171 Reminiscence

Styx visited the dungeons personally, which had long since been renovated by Vivy to be much more accommodating in areas where "favored prisoners" resided.

Those that weren't looked upon fondly by the jail mistress, who was also at the Fourth Step and one of the most powerful people in the dungeon in terms of raw strength, lived in area so plain and silent that the boredom had become a form of torture.

Those that were forced to live in a plain cell that contained nothing but four perfectly smooth walls and a stone bed that was barely a foot off the floor begged to be released once they had spent over a month there. Some were lucky and caught the jail mistress' eye, others were forced to endure.

In the lavish area covered in furniture, tapestries and even entertainment. Alex Brown, the hero recently spirited away, sat on a luxurious couch extremely nervous.

He was disoriented when he got here, carried away by his personal maid Irene whilst unconscious and suddenly thrust into this dungeon.

He was deeply surprised by the strength Irene had displayed, which he only felt was surreal as she fought the princess on equal ground and even managed to push her back, someone whose strength had previously proven to be insurmountable.

The greatest reason for his current nervousness, was Vivy sitting beside him.

She had long pointed ears and beautiful features much like elves, with skin darker than a standard elf you see walking in the street, but much lighter than the other stone elves or other dark elf subspecies that were in the dungeon.

Unlike elves though, she had two twisted horns on her head much like a demon, whilst her body language also made him think of countless things he wanted to do to it.

This seductress that had evolved into an abyss demon pressed her lithe body up against the hero who was as rigid as a piece of wood. Topless men and women in prisoner collars danced for the duo as Vivy ran her finger over Alex's thigh.

"What is the matter, little hero? This mistress is showing interest in you, but you don't dare make a move?" Vivy teased and pressed her breasts up against his arm even tighter.

"T-t-that… It's n-not like t-that…"

Unused to all the attention, especially in such a sexual way, Alex's mind had completely shut down and he didn't know what to do.

"All you have to do is push me down and my weak body is yours to do with as you wish, you know? Don't tell me you are a virgin?"

"I… I'm not."

He was, and Vivy could clearly tell. Her top slid off one shoulder and exposed her large, supple breasts and leading to her erect areola rubbing on the bare skin of his arm. Alex swallowed deeply and only became more erect as Vivy guiding his right hand to grasp her bare breast as she released a hot breath of air into his ear.

The abyss demon smiled internally as the hero appeared to be putting up resistance, but his hand vaguely grasping and testing the firmness of her breast said otherwise. The hero then tried to place his other hand between her thighs, which Vivy had deliberately left exposed, when a woman's voice was heard.

"Ahem!"

Alex shot to his feet in a panic after hearing the familiar voice and turned to see Irene.

"Sister Irie, we were just getting to the good part. Surely you could have waited a bit~"

"I-Irene?"

"You can call me Irie, young hero, that is my real name."

"...Wait, what? What do you mean? Irene, please explain what's going on."

"Young hero, please straighten your pants, they are about to fall off."

Irie stood there in her maid outfit holding a small boy that appeared only a year or two old. The young boy clung to the maid and was seemingly asleep.

"Sister Irie, should you really be bringing Ottar here, to the dungeons?" Vivy asked, her clothing already straightened up and her expression as if nothing ever happened.

"S-son?!" Alex burst out, his eyes and mind spinning in confusion.

"I need him to get used to your antics, else my lord may be forced to kill his son's aunt because she seduced him."

Vivy chuckled slyly and didn't bother denying that she wouldn't try touch Styx's son once he grew up. She had already had high hopes for a hero whose mana network appeared to be so special, let alone the son of the person she who was the greatest recipient of her strange twisted sense of love.

"I'm so happy you are calling me his aunt!" Vivy bounced to her feet and moved so fast Alex couldn't even tell how she moved before she was embracing the maid and showering kisses on the young infant whose face twisted in annoyance before he started crying.

When she tried to also kiss Irie, the latter snapped her fingers and the woman was captured by a mana rope to her neck and waist before being flung at the wall mercilessly.

Vivy didn't seem to care as she landed on her feet shortly followed by the irritated click of Irie's tongue, the abyss demon's elated smile not faltering for a moment.

"That means he's off limits to you."

"We will see~"

Irie ignored the other woman and grabbed Alex by the arm, half dragging him away and out of the dungeon's prison.

Walking along the corridors, Alex constantly glanced toward the maid, who appeared to be someone completely different from the maid he knew. The young infant cradled on her shoulder only reinforced this viewpoint.

"Iren… Irie. Where are we going? Where is this place?"

"You are going to speak with my lord, as he has some questions for you. This place is commonly known through the Maple Dragon Kingdom as the Abyss, but it's official name is Lagoon Porter Dungeon. It is the dungeon created by Styx, and it is my home."

Irie's mind wandered back into the distant past, back when she was still just a First Step adventurer. Her party had just escaped from Styx's dungeon after a failure to capture it. The monsters inside, whilst nowhere near as abundant or as powerful as now, were far too strong for First Step monsters. The rare Second Step monsters were terrifying, and the elves that somehow resided inside the dungeon alongside the monsters were nightmares towards her party.

It was that time that Styx had entered into her mind and heart, and it wasn't long before she gave her love and body over to him. From there, her life had made a drastic turn of fortune, from a First Step Apprentice Earth Mage who didn't have great future prospects, all the way to a powerful Third Step ranker who not only evolved into a stronger species, but whose strength could rival the kingdom's two Fourth Step guardians.

Even whilst spending most her time underground, her world had become all the more brighter ever since becoming a dungeon wife.

Alex became mesmerised by the innocent smile the stretched across Irie's face and exuded her beauty, compared to the usual stern gaze she always had around him.

He was soon lost for words as they left the dungeons and moved through the dungeon though. They emerged on the outskirts of what could only be considered a bustling fantasy city.

Artificial sunlight was generated from the ceiling that was so high up, he could only question once again how deep underground they were.

The buildings were made of cement, brick and wood, with décor and ornaments made of brass and countless other fantasy metals and alloys, all maintained in a pristine condition. There were workers, from beastmen and goblins, all the way to elves and other odd exotic races he didn't recognize, who could occasionally be seen taking care of the buildings.

Alex wasn't too knowledgeable, but even he could tell that some of these menial workers even seemed to be at the Third Step, whom would enjoy lavish lives anywhere else in the kingdom.

Fantasy trees, flowers and many species of flora and fauna created a natural look amongst the buildings, whilst strange and exotic species of spices or flowers hung outside of the windows. Vines draped down from balconies and budded with violet and crimson flowers.

He watched two elven women with late stage pregnant stomachs sitting at a small cafe table on the edge of one of the terraces. The displayed smiles of exotic beauty as they drank tea and ate small cakes topped with fruits, casually chatting about something he couldn't hear but seemed to be related with their pregnancy.

As this was the outskirts of this stunning fantast dungeon city, there were areas where nature seemed more wild and untamed, filled with the buzzing of insects and cries of other animals.

"Move it," Irie spoke nonchalantly and pushed Alex by his back with a mage hand as an open-top carriage pulled by monsters stopped before them.

"This… is the Abyss?" Alex muttered under his breath in a mixture.

Irie moved Ottar off her shoulder and sat the infant on her lap, who was now apparently awake and curious about his surroundings.

She held him in her embrace to stop him from falling as she stated, "War is more than just swinging swords and throwing spells at one another. It is about information, development, controlling public opinion, and much more. With a poor public opinion of us, the common citizens will fight us more and make our battle harder. If the Maple Dragon Kingdom couldn't do even that, they would be truly incompetent."