Demon Lord and the Dungeon

To deal with the Body Double of the Demon Lord, I headed toward the source of his presence.

Suddenly, the sensation vanished. In its place, a mysterious tower loomed before me. It was a structural nightmare—slices of a tower piled together in a crooked, unstable heap. Though it wobbled unsteadily, it somehow remained standing. Perhaps something like a Central Pillar was hidden inside, anchoring the mess.

“Tch. Dibro,” I spat. “You sensed my arrival and hid in a Dungeon of your own making, did you? Did you really think something of this caliber would be enough to stop me?”

Dibro’s Magic Power likely vanished because he was cowering in the depths. There was no other reason for such a bizarre building to exist in the middle of nowhere. It practically reeked of a trap.

“A snare meant for me... I suppose I should treat it as such.”

The Teleportation Man was supposed to arrive soon. Until then, I decided to scout the perimeter.

Naturally, my first instinct was to bypass the nonsense and skip straight to the lowest floor. I took to the sky, aiming directly for the tower’s summit. However, as I expected, a Barrier had been erected to repel any external intruders.

“Hmm. A variation of Illusion Magic? To think even I couldn’t sense its presence until now—”

The top floor was furnished as a private suite, looking as though someone had been living there until moments ago. Strangely, women’s clothing was scattered across the floor. I couldn't imagine a massive brute like Dibro wearing such things—nor did I have any desire to.

This must be an illusion designed to discourage shortcuts, I realized.

I descended back to the ground.

“It seems Dibro has gained more power than I anticipated.”

A Dungeon of this magnitude... I had no idea how long it would take to conquer it through conventional means.

“No, wait. Why bother with a conquest at all?” I mused. “I’ll just burn it.”

I summoned the Jet-black Flame in the palm of my hand and unleashed it upon the ground floor. In an instant, the inferno began to consume the structure.

“These flames will never be extinguished until I command them to stop. Even Dibro wouldn't expect me to incinerate the entire Dungeon with him inside. I’ll just kill him when he can no longer bear the heat and crawls out. The sin of depriving me of my Supreme Time (Snack Time) is a heavy one indeed!”

I let a fearless smile play across my lips.

However, the tower burned to ash without a single Monster—let alone Dibro—emerging from the wreckage. It seemed the Central Pillar I had suspected didn't even exist; the tower simply groaned and collapsed into a heap of blackened debris.

“What on earth was the point of that?”

I stood there, staring blankly at the smoldering junk, until the Teleportation Man finally showed his face.

“You’re late!” I barked.

“Sorry, sorry. I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find Yuri, let alone the Sage’s Tower... Hey, what the hell happened here? What is this pile of ash?”

“A Dungeon summoned by Dibro. I burned it to the ground along with him.”

“Right. I see. Well, there’s no way the Sage’s Tower would be in a place like this anyway.”

“Enough talk. We’re going back. My report—and more importantly, my snacks—are waiting for me!”

“Wait! You aren't seriously dumping the report on me, are you?! I just got here! I don’t know anything about what happened!”

I didn't bother listening. In the end, Ren was stuck with the duty of reporting the entire ordeal.

◇　◇　◇

“I see. So, Lucille-chan and Ren-san, acting as Yuri-sama’s subordinates, cooperated with the Hero to subjugate the Demon Lord. Is that the gist of it?”

After picking up Lucille, I had immediately teleported back to Alf Town. The girl disappeared the moment we arrived, leaving me with no choice but to head to Sasha and Emilina to explain the situation.

Unfortunately, my report wasn't being received with much accuracy.

“No, no! I didn’t do a single thing! Besides, the Hero is currently occupied with the Beastmen, right? Yuri is still missing, and the Sage’s Tower wasn't at the coordinates we were given...”

“Those are trivial details,” Emilina said, her smile never wavering. “My job is to ensure the situation is exactly as Yuri-sama desires by the time he returns.”

I felt a genuine chill of fear looking at her.

“B-but, does changing the phrasing of the report really accomplish anything?”

“Alf Town will become independent,” she stated flatly.

“...Wait. Did I mishear you? I think I heard something insane.”

“Oh, how terrible. Shall I use Healing Magic on your ears?”

“My hearing is fine! I’m not injured!”

“At any rate,” Emilina continued, “now that the Demon Lord has been subjugated, we will be recognized as an independent nation. However...”

Her expression shifted, turning grave.

“...Is there a problem?” I asked.

“Well, to ensure a new country doesn't perish while surrounded by enemies, we have to take various precautions. We need the backing of a major power.”

“I guess that makes sense. It would be a disaster if the country was destroyed the day after it was founded.”

“The most efficient route would be for Yuri-sama to become engaged to Elu-sama. We are in the Beast King’s good graces, but...”

“But the rest of the Beast Kingdom doesn't care for us?”

“Precisely. It’s unavoidable. The Kingdom of Inraku has a history of severe discrimination against non-humans. It’s only natural they wouldn't trust someone from there.”

“Wait, wouldn't 'recognizing independence' just mean we become a Subordinate State of the Kingdom of Inraku?”

“That is likely their intention. However, Yuri-sama’s ideals cannot be achieved if we remain under their thumb.”

“...And what exactly are those ideals?”

“A country where all races can live in peace and equality, of course.”

Hearing that, I finally understood. There weren't many places as diverse and intermingled as this town. If Yuri was truly working toward building such a nation, then the current chaos made sense.

In truth, Yuri probably hadn't thought that far ahead, but his actions were so consistent that they made everyone believe he was a master strategist.

Then, the event that would decide our fate occurred.

“Sasha-sama! Emilina-sama! I have a report!”

A Mercenary who had been sent to scout the Holy Principality of Ames burst into the room, breathless.

“What is it?”

“Yuri-sama has returned! But, well...”

Normally, this would be cause for celebration, but the Mercenary looked miserable.

“Is something wrong?”

“Yes... For some reason, Yuri-sama has returned with a group of people who appear to be from the Holy Principality of Ames.”

“...I don’t follow. Are you saying they’ve taken him hostage?” Emilina asked.

With Yuri’s power, it was hard to imagine him being captured, but he was undeniably airheaded at times. If they had played their cards right, the possibility wasn't zero.

“Ah, no. It’s just... one of them appears to be a noblewoman from the Principality, and she seems... unusually close to Yuri-sama—”

Snap!

The sound of something breaking echoed through the room. Sasha’s quill pen had been snapped perfectly in two. Despite the violence of the action, Sasha’s smile remained fixed on her face.

“Honestly, Big Brother... I wonder where he keeps picking up these mice. We really must be thorough when we exterminate mice.”

“Hieee...”

The Mercenary let out a pathetic whimper. I couldn't blame him; the pressure radiating from Sasha was terrifying.

“J-just please, come quickly!”

Urged by the terrified man, we hurried out to meet Yuri.