Reject Humanity, Return to Monke

We were now back at the Monster Town after a quick detour and a bite to eat. Luke and Nicholas followed the both of us (Catalina decided to separate for the time being to talk with Tigre and his group of demi-humans) because they felt that it was a part of their responsibility to correct the mistake they have made.

And that is to stop Erika from ever harming any more innocent lives… Permanently.

It's a sad scene to see Drake, Nicholas, and Luke melancholic like that, but that's life. Sometimes, it gives you what you want. Most of the time, they throw a curveball at you and you can't help but rage at the world for what it has done.

"Hey, Drake, you gonna be alright?" I inquired the downtrodden figure, who was busy ruminating on his thoughts. He perked up and looked at me with a smile that told me everything I needed to know.

"Probably… I've dealt with situations like these before… Never gets easier…" Drake admitted, and I nodded at the fact that he had just stated. Just imagining someone close to me, like Catalina or Domino, going down the wrong path and the only solution to end the madness is to kill them…

'I would've probably gone mental at that point…' I sighed, and the four of us continued towards the wall where Gong was currently stationed. He was keeping watch of the entrance with the binoculars I gave him via spending some DP in the Dungeon Market.

"Can I ask about her? What Erika was like in the past?" I asked the trio who knew her the most, and all of them chuckled. All at once, they responded.

"She's racist." That got me to do a double-take at their words. I cleaned my ears with my fingers and opened my mouth once more.

"Come again…?"

"Jionni, we're telling you she was racist." Drake said with a chuckle as he recalled the time when everything was just simple. "Not completely racist, however. It was due to an incident when she was younger. Her parents were killed right in front of her eyes while she was raped by a group of demi-humans."

Drake growled out the words, while both Luke and Nicholas scowled.

"Luckily, I was passing by and saved her from her death. She was broken after that… It took me months to get her to move on past the trauma, but she still couldn't be comfortable with demi-humans. That's why she's racist."

"… Oh…" Realization hit me as Drake's words registered in my mind. That was one fucked up childhood, so I can see where she's coming from.

"But indiscriminately killing demi-humans, young and old, male and female? That's not what I and Nick taught her." Drake gestured towards Nicholas who was content to just listen as he stewed in his thoughts. "Once I get the opportunity, those bastards who brainwashed her will pay…"

From beside him, Nicholas and Luke nodded with anger beneath their visages. The four of us stayed silent after that while we scaled the wall. On the top, we were greeted by Wulfstan and the mute twins, and Tigre with his group. Catalina was also there, waving a hand at me with a bright smile on her face.

The most eye-catching thing, however, was that Tigre wasn't glaring at me with jealousy anymore. Instead, he was now cowering in fear of Catalina. I wonder what she did to put the fear of God in the tiger demi-human.

At least his harem of girls is happy since he isn't fixated on Catalina anymore.

"Gong, any news from the outside?" I asked Gong, who was looking through the binoculars with a frown.

"Yes, boss. Group of humans. Incoming." Gong relayed the information to me, and I took the binoculars from him, which he happily obliged, to scout the entrance. "Primates now waiting for group. Set up ambush for trespassers."

"How many did the primates say there were?"

"Did not get good count. Just said over one hundred." I gripped the binoculars tightly at his statement.

'More than one hundred humans at the same level as either an above-average soldier or a veteran combatant. There's also the factor that most of them are fanatics, which makes forcing them to submit even harder.' I groaned at the prospect of residents dying if the primates weren't able to stop their advance. 'I'll just have to trust them, and hope that I have enough manpower to fight them off…'

My musings were cut short when Drake tapped me on the head. I looked towards him as I gave the binoculars back to Gong, who immediately went back to checking the entrance to see if there was any movement.

"Jionni. You do know that you aren't alone, right?" He said, and I tilted my head in confusion.

"… Uh, yes? You're here, and I have reinforcements from other Dungeon Masters." Drake facepalmed at my answer, and so did Catalina, Nicholas, and Luke. "What's wrong with all of you?"

"Nothing. It's just that you're relying too much on yourself." Drake sighed in his palms as he grabbed my shoulders. "Look, Jionni. You don't need to worry. You've been alone for most of your time here, so I can understand where you're coming from. That doesn't mean you can just ignore the power of your allies around you. Not every problem coming to your Dungeon has to be solved by you alone."

"… But I hold meetings before deciding on a course of action. Isn't that what you mean?" Drake groaned even further.

"You're missing the point!" Drake sighed as he let go of my shoulder. "What I'm talking about is that you should trust us more."

I went silent at that as I reviewed my decisions over the past hours.

'… Holy shit. He's right…' Instead of assigning proper positions to my reinforcements, I decided to let only the primates handle the incoming raid. The goblins, alraunes, and arachnes were only used to make traps, and that's about it. I didn't give them any specific order other than to prepare because I was too caught up in minimizing the damage to impossible proportions. "… You know, you're a good friend, Drake."

Drake finally cracked a smile after the mention of Erika coming here for his head.

"Wulfstan, from your gear, I'm assuming you specialize in picking off targets." Wulfstan nodded. "Then I want you three to help with picking off their upper ranks while the chaos ensues. Tigre-"

Tigre looked at me with a neutral face, a far cry from his earlier scowl. "- You're all fighters, right?" They nodded, and I gave them a nod as well. "You will be with the primates on the frontline fighting the soldiers. If things are getting too hot, then you're allowed to pull back."

Tigre growled at the mention of retreat, but otherwise nodded because life is more important than pride.

"Drake… I know you, Nicholas, and Luke will go after Erika."

"Hell yeah, we are." Drake nodded, determined, while Nicholas and Luke still held a solemn face. I guess Drake has been through some bullshit to bounce back from his earlier melancholic state faster than these two.

"Then go crazy. Since Catalina said that you're friends with the Demon King, I'm pretty sure you can go HAM on these fanatical fuckers and come out without a scratch." We both shared glances and gave each other nods of approval. I then turned to Catalina, who was watching the show with an amused grin on her face. "Lina, come with me. We need to talk privately."

She was all too happy to lunge to my side and grab my right arm, her smile radiating just a tad bit too bright. Tigre didn't scowl or look at me with jealousy, but with mild acceptance, which got a hoot from one of his group.

We separated from the group of mishmash humans and demi-humans on top of the wall and headed down towards a secluded area.

"Lina, I need to ask you some things about how our summoned monsters work."

"Then I'm all ears. Ask away." Catalina twitched her cat ears, and I chuckled a bit.

"When your monsters die, they come back right after the raid is over, right?" Catalina nodded and got a feel for where the conversation was going. "Does that apply when they are outside our Dungeon?"

"… No, they don't." Catalina said with a melancholic smile, her eyes growing distant. "Once they die outside your Dungeon, they're gone forever. What's even worse, the slot they took up in a room cannot be returned."

Fully comprehending her words, various plans that I had in my mind went up in flames. 'No way am I sending primates out to scout enemy bases then.'

"… Did I remind you of a bad memory?" I asked the catwoman, who was still looking into the distance. My words brought her back, however, and she gave me a smile.

"Don't worry. It was an old one, and I was completely at fault for that." Catalina smiled gratefully as she regarded some people who weren't present in the area. "I have some good subordinates."

I looked back up at the wall, where Gong was still using the binoculars to check the entrance in case the group of humans entered.

"… And I do too." We both chuckled, and Catalina nuzzled against my arm. Feeling my body relax, I leaned in against her as well, something I didn't do for the majority of our time together.

While the both of us were basking in the warmth of each other, Gong and the alarm in my Dungeon Menu alerted me to the enemy approaching.