A Twelve-Hour Heaven
"Great Chieftain is kind-dak!"
The insectoids had no lingering attachment to their homeland, so they immediately finished preparing to leave the forest. In a way, hadn't they been liberated from slavery and joined the ranks of the 7 Abyssal Palaces just by aligning themselves with the right person? Even if it was a false claim, it was true enough for now.
Unlike Balutak, one of the insectoids who knew quite a bit about the 7 Abyssal Palaces made a huge fuss.
"Kirik. The 7 Abyssal Palaces. Kelotak knows them well. Great Chieftain was an untouchable powerhouse. I will follow Great Chieftain for the rest of my life."
"7 Abyssal Palaces? What is that-dak?"
"There is such a thing. A dummy like you wouldn't know. Only someone as clever as Kelotak can understand the 7 Abyssal Palaces."
This guy seems to have a bit of an elitist complex, doesn't he? I figured something was off about him ever since his name was Buraltak. Thanks to that, it became much easier to remember Kelotak as the "elitist insectoid."
"I shall summon Golgol."
We rode Golgol, the skeletal horse, retracing our steps back home. Since we were in a forest, I trusted the insectoids would keep up easily given their naturally high movement speed. If they lagged behind a bit, I could adjust our pace then.
Neigh! The skeletal horse reared its front hooves and began to gallop at full speed.
Perhaps my expectations were too high, because the insectoids only managed to keep up for a short while before quickly falling behind. A noisy clamor echoed from far behind us, but it wasn't anything to lose sleep over.
"Kieeeek! Great Chieftain! Do not abandon us!"
"We want to be with Great Chieftain-dak!"
Flap, flap! Only Balutak, the sole insectoid with wings, managed to keep pace. Seeing him follow without a single hint of exhaustion proved that his status as a DLC boss wasn't just for show.
"Kirik! Chieftain! Chieftain is trying to abandon us too-dak!"
"Chieftain! We must go together-dak! We are stronger together-dak!"
"Kirik. The strong forge ahead-dak. The weak are destined to be left behind-dak..."
Give me a break. For a split second, I felt a sudden urge to just ignore these problem children and make a run for it.
"Boss. Would it be acceptable to... leave them behind?"
"..."
"I have spoken out of turn. My apologies."
No, Charlotte. I was literally just thinking the exact same thing.
"I missed you so much, Boss!"
Patter-patter—
The moment I returned, Isabella rushed toward me like a puppy greeting its owner. Seeing her welcome me so enthusiastically, she must have had a rough time dealing with the subjugation force's raid. However, while her face was completely tearful, her physical condition was perfectly fine.
"We congratulate you on your safe return."
Behind the succubus at the front, the Servants of the Night bowed in unison. According to them, there had been no raid by the subjugation force.
Then why is she crying like the world is ending? Did the Servants of the Night bully her? No, they wouldn't be crazy enough to do that in someone else's home.
Looking at them, I couldn't help but wonder if I had requested reinforcements from Rosesha for nothing. Leaving the dungeon completely empty was out of the question, of course, but knowing the outcome now, it was only human nature to feel a bit of regret.
I peeled off Isabella, who kept trying to cling to me, and met the succubus's gaze.
"When you return, tell Rosesha this: I have received her favor, and I shall repay it in due time."
"I shall deliver your message the moment we return."
The Servants of the Night departed for their dungeon through their usual portal. As they left, the swarm of insectoids filed in, as if filling the empty space.
"Greet them, Balutak. This is the vampire Isabella, and her subordinates."
Seeing insectoids for the first time, Isabella wore a puzzled expression before offering an awkward smile and extending her hand.
"U-Um... I'm Isabella. You're Mr. Balutak, right? It's our first time meeting, but let's get along."
"Kiririk. Vampire looks weak-dak. Balutak thinks he is stronger-dak. Balutak grows stronger by eating the weak-dak. If I eat vampire, I can evolve-dak."
"...Huh?"
As the meaning of his words finally registered, Isabella's face turned pale. I had a feeling something like this would happen.
"Balutak. In this dungeon, there are no weak or strong. Everyone is a comrade living in coexistence."
"Kirik. Cannot understand-dak. The weak are eaten by the strong-dak. The strong take the weak and grow stronger-dak."
"Then, if I were to kill you right here and now, would you accept it without complaint?"
"Kirik... Balutak will not do that-dak. Will not eat vampire-dak."
Using fear to restrict behavior had its clear limits. I needed to instill a reason for him to get along with the vampires as much as possible. Simply being monsters of the same dungeon wouldn't be enough to convince Balutak.
As I pondered, I recalled what Balutak had said during our first meeting.
"Open your mind to a different perspective. Didn't you say you would embrace and take responsibility for the weak? Try to get along with the vampires with that mindset."
"That is true-dak. Balutak eats the weak, but also takes responsibility-dak. Great Chieftain is right-dak. Vampire is weak-dak. Balutak will protect her-dak."
"Excellent. Now, I will guide you through the floors so you can easily adapt to the dungeon."
"Kirik. Balutak adapts-dak. Evolves-dak. Changes-dak. Adapting is easy for Balutak-dak."
"I shall handle this, Boss."
Charlotte stepped forward, but I shook my head. Unlike me, she was human, and the fatigue from our journey must have piled up heavily.
"I will do it, so go rest."
A boss who personally steps up while guaranteeing his subordinate's right to rest? There's no way this won't breed absolute loyalty.
"May I at least accompany you? Those creatures have yet to be properly disciplined. They might bare their claws at you if left unchecked."
...Hearing her say that actually made me a bit nervous. Without showing it, I gave her permission to tag along, acting as if I simply couldn't stop her.
Fortunately, the disaster Charlotte worried about didn't happen. Throughout our tour of the seven floors, Balutak and the insectoids did nothing but stare with wide, sparkling eyes.
The final stop was the mining base, which would serve as the insectoids' workplace—a location that required a thorough explanation. From the mining facilities to the rest area, guard posts, two-wheeled carts, supplies, and water stations. A few of the insectoids seemed to grasp what kind of place this was.
"Balutak, who is capable of fighting against the subjugation force, will tentatively be assigned as the guardian of the 5th floor. However, the rest of you are still weak. Against a subjugation force, you would only meet a dog's death."
"Kirik..."
"The way the weak survive in this dungeon is by working. For the time being, you will work here to prove your utility."
Having been involuntarily enslaved before, they all seemed to know exactly what labor entailed. Because of that, every single one of them looked utterly dejected. We thought we were liberated from slavery, but we have to work again? Their reactions were filled with nothing but despair.
But it can't be helped. I'm only human. It was natural to feel a bit sorry for them, but I had paid a whopping ten million cells to bring them here. The upfront cost alone was ten million, and their maintenance was bound to cost a pretty penny too.
If there was no clear reason for spending such a fortune on insectoids whose levels were only around 20 to 30, I had to manufacture a reason to break even. Where could I even use these weak insectoids? Fortunately, insectoids, much like kobolds, were perfectly suited as laborers for a labyrinthine dungeon.
Therefore, I planned to use the insectoids as workers for mining ore veins, as well as dungeon maintenance and expansion. Since they were monsters with strength and stamina superior to humans, I could put them to work without worrying too much.
"Kirik... Hate work-dak..."
"Labor is hard-dak. Scary-dak. Painful-dak."
"This is the Boss's command. If anyone has a complaint, leave this dungeon immediately. No dungeon has any use for worthless monsters."
At Charlotte's words, the grumbling clamor instantly died down. My heart aches too, but there's nothing I can do. We don't have any other workers, and I brought you here to put you to work in the first place.
"Your primary task will be mining the ore veins. Unless there is a special circumstance, your other duty will be dungeon construction."
The insectoids looked at one another before hanging their heads powerlessly. They were visibly disheartened.
"Kirik... Dungeon construction-dak..."
"Kelotak knows dungeon construction. We did it to death. Hard, hungry, painful."
"I even lost an arm-dak. Do not want to experience that again-dak. Painful-dak..."
"Kiririk..."
Even so, I couldn't just let them play and eat for free, nor could I let them work only a tiny amount. Since I had taken a loss to bring them here because of Balutak, I had to squeeze as much utility out of them as possible.
Now that I had resolved to develop this dungeon into something worthy of the 7 Abyssal Palaces, I had to steel my heart and pursue practical benefits. I knew they had been treated like slaves by the beastmen, but business was business. I averted my eyes from their teary, pleading gazes and continued.
"Your working hours will be twelve hours a day. Each shift will last three hours, split into four sessions throughout the day. If you feel tired or hungry during your shift and need to eat or sleep, use that rest area. Any time outside of work is your free time, so rest as you please. And Charlotte."
"Yes, Boss."
"Tomorrow, we will organize the personnel and set up the rotation schedule together. As soon as the roster is drawn up, put the workers on duty."
"I shall obey your command."
As I finished speaking, the insectoids stared at me with completely dumbfounded expressions. I knew. I knew a twelve-hour workday was absurd. Moreover, this wasn't some desk job; they had to spend half of their day doing backbreaking labor mining ore veins. No matter how tough insectoids were, it was bound to be grueling work, but there was no other way. As the old saying goes, he who does not work, neither shall he eat.
"For now, it is twelve hours a day. Depending on your performance, I might reduce it later."
This was the absolute minimum compromise born of my pity. Any more than this, and even I couldn't justify it. Feeling their intense gazes on me, I turned away, pretending not to notice. Fearing that my heart might soften further, I hurriedly left the area.
"Did I hear wrong-dak?"
"Kirik. Twelve hours is half a day. Great Chieftain said working hours are twelve hours. This makes no sense-dak."
After the Boss left, the insectoids began to buzz with commotion. Even as they muttered among themselves, they could only stare at the departing Boss's back with utterly shocked faces.
"This place... is paradise-dak! We get to rest for half the day-dak!"
"Kirik! So glad we came-dak! We get to rest so much-dak! So happy-dak!"
"Survival is guaranteed here-dak! We can live without having to evolve-dak! We can survive by working only half the day-dak!"
The insectoids cheered in unison, their hearts beating as one. Under the beastmen, working at least twenty hours a day was the absolute baseline. They had labored like that for months on end, unable to sleep properly or even get enough water. While they had found refuge here, they had been filled with despair at the thought of having to work like that again. But that wasn't the case at all. They had to work, yes, but it was barely half of what they used to do!
"Kiriririk! Everyone, come look-dak! There is food here-dak!"
Shouted one of the insectoids who had slipped into the rest area. Soon, the other insectoids who saw the food and water prepared in the rest area couldn't believe their eyes.
"Kirik! What is all this-dak!"
"Rip it open-dak! Food comes out-dak! Eat it-dak! It is delicious-dak!"
"Kiririk! So delicious-dak! There is still so much food left-dak!"
"There is plenty of water too-dak! We can eat and drink while we work-dak!"
"This is heaven on earth-dak! Long live the Great Chieftain-dak!"
"Great Chieftain is kind-dak! We will follow Great Chieftain forever-dak!"
Watching this scene, Charlotte turned her gaze to where the Boss had departed. She, too, was no less shocked.
...As expected, he is different.
In a typical dungeon, overworking laborers was the norm. After all, workers were treated as the absolute lowest tier, the very bottom of the dungeon hierarchy. If a mining base was established underground, it was taken for granted that there would be no such thing as a rest area, let alone any guarantee of the workers' basic rights.
Of course, systematically resting and building proper bases would increase efficiency. However, the deep-rooted contempt and discrimination against the weak in dungeons still persisted to this day. Whether they were beasts or dungeon monsters, their origins were the same. They were completely identical in how they exploited the weak instead of protecting them. Hundreds of years had passed since this had become accepted as the natural law of survival within dungeons.
No boss ever viewed workers as anything more than slaves to be worked to the bone, and none of them guaranteed their rights. If they were workers hired by a merchant guild, they would naturally receive appropriate treatment, but for workers bound to a dungeon, being treated as slaves was simply the default.
I wonder which one the Boss is.
But the Boss of this dungeon was different. Whether he made this decision out of a focus on efficiency or pure altruism, he was unlike any other boss. In truth, Charlotte, who highly valued efficiency, had wanted to advise him to guarantee the workers' basic rights. Knowing it might be presumptuous, she had kept the thought to herself, but to her surprise, he had made that very decision on his own.
"...This dungeon would collapse overnight without the Boss."
It was a dungeon that had originated from a single entity, so did it even need to be said? Not to mention his overwhelming might that had instantly killed the Hero, he even possessed a keen eye for efficiency. Compared to him, his subordinates consisted of a blunder-prone deputy, a useless vampire, and a bunch of insectoid idiots...
"I must reflect on my own shortcomings..."
If one were to look at the dungeon without the Boss, no one would ever believe it belonged to the 7 Abyssal Palaces. Charlotte truly believed this, and deep down, her respect for the Boss grew even greater.