The Villainous Me Turned the Losers into Blackened Bosses-Chapter 213 - "I Want Your Heart"

Will was taken aback by Lucifa’s sudden plea, her tone unexpectedly desperate.

“Demon materials do have their uses, you know,” Lucifa began, rattling off her pitch like a rehearsed script. “Demon wings are excellent for brewing poisons. Horns can be used as glowing components in dark dungeons. Tails, well, they’re often turned into… uh, adult novelty items. And hearts! Demon hearts have great resistance and carry exceptional black magic capacity—”

As she listed off uses, her tone grew increasingly frantic, clearly trying to appeal to them. But her desperation only made the scene more pitiful.

Will exchanged a glance with Shuna. Was this really the Empress of a dungeon? She was practically begging for them to stay.

“Wow, you’re really going all out to please us,” Shuna commented, her tone cold yet curious.

“So… would you consider it? Trading your battles for materials?” Lucifa pressed, her gaze hopeful.

Will hesitated. He had come here to obtain something from the dungeon—something important. But before he could answer, Shuna interrupted, her voice sharper than usual.

“Let’s go back to the earlier question,” she said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. “It’s tied to the ultimate secret of the dungeon.”

“Shuna?” Will blinked at her, surprised by the sudden shift in her demeanor. “You seem to have something in mind.”

“Yes,” she nodded, her voice colder than before. She stepped forward, crossing in front of Will.

Her legs, clad in sleek black stockings, moved with precision as she positioned herself directly before Lucifa. Her right hand remained tense, hovering near the dagger strapped to her thigh. This time, Will noticed the subtle shift in her posture—she was ready to strike if necessary.

Her gaze locked onto Lucifa, piercing and unyielding.

“If you need energy from adventurers’ battles to expand the dungeon downward,” Shuna began, her tone icy, “what exactly does that mean?”

“It’s literal,” Lucifa replied, spreading her hands as if the answer were obvious. “If no one challenges the dungeon, I, as the ruler, cannot open the doors to the next blank floor.”

“The doors inside the dungeon—are they physical? Do they require specific permissions to open?”

“Yes, exactly.”

“So, you’re essentially cultivating blank floors?” Shuna pressed further, her voice growing sharper.

“Not entirely,” Lucifa clarified. “The blank floors come with pre-supplied materials and personnel for us rulers to arrange as we see fit. That’s why each dungeon reflects its ruler’s style.”

“What happens to the monsters when they’re killed?”

“As long as the dungeon isn’t destroyed, I can bring them back. Lower-tier monsters are essentially mass-produced.”

“And what about you? If you were to die…?”

“Surprised you care about that,” Lucifa said with a wry smile. “I don’t know. Maybe I’d disappear. Or maybe you’d find me in another dungeon someday.”

“How many adventurer challenges does it take to open the next door?”

Shuna’s questions came rapid-fire, relentless and calculated.

Lucifa sighed, her usual carefree demeanor giving way to a rare moment of frustration. “This place has been stagnant for a long time. You’re the first visitors in three months.”

“So you don’t have an answer to that question, do you?” Shuna pressed further.

“No,” Lucifa admitted with a shake of her head. “I don’t.”

Shuna’s line of questioning was relentless, methodical. Will couldn’t help but notice how similar she was to Shuu in the original story. Her obsession with uncovering the inner workings of dungeons was unnervingly intense, far beyond what most “Divine Condensers” displayed.

It was a stark contrast to the warm, cheerful Shuna he had known up until now.

“So, the reason dungeons welcome adventurers is because you need them to continue your exploration downward, correct?” Shuna asked, her voice unwavering.

“Yes,” Lucifa confirmed.

“In other words, we’re not truly enemies,” Shuna concluded. “Not in the way adventurers are taught to think.”

“We are enemies,” Lucifa corrected. “The more thoroughly you conquer a dungeon, the more resources you gain. If your progress outpaces our expansion, we vanish.”

“And if the goal is to explore the deepest depths of the dungeon system?”

“I’ve… never heard of anyone approaching it that way,” Lucifa admitted, tilting her head in confusion. “Aren’t adventurers just here to harvest resources from these natural treasure troves?”

“One last question,” Shuna said abruptly, ignoring Lucifa’s remark.

“Go ahead.”

“Do dungeons have an end? What lies at the bottom?”

“……”

Lucifa’s usual playful expression faded. She pulled her jacket back up over her shoulders, covering the red marks Will had accidentally left on her skin.

The room fell silent after the rapid exchange of questions and answers. Will shifted uncomfortably under the weight of the stillness.

“I don’t know,” Lucifa finally admitted after a long pause. Her tone carried a hint of weariness.

Shuna nodded, her demeanor softening slightly as she stepped back. “I’m done. That was my last question.”

With that, Shuna seemed to return to herself, her icy composure melting away as a rare smile graced her lips.

Something wasn’t right.

Will couldn’t shake the feeling that something about Shuna had changed.

“So, you really came here just for that,” Lucifa muttered, her tone tinged with disappointment. “I thought you might want to experience Tenth Demon Castle properly. At least come for some demon materials…”

“Or maybe… just stay a little longer.”

“It seems I got my hopes up for nothing.”

Lucifa’s expression resembled that of a child whose parents had returned home, only to realize they were just there to grab something they had forgotten.

Though Will knew better than to treat the childlike ruler as an actual child, her dejected demeanor tugged at his heartstrings.

Hmm…

This was a job for Will, master of cheering people up!

And it just so happened that he did have something he wanted from Tenth Demon Castle.

Unlike Shuna, who had coldly interrogated Lucifa about unrelated matters, Will had a specific goal in mind.

“No, no, Lucifa,” Will said with a reassuring smile as he crouched by her bed, looking up at her. “There is something I want—something only you can give me.”

“Who are you calling a child?!” Lucifa snapped, flustered by his sudden proximity.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

“J-Just tell me what you want! There’s no need to act like this…”

“I…”

Will thought back to what Lucifa had mentioned earlier. Among the materials she listed, one stood out as perfect for Treya’s sword.

Reaching out, he placed his hand gently over Lucifa’s chest, directly above her heart.

“I want your heart.”