It's Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

At a time when she might normally have been deep in dreams, Sonia was instead staring at the ceiling, as if trying to engrave every pattern into her eyes all night long.

This was due to two worries she currently had.

“…Haah…”

‘What could Master be trying to do?’

The first was about what Libertas was doing apart from her companions.

From the beginning, she hadn’t told those in her possession about the purpose of this trip.

She had only said to prepare for travel and a banquet.

‘It’s not that I resent that.’

Although she had gone so far as to directly request sharing secrets, she hadn’t expected it to be accepted from the start.

Right now, even Sonia herself calls her ‘Master,’ but it’s not like she really trusts her as a human, so what could she say?

So this is just… a process of showing that she ‘has will.’

[Feel free to tell me what you need anytime. I’m counting on you.]

Libertas, that ‘ironically cruel yet kind’ Dungeon Lord, was subtly letting her know that she was always ready to accept her.

What she said today was just an answer to that.

It’s Sonia’s process of trying to approach Libertas’s heart. With the hope that she would become a more ‘human-like’ being.

‘The only one who probably knows all of Master’s thoughts… is that person, right?’

In Sonia’s mind appeared the skeleton who wore a bastard sword at her waist, bizarrely taking on the appearance of a ‘neat undead’ and always exuding a sophisticated atmosphere.

The skeleton named Evangeline.

Currently, she was the only one Libertas had let into her ‘deepest fence.’

Recently, especially today, she felt like Lin Xue was teetering on the edge of that fence, but it was still not yet.

Right now, there was only one.

‘Most likely… it will be a cruel thing.’

The reason Libertas deliberately separated people was probably because it wasn’t something that could make them ‘get used to’ her.

While adapting to life as demons would be a natural course once belonging to the dungeon, what she’s doing now isn’t something that can be used for such adaptation…

In other words, Sonia’s worry was that it likely wasn’t simple slaughter or violence or such simple matters.

“…Is someone talking about me?”

-Tack?

“No. It seems I was mistaken.”

“Sa-save me…! Please…!”

Splat!!

“Aaaaargh!! Aagh!! Aaaaaaah!!!”

And that thought was correct.

Right now, Libertas was in the process of turning Hailey’s guards into possessions of another being while keeping their reason intact.

Sonia, not knowing this, could only imagine something like ‘ordinary torture’ at most, but.

[I love you deeply in my heart.]

“Ugh…”

While thinking about Libertas like that, the ‘real reason’ keeping Sonia awake tonight flashed through her mind.

It’s true that she’s worried about what Libertas is doing, but Sonia is also someone who’s quite quick to give up on things beyond her reach.

She’s already used to such situations.

She’s lived like that for a long time.

It’s an attitude her master would have said ‘We need to fix that thinking quickly’ if she knew, and she’s actually working on it, but it’s still an attitude she hasn’t escaped from yet.

[If possible, I’d like you to date me. I swear on my magic power, I won’t leave you alone.]

So the reason she couldn’t sleep tonight was the same as what made her forcibly think about Libertas.

Leonis’s confession.

That incident at the ballroom today.

‘Why did senior suddenly… No, it wasn’t sudden. Even before… Yes. Probably even when he hugged me then…’

Sonia let out a sigh while covering half her face with the blanket.

Her face was bright red.

‘It’s perplexing…’

However, the reason wasn’t ‘heart-fluttering.’

It was closer to ‘surprise’ at experiencing romance for the first time in her life.

No matter what anyone says, she still has a mind too ‘young’ to know love, as Libertas had said.

Though she would probably thoroughly deny it.

[You don’t have to say it in words. If you accept this ring…]

[I’m sorry!]

So Sonia’s rejection wasn’t because she disliked Leonis. She just simply found it too burdensome and wanted to postpone the decision.

Not relaxed enough to express all those feelings, she ended up speaking as if it was a simple rejection, making Leonis dejected, but she wasn’t even in a position to care about him.

‘I don’t know what face to show senior…’

“Phew.”

Finally, Sonia let out another deep sigh and closed her eyes, feeling sleepiness finally coming over her.

-Boom-!!!

“Ugh…!”

Then, she woke from her drowsiness, startled by a shock hitting her ears and entire body.

Slam!

“Sonia! Get up quickly!”

“Si-Sister…? What’s going on?”

“It’s demons!”

“What?! Surely… Master…?”

At Maria’s explanation as she burst into the room, Sonia instantly thought of Libertas.

If she had thought about it a little, she could have recalled that she had never chosen such a method until now, but it was a reaction to having been thinking about her just before.

Maria shook her head.

“This isn’t her style. Demons have been summoned in the city. Probably the work of fanatics.”

“Ah…!”

Summoning of magical realm or demon realm demons by fanatics.

It was rare but not unheard of. And in such cases, what adventurers staying in the city had to do was fixed to one thing.

Protecting citizens.

Sonia got up from her seat and gathered her equipment as she realized this.

And at the same time, she realized one more thing.

‘Didn’t Sister say she can’t use a sword right now? Then…’

The people left in this house now are Sonia, Maria, and Leonis.

Leonis is originally a detection-type magician who knows almost nothing about combat magic, and Maria currently has almost all her abilities sealed, as Libertas, her master, had said.

Then.

‘There’s no one but me to protect these people.’

“Sonia? Let’s go quickly. We need to move, I tell you?”

Feeling as if a heavy burden had suddenly been placed on her shoulders, Sonia stopped in place and looked at Maria.

It was only her. The only one who could use proper force.

Which meant.

“Where are you trying to go?”

“There are people in the streets. We need to save those people…!”

She didn’t have the capacity to use her strength for other people whose faces and voices she didn’t know.

“Sister. We shouldn’t move.”

“What? Ah…”

Maria looked at Sonia for a moment as if she couldn’t understand. But soon she too realized the situation.

‘Right. I can’t use a sword now…’

The sight of Maria looking down at her hand blankly pained Sonia’s heart, but she didn’t stop there and recalled what she had to do.

She had to turn this house into a fortress.

She had to protect their bodies at least until Libertas came.

-Kieeek!!

“「Ice Wall」!”

She shoved a shield made of cold frost into the face of a goblin rushing at her through the window, then fixed that shield to the window.

-Aaaagh!! Save me…!!

‘I’m sorry.’

She heard the screams of people dying from across the way, but Sonia, who had already steeled her heart, wavered but didn’t bend her thoughts.

She knew too.

The ‘fairy tale-like’ story that those with power should protect people.

She had hardly ever practiced it because she had never properly had power until now, but the oath to protect the weak as one with power was the first oath she made as an adventurer.

‘But no one keeps such things.’

However, Sonia hadn’t seen many people keeping that oath promise in her life.

Except for a few of her friends and acquaintances.

[You’re doing adventurer work with that body? Wouldn’t just dying be helping?]

Rather, she had heard mocking voices.

Those mocking voices were a factor that made her rely more blindly on her friends, but…

‘I can do it now. I’ll be able to protect Sister and senior.’

Look.

In the end, she turned her curse into a blessing.

Although it wasn’t just by her power but with her master’s help, it was evidence showing that her life of enduring until then had value.

‘The Solemio guild was usually a fairly friendly neighbor, but when something big happened, they immediately turned their eyes away from our business. Even the guild master and clerks who usually smiled with us.’

And from what she had experienced so far.

Those who couldn’t even protect close people had no room to turn their eyes to something more than that.

‘If it weren’t for Maria, we wouldn’t have been able to hire adventurers even for investigation requests in the first place. So why should we protect others?’

Even friendly neighbors acted like that in this world.

And in such a world, helping others in this situation where it’s hard to even protect yourself?

That was arrogance.

Arrogance that could make you lose the people around you, and furthermore, even yourself.

And decisively.

‘Sister said it wasn’t, but we don’t know.’

She was suspecting one more possibility.

To prevent that possibility from being realized, they shouldn’t join the people.

Rather, staying apart might end up helping them.

“Miss Sonia? What are you doing…! If you block the door here, people will…!”

“We can’t go out. Senior.”

Of course, such thoughts met with opposition from another person in the house.

Of course, Sonia had expected that too… but she inwardly flinched for a moment at the voice coming out more calmly than she had thought.

“…And we can’t let other people in either. Please block the second floor.”

“But…!”

“Have you forgotten? We belong to the dungeon. All we have to do is protect ourselves until the master comes.”

Sonia erased her usual expressionless face that always observed situations powerlessly, and glared at Leonis with eyes sharpened as much as possible.

Although still lacking in spirit, Leonis also hardened his face at that gaze clearly showing her will.

She paid attention to his gestures.

The Leonis she knew was a good person. There was a high possibility he wouldn’t be persuaded by such simple words.

Sure enough.

“I’m sorry, Miss Sonia.”

Leonis didn’t stop at that.

“「Crack Gener…」!”

“「Ice Hammer」!”

“So…?!”

As soon as she saw Leonis stretch out his hand towards the ice-covered window and start chanting a spell to escape, Sonia unhesitatingly used an attack spell to knock him out.

The fact that he chose to go out through the window that was easier to block again in the process showed his intention to put only himself in danger, but Sonia had no intention of just watching him leave.

It might be difficult to protect this place alone, but leaving someone who could ruin things immediately was more dangerous.

“Sonia?”

“Are you going to interfere too, Sister? With me protecting us.”

Bang!

-Kieeek!!

Sonia’s appearance with magic light in both eyes and an ice lump summoned in one hand that could knock out Maria immediately.

Maria found it very unfamiliar to see Sonia focusing on her intent as if it was more important than the sound of monsters entering from the second floor.

That she was so coldly pushing away other people, when she hadn’t hesitated to reach out even in that dark dungeon, even in situations where she had no hope for herself.

‘But I’m the only one who can understand this child now.’

However, Maria wasn’t someone who couldn’t comprehend the reason.

Adventurers weren’t volunteers. You have to prioritize protecting yourself before you can even attempt to protect others.

Moreover, she was more of a mercenary who couldn’t gain anything if she didn’t achieve her own self-preservation first, rather than an adventurer who prioritized protecting people.

That man Leonis was just too kind.

“…No. But the current me is just a hindrance…”

“There seem to be many, but fortunately no big demons are visible yet. Sister. You’d better take a weapon to protect yourself. And please take care of senior.”

“What about you?”

“The enemy has entered. I’ll block them.”

Sonia immediately handed over the sword she had been wearing at her waist to Maria, then took out a hand axe from her thigh, asked Maria to take care of Leonis, and immediately started moving.

Thud! Thud thud thud!

-Kirrr…

-Kieee…

On the second floor that hadn’t been blocked yet, dolls with red eyes in both eyes appeared one by one as the commotion gradually increased.

The demons outside had realized there was prey here and rushed in.

Creak…

“Come in.”

As Sonia glared at them while gripping the hand axe and wand tightly in her hands and spoke.

As if understanding those words, immediately.

-Kieeek!!

-Kyaaak!!

Multiple figures made entirely of green immediately sprang out.