Beren Bloodwash remained kneeling.
His current state was quite pathetic, unbecoming of the captain who led the mercenary group ‘Red Fang’.
His eyes were swollen and bruised, and his nose was bleeding.
His front teeth were gone, and saliva dripped from his mouth.
Celia smiled with satisfaction as she looked at him.
It wasn’t because Beren’s appearance was unsightly, but because she liked the process of capturing him.
“Indeed, everyone has performed their given missions well according to their positions.”
As expected, each person was given tasks corresponding to their positions, and she wanted to praise them for carrying them out excellently.
First, there was Skoll, who held the position of Border Count.
As the master of a dungeon and the chieftain of an Orc tribe, he had excellently subdued the enemy.
He was evaluated as having faithfully completed the mission befitting his position.
Next was the Inspector, Lich.
He too had reliably performed the tasks befitting an Inspector.
First, he discovered the enemy, and didn’t Skoll capture those subdued and drag them here?
That wasn’t all. He even showed meticulousness in recording evaluations of others based on the situation.
“Hmm.”
Celia paused in thought as she looked at the records Lich had written.
Then, soon.
“Since the outcome was good, let’s consider everyone free from demerits.”
At those words, the Death Knight rejoiced.
The records written by Lich.
It listed dereliction of duty and unauthorized absence from the dungeon, and the Death Knight, who had just been reprimanded by Celia, felt his spirits lift with the news of no demerits.
At a moment of harmonious atmosphere.
A horde of goblins appeared.
They marched in formation, lightly armed, and stopped in front of Celia.
The Hobgoblin leading the goblin horde saluted Celia.
“Administrator, all preparations are complete!”
They were a newly formed unit by Celia.
The Scout Team, that is.
Since the Great One had created the grand picture, it was Celia’s task to fill in the finer details.
And the first of those details was the scout team composed of goblins.
Although Lich conducted patrols, his reconnaissance purpose was strictly for inspecting others, rather than actual scouting.
Although unlikely, Celia, concerned about any security gaps, had separately organized a scout team.
It wasn’t difficult.
The goblins were armed with light equipment, allowing them freedom of movement, and were sent to scout the dungeon’s surroundings.
The goblins were agile, fitting their small stature, and their green skin provided camouflage in the forest.
Furthermore, their sheer numbers made them suitable for rotational scouting.
However, they hadn’t simply organized goblins.
A systematic organization was required, so the scout team was divided into three units for rotational duty.
Three Hobgoblins were appointed as unit leaders to command each of the three units.
Finally, a Goblin Lord was assigned as the monster to command the entire scout team composed of goblins.
It was perhaps an obvious choice.
And now.
The first unit, which had just been established, was appearing, ready to embark on its first reconnaissance mission. Celia spoke to the Hobgoblin unit leader who was about to depart for the first reconnaissance.
“From now on, only report to the Goblin Lord and execute missions.”
At Celia’s words, the Hobgoblin saluted again and left the dungeon.
The scout team’s work officially began.
‘The issue of patrolling near the dungeon has been resolved, so there should be no further problems.’
In this way, Celia was prepared to do anything for her Master’s goals.
Lich followed the scout team as they left the dungeon, but Celia didn’t pay much attention to them.
Lich was doing well, and more importantly, Celia had other things to do.
“Well now, it’s time for judgment.”
It was time to pass judgment on the intruders before her eyes.
And the one who would deliver that righteous judgment was none other than…
Celia herself, who received the position of Chief Administrator from the Great Master, was responsible for diplomacy, establishing order within the dungeon, and setting discipline, and she would deliver the final verdict.
Celia looked at each of the fallen individuals on the ground.
“How dare you invade the domain of the exalted one. Normally, you would all deserve to die, but I shall grant you a special opportunity.”
An opportunity?
At her words, those who had been weeping raised their heads.
They had believed their fate was sealed from the moment they were captured.
They had expected to die immediately, but her words gave them hope of survival.
The opponent was undoubtedly the owner of the dungeon.
No, given the mention of “the Great One” earlier, even if not the owner, she was certainly a being of high standing.
Therefore, their fate would depend on her words.
Everyone shared the same thought and nurtured hope in their hearts.
“I hereby sentence you to a punishment of labor, to work until the day you die.”
Celia judged the intruders.
A punishment where they would all have to work until they died.
It was obvious they would be treated like slaves.
Yet, everyone breathed a sigh of relief at her words.
Surviving was the priority for now.
Only by surviving could they plan for the future.
After all, their only thought was to seize an opportunity and escape.
They had been told they would work forever, but surely, there would be an opening.
If they could use that chance to escape, it wasn’t a completely desperate situation.
They sang with hope, especially because they had families to feed.
Celia, who had delivered the verdict, looked at the Death Knight and spoke.
“Mr. Death Knight. As the Knight Captain who guards the dungeon, you shall carry out the punishment on them.”
The Death Knight nodded at Celia’s words.
Then, he drew the sword hanging at his waist.
A clear sound echoed from the scabbard as the sword was drawn.
“Wha…?”
Beren was momentarily bewildered.
Why was he suddenly drawing his sword?
But his thoughts were cut short. The next event happened in an instant.
*Thump-*
As soon as the Death Knight unsheathed his sword, he plunged it into Beren’s heart.
Beren’s heart was pierced by the sword.
“Kck.”
With a short scream, Beren met his end.
Seeing his state, the others panicked and cried out.
“You said you’d spare us!”
“You said you’d give us a chance!”
But there was no one to hear their cries.
It was a voiceless outcry.
As everyone wailed, a small change began.
“Keeurrr…”
A strange, gurgling sound was heard from somewhere. The screaming stopped at this small sound.
“What is that sound?”
“Where is it coming from?”
And soon, they realized where the sound was coming from and what change was happening.
Wasn’t it Beren, whose heart had been pierced, making a strange sound and getting up?
“…”
Silence fell upon everyone.
Those who had once served Beren as their captain were aghast.
The Beren they knew was no more.
Only a ghoul in Beren’s likeness existed there.
Beren Bloodwash, who received death and a new life as a ghoul.
It was the effect of the Death Knight’s skill.
Celia smirked at his appearance.
“Oh my, this time a normal ghoul has appeared.”
When sentenced to death by the Death Knight, they were reborn as ghouls.
In fact, while powerful ghouls had appeared unusually up to this point, this was the normal situation.
This ghoul was a completely ordinary 2-star.
Of course, Celia was satisfied, as they weren’t intended for combat from the start.
“Well, it shouldn’t be a problem for work.”
Celia looked at the remaining individuals.
“Now we can cultivate laborers.”
Ghouls were undead.
When they became undead, they naturally had no need for rest. They obviously didn’t need sleep.
Furthermore, they had no need to consume food, which meant they could dedicate themselves solely to work.
Even if their durability was questionable, ghouls were expected to be mass-produced anyway.
They were essentially slave laborers armed with extreme cost-effectiveness.
At Celia’s words, the survivors screamed and struggled.
“I don’t want to die like this!”
Someone screamed and tried to escape, but this was already inside the dungeon.
As soon as they got up, they died by the sword swung by the Death Knight.
And shortly after, like Beren, they rose again as ghouls.
“This isn’t right! I have a family to feed! Please… please, have mercy.”
One of the mercenaries began to beg.
However, that was not Celia’s concern; it was the problem of the human.
More importantly, if they were someone who cared for their family, they shouldn’t have come here in the first place.
Dungeon subjugation was inherently like that.
It was work that one had to do with the constant contemplation of death.
The Death Knight’s sword moved again.
“Ah, goddess, please save me.”
Amidst the screams and the overwhelming despair and sorrow, someone offered a prayer.
However, there was no goddess here to answer their prayer.
Instead, the Death Knight cut down the man who was praying.
Although the outcome was different, the man was freed from despair and pain.
And he was saved by becoming a ghoul.
The birth of new life, appearing with death.
This dungeon was a place of salvation.
The Death Knight’s sword continued to move.
It looked like a dance.
Everyone screamed and transformed into ghouls.
From now on, they would handle all the menial labor for dungeon operations.
As long as a second death did not come to them, they would offer eternal loyalty to the Great Being.
That was how they would atone for their mistakes. This too, was their destiny.
“Grrr.”
“Kee…”
All of them were reborn.
All of them became members of the dungeon, just like their former captain, Beren.
Celia, who watched the scene with satisfaction, raised her head again.
“Another guest has arrived?”
Someone had entered the dungeon’s domain.
Celia had already sensed a group of beings from some time ago.
She had left them alone as they were far away, but since they had directly entered the Master’s domain, she couldn’t leave them unattended indefinitely.
Celia’s actions would vary depending on the intruder’s intentions.
“Alright, everyone, wrap things up and prepare to receive our guests.”
***
Goolon, representing the Merchant Guild, arrived once more.
Of course, his heart longed to surrender immediately, but the presence of the shadows behind him was bothersome, so he merely beat around the bush.
An awkward smile was added on top of that.
“Are there any more supplies you need for the dungeon these days?”
“Haha, isn’t the weather lovely these days?”
This was already the third conversation about the weather, and Celia, who couldn’t stand the meaningless conversation any longer, opened her mouth.
“Well, it’s fine, but I’d like to get to the point. Let’s stop with the meaningless chatter.”
At her words, Goolon paused to think.
Then, he glanced back.
The shadows remained still. Thinking this was his chance, Goolon swallowed and decided to act.
He quickly ran towards Celia and then knelt on the floor.
“Please, spare my life! The Merchant Guild intends to eliminate me and this dungeon!”
Goolon said, raising his voice. Then, he glanced back again.
‘That’s strange.’
His actions now looked like he was betraying the Merchant Guild and siding with this dungeon.
However, contrary to his worries, the shadows took no action.
Instead, they simply stood still, without the slightest movement.
“Huh?”
Something was strange. As Goolon tilted his head in confusion, Celia’s voice was heard.
“You bring me such a gift. I am grateful to whoever you are?”
At the same time, the shadows bowed their heads towards Celia.
“Wha…?”
Goolon couldn’t understand the situation.
Didn’t it look as if the shadows were pledging allegiance to Celia?
