S-Class Dungeon's Mistress

Chapter 120

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“What do you mean? Caladi left?”

Adelaide, who had gone in for a light bath at Lisianthus’ suggestion, stopped taking her clothes off, ran out of the bathroom and asked. She must’ve been impatient as the towel didn’t even look like it was wrapped properly. 

Ack! The Skeleton Captain covered his eye sockets and screamed.

“Where did Caladi go?”

“P-Put on your clothes! My god, so embarrassing!”

“Young people these days…!” The skeleton captain mumbled that he could not have imagined doing such a thing even in his dreams. 

Only then did Adelaide check her appearance and clicked her tongue. It was embarrassing, but the news that Caladium had left was more urgent than that. The moment she tried to ask the question again without the intention of going back to her bathroom, a large towel covered her body. When she turned her head, she saw Lisianthus again.

“You might catch a cold.”

Somehow, the tone was particularly stiff. His well-groomed eyebrows were also subtly distorted, and his ears were slightly red. He must have been displeased that she had shown her naked body to others.

Adelaide grabbed the towel he had covered her with and draped it across her chest. The clothes that could be barely considered  un****ear were covered. Her white thighs and collarbones were still exposed, but she didn’t care too much and continued.

“There. Go on, tell me. Where did Caladi go?”

“The Death Knight saw him crossing the portal to Esperanza. And with a very scary face.”

“Esperanza? Why was he there all of a sudden?”

“I don’t know about that either. But he has had a serious face since a while ago. Isn’t it related to that?”

Adelaide froze and remembered Caladium’s face. As the Skeleton Captain said, after Abaddon came and went, Caladium had become very quiet. But Adelaide, drunk with her own chagrin and sorrow, could not afford to examine his face properly. She thought that Caladium was just quiet because he wasn’t in a good mood either.

“Looking at the fact that Lisianthus had just come back, it seems that he was preparing and waiting for him before leaving…”

The Skeleton Captain carefully added. It made sense. If he had acted rashly because of the previous incident, he would have run away earlier. Perhaps he waited for Lisianthus to return, thinking about Adelaide and Greenville. If he had left before Lisianthus returned, there would be no devil to respond to an unexpected attack. At the same time, Lupinus also returned to Mediar.

“Of…”

With a terrified face, Adelaide said.

“Don’t tell me, Caladi was so angry that he stormed into the Demon King’s Castle…?”

Considering his fiery personality, it wasn’t impossible at all. She trembled with fear and clasped her arms tightly against her chest.

“No, he will not. He may be ignorant, but he knows he must stretch his feet if he’s looking for a place to lie down*.”

[T/N: Starting something only after you’ve thought of the results and consequences in advance.]

As Lisianthus spoke to comfort her, she was relieved. Yes, no matter how rare Caladi thinks things through, it won’t be that bad. 

Phew. Adelaide exhaled.

“Then, why did he leave all of a sudden? He used to go out often in the past, but nevertheless, he never left without a word…”

“He’s not the type to look for peace of mind outside.” She added. 

When Caladium was upset, he would sleep on the sofa or take a walk with Bell, but he was not the type to enjoy solitude.

“Can you explain in more detail what just happened?”

Lisianthus asked, fiddling with his chin. Adelaide began to explain in detail from the very beginning. The portal opened and Abaddon came in as if it was his home, she used her powers, he threatened her and Caladium, and even attacked Pia.

At the end of the story, Lisianthus’ picturesque face turned ugly. The golden eyes that resembled wild beasts blazed wildly.

“He dared… to put his hands on master.”

A cold voice escaped from between his red lips. Blue veins bulged on his hands as he took his gloves off. He had not heard this earlier when Adelaide explained in tears.

“Yes, I’m fine but Pia and Lupin were injured.”

Although she suffered from bruises, she was fine now, thanks to Pia’s immediate healing. She was more concerned about Pia, who couldn’t heal herself, and Lupinus, who was half-human, regardless how legendary.

Adelaide told him, but Lisianthus couldn’t seem to hear. Adelaide hurriedly changed the subject, as she had a hunch that Lisianthus, not Caladium, would cause an accident if left as is.

“Isn’t it because he went to attack that Abaddon b*****d?”

“… No. From what I’ve heard, it doesn’t seem to be the case. If he was going to do that, he would have started the battle right away without having to go looking for him. And also, Lupinus is there, so if they fought together, there is a high chance that they will win.”

Oh, that’s right. Adelaide nodded her head.

“I think… He probably left for a while because he felt embarrassed by the fact that he showed weakness in front of his master. It would have hurt a man’s pride, who acted as if he was the best, to show such helplessness.”

He looked pathetic in front of the woman he likes so there was no way he was okay. Besides, Adelaide, unlike him, spoke her words quite proudly in front of Abaddon, so he would have been even more embarrassed. Adjusting the towel, Lisianthus continued.

“If he doesn’t come back that would be great. Unfortunately, that won’t happen. Adele. He will be back soon. So don’t worry and go back to the bathroom. You’re already cold.”

He still seemed annoyed that she was revealing her body. Adelaide slowly nodded her head and tried to turn around, but then stopped. She thought of one more question. She was curious about what Abaddon meant by ‘qualification’ or ‘the power of Helheim’. But the moment she opened her mouth to inquire about the meaning, Adelaide stopped.

When Abaddon brought it up, Caladium reacted as if he had been subjected to an intolerable insult. She remembered his strong arms trembling. Maybe he doesn’t want to let anyone else know. It would be even more so if it was Lisianthus, whom he doesn’t get along well with.

It’s a personal matter, so if I want to ask, it’s best to ask Caladium directly. As she thought this, she brought up another question of hers.

“Lisian. What should Lupin do? Abaddon could come again. This time it passed safely, but… You never know what will happen next time.”

“Should I tell him not to come to Greenville in the future, but to stay in Mediar?” Adelaide put on a sullen face. At first, his insistence on living in Greenville was unsettling, but now she has grown accustomed to living with him and enjoyed it. If there were no problems, she thought that she would like to live like this for the rest of her life. In fact, Adelaide had already considered Lupinus as her demon, no, her warrior.

“Likewise, it would be nice if I could kick him out, but… You don’t have to. Although there is a risk, if he transforms into a human like this time, he will not go unnoticed, and his presence will be quite useful in case of unforeseen circumstances.”

“Phew, that’s right.”

“I’m glad.” Adelaide replied with her face noticeably brightening. 

The Skeleton Captain who was standing next to her also sighed in relief. In an instant, the other demons had also become close with Lupinus. Maybe they were closer with Lupin than Lisianthus.

‘Because he’s unnecessarily sociable.’

Lisianthus snorted. In his mind, he wanted to say that he should be banned immediately, but he managed to keep it in with amazing patience. However, seeing Adelaide liking it, he must have judged wrong.

If anything, he wouldn’t have missed the chance to monopolize Adelaide. However, it was swept away by the “unforeseen circumstances” she just mentioned. Since Abaddon had come all the way here, you never know when the situation will change suddenly. Something that even Lisianthus may find difficult to handle alone.

In the event of an unexpected emergency, if any of them had to leave Greenville, it would be himself. Lisianthus bit his lip, feeling as if he had been driven to the edge of a cliff.

* * *

Just as Lisianthus had predicted, Caladium returned to Greenville within a few days. As soon as Adelaide heard the news that he had come home, she ran to him barefoot and welcomed him.

“Caladi! You’re back!”

She jumped right into Caladium’s arms and hugged him. It’s only been a few days, but she had been so worried. Like a mother worried about her runaway child, she roamed around her portal dozens of times a day, and she couldn’t sleep well at night, it was not like her, whose troubles never lasted long.

“Where did you go, without telling me…!”

Adelaide buried her face in Caladium’s thick chest. An unfamiliar and familiar scent wafted over his clothes. She was able to infer what it was without difficulty, it was the smell of blood.

“I’m sorry, Adela. I went to Esperanza for a while because I had some business to take care of.”

Caladium slowly patted her on the back. If it was his usual self, he would’ve said that he missed her so much with a rough tone, hugged her even more tightly, or maybe even kissed her lips straight away, but somehow today, his reaction was calm.

She felt queasy. Looking back, Caladium had been like this before. Every time he went out, he came back with the smell of blood, and would give an ambiguous answer saying that weak things bothered him. It was around the time when he declared that he would reclaim his stolen home.

‘You said your house was in Esperanza.’

The location also overlapped. She was convinced that his abnormal behavior had something to do with the stolen house.

“Can you tell me what kind of business it was?”

Adelaide looked up at him and she asked cautiously. The playful face was gone, and the image that looked like danger was captured in sight.

“… It’s no big deal. Let’s talk later.”

Caladium averted his eyes and gently pushed her away. Adelaide was shocked by the small gesture though there was no force. It was the first time he pushed her away ever since their first meeting in the Boraca Dungeon.

“I’m tired, so I’m going to rest.”

He strode past Adelaide who was frozen in shock. Tak. A sound of the door closing.

“… Adele?”

Lisianthus, who witnessed all these scenes, called out to her in a soft voice. Adelaide stood still, in the same place she was. She looked like she died standing.

Lisianthus walked up to her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. Turning her around, he saw her wide eyes full of tears.