Chapter 151
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: Search
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The time for [Employee Dispatch] has ended.
A system message popped up, and the moment Erzsebet returned, I let out a sigh of relief.
I'd been on edge, watching her [Status] message fluctuate wildly in real time, wondering just what the hell had happened in the east. But at least she'd made it back in one piece.
"Erzse. You're back....?"
The moment the system message appeared and she materialized, I tried to greet her warmly—but the words caught in my throat, and I froze.
"....Erzse. You...?"
It was definitely her. That familiar white hair and red eyes. Even the [Employee Management] window hovering over her head. No doubt about it... and yet...
'The vibe?'
Something about her aura had shifted. She seemed more mature, more seductive... and somehow, deeply melancholic.
A halo made of blood floated above her head, and the blood wings sprouting from her back looked nothing like the ones she usually summoned.
"Erzse?"
"Master....Ugh."
The moment she took the blood Batori had offered, a torrent of power surged through her uncontrollably. Now, utterly spent, she panted raggedly, her dizzy gaze falling on her master, who stared back with open worry.
And in that blurred vision, fragments of someone else's memories overlaid the scene.
"Erzsebet-nim.... When on earth are you coming...?"
Batori. The memories of the eastern empress.
Memories from the blood Erzsebet had gifted her long ago. For the Blood Demon Tribe, blood was practically their very essence—so those memories, preserved within it for centuries, now flooded into Erzsebet.
Endlessly cold, sad, and despairing. Centuries of clinging to a single faint glimmer of hope.
"Ugh...!!"
"Erzse!"
Hundreds of years' worth of memories crashed into her at once. At the same time, echoes of her own past—memories tied to the blood she'd once received—surged through her mind like a tidal wave. Amid the onslaught, a splitting headache hit. She let the halo and wings dissolve, then collapsed in a heap.
"Erzse! Hey!"
She caught one final glimpse of her master rushing to catch her, then blacked out.
"Ah... Aaa... Aaaah!!!!"
The east, after Erzsebet vanished. Tears streaming down her face, the empress reached out—only to watch her disappear right before her eyes once more. She clawed at her hair and unleashed a guttural scream.
-Kwa-ga-ga-gak!!!
Her blood rampaged unstably, exploding outward and laying waste to everything in the area, annihilating it all.
The demons who'd poked their heads out, curious about the commotion, fled in terror. Even the dwarves, their dungeon half-collapsed, scrambled to evacuate.
"Why?! Whyyyyy!!!"
Was it all just a fleeting dream? Or had her longing, steeped in centuries of reminiscence, conjured a cruel hallucination?
She'd finally met her! She had finally returned!
Why disappear again? Would she never see her again? Was there some unavoidable reason? Had she done something wrong?
Her chest felt hollow. The blood of Erzsebet-nim—the faint hope it had sustained for centuries—was gone, leaving an aching void. That emptiness proved it hadn't been mere delusion or fantasy.
Then why? Why had she vanished?
"....No...."
After a frenzy of screams and thrashing, the empress froze, something dawning on her. She stopped.
The south. The region that had tugged at her inexplicably for months now. That pull had flickered briefly before vanishing. She'd been convinced it was Erzsebet-nim's presence and planned to head there.
It wasn't there now... but she still remembered the general direction.
And the pesky clown who'd blocked her path before? Gone for good.
"This time... never again...!!!"
Bloody tears welled in her crimson eyes as she unfurled massive wings. With powerful flaps, she shot off blindly toward that remembered pull.
Determined never to lose her again.
"No issues with her body, right?"
"Yes.... But I'm not well-versed in demon physiology, so there could be something I'm missing...."
Jeanne, whom I'd urgently summoned, examined Erzsebet and gave her prognosis: no major problems.
Whatever had gone down in the east, Erzsebet hadn't woken since passing out.
"At least her life isn't in danger. Far from weakened, her vitality actually feels stronger than before...."
"Got it. You're dismissed."
The silver lining: no threat to her life. Jeanne had assured me of that much, so I could trust it for now.
I'd already confirmed that [Employee Management] couldn't restore her condition. With that, I quietly closed the door to the bedroom where she slept.
'She'll wake up... right?'
This ruin already had one archlich in a similar coma-like state, out for months. It made me worry unnecessarily. What if Erzsebet stayed under for days... or months?
"Master....."
".....No. Don't worry about it."
Were my concerns written on my face? The demons who'd rushed over upon my call eyed me fretfully, but I forced myself not to show it.
Process aside, these were demons who'd gathered here, placing their faith in me as their de facto Dungeon Master. I couldn't afford to look weak in front of them.
"For now, forget about Erzse. I'll handle it.... More importantly, what about the elves?"
Truth be told, I wanted to summon the dungeon merchant or call in the witches for some potions right now. Unfortunately, time was short. A problem had cropped up while she was away.
[Yes, Master. Our dungeon's fine, at least—thanks to the forest our ancestors cultivated turning into a natural fortress, our location's still secret...]
Through the communication crystal I'd bought from the dungeon merchant, High Elf Rene reported the latest developments with a worried expression.
[The issue stems from stationing those elves in your dungeon. Word of sightings got out... They might be heading your way.]
"Hoo.... Why the hell are western demons flooding the south...?"
No clue why, but massive hordes of demons were pouring into the continent's south. All of them from the western Great Forest, no less.
Demons who'd thrived on brutal survival-of-the-fittest individualism... and now swarming south en masse...
[Is it the auction?]
"....Probably."
Dryads. The western demons crossing over were frantically hunting for any trace of them.
The reason was obvious. The hit item from the dungeon merchant's recent auction: a dryad's fruit.
Freshly picked less than a day ago, unrotted.
'I figured selling the fruit would leak that dryads exist. But...'
I'd anticipated the info spreading when I sold Dry's fruit. What I hadn't expected was demons going full frenzy over it.
Dryads were an ancient extinct race to begin with—info on them was scarce.
Elves had records of once revering them, so they knew a bit more, but even then, only high elves like Rene had real depth. Ordinary ones knew little.
[High elves aren't extinct like dryads, but we're still rare. Few know the true power and stature of dryads...]
In this era, only elves held dryad lore—and they instinctively revered them. No reason to hunt; they'd sooner serve if found.
So I hadn't worried about dedicated hunters. At worst, a handful of lucky demons with scraps of info.
'Fuck. The Giant King....'
The west's overlord and ruler. King of all giants. Giant King Ymir.
Word was, he'd openly shown his greed for a dryad.
Demons currying favor with him. Ones directly ordered to hunt. Or those thinking to snag one first, since even the Giant King sought them...
A motley crew of demons scoured the continent for dryad traces. And elves, as the most knowledgeable, had become prime targets.
'Why the Giant King all of a sudden?'
Did he win the auction? Even so, why covet a dryad?
Dryad fruit was hailed as the pinnacle of natural elixirs, but witches said alchemical brews could match or surpass it.
Hard to imagine him lusting after a plant-grower's abilities...
[Anyway, please be careful. I doubt mere rabble could harm you, Master...]
".....Disconnect."
Rene's trust in me seemed thicker since the auction. I cut the link, a headache brewing, and glanced at Erzsebet's bedroom.
"...Of all times for her to be out of commission."
The ones scouring for dryad fruit were mostly western demons. Northern ones were busy warring with humans; eastern ones stayed quiet by nature—no major moves.
And western demons, to a one...
'Seemed to write off southern demons as nobodies...'
"Come out, you pathetic Dungeon Master of this shithole!!!"
I'd just cut off Rene and started recalling the western demons from the auction when a booming voice roared from outside the dungeon.
"Heard pointy-eared elves live here? Hand 'em over now. Might spare your miserable life!!!"
".......Hah. Fuck."
Yeah. Things had been peaceful too long. About time to get busy again.