Side: Seraria Nou Roshure
"Well, now we just wait for them to quiet down. Even if I issued a surrender recommendation now, they've still got too much spirit; they'd just resist."
Yuki is stretching his limbs as if his day's work is already done.
I didn't want to admit it, but of the approximately 1,500 soldiers who had invaded the dungeon, about 340 had already been killed by pitfalls...?
The rest were isolated inside the dungeon, cut off from supplies and rescue. They could advance, but only in groups of six or fewer, into traps that could only be described as underhanded.
And on our side... there were zero casualties.
Using nothing but traps, he is making a mockery of an elite army centered around the Roshure Royal Guard. Anyone can see it: 1,500 men have been utterly defeated by a single opponent.
However, calling this the "power of a Dungeon Master" feels wrong... He simply tripped them into holes... But he tripped an entire army.
Is this what Yuki meant by a "strategist" or "staff officer"? It's exactly as he said—a way of fighting using one's head. Against this, no matter how much power or how high a level you have, you're helpless.
But a question occurred to me:
Why is he trying to make them surrender?
After cornering them this thoroughly, there's no way the ground beneath the remaining soldiers isn't riddled with pitfalls as well. A man like Yuki wouldn't be that soft.
"Hey... Yuki. Why are you pushing for a surrender? Looking at your actions, you predicted all of this, didn't you? The ground they're standing on... it's a pitfall too, isn't it?"
"Oh, you finally called me by my name, huh? Yeah, exactly as you say, Seraria. Their lives are entirely at my whim."
Yuki admitted it so easily.
I can't read his true intentions at all... if he killed them now, he wouldn't have to worry about looking after them. Could he actually be doing this out of consideration for our feelings?
"I don't want to put you two through anything painful. Those men were probably just deceived by that Minister you mentioned, right?"
Yuki looked at us seriously as he said that.
"Yuki-san..."
Elju's face turns bright red, her eyes shimmering with emotion.
"That's a lie. Definitely a lie!! There's no way someone as calculating as you would create this situation in the first place. Didn't you say it earlier? 'Win a hundred battles', 'method with the least casualties'? Even I can tell—you've got another objective, don't you?"
If his policy was "always consider the method with the least casualties," then sheltering us was a mistake in itself.
Even if he didn't know the circumstances initially, he could have just abandoned us. There was no need to take such risks.
Honestly, I was just guessing... But given how far he's gone, I figured he must be thinking on a level far beyond me.
"True. It's just as Seraria says. I have another objective."
"And what is it?"
"You think I'd just tell you? Use your own head."
"I'm asking because I can't figure it out!"
It's frustrating. Deeply frustrating. I haven't a clue. But without Yuki's help, we're at a dead end.
"Tell us your plan. At this point... we have no choice but to rely on you."
"...Fine, I guess. It'll take a bit to explain, since it ties into my situation."
"Go ahead, we have plenty of time."
"Well, if those soldiers surrender right now, I'll be pretty busy dealing with them."
"Just say it already!!"
"Chii-anesama, calm down!"
Elju held me back. If not for her calming presence, I would have tried to punch this guy several times over.
Meanwhile, Yuki just looks at me as if I'm a massive bother.
"How to explain this... Let me give you an overview. Please hold your questions until I'm finished."
"Fine."
"My plan works no matter how things turn out. But ideally, since I helped you, I wanted you to at least acknowledge my right to run this dungeon—even if not officially."
Right... from what Elju told me, Yuki became a Dungeon Master suddenly, without even knowing where he was or how things worked.
So helping us—especially Elju—was an opportunity he couldn't afford to waste.
"I was planning to send Elju back to Roshure and have her smooth things over. But then she was being chased by soldiers, and when I sheltered her, more troops showed up. At that point, even if I threw you out, you'd just get killed. But conveniently, Elju was recognized as a ‘Dungeon Master'. So I figured—if she takes that role, and we can persuade these soldiers without killing most of them, then you gain the support of Rocheur's elite forces. If I wiped them all out, she'd lose potential allies. After that, we convince the surrendered soldiers and clean up the capital... and I get to live peacefully."
"I see... I understand. If we return safely to the capital, I promise to lend you my aid."
"Oh, thanks. It's better to have that agreement now than to bring it up after everything's over."
"But... did you never think we might try to suppress you instead?"
"I told you—my plan works either way. Personally, I wanted to test the dungeon's performance. If you turned out to be enemies, I'd have handled you like those soldiers... only much more efficiently. I've learned a lot thanks to them."
"I see... you really mean it when you say it works either way. How terrifying. But why push Elju as the Dungeon Master? You could've revealed yourself instead."
"That's simple. Which is easier for the public—and the high-ups—to accept: 'A total stranger of a Dungeon Master is safe,' or 'Saintess Elju has used her holy power to bring the dungeon under her control'?"
"...Definitely the latter. The former might be possible, but it's too risky. Putting Elju forward is safer for everyone."
So he really did mean it—he didn't care how things turned out. He even factored in the misunderstanding that Elju is the Dungeon Master and turned it into an advantage.
He's a nightmare as an enemy, but incredibly reassuring as an ally... And honestly, even if I turned against him, I don't think I could ever conquer this dungeon.
"But even if we win the soldiers over, there will still be chaos in the capital. We have to figure out a way to kick out that bastard Loire, or it's all for nothing..."
Unless we deal with him, we can’t safely return to the capital. Even if we do, he’ll likely brand us as monsters and try to eliminate us again
"Oh, I think that part is already taken care of."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"I got a report from Mobu and the others."
Mobu...? Oh right! Those men who enslaved and abused Elju!
Even if Elju forgave them, I haven't! I'm hitting them at least a hundred times!
『Yo, Yuki. Just like you said, the Roshure king and the 1st princess were 'almost assassinated'.』
""WHAAAAAAAT!?"" Elju and I both screamed.
『Whoa, the other princesses were right there?』
"Yeah, so give the full report properly."
『Sorry, sorry. Thanks to us and our 'collaborator', the assassination was successfully thwarted.』
"Heh, a collaborator, huh?"
『So, here's the deal. We told the King what happened as planned, and a messenger has been sent to the guys heading your way saying, 'The King has been assassinated, return immediately.' Those soldiers should be pulling out within a few days.』
Yuki and the others are calmly discussing this... but still...
"EXPLAIN PROPERLY RIGHT NOOOOOOOOOW!!!"
There's no way my reaction was unreasonable.
