Haku-san’s Imperial Villa
When I pa.s.sed through the gate, it was a warehouse.
There was armor, spears, swords and the like all decorating the walls.
There’s a shelf with a wooden box filled with swords and s.h.i.+elds thrown away like junk.
… Even those swords in the box all look high quality with gems embed in them though.
Rokuko and Haku-san, who’d went through the gate before me, were waiting.
Meat, who I’d picked up, was holding on to my clothes. It looked like bringing her along worked.
“Just in case, I connected the gate to my hobby room… my warehouse. Unfortunately, I can’t lend any of the things here nor DP this time.”
So this is her hobby room… so that means the stuff in those boxes are like her collection or something? … Are these all magic swords? Huh. So Haku-san’s hobby is collecting magic swords.
Are these all handmade? Setting aside borrowing one, I’d definitely love to watch at least once.
“Ooh, I remember this lance. This is the one that put up the Fire Wall when we had the dungeon battle isn’t it, Haku Ane-sama!?”
“Ugu—! … Y-yes, it is.”
Rokuko casually ripped open an old wound. Harsh.
“… I’ve prepared a temporary room for you to stay, this way.”
Lead by Haku-san, who was smiling bitterly, we walked to the villa.
It was mostly white, just like a temple. I wonder if she’s wors.h.i.+ped?
“Here it is, Rokuko-chan.”
“Oooh… so big!”
It’s just about the same size as the suite in our inn. Furnished with a canopy, there was a queen-size white bed. Must be nice… I want one. There’s a see-through curtain going around it… is that called a veil?
Are the pillows, mattress, and covers all made from down? It’s all puffy and looks so soft. I want to dive into it. And then sleep.
Other than the bed? Ah yeah, it all looks high spec. I don’t know for sure, but I think the lighting’s all taken care of by magic tools. Ah, there’s the ma.s.sage chair we sold her.
But yeah, as expected of the room prepared by Haku-san, it’s obvious at a glance that it’s a high-end futon. Just looking at it makes me feel tired!
“Ah, Kehma-san and that slave’s is over here.”
Eh, I was ushered into a small dull room a short distance away.
Whoosh. A tasteless four tatami mat room. It feels like a room you’d use as a storeroom for luggage.
There isn’t even a single futon. There aren’t any pillows either. It reminds me of the time I first came to this world.
“W-wait, Haku Ane-sama, this treatment is really…”
“Oh? Kehma-san won’t work if he sleeps though?”
“… No—u-umm, d-did I say something like that?”
Rokuko had a look on that looked like, “Ah, come to think of it I did say something like that before huh~”.
Huh. So this is your fault, Rokuko.
Well, even without that I didn’t expect to be treated the same as Rokuko in the slightest.
“Hey, e-even so, a futon would be…”
“In that case isn’t it alright if he returns to the dungeon every day?”
Right, that’s very Haku-san-like. She just wants me to go back so she can keep Rokuko here. That’s alright though. I don’t mind. Should I fake it a bit?
“… Well, it’s a good enough room for just being lent to me, yep.”
“Ah, do you want to come to our room? The bed is big enough for three people to sleep in.”
“Oh, sorry, Rokuko-chan. That bed is for dungeon cores only.”
“Really!? Uu, there’s no helping it then…”
Rokuko, you know that’s a lie right? Dungeon cores only? Isn’t that nothing but Haku-san just wanting to sleep with you?”
“Enough about rooms, where should I make the dungeon?”
“I am glad that you’re so motivated. Let’s go to the conference room then. I’ve prepared a map.”
This time we headed to the conference room.
It was another white room, but in its center, it had a three-dimensional map… of the entire empire. And the neighboring countries… As well as a matching map for the Demon King’s territory.
“… What an elaborate map. It feels like it shows so much more than I’ve ever seen.”
“Yes. This map is an important strategic intelligence resource. After all, it’s formed from knowledge brought back from previous heroes, as well as harpies directly doc.u.menting from the skies.”
Another world’s knowledge is nothing to joke about, it’s serious stuff. Thinking that, I took another look over the map.
Tsuia Mountain and our dungeon in it is inside of the empire’s territory. Calculating backwards using the size of the mountain… yup, it’s huge. Just how many Hokkaido’s would fit in it? [1]
Moreover, there are dozens of other dungeon locations recorded on the map. There are a lot around the area by the capital, are they all Haku-san’s dungeons?
“And so, how about making the dungeon here? There are many geographical features, so you could utilize various things… Moreover, it is nearby a monster village.”
Hmm? Using a monster village is alright with the rules for this?
I was wondering about it, but Haku-san smiled. Looks like it’s alright.
“It looks like it’d be better to actually check out the spots and narrow down the candidates.”
“Yes, for now, I recommend this mountain. With a mountain, you could use all of the techniques that you all have been using thus far, correct?”
Looking at the spot that Haku-san pointed to as she said that, it was located a little ways away from the capital.
A mountain not far off from the Demon King’s territory… Ah, so a dungeon to keep that in check huh?
I wonder if she’s intending to use it as a lookout after this? Rather, I wonder what’ll happen to the dungeons that get made for this.
“Ah, for the dungeons made for this Dungeon Battle, the winning junior will receive theirs, while the losers’ will be given to their seniors. So don’t worry about that and do your best, alright?”
If we lose, she can use it as a lookout dungeon, so it’s OK. If we win, we’ll be the ones to use it as a lookout, so that’s OK too. In other words, Haku-san profits either way.
“Heeey, Haku Ane-sama. You know what Kehma’s thinking even without him saying anything?”
“Yes, I can tell from looking at his face. It is because I am used to negotiating with people.”
“I wonder if I can do that too if I work hard? I want to know what Keima things about.”
“… Rokuko-chan doesn’t need a skill like that, though?”
“Hmm.”
Rokuko thought.
“In other words, even without having the skill, being one body and soul with Keima… my thoughts are Keima’s thoughts!?” [2]
“I haven’t been able to read Rokuko-chan’s thoughts in a certain meaning recently…”
“Fufufu, that’s because I’m growing up!”
Rokuko stuck her nose up with a triumphant look. Yep, some things never change.
Haku-san nodded with a relieved look.
“So Kehma, isn’t this area here alright? It’s the place that Haku Ane-sama recommended.”
“Well, hold on. There are other candidates. It’ll influence what kind of dungeon we make.”
Like that, narrowing down the number of candidates, we decided to inspect the spots in person starting tomorrow.
… It’s troublesome, but there’s no helping it. I don’t want to lose.
By the way, Meat and I returned to the dungeon after that and Rokuko decided to stay the night there.
Footnotes:
Hokkaido prefecture is 32,222 mi sq, 83454 km sq. So yeah, pretty big. Return
Note that the word for “thought” here can also mean concepts, ideas, expectations, etc. She’s also saying “What I believe, he believes” here… and probably the other way around. Probably.