The Hero Climaxes in Defeat Again Today
Sia said while eating the food I had brought from reality.
“Daddy, can I really make dungeons however I want?”
“You can, but for now, don’t make them too cruel or too difficult.”
I stroked Sia’s head as I spoke.
“If they’re too hard, no one will challenge them, and if they’re too easy, there’s no point.”
“Hmm… Then how should I make them?”
Sia tilted her head curiously.
“First, divide them by difficulty level for each dungeon. Make the easy ones have stingy rewards, and the hard ones have big rewards.”
“Got it!”
Sia’s eyes sparkled as she nodded vigorously.
“Rewards are especially important. People need to feel it’s worth challenging them.”
“Rewards? What should I give?”
“Powerful weapons or treasures, and…”
I let out a small chuckle.
“Things like fateful encounters?”
“Fateful encounter? What’s that?”
“Hmm… Something that strengthens power or grants abilities.”
“Ah, I think I get it!”
“For now, just try making a dungeon the way you imagine it, Sia.”
“Okay! Got it!”
Sia answered brightly, then tightly closed her eyes and began concentrating again.
Soon, Sia’s power flowed into me. Along with the sensation of sharing a single consciousness, a clear image of an unfamiliar space rose in my mind.
‘…So this is the dungeon Sia made.’
The first dungeon she manifested was astonishingly simple. No complicated traps, no eerie atmosphere—just a structure that looked like toy blocks stacked together.
Cute and dainty colors. An atmosphere closer to a playground.
As expected, a child was still a child.
There was no need to start with a dungeon full of blood and screams right from the beginning. A dungeon suited to Sia’s age and sensibilities—this was right.
After that, Sia kept decorating the dungeon without rest. I deliberately guided her toward creating spaces that would feel ‘fun to play in’ rather than dangerous ones.
While sharing consciousness with her in the process, we played little pranks on each other. We bickered playfully and even stubbornly argued over trivial structures for no good reason.
Then, at some point, the look in Sia’s eyes changed. It was no longer just play—she was now designing the dungeon with clear intent.
Watching her like that, I recalled the dungeons that originally existed in this world.
The dungeons created by the three goddesses were, strictly speaking, barely worthy of being called dungeons. Their difficulty was absurdly high, yet the rewards were pitiful in comparison.
There was no reason to risk one’s life. Yet they were structured to force people to enter, so it was only natural that people turned away from them.
‘As expected, what moves people isn’t fear—it’s desire.’
Overwhelming power.
Vast treasures.
Rare and alluring items.
A place where challenging it guaranteed worthwhile returns. If it was a dungeon like that, people would flock to it on their own without anyone urging them.
From all across the continent.
‘…And the parties that fail will all become my sex slaves.’
It was about time to start preparing to open the Belzark territory.
‘Belzark territory… If high-reward dungeons suddenly spring up everywhere nearby, people will have no choice but to come flooding in.’
It was time to return to the territory.
***
A month had passed since I returned to my territory.
And in that short time, the world had once again shaken violently.
In the Empire, Morris had finally ascended as Emperor. At the same time began an endless debauchery and tyranny, along with mad actions befitting the title of a deranged emperor.
In particular, the Elf Kingdom and the Empire were now at war.
‘An elf hero massacring a human village, of all things….’
Ironically, that single incident gave the Empire a clear and solid ‘justification’ for war. At the same time, the legal slave industry began to boom rapidly once again throughout the Empire.
But I wasn’t worried. The number of elf prisoners was still extremely small, and many nobles opposed the war.
‘And I already ordered the beautiful ones to be set aside separately, so they’ll collect them on their own.’
If anyone touched them, I could simply have them killed.
“Ivril.”
At my call, Ivril appeared without a sound.
“You called, my lord?”
“How bad is the relationship between dark elves and elves?”
“They ask about each other’s parents’ health, at best.”
She seemed to phrase it indirectly since she couldn’t openly curse in front of me. Or perhaps that really was the extent of it.
‘Elves trading mother insults with each other, huh.’
For a moment I almost burst out laughing in disbelief.
“For the time being, move not as the Shadow Knight Order’s commander, but as the representative of the dark elves. Make contact with the elves and propose cooperation regarding matters related to the Empire.”
“Will they accept?”
“It won’t be easy for them to refuse. Right now, the elves desperately need external support.”
“Understood. Is there anything else I should do?”
“There is. In the past, I got entangled with one elf—she seemed to hold quite a high position.”
On that elf’s body remained a mark that must never be made public. Just exposing that would be enough to apply pressure.
‘She might already be isolated in elven society by now.’
To elves, relationships with humans were a strict taboo. Unless one was royalty or of the highest bloodline, that fact alone could lead to exile.
“Find that elf. I’ll give you her description separately.”
“And once I find her?”
“Protect her well and use her appropriately. She’ll cooperate easily.”
“Understood. Then after I finish handing over my duties, I will lead the clan and depart immediately.”
“On your way out, call Karisa.”
“Yes.”
For the past month, I had deliberately left Karisa alone.
I showed her no interest whatsoever. The only thing I consistently displayed was how much I loved women and how debauched a man I was.
Not long after Ivril withdrew, Karisa entered the room.
“Y-You called… Master…?”
Even after a whole month, the title “Master” still didn’t roll off her tongue naturally.
“Your Highness, the maid outfit suits you quite well.”
“…Ugh.”
I scanned her as she tried to hide her embarrassment.
The tight-fitting maid uniform was blatantly provocative beyond necessity.
She stood there, fidgeting with her fingertips, unable to conceal her shame.
She couldn’t openly wander around my territory, so hiding her identity was only natural. And the best disguise for that was the role of a maid.
Except for her escort knight Serena, the other knights were scattered across various places, concealing their identities.
Of course the Empire wasn’t unaware. They were simply too busy with other matters to bother dealing with it for now.
‘By now, those knights have probably become the succubi’s slaves.’
I chuckled lowly to myself.
“A-Anyway… what did you call me for?”
“I was curious how my daughter’s education is going.”
The daughter I referred to was Sia.
She had already made one public appearance, but aside from her appearance, no other information had been revealed. So with only her looks changed, she was currently running around my territory without any restrictions.
‘When I showed up with a daughter, it caused quite a stir.’
Back then, attention naturally turned to who the wife might be, but by deliberately changing the subject and leaking a few rumors, it quickly died down.
Regardless, Karisa was currently in charge of Sia’s education. I hadn’t brought her here just to use her as a maid—Sia genuinely needed systematic education.
There was no need to teach her about morals or character education. I could handle that myself through observation and direct involvement.
What was needed was something else.
An imperial princess.
A woman born in the heart of power and raised amidst schemes and calculations.
In many ways, she was the perfect teacher for Sia—when it came to teaching not power, but how to handle the world.
“First… you’re aware that Sia has quite a few issues, right…?”
Karisa’s tone was cautious.
“It’s just the two of us now, so you can speak freely.”
At my words, Karisa hesitated for a moment before letting out a small sigh.
“Th-Thank you… phew…”
The tension in her shoulders seemed to ease slightly.
“The child… is excessively honest. She doesn’t hide anything or calculate. She still can’t distinguish between what she can do and what she should do.”
Karisa let out a sigh as she thought of Sia.
“Above all… she hasn’t yet truly realized what the power she possesses really means. That’s the most dangerous part.”
I nodded lightly at her words. I had repeatedly told Sia to hide her power as much as possible and not reveal it, but someone of Karisa’s caliber would inevitably notice something strange.
“That’s why I assigned Your Highness to her.”
Karisa swallowed briefly.
“…For the past month, she’s followed along fairly well. She seems to have gained some degree of self-control.”
She paused as if choosing her words, then calmly added,
“But this isn’t something that can be resolved in one go. It requires constant attention and steady education.”
“I know.”
At my response, Karisa nodded, then narrowed her eyes slightly.
“But… it doesn’t seem like you called me here just to talk about Sia.”
As expected of a princess—her perceptiveness was unnecessarily sharp.
“It’s about time you started preparing to return to the Empire.”
“…Are you kicking me out?”
“You’ve misunderstood. I’m not kicking you out.”
I smiled.
“You need to build your strength.”
“Strength…?”
“You’ve probably heard the rumors going around lately.”
“…You mean the dungeons?”
“Yes.”
Hundreds, thousands of new dungeons had appeared all across the continent in an instant, as if by some agreement. Treasures and mana stones never seen before were pouring out of them.
The sheer volume of mana stones flowing from the dungeons was beyond imagination.
Especially the large dungeons concentrated near the Alcradion territory—they were filled with treasures tempting to anyone.
“It won’t be long before… the hero’s party comes to check the dungeon that appeared in the territory. Move together with the hero at that time.”
Karisa’s eyes narrowed.
“It sounds like you’re telling me to seduce the hero and use him in the Empire’s civil war.”
“Exactly.”
Karisa let out a short breath and gave a wry laugh.
“You really are a wicked man, Marquis. If even a rumor about doing something like that spreads, I’m the one who’ll be in trouble.”
I replied calmly.
“The Empire. You have to save it.”
“…That’s true as well.”
Karisa exhaled shortly. She had probably already heard the information I leaked—that the beastkin were showing unusual movements, and even the Holy Kingdom was showing signs of intervening.
Right now, the Empire was gradually being surrounded from all sides.
“The hero is someone who pursues justice.”
I continued.
“But isn’t that justice perfectly usable right now?”
“…Certainly.”
Karisa muttered lowly.
“The Empire’s current behavior is far from justice…”
“And adding one more rumor would make it perfect.”
“A rumor…?”
“The story that Duke Bastian is using Morris as a puppet to hold real power. And that traces of forbidden magic can be seen in the process—that should be enough.”
“Forbidden magic…?”
“For example, mind-control types of magic.”
At that moment, realization dawned on Karisa’s face.
“…Right. No matter how stupid Morris is, he’s not the type to obediently hand over his power to someone else.”
Karisa paced around the room as she continued.
“Even if Bastian helped him… I did think it was strange how obedient he was…”
I said nothing, simply waiting for her to reach the conclusion herself.
“……!”
Karisa’s footsteps stopped.
“There’s something bothering you.”
She closed her eyes for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“Marquis… I need your help.”
“Go ahead.”
“Can you gather… as much information circulating within the Empire as possible?”
“Information about Duke Bastian and Prince Morris, you mean?”
“…Yes.”
Karisa let out a short breath.
“I won’t ask you to do it for free.”
“Of course not.”
I smiled.
“Did I ever seem like the type of person who does things for free?”
At my words, Karisa looked at me for a moment before opening her mouth with resolve.
“What do you want…?”
“After joining the hero, investigate the dungeon appropriately, then lead things toward the elves and wage war against the Empire. I’ll provide support.”