It's Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

Naturally, several things were strictly forbidden for contractors living in the dungeon.

Going beyond a certain distance outside the dungeon.

Approaching the Dungeon Lord’s, that is, my personal room or material warehouses.

Using force that could spread magic power waves within the dungeon and near the dungeon.

These three were representative, and of course, I set a standard that it was possible to lift restrictions under supervision if they had been previously reported.

To be honest, I think it’s quite a lenient standard.

-What’s going on suddenly, Mr. Daniel? Do you know something?

-…

“Everyone has gathered. Then, now…”

However, the first case of violating this standard has appeared this time.

This matter couldn’t be overlooked.

Immediately, all contractors and intelligent beings in the dungeon were summoned, and those who could observe, even if outside the dungeon were allowed to observe through a video that was visible only to their eyes.

It was for a process that should be called discipline enforcement rather than a trial, as it was too simple to be called a trial.

“Speak, Maria.”

“Did I do something? I’m not sure.”

“It’s about why you used violence in the dungeon, Maria. Using magic power at that.”

Am I going too far when I already know all the circumstances?

Not at all.

This incident should naturally be disciplined without needing the word ‘too’, both to establish the authority of discipline and to prevent me, the dungeon owner from being disrespected.

The overall order eventually collapses if a monarch doesn’t know how to establish authority properly.

Now that I’ve learned today that my attitude towards intelligent beings in the dungeon is on the lenient side, there was no reason to hesitate with this action.

“Should something that couldn’t even exert its power, let alone hit the target, be called violence?”

“Any exchange of force without the consent of the parties involved, and oppression using language, are all violence. I didn’t expect to have to tell such fundamental stories that humans would like to a human when I’m not even human myself.”

“I didn’t know you liked imitating humans just because you resemble them, great Lady of the Dungeon.”

Maria spits out a simple provocation towards me with mockery.

Honestly, it was just a cute level of provocation to me, but…

-Tack!

-Grr…

The reaction was immediate.

All the people directly observing here, and intelligent beings were either those with goodwill towards me or those who couldn’t tolerate such mockery of me.

“Why. Do you have any complaints? Then try killing me if you can. Aren’t you just dogs who can’t bite freely without your master’s orders anyway, you son of bitches?”

A provocation mixed with self-abandonment and desire for the other’s breakdown, unique to someone who has lost hatred and the means to resolve that hatred.

And hostility tinged with madness that doesn’t hesitate to be killed, rejoicing even more at those provoked.

-Maria…

At that, I briefly turned my gaze towards one of those who could clearly see this scene, though he wasn’t present here myself.

The man with bright green hair who loves Maria. Daniel bows his head with his eyes tightly shut as if unable to bear seeing her appearance.

He should watch properly. What kind of punishment she receives.

So that he can adequately warn her not to go through this again.

“Let me correct a few misunderstandings.”

I got up from the large chair and approached Maria.

Approaching slowly, walking around her.

I dropped words with a thud.

“If these children were my cute dogs, as you said… you’re in a worse position than even my dogs now. In other words…”

Pausing my words and looking at the restraint on Maria’s neck, she covered it with her hand as if feeling ashamed and glared at me.

Seeing that appearance, an appropriate word came to mind.

“…Yes. A slave.”

“To the likes of you…!”

“Yes. An adventurer who was caught by a Dungeon Lord and a common-rank Dungeon Lord at that, and became a slave.”

“Ugh-!”

Maria, currently wearing a maid outfit, wasn’t wearing any restraints other than the one on her neck.

The magic restraint has the power to restrict not only magic power itself but also various attributes and characteristics fixed by magic power that reinforce the body.

With her attributes halved and all characteristics sealed now, she would struggle to face even two of my skeletons.

This was also why Evangeline or others didn’t step in to stop me as I approached her, expressing her hatred towards me.

“Where else would you find such a generous master who allows such a slave to act relatively freely, even knowing you were sharpening a knife towards me?”

“That’s because you to Sonia…!”

“Yes. That’s the second misunderstanding.”

As I said that and stood in front of her, Maria’s shaking eyes were clearly visible.

It was a reaction as if she already knew what I would say.

“Maria, Maria. Your actions were too noisy for the city people. To the extent that they could hear without particularly listening and see without particularly paying attention. Wouldn’t it have been even more so for information guild members?”

“No way… Are you saying those city people sold me out…?”

Sometimes, some people no longer believe the words of close friends and tend to believe the words of those they want to ignore.

[I was told this was a sure investment…?]

Especially those blinded by an obsession with something.

“Well. They probably didn’t intend to. Those people wouldn’t have known who they were selling what to.”

Of course, after what happened happened, Solemio’s information guild realized what they had done and immediately tried to take necessary measures.

They contacted Maria and Remia’s parents.

‘It was useless, though.’

However, all those attempts were blocked and will continue to be blocked.

There’s no way they could know that both of my Cerebrum Skulls have infiltrated the Copzerin guild, which is the upper branch of the Solemio information guild.

I can block it sufficiently for a while, if not forever. By the time that contact reaches its original target, I will have already completed my preparations.

All I needed was to block direct line contact.

“Then… I…”

“What you did was just venting full of misunderstandings.”

“…No.”

Legs losing strength and spasmodic denial.

However, that expression biting her lip was nothing but a sign that she was already accepting all my words as truth.

The following words proved it.

“What did you do to uncle?”

“I didn’t kill him. He was quite devoted to your family. Even in a situation where he knew he was dying, he was worried about you all.”

I didn’t mention that I would have killed him if that old man had shown even a slight sign of betrayal in that situation.

It’s not easy to gain the complete trust of a family and earn the title of family. Even family members never have exactly the same tendencies.

Someone who could betray such trust despite gaining it is a case that can’t be used in any way.

Such a person must be killed to avoid future trouble.

Fortunately, he tried to die on his own without revealing anything even though he could have lived if he revealed it, as he also had the contact information of Maria’s parents that she had assumed for her tragedy.

Paradoxically, that’s why he could live.

Because I want to own Maria.

“You didn’t… kill him?”

“If you want, I can let you meet him once. Though you won’t be able to see him again after that.”

“If you kill uncle…!”

“If I was going to do that, I wouldn’t have kept him alive in the first place. This is my mercy, Maria. Don’t try to test me further.”

Now only one thing remains to be said.

Lifting Maria’s chin with empty eyes, I met her gaze.

“And lastly.”

“…”

“You haven’t just violated the dungeon’s rules now. You’ve also breached the contract, Maria.”

“What…? When did I…!”

As soon as the word ‘contract’ was heard, light momentarily returned to her eyes.

Of course.

What’s at stake there isn’t just her life.

“Didn’t I say? ‘Do your best to live as much as you can live’. And what you’ve done now… was an intentional and passive suicide attempt disregarding death by others.”

“That…!”

“Am I wrong?”

What I’m pointing out is the provocation from earlier.

She spoke as if she didn’t care if she died by my summons. Although the reason was self-abandonment, words and actions deliberately inducing her own killing.

This violated one of the two contract conditions I placed on her.

If applied strictly, one could say she violated the second condition of ‘not interfering with dungeon events’ by having all the personnel gather here now, but there’s no need to go that far.

The punishment to give her is already prepared.

“Don’t you feel like speaking now?”

“About… what?”

“If there’s a justifiable reason for your actions, I might be able to overlook it a little.”

What I expected here was her giving justification for her actions, however incoherent.

If she had talked about ‘justified resentment’ here, I would probably have spoken about some consideration of circumstances to some extent.

However, Maria didn’t take that path.

“…Who are you to do this?”

Her choice was to deny me.

It wasn’t what I had hoped for, but it was as I had expected.

“I am your Master and the rightful owner of this dungeon where you stay.”

“Ha… I don’t even want to deny that you’re my master anymore. I’m always my own master. But the ground is human land. You’re just…”

“Again with the fundamental talk.”

Well.

Now, no active resistance is felt from Maria’s attitude speaking such defiance.

I felt the time had come.

‘I’ll have to take her even if I have to use forceful means.’

That it’s time to subdue her without taking everything from her.

If I treat her generously here and it results in bad results, her destruction will now be the only end.

“Every monarch is an invader and occupier before being a ruler. Can’t you see that from human history?”

“…”

“It’s the same when one intelligent being dominates another intelligent being. Every monarch is also one who possesses others’ freedom. So I am your monarch and…”

Approaching her kneeling behind me, I put my hand on her shoulder and neck once and whispered the last words in her ear.

“… Your Master.”

As I moved away from Maria and sat back down, Evangeline, who had been quite angry for a while, stepped forward.

In her hand was a particularly hard-looking long bone.

I sent her a gesture to restrain herself, then looked down at Maria and instructed.

“Stand up and lift your skirt, Maria.”

“What…?”

Of course, what returned was a cocktail of bewilderment and incomprehension.