novelraw Chapter 48: The Dungeon Reveals Its Lustful Origin
Chapter 48: The Dungeon Reveals Its Lustful Origin
The voices grew louder, boots pounding against stone, and I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding.
"Over here!" I shouted, my voice echoing off the chamber walls. "By the pedestal!"
More shouting. More footsteps. And then they poured through the corridor, a dozen of my household guard in full regalia, swords drawn, armor gleaming even in the dim light of the dungeon.
And the captain, a grizzled veteran named Aldric, with red hair and red eyes. It was Edward’s second-in-command who reached me first. His eyes swept across the chamber, taking in the shattered Sentinels, the disabled machine, the blood pooling beneath my hands.
"Your Grace." His voice was tight. "You’re injured."
"I’ll live." I tried to stand, failed, and let Aldric catch me under the arm. "The portal. Is it still open in the training room?"
"Yes, Your Grace. We came through as soon as the servants reported its presence." He glanced at the machine, still sparking, still standing guard despite its ruined arms.
"We apologize for being late."
I nodded, relief flooding through me. "There are more chambers ahead. Seven total. We’ve only cleared two."
"Then we’ll clear the rest."
Aldric turned to his men, issuing orders in a low, efficient voice. Four of them took up positions at the chamber’s entrances, swords drawn. Two more moved to examine the machine and assess the damage. The rest formed a protective circle around me, close enough to strike at anything that came near.
"We brought a force enough to clear an A-ranked dungeon; this should be manageable."
"Lucky, because this thing actually is an A-Rank dungeon."
"Then I thank the gods you have managed to live, my lord."
Aldric whistled, summoning two white-robed figures bearing my crest. Their faces were hidden behind dark wooden masks.
If I remembered correctly... they belonged to an order made up of Cassian’s healers. Awakened individuals whom Cassian had ordered to wear masks to keep their identities secret and prevent assassination attempts while they were off duty.
I remembered the original main character having a hard time dealing with them back in the novel.
"Heal the duke. Those without orders, follow me, we’ll clear the rest of the dungeon!"
I opened my mouth to protest, to tell Aldric that rushing ahead without knowing what was in the remaining chambers was suicide, but the healers were already kneeling beside me, their hands glowing with soft golden light.
The warmth spread through my chest, my ribs knitting back together with an unsettling crackling sensation. My knuckles, still bloody and bruised, began to smooth over, the torn skin weaving itself closed.
"Your Grace," the healer on my left said, her voice muffled behind the wooden mask, "you have three cracked ribs, a hairline fracture in your right wrist, and significant soft tissue damage across both hands. Please remain still."
That was... a lot of damage.
"I’m not going anywhere."
Aldric had already led half the guards toward the third chamber, their footsteps fading into the corridor. The remaining guards stood in a loose perimeter around me, their eyes scanning the shadows.
The machine stood motionless nearby, its blue eyes flickering weakly. One of the guards was examining it, his brow furrowed.
"Your Grace," the guard said, "this machine... it’s beyond simple repair. The arm detonation destroyed most of its internal mechanisms. We’ll need to bring it back to the estate’s workshop."
"Do it. That thing saved my life."
The guard nodded and signaled to two others. They began the delicate process of disconnecting the machine’s damaged limbs, preparing it for transport.
[Chamber 3 Cleared]
Already? They work fast... Well, I suppose that’s what happens when you send twenty fully armed elite guards into a dungeon all at once.
Thank God I’m the final villain; even my guards are absolute monsters.
***
[Chamber 4 Cleared]
[Chamber 5 Cleared]
The notifications flickered across my vision as the healers worked. I watched the words appear and disappear, each one a small relief. Aldric and his men were cutting through the dungeon faster than I’d expected.
"Your Grace," the healer said, pulling my attention back. "Your ribs have been stabilized, but I recommend limited physical activity for the next twenty-four hours. The bone is healed, but the surrounding tissue is still fragile."
"I’ll keep that in mind."
She didn’t look convinced.
A commotion echoed from the corridor, more footsteps, voices shouting orders. Then Aldric emerged from the darkness, his armor splattered and covered with dust and dirt.
"Your Grace." He stopped in front of me, sheathing his sword. "Chambers four and five are secure. Minimal resistance. Mostly more Stone Sentinels, similar to the ones you faced here."
"And chamber six?"
Aldric’s expression shifted, a flicker of something I couldn’t quite read. "We’ve secured the perimeter, but... I think you should see this one yourself, Your Grace."
I pushed myself to my feet, ignoring the healer’s disapproving stare. My body still ached, but the golden light had done its work. I could walk. Could even fight if I had to.
"Show me."
Aldric led the way, two guards falling into step in front of me and two behind. The corridor beyond the second chamber was wider than before, the walls smoother, the runes brighter. Someone had put more care into this part of the dungeon.
The corridor opened into a chamber that was nothing like the ones before.
Where the previous rooms had been cold stone and functional brutality, this one was... softer. The walls were draped in silks that shifted between crimson and soft rose. The floor was covered in plush carpets that muffled every footstep, and the air smelled of something... arousing.
But the smell wasn’t the only thing different.
My [Lust Sense] flared the moment I crossed the threshold.
Every guard in the room was affected. Their pulses raced, their skin flushed, their eyes lingered too long on things that shouldn’t have been distracting. Even Aldric, steady, stoic Aldric, was breathing faster than the walk here should have warranted.
So the lustful origin of the dungeon was finally showing itself.
"Your Grace," he said, his voice strained, "This is the reason why we retreated..."
"You made the right choice."
[Chamber 6]
[Dungeon Origin Detected: A-Class Magical Beast - Succubus]
[Warning: Chamber contains emotional manipulation hazards]
[Sweet Scent (Passive) is resonating with ambient dungeon magic]
[Effect: Your presence is amplifying the chamber’s natural properties]
[Effect: The chamber’s properties are amplifying your natural abilities]
Wonderful. My useless gacha skill had found a friend, and not only that, but it seems my entire existence was being buffed as well.
At the center of the chamber, raised on a dais of polished obsidian, was a bed. Not a stone slab or an altar, but an actual bed, draped in the same shifting silks as the walls, its headboard carved with scenes that made my guards look away quickly.
And on that bed...
"Your Grace," one of the guards muttered. "Don’t take another step, we’ve already lost two men to that..."
Succubus...