[Ayuseya’s point of view]

Illsy’s voice was so weak. He was trying as hard as he could to survive Dankyun’s onslaught, pushing himself beyond his limits to the point of breaking and fainting.

In all my life, I had never seen another man try so hard for me, but seeing him in pain, seeing him suffer like that made my heart feel strangled by needles of pain.

How can I let you suffer like this, Illsy? I said, but he didn’t reply.

I kept begging him to release me. It was the only way to win against that monster or rather… to make him back away. Dankyun was a madman, a monster with unreasonable power. No one could win against him.

Tears flowed down my cheeks without me even realizing it. They were tears of fear for what could become of the gentle Dungeon Lord who helped me when most would have fled away. My heart was hurting because I saw him in pain, because I saw him suffering when he had no reason to… Or maybe… maybe I didn’t see his reason.

Illsy, it’s the only way to stop this madman. Please! You’ve done enough. You tried your best, but this… I told him and shook my head I don’t want you to die because of me, Illsy… I don’t want this. I don’t want to see Dankyun kill my… I stopped. What was Illsy for me again? A guardian? A helper? A servant? A friend? Or more? The answer to this was whispered by my heart, and those were words I never believed I would say towards a dungeon. Illsy, I don’t want to see Dankyun kill the one I could one day… I could one day come to love. I looked up at him, and it was then when I heard his final words.

Ayuseya… I release you…

Such a weak voice whispered those words that I almost didn’t hear them.

My body was enveloped in a bright light, and I closed my eyes. The next thing I felt was a sting in my left cheek and the pull of the earth under my feet. I was back outside.

“Ayuseya?” asked Dankyun confused.

Opening my eyes, I saw the sharp edge of his black sword. The glowing red runes covered it and spread a malicious aura all around it. What I felt on my cheek was the cut of his weapon. Luckily, Dankyun had a good enough control over it to stop his hand before he took my head off.

Even though I was bleeding, I looked him in the eyes. There were still tears in mine.

“What’s this?” he asked and pulled his sword back. “Dungeon Lord! Answer me!” he shouted, but no answer came from Illsy.

Looking back, I saw the green crystal just floating there without a single reply coming from it. Illsy was probably sleeping, exhausted from spending so much Magic Energy. He fought bravely, and for such a young dungeon, it was an incredible feat to injure a Supreme Ranked draconian like Dankyun.

If I can buy him enough time, he’ll become stronger than him… I thought as I touched his flat crystal surface. I opened my mouth to speak, but I remembered Dankyun didn’t know I could talk again. For now, it has to stay as a secret. I have to make him believe that he still holds that power over me… I clenched my fist and looked back at him.

“Why don’t you answer!” he said and lifted his sword up, but I stepped between them.

“What’s this?” he furrowed his brow.

I shook my head and then pretended to write something in my palm, to let him know that I didn’t have my blackboard with me.

“What are you trying to say, woman?” he asked coldly.

The way he spoke made it clear just how low I was in his eyes, but I didn’t let it bother me. I made the sign again, hoping he would understand.

“You want to say something, but you need something to write on?” he asked raising an eyebrow.

I nodded.

“Fine. Here!” he said and took out a storage crystal.

It looked like a small quartz pendant, but it was one of the best out there capable of storing an impressive amount of loot inside. High ranked adventurers and military commanders found them indispensable in their missions.

From inside, he took out a small blackboard and some piece of chalk similar to mine. He handed it over, but kept his sword pointed at the crystal behind me.

‘Dungeon Lord is asleep. No magic left. I asked him to help me.’ I quickly wrote.

“What? Then that’s the reason why he’s not answering anymore? Wait, but what do you mean you asked him to help you?” he squinted his eyes at me and pointed the tip of his sword at my neck.

‘I’m afraid of you. I don’t want to be with you.’ I wrote.

“Hm? I don’t think you have a choice here, little princess. If you don’t become mine, your body will be offered to the ‘Ball’ in a year from now, wouldn’t it? We need to preserve the line, don’t we?” he smirked at me.

A shiver ran down my spine, and my body trembled a bit.

‘I don’t want that.’

“The other choice is me. At the very least, I can guarantee that our child will be strong and beautiful!” he replied with an overwhelming confidence, but the thought of having to sleep with this man disgusted me.

‘You won’t harm me, anymore?’ I asked even if I knew the truth.

“Of course not!” he lied through his teeth.

‘Then I will become yours. I’m just afraid of pain.’ I showed him the message and then erased it.

‘Everyone here acted on my orders. Please, forgive them.’

“Is that so? This would explain a few things, especially those draconian students. Very well, I’ll stop the attack, but you are coming with me right now. As soon as we reach Teslov, we will get married and I” he dropped on a knee and took my hand into his. “I will show you a night to never forget.” he kissed the back of my hand and showed me a wicked smile.

Shivers went down my spine of hate and fear, but I kept myself strong. I didn’t want Dankyun to be my first man, but there was no other choice now. Illsy had to survive…

I nodded and smiled back.

My heart was hurting so bad in that moment. It was horrible. Behind me was the Dungeon Lord who treated me with gentleness and love, and in front of me was the monster who took me away from him.

Why was it so hard to believe Illsy? If only I stopped thinking about how other dungeons think and behave… If only I stopped comparing the two… I thought as I got up, helped by the man who was to take me away from Illsy.

“Oh! If they acted under your orders, then does this Dungeon Lord follows Nanya’s or the headmaster’s orders.

I blinked surprised. Illsy didn’t follow the orders of anyone, at least not how Dankyun believed. He simple followed along with their suggestions and requests. I don’t believe I heard anyone say: “I order you” to him. It was possible that I wasn’t there when that happened, but I was pretty certain he acted independently.

‘Tuberculus’ I wrote on the blackboard.

“I see. To make sure we don’t get any strange surprises on the way, we’ll take him along as well. Hm, they must be under us.” he said and then looked down.

Taking my hand, he pulled me over to the hole in the wall. I had to make sure where I stepped to avoid the sharp pieces of cut metal and broken crystal scattered everywhere. After we stepped out of Illsy’s room, Dankyun stopped in the middle of the hallway and stomped on the floor hard. The force caused it to crack and form a hole in that place. He grabbed my hand and jumped down, dragging me with him. I almost screamed, but I stopped myself just in time.

“What’s this? D-Dankyun?” said Paladinus, who pointed his sword at us.

“Cease your fight, I found what I was looking for, and I’m going to leave this place peacefully. However, if you insist on fighting me. I will take you on and end your pathetic life.” he declared without even the smallest sign of remorse.

“H-How can we be certain that you won’t attack us?” he asked with a trembling tone of voice.

“You are still alive, aren’t you?” he replied with a raised eyebrow.

Meanwhile, I looked behind them and noticed the other students who were looking surprised at me. Of course, nobody knew where I was, and they all believed I ran away or hid outside of the academy. Now that I was here, their gazes turned quickly from surprise to accusation for the trouble I brought upon them.

I looked down, ashamed of this, but it was a truth I couldn’t run away from. Dankyun came to this academy because of me. The one responsible for disrupting their peace and quiet was me. I called the storm over.

Paladinus put his sword away and allowed the draconian Supreme to pass through. The moment one of the soldiers who tried to get in saw him, he spread the word to the others, and the battle outside stopped.

The students formed a path for us, and we walked through, baring the weight of all their gazes of fear and hate they cast down upon us. Between the two of us, Dankyun was the only one who appeared to enjoy the stir he caused.

“What’s the meaning of this?” asked Tuberculus, who stepped forward.

“Are you the one in control of this academy and the Dungeon Lord upstairs?” he asked.

“…” the old principal looked at me first and then said “Yes. I thought I made that clear already.”

“Just checking. I’m here to inform you that this… peaceful visit has come to an end. I will depart together with Ayuseya today. You will come with us to make sure we safely reach the next town. Do I make myself clear?” Dankyun asked.

“Yes…” Tuberculus replied clenching his staff and lowering his eyes.

It was their complete defeat. Even if he wanted to, he knew he couldn’t go against Dankyun’s words.

“Very well! I’ll let my soldiers know of this as well. We shall depart in about an hour or so. Oh! And your forest is in flames. I would put that out if I was you. As for Nanya, she’s somewhere in a pile of trash near the dormitory.” he said it as if it wasn’t important, but with it, he practically declared that if anyone dared to go against him, they wouldn’t come out unscathed.

“We understand…” said Tuberculus.

“Good!”

With that being said, we walked over to the exit, which was being blocked by piles of furniture. Dankyun didn’t bother digging his way through it, he unsheathed his sword and walked over to the room next to it. With four fast and powerful slashes, he cut a big hole in the wall and kicked it over. We went through and were greeted by his soldiers.

It appeared some of them were injured, but they didn’t suffer any significant losses. They still were in a pretty big number as far as I could see, however, none of them greeted or bowed down to me as their princess. Their loyalty was only to Dankyun, but that much was to be expected.

As soon as he gave them the orders, the soldiers picked up the camp and prepared the horses. They finished packing in about an hour after he ordered them to, just as he said. Meanwhile, I stood by Dankyun’s side. He didn’t let me out of his sight even for a moment. Since all of my stuff was still inside Illsy, I had nothing to pack.

“It’s time to go, Princess Ayuseya.” he declared and offered me a seat on his horse.

I nodded and smiled like a good little trophy wife.

I hope Nanya and Illsy will be alright… I thought as I looked back at the academy.

“I’ll take these. You won’t need them for now.” he told me and took away the blackboard.

Again, I smiled and nodded at him, letting him do as he pleased.

The headmaster joined us shortly after. He was packing light, just enough for a trip to the city and back. Dankyun placed him between his commanders, and we departed like that, without saying good bye or even looking back. The journey was going to be slow. At a pace that would take at least eight or even ten hours until we reached Therion city.

For most of the time, I tried to ignore everyone around. To ignore their presence because I could feel Dankyun’s arms around my waist. They were strong and kept me still as if afraid I was going to run away from him with the first chance I got.

It reminded me of that night with Illsy, when he pulled me in his embrace. His arms weren’t strong, but they weren’t weak either. Illsy was gentle and didn’t worry I would run away. If I believed I would feel better, he would let me do it. If I wanted to pull back, I could.

His kiss was so soft, his lips so gentle… Illsy pulled me close because he trusted me. Illsy was caring and didn’t force his smile… Sigh. I made a mistake didn’t I? I thought and then looked up at the branches above us.

Each step we took brought us farther and farther away from the only man who was true to me, but I was too much of a fool to recognize his worth.

No… I was scared of him. I shook my head. I was scared of how honest he was. Isn’t that foolish? I looked down at Dankyun’s hand around my waist. It was so different from his, but my heart clearly knew which one it desired.

I closed my eyes and let my thoughts fly back at the times I spoke with Illsy, at his words, at his touch, at his gaze, at his gentle presence. Speaking of which, he never did make his fog of darkness appear until Dankyun got here. He was a dungeon who didn’t want to kill.

My foolish dungeon lord husband… I said to myself.

Those simple words made me smile.

It made wonder what I could have gained if I didn’t act so foolishly. It made me wonder what it could have been if Dankyun simply didn’t exist. Maybe I wouldn’t have met Illsy at all.

Guess that’s the only thing I can thank Dankyun for… He made me flee from Teslov and meet Illsy, but now… I thought about my future with this monster. He was going to be the first one to touch me at night, the one I would wake up next to, the one whose children I would bear.

My fists clenched tight around the reins. I didn’t want that to be my future. I hated it…

We stopped after three hours to let the horses rest and eat something. Dankyun’s commanders gave each of them a stamina potion diluted in water and some hay. Meanwhile, we took the moment to eat something, but I wasn’t given the same food as the soldiers. I received dried hare meat and some fruits.

This small stop lasted for only twenty minutes and then we were back on the horses. We moved fast because Dankyun wanted to leave Illsy’s territory before he waked up. Even if he did, with me and Tuberculus as hostages, he wouldn’t attack them. Besides, I told him not to until he grew stronger.

Another three hours came to pass. Nothing changed, and we were almost at the edge of Illsy’s territory. As for how I knew this, it was rather strange, but I simply felt it. It was the same feeling one would have upon getting ready to leave their own home. I didn’t know how much more we had until we went past it, I just knew it was getting close.

In an effort to try to forget Illsy and accept my new life, I tried to close my eyes and stop thinking about him.

Flashes of him smiling, embracing me, kissing me, the moment of our embrace, they all returned to me with increased stubbornness each time I tried to push them away. I could clear my mind for a moment, but then I thought about him again and my heart was starting to beat fast and my stomach to feel funny. I couldn’t take Illsy out of my mind.

Did he curse me? I thought, but then I let out a sigh. I knew what that was. Only I could have the luck of falling in love with a man after I left him, but I think… I believe he is a man worth falling in love with, especially when looking at the alternative, Dankyun. Sigh… If there is any god out there, please, listen to my prayer and make sure Illsy and the rest are safe. Please… I looked up at the sky.

“We’re not that far now, princess.” said Dankyun, believing that I was just bored with the journey.

Of course, this man only knew the quiet and easy to bully Ayuseya. Illsy knew and cared more for the real me.

Nothing to do now… nothing but wait and… I thought, but then something hit me and made me fall off the horse.

Dankyun jumped back and caught me before I hit the ground. All the soldiers stopped in their tracks.

“What happened?” he asked surprised, but he was holding me too tight. It hurt.

I shook my head.

“It looked like she was hit by something.” said Tuberculus who pulled his horse close.

“Hit by something?” Dankyun furrowed his brow and looked at the trees around us.

His first reaction was to search the surrounding area for a hidden enemy. He even made a sign to two of his soldiers to check it out. They did as ordered and jumped off their horses. While they searched, the other soldiers made a wall around us.

Even I was confused by what was happening.

“I don’t believe it’s someone from my academy.” said Tuberculus, making sure he didn’t ignite Dankyun’s wrath again.

“It better not be.”

I gulped and waited patiently on my knees for something to happen, but the forest was silent. A second attack never came, but everyone still held their guard up, since they couldn’t explain what happened to me. Even I didn’t know.

“There’s no one in the forest, master.” said one of the soldiers after they returned, but it was only then when I noticed what they were.

The two soldiers were actually two very beautiful el’doraw women. Their dark skin that changed with their emotions, dark hair, and long pointy ears like Shanteya’s defined their species, but they were wearing similar armor as the regular soldiers had on them. It was a surprise to see he had followers of another species.

“Either they left or the Dungeon Lord came after us. I doubt this to be the case though, but I’ve seen him use a spell capable of grabbing someone no matter how powerful their magic armor was.” he told us as he pulled me up and looked back on the road.

I don’t think Illsy is here… I thought as I looked around for a sign, but there was nothing up there between the branches of the trees or up in the sky.

“Move with caution.” ordered Dankyun and pulled me up.

It hurts… I thought, but I could only wince and follow him.

I made two steps and then I bumped into an invisible wall. It was applied only on me, the others were unaffected by this force.

“What’s this?” asked Dankyun surprised.

I shook my head. I had no idea either.

He waved his hand around, but there was nothing there, however, when he pulled me towards him, I bumped into a flat surface. There was something there, but none of us knew what it could be.

“How strange.” said Tuberculus rubbing his chin.

“What’s the meaning of this old man?” asked Dankyun as he unsheathed his sword and pointed it at him.

“There’s no need to get violent, I have no idea either. It’s the first time I’m seeing such a peculiar barrier.” he replied calmly.

“Tsk! Have you two ever seen or heard of anything like this before?” he glared at the two el’doraw women.

They looked at each other for a moment and then looked back at him and shook their heads. I was starting to get the feeling that it was another of Illsy’s mysterious abilities. If he could dispel my curses, who knew what else he could do.

Not good! I’m thinking about him again! I closed my eyes and tried to get him out of my mind.

“Princess Ayuseya? Are you feeling alright?” Dankyun asked.

He startled me, and I quickly opened my eyes. My reply was a forced smile and a nod of my head. After that, I looked around and touched the barrier, trying to see where it might start or end, but it went from the ground up, all the way to the sky. Neither going left nor right helped. It was like a giant invisible wall.

“Hm, I wonder…” said Dankyun as he took out a Dungeon Level Detection Stone.

Where he stood, the stone didn’t react, but as soon as he stepped over to my side, the rock activated and showed the number 86. Illsy was leveling quite fast, but how could that be possible?

“That accursed Dungeon Lord! He bound you somehow to his Dungeon Territory! AAARGH!” Dankyun screamed and punched a tree.

The trunk couldn’t handle such force and cracked in the middle. The ground shook, and part of it was uprooted. After another moment, the whole tree came falling down because of the crater left at the base. The two el’doraw women jumped up and kicked the tree at the same time, changing its fall towards the other side.

I watched surprised as they cut down with their bare hands a tree over 20 meters tall and with a thick trunk of over 1 meter in diameter. It was amazing, but at the same time frightening. In my entire life, I could barely snap a branch in half let alone cause a tree of that size to fall down in one hit.

I gulped and looked at him.

“What did he do?” he asked and glared back at me.

Do? What is he… I thought, and I looked down.

The black tattoo ring came into view, reminding me that I was one of Illsyore’s wives. I was a Godlike Dungeon Lord’s wife.

Is this… Is this the reason? I thought and then looked up at Dankyun.

He noticed the ring.

“What’s this? WHAT’S THIS?!” he shouted and grabbed my hand so tight that it hurt.

“Stop this. Please, you are hurting the poor girl.” Tuberculus tried to help me.

“You stay out of this old man… Actually…” he looked over at him and saw that he was out of the dungeon’s territory.

With a smirk on his lips, Dankyun snapped his fingers and one of the el’doraw appeared behind him. Tuberculus didn’t have the time to react, and the woman stabbed him in the back with a knife. She pulled it out and then kicked him in the wound, sending him flying off the horse and onto the ground, away from us.

Tuberculus groaned and tried to get up, but the woman moved fast and struck him hard in the middle of his chest, breaking through the armor he had put up and sending him flying into a nearby tree. His red blood stained the trunk and ground below.

Looking at my surprised face, Dankyun told me “What? I never intended to let him live. He was going to die either now or in half an hour or so from now.” he then looked back at the two women and spoke calmly. “Stab him one more time and toss him somewhere over there. Oh, but not in the heart. I want him to suffer. If the bleeding isn’t going to kill, the poison will.” he ordered and the el’doraw did as told.

I saw with horror how the woman walked past Dankyun, and without any remorse stabbed him with the same dagger right in his stomach and then dragged him away by his hair, while he squirmed in agony.

There was no doubt about it, the headmaster, the old man who welcomed me kindly to his academy, was going to die now. I felt bad for him and wished there was some way I could help him, but in front of Dankyun and his army, which not even Illsy could defeat, what was I to do?

My body trembled with fear just from the mere thought of it. I tried to calm myself down, to appear unshaken and dignified in front of them, but when Dankyun crouched down in front of me, my heart shrank. He looked into my eyes and then touched the cheek he had cut earlier, now healed of any wound. My fear of this monster was as clear as day to anyone who gazed upon me.

“Now, I’m going to give you your board and chalk, and you are going to tell me what exactly that Dungeon Lord did to you and how I can undo it.” he smiled.

A chill went down my spine.

How can I lie to him now? This wasn’t part of my plan… This… I thought as I looked at him in fear.

“Here you go.” he offered me the blackboard.

“I… I don’t need it.” I said and looked back at him.

It’s over anyway… I thought.

“W-What?” he said surprised.

Even the soldiers looked surprised at me. Everyone knew I was a mute, including Dankyun, who was the one who cursed me in the first place. It was obvious that this wasn’t something he expected to happen. One thing was removing the engagement between us and another to remove the curse I couldn’t even tell anyone about.

I smirked.

“There is someone there with a greater power than yours, Dankyun…” I told him.

Even if he defeated Illsy once, I still considered the dungeon far stronger than the monster before me for the simple reason that in my eyes, Illsy had everything Dankyun lacked: kindness, compassion, modesty, and most importantly… love. Maybe it was foolish to believe so, but I honestly didn’t care anymore.

“Princess, I’m glad you can talk, but how?” he asked with a forced smile, but his annoyance was at its peak.

He was shaken by this, he even ignored my words, but maybe I could use his moment of confusion towards my advantage? It was a long shot, but I had to try.

If this works, he should start fearing this ‘someone’ who can easily remove such extreme curses because they might surpass him as a Supreme. If it doesn’t, then I’m dead anyway. I can’t leave Illsy’s territory, and now I am free of my curses. There is no reason for my country to wish to marry me off to him now, and he knows that. I thought and with a gulp, I told him the following words:

“Yes. The curse you put upon me was removed in a matter of seconds.”

“S-Sec-Seconds?!” he stuttered.

“And so was my family’s curse.” I added and squinted my eyes at him.

All the soldiers around me began to whisper among themselves when they heard this. Even the two el’doraw women who returned from dumping Tuberculus somewhere in the forest had a similar reaction. It was already known that not even the best healers on all three continents could do anything to remove this curse, but here I was proclaiming it was gone. The proof for it was the fact that I could speak, proving that my other curse had been removed. Still, it made me wonder just how many of all those around me actually knew I had two curses instead of one. For Dankyun, it was clear, but the others were just following orders.

“BUHAHAHA!” he burst into a loud laughter, silencing all the voices around him.

I blinked surprised and took a step back from him. He was laughing like a madman.

“You… Haha! You say you got rid of your curses?” he asked after he stopped.

“Y-Yes.” I replied.

“So… if you were to return, the kingdom would be saved as they say, right? I mean you would be able to strengthen the royal family again. Sigh! This is a good day! A good day indeed!” he said with a smile as he looked up at the sky.

For a moment, I thought my plan succeeded. If in his eyes, I stopped being a disgrace and instead became a proper draconian princess, maybe he would stop with his mad behavior and actually try to work with me to restore Teslov to the glory of the old. Unfortunately, I forgot that Dankyun may have had different plans in regard to how he could restore the power to the throne.

“I see, then… You cured your curses… I see, then… I just have to kill you and take another princess as my wife.”

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Those words spoken with a frightening calm sent shivers down my spine all the way to the tip of my tail. I took a step back, I wanted to flee, but the soldiers formed a wall behind me.

“What’s this? You would betray your princess?” I asked.

“They never were yours to begin with, Princess Ayuseya.” said Dankyun as he approached me.

“Why would you do this, Dankyun? Why?” I asked as I clenched my dress.

My hands were trembling, and my heart was beating faster than ever. I was staring death in the eyes, and there was no way for me to escape its terrible claws.

“I simply hate the current royal family, and I want the throne.” he shrugged and then pointed his black sword at me. “I have just one final question. What do you want your last words to be?” he asked with a smile.

My final words? How cruel… I thought and closed my eyes for a moment. Yes, those would be right if they were supposed to be my last words… I opened my eyes and smiling at him, I said “I have just two things to say. Dankyun, you’re an idiot, and the man I love is Illsyore.”

“How foolish.” he shook his head and then prepared to attack me.

I closed my eyes. This was it… No matter how hard I tried to run away from him, no matter how fast I was, no matter where I went and who tried to protect me, Dankyun always managed to catch up to me. Maybe this was my fate? At least, I would die knowing I said those words which set my heart free of any pain and heavy chains…

“Ayuseya?” I heard his voice, but I couldn’t believe it.

“Ayuseya? Are you alright?” I heard it again.

No doubt it was Illsy’s voice. I opened my eyes, but instead of the forest, I saw the metal room where his crystal body was. Shanteya and Nanya were here as well, but what was important was that Illsy was here!

“I…” my voice wouldn’t come out. My eyes swelled with tears, and without caring who saw me, I jumped forward and embraced that big green crystal. “Illsy!” I cried.

“Yes! I’m here… I’m… Don’t worry. You’re safe, Ayuseya.” he spoke to me with a kind and gentle voice.

[Illsyore’s point of view]

An hour or so before I summoned Ayuseya back to the academy, I woke up from my sleep.

NO! Ayuseya! I screamed and reached out for her, but she wasn’t there anymore.

Everywhere I looked, all I could see was the darkness of my Inner Mind, but Shanteya wasn’t there to greet me as usual, causing me to be confused and scared for a moment.

Was it all just a nightmare? I wondered as I tried to settle down my breath and fast beating heart.

It felt too real to be a dream even if the last part was incredibly hazy. The only way I could be certain of this was to look for Ayuseya inside the darkness of my Inner Mind. My fear and worry came from the last thing I said before I fainted. Those words I said were strongly imprinted in my memory.

Ayuseya? Are you here? I shouted, but no reply was returned.

The light in the distance that normally appeared when I checked to see where she was didn’t appear.

Ayuseya wasn’t in my Inner Mind…

No! No! No! It can’t be! I said shaking my head.

I tried to deny the possibility that I had failed and now Dankyun took her away, so I stepped out into the real world.

Indeed, it wasn’t a dream.

My room was a mess. The signs of my struggle and battle with Dankyun were visible everywhere. The remains of the AGLMC lasers I used as a last means of defense were scattered on the floor, shards of power crystal were mixed up with pieces of the steel cases and cut Inconel walls. Wear no boots and you were bound to get one stuck in your foot.

Looking up, I saw the big hole in the wall through which the draconian Supreme made his way inside, letting the light of the sun flood my room, reflecting on all the shards scattered on the floor.

Despite all of this destruction, despite remembering that last moment before I fainted when Dankyun was about to slay me, I was still alive and without a single scratch on my crystal body.

Ayuseya stopped him… I thought, but knowing this only made me angry.

In the end, I wasn’t able to keep my promise. I gave Ayuseya to that monster and even if I was to blame it on the fatigue and lack of focus, that was nothing but a simple and pathetic excuse. I was the one who released her in the end, right in front of the lion’s jaws.

But what if I died? I asked myself.

I shook my head. I didn’t even want to think about that possibility.

Opening my status window, I looked at my Magic Energy pool. It was full, but there were still traces of mental fatigue left, although not as bad. There was another thing I noticed: my divine auras.

Why didn’t they affect Dankyun? I wondered.

[Divine Protection]

What do Heroic and Godly attacks even mean? Emperor and Godlike? I thought and then looked at the other.

[Divine Aura]

When Dankyun entered, I was focused more on my defense than I was on infusing the [Divine Aura] with magic energy… It was probably so weak that he didn’t even feel it. I thought as I tried to remember the whole battle, but there were only bits and pieces there. My memory was hazy, only the last moment before I fainted was as clear as day.

With so little Magic Energy left there was no way for me to hope this ability would do any sort of significant damage to him. I probably made a terrible mistake by fighting him here, but he took us unprepared, both me and Nanya. Guess this proved to show the difference between real life and the countless games I played where the hero always managed to find some way to win.

It was then when I remembered how badly injured the teenage-looking teacher might have been, and here I was lamenting about being a poor excuse for a hero and losing my first fight.

“So what? I’m going to win the next one!” I told myself as I flew away.

Even if it was really hard to believe in those words, I tried to remember a good advice my parents gave me: ‘Whenever you face a problem in your life, no matter how big or small it is, always tackle it with the mentality that you will be able to solve it or get over it in the end. Believing the opposite will only weigh you down and push you further away from success.’

In other words, it was more efficient to think you would win in the end than worry about losing before the battle even started. That was how I had to think and keep thinking, but it was easier said than done. Inner fears were hard to get over even when you had the power of a Godlike Dungeon.

As I flew through the academy towards where I sensed Nanya’s life force, I didn’t even pay attention to the state the students and teachers were in. Maybe I also didn’t desire to witness the aftermath of the battle just yet, so I simply flew past, ignoring everything except that pulse of light I knew was my wife.

“Nanya!” I shouted when I entered the classroom.

This place was also wrecked. The windows were barricaded with the desks and chair, in an attempt to keep the soldiers away. There were no signs of any of them being broken though, meaning they didn’t attempt to get in through here. The classroom was on the opposite side of the academy from the back entrance where the soldiers tried to force their way in.

In that entire place, there was only one desk standing like before, the teacher’s desk, and next to it was the Godlike Ranked woman.

“Illsy?” she asked surprised and quickly turned around.

Her armor looked terrible, and her blood stained it where she got injured by that bastard, Dankyun. It looked like a nasty cut, but she didn’t seem to be bleeding, however, I had to check. I was worried.

“Nanya! You’re alive! I’m so glad! Are you alright? Are you bleeding? Anything broken? Are your panties still on?” I asked worried while flying around her like a pesky firefly.

She showed me a soft smile and said “Hehe! I don’t think that last question was needed, but I’m alright, Illsy. Tuberculus left me a healing crystal, and I’m back to 100%. Unfortunately, I took quite the beating…” she let out a sigh.

“Tuberculus?” I stopped in front of her.

“Yes. Hm? You just woke up, didn’t you?” she asked looking at me and tilting her head a bit to the left.

“Yes”

“I see…” her eyes looked down at the floor, holding a bit of sadness in them “Then you don’t know, do you?”

“Know what?” I asked surprised and then a chill ran down my spine.

Oh no! Did something happen to Ayuseya? Did Dankyun kill her? I thought.

“Dankyun and his army of jerks took Ayuseya and left one hour or so after the battle with you was over. For some reason, he thought you took direct orders from Tuberculus, that you are under his control or something, so he took him as well just to make sure we didn’t try anything stupid. After they reach Therion city, he’s going to let him get back to the academy…” she looked up at me. “I don’t think Ayuseya is coming back… ever.”

Hearing that was a bit of a shock. I was glad to know Dankyun left, but hearing that he took both Tuberculus and Ayuseya with him was a bit too much. I wanted to somehow get my draconian wife back, and I could easily do that by going over and absorbing her, but then they would kill the old man.

“I can’t do anything, can I?” I asked.

“No…” she shook her head and then looked back at the desk.

There were two crystals there, one was white and the other was brown. They were the same as the ones Dankyun used to recover his strength from our battle. If it wasn’t for those crystals, I could have won.

“What are those?” I asked.

“These go by a lot of names… Magic Crystals, Spell Crystals, and Spell Containers are the most commonly used.” she picked up the brown one “Tuberculus left them here for me. Apparently, I need to use them in case anything happens…” she told me.

“What do you mean?” I asked, but I had the feeling I wasn’t going to like the answer.

“He left me a note saying that in case Dankyun changes his mind about letting him go, he’s returning these two to me. One contains [Rejuvenation] and the other [Teleportation], but there’s too little Magic Energy in it, and I don’t know where it can take us.” she explained.

“So, if he dies…” I said.

“It could be Dankyun’s way of ‘thanking us’ for his stay here. Maybe he believes that if he kills him, you will go berserk and kill us.” she picked up the crystals and placed them in her pockets.

“What do we do now?” I asked.

“Let’s get back to your room… Where’s Shanteya?” she asked me.

Spreading my focus towards her life force, I found out that she was inside the academy, standing guard in front of the door leading to my room. Paladinus, Angius, and Rufus were there as well.

“She’s already there…” I said and then followed Nanya.

Did I fly by her without realizing? I asked myself.

As we walked back there, we saw the devastation left behind by Dankyun’s soldiers. Many of the students showed signs of injury and bleeding. Those who could stand were trying to fix the academy to the best of their abilities, basically they moved the rubble out of the way and cleared the furniture blockades.

Some of the regular teachers were injured as well. They were barely Master Rank adventurers. One was a Beginner, but they all had a role here at the academy. The weakest of them were the cooks. There were two of them. It was hard to admit, but during the time of my battle with Dankyun, a few other students died as well, killed by the soldiers who managed to slip in or by stray shots. Dankyun’s commanders were probably much stronger than initially believed and took the old adventurers by surprise.

Real life wasn’t like an anime where the strong could easily jump in front of a bullet and stop it with their teeth. It was possible that the students were simply unlucky. Even friendly fire was a possibility, but I had no doubt the teachers did their best to keep all 420 of them safe.

“Nanya! Finally! Tell this mad woman to get out of the way, or I’ll make her!” warned Angius as he pointed his sword at Shanteya, but she wasn’t even flinching.

“You won’t even be able to touch her. I guarantee it.” said Nanya with a sigh.

“How do you know that?” I asked curiously.

“You told me the reason.” she replied calmly without giving any insight on my [Bond of Trust] skill.

“Oh!”

“I doubt it! This girl is barely a Master Rank! You were the one who tested her!” shouted Angius.

“Maybe you should calm down a bit?” asked Paladinus.

“Calm down? The academy is a mess! One of my students died, and it’s all this Dungeon Lord’s FAULT!” he shouted.

“Master is not to blame for the destruction caused to your academy. He defended it.” Shanteya said.

“No! He took in that draconian princess and put all of us in danger! Ever since you and your buddies tried to assassinate her, everything’s gone wrong! I knew it! I simply knew we shouldn’t have gone along with Tuberculus’ idea! Now look at us!”

“I agree. None of this would have happened if the Dungeon Lord wasn’t here.” said Rufus.

“You too, huh?” said Nanya as she squinted her eyes at them.

“There’s no doubt about it! The Dungeon Lord is to blame for this mess, that’s why… erm… that’s why…” Paladinus was trying to say something, but he was hesitating.

“That’s why what?” asked Nanya raising an eyebrow.

“That’s why we decided to destroy his core!” shouted Angius, but as soon as he said that, Shanteya moved in.

With a kick faster than he could react to, she sent him flying into my Inconel wall. He coughed, but she got in close and punched him in the chest, shattering his magic armor. Before he had a chance to recover, Angius had a knife at his neck.

“I dare you to say that again.” said Shanteya calmly, but her killing intent was so strong I could practically feel it, and Angius could as well.

“Calm down, Shanteya, he’s not going to do it.” said Nanya.

The el’doraw didn’t retreat.

“Indeed.” I said. “A supreme can barely cut through my walls, and if they wanted, they could have used the back door. I mean there’s a big hole in the wall right over there!” I said, but I forgot I was invisible.

“Nyahaha! True!” Nanya seemed amused by this.

“Even so… we don’t want the Dungeon Lord as part of our academy. It’s wrong. He’s a dungeon after all. Nanya, you of all people should understand this!” said Paladinus.

“I understand, alright… I understand that Dankyun scared all of you so much that you are all running away with your tails between your legs! Illsy didn’t do anything wrong! He actually protected all of us from day one of his birth! He didn’t attack us nor showed the tiniest bit of killing intent towards us! Even now when you are blabbering like fools that you want to get rid of him, he still hasn’t raised his black fog! He saved two poor girls from a fate more horrible than death, and instead of acknowledging all of his effort and kindness, you are thinking about killing him off? Now here’s a question. Why in the name of all of your PATHETIC gods could you ever think that I would ever LET YOU harm Illsy?” she shouted back at them, showing that even though I wasn’t raising my killing intent, she had no problems in displaying it.

Shanteya didn’t move away from her target either, and the teachers looked at each other for a moment. Rufus appeared to be ashamed of what they were trying to do, but he still felt like it was my fault. Angius was glaring back at Shanteya, and Paladinus was clenching his fists.

“Even so, I still don’t believe it’s right for a Dungeon of ANY kind to be part of a Magic Academy! It’s not natural! It’s not normal… he’s a Dungeon Nanya, you have to understand this. He’s not like us…” he tried to appeal to her.

“Then get out of here before I slash your throats open and drain you of your cowardly blood!” she growled in reply.

“Nanya, you can’t just…” Rufus tried to say.

“GET OUT!” she shouted.

“Nanya…” I said as I stepped in front of her. “Calm down, please.” I smiled.

She blinked a bit surprised and then groaned and rubbed her forehead with two fingers.

“Illsy, they are being jerks for nothing.” she said.

“I know, but stuff like this doesn’t vanish overnight.” I said, speaking of what I knew from the way humans on Earth saw other people different than them.

“Still…” she shook her head and gave up.

“Now then, gentlemen, if you wish to live on my Dungeon Territory, I have no qualms with it, and I promise I will help you however I can. However, if you desire to harm me or my friends, I’ll deep fry you in lava and send you to Mars with a kick in your behind. I may not have been able to beat Dankyun now, but you three are no threat to me.” I said with a smile.

“What? Are you joking with us Dungeon Lord? What makes you think we will listen to you?” asked Paladinus.

“Mars?” asked Nanya a bit surprised, but I didn’t bother explaining now. If she was going to ask about it later, I saw no reason in not telling her.

“Because I’m a Godlike Dungeon Lord and you three are merely Emperor Rank Adventurers who weren’t even strong enough to protect the students while I was fighting with the Supreme Rank adventurer Dankyun. Because until now, I played along with your whims thanks to Nanya, Shanteya, Ayuseya, and a bit thanks to Tuberculus as well. Because I showed you I have no ill intention towards any of you and when I let you into my dungeon, I could have killed you with extreme ease if I desired to, but I didn’t.” I told them calmly.

“G-Godlike?” said Rufus with a trembling voice.

“Yes. He’s a Godlike.” confirmed Nanya.

“I don’t believe it!” shouted Angius from under Shanteya’s dagger.

“Too bad, but that’s the truth. Now, if you want to leave this place, there’s an escape tunnel under this building. It will take you to the edge of my territory, which is over 17 km in radius around my Crystal Core. You have two options. Take that path and reach a nearby city or risk meeting with Dankyun again. What will it be?” I asked.

The teachers looked at each other for a moment and then replied.

“Is it safe?” asked Rufus.

“I guarantee it.” said Nanya lifting a hand up.

“Then, we’ll take the escape tunnel, and we’ll bring the students with us. This isn’t a Magic Academy anymore… this is a dungeon.” said Paladinus clenching his fists.

“Very well. I’ll open the path for you.” I said with a smile.

Shanteya moved off Angius, but she didn’t take them out of their sight. With the two girls defending my core from them, I flew a level bellow and created a path to the escape tunnel. Some of the students were surprised by the sudden ramp that appeared in the middle of the hallway, but Paladinus, Rufus, and Angius calmed down the spirits and led all of them through.

The moving process took about half an hour. Surprisingly, Zertan followed them as well, but he didn’t have his dryad with him. When I approached him about it, he told me this:

“Illsyore, despite what my friends said, they mean no harm. They are just frightened. I for one have no problems with you. You helped me a lot with the materials you collected. You helped my classes, and you never showed any ill intent towards me or my… friend. After I saw Dankyun, I sent her away just in case anything like this happened. She should be out of your territory by now, she also told me to tell you that she thanks you for your help. If you by any chance think of rebuilding this place, I would love to return and teach here. Until then, so long, Dungeon Lord Illsyore.”

“Likewise. Take care of her and yourself, Zertan.” I told him.

That was one farewell that didn’t make me feel like I was standing on needles. Now, with the academy building empty, I returned to my room, where Nanya and Shanteya were waiting for me.

“Sigh! This is bad! ARGH! When he returns, Tuberculus is going to go bananas!” said Nanya.

“I say good riddance!” Shanteya spoke calmly, but she still held her guard up.

“They say humans will show their true nature only in a time of crisis… They simply showed theirs…” I said with a sigh at the end.

“And I don’t like it!” Nanya lifted her hands up in protest.

“There’s nothing we can do about it now…”

I thought back at Ayuseya. I felt so bad about losing her. Although I was relieved for having those teachers and students leave my territory, knowing she was about to be gone as well made my heart ache. It was a bit weird, but what else could be done now?

Opening my skill list, I looked around it and saw this little one:

[Summon Ally]:

I wonder… I thought.

“Hey, Nanya?”

“What?” she asked looking back at me.

“I may have a way to steal Ayuseya from Dankyun now, but… but…”

“But what?” she raised an eyebrow.

“I can’t bring Tuberculus…” I said.

A moment of silence followed as Nanya thought about this, while I was feeling edgy. I wanted to use the spell. I wanted to call Ayuseya. I had to!

There was something inside me telling me to do it already, to open my mouth and speak those words. To infuse my magic into the spell and call out to the one I lost, but what about Dankyun? What about Tuberculus?

“If you do that, then Dankyun…” Nanya said and then smirked. “You know what? I didn’t get to fight him with my power at max. He didn’t get to meet Shanteya, and he didn’t get a taste of your dungeon either! I’m sure Tuberculus will figure out something, he’s a sneaky old man! Let’s do it!” she then laughed.

“Are you sure about this, Master?” asked Shanteya.

“Honestly speaking, Dankyun scares me, but losing one of you three scares me even more.” I confessed.

“If the gods want us to live, we’ll live through this, if not, then that’s it! Nyahaha!” laughed Nanya.

“You seem eager about another encounter.” I said.

“Of course! I ran away from him for too long and trust me when I say this, Illsy, but it’s not pleasant at all! If we run, that bastard will hunt us down and keep torturing us until we give up!” she said clenching her fists.

“Do we stand a chance?” I asked.

“Hm, maybe with your dungeon. It will definitely destroy his army, but tell me… What do YOU want to do right now?” she asked with a big smirk on her face.

I closed my eyes for a moment and thought about what I really wanted to do. Was Ayuseya worth the risk? Was it right to do something like this?

Funny though, but the first thing that came to my mind were some scenes from an old anime about a pirate with a straw hat who never gave up and just like an unsettling hurricane, he sailed across the sea, stopping anything he deemed wrong and unjust even if the chances of winning were slim to none.

Heh… So funny to remember about something like this now. Well, he was right. I guess what I really want is to see Ayuseya smile and safe. I want to see Nanya safe as well, and Shanteya too… I want to protect my nakama too, but if I do this, I’m putting all of our lives in danger… Should I? I thought and then opened my eyes.

I saw Nanya waiting for my reply with an eager look on her face, and Shanteya standing calm, but clenching the hilt of her daggers. She was ready to follow me everywhere. So in the end, I was going to be the one who decided.

Another crazy choice? No, this time I’m fighting together with all of them, and I’m pulling Dankyun inside my dungeon! I took a deep breath in. If we die, I hope God reincarnates us all in a more peaceful environment, or at least I hope He grants me the strength to take Dankyun down and win this! I thought and then I said “Azer Nef Yer!”

250 Magic Points were spent, and the spell was cast.

One last battle… I thought and looked at the bright shape of light forming in front of us.

[One of Dankyun’s soldiers’ point of view]

Milord was just about to bring down his wrath upon the foolish princess. None of us held any loyalty towards the royal family. It was weak and pathetic. They didn’t deserve our loyalty, but Dankyun was strong, and I at least saw the true values of a draconian man in him!

Just then, however, there was this bright light coming from the princess, and she vanished altogether! I have never seen anything like that in my entire life! The wretched harlot did something and disappeared before Milord could land the death strike on her!

“AYUUUSEYAAA!” shouted Milord Dankyun before taking out a strange-looking red crystal necklace.

He looked at it for a moment and then pointed it back towards the human magic academy. Milord chanted something for a few seconds and then a red beam of light flew up into the sky. The crystal turned transparent and the skies darkened.

As we all looked up, we saw big fireballs falling from the sky. A big grin appeared on my face as I knew what this meant. Milord Dankyun used his Supreme Ranked skill to crush the human academy.

“Look well, lads! This is the reason why we follow Milord! All hail Milord Dankyun!” I cheered, and the others followed.

_____

Note from the Author: Thank you for reading this chapter, I hope  you liked it! :)