At dawn, a cold mist lay thick over the mountains.
Dambi woke from sleep and looked around.
The campfire had long since gone out, and Rils was nowhere to be seen.
He had likely stepped away to scout the area.
Then her gaze fell on Riche beside her.
Riche was still deep asleep, sleeping as if she had no care in the world.
“Guuuh?”
The Stew Slime in Riche’s arms reacted to Dambi’s gaze and let out a small cry.
At that moment, Dambi’s keen sense of smell caught the faint scent of blood.
“There’s a smell of blood coming from somewhere.”
As Dambi searched for the source of the scent, her eyes fixed once more on the Stew Slime.
Looking closely, she saw that the slime had something in its mouth and was chewing on it.
“Guuuh. Guuuuh.”
The Stew Slime tossed a field mouse into its mouth in one bite and chewed away in satisfaction.
It seemed the source of the blood smell was that very field mouse.
“Still, how fascinating.”
All that had happened was that a drop of blood had fallen into the stew.
And only a single drop at that, yet it had transformed into a slime that moved about like that.
At first, she had thought Riche was merely a somewhat deranged member of their kind, but her ability itself seemed truly unique and powerful.
‘As Rils said, it would be best to take her to Master’s dungeon.’
With an ability like that, she was certain Riche would be of great help to Master.
Just as she was thinking that, Rils returned from where he had gone.
“There were no unusual traces in the surrounding area. If we depart right now, we should be able to meet Lady Celia within the day.”
In truth, their original destination had been the royal capital.
They had planned to travel with Riche as far as the capital, then take on another adventurer’s request. But after witnessing Riche’s ability, they judged it would be better to head for the dungeon where Celia was.
Moreover, Riche had already been abandoned by her group. Even if she rejoined them, there was no telling how long she would last, and in the worst case, she might die.
The Order would still be searching for vampires even now.
‘If she’s caught, she really will die.’
Though they had not known each other long, Dambi did not want to see one of her own kind die.
Rather than letting her die, it seemed better for her to live a new life in the dungeon.
“Unfortunately, there is still quite some time before the shadows can reach us. I think it would be best to tell Lady Celia directly about Riche once we arrive.”
The number of shadows Celia commanded had been small to begin with.
Thus, if the timing did not line up as it did now, there was no way to contact her through the shadows.
“Then let us depart at once. If we are delayed too long, we may attract unnecessary attention.”
Like what had happened at the inn a few days ago.
Of course, even if things turned out like that again, dealing with it would be easy, but she did not want to create such a situation in the first place.
Right then, Riche also woke up, stretching.
“How refreshing!”
“Guuuh?”
When its master woke, the Stew Slime spat out the mouse it had been holding in its mouth and quickly climbed onto Riche’s shoulder.
Watching that, Dambi and Rils exchanged glances.
It was an unspoken agreement that they would naturally take Riche with them to the dungeon.
Thus, the party that had been three became four before they knew it with the addition of the Stew Slime.
They quickly packed their belongings and began walking along the quiet forest path.
* * *
“Impressive. Nobles certainly are different.”
Celia, who had been flipping through documents, lifted her head and smiled.
The man standing before her nodded with a confident expression.
“You flatter me. The Rosenberg family has indeed had some knowledge of politics and diplomacy for generations, but before you, Chief Administrator, I still have much to learn.”
His words carried humility along with confidence.
The man who had received Celia’s praise was Kazel von Rosenberg, a young baron of the Sayle Kingdom.
He was one of the nobles who had been arrested for sympathizing with the noble faction.
However, even during his imprisonment, he had never fallen into despair. Rather, he had been watching for a new opportunity.
He had spent painful days under harsh torture as well. But at last, here in this dungeon, he had gained one realization.
‘From now on, the age of humans will decline.’
Until now, he had believed that monsters were disorganized and less intelligent than humans.
But after coming here, he painfully realized just how wrong that thought had been.
‘To think such a systematic dungeon could exist.’
On top of that, Kazel was a rather quick-witted man.
‘The royal family is definitely connected to this place as well.’
Otherwise, there was no way the arrested nobles would all be confined in a dungeon.
Taking all these circumstances together, Kazel could glimpse an enormous possibility.
‘The one who raised Princess Irena to the throne must be the Chief Administrator.’
Kazel’s gaze turned toward Celia, who was smiling.
A being of extraordinary beauty.
At the same time, she was someone with tremendous authority within the dungeon.
Behind Irena, who had possessed no power at all, suddenly changing, that Chief Administrator had to be present.
Considering all these circumstances, Kazel could only admire the Chief Administrator’s intelligence and planning.
‘Perhaps…’
In the future, they might rule the entire Eldorad Continent.
That thought suddenly came to him.
If he stood on their side, would there not come a day when he too would see the light?
That light would be in a place so high it could not even be compared to his current status as a mere baron.
As he thought that, he felt a thrill.
‘The choice I make now will determine my future. Standing on their side is certainly a dangerous gamble, but there is much to gain as well.’
If he failed in this gamble, the Order would brand him a heretic.
But if he succeeded, it would also be an opportunity to stand above others within a new order.
Kazel von Rosenberg resolved to abandon his position as a baron of the Sayle Kingdom. Instead, he decided to stand on the side of the monsters.
An excellent opportunity to put that resolve into action soon came.
— Special Recruitment! Recruiting nobles to serve as administrative assistants. Compensation includes a small allowance and exemption from base construction. However, the workload is enough to kill you.
The moment Kazel saw the recruitment notice, he had shouted.
‘Yes, this is it!’
Kazel applied for the role without hesitation.
He paid no mind even when the surrounding nobles pointed fingers at him, calling him a man without honor.
In the end, thanks to his choice, he was able to fully display his abilities here.
Most of all, the way Celia looked at him had changed.
“There is no need to be so modest. To handle this much work in such a short time—how astonishing. If you continue helping me, Mr. Kazel, the efficiency of dungeon operations will greatly improve.”
Celia was greatly impressed by Kazel’s ability to handle work.
Furthermore, she liked the fact that Kazel did not fear her at all despite her being a monster.
“You overestimate me. If you grant me the opportunity, I will continue to serve you diligently, Chief Administrator!”
“Very well. Then from this moment on, I appoint you as the dungeon’s head steward.”
“It is an honor!”
Kazel bowed his head and answered vigorously.
A demotion from baron to steward might appear humiliating at first glance, but Kazel did not care at all.
Here, nobility was merely an empty title.
Since he thought it held no meaning whatsoever, he considered standing on the side of the strong to be the only wise choice in the current situation.
‘Better the tail of a dragon than the head of a snake.’
Thus, Kazel von Rosenberg gladly resolved to become the dungeon’s head steward.
At that moment, shouts leaking from somewhere in the dungeon tickled Kazel’s ears.
They were the voices of nobles who had once been his comrades.
Unlike Kazel, who had participated in Celia’s special recruitment, they were the ones stubbornly insisting they would remain at the base construction site.
At their voices, Kazel’s gaze turned cold.
“It’s fine. They no longer have anything to do with me.”
Instead, he drew a clear line, saying they had nothing to do with him.
He had wagered the rest of his life on the dungeon and the monsters.
Knowing well that there would be no end to it if he sympathized with them simply because they were fellow humans, Kazel set his course firmly.
He thought only of the future.
“Now then, shall we discuss things in more detail?”
Had his actions been the correct answer?
At Kazel’s conduct, Celia nodded.
Paradoxically, the darker the dungeon became, the brighter the future opening before him was.
Even if that future was stained with blood, it did not matter.
* * *
Area 4 of the dungeon’s first floor.
Figures could be seen working while covered in mud and drenched in sweat.
Their ages varied, from middle-aged men to old men whose hair had turned white.
All of them were nobles of the Sayle Kingdom.
Though they had never performed labor with their own hands in their entire lives, they were digging the ground near the lake and expanding it according to Celia’s orders.
It was something so absurd that it was embarrassing to even call it forced labor—something unimaginable for nobles.
“Damn it, why do I have to do this sort of thing!”
Unable to endure it any longer, one noble threw down his shovel and vented his dissatisfaction.
The nobles around him also stopped working, the mood turning sympathetic.
“We are people who have devoted ourselves to the Sayle Kingdom for generations! Such lowly labor stains our honor!”
“That’s right! We cannot simply overlook such insulting treatment. We must make them pay the price!”
Some even spat at and insulted the workers who had once been adventurers.
“To entrust work suited to those lowborn wretches to nobles like us—what kind of absurdity is this?”
No matter how much they had been arrested by the kingdom, they had been born nobles.
It would not have been enough to treat them accordingly, yet they were being made to do such menial tasks, so they could not help but feel enraged.
The furious nobles competed to raise their voices in protest.
There were no longer any nobles working diligently here.
“That Kazel bastard is nothing but a brat who doesn’t even know the dignity of nobility. He’s a son of a bitch who betrayed humanity just to fill his own pockets!”
Harsh words also poured out against Baron Kazel, who had betrayed their fellow humans and sided with monsters.
His actions were a betrayal and an insult that could never be tolerated in noble society.
“In any case, we have no reason to be treated like this! We must refuse to work at once and assert our rights! They won’t dare do anything to us!”
After complaining to their hearts’ content, they completely stopped working.
Right then, an ominous aura was felt.
“……”
As if by agreement, everyone shut their mouths.
The terrifying being who managed and supervised them had appeared.
A being clad in pitch-black armor, holding a sharp sword and a shield of questionable taste.
It was the Death Knight.
That appearance alone was enough to inspire fear.
The Death Knight did not drag things out.
Since Chief Administrator Celia had acknowledged a certain degree of authority in him, he felt no need to clumsily persuade them.
He simply acted.
Thrust—
The Death Knight’s sword flashed.
The blade lodged itself in the heart of one noble, the one who had first incited the others.
“Guh…!”
Those nearby screamed and tried to flee, but they were blocked by the Skeleton Knights.
The sudden situation lasted only a moment before the noble whose heart had been pierced began to rise again.
“Uwooo!”
It was none other than the Death Knight’s skill, “Shadow of Death.”
It was a skill that rebirthed those killed by his sword as ghouls.
His appearance in life was nowhere to be found.
Only a single faithful worker, transformed into a ghoul that labored solely for the dungeon, remained there.
“Uwooo…”
At that sight, the remaining nobles trembled and picked up their shovels again.
Having witnessed the gruesome end of their comrade who had become a ghoul, no one could voice any further complaints.
Here, rebellion meant death.
They had once been nobles with nothing to envy in the world, but now they had completely fallen into slaves of the dungeon.
That was the choice required to survive in this dungeon.
A miserable but inevitable choice.
Once the situation was settled, the Death Knight shook his head as if satisfied.
As he resumed supervising, he saw people entering Area 4.
It was Dambi’s party.
They were the ones Chief Administrator Celia had been paying attention to recently.
They primarily operated outside the dungeon.
Thus, the fact that they had stopped by the dungeon now meant they had some business here.
Besides Dambi and Rils, who had originally been two, he could see unfamiliar figures as well.
“Guuuuuh.”
There was one being, and in her arms, the figure of a bizarre slime staring at him and crying out.
“Uwooo…”
When the slime cried out, the ghoul began to cry out along with it.
The Death Knight did not know why, but he had a strong premonition that the number of workers in the dungeon was about to increase.