The Frog Mother's Lair

I waded through the water that had risen to my ankles and stepped into the hole for the farm village quest. "Gurgle... Gurgle..." In the light cast by the blue glowstones, a frog with an enormous body revealed itself.

"It's the frog mother."

"It's incredibly large." The sheer overwhelming size pressed down on me. Because it was the boss of the first dungeon, I could feel my heart racing without even realizing it.

"Can demons truly control something this big?"

"Yes, it is possible, but it will consume a great deal of my mental strength."

The demon race possessed the power to dominate even bosses. That did not mean they could enslave every monster as if they were mere tools. It was more accurate to say the creatures were so crushed by a demon's might that they only pretended to obey. This sort of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠pyramid hierarchy struck me as rather interesting. Of course, now was not the time for such idle thoughts.

I raised my sword and leveled it at the giant frog. Then I scanned the area to read the battlefield. Aquatic plants and skeletons lay scattered everywhere. Upon closer inspection of the skeletons, something was clumped together on them. Eggs. Hundreds of eggs were piled atop the skeletons' chests, rising high like dense bushes.

"So they incubate their eggs on corpses."

"This room serves as both the boss chamber and the frog mother's spawning ground."

That explained why so many frogs had gathered near the farm village. The mother had ordered her offspring to fetch corpses for the eggs. In doing so, they had gradually advanced toward the village itself, harming the farmers along the way.

"In this world, almost nothing happens without a reason."

Skeletons that clearly belonged to the villagers lay in plain sight. The starving children I had met in the clearing flashed through my mind. Parents who could no longer act as protectors... No, they had been prevented from doing so.

"Then I'll become a reason for all of you as well."

I sprang forward and drove my sword straight into the giant frog's back.

Squish!

"Gururuk...!?"

The mother's back, which had been calmly tending the eggs, tore open wide.

"GUOOOH!"

Her scream made the entire space tremble violently.

"Use every last one of the magic stones, Eos."

"Yes, Master."

A blue light flickered from Eos's clenched palm. Her robe fluttered as droplets of water rose into the air.

"Water Shot."

Ping! Ping!

Dozens of liquid bullets tore through the vacuum and punched straight into the giant frog's body. As the frog mother staggered backward, the eggs that had heard her cry began to hatch all at once.

"Not a chance."

I slashed diagonally before they could finish hatching, but the sheer volume made it impossible to stop them all.

Thud!

Frogs leaped at me from a blind angle.

"Master!"

"Stay back!"

The moment I felt my armor crumple, my sword grew even sharper.

Swoosh! Slash!

Slice! Stab!

One man against a horde. No matter how many baby frogs I killed, more kept charging. I cut them down, checked the next threat, and threw punches in between.

Ting!

"Kyeeeek!"

"Kurak!"

The water around my ankles slowly turned crimson. Before long, a mound of frog corpses had piled up around me.

"What a shame."

Despite their overwhelming numbers, they were not satisfying opponents. They lacked the cunning of goblins and used no tricks. They were nothing more than machines born to obey their mother's commands.

"Guruk...! Gururuk...!"

The frog mother stared at me with bloodshot eyes.

"Are you afraid?"

Even without words, her actions and gaze told me everything.

"You know it too, don't you? This world is one where you either eat or are eaten."

"Ku... uuuuurk!"

"That's right. Come at me with everything you have. I'll do the same to kill you."

I glanced back at Eos. She nodded, understanding perfectly. Blue light bloomed from her hand once more. At the same time, I charged the frog mother.

Papabak!

Slice!

"Kueee!"

Our coordinated assault carved more wounds into the frog mother. At the same time, I felt myself gradually being pushed back.

Thud!

"Keuk!"

A heavy hind leg slammed into me and sent me flying like a stone skipped across water.

"...It doesn't even hurt that much."

I stood up again and gripped my sword. The light from Eos's magic stones was growing dim.

"This is the final spell!"

"Aim for the weak point with care. I'll set it up so you can strike true."

My blade could cut the frog's flesh, but its body was too thick to kill outright. The wounds I left behind were already slowly closing as mucus seeped from them. Eos's water magic, however, pierced straight through. One solid hit to a vital spot would prevent regeneration and kill it instantly.

Splash! Splash!

I ran straight at the mother to keep her attention on me.

"Gururuk!"

It raised a foreleg to smash me.

"How straightforward."

Boom!

An explosion of sound sent waves surging in every direction. The rushing water slammed me all the way into the boss room's wall. Seeing me thrown so far, the frog mother tilted its massive body toward me.

"Strike the head from behind."

With those words I charged again. The frog mother planted all four legs and opened its mouth wide.

"Peeeee!"

Its tongue shot forward like a bullet.

Clang!

The mother's tongue glanced off and I shot forward. In that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠instant, from an angle the frog mother could not see, Eos's magic flew in.

Pew!

It pierced the frog's temple with perfect accuracy.

"Did we finish it?"

The moment Eos's voice reached me, I saw the frog mother's pupils roll as it turned toward her. It had not died. Perhaps because it was a boss. Even with part of its brain destroyed, it still moved to eliminate the intruders. Its target had switched to Eos. No more blue light came from her hands. If things continued this way, she would be attacked before she could respond. Of course she was a demon and would not fall easily, but...

"That woman is my slave, you damn frog."

I activated the spell beneath my feet. The same Water Shot Eos had used. I had seen how it maximized water pressure for an instant launch. Replicating it perfectly was beyond my mana control, but I could imitate the principle. If a goblin could do it, so could I.

Bang!

The water-magic booster exploded beneath my soles and launched me into the air.

I descended vertically and drove my blade straight into the crown of the frog mother's head. The frenzied slashes sent chunks of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠scalp and brain matter flying in every direction.

"Ku... Gurururuk..."

The frog mother's eyes froze in place. With a heavy thud, it lost balance and collapsed. I pulled my sword free from its skull and dropped back to the ground.

"Magnificent work, Master."

"It only worked because you drew its attention so well."

"Not at all. I provided little assistance."

Even creating that tiny opening had been a tremendous help. It reminded me of how I had displayed my crude swordsmanship for the blue-haired girl during the goblin mother fight.

I sheathed my blade and brushed the clinging flesh from my body. Eos approached and helped clean me off.

"Are you injured anywhere?"

"No."

"If you're hurt, do not hide it."

"Yes, Master."

Fortunately I was the only one who had taken damage. Part of my armor was dented and my shoulder had dislocated; I popped it back into place.

"Hmm..."

Bruises stood out clearly across my body.

"You must rest."

"I'm fine."

"No. Sit down. I will handle it."

Eos's voice grew stern when she saw my wounds. I felt a flicker of intimidation and decided to obey.

"...Understood."

While I rested, Eos checked the area and gathered the spoils. She extracted the magic stone from the frog mother's body, pulled out its tongue and eyeballs, and wrapped them carefully in cloth. She focused on anything that carried mana.

"There was a box in the corner."

She placed a wooden box that fit neatly in her arms before me.

"And this... I found it on a human corpse. The shape seemed nice, so I brought it."

She handed me a flower-shaped pendant.

"I wish I could return it to its owner."

I slipped the pendant into my pocket and stood. It was time to open the box Eos had brought.

Click... Creak...

"It looks quite valuable."

"It does."

I closed the box and glanced back at the hole I had entered through.

"Let's mine the blue glowstones and head back."

"Yes, Master."

The journey back to the village was uneventful. We had cleared the dungeon faster than expected, so the sky had not yet grown dark. I gathered mana-rich herbs and mushrooms along the way.

"Oh... Thank you so much, adventurer!"

I stopped at the general store, turned in the blue glowstones, and received the quest reward. I also sold the herbs and mushrooms in one batch and instantly earned more than twenty gold. Adding the contents of the boss-room chest, the total would easily reach sixty or seventy gold. No wonder adventurers were always chasing dungeons.

"I thought you had abandoned me!"

When I returned to the inn, Syucali was clutching my pant leg and sobbing.

"Didn't you say being alone was more comfortable?"

"I don't like it anymore... Hic... Hic..."

After indulging her whining for a while, I showed her the blue glowstones along with the luminous herbs.

"They say if you combine these properly, you can make a potent aphrodisiac."

"Eh? Really?"

"Try making it. It's fine even if you fail."

"Yes! Leave it to me, Master!"

Syucali, who loved experiments, immediately began mixing ingredients with clear enthusiasm. I found myself quietly looking forward to the results.

While she was absorbed in her work, I climbed onto the bed and lay down. Eos followed and climbed up beside me.

"I will serve you."

"Today, let's just rest..."

"Master requires recovery."

"..."

Eos looked at my bruise-covered body and pressed herself close.

"It's fine..."

"No. It absolutely is not."

"...Understood."

Eos loosened her clothing and drew nearer. She lifted my hand, kissed it, then pressed her body tightly against mine.

"You look worried."

"No matter what anyone says, you are my Master. It is only natural that I worry for my owner."

"...Do demons always give their all for their masters?"

"Not every demon, but I have sworn to do so."

"You're a slave far too good for me."

"And I have a master who is far too good for me."

Eos nestled into my arms. The rich, intense scent unique to demons filled my lungs completely.