‘What do you mean?’ Adelaide pondered for a moment. She was too lazy to ask again, so she spit out an answer.
“Yeah, none.”
Without realizing that someone would despair at that simple answer.
After that, it was quiet again. Only the sound of the ladybug’s flapping wings could be heard in the midst of the strong winds.
They were lucky enough to catch the last trip just before the warp stop closed. She was terrified at the thought that if they had arrived a little later, they would have had to sleep on top of dried leaves in the cruel land of Esperanza.
When they arrived in Sarman, her tension eased, as if she had returned to her hometown. As the thick magic that surrounded her faded, her body relaxed.
However, the faces of Raham and Pia continued to come up and trouble Adelaide. They arrived at the dungeon and received a warm welcome from the Skeletons and Bell, then ate the hot rice cooked by Lisianthus, and enjoyed a luxurious bath with floating petals.
“When did he prepare this?”
Splash! At Adelaide’s movement, water splashed on the floor, and the petals flowed down with it.
Somebody was being tortured, but here she was taking a bath with floating petals. She took a bath with the hopes that she would feel a little better, but instead, a sense of guilt flooded in.
Adelaide jumped up, wiped with a towel and covered her body. In order to forget her troubled mood, she should sleep well. However, her mind was in a mess so she didn’t know if she could sleep well. She sighed as she walked towards her room.
“Ack! Adelaide, what are you doing!”
“Oh my god!”
A few Skeletons saw Adelaide and screamed. They seemed to be surprised to see her exposed legs that weren’t covered by the towels.
“I covered everything I had to cover.”
“Hey, hey!”
The Skeleton Captain quickly expressed his concerns, telling her to dress properly and warmly. That if she wasn’t the owner, he would have hit the back of her head.
One Skeleton was embarrassed and said he didn’t see anything, so he covered his eyes and ran away, then crashed with another Skeleton and collapsed together.
‘If it was Caladium, he would have blushed again and yelled at me. I’m glad that shy guy is out scouting.’
Adelaide couldn’t win over the Skeletons’ nagging, so she wrapped her towel tighter and walked away. The moment she thought that the air on her bare skin felt cold, a large robe covered her shoulders.
“You could catch a cold from this, Master.”
Lisianthus tied the waistband of the robe. The robe, made of a towel-like material, was very soft and warm to the touch.
“Oh, Lisian. You haven’t slept yet?”
“Yes. I will take you to your room.”
Adelaide laughed in surprise. Usually, Lisianthus would be the first to sleep out of anyone in the dungeon. Of course, he would also be the first to wake up. He really had a grandfather-like habit.
Come to think of it, she slept early when they were in the Boraca dungeon. Adelaide lifted her head at the sudden memory. They had just arrived in front of her room.
“Lisian, I have a favor to ask.”
“Please feel free to speak. Whatever Master Adele wants…”
Lisianthus paused for a moment. It was because Adelaide’s eyes were too bright as she looked up at him. He took a deep breath and then spoke again.
“I’ll listen to you.”
“Thanks! Lisian is the best.”
Adelaide smiled as she opened her door and jumped onto the bed. Her movement was so rough that her belt was about to come loose. Lisianthus grabbed the strap and tied it tighter. She demanded in a naive voice, tapping on her bed, not caring whether her body was revealed or not.
“Make me sleep.”
“… What?”
Lisianthus rarely asked back. Adelaide blinked her eyes as if there was nothing wrong.
“Last time, Lisian put me to sleep in the Boraca Dungeon. I don’t remember very well, but I think I fell asleep really quickly.”
“Oh, back then.”
Lisianthus laughed awkwardly. It was a difficult task. He could use his powers to put her to sleep as he did back then, but one’s mental power could be affected in many ways, so it was not good to use.
But how would he explain this? That he was a weak demon, even though he had three powers that she had already seen? He blamed his past self who had used the power without much thought.
“Yes. I don’t think I can sleep at all today.”
“… Cover yourself with a blanket first.”
However, as Adelaide had such a lonely face, Lisianthus felt even more frustrated. If this method somehow didn’t work, he would have to grant her request. He would do anything as long as she would no longer make that sad expression.
Adelaide followed his advice and went under the covers. Lisianthus opened his mouth as he watched the water that dripped from her hair wet the pillowcase and duvet.
“Close your eyes and don’t think about anything.”
“How can I not think of anything? Even if I try not to think about anything, I start thinking that I shouldn’t be thinking about anything.”
“That makes sense. Then think about things that the Master likes. It will put your mind at ease.”
Lisianthus grinned and covered her eyes with his palm. Perhaps it was because he had just taken off his gloves after a long time, the sensation of her long eyelashes brushing against his bare palm was very tickling.
“… Pancakes made by Lisianthus.”
Adelaide moved her lips slowly. The low-pitched voice seemed to be dreaming.
“Drinking a sweet and refreshing juice while sitting under the artificial sun. Feeling drowsy right before taking a nap. A soft towel.”
He didn’t mean for her to say it out loud. But Lisianthus didn’t speak. Seeing as her voice was getting slower, it seemed to be working well.
“The nice Skeletons, cute Bell, funny Caladi…”
Adelaide wiggled her fingers and dug at Lisianthus’ other palm. A very small area touched each other, and a small amount of warmth was transferred. Perhaps that was why Lisianthus held her hand completely, to be able to feel all of its warmth.
“Lisian… I like…”
At these words, Adelaide finally fell asleep. Her heart was still heavy, but too much had happened today to overcome the drowsiness.
Lisianthus stared intently at her sleeping face. He was expressionless as usual, but he had been swayed somehow.
“No reason.”
As Caladium had said, he was a self-indulgent demon, so there was a reason for every action or emotion. To him, ‘no reason’ was incomprehensible.
But often these days, he felt like he was starting to understand what it was. Just like now.
Lisianthus was very unfamiliar with this feeling, and it bothered him. His heart always felt tight afterward. It was such a cramped feeling, as if something filled his heart and it had nowhere to go.
So, to him, this ambiguity was just an inconvenience.
“Good night, Master.”
Lisianthus muttered softly and smiled sweetly. After removing his hand, he stood up. His gait as he left her room was particularly slow.
***
The next morning, pancakes with fresh strawberries were served. Adelaide said they looked great, but she looked sullen again.
‘Those demons must be in her mind again.’ Lisianthus thought, slightly furrowing his eyebrows.
He thought that it would get better after she met Raham and talked to him, but instead, it became worse. This wasn’t unpredictable as she had great empathy so it was also the reason he objected to going there in the first place.
“Master Adele. Did you read the Dungeon Newspaper you bought last time?”
Lisianthus poured hot tea and skillfully diverted Adelaide’s attention.
“Oh right!”
Adelaide clapped her hands, saying she just remembered.
She was going to read it after the interviews but forgot because she went to the plains where the Durahans lived. She even paid a subscription fee. Because of that, unread newspapers piled up on one side of Greenville Dungeon.
“Where is the most recent one?”
“Here!”
Bell bit a rolled-up newspaper as if he was waiting. The problem was that he was currently in a humanoid form. Adelaide dreamt of having a dog fetch her newspaper for her but certainly didn’t want a child with a newspaper in its mouth.
“Thank you, Bell. I think it would be better if you bring it by hand next time.”
“Yes!”
‘Such a nice kid.’ Adelaide patted Bell’s fine hair.
Caladium stared at the scene with scorching eyes, but she pretended not to notice. She then read the newspaper as she leisurely sipped tea.
The front part of the newspaper contained information about dungeons and the back contained the adventurer trends. Adelaide’s eyes lit up as she read the introduction to the dungeon. Her heart pounded at the anticipation that there might even be something about Greenville Dungeon.
But no matter how much she read, she couldn’t find Greenville’s name. All she could see was a name she didn’t want to see.
<The Circus of Sol Dungeon, Casa del Sol is booming every day! The Harpy from the Heavenly race, ‘Dizzying Legs’….>
Chak! Adelaide threw the newspaper away.
“What kind of articles are these!”
She felt like she wasted time. She warmed her stomach by drinking her tea. At the back of the newspaper lying on the floor, content about adventurers could be seen.
<The appearance of a ‘legendary’-Class adventurer? Ranked adventurers are nervous… A position that most of them say is just a rumor.>
<What are the adventurers looking for in dungeons? Are you ready? It’s ‘Bricaber Leaf’. The reason why C-Class dungeons focus on them…>
<The high level adventurers are looking suspicious these days… Will they abandon the custom and attack low level dungeons?>
It didn’t seem useless. However, her pride won’t let her pick up the newspaper she had already thrown away.
“Well, there’s not much to read.” Adelaide snorted and concentrated on eating her pancakes. She remembered what happened yesterday because of the newspaper article. Her face gradually grew bitter.
Lisianthus cursed himself for bringing up the newspaper. He looked around to see if there was anything else he could use, but there was nothing.
Ding Dong.
As if to save him, a small alarm sounded from the dungeon pad. When he looked at the screen, he could see a circular pattern flickering just like the last time when the postman arrived. However, the pattern was slightly different.
“What is it?” Adelaide tilted her head and pressed the pattern. Then, the notification window popped up just like last time and a loud broadcast was heard.
[Someone is requesting to enter. Will you allow entry?]
When Adelaide pressed the confirmation button, the screen jumbled and soon showed the person who came in front of the dungeon.
Adelaide’s eyes widened at the unexpected visitor.
‘What do you mean?’ Adelaide pondered for a moment. She was too lazy to ask again, so she spit out an answer.
“Yeah, none.”
Without realizing that someone would despair at that simple answer.
After that, it was quiet again. Only the sound of the ladybug’s flapping wings could be heard in the midst of the strong winds.
They were lucky enough to catch the last trip just before the warp stop closed. She was terrified at the thought that if they had arrived a little later, they would have had to sleep on top of dried leaves in the cruel land of Esperanza.
When they arrived in Sarman, her tension eased, as if she had returned to her hometown. As the thick magic that surrounded her faded, her body relaxed.
However, the faces of Raham and Pia continued to come up and trouble Adelaide. They arrived at the dungeon and received a warm welcome from the Skeletons and Bell, then ate the hot rice cooked by Lisianthus, and enjoyed a luxurious bath with floating petals.
“When did he prepare this?”
Splash! At Adelaide’s movement, water splashed on the floor, and the petals flowed down with it.
Somebody was being tortured, but here she was taking a bath with floating petals. She took a bath with the hopes that she would feel a little better, but instead, a sense of guilt flooded in.
Adelaide jumped up, wiped with a towel and covered her body. In order to forget her troubled mood, she should sleep well. However, her mind was in a mess so she didn’t know if she could sleep well. She sighed as she walked towards her room.
“Ack! Adelaide, what are you doing!”
“Oh my god!”
A few Skeletons saw Adelaide and screamed. They seemed to be surprised to see her exposed legs that weren’t covered by the towels.
“I covered everything I had to cover.”
“Hey, hey!”
The Skeleton Captain quickly expressed his concerns, telling her to dress properly and warmly. That if she wasn’t the owner, he would have hit the back of her head.
One Skeleton was embarrassed and said he didn’t see anything, so he covered his eyes and ran away, then crashed with another Skeleton and collapsed together.
‘If it was Caladium, he would have blushed again and yelled at me. I’m glad that shy guy is out scouting.’
Adelaide couldn’t win over the Skeletons’ nagging, so she wrapped her towel tighter and walked away. The moment she thought that the air on her bare skin felt cold, a large robe covered her shoulders.
“You could catch a cold from this, Master.”
Lisianthus tied the waistband of the robe. The robe, made of a towel-like material, was very soft and warm to the touch.
“Oh, Lisian. You haven’t slept yet?”
“Yes. I will take you to your room.”
Adelaide laughed in surprise. Usually, Lisianthus would be the first to sleep out of anyone in the dungeon. Of course, he would also be the first to wake up. He really had a grandfather-like habit.
Come to think of it, she slept early when they were in the Boraca dungeon. Adelaide lifted her head at the sudden memory. They had just arrived in front of her room.
“Lisian, I have a favor to ask.”
“Please feel free to speak. Whatever Master Adele wants…”
Lisianthus paused for a moment. It was because Adelaide’s eyes were too bright as she looked up at him. He took a deep breath and then spoke again.
“I’ll listen to you.”
“Thanks! Lisian is the best.”
Adelaide smiled as she opened her door and jumped onto the bed. Her movement was so rough that her belt was about to come loose. Lisianthus grabbed the strap and tied it tighter. She demanded in a naive voice, tapping on her bed, not caring whether her body was revealed or not.
“Make me sleep.”
“… What?”
Lisianthus rarely asked back. Adelaide blinked her eyes as if there was nothing wrong.
“Last time, Lisian put me to sleep in the Boraca Dungeon. I don’t remember very well, but I think I fell asleep really quickly.”
“Oh, back then.”
Lisianthus laughed awkwardly. It was a difficult task. He could use his powers to put her to sleep as he did back then, but one’s mental power could be affected in many ways, so it was not good to use.
But how would he explain this? That he was a weak demon, even though he had three powers that she had already seen? He blamed his past self who had used the power without much thought.
“Yes. I don’t think I can sleep at all today.”
“… Cover yourself with a blanket first.”
However, as Adelaide had such a lonely face, Lisianthus felt even more frustrated. If this method somehow didn’t work, he would have to grant her request. He would do anything as long as she would no longer make that sad expression.
Adelaide followed his advice and went under the covers. Lisianthus opened his mouth as he watched the water that dripped from her hair wet the pillowcase and duvet.
“Close your eyes and don’t think about anything.”
“How can I not think of anything? Even if I try not to think about anything, I start thinking that I shouldn’t be thinking about anything.”
“That makes sense. Then think about things that the Master likes. It will put your mind at ease.”
Lisianthus grinned and covered her eyes with his palm. Perhaps it was because he had just taken off his gloves after a long time, the sensation of her long eyelashes brushing against his bare palm was very tickling.
“… Pancakes made by Lisianthus.”
Adelaide moved her lips slowly. The low-pitched voice seemed to be dreaming.
“Drinking a sweet and refreshing juice while sitting under the artificial sun. Feeling drowsy right before taking a nap. A soft towel.”
He didn’t mean for her to say it out loud. But Lisianthus didn’t speak. Seeing as her voice was getting slower, it seemed to be working well.
“The nice Skeletons, cute Bell, funny Caladi…”
Adelaide wiggled her fingers and dug at Lisianthus’ other palm. A very small area touched each other, and a small amount of warmth was transferred. Perhaps that was why Lisianthus held her hand completely, to be able to feel all of its warmth.
“Lisian… I like…”
At these words, Adelaide finally fell asleep. Her heart was still heavy, but too much had happened today to overcome the drowsiness.
Lisianthus stared intently at her sleeping face. He was expressionless as usual, but he had been swayed somehow.
“No reason.”
As Caladium had said, he was a self-indulgent demon, so there was a reason for every action or emotion. To him, ‘no reason’ was incomprehensible.
But often these days, he felt like he was starting to understand what it was. Just like now.
Lisianthus was very unfamiliar with this feeling, and it bothered him. His heart always felt tight afterward. It was such a cramped feeling, as if something filled his heart and it had nowhere to go.
So, to him, this ambiguity was just an inconvenience.
“Good night, Master.”
Lisianthus muttered softly and smiled sweetly. After removing his hand, he stood up. His gait as he left her room was particularly slow.
***
The next morning, pancakes with fresh strawberries were served. Adelaide said they looked great, but she looked sullen again.
‘Those demons must be in her mind again.’ Lisianthus thought, slightly furrowing his eyebrows.
He thought that it would get better after she met Raham and talked to him, but instead, it became worse. This wasn’t unpredictable as she had great empathy so it was also the reason he objected to going there in the first place.
“Master Adele. Did you read the Dungeon Newspaper you bought last time?”
Lisianthus poured hot tea and skillfully diverted Adelaide’s attention.
“Oh right!”
Adelaide clapped her hands, saying she just remembered.
She was going to read it after the interviews but forgot because she went to the plains where the Durahans lived. She even paid a subscription fee. Because of that, unread newspapers piled up on one side of Greenville Dungeon.
“Where is the most recent one?”
“Here!”
Bell bit a rolled-up newspaper as if he was waiting. The problem was that he was currently in a humanoid form. Adelaide dreamt of having a dog fetch her newspaper for her but certainly didn’t want a child with a newspaper in its mouth.
“Thank you, Bell. I think it would be better if you bring it by hand next time.”
“Yes!”
‘Such a nice kid.’ Adelaide patted Bell’s fine hair.
Caladium stared at the scene with scorching eyes, but she pretended not to notice. She then read the newspaper as she leisurely sipped tea.
The front part of the newspaper contained information about dungeons and the back contained the adventurer trends. Adelaide’s eyes lit up as she read the introduction to the dungeon. Her heart pounded at the anticipation that there might even be something about Greenville Dungeon.
But no matter how much she read, she couldn’t find Greenville’s name. All she could see was a name she didn’t want to see.
<The Circus of Sol Dungeon, Casa del Sol is booming every day! The Harpy from the Heavenly race, ‘Dizzying Legs’….>
Chak! Adelaide threw the newspaper away.
“What kind of articles are these!”
She felt like she wasted time. She warmed her stomach by drinking her tea. At the back of the newspaper lying on the floor, content about adventurers could be seen.
<The appearance of a ‘legendary’-Class adventurer? Ranked adventurers are nervous… A position that most of them say is just a rumor.>
<What are the adventurers looking for in dungeons? Are you ready? It’s ‘Bricaber Leaf’. The reason why C-Class dungeons focus on them…>
<The high level adventurers are looking suspicious these days… Will they abandon the custom and attack low level dungeons?>
It didn’t seem useless. However, her pride won’t let her pick up the newspaper she had already thrown away.
“Well, there’s not much to read.” Adelaide snorted and concentrated on eating her pancakes. She remembered what happened yesterday because of the newspaper article. Her face gradually grew bitter.
Lisianthus cursed himself for bringing up the newspaper. He looked around to see if there was anything else he could use, but there was nothing.
Ding Dong.
As if to save him, a small alarm sounded from the dungeon pad. When he looked at the screen, he could see a circular pattern flickering just like the last time when the postman arrived. However, the pattern was slightly different.
“What is it?” Adelaide tilted her head and pressed the pattern. Then, the notification window popped up just like last time and a loud broadcast was heard.
[Someone is requesting to enter. Will you allow entry?]
When Adelaide pressed the confirmation button, the screen jumbled and soon showed the person who came in front of the dungeon.
Adelaide’s eyes widened at the unexpected visitor.
