S-Class Dungeon’s Mistress - Chapter 22

The red eyelashes slowly moved up and down. The silver-gray eyes were covered and revealed repeatedly. How many times did he blink? He couldn’t even count.

Caladium continued to stare at the portal, but nothing changed. All he could see was a desolate landscape of crates and various torture tools.

How much time has passed?

Boraca’s dungeon was bl**dy dark, so it was impossible to gauge the passage of time.

Given the extent to which his wounds had healed, it would have been less than ten thousand days. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if days, or a week, has passed.

It was funny. It’s been 100 years since he had been locked up in this dungeon, but now, surviving just one day was so terrible.

It wasn’t this boring when Boraca didn’t come to tame him for ten years. Caladium was a strong demon, and this wasn’t just limited to his body.

There was only one reason why he felt so bored.

‘That woman.’

The woman who suddenly came and broke the loneliness and boredom of the past 100 years in an instant. She was the very first woman to stir up Caladium.

Caladium murmured in his low voice as he pictured her sullen face in his head.

“Adelaide.”

He didn’t like talking to himself. For some reason, it felt like he was announcing that he was lonely, and it was the same as admitting loss to Boraca.

But oddly enough, it wasn’t as bad this time. On the contrary, it was even slightly satisfying. He remembered the bewildered expression on her face when he called her name, and he felt better.

“Adelaide, Adela.”

What was her nickname? Adela or Adele? Both sound pretty cute. Well, what name would not suit her beautiful appearance?

How would she react if he suddenly called her using a nickname? If it was the Adelaide that he saw, she would most likely curl up her tail as quickly as a frightened beast and would not say anything. Seeing the way she kissed him as if she didn’t want to lose, she seemed to be brave enough to tell him not to recklessly call her by her nickname.

It would be fun to see any reaction. Caladium thought so and burst into a smile.

He was stunned by his own reaction.

‘A smile…?’

Did this Caladium smile just from imagining the reaction of that succubus?

Caladium couldn’t believe it, he lowered his eyes and looked down. Of course, he couldn’t see his mouth. But he could feel it himself. The corners of his mouth were slightly curved upwards.

He frowned angrily. His pride was hurt. He seems to have gone crazy after being imprisoned for a mere 100 years.

But what was even more unbearable than that was whether he was laughing or crying, no one would ever know.

Still, time went by slowly in the dark and filthy place where Caladium was tied up alone. He doesn’t even know if he would ever get to see the woman, who had shaken him in just a short time, again. As he objectively recalled the situation, his face quickly contorted.

Throughout his long captivity, his mood was always at its worst. His strength continued to weaken due to the holy relics that bound his hands and feet, and the angelic energy he felt at every waking moment was truly disgusting. He was also annoyed at Boraca who occasionally visited to as*ault him.

The mood Caladium was feeling now was dirtier than ever. It was because of the woman who came to him after 100 years, the change amplified all his painful feelings.

It was more painful to face the sun once than to be trapped in darkness for the rest of his life.

“I will definitely come back.”

Suddenly, he remembered Adelaide’s last whisper.

Caladium was too old to believe that. In his more than 300 years of life, he has faced so much malice and had seen what was once goodwill change depending on the circumstances.

When he was young, he used to get angry when he saw such behavior, but not anymore. He knew well that it was the fate of the weak, so he did not expect anything in the first place. And Adelaide was a particularly weak demon, so the result was obvious.

Yeah, it’s obvious…

Oddly enough, Caladium kept looking at the direction of the portal.

As if expecting the owner of that F-Class dungeon to return.

‘I’m crazy.’

Caladium shook his head. He didn’t want to stare at the portal’s bright red light like an id*ot any longer. It won’t change whether he looked away or not. This fact was so bitter that Caladium bit his lip.

And at that very moment, a strange sound echoed like fate.

Whoong. Whoong. A resonant sound. It was the sound of the portal working.

It’s Boraca. It’s Boraca.

Caladium stared at the portal, painstakingly muttering in his heart. However, his fluttering silver-gray eyes revealed his true feelings. He really wanted to see Adelaide again.

Finally, the portal opened, and demons appeared from it.

“Caladium!”

It was the voice he had been waiting for.

**********

Thanks to the Skeletons buying time, Adelaide and Lisianthus reached the portal in an instant.

Before setting foot on the portal, Adelaide hurriedly turned to Lisianthus.

“Lisian, you can’t be sarcastic to Caladium this time!”

It was a remark referring to the attitude he had shown last time.

It was also necessary to set the tone in the beginning, but now they were in a situation where they had to entice Caladium somehow and not fight.

Lisianthus, who didn’t know this, grumbled briefly.

“I will try.”

“Try your best. Because my arm is at stake.”

Adelaide recalled the grim face of the teddy bear on the letter from the Debt Management Bureau.

Then she made her way through the portal, determined to somehow persuade Caladium.

“Caladium!”

As soon as she entered, she made eye contact with Caladium.

His arrogant face was gone and he looked surprised. His eyes fluttered open with a strange expression, and his lips parted slightly. The tip of his lips seemed to have risen faintly.

Adelaide walked over to him and glanced at his condition. He looked to be in good shape, even after being hit by a whip of thorns. The flesh was clearly tattered, but now, it was smooth with only a few scratches. Since he was a strong demon, his recovery ability was also extraordinary.

“Have you waited long? I am so sorry that I am late!”

“Who was waiting…!”

Caladium groaned, but his face blushed.

This time, she didn’t know what part he was angry about. Adelaide gave up understanding him and hurriedly got to the point.

“Caladi, look at this!”

She was the one who shortened the rest of his name too quickly. Then, the color of Caladium’s face grew even redder, he looked like a tomato.

‘Did she just call me by a nickname?’

He tried to do it first, but he lost his chance. Then again, it felt good.

‘Hey, you’re not even a kid, what are you doing?’

He waited for this frail girl and blushed at her words. He was really nonchalant when it came to giving meaning to trivial things.

If his hands and feet weren’t tied, he would have banged his head against the wall several times to regain his senses.

He bit his molars tightly to shake off his thoughts. He narrowed his eyes and stared at what she had pulled out. It was silver and sparkling… It was the key!

“How…?”

How the hell? What kind of tricks did this little one pull to steal the key?

Caladium’s face flushed with astonishment.

Adelaide looked at him with satisfaction and grinned. Then she spoke in a different voice than ever before.

“So, do you want me to release you?”

The kind and polite tone was gone, and an arrogant tone that did not even show respect took its place.

“If this is what you want, sign the contract.”

Adelaide smiled brightly and held out the contract. Contrary to the usual, it was a face that wasn’t blank at all.

This was her “persuasion” method.

She obviously felt very sorry about Caladium’s situation. She was grateful to him for helping her. But sympathy is sympathy, and reality is reality.

Adelaide was very obtuse, optimistic, and good-natured for a demon. It was clear that her goal could be obtained by intimidation and she was not kind enough to refrain from doing it just because it was a bad act. Even more so because her life depended on it.

Lisianthus’ face, which had been glum until now, was relieved. Seeing the way he looked at Adelaide with a smile on his eyes, he seemed very satisfied with her remarks. His eyes seemed to say, ‘That’s my Master!’.

“You…!”

“I’ll give you ten seconds. Decide now.”

Do you want to go with me and live like a demon, or do you want to be beaten by Boraca here and rot for the rest of your life?

Adelaide whispered with a smile on her face. Caladium sharpened his teeth. He felt very dirty again.

It’s dirty, not because he’s being threatened by a woman he cares about…

‘F*ck, why do I like it. Why!’

It was because even this threat felt like a sweet offer.

“10, 9, 8, 7…”

10 seconds? He didn’t need 10 seconds, not even 1 second. If he could leave Boraca and go with this little woman, he would even give her a billion Almas.

“6, 5, 4.”

But it would hurt his pride to nod his head right away. He didn’t want to make it obvious.

So, with an expression of intense concern, he waited for the right timing.

“3, 2… One.”

“Yes, I will. I’ll go! I’ll sign the contract! I swear on my horn.”

Caladium exclaimed quickly with the last second remaining. He didn’t forget to frown as if it wasn’t what he wanted. He glanced at Adelaide’s face, wondering if she had caught on.

It was a fleeting moment.

“Thank you, Caladi! I’ll take good care of you!”

A smile as warm as the sunlight burst on Adelaide’s face. She had a bright smile that was warm enough to erase the darkness of 100 years all at once.

Caladium couldn’t take his eyes off of her for some reason. As if he had been attacked by his own power, his body stiffened and his heart pounded.

Adelaide, who had done such a thing, came closer to him with an innocent face. It was inevitable to unlock the handcuffs with the key, but it was just another attack for Caladium.

He unwittingly held his breath and waited for her to move away. Even though it was the moment he had hoped and waited for for 100 years, he couldn’t concentrate at all.

“Done!”

Click.

With a light sound, the handcuffs fell to the floor. His arms and legs were freed, and his long-forgotten power revolved around him like an explosion. Caladium raised his hands as his energy slowly returned.

“It’s back.”

My strength is back. Caladium murmured in a low voice.

Although not as much as before, compared to when he was handcuffed, his body was much lighter and full of energy.

The first thing he did was bath magic. It wasn’t a big deal, so he used it even while he was wearing handcuffs, but this time he trimmed his shaggy hair and made his body thoroughly neat and clean. It was because it bothered him being dirty in front of her.

[T/N: Yesss. Caladium got his priorities straight XD.]

Adelaide opened her mouth, not caring that he was using bath magic.

“Lisian, what are we going to do now? At this rate, we can’t sneak away… I want to help the other demons who have been fraudulently contracted, but that would be difficult.”

Originally, she planned to use Caladium’s power to steal the contract after saving him. However, since they were caught by Boraca, it was no longer feasible. His escort, as well as his other demons, were flocking to her and aiming for her, so how can she steal their contracts? Sadly, she would have to do it at a later time.

“Boraca and other demons have arrived outside.”

“Already?! Uh, what should we do? Is there another way to escape?”

Adelaide looked around in a hurry. And before she knew it, Caladium, who magically got dressed, raised one eyebrow and said,

“What’s the problem?”

Wow, nice outfit. Adelaide forgot the situation and admired him for a moment. Then she quickly regained her senses and answered.

“There are a lot of demons out there! No matter how strong Caladi is, it is unreasonable to face that many.”

“… What?”

Caladium’s voice dropped as if he felt annoyed. He snorted and opened his mouth.

“Did you ask me to sign a contract without knowing who I am?”

“Huh?”

“Remember this. I am-“

Dududu…..

The ground began to vibrate. The wind blew in this space that didn’t have a passage. Adelaide was surprised and leaned halfway against Lisianthus who was standing next to her.

Suddenly her face became hot. Like when facing the flames of a trap room, no, more than that.

Caladium finished his words as he stretched out his arms towards the portal.

“Caladium, The Great Devil of the Red Flame.”

And then there was an explosion.