Not a Heroine, but a Salvation Arc Nonetheless

"A Boss of the 7 Abyssal Palaces? That Death Knight?"

To Lionheart, the 7 Abyssal Palaces possessed a dignity that could never be associated with a mere Death Knight. Yet, more than his narrow-minded prejudice, the immediate situation forced him to face reality.

The Death Knight stood there, arrogantly crossing his arms and giving a slight tilt of his chin. An intense dread crept up Lionheart's spine, and cold sweat poured down him like rain.

"Lionheart, King of the Lion Hearts. Can you take responsibility for your words?"

It was the Death Knight who broke the suffocating silence. The Death Knight's glowing eyes, which Lionheart would have normally scoffed at, now radiated a choking pressure that completely dominated the room.

The new 7 Abyssal Palaces, updated after Bango's Dark Abyss was conquered—the master of that domain was none other than the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Death Knight standing right before his eyes.

Thud! Lionheart slammed his forehead onto the table.

"I have committed a sin worthy of death! In my utter foolishness, I failed to recognize the Lord of the Abyss Palace!"

The only response was silence. When he cautiously raised his gaze, he met the Death Knight's suffocating, piercing stare.

"A sin worthy of death, you say? If merely failing to recognize me is a capital offense, then what of your subordinate? The one who declared he would kill me and actually tried to carry it out."

...What did he mean by that?

Suddenly, his own past behavior—dismissing the other as a mere Death Knight—flashed through his mind. Any hope that his subordinates would have noticed the truth and treated him with respect was clearly a foolish delusion. If anything, they would have committed far worse insolence.

His head spun, and his vision went dark. As if being kicked out of his original dungeon wasn't enough, the newly crowned Boss of the 7 Abyssal Palaces had personally marched into his new territory. Why on earth was this nightmare a reality?

Lionheart desperately wanted to believe this was all a dream.

"Lionheart, King of the Lion Hearts. The insult I suffered from you today was deeply humiliating. It is something I will remember for a very long time."

"I-I am deeply sorry..."

"Merchant. Speak. A lower-ranking dungeon has dared to hurl crude insults and blatant threats at a Lord of the 7 Abyssal Palaces. How should this matter be resolved?"

"You may summarily execute them, or you may settle the matter through compensation. The choice rests entirely with you, Boss."

At the word 'execute,' Lionheart's face turned completely pale. There was a vast difference between merely anticipating a threat and feeling the cold blade of reality against his skin.

"Lionheart. Do you wish to live?"

"O supreme Lord... Please, spare this wretched life of mine..."

"First, bring that to me."

The Death Knight pointed at Lionheart's pure gold pendant. A shiver ran down Lionheart's spine. That pendant was his most precious, irreplaceable treasure. Perhaps because he was a Boss of the 7 Abyssal Palaces, his keen eye had seen through its value instantly. But no treasure was more valuable than his own life.

"H-Here it is."

The Death Knight took the pendant and stood up. Is it... over? Lionheart let out a silent sigh of relief. Losing the pendant was painful, but surviving was a bargain.

"This alone is not enough. Next, Charlotte. As my deputy, convey your thoughts to our friend here."

"Thank you, Boss."

"...Pardon?"

A deputy? That human? Ignoring Lionheart's confusion, the human sat in the vacant seat.

"I dislike wasting time, so I will get straight to the point. First, we require one hundred million Cells as settlement. Even that is a paltry sum, but you are getting off easy thanks to the Boss's benevolence. Furthermore..."

Charlotte proceeded to ruthlessly squeeze the dungeon dry, leaving absolutely no loopholes. Her demands went on for an entire hour, and Lionheart sat before her, frozen and rigid as a corpse.

"I believe we have resolved this matter in a way that is neither too harsh nor too lenient. Once word of this spreads, your reputation will surely rise even further, Boss."

Well, I think it was a bit too ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠harsh.

Regardless, looking at the results, thanks to Lionheart, we've completely paid off our dungeon debt and even got our hands on a useful item.

Am I crazy? Why would I enhance a pendant that grants immunity to most debuffs just by wearing it?

My primary goal was recruiting Balutak, but I ended up with an unexpected windfall.

"Now, we just need to take the useful Insectoids with us."

Charlotte spoke as if it were the easiest thing in the world, and in truth, it was. This was all thanks to Lionheart. Because he had been driving the Insectoids like slaves, things had unexpectedly become much simpler for us.

After all, what was supposed to be a simple recruitment of dungeon monsters had somehow turned into a slave salvation narrative. If Balutak had any sense of gratitude, he would surely view us as his saviors. Of course, that was merely a highly plausible prediction; reality could always turn out differently.

So, what kind of situation do I need to orchestrate to easily recruit Balutak and make him 'completely on our side'?

I already had a method in mind.

Freeing all the Insectoids like Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation to win Balutak's favor?

That was a waste of effort not even worth considering. These were Insectoids—creatures that didn't just fight their own kind, but actively cannibalized them. Even if I freed them, they'd probably just think, 'So what?'

'Besides, there's no benefit in making an enemy out of the Rank 16 Boss for no reason.'

Extorting the settlement from Lionheart was one thing, but going any further would be crossing the line. If I laid a hand on all the Insectoids being used as laborers, it would disrupt his dungeon construction. Thus, the method I came up with was as follows.

"However, Boss. Is there a deeper meaning that I fail to grasp in ordering that Insectoid to be worked to the brink of death?"

Just as Charlotte said, I had already instructed Lionheart to work a specific Insectoid to the absolute brink of death. That Insectoid was, of course, Balutak.

"If I may venture to guess your intentions, Boss, you saw potential in that Insectoid. That is why you artificially pushed him to death's door. Salvation in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠absolute worst-case scenario not only satisfies all of one's desperate needs but also fosters absolute dependence on the savior. Did my narrow intellect interpret your grand design correctly?"

...Do I think exactly like her? With a witch whose hobby is ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠flaying human skin?

Of course, there was the additional reason of my Evolution skill, but there was no way Charlotte could know about that.

"You are not entirely wrong. However, you are not entirely correct either."

For some reason, I desperately wanted to deny the fact that I shared the same thought process as Charlotte.

"It is true that I highly value that Insectoid's potential. And orchestrating this situation is also correct. However, you missed one crucial point."

"One point...? Might I ask what that is?"

"All living creatures only truly grow when they face death. And the threshold of death is also the limit of a living being. I intend to witness that fleeting moment to discern his limits as a biological entity and his potential for growth."

Even as I said it, I knew it was absolute nonsense. I just wrapped it up to sound profound, but it was basically pure bullshit.

"I see... A mere subordinate like myself could never have fathomed your grand vision. As your humble deputy, I learn so much from you, Boss."

Yes, yes. I'm glad you bought it.

Discerning limits and growth potential by watching a dying Insectoid? I don't have that kind of ability, and even if I did, I wouldn't want to do something so twisted. I'm not a psychopath, nor do I have the hobby of a cruel child watching dying bugs.

But since the words have already left my mouth, I have to play the part.

"If that Insectoid fails to meet your expectations, you intend to let him die right there, then."

"...We shall see."

Why would I let him die? If I don't get Balutak, there was no point in coming here in the first place!

The weak are devoured, and the strong consume the weak to evolve. The jungle of the Insectoids was a continuous cycle of killing and being killed in a relentless race for evolution. In such a jungle, the weak had only one choice: be devoured, or submit to the strong.

Balutak of the Venomfang Tribe was a chieftain who commanded the largest number of subordinates. While other Insectoids lived solitary lives without forming packs, Balutak subjugated the weak to build a massive colony. Balutak was not just strong; he was also intelligent. He knew how to command his underlings and how to exploit them.

As his power grew and he underwent successive evolutions, a single goal naturally formed in Balutak's mind: to subjugate all Insectoids and become the sole king of this jungle. To devour those who resisted submission, evolve continuously, and become the ultimate predator.

That grand ambition had been shattered to pieces by the beastmen who came from the demonic realm.

"Kirik..."

A month had passed since the beastmen occupied the forest. And just as much time had passed since Balutak had been driven like a slave.

The strong devour or subjugate the weak. The beastmen were strong, and the Insectoids were weak. But Balutak had never dreamed he would be treated like this. He had assumed that even if he lost, he would be eaten. Instead, he was subjected to grueling labor all day long, starved of food and water.

Naturally, he had resisted at first, and even tried to escape. But by now, he couldn't even budge, flinching in terror the moment the beastmen so much as raised their whips. Through those days of relentless exploitation, Balutak gradually degenerated. His six clawed legs lost their sharp talons, and the vision in his compound eyes grew unstable.

To anyone looking at him now, Balutak was undeniably weak. Yet, he wasn't even devoured; he was merely kept perpetually starving, used solely for labor.

"Kiririk. So tired-dak..."

For some reason, today was exceptionally brutal. Long after the sun had risen and set, they had not given him a single drop of water, let alone food. They didn't allow him to rest for even a single second, as if determined to squeeze out every last drop of his physical strength.

Crack!

The moment he paused for even a second, a barrage of whip strikes rained down on him as if they had been waiting for it.

"Kiririk..."

Balutak felt the cold hand of death approaching. This was no mere degeneration. At this rate, he would die. As proof, his consciousness was slowly fading.

Suddenly, he felt a sensation across his entire body. It was the feeling of lying on a bed of grass. Without even realizing it, Balutak had collapsed onto the ground.

"Ki, rik..."

Living in the jungle, he had desired nothing but survival and evolution. But as his final moments drew near, his desires multiplied: prey, water, and freedom.

Balutak closed his eyes to greet the freedom that would soon come.

Shed your skin.

Along with a faint touch, those words echoed in his ears. Soon, his consciousness grew clear, and his opened eyes beheld a bright, radiant light. His eyes flew wide at the sudden changes surging through his body.

Having evolved multiple times before, Balutak knew instinctively. The sensation coursing through his entire body was the precursor to evolution.

Balutak thought it had to be an illusion. To evolve while hovering on the brink of death, without having devoured anything, was an absolute impossibility. Yet, as if to prove it was no lie, Balutak's body began to rapidly recover.

Balutak raised his head. Entering his field of vision was the same silhouette that had poured water into his mouth when his consciousness had first faded and he collapsed. He had thought it was a dream back then, but it wasn't.

"Kirik. Skeleton-dak..."

Even with his hazy mind, he understood instinctively. The skeleton standing before him was the one who had evolved him from the very brink of death.