Dungeon Defense (WN)

“Hello. My name is Ivar and I will be residing here in His Highness’ abode from now on.”

A blonde vampire bowed her head.

“My role is to represent Niflheim’s parliament and act as an intermediate between His Highness Dantalian and the parliament. I intend to serve His Highness while being proud of my duty. I would appreciate it if everyone comfortably referred to me as Ivar.”

Clap clap clap.

The sound of formal clapping resounded.

The 10th-floor basement of the Demon Lord Castle. It had been a long time since people gathered on this floor which could only be accessed by executives. Chancellor Lapis, Military Affairs Minister Laura, Civil Militia Captain Jeremi, and Head Maid Daisy. They were giving the new guest a somewhat guarded look.

I have to step forward in times like this.

“Now then, as she said in her introduction, Ivar is my point of contact with the demon world.”

I placed my hand on Ivar’s small shoulder.

“Due to reasons, I cannot disclose her family name. Although I will say that she is the heir of a rather powerful vampire lineage. Do not worry. I can guarantee her loyalty. Welcome her as a member of our familia.”

Clap clap clap!

The applause was slightly louder than before.

That’s right. Ivar Lodbrok had moved to my Demon Lord Castle. Even I didn’t expect this.

It seems that Ivar had made some big decision after I forced a kiss on her. Her purple eyes were burning with an unknown resolve.

‘I am able to live a second life solely because of Your Highness. So it would only be right for Your Highness to take r-responsibility for me.’

‘Sure.’

I spread my arms out and welcomed her. A treasure chest was walking to me on its own two feet.

Ivar didn’t go by some other alias. Ivar itself was already a rather common name. Surely no one would be insane enough to connect a blonde girl with the old fox of the Keuncuska Firm.

Lapis raised her right hand.

“Your Highness, what position will Miss Ivar have here among us?”

“Hmm. Position, huh?”

I scratched my cheek. Determining the hierarchy within an organization is always an important procedure.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Regardless of how amazing Ivar’s family is in the demon world, this was Dantalian’s Demon Lord Castle. Normally, it would only be right to place her under Daisy, the head maid, as an assistant.

But.

‘It’s a bit iffy.’

Lapis obviously has a high position here. However, she’s also an employee of Keuncuska.

Therefore, that would put Ivar in the lowest position here, but on the outside, she would be Lapis’ superior. Her boss, even. This would really twist the pecking order…….

While I was mulling over this, Ivar suddenly stepped forward by herself.

“Chancellor Lazuli, correct? Please treat me as a maid with the lowest standing.”

“Very well, then.”

I turned to look at Ivar in surprise. Ivar was smiling confidently. Was it really fine for her to be placed in a position far lower than her actual subordinate?

– Your Highness said so yourself, did you not? I am not Ivar, the Chief of Keuncuska. I am simply a girl whose name happens to be Ivar.

Ivar secretly transmitted those words to me telepathically. She was also gifted in magic.

– If a newcomer like myself were to suddenly mess up the pecking order, then I would end up being isolated. I do not wish to receive the ire and jealousy of the people whom I will now be working with. Please allow me to do this.

Well, if this is what the person in question wants…….

Ivar took another step forward as I nodded awkwardly.

“I do not wish to have my family’s authority riding on my back. I intend to serve His Highness Dantalian as a loyal vassal. I shall work with the mindset of learning from others.”

“That is the correct mindset to have.”

Lapis must’ve been satisfied by that response as she gave a short nod.

“Head Maid Daisy.”

“Yes, Chancellor.”

“I will leave Miss Ivar’s education to you. Deliver a report every three days at 1:15. Not only will this be your first time teaching someone, but this will also be an opportunity for the both of you to evaluate each other.”

Daisy raised the ends of her skirt perfectly as she bowed.

“As you command.”

Thus, another member was added to our familia.

That was how I perceived this event.

* * *

Ivar had no complaints about starting from the bottom again.

If anything, she was used to it. There was a time when Ivar Lodbrok had to dive into the bloody merchant battle within demon society after having lost her family and clansmen. Her ability was by no means normal as she had managed to build a massive merchant firm from that pit of hell.

‘It only took a thousand years to dominate the demon world with money.’

Ivar smiled slyly in her mind. It was a smile that befitted her nickname as the coiled-up fox of Niflheim.

‘His Highness Dantalian may be domineering, but his growth happened drastically within a short period of time. His Highness is probably the only one who’s impressive.’

Ivar changed into the maid uniform that was made specifically for Dantalian’s Demon Lord Castle. The black and white outfit’s skirt was strangely short.

‘In other words, this is an animal with the head of a tiger and the body of a dog. Impressive on the outside, but fragile on the inside. Five years. I swear on my name as Ivar Lodbrok that I will have conquered this place within five years.’

She wasn’t satisfied with the executives she saw earlier either.

Was her name Laura? The girl who was supposed to be the Military Affairs Minister had been yawning openly in the meeting room. She didn’t display even a speck of formality or etiquette. She might be a genius on the battlefield, but this was a political scene. She wasn’t going to stand a chance against Ivar.

Civil Militia Captain Jeremi would constantly throw dirty jokes at His Highness. I guess you could say that she lightened the mood. People like her were indispensable in any organization, but her demeanor and way of speech were so casual that she didn’t have any dignity.

‘Furthermore, the girl in charge of my education is barely 14 years old.’

Ivar was certain.

‘This is going to be easy.’

The child couldn’t possibly compare to the amount of life experience Ivar has. Ivar thought of about thirty-six ways to put Daisy under her thumb as she left the dressing room.

“Have you finished getting dressed, Miss Ivar?”

Daisy had been waiting outside the dressing room with her hands held over her stomach. She looked elegant like a bouquet of red spider lilies.

“Yes, Teacher.”

Ivar thought to herself as she responded. She had to admit that Daisy was indeed beautiful. It was understandable why His Highness Dantalian would take this girl under his wing. She was probably also a concubine and not only a maid…….

But she was still a young child. There was no way Ivar could lose.

“Very well, then. Today is your first day, so I intend to see what you are capable of first. Do you perhaps have any questions?”

“Ah, I do. Why are the skirts on all the servant outfits so short? It feels somewhat strange to me.”

Daisy raised the corners of her lips.

“Do you want a hypocritical but gentle answer? Or do you want a truthful but cruel answer?”

“……Pardon me?”

It was such an unexpected question that Ivar was late to respond.

Daisy spoke with a smile still on her lips.

“I never permitted you to ask questions. Miss Ivar, answering a question with a question is prohibited. Please keep this in mind. I will not overlook your second mistake.”

“……Yes. I understand.”

Ivar was dealt a blow.

It seems the girl in front of her wasn’t a normal 14-year-old. It was clear that she was trying to crush the new recruit’s vigor from the get-go. By deliberately showing a demeanor that could fluster the other party, the child intended to use that as a foothold to pressure Ivar……. 

‘I see. There’s a good reason why His Highness took her in as his adopted daughter.’

Ivar had lowered her guard way too much. This was a mistake that she fully acknowledged.

However, Ivar was confident that she wasn’t someone who would make the same mistake twice. That was her last slip up.

“Then, Teacher, I would like to choose the truthful but cruel answer.”

“May I ask why you made that choice, Miss Ivar?”

“Yes. I yearn to serve His Highness Dantalian to the fullest. If it is related to His Highness, I wish to only know the truth.”

Ivar maintained eye contact as she answered firmly.

Daisy’s smile became wider for some reason.

“Only the truth about Father, is it? I would be grateful if you could find something like that. To answer your question, it is because of me. I am the reason why the skirts are short here.”

“Because of you?”

“Indeed.”

Daisy gave a small nod.

She then opened her mouth.

“A transparent slime was inserted in my lower abdomen under my Father’s order. If I lower my guard and my skirt gets pulled up, the slime will become clear for all to see. Father deliberately made the maid uniform’s skirt short because he takes joy in watching my anxiety. Does this explanation answer your question?”

…….

There was a very long pause.

The thirty-six methods that Ivar had thought of earlier to put the other party under her thumb had vanished completely from her now blank mind. Despite her utterly empty head, she barely managed to utter one thing.

“……What?”

It was at that moment. Slap! A clear sound resonated throughout the halls of the Demon Lord Castle.

Daisy had slapped Ivar’s right cheek.

“Two back-to-back mistakes.”

“Huh……?”

“I clearly warned you not to answer a question with a question.”

Daisy’s expression hadn’t changed at all as she still had the same smile on her lips.

It was almost like she didn’t slap someone just now.

“Of course, I respect Miss Ivar’s free will. Giving you a warning does not mean that I am also suppressing Miss Ivar’s free will. Looking at this from another perspective, no matter how firm your free will is, Miss Ivar cannot block my punishment.”

“……Miss Ivar. I explained to you why the official skirts on our maid uniforms are short. Do you perhaps have any more questions before we begin work?”

Ivar answered instinctively.

“N-No. I do not.”

“Very well, then. Let us begin today’s tasks.”

Daisy briskly turned around and walked down the hall.

As Ivar Lodbrok watched her back, she came to an intuitive conclusion.

—She’s a crazy bitch.

She wasn’t simply crazy. That girl was smiling from start to finish. Even when she was telling that degenerate lie about a slime or whatever, or when she performed a slap without any hesitation, the smile on her face never disappeared!

Ivar knew from her long life experience that people who smile constantly could be split into two categories: people who are innately gentle and people who are innately crazy. She knew that they were always one or the other, and that girl was the latter, no questions asked.

‘Damn it. Who could have expected that the girl assigned to be my teacher would be crazy.’

Ivar lamented at her misfortune. She might have to change her five-year plan to six years.

After walking down the hall for a while, Daisy came to a stop.

“Our first task is to clean all ten basement floors. I will be evaluating Miss Ivar’s housework skills first.”

“Yes, Teacher.”

Fortunately, Ivar was skilled at various forms of housework.

Brooming, mopping, laundry, carpet washing, etc, Ivar carried out her orders earnestly. Of course, there was also the fact that she worked harder than usual because of the concern that the crazy girl might try to slap her again.

Flick.

Daisy slid her finger over a corner of the hallway. After confirming that there was no dust, Daisy nodded.

“Excellent. I believe I can deliver a good report to Her Excellency the Chancellor.”

“Thank you very much.”

Ivar held back her swears. This crazy brat’s interpretation of cleaning was cleaning every nook and cranny of a hallway until there wasn’t even a single speck of dust left.

“Then let us have a meal before proceeding to the second task.”

“What is the second task?”

Daisy answered nonchalantly.

“Torture.”

“…….”

Ivar almost let out another ‘What?’, but she desperately held back the word that was about to crawl out of her mouth. She seriously didn’t want to get hit by a young child.

“One of our important duties as maids is to torture the adventurers who invade the Demon Lord Castle.”

“…….”

“On a side note, this is Father’s way of trying to make me find pleasure in torture. You have discovered another truth about Father. Congratulations. I do hope that this pleases you.”

It was around this point that Ivar Lodbrok started to come to a realization.

Maybe she should have never set foot in this place.

***

Author’s Afterword

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TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. Uh, yeah, Covid sucks. I had most of this chapter done before I got sick, so I decided to get it out. I unno how I feel right now. It’s been about a week since I started showing Covid symptoms. My cough disappeared after 3 days, but after another day, it came back. I still have the coughs. I want to just get better and go back to work. I’ve barely worked for a month now and I feel like I’m leaving a bad impression. A coworker already got fired the other day, so now I’m feeling anxious. Ugh. 

I’ll see you guys in the next chapter and hopefully when I’m better.

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