It's Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

* * *

The ‘Alraune Swamp’, the domain ruled by the Alraune Queen, was about two days’ distance to the southeast from Solemio, the closest city to my dungeon.

About four days’ distance from my dungeon.

Of course, it would be less than two days by carriage, so it was a location where we could meet if we wanted to at that time…

But the geography here was the problem.

“There really is nowhere to step.”

“I could go up in the trees… Want me to carry you?”

“I’m fine.”

“Disappointed…”

This place is literally a swamp.

Because it repeatedly submerges and emerges throughout the year, the entire ground is either mud or marsh if not submerged.

It’s a place where there’s literally nowhere to step.

If you brought a carriage here, you’d have to get off and pull out the wheels several times just to move 100 meters.

“It’s fortunate that there are many shady places, Lady.”

“I see.”

The reason I can walk here is because there are many large trees in the swamp, creating shadows as thick as the marsh itself.

Now that my magic proficiency has increased further, I can solidify the shadows themselves and step on them as easily as breathing.

So, I’m walking on water by stepping on shadows.

Of course, this is difficult for ordinary mages.

It’s only possible for Dungeon Lords who overflow with magic power and the talent to use that magic power as easily as breathing.

-Clatter.

-Clack.

As soon as I became able to do this, the soldiers who often accompanied me became gloomy for a while… It was something I knew the reason for but didn’t want to acknowledge.

What do you mean you’re sad because you can’t be a foothold? Come on, guys.

Anyway, after crossing the marsh like that by stepping on shadows, when we reached an area with more water rather than mud.

“We’ve been waiting, Queen of the Dungeon.”

I was finally able to see the appearance of this world’s Alraunes for the first time.

* * *

Alraunes are usually depicted as women with flowers for their lower bodies, or women wearing flower-shaped dresses.

In this world, both were mixed.

“We’ve been waiting, Queen of the Dungeon.”

The Alraune in a red dress who came to greet me seemed to be a rose Alraune, a beautiful woman with green skin accompanying a large red flower.

Yes, I didn’t misspeak.

She was accompanying it.

Connected by a single stem to the giant flower that was slowly moving through the ground.

‘How do they move?’

Although I had heard about their appearance from Evangeline, seeing it like this really stimulates curiosity.

No matter how I look at it, it seems to be crawling through the ground.

Do they use roots? Or stems? Or… tentacles?

“Our motive power is magic, Queen of the Dungeon.”

“I must have stared too obviously.”

“It’s alright. It’s not the first time. All Dungeon Lords or humans who see us for the first time look at us with such eyes.”

Of course, what happened to those humans among them can be inferred just by looking at how this swamp is now called ‘The Central Eastern Continent Alraune Swamp’ by humans.

They are powerful mages who control plants, earth, and light, as well as fairies and witches…

“Curious humans taste delicious.”

“I see. That must have been nice.”

And lastly, they are also monsters.

Since any Alraune can eventually eat humans, humans should not let their guard down in front of them.

Unless they want to be enchanted in the blink of an eye and crawl in to be eaten of their own accord.

“Indeed. The honey and poison made from dissolved humans are especially sweet. I hope I’ll have a chance to serve you some.”

Whether literally dissolved and eaten, or figuratively eaten as a means of reproduction.

“I’m fine. I have a body that can live without food.”

“Oh my. Taste is a pleasure for all intelligent creatures.”

“I agree with that, but I’m still fine.”

“Aww…”

Although they have strong, difficult, and dangerous powers and don’t actively attack humans so they’re not targeted for subjugation, Alraunes are basically carnivorous beings.

…It’s not for nothing that they’re regulars in all sorts of adult content, especially corruption or tentacle material.

“Well then, will you guide me?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Then, I’ll guide you.”

After responding appropriately to her words and getting to the main point, the red Alraune, who returned to a serious and polite attitude with a slightly stiffened expression, deeply bowed her waist and extended one hand to point in the direction to go.

Then she moved in that direction, barely touching the ground.

The woman’s body floats slightly above the ground, and the rose-like flower that seems to be her main body also moves smoothly while standing upright.

‘Do they really move through roots and stems?’

Although it wasn’t visible on the surface, I could guess how that large body moves by the ground bulging up and down.

“Our Queen has long looked forward to meeting the Dungeon Queen.”

“I’ve heard that.”

I’ve heard it from both Kamaya and the Ent.

I don’t know where they saw me, but they said she really wanted to meet me.

“After seeing Your Majesty from afar once, she boasted about how beautiful you were, so everyone was curious. Seeing you in person, I can understand why she boasted like that.”

“I see.”

“You’re truly elegant… and cute too.”

The red Alraune’s eyes sparkle as she praises me.

I don’t know if Alraunes in general lack restraint, or if she’s particularly uninhibited.

Whichever it is, it wasn’t unpleasant.

Because she had been continuously showing goodwill towards me.

Serha’s words that all Alraunes are beauty-obsessed seem to be true, from the moment they first saw me.

Of course, that goodwill would only be maintained as long as their right to survival isn’t threatened.

“Heh…”

“Serha?”

While being guided like that, I noticed that Serha’s appearance had become strange.

She looked like she couldn’t come to her senses, as if intoxicated by something, slowly flapping her wings and following.

“…Annoying.”

When I turned my head to look at the trees, Xue was also frowning with an uncomfortable expression.

I could quickly guess the cause of their behavior.

“Wake up.”

“…Huh! Your Majesty. I was…”

“It’s okay. You seem to have been enchanted.”

When I lightly injected magic power and tapped her head, Serha reacted as if waking from sleep.

The reason she showed such an appearance until just now was indeed because she was intoxicated by the enchanting fragrance.

I could quickly guess who the culprit was.

“It would be better if you could reduce the fragrance.”

One of the Alraune’s main strengths is their enchanting fragrance.

And since this isn’t deep in the Alraune Swamp yet, there’s only one who can emit an enchanting fragrance.

“Oh my. I’m sorry, Your Majesty. When I saw Your Majesty, I felt… a bit like that…”

“I don’t understand, so please reduce it quickly.”

As expected, she was the culprit.

When I pointed it out, she acts coy with a face full of affectation, as if hearts might pop out.

However, unlike before, it wasn’t a very pleasing sight.

The current Xue has much stronger magic resistance than before.

If she feels discomfort at this level, I thought that the previous Xue might have fallen for this enchantment.

Also, although Serha has quite strong magic resistance and didn’t go as far as to take any action, she was indeed intoxicated.

And both of them were already my subordinates or cooperative allies who would become subordinates.

“I-I’m sorry…”

Perhaps sensing my displeasure, the red Alraune apologized profusely and ended the conversation.

Her deflated appearance compared to before was almost pitiful, but I had long decided to remember this separately.

After moving in silence for a while.

“This is the place, Your Majesty.”

Finally, the promised place, the Alraune Queen’s residence, was revealed.

Shaaaa-!

The place that revealed itself among the deep forest was… to explain with an example, like a ‘very small’ Horseshoe Falls.

* * *

Water was pouring down from all directions.

Shaaaa-!

Like a part of the famous Niagara Falls, the Horseshoe Falls, it was a place surrounded by waterfalls like a folding screen.

Although they were all small-scale waterfalls, the sound was quite loud as it gathered and amplified.

“To think there’s a place like this…”

The place behind those waterfalls seemed to be a lake formed by underground water springing up, though I couldn’t be certain.

It’s probably underground water flowing towards the Arilit Strait beyond the Grand Duchy of Arilit in the south, or Lake Misty Veil in the southwest.

It was truly worthy of being called a hidden scenic beauty created by the magician called nature.

“…”

And the ruler of this scenic beauty was equally beautiful in a different sense.

Splash.

A giant black flower of unknown species was floating in the air, swaying, and connected to it by six stems was a woman pouring lake water over her body.

Her hair was black.

Her eyes were hidden by rainbow-colored eye light at first glance, but upon closer look, they were green.

Splash.

Her arms and legs were dark blue, as if mixing the colors of the Alraune who came to greet us and the flower, but the parts that became her face and body were rather white like those of humans.

The flower, black with rainbow hues, was flying behind her back like wings, alternately covering and revealing her body.

Every time the petals shrank a bit, her dazzling nakedness was revealed, showing her appropriately swollen breasts or hips at the boundary turning green.

It was a sight that could be presented to artists as an example of the aesthetics of concealment and revelation, a very good case.

“Your Majesty. I’ve brought the Dungeon Queen.”

“Oh my. Already?”

An everyday shower scene and feigned ignorance as if she really didn’t know if someone who didn’t know anything saw it.

Seeing this, my prejudice that being brazen is the basic personality of Alraunes seems to have been strengthened.

She was acting like that after already extending her magical senses this way to check who had come.

“Wait. Wait a moment! Please give me a little time!”

After that, the other side became busy.

Movements like wiping off the wet body, shaking off moisture from the flower petals, and dabbing something on the face.

However, right after that, the Alraune Queen approaching this way was still using flower petals like wings or a robe to cover her body.

Not minding at all that her body was precariously revealed and shimmering in the sunlight.

“It’s not the first time I’ve seen you, but it’s the first time we’re meeting face to face, Dungeon Queen.”

With such monster-like boldness, she came very close to me.

No, perhaps she might have had intentions of seduction.

“My name is…”

A smile filled with very deep goodwill hung on her lips as she approached me.

On the surface, it looked harmless, but there were two dangerous elements in the being wearing that smile.

The insidiousness of a dangerous carnivorous plant that lures prey to walk into its mouth.

And the allure of a monster that tempts humans to become monsters like themselves.