It’s Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

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– 1 –

The head of Claymel House lay on the table, grotesquely contorted from decapitation.

“He had his flair, but he was truly a pathetic man until the very end. Just as I expected.”

A woman placed her hand on his head, looking down at him as she spoke.

“He said he could never agree to a contract with me, even with his relatives held hostage.”

Contracts, after all, require the voluntary will of the contractor.

However, Claymel House refused, and at the same time, it meant that even those with well-honed elite-level skills find it easy to be resistant to ‘poisons,’ thus must be killed in the end.

“So I aimed to honor that will with a swift execution, but this time he asked me to spare him instead. He wanted to kill me and save himself, claiming he would make a new contract.”

But that wasn’t the end of it.

The content was shocking. To hear such words from an uncle who had always cared for him.

“… Truly, he is a despicable one. The very nobles of this house who have brought you to this state.”

It was merely Eleanor’s voice saying those words that struck her more than the content itself.

For a woman who had grown up with the house’s resentment, nothing was more important than a noble’s—household’s honor.

“How, how could someone, a noble, die so miserably… and remain so calm…?”

“Well…”

As always, the calm voice.

However, to anyone familiar with that voice, it would hint at a slight mockery lurking within.

Yet to Eleanor, it was just a woman speaking like a psycho, telling family members of someone she had killed without a care.

So, when Libertus spoke next, it could not help but seem peculiar.

“Eleanor. If you were to say you killed Count Julesheim’s retainer, would you feel any sense of guilt?”

“What… are you talking about…?”

“That question means are the family of Count Julesheim separate from your targets for revenge.”

“Of course, they need to pay the price as well…!”

“Right. I feel the same.”

Libertus nodded as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

But Eleanor still could not grasp the meaning and simply stared in confusion.

That statement essentially meant that Libertus had a grudge against them, yet as far as she knew, Claymel House had never harbored such deep grudges against other noble families.

In the long history of the family, there hadn’t been such animosity, let alone with the next words that were to follow.

“Ugh…!”

“I, too, hold a grudge against you. Eleanor. Against you and all that has raised you in that family.”

As Libertus pressed her foot down on Eleanor’s abdomen, she spoke in her usual calm voice.

Words that still could not be understood by Eleanor.

“What… are you saying…!!”

Libertus did not respond to Eleanor’s question, waiting silently while looking to one side.

Eleanor’s gaze followed in that direction, and she could only widen her eyes in surprise.

A moment that forcibly made her perceive reality after feeling dazed until then.

“Mother! Sister! Al! Everyone! Wake up!”

Her mother, who had troubled the hired help constantly due to her dementia, yet whom Eleanor still loved dearly.

Her diligent sister, growing older as a spinster but still holding affection and dedication to family.

Her brother, who was born with a disability but had dreams of becoming a warrior to help the family.

Her uncle’s concubine and their four children.

All of her family lay bound and unconscious before her.

“Elders…? You…?”

Though they weren’t particularly close, these distant relatives were people she knew well.

The old man who had always bragged about family pride and pressured her for rigorous training since childhood, and the discontent-filled youths.

Such collateral relatives had daggers pointed at their families.

“I’m sorry, Eleanor.”

“We have to do this to survive…”

“This is all your fault, isn’t it?!”

Their eyes couldn’t meet, faces turned away, each word filled with treachery, and her family stood at the brink of losing their lives.

Next to them stood figures in armor and thick hoods, holding fearsome weapons.

But Eleanor instinctively understood.

They were holding their weapons ‘half voluntarily.’

“What are you talking about! What do you mean by that!!”

As reality surged in waves, the sense of disgust towards both the people before her and the woman standing opposite her grew.

“Don’t worry. They still won’t kill your family, Eleanor.”

“What have I done to you…! What have I done to deserve this…!!!”

“Well… If you’re going to die, you should know the reason before you go.”

After a moment of contemplation on her expressionless face, Libertus nodded.

She spoke as if it were perfectly natural.

“The monsters you summoned. Some of those unleashed in the city killed my subordinates and harmed others, Eleanor.”

“Su…subordinates?”

“Indeed. Those who served me faithfully.”

“Just one or two subordinates, and you go to such extremes…?”

As Libertus heard those words, she felt the tension in her jaw.

It was natural to treat servants and slaves as commonplace. In a world of social hierarchy, subordinates could easily be perceived as mere possessions like clothing or livestock.

However, to see such an utter disregard for ‘equal lives’ firsthand, her knowledge sharpened into vivid realization.

But even more unsettling was the lonely despair in this pit which belittled her own subordinates.

‘I, too, tend to divide people based on connections and gains…’

But isn’t that how everyone feels?

At least she didn’t outwardly express such thoughts, nor would she act on them, knowing it was ‘wrong.’

Yet for the people of this world, that seemed to be an all-too-natural mindset.

Which side, then, was truly worse?

‘No, rather…’

What if I said this instead?

Shaking off heavy emotions quickly, Libertus opened her mouth with curiosity.

“He was a Mage. Naturally talented enough to claim a noble title on his own in time… a truly gifted Mage. It was a waste for him to die in a place like this.”

“Even so…! You could just kill me! Just me!”

And then Eleanor returned with an answer that evoked both satisfaction and intrigue within her.

The realization that assessing a person not as a human but by their ability or status was perfectly natural in this world’s norm.

Feeling the weight of the deceased’s standing began to make Eleanor justify the grudge.

If one were to speak according to this world’s average… one might say…

“Eleanor.”

“…?”

“Why do you think people follow people?”

“What…?”

“Ability. Connections. Sometimes beliefs or will… There are many reasons. But what a lord should grant their subordinates is determined.”

Eleanor still looked upon Libertus with questions but, weakened, she raised her chin with the tip of an umbrella as Libertus whispered to her.

Thoughts regarding the lord-subordinate relationship.

“A continual, minimum guarantee of living conditions as long as they fulfill their loyalty. Tenderness and honor that match their status or years of allegiance.”

“That’s just common sense…?”

That was nearly obvious to Eleanor as well.

It was common sense that nobles would ensure the survival of their servants and soldiers. They would often provide greater rewards over time.

“Finally, protection for oneself and one’s lineage.”

But the next words differed.

The backlash was immediate.

“No noble would do that…! It’s only natural for them to protect themselves!”

“That’s how you reason it.”

“Given how many monsters and enemies exist in this world! If a lord tried to protect all their subordinates, they wouldn’t be able to live themselves!”

Her words were not entirely wrong.

In this world, there were potential and lethal threats lurking everywhere. To offer protection against all of those would likely raise a lord’s stress to an infinite level.

“I don’t see it that way, Eleanor.”

But Libertus shook her head.

“And you have messed it up. You’ve put my ability to protect my subordinates to the test.”

She declared with a smile akin to one painted on a canvas.

A lord should rightfully protect the lives of their subordinates.

“Without providing that protection, the lord’s abilities are bound to be questioned. In such cases, there’s no choice but to prove that ability through alternate means.”

“So you intend to do this? To kill my entire family…?”

“That could also be a possibility. One’s ability to protect may sometimes substitute for one’s ability for revenge.”

The failure of protection leads directly to vengeance.

Leading to a belief that at the very least, a lord would take revenge for their subordinates, making their enemies pay the price for their demise.

That, Libertus believed, was the last noble virtue.

Of course, she wasn’t saying that she would pour everything like some loyalty-centric lord somewhere.

But the basics must be met, right?

“Just kill me… just me! That would be enough!”

But that remark seemed not to have been accepted by Eleanor.

In fact, it couldn’t have been accepted.

Accepting that would mean justifying the reason her family had to die.

But ironically, she had just spoken words to negate the idea she had voiced a moment before.

“That half-hearted response doesn’t count as revenge. This was our prior conversation.”

“…That’s!”

“Revenge must, if possible, be fatal and utterly obliterate the enemy. So, Eleanor.”

Her face appeared so innocent and gentle. Her voice remained calm and low.

Yet Eleanor now felt as though Libertus was a monster she couldn’t comprehend.

Like an otherworldly creature wearing a human guise.

As such, her resistance was prompted not through reason, but instinct.

“You will need to contract with me first.”

“Do you think I’ll do that…?!”

Tap.

Libertus cut off Eleanor’s words with a light tap to her forehead with the umbrella tip, then continued speaking with an expressionless face.

Still maintaining her gentle tone.

“Well then, it seems we’ll all die together.”

Click…

A distant noble elder raised his dagger, pointing it toward Eleanor’s mother.

Though the tip trembled, he held his role with certainty.

Eleanor’s gaze instantly turned to her mother as she pleaded.

“Ha… I’ll do it! Just don’t kill her! Please… my mother is innocent! Ever since the house fell, she’s never been sane since Albert was born…”

“There’s no need to show unnecessary examples. It’s fortunate you’re such a smart girl.”

Thus, the Dungeon Lord gracefully nodded in acceptance of this necessity.

– 2 –

This minor contract didn’t require the usual laxity of previous agreements.

In the past, I couldn’t forcibly enforce them with magical power, so I had to soften the conditions reluctantly due to the backlash of contract enforcement removal, but now my magic was sufficient.

The terms of the contract were obedience to Claymel House. The penalty for breaching the contract would be the death of a random family member.

Of course, since it was one contract per family, there was no need to risk their lives on a gacha.

All of them were crazed, twisted by grievances against the world; at the very least, they seemed to care about themselves and their families.

“The one who leads us will come for you…”

“Well, whether they find me is another matter, but I’m not sure if the one who learns of me will seek revenge for you.”

“What do you mean…? Who do you think you are?”

“You’ll find out.”

Eleanor spewed endless curses and threats, but they were said when she didn’t know I was the Dungeon Lord, so I didn’t concern myself much.

No matter what kind of Demon Clan it was, they wouldn’t bother fighting against a Dungeon Lord just for the sake of a human family.

Unless the person was another Dungeon Lord above ground.

They couldn’t even track me, so all these assumptions were meaningless… and even if they did find me, it was irrelevant as I could employ another method.

In any case, my grievances would not return to me.

“Talhan, retrieve all remaining property here. How much do you need?”

“I’ll take five and one noble.”

“Very well.”

Talhan, taking the head of the family with him and my soldiers who emerged from the shadows to follow.

All of those soldiers wore thick hoods, so it was fine for them to move at night.

The ones who had been monitoring her family during Eleanor’s contract were these kids.

Scarlett had mentioned a magical hood that makes exposed skin look like that of a human. I thought I should get a few later.

“Um, excuse me…”

“Ah… you’re here.”

“Hehe… can we leave now?”

“Damn scoundrels…”

The distant relatives, bound and approaching me while sporting flattering smiles and bowing, infuriated Eleanor watching them grind their teeth.

After a moment of contemplation, I decided…

“Very well. After this job, I promised I would ‘free’ you.”

“You said so.”

Still, it was better to recover the Magical Restraint.

“Eleanor. Wouldn’t it be better to deal with the traitors personally?”

“W-wait a minute…!”

“What?!”

“What?”

For a moment, Eleanor looked at me with confusion, then put on a fierce smile.

She had only shown a powerless demeanor until now, but she was still a warrior consumed with vengeance.

“… Didn’t you promise? That you would spare them?”

“Yes. I did say I would ‘free’ them.”

“You lied! You deceived us!!”

“I do not lie. Only to people.”

Sadly, believing the enemy’s words to spare them, while pointing daggers at those whom she had lived alongside with, does not qualify them as people.

I never once said I wouldn’t kill them, despite saying I would ‘free’ them.

In this case, it meant I would keep my promise as long as I didn’t turn them into my undead subordinates.

“Come here…!!”

“L-let me go!!”

Thunk!

“Ahhh!!”

Whack!

Bound by the contract but physically free, the elite Magic Swordsman.

Along with the magic restraints firmly set on the eight subordinates below upper rank.

The carnage blooming from the twin swords I handed to Eleanor didn’t take long to reach full bloom.

‘What a lovely welcoming gift.’

“Load the bodies of ‘all’ the family members onto the cart. Noble-born slaves. We will be moving from now on.”

Upon confirming Eleanor’s family, retching as they loaded the corpses into the cart, I turned my steps not towards the village’s outskirts but inward.

There was something else I wanted to retrieve there.

“Why here…?”

“You’ll know when you enter.”

Of course, I was referring to the Dungeon Lord hidden within the mine.

Or rather, the core.