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

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Since Sara has gone to the Old One, it’s urgent for me to expand my influence.

Although I can’t compare to Sara, Hermit is still ranked 7 in the hierarchy of The Seven Lairs.

Hermit’s Dungeon is located in the Magical Realm Laura Bar.

It’s a bit far, but if we ride Briyagon, we should get there pretty quickly, and luckily I have a saddle ready.

“Get ready to go out, Charlotte. We have somewhere to go, just the two of us.”

“…Just the two of us?”

“That’s right.”

Charlotte stood there blankly, her expression frozen.

Looking at that deep pink color, I could guess what she was thinking.

Who could blame her for being a clueless witch?

Charlotte hurriedly headed toward the Lieutenant’s Room, almost uncharacteristically.

Meanwhile, Cecilia was heading to her private room.

“You don’t need to come, Ria.”

Her usually half-open eyes widened in surprise.

The look she was giving me seemed oddly dissatisfied.

“Two of us will be enough. Your duty is to guard the dungeon here.”

“I know what that witch might do to our Master.”

“Do you think I’d just let myself be taken advantage of?”

“…Still.”

If Cecilia follows along, we’ll inevitably bicker.

It’s a nuisance, but honestly, we don’t really need two people for this journey.

“If you guard the dungeon well, I’ll grant you one request.”

“Anything?”

“I’ll decide after hearing it.”

There was a brief moment of silence from Cecilia.

Her expressionless face betrayed the inner conflict she was grappling with.

Just from seeing her intense pink level, it was clear what she was thinking.

“Then just sleep next to me for one night.”

Has this woman lost her mind?

I expected she would have some lewd thoughts, but this was beyond my wildest imagination.

At first glance, I almost confused her with Roseha.

“It’s to jog my memory. You used to sleep next to me often, even offering me your arm as a pillow. I don’t know about now, but maybe sleeping together will spark some memories.”

It felt like she was trying to use any excuse to fulfill her desires.

After all, I’m undead. That cursed body of mine can’t even close its eyes, let alone sleep.

“You just need to lie next to me.”

Staying awake next to her for a night would be an easy task.

I nodded, and Cecilia quickly added, “You can’t move away until I wake up. I might sleep for a while. Winter is coming, so I might hibernate.”

I had many things I wanted to argue about, but I nodded for now.

It would at most be one night or two, right?

“My Lord.”

Charlotte, who had finished preparing, approached and pointed at Cecilia.

When she’s in a good mood, Charlotte has a habit of pouting her lips.

And that’s exactly what she was doing now. Her blank expression paired with her closed lips felt quite out of place.

“Kiric. Lieutenant, where are you going?”

“I’ll be away with the Boss for a few days. Please keep a close watch over the dungeon, Mr. Balutak.”

“Kiric! Just leave it to me!”

“…Who would leave it to a bug like you?”

“That’s that.”

I pulled Charlotte’s wrist, worried they might start fighting if left alone.

***

Time tends to lose its meaning when you’re in a dungeon.

When I went outside, it was pitch dark midnight.

‘This is actually good.’

For an undead, night felt like a cozy veil.

Since I would be riding Briyagon, I also needed to avoid the gaze of the people.

As I led Briyagon out of the dungeon, I returned to my original form.

Sensing my intention, Briyagon lowered himself for me to mount.

I climbed onto the saddle first and then patted the backseat.

“Get on.”

After hesitating, Charlotte climbed on behind me.

I roughly knew where the Magical Realm Laura Bar was.

I aimed for a general destination. Once we landed there, I planned to switch to the skeletal steed.

Hermit’s Dungeon was situated deep inside, but it had signposts like the Ancient Dungeon.

I held the reins, guiding Briyagon in the right direction.

“Charlotte, if you feel like you’re going to fall, you can grab me.”

“How could I dare….”

“If you fall, I can’t guarantee your safety.”

Well, even if I fall, I can somehow survive with magic.

From my experience riding Briyagon, it was challenging in various aspects, including the pressure.

For me, being undead means I don’t really care about the mental strain.

“Did you prepare the warming magic?”

“Yes.”

Unlike me, Charlotte was human, and although her level was high, her physical abilities were significantly lower.

I hoped she could endure with her own magic.

Whrr- Whrr─!

Each beat of Briyagon’s wings created gusts around us.

The sound of wind was deafening, mixed with the rustling of the grass beneath.

It seemed like we were slowly ascending, but suddenly, we sped up and soared high into the sky.

With my mind and body feeling weightless, the pressure dropped rapidly.

*

Had it been an hour since we took off?

Charlotte, who was gripping the saddle, had now wrapped her arms around my waist, her hands trembling from the cold.

For a moment, I wondered if it was really that cold.

Looking closely, I noticed frost clinging to my horns, and my armor was frozen solid.

This was beyond what we had encountered in the Expedition of Death.

It struck me anew that we were traversing the sky in late autumn.

Season, time, place. No wonder Charlotte was suffering from the cold.

When I glanced back, Charlotte was gasping for breath with her eyes half-closed.

Not only the cold but also the pressure had dropped significantly, making it hard to breathe.

So far, I had held out with magic alone.

“Descend to a place with no people for a break.”

I gently petted Briyagon’s neck.

Even here in the magical realm, Bond Dragons are not ordinary undead.

To avoid causing an uproar, we had no choice but to land somewhere uninhabited.

Eventually, Briyagon began to descend, slowly flapping his wings as he landed on the ground.

Looking around, we were in the middle of a forest.

I couldn’t tell if it was part of the empire or the magical realm, but there were no signs of people or even beasts.

“Rest here.”

As I stroked Briyagon’s nose, he lay down on the grassy ground.

Then, shaking off the frost, moisture sprayed everywhere.

I brushed the frost off my own body.

“Achoo!”

The sound of my sneeze caused me to turn instinctively.

Charlotte, sniffling, quickly averted her eyes.

Even though she was bundled up in wool coats and blankets, she was still shivering.

It seemed warming magic wasn’t perfect.

“Are you okay?”

“Ah-uh! Yes, I’m fine.”

She looked anything but fine.

Frost covered her eyebrows, and her lips looked pale and quivered.

Her back was hunched as she squinted, likely dizzy from lack of oxygen.

Honestly, if she stayed like this any longer, she might faint.

Charlotte brought her hands to her mouth.

Hah, hah…. She blew softly, trying to warm her frozen hands.

“Get a good night’s sleep.”

Continuing on like this might put Charlotte in danger.

Before she could move, I quickly opened my backpack.

Though I saw her fidgeting beside me, I waved my hand dismissively.

Unlike Charlotte, I was immune to cold and breathing issues.

Using a tree stump as a chair, I forced her to sit down.

“Warm yourself up first.”

Fortunately, being in the woods meant there was plenty of firewood around.

I gathered branches, twigs, and pine cones as best as I could.

With a snap of her fingers, Charlotte quickly started a fire.

For a wizard like Charlotte, making a fire was as easy as breathing.

“Don’t move and warm yourself up. I’ll set up camp.”

“My Lord, how could I—”

“Letting you rest is helping. Just sit still.”

“….”

With her lips pursed, Charlotte lowered her head.

She seemed to feel bad for being a burden.

But what could be done? No matter how high-level a 90-level magician might be, there’s always a limit.

After all, she had flown high for an hour during this early winter night. It was remarkable enough her human body had held out this long.

“I’ll keep watch, so you can sleep peacefully.”

I took out a sleeping bag and tossed it in her direction.

The moment she opened her mouth, I immediately interrupted her.

“Anyway, I can’t sleep. Don’t worry about me; just get some rest.”

“…Thank you.”

***

Crackle, crackle. Chirp, chirp.

The sound of the campfire and the chirping of insects added to the eerie stillness.

In the heavy air, Charlotte, with her eyes wide open, gazed at one spot. At the same time, she gripped the bone tucked in her clothes tightly.

Even an undead who usually doesn’t sleep couldn’t just stand idly by.

Clumsily, she crawled out of her sleeping bag, prompting the Boss to turn around.

Feeling guilty, I spoke first.

“I’m uneasy. Please, let me stay beside the Boss.”

“…It must be tiring.”

“I’m fine. I can convert my internal mana into energy.”

The Boss simply turned his gaze away. It was a silent acceptance.

Charlotte, who had been hesitating, quietly sat beside the Boss.

The Boss merely stared at the fire, lost in thought.

The cold night wind made Charlotte’s shoulders hunch.

With a sidelong glance at the Boss, she stretched her hands toward the fire.

Before she could feel its warmth, her mind was elsewhere.

“Boss, do you remember that time?”

“That time?”

“When we were together on our way to the Underworld… just the two of us.”

“I remember.”

The Boss nodded.

Charlotte focused on him, abandoning her furtive glances.

Here, there were no bothersome heroes or the Undead Lair Lord Roseha.

It was only her and the Boss, just the two of them.

“Back then, you saved a young witch from the Underworld, didn’t you?”

“I did.”

I felt she could sense his thoughts without needing to ask why.

Even now, I could feel his sense of compassion.

Despite the fact that she was now his subordinate, he had unreservedly extended his kindness.

Even the staff in her hand was a testament to his unparalleled generosity.

The kindness she had received from him was beyond measure.

“May I ask why you did that?”

What she realized was that the Boss was endlessly compassionate toward the weak.

Even to young witches, he would readily offer aid, allowing contact from the likes of Estizel without hesitation.

“There’s really no particular reason. If I hadn’t, I would have felt uncomfortable.”

“Do you pity witches who are persecuted by the world?”

“Yes.”

Charlotte pressed her lips tightly together.

Eventually, she managed to speak, continuing the conversation.

“When I first arrived at the dungeon, did you feel the same pity for me?”

Despite the rank of being a lieutenant of the Seven Lairs, she was just an insignificant witch.

Naturally, doubts arose.

Did the Boss notice that she was a witch with nowhere to go and decided to take her in out of compassion?

No, she was sure.

“The Boss has always been a benefactor who saved witches even when he was alive.”

“…”

“I heard it was ten years ago. At that time, I might have also been saved by you.”

She didn’t remember that time, but she hoped her life had somehow been saved by him.

Perhaps, she could have lost such memories in her childhood or because of some incident.

“If you saved me back then, then I’ve been in your debt ever since.”

“…Is that so.”

“I hope that has been the case. Of course, it’s embarrassing to always be in your debt. But if you felt pity for me ten years ago and saved me… I think I’d be even happier.”

A connection that had lasted for ten years, in life and death, wouldn’t that be a greater blessing?

Suddenly, Charlotte snapped back to reality.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so dependent on you….”

“Feel free to lean on me.”

“…Is it okay to rely on you even now?”

“Yes.”

Charlotte felt her throat swallow hard.

“Then, excuse me.”

Carefully, she rested her head on the Boss’s shoulder.

Even in the cold warmth, she found comfort.

Unconsciously, a faint smile appeared on her lips.

She realized that while her usual demeanor was dry, in front of him, she felt awkward yet innocent.

She wanted to confess her feelings, but how could a subordinate tell the Boss such things?

For now, keeping it to herself was enough.

Perhaps she would change her mind someday, but that would be a consideration for another time.

Charlotte rubbed her head against his shoulder like a child seeking affection.

Her hair was tousled, and a flush crept onto her cheeks.

“Boss.”

His gaze fell down toward her.

Charlotte, with her lips pressed tightly, looked up at him with wide eyes.

Her mind was desperately trying to think of what to say next.

She hadn’t thought about what she would say at all when she called out to him.

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head, and Charlotte spoke.

“Do you remember when I saved you? When that hero tried to kill you— Ah, of course, I don’t mean to brag. I just hope you remember….”

“I remember. I’m grateful for that.”

“…Thank you.”

He was grateful to her.

This realization struck her deeply once more.

“I saved the Boss.”

Charlotte clenched the bone she had tucked away and reveled in the warmth radiating from the Boss’s cold body.

 

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