I’m Telling You, I’m Not a Boss Monster!

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Cecilia retraced her memories.

There’s no way my master didn’t notice me back then.

Though he tried to kill me, he was never someone who would push me away.

He is someone who forgives everything, embraces his disciples, and holds them close.

Without a doubt, my master had lost his memory.

Because he lost his memories, he couldn’t recognize me.

Cecilia fell into despair, crying out loud for a long time. Even when tears wouldn’t come and her throat tightened, she sobbed with a metallic sound.

After finally being able to meet him again, I ended up ruining everything by myself.

In his lifetime, I let him go and die, and after becoming undead, I tried to kill him with my own hands.

The price I paid for that was forgetfulness.

His smiling face still lingers in my mind, yet he has completely forgotten me.

I have no reason to live, no motivation.

What am I supposed to do now?

…Only atonement is the answer.

Let’s die and atone. No, let’s atone even in death.

Like my master, I’ll become undead and dedicate my eternal life to him.

With that resolve, Cecilia raised the Moonlight Sword.

The last memory that surfaced was that of him pushing me away after saving my life at the cost of his own.

“…Huh?”

Suddenly, a question arose, turning into hope.

My master lost his memories of me.

But that doesn’t mean he forgot everything.

He surely remembered that I had tried to kill him, that I nearly caused his death.

It must have morphed into the thought that he was just killed by a human.

Yet, my master did not harm me at all.

On the contrary, he expressed his desire for me to leave quickly and confessed he harbored no malice.

He could have forcibly expelled me, yet he waited silently for two days.

Having forgotten my master, he became the complete boss of the Infinite Hell, yet why?

“Undead…”

The traits of undead that everyone knows.

Undead may lose their memories, but the instincts derived from those memories remain.

A knight who walked the path of swordsmanship swings his sword as if it were second nature, even after losing that memory in death.

The reason all Death Knights have deep expertise in swordsmanship is that strong instincts rooted deeper than memories remain.

Cecilia thought her master was the same.

The fact that he seized the holy sword came from those remaining instincts.

The instincts derived from a Death Knight’s memories are not limited to sword skills.

The protective instincts of a knight also exist.

That was why the Death Knight devoted himself to serving the Mage wholeheartedly.

Cecilia shared a bond with him that was more than just master and disciple.

In his lifetime, her master cared for her enough to instinctively protect her.

He always aimed to protect her with his whole body, without even thinking.

Hopeful speculations and the situation back then overlapped.

Was it the protective instinct that allowed him to let me go without killing me?

Even if he recognized me as an enemy in his mind, did his instincts suppress that?

“…I hope that’s the case.”

Even though my master lost his memories, he instinctively protects me.

If that’s true, then his instincts prove he is still my master.

Of course, it pains me that he has lost his memories.

But even if traces of my master emerge from those instincts…

That alone might be enough for Cecilia.

She gripped her sword and raised her staggering body.

Only asking questions wouldn’t yield a satisfactory answer, but there was a way to confirm things.

Undead have frozen hearts, and their emotions are withered.

Only the murderous intent towards humans remains as the emotion of the undead.

In other words, I could confirm his instincts through this method.

Cecilia looked at her reflection on the sword’s blade.

If he truly meant to kill me, I could remain by his side as an undead.

If by a slim chance he couldn’t kill me then…

“There’s hope.”

Cecilia held onto that thread of hope.

***

This time, I genuinely thought I was going to die.

I heard that Charlotte mentioned something about the inverse relationship of soul binding and blah blah… Honestly, I didn’t quite catch the details.

Anyway, what matters is that I survived, so I guess that’s good.

In conclusion, she became my absolute servant and thus revived me.

Charlotte seemed rather pleased to have become a servant.

Even though if I died, she would too.

No wonder they say she’s a lonely witch.

“I owe you a debt.”

“You flatter me. Compared to the boss’s grace, it’s nothing.”

-Haah Haah!

Hellbok wobbled between my legs.

Charlotte, who had been watching quietly, picked up the larger Hellbok in her arms.

She came into the boss room to report something, but instead, she was petting Hellbok.

“The report?”

“Oh, a letter came from the stronghold. The 9th Legion returned safely, and Carleon reported no issues.”

Cecilia had still been hanging around the dungeon, but there seemed to be no hostility.

Because of that, I sent Carleon and the 9th Legion and also conveyed gratitude to Roseha.

“What happened to Cecilia?”

At this point, I was starting to think she should stop clinging and leave soon.

Being a beggar and just leeching off was making me uneasy.

If she suddenly snaps and breaks everything in the dungeon, it would be a huge problem.

Knock, knock.

At the sound of a knock, Charlotte closed her mouth.

She looked between me and the door, and I nodded.

When Charlotte opened the door, Isabella appeared.

Mumbling and fidgeting.

For some reason, Isabella, standing before me, kept glancing around.

Did she commit some grave mistake and was now fretting?

“Um, Boss?”

“Yeah.”

“That hero wants to meet you…?”

“….”

Why is she making life difficult for me?

After being stuck in the afterlife for two days, what could possibly be her business with me all of a sudden?

The look on Isabella’s face was one of obvious fear toward Cecilia. Balutak and the others probably felt the same.

If I don’t go out, I can’t imagine what kind of chaos would ensue.

Who knows, she might even harm others.

‘She wouldn’t really kill me, right…?’

If she did, she would have just charged in and killed me without a second thought. The fact that she came to request a meeting must mean there’s room for conversation.

“Understood.”

I set out with the two accompanying me.

I was worried about her possibly attacking me out of nowhere.

I should check their levels from a distance; if it’s red, I’ll flee immediately.

Cecilia stood alone on the 10th floor. The fact that her level was still a constant hot pink reassured me a little.

As Cecilia approached me with quick steps, she called out.

“Master.”

“I told you I’m not your master.”

“No, you are my master. You’ve just lost your memory, Master.”

No, seriously, I’m not your master!

“I have a request.”

Swish!

Suddenly, Cecilia thrust her sword forward.

In an instant, I flinched, but the gesture felt more like she was offering me the sword.

“Kill me, please. I want to die by your hand, Master.”

“…What?”

“Kill me and bring me back as an undead. Keep me by your side for life and use me as you wish. I want to be with you, even so.”

I understood what she meant.

She was still convinced I was her master and wanted to serve me.

In her mind, she must have believed I doubted her faith and that was why I was pushing her away.

So, she wanted to prove her loyalty as an undead.

I was thoroughly dumbfounded.

“If I die, I want it to be by your hand, Master. I mean it. From now on, I will serve you for life and atone.”

…Honestly, it was an enticing offer.

Killing her would eliminate the immediate threat, and I would gain the Moonlight Sword, a sacred artifact, in my possession.

No matter how I thought about it, killing her seemed to be the practical choice.

However, my heart always hesitated.

The deep pink level.

Even if it was a misunderstanding, to kill someone who had no hostility and had feelings for me?

It was true she had tried to kill me.

But she always looked miserable, and she still did.

The image of Cecilia, battered over the past two days, floated in my mind.

I merely ignored it, but her existence stirred my humanity.

Eliminating Cecilia’s danger while taking the Moonlight Sword.

Realistically and practically, that should be the path, but as a human, it shouldn’t be.

Killing this woman with my own hands would mean throwing away my humanity.

“No. I can’t kill you. Leave.”

If she comes at me again later and I regret my decision now, I’d be in a real mess.

For now, my humanity came first over such worries.

Cecilia looked up at me with trembling eyes. Her eyes were soon filled with tears.

“Even though I tried to kill you?”

Her words made me ponder for a moment, but then I nodded after looking at her level color.

As long as that color doesn’t change, she wouldn’t come for my life.

“Yes.”

“…Why?”

“I don’t really have a reason. I just don’t want to kill you.”

For a moment, Cecilia snatched the Moonlight Sword.

There was no hostility directed toward me. The sword’s point was aimed at her own heart.

As the thought of suicide crossed her mind, I instinctively reached out.

I didn’t want to witness her dying right in front of me.

After having seen her pitiful state, it would leave a huge mark if she dies like this.

The reverse blade halted right in front of me.

It crashed to the ground and hit the floor.

Before I could react, Cecilia hugged me tightly.

I was so bewildered I couldn’t even speak. No matter how much I struggled, I couldn’t escape her grasp.

I could feel Cecilia trembling and sobbing all over.

“Master, my master, it’s true. You are my master….”

Why again?

Regardless, Cecilia buried her face into my body.

I could hear her mushy sounds through her muffled voice.

“Master, please accept me again. I can’t live without you. I mean it…. I want to stay by your side for life.”

“I am not your master.”

“Even so, it doesn’t matter. Even if you don’t remember me… I will remember you. Please accept me like before. From now on, I’ll never leave, I will always be by your side….”

I couldn’t understand how things had come to this.

So basically, she thinks I’m her teacher, no matter what I say, right?

‘This is driving me crazy.’

Putting my frustrating feelings aside, maybe this was better.

After all, I wouldn’t have to pretend to be her master, since she’s saying she’ll carry me.

Cecilia’s level color was a deep pink like Charlotte’s.

With her blind loyalty, bringing her onboard would significantly boost the dungeon’s power.

Of course, I am not her master.

It was merely a one-sided delusion that tied us together in a lord-servant relationship.

I felt a slight pang of guilt, but trying to push her away would be futile.

“Do as you like.”

“…Hngh.”

I no longer knew if I was saying “whatever happens, happens” or accepting her delicate heart.

She tightened her embrace even more.

Even though she didn’t need to breathe, it felt suffocating.

Tap. Tap.

I patted her back as a sign to let go.

Does she think I’m petting her? Her grip only tightened.

“Can you at least let go a little.”

“…No. I won’t let go.”

Please, let me go. I might actually die here.

Despite throwing pleading glances for help, no one moved.

Balutak and Isabella kept their distance, merely clapping their hands.

Even Charlotte stood quietly, only looking on.

‘Ah. I’m going to die twice at this rate….’

Cecilia continued to hold me tightly for quite some time.

When it finally ended, one of my ribs had cracked.

…I guess I’ll need to give Hellbok some time.