The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 151

EP.151 The Blood-Stained Clown

The dungeon had become bustling again after a long time. This time, everyone was busy preparing for Celia and Kazel’s outing. Their purpose for going out was singular, to inform adventurers of the dungeon’s existence. It was essentially a dungeon promotion plan.

Recently, the number of adventurers visiting the dungeon had dwindled, causing Celia to worry. This meant that the amount of sacrifices offered to the master had decreased. In the long run, it also meant that the dungeon’s growth would come to a halt. To protect the dungeon, they needed to fend off intruders, but to make it grow, they needed intruders—a paradoxical relationship.

With this in mind, Celia decided to go out into the human world herself to promote the dungeon. Consequently, the skeletons were busy from early in the morning, checking the splendid carriage that Celia would ride. When Queen Elena ascended to the throne, many nobles of the Sael Kingdom were purged, and their properties were confiscated by the royal family. Celia received a portion of the confiscated properties from the royal family, and the current carriage was one of them. The carriage, adorned with luxurious patterns, exuded the dignity of nobility.

“Krrk, do you need an escort?”

However, the carriage’s patterns were too conspicuous. The Goblin Lord, worried about the noticeable carriage, asked Celia. Although there might not be any human bold enough to tamper with such a splendid carriage, he suggested attaching an escort to avoid any troublesome situations.

But Celia shook her head.

“An escort is not necessary, Goblin Lord.”

This mission was focused solely on spreading rumors about the dungeon.

Given this, they needed to proceed discreetly and swiftly. Adding an escort to an already lavish carriage would indeed draw too much attention.

“Well then, we’ll be off. I trust you will manage the dungeon well, Goblin Lord.”

“Understood.”

Despite the absence of the dungeon’s general manager, there was no cause for concern. They had left the dungeon unattended several times before, and each time, the Goblin Lord had managed it in their stead. Moreover, there was no longer any need to worry about the dungeon’s defense. In addition to the Goblin Lord and the Goblin Scouts, they now had a new undead force composed of Lamia Ghouls. Most importantly, a 5-star vampire, Baalzerith, was now affiliated with the dungeon.

Celia smiled as she climbed into the carriage, followed by Kazel. A skeleton knight, cloaked and hidden, sat in the coachman’s seat. They had no choice but to assign someone to drive the carriage. Although Kazel knew how to drive, he needed to coordinate plans with Celia during the journey.

Just before the carriage departed, Celia seemed to remember something and called out to the Goblin Lord.

“Oh, come to think of it, how about planting some of the plants from Area 3 outside the dungeon?”

Area 4 on the first floor was filled with carnivorous tentacle plants. Although they had suffered significant losses due to the Lamia invasion, they had been restored with the power of the elves. However, the elves’ power was not infinite. Celia thought it would be better to distribute the plants rather than concentrating them only in Area 3.

“Let’s have Riche handle the planting outside the dungeon. Do you understand? Make sure Riche does it. I’ll inspect it when I return.”

“Understood. I’ll have only Riche do the work.”

The Goblin Lord nodded at Celia’s command. Riche was Baalzerith’s alias.

Celia was aware of this fact, but she called Baalzerith by the name Riche to fit in with those around her. Baalzerith had become affiliated with the dungeon. Celia could not tolerate seeing Baalzerith idling around.

“Very good. I trust you’ll handle it well.”

Celia spoke with a satisfied smile as she boarded the carriage and departed. The carriage grew smaller in the distance as it moved away from the dungeon.

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The carriage driven by the skeleton knight proceeded without issue. Inside, Celia and Kazel were deep in conversation about promoting the dungeon.

“Using the adventurers’ desires is indeed a good idea.”

Kazel remarked. Stories of grand adventures and treasures would quickly capture the adventurers’ interest. They planned to use rumors to promote the dungeon rather than issuing a request to the Adventurers’ Guild. Kazel continued his explanation.

“Adventurers enjoy the thrill of adventure itself. It’s more accurate to say they aim to explore unknown dungeons and seek hidden treasures rather than just pursuing predetermined rewards.”

Kazel was describing the essence of adventurers. It was true; adventurers typically explored dungeons in hopes of striking it rich. However, mere rumors might not be enough to ignite the adventurers’ interest.

“It would be better if we had some evidence to support the truth of these rumors, Lady Celia.”

“Indeed, that makes sense.”

Celia agreed to Kazel suggestion. No matter how many rumors they spread, if they were dismissed as nonsense, it would be worse than doing nothing at all.

As Kazel mentioned, they needed someone to instill confidence in the rumors—a figure who could play the role of a street clown, so to speak. While they fine-tuned their detailed plans, the carriage continued to traverse the mountain range, following a path through the forest.

However, it wasn’t long before silhouettes appeared, blocking the carriage’s path. The sudden appearance of uninvited guests brought the carriage to a halt.

“Clack-clack?”

(What should we do?)

The skeleton knight in the coachman’s seat asked, turning around.

“Those are… bandits.”

Kazel said nonchalantly upon seeing the group of thieves. He wasn’t worried. After all, Celia was in the carriage with him. Although he had never witnessed Celia’s direct power, she was the dungeon’s general manager for a reason. This belief kept Kazel calm.

The bandits, clad in filthy armor, brandished their swords and spears as they approached the carriage.

“This is quite a bothersome situation, isn’t it?”

Celia remarked, her expression indifferent. She regarded them as nothing more than wriggling insects.

“Hey, you there! Hand over everything you’ve got, and we’ll spare your lives!”

The bandit leader threatened.

Celia quietly stepped out of the carriage, and Kazel followed suit. As Celia emerged, the bandits ogled her with lustful eyes. The bandit leader wore a lecherous grin.

“Heh heh, I’ve changed my mind. We’ll spare the woman and kill the man.”

The bandit leader sneered. They had assumed the ornate carriage belonged to a noble, and even without an escort, they expected a skilled knight to accompany it. However, the person who stepped out was not a knight. He wasn’t heavily armed or particularly muscular, and there were no visible weapons at his waist—just an ordinary-looking man.

In contrast, the woman beside him, likely a noble’s daughter, had an extraordinary appearance.

‘Today is my lucky day.’

The bandit leader thought, believing he could have some fun and then sell her for a hefty sum. He approached Celia with this in mind.

“Such rude humans.”

Celia remarked, a peculiar smile forming on her lips.

“What do you think, Sir Kazel? Wouldn’t they make excellent clowns?”

“Excuse me? What do you mean by that?”

Kazel was puzzled by Celia’s words.

‘Clowns? What was she talking about?’

At that moment, Celia’s eyes began to glow red. The bandits stared at her in a daze. Celia slowly approached them.

“Lady Celia, it’s dangerous—”

But as Celia walked forward, all the bandits began to slowly drop their weapons to the ground. The bandit leader did the same, standing there in a stupor, staring blankly at Celia.

Witnessing this, Kazel realized the true extent of Celia’s power.

‘Mind control…!’

Kazel thought, astonished by the incredible ability he had just witnessed. He finally understood what Celia meant by calling them clowns. They were to become the protagonists of the stories that would turn rumors into certainties.

“Let’s see…”

Celia mused, touching her lips in contemplation. At that moment, two shadows emerged behind her. These shadows were formless entities, capable of moving anywhere, making them excellent for gathering information and carrying out assassinations. Recently, the number of shadows monitoring the area around the dungeon had increased. Celia had enchanted all these shadows with her charm, regardless of who had sent them. As a result, the number of shadows had grown, and now Celia, Elena, and Necros each had designated shadows.

“Relay this to Queen Elena, We need a luxurious mansion in the capital. The owner’s name should be—”

Celia turned and grabbed the bandit leader’s chin.

“What is your name?”

“I am Ralph.”

The bandit leader, under Celia’s enchantment, answered flatly.

Having learned Ralph’s name, Celia issued another command to the shadow.

“The mansion owner’s name is Ralph. Prepare it with an appropriate status.”

One of the shadows disappeared to carry out the order. However, something still felt lacking. Celia tapped her lips thoughtfully.

“Hmm…”

After much contemplation, she soon mumbled as if she had thought of something.

“Should we create a story after all? Ralph’s current appearance is too clean.”

With the recent command given to the shadow, Ralph had become the owner of a luxurious mansion. The story Celia had in mind was that Ralph had looted a dungeon and amassed a great fortune. However, Ralph’s current appearance seemed too good.

He had entered a dungeon and amassed a great fortune, yet he looked completely unscathed? Food that looks too good to eat often contains poison. People who heard the rumors might become suspicious.

“It seems like it would be better if he was missing at least one arm.”

“What?”

Kazel responded in a surprised voice to Celia’s chilling words. But Celia had already gestured. One of the thieves behind them picked up a knife that had fallen to the ground. Ralph raised his left arm in response.

“No, Lady Celia. What are you-”

Whoosh-

Before Kazel could finish his sentence, the thief swung the knife towards Ralph’s arm. In an instant, the blade severed Ralph’s arm, and blood spurted out. However, Ralph made no sound.

“Ugh.”

Except for Kazel, that is. Blood gushed from Ralph’s severed arm, staining the floor red. It was a truly grotesque scene. Regardless of Kazel’s reaction, Celia remained indifferent. Instead, she wore a contemplative expression, as if pondering where else to cut.

“Well, let’s stop here, Sir Kazel.”

“…Y-Yes!”

Kazel felt fear of Celia’s power. He realized that she could easily kill a person with mind control. At the same time, he felt a sense of relief knowing he had pledged his loyalty to Celia.

“Make sure to stop Mr. Ralph’s bleeding so he doesn’t die.”

Celia turned indifferently and looked at the coachman’s seat.

“Then, I should give you a different kind of reward, right?”

Celia approached the skeleton knight sitting at the coachman’s seat. She then pulled out the skeleton knight’s leg bone.

“Clack?”

The skeleton knight, now one-legged, didn’t feel any pain, being undead. Fortunately, sitting at the coachman’s seat meant there was no need to walk.

“Taking the skeleton’s bone with you will add more credibility.”

Celia handed the skeleton knight’s bone to Ralph.

“Oh, and we should clean up the rest of the vermin, right?”

With a gesture from her, the remaining bandits picked up their weapons. They swung them wildly, having lost their sanity. The sound of blades cutting flesh and blood splattering filled the air. The bandits, even when wounded, thrust their spears at each other. The scene of stabbing and slashing each other was utterly horrific.

The sound of blades slicing through the air and flesh tearing was heard. The fact that no one screamed made the atmosphere even more terrifying. The forest turned into a chaotic battlefield, a scene of utter pandemonium.

Kazel stared blankly at the blood-soaked scene of slaughter. His face turned pale with shock.

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A few days later, strange rumors began to circulate among the adventurers in the Sael Kingdom.

– The existence of the dungeon ‘Nest of the Evil God’ began to be known to adventurers. –

– The existence of the dungeon ‘Red-Headed Tribe’ began to be known to adventurers. –

– The existence of the dungeon ‘Remnants of the Abyss’ began to be known to adventurers. –

– The existence of the dungeon ‘Village Shrouded in Mist’ began to be known to adventurers. –