S-Class Dungeon’s Mistress - Chapter 190

Chapter 190

"Uck!"

As the hard chest strongly compressed her nose and mouth, Adelaide let out another groan. Bell finally realized that his body had changed and quickly lifted himself up.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Adelaide, did that hurt?"

His sharp, pointed black ears folded back. He looked at her with a dejected expression, and she slowly shook her head.

It didn't hurt much. She was just incredibly flustered.

The Bell she remembered was at most a beautiful boy around fourteen or fifteen years old, and now he had suddenly grown so much. She was bewildered about where the intermediate stages of growth had disappeared.

"Bell, is that you...?"

"Huh? Of course it is! Oh, I've gotten too big, haven't I?"

Adelaide cautiously nodded. Bell then laughed sheepishly and explained.

"When the dungeon rank went up, my body suddenly grew! My strength increased a lot too. I was surprised at first myself."

Ah, so that's why. She finally understood the situation and rubbed her head.

As a result of winning the war with Los Halde, her dungeon rank must have increased while she was asleep. The last condition for advancing to an A-rank dungeon was 'Win a war with an A-rank dungeon!' - so this was an expected outcome.

Even if it was expected, it was still something to be happy about. She didn't know exactly how many ranks he'd gone up, but Greenville had finally become an A-rank dungeon!

Every time the dungeon rank had increased before, the dungeon members' powers had grown significantly, so this time would likely be no different. Bell's growth was a testament to that.

"How is it? Do you like it, Adelaide?"

Bell tilted his head slightly and asked. His red eyes were sparkling, clearly eager for her response.

"Y-yeah. You've become incredibly cool, our Bell."

Adelaide gave a thumbs up along with her praise. Bell's face immediately broke into a wide smile. His tail wagged excitedly.

A young man with a puppy's ears and tail. She let out a small sigh. She wasn't quite sure how to describe it, but somehow felt like she was committing a crime.

Objectively, Bell's appearance was on the more beautiful side. Even as a young man, he retained his cute face, which contrasted wonderfully with his decidedly uncute body.

His beauty had been extraordinary since childhood, so growing into a handsome young man was almost inevitable. Isn't that how beautiful boys become beautiful young men, who then become beautiful middle-aged men?

However, to be honest, she wasn't entirely pleased with this transformation. Regardless of whether he was handsome or not, it was simply too unfamiliar. It felt like the baby in her arms had suddenly appeared as a full-grown adult.

Of course, children grow up eventually. As a guardian, she should be happy about Bell's growth. But knowing this, Adelaide couldn't suppress her melancholic feelings. The cute face of a three or four-year-old child who used to whine for more meat kept appearing in her mind.

'I wish he would grow just a bit slower.'

Adelaide stroked Bell's hair intensely, driven by her wistful feelings. His black curly hair was as soft as ever. The warm child's scent wafted gently, offering her some comfort.

Meanwhile, there was one demon who remained in shock, completely unreconciled with the situation. That was Caladium, who had been looking forward to meeting Bell.

Is this really that little kid? Seriously?

Caladium stared blankly at Bell with an utterly bewildered expression. The half-naked intruder who had rushed at Adelaide was actually the Cerberus child he had doted on. A sense of disconnection and loss swept over him.

"Hi, Caladium! I missed you!"

Unaware of these complex emotions, Bell greeted him with a bright face. He quite liked Caladium, who had always been kind to him, so his voice was filled with affection as he spoke with a broad smile.

Caladium couldn't respond and just opened and closed his mouth. The idea of this grown man telling him he was missed was uncomfortable, but since it was Bell, he couldn't bring himself to unleash harsh words.

He was simply too stunned to react. He couldn't even bring himself to roughly push away Bell, who was clinging to Adelaide.

At that moment, another demon took action in his place.

Swoosh! Bell's large body was suddenly lifted and then tossed into a corner of the room. Though he landed gracefully like a proper Cerberus and wasn't hurt, it was still an unwelcome relocation. Bell frowned and glared at whoever had thrown him.

"Master, are you awake?"

"You must be hungry. Let's go eat soon," Lisianthus added in an incredibly gentle voice. The smile blooming on his beautiful face was so soft that one couldn't imagine he had just ruthlessly shoved another demon aside.

"Tch..."

Bell raised his tail stiffly and grumbled but didn't directly challenge Lisianthus. As a demon, he was a bit more sensitive to power dynamics, and he knew that challenging the clever manager would be futile.

Lupinus, who entered the room after Lisianthus, saw Bell wagging his tail in frustration and chuckled. His expression suggested he fully approved of Lisianthus's action.

'I still like Caladium the best,' Bell thought, pouting.

"Lisi! Are you okay? You were seriously injured before."

Adelaide quickly got up and checked Lisianthus's condition. However, as always, he was wearing a white shirt with a black vest, making it difficult to verify any injuries.

"I'm fine."

"You're lying. How could you be okay after being so badly hurt? Let me see!"

Adelaide brazenly unbuttoned his shirt and stripped it off. Lisianthus obediently submitted to her touch while continuing to insist verbally.

"I'm really fine."

Just as he said, his shoulder was perfectly intact. Unlike her skin, which was covered with scabs in various places, Lisianthus's skin was completely clean without even a small scratch.

No matter how much it was Lisianthus, how could he heal so quickly?

Adelaide stared blankly at his broad shoulders. Her pink eyes seemed to flicker momentarily.

"...Adelaide?"

"Oh, sorry. I was just distracted because Lisianthus's shoulder looks so cool. But it's fortunate! You've healed completely without any scars."

As she spoke with an awkward laugh, the faces of a demon and a half-demon simultaneously contorted.

'Is she really impressed by just that shoulder? Has she gone blind?' Caladium snorted under his breath, while Lupinus nodded in agreement. 'Her eyesight must have definitely deteriorated from the previous battle.'

Adelaide naturally ignored their conversation and continued.

"How are the others? Is everyone safe? Nothing happened while we were in Los Halde? By the way, how long was I unconscious?"

Questions poured out rapid-fire. Now that she was facing her managers, the tasks she had postponed were surfacing one by one.

Falling unconscious during the war. Even if only the final stages remained, it was an irresponsible action. Adelaide lowered her eyebrows in reflection.

"Everyone is safe. According to the reports, while we were fighting in Los Halde, a second army sent by Uriel was advancing toward Greenville, but thanks to Caladium's timely arrival, we managed to handle it. You were unconscious for about two days."

When she turned her gaze, Caladium lightly nodded.

There was a reason he had arrived at the Los Halde dungeon somewhat late. He had first stopped by Greenville to rescue his dungeon members and deal with Uriel's army, which took considerable time. After that, upon hearing that Adelaide was alive, he immediately headed to Los Halde.

"Caladi...! Thank you!"

Adelaide reached out and clasped his hands together, expressing her gratitude. Her pink eyes sparkled beautifully.

"Hmph, it's nothing..."

Caladium crossed his arms and responded dismissively. However, the way his mouth's corner slightly lifted suggested he was quite pleased to be thanked.

"Lupin, Lupin, you're not hurt anywhere, right?"

"Except for a headache, I'm perfectly fine."

"A headache? Why?"

"Well, someone's just not listening, so maybe that's why I'm getting migraines."

It was obvious who he was talking about. Even though Adelaide realized he was talking about her, she laughed innocently as if she knew nothing. Whether thirty years ago or now, her habit of becoming more cheerful when in a difficult situation remained the same.

When Lupinus's frown didn't ease despite her bright smile, Adelaide timidly made a heart shape with her hand. Finally, Lupinus burst out laughing. Strictly speaking, it was more a laugh of disbelief, but nonetheless, the scolding was over.

"Let's finish the remaining conversation later and go have dinner. The soup will get cold."

"Oh, okay! Let's go!"

The dungeon members who had gathered in Adelaide's room began to file out one by one following Lisianthus's suggestion.

Caladium, standing at the back, stopped instead of following them and watched their retreating figures.

Lisianthus and Lupinus's gazes toward Adelaide, and the way they slightly turned their bodies toward her, came into his view one after another.

Although Caladium had directly admitted his foolishness to Adelaide, he could immediately recognize what was happening without further explanation. During his absence, these two had also formed a deep relationship with her.

It was a fact he had somewhat anticipated, but seeing it directly was more bitter than expected. He bit his lip while looking at Adelaide's side profile as she laughed cheerfully.

Just as her face was about to be hidden by the wall, Adelaide turned her head toward Caladium. The moment their eyes met, a warm smile, like spring sunlight, spread across her lips.

"Caladi, what are you doing there? Come quickly and let's eat!"

She swiftly approached and without hesitation, grabbed Caladium's hand and pulled him along.

Caladium's face quickly reddened. Her skin, which touched his so naturally, was incredibly soft. His heart continued to beat wildly without pause.

Not even a hug, just holding hands once, and he was like this. And they had even kissed before. Even he thought he was pathetic.

Yet, despite feeling pathetic, his heart felt more at peace.

'This is enough.'

Whether she kisses or becomes intimate with other demons, he doesn't care. As long as he can be by her side. As long as he can hold her hand like this and see her smile like just now. Now, he was truly fine with everything.

Because Adelaide loves me.

Caladium smiled slightly, lifting the corner of his mouth. His muscular body was pulled along effortlessly by her small hand.

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