~ Chapter 101: The 'adulterer' who stole Shanteya's heart ~

[Illsyore's point of view]

With a sigh escaping my lips, I started the engine of the MCV. A soft hum could be heard from under the hood, and just like that, we made our way toward Krestan.

“Are you alright, Illsy?” asked Ayuseya as she patted my shoulder.

I let out another sigh.

“It couldn't be helped, we had to do it this way, otherwise you were going to end up breaking their common sense again.” Nanya pointed out with a shrug.

I let out another sigh.

“Don't feel so bad, nya! We always knew you were an incorrigible and unreasonable impossible to accept to exist Dungeon Lord, nya~!” said Tamara.

I let out a very loud sigh.

“I don't think you're helping.” said Shanteya with a giggle.

“Illsy, you're exaggerating.” Nanya squinted her eyes at me in the reflection of the rear-view mirror.

“THEY FAINTED AGAIN!” I complained.

Yup, that was the gist of it.

This morning, after everyone woke up and Tamara rushed to the kitchen to make us some breakfast, I went to greet my slaves and continue the presentation from last night. When they saw me they froze... in fear. After exchanging a few words, I realized they tried to brush off my previous speech as some sort of common nightmare.

I shattered that useless thought of theirs to pieces by summoning an imp commonly found in dungeons. It was a simple Level 1 one, surprisingly, of the type that was not infatuated with boots.

At this point, half of them fainted, while the others started to tremble like scared little kittens. The two children who were still conscious soiled themselves, and everyone cried and begged for their lives.

When they saw this, my wives pulled me out of the room and took care of them. Zoreya introduced herself as a High Apostle of Melkuth and convinced them I was not a bad Dungeon. It took her half an hour to convince them I did not bought the women to help the goblins in my dungeon multiply, and about an entire hour to convince and calm down the children who thought I had bought them in order to cook them or some other ridiculous thing.

I could not help but wonder what sort of ridiculous things they were told by others. Although, true, a stupid Dungeon could have thought about doing all that sort of nasty stuff. It went without saying that I wasn't one!

As such, after my wives, especially Zoreya, who was human, managed to explain how things really were with me, they calmed down and didn't froze or fainted upon seeing me. Still, it made me feel a bit bad. I was not some sort of monster who hid under the bed and whose sole purpose in life was to scare little children!

This, however, made me reconsider how I planned on introducing myself in the future. If I wanted to scare someone, declaring myself as a Godlike Dungeon Lord was enough. If I didn't want this, I had to avoid introducing myself as such. Thus, henceforth, I became the 'human' Illsyore. My weird hair was a style preference.

“No, you can't be a human.” Shanteya said shaking her head.

“Nope.” Zoreya denied it as well.

“Impossible.” Ayuseya shook her head.

“Nya~ You? Human? Nyahaha!” the cat laughed.

“Illsy... a human. I can't see it.” Nanya shook her head.

“Oh for the love of... I WAS a human once, you know?” I retorted.

“Nya~ That was in another life, husband of mine. You can't be a human in this one.” Tamara shook her head.

“You are far too ridiculous for that.” Ayuseya nodded.

“Definitely” Shanteya nodded.

I let out a sigh and decided to ignore them. These wives of mine were definitely teasing me.

Either way, I told the slaves to think carefully about what they wanted by the time we left this continent. I had no problem with releasing them from slavery and then sending them off on their way towards another kingdom if freedom was what they desired. However, I did point out that I was going to offer them a one-of-a-kind opportunity through which they would be able to aspire towards more. Having me as their guardian was not that bad of a deal either, especially since I had several gods on my side.

Apparently, this little piece of information was crucial in helping the slaves accept me as a Dungeon who wasn't after their lives.

As we drove on the bumpy road and passed by several carriages whose drivers more or less thought we were some sort of metal monster, the outer walls of Krestan finally came into view. They were around 10 meters in height and made out of sturdy stones cemented together in order to keep them from falling apart. I didn't sense any sort of Magic Energy coming from them, so I guessed they didn't use any enchantments to reinforce the structure.

The gates themselves were raised, but besides the usual drop-down classical metal bar gate, they also had wooden ones reinforced with metal, which had to be pulled back in order to open them. Right now, there were three carriages waiting to enter the city as well as several groups of adventurers and travelers. The guards were doing a check up on everyone who crossed the gates, making sure no outlaws dared to enter.

They did with the help of Illusion Canceling Crystals and typical Wanted Posters.

There was nothing we had to worry about in regard to this, but looking at them made me wonder how I was going to prevent fugitives and criminals from stepping inside my academy. There were many ways I could find out who was who, but sometimes a criminal ended up with this stigma just because a rotten noble abused his power. Currently, I had no way of finding out the truth.

Maybe I should go ahead and ask the gods of Justice for advice on this one. I thought as I leaned back in my chair.

“Should we go on foot in the city?” Nanya asked.

“No, not really... Do any of you want to buy anything from here?” I replied and then asked as I looked back at them.

“Not necessarily. Just sightseeing for me.” Ayuseya replied with a shrug.

“Non-humans aren't viewed too kindly in this kingdom, but at the very least el'doraws and draconians have it better than the others.” Nanya pointed out.

“True... Could this sort of mentality be the source of that human supremacy political view?” I asked curiously.

“It's possible, but at the same time, as there are human supremacists, there are draconian supremacists like Dankyun, el'doraw ones as well, and basically any species has their own.” pointed out Shanteya.

“Sigh... Well... can't be helped.” I shrugged.

“Do you plan on staying overnight here?” Nanya asked.

“Nope. We'll camp in our house outside. We're just passing through right now. Tamara will get some food with Zoreya, and I'm thinking of visiting the slave merchants again.” I then felt a sudden glare coming from behind.

When I turned around, they were all squinting their eyes at me.

“Oh come on! I need students!” I retorted.

“Isn't there a better way of 'acquiring' them?” Ayuseya asked raising an eyebrow.

“Besides this method, yes. I can put a good word with the nobles, scout them from among the commoners, hire people for publicity at the Adventurers Guild. I could do many things in order to gain students, but I am aware of the injustice of the slavery system, so if I have both the power and means to do it, I want to save as many slaves as I can while passing through the Paramanium Empire.” I explained.

“Quite noble of you, but this in return would just convince the slavers that their business is going well.” Ayuseya pointed out.

“I can't do anything about that right now, but saving a life is better than none.” I closed my eyes and relaxed on my chair.

When it was our time to pass through the gates, the guards were scratching their heads when they saw my peculiar 'carriage'. They were wondering at first whether to allow us entry with it or not. It seemed they weren't entirely sure this wasn't a monster.

Eventually, they called their superior, and after a quick explanation, he let us through.

We continued to move until we reached the South Gate of the city. Here we passed through without a problem. If we got in while driving such a weird contraption, then letting us leave was going to be easy.

I parked the MCV at about one kilometer away from the city gates in a small clearing and left Shanteya and Nanya in charge of protecting and taking care of the slaves. Ayuseya insisted I let her join my visit to the slave merchant, and I honestly had nothing against it.

Thus, all four of us returned to Krestan once more. We split up from Tamara and Zoreya at the gates, since after asking the guard, we found out that the Slave Market and the regular one were located on opposite sides of the city.

In retrospect, the architectural design of this entire settlement was simple and quite easy to navigate through. The palace of the Lord was in the middle, and it was surrounded by another wall. Around it were the houses of nobles, then came those of the commoners, with the slums being in the most remote side of the city. Because they were all built around the palace, the roads most of the time connected the noble areas with those of the commoners, with a big central road making a straight line between the North Gate and the palace.

From a strategic point of view, this place was hard to defend and easy to conquer. On the other hand, the simplicity of the roads allowed for a better flow of traffic, enhancing the trade. In other words, it had a good infrastructure.

The slave market was just like before, close to a brothel. It wasn't that far away from the slums either, maybe because there were many unfortunate people who ended up sold into slavery by their families in order to pay off tax debts and other stuff like that.

The building itself was a two-story tall noble's mansion with two brawny guards armed to the teeth standing at the entrance, similar to the one in front of the brothel. He was most likely there to deal with unruly customers and impudent fellows who wanted to use the 'merchandise' yet not pay a dime for the service.

“Are you customers?” the guard at the entrance asked us the moment he saw us approaching them.

“I heard this is the Slave Market in town, correct?” I asked cautiously.

“Indeed, you are right. Unfortunately, the master isn't home right now. He has some urgent matters to attend to and will return shortly after, maybe in an hour or two?” he replied.

“Is that so? Then I will return then.” I nodded.

“Despite how those two look, they were rather polite.” commented Ayuseya after we were outside of their hearing range.

“True.” I confirmed.

Since we couldn't visit the Slave Market, I decided to go to the slums of the city and see if I can spot some potential talents. We weren't that far away from it either way, and we also had to wait until the slave merchant returned as well.

The slums, as I had imagined them, were the vivid representation of all the luck-deprived people of this city. Wearing nothing but rags and smelling as if they hadn't seen a bath in weeks if not months, both the old and the young were laying down at the entrance to their homes, looking at the streets with a gaze in their eyes that lacked the spark of hope. Among them were those few adventurers who suffered injuries that stopped them from fighting again, as well as those with birth defects which turned them into outcasts of society.

The buildings all looked worn out and in need of major repairs. Some of them were lacking any sort of roof tiles, while others had all of their windows covered with planks in an attempt to keep the wind and cold at bay. If they could easily remove them or not, I had no idea. The most common type of doors I saw here were the detachable types. They basically lacked any sort of hinges, so the owners had no choice but to find a way to completely remove the door when they wanted to go out and then find a way to fix it in place when they wanted to close it.

“These people here live worse than animals.” remarked Ayuseya who covered her nose in an attempt to protect herself from the foul stench that reeked all over this place.

The latrine and garbage piles were probably the source.

“It appears so...” I nodded.

“For the sake of the child, I'll make sure to remind you not to bring Shanteya in this sort of place.” she declared.

“Good thinking! It would be terrible to bring my pregnant wife here... What if she caught something!” I spoke in a worried tone of voice.

“I'm sure you would manage to heal her, but it's still best to be wary of such matters. Bad hygiene and lots of filth are the main causes of death in this world besides adventuring and wars.” she said.

“True, I should also take note and make sure my Academy won't suffer from anything like poor hygiene or garbage deposits.” I nodded.

“Summon Merions. That's their general purpose, but it seems the people in this city refused to use them for some reason.” she told me.

“Yeah, true. This reminds me, but Shoraya Kingdom used various monsters in order to solve problems like this, but I had yet to see a single Merion here or back in the port city.” I rubbed my chin.

“It is indeed strange... Could it be the nobles... Omph!” Ayuseya stopped as she bumped into someone, no, more like someone bumped into her.

When I turned around, I saw a kid who was around 11 years old laying with his back flat on the ground. His eyes were spinning. He probably did not expect the recoil from the dragoness to be that powerful.

“What's this?” I said and lifted the kid up.

The child was wearing a worn-out shirt and pair of pants tied with a string at the waist. He had dark-brown hair and hazel eyes. His body was thin, showing signs of malnutrition, and his height was about average if I were to compare him to the boys in the group back with Shanteya.

“This appears to be a human child.” Ayuseya nodded.

“Yeah, but why did he bump into you?” I tilted my head confused.

“I think he was aiming for you, but you dodged out of reflex.” she pointed out.

“Huh? What?” I was even more confused.

Did this kid try and attack me? I wondered.

As if reading my mind, my draconian wife replied “He was trying to pickpocket you, I think.”

“But my pockets are empty.” I shrugged.

“True. We know this, but he didn't.” she pointed at the child.

Knitting my brow, I lowered him on the ground and then summoned a small sphere of water to splash him over the face.

“PUHA~!” he woke up gasping for air.

The human body's survival instinct was amazing.

“Yo!” I smiled and lifted a hand up.

The boy seeing me, he knitted his brow and then... he ran away.

“Huh?” I blinked surprised.

“This is becoming a habit, isn't it? People running away, fainting the moment they see you, shivering in fear...” Ayuseya let out a sympathetic sigh.

“I don't want that!” I retorted.

The dragoness giggled and kissed my cheek “Don't worry, your children won't run away from you. Just make sure to bless me with one as well after you built your academy.” she winked at me.

“I will... But first let's catch the kid.” I nodded.

By now, he was gone from our sights, but a Dungeon had its tricks, and I had a lot more than I needed.

Thus, we calmly walked in the direction he was hiding.

The method I used this time to find him was simply spreading out my Dungeon Territory and marking him as a target. The immediate result was a blinking red dot on a map only I could see. By default, the Dungeons were supposed to be natural born cartographers, but for some reason, most of them, including me for a while now, never thought about using their Dungeon Territory as a means to detect and map out the said territory.

Surprisingly, the one who gave me the idea to use it this way was Nanya herself. Being a half-Dungeon, she initially thought it was because of her demonic side, but afterwards she understood that it was something she had in common with all Dungeons. Once I was able to figure out the trick behind it, I shared it with her.

The spell resulted from this skill was called [Tracker] by Shanteya, who found it extremely useful in her hunts.

The difference between [Tracker] and our Dungeon Territory Map consisted in the range and details of the said map. While the latter could generate even a 3D model of the area at the expense of using some Magic Energy and raising its density in the scanned area, effectively giving away the fact that you discovered your enemy, the first only allowed the caster to see a rudimentary top-down map with not so many details, but with the clear ability to accurately pinpoint the location of the tracked target. It was closer to a Magic Energy based sonar of sorts.

As such, we easily found out where the little kid was hiding.

Lifting the lid off the crate, I found him backing away in a corner and glaring at me. He was like a drenched trapped rat.

“You can run, but I will find you anyway.” I shrugged and then placed the lid back on top of the box. “Come out and explain yourself after you calmed down.” I said after I knocked on the lid.

I took a few steps away and summoned a pair of chairs for myself and my wife.

The boy popped out his head after five minutes and then hid back inside the box.

“We're not going anywhere, but make me wait too long, and I'll drag you out myself.” I warned him.

After six more minutes had passed, just as when I was thinking about going over and pulling him out by the scruff of his neck, the kid came out of the box.

“A-Are you going to turn me o-over t-to the guards?” he asked with a bit of stutter there.

“Nope. Just tell me why you tried to pickpocket me.” I told him.

The boy glared back at me.

“Because you are cheating bastard, an adulterer, a womanizer, a pig!” he declared pointing his finger at me.

I nearly fell of my chair.

Ayuseya blinked surprised and covered her mouth with the tips of her fingers.

“WHY IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT'S HOLY DO YOU BELIEVE THAT! WE JUST MET!” I retorted half shouting while trying to refrain from giving off killing intent.

“Because I heard you!” he pointed at me.

“Illsy? Is there something you haven't told me?” Ayuseya asked partaking in the joke and trying hard not to laugh while still asking as though she was shocked to hear this.

“When in the world would I have been able to go around and chase skirts? Nanya and Tamara would find out in a second, and no thank you on becoming a whack-o-mole for Zoreya's shield!” I retorted.

“Hihihi!” the dragoness giggled.

Letting out a sigh, I rubbed my temples and then asked him, calmly “What EXACTLY did you hear?”

The child was reluctant to answer at first, but seeing as how he had no way out, he decided to come clean with what he thought.

“Earlier today, when you were in your fancy carriage, I saw you being hugged and kissed by the woman with cat ears. There were five women in the carriage, but none tried to stop her. I thought she did this because she was your pet.” he said, but so far nothing proved nor remotely gave reason for me to be labeled as an adulterer.

That was when Tamara gave me a sneak attack... I remembered.

“Then I heard the draconian lady speak of your wife, Shanteya, it was the pretty blonde in the carriage with you, right? She must be suffering a lot seeing you act like that with other women. Even when you got kissed by the woman with cat ears, she didn't react, but she looked sad. And the way you speak with this draconian lady, that's not normal either. She has the eyes of a woman in love! You toy around with her heart as well! You are a bad man! A womanizer! A pantie-snatching thief!” he slowly explained then started to call me names.

“Hey! I'm not a womanizer!” I retorted.

“The last one though... could it be intuition?” Ayuseya wondered as she squinted her eyes at him.

“I knew it! You are a bad man! Bleah!” he poked his tongue out at me.

“Oh for the love of... Listen kid, ALL of those women you saw with me in my carriage are not some women I picked up on the street! They are my lovers and legal wives! Look! This ring proves it!” I said showing him the golden ring on Ayuseya's ring finger.

“No way! You are lying! A man can only have one wife, the others are called concubines! Bleah!” he poked his tongue out at me again.

Annoyed, I tossed a water ball at him, drenching him to the bone.

The boy, soaked in water looked at his clothes, then back at me, and...

“UWAAA!”

Ah great! I made him cry. I face-palmed myself.

“Illsy, why did you do that?” Ayuseya threw me a glare and then got up from her seat and gently hugged the little boy.

“There. There. Don't cry. I won't let the mean man harm you.” she said.

Meanwhile I was just looking at them and wondering how was I to blame? I was the one who was insulted here.

“Illsy, you don't need to take him so seriously, he's just a child. He does not know any better, especially if he wasn't taught properly.” my wife scolded me.

“Yes...” I mumbled.

True... he's a child... but he shouldn't say I'm a womanizer... or a cheater... I'm not... I love my wives... I mumbled in my mind.

After he calmed down, Ayuseya made me give him some dry clothes and some snacks I had stored inside my Inner Mind. The boy was more than happy to receive the tasty treats and munched them happily while the dragoness dried his hair. It was a good thing he could not see how she was doing this; her fire breath might have scared him.

“Have you calmed down?” I asked when he was done eating.

He nodded.

“Good. Now, do you understand? I'm not an adulterer, I'm quite faithful to my beloved wives.” I declared with my pointing finger up.

The boy did not reply. He was squinting his eyes at me as if he found it hard if he should believe me or not.

This brat! When I tell him I am a Dungeon, I will seriously laugh when he faints or crawls away in fear! I raged in my mind.

“Even though he looks like a pervert capable of impregnating a woman only with his gaze, you should believe his words. Illsy is indeed a gentleman who will hold in his loving embrace only his beloved wives.” Ayuseya... sort of back me up?

“I'm a what now?” I asked blinking confused.

“Nothing, dear.” she giggled.

“No seriously, I'm a what?” I asked again.

She looked away, and I lowered my head in defeat.

“You two are a strange couple... Not like mom and dad...” he said as he looked at both of us.

“I believe we are, but we do love each other, probably just as much as your parents do. Speaking of which, little one, you have yet to tell us your name.” Ayuseya spoke to him in a polite tone of voice and showing him a gentle smile.

The charm of a draconian princess was not to be underestimated.

He nodded and then introduced himself with a bright smile “My name is Kent Wolf! I am 11 years old!”

“That's wonderful! Now, can you tell me where your parents are?” she asked him.

The bright smile vanished, and the little boy looked down while clenching his fists. A few drops of tears appeared in his eyes before he got the courage to tell us.

“Mom and dad aren't in this world anymore... They were murdered...”

“Murdered? By whom?” I asked.

“Marquise D'andaros...”

I furrowed my brow when I heard the name.

“Erm... can you say that again? I think I didn't hear right.” I told him.

“Marquise D'andaros. That's his name.” the boy nodded.

“What's wrong Illsy?” asked Ayuseya.

“Sorry, I'm hearing his names as: Dând a ros. Which in translation would be: Giving he gnawed.” I told her.

“You are weird, mister.” Wolf knitted his brow as he said that.

“Yeah, I know... Anyway, how or why did he kill your parents? Can you tell us the whole story, please?” I asked him.

“Um...” he looked at Ayuseya and then at me. “OK...” he nodded.

Afterwards, he told us in his own words how he lived a happy but simple life together with his parents at the edge of the city. His father was a strong man who made a living during the summer as a construction worker and during the winter as a lumberjack. His mother took care of him and the house, but from time to time, she helped as a store clerk in various shops around the city. One day, Marquise D'andaros saw her and fell in love with her at first sight, or so he claimed. The man was already married, but he wanted to increase his harem of concubines.

Ayuseya guessed it was just his hobby, since the Paramanium Empire accepted only the child born of the official wife as the legal heir.

Of course, his mother refused the impudent noble, but he kept coming after her, sometimes even threatening her. Because he was a Marquise, a rank above that of a Noble, they couldn't do anything about him except refuse him time and time again.

One day, however, a man arrived at their house and told Wolf's mother that her husband was found dead. It appeared as though he got drunk, slipped, and died after hitting his head on a rock. His mother refused to believe him, but when she saw his body, there was nothing they could do.

“My father never drank! He actually disliked alcohol!” the boy claimed.

In this day and age such men were a rarity but not an impossibility. I decided to accept the possibility that the boy was indeed telling the truth.

With his father gone and no one to support the family, his mother was forced to work more and more, but the noble kept pushing and insisting. One day, the boy witnessed how the noble threatened to kill him if his mother didn't willingly give herself to him. She left that night with him, but then, the next day, she was found hanged on the tree above his father's grave. Apparently, she killed herself.

Me and Ayuseya could guess why she recurred to such an extreme gesture. The woman loved her husband too much, but what she may have been forced to do that night with the noble broke her heart.

If you gods of Justice are listening now, know that if I am to meet this man, he will die. I thought as I continued to listen to the boy's tale.

With his parents gone, the noble kicked him out in the streets. There was the chance of selling him as a slave, but the noble forbade everyone from touching him unless they wished to incur his wrath.

From a certain point of view, this might look like defending the child, but what this actually meant was a condemnation to a slow and painful death. A slave at the very least had the chance to survive one way or another, but as a homeless beggar on the streets, this child had no chance.

Fortunately, he met a kind adventurer, who before heading off on a quest with his party taught him how to pickpocket someone and how to spot an easy target. With his new skill, the boy stole from those who appeared rich and fought to survive on the streets of Krestan.

“I had been living like this for two months now. I got used to it!” he showed us a bright smile, but after hearing his story, I could see the pain and scars it was hiding.

Without a home, without a family, without friends, he walked alone on the streets of this city ruled by the one who stole everything from him. Well, I didn't yet know what sort of authority this Marquise D'andaros had, but assuming he could order the slave merchants and guards around, then certainly not one to underestimate.

“Illsy...” Ayuseya said as she looked at me with sad eyes.

“I know...” I let out a sigh.

“Hm?” the boy looked between the two of us.

“Go and take him to Zoreya. He'll be safe with her.” I said then looked down at the boy. “Wolf, are you OK with being in our care from now on?” I asked him.

“It means coming to live with us. My name is Illsyore Deus, I'm going to establish the Illsyore Magic Academy. If you come to study there, I'll make sure you will have everything you need in order to become whatever you wish to become when you grow up.” I told him.

“I don't understand.” he furrowed his brow.

“It means we're offering you the chance to stop living on the streets like this. You won't need to steal from others in order to survive. You can just focus on improving yourself and your skill so that when you become an adult you can work as you want where you want to. How does that sound?” Ayuseya asked him.

“It sounds great, but... won't you get in trouble with Marquise D'andaros?” he asked a bit worried.

“I can't wait for him to show his face.” I smirked.

“What he means to say is that you don't need to worry about it. We may not look like it, but we are strong enough to defeat a Supreme.” she winked at him.

“Huh?! You-You are the Legendary Supremes?!” he asked in a loud tone of voice.

“Legendary? Where did you get that? But yeah, sort of... We're stronger than a Supreme though.” I shrugged.

“As he said.” Ayuseya giggled.

“Erm... Well, I don't have a home or family to go back to, but... if I go to your Academy... will I be able to become strong?” he asked.

“Yes. Definitely.” I replied with a smile as I ruffled his hair.

“Then... I'm going!” he showed us a bright smile.

With this matter set, I walked back to the Slave Merchant, while Ayuseya headed off to find Zoreya and Tamara. The plan was to leave the boy with them, then the dragoness was going to meet me back here, and we were going to look for some worthy slaves to become my students.

As for the matter with D'andaros, well... he didn't really matter. If we were to meet up with him, he would die, end of story. I had no plans on cursing him or forcing him to do my bidding. I wasn't in the mood for something as ridiculous as that right now. I just wanted to get my slaves and leave this city. We had many more cities to travel through and the number of people joining us was going to increase more and more with each stop.