It’s Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

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– 1 –

“Is this it?”

“That’s right! Our home is right below here!”

“You really hid it well…”

Following the Harpy who introduced herself as ‘Pinis’, we arrived at a steep cliff in the direction of the Arilite Principality, not the Kaisen Kingdom.

To be precise, it was a manmade cave made in a spot that’s hidden from view due to a large rock protruding out of the cliff below and another deep indentation at the top.

“Wow, what a wonderful hideout.”

“Right? Right?”

The cave that I entered following Pinis was indeed a fantastic place. The entrance was just an average location concealed well, but as I moved inward, a large open area revealed its true value.

Natural light filtered through the dense foliage above, painting the cave in shades of green, and thick plant stems along the walls created hammocks where a few Harpies were sprawled out, effectively showing that they felt safe here.

“Our queen made this with magic!”

“Magic? This vast area?”

“Yep!”

I asked with a bit of surprise at Pinis’s words, and I could see her proudly nodding with her chin held high.

I couldn’t help but be astonished.

If what she said was true, it meant that the Harpy Queen here had enough magical prowess to intricately create such a large space.

This also implied that the power of the dozens of Harpies present here shouldn’t be underestimated.

Despite my impression, as they didn’t seem too numerous, it was a phrase that snapped me back to be more vigilant.

“This way!”

The frightened expression I had at first seemed to have vanished, or perhaps, Pinis felt reassured as she led me with a much brighter face.

“Look over there!”

“Human?”

“No, that’s not it. There’s a strong energy. It’s the Dungeon Lord.”

“Lord? It’s been a while since I saw one…!”

From the various tunnels in the walls, Harpies were flying up, filled with curiosity as they caught sight of us.

What can I say? It was quite a feast for the eyes.

They were practically wearing nothing on their upper bodies, just as the common knowledge about Harpies suggests.

“So small, yet the Queen of the Dungeon? She doesn’t seem that strong.”

“If you’re that confident, why don’t you challenge her to a fight?”

“As a guest of the Queen, I can’t do that.”

“Are you afraid you might lose?”

“What?!”

While I hadn’t expected to see male Harpies, I was relieved that they covered their lower bodies well with feathers or leather pants.

At least, I wouldn’t be having any nightmares.

Flap!

Thud—!

As I approached the highest and largest cave along the wall following Pinis, a heavy sound of wings came from there and a being landed before me.

Thus, I met the Queen of the Harpies. My first impression of her was…

“Nice to meet you. The newly crowned Queen of the Dungeon. I am Kamaya, the Queen of these Harpies.”

… she was like a ‘winged warrior.’

Different from what I had heard about her being a Mage.

– 2 –

Thud—!

The first impression I got when I saw the Harpy Queen for the first time was ‘she’s huge.’

Not unrealistically big, but she was about 3 meters tall, enough that my previous self could have been below her eye level.

“I have to admit, she’s at least twice my size.”

Let’s hope I won’t hear any bad comments about her being more than double.

Pinis was already on the taller side, and the other Harpies were also generally bigger than an average person, but Kamaya really had a different dimension in height and build.

Next, my eyes were drawn to her long, wild, red hair that reached down to her waist, and feathers of the same color that covered her body entirely.

And between those feathers were well-developed muscles squirming strongly.

“With those muscles, she looks like she could fly with pure strength instead of wings.”

Her muscular form stood out, as if she could lift herself into the sky just through sheer strength.

That muscle had the right amount of definition, not overly detached nor overflowing, and if I had to create a sexual fantasy of a warrior with my taste, I’d say she resembles that exactly.

“Wow.”

On top of that, her spirit was… immensely grand.

Hence, my first impression was ‘warrior.’ A winged warrior.

“Nice to meet you, Kamaya.”

“Mm.”

As I extended my hand, she bent somewhat, folding her wings as she caught my hand with her winged one and said:

“I apologize for the sudden intimacy, but may I lay my hands upon your body? This place is not ideal for a conversation.”

“I’ll follow you if you lead the way.”

“Can you do that? Certainly.”

With a flap—!

Instantly accepting that, she spread her arms and flapped her wings, making a sound different in weight from the others. She swiftly ascended and vanished into the path we had entered.

True to my first impression, it was ‘flying as if lifted by muscle power.’

“I appreciate the guidance.”

“Bye-bye!”

I also said thanks to Pinis for leading me here, then lifted my legs to step into the air.

Of course, I was stepping not into absolute emptiness but into the shadows inside the cave where light didn’t reach.

As usual, I walked with my back straight and at my own pace, using my shadow to lift my body and lengthen my strides to rise rapidly and follow Kamaya’s trail.

“Quite neat.”

Thus, I entered Kamaya’s room… or perhaps a palace.

Whichever it was, it was a surprisingly tidy space.

Judging by the weapon that Kamaya casually threw down, there was likely someone designated for cleaning.

I would soon find out who that was.

“Mother. You can’t just leave your things lying around.”

“Didn’t you take care of that yourself, Serha?”

With a wild hairstyle similar to Kamaya, but a shorter pink hair that gave a fragile vibe, a Harpy who seemed smaller than me waddled over, brightly lifting her mother’s spear and scolding her.

She looked thin on the surface, but the muscles revealed between her feathers stood out sharply.

Could it be that the bloodline of the Harpy Queen has a fantastical constitution of internal muscles or something? She looked peculiar in that sense.

“If you treat things carelessly, the majesty of the queen won’t stand…”

“Ah.”

That little Harpy, Serha, kept scolding Kamaya while lifting the spear high, then spotted me and froze.

Then with a ‘swish,’ she sidled behind her mother, hiding.

Not even noticing how her spear was dangerously hovering next to Kamaya’s hair, she peeked out and hid again—it was incredibly cute.

“Th-there’s a guest…! Why didn’t you tell me!”

“I forgot you could hide people.”

“Mother is always so clueless…!”

“Does my daughter care about the queen’s majesty but not think to greet my guests? Come out.”

“Ugh…”

What a noticeably contrasting pair of mother and daughter.

Or perhaps that little one will grow up to resemble her mother more?

That would be a pity.

“Ah, hello… I’m Serha, the only daughter of Mother Kamaya…”

While I mused on that, I patiently waited as Serha, finally stepping out from behind her mother’s back, shyly covered her eyes with her hands.

One fang protruding from her mouth and a missing tooth next to it made her look adorable.

Her demeanor made it seem unnecessary to force a smile; it just flowed naturally, softening her voice.

“Nice to meet you, Serha. Sorry for the late introduction; I’m Libertus, the Dungeon Lord of the dungeon formed below this mountain.”

“A-A dungeon lord…!”

Tap!

But Serha’s reaction was quite different from what I expected.

This delicate Harpy, instead of being simply reserved, held a mix of fear as she quickly retreated and hid behind her mother again.

“…?”

“Please forgive her, Queen of the Dungeon. We’ve met other Dungeon Lords before.”

“… I see. I understand.”

If another Dungeon Lord had come here, regardless of the reason, the chances are they maintained a different attitude than I did.

Even if that were the case, it would most likely have been a deception.

“I must ask, may I inquire about your purpose for coming here?”

For some reason, the Queen’s question was filled with caution.

I could sense not a single bit of positive expectation that I would be a friendly entity.

“There’s no particular meaning to it.”

Even then, I couldn’t present an answer that would elate her. For example, talk about cooperation, exchanges, alliances, and the like would be meager at best.

Because I only learned they were living here during this visit.

I couldn’t suggest anything since I didn’t know what I could provide, nor did I know what they could offer me.

“Meaningless…?”

“Uh…?”

Upon hearing my words, the duo blinked with wide eyes as if they had never considered such a response.

By doing that, I could immediately tell they were mother and daughter.

Despite the massive size difference.

“It may sound strange, but I learned for the first time that a Harpy nest was here.”

“Hmmm…”

“What’s going on, Mother?”

“Well, uh…”

When I mentioned I was actually moving around to record the terrain nearby, the expression of distress was clear as it showed on the Harpy Queen’s face.

It was like she believed I must have come for some reason.

I could understand the reason behind her thoughts.

“Previous Dungeon Lords might have come here after realizing their existence to request cooperation or subjugation.”

There must have been dozens or even hundreds of beings born as Dungeon Lords in this region before me.

Any that survived behind human eyes, acquiring a bit of power, would likely aim to include such wild monsters in their forces.

Otherwise, it would have been tough to survive in this land of humans.

“…Well, those who are lacking presence now wouldn’t be here because they’ve already perished or fallen.”

However, I hadn’t been actively exploring the surrounding monster factions, being preoccupied with matters involving humans until now.

Additionally, in ‘Mill Don 1’, I had never anticipated instances like these where external monster groups would cooperate, leading me to consider that it probably wouldn’t occur.

Thus…

“It could have been quite the nuisance…”

Her invitation had inadvertently informed me of their existence without any prior incident.

If I had claimed I came to recruit them to my forces, I could have just set conditions to conclude the matter right away, but now it was no longer an option.

“Still, it doesn’t put me in a bad position. My handling hasn’t been poor.”

‘The differences from other competitors’ can sometimes bring benefits to a transaction.

If I show different facets from other Dungeon Lords now, it might set a foundation for pleasant relations in the future, even if not immediately.

“Darn. It can’t be helped.”

“Mother?”

“Serha, go get some food or something. This is a real guest.”

The current appearance Kamaya was showing also seemed to be a thread that could unravel a relationship I might gain in the future.

“Uh… Alright!”

As Serha dashed out, flapping her wings, her figure vanished into the cave.

A moment later, Harpies began entering with fruits typically seen in high mountains and beast meat.

“Um… You’re not afraid of eating meat, are you?”

The problem was that all the meat was raw…

Though I had the body of a Dungeon Lord, digesting it wouldn’t be an issue, but it wasn’t something I particularly wanted.

In the first place, I wasn’t in dire need of food either.

“I can eat it, but I wouldn’t relish it. The fruits are sweet and tasty enough anyway.”

“That’s a relief.”

Kamaya didn’t say anything about it.

After all, while they were wild monsters living in packs in the mountains, they had a history of concealing their existence on the surface.

If they weren’t inherently monsters easy to mix with humans, having stiff rituals for hospitality wouldn’t be odd.

Now, it simply meant that handing over food that they provided would suffice.

“You’re certainly different from other Dungeon Lords… those trashy ones.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. … I suppose I should talk to my other friends as well.”

After our simple meal of hospitality concluded, the Harpy Queen said this with a more relaxed expression while speaking to me.

She was alluding to benefits beyond mere thoughts she could offer me.

“Friends… you say? Why is that?”

“To repay the kindness you’ve shown by graciously accepting our invitation, despite its awkwardness, I believe I should reward your mild approach as one who wields such strength and force within that little body of yours.”

Naturally.

She seemed to have sensed my army lying in wait within my shadows.

Not mentioning it must have been because I acted friendly the whole time.

“I didn’t anticipate such a thing from you.”

“It’s alright from our perspective as it’s fair. Information about Dungeon Lords is a sensitive matter for monsters.”

Of course, it was a proposal I had no reason to turn down.

It could be seen as a reward for the caution and honesty I had continually displayed.

“What kind of beings are those friends?”

“Other queens. I will introduce you to the three queens who are usually in hiding in this area, relating or keeping their distance from us. It won’t be a bad proposition for you, either.”

It seemed she wasn’t revealing the ‘true desires’ yet, but at least it wasn’t disheartening to see kindness in her gaze.

I could wait until she felt ready to speak.

“I will graciously receive your kindness.”

Thus, I gained a thread that could lead me to meet four factions hidden in these mountains.

Even if the outcome may not yield the best results, merely leaving a good impression on the Harpy Queen was already a significant gain.

Now, it rests in my hands to shape the remaining opportunities into actual results.

And I had confidence.

‘No matter who they are, I doubt they’ll try to make enemies of me.’

As a ‘prime investment option’ in the Dungeon Lord domain.