It’s Dangerous Outside the Dungeon, Master

---

– 1 –

“Right here, the first hammer from the ‘Ashen Artisan Group’ shall be presented to the Lady of the Dungeon. I dedicate this weapon for your most dangerous knight.”

The burly old artisan trembled as he lifted the sword. It looked as if he couldn’t bear the sword’s magical aura, but in reality, he was handling it with great care, as it was, in his eyes, too precious to mishandle.

Indeed, just from glancing at the scabbard, an extraordinary aura was radiating from the sword.

“Be careful not to infuse it with power. After being washed by a spirit, that sword will recognize the first one who imparts magic to it as its master.”

“I understand.”

Nodding at the artisan’s warning, I carefully drew the sword he presented.

In the past, it would have been difficult to even lift a sword, but now the specialization attributes I had aided in my movement, making it quite manageable.

Srrrlng.

“Oh my.”

The sword that emerged from the black scabbard was a work of art in itself.

The shining white blade looked as if it had condensed moonlight, and its surface was engraved with a fine pattern, resembling frost.

The pattern shimmered gently whenever it caught the light.

“This mark is Dragon’s Bone, right?”

“After applying the Dragon’s Bone to the surface, I made that pattern blend into the sword. Originally, it’s a method that harms the blade’s durability, but since it’s made with Dragon’s Bone at its core, it won’t break easily and will accept magic better.”

“Indeed.”

While Dragon’s Bone wasn’t a particularly rare material that could be obtained from Were Dragons, it was still valuable.

Using such a precious material just for decorative patterns was indeed extravagant.

The same went for the Dragon’s Spine.

That could only be obtained from dragons, making it far rarer than Dragon’s Bone.

‘Just embedding it a bit would improve its durability compared to an ordinary sword.’

While it wouldn’t compare to a ‘Dragon Slayer’ class weapon made from solid Dragon’s Spine, even getting such a weapon made or purchased was quite difficult, as they were literally “price on request.”

Although I had plenty of wealth in the continent, that didn’t fully translate into riches in the Demon World.

‘This is…’

I lowered my gaze.

The guard of the sword had a graceful curve protecting the blade and grip.

Its design resembled an angel with large golden wings folded around it. The delicately engraved feathers on the wings added to the realism.

‘A sword for the Demon Clan with an angel’s form. It’s grotesquely charming… yet beautiful.’

A wry smile crept onto my face at the artisan’s quirky tastes, but considering the appearance of its future wielder, it suited extraordinarily well.

Schwing!

I rotated the sword half a turn and examined the grip. The blade sliced through the air with almost no sound.

The grip, visible beneath the guard, was wrapped in black scaly leather, with a transparent diamond embedded at the end.

It was beautiful, but there was still nothing on it. It seemed that it had been left blank for me to carve magic into later.

I turned the sword back and looked at the blade again.

“This took a significant amount of effort, huh?”

“Thank you for noticing!”

Upon closer inspection, what stood out was the unique texture of the bright white blade.

Its surface was transparent like glass yet had depth, reflecting light as if viewing the scales of a living dragon.

It currently bore a pure white color, but inside it was entirely empty. It seemed to await something to fill it up, like an empty bowl.

“Eve, come here. Quickly.”

“Yes, Master.”

I felt anxious.

A strong desire arose in me to see her infuse magic into this sword.

Kneeling in front of me, she raised both hands, and I carefully lowered the sword that I had sheathed back onto it.

“Then. I will demonstrate.”

“Go ahead.”

Evangeline, in the guise of a Dark Knight, rose from her spot and shot me a sturdy smile. Then she turned her body to face the opposite direction and unsheathed the sword.

Swish—

When I drew the sword, there was a clear sound of friction, but from the sword in her hand, there was no sound at all.

Having drawn the sword, she placed her index and middle fingers on its blade and pushed them up all the way.

Swoosh—!

The act of feeding blood to the sword. A rite that some warriors in this world performed when obtaining a legendary sword.

While not as rich as the blood of a Vampire or Dragon, the blood of all races carried a dense amount of magical power.

Vwoom.

It seemed the sword recognized its new master purely from the magic in the blood.

The blade gradually turned black and then red.

“As expected.”

It turned out that the transparency of the blade was meant to contain the owner’s magic.

“This is an excellent sword. Its sharpness does not fall behind its beauty. Chief Artisan.”

“I’m glad you like it! Please swing it. Your master is waiting for you.”

With a gentle smile from the brawny voice of the Orc, Eve slowly infused the sword’s blade with light.

-!

And then, a crimson arc unfolded.

A trail from the swing that left a lasting impression.

Clang.

As she swung the sword toward a rock, the frozen slab she had transformed spun around, coming towards me.

Kneeling down with one knee, she spoke.

“Thank you for your consideration and grace, Master. I swear I will become a knight worthy of this sword.”

“You are already such a knight. So, until I prepare an even better sword, become an even more splendid knight, okay?”

“I will do so with all my heart, my Master.”

Khragh…!!

Just as she uttered her final line, a long crack formed in the boulder she had targeted.

Boom -!!

The boulder split in two and collapsed onto the ground.

I could see the Skeleton Mages hurriedly tidying up to prevent dust from rising from there.

Still, there was no significant magic embedded yet; it was merely a young magical sword that accepted and amplified magical power.

The result of just one swing.

A smile unconsciously crept onto my face.

“Wonderful job. Chief Artisan.”

“Not at all! It is because the knight is indeed outstanding that you can draw out its power double!”

I gazed at the artisan with a smile, and his praise only thickened that smile.

“You don’t mind the flattery, do you?”

“Kukuku… By the way, how shall we name it? Lady or perhaps the knight?”

His gaze flickered between me and Evangeline, but Evangeline’s gaze stayed firmly on me.

I contemplated for a moment before uttering a single phrase.

“Bloodless Sword (盞劍, Grail Sword). That sounds good.”

A sword that contains something. Everything that Evangeline can contain.

I thought it was a good combination.

“The Holy Grail… what a splendid metaphor.”

“Truly magnificent insight!”

“Now that I’ve laid everything bare, showering such praise is rather embarrassing. Do take it back.”

Waving my hand in modesty, I turned to the artisan who had been looking uneasy since earlier.

“Chief Artisan. I will not mention your error again.”

His face lit up upon my words.

The Orc chief artisan had brought weapons for my people, but he was technically past the promised timeframe.

However, such trivial matters were easy to forgive since the crafted armaments exceeded my expectations.

“From now on, do as such. Though a bit late is fine, make sure it’s thoroughly made. But if it’s late, do inform me precisely.”

“Thank you for your benevolence, Lady!”

The Orc bowed deeply on the spot.

His trembling form appeared to genuinely reflect fright.

Yet I could sense the pretense within him.

“I’ll try my best to come as quickly as possible next time! This time we might have caught the ‘art bug’ or something.”

“I’m glad to hear you acknowledge that.”

“Hehehe…”

The Orc chief artisan was decent as a merchant and possessed a spirit befitting his great size.

With an appropriate thirst for profit and a suitable ambition to achieve, we would likely continue our transactions going forward.

“Sonia. Come here. Weapons have also been prepared for you.”

“Ah, yes, Master.”

“This is a weapon for an axe. Come here and try lifting it?”

– Thank you! Master!

After that, I enjoyed a pleasant time confirming the purchase of the weapons prepared for my people.

“Uh… I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”

“Of course not. Serika. Come here. I’ve been waiting.”

Until she arrived as scheduled today.

– 2 –

The invitation from the Baritra Marquis House delivered by Serika.

It made me instinctively sigh.

‘What in the world is this about?’

To be honest, I had anticipated the invitation.

After all, I had formed a close relationship with their heir.

But I never imagined it would come with such reasons.

“A suitor… or a potential daughter-in-law?”

My head throbbed from the moment I heard the matter.

It was plain to see that the resistance from the women who loved me was glaringly predictable.

“Master, you don’t have to accept the invitation.”

After Serika returned, even logical Eve momentarily lost her composure enough to give such unreasonable advice.

There was a tension in her voice that wasn’t usually present.

“Eve. You know. If I don’t comply, they will invite me because I have to.”

“… You are right, Master.”

“…”

“Huuh.”

Xue and Lan showed sharp expressions the moment they heard from Eve.

Xue bit her lip so hard that it turned white, and Lan couldn’t hide her discomfort, covering her mouth with her long sleeves.

“Two women getting married…?”

Sonia still seemed to not fully grasp the situation.

Although escorting among women was common in this world, same-sex marriages were a different matter; hence her reaction was natural.

‘It’s almost embarrassingly amusing.’

It was a complicated situation, yet I found subtle joy in it.

Even though they had varying degrees and directions of rationality, these women held a logical and composed side. Seeing them lose their composure over my matters felt sweet.

I felt somewhat sorry for them, but their reactions satisfied me deeply.

I had discovered a sadistic side of myself that I hadn’t known before.

“Come here, Eve. How can you look so forlorn?”

I gently lifted her chin as she approached and knelt beside me.

Gone was the impressive knightly figure she had shown earlier while swinging the sword during the day; only a woman filled with jealousy and anxiety remained.

Her skin felt heated against my fingertips.

When I gently turned her face to avoid her gaze, her faintly flushed blue eyes met mine at last.

I was satisfied.

The dark emotions swirling in those eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. I know your hearts.”

I slowly looked around at them.

Xue still had her lips tightly sealed, Lan was glancing at me from behind her sleeves, and Sonia was still confused, not knowing how to react.

“You’re all worrying too much.”

“That’s not worry. It’s just…”

Lan knitted her brows as she continued.

She seemed scared of giving the impression that she didn’t trust me.

“I’m sorry. I’m just so irritated…”

It was a rare display of honest emotions from her. Naturally, a deep smile appeared on my face.

Evangeline gripped the magical sword she had purchased earlier firmly as she spoke.

“I will accompany you. Necessary for protection regardless…”

“That’s a definite no.”

Xue interrupted sharply.

While grimacing as if in pain, she continued her logical analysis.

“If someone in our midst is seen alongside the Master, the other party might actively push for Lady Serika.”

In the Demon World, individual marriages didn’t concern gender, but succession was somewhat different… If they were going to accept a same-sex marriage between women, they might prefer one of them to hold a principal position.

Lan chimed in in agreement with a whiny tone.

“That’s right. So, if you don’t go at all…”

“Stop it. All of you.”

I spoke with a firm voice, and they all froze, focusing their attention on me.

“I will accept the invitation.”

“Master…?”

As I gestured toward the anxious expressions they wore, they immediately moved closer to me.

Gathered in a loyal yet meek manner, the women knelt, some on one knee, others on both.

“Calm down, everyone.”

Smack!

“Ah.”

“Ugh.”

I delivered a flick to each of their foreheads in succession.

Their expressions were one of surprise, hands clasping their foreheads.

Seeing them wear unjust looks, especially Sonia or Xue, who usually expressed little emotion, was amusing enough to almost incite laughter.

“It’s just a dinner invitation, not an engagement or promise. Whatever is discussed, there’s no way I’ll be forced into anything. Or do you not trust me that much?”

The Marquis was undoubtedly a figure with a level and power I couldn’t currently compete with.

While the probability was low, if he were to feel slighted and sought to pressure me, both I and Serika would surely be in trouble.

It might be better to meet under more refined circumstances.

To put it bluntly, he wouldn’t pull out a shotgun right after inviting me to dinner.

“Ah…”

“Y-Yeah, right…”

With the women avoiding my gaze apologetically, I snapped my fingers to redirect their attention.

And then, I offered a warm smile.

“The Marquis’s banquet is still some time away. For now, let’s concentrate on what we need to do. We have plenty of immediate tasks, don’t we?”

Finalizing information gathering from the north.

Supporting Elena’s succession in the southwest, still ongoing.

Guiding or dealing with the lords along the rivers in the southeast.

Sorting out Arpina’s knowledge.

Handling matters regarding Kamaya or Nirvana, who were about to become Dungeon Lords.

Even among those, there were this many immediate tasks to deal with.

There wasn’t time to concern myself with problems that wouldn’t be resolved with attention.

After all, even if it were just Serika, she was already assisting with matters concerning Kamaya and Nirvana.

“Right.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t apologize. It’s okay.”

Only then did they finally seem settled, and we could finally engage in constructive discussion.

“The banquet Lord Echidna mentioned begins first, so preparations to establish smooth ‘consensus’ with the lords there are needed…”

“Nobles are all quite greedy, so just having a decent sum of money ready would…”

But amid those discussions, I still felt an elevated mood.

Everything about them was priceless to me.

Jealousy, worry, love.

The fact that all these feelings were for me.