Translator: Manga0205
The sky was cloudless. Warm enough to tell that spring was approaching, it was a quiet morning that would make one feel sleepy. On the large wagon that was divided into two sections, there was food, and a moderate amount of household goods and tools of the trade. And then, several lurking demons that kept hidden. This was everything that I currently possessed.
「Eliott! We're all prepared over here, you knowー?」
The voices of Sara and Shiro who had originally lived in Abram were lacking in prudence and were cheerful. In order to slightly change the outer appearance of Shiro the Weredog, there was a need to hide a portion of her body with a hood and outfit whenever we passed through places with a lot of public gazes, but they weren't enough to restrict her actions. On top of Shiro having a personal history where she was a fairly well-known Adventurer in the past, her team has already be annihilated. There will probably times where she will meet with acquaintances she once had, but there was no other choice but to pardon them as necessary risks. It's impossible for her to return to being an Adventurer, but since her dependence on me is strong like Dahlia, it would probably be for the best to keep her by my side. As my personal guard, having Shiro, who was excellent with her perception ability and trap handling, around was reassuring. Though, I'll definitely need her to properly learn how to read and write letters once we've settled down in Abram, together with Dahlia.
For Sara the Succubus, similar to Astarte, because she had an outward appearance that pretty much wasn't any different from Humans other than her wings and tail, it was easy for her to move around. The criminal record of the Red Crow probably still remained, but I had that covered up with the help of Olivie. To begin with, it wasn't like Sara herself actively participated in that incident. With the perpetrator already dead, she became a captive of the Man Eating Dungeon, and just as she had escaped from there and was about to live a life on the run, she helped the expeditionary force out of their pinch. If she kept to that outline, it would probably become an achievement that would compensate for her sin and even have a bit left over.
Having this achievement evaluated, I intended for Sara to sneak into the Abram imperial court as Olivie's personal Magician. Of course, it goes without saying that there was the double objective of implying that she would be Olivie's guard and that she would be place close to Olivie for communication purposes as she was well-versed in the usage of magic tools. Though it may be an imperial court in the frontier, she would be the Count House's personal imperial court Magician. Sara went in the direction of being surprised and flustered before feeling delight from her sudden success in life. ……Afterwards, I'll need to buy garments for Sara that wouldn't be strange even if she were to wear them at the imperial court. I absentmindedly thought about such things.
The outline that Olivie and I, as well as my women, discussed and decided upon went like this.
The expeditionary force got caught in a cowardly trap of the demons of the Man Eating Dungeon. Commanding officer Olivia was captured by the Dungeon Master, but succeeded in escaping at the last moment and succeeded in buying time. At that time, a peddler (me) who was originally from Grandol who was coincidentally passing nearby met with the wandering Adventurer (Sara) who had escaped from the dungeon with the expeditionary force's capturing of the dungeon as the impetus for her escape, and he told her about a tunnel shortcut that he had accidentally discovered when he was a child. The Adventurer (Sara) invaded the dungeon, met with the fugitive commanding officer Olivia, cooperated in rescuing her comrades, and defeated a spider Majin (Arachne) who was the master of the Man Eating Dungeon……Well, it was something like that.
Arachne's head was pickling in salt so that it wouldn't rot. Its face that bluntly had an atypical appearance of a spider, even if we were to tell people it was the Officer of Arms, there probably wouldn't be anyone that would believe it. I had her become useful as the substitute for the Dungeon Master.
The time until the expeditionary force arrives at Watergate City Abram, considering their marching speed, is about nine days. Since it seems that a messenger was sent to Abram from the rear guard unit that remained outside of the tunnel when Arachne's trap was activated and the expeditionary force had collapsed, most likely, the news of 「So the expeditionary force was annihilated?」 would reach Abram three to four days faster than the expeditionary force. We already knew that that would be an incorrect report if the expeditionary force were to return, but there were also things that can't be done if we don't have the timing for it. It was in order to do that job that we were making preparations to depart first without accompanying the expeditionary force.
……By making this expedition a success, Olivia would obtain the mining rights to the mine. The mine blueprints and the survey documents that should have been lost in the impact, I had custody of all of them for the sake of the dungeon's reconstruction. Since I had done maintenance for more than half a year using things like the Stone Golem, even management of it was possible. If I were to reconstruct even the part that Arachne exploded, the preliminary arrangements to use it as a mine would be perfect. If this were to be used and the development were to resume, in the near future, Grandol would probably revive once again as a mining village. Faster than what society had assumed, there was the possibility that the mine would circulate iron into the market, and would no doubt bear profit. And then, that profit would become Count Abram's……And then, Olivie's footing for influence.
It was also possible to pretty much reopen the inn that was my familial home but……I decided to pass on that. That inn would be sold to the Blair House……to Olivie and Count Abram, and would be used as a base for the engineers that would develop the mine. In exchange for that, I would come to possess a single store in Abram's new urban area. It's a shop that deals in magic tools. Rather than dealing with only mercenaries that occasionally came to the frontier, I could probably expect even bigger business. I also considered employing people, but I probably need to have Dahlia learn about the management and operation of the store first.
With this, the mining village's Man Eating Dungeon will disappear.
With this, my career as a Dungeon Master ended.
「……Eliott-sama, is this alright? Although it was poor magical power, it was a land that at least possessed magical power. Losing that, what will you do next?」
「There are various methods to obtain magical power……the one that taught me that was you, you know? Although this dungeon is suitable for defense, it's impossible to make money from it no matter what we do. Besides, Abram is more suitable for the things I want to do. ……Do you feel like becoming a high-class prostitute as a temporary position?」
Pondering for a moment, Astarte looked my way and made a small nod.
「……I see, you were thinking of that sort of magic power replenishment. Certainly, it would surely be possible in theory.」
With the women I turned into demons as prostitutes, we would take in various customers at the shop. The demon women would absorb a small amount of magical power from the customers, and the customer's magical power would be collected to where I am via the women. At first, it might be something insignificant. Nevertheless, if the business were to expand and if the number of demon women were to increase, it would be much more efficient than snatching magical power all at once through sacrifice, and wouldn't it be possible to gain magical power in the long term? Besides……Slowly, while no one was aware of it, my women would probably turn the guests into demons. That itself was like a spider web soundlessly being laid out.
「Eliott-sama. There was no craziness in my eyes for choosing you. I, Astarte, will continue to belong to your great self.」
「Someday, I will make you submit to me completely, and your heart and body, I will make you a demon for my exclusive use.」
I muttered that inside of my heart. With information still hidden, the unknown would become the best weapon.
「……Master, the preparations have been arranged.」
「Dahlia. Come along to where I am going. You belong to me, you haven't forgotten that, have you?」
「Yes, Master. I, belong to you. No matter where it is……as long as you are there.」
「We will be living in a large city from now on. Since we are country bumpkins, there are a lot of things that will make you bewildered at first. Also……There's reading and writing and calculations, and the ins and outs of business. For you, Dahlia, the things I have for you do in order to manage the shop in my place will increase. As long as you belong to me, I will make you do that stuff as well, got it?」
Dahlia made a puzzled face.
「That's right. You are the one that attended to me the most, and the one that was closest to me on a regular basis. Because of that, I will have you learn about my surface business. If there are other things that you want to do, you can do it in your free time. In regards to the business, I'll discreetly pay you a salary……I'll be relying on you, you know?」
「……Erm, first we will start from reading and writing……won't we. I will be in your care, Master.」
With a face that looked a bit distressed, yet a bit shy. Dahlia's face looked a bit different from how it was up until today.
Boarding the carriage, I showed my face out to the driver's seat.
The former spy, who attached a choker on herself in order to demonstrate her loyalty, gently turned her head around and answered with a voice that had a bit of flirtation held within it.
Having been released from her chains of fear, Diana, who had turned into a spider woman, naturally came under my control, but before I could coerce her, she swore loyalty to me of her own will, and desired to be bound and dominated by me. It meant that operating underneath someone suited her nature. She appeared to be ambitious, composed, and confident, but in actual fact, her masochistic sexual disposition was strong.
「Yes, Goshujin-sama. Aah……How, wonderful.」
The sexual desire that was included in her voice, maybe it was ambition, or maybe it was the ways of women. I am still unable to differentiate between the two.
The carriage started to move. Progressing along the mountain roads, we passed through the hilled areas that overlooked the mining village. Looking down on the expeditionary force that had gathered on the campsite and were preparing to withdraw, I looked back and gazed at the village of my birthplace. Olivie took command of the surviving members of the expeditionary force, and after finishing up medical treatment on soldiers and replenishing supplies at a village on route, they would return to Abram. It seemed that the knight that I met a few days ago was safe, and he was greatly surprised when he saw me. He might suspect something, but that person probably won't say anything. For some reason, I had confidence in that.
Having nothing but a deep forest, a mine, a river, and small fields, and not having even a single resident living in it nowadays, an uninhabited village. Having spent most of my close to 20 year old life here, although it didn't have many good things about it, it was my hometown that was packed with memories. Only the grave that mother sleeps in is the final link remaining for the current me. I thought that I would become sentimental, but unexpectedly, I didn't even feel lonely.
I finished with only making a report in front of mother's grave. Being a big drinker and a maudlin drinker, this was about my mother who laughed a lot and got angry a lot. Unexpectedly, she might be exasperated from seeing me as I am now. At the very least, the only thing she wouldn't say is a denial to my departure, she was that sort of person. Offering the highest grade alcohol and the goblet that was always used when Gustave and the others came to drink, my salutations ended with that. Here, there was no longer, any things that were left undone. Surely, I would never come back here.
When I closed the awning of the carriage, the scenery of my birthplace vanished before my eyes. Turning around, I gazed at the women that were watching me intently.
Embracing Shiro and Sara who were in waiting on my left and right, I dropped my waist onto the carriage's luggage carrier.
「First of all, we will take over Abram's Assassin's Guild before the expeditionary force returns. ……That place will become our new nest.」
Before I knew it, the women started to take off their clothes. Dahlia took off my clothes, and started to fold them. Shiro and Sara buried their faces in my crotch and started servicing me. Astarte hugged me from behind crawled her tongue along my ear. A carriage that was leaking out faint coquettish voices entered a forest that was devoid of people……And then, continued onwards towards the distant Abram.
Like this, the demons that nested for one year at the mining village vanished, and the tale of the Man Eating Dungeon marked its end. That was how it was recorded in Abram's records, and that is what many people believed. The people that knew the truth of it all, were few.
And then……the stage of the tale, moved to the Watergate City.
……Welcome, to the town of spiderwebs, to a new dungeon.
Author's Note:
With this, the story of the mining village's Man Eating Dungeon is closed. To all of the readers that have gone along with me, I once again give a large thanks to you.
As for plans, I do have an idea for the tale in the Watergate City Abram, but after thinking that I would like to do some plot revisions and do a certain amount of accumulating some writings, I am considering resuming around September.
Even incidents of times where I didn't have it pictured in my mind in the original story, if I had the leeway then……Various dreams with such thoughts happened throughout, but, well, things don't always go that well. If you have any requests, or if you could make a brief comment on your impressions, I would happy.
Translator’s Note:
Fortunately for you guys, this novel is already done, so you just have to wait a few days to read the next chapter.