SWNOVELXO Chapter 122
– 1 –
During the period announced for growth by the Dungeon Lord.
The number of monsters and those with power visible in the Magical Realm of Libertus and its surroundings was certainly decreasing, even if it wasn’t immediately noticeable.
This was because the people of Libertus were actively hunting the ‘betrayers.’
Inside and near the boundary, Lan and Xue led the monsters, while outside, Evangeline moved about in human form.
“What are you… where did you come from…?!”
“Well…”
Among them, the one with the harshest standards was Xue.
Having once received the ‘master’s favor,’ she regarded all who did not properly utilize it as betrayers.
Whether they were lazy or opportunists.
“P-please… spare me…!”
Crack!
Swish, swish!!
Licking the blood that splattered on her lips with a tongue unusually redder than a human’s, Xue began to feed the body of the Dungeon Lord she had just executed back into the Dungeon Core, transforming it into ‘blood.’
Humans and other monsters might not know this, but to increase the completeness of the harvested Dungeon Core, one had to kill the Dungeon Lord and thus feed the corpse into the core in this manner.
Then, she looked around.
– Kyaah!!
– Kieeek!
After killing only the Dungeon Lord through rapid assaults, even the major monsters fled or went into a frenzy, taking one of two stances.
Like most dungeons that did not properly regulate their members, the sense of ‘belonging’ to the dungeon had been lost.
“Just suppress any rebellious ones. I’ll catch a few myself.”
Snap!
This ‘dungeon’ located on the outskirts of the Libertus realm had not been discovered by any humans and was a competent dungeon that had managed to grow to a higher rank on its own.
By the original measure, this was someone who could be the subordinate of her master.
‘That can’t be allowed.’
Previously, Libertus had overlooked this individual twice, knowing that he had sold information to the enemy, considering his abilities. However, Xue had no intention of doing the same.
Ultimately, she understood that he calculated that ‘mercy’ as ‘foolishness’ and would decisively betray her.
Crunch!
“There’s not enough…”
As she broke the necks of those monsters that had been particularly loyal to the Dungeon Lord, Xue swallowed a sigh of disappointment.
According to her standards, there were still many more betrayers to kill.
Yet even though she was only killing these ‘decisive betrayers,’ there were two reasons for this.
[Those ones also had their own use. You know that.]
[While I agree that I want to kill them all, Xue. The wishes of our lord are more important.]
‘It’s not that I completely disagree, but… too lenient. Those kinds of beings are what finally accumulate into that grand betrayal…’
The first was that her companions had succeeded in persuading her.
Their persuasion was sincere.
If she exterminated all the nearby monsters according to her standards, the density of monsters in the area would significantly decrease.
She understood to some extent that this wouldn’t be beneficial for the Magical Realm, which needed to expand immediately.
‘If possible, I wanted to kill a few of the particularly lazy ones…’
And the second was simply that there was a real lack of time.
With just three days added and only two days left before the enemies arrived, this continent was not small enough to kill them all in time.
‘The schedule is today as well.’
Today counted as the fifth day since declaring war.
It was time for her to return.
Slurp…
“Guys… gather the core. We’re heading back.”
Xue’s action of licking her lips was filled with determination.
Thanks to Rita’s growth speeding up, the arrival of the ‘first enemy Dungeon Lord’ was also hastened, and the composition had changed slightly, but…
Their patterns of behavior had not deviated much from Xue’s ‘memories.’
Moreover, Libertus quickly grasped their patterns of behavior even without any prior explanation.
‘As expected of the master. To figure it all out without a hint.’
Thus, she reaffirmed her admiration and loyalty to her master in her heart.
‘Killing those will probably be fun…’
Xue smiled, reminiscent of a wolf’s grin.
It was a smile filled with the ferocity and brutality of a beast, which she rarely showed while maintaining the appearance of a ‘cool wolf-human’ in front of her master.
– 2 –
As expected by Libertus, the enemies opened the door precisely on the fifth day.
If mutually agreed upon, or at least three days after declaring war on the dungeon, a spatial movement door could be opened.
This was why even in Mill Don 1, dungeons could engage in war regardless of distance.
“From now on, I declare that the alliance of three Dungeon Lords and Lady Libertus has commenced. Unrelated parties are requested to leave this dungeon immediately…”
As if waiting, a ‘supervisor’ dispatched by the Mammon Trading Company was also present beside them.
A strictly neutral demon judge affiliated with the political neutrality of the Trading Company, supporting all Dungeon Lords.
“…”
The first to step forward and maintain silence among them was the beautiful Were Dragon with the characteristics of the sea dragon serpents.
Quirisia.
She dipped the tip of her long tail into the summoned seawater, floating in the air while glaring at Libertus.
– Grrr…
– Kirr…
Following her were the familiar Lizardmen and Mermaids of Libertus, among others.
Aquatic beastmen played in water or sea.
While some were occasionally bird-like or oceanbird beastmen, most had features of fish, reptiles, or amphibians.
“Good… smell…!”
Walking out from behind her, the Green Skin Dungeon Lord, Zarkra, twisted her pretty face into a smile.
She wore the attire typically of a troll shaman, covered in feathers and leather, but thanks to an appearance resembling a human, the sexual suggestiveness was so impressive compared to the existing trolls that it was embarrassing to compare.
The large hat with horn decorations resembling a big-horned goat was particularly striking.
– Chirrup!
– Gururuk…
Her smile, and those following her, possessed a different sort of sultriness.
Green Skin.
Represented by Goblins, Orcs, Trolls, and Ogres, this category could even occasionally include some dark elves with blue skin or other aberrant monsters in a broad sense.
Their common trait was the dense ‘violence’ that resembled lewdness.
“Lady Libertus, Baron Melzeros extends his greetings. Pleased to meet you.”
Finally, Baron Melzeros, who elegantly walked out, followed the most common form of a Dungeon Lord leading monsters.
In other words, ‘a slime with a humanoid form.’
While somewhat resembling a doppelganger, the texture of the surface was different, and they were properly clothed.
The reason for their appearance was partly because the first summoned minion of the monster Dungeon Lord happens to be slime, and at the same time, it was the form that adapted best to the powers of the ‘otherworld.’
– Kikikikiki…
– Uuu…
Following him were numerous peculiar beings.
Many had the appearance of slime.
However, some took on beast forms but had tentacles instead of mouths.
Or something that seemed to have erupted from the deep sea but had hands and feet instead of fins.
It was impossible to guess what abilities those bizarre appearances possessed.
Thus, they were a legion of creatures referred to simply as ‘Monsters,’ neither ‘monsters’ nor ‘demon clans.’
“Welcome, rude guests.”
The army of Libertus greeting them did not appear drastically different from that of humans at first glance.
Orderliness and unity.
They projected the impression of a properly organized army.
– Snap!
– Thud!
However, upon closer inspection, one could tell that each of their sizes and types was different, and their former races were not uniform.
Most were humans, but there were not infrequently Orcs and Goblins, and occasionally there were even a few gigantic Skeletons.
– Guaaaak!!
The eerie scream of a ghostly figure echoed forth from an empty throat, causing all living monsters to falter.
The cry of a young Ogre who had first hunted at the Copgerin raid and had now become a senior soldier.
Encapsulating both the instincts of a predator and the eeriness of the deceased, it had the power to intimidate the living.
– Cooowaa…!!…!!
It seemed displeased by that, as one of the adult Ogres standing in the center of the Green Skin army shouted.
“Such a ruckus.”
That voice was stifled by the wave produced by one of Libertus’s hands casually raised.
‘That’s…’
Both Melzeros and Quirisia, who possessed the qualifications of a Mage, simultaneously tensed up.
It appeared to be merely a light action.
However, the small wave produced there erased all sound in the space at once.
It contained an aspect of darkness that would swallow up and conceal everything.
“Now it’s a bit quieter. It would be troublesome if you made noise while guests are here.”
– Guu…
After scratching his head and shrinking his body, the Skeleton Ogre took a step back as Libertus stepped forward five paces.
Regardless of the fact that enemies were right before her, her attitude was either completely unconcerned or did not regard them as enemies at all.
While she had Evangeline and Xue beside her, from others’ perspective, it was a rather arrogant act.
“Come on in. I’ve been waiting for you.”
“Have you been scared for five days? You seem like you’ve been here all night long.”
Of course, the Green Skin could not simply stand by and watch such arrogance.
Zarkra, who stepped forward following her, was filled with boldness and hostility in both her words and expressions.
Although she did not lack magical aptitude, she was not at the level of perceiving Libertus’s wave as Melzeros and Quirisia had, so her boldness was permissible.
She was a shaman.
And shamanism operates on principles distinct from magic.
“No. Simply…”
However, her boldness did not earn her any rewards.
“It’s just that… I wasn’t expecting the uncultured ones to gang up three against one, and I had no hope that you would keep your own promises.”
Still smiling with a soft and gentle face, Libertus spoke kindly, as if complimenting Zarkra.
But the content of those words was entirely at odds with her tone.
“… What…!”
Zarkra’s face, which had momentarily frozen, flushed so red that it drained her green skin of color.
Anger caused the blood to rush to her face, rendering it a momentary black shade.
She had failed to realize the mockery in those words, overwhelmed by the overly gentle tone and soft expression.
“You…!”
– “Enough. Lady Zarkra.”
Melzeros stood in the way of Zarkra, who attempted to charge forward.
This slime-human clad in noble attire calmly observed Libertus and spoke.
– “We were on the advantageous side a while ago, so don’t get stirred up and act recklessly.”
“Look at that cheeky tone! Can you just take it?! Such a small child…!”
– “I got it. I got it. Let’s start quickly.”
Thus, although it was their first meeting, each observed her for different reasons.
– Hehe…
– Kirr…!
The three strongest warriors from each dungeon stepped forward to display their might.
However, Libertus, who actually drew attention, seemed to casually scratch her nails and turned her gaze to call her ‘vanguard.’
“Xue. Come here.”
“Okay.”
As Xue, the white wolf-human, moved closer, Libertus leaned in and whispered something tiny to her ear.
That scene resembled a woman whispering to a lover.
However, what happened immediately thereafter was entirely different.
Thud…!!
– Grrrr…
The three Dungeon Lords and their subordinates felt the immense magical power surging from their adversary right before their eyes.
A blood-soaked magical energy that could fill the space with the smell of blood.