Side: Coville
Yuki is absolutely, definitely out of his mind.
I mean, come on!!
"Yes, please look at page 10 of the pamphlet. There, you will find the rules and regulations—actually, let's call them laws—governing the interior of the dungeon. This area is recognized as an autonomous zone and..."
He's actually handing out dungeon pamphlets and giving a presentation to Arshtelle, Crack, and Dest!?
This is crazy!! Totally nonsensical!!
Mobu and Crack were at each other's throats ready to kill each other just a moment ago! How did it turn into this?
"Hey, Mobu, say something to Yuki."
"I don't even know what I could say."
"What do you mean? Like... I don't know, for starters... shouldn't those two be executed?"
"Even though they've lowered their weapons? Besides, even if they started this specific fight, the guys who were supporting them just to line their own pockets have already been executed as the leaders of the rebellion. Crack and the others were probably just being used by them..."
"Uhh, so even if we kill those two..."
"It would be pointless. Or rather, looking at the result, there's no problem here. It's a bloodless reconciliation—well, maybe not reconciliation, but they spoke their minds and a solution was presented."
"Muuugghhh!! I just can't accept this!!"
"There are people in this world who simply don't follow logic, Coville. Physically or mentally. And that guy is the prime example."
Mobu lazily points at Yuki while sipping a Cola.
Oh, by the way, we're currently inside a dungeon Yuki built right under the Cathedral in Rithea, which has an instant-travel gate.
He just casually summoned desks, chairs, a whiteboard for explanations, and even a juice dispenser. It's very relaxed.
For the record, I'm drinking orange juice.
"Well, you're drinking juice too, Coville, so don't complain. Or it'll get taken away."
"Mugugugu..."
Yuki is terrifying!! He gave me juice just so I wouldn't be able to talk back!!
* * *
"—And that's how it works. Are there any questions?"
"I have a mountain of them..."
"Same here."
Arshtelle and Crack both spoke at once.
Oh, if you're wondering why Arshtelle doesn't have guards, it turns out Crack and Dest were actually part of the Royal Guard. Talk about the enemy being within!
But thanks to that, we're keeping this briefing to a small group. If anyone else were here, it would be a total riot.
"Ah, just so you know, I'm about to show you the real thing, so I'm not going to bother explaining every 'word' you don't understand. Ask me later. Also, don't ask how I made this high-quality paper or these landscape photos. Explaining the principles is a pain."
His tone got so lazy. Yuki, do your job properly!!
"I will... accept that for now. However, let me ask this. I understand that Yuki is the Dungeon Master, but..."
"No, I'm just a proxy. Rurua over there can use it too."
"What?"
"Also, let me jump ahead of your next question: 'How can you build a dungeon in the Holy Cathedral?' I don't know, man. Does the Cathedral have some kind of barrier or something?"
"Proxy? Even Rurua-sama? But... yes! Evil things cannot approach the Cathedral! Not monsters, not dungeons, and certainly not Dungeon Masters!"
"Did you actually test that theory?"
"Eh?"
"I mean, I'm just a proxy but I have the authority of a Dungeon Master. And Rurua too. Maybe it's because we aren't 'evil'? What's the definition of evil, anyway?"
"Ugh..."
Oh boy, Arshtelle's eyes are starting to tear up. Well, yeah—everything she's built her life on is being completely denied.
"Well, it's already built, so there's no helping it. Just accept it."
What a pushy argument. I guess seeing is believing?
"Crack, you got any questions?"
"Agh... guh... nevermind. Let's start by seeing this 'town' of yours first."
Oh, he endured it! He endured the nonsense! Crack, you're amazing! You're going to be a great man someday! I guarantee it!
"How about you, Dest?"
"I trust you. So, please. Save my comrades."
"Leave it to me."
Dest, I thought you were just the silent type, but you really care about your friends. Don't worry, Yuki will handle it!
"Alright, questions over. It's time to go through the gate."
What are you talking about!? You just crushed every single question they had!!
* * *
Then, after basically kicking the hesitating Arshtelle through, Yuki stepped inside.
...Yeah, I feel bad for her.
"Kuh!? A trap after all! But even unarmed, I won't lose to the likes of Goblins!"
When we entered, we heard Crack's spirited shouting.
Oh, it's just a Goblin patrol. Did he bring us to the second floor on purpose?
"Gob? (Who's this guy, Boss?)"
Wait, he just said 'Gob,' but for some reason, I understood him. When did I learn the Goblin language?
Anyway, Crack was currently being easily restrained by Steve, the Goblin Army Leader.
"Hey, Steve. How is he? His level is actually higher than Mobu's."
"Gob!? (For real!? He doesn't feel like a threat at all.)"
"......"
Crack is crying.
It's okay, Crack. You're allowed to cry right now!!
"Anyway, we're getting off track. These are the guests from Rithea I mentioned. I figured I'd show them the defense capabilities of the second floor."
"Gobun... (Ah, I see. That's perfect. I was just practicing with the grenade launcher...)"
Before Steve could finish, the wasteland in front of us blew up. A massive roar, again and again...
What!? Was that high-level magic!?
"Ooh, firing them all together across a wide range is pretty flashy. I wanted mortars too, but..."
"Gobubu... (What are you talking about, Boss? You almost blew a hole in the ceiling. It's a good thing it's thick, or the floor above would have collapsed on us.)"
Wait, that's scary.
"I do have questions about that. We need to check the durability. In the worst case, someone might try to dig their way in."
"Gob... (Only you would think of such an idiotic way to clear a dungeon, Boss.)"
Yeah. Nobody but Yuki.
"Whatever. Steve, keep up the patrol while you train."
"Gob. (Roger.)"
"So, there you have it. This is the pride of my dungeon's defense. Pretty great, right? That's the trench from page 15 of the pamphlet, and that..."
"......"
"......"
"Incredible... You are truly incredible."
Arshtelle and Crack just stood there with their mouths open, unable to speak. Dest, on the other hand, seemed to find the sight encouraging.
* * *
After that, we toured the training grounds in the third-floor residential district, Super Ratz, the housing area, and all sorts of places. I hadn't stepped foot out of the training center since I arrived, so it was fun for me too.
The fourth-floor workshops were amazing—they've got such convenient smithies! The other Fairies were working hard making all kinds of gear.
The fifth floor doesn't have much running yet, but it's probably the biggest. Beyond the Adventurer District is the "Dungeon District," and they said from there on, you have to be prepared for death!
How exciting!! Yuki and the others are building dungeons there!
Whoa, maybe I should become an adventurer too!!
As for Arshtelle and Crack...
"A dream... yes, this is a waking dream. A vision I saw of saving the people... You are telling me to aim for this, aren't you, Goddess Lilyshe-sama?"
"...Hah!? I feel like I lost to a Goblin and a Slime, but surely that was my imagination. Yes, imagination! Because I'm alive! It's impossible to be defeated by a monster and still be alive!!"
Yeah... my condolences. They've passed the limit of what they can understand.
"Alright, I think you get the gist. I won't do any more detailed explanations; ask me personally later. For now, we need to finalize the plan for accepting refugees from Rithea into this dungeon."
"...mutter mutter..."
"...imagination, just imagination..."
"Hey, you two. If you want to keep dreaming, I can make you sleep forever."
"Hah!?"
"Nnh!?"
Eeek! Don't release your full magical aura in Kiyu's body!! It's way too scary!!
"Anyway, we're taking the teleport trap to the General Administration Building. The representatives of this dungeon are gathered there. We'll settle things there."
With that, Yuki vanished into the teleportation circle.
Whether Arshtelle was no longer hesitant or just afraid of being kicked again, she stepped inside with dignity.
I followed after her, and there, the people who had guided me when I first arrived were lined up to greet us.
"""Welcome...!!!"""
"To Saint Elju!"
"To Paradise!"
"To the Republic of Yuki!"
"To the Dungeon Town!"
"To the Safe City!"
"To the Village of Yuki and his Merry Friends!"
"...To Fried Tofu Village."
"Awawa..."
"U-Uh, welcome to Nii-sama's Village!!"
"......We haven't decided on a name yet, have we?"
"Oh dear, that's a problem. With so many people coming, we really should decide."
Ah, so the place doesn't have a name yet.
