When I Was Reincarnated into the World of an Ultra-Difficult Game, I Ended Up As the Sole Subordinate of the Ridiculously Strong yet Incompetent Demon Lord, Tasked with Creating a Dungeon
「Huh… fufufu… ahahahaha…」
What a nasty dungeon this is!
Fine, Demon King. Challenge accepted. No matter what, I’ll accomplish my goal.
If you’re going to abandon this place, at least take the monsters with you.
“My Queen…”
“Or rather, is it because they were abandoned that they continue to follow the Demon King’s orders, guarding treasure chests that were emptied long ago?”
If that’s the case, then I do feel a little sympathy for that golem.
But if that’s true, then unfortunately, it means I won’t be able to achieve my goal here.
“Let’s go back. That room was meaningless. But at least we’ve learned that much.”
It’s fine. Compared to other races, we have time on our side.
We can move forward slowly, step by step. There’s no need to rush.
◇
“My Queen.”
We’ve been investigating this dungeon for days now, but we haven’t made any significant progress.
Sure, we’ve gradually mapped out unexplored areas, but there haven’t been any visible results that my subordinates are hoping for.
That’s why I can already guess what he’s about to say next.
“Is something wrong?”
“Shouldn’t we suspend the dungeon investigation?”
“You’re right… Even if this place is rich in mana, we can’t use it as a base like this.”
“Even if we set up a temporary base, the monsters would overrun it… And despite all our searching, we haven’t found any useful items or equipment.”
Others nodded in agreement with his suggestion.
Hmm… I see. They’ve misunderstood something.
Maybe it’s time I tell them what I’m really aiming for.
“We will continue exploring the dungeon.”
“But at this rate, we won’t achieve anything! The elves are steadily raising their hero, and we’re falling behind!”
“In that case… wouldn’t it be better to focus on weakening the elves’ forces?”
So that’s what they’re worried about—the elves.
I suppose it makes sense. The elves and dark elves have always been at odds, and now the elves have a reincarnated hero on their side.
These subordinates of mine probably don’t realize it, but that hero reminds me of the legendary champions from another world. Are they really trying to create another one of those?
No, I can’t let myself get distracted.
At its core, their fear is about the future of us dark elves.
Without the demon race, we would be persecuted. It’s only natural for them to be anxious.
Then, I’ll just have to put their fears to rest.
“This is a good time to discuss our future plans.”
◇
“The dark elves… they’re really persistent.”
Elves are a cautious race, and dark elves are no exception.
I expected them to give up quickly if they deemed my dungeon too dangerous or unprofitable.
So, I designed a dungeon where they wouldn’t get seriously hurt and have been observing their incursions.
But I still don’t understand their goal.
Without knowing their objective, I can’t tell what kind of setup would satisfy them or keep them coming back.
For humans, providing monsters with just the right difficulty for training works.
For beastmen, strong foes make the dungeon appealing.
For dwarves, placing valuable ores inside does the trick.
But these dark elves… they just keep investigating.
And despite being cautious by nature, they don’t seem discouraged at all.
I heard elves were supposed to be like that, but normally, at least some of them should have given up by now…
“Perhaps they’re feeling pressured.”
“Pressured?”
I simply echoed Fiona-sama’s words.
Could they really be feeling pressured? Elves have long lifespans, so they should have more leeway to take their time.
“Is it Zino?”
“Yes, just as Primilla says, the elves have secured a reincarnated individual. Knowing them, they will undoubtedly raise them to become a hero in the future.”
“Shouldn’t we be the ones feeling pressured, then?”
If a reincarnated hero is raised, it’s the Demon King’s army—us—who will have to fight them.
The dark elves are enemies of the Demon King’s army, so even if it’s not their own kind, a powerful warrior should be a welcome sight for them.
“The dark elves have existed in this world even longer than us demons.”
“Really? I always thought the demons came first, or at least around the same time.”
I don’t know the history of this world, but in most cases, demons are born when light and darkness split at the creation of the world, and the darkness evolves into demons.
But in this world, it seems dark elves existed before demons.
“Demons are actually newcomers. Even spirits like the one over there have been around much longer.”
“Well, by the time I was born, demons were already thriving, though.”
“The key point is that dark elves existed before demons. Back then, demons weren’t even in this world. That means the goddess had already chosen a different race to persecute before demons ever appeared.”
“That race was… the dark elves?”
Her again. She’s as despicable as ever.
Why does she always need a target for persecution?
“Yes, it’s necessary. The goddess must have those she saves and those she does not. She has to show humanity what happens to those who are not saved.”
So, she’s basically using persecution as a form of intimidation—believe in her, or suffer.
…No wonder my subordinates were so reluctant to cooperate with demons.
Well, now they’ve given up and seem to be enjoying life in the Demon King’s army.
“If the Demon King’s army is completely wiped out… will the dark elves be persecuted again?”
If such a role is necessary, it will simply be passed on to the next group.
…Unless we defeat the goddess, this cycle will never end, will it?
“It won’t just be the dark elves. Several races fit the criteria. We can’t know who will draw the short straw next.”
Well, by then, we’d all be dead anyway.
But now I understand. No wonder the dark elves are feeling pressured.
“The heroes who defeat the Demon King’s army—especially one raised by the elves, who aren’t exactly on friendly terms with them—will become their enemy.”
“Looking beyond their immediate enemy—us—to the next threat… how remarkably composed of them. In that case, let’s cut down their worries for them.”
“…You mean if we encounter them in the dungeon, right? You’re not planning to go hunt down the dark elves right now, are you?”
“How about placing me in the dungeon instead of the Soul Eater?”
“That’s not exactly a reasonable suggestion…”
Ripianem, who has learned to control her power, still hasn’t managed to rein in her reckless personality.
◇
“…That’s impossible.”
“Why not? It seems like the most practical course of action.”
We’ve conducted our investigations.
That means there’s still hope for me—no, for us.
When I first heard about the dungeon, I never had the same hopes as my subordinates.
Yes, this place is rich in mana, making it a valuable resource.
Turning it into a base would help us dark elves strengthen our magic.
Since it’s been abandoned, there’s a chance we could find powerful items or equipment in the treasure chests.
But I was never after those things from the beginning.
“Defying the goddess… that’s what you’re planning, isn’t it?”
“That so-called goddess has long abandoned us.”
The fact that no reincarnated individual came to us was just bad luck on our part.
But the goddess will never save us.
She has never once lent a hand to the persecuted races of the past.
“That should be enough. We’ve fulfilled our obligations.”
I have no intention of lamenting the suffering of our ancestors when I wasn’t even there.
But if we continue like this, those of us living in the present will suffer the same fate as them.
As queen, I will choose the path that ensures the survival of our race.
“From now on, dungeon investigation will remain our top priority. And we will surrender to the Demon King’s army and become one of their subordinate races.”
No one voiced any objections.
