The day for our coastal dungeon expedition finally arrived.
I served as the captain of the conquest team.
Our members included Lu, Tia, Galf, Daga along with ten lizardmen, Ria and five high elves, five mountain elves, two high ogre maids, five members of the lamia race, and three giants. Reginleiv and Progenitor-san joined us as well.
In addition, we brought along Urza, Alfred, Tiselle, Gol, Sil, and Bron.
I had tried inviting Isree, the phoenix chick Aegis, the tiger Sougetsu, and the orthros Ol, but they had their reasons for staying behind.
Isree staged a protest by barricading herself inside a kotatsu.
Aegis declined, opting to continue its training with the eagle.
As for Sougetsu, the older sister cats made it clear he wasn't going anywhere before he could even express an opinion. It seemed they were determined to keep him out of harm's way.
Ol refused to participate because he didn't want to be separated from Guronde.
I double-checked with Guronde herself, but she bowed out as well, citing the risk that she might accidentally destroy the entire dungeon. I didn't push the matter.
Oh, and I mustn't forget the most important members.
Thirty of Kuro's children.
And about a hundred of Zabuton's children.
I told them they didn't have to push themselves since it was winter, but they were brimming with motivation. Initially, I hadn't planned on taking them, but Ann and Ramurias persuaded me otherwise. They argued that since we were challenging an unexplored dungeon, we needed to bring along dungeon conquest experts.
When I agreed and asked who these experts were, they pointed to Kuro's and Zabuton's children. It made sense; when it came to clearing dungeons, they certainly had the best track record.
However, if I was going to bring them along, I had to inform the Demon King and Beezel. It wouldn't do anyone any good if their presence caused a panic within the Demon Kingdom territory.
Fortunately, both the Demon King and Beezel were visiting the mansion, so the discussion went quickly and I received their approval. The Demon King might have been unable to refuse anyway, seeing as he needed a large number of short-distance teleportation gates to be "discovered" in this dungeon for his own political reasons. I felt a little bad for him... perhaps? At any rate, I assured them we wouldn't do anything reckless. Safety first.
The members of the conquest team armed themselves, and we moved to the area near the coastal dungeon using Progenitor-san's teleportation magic.
We arrived at a beautiful sandy beach. It looked like a seaside resort, except...
Ah, right. They had already cleaned it up. The cave containing the dungeon had been discovered during the coastal cleaning operations. I was told the cave was located in a rocky area just a short walk from here. I felt a surge of excitement to get moving, but we had to wait.
The reason we teleported to the beach instead of the dungeon entrance was because we had a meeting scheduled. We were waiting on two groups.
The first was the sea race who had originally discovered the cave. The second was the group of adventurers arranged by the Demon King. They were the ones designated to play the role of the discoverers of the teleportation gates. I was supposed to do it originally, but I had refused, so the job fell to the adventurers. I still wondered why they hadn't just suggested that from the start.
Regardless, neither group was in sight yet. It seemed we were early.
Kuro's and Zabuton's children were growing restless, their excitement mounting as they looked at the ocean. I assumed this was their first time seeing the sea.
"You can go near the water, but don't go in," I warned.
I wasn't doubting their ability to swim; I knew they were perfectly capable in rivers and pools. However, we were about to start a dungeon crawl, and wasting stamina now was a bad idea. Besides, if their fur got soaked with salt water, it would be a nightmare to deal with. Fresh water would be scarce here.
"And you can probably tell by the smell, but don't drink the seawater. It’s salt water."
They gave me a spirited response and bounded off toward the waves.
Then there was Urza, who had already plunged into the sea and was currently drinking the seawater.
"Urza, come back here."
I called Alfred and Tiselle back as well. Even if the climate here was mild, the sea was still freezing in winter. It wasn't impossible to swim, but it certainly wasn't the time for it. Yet, they had run straight into the surf without a second thought. Was this the boundless energy of youth? This wasn't the time to be impressed, though.
I asked the high ogre maids to start a fire so the children could warm up. Lu and Tia were already giving them a stern lecture, so I decided to focus on making some warm soup. Since our contacts hadn't arrived yet, I had time.
Fortunately, I had brought along a massive pot—the kind we used for festivals, large enough for an adult to fit inside.
...Wait.
Since we were at the coast, I had high expectations for crabs. I knew what I was doing. However, making soup in the giant pot would result in far too much, so I switched to a smaller one. Even "small" by my standards was big enough for a child to fit in, but it was the right size for a meal for the entire conquest team.
While I was preparing the food, the high elves suggested building a hut. It was a good idea; it would keep the sand out of the cooking and provide a place to change or use the outhouse.
I left the cooking to the high ogre maids and went to gather materials. I asked Galf, Daga, and the lizardmen to secure the perimeter, while the lamias and giants accompanied me as guards. The dangerous monsters and magic beasts in this area had been cleared out already, so the risk was low. Plus, the lamias and giants could help carry the lumber.
I hadn't intended to bother Kuro's or Zabuton's children while they were enjoying the beach, but five wolves and ten spiders were already flanking me. They looked incredibly confident, as if declaring they would perform their duties perfectly. Well, we weren't in a town, so I suppose it was fine. Reginleiv joined us as well, and I didn't see any reason to decline her help.
Progenitor-san wandered off for a walk, hoping the sea air might jog his memories. Gol and the others stayed behind; Lu had asked them to keep an eye on Urza and the rest of the children. I felt a bit sorry for them, but they were doing important work.
I entered the nearby forest and began producing lumber with the Universal Farming Tool. I think I gathered everything the high elves needed and then some. I might have gotten a bit too absorbed in the task. It seemed I was more excited about this dungeon exploration than I realized. I needed to cool my head.
I felt bad for making the lamias and giants carry the extra load, but it would have been a waste to leave the wood behind.
However, when I returned to the beach with the lumber, I found that it had transformed into a battlefield.
The first thing I noticed were the giant crabs. They were massive, their shells easily exceeding five meters in width. And there wasn't just one; I counted five of them. They were in the shallows, engaged in combat with Kuro's children, who were carrying Zabuton's children on their backs.
The high elves and mountain elves were in the water as well, but they weren't attacking. They were surrounding members of the sea race—mermaids, sahagins, and others—who were floating on the surface. There were at least thirty of them, all seemingly unconscious. The elves were working desperately to move them away from the crabs.
It looked like Kuro's children were intentionally provoking the crabs, keeping the monsters' attention on themselves so the rescue operation could continue safely.
I couldn't see Lu or Tia anywhere. I doubted they had been defeated, and it was impossible to imagine them drowning when they could fly. I had to assume they had been elsewhere when the attack started. Gol and the others were busy holding Urza and the children back to keep them from charging into the fray.
...I didn't have all the details, but it was clear the crabs had ambushed them, and the members on the beach had moved to intercept. I wasn't sure what had happened to the sea race, but they appeared to be alive. Perhaps someone had used lightning magic?
As I analyzed the scene, I reflected on my own lack of foresight. I hadn't expected crabs of that size to show up.
Now, how should I boil them?