Side: Labyris
"Alright then. We still haven't received any detailed contact from Roshure, so we can't discuss the finer points yet. For now, let's start by choosing the land inside the dungeon."
Following the results of the meeting, Yuki seemed to be handling the issues in order of priority. It turned out that choosing the layout for the dungeon was the only thing we could actually do right now.
With that decided, Yuki handed out rings to all of us.
"These are the warp rings I mentioned earlier. Just say the word 'Transfer' and you'll automatically fly back here. If you say a 'Floor' number first and then 'Transfer,' you'll go to that floor. Everyone, move to the edge of the hall for a second. You'll be teleported onto this small stage. Watch: 'Transfer'."
As soon as Yuki put on his ring and spoke, he vanished and instantly reappeared on the stage.
What a convenient tool.
Even if one of us were kidnapped, we could escape as long as they didn't take this off.
"Don't worry, if there's an obstacle in the way, the coordinates shift automatically so you don't overlap with something and end up... well, 'gory'."
I didn't quite grasp what Yuki meant by that. If we appeared in the same spot, wouldn't the person already there get crushed from above?
Then, I touched Yuki, and an image flashed into my mind... and of all people, it was an image of me and Aslin. I saw my body suddenly bursting apart and Aslin growing out from inside me... urgh...
I saw something horrible. So that is what he meant.
"Sorry, sorry. I showed you something weird, didn't I? Up you go."
Seeing that I felt unwell, Yuki picked me up in a princess carry.
...This feels nice. I wonder if this is how Ratz felt? I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck. Being carried on his shoulders is great, but this is hard to pass up too. The only downside to having a small body is that it usually turns into a one-armed carry pretty quickly.
"Alright, everyone has their rings on. Practice on your own later. Now, about the land selection—let's decide on a general policy. We can check the status on this dungeon map. We can change the interior of the dungeon whenever we want as long as we have DP."
He moved the whiteboard aside and displayed the dungeon map and surrounding area that he had shown when Rurua-sama first arrived.
"Yuki-san, regarding Seraria-sama... since we don't know how many people Roshure is sending, isn't it impossible to choose the land yet?" Eris asked.
She was right. You choose land to suit the situation; right now, we had no situation to match.
"True, we can't nail down the specifics yet. But we can decide on the broad strokes. For example, making the first floor a residential area and the second floor a work area. Or deciding if we need rivers, wells, and other essentials. Even for the residential area, we should decide if it's strictly for living or if we should mix in some entertainment facilities."
"I see, I see. Even if we don't know the scale, we know what's necessary. Dividing by floors for... 'zoning,' was it? I think that's a great idea," Ratz agreed.
Yuki is always thinking about so many things. Many of them make no sense to me, but when it comes to this dungeon or to us, he puts his whole heart into it.
And yet, he torments himself over "using" us to run this place. Placing women and children like us as representatives was exactly what Yuki intended. He knows that the coming residents might look down on us, and that's why he put us in charge. This place is meant to be a place where anyone can speak their mind; therefore, we—women and children who are easy to talk to—are the most suitable.
In another sense, it makes it easier to smoke out those who intend to do us harm. It's hard to mess with a representative who is a powerful man, but by using us, he draws them out.
He's showing that everyone has the same status here. That we don't need anyone who looks down on us.
I think it's a wonderful idea. Aslin and Filia might be scared, but if that's the case, we simply don't have to make them active representatives. I understand this. I can understand it. He can leave it to me or Eris. We would gladly stand in the line of fire. The future Yuki showed us looks so bright that helping the man who saved us from slavery is only natural.
But Yuki agonizes even over that. He worries that he only saved us and treated us well so that we would be more likely to agree with him. He fears he "rigged" it so we would support him.
That he is manipulating our feelings.
If he said this to Ratz, Eris, or Milly, he'd get a long lecture. We might have been guided to agree, yes. But we are the ones who decided for ourselves that what Yuki is doing is wonderful, and we chose to cooperate.
He is such a kind, sweet man. Because he's strangely clever, he overthinks these things. If he keeps moping about this for a few more days, I'll tell everyone and have them scold him.
But for now, I want to be the only one to feel this warm heart of his that cares so much for us.
"Hmm? Labyris, what's wrong? Still not feeling well?"
Without thinking, I had squeezed him tight.
"...No. I'm just happy. Aslin and the others are usually the ones being held like this, so this is my first time."
"I see. Well, that's fine then. But if you feel sick, don't push yourself. Tell me."
"I will."
I'll have to negotiate with Aslin and Filia later. Maybe we can set up a rotation? If I feel this good in his left arm, I wonder how strong his dominant right arm is? But his shoulders are tempting, too... I can cling to his head. He seems at least a little happy when I press my chest against him, and Aslin and Filia can't exactly provide that... It's a dilemma.
"...So, I think it would be best to actually start building from the third floor," Rurua was saying.
"I see. If we're invaded, the first and second floors can buy us time to evacuate or activate the defense systems."
"Yes. I don't know if we'll station people on those floors, but we can monitor all movement within the dungeon. If a large-scale enemy attacks, the distance will work in our favor."
"It'll take longer to get to the residential district, but considering safety, it's a given. Though I bet the traveling merchants will complain."
"Ah~ just let them complain, Onii-san! We should choose safety over convenience. Besides, the first and second floors—the defense layers—won't have monsters or bandits. It'll be safe, so they have no right to whine."
"Ratz is right. However, we might want to put an inn on the second floor. If people arrive at a bad time, it'll be night, after all."
"We'll need people who can handle trouble, then~ Well, that's a way off, but it doesn't hurt to think about it."
While I was lost in my thoughts, the conversation had moved along quite a bit.
"Alright, so we'll keep the first and second floors as 'blank zones' for defense?"
"Um... Onii-chan... s-sorry... Yuki-san, I have something I want to ask."
Aslin called him "Big Brother".
She has taken a huge liking to Yuki. I don't think it's in a romantic way, but that's what she said. She once told me that if she had a brother, she wished he would be someone like Yuki-san.
Yuki's eyes went wide for a moment at the name, but he quickly broke into a smile. I could feel the warmth radiating from him increase.
"Aslin, you don't have to apologize. I'm not a man who can do anything particularly grand, but if you're okay with it, you can call me 'Big brother'. You too, Filia."
"R-Really!? Then I'll call you 'Nii-sama'!! Nii-sama!!"
"Onii-chan is a great person!! Don't worry!!"
Both of them looked overjoyed to have their heads patted. Everyone stopped the meeting for a moment, softened by the sight. Wonderful, Aslin and Filaria. You're like angels.
"U-Um. Aslin-chan, Filia-chan. You can call me 'Onee-chan' too, you know?"
Captivated by the "angels," Elju-sama stepped forward.
"Eh? But... Elju-sama is a Saintess..."
"U-Um, Oriel-san said..."
"I'm no longer a saintess... Oriel!! I will not allow you to interfere!!"
"...I have no problem with it. Please, call Elju-sama your sister..."
Oriel, you're really having a hard time, aren't you?
Well, after what Aslin and Philia said to her that time, I can understand her feelings... but she really doesn't think things through.
"E-Elju-onee-chan!"
"Elju-anesama!"
"Kyaa! Yes, I am your sister! I finally understand how Chii-anesama felt now!"
Elju-sama looked blissfully happy as she hugged them... she's turned into a total idiot.
"That's enough for now. Aslin, you had something to ask me, right?"
"Oh, right. Onii-chan, we're inside a dungeon, so why is there a sky? And why does it turn into night?"
"I use DP to create that, too. I can change the weather whenever I want. Though, if I restrict it to certain seasons or climates, it gets cheaper."
I see. So that's why the inn had a night sky.
"Wait a moment, Onii-san. Weather will be necessary in the future, but... exactly how much DP are we talking about?"
"Let's see... for this bottom floor where our inn is, having a fully customizable weather system costs 5,000 DP."
"Bwah!? Even if you've earned 500,000 DP, isn't that... expensive?"
"Is it? It might be pricey for a small space, but that's the setting per floor. If a floor is large enough, it actually seems like a pretty good deal, doesn't it?"
"I see. In that case, we should make the floors for fields and livestock as large as possible. There's no benefit to making multiple floors and sinking 5,000 DP into each one."
"Yeah, probably... Wait a sec. If I make a floor where it only snows... I could go skiing or snowboarding all I want!! I just realized something amazing!! This dungeon is a paradise for leisure!!"
Yuki was nodding to himself, looking delighted.
What in the world are "skiing" and "snowboarding"? I looked at Yuki's mental image and saw people sliding over snow with wooden boards attached to their feet.
Heh... So you can use it for play like that.
"And once it becomes popular, we could hold a mini Winter Olympics..."
As Yuki was rambling, a call screen suddenly opened in front of him.
The person reflected there was...
『Yuki, what's with that weird face? My preparations are mostly finished over here. I'd like to give you a report, is that alright? You must be happy, right? We haven't seen each other in a while. You can be honest and say you're glad to see Seraria's face, you know?』
The moment I saw that face, I felt a surge of irritation.
