It's Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

* * *

“Stand up and lift your skirt, Maria.”

“What…?”

“If you’ve done wrong, shouldn’t you be punished?”

Maria stood there blankly, only understanding the order to stand up but not comprehending what followed.

“Or, I could alternatively impose additional penalties on Daniel for the punishment you should receive.”

To that I also presented another option so she could decide on her actions even if she didn’t understand my words.

“What… what are you going to take from him?”

The reaction was immediate.

They say distance in body leads to distance in heart, but for her, the abilities Daniel gained would have become her sense of achievement that I kept conveying to her.

Taking that away again would be destroying what she had achieved in this dungeon.

“It could be ability. It could be magic power. It might even be lifespan.”

-Lady. That punishment, I…

“The choice is Maria’s, Daniel. Your Master’s time… has already passed much, Maria.”

After a moment of silence, Maria bit her lip and lifted her skirt up to her calves.

Below, healthy tanned skin was revealed.

Those legs, still exuding healthiness from continuous exercise even recently, radiated vitality.

Although the enhancement of ‘Health’ and ‘Durability’ by magic power, that is, ‘Attributes’, had decreased, her inherent training doesn’t just go away.

“More.”

“What… did you say?”

“I’ve already told you, Maria.”

Maria, biting her lip again until it bled, finally accepted the ‘order’ and continued to raise her skirt until almost all of her healthy legs tightly bound by garter belts were revealed.

Calves are too ordinary in this world to be a punishment. But the buttocks would be too shameful and would harden her psychology even more.

What I want is for her to be shaken and become aware of that state herself.

There was no need to humiliate her excessively, but I also did not intend to let her take this punishment lightly.

“That’s enough.”

Finally, after her skirt had risen to where I wanted, the precarious part above her thighs, I stopped her and nodded to Evangeline.

The scene that followed was not pleasant to watch, even for me.

Thwack-!

“…!”

Provocation towards everyone and provocation towards me as well.

Perhaps because of emotions already piled up, Evangeline’s corporal punishment to her was merciless.

Although not excessive thanks to my prior restraint, that was all.

Thwack-!

“Ugh…!”

Thwack-!!

“Kuh…!”

Whoosh-!!!

“Kuuh…!!”

Red marks engraved on her long legs that had become relatively pale from staying in the dungeon for a month without receiving sunlight.

The humiliation of receiving punishment like a child in front of everyone.

Tears flowed down those cheeks.

The sight of a human’s self-esteem crumbling.

I watched all those scenes not because I enjoyed that painful sight. I watched them out of a sense of duty as the one who must now properly take responsibility for her.

That sense of duty was not limited to just watching.

“Stop.”

“Uu…ugh…”

To Maria collapsing at the termination declaration, I immediately announced the next execution as well.

“Next is the punishment for violating the contract.”

“It’s not… over?”

“This was just the punishment for violating the dungeon’s discipline, Maria. The execution of the penalties you must receive as the price for breaching the contract remains.”

What I took out in my hand was Maria and Daniel’s contract.

Maria was just staring blankly, and Daniel slowly closed his eyes.

“I will now collect. From you, Maria, the way of using a sword. From Daniel, the way of attacking from behind.”

“Wait! For Daniel…!”

And I made the final decision mixed with mercy.

A decision considering normal circumstances due to justified resentment.

“I won’t take away all of Daniel’s abilities here. But you should know what you’ve gone through. That you endangered someone who cares for you and received punishment for it.”

『Name – Daniel Smith』

『Characteristic – …, Ambush』

『Characteristic – …, Raid』

『Name – Maria Olas』

『Characteristic – …, Advanced Specialization: Swordsmanship』

『Characteristic – …, Specialization: Swordsmanship (Sealed)』

『Characteristic – Necromancy, … Magic Overadaptation, Weakness Detection, Specialization: Swordsmanship』

Daniel’s Ambush combined with his Raid and my Weakness Detection, and Maria’s Swordsmanship combined with my Swordsmanship Introduction to give me a Specialization, then I completely sealed it like her other characteristics.

For Daniel, it was a collection that was practically nothing since he had additional abilities increased through Sacrifice Enhancement until now.

Maria will feel that the sword she holds in her hand no longer moves as she wishes.

“With this, I conclude the first disciplinary execution. Everyone except Maria is dismissed.”

After all the skeletons left, Evangeline and Lin Xue remained in the place, as well as four humans belonging to my dungeon.

Eve and Xue didn’t leave because they weren’t included in ‘everyone’, and the others had different businesses.

“Master. Sister… no, she’s had enough now…”

-Lady. She…

“I’m not going to give her more punishment. Of course, I won’t torment her either. Sonia, Daniel. Don’t worry, and do what you need to do.”

“…Yes, Master.”

-It’ll be alright, Miss Sonia.

-… Understood.

Although the reactions were lukewarm, the three, including Leonis accepted like that and disappeared from the place.

I saw through the Necromancer’s Eye deployed that Sonia was waiting in front of the door, but I had no intention of saying anything about that.

Anyway, I prevented their relationship from completely breaking down.

“… Do you have, something more… to say?”

“…”

Kneeling in tatters Maria seemed to have no strength left to move.

She must have been shocked by the facts she had learned today, along with her mental suffering all this time.

I didn’t respond to her question and just reached out my hand to receive what Xue was handing over, then forcibly pulled her legs.

“Wait, what are you…! You said you wouldn’t touch me anymore!”

“Stay still.”

I opened the lid of what I received from Xue and applied the lotion to her legs.

Well, as you can guess, it’s just ordinary ointment. Made with herbs enhanced with magic power to increase healing power.

“…Do you think I won’t hate you for doing this?”

After leisurely applying the medicine like that and starting to wrap bandages, Maria glared at me with powerless eyes and said, still with boiling emotions.

The answer was already decided.

“You can hate me as much as you want.”

“What?”

“Hate me all you want. That’s your right as someone who lost a sibling to me.”

“Huh…?”

Was it an unexpected answer for her?

It would be. Ordinary people dislike being hated.

I also appear human on the outside.

“But you must remember.”

“Remember what…?”

“That doesn’t give you the right to kill yourself.”

She blinked for a moment, then shed transparent tears from those eyes that glared at me as if unable to understand.

“It’s my life. Are you saying I can’t even do as I please with that?”

“You can do as you please. But that’s not a right. No one has the right to kill something living. Even if it’s oneself.”

“…”

“All killing is not freedom but licentiousness, and while it may become an unavoidable responsibility to protect, it can never become a right to take away.”

“But you…”

“I’ve never thought that it wasn’t my sin. Maria. It’s my responsibility. …So.”

After checking that the finishing was done thoroughly, I stood up and said my final words to her, who was looking up at me.

“Hate me all you want.”

“…”

“I will take responsibility for you as your Master.”

Maria was completely broken down.

My eyes reflected in her eyes were now deeply revealing that purple color.

And that was the end of that day.

* * *

“Sister.”

A voice calling Maria, who was walking out supported by the skeleton Libertas had summoned again.

Raising her head at that, in her eyes appeared the figure of someone she thought she would never face again or wouldn’t be able to see after today.

With her hand on her chest, Sonia still looks at her with teary eyes on that white face.

“Sonia.”

“…Ah, that, um… Miss Maria.”

At Sonia awkwardly changing the way she addressed her, Maria smiled bitterly.

Because she realized that this child, who didn’t hesitate to approach even after being pushed away so coldly and cruelly, was much stronger than herself.

“Call me Maria. I no longer deserve to be called Sister.”

“… I’ll call you Sister. Just because.”

“As you like.”

“…”

The space became quiet for a moment. Maria immediately broke the silence, which was about to freeze like thin ice.

“I think I understand why you’re drawn to that person.”

“What?”

“That woman. Libertas.”

Maria recalled the image of one demon… no, person in her mind.

The image of someone who possesses beauty that seems not of this world has the weakest face and atmosphere of anyone in the world, yet seems to live a life making cruel and strong decisions every moment.

“She’s not a monster.”

“Ah…”

“Yeah. She’s not a monster. No, ha. The caning is really ridiculous, though.”

She properly realized this time.

That she had already been thinking of Libertas completely differently from other Dungeon Lords she had met before, and that she had confirmed it this time.

Although she couldn’t completely let go of her hatred, it had already cooled to the point where it could no longer function as fuel from this incident.

That today’s struggle was just fear of that hatred cooling down.

“I’m sorry, Sonia.”

That Sonia had been looking beyond hatred much earlier than herself.

Looking at it calmly, it was a very foolish thing.

“I’m fine. So…”

“I can’t be like you. I still don’t really understand what you’re seeing.”

“Ah…”

“But. I can’t interfere anymore. The only method that comes to mind is betting my life, and such a method doesn’t just bet my life.”

She also knew.

That although it was Libertas who killed her sister, it was also thanks to Libertas’s mercy that she could live a spare life.

An adventurer captured by a Dungeon Lord is practically treated as dead.

Even the fact that Maria was alive with all her limbs intact until now would be considered a miracle if people in this world knew.

And that miracle, too, frustratingly, was achieved under Libertas’s hand.

“Then…”

“I still hate her. Of course.”

Come to think of it, she had already lost everything as a human, yet she was fueling her hatred with those fragments.

Unable to give up what she should give up, even though she no longer has proper qualifications after dragging in the lives of friends and acquaintances.

“I’m sure. I do too.”

“Yeah. You’re much more admirable than me. …Anyway. Mom and Dad will come. It’s been quite a while since they couldn’t contact us. They’ll find me within a year at the latest.”

“The two of them are excellent adventurers, after all.”

Maria and Remia’s parents are also adventurers. Moreover, they are mature elite adventurers assigned to the frontline guild with the demon realm.

During the time they couldn’t contact, they would only get stronger, not weaker.

When they come looking, Maria’s own fate will be decided somehow, even without struggling like this.

Whether she’ll live a life unable to die after that or gain another life is unknown.

To see that result, she had to survive for now.

Burying her resentment towards Remia, just as adventurers eventually bury their comrades’ deaths in their hearts.

-Clatter.

“Right. Come to think of it.”

And there was one more thing she noticed.

About one being that helped her not make a decisive mistake she would regret for life.

“You. You’ve been by our side all along.”

Where Maria’s gaze was directed was one skeleton supporting her. One particularly familiar summon.

It’s true that skeletons are a species with difficult-to-recognize individual characteristics, but it was impossible not to notice a subject who always stood out beside her wearing the same equipment.

Maria smiled, looking at that being, Mire.

“Let’s do well from now on.”

-…

Mire, facing Maria, who was smiling at her like that, burning her two eye lights without any particular expression.

‘Sis… ter.’

Changes were beginning inside her as well.

* * *

The very next morning, after such a storm in the dungeon.

Sonia and Maria were called together to Libertas’s personal room and blinked with their eyes wide open.

“So you’re saying… we should go to a party?”

“You want us to learn etiquette…?”

“Yes. It will be quite insufficient, but we can’t help it, can we? You two are the only humans who can serve me.”

“Until when…?”

“Three days.”

Glancing at them sideways, Libertas nodded calmly as if speaking of something obvious.

However, the content coming out of her mouth was still utterly baffling, so it was natural for them to exchange glances and let out negative words.

“That’s a bit…”

“Wouldn’t it be difficult?”

“It’s alright.”

Speaking as if soothing their bewilderment, Libertas turned her gaze to one side.

The two women also turned their heads following that gaze.

Whoosh, Thwack!

“There’s an excellent teacher, so she’ll teach you well.”

“No, this is…!”

Thwack!

There stood Evangeline, holding the usual bone cane in her hand, looking down at them with a stern posture and blazing blue eye lights.

She had gained her master’s deep trust by perfectly instilling in Alexis the manners she couldn’t discipline for a week, and consequently, she was full of enthusiasm.

However, the two women felt something like resentment lingering in those eye lights.

This was not actually much different.

‘It’s already annoying that I can’t go, but to have to watch others go together…!’

She was in a situation where she couldn’t participate as the first attendant or partner in her beloved master’s visit to social circles.

In the case of a partner, it was fine since Xue, who was relatively trustworthy, was going together, but the problem was the lack of maids befitting her master’s status.

‘I must make these clumsy ones perfect.’

It was fortunate that it was for work; if this had been a real debutante ball, it wouldn’t have ended with just this much irritation.

“That’s the situation, so learn well and help me. You two.”

Whether knowing or not of Evangeline’s ominous atmosphere, Libertas’s eyes were still calm.

However, paradoxically, the two thought there had never been a time when those eyes were as frightening as now.