S-Class Dungeon’s Mistress - Chapter 44

The interview site was in the room at the end of the newly created second living space where the portal to the battlespace was located.

Adelaide sat at the largest chair in the center. She wanted to sit on a chair made of gold like Boraca, but she couldn’t afford it yet.

The Skeletons were gathered behind her and Bell quietly sat on her lap, enjoying her touch. He looked very cute sitting in a bread pose even though he wasn’t a cat.

“First interviewee, please come in.”

“I think it would look more dignified to speak informally.”

“Interviewee! Come in!”

Adelaide immediately accepted Lisianthus’ suggestion. As her loud voice resounded, a demon cautiously opened the door and entered.

“Hello, hehe.”

His sly smiling face was somehow familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere. She squinted her eyes and carefully looked at the demon’s face.

He was a humanoid demon, his impression was good, and his hair was scarlet. She remembered seeing that carrot-like color.

“My name is Carat. I don’t know if you remember…”

“Get out!”

Before Carat could finish speaking, Adelaide made a firm declaration. Carat protested with a face that said it was unfair.

“Come on, wait! I’m pretty strong! I can definitely help if you make me a member!”

“No! Go back! Leave!”

At Adelaide’s beckoning, the Skeletons standing behind her swarmed and lifted Carat. There was no mercy as they once stayed in the same dungeon for a while, with a history intertwined between them.

“How dare these monsters! Let go! Let go…!”

“Be quiet.”

The Skeleton Captain commanded with a loud voice. Carat was startled without realizing it and bit his mouth. The energy he felt from the Skeleton Captain was unusual. Carat tried to rationalize that he couldn’t possibly be stronger than himself, but he couldn’t move his lips and was eventually kicked out.

The first interview ended with the Skeletons tossing Carat out of the portal.

Adelaide asked Lisianthus, her lips pouting.

“Why did you accept him?”

“For a mid level demon, his skills aren’t that bad.”

“Still, he has a bad personality! A person with a dirty personality will be eliminated immediately.”

“Especially the one who discriminates against demons!” Adelaide said harshly.

“I will keep that in mind.”

“Okay. Next!”

The door opened and this time five goblins entered. As individuals, they were not very strong, but whenever they fought in groups, they would become mid level demons.

“Kekeke, take us!”

“Accept us!”

As soon as the goblins entered, they enthusiastically expressed their intention to move in. However, it wasn’t directed towards Adelaide, but Lisianthus. Even though she sat in the center as the master and Lisianthus stood quietly next to her.

“Huh.”

Adelaide smirked in embarrassment. Only then did one of the goblins discover her existence, smiling brightly and reaching out his hand towards her.

“The succubus is pretty! Let’s be friends!”

“Let’s reject them.”

“You’re out.”

Lisianthus suggested and Adelaide agreed. As if waiting, the Skeletons wrapped their arms around them and threw them outside.

After that, each interview had a similar pattern. A few mid level demons would come in and most of them would not believe that the succubus, Adelaide, was the owner of the dungeon. It would only be after Lisianthus confirmed it that they would nod their heads.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t understand. She, too, knew how Succubi were viewed by the world.

‘Still, even though they knew I’m the owner, they wouldn’t look at me and think that I was only for show!’

“Haa” Adelaide sighed. She rejected the last interviewee who was doing exactly that.

“Get out!”

“What?!”

“You are eliminated!”

At her resolute voice, the demon’s face turned red and blue. Just by looking at him, she could predict what his next reaction would be.

“You don’t know what you’re saying!”

He was angry and refused to back down. Even if he was angry, he shouldn’t have made it this obvious. His demonic energy was vigorously approaching Adelaide. It looked like he was seriously going to threaten her.

This was also not the first time. So Adelaide calmly patted Bell’s back and spoke.

“Bell.”

“Woof!“

Bell jumped off Adelaide’s lap and slowly revealed his true self. As Bell’s body grew closer to the size and shape of a gigantic Cerberus, the demon’s face became pale.

Needless to say, Cerberus were monsters that belonged to high level demons. Their number was so small that it was difficult to meet them even once in a lifetime as they used to protect the Demon King.

“S-Sorry!”

The last interviewee bent down and apologized over and over again, then quickly ran away. Bell smacked his lips as if he was disappointed.

“Good job, Bell.”

“Huff. Huff.”

Adelaide reached out her hand and rubbed the bridge of Bell’s nose. Bell panted and even lied on his back revealing his stomach, showing that he liked it and wanted more. As he was in his adult form, the area had become so wide. Adelaide grunted and scratched his tummy aggressively.

“So, is that all of them?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Lisianthus answered calmly. However, he was dismayed. The level of the interviewees was good so he wasn’t expecting that she would reject all of the applicants so firmly.

“Most of the applicants were low level, there were not many mid level demons.”

“Don’t stay too long, it’s cold, so let’s go to the living room.” Lisianthus said as he helped Adelaide up. Bell, who was enjoying the belly rub with his tongue drooping to one side, raised his head as if he was dissatisfied and glared at Lisianthus.

Lisianthus looked at Bell with an expressionless face and threw him a large, dog treat. It wasn’t the usual size that humans gave to dogs, but it was definitely a dog treat. Bell instinctively jumped up to grab the treat and wagged his tail excitedly.

On the way back to the living room, Adelaide spoke in a muffled voice.

“Isn’t there a strong mid level demon with a better personality?”

Since they would be staying in one place, she wanted to bring in good demons. Demons who did not ignore and discriminate against succubi and other demons.

“Even if there was, why would such a guy come to an E-Class dungeon?”

Caladium, who had been wallowing on the sofa, responded. He heard her voice and raised his head as if he understood how the interview went. It sounded insulting, but it was true.

The reason demons entered dungeons was not just because they needed a place to live. There were many cases like that, but as the dungeon level went up, their main purpose was no longer simply because of accommodation, but to improve their skills.

Just like how the Skeletons have increased their fighting power these days, if someone belonged to a good dungeon and defeated a lot of adventurers, they could become stronger. Therefore, demons who wanted to become stronger would want to belong to a promising dungeon, even if they had to pay expensive monthly rent.

“However, we seemed to have gained popularity recently, so a few mid level demons also applied after seeing our potential. Usually, mid level demons try to go for D Class or higher. You’re looking for a mid-level demon with the ability and personality of an E-class subject, wouldn’t that be like getting something for nothing?”

This was also correct. So it was even more upsetting. As Adelaide’s bitter eyes turned to Caladium, he shrugged slyly. Then, he spoke with his usual arrogant tone.

“In short, there is no such person, this is it. So, do you see how lucky you are to have me?”

“Be more grateful.” Caladium smiled and added.

Adelaide returned his smile and walked up to him. Then, without hesitation, she covered Caladium’s face with a cushion and pressed down hard.

“Ack! Breathe, hey, can’t breathe!”

“Take a moment to reflect on your manners.”

“You won’t die if you don’t breathe anyway, right?” Adelaide said with a smile. Lisianthus clapped his hands gracefully and suggested.

“That’s a good idea. It must be difficult, can I press it for you?”

“No, it’s okay. More than that.”

She pressed on the cushion. Caladium seemed to have given up struggling so he stopped moving.

“I have an idea.”

“What do you mean?”

Lisianthus sneakily approached and placed his hand on the cushion. Then he pressed down without mercy. Caladium screamed at the unexpected force, but it didn’t bother their ears as it was blocked by the cushion.

Adelaide replied with a broad smile.

“A strong, mid level, and a good-natured demon who will come to our dungeon!”

***

With that, Adelaide left the dungeon. Of course, Lisianthus and Caladium were with her. Only Bell and the Skeletons remained in the dungeon.

Since the portal was locked to limit the entry of the adventurers, there would be no danger. There were times when they could break through the lock, but to do that, they would need the magic power of a high level adventurer. There was nothing to worry about as the high level adventurers who value their egos would never enter an E-Class dungeon where low level adventurers go.

“Still, I feel more at ease that Bell joined us. Right?”

Adelaide said as she buried her face against Caladium’s back. To be precise, she rubbed her face against his fluffy feathers because he had transformed into a phoenix. They were in the middle of flying, so if she didn’t do this, her face would feel terribly cold.

Meanwhile, Lisianthus was riding a ladybug. Caladium refused to carry him, but it was also because he refused to come in contact with Caladium.

Lisianthus opened his mouth and tapped the ladybug to go faster.

“Yes. Obviously, a Cerberus is a pretty useful monster. The higher the level, the more that we need stronger members, then our dungeon will soon rise to a higher class. However, as the rumors spread like last time, the number of adventurers visiting may decrease, so it is better not to reveal our true strength when dealing with low level adventurers.”

‘I didn’t mean that he was useful.’ Adelaide swallowed her words.

She just meant that the burden on the Skeletons would be reduced thanks to Bell’s arrival. There would also be less risk whenever they went out like this. But Lisianthus was not wrong either, so she nodded her head. Then, to avoid the cold wind, she buried her face between the feathers again. The feathers made of fire were warm rather than hot.

“Ah! It’s itchy, so stop rubbing in!”

Caladium shouted. The tickling sensation was unbearable.

“We’re almost there, just a little bit more. It’s cold.”

Adelaide dug harder into the feathers.

“So let’s leave that b*st*rd and go first!” Caldium grumbled. If he had gone at his pace, he would have already arrived, but it took more time to keep pace with the ladybug Lisianthus was riding.

‘If not for that p*nk, I would have flown much faster. Sneaky b*st*rd.’

The Phoenix cast a sarcastic look at Lisianthus. It was horrifying just thinking about riding a ladybug in fear of revealing his identity.

“Hey, that’s the plain! Can you see it?”

Adelaide, who was clueless, beckoned towards their destination.

“Yeah, we’re landing. Hold on tight.”

“Uh-huh!”

Adelaide hugged Caladium tightly. Somehow, the face of the firebird was redder than its flames.

The sound of the strong wind filled her ears. Her dark hair fluttered wildly. Soon, the bird’s body vibrated and a loud sound could be heard.

Boom! A large bird landed on the plain and a sandstorm raged.

“Ack!”

“W-What? What suddenly…!”

They heard the voices of the demons nearby. Adelaide, who had her eyes closed and her face buried in Caladium’s feathers, lifted her head and opened her eyes.

“Raham!”

Then she called the name of the person who would become the fourth demon belonging to the Greenville Dungeon.