76. Untying the Knot (4)
76. Untying the Knot (4)
It had been five days since I returned to the dungeon after shoving Elias inside, and two days before I would contract with him.
"...This is incredible."
The first thing I checked were the changes to my dungeon that Scarlet, the succubus manager from the Mammon Trading Company, had poured so much care into.
Now no longer just a somewhat clean cave, the dungeon—completed outwardly in the shape of a mansion—had undergone such a huge transformation that it was obvious at a glance.
"Right? I put a lot of care into it! Ah, but of course, the gremlins did all the hard work."
Scarlet had every right to boast about her efforts.
Since I, the client, had matters to attend to outside the dungeon, I needed someone to continuously provide feedback on the dungeon's concept to the engineers and check for any shortcomings.
She had helped me go about my business with peace of mind, without having to worry about that part.
Honestly, I had thought I might have to redo many parts upon returning to the dungeon, but at least in terms of overall structure, there was nothing more to touch.
"But what are these statues?"
...Except for this.
Since the dungeon couldn't be completely sealed off from the outside, the entrance lobby of the mansion had been built at the existing cave entrance.
There stood two statues with a very familiar appearance.
"Naturally, they are statues to display the greatness of Lady Libertas!"
"Ah, I see..."
One on the rear side, visible from the hallway. And one on the front side, visible from the main entrance.
Two statues modeled after my likeness had been made like that.
One had a demon's membrane wings, while the other bore six pairs of feathery wings—unmistakably angelic—sprouting from its back.
Really.
"I can see just how you normally view me."
Those words you usually use to lavish exaggerated praise on me seem to be at least half sincere, which makes it even more shocking.
I'm not that great of a person, honestly.
"I always adore Lady Libertas! So much so that I'd like to serve by your side if possible!"
"As if I could just poach a capable manager from the Mammon Trading Company like that."
"To think you acknowledge me that much...! If you sign this contract, that very capable manager will be employed by the dungeon in an instant...!"
Scarlet placed her hands on both cheeks in embarrassment, then shyly held out documents with the detailed terms written on them.
Naturally, it was a document I couldn't accept, so I pushed it back and scolded her.
"You're spouting nonsense again."
"This time it was only half nonsense, but I did mean it..."
Leaving Scarlet sighing behind me, I inspected the lobby where my statues stood.
Since this place was now meant to be the entrance for guests, the staircase that had originally been made as a secret passage was now open.
The staircase leading to the hallway where my private quarters were, that is.
Two statues were positioned front and back, centered around that staircase.
The demonic one sat with a necromancer's staff resembling a scythe resting on its knee, looking down arrogantly at anyone entering from the hallway; the angelic one stood holding a royal scepter at its side, benevolently extending one hand toward the entrance.
Both were, of course, seated on thrones.
Really...
'They made it intimidatingly majestic.'
Because of that, it naturally sparked a sense of aversion, and I finally voiced my opinion.
"Let's just dismantle them, I think."
- Tak! (No!)
"No!"
"No..."
"Haah..."
That opinion was met with fierce opposition.
I had expected it, but still, a quiet sigh escaped me at their voices, which didn't deviate an inch from my expectation.
"Why is it no? It's too extravagant and doesn't match reality."
I had a feeling I knew the reason, but I decided to ask anyway.
"It doesn't even capture half of your actual majesty, Lady!"
- Dalkak (A lord's majesty is), Tak! (the prestige of the dungeon)!
"Every time I see this, I'm going to pray as I pass by..."
"That's a wonderful thing to say!"
Scarlet and Eve's words were one thing, but Shue's words truly flustered me.
Prayer, she says. What does she take me for?
Even so, if they opposed it this vehemently, it meant they actually liked these statues...
"Then just change the angelic one into a demon. That distortion is too severe, isn't it?"
Fine, let's compromise.
"Ah, I thought that was a bit too fantastical myself. Though Lady Libertas is kind to her retainers like an angel, she isn't actually an angel."
"What...? But I am an angel?"
"I said you're like an angel. So that's that."
"I am an angel."
"Let's say you are..."
But this kind of reaction still annoyed me.
Shue and Scarlet's back-and-forth was giving me a headache, but the worst was Evangeline.
- Dalgak.
"You don't like this idea either?"
- Tak!
She approached the statue and protested with her entire body.
By performing that trademark lying-down-on-the-floor act of hers.
"Even Ms. Eve likes it that much, so shouldn't we just leave it?"
"Yeah... there's no need to destroy something we purposely built, right...?"
Ah, I see.
Still, that angelic statue is just not right, no matter how I think about it.
At times like this, one very good method to enforce my opinion came to mind.
"I'm standing right here. Do you like the idol that much? Shue, Eve."
"Ah... no! Let's smash it after all! Your opinion is best, Lady... yeah!"
Chak!
Both Shue and Eve acted very quickly.
Shue lowered her body as if she was about to go fetch a hammer immediately, and Eve got up from the spot in an instant and stood right behind me as if nothing had happened.
Of course, if I let it go right here, the power of this tactic would weaken.
"Did you like it that much? Were you thinking of looking up my skirt from below? Tell me."
- ...!
"Uh, um..."
As I poked Eve's cheek and stared her down, an illusion of cold sweat streaming down her skinless face seemed to appear, so flustered that her eye lights wavered.
Beside her, Shue also turned away, a cold sweat breaking out on her as well.
"L-let's move on to the next location! There are still many places to see, Lady!"
The one who saved them was Scarlet.
"You tell me too. Scarlet. You said you liked me that much, yet you wanted to keep that statue up even when I said I disliked it?"
It was only natural that she became my next target.
"N-n-no! No! Of course not! I'll have it changed to a demon!"
"Right. So you disliked the idea of changing it so much that you opposed it even after I had already compromised...?"
"Aaaah! I'm sorry!"
This was more fun than I thought.
If I overdo it, the other person will tire out quickly, so I mustn't do it recklessly.
"Hoo-hoo. Good."
As I smiled and nodded, I could see all three of them secretly letting out big sighs of relief, but I graciously ignored that out of mercy and moved toward the hallway.
Elias was probably still wandering the hallway inside here, but naturally, I was heading in a direction where I wouldn't run into him.
"Now that I think about it, how long do you plan on leaving that man like that?"
"If he can't escape, he will simply die. That's what a dungeon is, isn't it?"
"That is true."
Naturally, her interest wasn't really in whether he lived or died. It was in other matters more beneficial to her.
"The quality of his soul looked decent. Are you thinking of selling it?"
"I'm deliberating on that."
"I see. Please be sure to let me know if you do sell it!"
"And if he makes it out alive...?"
"In that case, I'll have to find a suitable way to use him. I think that man could be quite useful as a tool."
"He was weak though..."
As we talked about Elias, Shue quietly revealed a hint of jealousy.
She really was quite subtly jealous.
"Of course, Shue is far stronger and more useful as an actual blade."
"Yeah... I'm confident in that..."
"Indeed. But his use lies elsewhere. For example, assassination."
For instance, Elias's usefulness was strictly as a dagger hidden beside the enemy's heart. Shue's abilities, by contrast, should be compared to a greatsword or a demon-slaying blade.
So Shue being jealous of him could truly be called a useless endeavor, but...
"I could do that well too..."
That jealous attitude itself was utterly adorable, so it didn't seem entirely useless.
"With poison?"
"..."
Seeing that Shue, having shut her mouth, looked like she was seriously considering whether to learn poison, I touched her ear and cut off that train of thought.
"There's no need to think strange thoughts. Everyone has their own uses. Shue, you are always a reliable person to me."
"Yeah... I'll become even more reliable."
"Thank you."
After smiling and praising her, and watching her blush slightly and act bashful.
I resumed my tour of the dungeon.
"Ah, on this side, I had several temporary doors made that can be used as traps."
I listened to Scarlet's guidance.
Currently, all the styling of my dungeon, as I mentioned, followed the design of a high-class mansion, except for a very few parts.
As a result, the method of hiding soldiers in the walls of this long hallway we were walking through became difficult to use any longer, but instead, by creating space to generate additional rooms, spatial utility was increased.
It didn't matter if I laid more traps directly in this hallway itself.
Before we knew it, we had passed through the hallway and arrived at the first room.
There were several statues here too that I hadn't seen before, but their presumed purpose was different from the ones I saw in the entrance lobby earlier.
"Those statues... they're golems."
They were golems cast in the shape of armor, made of rock or iron.
There weren't many, but the number was enough to be used in an emergency.
"They're fellows that can move immediately once we obtain and insert magic stones. The gremlins said it was a service for such an interesting project."
"I see. I'll have to thank them."
In addition, this room seemed to have been built as a 'boss room.'
The room was very wide, and furthermore, there were many pillars in the middle, creating a structure where shadows would be cast no matter where light came from.
If the golems were placed in the middle of the room, those shadows would multiply even more.
I could tell at a glance that it was a structure made with my shadow magic in mind.
"Was this room the gremlins' idea?"
"Indeed. They said it was made by referencing the boss rooms of senior necromancers."
"I probably won't have much use for it... but it's still excellent."
"The gremlins would be happy to hear that."
Thinking about it, the only time I had ever fought directly in the dungeon so far was when I lured Maria's party inside.
Since my dungeon tends to have my subordinates handle adventurers themselves, the importance of a boss room is relatively low.
Even if more powerful enemies appear in the future, I'm not the type to sit in a boss room anyway.
The other battles I've had were outside expeditions or times when I lured in the demonic beasts of this forest.
Still, I hadn't fought enough lately and was a little worried my combat senses might be getting rusty.
'Now that I think about it, I forgot about subjugating and bringing in demonic beasts.'
With the dungeon renovation and the matters of Elias and Eleanor, more important things had piled up, so it was postponed due to its relatively lower importance.
Plus, the need for it had decreased significantly since my dungeon's current location was practically sealed off from the outside.
I had deliberately collapsed part of the mountain and placed the entrance in a deeper, rougher location.
To conceal the dungeon's position, outside demonic beasts were still needed, but now it wouldn't be discovered absurdly like it was during the Leonis incident. Even if someone did, they would be confused, unable to find the entrance.
"The rest are laid out similarly to this, right?"
"Yes, that's right!"
"Then I'll have to check those gradually. There are many things to take care of first."
After checking a few more hallways and rooms like that, I could confirm that it had been constructed roughly according to my specifications.
A satisfactory level.
The remaining minor adjustments were things I'd have to discuss directly with the gremlins now, so there was virtually nothing left for Scarlet to be involved in.
"Ah, understood. I'll attach a manual and send the rest. Then, I'll check if there are any incomplete parts in the construction and take my leave!"
"Good. Thank you, Scarlet. I'll settle the remaining payment promptly."
"Your words are too kind. Then, this was Scarlet Spira Spina!"
Scarlet bowed to me and disappeared.
After she vanished, I immediately gave instructions to two people.
"Eve. Open the main gate to the underground prison. I'll be heading down soon. Shue. Would you go fetch Sonia?"
- Tak!
"Yeah... I'll be right back."
Sonia, Leonis, Eleanor.
It was time to begin wrapping up the matters tied to those three people.