“Whoa!! No way! This can’t be happening!”
The inn, the shop, even the heat conversion room—all of it was collapsing.
“No, forget about the shock! Everyone, evacuate immediately!”
As devastating as the situation was, now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. Everyone needed to get out—those working at the inn and shops, Karmal, one of Rigma’s sub-bodies, Kazama and the other reincarnators, and even the captured dwarves and halflings. Urgent instructions were issued via Pilkaya to ensure no one was caught in the collapse.
“Rey, everyone’s safe. No injuries reported.”
“I see… That’s a relief.”
The worst-case scenario had been avoided. However, losing things always left a bitter sting—whether human or demon. The damages could be checked on the map, a painful sight. Several facilities were gone. On the surface, it seemed like a minor loss, but to Rey, it was more than that.
“Ah, great… Time to start over.”
The inn, the shop, the heat conversion room, countless traps, and the mines—even the roads and most of the rooms were gone. The dwarves’ dungeon was now reduced to just a small space near the entrance. It wasn’t just what he had personally created; even some stores he didn’t build were destroyed.
“Losing the heat conversion room really hurts…”
In fact, nearly the entire dwarven dungeon being buried was too painful to bear. The heat conversion room could be rebuilt, but would the usual intruders still come back? It didn’t seem likely.
“Was it a mistake to pretend this was an ancient dungeon? If word spreads about the collapse, the dwarves might decide the entire dungeon is unsafe and seal it off. There’s no chance of attracting people with booze or gemstones like before to generate magic power…”
“Ah… Maybe running this dungeon here is no longer possible.”
“Rey…”
There was no helping it. It was time to look for the next location. A deep fatigue settled over him—not physically, but mentally.
“Let’s give the employees from the dwarven dungeon a temporary vacation.”
“Yes, and Rey, you should rest too.”
“Yeah… I need to rest and recover my magic power. During that time, Pilkaya can search for a new dungeon location… No, never mind. I need to sleep.”
◇
“Pilkaya.”
“Yes?”
“The ones who destroyed my dungeon… They’re still in there, aren’t they?”
“Yes, they were caught in the collapse and haven’t been able to escape.”
“I see. Well, I’ve got some business to take care of. Everything else can wait.”
“Maou-sama (Demon Lord)…”
“What is it, Primilla? It’s pointless to try and stop me.”
“Then, I’ll come with you.”
“I can’t let them off the hook so easily either,” said an older man.
“I’ll guide you, so naturally, I’m coming too,” another chimed in.
“But if you all go, who will protect Rey?”
“Hmph… Then I’ll stay,” said one, reluctantly.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on Rey-kun. Nehm-chan, you go ahead.”
“Alright… Thank you, Magirema.”
◇
This was unexpected…
Inui’s ability was supposed to only collapse artificial structures. That’s why only the stores and traps created afterward should have been affected.
So why had the entire dungeon collapsed? Dungeons were natural underground spaces—paths and large chambers carved out of raw, natural materials. It had been confirmed that these naturally processed areas weren’t affected by Inui’s powers, as they weren’t considered artificial.
“Did Inui’s power evolve at the last moment…?”
No, there had been no sign of such a development. If that were the case, there should’ve been some kind of indication. If not, was it possible that everything that collapsed was, in fact, artificial?
“Could it be… that even the paths and rooms were all created by the Demon Lord?”
Had he underestimated the Demon Lord’s power? Was the entire dungeon—no, the entire underground demon realm—shaped by the Demon Lord’s magic?
“!!”
Suddenly, the temperature rose dramatically. Flames surrounded him. Was this a trap? No, all the traps had been destroyed by Inui.
“Well, well! What brings a prince here? Got too much free time on your hands?”
“A spirit?!”
The flames shifted into the shape of a person. It was unmistakable—a fire spirit. And not just any spirit, but a high-ranking one, judging by the magic power it emanated.
“Who are you?”
“I’m one of the Demon Lord’s Four Heavenly Kings.”
The Four Heavenly Kings? The Demon Lord’s army? Ridiculous… Wasn’t this a forsaken dungeon? Why, of all places, had he encountered one of the Four Heavenly Kings?
“J- Jelmy -sama! We must retreat!”
“Fool! Where could we possibly escape to? The area is sealed off by rubble!”
Yet one of the knights, overcome by fear, tried to flee—only to be silenced forever.
“Eek!”
“A little girl… No, you’re a demon, aren’t you?”
“I’m a devil.”
The girl, who claimed to be a devil, wielded a massive warhammer far larger than herself, effortlessly crushing the knights one by one. Her strength was abnormal… Could she also be one of the Four Heavenly Kings?
“Don’t try to fight! We need to escape!”
Two of the Four Heavenly Kings. In a situation like this, not even the heroes would stand a chance.
Trying to escape from the demons and spirits in order to reduce the damage, silver liquid began rising up from the ground beneath.
“Isn’t this a bit much? After destroying everything, you think I’ll let you escape?”
“Ugh!!”
Is that… slime?
As part of its body turned as hard and sharp as metal, it ruthlessly pierced through the knights.
Destroyed…? Could it be that this isn’t a dungeon abandoned by the Demon Lord’s army, but the very stronghold of the Demon Lord’s army?
“Don’t underestimate us… demons…”
There’s no escape.
Then, there’s only one option left: to fight and win.
Fighting an opponent we can’t escape from… It feels like a cruel joke.
But there’s no choice.
It’ll be fine. After all, I’ve grown stronger after tormenting demons countless times.
With the knights’ help, our numbers should give us an advantage…
“Boring. To think my first time stretching my muscles in a while would be against such weaklings. It’s better to finish this quickly and rebuild the dungeon.”
“No, Ripianem… If you help, Rey won’t recover.”
A dragonman…?
What is that thing? There’s no chance of winning.
No matter how hard I try, I can’t feel any hope of winning.
Perhaps because I’m only partially strong, I can truly understand just how terrifying the enemy in front of me is.
“…”
From deeper inside, it emerged.
A demon woman. If we only looked at her appearance, she could be considered beautiful even as a demon.
But she was the real monster here.
Even that dragonman’s strength seemed insignificant compared to hers.
An absolute powerhouse. She looked at us as though we were nothing more than insects.
Could it be… is she the Demon Lord!?
“…”
“Kh…”
It happened in an instant.
Without even glancing at us, without uttering a word, the demon woman simply moved her finger slightly.
That was enough to leave both the knights and me unable to move.
My consciousness began fading away…
Am I… dead? Is this how I die?
Demon Lord… This isn’t how things were supposed to go.
Wasn’t the hero supposed to have cornered him?
Someone like this… Could even a hero win against them…?
◇
“We’re heading back.”
“What should we do with the bodies?”
“Leave them. They’ll serve as nourishment for the dungeon.”
“They say the prince was a human. If we don’t return, they’ll likely investigate this place.”
“Yes, it’s unfortunate for Rey… truly unfortunate, but we’ll have to abandon this place.”
“Well, that’s the most reasonable course. Pilkaya, find us a good location.”
“Of course. I don’t want to deal with humans. I’ll aim for a better race and search for one.”
“Hmm… Should I help as well?”
“That’s not going to work… Ripianem, you’re not suited for that.”
“Well, let’s head back. Poor Rey must be feeling down by now. We should comfort him for a while. By the way, Primilla, Rey and I are going to seclude ourselves for about a thousand years.”
“That’s not happening.”
“Right…”
◇
“Magirema, what’s wrong?”
“Ah, comforting Rey? You know, like animal therapy.”
The dogs started playfully jumping all over me.
I see, maybe forgetting everything for now and playing with the dogs isn’t such a bad idea.
“Well, they’re all my feet, though~.”
…Am I playing with the feet of a beautiful woman? Somehow, just hearing that makes it seem like a pretty questionable scene.
“Ha ha, I’m just joking! See, they’re dogs, so it’s fine. Don’t worry~.”
I’m not sure how I feel about that.
However, thanks to the dogs and Magirema, I did feel a bit better.
Let’s not think too deeply about it.
After this, Fiona-sama came over and asked, “Is it really about the feet again?”
It was a little scary, so I ended up praising Fiona-sama’s feet over and over. I really hope no rumors start spreading about me being obsessed with feet…
