Chapter 115
In the dungeon surveillance room―――
My subordinates… they’re acting strange.
I stand, dumbfounded, staring at the monitor.
What the heck is this? It’s scary.
My subordinates are scary.
Especially Ann and Elibel.
Ann’s overwhelming presence is off the charts, and Elibel gives off a fear that’s… devilish, different.
And what’s up with the fists…?
Well, good thing they’re not killing her… I guess.
Even though she’s getting beaten up.
Despite looking like a ragged mop, somehow Elja is still alive.
Ann is amazing…
Good thing she’s on our side.
I’m thankful to have her as my subordinate…
What drove them to go so far?
There’s another thing that caught my attention.
The animal golem homunculi.
They’re noticeably stronger than before.
Gonzo, the rhino, is armed on the horns and legs. The something-called Lizard Golem, created from the skin of a giant lizard, is freakishly stronger, radiating an aura and magical power that’s out of this world.
Have these two reached the level of strength same as the forest’s four chiefs?
『What’s going on…?』
『I gradually enhanced their magical power and expanded their magic circuits, taking care not to burden them. Compared to before, they’ve improved by about 40%. Also, their armaments were created based on your ‘alchemy’, Lord Earth.』
Gijie answers my question before I ask.
What? Did he read my mind?
『I noticed you were worried about the current state of the golem homunculi.』
Oh, I see.
He’s very considerate.
I mean, Gijie is too capable….
Not only did he handle the dungeon’s defense, he also strengthened the golem homunculi when I wasn’t looking.
Did he really come from my magical power?
Is this some kind of mistake?
The developments left me speechless.
My dungeon is turning into something beyond belief…
「…Dad?」
「…Puu?」
….Wha?!
Okay, let’s put that aside first.
I was avoiding reality.
On the monitor, I see Elibel holding Elja, about to open a teleportation gate.
In a panic, I send a thought transmission to Ann and Elibel.
『Um… so, is it… over?』
Oh no.
I’m so rattled, I started speaking politely.
『Lord Earth? Yes, we’ve more or less taken care of things… but why are you being formal all of a sudden?』
『Ah, sorry, don’t mind that. I’m just a little flustered.』
『…I see. A Holy Dragon suddenly appeared, so it’s natural you’d be agitated. I sympathize, Lord Earth.』
No, you don’t.
You don’t understand, Ann.
You’re missing the point.
『But Lord Earth, please wait a while before finishing her off. It seems that Elibel is trying to find a use for her.』
『A use…?』
Isn’t that basically treating her like an object?
Well, never mind.
It’s Elibel, after all.
She’s probably thinking of something outrageous.
But Elja did mention the possibility of restoring my body…
I doubt she’ll kill her…
Most likely.
Maybe.
For some reason, I can only imagine Elja as a lab rat or a preserved specimen.
I’m pretty sure Elibel wouldn’t do anything to endanger the dungeon…
But it doesn’t hurt to be careful.
『…Hey, Pururu.』
「Puuu?」
『Could you sneak one of your copies into Elibel’s lab just in case? Let me know if Elja… I mean, if Elibel starts acting strange.』
「Puu~」
Pururu tears off a small part of her body, as if to say, “Okay!”.
It’s a tiny Pururu.
Lovely.
「Puupuu」
「Puu!」
Pururu is saying something to the little Pururu.
The little Pururu seems to acknowledge with a shake of her body, responding with an affirmative energy before exiting the surveillance room.
『Now then, should I say something to Elibel as well?』
In order to prevent any unnecessary dissection.
It seems like Ann and the others are returning to the depths as well.
I open a communication line directed towards Elibel.
『Hey, Elibel, can you hear me?』
Reacting to my voice, Elibel jerks slightly on the other side of the monitor.
『Oh, Earth. What’s up?』
『Well, I should be the one asking you that. Try not to do anything too reckless.』
『Oh my, are you worried about me? Don’t worry, she’s pretty gullible.』
Actually, I’m more worried about Elja, but I keep that to myself.
『Anyway, I’m not going to do what you’re probably imagining. I know how you think, Earth. You’re probably imagining me turning this girl into a preserved specimen, or cutting her into pieces, or taking her to my bed. Isn’t that right?』
Oh, she got me. I was indeed thinking about that.
In fact, what she’s suggesting is even more horrifying than what I’d imagined.
Especially the last part.
Yet, Elibel shakes her head.
『I’ve told you, she potentially holds the key to healing your body. And if the rumors about the Holy Dragon’s ‘ability’ are true, then even more so. Plus, any bit of information on the Dragon King species is invaluable, given how scarce it is. Once I’ve gathered enough data, I’ll let her return home safely.』
『Is…is that so? I’m relieved then…』
We certainly don’t need to stir up the Holy Kingdom and have the Holy Dragon and his army descend upon us.
『You don’t need to worry. I have no intention of provoking the Holy Kingdom and the Holy Dragon… at least not ‘now’.』
Elibel drops this bombshell of a comment.
Wait, did I just hear something alarming?
That was just my imagination, right?
『But remember, if your body is cured, you will meet her. Personally, I don’t particularly like these naive young ladies, but a promise is a promise. At the very least, I’ll help you navigate the bare minimum. Reluctantly.』
『Eh? I have to meet her?』
『Of course. Just say hi, that’s all. Make an appearance, you shut-in dragon.』
『Ah, fine. Got it.』
Don’t call me a shut-in dragon.
What a hassle….
But, if it means getting my body healed, I suppose I can manage a simple greeting.
Just say hello.
And then, I’ll send her away as soon as possible.
『I’ll head to the lab now. Goodbye, Earth. Look forward to good news. I promise, I’ll find a way to heal you.』
Saying that, Elibel gives me a thumbs-up.
Then, she and Elja disappear into the light of the teleportation gate.
Despite everything, in times like these, our sage is pretty reliable.
Now, I should probably talk to Gwyve as well.
Looking at the footage, Gwyve is still in the underground forest.
He looks relaxed but somewhat lethargic.
He’s a White Wyvern, a species that uses sunlight as energy. Maybe being in this sunlight-deprived underground isn’t doing him any good.
『Hey, Gwyve. Can you hear me?』
『Oh, it’s Earth. Given that you’re contacting me, I take it Elja lost?』
『Eh, you knew?』
『Well, I had an idea. Now, tell me what happened. That’s why you contacted me, right?』
『Yeah, the thing is―――』
As I explain the situation, Gwyve bursts out laughing.
『Hahaha! So, she was beaten up and peed herself, unable to use her full power. Just as I expected. This will be a good lesson for her. It’s high time she learned about the outside world.』
Gwyve seems more calm than I anticipated.
Apparently, he’d expected this outcome.
『Well, it was just a prediction. I sensed the enormous magical power coming from this underground forest. And knowing you, I thought you’d have made an extraordinary dungeon. Though, if she’d challenged it in her true form as the Holy Dragon, things might have turned out differently.』
Indeed, he’s got a point.
The reason things were resolved so quickly this time was because Elja remained in her human form.
If she’d brought out the true power of the Holy Dragon, who knows what would have happened…
『Certainly, if she had confronted it as the Holy Dragon, it would have required much more time.』
Gijie jumps into the conversation.
Of course, Gwyve can’t hear him.
『Based on the calculations, if she had faced the challenge as the Holy Dragon, we would have needed approximately 72 hours to analyze her magical power, and we would have had to test about 1,800 golem attack patterns. She probably would have broken through around twenty floors of the dungeon.』
Gijie voices his prediction.
But can he really complete the analysis in three days?
Gijie truly is amazing.
And she could still reach the twentieth floor in that condition?
We have more than two hundred floors in the middle layer.
However, I see… Only the twentieth floor, even when challenging in the Holy Dragon state.
Oh, right.
『By the way, that girl called you Uncle Gwyve before, right? What’s your relationship with her?』
『Hm? Does it interest you?』
『Well, a bit.』
He’s the one who brought such trouble upon us.
I’d be lying if I said it didn’t pique my curiosity.
『That girl――Elja’s father and I go way back. So, I ended up taking care of her quite a bit』
Even so, it’s only once every several decades, Gwyve adds.
So when he says father, he means the Holy Dragon… a Dragon King, right?
The fact that Gwyve has connections with such a guy, could it be that he’s incredibly powerful?
He did say he’s lived for quite a long time.
I remember asking Fáfnir about the Dragon Kings before.
Fáfnir said he’d met Dragon Kings, but he’d hardly ever interacted with them.
The same was true for the other subordinates.
And he’d only met them once.
He said, “Nothing good comes from getting involved.”
When I told him I was a Dragon King, he laughed.
I don’t know what part of that tickled his funny bone.
While I’m lost in thought, Gwyve says, “Oh, by the way,” and opens his mouth.
『I almost forgot. Speaking of which, Earth, I was asked to pass on a message to you.』
『A message? Hm, from who?』
Ah, could it be from Heleb?
The only person I know from the outside world is Heleb.
But the words that come out of Gwyve’s mouth are completely unexpected.
『It’s from your mother.』
So, it’s from my mother, huh…
It wasn’t Heleb, then.
――――wait, what?
『She said she’s going to visit soon and is looking forward to meeting you.』
…Excuse me?
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