It's Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

* * *

I felt as if my insides were burning.

“Senior, senior…?”

“Ugh… ugh!”

The first loss of personnel belonging to my dungeon occurring at a time that could not have been predicted at all, and happening meaninglessly, really made me feel awful.

“Senior… please. Don’t go like this. Okay? I don’t want to lose you like this… I don’t want to lose anyone again…!”

“Ha… ha. That’s… a happy thing to hear…”

“Right…? So, please…! Wake up…!”

Sonia’s final plea is not heard by the current Leonis.

His hearing has already been completely lost.

The reason why his hearing, which should have been the last to be lost when facing death, was damaged first is simply because I am forcibly keeping his ‘sight’ and ‘touch’, which are most necessary for him now, alive.

The words he’s saying now are just ‘pleasant words’ based on guessing what Sonia is saying.

“Huh… ugh.”

“Master. Please save senior. Okay…?”

“Sonia. Please… be happy…”

His upper body was already half crushed from the initial attack from behind, and his internal organs were damaged due to the forced use of magic in that state.

It was already too late to save Leonis completely.

He’s probably in a situation where he doesn’t even properly know what he’s saying now.

‘Unless a saint comes, it’s an injury that can’t be revived.’

With my magical capabilities, I could only postpone death, not completely heal his condition.

“Sonia.”

“Please, please… I, I don’t want to lose anyone anymore…”

“Sonia… The one you’re asking is a necromancer, and a Dungeon Lord. Do you know what that means?”

“…Master…”

“Even if I intervene, he must decide his own fate.”

Despite Sonia’s plea, I was troubled.

If Leonis had died shortly after meeting me, I would have unhesitatingly recycled him.

At that time, he was just an enemy to me, and I was in a situation where I lacked summons.

‘But not now.’

Although Leonis may have lacked respect for me as a leader, he diligently carried out the tasks assigned to him, and those tasks have become an excellent foundation for building the dungeon now.

Even the Elder Gremlins who are renovating my dungeon are said to be highly praising the magical traps he designed, saying they are ‘extremely excellent and would be difficult for ordinary human or demon magicians to see through’.

So.

‘He’s someone who has done enough to deserve my respect.’

I will let those who deserve respect determine their own end as they wish, and I will protect that.

That is one of the philosophies I’ve established as a human who has become a monster.

Even if that person is someone I love.

‘I’ve never experienced it, so I can’t be sure how I’ll act when it actually happens, but…’

Even if I’ve become a monster in body, is there any reason to abandon the philosophy I had when I was human?

Unless it’s something extremely idealistic like ‘I won’t kill people even if both I and the people I love die’, there’s no need to radically change my previous philosophy.

I don’t intend to establish it as a belief that must be kept at all costs, but I intend to keep it as much as possible.

-Leonis.

“Yes…?”

Considering his already damaged hearing, I spoke directly to his soul, and his eyes swept around before finally turning towards me.

Because even his sight was gradually dying as the magic power-induced postponement was reaching its limit.

-You have three choices.

“What… is it?”

To Leonis who expressed doubt, I drew the options in his mind by inserting mental images of what those choices were.

-Do you give up being ‘human’.

The first method is to be born as a demon.

It means being reborn with the most ‘suitable’ power and form by relying on the Demon King’s power.

Although you’ll lose almost all human parts of your body, and depending on the race you’re reborn as, even your personality or nature may change somewhat.

But you’ll be alive, and maintain your memories.

And if you’re alive, you can do many things.

-Or do you pray that your future self will regain yourself, relying on a slim possibility.

The second is to rise again as an undead.

You’ll lose many parts of your past life, but at least you can fully maintain your ‘humanity’. If I use my power.

You’ll lose a considerable part of your memories and much of your strength, but in terms of ‘continuity of existence’, this option can actually be said to be the most moderate.

-If not that, then do you fade away here in vain.

The last is eternal darkness.

And his grave erected in a sunny place, and Sonia placing flowers in front of his grave with a faint smile.

“…”

After hearing my words and confirming all the mental images drawn, Leonis’s gaze immediately turned to Sonia.

Probably even though black spots were gradually spreading in his field of vision, immediately.

“I… kuhup!”

His choice didn’t flow out in clear words, but I understood its meaning through the contract.

-It will be done as you wish.

His choice was death.

At the same time, using his legacy ‘meaningfully’.

That wish would be fulfilled.

* * *

As soon as Leonis died, I froze his body through necromancy.

Regardless of which option, I couldn’t immediately grant his decision. To start taking measures right away after returning to the dungeon, this was the best option.

Fortunately, there were people to move his body too.

“Sonia.”

“…Master. Thank you.”

At Sonia’s words, I just shook my head.

It was just that Leonis’s choice was important, not that it was a difficult thing for me.

More than that.

“You should return first.”

“I’m fine…!”

“Are you saying I should believe those words?”

“…”

I had originally planned to leave Sonia and Maria in this city and move to the auction house, but now that I had revealed myself acting in the city, that option had disappeared.

I couldn’t let Sonia or Maria die, so it was unavoidable, but I couldn’t leave them to the threat of people who would rush in afterwards either.

It’s not like they become immediate fighting power either.

In the end, I had no choice but to have the two return like this.

“I’d like you to listen to me. I don’t want to lose a cherished subordinate, and then lose my disciple too.”

“…To Master… was senior a cherished person? Really?”

“Of course.”

Sonia, who had maintained silence for a moment at my words, asked while looking at me with doubtful eyes.

However, I couldn’t hesitate on that part.

If not, would there have been any need to deliberately strengthen his abilities? The power Leonis had right before death was clearly much stronger than when he first met me.

The enemy was just too strong.

“I cherished him. Sonia.”

“…I see…”

If asked whether I really cherished him ‘as a person’, I might have postponed the answer, but if asked whether I ‘cherished’ the subject, I could immediately answer sincerely that I did cherish him.

As one who owned him.

“Maria. Please comfort Sonia well.”

“I can’t say… don’t worry, but I’ll do my best.”

“And…”

I’m worried that Sonia might have unnecessary thoughts while I’m gone, but it should be fine since she has Maria, who has a deep connection with her, though not as much as Leonis.

“The same goes for you too. Maria.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t get hurt. Whether you believe it or not, I cherish you too. I trust you.”

“…Yes.”

Although she made a strange expression at my words ‘I trust you’, Maria soon came to her senses and bowed politely.

She has been sincerely contributing to the dungeon recently. Thanks to that, Daniel was able to quickly fill in the lost characteristics.

Now, when I think it’s okay to lift some of the sanctions imposed on her not long from now.

I think it’s about time to give her some trust.

“I’m counting on you with these two. Mire.”

-Clatter.

“Focus on moving safely.”

-Tack!

It’s a distance that takes a week to return to the dungeon.

To protect the two during that time, I attached Mire and some troops to their shadows.

Of course, they don’t necessarily follow the orders of the two, but are set to move autonomously judging when the two are in danger.

I hadn’t done this before, thinking it was dangerous to separate my troops externally, but now I’ve learned that unforeseen dangers can come at any time.

Not knowing is not a sin, but being careless while knowing is a sin. In that sense, my sin is also mixed in this accident.

As such, revenge must also be properly achieved.

“…”

-…

Xue and Eve still seemed dissatisfied with this matter, with me cutting my own safety to secure the safety of my subordinates…

But in the end, when I didn’t change my mind, they decided to follow.

“Then. Set off first.”

“Master.”

“Yes?”

“…It’s nothing. Take care and come back safely.”

“Alright. Thank you.”

As I put my hand on Sonia’s head, who was starting to grow taller than me, and stroked it, she grasped my hand with both of hers and shed tears again.

It’s probably because she hasn’t escaped the sorrow of losing Leonis yet.

“You’ll do well. Sonia.”

Opening my mouth was impulsive, but I didn’t regret it.

What was contained in Sonia’s two eyes looking at me.

It was clearly hope.

Although Leonis’s love wasn’t reciprocated, the strength he instilled in her will surely become good nourishment.

“Will I? …And is that the right thing to do?”

“That’s what he wanted too. You’ll surely be able to become happy. I don’t know if you’ll believe me saying this, or if that’s right for you.”

“…No. I believe you. And I know that individual happiness shouldn’t be universally defined.”

“…”

What she said was something I strongly sympathized with.

Individual happiness cannot be universally defined.

While a person’s general happiness surely includes ‘harmony with family’, even on Earth, there was no one beside me except a few company colleagues and friends as I sought my own happiness as an individual.

Even without family beside me like that, I’m confident I could have lived happily until I died.

Most problems that occur in the world tend to be solved with money, and I had already earned enough money at that time.

That’s why I was so disheartened when I lost it. Because I considered that wealth as evidence of my happiness.

“Why…?”

“It’s nothing.”

Now… well. I’m not sure, but.

I’ll probably come to agree with this.

That it certainly occupies a large share as an ingredient of happiness, but it’s not everything.

-Grrrr…

-Clatter!

Even in the midst of this, seeing Xue so happy with my stroking hand now, and Eve jealous of that.

“That’s a good thing to say.”

“Yes?”

“That happiness cannot be universally defined. I hope your happiness comes soon. As your master.”

“…You too, Master.”

“Yes. I’ll see you later.”

And so, I sent the two women back ‘home’ first.

“Let’s go.”

I had one more thing I had to do here.

Resolving the ‘grudge’.

…In the end, I’ll have to find a house to be a base here next time.