――88,099 years since game start; reached Floor 899
Early in the morning, when I stepped out of the building to explore the labyrinth with Faf—
"Gigi-!"
On the surface, thousands of Grasshopper Men captured in the Subjugation Compendium stood in formation, thrusting their right fists forward in martial stances.
Nemea, the lion-faced beastman standing before them with his arms crossed, noticed me and bellowed a grand command:
"Halt! All hands, attention!"
The Grasshopper Men snapped to attention in unison.
Come to think of it, this morning was scheduled for their training.
Every day, I have Nemea teach martial arts to the captured monsters on a set rotation. On days without martial arts training, I instruct them to train within reasonable limits, either by secluding themselves in the labyrinth or practicing in their own worlds inside the compendium. As a result, my subordinate monsters have been improving by leaps and bounds, and I take pride in knowing they have attained a respectable level of strength.
"Good work. Keep at it!"
When I gave my usual concise instruction—
"Giga-! (Sir!)"
Thousands of Grasshopper Men placed their right fists against their left palms and bowed.
In this way, the monsters captured in the Subjugation Compendium possess human-level intelligence and are even capable of communicating with me. Thanks to this trait, the efficiency of their training has increased dramatically.
"I wanna go with Master too!"
Suddenly, the wolf pup riding on top of my head declared his intent, raising the tiny paw of his right foreleg.
Down at my feet, squishy masses of blue slime rubbed up against me.
This wolf pup was Fenrir, and the slimes currently clinging and wobbling around my legs were the Healing Slimes.
Fenrir had been the boss of the 800th floor, but seeing as he looked like a mere wolf pup, I simply couldn't bring myself to swing a sword at him. So, after pondering a solution, I decided to execute an operation to win him over with food.
In that regard, I had obtained meats, fruits, vegetables, and the like from the jungle zone, which drastically expanded my culinary repertoire. Furthermore, thanks to cooking books, I had developed various seasonings and significantly raised the quality of my dishes.
When I served him a steak lavishly drizzled with this newly developed special sauce, he was easily won over and declared his surrender on the spot.
Deducing from the fact that he didn't undergo a human transformation like Faf, I suspect Faf's transformation was an exception among exceptions. Though I still haven't the faintest idea what the actual conditions are.
Since then, he became strangely attached to me and asked of his own accord to become a familiar of the Subjugation Compendium, which I permitted—leading to where we are now.
On the other hand, despite their appearance, the Healing Slimes were the boss of the 750th floor. To be more precise, the boss had been a giant salamander with these slimes living inside it.
That giant salamander possessed an extraordinary regenerative capacity and was exceptionally annoying, but the moment I defeated it, a swarm of these slimes emerged from within. Since then, they have constantly followed me around, and before I even realized it, they had become residents of the Subjugation Compendium.
"I don't mind. I haven't played with you much lately anyway. Sorry, but you guys hold down the fort."
I stroked the head of Fenrir—or Fen—and patted the Healing Slimes that were still snuggling up against me.
The Healing Slimes shivered pleasantly, wobbling with delight. As I patted them with a grin—
"That is not fair! Faf wants to be patted too, you know!"
The spoiled dragon beside me grew frustrated.
Faf, give me a break... I pat you at every possible opportunity, don't I? Ever since Fen and the Healing Slimes joined us, your clinginess has only gotten worse.
"All right, all right."
Letting out a heavy sigh, I thoroughly patted Faf's little head with my left hand and the slimes with my right before heading into the labyrinth.
◇◆◇◆◇◆
I walked down the stairs leading to the 900th floor.
Numerous red gates were erected along the stone stairway. Passing beneath them as I descended, I emerged into a space enveloped by trees. The ground was blanketed in pure white gravel, and a wooden structure stood in solemn majesty. Is this the facility called a "shrine" that appeared in the books from the other world?
The front doors of the building opened with a creak, and a beautiful young woman with nine tails emerged from within.
Lustrous silver hair extended down near her ankles, accompanied by bountiful twin mounds and a slender waist, with two animal ears resting neatly atop her head. In all likelihood, she was a beastman-type monster just like Nemea.
I wonder if those red-and-white garments are what the otherworld books called "miko robes."
"Welcome. You have done well to venture this far, nameless lord."
In a clear, beautiful voice, she spread her arms wide and uttered the theatrical line.
At any rate—
"Out of the question. Just surrender."
I could tell the moment we faced each other: this one is weak. I have no interest in tormenting an innocent, weak woman. As long as she surrenders like Faf and Fen did, that is more than enough for me.
"What manner of jest is this, I wonder?"
The silver-haired beastman woman asked, her shapely eyebrows and cheek twitching.
"You are simply far too weak. There is absolutely no way you could ever defeat me. Furthermore, I have no desire to fight you. Therefore, your only option is to surrender. Understood?"
Mm-hmm, what a flawless line of reasoning. With this, she will surely accept it with grace.
"Kuhu, kuhahaha..."
Looking downward, the silver-haired beastman let out an eerie chuckle from her small mouth.
"I see, I see. Are you that relieved? In that case, since I'm not idle either, go ahead and declare your surrender already."
Well, not that I was actually busy at all.
"Fufufufufu..."
Her laughter only grew louder.
"Hm?"
Hearing a laugh steeped in such sheer madness, a chill ran down my spine, causing me to frown.
"Master, that lady is scary!"
Fen, who had been riding on top of my head, shouted as he scrambled behind my back for cover.
"Faf is scared too, you know."
Hiding behind me, Faf peeked out just enough to look at the silver-haired beastman woman.
I understand. I really do. I understand how you two feel all too well. When an exquisite, silver-haired beauty is laughing with the countenance of a demon, anyone would feel a touch of terror.
"Let us put to the test whether this one is truly weak!!"
Her silver hair flared wildly in righteous fury, and she charged toward me, swinging her sharp claws.
Beads of sweat formed on the silver-haired woman's skin—so fair it seemed almost translucent—as her shoulders heaved for breath.
Initially, she had unleashed pillars of fire, ice spikes, and blades of wind, but against someone with my assimilation abilities, none of that could possibly have any effect. In the end, she was reduced entirely to attacking with those sharp claws.
"Give it up already."
"Mind your own business, you hear!"
When I dodged the claw of her right hand swinging down toward the crown of my head, the silver-haired woman tripped and nearly slammed face-first into the ground. Acting on reflex, I caught her slender waist with my right arm and pulled her close.
"See? Just as I told you."
Staring intently at my face from point-blank range, the silver-haired woman's complexion flushed crimson in an instant, her mouth flapping in flustered stammering.
Setting her back on her feet, I said,
"That's enough for today. I'll play with you again tomorrow."
I lightly patted the top of her head with my palm and turned on my heel.
After all, I have an infinite amount of time. I can easily indulge her in child's play.
From then on, for nearly forty years, I continued visiting the 900th floor to indulge the silver-haired woman's games.
I cannot proceed beyond this floor without making her submit. However, I have no intention whatsoever of doing so by force. Ever since I realized her mental age was remarkably low, that resolve has only grown firmer.
Besides, I have infinite time on my hands. There is no need to rush. In the end, it was merely a test of endurance.
"Well then, that's it for today."
Just as I declared the end of today's play to the sweat-drenched silver-haired woman and prepared to return to the surface—
"Hey."
"Hm?"
Called to a halt, I glanced back over my shoulder.
"When will you come next, I wonder?"
The silver-haired beastman girl asked, clasping her hands together and looking up at me with pleading eyes.
"Ah, I plan on coming tomorrow."
"Truly?!"
She smiled happily and waved both hands vigorously.
"Then until tomorrow it is!"
Personally, I really wish she would just surrender already.
Unfortunately, the next day, the dragons of the Subjugation Compendium raised banners for something called the "Society for Protecting Dragon Pride" and began demanding, "Those of the Girimehkala Faction must apologize to us at once!" leaving me scrambling to deal with the fallout.
Apparently, one of the executives of the Girimehkala Faction had treated the dragons of the Subjugation Compendium like common lizards. An utterly trivial matter in my book. However, the dragons were dead serious, and the situation had become a powder keg ready to blow.
In the end, Faf and I stepped in as mediators, finally brokering a truce two days later after making the loose-lipped Girimehkala executive apologize.
Incidentally, to the dragons, Faf was both their boss and their mascot. As long as Faf was around, they remained in high spirits throughout. I instructed Faf to spend the entire day pacifying them. If Faf was with the dragons, she wouldn't suffer any withdrawal symptoms from her master's absence, so it seemed like a suitable division of roles.
And so, today I came to see Nine-Tails all by myself, but...
"So? Are we fighting today or not?"
I asked the silver-haired woman, Nine-Tails, who was still puffing out her cheeks and looking away.
"..."
She merely answered with a cold, haughty silence.
Good grief, what a child. At this rate, she's hardly any different from Faf or Fen. But in this mood, today is probably a no-go.
Just as I stood up to head back to the surface—
"A-Are you leaving?"
To Nine-Tails, who asked with an anxious look, I let out a deep sigh.
"Hey, if you're that lonely by yourself, why not come with me? I doubt you'll be bored."
I decided to make the proposal.
"W-With you?"
"That's right."
Nine-Tails fidgeted, twisting her hands together, but—
"Th-There is a condition, you see."
"Hm? What is it?"
"I want you to hold me tight, just like when we first met."
"That's all it takes?"
"..."
Her cheeks dyed crimson, Nine-Tails gave a silent, small nod.
Good grief, if something like that was all it took, she should have just said so sooner. Well, it's not like I'm lacking for time anyway, so it's hardly an inconvenience.
I gently embraced Nine-Tails' body, which felt fragile enough to break at a touch.
Nine-Tails flushed red from head to toe.
"M-May I address you as husband, I wonder?"
She asked such a trivial thing in a trembling voice, so—
"Sure, call me whatever you like."
When I gave my natural affirmation, Nine-Tails buried her face into my chest.
Truly, an incomprehensible woman. At any rate, I can finally move forward.
Carrying the light body of Nine-Tails as she clung to me, I returned to the surface.