“Maybe we can create a fork in the road.”
“Ah, that sounds nice. Not too long ago, there were forks in the road and mazes here. But then, all the heroes came and turned it all into empty land…”
Ah, Fiona-sama is back in negative mode again…
“I’ve lost my subordinates, and now I’m all alone in an empty dungeon… Perhaps it’s better to just sleep here for tens of thousands of years…”
“N-No, that’s not a good idea!”
“But, maybe if I do that, they’ll think I’ve sealed away the Demon King…”
“And, you’re not alone, I’m here too!”
“…That’s true. I have you, Rey.”
Fiona-sama… She seems really down…
Well, it’s understandable. With everyone else wiped out and the base destroyed, it’s easy to feel depressed.
But if she sleeps for tens of thousands of years, I’ll probably die here alone.
I need to make sure she’ll keep going and not give up.
“Um, well, how about we make a room for now?”
“Sounds good. Otherwise, it’ll just be a cave.”
Wall Creation: Magic consumption 1
Floor Creation: Magic consumption 1
Ceiling Creation: Magic consumption 1
Door Creation: Magic consumption 1
Walls are needed on all four sides, and doors are required at the front and back, so the total magic consumption will be 8.
It would be hard with just my magic, but if I can use the dungeon’s magic, that changes things.
…How do I use the dungeon’s magic though?
I fumble around and touch a number that seems to correspond to the dungeon’s magic.
Suddenly, the number glows white, just like the available menu options.
Looks like I can manage this.
When I select Wall Creation, a wall is generated, and the number drops to 49.
“Wall Creation.”
I touch the dungeon’s magic again and, using my words and intent, create a wall.
Both methods work, and I’m able to create a wall using the dungeon’s magic.
Alright, I’ve figured it out—making rooms should be easy now.
“Hmm, this is really amazing. A whole room in just a few seconds. If it’s just basic repairs, it’ll be done faster than I expected.”
“I’m flattered…”
It was done quickly, but this room has the same durability as the strongest beastmen were struggling to destroy.
To be able to create that with just 8 magic, the Dungeon Master’s skill must be incredible.
“Ah… there’s something written here.”
New glowing text appeared in the menu.
It seems that creating the room unlocked new options.
There’s no description, but I understand it.
After all, I see new options like this:
Room Creation: Magic consumption 5
“Does this mean I can create the same room I just made?”
I want to try it.
So, I need to ask Fiona-sama where to make the next room.
“Fiona-sama, I’d like to create another room. Where should it go?”
“You seem motivated. Looks like a good subordinate has joined you.”
Good, Fiona-sama’s evaluation of me is rising.
I can also test the skill, so this is a win-win situation.
“Well then, let’s place it here. But don’t overdo it, okay?”
“Yes.”
I exit the previous room and head down the path to create another one.
I see—since the entrance isn’t that wide, the structure is like a string of connected rooms along a path.
The deeper areas must be where we’ll use forks in the road and such.
Room Creation: Magic consumption 5
I consume the dungeon’s magic and create the room.
Just as expected, it’s exactly the same as the previous room.
It’s even a bit more efficient than manually creating the parts, which is nice.
“I used to place my subordinates and monsters around here.”
“So, this is how you repelled intruders.”
“Well… they were all defeated…”
“But I’m here, so we’ll be fine!”
That doesn’t mean we’re really fine, but I’ll reassure her before she gets too depressed.
By the way, since the other side speaks the same language, is peaceful negotiation possible?
Why do they keep intruding into the dungeon… Yeah, it’s probably to defeat the Demon King. Negotiation would be impossible.
“The people who invade here… their goal is to defeat Fiona-sama, right?”
“Yes, their goal is to kill all the demons, including me.”
“What about negotiation…?”
“Like those beastmen, in general, demons are considered enemies of all races and must be killed. It would be difficult.”
Just like those guys… They immediately tried to kill based on race.
There’s no way peaceful negotiation would work. Besides, someone like me can’t even choose that option. My only choices are to fight or escape.
Now, creating the room has unlocked even more menu options.
Hall Creation: Magic consumption 10
Maze Creation: Magic consumption 20
“Hmm… I don’t want to use that much magic without thinking it through.”
“Did you unlock more things? You’re quite capable, Rey.”
“Thank you. I can now create halls and mazes, but the magic cost is pretty high…”
“You can create those too… But don’t push yourself. There’s no rush. You can wait until you have more magic.”
Her reassurance helps a lot.
I don’t have enough magic to consume 10 or 20 yet.
Plus, there’s something else I want to try.
There are three more menu options unlocked by creating the room.
Treasure Chest Creation: Magic consumption 5
Trap Creation: Magic consumption 5
Monster Creation: Magic consumption 5
The treasure chest is one thing, but the other two seem perfect for repelling intruders.
I’d rather spend my magic trying these out instead of just creating more rooms.
Also, all of them cost 5 magic, which is nice.
Since I have a way to recover magic, I can just about afford it.
“I’m going to try creating a treasure chest.”
“A treasure chest…? A treasure chest?”
I’ll save traps and monsters for later.
Since the magic cost is 5, I’ll faint as soon as I create it.
If the trap activates or the monsters become uncontrollable while I’m unconscious, I’d be dead.
So, I’ll just pour all my magic into creating the treasure chest, which should be safer.
And so, I consume my magic again…
“What are you doing!? You’re trying to faint again, aren’t you!? You are, aren’t you!”
Sorry…
I’ve already selected the menu…
Ahh… my consciousness is fading…
“I told you not to push yourself…”
◇
“So, the hero is dead?”
“Yes, the response has disappeared. It seems they advanced all the way to the Underworld Demon Realm and were making good progress, but likely due to the Demon King’s intervention…”
“As expected, the Demon King is on a different level…”
“It seems so. Even the strongest warriors of the Beast Kingdom tried to take advantage of the situation and challenge them, but the result was the same as with our heroes.”
“Typical of those beasts. They must have tried to take credit by having the hero and the Demon King clash, planning to fight the one who was exhausted.”
The human king, with a scowl on his face, spoke.
He saw not only the Demon King but even the other races’ nations as enemies.
Because there was a common enemy in the Demon King, they had not openly fought, but without that common enemy, the other races would become enemies.
Such a future was easily predictable, and because of that, the king did not trust other races. And it was clear that other races felt the same way about humans.
“What about recovering the heroes?”
“Unfortunately, according to the knights’ investigation, the entrance to the Underworld Demon Realm has been sealed off by a sturdy wall. Therefore, only their souls have returned.”
“…So, recovering their equipment is impossible?”
“Yes… However, preparations for the resurrection of the heroes are underway. It would be best not to make any moves against the Underworld Demon Realm until they regain their strength.”
“That seems to be the case.”
The king was not incompetent. He had not made the foolish mistake of sending the heroes to fight the Demon King without their equipment.
That’s why, while it was regrettable to lose the equipment, if the heroes could be resurrected, the loss would eventually be recovered.
And at this point, the king realized that it would be better to consider this period as a time for preparation rather than acting recklessly.
“As expected, the reincarnated ones may be the key to defeating the Demon King…”
“It’s been ten years since the Great Reincarnation. Soon, reincarnated individuals should appear in various lands.”
“Yes. I want to secure as many as possible for our country. We will mobilize the knights as much as possible and have them watch every corner of the nation.”
“Understood. I will inform the captain of the knights immediately.”
Most of the knights would be sent out to search for the reincarnated.
For the purpose of defeating the Demon King, and with the thought that they could not afford to fall behind other nations.
Fortunately, no matter the reason, the ultimate goal was the same: to protect the kingdom.
Even if the reincarnated ones ended up fighting the Demon King and then later battling other races, that would still be in service of protecting the human kingdom.
