It's Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

* * *

Before going to retrieve what I thought was Serica’s dungeon core, one thing came up that I had to do here in Copzerin.

That was resolving the ‘grudge’.

‘Those kids seemed to think of this as just an unfortunate event and try to move on…’

Something that happens often in this world as an ‘everyday misfortune’, so they weren’t even fully aware of it.

This meant that while those directly involved considered it a misfortune, for crowds who were just a step away or after a little time passed, it was already a familiar occurrence.

However, I couldn’t see it that way, not being from this world and even being directly involved.

‘It’s a damn shame.’

What I’m holding now is a photo of the true culprit behind the Copzerin attack.

The person captured in it is Eleanor Claimel, a fallen noble.

She was a beautiful woman with a decadent appearance, and also a warrior with quite strong abilities herself.

Excellent looks. Fairly outstanding talent. Though a fallen noble, the wealth and connections accumulated in her family because of that.

If she had lived normally, she might have grown into quite an excellent talent within the kingdom.

“Is this what it means to have everything and throw it all away?”

“That’s right. I can’t understand it myself…”

“Of course you wouldn’t. Talhan. It’s not that you don’t understand. It’s just how it is.”

“Ah, yes.”

However, Eleanor chose the path of a demon fanatic.

Driven mad by the desire for revenge on her family, she tried to attack a Count of the kingdom by joining hands with demons.

Seen that way, this situation may be a long-term stroke of luck for me. Although I don’t feel that way at all since I suffered human resource losses due to what she did.

[He will pay the price.]

No matter how I thought about it, the words she had spewed at the banquet hall kept bothering me, so as I was leaving there, I had already instructed Talhan and the Cerebrum Skulls to investigate it…

It’s also annoying that even that investigation itself was already too late. Even though it was the fastest decision from my standpoint.

She caused the incident right after the banquet ended, and we… or more precisely, three people got caught up in it.

‘It’s even more annoying that this is something that can normally happen in this world.’

The most correct action I should have taken in that situation was actually to leave the city as soon as the banquet ended.

But how could I have done that?

If someone could immediately predict that something would happen right away just by discovering a very small part of the signs before an event occurred, that person would be like a figure of miraculous resonance.

If I had to choose a figure suitable for me, I should rather choose Jungdal.

Just look at what I’ve done now.

“Who… are you?”

“Is your name Eleanor Claimel?”

“Yes, it is, but…?”

“I’ve found you properly.”

On the very evening of the day I sent Sonia and Maria off to the dungeon carrying Leonis’s body.

I, who had started ‘resolving the grudge’, was now inside the prison where Eleanor Claimel, the culprit, was confined, just one hour after starting the work.

Where she was alone, with all her other companions either dead or having escaped.

The difficulty increased because wariness against demons had heightened due to what she did, so I shouldn’t use any necromancy or shadow magic I possessed…

But even so, it wasn’t a difficult task.

“We have about 10 minutes left, Miss.”

“Get her out first. We’ll talk afterwards.”

“Yes.”

Messengers who used to deliver all sorts of news on foot in the past, though their treatment has become ambiguous these days. And information guild members, which is what those messengers have changed into in modern times.

They are respected by modern humans, and since one of my subordinates, who is one of them, said they would interrogate the culprit of the incident, they only checked for magic power and let us in.

And since Cerebrum Skulls are specialized in disguise and deception, it was possible to hide or even disperse the demon’s magic power possessed by the main body.

Thud. Rustle!

“What are you…!”

“Stay still. If you don’t want to die.”

Three undead spies disguised as information guild members start moving busily.

One took out two corpses from a pre-prepared expansion pouch and changed Eleanor’s clothes onto one of them, while another started sprinkling pre-prepared blood, flesh, and bone fragments around.

“Sister. You’re not a person who should die here. We’ve come to take you away.”

And Talhan, who remained last, told Eleanor the ‘truth’.

“…Are you like me too?”

“Yes. That’s right. We are also people who serve the great one.”

“But… how can I believe that?”

“It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not. The city people will execute you tomorrow. This is your only chance to live longer. Haven’t you not yet completed your revenge? The Count is still alive.”

There wasn’t a single lie in these words.

The interrogation of Eleanor had already ended, and due to the Count’s testimony about the seal ring she had, it was ‘decided’ that all these crimes were due to her grudge.

It doesn’t matter since that’s actually the case, but it seems true that all interrogations slackened after it became known that Eleanor was a person from the Claimel family.

She knew about that situation too, so it didn’t take long for her to endure looking at us while pretending to be uncharacteristically calm.

Moreover, since all demons are supposed to serve the ‘Demon King’, there’s no lie even in this part.

“…Ha. At least it won’t get worse.”

The eyes of this fallen noble uttering a positive answer were full of flames that could be seen at a glance.

Hatred.

‘As expected.’

A torn dress and exposed skin beneath. Yet the flame of grudge is not extinguished at all.

For me, that was no different from a device that made me understand minimally about the existence of this terrorist woman who now looked barely in her 20s.

‘I thought it wouldn’t be ordinary circumstances.’

People who have a lot don’t easily throw away everything they have.

However, this woman is someone who had a lot from birth, yet committed terrorism against nobles, bound by past grudges.

Wouldn’t it be natural for there to be some plausibility for that?

Like growing up being almost brainwashed by her family from childhood, or having some reason to hold a grudge against the Count herself.

Some plausibility to have a rotten, festering grudge.

“It’s all done.”

When the undead information agents finished manipulating the scene, what remained in the prison were the corpses of ‘Eleanor whose head flew off due to a curse’ and ‘an information guild member who died from the curse that blew off Eleanor’s head’.

“I’ll see you next time, Miss.”

“Take care. I haven’t decided on your reward yet.”

“Of course.”

Boom-!!!

Two of the three headed towards the secret passage in the prison they had scouted in advance, and we took Eleanor disguised as one of the two, blew up the scene, and escaped.

“What’s going on-!!”

“Is it demons?!”

“Eleanor self-destructed! Damn it. Our organization members died!”

The process was surprisingly smooth.

It was natural for Eleanor’s eyes looking at us to change after seeing that.

“To think there were brethren like you in the information guild… I should have contacted you earlier.”

“We also succeeded recently, so the news hasn’t reached anyone. It’s just unfortunate that it was a coincidence.”

“I see…”

This mad avenger, who seemed to have completely recognized us as her allies, nodded her head and started to ramble on about her past while walking down the road of our journey route.

Roughly speaking, her memories started after her family had already fallen.

Her mother got dementia at a young age and is still living in the days when she was a young lady.

Her beloved older sister is growing old as a spinster because rumors spread in social circles due to the opposing family fearing she would be targeted by the Zulheim family.

Her younger sibling born with congenital disabilities was said to be cursed by Zulheim.

In the midst of all that, one of the family elders contacted demons and regained youth.

And this was the first time she had left her family.

“It seems you weren’t the first contact. Child.”

“That’s right, sister.”

“Then that brother must be protecting your family now.”

“He must be.”

Eleanor seemed to recognize me completely as a superior, not minding my informal speech or her own honorifics.

Well, since she was said to be an elite-rank swordswoman, she would vaguely guess about the signs of my magic power.

She probably believes I’m an ability user of the same level.

In addition, looking from the outside, I would look too young no matter how you look at it, so it wouldn’t be strange if she thought I was from some mysterious family.

“You were going to commit suicide…?”

“Yes… that’s right.”

It seems she originally planned to release demons inside this castle and then kill herself.

She was worried she might reveal the location of the hidden family members under torture.

But what came back was indifference after learning her identity, and because of that attitude, she seems to have realized one more thing.

“Even if I die like this, they’ll just recognize me as one of the trash. I should have been more careful… I should have stabbed more fatally…!”

“That’s right, Eleanor. Revenge must be done fatally.”

I agreed with her words.

That revenge should be done as fatally as possible.

That it should be crushed thoroughly so that nonsense like grudges breeding grudges can’t be spouted.

“So thank you very much. For giving me another chance…”

“Yes.”

“But, may I ask the name of my benefactor…?”

“Angelita.”

“Ah, so it’s Lady Angelita.”

So I was planning to show her an example of what she had just realized.

That only incompetent ones wear the shackles of grudges.