Dungeon Odyssey [EN]: Chapter 244

# 244

Dungeon Journal

Episode 245

“Isn’t using Authority a bit of a cheat?”

Once the afterglow of their encounter had faded somewhat, Kim Jin-woo grumbled, though not entirely seriously. It was a rare sight to see the Lord of Greed acting petulant, and Angela seemed to be openly enjoying the situation.

“What’s cheating in the Underworld?”

She wore a triumphant expression, flashing a bright smile.

He hadn’t meant much by it. If he had truly wanted to resist, a vampire’s Authority wouldn’t have had even the slightest chance to invade a High Lord’s mind. But he hadn’t.

He had tried to dispel his hesitation by inhaling the alluring scent she exuded, and the effect had been quite remarkable. Thanks to that, he had been able to purely enjoy his time with Angela without any reservations.

“I wonder if Dominic will get angry.”

Angela rattled on, her face not showing any concern, but rather seeming amused. Contrary to her words, she didn’t seem to give a damn about Dominic’s anger.

However, unlike her, Kim Jin-woo’s face was serious. He felt as if he had cheated on his wife, even though he wasn’t even married.

“He was quite happy when he got his legs.”

Angela, who couldn’t possibly be unaware of his feelings, seemed to have found something quite amusing and was beaming.

***

Despite their deep connection, Angela never crossed the line. She didn’t act high and mighty, taking advantage of her master’s favor, nor did she look down on the other summons and become arrogant. She remained unchanged, just as she always had been.

Kim Jin-woo, too, hadn’t suddenly become a womanizer due to the ecstasy of his first experience. He calmly accepted their deepened relationship and seemed content with having shed one of the constraints that had bound him.

If anything had changed, it was those around her.

“My King.”

“My King.”

Angela’s subordinates, patrolling the outskirts of the Great Labyrinth, prostrated themselves on the ground when they saw him, offering the utmost respect. It was too natural to attribute it solely to the High Lord’s majesty displayed in the previous battle, so he unconsciously turned to Angela.

“Shouldn’t the Queen’s man be called King?”

It seemed that vampires had some way of recognizing each other. Angela chuckled, saying that it was a good thing that they now recognized and served their master, even if it was for this reason.

***

“Why are you telling me this now?”

Kim Jin-woo frowned, rubbing his temples.

“I hesitated to report it, fearing to disturb the King’s rest.”

Ricksha’s words made his face flush. It was all too obvious that the rest she was referring to was the time he had spent with Angela.

But only for a moment. He quickly wore an uncomfortable expression.

“Punish me, I will gladly accept it.”

Seeing his displeasure, Ricksha bowed her head deeply, adopting a submissive posture.

“Enough, I didn’t mean to blame you.”

It was wrong to get angry at the Under Elf, who was so blindly loyal and steadfast. He sighed and told her to raise her head.

“More importantly, has the envoy’s identity been determined?”

“Although we could not communicate, judging by their appearance, they are believed to be envoys from a Duke-class labyrinth located in the northern region.”

The reconnaissance team that had been circling the vicinity of the Great Labyrinth for the past few days had disappeared, and suddenly an envoy had arrived. He pretended to think for a moment at Ricksha’s answer.

The Duke-class labyrinths positioned around the Great Labyrinth each had summons with distinct appearances. The ones from the northern labyrinth resembled a combination of cows and humans.

“I don’t even know the purpose of their visit.”

Since they couldn’t communicate, he couldn’t figure out why they had suddenly come to the Great Labyrinth.

“Since no hostility was felt, it is believed that they have come for reconnaissance or to establish friendly relations.”

That made some sense. With a labyrinth that had defeated the mighty Duke Ryuyoung nearby, it was highly likely that they had dispatched an envoy to check things out.

“Where are they?”

“Not wanting to provoke us rashly, they have taken a position far away and are waiting for a message from us.”

Morigan and other prominent summons were monitoring them, fearing that they might underestimate their power. It was a wise response.

“Good, let’s meet them.”

He didn’t know what their true intentions were yet, but there was no reason to reject those who volunteered to be guests. At least, not for now.

***

As reported, the envoys from the northern labyrinth had the appearance of half-human, half-bull creatures. If the Minotaurs of mythology existed in reality, they would be like them. The broad shoulders and imposing horns made them look quite powerful.

“Ask them the purpose of their visit.”

The problem of not being able to communicate was solved more easily than expected. Mimir, whom he had visited before leaving the Great Labyrinth just in case, had provided an interpreter.

“Take this child with you. There’s no need to send her back right away, so find a place to use her and use her as much as you want.”

The interpreter he had obtained was someone he knew well: the imp girl who had run away with his younger sister’s wedding money when he first acquired the labyrinth. He had met her again at the Black Merchant’s auction.

“I’ve taught her other languages besides ours in preparation for any eventuality, so she’ll be quite useful.”

Mimir, who had entrusted the imp girl to him as if he were handing her off, congratulating him on his victory, hinted that something was about to happen, saying that he would contact him soon.

His confident expression didn’t seem to indicate that anything bad would happen, but he was still concerned about the hidden intentions of the sly imp who wouldn’t reveal his true feelings.

“They have come to celebrate the victory that will remain in the Underworld forever and to strengthen relations.”

Lost in thought, he raised his head at the clear voice that didn’t match her appearance.

“Is that so? Tell them I appreciate the congratulations, and that as for relations, unless they act hostile first, I have no intention of being at odds with them.”

Kim Jin-woo accepted their congratulations with an extremely natural attitude. It was truly an arrogant demeanor, but he was fully entitled to it, having achieved victory against a deep-level Duke.

In fact, the half-human, half-bull creatures resembling Minotaurs were careful not to offend him, acting in a manner that didn’t suit their size. They slowly opened the boxes they were carrying and bellowed loudly.

“Verbal friendship is meaningless, so they have prepared gifts with sincerity.”

“They’re quite smooth for their dull appearance.”

This time, the imp girl didn’t bother to translate his words.

“We haven’t prepared anything, so let’s send an envoy in return later.”

If their purpose was friendship, then the bulls had achieved their goal to some extent. But for some reason, they didn’t seem to want to leave even after the conversation was over.

“It seems they have something more to say.”

At his words, the imp girl said a few words to the bulls, probably meaning to reveal their business if they had any.

“Actually, they have come to make a recommendation, no, a request.”

“So, those gifts weren’t just freebies.”

Kim Jin-woo said with a face that looked like he would return the gift boxes the bulls had given him at any moment. They seemed to have noticed this, as they frantically waved their hands and made excuses.

“It’s not an unreasonable request, and it’s a proposal that will also benefit you, so they ask that you listen to it and decide whether to accept it. Even if you don’t grant their request, they say they have no intention of being hostile to this place.”

At this point, Kim Jin-woo was curious about what their request was. Since he could just listen and refuse, he asked them what their business was.

“They say that even if an envoy from the southern labyrinth visits, you should not meet them? And even if you do meet them, you should never trust them.”

This time, the words seemed to be getting quite long, and the imp girl translated in between, but the envoy’s tone was rougher than ever.

Even without listening, the harsh pronunciation and excited tone made it seem like they were cursing the southern labyrinth, but as expected, the imp girl cut out most of the envoy’s words and only told him the gist of it.

***

The bulls, the envoys from the northern labyrinth who called themselves Tarus, had returned.

“Are Dukes so actively involved in politics even before the Underworld is united?”

It seemed that even before the Underworld was united, the conflicts between the Dukes were extreme. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have come to the Great Labyrinth, which they didn’t know whether was friend or foe, and suddenly badmouthed another labyrinth. He guessed that the Dukes of the north and south were definitely enemies.

“Whether it’s good luck or bad luck, it seems we’ve been caught in the middle of them.”

Angela hated complicated things and slipped away. Since she wasn’t of much help in judging the situation in the Underworld anyway, Kim Jin-woo didn’t bother to stop her.

What remained were Ricksha and the ancient hero-class summons, including Morigan. He asked Morigan among them.

“Morigan, what do you think of them compared to the Satyrs?”

“If they were the same number, the Satyrs would never be able to defeat them.”

An answer as if she had been waiting for it; there was no room for doubt in the evaluation of the raven who had fought in countless battlefields.

“One mountain after another. There’s not a single easy one.”

“Isn’t it you, Master, who knocked down one of those not-so-easy ones?”

At Morigan’s words, the summons looked at each other and smiled with confident faces. They seemed quite proud of another great victory achieved by their master, who had achieved so many victories.

“Yes, but unlike Ryuyoung, who was only half-baked, they are the real deal.”

However, Kim Jin-woo didn’t change his expression even at the flattery of his subordinates. He knew better than anyone which side was at a disadvantage when looking only at the power of the labyrinth itself, even if he didn’t know his own power.

“Then what are you going to do?”

Anyway, it didn’t seem like the Tarus would suddenly change their attitude and immediately show their teeth to the Great Labyrinth. So, he decided to watch the situation with some composure.

“What else can I do? I’ll have to meet the existence of the southern labyrinth that they were so critical of and decide.”

***

Not long after the Tarus left, an envoy from the southern labyrinth visited the Great Labyrinth.

“Well, this Underworld might as well be called a zoo.”

The Satyrs were a combination of sheep and eagle humans, the Tarus resembled bulls, and the envoy from the southern labyrinth was a huge polar bear.

The only difference was that unlike the summons from the other labyrinths, which seemed to have humans mixed in, this envoy was truly a polar bear itself.

“I have to ask them what their business is again, right?”

Even while showing a somewhat tired face at his leisurely attitude, the imp girl was faithful to her assigned task.

The polar bears, covered in white fur that didn’t match the darkness of the Underworld, were quite agitated from the start.

“Is there a problem?”

But the imp girl’s expression quickly changed after exchanging a few words, as if she had heard something serious.

At his words, the imp girl answered with a sullen face.

“That’s……”