It’s Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

---

– 1 –

‘Same as ever.’

Evangeline inwardly assessed that his intuition still seemed sharp.

It was just that his ability to discern the strengths and weaknesses of friends and foes had dulled.

Swoosh.

Before I knew it, Evangeline had come close and pressed the sharp tip of her dagger against his neck.

It happened in the blink of an eye.

“Ugh…!”

Clank!

As soon as Alexis realized the situation, he raised his hand roughly, causing the broadsword that was hanging in it to clatter to the ground.

His expression was still splendid. It meant he was still acting.

“W-what is the meaning of this…!”

“The Master is very disappointed, Alexis Samigina.”

“If you kill me like this…!”

“The signal will spread one way or another. In all directions.”

Evangeline’s sarcastic words, accompanied by a smirk, made Alexis’s eyes widen.

Yet, this was nothing surprising for Evangeline.

“How do you know that…?”

“The Master sees through a thousand miles while sitting. He knew your petty actions the moment you committed them.”

Her Master received reports from Lan, and Evangeline herself had already known long before.

This matter had been reported just the day after the Dungeon Lords had declared war on the dungeon.

“Remove him. The ruling class of Kaisen already has someone else in mind.”

Faced with an internal hassle before a significant event, the Dungeon Lord made a quick resolution.

Thus, Evangeline arrived here as soon as the war concluded.

Like a scene from her memories of the future, a clergyman would find him days later and recognize the dark power within him.

‘Though no one will deduce our existence from that…’

The reason she hadn’t executed him or taken action until now was simply that Alexis’s affair wasn’t that significant.

Once a judgment was made, it was only natural to act before more significant losses ensued.

Clack, clack…

“Wa-wait a moment…”

Alexis’s eyes began to widen even further as he noticed something crawling up Evangeline’s arm, like a bug.

A creature he had seen many times in the ‘Master’s’ dungeon. He knew what it was.

A monster that devours only the central nervous system while leaving the person alive: Cerebrum Skull.

“A human without monsters must go to the Royal Capital…! Otherwise, they’ll get caught by their magic…!”

“You’ll die soon anyway, Alexis.”

“They wouldn’t just kill an elite-level talent like me!”

“True. In ordinary circumstances, that’d be the case. However, the Lord of Copgerin bears a grudge against you. Moreover, there are many women targeting you.”

Evangeline handed him the dagger.

She smiled gently, like her Master when facing an enemy who would typically wipe that smile away.

“You tried to settle into the situation by defying orders for your personal desires. If you commit suicide now, you’ll only suffer once. But if you rebel here, you’ll die in greater agony.”

If he were to commit suicide, the magic he had set up would not activate.

He wouldn’t even be consumed by the Cerebrum Skull.

In other words, she, and her Master, were showing him their final mercy.

Understanding this, Alexis’s eyes trembled violently.

“Pl-please give me a chance. It’s just one failure…!”

“You’re wrong. You were an enemy to the Master, and this was the opportunity to improve your treatment as that enemy. You’ve failed that. You are now… no, you still remain an ‘enemy’ and a ‘prisoner,’ Alexis.”

A moment later.

Ultimately, Alexis died.

“Ugh…!”

“Such a fool.”

“Wait, wait! Save me! Please save me!”

Clad in fear, he tried to stab but was subdued in the counterattack and had his central nervous system taken by the Cerebrum Skull.

In the end, it became the method of being ‘killed.’

“I expected this, but good for you for not giving up until the end. Even if you are pathetic.”

The magic he had prepared was utterly meaningless.

The Cerebrum Skull could only infiltrate while the victim was ‘alive.’

‘Why is this here…’

Afterward, while searching through Alexis’s legacy, Evangeline frowned.

There was something mixed in his possessions that she never expected to find here.

The emblem of a certain specific group.

“Extract all memories and send them to me.”

– As you command.

Moments later, Evangeline burned all the visible assets and mansion belonging to Alexis, and extracted all the hidden assets and his memories of his activities until now.

In the future, a body would be found in this mansion.

The body of a man who was to die in exchange for his family, instead of her carrying Alexis’s corpse away.

His body and soul were to be used for another subordinate.

“Well done. Here.”

– Thank you!

“I’ll go first. I need to meet the Master soon.”

– Wishing you good luck, Commander!

“Take care.”

After watching the transformed human fed to the Cerebrum Skull, Evangeline quickened her pace.

She had to return to her Master swiftly.

What she had seen needed to be known by her Master as well.

– 2 –

The formal ‘language training’ began the day after the contract.

Since the first day of the contract was, after all, for Mur to get adjusted to the guestroom and unpack.

“‘Heart.’”

As I echoed the first keyword she mentioned, the Necromancer approached and spoke.

“Indeed. If the Lady focuses her heart without considering what is possible or impossible, they shall respond.”

“Hmm.”

What Mur said was a kind of mentalism.

Yet, I preferred this over an elaborate theory that deceives listeners by combining random ideas.

In the end, what was most necessary was sincerity.

And on that matter, I had some confidence.

“Impossible.”

Well, I might not have even assumed that Skeletons could communicate clearly.

I had already listened to some soldiers’ intentions using my magic or seen Evangeline’s clear emotional expressions, yet I failed to break this fixed notion.

At that moment, I believed all were cases involving some special power or talent.

“Then?”

“From now on, I will help you understand what the Skeletons usually talk about.”

“Okay…”

“May I hold your hand?”

At her question, I nodded, and Mur naturally intertwined her fingers with mine and led me.

The location was the training ground where my Skeletons with excellent intelligence were gathered.

She brought me to the center of them.

She glanced around them and then looked at me with a somewhat troubled expression.

– …

It seemed they were too quiet for her to experiment with communication.

“Um… The Lady’s summons are very quiet, aren’t they?”

As expected.

It appeared she was experiencing something genuinely new, as her eyes lost some composure and began to tremble slightly.

“Is that strange?”

“No…? No, it’s not strange. Summons have their personalities too. Perhaps they became quiet to follow their owner, the Lady? Yet, they should at least say something…”

“That’s not it.”

Mur said it was because they resembled me, but I thought it was the result of Evangeline’s good training.

These were, literally, all ‘elites.’

They weren’t the kinds of soldiers who would carelessly express their opinions or thoughts in front of their Master.

“Is that really the case? They are excellent soldiers. Then.”

As I mentioned that, her face lit up with admiration this time.

“Indeed. My first one is excellent, but all of these are soldiers with good qualities.”

– Clap!

– Clang!

When I responded, the jesters close to Ax clapped back.

Those I had named ‘Katar’ and ‘Hammer’ were now standing stiff, looking into the air at a 15-degree angle, expressing intentions of ‘Not at all!’

“Ah, it seems they want to say something! Come over here. Lady.”

Watching them, Mur’s face brightened.

It must have been a relief for her that this incident wasn’t due to her incompetence.

She must have also been worried about what would happen if she couldn’t receive her due after making a contract.

From that, she broke into another awkward smile.

Some ‘special power’ that she had extended from her fingertips couldn’t penetrate my body at all.

“Uh… Would you allow me to use magic on you, Lady?”

“Go ahead.”

Since her magic was vastly superior to mine, she could have used greater strength than necessary, but that would be akin to an attack.

So there was no choice but to feel troubled.

When I lowered my resistance from my hand, she took advantage of that.

Swoosh.

At that moment, Mur’s magic seeped into me.

“The Lady’s magic manipulation ability is truly splendid…!”

– Clang!

– Clap!

“And even the summons have such a strong heart for the Lady.”

With an admiring gaze, Mur looked down at me, praising.

Just then, I could sense the jester’s expressions echoing her admiration.

“What did they say?”

“Um… Roughly, it’s the meaning that it’s very natural for the Lady to be excellent?”

– Clang!

– Clang!

I had a feeling I could guess how they responded.

It wouldn’t have been a simple line or two, that’s for sure.

“… Really?”

“Indeed?”

Yet, Mur, having regained her composure, spoke naturally while only meeting my gaze.

Since there was no hint of any other foul demeanor on her face, I shook my head inwardly and turned my gaze back to my soldiers.

“Now, please tell me what I should do.”

“It’s nothing much. I will awaken the Lady’s senses from now on.”

“Senses?”

“Yes. It’s the sixth sense that mages obtain after their five senses, generally the seventh or eighth sense.”

“Well.”

According to Mur’s words, and recalling what I knew theoretically, the senses mages acquire are first one’s awareness of magic, and the second will likely be the perception of the world related to their specialization.

In Mur or my case, that would be the sense of souls.

“In fact, given your skills, it wouldn’t be strange if you had already opened it… but it’s a bit surprising.”

The answer to her question came to mind.

It was probably because I hadn’t been born into this world.

For the people here, the sixth and seventh senses were common knowledge, but for me, they weren’t.

It felt as if I had somewhat acquired the sense of magic because of talent, but anything beyond that didn’t seem to apply.

Thus, while I could glimpse the world of the soul through magic, I would predict that I hadn’t cultivated the essential perception.

“… Please proceed.”

“Ah, yes.”

However, without saying anything further, I pressed down on her hand to prompt her.

And a moment later.

“This is…”

I tasted a new sense.

– 3 –

Elias Ironfield.

Now formally renamed ‘Elena En Ironfield’ within her family, she crossed her arms and looked at the figure approaching her from across the way.

A maid she had seen in the ‘dungeon.’ Now officially armored and equipped with a sword: Maria Olas.

“You don’t intend to continue assisting me from now on, do you?”

“Not really. The Master said he would send someone else.”

“Is that so? Well, that makes sense.”

It felt as if the deployment of personnel was taking too long, but still, Elena simply acknowledged it.

She had occasionally heard what had happened during her time out of the dungeon.

The ‘Master’ she served for the first time was not stingy when it came to sharing information with his subordinates.

Thanks to that, she had heard all about the news of ‘war’ and even the ‘magical realm.’

Elena had been incredibly anxious, worried that she might become trapped and unable to return to being a man.

Of course, she didn’t show it.

“So, where is your sister?”

“This way.”

All matters had already concluded around two days ago.

While it became a bit complicated because her Master placed the condition of ‘in one piece,’ it wasn’t something too difficult from the start.

“… Is she asleep?”

“She was put to sleep with magic. They said she wouldn’t wake for a week, so she won’t be up for another four days now.”

“Is that really okay…?”

Elena’s gaze toward her sleeping sister, whom she now had to call her elder sister, was frigid.

She hadn’t been a very good human, both as a noble and as family.

“Are there no other issues?”

“Of course not. Even without word from her, she’ll likely just be reflecting on her actions. It was quite a big deal.”

“Hmm.”

She had just publicly announced her decision to lead a quiet life away from the family as she was preparing to enter the monastery.

It wasn’t voluntary.

Recently, she got herself into a mess with a direct noble from the Duke’s family and was being forcibly dragged away.

“I hope that sits well with the Master.”

“I’ll convey what you said.”

“Thank you.”

And that monastery would become a ‘dungeon.’