It's Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

“Amazing…”

It was Sonia’s first time participating in a noble’s party. No, even without limiting it to nobles, it was her first time attending such a banquet at all.

So every scene looked fascinating, and she couldn’t help but get excited seeing those fascinating scenes.

‘There are so many foods I’ve never seen before… and they all look delicious…!’

Among them, what caught her attention first was not the lavish interior decorations or people wearing beautiful or stylish clothes, but the abundance of food that filled most of the banquet hall.

Sonia’s senses were now greatly bloomed compared to before when they were suppressed by magic power, so the smell of food she was feeling now was much more diverse than before.

Even looking at the same food, she felt it more appetizing than before, so how would it be with entirely new foods?

“Try this too, Sonia.”

“Is, is it okay to keep giving just me…?”

“Who would say anything if I feed my maid?”

Libertas was being considerate of Sonia like that, bringing food from all around.

To be precise, it was Maria or Xue bringing the food, and she was just feeding Sonia one piece at a time after asking them or ordering from the maids.

“Eat a lot. Everyone.”

“Lady… aren’t you eating?”

“Of course, I’m eating. But I’m happier seeing Xue eat.”

“Okay… I’ll eat a lot.”

Western continent style ‘chicken galbi stew’ where chicken is marinated and simmered in a sauce mixing this world’s garlic, onion, honey, and sugar.

Eastern continent eastern-style salad sprinkled with tangy fruit juice.

‘Donburi’ and ‘ramen’ from Hwa country in the Western continent, and ‘sweet and sour pork’ drizzled with Shin country’s unique sweet sauce.

The names are different in this world, but according to Libertas’s familiar recognition, numerous foods with such names passed through her hands into the mouths of Sonia or other companions.

She acted as if she was happier feeding her companions than eating herself, and this was actually the case.

‘They’re eating well.’

Sonia was cute, chattering about how delicious each food was every time she ate.

Xue was blessed, eating heartily without discriminating against whatever food was brought and not stopping even when more food was brought.

Maria was pretending to be calm, but her quick hands showed she missed human food just the same.

‘I should get a lot of ingredients when we go back.’

There’s not much meaning in piling up human wealth in the dungeon anyway.

Until now, they have been saving a little bit for other uses, but if they start actively accepting adventurers, human world wealth will just keep piling up.

So, they have to increase the uses for wealth anyway.

‘I’ll have to keep the source of income secret, though.’

Setting aside whether the ‘people’ who learn the truth about the source of that wealth would welcome it, that’s another issue.

For Libertas, who had a gamer’s mindset that wealth can be obtained again if needed, being able to consume that wealth for the dungeon’s members was another joy.

-Clatter…

It’s a secret that Evangeline, knowing Libertas’s thoughts like this, was secretly worrying…

‘I hope the day comes soon when I can eat food with Eve too.’

…But when fragments of thoughts like this flowed in from Libertas, even she couldn’t absolutely stop it.

Clang.

Clink.

As empty plates gradually piled up on the table where Libertas and her group of women were staying like that, people’s gazes couldn’t help but subtly gather.

It was a scene of beautifully faced women who had disguised themselves by changing hair color or simple makeup to change impressions but didn’t hide their appearances much. They ate large amounts quietly but quickly.

-Oh my, over there…

-They eat so well. Young ladies.

-Hmm… vulgar.

While evaluations differed by individual, attention was bound to gather anyway.

Libertas, who hadn’t achieved her goal yet, inevitably had to care about surrounding gazes even though she tried to ignore them while amplifying her senses.

Now that she had finished her task, she was also acting as she wanted with her senses turned off to her surroundings.

‘No…’

In the end, the only one suffering from an unsolvable headache while watching that scene was Leonis, who was thinking they would have to cover their tracks after leaving the city.

Saying, ‘Dungeon residents who have nothing to gain from gathering others’ attention are acting so carelessly like this.’

“What on earth are you doing right now?”

“Leonis. Come here. You looked quite busy, are you alright now?”

Although Leonis approached Libertas and whispered accusingly with such thoughts, the Dungeon Lord just wore a harmless smile on that seemingly fragile face.

She didn’t seem to be thinking of any particular countermeasures.

Swish…

However, the magic power summoned by her hand gesture diligently ate their voices so they wouldn’t spread to the surroundings.

It meant she knew what Leonis was talking about.

“That’s not what’s important right now. People’s gazes are gathering.”

“So that’s what you were worried about. Don’t worry. I’m going to move to this city.”

“…What?”

“Oh. Are we moving?”

Libertas’s people were surprised by her casual words.

In fact, what she was saying was about renovating the dungeon, so it was different from actually moving. Still, since it was the same in terms of ‘improving living conditions,’ she didn’t add any additional words.

‘If it goes according to the estimate, they’ll be able to live much more comfortably.’

The ‘estimate’ that Libertas had asked Scarlet and Mari for in advance had already arrived by the time they reached this city.

By now, Elder Gremlins should have arrived at the dungeon and be constructing the new dungeon structure in advance.

By the time she returns, the dungeon’s living environment would have already been greatly improved in a good direction.

『Possessed Wealth – 113,087 V』

It was still impossible to configure everything as desired, but as much as possible within the available wealth.

Since the dungeon’s current wealth was quite abundant, both from the demon realm and the human world, most of its structure would change.

This was possible thanks to the considerable compensation obtained as a result of the Mammon Guild expressing regret and the Marquis family apologizing for the young lord of the Marquisate proceeding with the event without consulting the dungeon.

Originally, Libertas planned to pretend not to care about this part and move on, then keep it as a ‘favor.’

As the idea for improving the dungeon was confirmed, a situation was created in which the ‘debt’ they hadn’t recognized had to be converted into wealth.

“To be precise, I’m just buying one house.”

So even while watching their surprise, she just nodded calmly as if there was no problem with everything.

Saying things like ‘I’m going to invite people to the dungeon by trapping them’ was not something to be said here anyway.

Seeing that, naturally, Leonis also became calm, and assimilated into the ‘master’s’ atmosphere.

“What’s the difference… No. Anyway, does that mean we don’t need to cover our tracks after the party ends?”

“So you were worried about that all along. You don’t need to worry.”

“That’s a relief then.”

“Yes. …Oh my. The music has changed. It seems the banquet is over.”

Following Libertas’s point, Leonis and the surrounding women, who came to their senses, discovered that the tables that had been full around them were being cleared away one by one.

Among them, only two properly knew the meaning of this.

The servant’s face was tinged with tension, and a smile hung on the master’s lips. It was the smile of an audience member ready to watch a comedy or a love play.

“Ah…”

“What are you doing? Hurry and ask her.”

“Pardon?”

“There are quite a few men in this hall who won’t mind that she’s a maid. I’ve seen it myself, so I’m not wrong.”

At Libertas’s words, the magician, who started looking around, confirmed the sight of several men subtly approaching from the surroundings.

People who were clearly nobles or sons of wealthy families judging by their appearance were moving while focusing their gazes on the women here.

At the end of those gazes was also the figure of Sonia with her eyes wide open.

‘Oh no.’

Leonis pursed his lips.

He approached Sonia and spoke to her.

…No, he tried to.

‘…Why?’

When he realized it, the man who believed he had walked forward was completely motionless in the place where he had been looking around—like a completely stiffened mannequin.

He didn’t quickly realize the cause of this.

Libertas knew it.

-After failing to protect her once in the face of a natural disaster, are you thinking of not moving at all this time?

-That’s…

Words of the soul transmitted through the contract, not the throat.

As soon as he heard that, Leonis’s eyes widened as he realized why he had been stiff.

Even though she brazenly likened herself to a natural disaster as the perpetrator, it was such a substantial mental shock that it was difficult to refute.

-If you’re not thinking of not moving at all, it would be good to move first. I don’t trust you that much, but I don’t intend to hand Sonia over to the wolves, either.

“Um…”

Libertas had no intention of letting him gather his shock.

People were already approaching, seeing Sonia and her somewhat fragile impression.

Refusing isn’t a problem, but it’s certain to be continuously annoying, isn’t it?

“We have a prior engagement. It would be better to look for other young ladies.”

“Ah…”

“I, I see. Excuse me.”

See?

One group fell away at the firm expression of will, which was different from the fragile impression, but beyond that, stray dogs with sly smiles on their faces were gathering again.

‘Just rabble.’

Libertas’s brow furrowed in her psychology as she confirmed that not even a ‘strong soul’, let alone ‘excellent talent’, was visible among those men.

She no longer wanted to watch his actions out of consideration for Leonis.

He was already eating a lot of minus points from the moment he couldn’t make an immediate decision.

-「Move」.

In the end, she pushed Leonis’s back with an order infused into his soul.

“Oh!”

“Senior…?”

“…Um. Miss Sonia. With me…”

Leonis finally gathers courage in front of Sonia, even while sending a gaze containing contradictory feelings of resentment and gratitude.

“Oh, um… Should I say ‘gladly’…?”

“…! Yes!”

And Libertas smiled, seeing Sonia shyly accepting that courage.

It was exactly the smile of an elderly person wishing for the happiness of a younger sibling or daughter.

Wishing for others’ happiness as long as one doesn’t feel unhappy oneself should be natural for those with empathetic emotions and intelligence.

“Lady.”

“Xue?”

However, that smile disappeared like being washed away by the tide in the face of the surprising event that happened the next moment.

“Would you please grant me the honor of sharing the first dance with you?”

Libertas’s eyes widened as she saw Xue, who had suddenly risen from her seat, kneeling politely in front of her and speaking.