Chapter 40 |
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[Translator – Clara]
[Proofreader – Demon God]
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“It’s been over half a day since Mr Devourer has left.”
“Yeah, that’s right… It’s only been half a day.”
The taste at the end of the tea was quite bitter. The cave was so quiet that even the sound of the teacup clinking was loud.
The Primordial Core was serene.
Renee and Melje, who used to run around screaming and yelling on imaginary days, were still guarding their places in the cave, but without Devourer, the cause of the conflict, there was no reason for them to stir up trouble.
Renee had no reason to pressure Melje, who was quietly sitting there.
It was naturally formed, a ceasefire agreement.
Ten slender fingers surrounded the teacup.
Sipping the tea while holding the cup, Renee asked casually.
“…Is everything okay with Mr Devourer?”
“Probably. If my predictions are correct, Mr Devourer is likely thoroughly analyzing the issues affecting Hastin, and by now, he’s working diligently on restructuring the fundamental causes of the problems to contribute to the growth of the village.”
Melje, sitting across from Renee, replied in a brisk voice.
Renee sipped her tea, closing her eyes thoughtfully.
“I hope so. I’m a bit worried if it’s okay for Renee and you to enjoy this break alone. Mr Devourer might be in a situation where he’s starving.”
“Oh, Renee, you’ve gone too far with your worries! It’s hard to even imagine Mr Devourer going hungry. If a great being like him skips a meal, what kind of monster could have the privilege of dining?”
“Yeah, you’re right. Renee seems to be overly concerned again. It doesn’t make sense that Mr Devourer and Patrick are struggling in a mere human village, right?”
“Well, they are ‘Apex of All Existence,’ the ancient monster, and the ‘Arbiter of Death,’ Death Knight, are they not?”
Uttering words that felt embarrassing just to think about, Melje, following Renee’s lead, sipped her tea without hesitation.
Why does this tea taste so bitter, she wondered momentarily. Dismissing the question that popped into her head, Melje immediately brought up another thought.
“Still, it’s a shame. Honestly, I wanted to go to Hastin with Mr Devourer. It feels empty staying in the dungeon.”
“You shouldn’t think that way, Melje.”
Renee, upon hearing Melje’s words, raised her shoulders. She picked up the teacup with trembling hands, as if pierced to the core, and continued speaking.
“It’s not just about working alongside Mr Devourer that’s impressive, but the fact that he entrusted us with the dungeon. Is there anything more important than guarding the dungeon? It’s proof that we’re receiving boundless trust right now.”
‘Of course, it’s not Melje, but in Renee they trust.’
The golden pupils within the black eyes sparkled.
In response to Renee’s words, Melje, holding both hands to her chest like a child excitedly, replied, “Oh, thinking like that makes sense again! My narrow perspective didn’t catch on!”
Renee chuckled at Melje’s reaction and took a sip of tea, appearing to have perfectly completed the self-indoctrination. The trembling in her hands also ceased.
─Of course, it’s all just a bluff. The desire to go was as strong as a chimney. In her mind, Renee had already woven a scenario that involves traveling with Devourer, enjoying Hastin, and even getting married. She was just following orders to stay in the dungeon.
“Anyway, Renee just needs to guard the dungeon. That’s right, Melje. This is an opportunity. It’s the chance Mr Devourer gave us. While Mr Devourer is away, as gatekeepers and maids, we should clean up the dungeon thoroughly.”
Then, Renee added that she should clean herself up as well, blushing at the thought of Devourer’s return.
There were indeed many tasks to handle. Cleaning the dungeon was a given, and although Patrick suggested taking it slow, they also needed to prepare to gradually fill monsters in rooms 1 to 4. The longer the preparation period, the better.
The Primordial Core was a ‘Non-Regenerating Dungeon.’
It naturally formed in an environment suitable for monsters to thrive, unlike the ‘Regenerating Dungeon’ where monsters naturally gathered over time.
The ‘Non-Regenerating Dungeon’ was artificially constructed, and when monsters died, they had to manually insert new ones. Given its nature as the ‘Seven Great Evil Dungeons,’ some monsters occasionally visited voluntarily.
Many of the humans challenging the Seven Great Evil Dungeons fall short in terms of skill. Most who dare to enter consider themselves formidable individuals. Even Glacia, who was in Room 1, was such a monster that a single one could turn a small village into ruins in an instant.
However, even with such high-level monsters in Room 1, there are numerous cases where they couldn’t stop the extermination of the expedition team. To construct a dungeon with monsters coming of their own accord, the quantity and quality are insufficient. To consistently fend off humans entering the dungeon for several years, the reality was that creatures like dragons or ancient golems were needed.
“And Melje, you should always stay alert. We never know when humans might intrude,” Renee added subtly. As Patrick mentioned, there might be almost no incidents of humans intruding given the circumstances, but ‘almost none’ and ‘none’ are different. Allowing the invasion of humans during a moment of carelessness would be embarrassing.
“Yeah, of course. Leave it to me, Renee!”
Melje’s response was full of energy. Since Melje joined as a culinary expert, a transparent eye has always been hidden on the dungeon entrance ceiling.
Intermediate magic, the ‘Observer’s Eye,’ consumed minimal mana to monitor the dungeon entrance. When someone stepped over the dungeon threshold, the eye turned its gaze towards the incoming presence. In other words, if the gaze shifted, it meant someone had arrived.
Of course, there was a drawback of needing frequent checks. Among intermediate magics, there was also the higher-ranked ‘Wakeful Watchman,’ which alerted Melje immediately upon detecting an intruder. However, it consumed much more mana than the ‘Observer’s Eye’ to sustain the magic. In situations where constant surveillance was required, it was not the most suitable magic.
“Melje, you have to check regularly.”
“Don’t worry! I check as soon as I find a gap. I checked about 10 minutes ago. Yeah, that’s right. Since we brought it up, I should check again now.”
As Melje responded, Renee, who emptied his teacup, stood up from his seat. He tied an apron around himself. It was time to work.
A situation where the dungeon’s boss monster is struggling outside meant that the gatekeeper couldn’t enjoy tea time indefinitely. Since things have come to this, let’s turn even this situation into an opportunity, Renee thought, firm in her decision.
Renee, who had resolved himself internally, took a deep breath as if gathering his energy and smiled at Melje.
“From now on, Renee will do the cleaning. I’m sorry to ask the culinary expert, Melje, but since we’re short-handed, I’d like to assign a few tasks to you as well. Spare maid uniforms will be prepared soon, so could you help?”
In reality, it was more of a half-coercion. Judging by Melje’s reaction, even if it was excessive, her face turned pale. It seemed like her reaction might be more than just an exaggeration.
“Uh, sure. …But, Renee, it seems like that’s not the issue right now.”
─It didn’t seem like Melje turned pale because of Renee’s words.
The small demon’s trembling fingers pointed at the screen hovering in the air.
It was a screen linked to the ‘Observer’s Eye.’ Renee focused her gaze on the screen, which seemed alien, like the space had torn apart.
Renee took out the clasp from her pocket. The ‘Brachycephalic Tooth’ gleamed menacingly. It seemed like the intruder had passed through Room 5 in the meantime.
Renee squinted her eyes. Melje, visibly tense, prepared her casting, swallowing nervously.
It was only when the chaotic sounds from before ceased that Renee and Melje simultaneously expressed their bewilderment.
The agressive aura emanating from the intruder─ this was undeniably some Demon.
* * *
Another teacup joined the set.
The intruder in the middle of the night silently lifted the teacup.
The intruder was crimson. The breath that lightly flowed from their lips was red, the enchanting smile that rose above the slender jaw was red, and even the color of the hair tied up to reveal the nape of the neck was deliberately dyed red.
Except for the pale skin, the intruder was entirely engulfed in red.
“I apologize for not having anything proper to offer. If you had given me notice before coming, Renee would have prepared something… ”
“It’s okay, don’t worry too much since I came unannounced. Besides, I came not only because there was business, but also because I wanted to see you.”
The nightmare of Astreshia Forest, the Night’s Daughter, the boss of one of the Seven Great Evil Dungeons, ‘Cheite Castle.’ The intruder, ‘Elizabeth Batory,’ greeted Renee with a smile.
“I was worried about how you were doing, seeing the flush on your face, I guess my concerns were needless.”
“Renee is always leading a happy life. It’s almost too much for me to be living like this”
“Well, that’s fortunate.”
Renee responded with a smile as well. The cheerful smiles of the two seemed to brighten up the atmosphere in the dark cave.
Meanwhile, Batory frequently glanced around. While appearing to enjoy the tea with closed eyes and an air of sophistication, her occasional gaze, revealed through her half-open eyes, always lingered around Renee’s eyes.
‘…There really was no need to worry.’
Even without asking, it seemed like She knew what had happened during the three weeks Renee wandered and disappeared. Being back in the dungeon and, above all, that right eye.
‘It’s quite impressive, considering it’s Devourer. But it seems like progress hasn’t gone beyond that.’
Despite the dazzlingly pure smile, it appeared that things hadn’t progressed further. How could they not break free from expectations? Batory sighed as she pressed her lips to the tea.
It was quite an accomplishment for a girl who seemed to have no thoughts and a guy fixated on just one thing to come this far.
Yes, quite an accomplishment.
“By the way, who’s the new face over here?”
This time, Batory turned her gaze toward Melje. Melje, who had been subtly staring at Batory since earlier, now had eyes filled with curiosity and doubt.
As Batory’s question echoed, Melje, as if waiting, cleared her throat stiffly and coughed.
“Are you asking me? If I may introduce myself, I am Melje De Lymph Agrea, the 17th descendant of Asmodeus, the powerful demon who governs demons!”
“Come to think of it, I haven’t properly introduced Melje here. This is Batory, the boss of ‘Cheite Castle.'”
“……So it is.”
“Ah, I thought the aura was unusual, so it was a young Demon King.”
“Yes, she is staying here for a while.”
“…Renee, if I live here as a guest for the rest of my life, can I see all the bosses of the Seven Great Evil Dungeons?”
“Melje!! Really.”
Please speak sensibly. Saying you will live as a guest for the rest of your life, you really have no shame.
With hidden thoughts, Renee smiled discreetly and patted Melje’s back. Perhaps putting in more force than intended, Melje let out a scream as she received the pats.
“So you’re not part of the Primordial Core yet?”
“Well… no, not yet.”
“Hmm… I know that Demon kings have a pretty long lifespan. It is more than ten times that of humans, right? Since you’ll have plenty of time, don’t be too hasty and take it slow.”
Batory didn’t delve into further questioning. Tilting the teacup periodically, whether she had emptied its contents or not, Batory, who had now placed the empty cup down, clapped twice.
In response, one of the bats clinging to the cave wall gradually took on the appearance of a butler and went to receive the teacup offered by Batory.
The butler, taking a handkerchief from his tuxedo pocket, wiped away the sediment settled at the bottom of the cup. The handkerchief was full of dried blood particles.
“By the way, where is Devourer?”
While Renee’s attention was drawn to the teacup, Batory subtly inquired. At the same time, it seemed like she was grabbing the frill of her dress and getting up, as if intending to change her seat.
Come to think of it, She did mention that she came here for a reason. Is she finally getting to that matter? Renee, who roughly grasped the situation, answered.
“Mr Devourer has temporarily left.”
“Hmm? ‘That Devourer’ went outside the dungeon? …Then, where’s Patrick?”
Hearing the seemingly contradictory statement, Batory frowned.
“Patrick also left his post to follow Mr Devourer.”
“….”
Batory fell silent. The slow solidification of her expression became apparent to Renee and Melje.
After her expression completely stiffened, she sighed as if saying, “What nonsense.” Then, she snapped her fingers as if feeling frustrated. The attentive butler on the side, who had been silently guarding the seat, nodded again.
“Did they go there knowing what the situation is like now?”
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[Translator – Clara]
[Proofreader – Demon God]
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