felt like I recognized—a strong demon from the demon world.
“You really came quickly. Who’s this next to you?”
“That’s…”
“Nice to meet you, Lady Libertus. I’m Durrol, the head of the Mammon Trading Company, serving under Scarlett.”
One hand behind his back, the other placed on his chest, he bowed politely like a goblin merchant.
His appearance was familiar.
“Has it been a couple of months? It feels like ages since I last saw you.”
He had the name and visage of the infamous backstabber goblin merchant from ‘Mill Don 1.’
His outfit had changed, and there was no longer that sly or devious look on his face, suggesting that his personality had somewhat changed over the past 200 years.
I wondered if other goblins were still alive. That piqued my curiosity.
“I’m unsure what to call you. Durrol.”
Goblin stature is usually about half that of a human, so at first glance, he looked a bit comical, but the etiquette was near perfect, and I could sense the aura of a ‘knight’ hidden within that small body.
“Truly impressive. Even a regular goblin becomes this strong after 200 years.”
It was the power of ‘nobility’ that allowed him to discern someone worthy of being his own.
With my current strength that I could overwhelm him instantly, I had to be careful not to treat him frivolously.
I also didn’t need to feel scared.
“You can just call me Durrol or just ‘Goblin.’ The Lady does not need to show deference to anyone below a Count among the demon nobility. Scarlett, what on earth were you doing not telling her such things?”
“I-I’m sorry!”
By scolding my subordinate, I reminded myself of my disadvantage as a young Dungeon Lord and maintained my composure.
At the same time, it was somewhat strange for a head of the trading company to show such humility.
“It’s fine. Durrol. I’ve been busy too, so I didn’t have time for lengthy explanations. How could that be rude?”
“Thank you for your grace, like that of a Lady’s mercy.”
My unexpected nonchalance seemed to catch him off guard, causing his monocle to twitch before bowing again.
I imagined the reason behind his humility.
And before he could even guess that I knew, he revealed it the very next moment.
“The Grand Dukes of the demon world each have two to three Marquises directly under them. One of these Marquises is the client for this request. It’s a status that is hard to handle for a mere department.”
Given that, I hope the Lady’s benevolent heart will help us.”
Assuming Scarlett hadn’t informed me, he explained with details upfront.
Sometimes, showing weakness brings gains in trading, provided both sides maintain a good relationship.
He probably guessed I would be that kind of figure…
Yeah. That’s not an incorrect assumption.
The ‘good relationship’ Scarlett and I maintained was something I felt as an intangible debt.
“I see. I had my suspicions.”
“Is there anything else I should let you know?”
“That Marquis is a Vampire, right?”
“… Yes. Lady Serika is his illegitimate child.”
“Indeed.”
As if to say, ‘Did you figure that part out,’ the goblin paused briefly before confirming the truth.
That Marquis probably only revealed so much.
“Speaking of, an illegitimate child.”
I knew for sure that the Dungeon Lord was set to be an ‘infant’ of demon world races, yet it seems there are indeed demon nobles who were aware of who their illegitimate children were.
After all, even in ‘Mill Don 1’, there was a request to place one of the renowned users as the guardian of an NPC Dungeon Lord on the surface.
It was a generous quest that substantially boosted the ‘reputation’ stat needed to purchase good items, where, once you ‘protected’ a Dungeon Lord, the outcome wasn’t something one needed to worry about as long as you didn’t kill them…
The game never specified the exact reasons, but maybe this is a similar case.
“Surely, you can’t tell me who that noble is?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
“It’s not like I’m so rude as to get angry over such things. I was just curious.”
“My apologies.”
Given their position, they couldn’t reveal it. However, then, he indirectly returned an answer to my question.
That, too, was due to their stance.
In this incident, the trading company and I were almost in equal standing.
Those who need cooperation ought to provide information too.
“However, if the request succeeds, they’ll probably approach the Lady instead.”
“Thanks for telling the truth.”
“I thought you would anticipate this much.”
“Hm.”
I took a moment to sip tea as I contemplated.
Finding out about the Dungeon Lord’s personal affairs was the original request. But this goblin was now implying that there’s a subsequent request with certainty.
I could quickly guess what that request was.
Also, I realized something else: This goblin already anticipated how I would act.
“You want me to protect her.”
“The Marquis hopes so.”
“And you all?”
“You have already satisfied our conditions for the trading target.”
“Is it okay to say that so freely?”
“Our directors also have that much power.”
The directors were likely those referred to as ‘Marquis.’
As long as no serious conflicts arise, they were telling me they’d leave the resolution of this matter to me.
“Nonetheless, it would be better for them to fully rescue her, right?”
“That’s true, but… you can judge at your discretion depending on your abilities. They won’t raise any issues about it. We can also provide mercenary support.”
“That’s all right.”
When I declined their support, this time, Durrol showed a startled expression on his previously calm face.
It seems he thought I was being bold in front of a challenging task, like any other young Dungeon Lord.
“But if you carelessly reveal the Dungeon and the Lady’s existence…”
“In the end, you’re saying it’s fine as long as I don’t reveal myself? Don’t worry. Moving with a large group will simply get me discovered by humans. It’d be better to watch and see who Lady Libertus truly is.”
I continued speaking with a smile.
Although my words were a bit cringeworthy, they were necessary given the current situation.
Having others view me as overly high or exceptional isn’t good either. A touch of arrogance in thoughts and actions is needed.
“Besides…”
I was confident that even if I failed the request, I would never let myself be exposed.
I was planning for humans to willingly offer me the corpse or living body of the Dungeon Lord.
Without them conscious of it.