I’m Telling You, I’m Not a Boss Monster!

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“Suddenly, she called me ‘Ancestor.'”

I was completely taken aback by the unexpected remark.

I knew she was crazy, but she was more insane than I thought.

“Ancestor, huh?”

Is she having hallucinations?

Did she take some meds she shouldn’t have, or is she missing the ones she should?

Either way, it’s clear she’s lost her mind.

Roxanne bowed slightly.

“I apologize for my rudeness… um, did I say ‘apologize’? ‘Apologize’, ‘apologies,’ something like that…?”

That crazy girl can’t even speak properly.

I glared at her, and she nervously fiddled with her earlobe.

“I’m sorry. I haven’t spoken politely in almost a thousand years…”

What kind of attitude did she have for a thousand years to forget how to speak respectfully?

Given Roxanne’s overwhelming pride, it made sense.

Then, in a moment of unconsciousness, my form came into view.

A blue anti-magic ring.

…No way?

“What about me makes you think I’m an ancestor?”

“It’s that…”

Roxanne’s words were pretty much what I expected.

Previously, I had used both the blood of dragons and dragon language at the same time, and Roxanne seemed to recognize the characters she had passed on to me.

Up until that point, it was a plausible assumption, but one thing was surprising.

“Is it because of the horn?”

She knew the ancient dragon’s horn resembled that of a deer.

My horn did look similar to that of an ancient dragon, but I never thought it would lead to this.

‘That’s surprisingly credible, right?’

In fact, it was not just credible; it was highly plausible.

I could understand why she was so confused.

“If I say I’m not an ancient dragon…”

“Then why are you trying to hide your identity…?”

Yeah. I knew she would respond like this.

It felt just like when I told Cecilia that I wasn’t her Master. No matter how much I spoke, it felt like talking to a wall.

Putting aside the misunderstandings, did she really need to be this reverent?

It was puzzling, especially given the animosity we had had before.

“A person who was eager to kill me is suddenly being so friendly. How would you feel in my shoes?”

Roxanne opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it again.

Even she realized she had nothing to say.

From the meeting until now, she had openly shown hostility towards me.

Later, she indirectly supported Calandas and even declared a summons using my sister-in-law as leverage.

Above all, the fact that she actually tried to kill me was her greatest offense.

Roxanne bowed deeply once more.

“I apologize for my rudeness. If you wish, I’ll kneel right now.”

What kneeling—it’s just getting more and more ridiculous.

Does kneeling solve everything?

“That’s something a child would think.”

After saying that, I checked Roxanne’s level.

It’s not like suddenly chewing her out would change her level to red, right?

“You’re absolutely right. Before you, I… feel like I’m still a hatchling.”

With a sense of admiration for the ancient dragon, Roxanne held a blind affection for me.

It seemed unlikely that just speaking rudely would change her level color.

“You’re not even a hatchling. You’re just a child.”

“….”

“You can’t even control your emotions; all you know how to do is scream. What else could you be but a child?”

Roxanne, who had been looking at me, dropped her head low.

Her level remained unchanged, still green.

“…As a child, I need your teachings, Ancestor.”

“This isn’t something that can just be taught. Your nature is that of a child—do you think it’ll change just from being taught?”

I was about to say more, but I suddenly felt a wave of doubt.

I’m not a child either. Venting my frustration like this seems pretty pathetic.

But calming down was hard too.

Thinking about all the humiliations I had suffered at Roxanne’s hands still made me tremble with anger.

I let out a sigh, exhaling the coldness in my breath.

If I stayed with her any longer, it would only lead to an ugly situation.

As I turned my back to her and started to walk away, a voice called out from behind.

“Ancestor? I still have something to say…”

“It won’t be anything good if you say it now. Leave me alone.”

Roxanne stood there dumbfounded, her mouth slightly agape.

Maybe it was all the buildup that made her look so pitiful now. That expression somehow felt quite insincere.

Just as I was about to brush past Roxanne and leave, she spoke up.

“Um… Ancestor.”

I only turned my head slightly to acknowledge her.

Roxanne hesitated, acting unsuitably humble.

“I’ll come to see you soon. Until then, I hope you can… let go of your anger… please…”

Seeing Roxanne, who had been so arrogant and domineering until now, act like this was quite a discordant sight.

I hoped she wouldn’t just disappear from my line of sight.

***

I no longer wanted to think about what had happened with Roxanne.

So I brushed it off before returning through the portal and told Isabella and Estizel not to ask why Roxanne helped us, and also not to inquire about what the two of us talked about.

Since I expressed myself with some seriousness, they both simply nodded without further questions.

When we returned to the dungeon, I expected no one to be there.

But as soon as I transferred to the 10th floor, familiar faces were waiting for us.

“Master!”

“….”

As soon as our eyes met, Cecilia rushed over.

She threw herself into my arms and buried her face in my chest.

“I was waiting for you. I was worried. I’m so glad you’re back….”

Cecilia buried her face in my chest and blurted out in a flurry of moments.

Though she seemed startled, her feelings were undeniably conveyed.

From behind, Charlotte was also staring at me with wide eyes, her expression surprisingly candid.

‘…Thinking back on it, they must have been considering death, huh?’

They knew that if the boss died, the dungeon would crumble.

So when I died, they must have thought they’d face death too.

Even though I told them to live on for the sake of revenge, they clearly didn’t listen when it came to dying.

I was about to scold them but noticed the atmosphere and held back.

It felt like I’d just be stirring the pot, and anyway, things went well, so…

Of course, I planned to talk to them separately later, if only to tell them that they shouldn’t have considered it. Just a brief word.

“You did well. …Really well.”

Charlotte approached, her voice trembling.

Her eyes looked as if she had gone through a lot of mental turmoil.

“You’ve also gone through a lot, haven’t you?”

“I was really worried. I’m truly glad you returned.”

Ahem. Isabella cleared her throat next to me, drawing attention.

“I did a lot too! I sacrificed myself for this, you know? The boss was probably moved by my efforts!”

“I contributed too!”

Estizel raised her hand and shook it excitedly.

And everyone believed them while praising them. It was quite the sight.

Speaking of which.

“Where’s Balutak?”

“He stepped out for a bit. Now that the boss has returned, he should be back soon.”

What a disloyal guy… but he wasn’t; he was the only one who actually listened.

Why am I finding him so annoying when it’s really those two at fault? I didn’t have any bad feelings toward him.

“Charlotte, call everyone who’s left back here.”

“Yes, I’ll do that right away.”

Now that everything was wrapped up nicely.

As I was headed toward the boss room to rest alone for a while, Cecilia clung to me tightly.

After managing to shake her off, I finally entered the boss room.

– Woof!

Helboki greeted me enthusiastically.

It was incredibly cute to see him running towards me with my bones in his mouth.

Maybe because it had been a while, Helboki was more demanding than usual.

Clinging to my leg and whining…

‘He’s in heat.’

Just came back from a tough time, and now this dog puts me through another ordeal.

I felt bad about pushing him away, so I lifted Helboki up with both hands.

After enjoying a healing time with Helboki for about ten minutes, suddenly—

BANG!

The door swung open, and Isabella came bursting in.

Startled, I was taken aback since she didn’t even knock.

“Boss!”

“Do you not know how to knock?”

“Oh, uh, sorry, but that’s not the problem!”

Swallow!

After a gulp, Isabella shouted.

“Roxanne is here! She’s here to see the boss!”

“….”

Oh, for crying out loud.

She said she’d be back soon and now she’s barging in here, that crazy girl.

***

In a rush, Roxanne made an unexpected visit without notice.

As expected, people around her were wary, but considering the acts she had done towards the Ancestor, it was only natural.

Roxanne waved her hand in a gesture of reassurance.

“Don’t be on guard. I’m here to see your boss.”

“What business do you have?”

“That’s my business. Just relax. I’ve come with good intentions.”

Charlotte shot her a blank stare, while Cecilia had already drawn the Moonlight Sword.

Then Isabella said something to the two, and their tension eased.

Though I couldn’t hear what was said, with that response, it could only be that she defended Roxanne during the summoning.

“Vampire. Where is the Boss Room?”

“I’ll show you myself!”

With that, Isabella rushed off.

Roxanne seemed like she might stop her but ultimately refrained.

She’s not going to get scolded for making a fuss, right?

In an anxious state, even Roxanne followed her.

During that time, she unexpectedly spotted a small Bond Dragon and halted her steps.

“…What is that?”

The Bond Dragon crouched and appeared to be resting a distance away.

I could sense tremendous magic emanating from it. No exaggeration—it was of a quality equal to the boss of The Seven Lairs.

There’s no way such a Bond Dragon would just sit there quietly.

Being bound to a summoner means that if there’s a necromancer here…

“Is it you, human lieutenant, who’s the master?”

This was my first encounter with a Bond Dragon that could shrink its size while possessing such power.

It cannot be a familiar that a mere human could control.

“No.”

“Then who is the master? Wait, is there a master at all?”

“Yes. The boss is the master.”

…The Ancestor?

“That person—your boss—can’t possibly be a summoner, can they?”

The reason why Roxanne could control the Bond Dragon wasn’t because she was also a dragon.

It was because she was a bound summoner.

“That’s correct. The boss doesn’t know necromancy.”

To handle a Bond Dragon, one had to be a summoner of necromancy.

The fact that they managed to become the master despite that? Even more so, a Bond Dragon of this caliber.

“How did you bind them without necromancy?”

“More like I made them submit.”

“…Submit? A Bond Dragon has submitted?”

“Yes.”

After that, Charlotte explained the situation.

The more I heard, the bigger Roxanne’s eyes grew.

“…Huh.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Submitting a Bond Dragon that was blind only to instinct without intelligence was nearly impossible.

For that Bond Dragon to have submitted without necromancy—it was staggering.

Was it because it recognized her as an ancient dragon? No way. What connection could that Bond Dragon have with an ancient dragon?

I believed it had been submitted merely by a disparity in status.

Curious, Roxanne decided to test it.

Immediately, she released her dragon’s aura, and the Bond Dragon trembled, facing her aura head-on.

Seeing it not submit at all, Roxanne pulled back her aura.

“…You did say it submitted the moment you saw it, right?”

“That’s right.”

For a Bond Dragon to withstand her aura without yielding, the moment it laid eyes on her, it lowered its tail.

‘Truly an Ancestor.’

Wiser than an elder dragon and possessing greater strength than the second-in-command, what could be a more perfect male mate?

‘…If only our child were to come from the Ancestor and me.’

My mind wandered into a happy delusion.

I was the bloodline of the Dragon Lord, having even claimed the second-in-command of The Seven Lairs.

That person was a wise ancient dragon who conquered the seventh in The Seven Lairs alone.

If such a pair were to have a child, how incredibly wise and strong a hatchling would they produce!

So, we must mate as soon as possible.

If mating and conception were possible, we must do it every day…

“Um, Lord?”

Those words broke my chain of thoughts.

Isabella was looking at me with timid eyes.

“You called? But where’s the boss?”

“Well… he said he wouldn’t meet with you….”

Roxanne’s eyes widened significantly beyond their limits.

Forgetting her stature, she opened her mouth and closed it repeatedly, almost gaping in disbelief.

“Why, why…?”

Is it because he hasn’t calmed down from being angry with me…no, there must be another reason.

Desperately denying that thought, Isabella spoke up.

“I don’t really know… he just said he didn’t want to see you…”

 

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