Dungeon of Pride, Laplace



On another bed adjacent to theirs, there was also her comrade Marba. It looked like all of them were saved and brought here.

"Did I lose consciousness?" Alvara's head throbbed as her memories slowly started to piece themselves together.

"If we are here, then it must mean that he saved us" Taking in her surroundings, she realized that they were currently in a cavernous chamber. The ceiling here was high, and the walls uneven.

Furniture, clothes, water, food and other necessary objects were all provided. Her gaze slowly shifted from these items towards the front. There, she noticed the prison bars surrounding the place.

Just as she was observing them, her heart skipped a beat when she realized that she and her comrades weren't the only ones in this place. There, on the other side of the bars, she saw a pair of crimson eyes silently observing them from the distance.

"It looks like you are awake… growl" a deep and coarse voice echoed through the chamber. As the figure slowly stepped into the light, Alvara's eyes widened as she took in the sight before her.

With a tall and muscular frame, it exuded power from its very being. Its feline features accentuated by its piercing crimson eyes and its physique, was a testament to its formidable strength.

Its fur which was a rich blend of earthy browns and golden hues, shimmered in the light. There was no doubt, it was a Beastmen, a Weretiger to be precise.

Alvara's mind raced as she recalled the tales she had read about weretigers in the capital– creatures known for their savage prowess and predatory nature. They were often depicted as fearsome and untamed beings.

But as she looked at the weretiger before her, she noticed something different, something that set him apart from the stories she had heard.

The weretiger's eyes held a depth that seemed to reflect more than just primal instincts— she couldn't shake off the feeling of a weird, eerie chill that seemed to crawl down her spine, a sensation that whispered of something both ancient and unsettling.

"Who are you?" Alvara asked with a voice mixed with concern and curiosity.

"Alric… that is the name given to me by my Lady Maybell… growl" The Weretiger replied with an indifferent expression.

Maybell? Alvara wondered what the beastmen was talking about before shaking her head and asking a different question.

"Where is the master of the dungeon? He was the one who saved us right?".

"That is correct" After answering with a few words, the Weretiger became silent once again. It was as if they were a person of very less words.

"Um... can you call your master? I want to thank him for rescuing us" Finding it a little difficult to converse with this beastmen named Alric, Alvara requested if she could see the master of the dungeon.

"There is no need, he already knows you are awake. He will come after a while, till then I am tasked by my lady to watch over you…growl" Saying that, the weretiger stepped back from the light and returned back into the darkness.

.

.

"Unnghhh…" After some time, Cynthia and Marba who were lying in their bed, began stirring and waking up one after the other.

"Ungh… where is this place? Ah! Alvara, Marba… the both of you… are you alright?" Cynthia spoke with a tinge of relief. She immediately tried to get up; however, her body was yet to completely heal from all the exhaustion as such, she lost balance and fell back on her bed.

"Princess please don't push yourself… you too Marba. We are saved, our pursuers won't come after us anymore" Alvara asked the both of them to settle down and not to strain their body.

The journey in this last few weeks was quite harsh on them, it was unknown how many times they had to push their bodies to their limits. All of their bodies are bound to be extremely exhausted.

"Where is this place? What happened after… that's right, my magic was blocked. That person in the hood was quite powerful. There is no way we could have beaten them. How did we get here?… kuh!!" Marba clenched her head and tried to recall what happened after her magic was blocked.

"Calm down, you lost consciousness afterwards so you don't know. Anyways, we are saved. That person came at the end"…

"You don't mean…"

"Yeah".

As she looked at her subordinates and close friends converse with each other, Cynthia's heart swelled with relief. Just a while ago, she thought that she would lose them forever. However, here they were now lying on top of a bed, chatting casually.

Who would have imagined that something like this would be possible? She had almost given in to her fate in that dark cave. But through some miracle, she had managed to defy the odds

"Princess, you should also say something to this idiot. Overloading her staff to cast a magic. She did not even think about what the consequences would be. If not because of emergency treatment, she would have been lying dead by now" Alvara pointed at Marba as they bickered.

"Hah!! As if you are the one to talk. Your Highness, if anyone, you should talk to the captain. It was way too reckless to attack the Salamander even after suffering such injury. Who is the idiot here I suppose?"…

"What did you say".

Seeing her subordinates argue back and forth, Cynthia couldn't help but smile at their familiar banter. Despite their circumstances, it was moments like these that reminded them of their unbreakable bond.

Just like Alric had said, after a while the master of the dungeon, Simon visited them in person. His commanding presence, imposing figure and crown like pair of horns, gave him an aura of authority.

His unrestrained long dark black hair, coupled with his striking looks, gave him a devilish attractiveness. The very essence of his being seemed to exude a formidable presence that bore a hint of intimidation yet also a sense of assurance.

With each step he took, the atmosphere inside the cavernous chamber shifted, as if the air itself altered to accommodate his presence. The three women's hearts quickened as they watched him slowly step forward in the light.

As his eyes met theirs, it was as though he could see through to their very souls. A sense of purpose emanated from him, intertwining with his regal demeanour. He radiated a kind of quiet intensity that beckoned attention, and Cynthia, Alvara, and Marba found themselves unable to look away.

As they took in the sight before them, they had no doubt in their minds that the person, the being in front of them no human, he was a demon through and through.

That said, he was not alone, next to him were his maids, the ones who were next to him back in that cave.

"It looks like you all are up," Simon's deep and coarse voice resonated through the chamber. "How are your injuries? I had my subordinates immediately treat you; however, your bodies were too weak and fatigued at that time so we couldn't treat all of your injuries. Later one of my subordinates will come to heal you again"…

"Thank you... Si.. Lord Simon. If not for your help, my comrades would have died there" Cynthia thanked.

Despite having met him before, she couldn't help but widen her eyes in surprise at how different and changed he looked. It was less than three years that they parted ways in the capital yet the person who posed as an adventurer and travelled with her at that time, looked completely different than the ones she remembered.

It was hard to believe that the imposing figure standing before them was the same person.

"You are... Simon? Haven't you changed quite a bit" Alvara also spoke at this moment, snapping out of the intimidating pressure that engulfed the chamber. Her voice just like Cynthia, was laced with gratitude and curiosity.

Simon inclined his head slightly, in response to Alvara's question "Indeed I am Simon, a Demon Noble and the master of the Dungeon Laplace". His gaze held a weight that matched his words.

"I would say welcome to my domain but I would refrain for now until I hear about your situation. Also, I apologize for the lack of proper hospitality, but you must understand that I had to maintain some level of cautiousness against you all. After all, it's difficult to discern friends from foes these days".

Cynthia exchanged a glance with Alvara and Marba before turning her attention back to Simon.

"We understand. You already did us a big favour by saving us, we cannot possibly ask more. Truly thank you".

"That's alright, I just repaid the favour I owe you all. Fortunately, I was able to save a couple of others who were barely hanging onto their breaths in time"

Simon shook his hands, he only saved them because he owed them a favour. Especially to this violet haired woman who helped him a lot. Both during the time in the capital to escape the encirclement of the adventurers and their plans to besiege his dungeon.

So even though he no longer had any attachment to the human race, it can be said that he did what he did just to repay the debt he owed her. 

"Save a couple others? Do you mean that my subordinates are…" Hearing the expectant question of the woman, Simon nodded his head.

"Yeah, although I was unable to save all of them, I did manage to retrieve a burly knight and an old assassin who were on the verge of death".