Dungeon Defense (WN)

Chapter 347: In the Depths of the Empire (7)

Chapter 347: In the Depths of the Empire (7)

Gamigin made a mistake.

If she was able to think even a bit rationally, then she wouldn’t have aimed for Paimon.

If she kept her cool, then she would’ve attacked the maids. Paimon would have no choice but to cover them and ultimately put her in the path of the attack.

However, Paimon had thought things out to that extent. By approaching Dantalian and taunting Gamigin, she would be able to take her attention away from the maids.

The problem was probably the fact that her taunt worked a little too well.

Paimon thought that the other party wouldn’t be able to attack if she stuck close to Dantalian. She knew that Gamigin loved Dantalian. She had lowered her guard thinking that no woman would resort to reckless violence when there was the risk of harming her lover.

“Ah……!”

It wasn’t clear who had let out that gasp.

Whether it was Gamigin who let out a gasp immediately after casting her spell, Paimon being surprised that Gamigin had actually attacked—or Dantalian who covered Paimon and stuck his arm out.

Pitch-black swords shot out from the shadows as soon as the death knights sensed that their master was in danger.

The swords safely blocked most of the attack. However, exactly one strand of the wind blade managed to slip through.

Blood poured out from Dantalian’s forearm.

“Dantalian! Are you okay!?”

Paimon shouted. Dantalian let out a slight groan before smiling wryly.

“I am fine. Rather, should I say that I am used to this now? It appears that even my misfortune is rather tenacious.”

“What are you saying……? You are still bleeding!”

“This cannot be even considered an injury.”

Dantalian went through his mantle and pulled out a potion. He then pulled out the cork with his teeth before pouring it sloppily on his left arm.

Paimon got annoyed once she saw that.

“Hand it over!”

Paimon snatched the potion away. She tore the blanket she was wearing and soaked it with the potion. She was planning to use the blanket as a substitute for a bandage. Paimon wrapped the piece of cloth around Dantalian’s left arm.

“My word, you are such a handful…….”

“What are you in such a rush for? This injury really is not a big deal.”

“Please keep your mouth shut!”

Paimon and Dantalian argued.

“…….”

Gamigin remained completely still while this was happening. Her entire body had frozen up the moment she saw blood shoot out from Dantalian’s arm. Once Paimon finished applying the bandage, she turned to glare sharply at Gamigin.

“Are you mad!?”

“I didn’t……mean to…….”

“Not only did you arbitrarily kill servants, but you even harmed Dantalian!”

“You have to trust me…… I really wasn’t trying to…….”

Paimon walked up to Gamigin with brisk steps and gave her a firm slap.

“Dantalian might have died if it were not for the death knights.”

“I-It was a chantless spell. It isn’t that strong…….”

“You almost killed him!”

Gamigin flinched.

“That is enough.”

Dantalian approached from behind and separated the two women. Paimon with his right arm and Gamigin with his left. Gamigin froze up even more once she was moved by the arm that was bandaged.

“……But Dantalian.”

“I said that that is enough.”

Paimon shut her mouth.

“I will handle things from here.”

* * *

This mess happened after I had returned from resolving the matter with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The immediate day after, at that. It was so ridiculous that I wanted to laugh.

Paimon gave me a displeased look. Her wriggling brows were a clear indicator that she was upset. She most likely wants to punish Gamigin herself. Sorry, but no is no.

“Paimon. Please tend to the maids.”

“But the charges…….”

I shook my head adamantly.

“There will be no charges. This is too undignified.”

Only a few months have passed since we held the ranking ceremony. What would happen if there was gossip about Gamigin already when she had just become a duke? The entire Empire would become a laughing stock.

That wasn’t all. Paimon is the leader of the Mountain Faction while Gamigin is the leader of the unaffiliated Demon Lords. If they butt heads in the Empire’s court, then that would no longer be considered a 1 vs 1 at that point. They will run rampant until one side has been completely decimated.

“Gamigin’s honor no longer belongs to her alone. It is a part of the Empire’s honor.”

“Honor that is only around for appearance’s sake is better off not existing.”

Paimon refused to back down as she gazed at me.

“Whether you can right a wrong is what displays the power of a nation. Not being able to fix a wrong will instead harm the Empire.”

“Dear me. Did I not tell you already?”

I gently patted Paimon’s shoulder.

“I said that I will handle this. Do not worry.”

“……Haah.”

Paimon let out a small sigh.

She didn’t give an answer as she turned around. She helped the maids up and left the palace with them.

I smiled bitterly.

What kind of mess did I get myself into so early in the morning?

I wasn’t surprised when the spell came flying at me. I’ve already gotten used to Gamigin’s outbursts. Rather than surprise, the thought, ‘this again?’ was the first thing that went through my head.

It isn’t hard to calm Gamigin down during her outbursts. I just have to get a bit hurt.

I had deliberately ordered the death knights to let a part of the wind blade through. The incident where I stabbed myself with a knife in the ballroom had most likely become a trauma for her. Her ability to think basically freezes the moment she sees my blood.

“…….”

Even now, Gamigin was staring blankly at my left arm.

Dang it. Paimon was needlessly considerate. It would’ve been better if the injury was on full display. That would’ve put a bigger mental strain on Gamigin. Her help really was unnecessary.

It can’t be helped. If I have no teeth, then I’ll have to use my gums. Let’s try acting a bit.

“Uugh…….”

I abruptly gripped my arm to make it seem like my injury was starting to hurt. I also didn’t forget to add the detail of leaning a bit forward. Gamigin quickly came to her senses once I did this.

“Dantalian!”

Gamigin urgently supported my body. How should I say it? The fact that she responded in the exact way that I wanted her to was amusing. She desperately laid out excuses so that I wouldn’t hate her.

“Sorry…… It was an accident……. But it wasn’t intentional……!”

“I know.”

I smiled. It was a strained smile filled with pain.

“There is no way you would have intentionally attacked me.”

“Yeah. It’s because of that whore. If she hadn’t dodged…….”

“But I am disappointed.”

Gamigin paused.

“Huh?”

She almost looked like a doll that had its strings cut.

I erased the smile from my lips.

“I was standing right next to Paimon. I would have gotten hit if your aim was even slightly off. Gamigin, you cast your spell without any hesitation even though the risk of hitting me was also present.”

“I aimed precisely at Paimon…….”

“Can you say with absolute certainty that you would not have missed?”

I glared coldly right into Gamigin’s golden eyes.

There was one thing I learned after going out with her for so long. Gamigin can barely handle being stared coldly at by me. The inside of her head was probably as pale as a sheet of paper right now.

She was most likely incapable of even conjuring up an answer right now. I decided to use her speechlessness against her by turning it into a silent affirmation.

“As I thought. You attacked despite knowing that I could have gotten hurt…….”

Gamigin grabbed the lower end of my clothes. She must have lost strength in her knees as she slowly slid to the ground.

“No……. Dantalian, please trust me……. I really wasn’t trying to…….”

“I even harmed myself to apologize to you.”

Gamigin became pale.

“In the end, you cherish venting your anger more than my own well-being. Your emotions take precedence over my safety. Gamigin, please tell me. How many more times must I be injured for your emotions to be satisfied?”

“No, you’re wrong. Dantalian, I really wasn’t…….”

I muttered somberly.

“Is saying ‘no’ the best excuse you can offer? I wish to know where your previous wisdom has gone.”

“The thought of you prioritizing Paimon more than me made me angry!”

Gamigin desperately shouted. She was trying to give whatever excuse she could think of.

“The maids ridiculed me before that! And then Paimon intervened…… She apparently knew that you had returned even though I didn’t…….”

This was clearly a situation where the other party was the one at fault.

It’s easy to corner them further in these kinds of situations. You simply have to pretend to listen to their excuses before pulling up the wrong things they did.

However, you can’t point out the same thing over and over again. That would let the other party return to their senses. You have to put forward new things one by one like a combo in a fighting game. Doing so will prevent them from thinking rationally and force them to keep making more excuses.

For example.

“Gamigin, how did you know I had returned?”

“Eh……?”

“Did you plant a spy in the palace? Were you trying to monitor my every move?”

Gamigin’s expression crumbled.

Bingo.

“Please answer truthfully. Did you actually plant a spy here to monitor me? Was it because you couldn’t trust me? Did you not think that if I am hiding something from you, then there must be a good reason for it?”

“N-No. That wasn’t the reason. Dantalian, I was simply taking precautions…….”

“Taking precautions means that you doubted me!”

I started to shed tears due to my surging emotions.

My emotions didn’t have to be real to be able to shed tears. No, to be more exact, all of my emotions were fake. The only difference was whether the motive behind my emotions was real or not. If you reach my level, then you could start crying in less than 5 seconds.

“Ah…….”

Gamigin’s entire thought process came to a halt once she saw my tears.

A man’s tears is a trump card that should be used in desperate times. I have never cried in front of Gamigin before. In other words, this was Gamigin’s first time seeing my tears.

“Ah, ah…….”

“How could you doubt me? Gamigin, have I wronged you? I gave you everything that I could possibly give you……. Moravia, Silesia……the title of duke, and the most honorable position. I had given all of this to you, and yet, you…….”

When listing the things you’ve done for your lover, it’s best to be as descriptive as possible.

Instead of just saying land, I specifically stated Moravia. Instead of just saying peerage, I specifically stated the title of duke. It hurts less the vaguer you are, and the pain becomes more acute the more descriptive you are. This is an ironclad principle. However, you have to exclude the small gifts and clearly state the large ones.

“And yet, you did not even wait a single day for me!”

“No, Dantalian…… Please…….”

“I dedicated my everything to you, and yet, I received doubt and a spy in return. This is your love. A love that refuses to yield even a single day and creates scars…….”

I got on my knees and pressed my face against Gamigin’s. My overflowing tears were transferred to Gamigin’s cheek.

“Gamigin, please answer me……. Please give me a reason to trust you…… I wish to trust you, but it hurts…… It hurts so much, Gamigin…….”

And then.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Dantalian……. It’s my fault. I’m sorry…….”

Gamigin burst into tears.

“I’m sorry for doubting you…… I was shortsighted…….”

Our tears drenched both of our faces.

Gamigin had lost all of her rationality and was now apologizing from a purely emotional standpoint. She was doing so while also believing that this was the right thing to do. She completely forgot the pain I made her feel and the fact that I was the one who planted that seed of doubt inside of her in the first place. Gamigin genuinely believed that it was her fault.

It couldn’t be helped.

Gamigin has no experience in romance. She didn’t have the strategic insight to use previous wounds or the gifts she had given. She didn’t know that love is war.

“Truly? Can I truly trust you once more……?”

“Yes, I promise…… Please…….”

I should be the one to apologize, Gamigin. It is normal for a person’s first love to be horrible. However, the degree of that changes according to who you fall for.

It’s somewhat bad if you fall for a foolish man, and it’s considerably worse if you fall for an irresponsible man. Every man is either foolish or irresponsible, so it’s practically impossible for one’s first love to not be horrible.

“Then……could you listen to my small request? If you do, then I think I will be able to trust you…….”

However, the worst case is falling for a man who uses his lover.

You should curse the heavens.

***

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. I wonder if he was always planning to make Gamigin do a favor for him. How far ahead was Dantalian planning? Did he know Gamigin would show up like this? Who knows. The world is a mystery. In any case, work goes on and now I’m at a point at my job where I hate the freelancers doing work for our company. They’re actually so bad. We give them some translation work and we do the review, but there are like 2 of them who do it so bad we end up just TR’ing everything ourselves. I pray they get a pay cut considering how much the others in the EN team also complain about them. It’s almost like they’re getting free money with how half-assed they do it.

Welp, rant aside, I’ll see you guys in the next chapter.