Chapter 46
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 46
Ten slender fingers caressed the teacup.
Savoring the tea’s aroma, Rene asked softly, “...Lord Swallow is doing well, right?”
“We expect so. If Our predictions are correct, he is likely analyzing Hastin’s problems at this very moment, dedicating himself to reforming the village from the ground up.”
Melju, sitting across from Rene, replied in a cheerful voice.
Rene moistened her lips with the tea and gently closed her eyes.
“I hope so. I can't help but worry if it's alright for just the two of us to be relaxing like this. Especially when Lord Swallow might be starving.”
“Oh, Lady Rene, your worries go too far! We cannot even begin to imagine Lord Swallow starving. If such a great being were to go hungry, what creature on this earth could possibly deserve to eat?”
“...You're right. I suppose I'm worrying for nothing. It makes no sense for Lord Swallow and Mr. Patrick to be struggling in a mere human village, does it?”
“Of course. Are they not the Ancient Monster ‘standing at the pinnacle of all creation’ and the Death Knight ‘who governs death’?”
Uttering words that would make anyone cringe, Melju followed Rene's lead and took a sip of her tea.
What kind of tea did she brew for it to taste this bitter? Pushing the question to the back of her mind, Melju voiced her next thought.
“Still, it’s a pity. We wanted to go to Hastin with Lord Swallow. Staying behind in the dungeon feels rather empty.”
“Y-You mustn't think that way, Melju.”
Hearing Melju's words, Rene flinched. Her hand trembled as if Melju’s words had struck a nerve. She picked up her teacup and continued.
“Of course, nothing would be more wonderful than working by Lord Swallow's side, but he himself entrusted the dungeon to us. What could be more important than that? This is proof that we enjoy his absolute trust.”
Though, of course, he trusts me, not you, Melju.
Her golden pupils sparkled against her black sclerae.
At Rene's words, Melju clasped her hands to her chest and replied with the excitement of a young child.
“Now that you mention it, that is true! Our perspective was too narrow to realize such a thing!”
Rene smiled at Melju's reaction and brought the teacup to her lips. Having successfully brainwashed herself, her hands had stopped trembling.
—Of course, it was all a bluff. She desperately wanted to go. In her mind, Rene had already mapped out a scenario where she and Swallow traveled happily together in Hastin, eventually leading to marriage. She was only staying behind because she had been ordered to guard the dungeon.
“In any case, all I have to do is guard the dungeon. Yes, Melju, this is an opportunity. An opportunity given to us by Lord Swallow. It means we must keep the dungeon spotless as its gatekeeper and maid while he is away.”
And after that, I should thoroughly wash my own body as well, Rene added to herself, her face flushing red.
In truth, there was plenty of work to be done. Cleaning the dungeon was a given, and though Patrick had suggested taking it slow, they needed to start preparing to restock the monsters in Rooms 1 through 4. The longer the preparation period, the better.
After all, the Primordial Core was a ‘Non-regenerative Dungeon.’
It was different from a ‘Regenerative Dungeon,’ which naturally formed an environment suitable for monsters to live in, drawing them in over time.
A ‘Non-regenerative Dungeon’ was an artificially established site. To put it bluntly, if a monster died, they had to go out and manually find a replacement.
Of course, given its status as a Great Evil Cave, monsters occasionally sought it out on their own.
However, most of them were far below standard.
The humans who dared to challenge a Great Evil Cave were almost all powerful individuals who were a force to be reckoned with.
Glacia, who used to reside in Room 1, was a prime example. She was a monster capable of laying waste to a small village all by herself in the blink of an eye.
Yet, even with high-ranking monsters like her filling Room 1, there were many times they failed to stop the subjugation squads and were completely wiped out.
Relying solely on monsters that wandered in was nowhere near enough, both in quantity and quality, to defend the dungeon.
To consistently fend off the humans invading the dungeon for years to come, they practically needed a dragon or an ancient golem.
“And you must always remain vigilant, Melju. We never know when humans might invade,” Rene added pointedly.
Just as Patrick had said, the circumstances made a human invasion highly unlikely, but ‘highly unlikely’ was not the same as ‘impossible.’ There would be no greater disgrace than allowing humans to slip in because they let their guard down.
“Yes, of course. Leave that to Us!”
Melju's reply was full of energy. Ever since Melju had arrived as a guest, a translucent eye had been constantly lurking on the ceiling of the dungeon's entrance.
The intermediate magic, <Observer's Eye>.
It was a spell that allowed her to monitor the dungeon entrance while consuming minimal mana.
The moment someone crossed the threshold, the eye would turn its gaze toward them. In other words, if the eye shifted, it meant someone had arrived.
Of course, its drawback was that it required constant checking. While there was a superior intermediate spell, <Wakeful Watchman>, which would immediately alert Melju upon detecting an intruder, it consumed several times more mana to maintain than <Observer's Eye>. It was impractical for long-term surveillance.
“Melju, you must check it frequently.”
“Do not worry! We check it every chance We get. We even checked it about ten minutes ago. Yes, indeed. Since you brought it up, We should check it again right now.”
Emptying her teacup at Melju's response, Rene stood up and tied her apron. It was time to work.
With the dungeon's boss monster struggling out in the world, the gatekeeper could not afford to enjoy tea time forever.
Since things have turned out this way, I will turn even this situation into an opportunity.
Making a firm resolve, Rene took a deep breath to psych herself up.
She tilted her head slightly and offered Melju a smile.
“I’m going to start cleaning now. I apologize for asking this of a guest, Melju, but we are short-handed, so I would like to assign you a few chores. I’ll prepare a spare maid uniform for you shortly. Will you help me?”
It was practically a threat. Glancing at Melju's reaction, Rene saw that her face had turned pale. It seemed like an overreaction, no matter how much she disliked chores.
“Y-Yes... Uh, Lady Rene. But We do not think that is the problem right now.”
—It seemed she hadn't turned pale because of Rene's words.
The young Demon King's trembling finger was pointing at a screen floating in midair.
It was the screen linked to <Observer's Eye>. Rene focused her gaze on it, which hovered unnaturally in the air as if space itself had been torn open.
Before Rene could even process the scene, Melju spoke.
“Someone has infiltrated.”
“……”
The gaze of <Observer's Eye>, which had been directed outside the dungeon just a few minutes ago, was now turned toward the interior.
A heavy silence hung in the air.
It took Rene a long moment before she could ask, “Melju, how many of them are there?”
“Since the eye's gaze is fixed, it is highly likely there is only one.”
“...I see.”
Rene's reaction was calm. She had no time to lose herself in thought. An intruder slipping in under the cover of night was bound to have excellent night vision.
Furthermore, entering alone meant they were highly confident in their own abilities.
Of course, unless they were exceptionally strong, a single human would be no match for Rene.
Although Rooms 1 through 4 were completely empty, most intruders would be torn to shreds the moment they faced the Anthropophago in Room 5 anyway. Still, she had to prepare for the worst-case scenario.
The ‘worst-case scenario’ was if that single intruder was an Empire Hero.
A Hero was troublesome. Even if they fought, she didn't think she would lose, but she couldn't be certain of victory either.
“...Melju, get ready.”
Right on cue, a chaotic noise echoed from the direction of Room 5.
Rene pulled a blade from her pocket. The sharp edge of ‘Guillotine's Tooth’ gleamed. It seemed the intruder had already passed through Room 5 in that short amount of time.
Rene narrowed her eyes. Tense with anticipation, Melju swallowed hard as she prepared to cast a spell.
And only when the chaotic noises finally died down did Rene and Melju simultaneously realize something was strange.
The blatant energy radiating from the intruder—it was unmistakably...
“...Magic energy?”
* * *
Another teacup was added to the table.
The late-night intruder silently picked it up.
The intruder was a vision in red. The faint breath escaping her lips, the seductive smile playing on her slender jawline, the hair tied high to expose her neck—all of it was red.
Except for her pale skin, she was completely bathed in crimson.
“I apologize that I have nothing proper to serve you. If you had given me some advance notice, I would have prepared something...”
“It's fine, don't worry about it. I'm the one who dropped in unannounced. Besides, while I did come here on business, I also came because I missed you.”
The Nightmare of Astrisha Forest, the Daughter of the Night, the master of the Great Evil Cave ‘Cheite Castle’.
The intruder, ‘Erzsebet Bathory,’ greeted Rene with a smile.
“I was quite worried about you, but seeing the healthy color in your face, it seems my worries were in vain.”
“I am always living a happy life. It's so wonderful that I sometimes wonder if I even deserve it.”
“I'm glad to hear that.”
Rene smiled back. Their bright smiles seemed to warm the atmosphere of the dark cave.
Even so, Bathory cast frequent glances toward her. While she appeared to be elegantly enjoying her tea with her eyes closed, whenever she opened them, her gaze lingered on Rene's eyes.
“...I really didn't need to worry.”
Even without asking, she could guess what had happened during the three weeks Rene had disappeared.
Her return to the dungeon was one thing, but above all, there was that right eye.
Not bad for Swallow.
However, judging by that blindingly pure smile, they hadn't progressed any further than that.
How does he never fail to meet my expectations? Bathory suppressed a sigh and took another sip of tea.
Still, for a clueless guy and a stubbornly devoted girl to have made it this far was commendable.
Yes, highly commendable.
“By the way, who is this new face?”
This time, Bathory turned her gaze toward Melju. Melju, who had been staring blankly at Bathory, had eyes filled with curiosity.
As if waiting for this very question, Melju puffed out her chest and cleared her throat.
“Are you asking Us? We are the supreme ruler of monsters, the Demon King—Melju de Limp Agrea, the seventeenth-generation descendant of Asmodeus!”
“Come to think of it, I haven't introduced you yet. This is Lady Bathory, the boss of ‘Cheite Castle’.”
“...Indeed.”
“Ah, I thought your aura was unusual. So you're a young Demon King.”
“Yes, she is staying here for the time being.”
“...Lady Rene, if We live here as a guest for the rest of Our life, will We be able to meet all the bosses of the Great Evil Caves?”
“Oh, Melju, really.”
Be reasonable. Living as a guest for the rest of your life? Talk about shameless.
Hiding her true thoughts, Rene laughed gently and patted Melju on the back. Perhaps she had put a bit too much strength into it, as Melju let out a sharp yelp.
“If you're just a guest, that means you don't officially belong to the Primordial Core yet, right?”
“Well... n-not yet.”
“Hmm... I recall a Demon King's lifespan is quite long—more than ten times that of a human, wasn't it? You have plenty of time, so don't rush into anything and take your time to think it over.”
Bathory didn't pry any further. Having emptied her cup, she set it down and clapped twice.
In response, one of the bats clinging to the cave wall gradually took the form of a butler and took the teacup Bathory held out.
Pulling a handkerchief from his suit pocket, the butler wiped away the sediment at the bottom of the cup. The handkerchief was instantly stained with thick, clotted blood.
“By the way, where did Swallow go?”
While Rene's attention was briefly captured by the teacup, Bathory asked casually. At the same time, she gathered the frills of her dress and stood up, seemingly preparing to move.
Come to think of it, Lady Bathory did say she came here on business. Is she about to take care of it? Having quickly assessed the situation, Rene replied.
“Lord Swallow is away at the moment.”
“Huh? That Swallow went outside the dungeon? ...Then what about Patrick?”
Bathory frowned, as if she had just heard something completely illogical.
“Mr. Patrick went with Lord Swallow as well.”
“……”
Bathory fell silent. Rene and Melju watched as her expression slowly stiffened.
Once her face had completely frozen, she let out a sigh of sheer disbelief. She then clutched the back of her neck, as if a sudden headache were coming on.