Dungeon Defense (WN)

Chapter 20: Human Hunting (1)

A village burned. A large shadow was visible between thick layers of smoke and flames. Its identity was a mystery, but it was clear that it wasn’t human. Moreover, it was also clear that it was slaughtering the village people mercilessly.

“Dad! Mom! Daisy!”

“No!”

The boy understood everything his dad wanted to say through that single ‘No’. For starters, he was being told to not come to where they were and that he had to turn around and run away. That single ‘No’ contained the fact that he had to leave behind his dad, mom, and little sister and run away. It told him that if he didn’t run away now, then he would also die helplessly.

That single syllable word had the ability to exchange someone’s death with another’s life. The boy had yet to learn how terrifying this fact was. Nevertheless, he was scared. He was facing death for the first time in his life. It felt as if the monster’s massive shadow was glaring down at him. The boy turned around and began to run towards the forest. His dad’s one word kept repeating in his head.

‘No! No! No!…….’

How long has he been running for? He felt a painful pang in his stomach. His insides were jumbled up because he had run so frantically. It was at the moment he thought he couldn’t run for much longer. The boy saw a man in the distance. He might be a part of the group that assaulted the village! The boy instantly hid in a nearby bush. However, the boy felt relieved once he heard what the man shouted next.

“I’m a patrol officer! Are there any survivors!? I’m a patrol officer! Damn it. Survivors, are there any survivors!?”

There were occasionally soldiers that came to slash-and-burn farming villages under the pretext of patroling in order to collect taxes. The villagers who abandoned their homes and came here in order to avoid taxes would normally wish these soldiers dead, but to the boy, the soldier looked like an angel right now. The boy stumbled out from the bush.

“I-I’m here! Mr. Soldier! I’m here!”

“Oh, my word! Dear Lord, you’re really here!”

The man smiled brightly. He looked genuinely happy. That face made the boy feel completely relieved. He could tell that the man was sincerely delighted to see him. However, he didn’t have the time to stay relieved. The boy had a family to get back to.

“A monster, a monster attacked…… the village is on fire! My mom and dad!”

“All right. You are a brave child. Calm yourself, calm down.”

The man leaned down and brushed the boy’s cheek.

“A punitive force has just now entered the village. I was ordered to go around and look for potential survivors.”

“A punitive force? Really?”

The boy jumped up and down.

“Are my mom and dad really going to survive? My little sister too? Also the village people?”

“Of course. I promise you. You’ll be together with all of the village people soon.”

The boy felt as if that were a lie. He could instinctually tell that that was a lie which adults would tell him in order to calm him down. Regardless, he wanted to believe the man’s words as well. Something about the man’s voice made him want to rely on him.

“Yeah!…… uuh, hhk…….”

“Oh dear. It seems your tension has finally left you. All right, come here.”

The man hugged the boy.

“Your little sister’s name is Daisy, right?”

“Hkk…… Mister, you know Daisy?”

“Yes, I do. And your name is Luke.”

The boy nodded. The man’s collar was getting soaked in tears.

“Yeah.”

“I know your village inside out. I heard a lot about it! I even know about the girl next door whom you confessed to when you were 7⎯⎯⎯.”

“Eh? Aah! Aaah! How do you know about that!?”

Embarrassment occupied the spots where fear and sadness once were. Dear God! There was no doubt that his Dad had told the patrol officer about him. His dad would always blab about him, after all. The man chuckled.

“Good. Your face has become a little more presentable now, you brave, young lad!”

“Haa……seriously, dad.”

“Now then, let’s go to the village. Let’s go meet your dad now.”

I wanted to go have a word with him right now anyway, the boy stated as he left the man’s embrace. The boy walked back towards the village with less weight on his shoulders. The foliage around the village had all shriveled, so there was no hesitation in his steps.

And then⎯⎯⎯.

* * *

Thunk!

A bolt hit a target. At the very edge of the mark. I was satisfied that I was able to hit the mark.

“You have improved a lot.”

Lapis commented from beside me.

“I’d be better off dead if I couldn’t do this much.”

I replied while loading another bolt. I’ve been practicing with a crossbow lately. I wanted at least one method to protect myself. Bows took too long to master and I didn’t want to use spears or swords simply because they were melee weapons. Going face to face with an adventurer using a sword!? What a terrifying thought.

‘It was cowardly, but who cares?’

People should know their place. What more can someone do than die when they try to do something despite having no talent in fighting? Furthermore, shooting a crossbow was much braver than holing up in my Demon Lord room.

“I have brought the product you ordered yesterday.”

Lapis spoke. I was wondering why she came here during my usual crossbow practicing time, but, as expected of a merchant, she came to do business. Regardless, this Lapis girl suddenly attempted to bargain with me.

“I will be receiving 550 gold each.”

“What, 550?”

I completely forgot that I was reloading a bolt as I turned my head towards her. Lapis was utterly impassive. Hah! This scrooge would probably try to scrape everything from under a flea’s claw as well.

“Oi, are you kidding me? 300 gold each.”

“It was 500 gold apiece. I cannot possibly go any lower than this.”

“That’s still too expensive. 350 gold apiece.”

Lapis then responded firmly.

“450 gold. Even if Satan himself were to descend upon us, I will not sell it for 350 gold.”

This was where her pride as a merchant was on the line. That’s what her tone sounded like. Tsk. I clicked my tongue and turned away. I spoke as I loaded a bolt into my crossbow.

“I’ll purchase 2 for 700 gold.”

“……3 for 1,200 gold.”

Hm. 3 for 1,200 gold, is it?

I pulled the bolt back with the winch. I then raised the crossbow. I aimed at the target quickly, but not to the point of being impatient. I held my breath for a second and pulled the trigger. The string flicked. The bolt cut through the air.

Thuck!

The bolt hit the mark. I gave a satisfied nod. Although I could only fire 2 bolts a minute, if it has this much force, then I should be able to pick off one adventurer. I carefully put my crossbow down next to my feet and stuck my right hand out to Lapis.

“Deal.”

“Very well.”

Lapis returned the handshake.

“Your Highness Dantalian would have also made a great merchant.”

“Mm. I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment.”

“It was obviously a compliment.”

Lapis responded in a tone that sounded as if she were asking me why I was saying something so obvious. I guess, similar to how telling a soldier they’re soldier-like was a compliment, telling a merchant that they were merchant-like was the best praise you could possibly give them.

─ Keruk! Keruruk!

─ Kyarururu!

My goblin and fairies cheered in celebration around us. This atmosphere felt as if two major countries had finally formed an alliance after 4 straight days of dialogue. The goblin then handed me something at the perfect moment. He had handed me a towel so that I could wipe my sweat.

─ Keruru.

Haha. I wonder if it was because I’ve been doting on the fairies a lot lately. Blingy must have felt as if his position was in danger considering how he was trying to take care of me like this. Sheesh, what an adorable, little thing. He doesn’t have to do this, though. I smiled happily like a parent who had just watched their child go on an errand for the first time.

“Thanks, little one.”

I gave Blingy a kiss on the forehead.

─ Keru! Keruru!

Sheesh. He’s really loving it, huh? I should give him some more physical contact from now on.

I sat down on a nearby boulder. I had only exercised for a brief moment, but I was already out of breath. Be it my original world or this world, my stamina being terrible hasn’t changed. As I was wiping my forehead and neck with the towel, I noticed that the fairies were approaching me now while strenuously holding something up.

“Wow.”

They were bringing me some water in a bowl. It must have been fairly heavy as it required 4 of them to hold it up. They probably worked together as a group to fill it with their water magic. Bless these fairies.

I gulped down the water. Water that was as refreshing as bedrock groundwater flowed down my throat.

“Kah.”

Naturally, I should tip them appropriately for their service.

I doted on the fairies one at a time. I brushed their cheeks with my finger and tickled their stomachs. The fairies screamed with laughter.

Ah, this was bliss. How great would it be if time could stop at this very moment?

“……Sir Dantalian.”

“Hm?”

“You are incredibly kind to monsters, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am. Look at how cute they are.”

I rubbed a fairy’s head with the tip of my finger. Kyaruru! The fairy held on to my finger and moved her body as if she were hanging off of a high bar. It seems that my hand was like a small-scale playground for these girls. You girls, I’m an expensive man, but I’ll allow this.

“Sir Dantalian.”

Hm? I turned my head.

Lapis was holding out a glass bottle with some sort of red liquid inside of it.

“Huh? What’s this?”

“It is a potion. Use it to heal your injury.”

“Are you giving this to me?”

“Yes. Think of it as a service.”

Traditionally, you can’t say no to something that’s free. I hastily received the potion. Potions were expensive products that cost more than 10 gold apiece, so I’ve been contemplating on whether I should buy one or not; however, receiving one like this at such a nice timing naturally made me elated. As expected of Keuncuska! They know how to satisfy their customers.

“Thank you, Lapis.”

“Think nothing of it.”

“Wow. I wonder how this works. Is it enchanted with magic, or?”

“…….”

“It might be fused with magic ores that have been grounded down. They say that the majority of materials can hold magic, so if I can figure it out.”

“…….”

Hm?

Lapis kept staring at me.

“What? Is something wrong?”

“The potion.”

She then pointed at the potion in my hand.

“That is rather expensive.”

“Mhm. I know. That’s why I’m grateful.”

“…….”

“……?”

The piercing gaze of her blue eyes was still on me.

What’s the issue? Wait, don’t tell me!

“You aren’t asking me to return it since it’s expensive, are you!?”

“……Never mind.”

She let out a small sigh.

“Huh, okay? So this is mine, right?”

“Yes.”

Was I imagining things? Lapis’ expressionless face appeared a little colder than usual. Did she feel like it was a waste even though she was giving it to me as a service? ……Tsk tsk, you can only succeed if you know how to give things with certainty when you have to be generous. It’s still too soon for Lapis to become a great merchant.

Lapis shifted the topic in order to change the mood.

“In any case, why did you purchase medium-scale teleportation scrolls? Although I am grateful since my work performance increases according to the more expensive products I sell.”

“Mm.”

Medium-scale teleportation scroll.

It is a magic tool that allows a total of 20 people to be transported somewhere instantaneously. It is often used to conquer fortresses that don’t have an advanced magic barrier or when high-standing demons want to urgently go somewhere with their elite guards. Nonetheless, it was an expensive item. It was normal for high-rank demons to simply have a subordinate that was capable of teleportation magic, and for the demons who didn’t have such mages under their wings, the price was overbearing. It was an item that people had mixed feelings about in various regards.

‘It’s extremely useful for me right now.’

“What about my previous request?”

“……You do not intend to answer my question, I see.”

Lapis nodded weakly.

“Ah, don’t misunderstand. It’s just that you will naturally figure it out as well.”

“I understand. Now then, I will give a report regarding the request you made. There are a total of thirty-five slave markets in the northern region of the Kingdom of Sardinia.”

She then handed me a document. The name of every slave market owner, their locations, and the scale of the markets, these were all written down concisely on the document.

“There are three places large enough to trade in high-class sex slaves. I centered my investigation on these three places. As a result, I was able to identify the slave which Your Highness Dantalian requested for.”

“All right!”

I made a fist with my right hand. I hopped up and down a couple of times.

“Good job! Lapis, you are truly the greatest person of talent! It’s clear to me that the Keuncuska Firm executives all have buttons for eyes. How could you only be a rank 5 personnel!?”

She must have been satisfied by my reaction as she smiled faintly. Ever since I extensively showed her my resolve, Lapis would smile like this every so often. She still looked emotionless if you compared her to normal people, but I was capable of perceiving the difference.

However, her charm only went that far.

She spoke in an unaffected tone.

“It was heavily guarded and the security was thorough.”

Oh? Was she trying to poke around for more before giving me the information?

My feet which had been dancing in excitement came to a stop. I snorted.

“I’ll give you 10 gold as a bonus.”

“A fair amount of money was required to bribe guards and insiders.”

“……I’ll include another 10 gold.”

“Thank you for doing business with our Keuncuska Firm once again.”

“Uegh.”

I got fed up.

“Hey, you’re seriously a merchant.”

“That is the highest of praises.”

Lapis bowed her head. I’m not sure, but was I feeling satisfaction from her right now or was I being excessively sensitive? It was as if she were emitting an aura that was boasting about how she had managed to land a blow on me.

“Sheesh.”

I wound up spending a lot more than I expected just to obtain a single piece of information. Like so, the two of us had created a relationship where we would exchange blows. As expected of an employee from the bloodless and tearless Keuncuska Firm, she won’t sit idly by and just take the hits.

“Here is information regarding Her Ladyship Farnese.”

Lapis pulled out the remaining document she had been hiding and handed it to me. I mentally clicked my tongue at her meticulousness, but I was satisfied that I was able to obtain the information I wanted as I received the piece of paper from her. The personal information of a single girl was written in detail on the document. The girl was being held by a small slave merchant group. There was also information on the slave merchant group’s plan to go to a different city that also had a large slave market in a few days from now.

‘Laura De Farnese.’

Also known as 「Female Iron Chancellor」.

She was the girl who tormented me endlessly in my previous life. No, to be more exact, she was one of the culprits behind many of the struggles the character I played as in Dungeon Attack had to go through.

If Demon Lords go against the player as absolute enemies of the human world, then Laura confronted the player every chance she got as another faction of the human world. You could say that the number of times players died to the Demon Lords and the number of times players died to Laura’s faction were almost equal. Posts complaining about Laura appeared almost every day on the Dungeon Attack fansite.

The enemy of the enemy is an ally.

‘I will definitely bring her to my side.’

I know what was going to happen in this world. Thus, I came to a realization. Shouldn’t I be able to create allies a little more actively instead of only using my information to make money?

In Dungeon Attack, there were as many enemies as there were allies. Although a majority of them are eventually lured in by the hero’s humane charm, there were those who remained as enemies till the bitter end. If I were to rally them together, then I should be able to protect my dungeon with ease.

Laura was the first recruit candidate on my list. There was no one who despised the hero as much as she did. Even her last moment was one of the best memorable scenes in the game. When the hero shouts at her to just surrender, she snorts at him lightheartedly and,

‘O shallow-minded adventurer. This body has lived with hatred and hatred alone.’

She then commits suicide by jumping off the rampart she was standing on.

An utterly clean end. You learn all sorts of things through her will later on, but it isn’t until the end that you discover that her path was different from all the other enemies. In other words, she was competent, despised the hero’s faction, and didn’t shy away from the idea of allying with demons. As a Demon Lord, it would be weird to not want her.

Lapis asked me a question as I carefully read through the document.

“I am curious as to why you are interested in a mere human.”

“A mere human, is it?”

I felt the ends of my mouth rising on their own.

“I wonder? You’ll just have to wait and find out.”

***

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. Woops, I forgot that I accidentally started to translate this chapter before I even released the previous chapter on my site. I’ll actually go back to translating a Handholding chapter this time for sure.

I’ll see you guys in probably a little more than a week depending on how long the chapter is (Also because my midterm exams start next week).