It's Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

To be honest, I didn’t expect Serica not to cause trouble at all.

Although she’s cautious enough to analyze humans and her own strength and choose to quietly seclude herself to build up power, she is fundamentally a ruler who has lived alone in a dungeon.

A Dungeon Lord… who was an absolute being that no one could restrain.

She probably wouldn’t have endured seeing an enemy acting insolently right before her eyes. There would also be an attitude of ‘it doesn’t matter as long as I’m not caught’.

I agree with that thought too.

It really doesn’t matter as long as you’re not caught.

“Cry louder. Pig.”

“Oink-!”

…But I didn’t want to see this.

Now that we’ve returned to our lodgings after the Sonyataf tour is over.

When I came looking for Serica after receiving news from her maid, Serica was riding on someone’s back.

That someone was the pirate who had approached Hailey and caused a commotion earlier today.

It was the one who had identified himself as the vice-captain.

“Serica.”

“Ah, Rita! Look at this. I’m punishing him!”

Serica’s appearance smiling brightly at me was certainly that of a cute blonde young lady, but.

Seeing the man with a sufficiently vicious expression, if not burly, squealing like a pig under that young lady’s bottom gives me a headache.

Of course, they’re both properly clothed, but the scene alone is quite irreverent.

It’s fortunate we rented the entire lodging building, otherwise that resounding pig squeal would have been heard by others, which makes my head hurt even more.

“Rather than punishing… you seem to be enjoying it.”

…Moreover, that man doesn’t seem to be suffering at all no matter how I look at it.

“Enjoying? That can’t be…! How can a person enjoy pretending to be a pig?”

“That’s what I’m saying. I’m sometimes amazed too. How beings with intelligence can be like this no matter how much you dig, like an abyss.”

Although the blood magic of a vampire who is no longer a Dungeon Lord loses the ability to create zombies, the power to make humans into vassals still remains.

The power to turn humans killed by sucking their blood into spawns, or to inject their own poison into living humans to turn them into dhampirs, low-grade vampires.

The vassals of vampires created like this happily follow the vampire’s orders, but not to the extent of being happy about going against their nature.

So that man who became a dhampir… no, let’s stop these unpleasant thoughts.

I focused my eyes on her.

“Serica. Didn’t you promise not to cause trouble?”

“It’s not trouble. He said no one would know I brought him here. He also said even if they knew, they wouldn’t care. He did.”

“I suppose that’s true.”

Her words weren’t wrong.

Would pirates make an issue of their vice-captain not returning to the ship for a day? They’d think he’s rolling around in a brothel or sleeping in some woman’s house he bought.

Even if a problem arose, she would have made it ‘disappear’. Emotion-related magic is one of vampires’ specialties after all.

The problem is that I had already warned her about this.

“Didn’t you promise with your own mouth? That you’d listen to me well.”

“Did I…?”

“And after meeting that man, what did I say?”

“Um… to tell you when I go somewhere…?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

Serica rolled her eyes around, then seeming to realize something was wrong, she got off the ‘human pig’ and sat down, speaking weakly.

Though that sulky appearance is cute and pitiful…

A needle thief becomes a cow thief.

When an immature person considers deviation and principles, to teach them to choose deviation. One must first hold the reins not too tightly and gradually loosen them when they become capable.

Otherwise, it becomes easy to run wild.

And running wild…

[I’m sorry, 「 」 brother. I’m sorry. I, I didn’t mean to…!]

[Get out.]

[Please forgive me just once. If you help me, this incident will pass too…! Just one lowlife dying…!]

[I said get out.]

…Always creates things to regret.

“You need to be punished.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Maids, go out. Remove that unpleasant thing.”

Of course, Serica’s maids didn’t fully listen to my natural order.

More precisely, they only half listened.

One dragged the pirate vice-captain out of the room, while the other approached me and stood still with her waist bowed.

“What are you doing? Not going out.”

“I’m sorry, Lady. We only follow the young miss’s orders…”

“Hmm.”

Honestly, that appearance was satisfying.

If they had immediately left Serica, their master, because I said to go out, I would have removed these things from my sight completely.

Remove what needs to be removed, and protect the master too.

If they had stood guarding both, it would have been a perfect score, but this action is worth 80 points.

“…”

Even when I didn’t continue speaking and just stared intently to put pressure, the maid in front of me didn’t move.

Though her body was trembling, she succeeded in resolutely keeping her position.

She was Serica’s ally.

“There must be a reason you’re doing this. Speak.”

“That’s…”

My outward appearance usually looks weak, but it seems I have some dignity when I gather magic power.

Seeing how afraid they are.

It might just be because I’m strong as a Dungeon Lord.

“The young miss was really happy to see you, Lady. In the family… she’s often alone except for the young master and teachers. So…”

Minus points for carelessly talking about her master’s personal matters.

But she spoke what she thought needed to be said even in the midst of confusion and fear, so considering the circumstances, only half the original deduction points are deducted.

Still 70 points. More than enough to pass.

“Alone?”

“Ah…”

“Louise what are you saying! Don’t say unnecessary things and get out!”

“Young miss…! I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine so please go out. Quickly… let’s talk later.”

By the way, ‘alone in the family’…

No matter how precious hands are in a family, there can’t be no branch families. There would at least be in-laws. Among such blood relatives, there would certainly be those with mental ages similar to Serica.

Yet saying Serica stays alone except in certain situations.

And that she doesn’t reveal this to me.

“I don’t intend to do anything harsh. Didn’t I already promise? So please go out.”

“…Excuse me. Young miss. Lady.”

At Serica’s request and my additional order, the maid finally bowed deeply and left.

Even after going out, I felt her presence waiting outside for a moment, but…

“It’s better to go further…”

“But shouldn’t there be someone to protect?”

“The Lady is a Dungeon Lord… a necromancer. There are already many people to protect…”

“Ah…”

Xue drove away that presence.

While I was thinking it would be nice if she could comfort the maids too, I sensed her patting them.

She really knows my heart well.

“Serica.”

“Huh…?”

Only after talking like that were we finally alone.

The first thing I did was to bend down and grab her hand to raise her.

“Where are you going?”

“If you were unsatisfied with our daytime date, shouldn’t we take care of an additional one?”

“Uh… huh?”

“Let’s go. On a date.”

It was late at night.

Even though it’s a big city with established public order, it wasn’t a good situation for two women to go on a date.

There’s a black market in this city, so there are many bad people.

-Tack.

‘Don’t worry. I’m not thinking of going far. Besides, it’s not only the two of us, you’re here too.’

-Clatter.

However, we two are a high-rank Dungeon Lord and a demon who once was a high-rank Dungeon Lord.

If ordinary people approach, they would be the ones eaten instead. Even if stronger ones approach, my dark magic and her dark spirit magic have good compatibility, so we’ll find a way.

“Yeah!”

Serica immediately brightened her face and followed.

We seeped into the darkness of the night streets through the window.

Our destination is the black market.

We didn’t have to worry about it being closed.

Perhaps because of the name ‘black market’ and the main demand here, I heard from Hailey that this place becomes more active as dawn approaches rather than during the day.

“Seeing that you were punishing him, it seems you were very angry at that man.”

“Uh, yeah… I was happy being with Rita, but he interfered with that…”

“I see…”

While walking, I continued talking with her. While still holding out one hand to her.

It wasn’t something to talk about during a date, but this was the original business.

“But you had a prior promise with me. Didn’t you?”

“I promised to listen well. And you said to tell you when I go somewhere…”

“Now you remember well.”

I nodded my head a couple times, but the air felt from behind gradually became heavier.

Her footsteps also slowed slightly, so I changed my pace to match.

But the words continued.

“So, what did you do?”

“I didn’t say anything…”

“Which means?”

“I didn’t listen to Rita…”

“You’re smart.”

“…”

Serica soon came to a stop.

When I turned my body around the point where our hands were joined, she was looking at me with large rabbit-like eyes filled with glistening energy.

“Don’t hate me…”

“What are you saying?”

“Others hate me. They say I’m interfering with the stable succession, or whatever… and that I’m willful. I don’t care about that at all. You hate me now because I didn’t listen to you…”

Serica was anxious.

Wondering if my feelings towards her had worsened.

The one who was said to have been alone in the family all along, who had maintained a consistently bright appearance while talking on the phone.

However, it doesn’t seem she was really hurt by their words. She just remembered those words while feeling anxious.

But if left like this, it’s a situation right before she gets deeply hurt in her heart.

I had no intention of leaving it like that.

“That’s not true.”

“But… I’m willful. The family people said so too. That people don’t like willful people…”

“Serica.”

I tapped her forehead.

Because she was gradually lowering her body and head while speaking. Before I knew it, her body was completely crouched down.

“Uweh…?”

Serica looked up at me while holding her forehead, with a face that looked like she might float a question mark above her head.

I decided to enlighten her about one thing.

“If you were truly willful. You wouldn’t care about me like this.”

“Huh…? Is that so…?”

“Yes. A person who is only willful wouldn’t care about maids getting scolded because of them and get angry first.”

“H-How did you know?”

Serica looked up with her mouth wide open, as if truly surprised.

I stroked her head once, then squished her soft, chewy cheek like rice cake.

It was still a cute face.

Including her still teary eyes.

“Wut are yu doin (What are you doing)…”

“Serica. If you did something wrong, you take responsibility. Not like now, leaving everything to the other person and giving up. You apologize for doing wrong, say sorry, and say you won’t do it again next time. You look at the other person’s tendencies and cling to them or give them some time.”

“Then… wiw you fowive me (Then will you forgive me)?”

“I don’t know about that.”

“Waw’s wat… Shtop it! It huwts!(What’s that… Stop it! It hurts!)”

At her request, I let go of her reddened cheek with a tap, and she covered her cheeks with both hands while glaring with her eye corners slightly raised as if somewhat angry.

I smiled at that face.

“But if Serica consistently apologizes and reflects on her mistakes, wouldn’t anyone forgive you?”

“Really…?”

“If not, I’ll scold you.”

Serica brightened her face, then clouded over gloomily again.

Seeing that appearance, I could be sure.

She had already been sufficiently punished. A punishment no different from what she had given herself, not anyone else.

She had reflected.

If she realized that on her first mistake, that was enough.

“Then, if I do that…?”

“I’ve already forgiven you. Serica has been constantly telling me about her mistakes.”

“Is… that so…?”

“Yes.”

A gradually brightening face.

When I grabbed Serica’s hand to raise her, this time she grabbed both my hands and spun our bodies around in a circle once.

A clear smile had returned to her face.

“Then can we go on a date?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s go, let’s go! I was curious about that place! Can we go?”

“Do as you like. I’ll tell you if there’s anything you shouldn’t do.”

“Okay!”

The night date that followed was enjoyable.

It was noisy and boisterous, but Serica was smiling the whole time.

We played while quickly removing anything that might interfere.

And then the next day.

“We’re going to find the core today, right?”

“Yes. I hope it’s your core.”

“Yeah!”

The morning of the black market auction day dawned.