~ Chapter 26: Dankyun’s arrival at Fellyore Magic Academy ~

[Dankyun’s point of view]

 I waited patiently at the border of the Dungeon's territory. Just a moment ago, one of the soldiers entered it briefly and measured its level, it was 64. A rather small level for a Dungeon with a territory of this size. I doubted the academy needed so much, but most importantly I couldn’t see Nanya sacrificing her own Magic Energy to help out a Dungeon no matter the reason.

Ever since I met her, that woman hated Dungeons to her very core. If I were to say, that was probably the reason why I was able to get close to her. We had something in common. I enjoyed brandishing my strength against monsters, and she simply loved destroying the cores of any Dungeon we encountered.

The weapon she used, The Dungeon Slayer, was a powerful weapon unlike any I had seen before, and it worked wonders against them. Of course, such a beautiful sword was unfit for someone like her, especially since she refused to use it too often, so I closed my eyes towards my own hate towards those not of my own species, but just for a while so I could get close to her.

When the time came, I stole the sword, killed the Dungeon and activated the deadliest traps in there. The foolish woman thought I was after the Supreme Skill. That came merely as a bonus, the beautiful sword she carried was my true prize! After all, such enchantments were hard to find, actually, they were impossible to find, and in all my life, I had never heard or saw anything quite like it. The Dungeon Slayer was a true treasure among treasures!

“Master… danger… in the forest…” something spoke.

I turned my head and saw this pathetic little runt who appeared from behind a tree. His left arm was broken, his right leg was splintered, and he basically looked like he had a run-in with an ogre. Raising an eyebrow, I unsheathed my sword and pointed it at him.

“Speak!” I ordered.

“Traps in the forest, master… I didn’t see one, but… then… I flew through sky. It shattered my Magic Armor…” he said after he knelt before me.

Nothing he spoke of interested me in the slightest.

“You are on a Dungeon’s territory, isn’t that to be expected?” I asked.

“Yes, but… but… there was no building there! It was a trap placed in the middle of the forest like it was summoned especially for me!” he told me, but I could tell something else was scaring him.

Nevertheless, it was quite clear he failed miserably in his mission. Judging from what he told me, he wasn’t even able to get through the forest, let alone sneak inside the academy’s buildings and find any relevant information about Princess Ayuseya. He failed me miserably, and for that, I saw no reason in letting him keep on wasting the air around him.

“You have done enough.” I said, and a small smile appeared on his face, believing that he was spared. “Dismemberment by horses is your reward for your failure!” I declared.

“What? Milord! Have mercy!” he pleaded, but I ignored him.

Four of my soldiers approached him and dragged him off. One muffled him to keep his squeals and screams silent. It was best that way. There were many nobles out there who preferred to listen to the lullaby sung by tortured folk, but I preferred their silence.

While he was being tied down to four horses, I moved closer to the edge of the Dungeon Territory and waited for my troops to be done. It didn’t take long to rip him apart, these were draft horses, the strongest when it came to leg power, and also the only ones capable of carrying draconian soldiers. Human horses were so small when compared to those in Teslov or those on the Sorone continent.

“It has been done, milord!” said one of the Emperor Rank commanders.

“Good! We advance now.” I ordered.

“Any special orders for us?” asked the el’doraw assassin as she approached me.

“Yes. I wish you to continue the mission of that pathetic piece of flesh. Find me the location of the dungeon and of its core. Find out where Princess Ayuseya is hiding. Find out what you can about Mad Destroyer Nanya.” I ordered calmly as I took a step forward and entered the Dungeon Territory.

My sword trembled a bit when the enchantment of Fear was activated. It would cause the Dungeon Core to tremble before me and maybe even force it to make some unwilling mistakes. If it attacked me, then I had the perfect excuse to destroy this place Nanya found refuge in. Of course, I could always instigate an attack. In any case, I planned on making my stay long and painful for her until I found out where exactly my pet was hiding.

[Nanya’s point of view]

 Seeing Illsy show so much fear towards Dankyun reminded me of how powerful my stolen sword really was. Many saw it as a true treasure when it came to that, but for me, it was nothing but a reminder of the suffering I went through because of it. I often wished to simply throw it away in the nearest river, but it was too powerful to let it fall in dangerous hands.

Then again, right now anyone would have been better than him...

Back then, when Dankyun stole it from me, he told me that only a fool would think about giving up such a powerful weapon. Only a madman would think about becoming weaker in a world where the strong ruled the weak. Maybe that was true. I was a mad woman who wished to cast away her fangs because those were fangs forced upon me not earned through hard work. To receive it, all I had to do was be born, nothing else.

What sort of father would create and gift such a thing to his own daughter? A weapon meant only to shed the blood of unworthy… mates. I thought as I looked towards Therion City.

When Dankyun betrayed me, I thought I was never going to see it again. I thought that I finally got rid of it, but just like a boomerang, the blasted thing was now coming back to me.

Out there, the man who betrayed me, who killed my party, robbed me, and left me for dead in a dungeon was heading towards my little sanctuary out here, in the Shoraya Empire. If I could have chosen, I would have wished for this cursed reunion to never happen. I struggled between two thoughts: retrieving my sword and killing Dankyun. I didn’t wish for the first, but I desired the latter.

If it was the old me, the one he left for dead back in that dungeon, I wouldn’t have struggled with this dilemma. I would have jumped out of Illsy’s grasp and ran towards him roaring like a maniac. I would have given my all to kill him without a single care about who got hurt in the process… The old Nanya died in that dungeon.

Closing my eyes, I remembered the moment… It was dark, it was cold, and I was bleeding a lot. My friends were dead, and one of the monsters left in the dungeon was feasting on Zero’s insides. The stench turned my stomach upside down, and I knew I was to be next. I couldn’t move from that place, I was trapped. Second after second, minute after minute, time passed by and slowly dragged me towards my end. My mind refused to hope for a way out, refused to accept the possibility of an escape… I simply waited… waited to be killed.

It was then when he came and rescued me, a young magician with a bright smile, the one named Tuberculus. He killed the monster, well… barely. After he freed me, he gave me a healing potion and brought me outside. I was a total mess, but if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have survived. Of course, young as he was, he kept hitting on me for a while until he realized that I had no desire to be loved or love another. Last time I tried, I ended up betrayed, robbed, and nearly dead. Love was only a tool foolish people used to exploit others, and I was just another unlucky sucker.

Saying that I didn’t trust anyone wasn’t a lie. Although Tuberculus tried countless times to show me that he was my friend, my heart never believed him. In time, I learned to partially trust him, but never fully. Even when danger surrounded us from all sides and we fought side by side, I was always prepared to get stabbed in the back in the middle of the battle.

Never trust anyone, never show your heart to anyone, never love again… that was what Dankyun taught me. It was the hard, cold truth of life everyone ran away from.

I allowed myself to trust him once. I allowed myself to accept him. I allowed myself to believe that maybe it was possible and then, right when I needed him the most, he left me for dead, he abandoned me for his own profit and gain, he robbed me of my most precious belongings and left me for dead.

Tuberculus wasn’t the first one to try to conquer my heart after Dankyun, there were others too, but every time I heard the words of ‘love’ and ‘trust’, I remembered that moment when that bastard left me for dead… I also remembered that last night we had together, how he held me in his arms, how he constantly whispered those words in my ears just to make me lower my guard, how he promised me that we would always be together. I was caught in his trap, I was severed from reason and couldn’t see the signs of lies.

I should have known something was up the moment he… I shook my head as I remembered the moment.

That night, I entered his tent… I showed him my unsealed form and wished for him to take me…

No! I shouldn’t remember that. It will only cause me to feel the terrible pain of betrayal even more... I thought.

Although I changed since then, I still wanted to kill that bastard, Dankyun, but before I did that, I had to make sure no one was going to suffer in the ensuing battle.

Maybe after he leaves, I’ll hunt him down and kill him… I thought as I saw the Fellyore Magic Academy coming into view.

No one there was suspecting a thing. They were calm and minding their own school days as usual, believing they were safe in the presence of Emperor Rank teachers and me, a Godlike Rank. They had no idea a Supreme and his army were approaching them at that very moment.

Despite all of this, there was still one funny thought that crossed my mind: Illsy’s words.

Hearing a Dungeon Lord like him speak of love and trust was both funny and strange. I understood he was a weird and unusual Dungeon, but I could hardly believe he actually meant those words. No matter what Illsy told me or how close he got to me, I was expecting him to sacrifice me, Shanteya, and Ayuseya the moment things proved too dangerous for him. After all, I never doubted the possibility of him just faking his emotions towards us just to get what he desired, meaning a powerful mate...

But even so, somewhere deep inside me, I wished those words of his weren't all lies and that his emotions were the absolute bare truth. I wished that when the time came, he wouldn’t abandon me, he wouldn’t betray me, he would give his all, and eventually prove to me that I was wrong and love can exist, but still… that was just a dream, right? A Dungeon can’t possibly love.

When will Illsy betray me, I wonder? I thought.

[Ayuseya’s point of view]

 If someone told me a week ago that I would end up as the wife of a Dungeon Lord, and a Godlike one at that, I would have thought they were crazy, or maybe they wanted to make fun of me. Yet, here I was, wearing the proof of me belonging to one, the black ring on my finger. Instead of a gold and silver one with a magic stone resembling the color of my scales, I received a magic tattoo.

Ever since I was young, I was constantly reminded of how a royal of the Pleyades family should behave. I had to always present myself as a refined and elegant lady with a flawless beauty and peerless wisdom. I was to be an example, but at the same time, I had to hold all the right attributes to charm a Supreme. My role within the family was simple: charm someone powerful and bear their children in order to continue the royal bloodline.

For that single mission, I had to study arts, literature, politics, economics, magic, and anything else I could use to charm someone and prove to them I wasn’t like all the other foolish women in the kingdom. Failure was not an option. Failure meant to participate in a ‘ball’.

Although many believed I was the oldest in the family, that was not entirely true, I was the oldest one alive. Many years back, I had a sister who was older than me by four years. Her time came a bit too early because of the curse, and she was forced from a young age to find herself a husband, but she failed. Unwilling to see her life waste away like that, she accepted to join a ‘ball’. There, she slept with as many men as she could in order to have higher chance of ending up pregnant.

On the outside, the ‘ball’ was just another elegant party, but once the clock struck 12, it turned into an orgy. Various Emperor Rank draconian men from noble bloodlines as well as simple adventurers in the area were invited to the party. There, they were forced to wear a special magic enchanted mask to keep their identity hidden. Until midnight, they were allowed to eat, drink, and dance as they pleased, but afterwards, the true purpose of the ‘ball’ was revealed. Wearing nothing but a mask, women of various lineages arrived to entertain the guests. The men then had their way with them, passing along the most beautiful one as one would a good bottle of wine.

Throughout draconian history, such events were often organized when the draconians didn’t wish to know who the father or the mother of their possible child was. Anyone could join as long as they were of adult age. Of course, for regular folks, the adventurer rank was unimportant.

A month later, my sister received the news that she was heavy with a child, unfortunately, she never got to raise it. She died a month after giving birth.

If I had failed to find a Supreme Ranked husband in the next five years, I was to suffer a similar fate. I was to participate in a ‘ball’ and pray to end up heavy with a child, otherwise, I would die as a failure to the family.

My sister always regretted until her last breath the fact that she was cursed with such a life, to live and die only to give birth to a child to preserve the bloodline. It was ridiculous, but there was nothing she could do. The curse was there and kept her chained up like an animal even if she was born in the royal draconian family.

I feared such a fate as well, and honestly speaking, I was happy when I found out that I was to become Dankyun’s wife. To serve only one man felt like a blessing, but it didn’t take long for me to realize it was just another part of my curse. Neither in the hands of a man nor in those of many did I saw a reason to lead a life for such a purpose. It was because of that reason that I ran away, but in doing so, I shamed my family.

Letting out a sigh, I flew over to my bookcase. In this darkness called the Inner Mind of a Dungeon Lord, I didn’t see an escape either, maybe just a temporary prison. Nevertheless, there was one big difference between the being feared by all men and women no matter their age and strength and the one acclaimed as a hero and mighty Supreme Rank adventurer. Where one cured me of my curses and set me free, the other added another curse and threatened to kill me if I didn’t obey.

I picked up an old book and opened it at the middle. A single letter was there. The envelope paper was worn off, but the seal was still intact, proof that it was never opened.

Maybe it’s time? I thought as I gently felt the aged paper.

It was a letter written by my mother right before she died, a final advice she was never able to offer me. It made me wonder what sort of words I could find hidden inside and as a young girl, it always sparked my imagination and fascinated me like a hidden treasure inside a dungeon would a party of brave adventurers.

I took a deep breath and broke the seal. I held the air in my lungs as I opened it slowly and took out the letter hidden inside the envelope. As I exhaled, I started to read the first lines.

My dear daughter, I’m sorry… You were born into a cursed family, one believed to be without future or hope. I left this letter knowing that you will read it after you got married to a Supreme and hopefully didn’t attend a ball. By now, you probably noticed that your name is a bit different than that of the first prince. The name Drekar passes by unnoticed to many ears, but it is not I who gave it to you, but your father. It is his name, and he was a True Dragon.

When the time comes, my daughter, know that after your first child is born, you will be sacrificed to our gods and with your life, the curse on the family shall be cut in half.

I write these words to warn you, but I pray and wish you won’t do the foolish thing of running away from this great responsibility! Your child and his or her child will bear the blood of a True Dragon and like you, they too shall be sacrificed when the time is right. This way, your great grandchildren will be able to free us of this terrible curse, and they shall ascend to the throne as the rightful rulers they should be! Ayuseya Drekar Pleyades, you have been granted a great honor, my child! So fear not your death and embrace it! Bear a child or more and know that through their deaths, they shall greatly honor our royal bloodline!

My daughter, with great sadness I write the next words for you, and I pray this shall never be the case!

If you fled from this responsibility… may the gods damn you with their eternal wrath! For ruining this chance for us, for destroying the only hope this family had! I pray that you shall suffer the pain of a thousand deaths!

My hands trembled, and I dropped the letter. Tears flowed over my cheeks like rivers during a flood. I couldn’t hold them back, I couldn’t hold back the pain in my chest, and the fear in my heart. Wherever I turned, life seemed only bent on casting me away, but I never expected something like this, not from my own mother…

To be used as a sacrifice to the gods. To be forced to offer my life in order to weaken the curse cast down upon my family just because my father was a True Dragon. How could I, how could anyone accept something like this?

I whimpered and cried alone in the darkness, in the place I hid from the one who was supposed to bring me back to my kingdom and for whom I was supposed to give birth to a child only so I could ultimately offer my own life to some god.

I couldn’t believe that behind a kind and warm smile, my mother had planned such a cruel and terrible destiny for me. Was this the reason why Dankyun wanted me so desperately to be his wife? Maybe he wished for the royal family to recover? No… even if that was true, there were many other ways to keep me by his side. He could have lied and whispered me sweet words of love, fooled me in order to become loyal only to him. What he did to me was out of hate, otherwise, why curse me like that? He wanted the gold in our vaults and the power of our armies, not the future of our kingdom.

But why didn’t the high nobles and the priests act differently towards me while I was there? Did they not know of this? That may be it, but what if they did and at the same time didn’t wish for the royal family to recover?

I closed my eyes and tried think of something else. The politics of my homelands and the deceit of my own kind was too great to bear.

It hurt, it really hurt… but I was alone.

All my life, it appears I was alone. Even my own mother only saw me as the tool needed to restore the kingdom…

Alone… I whispered through my whimpers.

Then, in that moment, as though the darkness itself felt my suffering and knew the way to ease the pain in my heart, it let me hear the echo of Illsyore’s words from yesterday, when he stole my first kiss.

Listen, Ayuseya… I’m not going to lie to you… From now on, I’m going to try… looking at you as a woman, my woman. You are my wife now… even if this whole thing started as a ‘not not’ joke… I’m going to take responsibility… and eventually win your heart… You may not trust me yet… and probably I don’t fully trust you either right now, but that kiss I just stole from you… is the sealed pact… that I will do my best… to eventually steal your heart!

The words were cut off here and there, but that was definitely Illsyore’s voice. I remembered them, but I didn’t believe them. In my mind, the idea that he held some sort of ulterior motive kept echoing in my ears and kept me on guard. I didn’t trust a Dungeon, I couldn’t, but when I came with the suggestion of making me his slave once more and hiding me in this place, I knew I could very well risk my freedom, although, it seemed as if I didn’t have much to begin with. Maybe that was his intent all along, especially when I thought about this ridiculous marriage, but then again…

Even if they were all lies, he is the only one who said such words to me… I said out loud as I stretched out my hand towards the darkness as if I wished to grab hold of him and pull him here, with me, to help me get through this awful moment.

You know, I was scared when you kissed me… I was even more scared when I woke up and felt your hand on my thigh. I said and showed towards this darkness a smile soaked with my tears. This marriage… is ridiculous, but as my husband, you have all the right to touch me. I knew that… I knew I wasn’t allowed to fight back, to push you away even if I was scared. Still, why? Why was your kiss so gentle? Why was your touch so kind? Why didn’t you use me? Why didn’t you force yourself on me? Answer me, Illsyore! Why? When I was scared, when I was at your mercy, why didn’t you take advantage of me like any other man would? Why didn’t you rip my clothes off and had your way with me? Why didn’t you demand anything for my curse? For putting you and this school in danger? WHY?! I screamed at the darkness while my tears flowed without a stop over my cheeks and floated off the tip of my chin.

I was screaming at nothing but an echo… at a darkness… There was nothing there, and so I kept weeping, I kept crying alone.

I’m sorry, Ayuseya… he answered back, and I looked up surprised. He wasn’t there, but the sound of his voice echoed all around me. It was sad and soft, almost like he was in pain from saying those words. I didn’t think that… I… I simply loved the way you played, the gentle tunes you created, and I wished to help you somehow. Payment for your curse never crossed my mind… As for the other… Ayuseya, I’m sorry. I didn’t wish to make you scared. I didn’t wish to make you feel afraid. I only wished to show you that I was doing my best to be by your side, to become yours, as your husband… I… no… Ayuseya, if from now on you want to sleep alone, away from me, I understand. It was my fault for pushing myself on you. I frightened you, I scared you, and that was the exact opposite of what I wished to show you. I guess I just wanted to let you know that even though I am a Dungeon, I won’t try to treat you differently because of your status or species. I wanted to show you that I can try to fall in love with you and feel safe in your embrace just like I wished you would feel safe in mine. I’m sorry… his soft words ended, and with them, the darkness around me fell in silence once more.

I was left without words.

A Dungeon apologized to me. A Dungeon apologized for its mistake. A Dungeon… never meant me harm, no, Illsyore never meant me harm. If his words were true, then it was I who was the fool.

Illsy… I said with a soft voice, but I merely closed my mouth and pulled my knees to my chest. My heart and mind were in tatters. What was I to believe now?

[Illsyore’s point of view]

 I never expected to hear Ayuseya scream like that, to hear her sobs and cries as they scratched at the back of my mind and pierced my heart in a trembling echo. Her words were harsh but understandable. I was the fool who acted and believed that he could get away with it just like that.

I may have made a terrible mistake and instead of bringing Ayuseya closer to trusting me, I pushed her away. If it worked with Shanteya, it didn’t mean it would work with the draconian princess or the teenage-looking teacher. I may have been a fool, but only now did I remember what Alina once told me: ‘A woman’s heart is full of mysteries, and what she may not show, she hides well.’

Fear and worry are among those mysteries, and Ayuseya just showed me that even though she was a tough woman who could endure a lot, there was a limit even for her. My kiss may have been that limit, but to think it would make her so upset to the point that she shed tears because of it, I could only feel ashamed and apologize for my behavior. But still, deep down, my stupid heart saw no reason in being sorry. It still felt overjoyed by the fact that I got to sleep on her big chest, to embrace her, to kiss her, and be together with her like I was with Shanteya. Those might have been my true, honest feelings, or maybe they were just a representation of my perverted thoughts.

Either way, the hope of creating a [Bond of Trust] with Ayuseya may have gone out the window. A single mistake was all that it needed, just one!

I let out a heavy sigh and looked down at the Academy. The students have all been evacuated in the back, except for Ayuseya’s servants, which were a total of six: two maids, two butlers, and two bodyguards. They kept pestering Nanya about the princess’ location, but her lies held well. That woman knew how to weave her words in such a way that even a modern lie detector would have had problems with her.

“Illsy! How far away are they?” she asked me.

Gulping, I looked in that direction and as soon as I felt their life force, that terrible sword reacted and fear rushed through my body. It was one nasty enchantment, but thanks to Nanya, I was starting to understand what I had to do to ignore it. I just had to think a bit more logically and constantly remember that what I was feeling was nothing but a lie induced through magic.

“They should come into view in about a minute or so!” I replied.

Rubbing her chin, Nanya thought about something for a moment and then turned towards Tuberculus. She pointed at the academy and told him something, but I was too far to hear. I was on the lookout.

Whatever she said, the principal agreed. While he headed towards Ayuseya’s servants, she ran towards the forest and hid in some bushes. Nanya cast some sort of spell then because I lost track of her, well almost, I could still feel her. It was just a simple thought which told me: ‘My wife, Nanya, is that way. She’s safe.’

Seeing the scene, I decided to use this time and change something in the academy. I added two AGLMC lasers behind the windows in the attic. I hoped I had a good enough shot from there, but I also hoped I wouldn’t end up needing to use them. I thought about adding some traps on the ground as well, but they would have been easily noticed. Well, if anything happened, I could always create a hole below them and then shoot some fireballs inside.

Thus, we waited. I was floating above them, Tuberculus was sitting in front of the young students, ready to meet the fearsome Dankyun. Meanwhile, I just had to remember that as long as we said and proved Ayuseya wasn’t here, he would just walk away and give us enough time to make a run for it or actually prepare for his next visit. Speaking of which, Shanteya was still hunting. I reached level 66 already, but it was getting close to when I had to go and pick up the stacked up bodies of the monsters she slaughtered.

“I hope this won’t take long… Ugh, please Dankyun! Get a stomach ache or diarrhea or something! Just turn around and stumble on something and die! Please?” I said with whisper as I watched him get closer and closer to the academy.

In the end, my wishes were ignored by the gods of misfortune, and he arrived safely in front of Fellyore Magic Academy. He was leading the whole group and just with one glance, I could see the ridiculous difference between him and the others.

Dankyun was a tall draconian going over 2.5 meters. The scales on his cheeks and tail were of a dark-brown, and his eyes were of a dark-green. He held an imposing presence about him as well as a ridiculous armor on him. That thing must have weighed a lot if I estimated correctly. It was a full plated armor decorated with gold and silver runes, but the base material looked like an alloy of sorts. To my surprise, he wasn’t wearing a helmet, but I could still see one dangling on the left side of his horse. That was a simple show of confidence. It was his way of telling us that he didn’t need it to protect his empty noggin. Wait, was it empty? I’ll just knock on it when I get the chance… with a 10 ton hammer.

“Who goes there?! This is a peaceful academy approved by the king of Shoraya! State your business, stranger!” shouted Tuberculus as he struck the ground with his staff.

He made an imposing pose in front of him, but Dankyun didn’t seem impressed. He was actually ignoring him and scanning the academy with his eyes.

When his gaze reached the room in which my crystal body was hidden, he squinted his eyes at it, and he showed a small confident smirk. He was mocking me, I could feel it!

“This is the esteemed Lord Dankyun Alttoros! Fiance of Princess Ayuseya Drekar Pleyades! He demands you hand her over for her country awaits her return!” stated in a firm and imposing tone of voice one of his goons.

Most of the soldiers behind him wore chain mail armor with steel helmets, but there were three who stood out from them. They wore steel-plated armors like Dankyun, but theirs weren’t as heavy looking or as neatly decorated.

“So, it’s an honored guest from a foreign land! But I’m afraid the princess isn’t here. She left a few days ago without telling anyone a single word about it. A caravan took her!” replied Tuberculus.

The soldier looked up at his commander, and I wondered if he bought the lie.

“You are telling me THAT princess left, and she didn’t take her… pets with her?” asked Dankyun with a raised eyebrow.

Upon being called pets, Ayuseya's six loyal servants squinted their eyes at the draconian Supreme.

“Hm, just like the last time I saw you all, feisty and disrespectful as always. Sigh, my fiance never had a good taste for servants. Nonetheless, you!” he said and then pointed at Keltaru, the el’doraw man who fought with Nanya and got beaten to a pulp. He was all healed up now. “Tell me right now where she is.” he ordered.

Keltaru took a step forward and looked straight at Dankyun, without faltering or showing even the smallest sign of fear.

“I have no idea where the princess is right now, but even if I did, I would never tell you! My loyalty is only to my princess!” he declared firmly.

And here I thought he would cave in and tell him immediately all that he knows. I guess Nanya really did beat some sense into him! I thought with a smile.

“Hmph!” Dankyun wasn’t impressed. He lifted his hand up and then said “Old man, this boy belongs to my country. If you interfere, it will be viewed as acting against my nation.” he didn’t wait for Tuberculus’ answer and simply looked back at his soldiers. “You two! Go and give him a good beating.” he pointed at the ones he desired to act out his orders.

The two men nodded once and immediately got off their horses. They unsheathed their swords and approached Keltaru, the boy who dared to speak up against Dankyun.

“Now then, you!” the draconian pointed at one of the maids this time. “Unlike him, you are a pure-blood draconian. Speak!”

The maid took a step forward and gazed over at Keltaru, who was currently focusing on the two enemies in front of him. It was clear the man had no way of winning, and maybe that was what she thought as well.

“We…” the sound of clashing swords was heard from her left, but she didn’t turn her head. “We really don’t know where she is, milord. The princess vanished from our sight yesterday morning, but many of the men here at the academy told me that they last saw her bringing her bags to the second floor to be taken by the Dungeon Lord somewhere else.” she said with a bow of her head.

There had to be a snitch! There always was one! Surprisingly though, it wasn’t Keltaru, and speaking of which, he wasn’t doing too well against the two soldiers.

From the moment they stepped in front of him with unsheathed swords, he was aware this wasn’t going to end well for him. Their smug expressions, confident look in their eyes, and attack pose they took warned the el’doraw of the impending danger. Just like them, he too unsheathed his own swords and took a step away from the rest to have enough room to properly use his skills against the two, without worrying of actually hitting his allies. I was also ready to attack them as well and give him a helping hand, but I wouldn’t do so unless I believed they were about to land the killing blow.

When the maid started to talk, the three clashed swords and despite the difference in ranks, Keltaru was holding his own quite well, however, to the trained eye, it was quite clear they were merely playing with him, letting him fall in the trap of thinking he held the upper hand. Fortunately, Keltaru wasn’t lowering his guard against them. Nanya’s beating helped him realize just how weak he was against higher ranks, especially when she presented the granite cube test at the end of their duel. Achieving a skill of a certain rank didn’t mean you were guaranteed a hop into that rank. On paper, it could be done, but among adventurers, they were recognized only and only after they proved their strength through such a test.

That being said, Keltaru had no way of winning, and the two soldiers were making it clear as they advanced towards him. Although he gathered his entire might whenever he went for a hit, they either dodged or deflected the blow. This dance continued slowly as Keltaru got more and more tired after each attempt.

While this happened, no one intervened, Tuberculus stayed put, but his grip on his staff was so tight, the wood cracked. The other servants who stood by his side until then kept their heads bowed down in front of Dankyun and ignored the fight that took place not far from him.

“Enough playing around.” the man declared in a calm tone of voice after a while.

“Yes, milord!” said the two soldiers at the same time.

With an evil grin on their faces, they attack the boy, raising their swords up and showing their true might at last. One shattered his magic armor with a single blow, while the other attacked his undefended body with the hilt of his sword. The strike landed on the right side of his chest. The el’doraw’s armor barely protected him, and the sound of cracked ribs was heard.

“Ugh!” he groaned as he got tossed several meters up in the air.

The soldier’s attack was nothing when compared to Nanya’s, but it still managed to cause him a great deal of pain and damage. Keltaru landed on his feet, but before he could raise his guard up, the soldier who attacked him first dashed towards him and punched him in the face, breaking his teeth and cutting his upper lip.

“Omph!” he fell on his back.

The two soldiers moved to his left and right respectively, preparing to use him as a ball of flesh and bone. That was when I was planning on interfering, to use a simple [Fireball] to hit them both and send them flying, but before I had the chance to do so, Nanya acted.

The teenage-looking teacher jumped out of the bushes she was hiding in, grabbed both soldiers by their heads and then smashed them together. The force she applied was enough to shatter their armors and bend their helmets. They were instantly knocked out.

Her actions surprised me. I thought she was going to stay out of this and wait until Dankyun was gone, but she couldn’t stand seeing Keltaru take a beating like that in front of the school. When she did it, she won in an official duel and made sure to teach him a thing or two about his real strength, but now, that was nothing but bullying, a senseless beating.

“Oh? Look who we have here!” said Dankyun with a big grin.

Nanya threw him a glare first and then looked back at Keltaru.

“Are you alright, boy?” she asked and helped him up.

“Ugh, I don’t think so…” he replied and coughed up a bit of blood.

“Go to Tuberculus and have him look at you.” she told him.

“Nanya, my dear, what do you think you are doing to my subject?” asked Dankyun as he looked back at her.

“I’m not your subject… ugh, I’m Princess Ayuseya’s.” he rebuked and with that affirmed his loyalty once more.

“Hm?” he lifted his hand up and without even chanting, a fireball was hurled at him.

Nanya jumped in front of the attack and punched it. The spell exploded, but it didn’t even dent her Magic Armor, let alone her steel gauntlets.

“Go.” she told Keltaru.

“Thank you…” he replied with a nod.

Meanwhile, the other so-called servants didn’t even lift their heads up to watch the scene. Their loyalty was clear, and it wasn’t towards their princess.

“Nanya, if you step in front of my attack one more time, I will stop playing nice with all of you.” he calmly threatened as he kept his palm aimed at her.

The smirk on his face showed the perfect representation of a calm villain confident enough he could easily defeat the hero. All those in the army of minions behind him showed a similar evil smirk. They were enjoying the scene and awaited for their enemy to fall under the might of their master.

If this goes on… Dankyun will attack Nanya. I thought and tried desperately to figure out a way to stop him from doing something dangerous, but then he aimed his hand at the room where my core was placed in.

“You won’t back down so easily, but I wonder if I should destroy this Dungeon first? It seems like a fair enough trade for your… interference?” he said, and I gulped.

If he was going to attack my room with a similar fireball, I had nothing to worry about. Those super-alloy walls could easily take on such a pathetic attack even without enchantments on them. Still, what if he was going to attack with something else, something more powerful? He was a Supreme, and this meant he could use Emperor Rank spells. A supercharged fireball with ice spikes was probably not enough to melt my room away, but it could severely damage and maybe even injure the students who were hiding inside the building.

“Just try it, but I will rip off your hand before you get a chance to attack.” she warned him.

“Oh, my! How scary! Puhahaha!” he laughed out loud and lowered his hand.

Nanya glared at him, but didn’t say anything.

“I’m actually quite surprised that someone like YOU left a Dungeon alive! Hahaha! How many of them did you kill again? Hm, was it 200 or 240? Do remind me, I seemed to have forgotten, but it matters not.” he shrugged. “What surprises me, however, and at the same time makes me wonder is why would you stop killing them and let this one live? Hm?” he asked, but I honestly saw no connection between what he just said and what he was ordering a moment ago.

For a moment, I actually thought he wanted to make the academy pay for Keltaru’s insolence or what he perceived as such, but something felt off. Dankyun didn’t bat an eye at either the el’doraw, Tuberculus, or the servant who gave him the report, but when Nanya appeared, his actions changed completely. Instead of ordering an attack from his soldiers, he acted by himself.

“I have no need to answer to a lousy betrayer and thief like you!” she spat at his feet.

“Oh? Are you talking about this?” he asked as he unsheathed his sword and pointed it at her.

Is that Nanya’s… I thought as I looked at it.

The design was similar to that of a 15th century Earth claymore, a two-handed longsword, however, the blade was pitch black and engraved with dark-red runes which glowed softly. The hilt was covered with black leather, and the protector was slightly curved inward. Looking at his scabbard, I noticed it matched the gold and silver design of his armor. This strange combination of colors made the sword stand out completely when he wielded it.

I gulped.

The aura of darkness and danger around it made me shiver. I closed my eyes for a moment and thought back at what Nanya said There’s nothing to fear! There’s nothing to fear! This is the result of a powerful enchantment, that’s all! Just an enchantment… Unfortunately, the moment I opened my eyes, it was still as frightening as before.

I gulped again and looked back at Nanya. She was glaring at him and clenching her fists. The usually calm teenage-looking teacher was now barely keeping herself from attacking him.

“Hm? This is quite impressive! I didn’t expect you to have such a… such a reaction when we met again! I honestly thought you would run at me, growling and curse me and then I would stab you in the heart, decapitate you, and leave your body to be eaten by beasts! Hahaha!” he let out an amused laugh.

“I’m not the same brat you once knew.” she retorted, but she spoke through grinding teeth.

“I see! I see! Then what if I… let’s see… cast my Supreme Skill right now, right here, on top of this academy?” he asked with a grin as he lifted his free hand up.

“Dankyun…” Nanya growled and took a step forward.

The air between them was tense. In front of us, the draconian and the young girl vanished and were replaced by two, frightening monsters. Their motives for clashing swords and jumping in to attack felt like a mystery if one didn’t know what they had been through. Among those at the academy, me and some of the teachers were probably the only ones who could guess the true reason behind Nanya’s anger and Dankyun’s eagerness to engage her in a battle.

Despite this event and the way things seemed to be turning from bad to worse, there was only one thought worrying me. If this draconian attacked with his Supreme Skill, then this entire academy, minus my room, would probably end up destroyed. The teachers would most likely survive thanks to their Magic Armors, but the students would be slaughtered under the rain of fireballs. Once that would happen, nothing would stop Nanya from going in for the kill.

What about Shanteya? I thought and then searched for her life signal.

Although far from us, she was still within the Supreme Skill’s area of attack of 1 km in diameter. With this single attack, Dankyun could rob me of my home, my slave, my friends, and the ones I had to protect.

Can I build something for them quickly? I thought then, but there was no way I could do it. I wasn’t that strong yet. My Magic Energy would be depleted by the time I finished the second layer, and it would be without enchantments too.

I gulped.

There was only one way out of this. I had to kill Dankyun. I had to destroy him…

If I kill him before he initiates this attack, then… If I kill him now while he is focused on Nanya, I can save the students. Nanya can deal then with his soldiers, the teachers could as well. But can I harm this Supreme? Maybe… I have to launch a very powerful attack. I need to focus my AGLMC lasers on him and fire them while at the same time, I attack him with a 7000 or 8000 Magic Energy [Seeker Fireball X18]. Yes… he has to die… but can I kill him? Yes! No… I have to… Yes, I have to… I thought as I struggled with the horrible decision of taking one’s life.

The reason for my hesitation was most likely my fear caused by his sword, it made me seek the safer way, it made me doubt my intent and strength. In the end, what made me make up my mind was remembering the fact that I already killed in this world. This wasn’t Earth. I wasn’t going to end up with the police at my doorstep. I could freely kill as long as I had a good reason to do so and no one would judge me for that. This world didn’t hold the same moral values as my previous one did, therefore…

Kill… I must kill Dankyun… I must kill him to protect Nanya, Shanteya, and this entire academy.

My thoughts resonated within my Crystal Body and sent a shiver throughout my entire Dungeon Territory. As with any other dungeon, a dark fog was lifted up from the ground at about one meter high, but it was the thickest around Dankyun and the thinnest around Nanya and the academy. It clearly showed my desire and intent to slaughter that draconian.

“Hm? What’s this? Is the Dungeon finally going to join our little bout?” asked the man as he looked around.

“Why are you surprised?” asked Nanya coldly.

“I’m not. I’m just curious as to why the Dungeon raised its killing intent now. ” he shrugged.

“Isn’t obvious?” she asked raising an eyebrow.

“Do enlighten me! If your answer amuses me, I won’t destroy this place.” he replied with a cocky smirk as he looked back at Nanya.

“If you do attempt such a foolish thing, we won’t hesitate to attack you with all we have! This one hasn’t shown its killing intent even ONCE until you came here and threatened to destroy the academy and kill all the innocent students inside! Even if you are a Supreme, you should know that such a massacre won’t stay hidden! The children of some rather powerful nobles are among those studying here, and some do have ways of communicating with their parents back home. Even if you kill them before they send a message, you won’t be able to erase the evidence left behind by your horrible deed! How many do you think will be willing to pass on calmly? Their ghosts will wander this place, and once a Seer is brought in, he will be able to communicate with them. The truth will come out, and you will be hunted down in all the kingdoms like the vermin dog you are!” she spat at him.

Despite the insults thrown at him, Dankyun showed her only a smirk full of himself. He was enjoying himself with how he made Nanya act. Her anger and hate towards him fueled him like dried wood and gasoline fueled a fire. As for me, I locked onto him, ready to cast my spell.

“This was but a joke, Nanya, my dear! I wouldn’t wish to harm any of the innocent students here!” he suddenly said, lowering his hand and shrugging like it wasn’t a big deal.

The darkness around him didn’t fade. I didn’t believe him. I wasn’t going to lower my guard just like that.

“What the boy told you is the truth! Princess Ayuseya left without informing any of us of where she was going. I guess she already knew that her servants weren’t exactly loyal to her, and that’s why she didn’t reveal any of this to them. Attacking this academy won’t bring you anything but trouble and if you don’t believe me, you are free to check as much as you want. Knowing you, you probably already placed some sort of tracking spell on her. Why don’t you use that?” asked Nanya after she crossed her arms at her chest.

“Hm. True, I do have such a spell, but it’s strange, you know? It keeps telling me she’s here, yet you all deny such a thing. How very strange, indeed.” he said and rubbed his chin slowly.

“It can’t be.” Nanya shook her head. “If we knew, I would have handed her personally to you by now just so I don’t have to see your ugly face again!” she shook her head.

“Or you could keep her from me just to annoy me?” he commented.

“I am not mad enough to risk the safety of my students as well as interfere in political matters of this level!” she denied such a thing, but since I knew the actual truth, I could see how good of a liar she was. If she lived in Earth’s modern times, she would have made an excellent actor.

Dankyun looked at her for a whole long minute, all the while I prayed he would leave this place and try not to fight against us. My killing intent didn’t subside though, but I knew that if I attacked him now, there was a chance Nanya could get in the way of my attack, or I might be the one damaging the academy. If I attacked first, he would have a politically good enough reason to destroy this place.

I wasn’t stupid, I’ve seen this sort of low tactic before.

Even in modern-day court houses, your case didn’t have a single hope of winning if you were the one to strike first. The tactic was simple: wait for him to make the first move without taunting him and then you were free to go for the kill. It was legitimate self-defense, but I doubted this was what Dankyun feared. He just needed an excuse to throw at the political high circles. With me or Nanya attacking first, he could even claim it to be a possible assassination of a foreign dignitary.

Wait… then kill… wait, then kill… or just kill? IF I kill him first, then I get rid of the danger… I kept thinking as I looked at the draconian man threatening to destroy the peace and quiet of this place.

“Let’s say I believe you, but I don’t.” he said after a while as he sheathed his sword.

The effect of the enchantment of Fear lessened.

“…” Nanya squinted her eyes at him.

“I’m going to stay here for a few days, and you will let my men thoroughly search this area and every nook and cranny of this academy, including any of the dungeons your pathetic Dungeon Core may have built. You need not worry about showing them to me, my scouts already found most of them by now. If I don’t find anything, I’ll leave quietly. What do you say about this… deal?” he asked with a smirk.

It honestly sounded good, but somewhere deep inside, I kept hearing a certain character from a Sci-Fi movie screaming at me: “It’s a trap!”

Still, did we have any other option besides an all-out battle with the students as possible crossfire casualties?

If I lure him inside my dungeon, can I kill him? His men would certainly die, but what about him? I asked myself as I weighed the possibilities in my mind.

It was a good idea, but remembering the damage Nanya and the Emperor Rank teachers did on my first two floors, I couldn’t help but feel like I was greatly underestimating my opponent. The dungeon was supposed to be my final defense.

“Oh, and if you dare to move his core from there, I’ll take it as a declaration of battle towards me.” he pointed at my room.

I gulped.

Even the idea of moving my core to my dungeon could trigger a battle now, but it was alright. As long as we didn’t make the first move, I was safe, and I could always move my core away before he could get through those Inconel walls.

“Very well. We’ll agree to this deal, and you will see for yourself that this princess of yours isn’t here! The dungeon’s core will stay there as well, we never moved him in the first place. His only role is to repair the academy and warn us of dangers. The dungeons you will find are simple ones too. He didn’t build anything else.” she nonchalantly lied to him again.

“So be it!” he raised his hand, and his soldiers dismounted. “Now, about this black fog…” he said as he tried to push it away like he would a puff of smoke, but my killing intent fog was quite stubborn.

“Of course, I’m going to go and tell the Dungeon to treat you and your men as allies. He’s a bit of a dumb one, so it’s naturally that he reacted by instinct to… MY sword.” Nanya lied and squinted her eyes at him.

“Pardon, but you mean MY sword. It’s true that it belonged to you at one point, but a good sword always chooses its master and in this case, it picked right!” he smirked and patted the scabbard.

Nanya could only growl at him as she turned around and walked towards the academy. I quickly flew towards her, but I didn’t release the killing intent yet.

“What should I do?” I asked her.

“Release your killing intent. If this was a matter just between us and him, I would have scolded you for not attacking yet, but you did well. We are strong, but I don’t think we can protect the students from his attacks yet. Fortunately, he gave us enough time to start making some preparations. I doubt he will leave as he said. He’s a no-good draconian, a scum, a bastard, a piece of garbage! Grrr!” she struck the wall hard, making a big crack in it. I repaired it and quickly went after her again. She was heading towards my room. “We’ll pretend to run our business as usual, but meanwhile, do whatever you can to build something to send the students away! Do it without telling anyone else but me. Oh, and do hide the entrance to your big dungeon.” she explained.

“I already did that, but I haven’t made an escape tunnel for the students, yet. I’ll work on that tonight. But… can we win against him?” I asked.

“It depends, Illsy. That armor of his isn’t normal. It’s most likely a Godlike item.” she told me as she entered my room.

“Then, can I use that you know what spell? I’ll strip him naked, and he’ll be much easier to fight.” I told her with a smirk.

“No, that won’t work unless it can ignore a [No Steal] enchantment. If even one of his items has that thing on him, then he will know immediately that you tried to do it, and he will take it as a direct offense and won’t hesitate to attack us.” she explained and let out a sigh.

“[No Steal]? Is there something like that?” I asked raising an eyebrow.

“How do you think nobles and royals get to walk outside without worrying about someone stealing from them? They all wear that thing.” she explained.

“Even you?” I asked her.

“The spell worked on me, didn’t it?” she reminded me with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, right!” I said.

“Illsy, let go of your killing intent.” she told me.

“Alright…” I nodded and did as told.

The black fog vanished, and Tuberculus approached Dankyun. He was most likely going to arrange some sort of stay for them, either at the academy’s main building or the dormitory. Since I was inside, I couldn’t hear what they were talking about.

“Can I overwrite the enchantments?” I asked Nanya.

“I tried it many times, but that sword isn’t normal… Besides, you would need the spell [Disenchant] and last I remember, you only had [Enchant].” she shook her head.

“I see…”

[Dankyun’s point of view]

 Seeing Nanya in her sealed form after so many years was quite exciting, so much that I couldn’t abstain myself from taunting her to start a fight. I actually hoped she was going to jump at me right away, but it appeared as though she really did change. Nonetheless, this only made the game even more interesting. I was going to enjoy breaking Nanya’s composure and force her to attack me. Once she did that, I was free to begin… torturing her.

But how am I to go about it? Hm… maybe I should do something to these dear students of hers? If I accidentally hurt or touch one or two from the peasant bloodlines, I’m sure I’ll get her riled up! I thought as I was being led by the old human headmaster towards my temporary room at the dormitory.