It's Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

* * *

"Wait a moment. You didn't say you were going to kill them, did you?"

The doppelganger glared at the being who dared to interrupt the conversation between himself and the great Dungeon Lord.

A human.

'Even if she's a contract candidate, for a worthless human to interrupt this conversation.'

For him, this situation was similar to a talking pet tearing at its master's clothes and running away while interrupting a conversation between the master and a servant.

Even if that animal is cherished by the master, the master is one who can distinguish between the importance of a servant and a pet.

So here, as the servant, he should teach her a lesson...

"Stop."

Grab!

That thought was stopped by Libertas's hand, which was nonchalantly holding the silver blade created from his fingertips.

"What are you doing, Jain?"

-Gasp...!

The head with no five holes that should be on a face bowed deeply.

The worry about whether his blade might have injured her disappeared upon seeing that clean hand, but the mere fact of daring to point a blade at her was an enormous disrespect.

As proof, the knight standing beside the Dungeon Lady had already placed her hand on the hilt at her waist.

-I apologize! Because an insect interfered with the conversation!

"Whether she's an insect, a slave, or a maid is for me to decide, Jain."

Hearing those words, Jain realized one thing.

For this Dungeon Lord, demons and humans were equal beings.

That means she could consider them all as insects, or all as intelligent beings.

He bowed his head even deeper.

-Your words are correct! Please punish this lowly one's rudeness!

"It's alright. I'm not so heartless as to cast you out for just one mistake."

Libertas's eyes curved gently, finishing with the unspoken words 'But be careful.'

Her face is still harmless, and her smile is gentle.

But if you look closely at those eyes, they are inorganic, cold, and sharp like blades.

'I made a mistake...!!'

Jain remained motionless in that bowed state for a while.

"So if you really don't want people to die, at least show me that much capability. It's probably impossible for now."

"...Yes. I understand, Lady."

"I see... You were still like that. Jain. Stand up."

-Yes, Lady!

Until Libertas, after finishing her conversation with Amelia, separately told him to 'stand up'.

'Whether human or demon... if anyone goes against her, she has the eyes to sweep away hundreds or tens of thousands...'

He, with quite a lot of experience, knew how dangerous beings with such an impartial view could become.

So he was even more terrified after witnessing the other side of the Dungeon Lord who had seemed only gentle.

"Eat this one."

-Thank you for your mercy!

Following Libertas's instruction, who pointed again at one of the heirs she had indicated earlier after sending Amelia out, Jain began his 'meal' along with Libertas's summoned beasts.

Slurp!

Crunch! Snap!

A meal of sucking out a person's insides and entering to replace their existence.

While following instructions and performing the mimicry, Jain thought at the same time.

'Still, I'm lucky...'

For she, who is terrifying yet able to hide that aspect, could become one of the most glorious monarchs for monsters and demons to serve.

Just like those demon kings, or the archdukes of the demon realm.

* * *

The seizure of Solemio's head and spine was almost complete.

Even in this state, for the time being... probably for a few months, it could be maintained in a state where Solemio could be called 'mine'.

However, that was no different from turning a blind eye to problems that would occur in the future.

'The current state is like transplanting external organs into a human body.'

If Solemio is left in this state, problems will surely arise.

Whether the monster forms of the administrators and knights hiding among people are discovered.

Or after their forms are discovered, they cause bigger problems trying to hide the 'secret' on their own.

Or when newly arriving monsters cause residents to have seizures.

Problems that could be called an immune rejection response to the new brain.

'So I need to administer immunosuppressants for that.'

Administering suppressants can cause severe side effects to the original owner of the organ, but this is a necessary process.

We can't kill the brain and spinal cord that we've transplanted just to avoid those side effects, can we?

"A mercenary group composed of monsters...?"

"That's right."

"That's... no, you must be able to do it since you said so."

This is one of those suppressants.

I will have a mercenary group composed of the subordinates of the queens cooperating with me and some of the monsters I control operate here.

This was to achieve two purposes.

'One is to make humans become accustomed to the presence of monsters.'

For this, I plan to first deploy monsters with appearances 'close to humans' as much as possible.

Like orcs or myrmekians.

'And the other is to make the queens recognize my achievements.'

The more they hear from the deployed mercenaries that my dominion is being established, the more the queens will lose reasons to oppose me.

They will support me right from the point when I take this Solemio into my hand, but such continuous feedback will help constantly suppress feelings of resistance.

"But there's no use for these mercenaries...?"

"Have them hunt monsters around the area, or when enough time has passed and people have become accustomed to the existence of these mercenaries, assign them to external dispatches mixed with humans."

"The monsters appearing in that area... Wait. Don't tell me..."

Amelia, who seemed to have realized something, looked at me almost glaring, and I simply nodded.

"Yes. I'll send them."

There are many monsters I can send to Solemio.

With the domination of this Solemio, the area around here has almost completely come into my hands.

A completely circular, completed area.

'That means the presence of wild monsters living near my dungeon will soon become unnecessary.'

Those were needed to naturally prevent the location of my dungeon from being specified, but now it's enough to just control the adventurers' guild or magicians' guild to prevent them from entering my territory.

Then, wouldn't it be good to use them for another purpose?

Like making the people of this fortress recognize the need for a new mercenary group.

"What if people get hurt?"

"That's for you to figure out. Isn't protecting the people the lord's job?"

"That's... Hah. No. I understand, Lady."

"Good. You'll do well."

"Yes, yes."

I stroke the head of Amelia, who nods roughly.

She, who was signing documents with her back straight, glanced at me with dissatisfaction.

The anxiety hanging at the end of her eyes was noticeable.

"You're messing up my hair. It's uncomfortable."

"Should I call a maid for you?"

"No... it's fine."

Why does a woman's hair have such an addictive touch?

It feels good to touch my own, but touching someone else's is also pleasant.

Especially if it's in a place like the lord's office, and it's the lord you're dealing with.

It even satisfies possessiveness more deeply.

"Master."

"Sonia. Come in."

Turning my head to see Sonia entering the room, she was looking this way with somewhat dissatisfied eyes.

Just in case, I removed my hand that was placed on Amelia's head, and she relaxed her expression, approached, and bowed.

'She's really jealous.'

Thinking it was an unexpected sight and interesting, I listened to her words.

"The preparations you mentioned are all done, Master."

"I see. Understood. Amelia. Remember what I said about the mercenaries. I'll send them after making sure they'll listen to my words well."

"I understand."

Patting the head of Amelia, who was nodding and only looking at documents, I left the office.

"Were there any particular problems?"

"No. It just took some time to introduce the soldiers."

"I see."

We're heading to the walls of Solemio.

Standing on top of it, I saw knights calmly waiting for me where soldiers should originally be guarding the outside.

""You've arrived!""

The forearms revealed between the armor of the knights, who were as disciplined as common soldiers, were dark brown or gray regardless of gender.

Those who were occasionally green kept their armor more tightly closed and didn't reveal themselves.

These small warriors, who had offered their lives to me for the sake of their families' lives, were now directing eyes filled with respect towards me, the very cause of their situation.

"You've worked hard."

""Not at all!""

"That's good then. Just a little more effort. It will be over soon."

""Yes!""

Leaving behind the knights answering in unison, I head into the watchtower set up on the wall.

On the floor of this place where commanders usually station during battles, a huge magic circle was drawn.

A circle like this should be drawn above the six gates existing in Solemio now.

'The magicians are... in their positions.'

The magicians I'm talking about are not ordinary magicians but my summoned undead magicians.

Skeleton magicians below high rank cannot activate magic autonomously.

Because they don't have the nerves to manipulate magic power, they can only activate the spells engraved on those bones.

That means.

'They can activate magic circles according to predetermined functions.'

This is why I scattered magicians on top of each wall.

To activate the magic circles and set up some kind of 'barrier' inside and outside this Solemio.

A barrier that will be laid so secretly that even clergy cannot detect it.

"Watch carefully. Observing the activation of the magic you designed will be a great study. I'll smooth out any appropriate errors, so you need to watch more closely."

"Yes, Master."

Grab!

I summoned the apprentice skeleton staff that had been with me since I came here and stuck it into the magic circle.

With just that, it becomes a medium to relay my manipulation and magic power in and out.

Placing my palm on the skull of the staff standing upright like that, I operated magic power.

Thud...!

Along with a quiet vibration, the magic circle glows black.

That light is not strong but subtle, seeming to indicate the nature of the magic about to be activated.

Tsstssts...!

The magic power that buffered it flows along the small magic circles drawn along the wall.

Thud-Thud-Thud-

Soon, magicians on other walls also sequentially activate the magic circles in front of them at my instruction.

Swoosh!

After that, lines of black magic power cutting through the night sky connect the six magic circles created above the six command posts.

Thus creating a black hexagram covering the sky of the entire city.

"Let's begin."

In that state, when I put my hand on the skull of the staff again.

Swoosh-

"That's..."

Below that magic circle, and above the city, the form of long fingers appeared like an illusion.

A hand holding a red ball of thread.

"「Red Thread」."

A curse of psychological manipulation designed by giving Sonia a task and created with my power.

It sends down stems to the entire city except for the fortress.

As the area to be affected was so wide, it was magic that extremely limited the scope of effect and amplified the power in that part.

Its effect is:

"With this, all the people in this city will have reduced aversion to monsters, and monsters will have reduced hostility towards humans."

Psychological adjustment of the part corresponding to 'relationships'.

It's magic that seeps into them and engraves a single proposition in their unconscious whenever an intelligent individual enters or leaves the castle.

"Although you and I made it, Master..."

"You made it, Sonia."

"A-Anyway... will that be enough?"

To her, who asked with a slightly reddened face, I nodded and answered.

"It will be sufficient. The effect will grow stronger as time passes."

The hostility towards monsters that humans have historically accumulated is suppressed by magic, and Amelia, who has become the lord, controls it.

For monsters, in addition to magic suppressing their instincts, my orders prevent them from acting rashly.

This was another immunosuppressant for this land.

* * *

"Master. The baron couple has disappeared."

"I see. So it was like that after all."

And this is the effect of the final immunosuppressant.