Chapter 32
All eyes turned to me at my words. Everyone seemed puzzled.
I swallowed hard once and then spoke again.
“Isn’t there a way to return to the human world without strictly following Count Izmir’s instructions? If Count Izmir shows up again, we just kill him!”
“That may be true, but who knows when he’ll appear again….”
The words I expected came from Ruben’s mouth.
The paladins’ expressions twisted instantly. Killing all the monsters here, including Count Izmir, wasn’t an easy task.
However, regardless of the rules, if we could kill the demon lord who owned this dungeon, we could return to our original world.
I continued explaining my thoughts.
“I read it in the demon world encyclopedia. Count Izmir respects anyone who can control monsters better than him. If we don’t just feed the monsters but train them well, he will definitely show up again.”
“What?”
Ruben’s expression clearly showed disbelief. The paladins were the same.
I had anticipated this reaction. How could anyone possibly tame monsters?
One paladin was particularly flabbergasted.
“That’s nonsense! Those ferocious monsters aren’t even comparable to beasts in the human world. They’re fiends from hell! And now you suggest taming these terrifying creatures?”
“Might as well just kill them all. Easier that way.”
The paladins clicked their tongues. I hurriedly continued.
“We still have to try. If we can tame them properly, we might even be able to make the monsters fight Count Izmir. At least, they might not attack us.”
“Hmm.”
“Sigh…”
The paladins’ reactions were skeptical.
Ruben let out a deep sigh as well, as if sharing the same sentiment, and said:
“That child’s idea isn’t entirely ridiculous.”
“Your Excellency!”
“Who here has experience raising animals?”
The paladins exchanged glances and shook their heads.
“Other than horses, I’ve never raised even a single chick.”
“Same here… besides horses.”
“…I see. Well, at least you’re familiar with horses.”
Ruben nodded, as if relieved that they had some relevant experience. As knights, they were familiar with horses more than anyone else.
“Then, first, we should try feeding them. Be as gentle as possible… treat them like horses. Since we have to feed them anyway, giving them food a little kindly shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“…Understood.”
The paladins reluctantly agreed.
Good!
I quickly opened the system window.
In fact, since coming to this dungeon, something had come to mind. It was one of the additional rewards I received after completing the tutorial.
The job advancement list.
‘Additional rewards for completing the tutorial!’
‘Job Advancement List — 300 more jobs added!’
‘Selecting a job during a job advancement quest guarantees an instant level 10 increase!’
…I had over 500 jobs I could advance to. And there was even a ridiculous buff where I could gain 10 levels immediately upon job advancement.
I found the most suitable job from the list.
I remembered seeing it before, and in this situation, there was no better option.
‘…Hehe, monsters. You’re about to become my slaves.’
<Congratulations!>
<You have additionally advanced to ‘Animal Care Specialist’!>
“Sigh.”
“Ugh….”
The knights began prodding through the remains of the monsters they had butchered with the tips of their swords.
The only food available for the living monsters was the corpses of other monsters. No other food existed nearby.
The stench and grotesque appearance of the carcasses made the paladins gag instinctively.
“Ugh….”
But survival left no choice.
The knights jabbed a chunk of monster with their swords as if using a skewer. It was a moment that made them feel guilty for using their sacred weapons.
“If my sword has a soul, this must be its most humiliating moment.”
“Knights, watch your language. The monster children can hear everything.”
“….”
The knights were stunned. But Crescent’s expression remained serious.
Why did we have to follow her orders?
They felt reluctant but couldn’t refuse. The paladins cautiously softened their words as Crescent instructed.
“If my sword has a soul, it must be the happiest it’s ever been. I get to feed our adorable children tasty food. Ha… ha.”
With stiff laughter, the knights thrust their swords—well, skewers—through the bars.
“Here you go, kids. Eat up.”
At that moment, grotesque mouths lunged at the food, bar and all.
They had sharp fangs capable of tearing through the knights’ heads in an instant.
“Ugh, aah!”
“Argh!”
Clang.
The knights’ swords clattered to the stone floor.
“Kyahaha!”
“Kweaaak!”
Several monsters converged on a single morsel of food, attacking relentlessly. It was a horrifying scene to watch.
“Damn…”
“I almost lost my arm…”
“I thought the bars were going to be ripped apart…”
The paladins briefly panicked.
Even when fighting monsters, it was terrible, but feeding them while trying to act kindly was equally disgusting.
How long would we have to keep doing this?
The future seemed daunting.
When the knights barely stood upright again, they saw Crescent.
At the same time, they could hardly believe their eyes.
“Aren’t you good kids? Don’t give me that look. I’m your loving guardian. If you glare at me like you want to kill me, I won’t give you meat!”
“Kweaaak!”
Clang, clang!
“Eh? You’ll tear me apart if I don’t give the meat immediately? How mean! I brought such delicious meat and you only want to kill me!”
“Kyah!”
Clatter!
“Alright, this time, eat nicely. Understood?”
Crescent pushed the sword—no, skewer—back between the bars. The monsters lunged frantically, but the food escaped the bars even faster.
It moved at a ridiculous speed, as if it had no intention of staying.
“!”
The paladins were startled.
What’s going on?
A give-and-take technique?
“I said eat nicely!”
“Kweaaak!”
“If you keep misbehaving, how am I supposed to feed you all? Eat one at a time, in order!”
“Keeing…”
“Alright, calm down. This time, you will really get to eat the tasty meat. I promise I’ll feed you all deliciously.”
Crescent smiled and pointed the sword—again, skewer—into the pen.
The monsters flinched.
This time, the meat wouldn’t run away?
A few monsters cautiously approached, and Crescent pulled the sword back outside the bars again.
“Kweaaak!”
“Kyahaha!”
“Kyah!”
The monsters went berserk again, thrashing violently, almost as if the cave might collapse.
Crescent watched, then exclaimed in disbelief.
“…Are you frogs? What? You’re going to eat me someday? Right now? Ugh… You don’t understand my loving heart. I told you, if you rush at me aggressively, you won’t get meat. So calm down and eat nicely this time.”
“Keek!”
“No spitting! This is your last chance. Misbehave again, and no more meat! Who’s the oldest, cutest one?”
“….”
Surprisingly, the monsters quieted.
The paladins swallowed hard.
Crescent put the meat into the pen. The paladins held their breath. As soon as the meat passed the bars, the excited monsters would snap again.
But to their surprise, a completely different situation unfolded.
