S-Class Dungeon’s Mistress - Chapter 223

Chapter 223

Adelaide's white fingers repeatedly coiled around the leather handle. Her grip was so tight that the bones protruded sharply across her dry hand.

This was the first time she had divided her demons into teams for combat. Perhaps because of this, her heart kept pounding with anxiety.

"It'll be fine."

A soft voice came from above her. Though she thought she had hidden her emotions as best she could, Lisianthus, as always, seemed to have read her inner thoughts completely.

"Both Caladium and Lupinus are as strong as Mammon or Asmodeus. With them, even the skeletons should be able to hold their own."

It was an unexpected comfort. Of course, Lisianthus had always been tender and kind... but since Adelaide had forcibly imprisoned him, he had rarely offered soft smiles or gentle voices. Even after passionately kissing her, he had only spoken of strategies, as if helpless.

Moreover, throughout the war, he had been unable to hide a somewhat uncomfortable expression. He seemed to think the war had occurred because of him and that she had been dragged into dangerous circumstances. It was an absurd thought, but the fierce battle left no time to point this out.

Adelaide gave a small nod instead. Then she raised her gaze to look at Lisianthus carefully.

"...What is it?"

As her pink pupils glimmered quietly, Lisianthus lowered his voice and asked in a gruff tone.

"Lisian, don't you have anything else to say?"

"Pardon?"

"I'm still waiting. An answer."

Lisianthus subtly averted his gaze. Even though they had already started a war, he didn't seem ready to confess his true feelings.

Watching his particularly tightly pressed lips, she softly smiled. How cute. A small whisper echoed in his ear.

"Okay, I'll wait more maturely."

"...The demon's energy is drawing near."

He continued to avoid direct eye contact and changed the subject. Adelaide laughed aloud and turned her head. Even though it wasn't a situation for laughter, somehow she couldn't help but laugh.

Just as he said, the demon's energy was growing deeper. The demon king's army blocking their path was becoming increasingly stronger. It seemed they would soon encounter one of the infamous devils.

"Who could it be? The energy itself feels incredibly stuffy and rancid..."

She frowned and sent her magical energy flowing through her skin. Just from sensing the energy, her previously good mood had become thoroughly unpleasant.

"...It's the demon of greed, Mammon. He specializes in mental manipulation, so be careful not to be enchanted. The vampire siblings should focus on sending their energy rather than attacking recklessly."

"Yeah. I'll do that."

"The biggest problem is Bell..."

"Mwang?" Bell, who had been clinging to Adelaide's embrace, tilted his head questioningly.

"As you know, mental attacks operate independently of physical defense capabilities. The weaker the mental power, the easier it is to fall. In the case of the demon beast Cerberus, its skin is so tough that it barely gets wounded by most attacks, but it's vulnerable to mental attacks. You must be careful as it might suddenly change in unpredictable ways... If I had known the opponent would be Mammon, I should have sent Bell to the other team."

"Mwang? Mwang mwang!"

"Adelaide, do you remember the characteristics of Mammon I mentioned?"

Lisianthus completely ignored Bell, who was barking vigorously and seemingly feeling wronged.

"Yeah. You said he's incredibly good at hiding and erasing his presence. To be careful because he could attack from anywhere, and to maintain concentration to avoid being affected by his powers."

Adelaide nodded her head, signaling not to worry. Mammon was about the same combat level as her, just annoying with mental attacks. Because of this, an inexplicable confidence surged within her.

Lisianthus, in fact, looked at her with anxious eyes. He knew that she, like Bell, was vulnerable to mental attacks.

Before he could give another warning, a dense and distant demonic energy began to surge. As a fierce wind blew, everything around them was dyed pitch black.

"It's Mammon!"

Following Lisianthus's signal, the demons of Greenville all jumped down from the wyverns. They weren't the type to confront the enemy while riding wyverns.

"Where, where is he?"

Adelaide frowned and looked around. The sudden dense darkness that had settled everywhere had narrowed her vision. She could barely see what was right in front of her.

"There are a lot of demon king's army soldiers!"

Cereza smashed a demon king's soldier's head with her large hammer. Just as she said, demon king's army soldiers were approaching from all directions. They seemed to be Mammon's army.

Separately from that, Mammon's energy couldn't be clearly felt. He was definitely nearby, but she couldn't pinpoint his exact location.

At the moment she was trying to heighten her senses, her head suddenly spun, and her vision significantly shook.

"Ugh...!"

"Adelaide, are you okay?!"

"I'm, I'm fine. No problem."

Adelaide tried to stabilize her staggering body and responded. Although she answered as if nothing was wrong, her head was still dizzy. It felt like she had drunk far more alcohol than her tolerance. No, the dizziness was even more severe than that.

At that moment, strange reactions began to appear among the other demon clan members.

"Grr... Growl!"

Bell, who had been beside Adelaide, burst out with a more beast-like cry than usual and ran out of her visual range. This was the beginning.

Crack, crunch! Munch, tear! Sounds of something being chewed and torn erupted from where Bell had run. Just as she was about to urgently call him back, a bewildered voice came from the side.

"...Cerezo? What's wrong?"

"You... because of you...!"

Cerezo aggressively charged at Cereza. Then, without hesitation, he swung his claws to attack his precious sister. Just looking at his bloodshot eyes showed that his condition was not good.

"Because of you, Cereza, Cereza...!"

"Cerezo! Snap out of it!"

Cereza was too busy dodging to counterattack her brother. Although she was stronger than Cerezo and dodging wasn't difficult, maintaining this while also dealing with other demon king's army soldiers would be impossible.

"Lisian! Quickly stop him...!"

Adelaide was turning her head this way and that when she looked up at Lisianthus and shouted. Fortunately, Adelaide is safe. Just as he was thinking this and feeling relieved.

"Stop... him?"

The pink pupils looking at him gradually became vacant. It was an ominous sign.

"Wow, the hair is sparkling..."

As expected, Adelaide started making strange sounds with a half-mad face.

"...Adelaide?"

"Give it to me."

"I want pretty hair." Her voice, which should have been clear, was eerily unsettling. Her slender fingertips had somehow grown sharp claws.

Swish! She reached out towards Lisianthus without hesitation. Her hand was far too menacing to be simply wanting hair.

"Haah."

However, her white wrist was immediately stopped by him. His large, warm hand firmly grasped her.

"Stay still, Adelaide. If I let you get even slightly hurt, I'll die from the guilt."

"Hair, hair...!"

Adelaide continued to struggle, seemingly not understanding his words at all. She definitely had similarities with Bell and Caladium. Both were vulnerable to mental attacks and had a somewhat cute level of intelligence.

Lisianthus felt self-loathing at comparing the woman he loved to two beasts. He easily subdued her.

"Cereza. Don't hold back. Properly knock him out. Quickly suppressing him is the best way for both of you."

At his cold voice, Cereza bit her lip. Her brother, who would make a fuss over even the smallest scratch on her, would definitely be shocked to learn she attacked him. To minimize that shock, it was right to quickly suppress him.

Cereza steeled her resolve and gripped the hammer's handle. Then, without hesitation, she struck the back of her brother's head.

Thwack! As a large impact sound rang out, Lisianthus shuddered. He hadn't meant for her to hit quite so hard. He was taken aback but tried to act like nothing happened.

Meanwhile, Bell was still busily chewing and tasting the demon king's army soldiers. It seemed his appetite for food had surged.

Mammon's intention might have been for him to attack the Greenville group like Cerezo, but for demon beasts, mental attacks often worked but could flow in strange directions. Bell's busy eating of the demon king's army soldiers was also due to this reason.

'Where is he?'

Lisianthus narrowed his eyes, tracking Mammon's location. The faint energy was elusive. Moreover, whenever he tried to concentrate, Adelaide kept struggling and interrupting him. Her movements, like a shaman frantically trying to pluck his hair, were cute, but her strengthened power made subduing her not so simple.

During this, the high-ranking demons under Mammon continued targeting him. Of course, while suppressing Adelaide, he allowed not even the slightest gap.

But if the attacker was Mammon, the situation would be different.

Swish!

A sharp metallic object grazed his neck, causing a sharp pain. By holding Adelaide close and turning his body, he avoided a critical wound, but a shallow cut remained on his neck.

"Sparkling!"

Lisianthus let out a small sigh and stared at Adelaide, who was persistently grabbing his hair. At this rate, she too might become endangered.

He rolled his eyes to confirm Mammon's energy. The sly Mammon had hidden himself after one attack. He would likely continue attacking by opportunistically finding gaps.

"Can't be helped."

Lisianthus murmured lowly and grabbed his sword with one hand. He knew how to resolve greed. It was just a temporary measure, but it would be enough to divert her attention.

And at the moment Mammon targeted him again, Lisianthus swung his sword without hesitation.

Rustle!

With a clear sound, long hair swayed like a moonlit wave. Simultaneously, having been freed, he immediately leaped to right in front of Mammon.

"Kuuk...!"

Amid the low groan, Adelaide blankly looked down at what was in her hand. Something soft and sparkling.

It was Lisianthus's hair.

Upon confirming its identity, her mind cleared as if doused with cold water. The hand holding the beautiful silver hair began to tremble.

Adelaide slowly raised her head and looked ahead. In her view was Lisianthus, who had cut off one of Mammon's arms. More precisely, her gaze was captured by his hair, gently swaying above his collarbone.

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