READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 111
Hesitation was written all over Hermit’s face, as if she couldn’t decide whether she had misheard or truly understood.
“Is this… real?”
“Yep.”
“You’re not lying?”
It made sense that she wouldn’t get it right away. The pitch-black color of her aura had faded slightly, but not by much.
Thinking about it, it was even weirder that mere words could ease her wariness.
I knew how Hermit perceived me, a ruthless Undead Lair Lord who’d killed even the fifth-ranked opponent. It was only natural for her to be skeptical if I were trying to charm her with a nice demeanor.
Nothing to feel wronged about; it was all part of the plan.
“As you know, I can kill you whenever I want.”
“Yikes!”
Hermit’s ears perked up and then drooped.
Her fluffy nine tails wrapped around her entire body, giving off a vibe of a fox caught in the rain.
“This means I have no reason to lie to you. Think about it. Why would I bother sweet-talking you?”
Hermit was already in a position where she’d do anything to atone for her past sins. But before she could be duped, she first had to surrender to me.
There’s no gain in lying here.
“Just wondering if you have some sort of twisted taste….”
“What?”
“Well, if I show mercy, you might just feel even more despair later?”
“….”
What the heck does she think of me? Am I being too intimidating, or is she just a big chicken? Probably both.
“Hermit.”
At the sound of my voice, her ears and tails perked right up. It was quite an overreaction.
“Oh, that was rude…”
She seemed to realize it only after stating it.
I let out a deep sigh, almost like a cold breeze.
“I pushed too hard. Apologize.”
“Huh? Apologize? For that— huh!”
Hermit was fumbling to cover her mouth with both hands.
It was a brief moment, but I felt a fleeting surge of murderous intent.
“Looks like you’re misunderstanding something; I have no ill feelings toward you. Sure, I find you aggravating, but I think that’s completely reasonable considering your personality.”
“Huh….”
“So let me be clear. If you serve me, I’ll treat you accordingly.”
“Wait, you won’t punish me?”
“Correct.”
“…Um, I…”
She struggled to finish her sentence and spent a good moment just muttering with her lips.
After taking a deep breath, she finally managed to continue.
“Honestly, I thought the Boss would get really angry. I was worried you might kill me if things went sideways…”
Saying that gave her chills, and she shivered.
“Really, I still don’t get it. Why are you being so nice to me? You’re not even mad… I just can’t grasp the Boss’s mindset.”
If you’re gonna deceive me, at least do it properly.
I had a script in mind, improvised but ready.
“Why don’t you tell me the number imprinted in your head?”
“…It’s 7.”
“Right now, the same number is imprinted in my head. What’s the reason for that number being in you instead of someone higher ranked?”
“Um… because I’m a mid-boss…?”
“Just being a mid-boss doesn’t mean you can instinctively know your rank.”
Hermit frowned, looking puzzled.
“Think back. Your abilities, Split and Transformation, are both connected to your desires. Do you really believe that some basic dungeon core knows about your desires and granted them?”
Usually, a dungeon core only makes the Lords stronger; it doesn’t fulfill their desires.
Hermit was a unique case in that the dungeon core had made her ambition a reality, being the only one among the 72 Lords.
“I’ve been keeping an eye on your potential for a long time. Your race, background, appearance, personality, and residence—I know everything about you.”
“…Oh!?”
Hermit’s eyes lit up, and she pointed a trembling finger at me.
Despite her dull appearance, she was surprisingly sharp.
“D-Don’t tell me the Boss…?”
“Correct. It wasn’t the dungeon core that chose you; I chose you.”
There was a credibility to this lie in the guise of the Evolution Technique.
Since I could grow stronger through it, it wasn’t a complete fabrication.
“I have the ability to pass on my true power to others.”
“Such…”
“More than 30% of my power now resides within you. The hierarchy in your head is likely influenced by that. The same goes for the dungeon. You could say this is a kind of dual entity, dual dungeon situation I created.”
Hermit’s features—the size of her eyes, nose, and mouth—enlarged in shock.
Her entire body was exhibiting her overwhelming surprise.
“W-Why would you choose someone like me, someone you have no ties to…?”
“Because I’ve noticed your potential. I also felt pity for you.”
“…Pity?”
I knew all about the life Hermit lived before joining the Undead Lair.
Using her past against her felt cruel, but I had to set aside emotions for practical gain.
“You must have desperately wanted to fix your personality since you were young but couldn’t help it. It’s just your nature. And though you always wished to be alone, you feared solitude.”
“….”
“From my perspective, you appeared pitiful. Watching your potential, like a gem, go to waste was a shame. Thus, I bestowed power upon you, wanting to fulfill your desires while also drawing you out into the world.”
From that point, changes began to appear in the pitch-black aura around Hermit.
The blackness faded, giving way to a deep green.
Her naivete had tricked her into thinking I was genuine.
“You said you didn’t understand why I was treating you this way. It’s because I hold your existence in high regard. I have no reason to discard you out of sentiment.”
Sniff.
Hermit rubbed her nose with her hand, her eyes glistening with tears.
Just after the sound of her sniffling, she spoke in a hushed voice.
“I… knew nothing. So I just hid like a fool… I’m stupid and ungrateful.”
“Don’t beat yourself up.”
“But the Boss has only been kind to me. To someone like me, who knows nothing and is nothing…”
Sorry, but when you say that, my sense of guilt only grows.
If it weren’t for the Death Knight, my true feelings would have been exposed long ago.
“If I had known… I would’ve run straight to the Boss. I’m not lying. I’m serious—please believe me.”
“Alright, I believe you.”
“…Um, Boss? I mean… can someone like me really be of help to you?”
“Have some self-esteem. You’re my chosen half.”
Hermit looked up at me with her tear-filled eyes.
Then, that gaze fell to the ground—not out of fear, but something else entirely.
“At first, the Boss was really scary…”
Her fluffy nine tails entwined tightly around her body.
Hermit embraced her tails and hid her face.
“Now I’m no longer scared of the Boss. I think it’s… uhm, getting better…”
As someone with feelings, a stab of guilt pricked my heart.
…Guess I really have to be nice to her now, huh?
***
They say patience is a virtue.
Charlotte waited for the Boss with a fluttering heart while he was inside.
But she didn’t just stand idly by either.
She straightened her clothes and repeatedly checked her appearance in a hand mirror.
“….”
There were plenty of faults in her face reflected in the mirror.
Setting aside her overall appearance, the biggest issue was her expression.
It wasn’t that her facial muscles were immobile; she just remained expressionless throughout.
The world’s oppression had turned into trauma, something Charlotte was aware of.
Her indifference never bothered her in the past, but things changed at some point.
‘If it’s the Boss….’
She guessed that the Boss would like someone with rich emotions.
After all, who would fall for someone without an expression?
“….”
Hee-hee—
As she looked in the mirror, Charlotte grinned widely, exposing her teeth.
Even she thought it came off as quite unnatural.
When she quickly wiped the forced smile away, her original expression returned.
For someone else, that expression might seem emotionless.
It certainly couldn’t be charming.
Charlotte practiced making expressions afterward, but there was no meaningful change.
It felt as if she’d forgotten how to express herself naturally.
Kugugugu—
That was when the previously closed door opened.
From the thick darkness, the Death Knight walked out slowly.
Charlotte tucked her hand mirror into her clothes and approached him with quick steps.
“You’ve come.”
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
***
That damn witch must be loving this right about now?
The thought made Cecilia’s face contort in annoyance.
Even in her private quarters, she couldn’t find peace of mind.
Who knew what the witch’s underling would do to the Master while they were together?
“…I can’t kill that witch.”
Despite her words, in her heart, she’d killed her hundreds of times over.
Damn witch. It had always been the witch, back then and now.
The Master shared a deep connection with the witch, even in life and death.
Sure, it wasn’t technically a bad connection, but that’s how Cecilia felt.
“If only that witch didn’t exist.”
The death of her Master was closely tied to that witch.
Not only had she sheltered the witch, but she’d jumped in to save the witch when she was engulfed in a Magic Overrun.
If it weren’t for that, her Master wouldn’t have died.
Wizards can only experience a Magic Overrun once in their lives.
Going through it meant you would surely die on the spot.
Even a weak magic would turn into a disaster from that moment on.
It burned everything around and ultimately took the life of its caster—Magic Overrun was that dire.
At the Five-Colored Tower, they regarded a person undergoing a Magic Overrun as dead, executing them immediately.
It made sense; collateral damage was always a possibility.
To suppress a Magic Overrun without killing, there had to be physical contact.
But seriously, who would risk their life for someone else?
“…The Master did just that.”
He lost his eyes trying to save a young witch whom he had never met.
If that child witch had just not existed, if she hadn’t been there, he’d still be alive and well.
Cecilia resented that nameless witch.
But ultimately, that was just a futile emotion.
Besides the aftermath of the Magic Overrun, it was difficult for witches to survive in this world.
“She’s probably dead by now.”
In her heart, she wished she could execute her on the spot.
She couldn’t forgive that witch for living comfortably when she was the one who had killed her Master.