The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices

The Dungeon Monsters Keep Offering Sacrifices – 134

EP.134 Celia and Baalzerith (2)

– Baalzerith has visited Lee Kang-hyun’s dungeon. –

As soon as the notification sounded, I checked the dungeon. Sure enough, Baalzerith was traversing my dungeon. Heading towards the core, it seemed likely she intended to meet Celia. I zoomed in for a closer look.

“Hmm.”

Baalzerith was a familiar figure, having appeared twice in the draws. Simultaneously, I felt as if I had met her in person before. What stood out the most was her attire. When she first appeared in the draws, she wore a black dress, but now she was clad in tattered clothes, holding a strange creature in her arms.

‘What happened to her?’

But that wasn’t the important issue right now. The pressing question was why Baalzerith had come to the dungeon. She had rejected my offer to become a manager. What was she planning? Surely, she wasn’t here to surrender?

“No, that doesn’t make sense.”

“I should inform Celia.”

I didn’t know Baalzerith’s intentions, but it wouldn’t be wise to antagonize her without cause. I quickly tapped the keyboard on the screen to send a command to Celia.

【We have a guest. Treat her well.】

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“This is the office of the one who manages the dungeon.”

Dambi said, guiding Baalzerith to the dungeon’s core area. The office door, which had been firmly closed, slowly opened.

“……”

As the door opened, Baalzerith felt her breath catch. The immense power emanating from the office paralyzed her. Her curiosity about the being inside surged.

Taking a deep breath, she clenched her trembling hands. Considering the grandeur of the dungeon she had seen so far, it was clear that an unimaginably powerful entity awaited inside.

‘What kind of being commands such a dungeon?’

Initially, she had planned to stay for just a few days, taking advantage of Dambi and Lils’ hospitality. However, what she had witnessed here was far from ordinary. Goblins armed with high-quality equipment and various types of monsters guarded the dungeon. Most shocking of all was the presence of two other 5-star creatures like herself.

Given the current situation, she couldn’t even begin to fathom the power of the dungeon master.

‘Could this be a trap to capture me?’

The scale of the dungeon made her suspect a connection with the Demon Merchant Association. If that were the case, perhaps she should leave immediately. But Baalzerith shook her head. Despite being on the run, she had a high sense of pride as a vampire royalty. Fleeing out of fear of an unknown entity was unacceptable to her pride.

One glimmer of hope was that she still possessed enough strength to survive. No matter how dire her situation, she was still a vampire royalty. Even if the Goblin Lord and Death Knight were of the same rank, she believed she had the upper hand in pure combat power. However, she might have to sacrifice her stew slime if things went south. As powerful as she was, she couldn’t gauge the dungeon master’s strength. If necessary, she planned to use the slime as a distraction to buy time.

“Grr, grr…”

Sensing her anxiety, the stew slime whimpered sadly. At that moment, Lils gently grasped her arm and whispered in her ear.

“The General Manager is infinitely merciful. Just don’t mention ‘that person.’”

Though she was tense about the unknown entity, Baalzerith dismissed Lils’ advice lightly. After all, there was no need for her to be overly submissive. Her goal was to find the owner of the voice, not to stay here forever. As long as she confirmed there was no connection to the Demon Merchant Association, she had no reason to bow down.

Finally, the door to the office opened, and a skeleton knight stepped out.

“Clink, Clink!”

The knight signaled for Lils and Dambi to step back.

“Clink, Clink, Clink.”

Then, it bowed respectfully to Baalzerith, indicating that only she was allowed to enter.

“Then, see you later.”

“Let’s meet again if fate allows.”

After offering their brief encouragements, Lils and Dambi left. Baalzerith nodded slightly and stepped into the office.

“……!”

The sight before her took her breath away.

‘A succubus.’

In the middle of the office stood a succubus with long silver hair flowing down her back, exuding an alluring presence. Her body, clad in a red dress, was accentuated by the two horns protruding from her head. She was the epitome of beauty.

But it wasn’t just her appearance that captivated Baalzerith. The immense power radiating from her was overwhelming.

‘Such strength…!’

This was the first time she had encountered someone this powerful since the owner of the voice. Could she be the Succubus Queen? But the Succubus Queen had been missing for a long time.

Baalzerith stood there, speechless and bewildered.

“Nice to meet you, Riche. My name is Celia,” the succubus said in a soft voice.

Snapping back to reality, Baalzerith forced a smile.

“N-Nice to meet you too.”

Facing someone so overwhelmingly powerful made her voice tremble. Moreover, Celia already knew her alias. Baalzerith faced a dilemma, should she continue using her alias or reveal her true name? After a brief internal conflict, she made up her mind. There was no need to hide her identity here. The alias was only to evade the Association’s eyes. Given Celia’s power, there was no reason to worry about the Association.

All her concerns about a possible connection to the Association vanished.

“My name is Baa—”

Before she could finish, Celia interrupted.

“I apologize for the interruption. I have an urgent message.”

A shadow appeared behind Celia.

“!”

The sight made Baalzerith’s heart sink.

Those shadows were monsters not widely known to the world. They shared a common trait, they were frequently used by the Demon Merchant Association. Capable of moving stealthily without the constraints of time and space, they were perfect for gathering information and carrying out assassinations. Why were such shadows present in this dungeon?

‘Could this dungeon really be connected to the Association?’

Baalzerith wondered, casting a worried glance at the shadows. Celia smiled.

“Oh, these are my subordinates. I brought them from the Association.”

In truth, she had seized them, but Baalzerith took Celia’s words at face value. After all, there was no rule that only the Association could use shadows. A being of Celia’s caliber would undoubtedly receive various conveniences from the Association.

The Demon Merchant Association dealt with all dungeons, but there was a fundamental difference between dungeons that traded with the Company and those that followed its orders unconditionally. Baalzerith concluded that this dungeon merely traded with the Company and wasn’t operated by it.

She watched as Celia calmly issued commands to the shadow. What urgent matter could someone of such power have? As a former dungeon master herself, Baalzerith was curious.

“I see. So, you can’t find Baalzerith’s whereabouts…”

“?”

What was that? Why was her name mentioned? Baalzerith strained to listen more closely, thinking she might have misheard.

“I’ll handle capturing Baalzerith. Just make sure to track the Inquisitor’s movements.”

“Eek!”

What did she mean by capturing her? And who was this Inquisitor? The sudden turn of events sent chills down her spine. What was happening?

The shadow, having received its orders, disappeared, and Celia turned back to Baalzerith.

“Now, where were we? You were about to say your name, Ba—”

“A-Ah!”

Panicking, Baalzerith waved her hands, interrupting Celia. Whatever was going on, she couldn’t reveal her real name.

“Yes, that’s right! My name is Baa… Riche. Riche! That’s what I was going to say.”

Revealing her true name would have been a grave mistake. Baalzerith tried to hide her flustered state while gauging Celia’s reaction.

Surely, she hadn’t figured out her true identity, right? The chances were slim. After all, Celia had called her Riche upon seeing her. Gauging Celia’s reaction, Baalzerith quickly took a seat. Celia continued calmly, as if nothing was amiss.

“I’ve prepared some tea. Please, have some.”

At Celia’s gesture, a skeleton knight brought out the tea. Baalzerith accepted the cup, trying to hide her trembling hands. However, after taking a sip, her face contorted.

‘Ugh, it tastes awful…’

Tea was far from satisfying to a vampire’s palate, which craved blood. She momentarily grimaced but quickly forced a smile, keeping an eye on Celia.

“So, Riche, what brings you here? I heard you came from the Free City Alliance,” Celia asked directly.

Baalzerith hesitated for a moment. Should she reveal her true reason for being here? After a brief internal debate, she decided to share part of the truth. Perhaps this succubus knew something about the owner of the voice.

“The truth is, I’m searching for someone I desperately want to meet. I’ve been following their trail,” Baalzerith began, recounting her past.

“The problem is, I don’t know their appearance or identity. One day, they suddenly spoke to me. Aside from that voice, I have no other clues. They are truly a mysterious person…”

As Baalzerith spoke, she noticed a flicker in Celia’s eyes. Though Celia quickly masked her emotions, Baalzerith caught that fleeting moment.

“So, the owner of the voice… visited you?”

“Yes, exactly! I came here to find the owner of that voice. I need them! Do you have any information?”

Baalzerith’s voice grew fervent. If she could find the owner of the voice, she could atone for her past mistakes and seek another chance. But finding that being was as challenging as reaching for the stars.

She could only hope that Celia knew something about the mysterious figure.

“I see… so that’s what happened.”

Celia nodded sympathetically at Baalzerith’s words but shook her head.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know. I wish I could help you.”

As expected, Celia didn’t have the answers Baalzerith sought. Disappointed, Baalzerith lowered her head.

“It’s fine. This is my problem to solve.”

“……”

An awkward silence lingered in the room, broken only by the soft sounds of the stew slime in Baalzerith’s arms.

“Grr?”

As the silence stretched, Celia spoke up.

“Ah, I heard from Dambi. You don’t have anywhere to go for the time being?”

“…That’s right. Would it be possible for me to stay here for a while?”

Baalzerith replied weakly. Leaving the dungeon to search for the voice’s owner seemed daunting. Staying here, where it was safe, seemed like the best option for now. With such formidable defenses, even the Association would hesitate to act against this place. It was the perfect spot to regroup and refine her plans.

“Well, since the master has allowed it, you may stay. However, while you’re here, I’d like you to contribute in some way.”

Celia’s request was clear, in exchange for staying, Baalzerith would need to be useful.

“Of course! I’ll do whatever is needed without hesitation!”

Baalzerith agreed readily. She felt it would be shameful to just take without giving back, so she understood Celia’s point.

However, something about Celia’s words caught her attention. The term ‘master’ had been used. Why did Celia refer to someone as the master? It implied there was someone above her in the dungeon’s hierarchy. Wasn’t the succubus the dungeon master?

‘Wait… the master?’

She recalled Lils mentioning a General Manager before they arrived at the office. Her mind raced with confusion.

‘General Manager…’

It was possible to manage a dungeon without being its master. Neither Dambi nor Lils had referred to the succubus as the master of the dungeon.

‘Hold on! If she’s not the master, then who is the real master…?’

Up until now, Baalzerith had assumed the succubus was the dungeon master. But if that wasn’t the case, then who was the true master of this dungeon? She observed Celia closely, curiosity gnawing at her, but she couldn’t muster the courage to ask. The sheer aura Celia exuded, despite not being the master, was overwhelming.

‘What is the true nature of this dungeon?’

If there was indeed a true master, how extraordinary must they be? The thought of the voice’s owner crossed Baalzerith’s mind.

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After Baalzerith left, Celia remained alone, lost in thought.

“Baalzerith…”

Though she used the name Riche, it was easy to see it was an alias. The power emanating from Baalzerith was anything but ordinary. She was distinctly different from other vampires, even when compared to Dambi or Aren. Celia had played along with the alias, understanding the need for secrecy.

However, one thing about Baalzerith bothered Celia. It wasn’t the informal manner of speech; that was trivial. What irked her was something else.

“Baalzerith is searching for the master…”

She had mentioned hearing a voice from nowhere. Celia instinctively realized that the voice Baalzerith spoke of belonged to her master. Memories of the moment she was saved by her master flashed through her mind. Yet, she had no intention of revealing this truth to Baalzerith. She couldn’t allow anyone, especially a vampire like Baalzerith, to come between her and her master.

“I won’t let a mere insect like her get close to the master.”

A deep-seated desire surged within Celia. She wanted to eliminate Baalzerith immediately, but then she remembered her master’s command. He had instructed her to treat guests well.

“The master must have a plan.”

She was a servant devoted to her master’s will.

His words were absolute.

Thus, there was no room for personal feelings to interfere with his commands. Still, Celia found solace in one fact, Baalzerith had not been chosen by the master. Even as a 5-star entity, Baalzerith had been rejected, while Celia, a mere 3-star, stood proudly by his side. This difference was enormous.

“Indeed. I am what the master truly desires!”

At the time, Celia had been sealed in the underground of a cult. Yet, the master had not only rescued her, a mere 3-star, but had also guided her ever since.

“His grace alone is more than enough.”

Now, all that remained was to solidify her relationship with the master, ensuring no one could come between them. Forever.

Celia immediately summoned a skeleton knight.

“Bring Kazel here.”

“Clink!”

“And as for Baalzerith—no, Riche—assign her to the Death Knight for fortification work. She should earn her keep, don’t you think?”

Shortly after, Kazel appeared.

“You called, General Manager?”

Kazel von Rosenberg, once a baron of the Sael Kingdom, was now a devoted servant to Celia and the dungeon.

Celia wasted no time getting to the point.

“We will conquer the Free City Alliance and offer it to our great master.”

“Understood. I will prepare the necessary information on the Free City Alliance.”

Celia was determined to prove that she, not some vampire, was indispensable to the master.

“The master’s love belongs solely to me.”

She would do whatever it took, even if it meant conquering the continent.

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– General Manager Celia proposes the conquest of the Eldorado Continent. –

“?”

What was this situation? The sudden notification left him puzzled.

Before the current alarm, Celia had been conversing with Baalzerith.

‘What exactly did they talk about?’

What kind of conversation led to the conclusion of conquering the Eldorado Continent?

‘Could she have come here to stir up trouble?’

It was a reasonable suspicion. Celia had been composed before Baalzerith’s arrival, so it was unlikely she would suddenly come up with such a grandiose goal without some provocation.

“Should I expel Baalzerith?”

Something was definitely happening within the dungeon. Just then, another alarm sounded.

– The owner of the Lamia Dungeon, ‘Arcane,’ has declared war on your dungeon, Lee Kang-hyun. –

– Assemble forces to repel Arcane’s army. –

What was this now? The situation was becoming increasingly headache-inducing. Lamias were monsters with a human upper body and a snake lower body. Why would such a monster suddenly declare war on his dungeon?

“Is Baalzerith really a spy?”

The timing was too perfect to be a coincidence.

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