Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Final Field Inspection
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After repairing the dimensional relay, we set out on a final field inspection before connecting the external dimensional gate to the dungeon entrance.
It was hard to spot vulnerabilities or misplacements in the field from the illusory overview projected in the heart chamber.
The first stop was Phenex's boss room. Dungeons could add various mechanisms or environmental features to boss rooms as they grew, but we didn't have the resources for that yet. Besides, gimmick bosses were the ones that needed such things, and since Phenex was a brawler-type boss, it wasn't urgent anyway....
"Take a look at this, Phenex. What are we going to do about all this dust?"
"Ugh... Lucifer...."
"It's filthy. What would have happened if I hadn't checked ahead of time?"
"It's not... that dirty...."
"Quiet, quiet!"
"......"
Lucifer was especially strict with Phenex. Well, actually, it just felt that way because Phenex was the only one who could even hold a conversation like this with her. The other familiars could barely get a word in edgewise with Lucifer....
Right now, Lucifer was cleaning up the boss room—which was a nightmare for any intruder—before I even arrived.
'Phenex must be biting her tongue to hold back.'
She had complaints, but she was putting up with it?
Either way, Lucifer's meddling was necessary. The boss room was Phenex's living space, after all, and she deserved a clean environment.
'Well... plenty of venomous or hazardous environments exist in the fields, which aren't living spaces for familiars.'
This flame field's theme was the ash-covered forest. Think of it as a field on fire, basically.
Remegaton's fields branched into multiple concepts per attribute, each with diverse terrain effects and synergies, naturally.
"Kihehehehe...."
The leader of the Mad Troupe, Santo.
In the ash-covered forest overseen by Phenex, he was the only other familiar besides her.
The bizarre decision to fill the field with familiars except for stuffing this guy in stemmed from his unique ability.
"Kihik... kiheek...."
He just clung to a distant tree, peeking over and giggling endlessly. He might look pathetic as an ally, but facing him as an enemy would inspire terror with that appearance.
In any case... the second field had been successfully completed.
It felt surreal. Like scraping together money to move to a bigger house and giving the eldest daughter her own room.
As Phenex fidgeted awkwardly, Lucifer spoke up.
"Phenex, you are practically Faust's limb, so you must always conduct yourself properly."
"...Okay."
"I'll be stopping by every week. If you slack on cleaning...."
"I'll do it! Cleaning!"
Phenex stared at me blankly.
She wanted me to say something?
"...I'll drop by sometimes."
Hee-hee-!
Phenex beamed innocently.
"I'll come too!"
No, you come too often....
Even without anything to say.
We exchanged a glance with her and left.
...How many defeats lay in store for her from here on?
'She'll keep losing for a while.'
Losing repeatedly and bearing bitter wounds—that would be her role for the time being. As her master, I would push her into those trials.
"Next up... the forest."
"Faust, I have something to tell you before the final check."
Lucifer held me back.
"What is it?"
"If Amon tries to shove something weird at you, please don't panic."
"...What are you talking about?"
"It happened this morning... Well, it was something that occasionally occurred even in Hell, but...."
Right then.
"Ah! There you are!"
Amon's oddly cheerful voice grew closer. Lucifer grimaced and muttered.
"She's here."
Then she huddled behind my back, clasping her hands.
"Where's Lucifer? I wanted to hear her thoughts on my creation."
"What are you—"
"Ahem... Well, a little out of order won't hurt. I needed your opinion anyway."
"My opinion?"
"Behold this magnificent creation with clear eyes!"
Swoosh...
What Amon slyly proffered was a flowerpot. Handheld size, easy to carry. Something was planted in it.
"This is... a mandragora."
"Ehem... ehem! The fruits of my research."
The mandragora I'd procured for her from the black market.
I remembered frowning at the exorbitant price back then.
'It's finally complete?'
Something round was drawn on one side of the pot.
"...A clock?"
"Hmm... What do you think?"
No, it was inconvenient to carry around, like....
"An alarm clock."
"Correct."
Snap-!
One of Amon's mechanical hands flicked a finger. At once, a horrific shriek erupted from the mandragora in the pot.
- Kiiiiiiieeeeek! You're lateeeee! You can't be lateeeee!
I turned to see Lucifer clutching her ears alone. Amon mouthed along exaggeratedly.
What? Why the sudden vaudeville act....
Rustle...
Lucifer handed me a handkerchief.
I wiped something trickling from my ear, and it stained the cloth red.
"...It bleeds."
"...What?"
"What do you think of my invention?"
...My hard-earned gold went into making this garbage?
Before the mandragora could scream again, I hurriedly twisted the button below it. Probably the volume control.
- Kiiiieek... You're gonna be late! I'm lateee!
Fortunately, no more blood from my ears.
"...When does the alarm go off?"
"At waking time, of course. But that's not all. If you snooze for another five minutes after it rings, the alarm will kill the user."
...Incredible.
Incredibly violent and utterly useless.
'No one would risk death for five more minutes of sleep....'
But I knew.
This would be the tool to tame Amon, who wouldn't listen otherwise.
"Faust, smash that monstrosity now...."
"It might... actually be useful."
"Stomp it with your foot and—What?"
Lucifer stared at me in disbelief, as if betrayed by someone she trusted.
And strangely, Amon reacted the same way.
"...Really? You truly think so?"
"Faust, did something bad happen last night...."
I replied calmly.
"Of course. I'll put it by my bedside. I've been having trouble waking up lately."
Ever since her secret workshop started running, Amon often brought me inventions, most of them trash.
And I...
'I'll embrace even that, Amon!'
Lucifer whispered.
"You could die, Faust."
"If you're lazy enough for five more minutes, you deserve it. Feels merciful, even."
Straight talk!
How's that, Amon!
"Heh... hehehehehe...."
...Amon was laughing weirdly.
Presenting useless inventions was her darkest desire.
She knew, to some extent, that they were pointless. Yet she craved praise anyway.
In the past, countless masterpieces from her hands were weapons. She no longer wanted to make things solely for killing.
Her goal seemed to be useful-yet-useless items. Things that neither improved nor sullied the world.
She loved that bizarre balance. And she wanted someone to cherish and acknowledge it.
Don't want her weapons?
'Even if I asked, she wouldn't make them, this one.'
Fat chance.
With her willful nature, it was best to hide my real reaction.
An alarm that kills you for snoozing five minutes? That's too much of a joke. Such inner thoughts would pass through a purity filter, emerging as fragrant words.
"I'd love more items like this in the future."
Amon twitched her lips, suppressing her expression.
"Well... who knows? Expecting that much might be greedy. Still... if I get bored, maybe I'll consider it?"
So predictable, this one.
"Then I'll place this by my bedside."
"I can do it."
"No, I'll handle it. It's no trouble."
She, who usually bristled at doing anything for me, scurried off clutching the alarm clock.
Her non-mechanical hand held it, too. It showed how attached she was to her inventions.
'She's like a total kid at times like this.'
She probably went to check my bedside, figuring out the best spot for the alarm.
Watching this, Lucifer nodded quietly.
"Indeed... so that was your intent."
"...What are you getting?"
Back to business.
"The forest is left?"
"Yes, the forest structure has been changed as you commanded."
"And Ariel's reaction?"
The black fairy queen who originally occupied the forest mattered too. She might feel I'd trampled her faint shred of loyalty.
She seemed to be enjoying the rare respite. The goblins weren't clear-cutting wildly or polluting the soil, so she was apparently content to observe.
"Jaquim's performance will be something to look forward to."
After moving to the forest, we inspected intruder paths one by one. We also visited Ariel, now the forest's hidden boss.
"Faust, you've come in person."
"Ariel, any complaints about your situation?"
"Feels like freedom from those troublemakers—I'm relieved, actually. Just worried if Jaquim can handle it."
"...We have to trust him."
A goblin warrior had joined via the forest field's unique effect, and we'd gotten four more goblin breeds from gacha.
Still short, but not bad.
"Faust, that one...."
Where Jaquim was.
My gaze rose higher as I looked at him.
"...Impressive."
I could tell just by looking.
Goblin King Jaquim.
This one would be my dungeon's new gatekeeper.
* * *
Fwoooosh-!
"What the— what just happened?"
They'd made contact with the dimensional gate at the mysterious cave hugging the Isglenn region.
That was the last thing the adventurers remembered.
"Where are we?"
"Shit, what the hell is this...."
"It's a forest? Damn it...."
Hallucinating or what?
"Hey, what now? You said we'd make bank."
"Shut up, I'm thinking."
"Weren't we... teleported somewhere?"
"Right in the middle of a forest like this... too weird... Hmm? The mana flow seems suspicious."
"...Yeah. Could it be a dun...geon?"
Eyes lit up at that.
"A dungeon? Here?"
"Feels like it. The mana flow is definitely odd."
"Oh, lucky break! If it's an unmapped one, we snag the core the moment we clear it!"
"Split five ways... we'd live easy forever!"
"Why not? Could even become nobles!"
The adventurer party's morale surged.
Get-rich-quick dreams were within reach.
"See that?"
"Yeah... that building in the forest center looks off for its size."
An oddly towering structure smack in the woods' heart. Visible even from afar.
"Let's go check it out."