My Dungeon Life: Rise of the Slave Harem - My Dungeon Life – Chapter 1172-1174

Chapter 1172

“You’re here… again.” Faeyna’s voice came from behind.

I turned to look at her. “You don’t know who I am?”

“Should I?” She looked up at me, her eyes red with the tears she was holding back, her lips tight. “You’re an acquaintance of my brother, right?”

“Faeyna…” I reached out, but she took a step back, her behavior guarded.

“I don’t know you, but I think it’s best if you go. I have a lot of messes to clean up.”

“You’re a hero now…”

“I’m not.”

“But…”

“I’m just a maid! That’s all I am. That’s all I’ll ever be. Now, my master is waiting for me to make his supper.”

I looked around incredulously. The mansion had been untouched, but the entire front yard was filled with holes and craters. It was as she said, a mess.

“Your brother…”

“You don’t have the right to tell me about my brother!” She rose her voice, her tears finally starting to fall.

“What about the Elf Hero?”

She stiffened. “What about him?”

“Do you think he’d be without life insurance?”

A man like him definitely would be resurrected. Before, when the Elf Hero had killed her brother, he may have refused to help resurrect him, but resurrection was still a possibility. She would have had a month to find someone to do it. Money could be raised. Disreputable people could be contacted. However, after sacrificing himself and damaging his soul, such a thing was less likely. I had been resurrected, but I also understood those were special circumstances.

Faeyna’s expression turned white for a second but her expression turned dark. “If that’s all you have to say, then, please leave. I won’t ask again.”

She turned away and left, walking back up to the mansion and then entering inside. In the end, we finally had a chance to speak, but we had barely exchanged two words. More than that, she had given me the cold shoulder. Was that Faeyna’s ultimate feelings regarding me? Did she just want me to go away?

I started to feel increasingly depressed. “Rejected, huh?”

“Is it so surprising?” A voice asked behind me.

I looked back at Elaya standing there. I took a steady breath.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“This is Faeyna before she met you. She doesn’t even know you. Well, this cycle has met you a few times, but that doesn’t mean she’s formed any particular strong opinion about you.”

“This cycle?”

“Do you think this is the first time this story has played out? This… or variations of it, have been playing out ever since this dungeon formed.”

“You mean… Faeyna’s entire life…”

She nodded. “I had to break free from her cycle. This damn dungeon cast me as the old maid! Well, Xin was caught up in it too. I managed to send her out, and you were able to sever that bond. As for her, Faeyna has been suffering this loop, like a self-imposed punishment.”

It was like Twilight Dungeon. The story played out over and over again. I was only seeing the most recent version of it. Presumably, once it finished, it’d repeat again, desperately trying to change its story. Of course, things turned out the same way. I wasn’t able to change anything.

“What is she punishing herself for? I’m the one who failed.” I responded bitterly.

“Not yet. There is still one last level.” Elaya declared.

Chapter 1173

“What?” I blinked. “We fought the final boss. Shouldn’t this dungeon be over?”

Elaya let out a throaty laugh. “Sorry, not quite. There is a bit more.”

“But… her brother… I destroyed the dark stain on her heart.”

“I won’t say that her brother’s unresolved feelings didn’t contribute to this dungeon forming.” Elaya sighed. “Shortly after I felt your death, I traveled to the Ost Republic to confirm with my own eyes. I had my suspicions about what happened to you, and I believed you’d return. That was when I found Faeyna’s soul. Fearing she’d be resurrected by the enemies and used against you; I took her back here and attempted to resurrect her myself.

“Ultimately, it was her own dark emotions, mixed with her brother’s soul, and my failure that caused the dungeon to form.  Since it formed right in the boss room, it took over your dungeon in a flash, catching Xin and me by surprise and stealing what we had. We were infected by the dungeon’s karma and trapped within its karmic cycle. I was able to escape its hold, and then I did what I could from within the dungeon. The residents would have been turned into monsters and cast in the lore if I didn’t corrupt the mana spring and use it to infect them with anger. You see, strong emotions overwhelm the dungeon’s control.”

I recalled that despite everything, the dungeon entrance wasn’t being watched at all by the infected residents. I now knew this was because Elaya had gone out of her way to keep them from entering it and becoming its slave.

“Faeyna… really is the Maid Hero?” It was probably a dumb question at this point, but dungeons could be difficult to interpret.

“I had my suspicions about Faeyna’s true nature before. She had done some powerful feats that went beyond a simple maid. It was only after the dungeon formed that I confirmed the truth. Although her brother had suppressed her legacy to an extent, her heart demons contributed as well. Defeating him may have satiated his spirit, but that’s not going to complete this lore. There is still the last bit, what truly weighs on her heart.”

“What’s next?” I asked with a resigned sigh.

“Look over there…” She pointed somewhere off in the distance.

I squinted to see what appeared to be a caravan approaching. It still had some time before it reached. I realized it looked familiar. It was a slave caravan.

“Figuro?”

“Mmm… not too long from now, he will arrive. He’ll convince her and her master to sell her so that her master can continue to live comfortably, and she won’t cause them any more trouble from the Elf Hero. Well, you know what happens after…”

“What?” I asked before I realized that this must have been how she ended up in the capital for sale, where I bought her.

“That’s for Master to determine on his own.” Elaya answered anyway, gesturing toward the entrance to the mansion, which suddenly opened up

Looking at the door, I couldn’t see the inside. I knew that once I walked through, I wouldn’t be in the mansion anymore. One last scene? I turned to Elaya.

“You’re not going to merge with Faeyna.” It wasn’t a question.

“It was cute watching Master worry!” She stuck out her tongue. “No, I’m not the original Elaya, and even if I was, our souls have no connection to each other, other than the legacy we took on. Master gave me a new life when he resurrected me, so I am my own person now, unrestrained by the lore of another. I’m sorry I misled you.”

“Will you come with me then?” I asked.

“I can’t go to this next part. I’m not involved. For all intent, you shouldn’t be able to either.”

“What does that mean?”

“These invisible walls you keep facing? These are the walls of her heart. I was cast into a certain role, and thus I’m able to appear in certain parts of the story. On the other hand, you don’t have a place in this story.”

“I don’t have a place… right…” I bit my lip bitterly.

My interactions so far had been random. More often than not, the story kept me on the outside. I originally thought that was because Elaya had wanted me to watch the story instead of being involved, but that didn’t seem to be the case. In the Twilight Dungeon, I was able to move about freely. This dungeon was restraining me on purpose. I was an invader, moving through a territory that didn’t want me there. In some dungeons, they threw monsters at you to impede you. This dungeon merely tried to make me a spectator, passing through without being seen or heard.

As I walked by Elaya, a thought came to me and I grabbed her arm.

“Enslavement!”

“Ahhh!” Elaya let out a cry.

“You may not be able to join me, but I’m not going to lose track of you again.” I snorted as the bond took hold of her.

“M-master… doing that all of a sudden!” Elaya previous look became cutely shy.

“Hmph… you could have resisted easily if you had any doubt.”

“E-even so,” She rubbed her legs together, blushing and breathing hard. “When you bond a girl without warning when her maiden heart isn’t ready… it makes her worked up!”

She licked her lips, the lewd Elaya I remembered starting to surface.

“I’ll take responsibility when I return.”

“You better… feeling Master’s bond again… it’s making me excited!” She declared, and then made a pouty face. “You left me for two months! On top of that, I had to act like a wise and mature old biddy, rather than a beauty in the sexual prime of her youth-”

“Isn’t your kid older than me?”

“-Youthful beauty that I am!” She declared shamelessly, giving a stubborn look.

“Ahem, as you say.” I coughed awkwardly. “In that case, I’ll get this over with.”

I bid her farewell and then stepped through the door. It was time to see the end.

Chapter 1174

“I’m not in the mansion, I’m in… this is the Ost Republic!” I frowned. “What am I doing here?”

Looking around, I noticed this was the building where the Aberis embassy was placed. Faeyna was there, humming to herself, looking exactly as I last remembered her like not a single day had passed since we last saw each other. As she hummed, she was cleaning the room vigorously. As for me, I was behind another invisible wall, keeping me from approaching the scene.  The door burst open, and a familiar face walked in. It was Raissa.

“What are you still doing here?” She asked.

“Cleaning for Master…” She responded, although her voice sounded slightly off.

“You… you’re his slave too… you should have felt it.” Raissa declared, her tail slouched.

“What of it?”

“Master… he’s dea- he’s dead…” It took her two tries to get the words out, her ears down and her head lowered in defeat.

I began to understand where I was in events. This was right before the mansion was ransacked by the Ost Republic. However, this seemed to be one of those situations where the lore wasn’t perfect. Nova had told me he had already captured the girls before my soul was pulled into the Illusory Sword Dungeon. I supposed during such an emotional time, those kinds of events all blurred together.

“And?”

“And… the soldiers of the Ost Republic are on their way! We need to escape!”

“You may leave if you wish….”

“Come with me! Eliana has left to buy us time, so she’s been caught. The Tibults have already fled. It’s just you and me. We need to survive.”

“I’ve already said, you may go…” Faeyna responded, still not looking in the other woman’s direction.

“Faeyna, Master wouldn’t want-” Raissa grabbed for her arm.

Faeyna moved suddenly, far faster than Raissa could have imagined. A figurine was knocked off the table and then shattered on the floor. Faeyna had managed to avoid her. She was glaring at Raissa with red eyes.

“There is no point in running! There is no point in anything!” She shouted, tears starting to run down her cheeks.

“That…” Raissa took a step back. “There is… survival.”

“There is no point in surviving if he won’t be there with me.” Faeyna declared, spinning away.

I reached out instinctively, and my hand hit another barrier. Raissa stared at her helplessly for a moment, and then touched her stomach, her expression growing resolved. Faeyna had her back facing Raissa, clearly not willing to talk any more.

“Well, you may not wish to continue to live, but I have to continue for his sake!”

After a few moments, Faeyna turned around, but Raissa was already gone. Her expression looked somewhat hesitant, but then she went back to cleaning.

“Why won’t she go?” I asked.

“Because, Master, you are her everything. She had decided that. Her heart had been closed for so long. The day you gave your life for her, the day you turned things around, and in an impossible situation where death was certain you saved her and survived, you became her life.” Elaya was speaking through the Slave Communication now. “Remember, the Faeyna you first met chose to leave you when given her chance. It took her seeing how the other slaves loved you and seeing how you put yourself out for her even when she spurned you for her to finally open her heart again. Then, only two months later, she found herself alone again.”

That was right. It had only been a few months for Faeyna. It wasn’t like we had spent a ton of time together. I had formed relationships with most of my slaves. Perhaps Faeyna was waiting for her turn, but it never happened. Just as she opened her heart, waiting for me to take it, I disappeared, and she was alone again.

I finally figured out what the darkness in her heart was. It was me. As for why I was here, this was the day she killed herself.