While the rest of the world was celebrating the birth of the Boss's children with Seraria-neesan and Rurua-neesan, we—the officers of the Monster Army—were hard at work managing the dungeon on another continent.
Diligent monsters are rare, aren't they?
Especially goblins.
"So, uh... what was your name again?"
"...Peace."
"Peace, got it."
At the moment, I was interrogating a somewhat powerful, unidentified dullahan that the Boss had captured when he hastily left the battle against the Enaria army, entrusting the war entirely to the dungeon.
The babies had already been born five days ago, so why had it taken this long to question her?
Well...
Day 1: We monitored the Enaria army... or rather, held a banquet while waiting for news of the Boss's child.
Day 2: We celebrated the birth... I mean, the Enaria army began a full-scale exploration into the deeper parts of the dungeon, so we reinforced security.
Day 3: After staying up for two straight nights partying, we were exhausted from our demanding job of watching monitors and... no, we strengthened surveillance even further.
Day 4: We woke up from our long sleep and realized we were running low on banquet food... I mean, supplies. So we submitted a formal request to headquarters for replenishment... after stopping by Weed to buy some... no, receive the supplies.
After all that hard work, we finally received a report from our subordinates that the captured Dullahan had woken up, and so we began the interrogation.
Yes. The main reason the Dullahan had been unconscious for nearly five days was because the General panicked and accidentally used too much force. It's not like we were slacking off.
Anyway, after all that, we finally started investigating this mysterious dullahan.
As for the Enaria army—roughly 120,000 soldiers—they were making steady progress through the dungeon.
We intentionally left stairways leading upward so they wouldn't lose hope of escaping. As long as they believed there was a way out, they wouldn't fall into despair and would keep climbing.
The funny part is... The higher they climbed, the closer they actually got to us at the deepest floor. Their food supplies should start running low soon, so their invasion speed will probably increase.
While thinking about that, I wrote down the information I got from the interrogation.
Even though she's fairly strong, she's still only at the level of a regular soldier compared to our goblins.
No matter how strong an individual is, the difference in equipment and combat experience is too great — she would almost certainly lose. In fact, when she regained consciousness she went on a rampage, but the goblin guards easily subdued her.
"So then, why'd you attack the Boss... I mean, humans?"
"To defeat and destroy humans. You are dungeon monsters too, so you should understand, right?"
"Huh? You're a dungeon monster as well?"
"Correct. You probably don't know this, but I am the proxy Dungeon Master who was managing the dungeon in this land. I didn't realize you had grown this strong on your own, but that's convenient. Those humans didn't finish me off and ran away, but that mistake has come back to bite them. Now is the time to gather the dungeon's forces and destroy the humans who act like they own the surface!!"
Uh... Hmm?
Something feels off.
I stopped writing and tried to figure out where the misalignment was.
"What troubles you? Do you not know what should be done? Very well—first, slaughter the invading army already inside this dungeon, earn an enormous amount of DP, then launch an invasion of the surface! At last, we shall fulfill our fallen master's long-awaited revenge!"
"Uh... no, our Boss isn't dead. Actually, if you know any way to kill him, I'd love to hear it."
"What!? My master-dono is still alive!?"
"No, it's a different person."
Yeah, something felt wrong. I don't know this Dullahan, and no one talks to me this casually.
Well, John and my subordinates speak casually too, but... you know, there's just a certain vibe.
"A different person? Then has the gods sent a new Dungeon Master?"
"Uh... that's both right and wrong-ssu..."
Sure, he'd been summoned by that useless goddess Luna, but... Not because he was chosen to protect this land. It was more like... She dumped the cleanup work on him.
"I see... a new Dungeon Master..."
Judging by what she's saying, this Dullahan must have been the right-hand pal of the previous Dungeon Master.
If so, she'd be useful for gathering information, wouldn't she? Maybe I can use this to improve my middle-management treatment?
Hmm. Either way, if we release her into the dungeon she'll probably annihilate the Enaria army, and if we let her outside she'll just rampage randomly. Yep. Better to keep her here for now.
"I understand your situation-ssu. You were a subordinate of the previous master... You've been through a lot, huh."
"...Indeed. Shamefully, I lost my master-dono. After that, I slept beneath this land, waiting for my mana to recover."
"I see. And when we deployed our dungeon around here, the surge of mana revived you."
"That would seem to be the case. May I ask something as well?"
"Hm? If you want to speak with our boss, he's busy for a few days, so that's not happening yet."
"Ah, I would wish for that as well, but it is something else. Just how many years have I been asleep?"
No idea, man.
People here don't even use the word 'dungeon' anymore—they call them 'ruins'. That alone tells you a very long time has passed.
"We also just got here recently, so we're lacking a lot of that kind of information. We'd appreciate your cooperation. How about it?"
"Very well. Either way, I need your cooperation to learn about the current outside world. I also owe a debt to the new Dungeon Master for helping me. I will gladly assist."
Uh... the one who beat you unconscious was that Dungeon Master.
"And may I ask why the Dungeon Master is currently occupied?"
"Oh, it's nothing secret. His wife just gave birth to their child."
"Oohhh!! A child to carry on the next generation! Then this dungeon's future is secure. A wise decision. Is that why you're merely monitoring the invading army instead of annihilating them?"
"That's right-ssu."
I'm pretty sure the Boss has absolutely no intention of dumping a troublesome job like this on his kids, though.
"In that case, as a token of my gratitude, I shall annihilate the humans in the dungeon for him!!"
Yeah, that'll mess up our plans, so please don't.
"Okay, okay. Sit down."
I pushed Peace back into her chair.
"Right now we can't reduce the humans in this dungeon to near extinction."
"What do you mean?"
"Just like you've got your own circumstances, we've got ours."
"Fumu. I understand your side has its reasons. But surely allowing enemies to remain inside your dungeon is dangerous?"
"I'll explain that too-ssu. You keep talking about wiping out humanity, but our Boss used to be human himself. At least for now, he has no intention of destroying humanity. We're still investigating the mana depletion issue, and scattering mana recklessly into the current environment would cause all kinds of problems."
"That resembles my former master. I understand your reasoning regarding mana dispersion. However, humans cannot be trusted. Remember that. My master died because humanity betrayed him. I advise against allowing too many humans inside your ranks."
"Our boss is about as solid as they come in that regard. So I'd like you to wait a few more days. As long as you don't interfere with us, I won't make things inconvenient for you."
"...Understood. But when it comes to intercepting the humans in the dungeon, I want to participate too. At the very least, I want to repay the debt for helping me."
What a dutiful dullahan.
I don't dislike that.
She's much more likable than my subordinates.
"Deal. I want to see what you're capable of anyway. When the time comes, I'll count on your help."
"Leave it to me. Still... for a goblin to possess strength surpassing my own... Your new Dungeon Master must be quite skilled in battle."
Well, it's more like cheating. Normally, you don't use your own dungeon to train your own monsters by fighting them to boost their strength.
While I was thinking that—
"Oh, there you are, Steve. Sorry about these past five days..."
The Boss had finally shown up after quite a while. But...
"You!! Were you the one who invaded this dungeon!?"
"Ah?"
Before I could stop her, Peace raised her fist and swung it straight at the Boss.
BOOM!!
Needless to say...
The dullahan ended up headfirst in the wall, completely motionless.
"So, how's the interrogation going?"
"...You held back, right? This Dullahan holds incredibly important information-ssu."
"Of course I did. But... she has important info, huh. I just want to go pop and stay by my wife and children. If my wives find out about this guy's information, I'll be stuck working for a while again..."
"Well, do your best-ssu. We've been working hard too."
When I said that, he understood the importance and drooped his shoulders in resignation.
"Siiigh... Oh, right. The names have been decided. Seraria's daughter is Sakura. Rurua's daughter is Sumire."
"Oh, those are elegant names. Congratulations."
"Also, sorry for leaving everything to you guys. Drink this tonight."
Saying that, he pulls out expensive alcohol and snacks from his Item Box.
"I'll handle the monitoring today. I've been slacking off these past few days anyway, so I'll work while you all take it easy."
With that, the Boss headed toward the monitoring room.
His back looked a little lonely.
"Well then... first I should take Peace to the infirmary..."
Before we all drink together, we need to take care of the dullahan, Peace, who passed out again.
I wonder how many days will it take her to wake up this time?
Chapter 214: Those Who Were About to Be Forgotten
Side: Horst Arnes, Lord of Betan
Spread out before my eyes was a massive pit that appeared to have been caused by a collapse of considerable scale.
"So it was true..."
"Indeed..."
Standing beside me was General Mist—who had rushed to this land upon receiving reports that 120,000 of Enaria's army were caught in the collapse—was just as dumbfounded as I was.
"At this point... pursuing them would only put us in danger." I said.
"I agree. According to Yuki-san's report, quite a number of them survived by sheer luck. Yet we can only see a few hundred corpses. The rest must have fled into those ruins."
We concluded that sending our force of only around 5,000 into ruins capable of holding tens of thousands of people would be reckless.
At first, after receiving the report from the goblins, I had planned to coordinate with Mist-sama to whittle down the damaged Enaria army as much as possible, but...
"To think they chose to flee into the ruins..."
"The enemy's magic sword wielder general doesn't seem to be a fool. She isn't going to leave herself in a position where we can simply attack from above. Look over there—enemy scouts are already peeking out from the ruins' entrance."
"In that case, even descending would be dangerous."
"While we're descending, the Enaria army will form ranks below. We might be able to reduce their numbers somewhat with arrows and fire arrows, but..."
"Once they're prepared, the effect would be minimal."
At this rate, not only would the effect be minimal, but we could suffer heavy losses.
After all, the enemy also has Magic Sword wielders.
"So... what should we do now?"
"For now, we'll leave a monitoring force here and return to town. I don't think they'll emerge immediately, but these ruins could connect elsewhere. While we're guarding this entrance, they might attack the city from another exit."
"Indeed..."
This might not be the only entrance to the ruins.
It would be overly optimistic to assume that the Enaria soldiers who fled inside will focus solely on escaping from this one opening.
Even I would look for other exits.
"From Yuki-san's report, the enemy supply unit that avoided the collapse has already withdrawn, and soon their reinforcements will arrive. If we pay too much attention to the forces caught in the collapse and leave our rear exposed, it would be most unpleasant. Since we have intentionally prepared substantial defensive walls in expectation of an enemy attack, we should avoid such open-field battles where we cannot make use of them."
"Naturally..."
Mist-sama is exactly right.
In the end, there was nothing we could do right now. But staying here indefinitely wasn't good either.
Maintenance of supplies would take extra effort, and if things go poorly, we might end up forced into a fight with the enemy reinforcements... If that's the case, since I also want to see the power of the barbed wire fences constructed in Betan Town, it is better to wait and ambush them in the town.
"Come to think of it, what happened to Yuki-san and his group? The opinions of those people are highly valuable..."
"Yuki-dono was defending this place with a small force, so he's currently resting in his tent. If it's not urgent, I'd like you to wait until he wakes up. He's spent nearly five days here, continuously watching the area and eliminating any soldiers who climbed back up."
"...I see. Then we'll stand by here until Yuki-san wakes up."
Hoh. Mist-sama is technically Yuki-dono's superior, but this attitude shows she properly evaluates his abilities.
It was rare for someone to place such trust in a commander who had once fought against them. She is a person of great caliber.
"Still, I wonder what actions the Enaria army is taking inside those ruins..."
"Even the smallest piece of information would be valuable."
Rather than knowing how far they have advanced in exploring the ruins, what we truly need is information such as the army's casualties and the amount of remaining supplies.
Knowing the enemy's state, comparing it to your own, and then deciding on a strategy. It is a natural thing to do, but there are barely any who can actually execute it. Conversely, if one can manage that, it is practically the same as conquering the battle.
Information is, truly, the most vital thing.
"Let us leave the monitoring to the soldiers, return to camp for now, and rest a little."
"Indeed."
Mist-sama said so and headed back toward the camp.
I followed after her, but I stopped my feet once, turned around, and looked at the ruins.
"If only we could monitor inside there... No, I shouldn't think of such convenient things and should search for a realistic method instead."
That's right. The management of my territory has been built up through steady, generational effort.... In a crucial battle such as this, I must not allow myself to seek an easy way out.
Now then, I should rest my body until Yuki-dono wakes.
I am sure that man will not make any decision that leads us down a bad path.
* * *
Side: Aegil, Lightning Magic Sword Wielder
Chatter chatter... Rustle rustle...
Hmm...
Something's noisy...
Even though I was sleeping so comfortably...
Having my pleasant sleep disturbed, I woke up with an unpleasant feeling.
"Hey! Bring some water!!"
"Got it. Which way should I carry it?"
"To the food management area—"
Oya?
It seems I had been lying down and sleeping in a grassy area off the path where soldiers were coming and going.
Looking around carefully, not only those soldiers, but many other soldiers were also hustling about.
For some reason, I could see soldiers carrying treasure chests, others carrying food instead of water, and some who were covered in wounds.
"...Hmm? Wait. Where am I?"
"Still half asleep? We're inside the dungeon, of course."
A familiar voice came from behind.
Without turning around, I simply fell backward.
Poof. The grass made a nice cushion. It felt good.
"Ah, right. I forgot. This grass is so comfortable I ended up dozing off."
"Good grief. You said you were just going to look around a bit, but you never came back, so I was looking for you."
"Sorry, sorry~ But look, the weather's so nice."
Saying that, I looked up at where the ceiling should be.
There was no ceiling. Instead, there was a clear blue sky, a few clouds, and the sun shining down on us.
"...True. It's highly questionable why there's a sky, clouds, and a sun underground, but I'll admit the weather is nice."
"Anyway, sorry. You were looking for me, so does that mean there's been some progress?"
"Ah, yes. For now, could you come to the tent?"
"Sure."
I was at fault for napping, so I got up at once and followed Prism.
Still, when we first set foot on this first floor, the whole army was astonished... No... Actually, we'd been too busy fleeing from slimes. We only had time to be amazed afterward.
Prism even thought we had gotten back outside.
While walking, I picked up a random pebble and threw it into the sky. The pebble flew up... only about 6 meters before hitting something and falling back down.
Yes, we are unmistakably inside a dungeon.
Although I don't know the logic behind this sky, the ceiling simply looks that way.
Good grief, how fun. To think a dungeon could be this interesting, it makes my researcher blood boil.
Before long, we entered the tent.
Now, I suppose I should use my head a little seriously.
"Sit wherever you like."
Prism pulled over a random chair inside the tent and sat down.
I also sat on a nearby chair.
"For now, since it's impossible to write a formal report, it will be a verbal explanation."
"That makes sense. We still haven't secured our supply lines, after all."
It has been five days since then.
For now, there was no sign of enemy pursuit, but we had lost about a quarter of our supplies due to the collapse and the slimes eating them. The remaining food was more than expected, but even when rationed, it would only last about three weeks.
Fortunately, there was a clean, drinkable lake on this 1st floor, so water wasn't an issue... But we couldn't wait until it ran out, so we immediately dispatched units to search for food.
We're gathering a small amount of food from fruits and wild plants growing on this floor and fish from the lake, but it won't last long."
"Well, that's because we have a large number of people."
"Exactly. That's why I'm thinking of moving the main force to the 2nd floor, where the exploration teams have gone, and conduct large-scale exploration. There are stairs leading upward, so it should be better than going down. What do you think?"
Thanks to the exploration teams separate from the food-gathering teams, we had discovered stairs leading both upward and downward. And she probably intends to move toward those discovered stairs leading up.
I can understand what Prism is saying.
At this rate, the army won't be able to maintain its shape due to food shortages.
Therefore, as a solution, she probably intends to move the main force, navigating the dungeon as an army to advance both food procurement and exploration all at once.
"The problem is that the security on the 1st floor will become thin."
"Yes. The enemy could attack at any time. That's why I plan to leave the horses here as messengers."
"Ah, I see. On this grassland, securing fodder for the horses isn't a problem. On the other hand, the normal rocky cave dungeon on the upper floors would make horses hard to use."
Yes, the 2nd floor was just a long stretch of ordinary caves.
Fortunately, the rocks themselves emitted light, so we didn't need torches, which was helpful.
"So, exploration of the 2nd floor itself is progressing well?"
"We've found both another staircase upward and one downward. We've already begun scouting those floors as well."
"Aren't you rushing a bit?"
"It is. But we don't have the luxury of carefully and safely exploring one floor at a time. All we need to find is an exit leading back to the surface."
"Our objective is to get out of this dungeon through the collapse hole, after all."
"Exactly. Exploring the dungeon itself isn't our objective."
"Siiigh..."
I felt a little disappointed after talking with Prism.
"What's wrong?"
"No, I was just thinking that I'll have to postpone my dungeon research until after we return to the country."
"That's only natural!!"
Hey now, don't snap at me.
How could anyone willingly leave such an incredible dungeon behind?
* * *
Side: Yuki
"Dear?"
"Hm? What's wrong, Seraria?"
"No, I'm glad you're here with us, but... what about your work?"
"Ah, I left it to Steve and the others, so it's fine."
"......"
Huh?
Did I say something wrong?
Holding Sakura in her arms, Seraria covered her face with one hand.
"Good grief, I never thought I'd discover one of your flaws in a situation like this."
"Pardon?"
"If you don't want Sakura to grow up saying, 'Daddy is someone who doesn't work,' then go to work."
"I'm off!!"
If my child ever looked up at me with pure, innocent eyes and asked, "Daddy, why don't you work?", I think I'd want to die on the spot.
In order to shake off that nightmare, I dashed off toward where Steve and the others were.
"Even though he refuses to rest when he needs it, he wants to rest when he doesn't. How does that make sense?"
"Uuu~?"
"You want Daddy to be working too, right, Sakura?"
"Ahh~ Ahh~"
Damn it.
That's just how the world works!
It's when you're busiest that you want to take a vacation!
