The Slash-and-Burn Village Before the Dungeon, Las Village (1)
The spot where Ryun and I first encountered each other was definitely far from the Elf Forest. I had been logging trees not too far from the dungeon, and Ryun had claimed that out of curiosity, she had crossed over into a place she shouldn't have.
"So, you fell from a tree and fainted, and this... person helped you?"
"Yes. That's right."
Ryun shifted all the blame for our meeting onto herself. I had deceived Luna, and Ryun had played along with Luna’s questions to make the lie fit together well enough.
"You didn't get into any trouble, did you?"
"Trouble? What kind of trouble?"
"You know... *ahem*."
Taking advantage of her persona as an innocent, naive child, Ryun tilted her head while pressing a finger to her soft pink lips. But I knew better. During our march back to the dungeon, Ryun had used those very lips to wrap her tongue around my member and kiss it, right alongside Lime.
"I see... Then that's a relief. But why do you call him 'Master'?"
"Th-that's..."
Ryun stammered, putting on a pitiful expression. "...I can't go back to the forest anymore. I’ve already committed a taboo."
"......."
Luna wore a stunned expression. She glanced at me, wary. Ryun’s transgression was merely leaving the Elf Forest—a problem that could be mitigated with a good explanation.
"*Ahem*..."
But Luna? The moment she realized she wouldn't be corrupted after my glans touched her, she had immediately and actively engaged in sexual acts. It was Luna who had adjusted the angle of insertion so I could press down harder while she was pinned beneath me. I didn't know how far the elves' taboos allowed for leniency, but in terms of the severity of the taboo broken, Luna was far worse off.
'And my seed even went inside her.'
Damn that sperm and the System. Even so, how could it take root on the very first try?
"Ryun, if anything happens, you must tell me. Understand?"
"Yes. Don't worry."
It wasn't Ryun who was in trouble, it was you, Luna. I hadn't even reached the main event with Ryun yet, but if Luna didn't return within thirty days, she might not just be exiled—she might be executed on the spot.
'In that case.'
A vicious plan flashed through my mind. Meanwhile, the two of them were finishing their conversation.
"Are you coming back here, sister?"
"Yes. I can't come often, but I'll drop by to see you from time to time."
"No, you don't have to. I can live well enough here. You don't have to go through the trouble of coming."
"Still, I can't just leave a young elf who hasn't even undergone her coming-of-age ceremony to a stranger. Ryun, when I return, I'll look for a way. I'll keep it... a secret from the Elder."
Ryun, who insisted she didn't need any attention, and Luna, who insisted she would provide it regardless, engaged in a brief battle of nerves. And I knew exactly what was causing that tension.
'They're so horny they're dying.'
One was afraid of having me stolen away, and the other was looking for chances to devour me. Watching the two elves holding hands, I made a vow.
'The cream pie is a definite go.'
Whether that cream would be cheese cream or chocolate mousse was a matter for later. Whether she knew my thoughts or not, Luna shot me a glance before smoothing out her clothes.
"Then I'm going. Ryun, be careful. Okay?"
"Yes. Sister, don't overexert yourself on my account."
Luna left, receiving a grand send-off from me, Ryun, and the ghouls. She must have seen the captured humans along the way, but Luna didn't seem to care much.
"......Just dare to set foot in our forest. Then everything will be over."
Since she wasn't standing firmly on the side of the Human Alliance or the Demon King's forces, Luna left the forest after leaving only a warning as a guardian who protected 'only' the forest.
"Haa..."
"Master, I'm sorry."
Suddenly, Ryun apologized. If anything, I was the one who was grateful; I couldn't understand why Ryun was apologizing.
"I-I ignored Master's order and came back to the dungeon..."
"Ah."
She had ignored an order. The result was good, so it was fine, but if the intruder hadn't been Luna but someone like me, I might have had to watch my head get chopped off while Ryun and Meari whimpered under that guy.
".......Hmm."
Even if Ryun hadn't come into the dungeon, the situation would have been resolved well. So, separate from Ryun successfully hooking Luna, I had to punish her.
"It seems I must give you a punishment for disobeying orders."
"A-a punishment?"
Ryun squeezed her eyes shut, as if she knew it was coming. And I thought of the punishment that would be most effective for her.
'Should I really go through with it?'
I wasn't sure if this was really a punishment, but with a "to hell with it" attitude, I blurted it out.
"It's a punishment for disobeying. You are not to eat my 'stuff' until tomorrow."
"What?"
Ryun’s face turned pale.
"H-how can you say that...! Then I'll have to eat only slime again, h-h-huaaang!!"
Ryun wailed sorrowfully. Even when she had wet herself in terror when we first met, she had never cried as if she had lost the world like this.
"Hwaaang, don't do that, Master, please give me honey, please, hwaaang."
"......."
I hardened my heart and firmly refused. Ryun stopped crying abruptly and dropped her head.
"......By 'until tomorrow,' you mean I can eat it tomorrow, right? Right?"
"......Th-that's right. It's just not today."
If I could have let her eat it tomorrow, I would have said 'starting tomorrow,' but Ryun’s expression was so terrifying that I decided to give in. If I had to compare my current situation, wasn't it like getting caught red-handed messing around with my girlfriend's sister? No? Well, whatever.
"......Then I'll try to hold out just for today, *hic*."
Thankfully, Ryun held back her tears. I patted her on the shoulder. And so, our night raid was concluded for now. The path to the common area was cleared again by the slimes, and the door on the other side was opened by the slime troops that Meari and the harpies had ferried over the cliff.
-First, assemble everyone in the common area.
I gathered all my subordinates and prisoners in the common area in case of any unforeseen events, and we all fell asleep with the ghouls standing guard. Although the sun was already rising, I needed to get at least one nap in.
* * *
Clop, clop.
The reconnaissance unit of the Virgo Barony arrived at the village. Knight Gei, who had arrived at the village leading a small group of scouts under the Baron's orders, felt a wave of nausea at the sight of the devastated village.
"This is absurd...!"
The village was destroyed, and there wasn't a single person left. Only the bloodstains soaking the dirt floor hinted at what had happened here.
"F-find the survivors, now!"
Knight Gei shouted at his soldiers. The soldiers, who had been joking about marching to the slash-and-burn village as if it were a casual outing, realized the gravity of the situation and began to search the village thoroughly.
"Sir Gei! Over here...!"
One soldier pointed to the inside of a collapsed house. Inside the largest log cabin in the village, a corpse lay on the bed in a bizarre state.
"Ugh."
The man was naked, dead with his chest pierced by a collapsed log. Knight Gei swallowed hard, stepped inside cautiously, and wiped the man's blood with his finger.
'It hasn't been long since he died.'
Judging by the blood, it hadn't even been half a day. And outside, the soldiers easily discovered various traces.
"Here, there are marks of a corpse being torn apart! It seems to be those ghouls!"
"Here... *uugh*. There's an upper body with only the lower half missing. Judging by the drag marks around it, it seems to have been eaten by a slime, *urgh*!"
"Sir Gei, here are people's footprints!"
"W-wait!"
Knight Gei was confused. He was flustered because too much information was coming in at once.
"Are there absolutely no signs of them trying to cover their tracks?"
"......Yes?"
"No, I mean, why were the enemy's traces found so easily!!"
Knight Gei was actually angry that the soldiers had found the traces so easily. One soldier even found an enormous number of footprints.
"It's obvious that the villagers were taken away...!"
Knight Gei’s heart sank. The Virgo Barony was far from the front lines and had been relatively peaceful, yet traces of monsters had appeared in a slash-and-burn village in the forest not far from the castle.
'Has a dungeon really appeared?'
He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. But all the circumstances pointed to one answer.
'Monsters came out of the dungeon and attacked the villagers and took them as prisoners?'
That was nonsense. It was unheard of in human common sense for monsters to eat some humans and take others as prisoners.
'Damn it, I wanted to live comfortably in the rear!'
Darkness clouded Knight Gei’s vision. His instinct told him to follow the footprints of the people and the monsters, but his reason urged him to evade responsibility.
"S-Sir Gei. What should we do now...?"
The soldiers looked at the knight. As they were in a position to follow the knight's orders, if Gei ordered them to pursue the footprints immediately, they would have to pursue.
"......I-it might be a trap!"
Knight Gei shouted in a trembling voice.
"The monsters taking the people is clearly a trick to lure us in! Those vicious bastards! So, we return to the castle first! We must report this fact to the Lord!"
Knight Gei gave up on taking responsibility and making a decision on the spot. It was an evasion of responsibility disguised as an excuse, but the soldiers didn't rebel against it. If they rebelled? Were they supposed to follow a place full of ghoul footprints? Who would want to go there?
"......."
The soldiers just looked at each other, and no one stepped forward willingly. Knight Gei secretly rejoiced at the fear and terror in the soldiers' eyes, but he feigned a stern look and shouted.
"Soldiers of the Great Virgo Barony! Pull yourselves together! How can you be afraid in this situation where a dungeon might have appeared!"
"Th-then, are we pursuing them?"
"No! We run to the castle! Reporting this information to the Baron immediately is the mission given to us, and the fate decreed by the Goddess!"
Even one person could have gone, and the Goddess hadn't entrusted them with such a fate. But the soldiers noticed the intention underlying Knight Gei’s words and agreed with him. They didn't want to die a dog's death by acting brave here for no reason. Therefore, let's return to the castle first. The knight and the soldiers reached an agreement and hurriedly returned to the castle.
About an hour after they left.
Drip. Drip-drip.
Rain began to fall from the sky.
* * *
"My back hurts like hell."
I barely managed to lift my body. My entire lower body was stiff, and my body felt heavy as if it weighed a thousand pounds. It was heavy to begin with, but it was heavier than that.
'Did I get muscle aches from wrestling with Luna?'
I fought so hard that I wondered when I had ever used this much strength before. In particular, my 'clone,' which had exerted the most effort, couldn't muster any strength even after sleeping once.
'I didn't get to rest much.'
Since I went out from midnight to attack the village, I hadn't slept properly the day before either. Since I had been banging Luna after returning at dawn, there was no way my fatigue would be gone even if I woke up well past noon.
'I need to do what I have to do and go back to sleep.'
The problem was that there was too much to do. But I decided to take it easy.
'Estu said my growth rate was too fast.'
It was much faster than average, so the System couldn't keep up. I had only wanted to pursue efficiency to the extreme, but unfortunately, the speed of the Demon King’s waist-shaking didn't seem to be able to keep up with my dungeon development speed.
'Let's take it slow.'
What I can raise, I'll raise now, and what I can't, it won't be a problem to do later when the conditions are met. If so, the problem I need to address immediately is 'personnel.' Prisoners.
Unlike the stud hunters, they were no longer beings who could live inside the dungeon.
"Will you live right in front of the dungeon and become slaves of my dungeon, or will you become a part of this dungeon and live?"
The latter didn't need much explanation. The two men and five women bowed their heads and volunteered to become slaves.
"Good. Then this is the first order I give as Lord."
I pointed at the ghouls and then outside the dungeon.
"Build houses."
"......."
It was truly fortunate that the slaves were residents of the slash-and-burn village.