Dambi was sitting in the Adventurer Guild office with Rils.
Today, she had visited not merely to look for a request, but because a designated request had come in.
“A shadow passed by a short while ago. It seems His Grace the Master has bestowed a monster upon the Chief Administrator.”
Rils, sitting beside her, whispered to Dambi.
Rils had originally been a mage in another adventurer party.
But now, she was active as an adventurer under Banshee’s control.
For the sake of future endeavors, she was coordinating with Dambi, who belonged to the same dungeon.
“The monster His Grace bestowed is an Aqua Devourer. Even as a juvenile, it’s a 3-star, ferocious fish monster. And all we have to do is move it to Yenarian Lake.”
“So that’s why he left a designated request.”
“Exactly.”
Dambi looked at Rils.
Until recently, Rils had been human, and her attire had been quite provocative.
She had worn clothes that revealed far more than they concealed.
On the other hand, ever since Banshee had taken control of Rils, her clothing had become much more modest.
Once, out of curiosity, she had asked the reason, and Banshee had given a devoted answer.
*Is this not so that I may avoid standing out and follow the words of the Great One?*
Well, she had a point.
If her outfit were too provocative, she would easily draw others’ eyes.
Now, Rils’s outfit was plain rather than ordinary, making her look like just another passing adventurer.
“Yenarian Lake is located in the south of the Seil Kingdom, adjacent to the Free Cities Union and the Orobis Empire as well. Thanks to that, commerce has greatly developed in the nearby cities.”
Rils’s explanation continued.
“Through this request, I have come to know for certain. To think he plans to release that ferocious monster into Yenarian Lake…!”
Rils’s expression turned ecstatic.
“It is no different from explaining to us ignorant servants his plan to rule the continent starting with Yenarian Lake! As expected of the Great One, he possesses a heart of cruelty and ambition that no one can match!”
Was that not the kind of expression one would make upon facing the god they had so long revered?
Apart from Rils’s praise, Dambi scanned the walls of the Adventurer Guild.
It was not that she lacked interest in the request, nor was she ignoring the will of the Great One.
She had sworn to follow the Great One for all her life, he who had given her purpose when she had been lost.
She planned to obey any and all commands unconditionally.
If it was the will of the Great One, she had resolved to set aside her own personal thoughts.
For she need only follow his commands.
“Above all, the Chief Administrator who discerns the will of the Great One is truly remarkable! As a Banshee, I could never have imagined such profound intentions……”
Rils’s praise continued.
Dambi let Rils’s words flow in one ear and out the other as she read the phrases written on the wall.
*[At the end of adventure awaits glory, but the path is fraught with hardship and adversity.]*
A common saying meant to encourage those who had just become adventurers.
Though she lived as an adventurer, her purpose was different, so Dambi felt no inspiration from it.
She read the next phrase immediately.
*[The darkness of a dungeon can be illuminated by light, but the darkness of the heart must be overcome by oneself.]*
This phrase suited her quite well.
*So humans have darkness in their hearts as well.*
The sentence about overcoming the heart’s darkness was rather to her liking.
But she could not agree with the part about a dungeon’s darkness being illuminated by light.
*A true dungeon cannot be illuminated even by light.*
After the vampire dungeon fell, and while living in the Great One’s dungeon, Dambi had come to hold one belief.
No one would ever be able to destroy the Great One’s dungeon.
She felt that his dungeon was truly alive in itself.
Therefore, the phrase Dambi liked best was the following:
*[A dungeon is a living, breathing being; the moment you let your guard down, you shall be devoured by darkness.
Adventurer, never loosen the thread of tension for even a moment.]*
It felt as if it were speaking of her Master’s dungeon, and so Dambi liked that phrase.
As she was passing time thus—
“Ah, Miss Dambi, Miss Rils!”
Catherine, a guide at the Adventurer Guild, approached them, calling their names.
“You seem to be getting along even better today?”
Catherine smiled with satisfaction.
Adventurers are those who explore the unknown. As such, there are many moments where they must risk their lives.
In other words, it was common for affection to sprout between comrades who risked their lives exploring together.
Catherine had seen such cases quite often, so she was misunderstanding Dambi and Rils.
“So what kind of designated request is it?”
She had heard the story from Rils beforehand, but the Adventurer Guild had not yet given detailed information.
If an adventurer already knew the contents without being told?
It might cause a troublesome situation.
So Dambi asked Catherine about the request details.
Only then did Catherine hand over a small barrel from behind her.
“You’ve been asked to carry this and transport it to Yenarian Lake. I don’t know what’s inside, but I hear water sloshing?”
The small barrel she handed over was opaque, so its contents could not be checked.
However, a faint sound of water could be heard each time it shook.
“Ah! And there’s an Adventurer Guild near Yenarian Lake. Please stop by there first to have the request details verified.”
Trust is the lifeblood of an adventurer.
But since there were those who were not so trustworthy, it was a kind of verification process.
Fortunately, there was another Adventurer Guild branch at Yenarian Lake.
The nations bordering Yenarian Lake included not only the Seil Kingdom but also the Free Cities Union and the Orobis Empire, so the nearby cities were highly developed in transportation and commerce.
As adventurers came and went frequently, every commercially developed city was sure to have an Adventurer Guild.
“Understood. We’ll do that.”
As Dambi answered, Rils, who had been beside her, stepped forward.
“You haven’t told us the reward yet.”
Truthfully, she had no interest in the reward for this request.
Since it was an order from above, it wouldn’t have mattered if there were no reward.
But to avoid unnecessary suspicion, Rils mentioned the matter of compensation.
There were no adventurers who disliked rewards.
And so the three of them began to discuss the request in detail.
“By the way, Miss Dambi, you’re truly amazing. The zombie matter last time, and now this designated request.”
She had become an adventurer not long ago, yet she had already received two designated requests.
Although she had refused the additional zombie request last time, the fact that two designated requests had come in such a short career seemed remarkable to Catherine.
“Ah! Miss Dambi, do you have a favorite color?”
Catherine’s characteristic chatter began.
Dambi wanted to leave quickly, so she answered roughly.
“I like red.”
Because blood is red.
It was an answer that came from Dambi, who carried vampire blood, liking blood the most.
“Red means passion, so you certainly are passionate, Miss Dambi? Let’s see….”
Catherine replied while looking at a newspaper.
There, small words like “Today’s Fortune” were written.
“Here it is! ‘You who like red! You shall meet an unexpected encounter. But fear not. Today’s lucky color is red.’ It says this, doesn’t it?”
Though she didn’t particularly believe in such things, Dambi slightly bowed her head in place of thanks.
“Then please be careful out there! See you next time!”
Catherine exaggeratedly bid farewell to Dambi and Rils.
* * *
The Adventurer Guild where Catherine worked was near the Silent Mountain Range.
It could be considered the northern part of the Seil Kingdom.
But Yenarian Lake, where Dambi and Rils were headed, was in the kingdom’s south.
In short, they had to travel from the north to the south.
If they were ordinary humans, it would have taken a long time, but they were not ordinary people.
One was a half-vampire, the other a Banshee.
Moving like the monsters they were, they traveled south at great speed.
But the distance was so great.
In the end, the sun set long before they arrived.
Of course, as monsters, they could travel even in the dark. But they didn’t go out of their way to do so.
Above all, the monster in the small barrel needed time to rest, and there were more troublesome things at night than during the day.
Bandits and robbers were prime examples.
Though not as large as the Silent Mountain Range, the Seil Kingdom was filled with mountains large and small.
And the place Dambi was passing through happened to be one of those mountains.
“We’ll stay there.”
The place Dambi pointed to was a small inn.
It was fortunate that there happened to be an inn in such a place.
She didn’t particularly prefer sleeping outdoors.
“Understood, Lady Dambi.”
Dambi and Rils headed toward the inn.
As they approached the inn, laughter could be heard from outside.
“Despite the location, it seems to have many guests.”
“Let’s just go in.”
Soon, the two entered the interior.
“…….”
The raucous atmosphere from moments ago fell silent in an instant.
The mood was ominous.
The paintings hanging on the walls felt somehow crude, and the faces of the guests drinking were covered in scars.
Above all, the innkeeper who should have been at the counter was nowhere to be seen.
“Adventurers?”
A man rose from among the guests and spoke to them.
Only then did the quiet atmosphere become boisterous again.
“Hm. Are you the owner?”
Dambi surveyed the surroundings, looking the man up and down.
This man, too, was covered in large and small scars on his face and arms.
“As you can see. So, how long will you be staying?”
The innkeeper smiled and spread his arms.
His gaze soon reached the small barrel Dambi was carrying.
“If it’s a valuable item, we’ll keep it here for you.”
“No, it’s fine. We’ll just take one room and a meal.”
Dambi handed two silver to the innkeeper.
And then she asked another question.
“Ah, do you happen to have freshly caught meat? I’d like you to prepare that.”
Without waiting for the innkeeper’s answer, Dambi went straight up the stairs.
Rils followed Dambi and said in a small voice:
“The atmosphere is strange.”
“I know. The smell of blood is thick. The original owner is probably dead.”
And even here, after climbing the stairs, the smell of blood was thick.
No matter how hard they had tried to wipe it away, Dambi’s senses, mixed with vampire blood, could not miss it.
Of course, it wasn’t just the smell of blood—everything about their behavior was awkward and strange.
“We’ll drop our things and go back down. Prepare it first.”
“Understood, Lady Dambi. I shall prepare a delicious meal.”
At Dambi’s command, Rils bowed at the waist. Then she slowly went back down the stairs.
“…….”
There was no one else here but them anyway.
Dambi opened any door and set down her things.
* * *
Garcia, the man who had spoken to Dambi moments ago, smiled wickedly.
He was not the innkeeper or anything of the sort.
“Boss, your acting is truly amazing!”
Garcia was a bandit.
He was also the leader of the subordinates gathered here.
They had entered the inn and killed the owner and the remaining adventurers.
Garcia relayed his words in secret.
“Kill the man if you want, but bring the woman only. And the thing he’s carrying—it seems to contain something valuable, so handle it carefully.”
At the words of their leader Garcia, everyone quietly drew their swords.
Their opponents were only two. No matter how skilled as adventurers, it would be difficult to face over thirty bandits.
For them, who had been regretting the lack of women, it felt as if they had seized fortune.
Just as everyone was headed for the stairs with swords in hand.
“Huh?”
The woman they had seen earlier revealed herself.
Even though they were clearly holding swords, the woman showed no sign of fear.
While they were flustered, the woman suddenly began to undress.
No one could react to the woman’s sudden action. Rather, they became entranced by the sight of her undressing.
“What are you doing, wench?”
But the leader Garcia was different.
He recalled that in his long life as a bandit, the ones to be most wary of were women and old men.
But the woman paid him no heed and stood completely naked.
At that sight, they became even more unable to come to their senses.
Having stared blankly like that, shortly after.
“…Huh? Where am I? I was definitely in the goblin dungeon— Kyaaah! What is this!”
The woman—who had even undressed herself—suddenly began to scream.
She wore an expression that said she had no idea why she was here.
At the woman’s suddenly changed behavior, everyone made strange faces.
“Wh-what?”
“Don’t tell me this bitch enjoys this kind of thing?”
Some took the woman’s actions to mean something else, but that wasn’t the problem.
Stab—
“Kuaaaack!”
Someone suddenly screamed and collapsed.
“What! What’s going on!”
When Garcia shouted and turned around, one of his subordinates was standing there with a sword thrust through a comrade’s chest.
Terror and confusion mixed on Garcia’s face at the abrupt situation.
“You bastard! What the hell do you think you’re doing!”
The moment Garcia tried to step forward, another scream burst out.
This time, the one who had killed his comrade moments ago was slitting his own throat.
Even as blood gushed from his throat, the man’s bizarre laughter rang out.
“Huh? Why am I cutting my throat….”
A moment later, the one who had stabbed his own throat muttered and collapsed to the floor.
They still couldn’t make heads or tails of what was happening.
The remaining bandits, frozen in fear, began to suspect one another and point their blades.
Then, one suddenly dropped his sword and began to tremble as if convulsing. Soon he swung his sword at the comrade beside him, and the comrade likewise swung his sword to defend himself.
In the space that had been filled with laughter just moments ago, blood splattered wildly alongside shrieks.
“Why are these bastards….”
Garcia stared at the scene before him in disbelief.
As if someone were pulling the strings of marionettes, the bandits were hacking and stabbing one another.
Screams, curses, and maddened laughter mixed together as a hellish massacre unfolded.
“You shouldn’t let your mind wander.”
“……!”
The woman who had been undressed until moments ago had approached behind Garcia without him noticing.
Only now could Garcia infer the beginning and end of the incident.
“A-are you a black magician…? P-please, I beg you, spare my life.”
He had heard of the existence of black magicians at some point.
Seeing how she controlled others with magic and was so excessively cruel, she was definitely a black magician.
Thinking so, Garcia quickly begged for his life.
At this level, he stood no chance against her.
But Rils was unhesitating.
“Ku-eok!”
Rils pierced Garcia’s throat with her sword.
Only now did everyone learn the truth of the current situation.
“Y-you bitch! How dare you deceive us!”
Keeping their swords pointed, they slowly approached Rils.
They thought that no matter how much of a black magician she might be, they had the advantage in numbers and could simply rush her.
But they soon realized it was a grave mistake.
Something began to writhe at the feet of those approaching Rils.
The red blood flowing between their dead comrades took the shape of snakes and rose up, as if granted life.
“Wh-what is this…!”
One bandit screamed and staggered back.
But a blood snake lunged at his ankle, sinking sharp fangs into it.
“Kuaaaack!”
Along with the scream, crimson blood spurted from the bitten spot. The bleeding wouldn’t stop.
And that phenomenon occurred simultaneously.
The blood snakes rushed toward the living bandits.
“S-save me!”
“Damn it! The blood won’t stop! It won’t stop!”
Rather, the blood drained out at a rapid pace.
Before long, all moisture left their flesh, and they transformed into corpses with nothing but skin left.
That was the end of the bandits.
“As expected, Lady Dambi is astounding!”
Rils spoke to Dambi as she dressed again.
Everything from forming snakes out of blood moments ago to draining all of the opponent’s blood had been Dambi’s ability.
Why had a being with such great strength remained idle in the vampire dungeon?
Rils, who had heard pieces of her past while living as an adventurer alongside her, found it difficult to understand.
But prying into personal matters was rude, so she did not voice it.
“…….”
Dambi came down the stairs with an impassive expression.
She looked upon the horrific sight of the floor overflowing with red blood.
But as Dambi gazed at that scene, she thought of something else.
“So it really was the color of fortune.”
Before leaving the adventurer’s guild, she recalled the words Catherine had spoken while reading the newspaper.