“It’s boring.”
Fletta, the demon assigned to watch over the mansion, sighed deeply as she surveyed the situation.
“How long has it been since I started doing this?”
Ten years… It seemed about that long.
It had been shortly after becoming a demon under Satan’s command that she was given this assignment.
It wasn’t a particularly significant mission—simply to protect the Flareon mansion, which had become an empty house after a disaster. That was all.
‘Most of the time, I just rest and only take action when intruders come.’
Fletta recalled the surprised expressions of the other demons when she received the mission.
She could still see the worried looks in their eyes, all of them thinking she had drawn the worst assignment.
‘I suppose that’s understandable. It’s easier on the body than being on the front lines, but it comes with its own challenges.’
Indeed, the work wasn’t physically demanding.
But that didn’t mean it was all good.
No one tells you when intruders are coming, and it’s no easy task to constantly monitor the dungeon without rest.
‘And if someone does manage to break in, it’s an immediate emergency.’
There was never a moment of true relaxation. That’s why they looked at her with those expressions.
“Those idiots… If they saw me now, they’d be shocked.”
Fletta didn’t bother to hide the grin that spread across her face, closing her eyes leisurely.
It was a posture that didn’t suit someone assigned to guard duty. She might be accused of negligence, but Fletta didn’t care.
To be precise, she didn’t need to care.
“They wouldn’t have imagined that I’d turn this dungeon into what it is now, even if they came back from the dead.”
For ten long years, Fletta had poured her efforts into renovating the mansion.
Without much effort, she had turned it into a fortress that automatically repelled intruders.
Using demonic magic, she resurrected the spirits of those who had perished in the disaster as monsters and set traps throughout the mansion.
As time passed, with many trials and errors, the security became more robust, reaching a point where no ordinary attacker could breach it.
‘It’s fortunate so many people died in the disaster. Thanks to that, the work went smoothly.’
The dungeon she created was quite effective.
It took care of the intruders who attacked from time to time, and eventually, even Edenria decided to leave it alone.
At that moment, Fletta felt no complaints about the task she had been given.
After being hit hard, Edenria wouldn’t send any more forces here, and if she could continue to enjoy this leisurely time, perhaps one day the Demon King would assign her a new mission.
“This kind of leisure isn’t bad, is it? If I had known, I might have considered becoming one of Belphegor’s servants.”
She was humming a tune, indulging in trivial thoughts when suddenly—
“Hey, Fletta! We’ve got a big problem!”
“Joy? Didn’t I tell you to knock before entering? If you’re making such a fuss, did humans arrive?”
“How did you know?”
The orange-haired woman, known as Joy, had burst into the room in a panic.
Fletta looked at her calmly and waved her hand dismissively.
“If you say it’s a big problem, it’s always the same thing. Why are you so jumpy? Haven’t you been assigned here for two years now? You should be used to it by now.”
“No, but this time it’s different! I’m serious!”
“Hah… Joy, do you even know how many people have died in this dungeon? Have you forgotten that an entire battalion of Edenria’s knights was annihilated trying to attack this place? Even if they come in droves, they’re all destined to become ghosts anyway, so why are you so worried? Fine, let’s hear it. How many this time?”
“T-Two…”
“Two? Are you kidding me?”
“But, but this time it’s really serious! Ian Volkanov is here!”
“What? Ian?”
At Joy’s words, Fletta shot up and immediately used her ghostly vision to survey the mansion’s interior.
‘It’s… it’s really him?’
She could see the two men entering through the mansion’s wide-open doors. She didn’t recognize the one next to him, but she definitely knew Ian Volkanov’s face.
At the same time, she was puzzled.
‘I-Ian? What’s he doing here?’
He should be in the Empire right now, so why on earth was he here?
It made no sense, but Fletta didn’t panic. Losing composure in such a moment could lead to a disaster.
Given that an emergency was clearly unfolding, she needed to remain calm.
“What do we do, Fletta? Can we stop him?”
“Stop him? Honestly, it’ll be tough.”
Wasn’t this the man who had slain four Demon Kings? The idea of stopping such a monstrous individual, when she was merely a demon, was pure arrogance.
Knowing her own limitations well, Fletta was certain of that.
“Need to buy some time. If I play it really well, there’s a slim chance for a mutual destruction scenario, but the odds are quite low.”
Knowing that letting her guard down was the best option.
It was fortunate—or perhaps a stroke of luck—that the mansion had been designed to accommodate such scenarios.
‘I didn’t expect this situation, but it’s a good thing I prepared in advance. This dungeon I created can’t be solved through sheer force alone.’
Typically, dungeons are cleared by annihilation or survival, but this place was different.
It was filled with conditions for survival, and no matter how many monsters were defeated, the dungeon would only become more impregnable.
Of course, imagination and reality are different. But Fletta had experience.
‘The verification has already been completed.’
Her experience blocking countless knights sent by Edenria over the past decade.
‘If they try to push through recklessly as usual, they’ll only face a counterattack.’
Even with their superior strength, they’d find no clues for a breakthrough. Conflicting rules would only lead to confusion, causing them to wander endlessly within the dungeon.
‘The longer they waste time, the stronger the monsters become.’
By using this to her advantage, not only could she buy time, but she could also deal with Ian’s companions.
Of course, it was a gamble on her life. But Fletta was accustomed to dealing with numbers.
She had lived a life heavily reliant on numbers, almost to the extent that it defined her existence.
She had bet her life on probabilities and tasted both success and failure. Even though she was now a demon, she hadn’t forgotten those sensations.
At the same time, she was confident.
‘There’s a possibility.’
There might be a chance for a miracle.
Even if Ian regained his composure, targeting the mental state of his companions would likely increase the odds.
With this thought in mind, she turned her gaze towards the mansion’s entrance.
– Hehehe…
“Hm? What’s that?”
She saw a ghostly apparition appear before her and a burly man who didn’t seem fazed by it.
‘What’s that guy?’
The appearance of an unexpected variable made her eyes widen in surprise.
***
“Ian, the patrol rules for the Flareon family.”
Ian calmly read the rules written on the paper.
To summarize:
- These are the safety guidelines for nighttime patrols of the Flareon family. Please strictly adhere to this manual. The family will not be responsible for any issues arising from non-compliance.
- If you find the green door at the end of the right corridor on the first floor open during patrol, please lock it immediately.
You must not enter or look inside the room. There is no key for the green door, so close it quickly and leave the area.
To reiterate, there is no key for the green door, and it is a sealed-off location. Therefore, the door cannot be opened.
- If you hear a woman’s cough and a request for water from a room on the left side of the second-floor corridor, do not bring water.
Tell them to wait a moment, and inform the remaining maids of the prohibition of entry to the second floor.
Note that the second floor of the Flareon family’s residence is for office purposes, and sleeping quarters are on the third floor.
Naturally, no one will be there late at night.
- If, while descending the stairs for patrol, it seems like you’re returning to the same place instead of reaching your intended floor, immediately crouch on the floor and cover your eyes and ears.
In the morning, the head maid and others will come around each floor to open the windows. You must maintain this position until they discover you.
Additionally, if there are other items contradicting this entry, do not pay attention to them.
- If someone on the other side of the bathroom on the second floor extends their upper body and asks for help, do not go near them, and escape without looking back.
The location is now a plain wall due to remodeling, and there is nothing but empty space beyond it.
Furthermore, the second floor is an office area, and there are no people present during patrol hours.
- Due to previous unfortunate incidents, item 3 in this manual no longer exists. Whatever the content of item 3 was, always act in the opposite manner. Do not follow item 3 under any circumstances.
- If you see a short woman with her face covered by a hood walking through the corridor, pretend not to see her and pass by.
Afterward, use the stairs to descend to the management office, stop the patrol, and wait.
- If you suddenly hear a scream for help, immediately lie flat on the floor and do not make any sounds until the noise disappears.
You do not need to hide or enter a room, just lower your body as quickly as possible and then clean any stains on the wall.
Absolutely do not make any noise or leave your position.
‘The theme is horror, specifically Neapolitan ghost stories.’
Ian’s eyes narrowed as he checked the details of the dungeon.
It was no exaggeration to say that he had drawn the worst dungeon possible.
‘This dungeon operates differently from regular ones. It’s not about annihilating all enemies or surviving for a set time.’
The conditions for clearing it were simple. Following the manual, he needed to navigate the mansion safely and defeat the boss.
On the surface, it might seem like he just needed to move carefully and locate the boss, but it was far from easy.
‘Given the nature of the Neapolitan theme, it’s impossible to clear it while following the manual.’
What was the Neapolitan horror? It was a type of lore that involved ominous instructions, then threw in contradictory elements to create fear.
“Just look at 3. It contradicts 5.”
According to 3, if it felt like he was going in circles, he should crouch on the floor. However, 5 instructed him to act in the opposite way.
In other words, following the rules was inherently impossible.
“The real problem is the unworkable rules. In a Neapolitan dungeon, deviating from the manual results in penalties. Monsters become stronger or debuffs are applied.”
Adhering to the rules was impossible, but ignoring them posed its own risks.
This was the reason Edenria had no choice but to abandon this place.
‘They’d have wanted to deal with it. They invested a lot of resources. But what can they do if it’s not possible?’
Even if the clergy were specialized in dealing with demons, how would they handle something like this?
Belief in Eris wouldn’t erase the fear, and if a group panicked and acted out of desperation, it would only lead to disaster.
‘A dungeon that is practically impossible to clear. It’s not an exaggeration to call it impregnable.’
The success rate was non-existent for anyone who was not already familiar with such horror and had extensive experience clearing similar types.
That said, if someone matched all the conditions perfectly, the story might be different.
Thanks to that, Ian was confident.
‘This isn’t the way to clear it.’
The reason Ian wasn’t panicking and was instead trying to read the situation was because he knew.
‘There’s a different method.’
Although it might be beyond the capability of others, Ian was confident he could solve this dungeon.
