WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Mordor
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Mistaken as the Dungeon Boss Monster ◈
Chapter 44: Let’s Go Home Now
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In the suffocating silence, my gaze collided with Roxanne’s in midair.
If looks could kill, I would’ve died hundreds of times by now.
Roxanne only stared at me. She didn’t so much as twitch.
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting Roxanne to back down first.
Even if she was a little scared, someone as arrogant as her would never tuck her tail between her legs. Especially not with all 72 Lords watching.
That didn’t mean she would immediately resort to force, either. If I had to guess, she was thinking the same thing I was.
Someone, please stop us.
“Enough. Both of you, stop this.”
As expected, Dalon was the first to step forward.
“A fight to the death? How can Lords of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss speak of killing one another? Your emotions have run too high. Both of you, maintain your dignity. What kind of disgrace is this at a Round Table attended by the 72 Lords?”
“Me too! I feel the same way! I don’t want anyone else to die!”
“Rin agrees!”
“Elder, restrain yourself too. And you too, darling, all right?”
I had been almost certain this would happen.
They worried even over a duel between Lords of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss. If it was a fight to the death, they had no choice but to stop it somehow.
Roxanne continued glaring at me despite everyone’s attempts to stop us.
“Tch.”
She clicked her tongue and sharply turned her head away.
That wasn’t all. She rose from her seat and coldly turned her back on the Round Table.
Click, click.
Roxanne walked away, her heels clicking, and everyone’s eyes followed her.
She stopped before the door and turned her head slightly.
After sweeping her gaze across the room, she faced forward again.
“There is nothing more for me to see here.”
Bang!
With those final words, Roxanne left the conference room.
She had clearly stormed off in a huff... She really was petty.
With the highest-ranking Lord gone, silence settled over the Round Table.
The 72 Lords quietly watched the room, waiting for one of the other Lords of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss to speak.
Dalon read the mood and let out a deep sigh.
“We can’t continue this meeting any further.”
“Right! What do we do now?”
“Rin agrees!”
After about ten minutes of discussion, the Lords of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss and Blizz reached a unanimous decision.
The other 72 Lords seemed to agree as well, and the meeting ended not in a breakdown, but without a conclusion.
One by one, executives of the Merchant Association entered from outside.
“We bid farewell to the exalted Lords. Please use the Merchant Association portals for your return.”
The lower-ranked Lords hurried out of the conference room.
Honestly, I wanted to leave right away, but the other Lords of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss remained firmly seated.
It seemed customary for the Lords of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss to leave last, so I stayed in my seat and followed their lead.
“It has been a long time since I enjoyed myself this much.”
As the 72 Lords gradually dispersed, Kalandas was the first of the Lords of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss to leave.
Kalandas glanced at me, and our eyes naturally met.
His level was a faint black mixed with orange. Along with caution, he feared me.
As long as that color didn’t change, he wouldn’t be the first to bare his fangs.
Rose Sha, Dalon, Ren, and Rin, the remaining Lords of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss, stayed seated as if they had planned it, watching only me.
It was uncomfortable, but I remained silent and kept up my imposing act.
“I’m glad this was resolved peacefully.”
Dalon’s deep voice was heavy.
Having a giant like that lean down toward me scared the hell out of me.
If I hadn’t been undead, I definitely would’ve foamed at the mouth and passed out.
“Sir Vargoer. Though we have only just met, this old man has grown fond of you.”
I knew without being told. Dalon’s level was dark green.
Unless there was some major conflict, the Lords of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss would likely approach me favorably.
As strong as they were, they had the temperament to respect other strong people.
Of course, there were exceptional cases like Roxanne.
That lizard bitch wouldn’t acknowledge anyone stronger than herself and only picked fights.
“You are small, Sir, but by no means insignificant. This is the first time I have been this intrigued upon meeting someone.”
Dalon gave a quiet laugh.
“Even as a single individual ranked seventh, you could challenge Rank 2. My curiosity has been satisfied. It seems we have become that dependent on our dungeon forces. I should cultivate my own strength again, as I did in the past.”
Swish. Dalon held out his fingertip toward me.
At first, I thought he might press down on me with a hand as big as my body, but it turned out he wanted a fist bump.
Tap.
Without hesitation, I bumped my fist against his fingertip.
“Thank you, Sir Vargoer. Thanks to you, I feel as though my head has cleared. If you ever wish to visit the Thousand-Year Frozen Tundra, you may come without notice. I will welcome you with the utmost hospitality. And... little one.”
As soon as Dalon finished speaking, Dalon’s dwarf adjutant approached me.
The dwarf looked small at a glance, but they were level 85.
This wasn’t someone I could underestimate based on appearance.
Dalon’s epithet was the Great King for the Little Ones.
Though he was a giant himself, his subordinates consisted only of small beings like dwarves and fairies.
It was because Dalon had an innate desire to care for and protect the little ones.
It was like how humans wanted to cradle baby chicks when they saw them.
The dwarf adjutant reached into their clothes and rummaged around before pulling something out.
I wondered what it was, but it turned out to be a flask.
[Mana’s Blessing (S+)]
[Enhancement Chance: 2%]
[※Warning! If Enhancement fails, the item will be automatically destroyed!]
[If Enhancement fails, the cooldown will reset.]
[Would you like to enhance Mana’s Blessing (S+)?]
[YES/NO]
Mana’s Blessing was an S+-rank item.
It was a superior version of the Heavenly Elixir Balm Monk had taken, an elixir for mages.
“It is a gift to strengthen our relationship. There is nothing else suitable for me to give. If it has no use for you, you may give it to your adjutant.”
“...Thank you.”
If I gave this to Charlotte in an emergency, the effect would be incredible.
Even if he liked me, I hadn’t expected him to give me such a gift when we had only just met.
Unlike someone else, his heart was as big as his body.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The ground shook every time Dalon took a step.
The Magic Dwarf and the fairy followed after him, the Underground Tomb’s adjutant and Keeper respectively.
“Then, I shall see you at the next meeting.”
Before long, a portal slightly shorter than Dalon opened before him.
The Magic Dwarf had opened a portal that large alone.
As expected of an adjutant from the Seven Palaces of the Abyss. Their mana was incredible...
‘Hm. They look like they’re having a really hard time.’
The Magic Dwarf’s eyes had rolled back.
They looked like they were about to suffer mana exhaustion.
Dalon lowered his head and pushed his body through the portal.
Once that enormous body disappeared, my view opened right up.
The vague tension of standing before a cosmic horror vanished too.
Patter, patter!
Exceptionally light footsteps stabbed at my ears.
Soon, the twin homunculi looked up at me with sparkling eyes.
Ren abruptly thrust a finger at me.
They were more than a thousand years old, but they looked like innocent children.
“Rank Seven! I like you!”
“Rin too! Rin likes Rank Seven!”
The twin homunculi’s levels were an even darker green than Dalon’s.
With that much goodwill, they were comparable to Balutak.
The two giggled and spun around me as if performing a circle dance.
“Play with us later! Rin wants that too!”
“Rin! Rin! Likes Rank Seven! Bergoer? Vargoer?”
“Yes. It’s Vargoer!”
“Hehe. Rin wants to play with Vargoer! Any time! Come visit our dungeon!”
“I feel the same way. Come visit the Twin Star Tower sometime. I’ll be waiting!”
Their constant chatter made my head spin, but I nodded without showing it.
Then they suddenly held out their pinkies.
“Promise!”
“Pinky prooomise!”
“....”
Before I knew it, I had made a pinky promise with both hands before the twins finally let go.
They walked away with broad smiles, then waved wildly from the door.
Showing nothing but their innocent side to the very end, they left the conference room.
“You were really cool.”
The last remaining Lord of the Seven Palaces of the Abyss was Rose Sha.
She had already come up behind me, sensually tracing the nape of my neck.
Damn. That was terrifying.
“What should I do? The more I learn about you, the more I’m drawn in.”
“....”
“You know, right? I’m always open to you. Really, any time is fine. It doesn’t have to be just for one night, either. If you want to see me, come to the Old Castle that very day.”
Rose Sha smiled with her eyes.
It was a bewitching smile that reminded me of a fox.
“Or how about right here at this Round Table? It would be a different experience.”
“...I’ll come by later.”
“Hehe. All right. Oh, and I’ll send the Ninth Legion’s reinforcements as soon as they’re ready. They still need some preparation. I want to send you a legion in perfect condition if possible.”
Rose Sha removed her hand from my body.
Dravule had already opened a dungeon portal in the distance. Rose Sha stood farther away, gently curling and uncurling her fingers at me.
“See you later, darling.”
Still staring at me and acting coquettish to the end, Rose Sha stepped backward into the portal.
Only after everyone had left did a sigh of relief, in the form of frost, escape me. It went on endlessly, like I was chain-smoking.
This was the first time in my life I had ever been this scared.
I never imagined I could bluff that much among the strongest people in the world....
Without the slightest exaggeration, it had been one situation after another where I could have died in an instant if I made even the smallest mistake.
Honestly, even I was wondering, ‘How the hell did I pull that off?’
“Why did you spare me?”
Charlotte’s words broke me out of my thoughts.
...Spare her?
I looked at her in confusion, not understanding what she meant.
“You can find an adjutant more capable than me at any time. But your relationship with Lord Roxanne... I would have preferred it if you had executed me.”
I understood what she meant.
Like she said, my damaged relationship with Roxanne was a serious problem.
From a practical standpoint, executing Charlotte and repairing that relationship would have been better.
But how could I do that?
My heart was human, and I had grown attached to Charlotte over all this time.
“Don’t say that. There is no adjutant who can replace you.”
“....”
It struck me again that Charlotte was originally meant to become Roxanne’s Keeper.
You could say I had cucked Roxanne by taking Charlotte from her.
Charlotte still hadn’t reached the level of an adjutant from the Seven Palaces of the Abyss, but Charlotte stock would only keep rising. All I could do was hold.
“I will devote the rest of my life to serving you, Boss. That is why I ask....”
Charlotte hesitated, struggling to continue.
“Would you prefer that I become a Lich and serve you? Or that I become a Vampire and serve you for the rest of my life?”
I was stunned for a moment by the completely unexpected question.
Why was she asking that?
Her already serious expression looked even more serious this time, so I couldn’t simply ignore it.
“...Become a Vampire.”
“Yes. I will obey.”
Even if I was a Death Knight, I was quite uncomfortable with my closest attendant being undead.
There was no comparison. A human-like Vampire was much better.
“You have worked hard, Boss.”
“You worked hard too.”
“Kirik. That’s my Great Chieftain. You put those other Great Chieftains in their place.”
I was the last one to rise from my seat.
As I approached the door, Charlotte hurried ahead.
She flung the door open and gestured outside as if she were my personal attendant.
This was seriously awkward.
I hid my discomfort and stepped outside.
Beyond the door, I saw a small figure hurrying toward me with quick little steps. What was that?
“H-hello...?”
Ah.
Come to think of it, I had forgotten about her.
Estigel looked up at me timidly, only lifting her eyes.
I could guess why she had been waiting for me after thinking about it for just a moment.
“Have you decided?”
“...Yes.”
Gulp.
Estigel’s throat trembled.
Her level was dark green.
I could roughly predict what she was about to say.
“I-I also want to be with you at Faith’s Tomb, my Lord.”
I thought the incident at the Round Table would scare her, but it had only made her like me more.
She had probably become certain that I held no hostility toward her.
When someone powerful had your back, it only made you feel safe and like them more.
I silently held out my hand.
Estigel looked back and forth between my hand and my face.
“U-um, what is this for...?”
“I’m going to break your wrist.”
“...What?”
“I’m joking.”
Phew. Estigel let out a deep sigh of relief and took my hand.
I shook it up and down, and she resisted so little that even her arm swayed with it.
“Boss makes jokes too....”
“Kirik! Not funny!”
Smack!
A sharp sound came from behind me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Balutak rubbing the back of their head and Charlotte with her palm held wide open, but I ignored them.
“Anyway, our family has grown. Help Estigel adjust well.”
“Understood.”
“Kirik. Adjusting is my specialty. Just trust me. But Estigel looks like Isabella. Isabella suddenly came to mind. I want to see Isabella....”
“Isn’t Buraltak your lover?”
“Kikirik! Buraltak is my female. Isabella is my best friend.”
“They’re both female in the end, aren’t they?”
“Kirik. If you put it that way, the adjutant is female too. The adjutant can become my female...”
Smack!
Another blow rang out.
Balutak lowered their head and rubbed the back of it with teary eyes.
Right. They deserved to get hit a little.
‘Still, Isabella.’
Like Balutak, I was curious about her too.
What was she doing around now?
Was she living well?
Footnotes:
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