Dungeon Defense (WN)

“A grave misunderstanding? There’s hardly anything about Daisy I don’t already know.”

“……Miss Daisy is your eternal witness.”

Lapis spoke.

“That was the role you envisioned for her. Miss Daisy did everything in her power to live up to that image. She learned countless languages, trained her mind and body alike, and strove endlessly to stand as your equal.”

I nodded with a faint grimace.

“Well, yes. Her efforts were admirable, I will give her that. I have always acknowledged her.”

“But Miss Daisy did not discern your intent on her own.”

“What?”

Lapis fell silent. A brief pause followed.

“In the beginning, Miss Daisy never truly understood why she became your foster daughter. It never occurred to her to oppose you. I believe all she ever wanted was to walk beside you as a loyal companion.” “What are you…….”

“She once came to me for counsel. She said she could not understand why Lord Dantalian refused to take her body.”

Silence fell once more.

It was rare for my mind to lag behind in a conversation. I pushed every part of my brain to full throttle, trying to make sense of what Lapis had just said, but it was like an engine revving uselessly in the air.

After a long pause, I finally muttered,

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“As I said. Miss Daisy had yet to fully grasp your intentions. So I advised her—what Lord Dantalian needs is not a lover, but someone who understands.”

“…….”

“That, I believe, became a turning point for her.”

I still didn’t understand a thing. The only thing I was certain of was that Lapis looked far too grave for comfort. Even if Daisy had come to understand her role through Lapis’s help, what difference did that make?

It only meant Daisy was a bit more foolish than I thought. Nothing more. This changes nothing.

Lapis gazed steadily at me. The shadows beneath her eyes deepened, and I felt a growing tightness in my chest. Every time her expression shifted, my heart constricted a little more.

“Lord Dantalian. That is not what I meant. The important thing is not that. What matters is that Miss Daisy harbors affection, perhaps even romantic feelings, for you.”

“Romantic feelings?”

“Yes. What drives Miss Daisy is not hatred toward you. It is quite the opposite. Rather—”

I waved my right hand and gave a faint laugh. I felt a bit bad for cutting Lapis off mid-sentence, but there was no way I could just let that pass. It was something I needed to make perfectly clear.

“No, that is impossible. Absolutely not. She has feelings for me? Daisy? It would be more believable to say that Vassago is in love with me.”

“…….”

“So that is why you looked so serious. You were suffering under a tremendous misunderstanding. Lapis, I cannot tell you the reason, but Daisy has not the slightest affection for me.”

Indeed, the affinity system was absolute.

At some point, I had begun to hesitate before checking it. Because doing so only reinforced the impression that this world was not real, but rather an imitation garden created through some artificial means.

Even if that were the case, it made no difference to me. This world was my reality. Just like any other world, people here breathe, think, move, suffer, struggle, suppress their sorrow as they move forward, and wander endlessly between vulgarity and nobility. If this is not reality, then what is?

That was why I had long ago chosen to become Dantalian, not the man I had been before I died in a traffic accident. I accepted this world. I accepted the name Dantalian. Therefore, I am a murderer and a butcher. There is no room for excuses.

And yet, the affinity system remained an unyielding wall.

Once, I had considered it a blessing. Now it was nothing but a curse—a shackle. Personally, I regarded it as karmic retribution. After all the hearts I had toyed with, this was merely the belated price I was meant to pay. Nothing more, nothing less.

“Lord Dantalian. How do you believe Miss Daisy was able to defy your command?”

Lapis countered without yielding an inch.

“A person bound by a slave seal can never disobey their master’s order. Yet Miss Daisy openly and deliberately went against yours. Such a thing should be impossible. There must be a clear reason for it.”

“She must have exploited a contradiction between commands.”

I answered at once.

It was something I had pondered over and over again myself. Only a few days ago, I had ordered Ivar to bring me a slave, so that I could test a theory. I gave the slave two contradictory commands, and sure enough, the slave froze, unable to act.

“The slave seal interprets orders entirely subjectively. If the slave perceives the commands as contradictory, then in that instant, they gain a measure of freedom. Daisy must have taken advantage of that loophole.”

“Correct.”

Lapis’s blue eyes fixed steadily on me.

“But that is not all. Is that not so, Lord Dantalian?”

“…….”

“A slave can only ever make a choice that benefits their master. Even when caught between conflicting commands, it is impossible for a slave to act in a way that would harm their master.”

That is correct.

For example, suppose two commands are engraved on a slave seal.

“Protect your master no matter what,” and “Do not die no matter what.” If both orders are inscribed and the master faces imminent death, what then? If saving the master requires sacrificing one’s own life, what choice remains?

You must not let your master die. Yet you must not give up your own life either. It is a dilemma. A conflict arises between the commands.

In such a case, the slave will choose the action that benefits the master. In most circumstances, the slave will rescue the master even at the cost of their own life. Lapis was pointing that out now.

“Miss Daisy judged that stopping the execution was the choice that would benefit Lord Dantalian. That is why she was able to act. In other words, hatred alone could not have produced that choice. Lord Dantalian, only the exact opposite emotion could have driven Miss Daisy.”

“She must have employed some other stratagem.”

I shook my head.

“What kind of stratagem do you mean?”

“I do not know. Something intricate and elaborate enough for us to have missed it entirely. But one thing is certain—Daisy does not harbor any affection for me.”

That was it.

This was a simple matter of choice.

First, I could accept Lapis’s argument. In that case, I would have to conclude that the affinity system was flawed.

Second, I could accept my own reasoning. Then I would conclude that Daisy had devised a plan so subtle and sophisticated that even I failed to perceive it.

Which of the two seemed more plausible? Naturally, the latter. It made far more sense to believe in Daisy’s scheme than to assume the system itself had failed. Lapis does not know about the affinity system, which is why she could take the first possibility seriously.

In short, it was a misunderstanding born from a difference in information.

“Lapis, what Daisy did this time has nothing to do with you.”

I took hold of Lapis’s right hand. Cool and pleasantly smooth to the touch. My hands were always warm, so touching hers was something I quietly enjoyed.

“You may have given her advice, but Daisy’s hatred is still her own creation. If anyone bears responsibility for that, it is entirely mine, never yours.”

I looked at Lapis with a gentle gaze.

“There is no reason for you to feel any sense of guilt. Truly.”

She must have been blaming herself for everything that had happened—the chaos Daisy caused, the loss of my left leg, all of it. In her mind, it likely stemmed from her own careless counsel.

Lapis was not one to reveal her emotions easily. No matter how troubled she might be, she would never show it. I was the only one who could truly read what lay behind that impassive face of hers.

I opened my arms slightly, meaning to pull her into an embrace. But Lapis caught my wrist before I could. Her eyes, steadier and more resolute than before, locked on mine.

It unsettled me. Lapis almost never displayed her feelings this openly.

“Lapis……?”

“Please trust me.”

My face froze.

“Lord Dantalian…… this time…… please, trust me.”

Lapis spoke haltingly, as if every word pained her. No—she truly was in pain. Though her face was nearly as expressionless as ever, there was no mistaking it now. Lapis was expressing her pain.

“…….”

I immediately changed my line of thought.

—I’m revising my assumption.

Lapis had asked me to trust her. She had never once made such a request before, and now, with anguish clouding her face, she was begging me to believe her.

In that case, I had every reason to overturn my reasoning. No matter how sound my judgment might have seemed, if Lapis was sincerely asking me to reconsider, then I had to. Her words carried that much weight—her pleas were never made lightly.

I walked over to my chair and sat down. Lapis kept her head bowed, silent. In the stillness of the office, I sank deep into thought.

“…….”

How?

Let us assume, as Lapis claimed, that Daisy truly harbored affection for me. That would mean directly contradicting the affection level displayed on the status screen. How could that possibly happen? What could she have done to make her affection display incorrectly?

Could such a thing truly occur? Even if it were a one in ten million type of deal, what could possibly cause it?

“Lapis. I just want to confirm one thing. The emotion Daisy harbored toward me, was it truly something positive, like friendship or affection?”

“Yes, Lord Dantalian.”

“……This will not do. I lack information.”

I lightly tapped my cane against the floor. My expression grew grave as I gazed up into the air.

“Miss Daisy was always attentive to you, Lord Dantalian.”

“That much is expected. Was there anything particularly strange or out of the ordinary?”

“I do not know if this will be of use, but she seemed especially curious about your past. About what kind of life you lived before meeting her, what kind of days you had. She tried to gather every bit of information she could.”

That, in itself, was not particularly unusual either…….

Then suddenly, one possibility flashed through my mind.

What if Daisy had used a doll, just like Ivar?

Suppose Daisy, through some method, crafted a doll identical to herself. Daisy herself might have held affection toward me, but the doll—unlike its creator—did not. Could such a scenario be possible?

“Hm.”

It was a rather flawed hypothesis, yet not one entirely unworthy of investigation.

I picked up the handbell and gave it a shake. A clear metallic chime rang out, and a moment later, Ivar entered the office. She still looked tense.

“You called for me, Your Highness.”

“Ivar, this is an urgent order. Do you have any dolls you can bring here immediately?”

Ivar blinked in surprise.

“Yes, of course. I have twelve dolls hidden here in the palace alone.”

“Then transfer your consciousness into one of them and come here. There is something I need to verify right away.”

“As you command. Please wait just a moment.”

Ivar grasped her skirt with both hands and bowed politely. I could sense the relief in her gesture—she must have been terrified that Lapis would reprimand her.

About three minutes later, a young man with a familiar face entered the office. Vuffoet. It was the doll Ivar had used the very first time I met her. I smiled faintly.

“It has been quite a long time since I last saw that form.”

“I thought this body might provide Your Highness with a bit of amusement.”

The young man smiled gently and bowed.

‘Status.’

I spoke the words silently in my mind.

A blue-colored status window appeared before my eyes.

***

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. I’m not even going to try to make an excuse for myself this time. Work and time just melded together, and before I knew it, a couple of weeks had gone by, and I forgot to progress this chapter. I had it translated for a while, but yeah. Just things happening that keeps my distracted.

I’ll try to get the next chapter out sooner if possible. I hope everyone had a merry Christmas! And may 2026 be better than how shitty 2025 has been for me… appendicitis, my dad passing away, and then enough workload to make me work one entire month straight… woo