Chapter 12
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 12
“What’s that?”
Swallow, who had been scanning the room, suddenly stood up as if he’d spotted something. Melju, who had been stealthily reaching for Swallow’s glass after finishing her own, froze and then stood as well. Swallow strode toward a wall at the far end of the tavern’s main floor.
Sheets of paper were posted at regular intervals on the wall, and a small crowd had gathered to read them.
“So they have one here, too. This is that ‘dungeon information board’ I mentioned.”
She made it sound grand, but the setup was simple.
The papers listed information on dungeons within the Empire, as well as those in other nations that permitted entry.
The dungeon ranks, though based on criteria arbitrarily set by humans, took various factors into account. The notices listed recommended party sizes, potential rewards, and any valuable loot suspected to be inside. They also included whatever was known about the monsters and their attack patterns.
It was essentially a crowdsourced system, compiling bits of knowledge left behind by countless adventurers, much like a collection of book reviews.
At the bottom of some notices, the names of subjugation squads were written in large letters. Noticing Swallow staring blankly at them, Melju spoke up.
“Those are the subjugation squads currently tackling the dungeon. It’s likely to prevent multiple squads from entering the same one at once and causing a conflict.”
“True… I’ve never had two groups of humans invade at the exact same time.”
“They do it because it would complicate the distribution of rewards. Pathetic humans. So blinded by greed they can’t even think to join forces.”
“Works out for us, then.”
“Us? Is Sir Swallow a dungeon monster, too? Come to think of it, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask. My circumstances are one thing, but how can you, Sir Swallow, roam the outside world so freely as a dungeon monster?”
“It’s… complicated. Can we just leave it at that?”
“You have many secrets, Sir Swallow. Well, you must have your reasons. Very well. I’ll ask no more.”
As Swallow scanned the board again, a strikingly red sheet of paper caught his eye.
There were seven in total, posted so high up that Melju couldn’t have reached them even on her tiptoes.
Swallow reached out toward them.
Most of the papers on the wall were white sheets scribbled with black ink. Even without Melju’s explanation, he could guess what they meant. The papers likely represented the ranks of the dungeons. Given their sheer number, the white ones had to be the lowest-ranked.
In contrast, there were only seven red papers. No one was actually reading them; a few humans just stared up at them as if they were monuments.
Thanks to his height, Swallow easily plucked one of the red papers from the wall. An all-too-familiar name came into view.
[Seven Great Evil Caves Rank: 'Primordial Core']
[Boss: 'Ancient Monster' Swallow]
“Ah, that’s my house.”
Seeing the faint, familiar smile on Swallow’s face, Melju reached for the paper too. But Swallow was holding it high up to read, and her hand fell short.
“What is it?! What are you looking at so intently? I want to see, too! Show me! Don’t be so stingy!”
Swallow enjoyed her little tantrum for a few more seconds before handing the paper down with a triumphant smirk. The little Demon King snatched it with both hands, sticking her tongue out with a huff.
To think a kid like this is a Demon King who rules over others.
Oblivious to Swallow’s thoughts, Melju was completely absorbed in the red paper. As she stared at it, her eyes grew wider and wider.
She whipped her head toward Swallow, her voice buzzing with excitement.
“Ha! The Primordial Core! I know that dungeon inside and out! It seems you’re interested in it too, Sir Swallow! The Primordial Core is my absolute favorite. If you have any questions, just ask! I’ll tell you everything!”
As Swallow stared blankly at her, Melju cleared her throat and launched into her explanation.
“The Seven Great Evil Caves! The pinnacle of all dungeons, their strength acknowledged even by those foolish humans! The ultimate goal of all monsters! Do you understand?!”
“Ah, right.”
“Even so, there is a hierarchy among the Seven Great Evil Caves! Are you… Sir Swallow, are you listening? Of course, the masters of all seven dungeons are on a completely different level from ordinary monsters, but to cut to the chase—if we were to choose the absolute strongest among them, it would be the ruler of the Primordial Core! The lord of all creation! The divine guardian who punishes those gripped by fear! The ancient beast standing at the pinnacle of all things—Lord Swallow!”
Those titles are unnecessarily long.
Besides, those grandiose titles were utter nonsense. He was more of a landlord than a ruler. A ruler tormented by his own gatekeepers? What a joke. He had no idea who’d spread that bullshit about him being the “lord of all creation,” and as for “divine guardian”… was she serious? A monster as a divine guardian?
The pinnacle of all things, my ass.
Sorry to disappoint you, but the person you admire so much can’t even cast a single spell properly and is currently lost right here.
Unsure how to react, Swallow just went with it, forcing an exaggerated gasp.
“Wow, that’s amazing! But where did all those cool titles of his come from?”
“There’s no need for a source! You can tell just by listening to the rumors the humans spread!”
Rumors, huh? Who was in charge of promoting their dungeon again?
Ah, it was Rene.
Come to think of it, Rene had been unusually busy with that project. He recalled her asking if it was alright to add a “bit of exaggeration.” If he’d known this would be the result, he would have demanded specifics. He trusted her to handle it, but he never expected her to turn him into a god.
“Of course, the other Great Evil Caves are equally majestic! Let’s see… Lady Erzsebet Bathory of ‘Cheite Castle,’ Lord Erebos and the Rotting Vein of ‘Where Corpses Die,’ Great Worm Hexabel of ‘Sand Hell,’ and then… yawn.”
“You rattled off the rest of that explanation…”
“Huh? But I already explained all seven!”
“…Sure.”
She had only named four, but what was the point of correcting someone this drunk? He just gave a noncommittal reply and glanced at her. The five empty glasses sitting in front of her told the whole story.
He’d found it amusing to watch her sneakily order more drinks, letting her be just to see what her limit was. Now, in the blink of an eye, she was a mess. I shouldn’t have let her drink. The regret came too late. The Demon King before him had cast aside all dignity for the path of the drunkard.
For now, she was at the “monkey” stage of drunkenness. If she drank more, would she pass through the “dog” stage and reach the “pig” stage? A spark of pure curiosity flared up, but he had no intention of letting her drink any further.
So this is all I’ve gained from this venture?
Ignoring Melju, who was now muttering incoherently, Swallow closed his eyes and recalled the contents of the paper.
The red paper with information on the Primordial Core.
Fortunately, the section at the bottom labeled “List of Subjugation Squads” was completely blank. That meant the humans hadn’t finished organizing their forces yet.
The five-day limit he and Patrick had set was based on the humans’ expected invasion date, which meant everything was still going according to Patrick’s plan.
The sun had already set anyway. While searching for Rene shouldn’t depend on the time of day, gathering information in a human town was a different matter. Running around in the dead of night while everyone was asleep would be a fool’s errand.
Should we start walking toward that Tele… whatever Hub tonight? Swallow glanced at Melju and immediately shot the idea down.
Dragging someone this drunk would be impossible; she’d collapse before they got far. More importantly, considering her state, her clothes, her youthful appearance, and the fact that she was a girl, traveling in the dark meant risking an ambush.
For those reasons, there was no point in moving tonight. The sun had already set. There was no rush.
As he watched, Melju, her face flushed red, shook her head from side to side before letting out a sharp “Hah!” and straightening her neck.
“Hah! Now that I’ve had a drink, I feel delightfully tipsy! Therefore, I shall ask you one thing.”
“What does being tipsy have to do with asking a question? And why did you drink so much?”
“Silence! Answer me! I’ve been curious. Sir Swallow, what’s the secret to your strength? Earlier, how did you swallow those humans in one—”
“…Watch your mouth. There are too many ears around here.”
“Alright, alright! Don’t get maaaad! You’re scary when you’re angry! Because you’re strong… stronger than me.”
“It’s not like you’re weak.”
He couldn’t measure it precisely, but from his perspective, Melju was by no means weak. In fact, she was quite strong. She was nowhere near his level, or Patrick’s, or Rene’s, but the Demon King race was born with immense power. Even an average one could easily overpower most dungeon bosses.
Despite her unimposing physique and apparent shortcomings, she still possessed the undeniable, formidable power of her race.
“Thank you for the compliment, but you’re just comparing me to ordinary monsters, Sir Swallow. I… I want to become stronger. I want to grow strong and try all sorts of things. If I become strong enough, maybe I’ll even be granted an audience with Lord Swallow.”
—You’re having that audience right now, Demon King.
“…You really admire Swallow, don’t you?”
“It is not Swallow, it is Lord Swallow! He… he is just so cool, isn’t he? That untouchable strength…”
“You really have an obsession with strength.”
At that, Melju chugged another beer—one she’d somehow ordered without him noticing—and continued.
“My father dedicated his entire life to his dungeon. When he finally met his end at the hands of humans, he drew his last breath upon his throne.”
“That sounds like the prologue to a very long epic.”
“Shut uuuup. It’s polite to listen quietly, even if it’s long. So listen. I don’t think my father’s life was a mistake. He was strong. Even though I ended up ruining everything he built… he was a true Demon King who protected that Demon King Castle for over a hundred years. Unlike me, he was truly fit for the throne. It’s just… a stronger human came along. It happened over ten years ago, so my memory’s hazy, but I think his name was Bern? A human named Bern or something. He was pretty young.”
“A hero who defeated a Demon King… I’d rather not cross paths with him.”
“Yeah, something like that. So, I ended up inheriting the dungeon out of nowhere. But I don’t want to live like my father. Instead of pouring my life into running a dungeon, I want monsters to be drawn to my strength and build a dungeon for me. That’s why I want to get stronger. What do you think? Isn’t that cool?”
Ah, youth is a fine thing. I was like that once, too.
Her slurred, drunken speech was still filled with a sincere conviction that stirred memories of his own past.
A past so distant he could barely recall it.
Before he created the Primordial Core and settled down, there had been a time when he, too, was brimming with passion. A time when he led an army powerful enough to conquer the world. He might not have been the “lord of all creation” Melju spoke of, but he had once held all living things beneath his feet.
He had lived more earnestly than anyone, had sought to master all the world’s knowledge. He had even mingled with humans, immersing himself in their emotions more deeply than they ever could, and had once dedicated everything to them.
———Only to eventually realize it was all utterly pointless.
Now, his only goal in life was to sleep as much as he wanted.
Swallow nodded, lost in thought. Meanwhile, right after asking, “Isn’t that cool?” Melju collapsed onto the table. After fighting humans and navigating crowded streets, she was likely exhausted.
“Are you asleep?”
No response.
“Are you really asleep…?”
Still no response.
“…You’re a pain.”
No response to the very end. It was official: she had passed out drunk.
He had to wonder if a Demon King was allowed to be this weak to alcohol. It raised the fundamental question of whether she was a real Demon King at all.
He debated waking her and making her walk to the inn herself, but reluctantly scooped her up in his arms.
He tried a bridal carry, but the thoroughly intoxicated Melju just flailed around. In the end, he switched to carrying her on his back, even needing help from a nearby patron to get her situated. With a brief nod of thanks to the man, Swallow quickly left the tavern.