“Karmal-san, the beastfolk and the dwarves are fighting.”
“I’d prefer it if they didn’t bother the other guests. Alright, I’ll go talk to them.”
“Karmal-san, it seems like we’ve exhausted the magic stones in the area we’re mining.”
“Then take a break for now. I’ll go check out a new spot.”
“Dartle-san! Do we still have any healing potions left?!”
“We just sold the last batch. No choice, I’ll go grab some more.”
◇
“Hey, Rey-kun! You’re looking lively, that’s good!”
“Uh, well, I’m just normal…”
On the way back from witnessing Fiona-sama’s unfortunate gacha pull, Rigma, who seemed oddly fired up emotionally, called out to me.
…What’s this feeling? It’s like I can sense a sort of bone-deep exhaustion, as if he’s been up all night.
“You see, I’d rather not create too many clones if I can help it. Splitting myself up weakens my main body, and more than that, when I merge back, all the fatigue comes crashing in at once.”
I see. That makes sense. Pilkaya’s the same in that she weakens when she clones herself, but I’d really hate having all the fatigue hit me at once.
Even so, Pilkaya seems fine creating clones and working tirelessly—maybe working for Fiona-sama outweighs the exhaustion for her.
“Besides, because the clone has its own personality, the complaints it gives me are something else. Especially from Karmal.”
“Yeah, Karmal speaks as bluntly as Pilkaya does.”
Maybe it’s because Karmal looks young, but her personality is just as candid as her appearance suggests. Even Pilkaya holds back when Fiona-sama gets bad gacha results, but Karmal just laughs outright.
“Anyway, my burden is about at its limit now.”
“Well, you are basically doing the work of two people…”
“I mean, it’s not like I can’t handle this much. Back when the Demon Lord’s army was more active, the workload was just as crazy.”
Surprisingly, this isn’t a plea to reduce his workload.
So is this just a rant? If it’s just that, I’m happy to listen.
“You know, demons can’t stay healthy by just working, eating, and sleeping. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, I get that. Maybe you could pick up a hobby or something for your breaks…”
“There’s nothing around here.”
As I said it, I realized he was right. There really is nothing.
There are monsters, traps, an inn, and food. There’s also Primilla ’s farm, but that’s it.
I see. As Rigma says, all you can really do here is work, eat, and sleep.
“That’s where you come in, Rey-kun! You could build some sort of comfortable facility, couldn’t you?”
“Don’t be ridiculous…”
Even with my Dungeon Master skill, something like that isn’t within its scope.
“Seriously though, haven’t you gotten stronger and more skilled? Is there some kind of cool facility you could make?”
Actually… there is. Another weird option has been unlocked.
Heat Energy Conversion Chamber: Mana Cost 60.
A mana cost of 60—this is the most expensive facility so far.
On top of that, I can’t tell what it does from the name. Heat energy? Like calories? If it converts that, does it mean it generates experience points again?
If that’s all it does, it sounds like the demons who use it might lose weight while I grow stronger.
Maybe it’s some kind of spa facility? Rigma probably wouldn’t care, but I decide to bring it up anyway.
“I’m not looking to lose weight…”
“Right? Plus, with Rigma’s shapeshifting, body shape shouldn’t even matter. You’re probably the last person who needs it.”
“But still, 60 mana, huh? Pilkaya costs 120, so this thing takes half of that. That’s a lot of mana.”
“Yeah, which is why I can’t build it right now. Unless I use the dungeon’s mana reserves.”
Izumi Reiko
Mana: 55 / Strength: 21 / Skill: 28 / Stamina: 29 / Agility: 21
Dungeon Mana: 265
“Just 5 short, huh?”
“How much of the dungeon’s mana would it use?”
“About 20% or so.”
“Alright, let’s give it a shot.”
“You’re just saying that because it’s not your mana…”
“Hey, I may not look it, but I’ve got a strong sense of responsibility.”
“I know.”
That’s probably why he looks so worn out right now. If this experiment cheers him up even a little, I guess I’ll give it a try.
Truthfully, I was curious about it myself but hesitant to spend dungeon mana. Rigma’s encouragement is what I needed.
“Where should we put it…”
“Not somewhere we’d use. How about near one of the entrances, so intruders can use it?”
“Good idea.”
If we put a spa near the shops and inns, this dungeon’s design would make even less sense.
Still, if people start visiting just for the facility near the entrance, that could boost other businesses.
…Rigma, if that happens, you might just be making your own life harder.
“Alright, let’s set it up in the trap dungeon. A lot of different species pass through there, so it might serve some purpose.”
We head toward the trap dungeon to prepare, but—
“Where are you going?”
Before we get there, Fiona-sama stops us.
After explaining the situation, her expressions shift as though she’s deeply intrigued.
“So we were just about to go to the trap dungeon to set it up.”
“No. You can’t.”
…Wait, what? Did she just say no?
Fiona-sama usually leaves dungeon matters entirely to me, so this firm refusal is unexpected.
“You can do it remotely, can’t you?”
“I can, but the precision for timing and placement will drop.”
“It doesn’t need to be that precise, does it?”
“That’s true, but…”
Still, being there in person makes it easier to adjust as needed.
“It’s better to confirm the results directly. Being there in person is more efficient.”
“No. Outside is dangerous. Stay here with me.”
…No room for negotiation.
This is probably because of what happened during the incident with Ido. I made Fiona-sama worry so much that now she’s overprotective.
Even though there’s no immediate threat, like invading heroes, she’s likely concerned about the unknown.
“I’ll go check it out. I’ll ask Pilkaya to share her vision so you can monitor it remotely.”
“Thanks. Sorry for adding to your workload.”
“It’s no trouble. Honestly, if anything happens to the Demon Lord, you’re the only one who can handle it. So take care of her.”
“You’re mine, so you’ll stay here.”
“Yes, I understand.”
◇
A few minutes after Fiona-sama finally relaxed and returned to her usual slightly scatterbrained self, I gained visual access to the trap dungeon entrance. Pilkaya and Rigma must’ve prepared it.
“Alright, creating the Heat Energy Conversion Chamber.”
The dungeon mana dropped to 205, but… nothing happened?
“Huh? Nothing changed.”
“Yeah, doesn’t seem like it.”
Both Rigma and Pilkaya looked around curiously, but neither seemed to notice any difference.
Was this a failure? Did exceeding my personal mana cap cause it to malfunction?
No, I’ve confirmed before that this should work even if my max mana is exceeded.
Oh well. At least I’ve tested it now. Better to learn this lesson before wasting more mana in the future.
“Guests are starting to arrive, so I’m heading back.”
“Thanks for your help.”
Rigma waved lazily as he left.
Looks like the trap dungeon is as busy as ever. He’s probably off to check on the beastfolk’s dungeon next.
“Alright, I’ll prioritize securing more staff for now.”
Dungeon Mana: 206
Dungeon Mana: 207
Dungeon Mana: 208
