“Wow! It’s really bustling here.”
Arata’s reaction was understandable.
Even though he had been told that shops had sprung up around the dungeon, he had assumed there would only be a few small street vendors at most.
However, upon arriving at the dungeon in the dwarves’ kingdom, he was greeted by several solid, well-constructed buildings.
“Maybe, unlike in our world, they can use magic to quickly build structures.”
If that were true, the inhabitants of this world must be living quite a comfortable life.
Perhaps that’s one reason some people would want to stay here.
But not me.
I want to go back to the world I came from. That’s why I’m doing something I don’t even want to do—fighting monsters.
If what the goddess said is true, we have a chance.
I’ll make sure we seize it. We’ll defeat this so-called Demon King and return home together.
“You’re keeping everything to yourself again, aren’t you?”
“Uh… Well, I was just reaffirming my resolve.”
Arata must have picked up on my inner thoughts because he looked at me with concern.
It wasn’t just him; Tomoka was wearing the same worried expression.
I’m no good. If I’m worrying these two, I’m failing as a hero.
“I just think it would be nice if we could all return together.”
“Everyone’s not quite in sync, though. You’d think we’d all band together since we’re in the same situation.”
The thought of Kunimatsu came to mind.
But it wasn’t just him. Another faction—or rather, another group—crossed my mind as well.
“Kunimatsu aside, their goal was also to return, and they said they’d defeat the Demon King. If possible, I’d have liked to work with them.”
“They haven’t come back, though. Do you think the Demon King’s army got to them somewhere?”
It’s a strong possibility.
According to Kunimatsu, we’re still at a pretty low level.
Even with the goddess’s power, this world isn’t forgiving enough for us to rely on that alone.
“They could stop living creatures in their tracks, or cause massive explosions. If they were allies, they’d be pretty dependable.”
“They didn’t listen to reason at all. They just kept saying it was all just a game. Who knows, maybe they’re making smooth progress along the shortest route to the Demon King.”
Well, that’s unlikely.
Nine times out of ten, they’re already dead. Still, there’s no need for Arata to feel guilty about them.
They’re strangers to us. I’m sorry, but I can’t afford to care about them that much.
“You’re bottling everything up again. Come on, there are all these street vendors. Let’s take a break.”
She grabbed my hand and led me to a stall selling food—a thin flatbread stuffed with meat.
The food looked delicious, and the standard of living here didn’t seem much different from what we had back in our world.
The only difference was the constant threat of the Demon King, demonic creatures, and monsters, making battle a part of everyday life.
For people like us, who come from a peaceful world, that’s just too much.
“Okay, let’s move on to the next one!”
“You’re so restless…”
And so, the two of them dragged me along, browsing stall after stall.
It was hard to believe all this had come together after the dungeon was created.
It made more sense to assume this had been a small village before the dungeon appeared.
Still, the fact that so many people could gather here to do business suggested the area wasn’t too dangerous.
Just as Kunimatsu and the soldiers had said, this place seemed relatively safe.
◇
“Wow, even the inside is impressive…”
“It’s not as lively as outside, but there are plenty of shops here too.”
“Maybe this area is where tourists stop by?”
That was probably the case. It was also proof that this area was secure.
Now, from here on out was the real dungeon.
Honestly, the thought of facing a dungeon, something I’d never experienced before, was intimidating.
But I’m supposed to be a hero. At the very least, I need to prove I can handle a safe dungeon.
“It’s quiet…”
Once we moved past the bustling entrance, all that lay ahead was a dim, silent cave.
The faint sound of metal striking metal echoed in the distance, but aside from that, it was dead silent.
The cold, ancient air brushed against my cheek. The atmosphere wasn’t just quiet—it felt like even the air itself was different.
“Let’s proceed carefully, even if it seems like there’s nothing here.”
Before coming here, I’d said it might be dangerous enough to injure regular people.
But now that we were here, the eerie stillness made me realize we couldn’t let our guard down either.
Even so, we kept moving. Deeper and deeper into the dungeon.
“There’s nothing here. Is this really a dungeon?”
“Did we take a wrong turn?”
“Now that you mention it… the path at the start was pretty tricky to spot, wasn’t it?”
Come to think of it…
It seemed so natural to take that path, but now I remembered there had been a larger, more obvious route as well.
“Let’s head back. Sorry, but I think I might’ve chosen the wrong path.”
“Haha, not exactly heroic, huh?”
“Well, it happens. Let’s be careful on the way back too.”
Neither of them showed any annoyance or blamed me.
I was glad we were working together as a group of three.
If we had brought along someone who didn’t share our perspective and ended up on this wild goose chase…
I’d better pull myself together.
◇
“Oh, intruders.”
“Hm? Hmm? Hmmm…”
Casually observing intruders with Pilkaya’s power, I noticed three humans had entered.
Since there wasn’t much work for her to do, Ripianem had been watching alongside me, and now she was humming thoughtfully as she watched them.
“What’s wrong? Something bothering you?”
“Those intruders are weak.”
“Well, that’s obvious…”
Coming from one of the ridiculously strong members of the Demon King’s army, it wasn’t exactly a groundbreaking observation.
What, does she want to fight strong opponents or something?
“No, Rey. I’m not done yet. That exasperated look wounds me, you know.”
“Alright. Sorry about that.”
“Good. Now, while they are weak, I sense something akin to a hero’s presence from them.”
“A hero…?”
I checked their stats for confirmation.
The data didn’t conclusively say whether they were heroes, but it did reveal something equally intriguing.
Kazama Takemi
- Magic: 25
- Strength: 30
- Skill: 24
- Stamina: 38
- Agility: 36
Sera Arata
- Magic: 39
- Strength: 5
- Skill: 29
- Stamina: 20
- Agility: 18
Hara Tomoka
- Magic: 30
- Strength: 7
- Skill: 37
- Stamina: 19
- Agility: 21
“Their statuses are all decent enough.
But their names are clearly Japanese.
They’re almost certainly reincarnated individuals, just like Tokito and the others.
‘Lipianem.’
‘What is it?’
‘This might be a good find.’
‘What!? You’re saying I was useful for something other than fighting!?’
…Did she really just say that herself?
Anyway, discovering reincarnated individuals is definitely an achievement.
And because of that, I can’t help but dwell on what Lipianem said earlier.
A presence like that of a hero…
Could it be some power granted by the Goddess?
Heroic swordsmanship, perhaps? Or a resurrection system? Maybe an affinity? Or charisma?
Some sort of ability similar to a hero’s might be in play.
If that’s the case, they could be troublesome reincarnated individuals.
Heroes are still just inhabitants of the game world. Even if they’re strong, they lack knowledge of the game itself.
But if a reincarnated person possesses a hero’s power, it might combine with their knowledge as a reincarnate.
They could become an even greater threat than a genuine hero.
‘I need to inform Lady Fiona immediately—’
I stopped mid-sentence, startled by their actions.
The path they’re taking was supposed to have been scrapped when we created the trap dungeon.
That dungeon had far more complicated layouts and traps than the current ones.
Primilla had warned me that it was too bloodthirsty, so I reluctantly scrapped it.
The rooms themselves were left intact, but the paths were supposed to have been completely reset.
But now it seems an obscure, almost invisible route remains.
Ah… what a blunder. I absolutely need to seal it off later.
‘What is it? Aren’t you going to inform Lady Fiona?’
‘I… felt like Rey was calling me!’
‘Ah, as expected of the Demon Lord.’
Wait, that’s terrifying.
Could it be that Lady Fiona, like Pilkaya, is secretly monitoring me?
‘Demon Lord. The lecture isn’t over yet,’ Primilla added.
Why am I still getting scolded by Primilla …?
Well, whatever. For now, I should just go report this to Lady Fiona.
‘Lady Fiona, we have intruders. Lipianem says they seem kind of like heroes.’
‘What!?’
‘Three of them. One man and two women, all reincarnated individuals.’
‘Hmm…? I do sense some faint traces of heroic power in them. But I don’t think they’re a bigger threat than Kunimatsu, right?’
So they’re still in the early stages of growth?
In that case, should we deal with them now?
‘By the way, what’s with that path? I don’t recall seeing it before.’
‘Oh, that… ‘
When I explained my mistake to Lady Fiona, she patted my head and reassured me that mistakes happen to everyone.
She’s too lenient with her subordinates, this demon.
I shouldn’t take advantage of her kindness; I’ll need to be more careful next time.
‘That scrapped area… If I remember correctly, it’s where we temporarily house monsters that couldn’t fit in the other dungeons, right?’
‘Ah, yes. If they keep going, they’ll eventually enter one of those rooms…’
Maybe they’ll get themselves killed without us needing to do anything.
I had high hopes, but the man who seemed to be the leader of the trio suddenly stopped.
It seems he’s just now realizing they’ve taken the wrong path and intends to turn back.
What a shame. They were so close to entering the monster room.
And now, setting up traps isn’t an option…
The path is too narrow for remote placement. If I tried, the trap might just end up embedded in a wall.
As for ambushing them in an open area, the next one is the dungeon entrance.
It’s a busy, safe zone where intruders come and go, generating stable magical energy for us.
Dealing with these pseudo-heroes versus securing a stable flow of magical energy…
For the sake of strengthening future dungeons, I suppose magical energy takes priority.
‘They left just like that, huh? Maybe they were just sightseeing?’
‘Honestly, they didn’t seem to be advancing cautiously like Kunimatsu, so that might be the case.’
And so, the group of pseudo-heroes left the dungeon as if nothing had happened.
