Reverse Dungeon

The elf merchant looked wronged when he noticed Ian's skepticism.

"It's true! There's nothing I'm bad at."

"Really? Then what skills have you learned?"

Because of this cursed bugged status window, Ian couldn't even check the guy's skill list.

'I know for a fact his Spirit Affinity and martial arts skills are high level.'

But he had no idea what the elf's unique abilities were. If he was a playable character, he had to have something special.

"Ah, that's a little too personal to reveal. I'll tell you a bit. Let's see... sword, bow, axe, spear, whip, flail, dual swords..."

Counting on his fingers, the elf spoke enthusiastically.

"Oh! What I'm best at is physical combat."

'Useless bastard.'

Ian tuned him out.

Could this guy actually be useful?

The fact that he appeared in the party roster suggested there had to be some way to use him.

Eventually they reached the residential district.

The moment they arrived, they sensed something strange.

A commotion was coming from deeper inside.

Keith's expression hardened.

"It seems he has arrived."

"Yeah."

The core quest had appeared.

The administrator of this village.

A human who had sworn loyalty to the demons and acted as their steward. A traitor who exploited his fellow humans despite being one himself.

The starting point of the final linked quest had arrived.

Once this bastard showed up, there would be no reason to remain in this area.

'Take care of him, then move on.'

"You wretches! Do you not fear the wrath of the Demon Archduke? What, you're still not ready?"

"M-my lord! Please forgive us! Have mercy!"

"Ridiculous! I begged tirelessly and the Archduke graciously extended his mercy. But now even his patience has run out. You're all as good as dead!"

"Please spare us, my lord!"

"What do you expect me to do? Beg for another extension? Fine. If I do, what will you offer me in return? Hm? Your pretty little—"

"Kgh!"

Louise took the administrator down with a flying kick.

In one smooth motion he twisted the man's arm and pinned all four limbs beneath his weight.

"I've got him."

"Good work."

Ian walked over and casually nudged the administrator's head with his foot.

"Wake up. You didn't pass out."

"Hurk! Cough! Cough! Wh-what is this...?! Do you know who I am?!"

"The Southern Demon Archduke's slave. Isn't that right?"

"You know and still dare—?!"

The administrator looked up.

The instant his distorted face recognized Ian, his expression froze in shock.

"Black-haired human...! Don't tell me... Hero Ian?!"

'My reputation really has gone up.'

His face alone had become a business card.

Soon Ian would experience the same thing Keith did, where people took one look and started shouting "Agent of God!"

And the nice thing about fame was that it saved a lot of explanations.

"That's right! The great Ian himself!"

"He shows no mercy to demons!"

"You're dead!"

The villagers who had been begging moments ago jumped to their feet and started hurling stones at the administrator.

Ian wasn't entirely sure when he'd acquired such a fearsome reputation, but he didn't stop them.

As a result, the administrator panicked without needing any threats.

"P-please spare me! I didn't cooperate with the demons because I wanted to! I did it to survive!"

"Really? Then you can survive by listening to me, too."

"An-anything! Please, anything!"

"It's nothing difficult. I want to infiltrate your master's castle."

"...?!"

"You'll help, won't you?"

Ding!

['Administrator' Palantrep believes you are a demon!]

"Y-yes...! Yes, of course!"

Ding!

[Quest] Evil Administrator (1)

Administrator Palantrep, the favored slave of the Southern Demon Archduke, secretly exploits people to satisfy his greed.

Did the people he took away truly end up inside a demon's stomach?

'Of course not.'

Ian kicked the administrator, who was lying flat on the ground like a frog.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and go open the gate."

"Y-yes! I'll go immediately! I'll throw open the gate for the Hero's arrival!"

The administrator fled without looking back.

Keith frowned.

"Do you trust him? Would it not be better to place a leash on him and drag him there?"

'No, that's a little concerning.'

Did this guy have some strange preferences?

Ian was suddenly suspicious.

In any case, Ian had no hobby involving putting leashes on overweight middle-aged men, so he explained.

"It's fine. He'll open the gate."

The elf merchant tilted his head.

"I don't think so. My heart is filled with faith in humanity, but that man reeks of deception."

"Did you become a dog while I wasn't looking?"

Since the elf had not, in fact, changed classes into a canine beast, his objection was dismissed.

"Strange. Ian doesn't seem like the type to overlook a liar."

"Ah, no."

There was a reason the administrator had to be released.

If all his limbs remained intact, he'd run straight back to his nest in hopes of saving his own life.

"The gates of a Demon Archduke's castle don't open for unauthorized visitors."

"Ooh, figures."

What exactly did that mean?

Regardless, they followed behind the fleeing administrator.

Tracking was a hunter's specialty.

Louise knew how to shadow a target without revealing his presence.

Even riding a demonized beast, the administrator couldn't escape him.

Ding!

[You have acquired the skill .]

As a bonus, Ian obtained another skill that might or might not prove useful.

"I lost them...! They're gone!"

Meanwhile, Administrator Palantrep sensed the pursuers falling behind.

No matter how many times he looked back, the Hero's party was nowhere in sight.

"Hahaha! They let me go! Did they really think they could keep up with me? Fools!"

Clinging to his demonized horse, Palantrep burst into laughter.

His terror transformed into relief, producing a hysterical cackle.

When the village had been trampled by the demon army, he had chosen not to stand with the villagers.

Instead, he had bowed his head at the demons' feet.

That judgment had saved him then, and it had saved him again now.

When faced with danger, Palantrep's instincts for self-preservation never failed him.

'The Hero's party? Ridiculous.'

He snorted.

People had been idiots even before the world changed.

After spending so many years as slaves, it seemed their already poor minds had become even duller.

Or perhaps they had never witnessed demonic power up close.

'Hero' or not, he was still only human.

How could a mere human threaten a demon?

Much less a Demon Archduke.

'Though... I don't know where His Excellency is.'

The thought suddenly surfaced.

Palantrep lowered his head.

His master, the Demon Archduke, had stopped appearing before his subordinates some time ago.

Had something happened?

The demons under the Archduke, the monsters beneath them, and the slaves crawling at the bottom of the food chain all knew nothing.

Everyone merely watched each other nervously, sensing that something was about to happen.

Even the butler who attended the Archduke had vanished, making it impossible to guess the truth.

Among the humans living in the castle, Palantrep was one of the best informed.

He flattered the demons under the Archduke whenever possible and gathered the scraps of gossip they casually tossed aside.

'Perhaps he hasn't hidden himself at all... perhaps he truly disappeared...'

Palantrep shook his head.

Who on this continent could possibly harm that mighty Demon Archduke?

Especially with the butler at his side.

Palantrep had not forgotten the terror of the day his village burned.

The Demon Archduke had slaughtered people like insects.

Without even lifting a hand himself.

As though he were bored.

The actual violence and destruction had been carried out by the demons serving under him.

"He calls himself a Hero? Says he's killed demons? Exaggerated nonsense. It's pathetic that anyone believes such rumors."

Scoffing, Palantrep entered the castle.

As he approached the gate reserved for slaves, the demon brand embedded in his back grew hot.

The mark proving he belonged to the Archduke.

Rumble.

The gate—small for demons, enormous for humans—opened on both sides.

No one had opened it from within.

It was as though the castle itself had responded.

Passing through, Palantrep became convinced.

'Exactly... humans can never win. I made the right choice.'

Before the gates had even finished closing, he hurried off to find a demon he knew.

The wealth he had accumulated by exploiting his assigned district had not been spent solely on himself.

He had regularly distributed gifts to nearby demons to secure his own safety.

Among them was a particularly vicious demon who loved fame.

That demon would gladly leap at the chance to hunt a Hero.

"Lord Pilati! Lord Pilati! Please hear me out! I have something important to—"

Kgh!

Palantrep clutched his throat and collapsed.

Behind him, Louise lowered his bow.

"Did he need to stay alive?"

"No."

The castle gates closed.

They no longer needed the key.

Ding!

[Quest] The Masterless Castle (1)

A disturbing rumor has recently spread throughout the Southern Demon Archduke's castle.

The rumor claims that the Demon Archduke has disappeared.

The ambitious demon Pilati wishes to uncover the truth behind the Archduke's disappearance. freewēbnoveℓ.com

'Two linked quests cleared at the same time.'

Ian intended to squeeze every last drop of efficiency out of this opportunity.