20. O Eclissi (2)
20. O Eclissi (2)
- 1 -
After leaving the Dungeon Lord's room, Sonia murmured to herself as if making a vow.
"A lie..."
But she soon realized that even she wasn't convinced by those words.
That was only natural, because that calm face didn't look like the face of a liar at all.
The Dungeon Lord did not know deception.
Even those who occasionally did know it weren't the type to toy with captives by spouting lies when they held an overwhelmingly dominant position. If anything, they'd just resort to brutal torture and murder.
[Just as you lot view other beasts.]
She had seen the dungeon kill adventurers who visited after being captured here, but according to her words, they were ultimately prey and enemies.
And the wise Sonia knew that denying the killing of such beings was no different from denying the fundamental life principles of a living creature.
Probably, the fact that she was alive was not much different, to that woman, from the sensation a human feels when raising a pet or livestock.
"But still... but if that isn't a lie."
Wasn't it a story that Anjelita—no, Libertas—had been lonely since birth and had lived alone in this vast dungeon?
Moreover, she had stated:
[A Dungeon Lord comes to resemble the first being they summon.]
Yet she acted neither ferociously like an undead, nor wickedly like a demon, nor violently like a greenskin.
She had captured them using deception, but her subsequent attitude had even been benevolent.
Then where had she learned that deceptive, clever, and sometimes kind attitude?
As far as she knew, a teacher capable of making a newly born Dungeon Lord learn how to so easily deceive people for profit was...
'It had to be a human.'
What if the Dungeon Lord's first encounter wasn't through a 'summoning' but through meeting someone?
That was what Sonia speculated.
And that human was no longer in this dungeon. No, they might still be here, but at the very least, they wouldn't exist in a 'normal human form.'
Because they would have taught 'betrayal' to Libertas in some way.
'Born from a demon, but ultimately a monster made by human betrayal.'
A hypothesis about the being who had shown her a new sun of hope, and then taken that hope away. Yet that thought, which felt like certainty to Sonia.
It was incredibly chilling and sorrowful.
- 2 -
When they were defeated by the Dungeon Lord, bound in restraints, and imprisoned, the adventurers trembled at the thought that they would all be brutally tortured to death.
Though the saying had faded recently, rumors about Dungeon Lords who made a daily routine of torturing and killing humans were a traditional legend passed down for 200 years.
Moreover, since this legend was also about 'Dungeon Lords that exist in reality,' their fear that this Dungeon Lord might be such a being was immense.
As a result, the resentment of those hired by Maria eventually turned toward one person.
"That woman betrayed us. No doubt about it."
Sonia.
An apprentice mage, but one who had learned magic from the Dungeon Lord and wielded strangely powerful attack magic.
And toward the single person who was still not in this prison.
"Yeah. She was always at the Dungeon Lord's side. That woman!"
"She must have gotten that powerful strength from the Dungeon Lord. By sucking up somehow!"
"Come to think of it, it was strange she survived and returned alone. She obviously offered her comrades as sacrifices to survive!"
Sometimes, people seek a target to vent their anger upon.
As if to prove that, these three adventurers talked amongst themselves, convincing each other and fueling their rage.
"Miss Sonia is not that kind of person!"
Of course, there were many who didn't believe those words.
Those who had known Sonia originally.
Maria, Leonis, and among the hirelings, Robin knew that she was a weak and kind person who struggled even to kill a single beast or monster on a request, and who used what little money remained after buying essential medicine to help those around her little by little.
Leonis Den, captivated by that side of her, felt that even more strongly.
"How kind Miss Sonia is...!"
"Mister Mage. You've been tricked too! Look at this mess! That bitch is the only one alive and out there!"
"Yeah! We're going to die! Fuck, to those people-eating things...!!"
A senior mage he would normally have barely been able to meet eyes with.
But now, with his power sealed and reduced to the same state as them, antagonizing Leonis was far too easy.
The illusion of being on the same level as someone he usually looked up to. And with it, the explosion of hidden jealousy.
Peok!!
"Ugh...! What is the meaning of this...!"
As emotions frayed more and more, it was fated that they would stop hesitating to commit even rougher acts.
"You goddamn mage bastard. You probably made a deal with that bitch to stick together and survive, right? That's why you're taking her side!"
"Come to think of it, if you'd just done your goddamn job and properly detected the enemy's strength, we wouldn't have even entered in the first place!"
"What on earth are you saying?! Selling people out to a Dungeon Lord? There's no way... Besides, our guild's magic focuses on identifying dungeon traps and locations...!"
"Shut up!!"
Kwak! Peo-eok!
If those who knew about Sonia had taken Leonis's side, things wouldn't have reached this point.
But Maria Olas was too heartbroken to pay attention to others' situations, Daniel Smith was too preoccupied taking care of her, and the last remaining one simply stood by and watched—which was why this happened.
"What is this?!"
"Miss Sonia... you shouldn't come here now..."
The flames of that emotion momentarily subsided when Sonia appeared to deliver food to them.
Though it was only once a day, the Dungeon Lord gave the prisoners an oddly abundant meal, so a temporary ceasefire of anger in the face of that food was possible.
Of course, it was only for a moment. The object of their fury was right in front of them, after all.
"You goddamn bitch...!!"
"I won't close my eyes even in death unless I kill that bitch!"
"Look at her appearance... hasn't she already sucked out our strength?!"
"She's already a witch, I tell you!"
After being detained by the Dungeon Lord, Sonia's mana had been sealed as well. Her body had become semi-permanently incapable of using magic.
However, that sealing had given her an effect she hadn't expected at all: 'improved beauty.'
The state of stunted physical growth and recovery that had been suppressed by mana. Freed from it, Sonia had eaten the abundant food provided by the Dungeon Lord, regained a healthy body, and was rapidly becoming more beautiful.
It was obvious how that appearance would look in people's eyes.
"No!! Miss Sonia was simply— because she couldn't use mana, what was temporarily suppressed..."
"I said shut up!"
Peok!!
"Stop it!! What are you doing to my senior!"
Finally shaking off her bewilderment through anger, Sonia stepped into the room.
And there was Jacob, kicking Leonis as he tried to stop her from approaching, and Gyeonghan, raising a hand toward her.
"This bitch...!"
Teop!
- Dalkak.
If the Dungeon Lord hadn't separately assigned 'Axe' to her as an escort, she would have suffered a great ordeal.
Of course, that likely didn't help with the misunderstanding about Sonia.
"Ah..."
The massive Skeleton, standing over two meters tall, possessed an intimidating presence that could overwhelm an unarmed person just by its size.
The people, finally silenced by its appearance, slowly backed away to avoid provoking the Skeleton, allowing Sonia to tend to Leonis.
But the very person who needed treatment ended up asking the question he shouldn't have.
"Miss Sonia... that's not true, right?"
"...Pardon?"
"This... you wouldn't be doing this because you want to. Right? That woman, no, that monster is forcing you..."
Having seen the Skeleton guard and on the verge of losing his mind from the people's violence, he couldn't withstand the despair washing over him.
"If you all would just stay quiet, the Master would..."
To that, Sonia wanted to give them at least some hope, and so, as an answer for him, those words slipped from her mouth.
Without realizing her mistake.
"...Master?"
'Seonsaengnim, Mentor' was a title that could be attached to anyone. A common term for someone who taught you something.
But 'Seuseungnim, Master' was different.
What existed in a single branch of the Mage Guild was one Grand Master, along with assisting Masters and disciples. Ultimately, changing one's Master was tantamount to leaving the guild.
And that guild was now practically the sole connection linking Leonis and Sonia.
The connection that held all the memories and shared moments between them.
Leonis cut her off before she could even finish her sentence. Shock was evident in his eyes and expression.
An 'oh no' expression flickered across Sonia's face as she realized her mistake. Seeing that expression, Leonis felt as if his world was crumbling.
"...It's not true, right?"
"...Ah."
"It's not true, right? Sonia. It's not true?"
In the end, it was no different from Sonia confessing with her own mouth that she had left the guild without permission.
Severing her relationship with Leonis, for a new one.
And Sonia didn't know how to deceive with sweet lies.
"...No. It's true. I've decided to serve that person as my Master."
"Why...?"
"That's..."
Leonis, staring at her with eyes as empty as her own had been not long ago. Sonia, unable to meet his gaze and averting her eyes.
Ironically, even the magic she was using to heal him—learned from Rita.
"Hey, wait! What are you going to do with us! Don't just stop mid-story! Tell us and then go!!"
Gyeonghan's voice rang out from behind as Sonia finished the simple treatment and hurriedly left, but no one turned to look at him.
"Lemia..."
"...Haa."
Only Maria's hollow murmur, longing for her lost younger sister, and Daniel's empty sigh—he had been looking after her until dawn for days and had been unconscious until now—seeped out.
After that, they couldn't see Sonia anymore.
Not because she didn't come to visit.
- Ttak!
"M-Me?"
One by one, because they were being called out.
- 3 -
I had left her there specifically to look after them because I thought Sonia would quickly break down if I told her not to care about the other humans, but trouble occurred sooner than expected.
Since I had just shoved them all in one room because we were short on space, they'd have naturally been separated out on their own in a little while.
But then again, from what I heard, it seemed Gyeonghan, who never had good feelings toward Maria's side from the start, had taken the lead.
He probably found Maria and Daniel too formidable, so the stress got deflected onto an easier target.
I understood all of that, but there was something that couldn't be overlooked.
"You were about to say unnecessary things, Sonia."
"...I'm sorry, Master."
She was about to tell them carelessly about my intentions.
I had never said I wouldn't kill them. I'd only mentioned that I would 'put them to good use.'
She must have had the preconceived notion in her head that to be used usefully, one must absolutely be kept alive.
"I'll have to give you a punishment."
A provisional contract is still a contract.
It couldn't compare to a real contract that would alter her body to suit the dungeon, but with Leonis's life on the line, the weight of the provisional contract would feel even heavier to her.
So, it would be good to use that punishment in a way that provided a little more help.
As it happened, she had a weakness she needed to overcome.
"Tell Eve. From now on, she will select five Skeleton escorts to be assigned to you at all times."
She was afraid of Skeletons, of the undead. Not that I couldn't understand it, but it wasn't a weakness to leave alone.
"Master? That's..."
"To live here, you'd better get used to it quickly anyway. It's for your own good."
"...Understood."
It was pitiful how her face went pale with fear, and though there was a brief moment of resistance, she offered no further objection.
She must have known my words weren't wrong.
"Then, I will carry out your instructions."
"Yes. I pray you get used to it quickly."
After Sonia, having clasped her hands together and bowed her head deeply once, withdrew.
Watching her retreating, darkened face, I decided to handle one of the two immediate tasks first.
Not the trio connected to Sonia, but the matter concerning the other adventurers.
I had always planned to deal with them quickly anyway, even before they caused problems for Sonia, but I was simply moving up the timeline from the brief grace period I had given them.
Tidying up the easy, quick tasks before tackling the difficult ones that complicated my head—that was a habit I'd brought from Earth.
"Is anyone there?"
- Ttak.
Because there was no door, the Skeleton entered announcing her presence—a crossbow hung on her back and several daggers strapped to her waist.
It was 'Mire,' the entity created from the archer Lemia.
When I nodded, she approached me from the doorway, prostrated herself on the spot, and knelt, awaiting my orders.
That it had to be her who entered right after Sonia left. A twist of fate that stirred a bitter feeling...
No.
"Lemia."
Flinch.
Both her prostrate posture and her attention momentarily wavered.
One could say it was proving the hypothesis of 'what happens when someone with strong lingering attachments becomes undead.'
She hadn't been contracted while alive, and since she was now undead, she couldn't resist a necromancer. But traces of her life still remained within her.
Information that made up her current self and her future potential.
After all, what had been absorbed into the core was only the information unnecessary for the creation and growth of 'Mire.'
The experience Lemia had honed while alive, the important memories intertwined with that training, and the fragments of her soul closely tied to those experiences and memories—all of that remained here.
Though it was still just potential.
"Do as you will. So long as it doesn't interfere with work."
- Dalkak.
"But it would do her no good to know."
- Ttak.
So that was why she had been watching Sonia.
I briefly considered whether to tell Sonia about this or not, but decided to keep silent. There was no need to subject her to false hope over something that might or might not happen.
Of course, if she ended up struggling even more, then I'd have to think about it.
"...Info."
『Name - Mire』
『Attributes - Stamina 7 Technique 15 Durability 6 Mana 9 Resistance 5』
Checking her status before returning to the main business at hand, she had developed considerably compared to before, though less than Eve.
It was the result of diligent hunting and strengthening.
The most striking among her abilities was 'Technique,' which had completely transcended her living level. Maybe goblins naturally have higher technique than other attributes, because when used as sacrifices, this attribute rose remarkably well.
Thanks to that, Mire was now in a state where she handled a crossbow and daggers even better than she had when alive.
'If I could just grant her one good trait here, it'd be nice...'
As it happened, there was one method that came to mind, and I decided to try it this time.
To begin with, the first sacrifice was, naturally.
"Among those captured, there should be one named Gyeonghan. Go bring him. Don't forget to take a few soldiers with you."
The man who was also the cause of this problem. The tracker, Gyeonghan.