The Proof of Instinct
Recruitment... success...? Cecilia retraced her memories. There was no way her master would have pretended not to know her back then. Even if she had tried to kill him, he was not a man who would ever push her away. He was someone who forgave everything, embraced all, and held his disciple close. Without a doubt, her master had lost his memories. Because he lost his memories, he didn't recognize her. Cecilia wept bitterly for a long time, consumed by grief. Even when her tears ran dry and her throat choked up, she wailed in a hoarse, raspy voice. She had finally met him again, yet she had ruined everything with her own hands. In life, she had abandoned him and left him to die, and now that he had become undead, she had tried to kill him with her own hands. To think the price of that was oblivion. His smiling face still lingered in her mind, yet he had completely forgotten her. She had no reason to live, no will to go on. What should she do now? ...Atonement was the only answer. She would die to atone. No, she would atone even in death. She would become an undead just like her master and dedicate her eternal life to him. Having made up her mind, Cecilia raised the Moonlight Sword. As a final memory, his image from back then flashed through her mind—the way he had coldly pushed her away even after risking his life to save her.
"...Huh?" A sudden question arose, and it quickly bloomed into hope. Her master had lost his memories of her. But that didn't mean he had forgotten everything. He clearly knew that she had tried to kill him, and that he had almost died because of her. In his mind, it had probably warped into the simple idea of being killed by a human. Despite that, her master had done her no harm. Instead, he had merely expressed his wish for her to leave quickly, even confessing out loud that he harbored no hostility. He could have easily thrown her out by force afterward, yet he quietly waited for two days for her to leave on her own. Why would he do that, when he had forgotten he was her master and had become a true boss of the Abyss Palace?
"Undead..." It was a characteristic of the undead known to everyone in the world. Even if the undead lost their memories, the instincts born from those memories remained. A knight who had walked the single path of swordsmanship would still swing a sword out of habit even after dying and losing his memories. The reason all Death Knights possessed deep knowledge of swordsmanship was that an instinct deeper than memory remained within them. Cecilia believed her master was the same. His seizing of the Holy Sword was because his instincts remained. And the instincts stemming from a Death Knight's memories weren't limited to swordsmanship. A knight's protective instinct also existed. That was why Death Knights served their summoners with absolute devotion. Cecilia and her master shared a relationship of master and disciple, and an attachment even deeper than that. In life, her master had cherished her instinctively. He had always thrown his entire body to shield her without a single thought. This hopeful speculation overlapped with what had happened back then. Was his letting her go without killing her a manifestation of that protective instinct? Even if his mind recognized her as an enemy, had his instincts suppressed it?
"...Please, let it be true." Even if her master had lost his memories, he instinctively protected her. If that were true, his instincts proved he was indeed her master. Losing his memories was, of course, heartbreaking. But if even a trace of her master lingered in his instincts... Cecilia felt that would be enough. Gripping her sword, she forced her trembling body to stand. Asking herself questions wouldn't bring a clear answer, but there was a way to confirm it. The undead had frozen hearts and withered emotions. The only emotion an undead possessed was a murderous intent toward humans. In other words, she could test his instincts through this method. Cecilia stared at her reflection on the blade of her sword. If he truly killed her, she would simply become an undead and remain by his side. But if, by some miracle, he couldn't bring himself to kill her even then... There is hope. Cecilia did not let go of her thread of hope.
This time, I really thought I was going to die. From what I heard, Charlotte did some reverse Soul Binding ritual or whatever... Honestly, I couldn't quite follow the details. Anyway, I survived, so that's all that matters. The bottom line was that she had become my absolute servant, and through that, she had resurrected me. Charlotte actually seemed rather pleased about becoming my servant. Even though she would die along with me if I kicked the bucket. She really was a bone-obsessed witch through and through.
"I owe you one."
"You flatter me. It is nothing compared to the grace you have bestowed upon me, Boss."
Pant, pant! Hellboki ran back and forth between my legs. Charlotte, who had been watching him quietly, scooped up Hellboki—who was larger than her own body—into her arms. Despite entering the boss room claiming she had something to report, she was just petting Hellboki.
"The report?"
"Ah, a letter has arrived from the Castle of Pleasure. The 9th Legion has returned safely, and Karleon is doing perfectly fine."
Although Cecilia was still lingering in the dungeon, she didn't seem to harbor any particular hostility. That was why I had sent Karleon and the 9th Legion back, and also conveyed my gratitude to Rosesha.
"What about Cecilia?"
By now, I really wished she would stop holding out and just leave. Just having her loitering around like a beggar made a corner of my mind anxious. If she suddenly snapped later and trashed the entire dungeon, it would be a disaster.
Knock, knock.
At the sound of the knock, Charlotte fell silent. She looked back and forth between me and the door, and I jerked my chin. When Charlotte opened the door, Isabella revealed herself.
She was babbling and fidgeting. For some reason, Isabella stood before me, constantly scanning my face. Was she anxious because she had made some huge mistake?
"Um, Boss?"
"Yes."
"That hero... says she wants to see you...?"
"..."
Why does she keep making my life so difficult? What business could she suddenly have with me after shutting herself in the upper floors for two days? Looking at Isabella's face, her fear of Cecilia was painfully obvious. It was probably the same for Balutak and the others. If I didn't go out, I had no idea what kind of havoc she might wreck. For all I knew, she might hurt the others. Surely she won't try to kill me... right? If that were her intention, she would have slaughtered her way down here instead of talking. The fact that she was requesting an audience meant there was room for dialogue.
"Understood."
I stepped out, flanked by the two of them. I was worried she might suddenly lunge at me to kill me. Let's check her level from a distance; if it's red, I'm running away immediately.
Cecilia was standing all alone on the 10th floor. I felt a quiet wave of relief seeing that her level was still a flashing hot pink. Upon seeing me, Cecilia approached with quick, short steps.
"Master."
"I told you, I am not your master."
"No. You are my master. You have simply lost your memories, Master."
No, seriously, I'm telling you I'm not your master!
"I have a request."
Shring!
Suddenly, Cecilia thrust her sword forward. I flinched for a split second, but her posture looked more like she was offering the sword.
"Please kill me. I want to die by your hand, Master."
"...What?"
"Kill me and raise me as an undead. Keep me by your side and use me for the rest of your life. Even if it must be like this, I want to be with you."
I understood exactly what she meant. She was still absolutely convinced that I was her master, and so she wanted to serve me. In her own mind, she probably believed I doubted her loyalty, and that was why I was pushing her away. Thus, she was trying to prove her loyalty by becoming an undead. For me, it was incredibly baffling.
"If I must die, I want it to be by your hand, Master. I mean it. I will spend the rest of my life serving you and atoning."
...Honestly, it was a tempting offer. If I killed her, the immediate threat would be gone, and the Holy Relic, the Moonlight Sword, would fall into my hands. No matter how I looked at it, killing her was the pragmatically correct decision. However, my soft heart was always my downfall. Her level was a deep pink. Even if it was a misunderstanding, how could I kill someone who harbored no hostility and was actually deeply attached to me? It was true she had tried to kill me before. But she had consistently shown a pitiful side, and she was doing so now. The image of Cecilia, looking utterly devastated over the past two days, floated in my mind. I had tried my best to ignore it, but her presence was constantly tugging at my humanity. Eliminating the threat of Cecilia and claiming the Moonlight Sword—practically and realistically, that was what I should do. But humanely, I couldn't. Killing this woman with my own hands was something I could only do if I abandoned my humanity entirely.
"No. I cannot kill you. Go."
If she tried to kill me again in the future, I would probably regret this decision. But right now, my humanity took precedence over such worries. Cecilia looked up at me, her pupils trembling. Her eyes quickly welled with tears.
"Even though I tried to kill you, Master?"
Hearing that made me hesitate for a brief moment, but after looking at her level color, I nodded. As long as that level didn't change color, there was no way she would kill me.
"Yes."
"...Why?"
"There is no particular reason. I simply do not wish to kill you."
In an instant, Cecilia flipped the Moonlight Sword. There was no murderous intent directed at me. The tip of the blade was aimed at Cecilia herself. The moment the word 'suicide' flashed through my mind, I instinctively reached out. I didn't want to watch her die right in front of me. After seeing her look so pitiful, if she died like this, the trauma would linger for a long time. The blunt side of the blade came to a sudden halt right in front of my hand. It slipped from her grasp, clattering onto the ground.
Oof!
Before I could even react, Cecilia threw her arms around me. I was so flustered I couldn't even speak. I tried to squirm away, but I couldn't escape her grip. I could feel her entire body trembling and sobbing against me.
"Master... my master... it's you. It really is you..."
Why again?!
Regardless of my confusion, Cecilia buried her face in my chest. Her voice came out in muffled, slurred whimpers.
"Master, please take me back. I... I can't live without you, Master. I really can't... I want to stay by your side forever."
"I am not your master."
"Even so... it doesn't matter. Even if you don't remember me... I will remember you. Please accept me like you did back then. I will never leave you again, I will stay by your side for the rest of my life..."
I had absolutely no idea how things had ended up like this. So, what she was saying was that whether I was actually her master or not, she was just going to decide on her own that I was? This is driving me crazy, seriously. Putting my frustration aside, maybe this was actually for the best. Since she said she would serve me even if I didn't pretend to be her master. Cecilia's level color was a deep pink, just like Charlotte's. Since she possessed blind loyalty, recruiting her would multiply the dungeon's military power several times over. Of course, I wasn't her master. This was a lord-vassal relationship built entirely on her own misunderstanding. I felt a slight pang of guilt, but pushing her away wouldn't work anyway.
"Do as you wish."
"...*Sob*."
Whether I was just letting things take their course or accepting her out of a soft heart, I didn't even know anymore.
Squeeze!
Her embrace tightened even further. Even though my body didn't need to breathe, I felt like I was suffocating.
Tap, tap.
I patted her back, signaling her to let go. But she seemed to take it as a comforting gesture, and her grip only grew tighter.
"Could you... let go of me first?"
"...No. I'm not letting go."
Please let go. I'm going to die at this rate.
I cast a pleading look around for help, but nobody budged. Balutak and Isabella stood at a distance, merely clapping their hands. Even Charlotte just stood there, staring at us with a cold glare. Ah. I'm going to die twice because of her... Cecilia held onto me for a long time after that. By the time she finally let go, one of my ribs was completely crushed. ...I guess I'll have to give it to Hellboki.