It’s Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

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– 1 –

Right after Libertus left the swamp, the Alraunes who gathered at her departure gazed at their queen.

Because she had truly rare and enchanting eyes.

“How was it?”

The Alraunes gathered by the lake, and with those words from a representative red Alraune, Nirvana smiled even wider.

It was a smile as if she were dreaming.

“She was as beautiful and adorable as I expected.”

“Is that so…?”

Libertus was adorned with flowers so splendid they could be likened to roses, and she was partnered with a type of flower called ‘Middlemist Camellia’ on Earth, making the Alraune, who was a Camellia Alraune, feel slightly puzzled.

What she had seen in Libertus was a Dungeon Lord with immense power, and she thought Nirvana wouldn’t be indifferent to someone with such strength.

After all, the foremost virtues of a leader guiding monsters are ‘strength’ and ‘vigilance’.

“Haah…”

Yet, the sight of Nirvana at that moment seemed utterly captivated by the newly met Dungeon Lord.

– That queen?

– To my eyes, she just looked incredibly strong.

It was an ironic scene that an Alraune, who entraps and devours other beings, was enchanted by another being, but the Alraunes simply accepted it and lowered their heads.

Nirvana often behaved oddly, but she was their acknowledged leader.

No matter the circumstances, they believed she wouldn’t allow any harm to come to the group.

Moreover.

– Ah, but she was indeed pretty and adorable.

– That’s true. Ah, it would be so nice to have her beside me at night.

The Alraunes were equally envious of Libertus.

When Nirvana caught their murmurs, she sharpened her gaze.

“You all. She is mine. Don’t lay your sights on her.”

– Yes!!

The Alraunes answered in unison, but the vigilant look in Nirvana’s eyes did not disappear for a while.

The Alraunes’ greed for beauty was considerable, no matter how strong Nirvana was, others also shared a significant part of that greed.

– Was she really cute?

– Of course.

Look at this.

I told them not to covet her, yet their eyes are still gleaming with desire.

Truly, these types were untrustworthy in this regard.

“Red Camellia. White Rose. Nepenthes. Vegetation Violets. Jade Vine. Step forward.”

– Yes!

So, this time, everyone dispatched to the dungeon were her heirs’ candidates.

They were those scrambling to get recognized in pursuit of the position of the next queen.

Having such a constraint as the successor position made them relatively trustworthy.

“You all are to be dispatched to Libertus’s dungeon. Prepare yourselves, and once ready, report immediately before departing.”

“Us?”

“Is that really true, Your Majesty?”

Originally, she had planned to send only about three of them.

Using the heirs as maids was immensely convenient.

That thought changed right after she faced Libertus.

‘She hid herself moderately and showed herself, yet for Nirvana, it was enough of a spellbinding charm.

I must have her.’

Meeting Libertus directly instantly attracted Nirvana.

Libertus assumed she was adequately concealing herself and showcasing herself, yet that alone was sufficient to wield an enchanting power over Nirvana.

“Indeed. I promised to send reinforcements to the dungeon. For the amount of power we send, they will procure items that can assist us in the Demon World. So, take along those you have with you.”

Should this go well, and provided they don’t audaciously covet the Dungeon Lord again,

This time, she would really have to appoint the postponed successor.

For Nirvana, who had been utilizing these capable talents for that heir position for a long time, it was a bit of a pity…

‘Such patience at a young age. That beauty. That aura. No human hero can overshadow that true beauty. So… I must!’

If in return she could ‘consume’ the Dungeon Lord, it was all the more worth it.

Whether in terms of political power or genuine relations.

Slurp…!

She had no intention of letting Libertus fall into the hands of anyone else.

Absolutely.

– 2 –

After Libertus departed from the vicinity of the lake, Echidna gathered the best of her clan who could wield magic.

It was because she wanted to experience again the physical sensations she had newly encountered today.

“Magic… you mean?”

“I’m sorry, but that’s impossible, Your Majesty.”

“If you’re going to dismiss me, just tell me to leave…!”

However, the Lamia magicians, upon hearing her request, all showed reluctance.

They expressed their fears of potentially harming their queen by following her orders.

Their reaction hinted they understood it was not a false worry.

“Calm down and explain it clearly. What do you mean?”

“Your Majesty, our resistance against magic is extremely high. If we succeed in injecting magic into your body, it can only happen in two cases.”

Upon hearing the explanation, Echidna’s face slightly colored with surprise.

She had maintained a controlled expression through extraordinary patience.

However, anyone observant would have noticed that the scales on her back or tail had somewhat puffed up.

‘So, Libertus…’

She recognized just how outrageous an act the Dungeon Lord she had welcomed as a new friend had performed so easily and casually.

According to the magicians, penetrating and interfering with the bodies of beings like the Lamia, who have accumulated magic in their structures, was indeed an incredibly challenging task.

As mentioned, if it were possible, it would only occur under two circumstances.

One was when the queen herself relinquished her accumulated magic at the risk of assassination.

The other was when the queen was severely injured, weakening her resistance.

‘But she casually injected magic into my body.’

Echidna had experience injecting someone else with magic, but she had never allowed someone to permeate into her own.

Because she herself was proficient in poison and the magical techniques that manipulate it, she never found it difficult to penetrate others with magic.

“How intriguing.”

“Your Majesty?”

“Who do you think is comparable to me in terms of magical ability?”

“Well…”

“Speak frankly. You won’t be punished for this.”

The Lamia magicians, who were cautiously trying to gauge if this was a test of loyalty or not, gradually lowered their defensive views.

VS games are enjoyable for anyone, after all.

“First, there is the Alraune Queen.

The black lotus and light magic she wields led a hundred into the swamp without regard to their skill level, so her capacity and manipulation ability should be on par with Your Majesty.”

“That’s an obvious answer.”

After all, if one could easily overwhelm the Alraune Queen or fall short of her capabilities, she would have seized control of all forces in the area long ago.

It is evident that other Ant Queens and Choin Queens share similar abilities, yet they weren’t mentioned simply because they were merely warriors capable of using magic.

In the case of Kamaya, she handles magic well, but her magical capacity doesn’t reach Echidna’s or Alraune’s.

As for Orea, while her amount of magic is sufficient, her skill at wielding it is lacking.

“The court mages present in each kingdom would also be similar. Of course, though they may currently be of higher skill, Your Majesty will quickly catch up with them.”

“I expected as much.”

The court mages of the current continent, representing the magical power of a nation, are mostly high-ranking experts.

They represent the hidden strengths of their respective nations and are living histories, with most being over sixty years old.

Echidna’s age barely compares to half of theirs, so the comparison is quite remarkable, but she didn’t care too much since she looked down on humans as monsters.

“I would nominate Duke Dantalion of the North.

Considering the records of his youth compared to what Your Majesty can accomplish, one could argue that historical accounts tend to be exaggerated, making your talent comparable.”

“That sounds rather flattering, but it was a satisfactory conversation.”

Echidna had never thought of comparing herself to dukes, but she had confidence that she could become a being close to that stature, so she did not deny it.

Yet the difference this time was that

She had met someone who could elevate herself to be comparable to such a duke.

“Well then, to incorporate her as a subordinate is quite the lofty ambition.”

The one who, without effort, infused magic into the body of the powerful Lamia Queen.

Dungeon Lord Libertus.

Her ability, having been observed for merely four months since her emergence, was astonishingly impressive, even if she was yet to realize it.

To so easily overshadow the magical capabilities she had cultivated while reigning as queen all this time.

“Who… are you talking about?”

“It doesn’t matter. Everyone, withdraw. I wish to think.”

““Yes, Your Majesty.””

After sending away her subordinate magicians, she sank into deep thought.

‘How may I obtain her?’

What should she do about her first friend and newfound rival?

Unbeknownst to her, that thought had already transformed from ‘to take her as a subordinate’ to ‘to possess her.’

– 3 –

“What the… is going on here?”

Among the ranks of the ant-human Muirmikian who dominate the coniferous forest, infamous for their warrior clan known as the Clever Tribe.

And their queen and general, Orea.

After receiving a visit from Libertus a few days prior, she was informed that the ‘spiders’ had disappeared from the woods.

“According to rumors from the other monsters… it seems their king has died. They were spotted retreating under the orders of their queens and princes, but there was no sight of the king among them…”

“How can he suddenly die without a sound, having fought me on equal terms just three days ago?”

Upon hearing her younger sister Etna’s report, Orea made a face of disbelief.

A powerful warrior scattering tremendous magic and combat prowess had vanished without a trace overnight.

It was akin to the existence of someone capable of such a feat nearby, potentially heralding a new threat.

“That’s unknown. But the reason the spiders are retreating must only be this.”

“Indeed… I apologize for my irritation.”

“It’s fine.”

Etna felt equally frustrated.

If the king had died, it would have been normal for a battle in the surrounding area to take place, yet no one had witnessed that moment.

“Let’s stabilize the area first. If the spiders have retreated, a broad swath of this forest will be left vulnerable. We need to prevent humans from swarming in.”

“Our generals are waiting. Just command them.”

“Hmm. Then…”

“I think I can assist with that. Orea.”

At the sudden voice, the sisters turned and discovered a group that had been standing there for who knows how long.

Dressed entirely in black, with black parasols, and exuding an unmistakable aura was the Demon Lord candidate.

“Libertus? You didn’t go down… for a moment.”

“Blue Arachne…? No way.”

The two instantly realized that the composition of Libertus’s entourage standing by her had changed.

Though they still had one Skeleton and one Wolf Beastman, a new figure had joined them.

“I executed their king. Orea. It was over a minor disagreement.”

Libertus said casually, yet the content was astonishing.

It was hard to believe she had executed the king of the enemy faction overnight, and that it was merely over a ‘minor disagreement.’

The truth was that the former Aotsukigumo, Tigris, had said and acted in a way that genuinely upset Libertus, but it was impossible for them to guess that now.

“These children are the proof. They are the offspring of the Arachne king.”

“Are the Arachne of yours… really the king’s children?”

“I know it sounds unbelievable, so it’s fine if you don’t believe me. But since we’ve already confirmed the spiders’ retreat, they must be here, right?”

Furthermore, she did not only bring the children who appeared to be the heirs of that king along with her.

“Introduce yourselves. You two.”

“Hello, I am Tristan.”

“I’m Leah.”

There are not many Arachne in this world.

Compared to, say, the ‘queen ant monster.’

Arachne appear in a fashion similar to how queen ants are born among ants.

Either born directly as Arachne or evolved from a few exceptional spiders.

Normally, those born from the Arachne’s surrogate womb would just be ‘spider monsters,’ so the number of monsters acknowledged as Arachne could only be exceedingly small.

Yet now, two Arachne were following Libertus.

‘There’s no way I can not believe.’

From the Arachne king’s death to Libertus claiming to have absorbed his colony.

Every piece of information was hard to believe, yet with proof standing right before them, rejecting it was out of the question.

“Why have you brought them?”

“They’re something of a hostage. I’ve rallied the Arachne colony around the third one. However, I don’t plan to take all of them. I’ll hand over a portion so you can use them as a buffer at the boundary of the coniferous forest.”

“Then, those two will be the center of that army?”

“Just as you guessed. Right now, that’s what you need the most.”

Tristan and Leah were the eldest son and daughter of Tigris.

She aimed to implant these two full of desires and likely to be headaches as eyes and ears beside the Ant Queen, preventing the Arachne from disbanding.

Thus, she would only give them a task, and if they handled it well, she would leave the door open for them.

Although their mothers, the first and third queens, had repeatedly impressed upon them, it was naturally hard to engender trust solely from that.

‘I cannot refuse.’

On the other hand, the ant queen sisters had no choice but to accept this pseudo-gift.

It was a proposal they simply cannot refuse, despite being aware of the risks.

In this coniferous forest, the most numerous tribes were the Muirmikian in the north and the subordinate spider monsters of the Arachne in the south.

Should those spider monsters entirely retreat from the woods, it was only logical for the external defense to weaken, allowing humans to flow into the forest even more.

‘If I let that happen, the very dominance of the Muirmikian could crack.’

In such a situation, there could easily emerge a second or third spider. Monsters that can increase in number if given a nutrient can be far more plentiful than one might expect.

Even Orea, who deemed Libertus lacking as a queen, knew that much.

After all, she had not reigned over this forest for just a year or two.

“Understood. I’ll accept it.”

“Good thinking.”

Exchanging glances with Etna to confirm they were on the same page, Orea promptly informed Libertus of their acceptance.

However, she did not forget to impose conditions.

“However, you must firmly transfer the authority over them and their army to us. Even in the case of an emergency, you won’t be held liable if they are promptly dealt with.”

“Of course, that’s the natural thing to say. You don’t need to worry about that, right?”

““Yes!!””

To the small lady’s light inquiry, the Arachne replied with an uplifting response.

No matter how one looked at it, they seemed to have quickly taken control of their spirit within just a few days.

Though Orea felt complicated emotions stir within her, she knew she couldn’t retract her words.

“May good fortune be with you. General Orea. Chancellor Etna.”

“Thank you for your assistance, Queen Libertus.”

“Thank you.”

All the sisters could do was bow their heads and express their gratitude.

“Well, we will see you in the conference room this time. I look forward to it then.”

As they looked on emotionlessly, the master of the dungeon, Libertus, and her entourage soon vanished into the shadows.

Leaving behind the two Arachne and the spiders following them.

“… Huh.”

As she felt the shadow remaining in her place symbolizing their future, the Ant Queen bid her farewell with a somber expression.

The small war in the coniferous forest had ended at the hands of those removed from it.