It’s Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

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– 1 –

“Shurr… Is it the Queen of the Dungeon, Your Majesty?”

“It’s nice to meet you.”

I raised one eyebrow just like I had recently gotten into the habit of doing.

It was to express without hesitation the puzzlement I felt.

‘Another completely different race has appeared.’

I had two questions at the moment, and this was the first one.

I hadn’t thought that the Queen would be waiting here herself, but I certainly didn’t expect her to be accompanied by a different race.

‘I could understand an Ent showing up.’

The Alraune, eventually fused with plants, wouldn’t find it easy to move outside a certain range.

The Ent, being slow yet cautious and free-spirited, visiting as an envoy made sense.

When I approached the Queen, a red Alraune had even come out to greet me…

And Kamaya had sent her kind, the Harpy, to invite me from the very beginning.

‘But sending in a wholly different race…’

Lizardman.

It was immediately obvious that they were not of the same race as the Queen without having to think long and hard.

These semi-aquatic monsters had a system where the chief led the group, and judging by the splendid armor the Lizardman before me wore, it was clear he was the chief.

Whether he was looking down on me, wary of me, or simply trusted the monster before him to that extent, it was impossible to guess.

And…

‘He’s using human etiquette.’

The second question arose from the title ‘Your Majesty’ that he had uttered.

This current ‘Lizardman’ was casually using the term “Your Majesty” as if it were a common expression.

Even the Ents and Alraune, who said they often exchanged with humans, had never called the Queen such a thing.

‘Is she trying to give me a prejudice?’

Is she displaying her capability of gathering human information, or is she just trying to flaunt her vanity?

If it’s something she usually says as a habit, it may not mean anything, but even in that case, it’s still puzzling.

What’s the point of using a title that humans use?

… I guess I’ll find out when I meet her.

“Are you the guide?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

… On top of that, it’s a bit cheesy.

Even the term ‘Queen’ used by other monsters had the same feeling to it.

Is this something I need to get used to?

“I am the chief of the tribe that occupies this Hosh.”

“You look like a splendid warrior.”

“Thank you. Then, please follow me.”

Though his pronunciation might sound a bit off, he carried himself with a heaviness that overshadowed such imperfections.

You could sense a sense of responsibility as the head of a household just from his demeanor.

From not embellishing his speech at all and simply handling matters directly.

Is this a seriousness formed by formality or simply his original personality?

My curiosity about the opposing Queen gradually increased.

If he has such a subordinate, it raises expectations that the opposing party must have at least minimal capability as well.

“This is the place.”

“Yeah. It definitely looks like it.”

Following the Lizardman chief, I soon spotted a strangely standing rock at the edge of the lake.

The long rock’s head tilted towards the lake but somehow maintained its balance without completely falling over.

‘How bizarre.’

Upon closer inspection, the bottom of the rock was much longer, suggesting it had embedded itself into the ground.

After a moment, I realized the surface of the rock facing the lake had been neatly dug out too.

The chief of the Lizardman had stopped at a spot that could be considered the entrance to that strange space.

“Your Majesty. I bring before you the Queen of the Dungeon.”

“I will pass on your words.”

Upon hearing the response from within, the chief took a step back and bowed deeply, seeking permission.

His demeanor remained polite and heavy.

“This is as far as my guidance goes. The Queen will be alone inside. She wishes to have a private meeting with the Queen of the Dungeon.”

“Okay. Everyone stay here.”

To comply with her request, I ordered the soldiers hidden in the shadows to come out and wait.

It wasn’t arrogance but sincerity from someone who came to discuss peace.

‘Even if there’s an ambush from the other side, I’d have a bit of time to manage.’

Here, I felt confident that I wouldn’t suffer fatal damage.

I sensed hardly any magical aura around, and even if she turned out to be powerful, it likely wouldn’t be enough to overwhelm me.

‘If not, there wouldn’t be two Queens in such proximity.’

This place wasn’t too far from the mountain range where the Harpies dwelled.

If either Kamaya or this Queen were strong enough to dominate the other, the stronger would have already become the leader of a united or allied force.

However, judging by Kamaya’s demeanor, the two factions still seem to be in a space of mutual understanding.

The fact that these two factions coexisted nearby was practically guaranteeing my safety at this moment.

Even if my power might seem inadequate compared to their years, it was enough to catch up quickly.

“Finally, I get to see you, Queen of the Dungeon.”

The third Queen I confirmed was certainly on par with the aura of Kamaya.

Starting with her appearance.

– 2 –

Inside, there were two large chairs and a table spread with various refreshments, one of which was made of black marble, where she was seated.

A white woman had her long body stretched under the table, dipping the end into the lake.

“Welcome. Queen of the Dungeon. I am the Queen who governs this lake and the surrounding forest. Echidna.”

Serpent Human, Lamia.

And this Lamia’s Queen, Echidna.

She greeted me with a surprisingly friendly attitude.

Emphasizing that she was here merely for conversation.

‘She seems to take pride in her arrogance.’

Yet uncontrollable arrogance emanated from her demeanor.

From the way she already treated me partially like an inferior and how she showed no intention of standing up from her half-reclining chair.

Feeling simultaneous dislike and intrigue at her attitude, I observed her closely.

‘And how unique.’

The most noticeable feature upon seeing her was that she possessed a snow-white body and an incredibly alluring tail.

Her tail, glossy without any particular pattern, was thick and majestic, exuding an aura with a hint of purple.

And the same-colored scales and silver ornaments adorning her exposed body only enhanced her mystery.

‘She’s not an albino.’

It was quickly apparent that her appearance was just a characteristic and posed no health issue.

From the color of her eyes.

Her eyes, looking at me, were pitch black without any whites visible.

The only thing that divided the roles of whites and blacks as seen in human eyes was merely a white crack existing in the center.

Though those snake-like eyes were intimidating, their shape was relaxed and elegantly curved.

Carrying a slight wariness and an air of arrogant composure.

“Nice to meet you. Echidna. I am the Dungeon Lord, Libertus.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Libertus.”

Her silky hair was also pure white, and her lips and nails, with a touch of relaxation, were a dark purple.

While the white parts were accompanied by splendid colors, they gave off an impression of a dangerous viper to the viewer.

It was an appearance that seemed like one should not easily get involved with.

‘It feels like it could work.’

However, the moment I laid eyes on her, I felt a spark of inspiration.

To execute that, well, shall I start with some small talk about something she undoubtedly loves?

“Everyone is adorned with beautiful and artistic accessories. It seems you like silver?”

“It is the most delicate and pure, and closely related to the Power of the Goddess, water. Of course, it’s my favorite metal.”

Her body was decorated with countless silver ornaments.

Several earrings adorned her pointed ears, rings on every finger, bracelets on her arms and wrists, a choker around her neck, a pendant hanging between her breasts, and three tails adornments on her waist.

Everything was made of silver.

And among them, in particular,

“This… is a diadem made of mithril. This tail adornment as well. Plus, it contains the power of magic.”

“It merely holds emergency protection and simple attack magic. Nothing too special.”

“In the human world, it would be immensely valuable. Of course, to the Demon Clan as well.”

The tiara she wore on her head and the tail adornment at the end were both made of mithril, and they were also artifacts.

Solid mithril, artifacts.

This would be a treasure worth a fortune in the human world.

“It’s only natural that what one wears is of utmost value, but what’s the point of assigning value to things that won’t be sold?”

“That’s true.”

Yet she seemed indifferent to such matters.

Her authority appeared far more important than the worth of such treasures.

“They’re both particularly beautiful.”

“Though it’s said my most favorite metal is silver, it seems difficult to prove authority with just that. Seeing your reaction, I’m glad to think I did well in creating them.”

“I assume you have some extraordinary artisans?”

Mithril cannot be refined with ordinary methods.

It was only logical to deduce that there would be skilled craftsmen among her faction.

She immediately agreed.

“I acquired some dwarves by defeating passing slave traders.”

“Indeed. Both the Queen’s insight and the artisans’ skills are impressive.”

“Too kind.”

There are both Elves and Dwarves in this world.

However, Elves mainly reside on the Western Continent, making them rare sights on the Eastern Continent, and Dwarves inhabit various mountains and underground areas but are also hard to come by.

Well, it’s too obvious what humans would wish to conquer after subduing the dungeon.

Elves with special beauty. Dwarves with exceptional skills.

They would indeed be delectable prey for humans.

‘When should I bring it up?’

But that was a problem for other humans.

Right now, something right in front of me seemed incredibly tempting.

Even in this process of refining mutual fellowship before the real serious discussion, I couldn’t help but sneak glances in that direction.

Whether she sensed my demeanor or remained oblivious, Echidna spoke to me with an increasingly relaxed smile.

“You have a smooth tongue.”

“Is that so?”

“Indeed. I was cautious at first… but before I knew it, I’m calming down. I can certainly understand Kamaya’s words that you are different from other Dungeon Lords.”

It was clear that her words contained a positively affirmative meaning.

“What do you mean?”

“I too wish to engage with you. Libertus.”

“I’m glad to hear that. It’s merely a conversation.”

As I smiled and asked, she simply nodded in response.

Achieving the goal of coming here was such good news that my smile grew even wider.

“Oh, but it’s not yet a show of support. It’s merely a sign of wanting to observe.”

“The one who leads the group must be cautious. A good choice.”

“Hehe. Thank you.”

Of course, she wasn’t going to let things slide easily, but that rather made her more impressive.

If one is to join as a comrade, cautiousness should rather be encouraged as a virtue. Too much of it can be an issue, however.

By the way, I thought it should be fine now.

“It might sound strange for a first meeting and could even be rude, but I must ask this question first.”

“What is it? Speak up. If it is something I can listen to, I will.”

Sensing that the time was ripe, I posed the question I had been holding back.

The question that was hard to keep in since a while ago.

“Can I touch your tail?”

“What…?”

Echidna’s eyes widened, filled with disbelief.

Her expression spoke, ‘What on earth are you saying?’

I felt a certain joy seeing this rare side of a queen who usually maintained a demeanor full of ease.