S-Class Dungeon's Mistress

Chapter 69

Adelaide was startled by her own cold tone and flinched a little. A look of displeasure was evident on her face.

‘It’s nothing to be offended about. What’s wrong with you!’

She bit the inside of her lip and blamed herself. Didn’t it seem like she was questioning Lisianthus?

If you think about it rationally, Lisianthus was a devil, a devil was at the top of the pyramid within the Demon Realm. Unlike Caladium, he did not receive help from Adelaide. So, no matter what his intention was when he hid his identity, it was not something she should be offended by. She didn’t know how to thank him for helping her this much. It was her who was relieved when he said that nothing had changed.

For a few seconds, while waiting for Lisianthus’ answer, Adelaide pondered what exactly made her feel this way.

“I know you can’t trust me but… It’s true. The contract with Harbeige is all true. I will request the documents from the Dungeon Management Bureau tomorrow.”

Lisianthus answered in an earnest voice. Fortunately, Adelaide did not seem to be offended by his tone of voice. He looked rather sad as he slowly lowered his eyelashes.

Adelaide expressed her intention for him to do so by her brief silence. Then she slowly opened her mouth.

“…Why? Why did a devil-like Lisian make such a contract?”

What’s the reason for a great devil to work as a manager of an F-Class dungeon? Was her grandfather a Demon King and forced him to do it?

Ah. Where had she heard that? Adelaide glanced at Caladium. That jerk knew. So that was why he said that.

Do devils protect the secrets of another? As she questioned with her eyes, Caladium, who had been pretending not to see it, secretly lifted a pillow and covered his face.

‘This b*st*rd.’ Adelaide muttered in her mind then spoke again.

“They said that devils usually live in castles. The stronger you are, the more money you can make. Am I wrong?”

“…No, that’s right. Most devils are like that, and I’ve lived the same life. Living in a castle so huge that the number of rooms cannot be counted, possessing treasures that I will never use.”

Lisianthus said with a bitter face.

“Then why…”

“They were worthless and empty days. I tried to find meaning in at least one thing, but I couldn’t. So, in the end, I abandoned everything and left.”

Adelaide’s eyes widened in shock. She didn’t expect to hear such a thing. It was even more embarrassing because his appearance seemed to be confessing his sins.

“I had no destination, so I just walked wherever my feet took me. After walking for a while, I realized that I had come a long way from where I lived. When I came to my senses, a thick forest surrounded me. It was Darfur Forest.”

Lisianthus slowly gazed at Adelaide. Then he said calmly, keeping his eyes fixed.

“It was beautiful.”

His reddish lips curled slightly. The voice that flowed through them was hazy and sweet, it was dreamy.

“That was when I finally grasped how truly beautiful nature was. The deep green was refreshing, and even the chirping of birds was as sweet as music. It looked like a fairy village out of a fairy tale. Unbeknownst to me, I followed the raspberries that formed in the bushes… Like fate, I faced a dungeon.”

“It was Greenville.” Adelaide listened to him with a focused face.

“I gave the little bit of money I had to your grandfather, Harbeige, and asked. Please hire me as a manager so I can recuperate here, alone.”

In the midst of it, she took a deep breath. How much is the ‘little bit’ that the devil was talking about? She had an intuition that there would be a huge difference from the ‘little bit’ she thought.

“After that, Harbeige never came back. It was the last time I saw him. He said he would go out for a run after receiving the money… Because of this, I feel a little bit responsible for Master’s debt.”

Adelaide closed her eyes tightly. The 666 Almas must have been due to gambling debt. She knew he was a demon, but she didn’t know that he tried his hand at gambling. When did her grandfather, who left just like that, find out about her existence and prepare her inheritance papers before he died?

Whatever the answer was, it didn’t matter now. Adelaide cautiously opened her mouth.

“… I see. Thanks, Lisian. For telling me this.”

“No. Thank you for listening.”

“Then… I was not supposed to come here?”

She had a puzzled face as she fluttered her eyelashes. It was a request and a contract but it was almost as if he bought a dungeon. What else would it be if not a purchase contract when he said ‘I will recuperate here alone’? From his point of view, Adelaide was nothing more than a troublemaker who suddenly came and claimed ownership.

“You wouldn’t have liked me coming…”

“No, that can’t be true. Not at all.”

Lisianthus said it was outrageous, grabbed her hand, and shook his head. His actions were very urgent, like he was worried that she would leave.

“I was sincere when I said I was going to serve Adele as my master and to make your wish come true. The reason I revealed that I am a devil is because I wanted to be a little more helpful to master.”

“Please do not think otherwise.” Holding Adelaide’s hand dearly, he whispered in an earnest voice.

Adelaide only blinked in embarrassment. She confirmed that Lisianthus intended for things to remain as they were. However, she still had one unsolved question. Even though she knew it was better for her to move on without asking, she could not bear it and opened her mouth.

“Why?”

She briefly swallowed her dry saliva.

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

She was not a great demon and was just an ordinary succubus. What merit was there to dedicate himself with such earnestness when he himself was a devil?

At Adelaide’s question, Lisianthus opened his eyes for a moment, and then answered with a smile as warm as the spring sun.

“I just want to.”

Lisianthus gripped Adelaide’s hand even tighter. The warmth that was transmitted to her skin was satisfying. Something that had been clogged up somewhere in her heart finally came out like a dam bursting.

“Just like Adele told me. I simply like being by your side.”

The gold pupils staring at her were so gentle yet intense that Adelaide stopped breathing for a moment. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. She felt as if she became possessed by something dangerous. At the same time, it was as if she had found the reason for her feelings. Somehow, her eyes got hot.

“Ehem!”

It was only when she heard Caladium’s cough that she was able to exhale the breath she had been holding. After glancing at him for a moment, Lisianthus spoke in a soft voice.

“I’m sorry, Master. I know you are sad. It was inevitable. Pretending to be weak and not serving the master properly, leaving you in danger, I deeply reflect on everything…”

“No, no!”

Adelaide cut him off. Suddenly, tears welled up in her pink eyes.

“It’s true that I’m sad, but it’s not because Lisian didn’t help me. I…”

Sniff. She inhaled with a runny nose.

“Adela, are you crying?”

Why are you crying? Caladium, who had kept his mouth shut, jumped up and looked at Adelaide in a hurry. Adelaide opened her mouth as she stood with tears in her eyes.

“I must have trusted and relied on Lisian far more than I thought. That’s why Lisian kept hiding something from me… Of course it was natural, but it is indeed disappointing. I was afraid that the images that Lisian showed me might not be sincere.”

“…Adele.”

Lisianthus closed his lips with an anguished look. Adelaide quickly shook her head.

“No, it’s okay now. I’m not asking you to tell me everything. I know that Lisian is serious, so that’s enough.”

“Hehe, really.” Adelaide smiled foolishly with a tearful face. Then she squeezed Lisianthus’ hand tightly.

“Thank you, Lisian. I also really like Lisian.”

This time, Lisianthus held his breath. In front of her year-end smile, the mask he had kept until now was completely shattered. His heart pounded and raced wildly. The corners of Lisianthus’ eyes quivered slightly at the unfamiliar feeling.

Unknowingly, as he opened his lips to say something, a harsh voice suddenly interrupted.

“I have a question too.”

Caladium clung to Adelaide and wrapped his hands around her waist possessively.

“How did you hide your horns?”

[T/N: Caladium asking the important questions. XD]

Dark lines filled his displeased face. He knew that he had no way of interfering, so instead of showing his dirty mood, he turned the topic around quite naturally.

As always, Lisianthus had no desire to respond, but unfortunately, Adelaide fell for the trick.

“Yes! How did you hide it? Caladi had a hard time hiding it with a hat every time.”

She was still holding Lisianthus’ hand so she removed one hand and shoved Caladium’s head away. It meant to stay away, but Caladium stuck to her as if he didn’t understand her intention. He didn’t forget to grin cheekily at Lisianthus.

“You just have to move your energy precisely. Like hiding your wings. You release a lot of energy, so you won’t be able to do that, little kid who thinks he’s everything.”

Lisianthus responded with a sly smile.

“Wow, so Lisian is stronger than Caladi then? Awesome!”

“It’s just that that b*st*rd has lived a long time, so there’s a lot of things he has seen and heard. No matter how long you have lived, I’ll still win!”

Caldium exclaimed vigorously. In the end, this battle of words was still won by Lisianthus.

“Come to think of it… How old is Lisian?”

“May I ask?” Adelaide asked and sneaked a side glance. Just by looking at his face, he looked young, but since he was a devil, it was difficult to guess because they aged very slowly.

“Well…  It’s been a long time since I last counted, so I can’t remember.”

“Wow, that answer is so cool.”

‘It feels like a transcendent.’ Her eyes twinkled as she admired him. Then Caladium opened his mouth, fearing that he would lose ground.

“I can’t remember mine exactly either. How old am I?”

“Last time you said you were over 300 years old. Are you an id*ot?”

“Tch, a grown up devil who doesn’t even know his age.” Adelaide clicked her tongue. In response to her contradicting reaction, he answered with a wounded expression.

“You, you, this is discrimination! You said you’d treat me with respect…!”

Adelaide stiffened in surprise. Come to think of it, she seemed to be overly comfortable with him these days. Besides, wasn’t today the day she was supposed to receive her regular absorption? If she couldn’t absorb her regular energy by making him upset, she’d be the only one at a loss.