Reverse Dungeon

“Anyway, I’ll need your strength for this. Will you help me?”

Ian clasped his hands together and asked with complete sincerity.

“Yes....”

Keith wished Ian would stop acting like that. For some reason, the whole situation was making him uneasy again....

“Even if it means facing danger?”

“Do you doubt my sincerity? Of course I will.”

“Then let’s use this together.”

Ian pulled something out.

Keith looked at it, and his expression immediately soured.

It was a grotesque mask. It looked as though it would cling to the face, though he could not tell what material it was made from.

[Demon Mask]

Makes those who see you mistake you for a demon.

“It’ll make you look like a demon.”

“.......”

Keith had absolutely no desire to wear it.

When he grimaced, Ian questioned him sternly.

“You said you would come with me, and now you won’t even wear this?”

“I did not say I wouldn’t... but do you truly believe this can hide your divine aura?”

Keith was skeptical.

Ian tilted his head.

“Just smile?”

“You should be grateful the Inquisitors never got their hands on you.”

Keith was startled the moment the words left his mouth.

That was hardly something one should say to a divine figure.

But Ian did not seem to care. Taking advantage of Keith’s momentary shock, he placed the mask on him without warning.

“What are you doing...!”

“Ow! That hurts!”

Instinctively, Keith grabbed Ian’s wrist.

It was slender.

As he pulled Ian closer, the distance between them vanished. Keith realized he had stopped breathing for a moment.

He consciously forced the strength from his grip.

“...Do not touch me so carelessly. My instincts may not remember how fragile you are.”

Ian seemed just as startled. His eyes widened, and after blinking once, he nodded.

Keith lowered his gaze.

“...I always feel sorry for you. I did not realize you were this delicate.”

Without meaning to, Keith’s eyes dropped to Ian’s neck.

The bandages were ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) gone, revealing pale, slender skin.

It looked fragile even at a glance.

‘I didn’t grab him that hard.’

Keith had not meant to hurt him. But in that moment, Ian’s neck could have snapped....

He gently brushed his fingers against Ian’s throat.

The skin was soft and delicate. Beneath his palm, a faint pulse beat steadily.

Ian flinched and looked up at him.

Their gazes locked.

Keith froze.

Carefully, he withdrew his hand and stepped back.

For some reason, it felt as though he had done something inappropriate....

No.

It was not like that.

He had simply been worried about Ian.

...Probably.

At that moment, Louis appeared out of nowhere.

“Of course I’m coming too, right?”

Ian massaged his wrist as he turned to Louis.

Why had he spaced out just now?

His wrist had been grabbed, yes, and Keith’s low voice had been intimidating, but still....

“No. You’re staying. It’ll just be the two of us.”

“Why not? Just the two of you is too small a force, isn’t it?”

Ian could not understand why Louis looked so worried.

‘After seeing what Keith can do, he still thinks we’re lacking in strength?’

He reassured him.

“It’s not because you’re useless. Fewer people means a lower chance of being spotted. Besides, someone has to guard the dungeon. The dragon is staying behind too.”

“Why not Actus?!”

“He needs to recover. How are we supposed to bring someone who sleeps twenty hours a day? He’s heavy. Am I supposed to carry him?”

“I can carry him.”

“You need to fight. How are you going to fight while carrying him?”

Ian shut down Keith’s nonsense as well.

The real reason Ian and Keith were going alone was simple.

Ian did not want to share the experience points.

‘Get Keith to max level, then send him after the Demon King.’ 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Meanwhile, Ian would stay behind and defend the dungeon.

In other words, he would slack off.

A perfect plan.

The thought brought a smile to Ian’s face.

Keith, who knew Ian smiled whenever he was plotting something suspicious—or divine—remained silent.

Louis was about to argue further when Sema suddenly pulled him aside, looking as if he had just received a revelation.

“Wait a moment!”

“What now?”

Annoyed, Louis tried to shake him off. He had no interest in whatever Sema had figured out.

“Just come over here. I need to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

Dragging Louis away, Sema led him over to Ian’s subordinates and declared,

“Ian has been abstinent for a long time.”

“......?”

“You all know Ian has a reputation for being a playboy and liking beautiful people, right? Why else would he insist on taking Sir Keith alone? We need to let him enjoy his long-overdue honeymoon. Don’t interfere!”

“......!”

‘Is that why?’

Louis was stunned by Sema’s insight and consideration.

He had simply been throwing a tantrum because he did not want to lose his position as Ian’s number-one subordinate. But Sema had been thinking about Ian’s well-being, both physical and emotional.

‘Now I see why Ian values him.’

Louis had never understood why Ian kept such a clueless magician around, but now it was clear.

“What’s a playboy?” Momisia asked Contacca.

Contacca was no longer sure this dungeon was a good place for Momisia’s education.

“Well... it’s someone who likes beautiful people.”

“Sir Keith is beautiful.”

Momisia declared this solemnly.

“I see....”

‘This dungeon is definitely bad for her education. Ian may be a great man, but....’

Deciding it was best to remove Momisia from the scene, Contacca led her away.

He had no intention of explaining why Keith’s beauty might be “good” for Ian.

Thankfully, Ian had not heard Sema’s nonsense.

Even if he had, he would not have cared. Sema never said anything useful anyway.

Keith, however, with his sharp hearing, had caught every word.

And he was puzzled.

‘A playboy?’

That was not a term for someone who liked beauty. It referred to someone who toyed with others.

Such people did occasionally appear even in the Vatican, but they were subjected to strict discipline and months of confinement. After reeducation, their behavior usually improved.

It was a problem, but not an especially serious one.

Still, the idea of Ian being a playboy deeply troubled Keith.

‘But Ian himself is beautiful. What would it even mean for him to toy with others?’

If anyone seemed more suited to the role of a beauty being toyed with, it was Ian.

For a moment, Keith imagined pinning Ian down.

With his slender frame and delicate skin, Ian would likely squirm helplessly beneath him.

...It would be a pleasing sight.

The warmth spreading through Keith’s body startled him.

Why was he imagining that?

‘Stop it.’

He scolded himself.

And yet his lower abdomen ached strangely.

Could it be that Ian... saw him as an object of lust?

If that was the case, Keith would have to reject him firmly. He would need to teach Ian proper doctrine and explain that licentious acts were wrong, and that such relations should only occur between married couples.

But what surprised him most was that he felt no disgust.

In fact, his heart felt strangely light.

‘It must be because he is a holy figure.’

The thought that someone so divine might think highly of him...

That had to be why it felt good.

Keith followed Ian, then paused in the square. Catching sight of his own reflection in the fountain, he touched his chin.

‘Is this face... acceptable?’

He had never evaluated his own appearance before. Many people admired him, but surely that was because of his virtue and deeds.

Wasn’t it?

“What are you doing? Get ready. We’re heading out.”

“Yes, Lord Ian.”

There was no need to overthink it.

Before joining Ian, Keith remembered something important he had to report.

“Lord Ian, the sword you gave me has reached its limit. Even in a master’s hands, it would likely need to be reforged entirely.”

“Well, it wasn’t a great sword to begin with. It held up well enough. Should I give you a new one? Maybe a few extras?”

“No. I would like my own sword returned to me.”

“Your sword?”

Ian stopped walking.

Keith nodded.

“Yes. My squire has been safeguarding it at the Vatican. I would like to retrieve it.”