Chapter 112
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 112
...Wasn't she a separate power unto herself, the established boss of another dungeon, not just some gatekeeper?
‘Though, it is a gatekeeper's basic duty to trust and follow their boss.’
But this was different. Even if everyone else trusted her, Rene and Patrick had to remain on guard.
As if determined not to lose the battle of nerves from the start, Patrick declared to Hexabel, “Let me make one thing clear: I am not as kind a monster as you might think—”
“Aren't you the strongest swordsman, unrivaled in blade-craft, who earned the moniker of 'Death Knight' despite being a skeleton? Actually, I'm a big fan of yours, Patrick. I'm truly delighted to meet you like this.”
“...I am, in fact, a very kind monster. Please make yourself right at home.”
Unable to contain his overwhelming joy, the light in Patrick's eyes flared brightly.
As his blue-glowing eye sockets turned toward Rene, she could only stare back with a look of utter disgust.
“Rene, did you hear that? She's a fan! A fan! Haha, hahahaha!”
“...”
Rene bit her lip, about to say something to Patrick, but then clamped her mouth shut as if he wasn't even worth speaking to.
Hexabel naturally turned her gaze toward Rene. Melju, who happened to meet her eyes, took a step back, grabbed the hem of Rene's clothes, and hid behind her.
“W-We are Melju... and We are not fully grown yet, so We do not taste good. S-So...”
“I am Gatekeeper Rene.”
Cutting off Melju, who was trembling like a leaf, Rene stepped forward to face Hexabel.
“The person behind me is Melju, the Demon King and a member of our dungeon.”
Rene gave a slight curtsy, lifting the hem of her skirt with two fingers.
At her graceful and elegant gesture, the momentarily taken-aback Hexabel quickly bowed her head in return.
From behind, Melju stared at Rene with eyes full of awe, letting out a soft, “Ooh.”
Hadn't she said it before? ‘Every single action of a monster reflects the image of their dungeon.’
From her faint smile to the slight narrowing of her eyes at the end—it was a performance that perfectly balanced respect and vigilance.
Paying no mind to Melju's admiration, Rene continued with a bright smile.
“I only recently learned that you were the former gatekeeper of the Primordial Core, so I couldn't prepare anything special. I hope you understand.”
“Ah, that is perfectly fine. I would prefer it if you didn't treat me with such formality.”
“...Then, though it might be rude for a first meeting, may I ask one thing? Since you are called the 'Mother of All Insects,' does that mean you are female?”
“The title has little to do with it, but yes, I am female.”
“...I see.”
Having secured her answer, Rene smiled sweetly. But after that smile, she said nothing more.
After a few seconds of silence, Rene’s expression suddenly stiffened, and she muttered in a low voice.
“...So, Miss Hexabel, you are the woman who was closest to Lord Swallow before I even arrived.”
“Huh? Rene? How in the world did you arrive at that conclusion?”
“Lady Rene, Our romantic experience tells Us that this is undoubtedly an insidious situation.”
“Melju, please don't fan the flames. Besides, what dating experience could you possibly have to say such a thing...?”
“We have never done it even once! We are not yet of age to bear offspring!”
“How can you be so proud of never having done it?!”
“Insidious, indeed. So it was an insidious relationship between master and disciple.”
Sensing the atmosphere turn icy in an instant, Patrick hastily spun Rene around.
Her pupils were shaking, unable to focus.
Though she had just been looking at Patrick with disdain, she couldn't hide her own emotions now, her face turning pale in a flash.
Rene had shown a similar reaction when she first saw Bathory. Patrick’s skull began to throb as he recalled the arduous journey it took for their relationship to improve.
“Patrick, that insect is a pest.”
“Your criteria for distinguishing friend from foe is far too personal, so I’m rejecting that opinion.”
Shoving the trembling Rene over to Swallow's side, Patrick looked back at Hexabel and continued.
“Ha, haha. Please forgive the chaos. Everyone's nerves are on edge right now. After all, the Great Evil Caves are coming here in droves, and without so much as an invitation, aren't they?”
He laughed, his jaw letting out a clattering sound.
At Patrick's words, half-joking and half-aggressive, Hexabel remained silent for a few seconds before responding with a light chuckle.
“I know what you are all thinking.”
As she spoke, Hexabel suddenly let out a bizarre, retching sound.
She vomited up something that had been squirming inside her body.
A human head emerged from her mouth, hitting the floor with a wet splat. Having been stored inside her body, the skull was partially dissolved by acid, making it far more hideous than bare bone.
“Master doesn't seem to care much, but then again, he has always been that way.”
Once she spat out the head, her voice reverted to her own.
Though the grating, raspy quality had slightly diminished, it was just as bizarre as before.
“I am not an enemy of the Primordial Core. By the same token, I didn't come here because I have any grievances against it.”
“Then you must tell us your reason for coming.”
“I just came to visit. To be precise, I came to see Master's face.”
“The distance from Sand Hell to here is quite substantial. Are you saying you came all this way just to see his face?”
“It's because I haven't seen him in a very long time. I’d been thinking about visiting if the opportunity arose, and then several chances presented themselves at once, so I came. Besides, there have been a few public incidents lately, haven't there? ...To be honest, I was also hoping that Master had finally come to his senses.”
“If you're hoping for that, it will absolutely never happen.”
Patrick sighed at Hexabel's final remark.
Just hearing those words, he could feel her past struggles. She was clearly one of his kind.
“Since I already know what kind of person Master is, I don't really care whether he destroys Riaze or punishes Erebos. Besides, my domain is located near the Kingdom Alliance rather than the Empire, so the aftermath didn't affect me much anyway.”
Hexabel continued her explanation in a serious tone.
Even if there were other reasons, she had no choice but to come because this was the gathering place for the other Great Evil Caves.
In short, she hadn't come out of dissatisfaction with Swallow, but rather to monitor the movements of the others.
“I simply came to see if the dungeon was being run well. Seeing that everyone is doing fine puts my mind at ease. Especially you, Patrick... you seem to be suffering quite a bit taking care of Master.”
“No. Well, it's not entirely... yes. That’s exactly it.”
“In any case, I didn't come with any special purpose, so you don't need to be so wary of me. At least, not of me.”
As soon as Hexabel finished speaking, Melju, who had been waiting for the conversation to end, approached from behind.
Her small hand tapped Patrick's armor twice.
“It seems someone else has arrived.”
It was a signal that someone had been caught by the <Observer's Eye>.
*
“So this is the place I've only ever heard about...”
“Yes.”
A considerable wind blew through the trees.
Azi Dahaka, who had been wandering through the forest for a long time, finally stopped.
The western edge of the Empire.
The Forest of Graphenia, located near Hastin. The underground cave and sole dungeon situated there.
The Primordial Core.
Though the forest was peaceful, an ominous energy hung heavily around the cave. The signposts haphazardly smeared with beast blood and the warnings written by humans upon them painted a picture of pure madness, leaving no doubt that this was the real deal.
“It seems we've found the right place.”
Polymorphed into the shape of a wild beast, Azi Dahaka only began to shift her form after stopping in front of the dungeon.
Though her original dragon form was the most comfortable, revealing such a massive body and spreading her wings would inevitably destroy the forest, regardless of her intentions.
After some deliberation, Azi Dahaka chose the form of a half-human, half-dragon, and took a light breath to adjust to her new body.
She swept back her long, straight black hair, which fell all the way to her knees. Her slender, voluptuous figure was that of a young human woman, but her violet eyes held the sharp, slit pupils of a dragon. The two horns, longer and sharper than a Demon King's, were also undeniably draconic.
“Sister, I can do it easily now too!”
The girl who called out cheerfully to Azi Dahaka also had sharp horns sprouting where her ears should have been.
Her height barely reached Azi Dahaka's chest, and her build made her look under ten years old, but her sharp pupils were also unmistakably those of a dragon.
Unlike humans, all of her teeth were as sharp as fangs. Venom dripped like sweat from the tips of her light green hair.
“...Get a grip, Fafnir. The bosses of the other Great Evil Caves will be gathering here as well. In public, you must address me as 'Boss' or 'Lord.'”
“Yes! Sister—I mean, Lord!”
“Sigh.”
At Fafnir's bright response, Azi Dahaka let out a soft sigh.
She had, of course, intended to come alone.
It was only natural, given that it was a gathering of the Great Evil Cave boss monsters.
That was why she had refused, even when the other elders of Margar begged her to bring escorts.
Only Fafnir, who always trailed behind her, had stubbornly insisted on coming. Of course, it wasn't as if she'd brought Fafnir along solely because she couldn't stand the pestering.
Fafnir was several times more useful than most dragons. She had brought her because she was needed. Had her companion been incompetent, Azi Dahaka would have shaken her off without hesitation.
“Keep in mind, we aren't here to play.”
“Yes! Once we go in, I'll stay quiet so I don't get in the Lord's way.”
“...The fate of the White Mountains hangs in the balance. If worst comes to worst, we might have to risk a physical clash with Swallow.”
As Azi Dahaka warned her, Fafnir nodded her head up and down.
“If things take a turn for the worse, you make sure you listen to me.”
Fafnir had been given a specific order. Her mission was to immediately report back to Margar if Azi Dahaka was defeated, as her telepathic transmissions were the only ones among the dragons with no distance limit.
Finishing her final thoughts at the cave entrance, Azi Dahaka swallowed hard.
There was no telling how many Great Evil Cave boss monsters were already waiting inside.
‘I must not let them seize the initiative.’
She didn't know how many monsters were inside. But no matter their number, and no matter how powerful the entities lurking within, she could not show fear.
The moment she was underestimated, it would be over. She had to project power and confidence until the very end.
‘I am Azi Dahaka. The Lord standing at the pinnacle of all dragons, and the master of the White Mountains. As the strongest dragon, I must not be looked down upon by others.’
“Let's go in.”
Her self-hypnosis complete, Azi Dahaka spoke to Fafnir and took her first step into the cave.
Room 1 was completely empty.
Confronted with a room entirely different from what she had expected, Azi Dahaka stopped in her tracks, a look of bewilderment plain on her face.
According to rumors, Room 1 should have been teeming with Glacia, monsters known as demons. By her estimates, there should have been hundreds of them swarming the place.
Yet, what was the reality?
There was absolutely nothing.
...There weren't even any corpses. The room had clearly been abandoned for quite some time.
Fafnir seemed to have noticed the strange situation as well, her steps growing hesitant. She stared blankly at Azi Dahaka, a silent question in her eyes: should they keep going?
“Ha!”
After a moment of thought, Azi Dahaka sneered.
This was the Primordial Core. It wasn't some sloppy, third-rate dungeon that would leave a room abandoned just because its monsters had been wiped out.
If so, wasn't this a trap? A painfully obvious one.
Just how lightly were they being taken?
“I don't know what they're plotting, but I have no intention of falling for it so easily.”
The cave was still shallow. At this distance, she was confident she could bring down the ceiling with her Breath alone, collapsing the entire entrance.
Naive. How naive, she muttered to herself, her decision made.
“We proceed.”
After walking a considerable distance, Room 2 came into view.
According to Azi Dahaka's expectations, hundreds of monsters should have been lurking here as well.
———Room 2 was also completely empty.
“...What are you up to, Swallow?”
She bit her lip, venting her irritation.
What was the meaning of this? If Swallow had intentionally cleared out hundreds of monsters from his own dungeon, why? To hide them for an ambush? If so, did that mean he had no intention of listening to the other Great Evil Caves from the very beginning?
Was Swallow truly a mad tyrant?
As her thoughts spiraled, the sense of unease she had felt at the entrance suddenly resurfaced.