It was funny. He had never had such an ordinary day in his life. He shared a room with someone, got married, and talked all night. Has he ever been so ‘humanly’ while rejecting relationships with others? But the dungeon seemed to judge more validly on the fact that he was doing things related to ‘love’ rather than the fact he was living a normal life like Theresa.
Clyde hated love. No, he detested it. Even though he only pretended to love it, the bracelet turned black.
Love. If it wasn’t for that, he wouldn’t have been born.
Clyde returned to the room with a cold, subdued face. There, he found Theresa curled up while sleeping. He carefully raised Theresa’s head and put it on his arm. Then he brushed his hair off his fair cheeks and stared at her peacefully sleeping face illuminated by the candlelight.
“Ummm.”
Like the day before, Theresa naturally searched for warmth and hugged him. Even though he was the one who removed the pillow yesterday, it was Theresa who came rolling over and hugged him. He was simply trying to ensure she was fine, but it was absurd. No matter how many times he tried to push her away, she quickly clung to him, so eventually, he gave up and let her have her way.
“Why are you so defenseless?”
Clyde hugged Theresa deeply. Compared to him, she was ridiculously small and thin.
Clyde suddenly realized that the dream he had given in the dungeon was completely wrong. Theresa was nothing ordinary. The presence that she exuded from such a smaller body than he was special enough to overwhelm those around her. Without realizing it, he had become completely charmed by her. It was to the point that he was willing to dye his bracelet black and do the things he hated the most.
In his memory, the father had embraced his wife with an ecstatic expression, kissed everywhere he could see, and whispered sweet words. When he knew nothing, he felt deprived, and when he grew up and realized his situation, he thought it was pathetic and disgusting. Those were the scenes Clyde didn’t even want to recall. However, today, those days came to his mind clearly. It was something he couldn’t understand and didn’t want to understand.
Clyde ran his big hands through his wife’s silky hair, just like his father did, and pulled her head tightly against his chest. Then, naturally, his lips touched her forehead. His heart ached as if it had constricted. It felt like his lungs were being crushed. Everything became dizzy before his eyes.
Clyde twisted his brow like a clumsy child, at a loss for what to do. His body, healed by the holy relic, must be healthy, but he fell into the pain he felt for the first time in his life. He felt hurt, as if Theresa had poisoned him or as if she was made of shards of glass. At the same time, he felt warmth, like when he held a puppy for the first time.
In this addictive sensation, Clyde didn’t let go of Theresa in his arms. No, he couldn’t let her go. At that moment, his bracelet was dyed blacker than any other waiters. But it didn’t matter.
Clyde whispered quietly what he wanted to say at least once, resting his lips on her forehead. “…Good night.”
Don’t even dream about anything.
* * *
Pour. Damian poured the tea with an elegant and moderate movement, then put the teacup down in front of a man wearing a luxurious black robe. The man swallowed a sip of tea and smiled softly.
“You’re still very skillful.”
“I’m flattered, Rode Constantine.”
Rode Constantine. He is the head of the assassins’ guild ‘Stigmata.’
“You brat. Even after years of telling you to call me godfather for years, you didn’t listen.”
Damian smiled and sat across from Constantine. “I’m being careful because many people are jealous of me. Please understand, Godfather.”
“That’s your situation. Those who don’t hide their exceptional abilities tend to evoke feelings of inferiority in others.”
It wasn’t an incorrect statement, but it sounded cold. However, Damian shrugged his shoulders and didn’t care.
“What brought you here?”
This was the Valhalla dormitory. The heart of Duke Willow, where only the best elites in the empire gathered. To think that the head of the assassin’s guild would come to such a place. It was more than arrogant and more like a brute force. However, neither Damian nor Constantine worried much. Because ‘humans’ couldn’t feel the presence of Constantine.
Constantine asked. “What about the dungeon?”
“It hasn’t been cleared yet.”
“Well, it hasn’t been long, so even a great wizard like you probably couldn’t clear it yet. Take this opportunity to unravel as many toys as possible.”
“I’m already doing that.”
Contrary to his gentle appearance, Damian was more cold-blooded than anyone else. He was sure to clear his job.
“But your report about Theresa Squire was poor.”
So Constantine wondered. Damian would have reported earlier if he had felt something strange about the Squire’s eldest daughter. Still, Damian didn’t report about her until the big event of purifying the magical creatures occurred.
Damian’s expression changed subtly when he mentioned Theresa. “…I’m sorry. I was lacking in ability.”
“Your ability? Haha. That’s an interesting thing to say.”
Constantine, who was laughing low, suddenly reached out with an eerie look and grabbed Damian’s neck. “Don’t be emotional like a human b*stard, Damian. You’re a beast.”
Damian’s breathless face immediately turned red, but his expression didn’t change at all. It was an attitude that only perfectly trained people could see. He was supposed to expose his claws, but he didn’t. Constantine let go of Damian’s neck with a curiously satisfied face.
“…Cough!”
Only then did Damian cough. His neck immediately got a blue bruise, but a soft milky white light radiated from him, and he recovered instantly. It was the power of white magic that reached the climax.
Constantine watched the scene and asked, “Has the second daughter of Squire still not awakened the white magic?”
“That’s right.”
“So slow. Attributes that aren’t awakened are useless.”
That’s why he prepared this dungeon to give her an opportunity to awaken, but the wrong people got involved.
“Unfortunately, her older sister went in instead… There are so many variables in a plan that relies on luck.”
“Still, I was able to put an end to the Oberion family, so that alone is a great harvest.”
Oberion. It was the family of Delve.
Constantine clicked his tongue. “Didn’t the eldest son of the Oberion family say he wanted to quit school and focus on his art?”
The head of Oberion burned all of Delve’s paintings, smashed all his sculptures, and completely destroyed his studio. He even said that if Delve didn’t graduate, he would have stripped of his position as successor, so Delve must have felt tremendous pressure, deprivation, and despair at the same time.
“That’s hilarious. They exploit commoners to make art for the nobles but even use violence when their son wants to do it. They told me to take care of that. We just set up the opportunity to take care of that a little earlier.”
Damian certainly agreed with that. But why did he feel tired today? He had been satisfied, let alone guilty, with killing the nobles. Because those disgusting people deserved to die.
If he could, he wanted to kill all the nobles. They let them grow the magic plants they would use in the villages of commoners but watched the commoners die from the attack of monsters. Simply because it wasn’t their jurisdiction. It wasn’t surprising. Because that’s what nobles were like. They had no hesitation in exterminating other family if they had good reason.
However, now unknown confusion was sprouting a small bud in his mind. Damian knew the owner of that bud. It was Theresa Squire, who was trapped in the dungeon now.
“Report immediately if there is a change before the dungeon. I’m leaving.”
“Go safely, Lord.”
As Constantine disappeared like smoke, Damian approached the window. His gaze reached the second floor of the Valhalla main building, where the Magi were blocked with holy power. It was the place where the dungeon was.
Damian murmured. “Will I be able to see you again?”
* * *
The next day, we escaped from the village safely and arrived at the lord’s castle before being attacked by the waiters. The maid received the lighting root cornflower.
Ding!
[Dungeon Quest: Obtain lightning root cornflower.]
▸Reward: Invitation to the art exhibition
“Ugh, it’s aching.”
Sharing a narrow bed and hugging each other tightly as we slept made me feel aching. I washed off the dust and changed into the dancing lady’s outfit. It was because the clothes that were filling the dressing room had all disappeared as if they had evaporated.
“I guess he can’t keep my dress because he’s using the dungeon power elsewhere.”
It was a sign that the end of the Delve Dungeon episode was in sight, so I was glad. As I hummed, I returned to the room and saw Clyde dozing in a sitting position on the sofa. It must have been hard to sleep crumpled in a small bed with that body.
I suddenly noticed the torn arm of Clyde’s uniform and approached carefully. It was torn by an arrow shot by the waiter yesterday. Fortunately, there was no wound, but it was dangerous.
It was deeply engraved in my bones how deadly the primary violence of a world without magic is to me and how scary it is. I don’t want to become such a burden.
While my heart was feeling heavy, Clyde opened his eyes.
It was funny. He had never had such an ordinary day in his life. He shared a room with someone, got married, and talked all night. Has he ever been so ‘humanly’ while rejecting relationships with others? But the dungeon seemed to judge more validly on the fact that he was doing things related to ‘love’ rather than the fact he was living a normal life like Theresa.
Clyde hated love. No, he detested it. Even though he only pretended to love it, the bracelet turned black.
Love. If it wasn’t for that, he wouldn’t have been born.
Clyde returned to the room with a cold, subdued face. There, he found Theresa curled up while sleeping. He carefully raised Theresa’s head and put it on his arm. Then he brushed his hair off his fair cheeks and stared at her peacefully sleeping face illuminated by the candlelight.
“Ummm.”
Like the day before, Theresa naturally searched for warmth and hugged him. Even though he was the one who removed the pillow yesterday, it was Theresa who came rolling over and hugged him. He was simply trying to ensure she was fine, but it was absurd. No matter how many times he tried to push her away, she quickly clung to him, so eventually, he gave up and let her have her way.
“Why are you so defenseless?”
Clyde hugged Theresa deeply. Compared to him, she was ridiculously small and thin.
Clyde suddenly realized that the dream he had given in the dungeon was completely wrong. Theresa was nothing ordinary. The presence that she exuded from such a smaller body than he was special enough to overwhelm those around her. Without realizing it, he had become completely charmed by her. It was to the point that he was willing to dye his bracelet black and do the things he hated the most.
In his memory, the father had embraced his wife with an ecstatic expression, kissed everywhere he could see, and whispered sweet words. When he knew nothing, he felt deprived, and when he grew up and realized his situation, he thought it was pathetic and disgusting. Those were the scenes Clyde didn’t even want to recall. However, today, those days came to his mind clearly. It was something he couldn’t understand and didn’t want to understand.
Clyde ran his big hands through his wife’s silky hair, just like his father did, and pulled her head tightly against his chest. Then, naturally, his lips touched her forehead. His heart ached as if it had constricted. It felt like his lungs were being crushed. Everything became dizzy before his eyes.
Clyde twisted his brow like a clumsy child, at a loss for what to do. His body, healed by the holy relic, must be healthy, but he fell into the pain he felt for the first time in his life. He felt hurt, as if Theresa had poisoned him or as if she was made of shards of glass. At the same time, he felt warmth, like when he held a puppy for the first time.
In this addictive sensation, Clyde didn’t let go of Theresa in his arms. No, he couldn’t let her go. At that moment, his bracelet was dyed blacker than any other waiters. But it didn’t matter.
Clyde whispered quietly what he wanted to say at least once, resting his lips on her forehead. “…Good night.”
Don’t even dream about anything.
* * *
Pour. Damian poured the tea with an elegant and moderate movement, then put the teacup down in front of a man wearing a luxurious black robe. The man swallowed a sip of tea and smiled softly.
“You’re still very skillful.”
“I’m flattered, Rode Constantine.”
Rode Constantine. He is the head of the assassins’ guild ‘Stigmata.’
“You brat. Even after years of telling you to call me godfather for years, you didn’t listen.”
Damian smiled and sat across from Constantine. “I’m being careful because many people are jealous of me. Please understand, Godfather.”
“That’s your situation. Those who don’t hide their exceptional abilities tend to evoke feelings of inferiority in others.”
It wasn’t an incorrect statement, but it sounded cold. However, Damian shrugged his shoulders and didn’t care.
“What brought you here?”
This was the Valhalla dormitory. The heart of Duke Willow, where only the best elites in the empire gathered. To think that the head of the assassin’s guild would come to such a place. It was more than arrogant and more like a brute force. However, neither Damian nor Constantine worried much. Because ‘humans’ couldn’t feel the presence of Constantine.
Constantine asked. “What about the dungeon?”
“It hasn’t been cleared yet.”
“Well, it hasn’t been long, so even a great wizard like you probably couldn’t clear it yet. Take this opportunity to unravel as many toys as possible.”
“I’m already doing that.”
Contrary to his gentle appearance, Damian was more cold-blooded than anyone else. He was sure to clear his job.
“But your report about Theresa Squire was poor.”
So Constantine wondered. Damian would have reported earlier if he had felt something strange about the Squire’s eldest daughter. Still, Damian didn’t report about her until the big event of purifying the magical creatures occurred.
Damian’s expression changed subtly when he mentioned Theresa. “…I’m sorry. I was lacking in ability.”
“Your ability? Haha. That’s an interesting thing to say.”
Constantine, who was laughing low, suddenly reached out with an eerie look and grabbed Damian’s neck. “Don’t be emotional like a human b*stard, Damian. You’re a beast.”
Damian’s breathless face immediately turned red, but his expression didn’t change at all. It was an attitude that only perfectly trained people could see. He was supposed to expose his claws, but he didn’t. Constantine let go of Damian’s neck with a curiously satisfied face.
“…Cough!”
Only then did Damian cough. His neck immediately got a blue bruise, but a soft milky white light radiated from him, and he recovered instantly. It was the power of white magic that reached the climax.
Constantine watched the scene and asked, “Has the second daughter of Squire still not awakened the white magic?”
“That’s right.”
“So slow. Attributes that aren’t awakened are useless.”
That’s why he prepared this dungeon to give her an opportunity to awaken, but the wrong people got involved.
“Unfortunately, her older sister went in instead… There are so many variables in a plan that relies on luck.”
“Still, I was able to put an end to the Oberion family, so that alone is a great harvest.”
Oberion. It was the family of Delve.
Constantine clicked his tongue. “Didn’t the eldest son of the Oberion family say he wanted to quit school and focus on his art?”
The head of Oberion burned all of Delve’s paintings, smashed all his sculptures, and completely destroyed his studio. He even said that if Delve didn’t graduate, he would have stripped of his position as successor, so Delve must have felt tremendous pressure, deprivation, and despair at the same time.
“That’s hilarious. They exploit commoners to make art for the nobles but even use violence when their son wants to do it. They told me to take care of that. We just set up the opportunity to take care of that a little earlier.”
Damian certainly agreed with that. But why did he feel tired today? He had been satisfied, let alone guilty, with killing the nobles. Because those disgusting people deserved to die.
If he could, he wanted to kill all the nobles. They let them grow the magic plants they would use in the villages of commoners but watched the commoners die from the attack of monsters. Simply because it wasn’t their jurisdiction. It wasn’t surprising. Because that’s what nobles were like. They had no hesitation in exterminating other family if they had good reason.
However, now unknown confusion was sprouting a small bud in his mind. Damian knew the owner of that bud. It was Theresa Squire, who was trapped in the dungeon now.
“Report immediately if there is a change before the dungeon. I’m leaving.”
“Go safely, Lord.”
As Constantine disappeared like smoke, Damian approached the window. His gaze reached the second floor of the Valhalla main building, where the Magi were blocked with holy power. It was the place where the dungeon was.
Damian murmured. “Will I be able to see you again?”
* * *
The next day, we escaped from the village safely and arrived at the lord’s castle before being attacked by the waiters. The maid received the lighting root cornflower.
Ding!
[Dungeon Quest: Obtain lightning root cornflower.]
▸Reward: Invitation to the art exhibition
“Ugh, it’s aching.”
Sharing a narrow bed and hugging each other tightly as we slept made me feel aching. I washed off the dust and changed into the dancing lady’s outfit. It was because the clothes that were filling the dressing room had all disappeared as if they had evaporated.
“I guess he can’t keep my dress because he’s using the dungeon power elsewhere.”
It was a sign that the end of the Delve Dungeon episode was in sight, so I was glad. As I hummed, I returned to the room and saw Clyde dozing in a sitting position on the sofa. It must have been hard to sleep crumpled in a small bed with that body.
I suddenly noticed the torn arm of Clyde’s uniform and approached carefully. It was torn by an arrow shot by the waiter yesterday. Fortunately, there was no wound, but it was dangerous.
It was deeply engraved in my bones how deadly the primary violence of a world without magic is to me and how scary it is. I don’t want to become such a burden.
While my heart was feeling heavy, Clyde opened his eyes.
