Dungeon Overlord: Monster Girl Harem!-Chapter 57: Astrea City - The Dangerous Rumour

In a highly decorated and neat room, the ticktock of a grandfather clock filled the empty silence as a male sat alone completing thick documents and various tasks.

The walls are dusty, and the bookshelves are lined with titles related to war, theology, magic, demons, and various other topics, making this seem like a personal study.

The male with blond hair continued scribbling while wearing an elegant set of clothes.

They were of the highest quality and showed that he was no mere man but one who held great power. He had been doing this for hours on end with no interruption, so when the door suddenly burst open behind him, he didn't bother to react.

"State your business and then accept the monetary penalty for disturbing me." His voice was blank and emotionless, and he seemed to fade. Only the shimmer of his wrist kept the man in focus.

"Forgive my impertinence, city lord!"

The knight bowed hurriedly, while shuddering, wanting to speak with the valued lord but not able to muster enough courage. The air around the male was heavy, and it made anyone who entered want to kneel before him.

His Lord was a very dangerous person to be around, so it was not surprising that the knight found himself sweating and unable to speak.

"Do you have a tongue? If you do, use it. Otherwise, I'll cut it out and add it to my collection. This is your final warning," he said, still looking at his paperwork.

In reality, there wasn't a collection, and all those who were fired or 'dealt with' by the young prince now lived happily on those farms and other locations.

"Yes, sir!" The knight did not know about this and immediately straightened up.

"Report from the front lines! We have spotted a dragon flying in the north, along with what seems to be the cursed dark elves."

The blond-haired male's hand stopped writing for a moment, rolling the quill in his palm and then continued, "How many dragons?"

"Just one, my lord!"

"And how many dark elves?" He asked without looking up.

Although he wanted to know, the lord didn't want the knights to get involved more than necessary and to die.

"Ten dark elves were sighted in the northwestern forest hunting the dire wolves. Though the Alpha seems to be calm, and unresponsive, it isn't a threat at this time."

"I see. Very well, prepare the troops for combat. Gather our mages as well. They may prove useful in battle against the elves."

"Understood, sir."

"W-Wait—"

The lord suddenly noticed the report and realised this wouldn't be a simple mission. He gazed through the notes while muttering to himself, which caused the knight in chain mail to sweat heavily.

"Prepare to work with that so-called hero, he needs to earn the money we've been siphoning to fund his lifestyle. Ensure that he isn't allowed to slack off and send him to deal with the dragon situation." The Lord's lips curled into a calculative smile, before tapping his desk.

"Since you've rushed here, make sure you get a drink and take some time off before you leave. Good work, Sir Patrick."

"Yes, my lord!" The man turned and left immediately after receiving his orders from the city lord of Astrea.

Afterwards, the lord stood from his seat and strolled over to an expensive liquor cabinet that a master carpenter with glass windows had crafted. He gazed out at the beautiful city of Astrea, a place where most people came to fulfil their dreams and ambitions.

"Another day in paradise," he murmured before pouring himself a glass of fine wine from his private collection. He sipped it slowly as he watched the sun rise above the horizon on such a lovely day, completely oblivious to what lay ahead.

"Such rubbish… I have so much work to take care of because of these so-called heroes and adventurers. "At least mercenaries accept any mission for money and don't have an inflated sense of ego or self-worth."

The city lord's gaze narrowed, fears of the unknown rising in his heart, as if something was watching him.

"I can only hope we can wipe them out… or find a path of mutual survival."

Far away, two young children ran around a lush green forest. One was a little boy who seemed to be 10 years old, while the other was a girl who looked like she was around 5.

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

This area to the west of Arlet village is normally safe for children today. However, a low growl from the bushes preceded a pair of golden, bloodshot eyes.

"Paul… we need to run!" said the child to her brother.

"What? Why? You're just scared, Mary. There are no monsters here." Paul laughed and pointed to the sign that read 'safe zone.' This sign told the villagers where they could hunt safely without worrying about monsters attacking them.

However, these were children, unable to assess the situation properly.

"A-Are you sure, Paul?" The girl gazed at the bloodshot eyes, hoping for them to vanish.

The pair made a mistake.

The beast didn't move; instead, it watched its prey cautiously.

The sound of bushes rustling filled the air as the creature emerged from hiding and revealed itself to be an enormous wolf-like monster covered in fur and with razor-sharp fangs dripping saliva onto

However, just after the first sound… another followed before a third pair rapidly appeared.

Three wolves, all eyeing their prey.

Their gazes shifted between the two children, evaluating whether one would provide more food than the other.

They were not enormous creatures but still towered above the children because of being twice their size.

"Bother… I'm scared."

"It'll be okay Patty! I will keep you safe."

A deep breath echoed out.

"P-Please stay away…"

Mary grabbed Paul's hand and tried to pull him away. As they backed up, she glanced around nervously, searching for a way out.

"T-There!" She called out, noticing a clearing in the forest where there weren't any trees or plants growing nearby, and the village was a straight sprint to get there.

A childish mind lacked the sufficient growth and development to find traps, or deceit.

"There are no trees! If we run over there then maybe we won't get eaten by those wolves!"

"O-Okay!"

As if enchanted with magic, the pair grasped each other's hands and fled from the wolves. Not long after, they found themselves in a storage portion of the forest, covered in cuts and bruises while gasping for air.

However, this didn't last long, as a howl followed by several more sounded from the surrounding trees.

In front of them stood a massive pack of wolves.

"Paul, what do we do?"

Thud!

The loud bang of something coming out of the woods startled both children.

A single, enormous wolf emerged from the foliage. Its dark grey fur shimmered slightly in the sunlight.

It was clear who was leading this group.

"M-Mommy…"

"Save me!"

The pair of children trembled as the wolf, missing an eye, with a scar across its cheek, stared them down. It growled menacingly before taking slow steps towards the pair.

With nowhere to run, they cowered together. Tears streamed down their faces as they waited for death to claim them.

This event would cause a domino effect, drawing the entire forest into the false conflict between dark elves, humans, and southern wolves.

However, these events were several days in the past.

Zafira sat in the dungeon, a beautiful room now filled with various items that improved the area Leonhardt would live in the future. The succubus curled on his throne with closed eyes. She thought about the current situation, something like a weight pressed on her shoulders, making her chest feel tight.

Because of the lizards in the north, she spent most of her time training and fighting with the goblins, but the more she spent around them, the ache in her body became worse, wanting to visit Leonhardt.

[You're a lost cause!]

Ifrit the dungeon assistant mocked the dungeon master's aide.

"You can't even touch him so why are you acting so smug?!"

[Hehe~ who said I can't? He just reached his first major evolution!]

"What?!"

The first major evolution could be considered something like humans coming of age, when they reach eighteen or twenty, depending on the kingdom's or country's rules.

To a monster or demon it carried the same significance, which caused her to hold back in the past, unsure about whether Leonhardt could do so.

"A lesser Chimera with no true master managed to evolve?"

[Don't underestimate him, he will surpass you one day.]

Zafira didn't dislike this thought.

Somehow, knowing that Leon would surpass her one day made her feel relieved, as if a weight vanished from her shoulders.

"But…"

[Yeah, I know what you mean]

The pair's voices mixed with tinges of worry, concern and a strange sense of jealousy.

"Do you think that he'll lose control this time?"

[I do not know, but isn't that why we exist?]

Zafira and Ifrit knew that the first true awakening could become violent and dangerous if someone weren't there to help guide the newly awakened adult.

"I can't help but worry…"

[Me too…]