A Mosquito No More
Why would you even ask that? Before facing the impending danger, the first thing to address was our existing defenses. More precisely, it was about checking on the growth of my lieutenants and boosting their morale. Balutak would level up on his own as long as I threw him some prey and let him farm experience. Charlotte and Estizel’s magic mastery would also progress naturally, thanks to the Necronomicon.
...Wait, do I have nothing to do? Behold, the folding-screen boss makes his entrance. Knock, knock. I didn't have anything specific to help them with, but I headed to the deputy's room anyway. It wasn't like the two of them would be slacking off; I just dropped by to check on their progress.
Through the cracked door, Estizel poked her head out. Her bright, round eyes locked onto mine. "Ah! Boss, you're here!" Clatter, crash. An ominous racket echoed from inside. Once the commotion finally settled, Charlotte approached with hurried steps and bowed deeply—while ruthlessly pressing down on the back of Estizel's head with one hand.
"I greet the Lord," Charlotte said.
"I came to check on your progress."
"Of course. Please, make yourself comfortable and come inside." Charlotte gestured politely toward the interior out of habit. Honestly, by 'checking on their progress,' I had just planned to peek at their levels and leave. But since I had nothing better to do anyway, I stepped inside the deputy's room.
When I last saw Estizel at the assembly, she was level 44. Not much time had passed since then, yet she had already gained three levels. It was a natural result, combining Charlotte's tutelage with Estizel's own high innate potential as a Dungeon Lord.
"You've grown," I remarked.
"...Oh! You can tell?" Estizel's lips parted in surprise. "Ah, that's right. I'm Rank 70 now!" She thumped her chest proudly. Her behavior felt exactly like watching a miniature Isabella.
"Congratulations."
"Hmph, hmph!" Estizel's stride became as pompous and dignified as a soldier on parade. As I naturally walked alongside her, my eyes fell upon the table, where the Necronomicon and the corpse of a mouse lay. It seemed she was learning necromancy.
"Watch closely!" Estizel stretched her hand toward the mouse. With her lips tightly pursed and her eyes wide, she looked incredibly solemn. Though her childlike appearance made the whole display look rather clumsy. A sinister energy began to seep from her fingertips. The moment it touched the mouse, the flesh slowly rotted away, exposing the bones beneath. The newly raised undead mouse suddenly sprang to its feet. Squeak!
"Ta-da!" Estizel pointed at the mouse with both hands as if performing a magic trick. Hmm. This feels like watching a niece show off her talents at a school recital. It was more cute than impressive.
"Well done."
"Hehe. I can do this too!" Whoosh. The mouse's body floated into the air. It was telekinesis, but since the target was just a tiny mouse, there wasn't much to be surprised about. Perhaps Estizel simply found meaning in the success itself.
"The deputy taught me this one too! She called it telekinesis? Anyway, that's what it is!"
"I see."
"I'm still lacking, but I'll become more and more useful. One day, I'll be worthy of belonging to the 7 Abyssal Palaces!" Behind her goofy grin, I caught a glimpse of anxiety and impatience. Showing off two spells in a row... was she worried she might be abandoned? If I didn't give her a proper reaction, I might unintentionally fuel her anxiety.
"Your growth is rapid. I didn't expect you to progress this quickly."
"Hehe..." Estizel smiled innocently. Why would I ever abandon you just because you're 'useless'? Once I grow attached to someone, my way is to stick with them to the very end.
"Boss," Charlotte, who had been quietly watching from the side, finally spoke. My gaze immediately locked onto the number floating above her head rather than her face.
She was level 81 just a short while ago, but she had already gone up again. As expected of the gatekeeper of the Ten-Tier Abyss, the ultimate newbie-crusher. As her boss, my heart swelled with immense pride. She's really going to break through level 90 in no time. Time would take care of the rest, and with the Necronomicon in her possession, Charlotte was now a Demone. Looking at her rate of growth, it wasn't an exaggeration to say she might one day reach the level of a semi-Abyss Palace boss.
...But why did she call me? For some reason, even though our eyes were locked, she just stood there in silence. Just then, the ground trembled, and undead began clawing their way out of the earth. There were easily twenty of them... Did she summon them just to show off? "..." "..." Charlotte continued to stare at me in silence. Looking into her eyes, there was clearly some hidden meaning behind her gaze. But if she didn't speak, I couldn't possibly know. What on earth did she want from me?
Whoosh. In an instant, all the undead floated gently into the air. Even as they did, Charlotte kept her eyes glued to me. "..." "..." Wait, is she jealous of Estizel? Is she showing off because she did it better and wants praise?
"Well done."
"Thank you." Seeing how she answered without a moment's hesitation, it was a hundred percent true. I hadn't pegged her for the type, but she had a surprisingly childish side to her.
In that split second, mana erupted from Charlotte's fingertips. The faint energy rapidly condensed, soon whipping up into a raging blizzard. Crackle! Lightning crackled within the snowstorm as the wide-range spell dominated the entire area. Yet, it was meticulously controlled to completely bypass us.
"Whoa..." Honestly, I wanted to gape in awe just like Estizel. Not only did she cast the 8th-circle spell, Blizzard Storm, with effortless ease, but she was also manipulating every single strand of mana with absolute freedom. This wasn't just a standard 8th-circle spell; it was a dual-attribute spell. It was a feat utterly impossible without both innate genius and peerless combat sense.
Soon, Charlotte reined in her mana and stared at me intently. If I had to describe my thoughts, I was simply speechless. If not for her gaze practically begging for praise, I would have stood there dazed for quite some time.
"Astonishing."
The corners of Charlotte's mouth twitched ever so slightly. There were no other major changes, but her green level indicator suddenly flashed. It turned into a pink so deep it seemed to exceed its limits. Ah, the necrophiliac witch strikes again.
I found myself deeply troubled, pondering various ways to prepare for Cecilia, who could raid us at any moment. To put it bluntly, if she invaded without warning like Wilhelm did, I would die before I could even prepare. Of course, having lost two heroes already, it was obvious the Empire would attempt their next raid with absolute preparation. Surely, nothing would happen at least until Karleon's 9th Legion arrived, right?
"We have an intruder," Charlotte announced, getting straight to the point after gathering everyone on the 10th floor.
"What?!"
"Kirik?"
...Ah, damn it. Charlotte reached into her robe and pulled out a crystal ball. Seeing the security crystal vibrating, a cold shiver ran down my spine. I hadn't expected Cecilia to arrive so soon. It might not be her, but my anxiety immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario.
"Everyone, please look at the crystal ball," Charlotte said.
The moment the words left her mouth, Balutak and Estizel shoved their heads forward, completely blocking my view.
"Kirik!" Balutak suddenly gasped in shock. He spread his wings and immediately began heading toward the upper floors. Just how many intruders were there? Watching Balutak's strange behavior, I quietly shifted my gaze to the crystal. Through it, I could see about ten intruders rushing through the dungeon without even maintaining a formation. They were moving in perfect unison, recklessly ignoring all traps. In the darkness, my eyes were drawn to their eyes rather than their silhouettes. Every single one of them was emitting a crimson glow. ...Vampires?
"Charlotte. They aren't intruders, are they?"
"My apologies. I wanted to surprise you."
This was rather unexpected. Was she always the type to play pranks? The more I got to know Charlotte, the more surprisingly human she seemed. Whew. Before I could even feel relieved, I had to calm my racing heart. Honestly, I thought today was going to be the day I died.
"Why? Who is it?" Estizel, the only one left in the dark, looked around in confusion.
"It is the vampire Isabella. She is an original member of this dungeon, whom I mentioned to you before," Charlotte explained.
"Ah!" Estizel seemed to recall the name. I hadn't expected her to drop by so suddenly, but I was just as glad to see her. With light steps, I began climbing the stairs to the upper floors, and the two of them followed closely behind. I felt an eager desire to catch up and hear how she had been. Perhaps I had grown quite attached to her without realizing it. It hadn't even been that long, yet I was incredibly happy to see her. Then again, considering Balutak had practically flown off to greet her, my reaction was perfectly normal.
By the time we reached the entrance of the 4th floor, dozens of glowing eyes flickered in the darkness. I could hear Balutak's clicking noises.
"It's the Boss!" The moment the leading pair of glowing eyes locked onto me, Isabella leaped gracefully. In a single bound, she landed right in front of me.
"I missed you so much! How have you been?!"
"Kirik! It's Isabella-dak! I told you she missed the Great Chief-dak!"
Flutter, flutter. Balutak's frantic wingbeats were getting on my nerves. As I gently nudged him aside, Charlotte spoke first.
"It has been a while. Have you been well?"
"Yes, yes! I've been great! You haven't changed at all, Deputy! I missed everyone so much, you know? Hm? Oh, but who is this?"
"N-Nice to meet you..." Estizel bowed deeply, and Charlotte pointed toward her.
"This is Estizel. She is a new member of the Tomb of Faith."
"Ooh... So she's the one who filled my empty spot?"
While the three of them engaged in their girls' talk, I observed Isabella closely. Her atmosphere had subtly changed, and she seemed slightly taller. Putting her appearance aside, she seemed to exude a distinct aura... Or was it just my imagination?
"Um, Boss? Did you not miss me at all?" Isabella giggled, covering her mouth with her hand. No matter how I looked at her, her overall vibe had definitely changed. But I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. Having only stared at her appearance, I belatedly shifted my gaze to the space above her head.
...What? The deep green color of her level indicator didn't even register. Only the number burned itself into my mind. For a second, I thought I was seeing things, but her level remained a solid '88'. I couldn't believe my eyes. Numerically speaking, she was on par with Karleon, the mid-boss of the Castle of Pleasure. Not Balutak, not Charlotte, but Isabella?
"You're not worried I'll suck your blood again, are you? I'm not that kind of mosquito anymore."
Growth of this magnitude couldn't be achieved through mere training. Then how on earth did she do it?
"...Could you be..."
A single method and the current timeline overlapped in my mind. Even though it was hard to believe, there was no other explanation. Meeting my gaze, Isabella blinked and smiled brightly.
"As expected of the Boss. You figured it out right away." Isabella placed a hand over her chest and bowed. The sheer grace and discipline of her movements were a far cry from the clumsy Isabella of my memories. "Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Isabella, Rank 8 of the 72 Dungeons." She proudly flashed a double peace sign with her fingers. "The vampire who has returned to repay her debt!"