Chapter 72
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: Fly Queen
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Southern Alliance.
A coalition formed by three dungeons located in the southern part of the continent. Originally, they had banded together to combat the calamity known as the Hero, but now that the mighty Hero was dead and the other Heroes had returned home, they began to harbor different thoughts.
Most demons residing in the south were weak. The same went for the few dungeons there. They were pathetically feeble compared to demons from other regions. Moreover, there was no longer anyone like the former master of the "Demon Realm" who had once united such demons and established rules for the south.
So...
"What if... we became the rulers of the south?"
In the south, where only feeble demons gathered, the existence of the Southern Alliance—formed by combining the power of three dungeons—was nothing short of a disaster in itself.
On top of that, driven by the anxiety that Heroes might come again, the majority of unaffiliated demons in the south sought refuge under the Alliance's shadow, begging for protection. The Alliance accepted them, swelling its ranks far beyond the power of just the three dungeons, growing ever more bloated.
And as is natural for humans or demons alike, once power emerges, other ambitions follow. The Dungeon Masters, each possessing the exceptional power of their "dungeons" and thus harboring exceptional pride, began wielding the massively inflated might of the Alliance—even though the initial catalyst had been their fear of Heroes.
"Join the Alliance. Refuse, and you are enemies of the Alliance."
The Alliance aggressively pressured demons still living independently in groups or other dungeons in the south that hadn't joined. They justified it by claiming humans might send more Heroes since they were interested in the south, and another war between dungeons and humans could erupt, requiring united strength.
The pretext sounded plausible, but their proposals were essentially demands to become their subordinates. For example...
"You want us to offer all the crops produced in our forest to the Alliance?"
"Yes. To prepare for the wars ahead."
In the dungeon "Cradle of the Forest," home to elves, they demanded all the forest crops—their main source of income—as the price of joining the Alliance.
And the one making such demands was...
"They refused?"
"Yes... They said not even a single tree root from the forest's blessings could be given to us..."
"Hmph... Cocky elves."
The demon affiliated with the Alliance reporting this sensed the displeasure of the being before him and fell silent. Though he was a demon under the Alliance, he was just one of the countless common ones. But the being before him was the master of one of the three central dungeons of the Alliance.
-Crunch...!
When that being rose, the reporting demon prostrated even flatter. A rotten stench wafting displeasure accompanied the movement, but fearing to offend, the demon kept any reaction hidden and pressed his head to the ground.
-Chomp!
The source of the stench was none other than the pile of thoroughly rotted corpses. The being approached the maggot-infested bodies, casually lifted one, and buried its maw into it.
"Mmm... This is tasty too, but tree sap is quite delicious as well. Especially the sap from the tree those elves call the 'Sacred Tree' is even more..."
-Flap flap flap!!
After sucking out even the marrow from the corpse, the being rose, and a pair of translucent wings began fluttering from her back. Unlike the feathered wings of the Bird Tribe or the bat-like wings of the Dream Demons, these were thin and translucent, evoking cicadas or flies.
And the woman's eyes took the form of compound insect eyes.
Belze, Fly Queen and master of the dungeon "Solitary Nest."
One of the "Insect Demon Tribe," born with traits of various insects, she approached the flattened demon.
"So... you've brought such unpleasant news. I assume you're prepared?"
"Sp-Spare...!"
"Hmm? What are you saying? I've never said I'd kill you."
Looking down at the reporting demon with her loathsome compound eyes, Belze grabbed him by the collar, lifted him, and flew off somewhere with wingbeats.
"Mmph! Mmgh!!"
"Do you know why my dungeon is called 'Solitary Nest'? In the ancient mythic era, my ancestor devised a way to bolster our relatively weak tribe's power compared to others."
Brutally suppressing the wildly thrashing demon—who seemed to know his fate—Belze dragged him to a special chamber deep within her dungeon.
"It's the curse called 'Solitude.' Since our Insect Demon Tribe is born with insect arts that control bugs... the idea came from realizing that creating superior bugs directly enhances our tribe's power."
-Clunk!
"Grgh! Grrgh!"
"You confine dozens... hundreds of venomous insects in one place and make them kill each other until only one survives. That produces a venomous insect with far more potent poison and demonic energy than any other."
-Click clack click clack click clack!!!
A pit covered by a thick lid. Removing the lid blocking the entrance unleashed the sound of countless bugs' wings echoing from within.
"Normally, that's the end... but if you give those bugs a 'special treat,' they become even stronger, you see?"
"Grghgh!!!"
The demon frantically bit and kicked at Belze's arm holding him, but the power gap between a common demon and a Dungeon Master was overwhelming. Belze effortlessly endured all attacks and hurled him into the pit.
"I've explained enough by now, right? Come on, children. Special treat time."
"Aaaah... You bitch...!"
"Don't give up? You might survive among those venomous bugs. I hope you squeeze out your life force to the very end, struggling desperately."
Ignoring the demon's final death cry as bugs swarmed his body in an instant, Belze replaced the lid.
Then, to her came a fly dozens of times larger than ordinary ones, fluttering as if communicating something via wingbeats.
"Hm? What? From that forest? ...Hm. Got it for now."
She affectionately stroked the fly—one of her "Solitude" bugs—and headed to the storage for other insects.
'Elves spotted in the forest with the newborn dungeon...'
News that the insolent elves, who rejected the Alliance's and her own proposals, had been found outside their own dungeon. Nowhere could they escape the eyes of her bugs. Especially not forest-dwelling elves.
She didn't know why the elves headed to that forest... but it was perfect timing.
"Slurp... I wonder what Sacred Tree sap tastes like?"
Rotten corpse flesh was delicious, but for an Insect Demon Tribe member who also loved sucking superior tree sap, the elves' Sacred Tree was the ultimate prey.
She had no intention of quietly giving it up.
-Whiiiirrr...
"Argh. What the hell with these bugs suddenly..."
Though all the corpses had been cleared, bugs seemed drawn by lingering scents, and lately, their numbers inside the ruins had surged.
Even with the lush forest in the garden, no notable pests had appeared before. Now, influxes from outside were flying around incessantly, driving everyone mad.
"These mosquitoes...!"
Meanwhile, Erzsebet was furiously swatting at mosquitoes. Racial hatred?
"Stealing even a single drop of my precious blood...! I'll wipe out the entire forest to destroy your habitats..."
"Stop."
Is she insane...? Getting so pissed at mosquitoes she's about to demolish the forest. Can't you see the elves listening nearby are terrified?
"Sigh... Sorry, Master. Blood Demon Tribe members are a bit sensitive to mosquitoes."
"Can't you cover yourself with a barrier or something?"
"That barrier consumes blood anyway, so the result's the same."
"Right now, the [High-Pressure Cleaner] I gave you... Ah, I confiscated it."
"Yes! That one! Just return it, and I'll deploy a barrier to block mosquito access..."
"Nope. Not yet."
For days, I'd been sharply cutting off Erzsebet's pleas for the [High-Pressure Cleaner] back. I planned to give it after leveling it to 5, but her reactions were so fun, I kept delaying.
"If you hand it over, I can extend the barrier to you too, Master. Don't you hate bugs...?"
"I haven't been bitten once."
"......Huh?"
In 'Cleaning Game,' bugs count as contaminants. Unlike others, they can't be [Decomposed] or [Sold], but wearing [Janitor's Clothes] blocks their approach.
Ugh... Memories. Back when [Janitor's Clothes] was low-level, bugs approaching the game character obscured the view, and horrific mosquito buzzes blared from speakers, nearly giving me a nervous breakdown.
"Master. Can't we just burn them all?"
"......Don't."
Unlike me, the ruins' residents—tormented nightly by the recent bug surge—looked bloodshot-eyed and loathed bugs. Morning goblins had bite marks everywhere, indiscriminate of monsters.
'Well, yeah. It's a garden or whatever, but we're sleeping in the middle of a forest.'
It had improved, but recalling the original garden packed with plants, the absence of bugs before was the real oddity...
"Don't worry, Master. We elves have a secret bug repellent for sap-sucking pests..."
'[Inventory]'
-[Insecticide (Lv. Max)]: Horrid mosquitoes! Noisy flies! This one's all you need!
Ignoring the elves suddenly brightening as if they had a role, Eugene pulled [Insecticide] from his inventory.
'No idea why this isn't consumable but cleaning gear...'
Normally, bugs vary: flies drawn to corpses, cockroaches in filth, mosquito swarms at rivers. Each needs specific countermeasures.
But in 'Cleaning Game,' one [Insecticide] solved everything.
Cockroaches popping out? Insecticide.
Flies on corpses? You too, insecticide.
Mutant bugs in radiation zones? Higher-level insecticide.
So...
-Sssshhhh!!!
I pulled out the [Insecticide], maxed the range, and sprayed. Mosquitoes swarming the gathered people and other pests lost power en masse, plummeting to the ground.
"...Master? If you had that, why not use it sooner?"
"I wasn't bitten, so I didn't notice."
"........."
"Hey. Pretty eyes open?"
Where does she get off glaring at her Master?
-Droop...
Why are the elves sulking too?