IDMWE 20

Chapter 20

Nathan Starlight was currently in a state of great anxiety.

“Still haven’t found them?”

“Yeah. I don’t see them.”

From the moment Leona and Rigan suddenly dashed into the dungeon, the plan he had carefully prepared had been thrown into complete disarray.

Seeing him fidgeting restlessly for some reason, the others chimed in one by one.

“They’re not kids. If they can’t handle it midway, they’ll find a boundary stone and come out.”

“All the monsters are C-rank, right? Even the boss monster, the Great Vampire Bat, is only B-rank at best.”

But despite his colleagues’ words, Nathan’s unease did not easily subside.

‘Of all people, they had to go in together with Rigan Clenford.’

The moment when the two had entered the dungeon holding hands kept replaying in Nathan’s mind.

His eyes darkened with deep jealousy.

“Deploy a few more observers and send them in.”

And Nathan had no idea at all that his jealousy had awakened a new demonic hand.

“Rigan, left!”

*Crackle-.*

Rigan’s signature no-incantation magic pierced through the bat-shaped monster.

“Keeeee-!”

Normally, it should have been taken down in one shot, but the bat monster tenaciously moved its half-burnt body and flew at them.

The monster opened its huge maw right in front of them, baring its sharp fangs.

Rigan quickly rolled his body to dodge.

*Swoosh-.*

Meanwhile, Leona’s sword, wrapped in red ether, sliced through the monster’s rear.

The monster that fell to the floor convulsed for a moment before ceasing its movements.

That was the last individual among the swarm of monsters that had attacked them.

Leona, having confirmed that even the final one had been taken down, caught her breath.

“Hah, why is these guys’ magic defense so high? Hey, Rigan. You okay?”

“Phew, I’m, fine, so don’t talk to me.”

Rigan, exhaling rough breaths, didn’t look particularly fine no matter how you looked at him, but Leona kept her mouth shut, considering his pride.

‘A mage would never be treated like this anywhere else.’

Originally, a mage was a class that safely received protection from the rear of the party and performed casting.

Not rolling their own body around and rapidly firing magic right in front of the enemy like this.

Especially in the case of swarm hunting like this, where dozens of individuals charged at you, it was even more so.

‘Right now, it’s only at this level because I’m holding the front line… No, wait, did Senior Nathan intend to send a mage in here alone?’

Leona shook her head in disbelief.

“Hah, hah…”

While Leona was having such thoughts, Rigan’s breathing grew even rougher.

“Hey, Rigan. Was it that hard?”

“That’s not… it…”

Rigan’s words trailed off.

‘What? This is strange.’

Leona’s eyes narrowed.

Her gaze scanned Rigan thoroughly from head to toe.

It was true that it had been a tough battle for a mage, but Rigan was a guy called a genius among geniuses even at the Royal Academy.

His skills were as insane as his arrogance, so much so that even those who disliked him couldn’t bring themselves to disparage his magical abilities.

‘He didn’t seem to have that bad physical stamina for a mage either.’

Hadn’t he followed along swimming through the sea for over two hours during the island escape last time?

And underneath his wet shirt, his muscles had been quite visible too.

For Rigan to be struggling this much meant there was something wrong.

“Do you want to lie down for a bit? I’ll keep watch, so let’s rest a while and go.”

As Leona said that and approached Rigan, that was when it happened.

“Hm?”

Suddenly, a rich woody scent wafted into her nose.

It was a smell like a mix of tree fragrance that could only be felt in a forest at dawn, fresh fruit scent, and floral scent.

‘No, this is a city dungeon where I can only see completely broken stone walls everywhere. Why is there suddenly a scent?’

Leona’s head tilted in confusion.

“Hey, Rigan. Don’t you suddenly smell some strange fragrance?”

“Phew, you too?”

“Right? You smell it too, don’t you! Why would the smell of a forest suddenly come from a ruin?”

At Leona’s words, this time Rigan’s expression turned strange.

“A forest?”

“Yeah, it feels like we’re deep inside a dense forest. There’s the smell of grass… a bit of fresh fruit scent too, and a deep floral scent like jasmine? It’s very faint, though.”

Leona’s nose had caught even the most subtle of scents.

Hearing her description, Rigan realized the sense of incongruity and frowned.

“I only smell a sweet scent that feels like my head is about to split open. It’s so intense it’s like someone poured rose water all over a small room.”

“Huh? Rose water?”

“Yeah. And I also smell milk and vanilla.”

Their gazes met in midair.

“Don’t tell me… the constellations are up to some weird trick again…”

Just as the two were having an ominous premonition they didn’t even want to think about, that was when it happened.

“Oh my~ So you’re the kids the Lord mentioned~?”

Suddenly, a voice came out of nowhere from the air.

When the two turned their heads toward the sound, there was a woman in a risqué outfit.

She was wearing a precarious outfit that exposed most of her chest and thighs.

Just as Rigan and Leona were tensing up at the suspicious woman who had suddenly appeared in the dungeon, that was when it happened.

“Ahh, why are the Vampire Clan here! And this energy is demonic energy! This is impossible!”

The angel, who had suddenly popped out from the air, shouted.

And upon hearing the angel’s words, Rigan and Leona couldn’t help but be shocked.

“What? That’s the Vampire Clan that disappeared long ago?”

The Vampire Clan were a demi-human race famous for their ability to transform and control animals, as well as their outstanding looks and matching aesthetic sense.

They were not enemies to humans, but neither were they a friendly race.

Because they had a nasty hobby of ruthlessly seducing humans they fancied and turning them into their kind through bloodsucking.

The Vampire Clan, who had thus maintained a kind of neutrality between good and evil, one day suddenly vanished from the world.

By the time of Rigan and Leona’s generation, they had become beings only encountered in textbooks.

“By the way, what do you mean by demonic energy?”

“Incredibly potent demonic energy is emanating! Oh my goodness, the Vampire Clan has defected to the Demon Lord’s army. I can’t believe it!”

In response to Rigan’s question, the angel flapped its wings with a look as if it was about to cry.

And they weren’t the only ones surprised by this sudden encounter. The Vampire Clan woman also widened her eyes upon seeing the angel.

“This energy is Sirphion? Wasn’t it supposed to be eternally asleep?”

“It’s not! I, I’m just sleeping a little longer, that’s all!”

The angel flapped its wings and protested, but the Vampire Clan woman just snorted.

“Hmph, whatever it is, it doesn’t matter now. Matters concerning the Demon Lord are decisions made by our Lord.”

Then she averted her gaze from the angel and looked at Rigan and Leona.

A peculiar smile rose at the corner of her mouth.

“My job is simply to follow orders to bring you two.”

“B-be careful. Everyone! That over there is a Vampire Queen, one of the top ranking among the Vampire Clan!”

At the words ‘Vampire Queen’, Leona and Rigan recalled what they had learned at the academy. The Vampire Queen specialized in seducing opponents using her beauty and charm, and was a monster specialized in mental manipulation.

“Heheh. No need to be afraid of my name, dears. I’ll be very gentle with you.”

The Vampire Queen was in a somewhat elevated state. Even by the aesthetic standards of the Vampire Clan, who worshipped beauty, both humans were rare beauties worthy of satisfaction.

‘It seemed strange that they would send me to deal with mere two humans. With looks that good, I understand the Lord’s orders too.’

Especially the silver-haired man was worthy of being called top-grade even among humans, or even among all races combined.

“Oh, how I want to lay you under me and make you cry. So then, just trust this unnie and follow—Eh?”

The Vampire Queen, who had been attempting mental manipulation by emitting a full dose of her charm as usual, was startled.

Clearly, the prey who should have been sending her hazy gazes were wearing expressions far too composed.

“Ah, what a relief. So that scent must have been coming from the Vampire Queen.”

“Hmph. I was surprised for a moment, thinking it was another trick from those perverted constellations.”

The Vampire Queen was baffled. It was true that her specialty was luring opponents with charm, but the two didn’t even look like they had fallen for it, and she didn’t even possess any ability to emit scents.

“This must be that Vampire Queen’s technique, whether it’s called fascination or seduction or whatever. But I don’t remember any mention of a scent in the textbooks.”

“The Vampire Clan disappeared a long time ago, so they might have evolved in the meantime.”

No, I’m just an ordinary Vampire Queen, you know? The Vampire Queen was bewildered. Whether she was or not, Rigan and Leona felt as if a weight had been lifted from their minds.

“Alright, now that we know the cause, let’s just catch it quickly. If you think you might get charmed, just back off somewhere.”

“Ha, as if I’d fall for such a shabby trick.”

Rigan and Leona chattered amongst themselves as they prepared for battle.

Watching that, the Vampire Queen finally realized the situation and became enraged.

“How dare, how dare you look down on this Vampire Queen? For a couple of brats!”

I’ll show you what I’m made of!

The Vampire Queen prepared her strongest seduction, aimed at Rigan.

‘I’ll subdue that green brat first, then take the woman hostage using him as leverage.’

The more male they were, especially young and inexperienced males, the more easily they fell to the Vampire Queen’s seduction.

She was confident. No man who had taken a direct hit from her technique had ever endured it.

No matter how strong the man, the result was the same.

They would squirm, their groins bulging, panting as if ready to lick her feet.

When she sweetly commanded them to kneel, they knelt; when she told them to strike down their comrades, they struck them down.

“Become a slave to pleasure beneath my feet! <Temptation>!”

A powerful pheromone burst forth from the Vampire Queen’s body.

It poured down upon Rigan without hesitation.

“Hohohoh, let me see the sight of a horny dog writhing…”

The Vampire Queen’s words did not continue to the end.

Rigan, who should have been losing his mind and drooling, was standing there with an utterly composed expression.

No, rather, he was frowning deeply.

“…It smells like a sewer.”

“Are you impotent?!”

The Vampire Queen’s shock echoed through the empty ruined city.