S-Class Dungeon's Mistress

Chapter 105

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“Hmm, I see… Wait what?”

Adelaide, who couldn’t concentrate properly because she was too engrossed looking at Lupinus’ physique, belatedly understood what he was saying and asked back. 

‘What did Lupin just say now? Did I hear it right?’ She puckered her mouth. 

Ever since Lupin’s sudden appearance, there have been a few outrageous events, but the current one was the most unbelievable.

Lupinus raised the corners of his lips and smiled as if her reaction was funny. He then spoke again and said in a smooth voice.

“I want to win over my first love.”

“That–, first love couldn’t possibly be…me?”

“Right?” She added with her trembling eyes.

“Who would it be if it weren’t you?”

He added and smirked.

“Could I even love those demons I have never seen before?”

Lupinus raised his head and threw a brief glance at the devils outside the door. Seeing them stiff cold filled him with extreme satisfaction. Judging from their reactions, he seemed to be the first to openly confess. Whoever is courageous wins love. He laughed at the timidity of the devils.

Adelaide’s face flushed red at Lupinus’ declaration. Decades ago, she received more than ten confessions a day when she was still a prized talent of the Association. However, this was the first time she had been incredibly taken aback so far. 

She never had even dreamed that her old friend, who she thought was only a child, would love her. Besides, “I want to win over my first love”. Doesn’t that mean it’s still ongoing?

“B-But… you were a baby and I was an adult…”

“I wasn’t even a baby. Of course, it was difficult to achieve, but I was old enough to embrace the feelings of love. Fortunately, we’re both adults now, so there shouldn’t be any problems.”

When Lupinus answered her with a gentle smile on his face, Adelaide continued to squirm in embarrassment. After hearing his unexpected confession, she felt awkward and couldn’t meet his gaze. But it seemed to be even more embarrassing to avoid him, so she raised her voice and pretended it was not a big deal.

“We’re still several decades apart…!”

“Didn’t you already know that the stronger the warrior, the slower we age hence we have a longer lifespan? I don’t think I’ll die that much earlier than you.”

“That’s right.” Adelaide nodded her head involuntarily.

Because he was a legendary warrior, he would live a much longer life than a measly demon like herself. Unless she suddenly becomes as strong as or much stronger than Lupinus. 

Her reaction to admitting it made Lupinus smile again.

“Besides, the devils outside are probably 100 years older than you.”

“Uhumm, that’s true. But why are you bringing that up now…?”

She asked as if that had nothing to do with their current conversation. It was like proof that she never thought of them as romantic partners. Dark energy emanated from Lisianthus and Caladium who were listening from afar. Lupinus welcomed that energy like a reward and spoke calmly.

“It’s just a comparison. They don’t treat you like a child do they?”

“Right, they treat me like an adult…”

“Yes, so that means you shouldn’t treat me like a child either.”

Lupinus asserted clearly. Adelaide was half convinced by his persuasion but then quickly came to her senses.

“Hey, maybe you misunderstood something? That–, maybe they were feelings of longing.”

“Because when you were young, you didn’t know anything and you might have misunderstood.” Adelaide smiled gently and added. 

At that time, considering her abilities, she was indeed worthy of admiration. She must have looked pretty cool for a human child.

Instead of answering, Lupinus furrowed his eyebrows. His face, which had been smiling until just now, quickly hardened. Her effort to deny his feelings were upsetting. He replied with a regretful face.

“I don’t think I would have mast*rb*ted to the point of crazy if I was thinking of a person I just admire.”

Adelaide was shocked by his bold remark. Her heart, which had been pounding rapidly this whole time, almost jutted out. Her cheeks, which were already dyed pink, were now as red as tomatoes.

“Y-y-you…”

Adelaide pointed at him and stuttered. Unlike her, who was embarrassed and didn’t know what to do, Lupinus, who spit out the shameful words, seemed relaxed. It looked like his face was saying there was no problem.

“Why?”

“Why? You just… You said something strange!”

“You mean when I said I mast*rb*ted while thinking of you? Is that weird? I can do it right now.”

What are you going to do right now? She pursed her lips again in extreme embarrassment. The child whom she thought had grown up wonderfully, had turned out to be a bully.

“You… You hated me! How can you do that with someone you hate in mind? As I thought, you’re pranking me aren’t you?”

Adelaide, who barely found something to refute, quickly questioned him. She hoped that Lupinus would now admit that he was just pulling her leg.

“Yeah, I hated you…” Lupinus smiled sadly as he recalled the past. 

As expected, there was some misunderstanding. As Adelaide was about to feel relieved, she was slapped in the back by a soft voice.

“I thought it was terrible, but I couldn’t stop thinking of you. After I was done, I would feel so disgusted with myself. Now that I think about it, there was no need to feel that way.”

If you just listen to the tone of his voice, you would think that he was recalling some nostalgic memories and that the content couldn’t possibly be bad. 

However, it was no different than saying, “I should have just mast*rb*ted comfortably”. 

As Adelaide gave up, she covered her eyes with her hands. She wanted to stop seeing that decent face that didn’t go well with the obscene mouth. The once cozy and cute memories suddenly seemed horribly damaged.

“Adela.”

Lupinus smiled and called out her name. In the meantime, his voice was still sweet.

“Look at me, hmm?”

Adelaide pretended to lose, and opened the fingers covering her eyes slightly. Through a small gap, she saw him with a smile, his face looming over her. He resembled the boy she remembered, but in a different way.

“I didn’t say it hoping for something right away. I know you don’t see me as anything more than a friend.”

With a very friendly gesture, Lupinus kindly brushed her hair that fell on her face. Adelaide flinched at the ticklish touch.

“I just wanted to tell you how I felt. There is no need nor obligation to respond. You do as you please.”

“…Really?”

“You mean nothing has to change?” Adelaide asked, curling her eyebrows down.

“Yes. I have absolutely no intention of bothering you. You just need to know that I like you. Friendship or longing, don’t think about anything.”

Lupinus said this and lightly kissed her forehead. Adelaide flinched again, but there was no sign of avoidance. He was very satisfied with it, and he said, bending his eyes like a fox.

“As you do that, I will achieve my goals on my own.”

Adelaide tilted her head, unable to understand the meaning of his words. She still had a hot face, but she felt more at ease than earlier. Since he said that there was no need nor obligation to herself, the burden had been relieved quite a bit.

She tended to find it difficult to reciprocate the feelings of others. Most of the succubi who worked using physical touch are like that, but it was a particularly more severe case with her.

Well, it wasn’t just one or two men who followed her around saying they liked her, had given up quickly. Besides, Lupin said he wouldn’t ask for anything else from her, so there won’t be much change. She convinced herself liked that.

However, contrary to Adelaide’s thoughts, Lupinus’ confession caused a big change in Greenville Dungeon. The tension that had been maintained between the two devils was broken by the warrior who appeared out of the blue.

Lisianthus and Caladium, who thought they only had to keep each other in check, felt a sense of crisis due to his confession. The sense that they should not stand still like this and that they should not just stand by and watch. As long as this uneasiness resided in the hearts of the devils, change was inevitable.

The moment ‘love’ was mentioned, the fuse had already started to burn. How the explosives would explode remains to be seen.

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The next morning. 

Adelaide, who had forgotten the tumultuous events from yesterday and had slept well, walked out into the dining room, rubbing her eyes. Unlike her, Lisianthus, who had barely slept, smiled casually as he greeted her.

“Good morning, Master.”

“Hng, good morning… Strawberry tart this morning right?”

She easily forgot her other worries but never forgot the menu for breakfast. Maybe that’s why she woke up earlier than usual. Lisianthus nodded with a slightly tired expression on his face.

“Yes. Please sit down. I will bring it to you.”

“Thank you, Lisian.”

As soon as she sat down, the other demons showed their faces one by one. The Durahans looked around to see if the warrior was there, and only after confirming that he wasn’t, they walked out comfortably.

“Adela, I missed you!”

Bell came out and jumped into Adelaide’s arms. He felt that it was unfair that they couldn’t sleep together because he was caught by the skeletons last night. Adelaide lightly answered saying that she missed him too, and then waved her hand to the other demons as well. She then pulled out the dungeon pad.

“What?” She said, almost like a whisper. 

A notification window appeared on the screen that she hadn’t seen before.

[The repair service has been completed. Do you want to update?]

In an instant, her heart sank. The pad was finally repaired. And now, it was time to face the harsh reality. The thought of looking at her exhausted account balance made her sleepy and want to escape.

Adelaide pressed the button with a bitter expression. Then the appearance of the pad suddenly started to change back and forth.

Wooong-!

“Wh-What?”

As the dungeon vibrated loudly, the dumbstricken demons rose from their seats. Adelaide hugged Bell tightly, her eyes wide open, and looked around her. It was an unfamiliar vibration.

[Greenville Dungeon. Current Class D-5]

Unsurprisingly, a dull monotonous voice rang out loudly. It was the voice that came out whenever the dungeon’s rank increased.

‘Why is the rating going up? I haven’t done anything…’

After a moment of surprise, the corners of her lips slowly rose. Anyway, no dungeon master would dislike the rank going up. Adelaide slowly turned her gaze away and smiled. Her eyes met Lupinus as he walked out of the room. 

‘Hi.’ He mouthed smiling brightly.

‘That’s the reason for the rank increase.’ Her eyes twinkled.