Side: Yuki (Kazuya Torino)
Presently, Rurua and the others have already reached the designated village and are simply waiting for the Saintess' arrival. Cars are so convenient.
As for me, I've been spending my days consulting with everyone to iron out the issues that came to light thanks to the Fairies. Heh... I'm starting to feel like I'm back at my job in modern Japan.
Today's schedule was Phase 4: Guidance through the dungeon facilities and a tour of the workplace. However, perhaps because there were so few of them, the tour finished yesterday, so I had them do some light practical work.
As expected of Narjia-san, she understood the smithy, which she shouldn't be familiar with, from my verbal explanations and the textbook, and she produced nearly twenty iron swords for me. I've also set up infinite boxes for materials so they can be taken out. She didn't touch the tamahagane or alloys, probably because she didn't know how to handle them, but after I showed her katanas and modern knives, her expression completely changed.
I explained the manufacturing process as I saw on the internet, so I added a disclaimer that it wasn't certain, but she seemed satisfied with the verbal explanation and said she would try it today.
Then, there was another matter.
Yesterday, during the meeting, Filia fell asleep. That wasn't a problem. After all, with that small body of hers, she swung that heavy hammer and finished a whole sword. The center of gravity and balance were a mess, but for a first try, it was more than enough. It was only natural she'd be exhausted.
However, when Filia woke up this morning, she burst into tears. She was crying harder than I've ever seen.
"Nii-shama, I'b so sorryyyyy!! I wanted to bake you feel goooooood!!"
Ah, the three kind children usually give me shoulder massages at night. I really appreciate it, but Filia was tired. It couldn't be helped. I tried to comfort her, but...
"I couldn't lick-lick!!"
Lick-lick?
Was she talking about ice cream or something?
While I was wondering, Labyris and Aslin helped soothe her. I'll make sure to wake her up and give her ice cream today. I swore that to myself.
Well, let's do our best again today.
The daily schedule at the training center is... wake up at 8:00 AM, breakfast, then various explanations and work starting at 9:00 AM. It's currently 8:30 AM. Everyone should be gathered in Training Room A, so I better head over.
As I was moving, a problem occurred.
『Intruder Alert.』
Tch, what a pain.
I immediately gathered everyone to hold an emergency meeting.
* * *
"Um, Ratz-san told me... an intruder alert? In this dungeon?"
Narjia-san tilted her head, not quite grasping the reality yet. Meanwhile, Milly and Tori are in Training Room A conducting classes as usual.
"Yes. To be specific, an enemy—well, I don't know if they're an enemy yet—but a biological signature... a humanoid, has been confirmed approaching. They haven't entered the dungeon yet. So, what are the reports from the animals you guys have under your dominion?"
I asked for everyone's input.
Over the last few days, we haven't just been building the dungeon town; I've been distributing the monsters I'd subjugated to everyone, handing over the rights of dominion so they could practice combat drills and scouting methods. They aren't used to it yet since they couldn't focus solely on it, though.
"On my end, birds have confirmed from the sky that someone is heading straight for this dungeon."
"My squirrels reported someone heading straight here too."
"Mine too... they're definitely coming this way."
"hic... hic..."
Wait, is Aslin crying? Why?
"...Yuki, the raccoon Aslin had under her control was killed. I got the report from one of mine."
Ah, man. Aslin really doted on that raccoon. Did they turn it into a meal or something?
"N-Nii-sama!! L-Look at this!!"
Filia turned her Call screen toward me.
On it was a woman who looked too sturdy to be called a girl, yet too young to be called an adult.
『Ah— ah—. Can you hear me, Dungeon Master? I thought it was strange that beasts were watching me from a distance, but I see... this mana. They are your underlings, I take it? You can see me, can't you? Hmph. I heard rumors of a new dungeon, but if you're using beasts like these, your level is quite obvious. Well, I'm just looking to kill some time. Struggle for me as best you can, won't you? I'll see you inside your dungeon.』
The screen cut out abruptly. They were probably killed.
"...Filia's subordinate was killed."
Filia looked pained, but she wasn't crying.
I'll have to comfort her later.
"Now then, does anyone know who she is? To be able to identify animals under dominion... I don't think she's just anyone."
I threw the question out, and Elju whispered with a pale face.
"...The Bloodstained Princess."
"Elju-sama!? T-That's impossible!!"
Oriel overreacted to Elju's words.
What is this "Bloodstained Princess"?
Everyone was staring at the Call screen intensely.
...What's going on?
"...I don't want to believe it, but Onii-san, I agree with Elju-sama. I don't think we should underestimate this."
"I-I think she's the Bloodstained Princess too!? B-Because she's wearing a black dress!!"
A black dress? Is that her trademark?
"...To catch a dominion animal so easily, I think she's the Bloodstained Princess as well."
Ratz, Riel, and even Kaya agreed with Elju.
"Hey, what is this 'Bloodstained Princess'? Is it some kind of title?"
"Ah, it's only natural you wouldn't know, Onii-san. But we don't have time for leisurely explanations. First, let's move the Fairies in the training room to the evacuation area under the guise of a drill."
"Is she really that dangerous?"
"Yes. I trust your strength, Onii-san, but honestly, the name of the Bloodstained Princess is more terrifying because of how legendary it is."
We talked while moving. The decision to evacuate was unanimous without even needing to debate.
As soon as we reached the training room and explained the situation to Milly and Tori, they both turned pale and started the evacuation drill.
"Eris, you probably have the deepest knowledge of these things. Can you tell me what you know?"
I relied on the knowledge of the Elves.
"It's only a little, but... yes. Yuki-san, there are two people on this continent called 'Demon Kings'. One of them is that Bloodstained Princess."
Whoa, wait a minute. We've only had about three big events so far: Mobu and the others, the Roshure soldiers, and the Rithea knights. Isn't a Demon King skipping too many events?
...Ah, there were those self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings. Was it their fault?
"No, the self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings have nothing to do with this. The Bloodstained Princess usually wanders the continent alone on a whim, destroying towns, villages, or even countries depending on her mood. Her name as a Demon King is the 'Tyrannical Demon King'. The 'Bloodstained' part comes from the fact that blood turns black over time. Her dress is said to have originally been white, but..."
"It turned black because she never washed the blood off?"
"Yes."
Geez, at least make it a red dress for the aesthetic.
"Yuki-san, the evacuation is finished!! You need to evacuate too, quickly!!"
Milly ran toward me.
"No, the Demon King specifically called me out. If I run with everyone, it'll just cause more trouble. You guys wait with the evacuees. If I die, abandon this dungeon. You all have dungeon cores, right? Use them to make a new one."
"Wait!? Onii-san!? Are you planning to fight!?"
Ratz approached me, looking horrified by my statement.
"Now, now, calm down. I'll hole up in the deepest part of the dungeon and run if it gets too dangerous. If I decide I can't intercept her, I'll have you guys escape first and focus on stalling. I'm not going to die."
"...Mm, he's not lying."
Labyris took my hand to confirm my intent.
"...Fine, Onii-san. But you must escape the moment it gets dangerous, okay? I don't want to be a widow this early."
"Don't worry. Leave this to me and go."
With that, everyone reluctantly walked toward the evacuation point.
...Wait? Did I just raise a death flag?
Whoa, hold on. That line just came out naturally. Since I can't help it, please consider the flag nullified.
I have to break the death flag somehow!!
Thinking that, I teleported to the deepest part of the dungeon.
Just then, an alert echoed: the Bloodstained Princess had entered the dungeon.
She is currently on the first floor. This is the map designed to buy time. In the meantime, I finished placing the Goblin Army and Slime Army on the second floor, the interception line.
I checked the Bloodstained Princess's status.
Name: Derieu Le Cossel
Race: Human
Status: Solitary Demon King
Gender: Female
Class: Demon King / Bloodstained Princess
Age: 235
Lv. 412
HP: 12020
MP: 9200
STR: 5740
DEF: 4400 + 3000 (Bloodstained Dress)
INT: 2920
AGI: 6032
LUK: 20 + 100 (Keepsake Earring)
Skills
Unique Skills:
Demon King's Intimidation: (Lowers all stats of opponents with a lower level than herself)
Demon King's Mana: (Stops aging, auto-regeneration, mana barrier, increases physical abilities)
Demon King's Fist: (Doubles attack power and boosts speed when unarmed)
Demon King's Intuition: (Search, hostility detection, improved judgment, accelerated thinking)
Flower of Growth: (Higher experience gain even from kills she doesn't personally make)
Normal Skills:
Royal Etiquette: (Generally makes people think, "Ah, she was raised in a good family.")
Fire Magic LV3
Water Magic LV3
Wind Magic LV3
Cossel Sword Arts LV4
Cossel Shield Arts LV2
Cossel Grappling LV5
Arithmetic LV3
For starters, I don't think you can just slap "Demon King" in front of something and call it a day.
Also, Luna's explanation of 'Royal Etiquette' is way too sloppy.
I got an email saying she was updating the status screens to be easier to read, but could she do something about the detailed descriptions? I mean, the explanation is accurate, but the wording is too casual.
Still, as expected of a Demon King.
Her level is roughly double Kiyu's. Yeah, that's a cheat.
Ah, so "Demon King" really is an actual class. From what Elju said, it didn't seem confirmed before—so is this the first one in history?
While I was thinking that, she cleared the 5 km first floor in just 2 minutes. Let's see... that's about 150 km/h. Yeah, she's a monster.
Well, I'm looking forward to seeing how much she can do against my second-floor interception line.
For now, I'll enter an imposter body and see if we can talk.
* * *
Side: Derieu Le Cossel
I no longer know how many years I have lived.
I have not looked at my own status since that day.
My country was easily destroyed one day, caught up in the greed and wars of men.
Sadly, thanks to my unique skill "Flower of Growth," the experience points of every soldier who died in battle, every citizen, royal guard, infant, woman, and man caught in the crossfire flowed into me.
Ironically, by slaughtering my people, the enemy country made it impossible to kill me.
By the time I realized it, I had crushed every invading soldier with my fists.
Staining the pure white dress my father gave me with blood.
No matter how much I washed it, the color of blood wouldn't come out. I realized too late; I didn't know the proper way to wash. The maids who tended to me were all gone.
...Ah, is this something I must carry?
In the end, unable to wash it clean, I decided to wear the dress as it was. Despite being soaked in blood, it felt no different than before.
The towns and villages of my country were all slaughtered, a putrid stench hanging in the air. At this rate, it would become a source of undead or plague. So, I burned it all down with my strengthened mana. I stained the enemy country that did this to mine in blood and burned it to ashes as well.
Having lost my home, I left the country with nothing but the clothes on my back. For some reason, it became no problem at all even if I didn't consume food or water. Since then, I've helped citizens who were unjustly oppressed, suppressed bandits, and crushed dungeons where a natural disaster known as a Dungeon Master appeared. I've destroyed foolish countries.
And before I knew it, I was called a Demon King.
What a joke. That I, a human and not a demon, would be called a Demon King...
But that doesn't matter. If I can reduce the tragedies of that time by even a little, I will swing these fists.
Then, I heard rumors of the war between Roshure and Gartz.
How foolish. It must be the work of those with territorial disputes or insatiable greed. The fact that it was overlooked is a sin of the state. In such cases, it is best to replace the heads of the country's top leadership.
I thought so and headed to that country, but the conflict had already settled by the time I arrived.
Hmph. So there was still some self-purification. Perhaps this country isn't a lost cause yet.
As I wandered Roshure, I heard a strange story. They said Saint Elju had taken control of a dungeon, but perished shortly after.
How absurd. A dungeon can only be handled by a Dungeon Master. Taking control is not something that can be done.
Well, only I, who have personally killed Dungeon Masters, would know this.
I see... It seems there are still pests in this country.
Fine. I had lost my purpose anyway; I hope this provides a good diversion.
It was all well and good to declare war through the dominion beast.
But what is this dungeon?
This should be the first floor, but as far as the eye can see, there is only a grassland stretching to the walls and a single path. No monsters, nothing.
For now, I see stairs in the distance, so I fly through the floor with mana.
"What is the point of specifically making a sky inside a dungeon?"
The question escaped my lips. This is a strange, far too strange dungeon.
"Ghyah!?"
When I descended to the second floor, I fell pathetically to the ground.
I haven't made such a weird sound in a long time.
What's this? I can't fly? No, I can't release mana?
When I conquered numerous dungeons, there was certainly a trap like this. This type of trap seals only the emission-type magic of intruders. At first glance, it seems like a good trap, but monsters are also unable to release mana. It's a double-edged sword.
However, if I just increase my physical abilities internally...
What...!? I can't use skills either!?
No, that's not it. I haven't forgotten how to use my fists or sword.
Is this a trap that seals skills obtained later in life?
No, not later in life—it's that emission-type skills are nullified.
Calming down, I tried to strengthen my physical abilities. It worked. It failed earlier because I tried to strengthen myself as if covering my body.
"Nice to meet you. Should I call you the Bloodstained Princess?"
While I was experimenting, a man... no, is this a monster? He arrived, accompanied by a slime.
"Hmph. 'Bloodstained Princess' is just a title. I have a proper name: Derieu Le Cossel."
"My apologies. Then, may I call you Derieu-dono?"
"Hah. What a suddenly rude fellow. When someone has a house name, it's polite to use it."
I tried to release my Intimidation, but it didn't work.
Dammit. Whether it's mana or a skill, emission types are sealed.
"Shut up, brat. You invade someone's house without warning and talk about manners? Are you stupid?"
"!?"
What was that? I felt a nasty sensation.
Most likely, this monster is a doppelganger and the shadow of the Dungeon Master. I thought he had come to watch from his throne deep inside, but what is this pressure?
"Well, unlike you, I have a modicum of restraint. I even add honorofics to your name. Now then, Derieu-dono. If you don't mind, I'd like you to leave as you are. Or is this a visit rather than a conflict? If so, we are avoiding public openings for now, so I must ask you to decline."
"What 'public opening'? You mean you're going to invade this country?"
"No, that's not it. Haven't you heard the rumors from Roshure? This is a dungeon officially recognized by the Kingdom of Roshure."
"Don't speak nonsense. You talk about controlling a dungeon as if it were a joke. Claiming it's for training rather than conquest was a mistake. I, who have actually killed a Dungeon Master, know that no one else can do such a thing. Don't underestimate me!!"
Cutting off the talk, I lunged at him.
Even if magic and skills are sealed, the level difference cannot be bridged. I thought I would just punch this monster to death and move on.
"What!?"
A slime stopped my fist.
How could this be? A mere slime should not be able to stop my fist...
"Good grief. You were the one who made a move first. I didn't want to do this. It's a lot of trouble."
"I-Impossible!? No matter how much of a mutation it is, for a slime... this is impossible!?"
The slime began to wrap around my body.
Why? I can't move!? Impossible, magic and skills should be sealed!!
It shouldn't be able to do anything. Does that mean this slime is stronger than me!?
"You have a look on your face that says you don't understand, brat. I don't know what kind of experience you've had, but don't be surprised by something like this. The world is a lot wider than you think. Well, let's put that aside for now. Are you the type who can live without breathing?"
"What are you—!?"
The moment he asked, the slime covered my face.
Are they aiming for suffocation!?
The core... If I can just crush the slime's core!!
Using only my intuition, I tried to grab what felt like the core, but I couldn't because of the slime's characteristic body fluid!?
"Heh. You're calmly looking for the core in that state. Well, good luck."
The shadow of the Dungeon Master looked impressed, but showed no real interest as he pulled a book from his robe and started reading.
H-How dare he mock me!!
I'll blow this level of slime away by releasing all my mana at once!!
I concentrated my will, but it didn't activate... why... dammit, emission types were sealed!?
"Sigh. I'm starting to get bored. If you can't break through this, you won't break through the defense lines ahead, and you'll be crushed before you even get close. Let's end this. I'm busy. Go ahead."
"Pikii—!!"
I heard the slime's cry.
Then, my arms began to move regardless of my will.
What is happening!?
"Let me tell you one thing. This feels like a boss battle, doesn't it? You know firsthand that emission types are sealed. So, where do you think you are right now?"
"!!?"
Inside the slime's body!?
In other words, this is under the slime's control. Can the slime's skills be used here!?
"Alright, goodnight."
And with that, I lost consciousness from my own fist.
* * *
Side: Ratz
...As expected, I suppose.
We who were watching the proceedings were stunned. The stats provided by Onii-san were all numbers that shouldn't have anyone capable of opposing them. I thought escaping was the only option.
『Alright, goodnight.』
With those words, the Bloodstained Princess seemed to have been knocked unconscious by her own fist.
"O-Onii-san. That was brilliant. To think you'd not only repel her but capture her..."
On the screen, he was throwing the Bloodstained Princess into the specially-made cage that held the self-proclaimed Four Heavenly Kings.
『Well, she was flying over the pitfall traps and her physical stats were so off the charts I didn't think they'd work, so I left it to the slime. It went better than I thought.』
『No, its level is only 82. In terms of pure stats, it's less than one-tenth of hers.』
"Huh? I mean, the level is high enough, but that shouldn't be enough to stop the Bloodstained Princess..."
『Heh. Be amazed when you hear this slime's name!! Its name is "Slakichi-san"!!』
...I have no memory of that name.
『...I guess you wouldn't know. Well, in my hometown, it's the legendary slime said to be the strongest!!』
"Um, a legendary slime at level 82?"
『I'll show you the stats.』
Did I say something wrong?
Name: Slakichi
Race: Slime
Status: Legendary Slime (Special status due to name, Luna's hobby) / Dungeon Master's Subordinate
Gender: Unknown
Occupation: Legendary Slime (Special occupation due to name, Luna's hobby) / Slime Army Leader
Age: 0 years
Lv. 82
HP: 1304
MP: 3200
STR: 980
DEF: 2230
INT: 3920
AGI: 632
LUK: 45
Skills
Unique Skills:
* Legendary Slime (Scorching Body, Dragon Quest Body, changes properties to known slime types, doubles slime skills, Magic Burst)
* Slime Body LV5 (Reduces physical, magical, and skill attacks to 1/50; doubled by unique skill to 1/100)
* Dissolving Body (Can be activated at will)
* Body Freedom (Conscious deformation of body, tentacles, etc.)
* Weakening (Lowers status of creatures captured inside its body)
* Fighting Spirit (Can do almost anything, limited uses)
* Dungeon Manager Subordinate Blessing (Status UP)
Normal Skills:
Basically upgraded versions of previous skills.
* Lightning Magic (Raijin-type)
* Full Mana Release (Well, basically, Magic Burst)
"Bwah!? What is this!? Um, 1/100th... so since the Bloodstained Princess's doubled power is 11,480, it becomes 114.8, and since Slakichi-san has 2,230 defense, her attacks won't even penetrate!?"
Before I knew it, I was adding "-san" to the name just like Onii-san. I mean, what is this level of performance!?
Well, if it weren't for being inside this dungeon, the Bloodstained Princess would probably fly away or take it out from a distance, but inside this dungeon, that Slakichi-san is even stronger than that Demon King...
I'll have to declare to everyone that they should definitely not mess with Slakichi-san, even more than monsters from the outside.
