The mob stood there, silent. Aster stared at them, equally wordless. He shook his head. I don’t know what to say. Should I give up? Murder them all? I can’t justify it, and yet, neither can I justify leaving them alive to endanger Stella in the future. If I ever want to leave this place and leave Stella in safety, can I leave these people alive?

Behind Aster, the stone wall crumbled. Aster startled. Shit! Are her defenses falling? Now, of all times?

A few of the members of the mob straightened up, violence glistening in their eyes again. Aster raised his hammer and narrowed his eyes threateningly. The tiger growled, and the centipede hissed.

Bessa raised her hand. “There’s no need for violence. Let’s talk it out. He does make a good point.”

“A good point? A good point!” someone protested from the back of the crowd.

“All this has done is convince us how much the dungeon needs to go! These monsters are dangerous. Man-killers. Man-eaters! They can’t remain!” someone else shouted.

“And I’m telling you, that’s every dungeon. Some of you were once adventurers. Surely you know this?” Aster asked, tired.

“Knowing it is different from seeing it. Now that I have young children… how can I leave the dungeon be?” a woman in the crowd muttered.

The wall behind Aster cracked one last time, then shattered. Stones rained down, melting back into the dungeon floor. Stella stood there, arms wrapped tight around her. She looked at the crowd, tears welling up in her eyes. “Why can’t you leave me be?”

“A child?”

“What’s a kid doing in here?”

“The dungeon kidnapped a child? How dangerous!”

Aster looked back at Stella. “You shouldn’t come out now. It’s still dangerous.”

Stella shook her head. She walked forward, in front of Aster. Aster reached out to stop her, but at the last second, hesitated. He loomed protectively over Stella, but didn’t stand in front of her.

Stella turned to the town. She wiped her eyes and shook her head. “Why?”

The villager’s voices overlapped, drowning out Stella’s.

“Who is this kid?”

“Isn’t she the girl Aster claimed was his daughter? Why’d he put her in danger?”

I put her in danger? That’s hot, coming from the people who attacked her, Aster thought, shaking his head.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

“Hey, honey, come here. It’s safe now.”

Stella tried to talk again, but the villagers’ voices were too loud. She wrinkled her nose. Frustrated, she stomped her foot.

The entire dungeon shook. The crystals glistening in the ceiling, walls, and floor all shone, suddenly glowing a brilliant turquoise. The villagers fell silent, staring around them.

“I am the dungeon. I’m the Dungeon Spirit. I control this dungeon. It is my home… and it is me,” Stella declared boldly.

“What?”

“What’s that Aster been telling that kid?”

“Silence!” Stella demanded, throwing her hand out. The dungeon shook again, and the villagers quieted once more.

One quiet mutter reached Aster’s ears. “Is she controlling the dungeon? No way, it’s all real?”

Aster chuckled under his breath.

Stella scowled at the villagers. “Why can’t you leave me be? Why are you trying to kill me? I’ve been living quietly this whole time, not bothering anyone. It’s you humans who keep invading my home. Invading my home and killing my monsters! When has any one of my monsters invaded your home and killed your family?”

Wordlessly, the villagers stared at her.

Her voice rose in volume as she spoke. “What gives you the right to destroy me? I haven’t hurt anyone. I don’t want to hurt anyone. I don’t even like humans! Leave me alone, and I’ll leave you alone. It’s all I’ve wanted! This whole time, all I’ve wanted… is to be alone!” Stella shouted.

Panting, Stella glared at the villagers. They glanced among themselves, not sure what to say.

“You! What do you want? What do you want…” Her voice faded. Stella sniffled and rubbed her face. “You took everything. You took my friends. You took my mother. What else do you people want?”

Aster put a comforting hand on her shoulder. He looked at the mob, now a sheepish-looking collection of villagers. Some of the people in the back averted their gaze, no longer able to look him or Stella in the eye.

He sighed deeply and shook his head at them. “Do you feel better, now that you’ve made a little girl cry? Do you feel safer? Big and strong?”

Bessa licked her lips. She stepped forward. “I still think we have the right to be fearful of the dungeon. But… you’re right. We have benefitted greatly from it, and we’ve… that I can recall, we’ve never been in danger from it.”

Aster sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Finally.

“But… why does the dungeon kill adventurers? If we can talk with the spirit… why don’t we compromise with her? We can pay her to extract ores and crystals. Maybe even… I don’t know, manage flocks of monsters to retrieve their materials. There’s no need for this cycle of death to continue,” Bessa argued. Her eyes rested on Stella, lips drawn tight.

“Yes! That’s what I’ve been saying! No one dies,” Stella said, nodding. She hesitated. “But that means letting humans in…”

Aster chuckled. “You’ll get used to it. Besides, you need mana to resurrect your mother, right?”

Stella nodded. “Right!”

Surprised, Bessa raised her eyebrows. “Seriously? That’s… all it took?”

“Actually, Stella hates killing and death. She’s wanted this from the start,” Aster said.

“Oh. Huh,” Bessa muttered, surprised. She shrugged. “I guess… we should go back to town and set up the contract?”

“Hey! Not without me. I want in.”

“Me too! I’m not walking away from this gold mine.”

“Bessa, we see what you’re doing. No monopolizing the dungeon!”

Aster chuckled. He patted Stella on the back and smiled. “It all worked out, huh?”

“Yeah! Now… no more killing,” Stella said, nodding.

Daiyo walked over, emanating pride. A few streaks of blood remained on his hands. He leaned down and whispered in Aster’s ear, “I buried the bodies.”

Aster nodded. It’s unfortunate, but there was no other ending for Fontea and Jaro. I thought Jaro might be able to see reason, but… even greedy Silas needed some time to adjust to Alice’s death and subsequent monster resurrection.

Bessa stretched. “Shall we go write that up?”

“Now?” Aster asked, startled.

“Best to strike while the iron’s hot!” Bessa declared, grinning.