Chapter 18 : The mouth is a door that invites disaster, and the tongue is a sword that cuts the body

The long-standing vow ends here.

“Thank you for protecting me.”

I gave a brief bow to Igdras, who landed in a cloud of dust in front of the dungeon.

Rupia, standing behind, opened her mouth as if to say something, but then muttered.

“Hehe. Since we’ve come this far, how about a tour of our dungeon… D-dragons are actually quite manageable to live with…”

Boom!

Igdras, without a word, turned away and flew off, creating a storm.

“Kuueek!?”

The lighter things always get swept away first. I picked up Rupia, who was dazed after crashing into the outer wall of the dungeon, dusted her off, and entered the dungeon.

Lauro, with silver hair, was standing there.

“Is everything alright?”

“Y-yes, of course, General! Nothing happened, General! Hehe…”

Her tone was unusually tense.

This made things even more suspicious.

I nodded vaguely and passed her. Lauro quickly followed me like a servant.

“U-um, General Kan? May I ask what your relationship with the dragon is?”

“You’re asking about Igdras? Back when he was human, I fought him and made him swear an oath.”

I spoke without even looking at Lauro.

“…Well, I guess she wouldn’t believe it since she never heard of my reputation when she was human.”

Lauro gasped and shook her head so violently that her skull-embroidered robe nearly fell off.

“I believe you, I believe you unconditionally! Kan-sama!”

His address changed from General to Kan-sama.

This is starting to feel like I’ve become some sort of cult leader.

“Ah! You’re back safely, General!”

“Clack. Clack.”

Rain, wagging her tail, and the thudding of a golem followed closely behind.

“Well, it seems nothing happened.”

I patted Rupia, who was still muttering, and told her to lie down on the stone throne.

I quickly surveyed the current state of dungeon development.

Just by watching the goblins work noisily, I could tell the situation.

“Heh heh… I told you to fix the leaking ceiling, but it’s still raining inside?”

Dozens of goblins, who were in charge of construction, flinched simultaneously.

I wrapped a towel around my neck and recalled the old sensation.

I picked out the three oldest goblins who had joined the guild and gave them a good beating as an example.

Lauro, standing behind me, swallowed nervously and lost her words.

“If the first phase of construction isn’t finished by dinner time, you’ll be kicked out of the dungeon. Do you think this is some free cafeteria?”

I approached Lauro, who was still trembling, with a towel draped over my shoulder.

No matter how much of a noblewoman or a contract period, she was still an internal worker during the term.

“Didn’t I tell you to keep an eye on the kids? What were you doing?”

“Th-th-that is…”

“Kyaaaah!”

Rupia, lying on the stone throne, screamed at that moment.

In her small hands, there was a squashed cream puff.

“My… My cream puff, which I saved in the throne’s crevice… it’s completely squished…!”

Rupia began to cry as if the dungeon had collapsed.

“I… I barely squeezed my mana to keep it from spoiling… Whaaahhh!”

Lauro turned her head slowly with a pale face and checked her robe.

There was cream smeared on it without a doubt.

An awkward silence hung between Lauro and me.

I was the one to break the silence first.

“I’m sure it was written in the contract that you are to ‘faithfully’ serve the dungeon.”

Instead of raising the towel, I took out the Evil Eye that was stored away with magic.

Just as Lauro was about to collapse in shock and kneel, Rain hurriedly intervened.

“Please, wait, General! Lauro helped me with my training!”

“Ah, Wolf…!”

Lauro’s expression lit up as if she had seen an angel reaching out from the end of hell.

“…Training, you say?”

I eyed Lauro suspiciously, then checked Rain’s status window.

I couldn’t help but admire it honestly.

The numbers that were stuck at the bottom had soared dramatically. The level had gone up by two stages.

I thought it would be a success just to form a mana heart, but at this rate, Rain was already proficient in handling mana.

“Did you, Lauro, do this?”

Lauro nodded furiously, her head shaking like a madman.

I stroked my chin and thought for a moment before nodding.

“…Impressive. It’s a remarkable achievement, even if it was outside your assigned task.”

“Ah, thank you for recognizing it! Kan-sama!”

With a look that seemed like she was going to choke, I lightly patted Lauro’s head.

Then, Rain’s tail, which had been wagging, suddenly stopped, and her mouth opened in an “O” shape as if in shock. She had the same expression as Rupia, who had lost her cream puff.

What’s up with her now?

“Anyway, to think such an excellent training instructor is in our Demon King army, it’s truly reassuring.”

“Eh, yes? Ah, yes…”

Lauro, awkwardly receiving the praise, trembled at the corners of her mouth.

He seemed to be nervous about something.

I decided to turn that unease into reality.

“Lauro, from now on, you’ll be in charge of training our orc soldiers and instructing Princess Rupia.”

The forge was small, but the intense heat was overwhelming.

Sofien had been waiting for the sword she had ordered for a whole week.

“Sir, is it still not done?”

“I told you, it’s almost finished. Why is this nun so impatient? Do you think a sword just magically appears with a hammer strike?”

Tubo, the 12th generation blacksmith of Moskan Forge, wiped his sweat off with his dirty gloves.

“If you keep this up, I can’t work, you know? Stop disturbing me and go pray or something. It’s almost done.”

“Pray? I’ve been excommunicated…”

“Now that I think about it, it’s strange. Why would a nun be so impatient for a sword? It’s not like she’s our only customer in this forge that’s always empty.”

“It’s… It’s not the sword I ordered for myself.”

“Ah, right, that’s right. Your husband is an inquisitor, right? Heh, men have a way of seeing things. Our forge may seem overpriced, but—”

Sofien quickly turned her head away, clearly disgusted. She had never seen such a talkative blacksmith.

Sigh, I want to go back quickly.

Because of the news that Death Knight Kan had caused a ruckus, just staying at the institution felt like sitting on a bed of nails for her.

Rumors were spreading to the point of absurdity, with even dragons supposedly being involved.

If it were to be revealed that she was allied with that Death Knight, this time it wouldn’t just end with being burned at the stake.

There are so many forges nearby, why does it have to be this one?

Even though it was tucked away in a corner, this forge had no customers at all.

Before Sofien arrived, the blacksmith had been napping, snoring away.

Well, I guess it’s better for me if there are no customers…

Just when she was anxiously tapping her foot and waiting.

“Excuse me.”

A black-haired knight in uniform entered, tossing a cigarette butt to the ground.

Sofien knew who the person was.

After all, if they were human from the Empire, they would know this famous knight.

“Ah, isn’t this the Knight Commander Kyleen? It’s been hard to see your face lately, what brings you here?”

Kyleen, the Knight Commander of the Yurendel Empire, and a Swordmaster who had destroyed dozens of dungeons with just one sword.

She casually nodded.

“I came to get something repaired. But more importantly… is this nun a guest of yours?”

“Yes! I can’t believe someone from the Yurendel Empire, besides Kyleen, would recognize the value of our forge. I never imagined it, haha.”

“…I see. And she’s a nun, huh?”

Kyleen’s sharp gaze slowly scanned Sofien from top to bottom.

Sofien, feeling tense, tightly pressed her lips together, trying not to show any signs of anxiety.

“Is the sword you ordered a gift?”

“Ah, haha! Yes! My husband is an inquisitor, and since this forge is so tucked away and there are no customers, I thought it might be cheaper here, but it’s really expensive! Hahaha.”

“If you don’t understand the value of a master blacksmith, that’s to be expected.”

Kyleen nodded as if she understood, then turned her attention back to Tubo.

“Could you take a look at this?”

Tubo, seeing the sword Kyleen handed him, widened his eyes.

“What happened? Why is the blade so damaged? This is a famous sword made from iron, it shouldn’t break even if it hits a dragon’s claw…”

“I’m here because I’m curious about that too. I’ve never seen a blacksmith like you, so I’m wondering who made this sword for the opponent.”

According to what he heard, this happened when they fought against the Death Knight in the plaza.

At the mention of the Death Knight, Sofien flinched, feeling uneasy.

Tubo suddenly seemed to remember something and slapped his palm.

“If it was made from a metal called ‘Golden Demon,’ then sure, even the dragon’s horn could be cut with it… but with my skills, I wouldn’t be able to make it, not even the strongest…”

At those words, Kyleen narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“I’ve heard your family business has been around for a long time. Was there someone among your ancestors who could handle Golden Demon metal?”

“I’ll have to check. Please wait a moment. Where was it again…”

Tubo pulled out a thick, worn-out book from a storage space. It was a book where the materials of swords and names of customers from past generations were recorded.

The paper was magically protected, so it had turned slightly yellow with age, but there were no signs of decay or being eaten by insects.

It was so thick that it would take days of reading to go through it.

That’s if you were a speed reader.

“Go ahead. I’ll look it up myself.”

“Oh, right! We have a guest, I’ll check it now.”

Tubo left the record book and went back to the workshop to finish Sofien’s sword.

Kyleen, using magic, flipped through the pages of the book.

Her eyes, glowing with a bluish light, focused solely on finding the word ‘Golden Demon.’

In the meantime, Sofien’s sword was completed.

“Here you go, nun. Your sword is ready. With this, you could cut down not just heretics, but even their grandfathers, haha. Your husband certainly has good taste, what was his name again…”

At the same time, Kyleen finished flipping through the book in an instant and found the name of the only customer who had received a sword made with Golden Demon metal.

“…Kan.”

“Oh, yes, yes! Kan, that’s right, Kan.”

Hmm?

Tubo and Kyleen looked at each other.

Their gazes quickly turned to Sofien.

The excommunicated saint, Sofien, silently prayed to God. The moment she realized it was over, she knew the end was near.