Dungeon Defense (WN)

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“You have been spending less time in bed as of late.”

After sending Earl Bercy off, I sat in my chair sipping the disgustingly sweet fruit alcohol. I had fallen into thought. I’ve recently been getting a lot of opportunities to sit around and think.

“It is because there is no reason for me to sleep for a long time.”

“That is not what I mean by less time in bed, Father. You have never done it ever since that woman died.”

“I am curious to know when you became so knowledgeable about my lower body’s affairs.”

I scoffed.

“Has your interest shifted to such matters now that your brain has matured a bit? Know your place. No one would associate with a milk-drinking brat like you.”

“There is no use deflecting. It has been a month already. The fact that a man of your insatiable desires has abstained for an entire month is unheard of.”

“It has only been a month. There are times when I wish to rest as well.”

“I know you very well, Father.”

I narrowed my eyes and glared at Daisy.

The corners of her mouth were twisted. I’m not sure who she resembles, but it was an incredibly annoying expression.

“Do you genuinely believe that you are married to that woman?”

“…….”

“Your methods are always the same, Father. Unbeknownst to anyone else, you remember the dead in your own way. If I may voice my opinion, it is incredibly unsightly. There is a limit to the truth.”

I let out a snort as I drank my fruit alcohol.

“Laura and Ivar must have whined to you.”

“Surprisingly, even Demon Lord Gamigin came to request information from me. To be honest, it is bothersome. I ask that you go up to someone appropriate and bed her. All things considered, the only parts of your body that are considered valuable are your mouth and lower body. Do you intend to drop your value by half?”

It was obvious what happened. Since I suddenly stopped bedding women, they came to ask my dedicated maid, Daisy, about my situation. What unreasonable women. There are things you should and shouldn’t ask a 15-year-old girl. Tsk tsk…….

“Do not meddle needlessly. Nothing good will come from getting involved in another person’s relationship issues. In that regard, how has yours been going?”

“I have never dated anyone in my entire life.”

“Do you not have that distinguished brother of yours?”

It was my turn to laugh mockingly this time. Sure enough, Daisy’s expression turned rotten.

“……I am not dating Luke.”

“Why? Is it because you prefer the same gender? Hah, what a good excuse. Watching you desperately pretend as if you have no feelings for your brother is quite the sight to behold. Did touching Ivar’s butt make you feel better?”

“…….”

I smirked.

“I see you have suddenly lost your words. Try saying it again, ‘I know you very well, Father’. Dear me, do you still have nothing to say? I guess even two mouths would not be enough for you since you even disowned yourself from your parents just in case. This father has become awestruck by how magnificent his daughter’s crush is.”

“I will kill you.”

“That is the scariest threat in the world.”

I shrugged.

I turned to look at Daisy so that I could deal her a final uppercut, but I suddenly came to realize how much the child whom I had brought with me at 10 years old had grown. I said it as a joke, but Daisy really is almost all grown up now.

“Hmm.”

I stroked Daisy’s hair with my hand. Her beautiful black hair slipped between my fingers. Her skin, which was as fair as white porcelain ceramics, was also eye-catching. Her breasts weren’t that pronounced, but this is a good thing for assassins.

I see. Has it already been five years……?

Daisy didn’t react whatsoever even though I was touching her hair however I wanted. Her expression, which is normally emotionless, contained a level of intellect that had been deliberately engraved into her since a young age. In terms of language alone, this child is already fluent in 10 of them.

“Do you want to get married?”

“…….”

Daisy blinked.

Shortly after, Daisy made an expression like a pedestrian who had just witnessed vomit on the ground.

“Are you insane?”

“If you wish to live an ordinary married life, there is no reason for me to not put it into consideration. You are also fifteen years old, meaning you are old enough to decide your own life. Be honest. Do you want to get married?”

She must’ve noticed I was being somewhat serious.

Daisy gazed at me with an even colder look.

“……Rene, Albert, Brnois, Jean, Toby, Abel, Bruno, Tebo, Lucien. Do you know who all nine of these people are?”

“No.”

“They are the residents of our village whom Father killed.”

Daisy’s eyes glimmered with spite.

“Mr. Rene used to wake up earlier than anyone else to check on the village fences every morning. Mr. Albert always helped families in need, even when his own family did not have enough food and was facing starvation during the winter. Old Man Brnois, the village elder, always led us wisely. Each one of these individuals was killed by you, Father. You did so as if you were simply killing mere insects.”

“…….”

“Do not pretend to be righteous now. You are a villain to the core with no redemption in sight, Father. The only reason I sometimes comfort you is purely because it would be inconvenient if you were to deteriorate before I can kill you with my own two hands.”

Daisy let out a sly chuckle.

“The fact that you have become this devastated after killing a single woman is so ridiculous that I cannot even laugh. You have already murdered hundreds of thousands of people, Father. They were all either someone’s father, someone’s child, or someone’s lover. Hah. Have you finally gained the strength to grieve the dead? Why does it matter when it was just some harlot?”

I splashed my fruit alcohol on Daisy’s face.

The scarlet liquid dripped from her hair. Despite this, Daisy didn’t even flinch.

“Paimon……was not an average person.”

“People can be remarkably hypocritical. While the value of life remains the same, they often react more passionately to the lives of those close to them. Even Demon Lord Sitri, with her innocent face, slaughtered a hundred thousand innocent citizens just because the lover she worshipped died……. The math there is astonishing.”

Daisy took out a handkerchief and wiped her face.

“I can assure you, not once have I entertained the notion of marriage, not even in my wildest dreams. So fret not. The purpose of my existence was etched in stone the day you razed and pillaged my village. Father, I will end you.”

“…….”

“However, your demise alone will not suffice. I intend to unveil and prosecute every one of your transgressions, ensuring you meet a fitting end.”

A faint smile appeared on Daisy’s face once she finished wiping it.

“Coincidentally, it seems that what you desire for your final moments aligns perfectly with my own wishes, does it not? Personally, I consider myself quite the filial daughter. What you yearn for most deeply, I too sincerely and fervently desire in the depths of my heart.”

How filial of her. It made me feel like erecting a statue in her honor.

“Sleep in my bed tonight, Father.”

“……What?”

I scowled while Daisy maintained her tranquil expression.

“I am not asking you to sleep with me. I might be mad, but I have not gone insane enough to offer my virginity to you. Just hide under my bed and sleep there.”

I was just becoming more confused. For starters, I should fix her tone.

“I am your master. Yet, you speak as if you are the master.”

“Is this request not lighter than asking for marriage? Considering the only thing you have ever bestowed upon me is torture, it is only fair to accept a request of this degree.”

The audacious way she made requests mirrored me. I must have taught her wrong. I sighed.

“……Asking me to sleep under your bed. What is your aim?”

“You will understand tonight.”

Daisy left it at that, providing no further explanation.

That night, I found myself sleeping in Daisy’s room within my Demon Lord Castle.

The floor was cold and unforgiving, but it didn’t bother me. Ever since I endured lashings while punishing Laura in the past, I’d lost almost all sensation in my back. Thanks to this, I could now sleep peacefully on any surface. What an unexpected benefit.

And what was I doing lying underneath the bed?

“……Where did this girl run off to?”

I was doing nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Daisy’s bedroom boasted a bleak view, but the furnishings themselves were of the highest quality. The bed, in particular, was quite enormous despite Daisy’s petite frame, covering my entire body and then some.

However, Daisy, in her audacity, didn’t hesitate to tuck me, the lord of the Demon Lord Castle and the shadowy figure of the empire, underneath her bed. “I’ll be back in a moment,” she declared before vanishing to some unknown location. I was baffled, and when I voiced my confusion, she responded with a threat, “Tonight, do not move from that spot under any circumstances.”

In the end, I found myself lying beneath the pitch-dark bed, gazing at nothing but the darkness beneath. Even a smoke or a drink at this time would have been a relief, but in this cursed place, there was nothing I could do.

“Haa.”

What kind of foolish thing was she trying to pull by pushing me into a place like this?

Honestly, I’m still clueless about what’s going on. It could very well be her way of messing with me. No, knowing Daisy, that’s more than likely the case.

Had an hour passed?

– Creak.

The bedroom door opened, interrupting my thoughts. Just as I was starting to feel relieved about her return, I heard a rather familiar voice.

“Oh, so this is your room, Daisy? This is my first time seeing it!”

……Luke?

Instinctively, I clamped my mouth shut. It was a voice I hadn’t expected at all.

“As I thought, you’re really favored by our godfather, huh? I’m jealous. I was never given my own room in the castle.”

“Are you jealous since I’m being favored by Father?”

It was Daisy’s voice this time. This was my first time hearing her speak informally, so it was like a breath of fresh air. However, only her words were changed to be informal while her tone remained blunt and somewhat cold.

“Obviously! Our godfather is the greatest person in the world. I heard he recently passed a bill to free all slaves around the world.”

“It’s not the entire world. It’s only in the Habsburg Empire and the demon world.”

“It’s bound to spread everywhere eventually! Same difference.”

Luke was visibly excited.

Come to think of it, Daisy hadn’t had a proper conversation with Luke for about three or four years. After cutting ties with her birth parents, she seemed to have intentionally distanced herself from Luke. So, from Luke’s perspective, it was the first time in three years that he was having a conversation with his little sister. His happiness was understandable.

“But why’d you invite me this late at night? I’m not saying that I dislike that you invited me! I was just wondering if something was up.”

“Father mentioned to me today that I’ve been neglecting you too much.”

“Our godfather said that……?”

Luke sounded slightly moved.

“Oh, I see……. I’m sorry, Daisy. It must’ve been because I talked to him about you a while ago.”

“It’s okay. It’s true I’ve been neglecting you too because of how busy I’ve been. I decided to call you now since I have a mountain of things to do tomorrow, so I’ll be busy all day.”

This seemed to convince Luke as he uttered, “I see. I understand.” From my perspective, I could only see Luke’s ankles, but I could vividly picture him nodding his head energetically.

“Luke, let’s commemorate this reunion.”

The siblings sat on the edge of the bed. I couldn’t tell what kind it was, but the two started drinking alcohol. The two chatted away about the village, training, work, and family.

I felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

Surely, Daisy didn’t call Luke just to chat and catch up. What was she scheming?

***

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. This must be the Daisy arc. I’m sort of on auto-pilot right now. Work is draining me too much. These are just one-sentence thoughts. I think I need more sleep. Should I take a nap after posting this? Maybe. I pray to survive another week. Weekends are too short.

I will see you guys in the next chapter.