The Trap is Sprung
The operation was perfect. Once we blocked the passage the enemy was using, I discussed two possibilities with Shaitan and we exchanged strategies. This operation was a two-birds-one-stone plan that combined both of our opinions.
— Let’s build a wall to stop the enemy from advancing.
— If we can block the wall, let’s block the enemy’s retreat as well.
A wall of earth stood in front, and the entire path behind them would come crashing down. The enemy would eventually be left to wither away in the middle of a straight corridor. Thanks to Ryun’s perfect mission execution, we succeeded in trapping the enemy in the long, straight passage, and now they were faced with a dilemma. One, break through the completely collapsed passage. Two, pass through the breakable wall and come at us head-on. The former would take a considerable amount of time, but there was no other route to reach the first floor of our dungeon.
'Solomon’s magic system is absolute.' No matter how connected the basement floor is to the first floor, as long as it is blocked by a magical barrier, they cannot physically break through the ceiling to climb up.
'So they have to come here.' Therefore, the only way to the first floor is the stairs in the final interception room that we are guarding. I don’t know what the enemy commander’s personality is like, but I wonder what choice they will make.
"Ryun, how is the enemy moving?"
"...It looks like they’re breaking the wall to come through."
"As expected. Just as you said, they seem to be hot-tempered."
Judging by the personality of the enemy commander—the Penguin Girl—that Ryun mentioned, it was expected that she would rush in as soon as she broke the wall. Our legion had to wait in a state of alert for a long time in front of the hell pit we had prepared for the Penguin Girl and the Cockatrices.
"Alright, come on. I feel like I’ve ordered fried chicken and am waiting for the delivery."
30 minutes.
"...Well, it’s possible they won’t come within 30 minutes. Actually, 30 minutes is on the fast side. Hehe."
1 hour.
"...It’s taking longer than I thought."
Other than Ryun’s hearing, there was no way to judge how far the enemy was breaking through the wall. 'They are definitely responding well after being attacked from the front and back, above and below.' Whenever the Flare Panthera in the basement or the slimes on the ceiling approached, Furcas immediately slammed his scythe into the floor and ceiling. There was no need to waste scouts, and I had to read the enemy’s advance speed through Furcas’s position.
'They’re slow, but they’re still coming toward us.' I only knew that the enemy forces were coming. I was on edge because I had no way of knowing how they were breaking the walls, what abilities they were using, or what level the Cockatrices' combat power was. I needed a way to find out.
"This is why scouts use cloaking units."
"Cloaking?"
"Stealth units. You know... things that move in a transparent state. Like a Banshee?"
Since scouts get eliminated as soon as they are spotted, I was already practicing scouting in ways the enemy couldn’t attack. Just as I had sent Andras and the Harpy units to perform aerial reconnaissance against the punitive force, I knew the importance of information better than anyone. 'But it doesn’t work in a dungeon.' I struggled to find out the enemy’s movements through the ceiling and basement, but since they were in the same space, it wasn’t completely invincible. Experiencing that firsthand, I definitely felt the need to diversify my scouting methods. Especially in a closed space like a dungeon, special measures were needed.
"Ryun, how do elves scout?"
"Us? We ask the Wind Spirits. But it’s impossible in a dungeon. This is an environment where spirits cannot live."
"That’s a shame. ...I really need to summon a Banshee."
How great would it be if there were incorporeal beings that could pass through the cave walls of the dungeon? Anyway, for now, I had to keep watching the enemy’s movements using the Flare Panthera and slimes.
"Let’s see. ...Are they still in the middle of the 1st Interception Room?"
I didn’t know if we had made too many walls or if they were just trying to dry me out, but the enemies were breaking through the walls so leisurely that I was burning up inside.
"Master, should I go and knock down a few walls in advance?"
"Hmm... Honestly, I want to fight them head-on even if it means doing that, but let’s play it safe rather than taking unnecessary risks. Isn’t it their loss if we drag this out anyway?"
I was grateful that the enemies were wasting time like this.
"Just wait... we’ll be able to make a big score soon."
Time is absolutely on our side.
* * *
The Las Trading Company’s general store was ready to start business again today. Although a significant amount of stockings had been sold, since we limited the amount to be sold per day, there were enough stockings to last for three or four days even if we assumed more people would buy them as word spread. Therefore, it wasn’t strictly necessary to return to Las Vegas or the dungeon immediately. However, Meari, the head of the trading company dispatched to Spica Castle, decided that she needed to return to the dungeon.
"I think I need to go back to the dungeon."
"Hold on. If you do that, it might raise suspicion."
Gei had to stop Meari, who was about to pack her bags and leave right away.
"There are still people sleeping in the inn. If you suddenly disappear, won’t they be suspicious?"
"They’re all probably asleep anyway, right? They’ll be too exhausted from having their vital energy drained to even wake up. The succubi also need to return to the dungeon to convert the vital energy into magic stones."
Overnight, many guests, starting with the lord, had visited Avalon, and the fairies had led the desired guests underground to the world of dreams. The succubi who had crossed over through the underground tunnels drained vital energy through dreams from the humans put to sleep by the fairies.
"Tsk, if only a portal had been created... we could have returned quickly."
"Gremory said she couldn’t come, didn’t she? At least we can hear a little bit about the current situation."
If there had been a portal, the succubi could have obtained vital energy without having to cross over through a portal opened to the dungeon. If that were the case, the succubi, and Meari as well, would have been able to participate in the battle between the Legion of Wrath and Halpas’s legion.
"I didn’t expect something like this to happen in just one day. Could it be that the enemies know something through some sort of method?"
"That’s too much of a stretch."
However, the portal hadn’t been installed yet, and due to the surprise war, the succubi were forced to stay in Spica Castle. There were no major problems, but the fact that they couldn’t receive news from the dungeon moment by moment was a huge blow.
"You said you received a message from an Orc Rider in the basement earlier, right? What did Papa say?"
"...Shaitan delivered the message."
The message was simply, 'We have been attacked, but rest assured and focus on the business.' Although the war situation was being conveyed through an Orc Rider running through the basement every two hours, the fact that the battle was still ongoing in real-time was something Meari couldn’t help but feel anxious about.
"...I don’t think I can help it. I think I have to help."
"Help? In what way?"
"Just as our legion originally planned."
Meari lifted a bundle full of magic stones. The vital energy extracted by the succubi still remained in the succubi’s bodies, but the magic stones earned through bartering for stockings were fully imbued with that mana.
"I have to send them to Papa’s dungeon every day. It’s not like we’re going to use the magic stones here right away anyway."
"What if they ask for the magic stones?"
"Isn’t that why you’re here, to smooth over such situations?"
"That’s true. ...I understand. What power do I have to stop you? I’ve already finished the preparations."
Gei pointed to the secret door of the underground passage leading from Avalon to outside Spica Castle. At the entrance, Lime and the Slime Dragons were waiting for Meari. Meari climbed onto the back of one of the Slime Dragons.
"I’ll be back in a bit with Lime."
"Hey. What are you going to do if the person in charge is away?"
"I’ll be back soon. Just to where the portal is."
Meari climbed onto the Slime Dragon’s back and leaned her upper body as far forward as possible.
"It won’t happen, but if anyone looks for me... tell them I went to get materials for stockings at night and came back late."
"...It’s strange for me to say that, too... oh well."
Meari left with the slime troops without looking back. Gei scratched his head and returned to the room where the secret passage was connected. In the storage room, a fairy dressed in a suit was trying to move a box containing stockings.
"Oh my. Sir Knight, where is the mage?"
"...I think she went to the main base for a moment."
"Aha. Are you sending the magic stones right away? That’s a relief. It was awkward to manage them for no reason, so that’s good. And it will be helpful to the legion as well."
"If that’s the case, it’s a relief."
Magic stones earned from selling stockings. Even though they were only low-grade, if even a few magic stones were supplied, we would be able to win the war against Halpas’s forces.
"Hehe, then we’ll go fight on our end."
The fairy woman tidied her clothes and left the seat. Seeing the woman who had been drinking with three men until yesterday and leading them underground now wearing modest attire, Gei couldn’t help but swallow hard. The fairy woman was wearing a bunny girl outfit inside, with a shirt over it. Gei calmed his heated lower body and caught his breath.
"......I want to see Harpyia soon."
Gei licked his lips and went up to the first floor. The first floor was busy with preparations for business, and the fairy who had to write receipts due to Meari’s absence was hurriedly learning the manual and mastering the work.
"It’s time to open the door, should I open it?"
"Thank you. Could you do that?"
Gei opened the door to the general store while listening to the birds chirping. The street outside was already bustling with many customers, and Gei’s soldiers had lined them up, but...
"Oh. Sir Gei, don’t tell me you slept here too?"
Beyond the door Gei opened, a woman with sparkling eyes was excited with a face full of anticipation. For a moment, Gei couldn’t recognize who the woman was.
"......My Lady?"
The Lord—Virginium Virgo—who had come dressed as beautifully as if she were going to a social gathering in the capital, smiled faintly and covered her mouth with white gloves. The dress, which looked like a light pink flower, was a color that reminded him of someone. Under the dress, the Baron’s black stockings caught his eye at a glance. The Baron cleared his throat and looked at Gei.
"Ahem. I know it’s rude to come from the morning. ...Is Meari inside? If it’s okay... I’d like to have breakfast with her."
"From this time...?"
The sun hadn’t been up above the horizon for very long. In Gei’s memory, the Baron should have been waking up at this time.
"That’s right. I wanted to have a chat with Meari... so I woke up at dawn."
But such a Baron appeared after finishing a flower-like decoration that would take at least an hour to prepare. "Is she inside? Please guide me." At the expectant face of Baron Virgo, Gei’s mouth went dry.
"We’re almost there...."
Furcas stood in front of the last wall with his skull held on the penguin’s beak. The penguin stood in front of the wall leading to the 2nd Interception Room that Furcas had mentioned, after breaking through thirteen walls, and thrust its arm into it.
"Here it is. I can smell the Orcs. And there are many of them. Strongly."
Crackle, crackle! The wall was instantly soaked in water and then frozen. Furcas was relieved that it was the last one, and the penguin threw a punch at the frozen wall.
Crash! The frozen earth wall shattered into pieces like a glass window and scattered. The penguin even felt a thrill at the wide-open front.
"Welcome! What is your name?"
On the other side of the passage, an Orc in a black robe was standing with both arms wide open, welcoming them. The penguin looked down for a long time without a word, then picked up Furcas’s skull that was placed on its beak.
"You played a trick on the floor, didn’t you?"
Roll, roll. The penguin gently threw Furcas’s skull forward. Instead of falling to the floor, Furcas’s head fell even deeper.
"Princess—"
Whoosh! As soon as Furcas’s skull touched the ground, the floor immediately burst into flames. A pit of fire soared in the deeply dug space, and Furcas’s skull began to roast in the fire pit.
"......."
The Orc’s expression stiffened, and the penguin clicked its beak at the Orc.
"Where did you pull that cheap trick?"
"...Damn it."
The hell pit the Orc had ambitiously prepared ended with burning the skull of the Pale Rider, Furcas.