Chapter 190
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 190
“Room 2, which you two will manage, will mostly feature docile monsters. There won't be many large ones, either. I will leave the management of the room entirely to you… And Mr. Basilisk, you are the administrator of Room 1.”
The Basilisk vigorously nodded its giant, serpentine head.
“For Room 1, your top priority is maintaining order. We will implement a few measures to prevent desertions and rebellions, but there will likely be times when you must take matters into your own hands, Mr. Basilisk.”
“Do you mean I should subdue them by force?”
“In those cases, you can beat them to a pulp. If you’re confident you won’t disrupt the room’s atmosphere too much, I won’t hold you responsible even if you kill them. I can assure you, Mr. Basilisk, you are the strongest monster in Room 1.”
Patrick then turned to the Dullahan, who hastily took off his head and avoided his gaze.
“Mr. Hyeong-ak, you will guard Room 3 alongside Mr. Golem.”
“Patrick, isn’t the Golem enough for Room 3? Why are you demoting Hyeong-ak to Room 3?”
At Swallow's use of the word ‘demotion,’ the Dullahan’s shoulders slumped.
“If it were up to me, I would have made Hyeong-ak the administrator of Room 1. He’s stronger than the Basilisk.”
“Ah…”
This time, it was the Basilisk who drooped dejectedly.
As the blunt, dagger-like evaluations flew back and forth, the younger Yaksha sister’s shoulders trembled. Swallow and Patrick, however, conversed casually, seemingly oblivious to the damage they were causing.
“The reason is simple. Mr. Hyeong-ak’s concept as an undead swordsman overlaps with mine.”
“What kind of lunatic put Patrick in charge of this?”
“The Boss himself.”
“I guess even a monster can’t stay sane all the time.”
“…The concept overlap was a joke. I initially thought the same as the Boss, but after a few evaluations, I changed my mind.”
As if remembering the trauma of those ‘evaluations,’ Hyeong-ak shuddered.
“I believe Mr. Hyeong-ak will shine brightest in Room 3.”
Although the Golem could regenerate infinitely as long as its mana held out, it still took time to reform once it crumbled. It wasn’t a long time, of course—but adventurers would certainly try to push through in the meantime. Hyeong-ak was chosen because he had the ability to buy that time single-handedly.
“And as for Room 4, Miss Melju… it would be best for you to see it for yourself.”
“Wh-what? You are not going to tell Us?”
“It will be more interesting that way. If I were to give you a hint, quite a few monsters volunteered to serve under you, Miss Melju.”
“…Y-yes. I understand!”
Melju stammered, her expression a mix of worry and anticipation, with the latter clearly winning out. The truth was, just a few months ago, Melju was barely considered an A-rank monster. Now that the Demon King’s army was composed entirely of A-rank monsters, she would have to make a real effort to lead them.
*
Once the brief explanation concluded, a short silence fell over the room. Swallow, carefully reading the atmosphere, was just about to rise from his seat.
“If we’re done here, I’ll…”
“Now, for the main event.”
Patrick raised a hand and pressed down on Swallow’s shoulder. Swallow sat back down as naturally as if he’d only stood to shake out a numb leg.
“…”
Ignoring Swallow’s rapidly souring expression, Patrick continued.
“Over the past few days, the Leprechaun Merchant Guild has gathered some intelligence. It’s news from the outside world.”
“The Leprechaun Merchant Guild is working hard.”
“They should, for what they’re paid. Now that our dungeon has taken some shape… I’m only saying this now, but we held out for a long time despite being completely empty.”
Since Rooms 1 through 4 had been wiped out, the only humans to have entered were the subjugation squad from the Krantel Kingdom, who were subsequently annihilated by the Anthropophago. Even then, they hadn't come with the intent to conquer the dungeon, so it was a stretch to even call them a subjugation squad.
“Well, I suppose humans couldn’t come because the Boss kept causing incidents outside.”
Patrick shot a pointed look at Swallow, but the Yaksha sisters and the new administrators were already gazing at their boss with boundless admiration.
After clearing his throat, Patrick spoke with emphasis.
“The humans have begun to make their move. This isn’t like before, with talk of ‘they will move soon’ or ‘they might move.’ Here, look at this.”
A map of the continent was already spread across the round table. Patrick’s finger first pointed to two locations within the Empire’s territory.
“First, within the Empire… spearheaded by the Anselm Duchy and the Harald Duchy.”
He then pointed to three locations near Riaze.
“The Kalanis Viscountcy and the Chesar Viscountcy.”
His finger moved to a coastal land.
“The trading city of Sobir.”
Next, he indicated two territories near the forest of Graphenia.
“The Eiba Barony and the Corneli Barony. In total, large-scale troop mobilizations have been reported in these seven locations.”
“Sorry, but the names are too complicated. I didn’t catch a single one.”
“With a memory like yours, you don’t have to force it.”
“Besides, isn’t it just winter preparations? Don’t human soldiers work like dogs every winter, preparing for the cold or something?”
“Judging by their supply procurement, it’s definitely a mobilization for a subjugation. Of course, we can’t say for certain that the forces from these lords are coming here.”
In any case, there were seven different domains showing suspicious activity. Since the Primordial Core had been the subject of so much gossip lately, the probability of a subjugation squad coming here was overwhelmingly high.
Furthermore, if the humans truly intended to conquer them, forces from multiple territories would likely unite for the invasion, so they couldn’t narrow it down to just one or two places.
“And Boss, the movement isn’t just within the Empire.”
Patrick stood and walked over to the younger Yaksha sister.
She blushed at his sudden approach, but Patrick simply pointed to the map in front of her, as if he had no other business with her.
“Other nations seem to have their own schemes, but this place will likely be the biggest problem.”
Where he pointed, there was a small nation.
“Rium.”
The Beast Kingdom, Rium.
First, Swallow’s expression hardened. The Yaksha sisters and the Basilisk were the next to react.
“Rium is dangerous.”
Patrick’s eyes, normally a faint blue, flashed violet for a moment. His voice was cold, as if drained of all warmth.
“There’s no harm in being cautious.”
“They certainly are an interesting race,” the older Yaksha sister chimed in.
Rene listened with an expressionless face. Only Melju tilted her head in confusion.
“We have heard the name a few times and know that it is a beastkin nation… but We are not familiar with what kind of place Rium is.”
“Miss Melju, how old are you?”
“Do not ask a lady her age so casually!”
“You were born after the Empire was founded, correct?”
Melju nodded.
“Yes, We descended upon this world about ten years after the Empire was established.”
“The Empire was founded a little over 150 years ago, so you must be around 140.”
“Do not calculate it backwards!”
“The Empire was founded just a month after Rium came into being. It’s a bit complicated, but the founding histories of the two nations are intertwined. Since it happened before you were born, Miss Melju, it’s only natural that you wouldn’t know.”
—And it has to do with me as well.
Patrick muttered the last part in a very low voice. Only the younger Yaksha sister, who was right beside him, reacted, turning her head away with a huff.
As if he had said nothing, Patrick calmly continued.
“It is an extremely isolationist nation. In particular, they avoid contact with humans to an extreme degree. Yet, they have reportedly dispatched an envoy.”
“Is dispatching an envoy such a big problem?”
“As far as I know, Rium doesn’t maintain permanent envoys. They must have hastily assembled one to respond to this situation. Given their terrible relationship with the Empire, I doubt they can form a friendly alliance, but we should still keep a close eye on them. And finally.”
Returning to his seat, Patrick turned his head toward Swallow.
“The turtle is heading south.”
* * *
Great Evil Cave Calamidad.
A monster called ‘Akupara’ by the northern natives and referred to as the Spirit Turtle or Xuanwu in the Eastern Continent.
A Sky Turtle with a body nearly five hundred meters long. A ‘floating biological dungeon’ that was both a Great Evil Cave and a boss monster. And—the disaster of the north.
“Heading south… I see.”
The northern part of the continent was a land of snow and ice, where freezing, razor-sharp winds blew all year round. Calamidad preferred to make her home in such a polar region.
While humans and monsters had to fight the cold to avoid freezing to death, the cold was not the slightest threat to Calamidad. She was the apex predator of the north. With food readily available, she normally had no reason to head south.
Except for one single reason.
“It’s spawning season,” Swallow muttered.
The cold posed no threat to Calamidad, but her eggs were a different story.
Eggs could not hatch in a climate where the temperature dropped below minus fifty degrees. Inevitably, whenever spawning season arrived, Calamidad would turn toward the warm south.
“Is the turtle heading south such a big problem? As far as We know, every time that turtle comes down, it gets blocked, beaten to a pulp, and sent back.”
This time, it was Melju who asked.
A massive body over five hundred meters long was a disaster in itself. The turtle merely descending to nest would devastate the area; if it moved to dig, the very terrain would be reshaped. When the monsters inhabiting its shell descended, the land would instantly turn into a scene of chaos.
If such a monster were to head south and roam the Empire at will, how much damage would be caused? There was no way the humans would just stand by and watch.
Therefore, every spawning season, the Empire dispatched renowned subjugation squads to stop the turtle. The defensive line to block it was the fortress of the Margrave, located directly in the turtle’s southward path. Fierce battles always broke out there.
Sages would intercept the floating monster with high-level magic. Cannons, usually rendered useless with their barrels frozen solid, would spew fire endlessly under the blessing of spirits.
For as short as a day, or as long as two days and nights.
After a bloody battle, it was always the turtle that retreated. Calamidad was a timid creature by nature. Once she sustained moderate injuries, she would turn back with a monstrous shriek. The humans had never once allowed the turtle to pass south.
“Normally, as Miss Melju said, she was blocked by the humans… but this year is different. She is passing right through human territory as she heads south and has reportedly already reached the Rockefeller Basin.”
—This year, with Riaze destroyed, there were no reinforcements from the Empire.
No matter how grand the Margrave’s domain was, without reinforcements from the Empire, it was merely a single fortress. There was no way it could block a Great Evil Cave.
“A lot has been happening lately.”
“It’s all because of you, Boss.”
“Stop blaming me for everything.”
“I wish I could, but surprisingly, whenever I trace an incident back to its cause, the Boss is always lurking there.”
Deciding he couldn’t refute that, Swallow fell silent and subtly changed the subject.
“…How long has it been since she headed south?”
“According to Miss Scobina, a little under three weeks.”
“That’s quite a while.”
The Rockefeller Basin. He’d heard that name somewhere. Swallow’s eyes drifted to the map.
“…”
The turtle’s projected path and the forest of Graphenia were quite far apart. The distance was great enough to guarantee that something like ‘Calamidad coincidentally passing through the Primordial Core!’ wouldn’t happen. Unless she suddenly made a sharp turn, there would be no collision.
“So there’s no risk to us.”
“You could say that,” Patrick nodded.
Melju, the Yaksha sisters, Hyeong-ak, and the Basilisk all remained silent, unable to grasp the underlying meaning of the conversation.
But Swallow’s eyes, unlike usual, were sparkling with life.
This matter didn’t just end with ‘no risk’… This was…
“An opportunity.”
“It is indeed an opportunity.”
In the past, when the Empire was still worth paying attention to, the turtle’s southward migration would have been a cause for concern. Now, they couldn’t care less what happened to the humans. This made it easier to focus on a single, simple fact.
The turtle is heading south.
She heads south, and she lays eggs.
Those eggs.
“The eggs.”
Swallow shot up from his seat. At the same time, Rene and Melju gasped. He had merely stood up—but had Swallow shown this much life recently?
“You all must not know the value of those eggs.”
When blocked from heading south, Calamidad is forced to return to the north to lay her eggs, but there is no way the eggs laid there can remain intact. Most of them freeze solid, get scattered, and eventually vanish into the sea. Even if one were to go directly to the north, procuring an intact egg is next to impossible.
These were eggs that normally couldn’t be bought for any price, yet here was Calamidad, coming south to lay them herself.