[Let's Defend the Dungeon! #3]
"Humans!"
—Screech!
I felt like my balls were shriveling up inside me! The tension was absolute. To me, the appearance of humanity meant exactly that. Just as the lions of the savanna fear the Maasai, I, too, feared humans!
"Hey! They say humans have appeared!"
"Shaa! Demon King-nim! It’s dangerous!"
Serineu and Sharan shouted in excitement. I needed to calm them down, first and foremost.
"Quiet. Everyone, be quiet. I’m already aware."
I couldn't let them see me wavering. I was a Demon King leading a company-sized force now. Stay calm. I carefully un-shriveled my balls and restrained them with a very composed voice.
"All troops. Retreat. Head back the way we came, and erase our tracks as you go. Getting out of here is the priority."
I issued the order. Fortunately, I had only brought the Pixie unit today. Since the entire army hadn't moved, we could erase our traces for now. We should be able to retreat without any issues.
"O-okay, Demon King-nim."
Seeing my calm demeanor, Sharan immediately settled down.
"Quiet! You heard him! Be quiet and get ready to run!"
Serineu tried to lead them well, but—
"Humans!"
"We're in big trouble!"
"I told you to be quiet!"
"Serineu, you're the one being louder!"
This wasn't going to work.
The Pixies were on the verge of a panic. That was how much of a target of terror humans were. Even the mighty lions of the savanna would piss themselves and cry like babies, running away at the mere mention of the Maasai. That was common sense. No matter how strong your claws and teeth were, if the human sunbaes decided to hunt you, you were absolutely, royally screwed.
Lions that didn't know that were long dead. Only those who feared humans survived.
"Hoo!"
I calmed my pounding heart.
"Quick! We have to run!"
"What do we do! They say it's humans! They're going to kill us all!"
"We have to kill them before they kill us!"
I approached the Pixies who were about to descend into panic.
—Swish.
Like a master of martial arts, I extended both hands and grabbed the large, fatty royal breasts on the Pixies' upper bodies.
"Kyaa♥"
"Ang♥"
The consciousness of the Pixies who were about to panic shifted to their chests. They let out lewd noises, seemingly feeling good just from being touched.
—Swish-swish-swish.
And so, like flowing water, I used both hands freely, kneading the breasts of each Pixie one by one. It felt as if afterimages were being created every time I moved my hands.
"Lower your voices."
Was this the realm of a master?
"..."
"..."
"..."
As I touched their breasts, the Pixies shut their mouths.
"Good. The chaos has been quelled."
"Demon King-nim, you're amazing...!"
"Knowing that is enough. Now, Serineu. Let's retreat."
"U-uh... okay."
Serineu nodded with a flushed face, and we retreated immediately.
"..."
I need to think carefully. What should I do now? Should I hide? There’s no benefit to making contact first. If I can hide, I must.
However.
Recently, Buril and Im-sung had been leading their subordinates around this area. What if they left traces? And what if those humans discovered those traces?
I’m screwed.
"No way."
Did they come all the way here because they saw the traces in the first place? Ominous imagination began to swell.
Our absolute advantage was that our identity hadn't been revealed. But if they already knew... we were at an absolute disadvantage. If they captured evidence that a large number of monsters were moving in a group, humans would definitely try to find the cause, and they might reach my dungeon.
And they would do so fully prepared.
"If that happens, I have to kill them all."
I needed to gather information on the enemy... but actually, killing them was also a problem. If people who entered the forest for a specific purpose kept going missing, it wouldn't be strange for a full-scale expedition team to be formed. And if it were such an expedition team, they would surely kill everything in sight, regardless of whether the monsters formed an army or not.
Thinking that, I looked at Reika.
"..."
Her expression wasn't good.
"Sister Reika."
"...Why."
"Sister, you are already in a community of fate with us."
"Screw you. Why would I be with someone like you."
"Now that you have horns on your head, nothing good will come from following those humans. Not a single thing."
"..."
At those words, Reika was silent for a moment, then—
"Shit."
She spat out a curse. There was no other reaction. She just retreated with us. After retreating to a certain point with my subordinates, I called Serineu.
First, I needed to grasp the scale of the enemy.
"Serineu. Call that Pixie from earlier."
"Okay. Got it."
The Pixie who had done the scouting immediately came before me.
"Pixie. Did you see the scale of the humans?"
"I-I don't know. I was so surprised when I saw them that I came right back."
Her face was terrified. But I felt like I needed to educate her again.
"Well, I suppose. You couldn't help but be flustered when humans suddenly appeared. That's how it is, right?"
"Y-yeah! That's right! I was so scared I came right back!"
"Yeah, yeah. I understand. But Pixie. When you discover humans, you have to be as careful as possible and find out as much as you can about their numbers before returning. That way, we can be safer. Understand? Let's do that next time."
"Okay... sorry."
"It's fine."
Because I could just make Serineu do it.
"Serineu. Can you go and take a secret look? Without getting caught."
"Ugh..."
At my words, Serineu hesitated for a moment.
"If we want to win, we need to know what kind of guys they are. Serineu. Just go secretly and look at what you can, then come back. Can you do that for me?"
"W-what if I get caught? Humans won't leave us alone."
That would be true.
Forest fairies are very beautiful. Considering the characteristics of humans, it wouldn't be strange if they kidnapped them and sold them as slaves.
"Serineu. You can do it. And if we don't find out about them here, all of us could end up like that."
Persuasion.
"It's a job only you can do."
"U-ugh! Okay! I'll go and check. I know the importance of it too. I was just a little scared, that's all."
—Swoosh.
I immediately placed my hand on Serineu's head.
"I'm really, really grateful. There's really no one but you, Serineu, who can do this. Thank you for finding the courage."
"W-well. It's nothing. It's something I should naturally do as the Pixie leader... but don't forget that you're grateful! Because watching humans is a dangerous job!"
"Hehehe, yeah. I'll be grateful for the rest of my life."
"Then that's enough. Now, everyone. Come with me to see the humans."
"I-it's scary..."
"We still have to go. Let's go."
Serineu immediately grabbed the wrists of two Pixies and jumped.
"We will wait here until Serineu returns."
"Shaa. Yes, Demon King-nim."
"I'm worried about Serineu... will she be okay?"
"We have to hope she does well."
After this is over, I should train the Pixies in scouting and intelligence. How should I do it? Should I have them practice hiding in a game of tag?
"Serineu, why isn't she coming back?"
"Did she get caught?"
"She got caught because the Demon King told her to go!"
How many minutes had passed since Serineu left? The Pixies showed agitation. I immediately told the Pixies that it was okay and gave each of them a simple task so they could focus on the current situation.
It was to hide in the trees nearby and monitor the surroundings.
In an anxious situation, they now had something to do for safety. The Pixies hid their agitation and immediately took their tasks seriously.
"Sharan, you feel the surroundings too."
"Yes, Demon King-nim."
As I was waiting for Serineu like that—
—Vroom!
I heard the sound of flapping wings from over there!
"Serineu...! You're back!"
"I'm back!"
Fortunately, Serineu returned safely. Honestly, I was dying of anxiety after sending her off. Not only was I worried about Serineu, but if the existence of Pixies were confirmed, more humans might come.
"You did really well! Serineu! You did amazingly well!"
Anyway, my joy exploded. As I gently touched her shoulders to express my gratitude, Serineu, who was blushing, answered primly.
"Y-you know I'm grateful! Always be grateful to me from now on! Because it was a difficult task!"
"I know. But you didn't get caught, right?"
"If I had been caught, I wouldn't be able to come back. What are you talking about?"
"Hehehe, yeah. That's a relief. So, how was it?"
"That is... I'll explain slowly. Haa. I was really scared to death. What fierce humans they were...!"
I immediately listened to Serineu's explanation.
First of all, the number of humans discovered was not that large. It was fewer than I had worried about.
"Six people?"
Is that a relief?
I felt a weight off my heart.
"Yes. Three females and three males."
"Tell me their attire accurately."
"That is... Ah! First of all, there were two females wearing clothes similar to Reika's!"
What?
Two nuns?
I looked at Reika immediately, but because Reika couldn't speak Fairy, she was just glaring at me with her arms crossed.
"Yeah... so there are two nuns."
According to Reika's explanation, other nuns weren't that strong. Even if they could manifest divine power as nuns, it was safe to say they had no combat power beyond self-defense.
Of course, I had to be careful. But the fact that they didn't have Reika's combat power was good news.
"Then what about the males?"
"They were all carrying weapons. They were wearing clothes similar to yours."
"Clothes similar to mine? This that I'm wearing now?"
The clothes I'm wearing now are clothes I took from adventurers.
"Yes. Similar to that."
"Is that so... Hoo. I lived."
Then they were at the level of the adventurers I had killed so far. Good. Very good news. At this level, there's no need to worry too much. Two nuns and three adventurers. It's a tricky combination, but don't we already have combat experience?
Even if we were to clash head-on, we would be able to win sufficiently.
"Then this is the last thing... you said there were three females. What kind of woman is the last one?"
When I asked that—
"..."
Serineu's complexion darkened a bit.
"Serineu?"
"She... looked a little strong."
"What?! Why!"
"She was a female with black hair, and her weapon looked good, and she was wearing something like iron armor!"
"W-what...!"
She had a good sword.
A woman wearing something like iron armor?
"C-could it be a female knight?!"
This seems a bit dangerous!
She might be a woman with more combat power than Reika!
"And I could also feel some kind of power!"
"Is it power like mana!"
It really seems like a female knight!
If there was an end to the world, I wanted to scream "I'm screwed" from there!