Dungeon Defense (WN)

Ο

Ο

Several notification windows opened at that moment.

「Demon Lord Gamigin has been ‘overwhelmed’ by you!」

「The status condition will be resisted according to Demon Lord Gamigin’s intelligence and charm stats.」

「The die of luck has miraculously been fixed on 6 out of pure chance! You have succeeded in applying a status condition despite your ‘overwhelming’ difference in stats!」

Sound effects rang noisily.

「You’ve cleared a miraculous mission.」

「One of your skills will be strengthened as a reward.」

「Congratulations! Your <Acting> skill has been upgraded to <Kiss of Judas>!」

It was quite a surprise. It had been so long since I last obtained a skill.

If I remember correctly, Kiss of Judas had the effect of applying a bonus when engaging in diplomacy or intrigue in the game. Different from a trash skill like <Acting>, which had questionable uses, Kiss of Judas was rather useful.

Dear God, to think I would obtain an okay skill after 3 years of being here. There should be a limit to a hellish difficulty setting. If this were an actual game, then the players would probably get flamethrowers and charge the developers.

“Dantalian…….”

Gamigin’s mouth opened for a moment before closing again. Something like a sigh slipped out from the small gap between her lips. She looked me straight in the eyes before repeating herself.

“Dantalian, you’re insane, huh?”

“Oh. Please tell me what your standards of insanity are first. Couldn’t everyone in the world be considered insane depending on the standard?”

“……You’ve already crossed the line. People like you occasionally appear among us Demon Lords.”

Gamigin let go of my right hand.

“Did you know? There are only two types of people who enjoy watching things like that. An adventurous person who loves to live life on the edge, or gamblers who are constantly trying to commit suicide. Regardless of which they are, they are both lunatics that want someone else to kill them.”

“So what?”

I tilted my head.

“Sure, let us say that I am insane. Is that noteworthy in any way? Are you not insane when you think everything other than survival is pointless? Is Barbatos sane when she has slaughtered hundreds of thousands of humans solely for the sake of demonkind? We are all insane.”

I looked around.

There were a few Demon Lords who seemed concerned about our conversation as they kept glancing at us. Most of them seemed like they were busy just trying to catch up with their fellow faction mates. The sound they were making was blocked, so I couldn’t hear them.

I spoke while feeling perfectly isolated despite standing in a single spot.

“Only insane people can be Demon Lords. It is something we are because we are insane. Gamigin, you pointed out that there is nothing to possibly gain by helping Barbatos, but on the contrary, I am simply happy by being able to watch Barbatos from the side.”

“…….”

“Ah, of course. I also like you, Miss Gamigin. I am amazed by what sort of life you must have lived to be able to completely divide your outer appearance with your inner thoughts. I wish to have an intimate discussion with you about this one day.”

Gamigin glared at me coldly from between the slits of her eyes.

“……Sure. If the opportunity presents itself.”

Gamigin maintained her smile until the very end as she turned away. She walked back to where she had been standing.

There were no Demon Lords here who were friendly with me, so I naturally ended up alone.

Sitri was giving me a rueful look, but she couldn’t come to be because she was surrounded by Mountain Faction Demon Lords. She was probably being nagged at by her comrades for being friendly with me.

– Help me, Dantalian!

Sitri was pleading to me with her gaze. I responded to her with a simple shrug. She deserved to hear a little nagging. She was the representative of the Mountain Faction now, not Paimon, so it would be troubling if she didn’t restrain herself to a degree.

– Give up. You need to listen to some nagging anyway.

– Traitor! Liar! I’ll hate you forever!

Sitri gave me a look full of despair, but I didn’t waver. It’s normal to go through some hardship in order to grow.

There were a few other Demon Lords who glanced at me, but none of them tried to approach me.

Demon Lord Dantalian currently held a rather delicate position. For starters, everyone acknowledged my accomplishments within the Crescent Alliance. There were probably a fair number of Demon Lords who wanted to get close to me.

However, the problem was the fact that there were way too many risks with trying to get close to me rashly.

I was a core personnel of the Plains Faction and also known as Barbatos’ lover. People might think that simply getting close to me would mean they were getting close to the Plains Faction as a whole. The Plains Faction was famous for being uncontrollable extremists even within the demon world. This probably didn’t seem appealing.

Furthermore, I had also made the decisive contribution to Paimon’s fall. In other words, it meant that I was a thorn to at least the Mountain Faction’s side. It would be hard for anyone to approach me if they didn’t have the guts to become enemies with the Mountain Faction.

‘Well, enjoying a banquet alone is also relaxing in its own way.’

I made my way to a corner of the banquet hall with light steps. There was an assortment of luxurious and extravagant refreshments piled up like a mountain here. These were luxury goods that were hard to get your hands on. Fantastic.

I received a wine glass from an attendant before checking my status window. As I expected, the skill <Acting> had disappeared and was replaced by <Kiss of Judas>.

I checked the details of the skill with bated breath.

***

[Skill]

1. Kiss of Judas. 

Rank A Weak Active Skill.

If the target’s affection is below 20: Player’s Political Power +10%, Charm +10%.

If the target’s affection is above 20 and when you attack the target: Target’s Leadership -20%, Might -10%, Intelligence -20%, Political Power -20%.

(※ This is an upgraded version of <Acting>. When activated, it will also include the effect of <Acting>.)

***

“Mm. This is good.”

I took a sip of the wine as I nodded.

It had some trashy effects despite being an A-Rank skill, but it was better than nothing. The Acting skill only had a single line for its description: ‘Increases the chance of persuading the target’.

A long time had passed since I decided to be lenient about my own stats, so the fact that this skill could buff my Political Power and Charm by 10% almost made me want to thank the world. Indeed, it’s important to be grateful. People have to be modest.

The sound of music echoed throughout the hall.

The orchestra which consisted of dark elves played their instruments with great skill. Referentially, dark elves were the most artistic race in the world while pure-blooded elves would mostly look down on music as a ‘vulgar form of art’.

“Hey, what are you doing in the corner like some loser?”

More and more Demon Lords arrived as time passed. Barbatos was naturally one of them. She looked around at the other Demon Lords for a moment as soon as she entered the ballroom before approaching me without reserve.

I gave her a cool response.

“As you can see, I’m enjoying the banquet.”contemporary romance

“Bullshit. The guy who’s supposed to be the guest of honor tonight is sitting in a corner like some outcast. Good job.”

Barbatos placed her hands on her hips.

“Didn’t I tell you a short while ago that if you act pathetically, it’ll affect my image as well?”

“Fufu. You are mistaking something right now, Barbatos. I may be in solitude, but this solitude isn’t the solitude of a sailor who has become lost at sea. I am simply a lonely captain who has to determine where to steer his ship…….”

“Shut up before I rip out your tongue.”

I’ll shut up now.

Barbatos picked up a cookie. I could hear her audibly chew on the cookie. I almost said that she should worry about her own image herself, but I remained quiet since I didn’t want to lose my tongue.

Different from her normal attire, she was wearing a pure white dress.

If you thought of Barbatos, you would usually think of the colors black and red first. She was famous for wearing only black and red outfits, whether it was on the battlefield or at banquets, but she was unusually wearing a snow-white dress today.

It really suited her white hair. It was like looking at a pearl with a thin layer of snow on top of it. I personally wanted to give her a perfect score since it matched the pureness that was inside of her.

“Why aren’t you wearing your normal clothes?”

“I matched my outfit with yours, you nitwit.”

Barbatos swiped the wine glass out of my hand and gulped the wine down.

“Kuuh. You always wear gloomy and black colored rags. I figured you’d do the same today as well, so I decided to match your look with something white. Is this a good enough explanation for you?”

“Dear me, dear me. I am greatly honored.”

I held my hand out to her.

“O Beautiful Snow Fairy, will you give me the honor of this first dance?”

“That’s why I came here, dull gentleman.”

Barbatos laughed as she placed her hand on top of mine. Her hand was much smaller. I carefully held on to this soft and delicate thing as if I were handling a work of art made of glass. We went to the center of the ballroom and began to dance.

“Your dancing ability has improved compared to before.”

Barbatos chuckled.

“Did you practice with some other girl somewhere?”

“There was a lady who kept making fun of me saying that I didn’t know how to dance. I practiced quite a bit in order to not step on any heels.”

It was none other than Barbatos who teased me.

“Hmph. You’re all bark and no bite.”

“Gamigin approached me earlier. She tried to start a negotiation with me by asking what I wanted.”

Barbatos mused as her eyes glimmered.

“So what did you say in response?”

“I gave her an honest response by telling her that I preferred little girls, so people like her who had a needless amount of fat attached to them were not to my taste.”

“Kekeke.”

Barbatos laughed loudly. I was obviously lying. Gamigin’s body type was actually closer to my preference than Barbatos’. I was simply trying to make her feel better.

“You know you’re a real idiot, right?”

“What are you saying all of a sudden?”

We joked around like this as we proceeded to dance.

* * *

“Oh dear, look over there. It’s Miss Barbatos and Dantalian.”

“I heard rumors that they didn’t have a normal relationship, but it seems they were true!”

The female Demon Lords whispered amongst each other. The women gathered around Gamigin didn’t belong to a faction and were people who focused on enjoying their lives as Demon Lords instead of concerning themselves over things like political rivalries. There was nothing that got them more excited than love talk.

“It’s almost like a small fairy dancing with an elf!”

“I don’t know. Miss Barbatos is definitely beautiful, but her partner…….”

“Oh dear. I actually prefer people like her partner.”

Gamigin watched Barbatos and Dantalian in silence. They were smiling at each other. There was an air about them that strangely made it difficult to approach them. It was like there was a wall that separated them from others.

It was probably trust. The two trusted each other.

‘Absolutely worthless.’

Gamigin drank her wine. The alcohol was sweet.

A female Demon Lord spoke to Gamigin.

“How about you, Miss Gamigin? I saw you have a conversation with Dantalian earlier.”

“Mmm.”

Gamigin was smiling brightly as usual. She thought to herself. What sort of response would be good for a moment like this? Should I imply that I have a rather deep relationship with Dantalian? Yeah, that sounds good.

Female Demon Lords were basically the center of high society and the source of all rumors. If a groundless rumor goes around saying that Gamigin and Dantalian had a special relationship, then it might stir some panic within the Plains Faction.

“Yeah, it’s embarrassing, but should I say I’m a little interested in him~?”

“Oh my, oh my. Really!?”

“Are you perhaps saying you have feelings for him?”

The female Demon Lords crowded around Gamigin like hyenas. Gamigin spoke to them while skillfully calculating the political gains. She didn’t forget to blush. She also made sure to smile awkwardly.

She sent Barbatos and Dantalian a sidelong glance.

They still looked far away.

***

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. I wonder if the scene of Gamigin watching Barbatos and Dantalian dance from afar would’ve showed up as an illustration in the LN… if the LN ever got this far. Hahaha…

Barbatos also acting rather cute(?), matching her outfit with Dant’s. Of course, there’s a political reason, but maybe there’s something more? Who knows?

I’ll see you guys in the next chapter. 

done.co