Chapter 2

# Archduke Bonodore’s Perspective

My name is Bonodore Tsia. I’m the Archduke of Tsia.

On a day like any other, I was looking through the new edition of the nobility almanac. There I saw the name Goren, from a town that had been established just last year.

“Keima Goren...? Hm? I do recall the Town Chief of Goren being named Keima, but since when was he a noble?” Curious, I immediately got to figuring it out. The imperial capital’s government would give information on nobles when requested. If he was a visad, a B-Rank adventurer and thus noble, information on his party members and his adventuring history would be public information. Generally a B-Rank adventurer would be fairly well-known and have accomplished many great deeds.

Several days after sending a magic letter, I got my reply. According to it, Keima Goren and his four party members were all B-Rank visads, with their accomplishments being the conquering of five different dungeons. The [Ivory Training Grounds], the [Cave of Greed], the [Ivory Beach], the [Bone Grotto], the [Triple Threat Grotto]... None were dungeons I had heard of, but each had been conquered by their party. The final three after becoming nobility, even. Two of the listed dungeons had been destroyed. In this country, it was punishable by death to destroy a dungeon without permission. Even kids knew that.

In other words, they were strong enough to have conquered two dungeons so dangerous that their destruction had been permitted. And on top of that... “The Ivory Goddess guarantees his skill.” An extra line had been added to the end of the letter.

...Unbelievable. The moment I saw that, I froze and dropped my tea cup, leading it to shatter on the ground. Right next to Tsia, a man of this power is not only building a town, but growing its size rapidly? And he is backed by the Ivory Goddess, known to everyone in the Laverio Empire? No matter how I thought about it, Keima was dangerous. But now that I knew about him, I had to act. Ngh, my stomach hurts. This isn’t going to help my balding...

The reply also came with questions directed at us, from the imperial capital. They wanted to know about Goren Town and the Divine Pillow in Tsia’s care. Simple questions, to be sure... But I wasn’t dumb enough to overlook the message hidden within them. They were telling me to use the Divine Pillow as a trump card when dealing with Keima.

Now then, what was to be done? The town chief of Goren was simply passing himself off as a mere commoner, hiding his rank and status. He was held in high regard by his citizens. They said he was a skilled town chief and a monster of an adventurer. They said he was an honest holy man dedicated to saving others. They said he was a wise man blessed with intelligence and generosity.

Judging by the rapid rate at which Goren was growing, it was likely that all of those assessments were true. He had taken an undeveloped area of nothing and within a single winter grown a minor town to one of a frightening size. He was utilizing the nearby mountain dungeon as a mine to its fullest, facilitating trade and profit. That couldn’t happen without a lot of good luck and a lot of talent. Incidentally, I was a personal fan of the Beddhist church and had purchased not only a holy symbol but a futon as well.

Regardless of the Ivory Goddess’s backing, his accomplishments alone made him a man worth bringing into the fold. Well, there were rumors that he was a lolicon, but that wasn’t uncommon among the nobility. That would even be advantageous for me, considering how young my daughter was.

I decided to meet Keima. When he visited my manor, I discovered that he was a polite young man with black hair and black eyes. He brought with him a well-kept dog beastkin slave. That must have been one of his party members, Niku Kuroinu.

What a horrible name. There was no doubt she was the source of the rumor about Keima being a lolicon. Though it was hard to tell if he was considered a lolicon because he kept her around or if he kept her around because he was a lolicon.

“Kept you waiting, huh? I’m Bonodore Tsia. But maybe the Archduke would be more recognizable for you.”

“I’m Keima. This is Kuroinu. Please call her Kuro. It’s good to meet you, Archduke.” He knew proper manners. Well, he was making slight mistakes here and there, but he was showing proper respect for authority. He also didn’t seem to be afraid of meeting me, the Archduke.

Before giving him the quest which I had prepared for appearances, I made small talk with Keima. According to him, the town had hunted about thirty Iron Golems, but my information showed that forty Iron Golems’ worth of iron had been exported from his town. The total amount probably exceeded fifty considering what iron probably went under the radar.

Your average town chief would give exaggerated reports to try and look better than they are, but Keima spoke in a dry, uninterested tone that made it clear how little he cared for that kind of thing. While he was downplaying his accomplishments, too. That could be interpreted as him having accomplished so much that some Iron Golems didn’t mean anything to him.

Our conversation was interrupted by the arrival of my daughter Mai, so I began discussing the quest I had for him. On the surface, it was a quest to gather information on a criminal organization and guard Mai. In other words, it was a way to introduce the two of them. I wanted them to grow closer while he guarded her.

We already had all the information we needed to deal a heavy blow to the organization. It would be difficult to destroy them entirely, but we would probably come closer to it depending on the information Keima managed to get.

Mai left after being introduced to Keima and we got back to discussing the quest.

“I’ll warn you now, but if I don’t think the pay is worth it I will absolutely turn this quest down.”

It took a lot of guts to turn down a quest from the Archduke, doubly so to his face. Things would be different if it was an immensely challenging quest like defeating a Dragon or what have you, but judging from Keima’s reaction he didn’t consider the quest particularly hard.

“Yes, naturally. I believe this will be an offer you can’t refuse, however.” It was at that moment I had no doubt whatsoever that Keima was the same man that the Ivory Goddess herself vouched for. I dropped the Divine Pillow’s name and Keima’s expression dramatically changed on the spot. That was all the confirmation I needed. Yep, he’s easy to read. You’ve got a long way to go, Keima.

“Unsatisfied?”

“...No, that payment is enough. I will accept the quest.”

“Good, glad that we’re on the same page here.” I said with a smile.

“Naturally, I have a monetary reward prepared as well. Ten silvers as an advance payment. The rest depends on how much information you gather. If you fail and cause collateral damage, the fees will be subtracted from your reward, but I’m sure you’re skilled enough for that not to happen.” With that out of the way, we talked about expenses and the time limit. How much information would Keima be able to gather in a month? It was a largely meaningless quest I had given him for appearances, but I was still looking forward to how far he would go.

“Oh yeah, there’s something important I forgot to ask. Mind if I ask one more thing?”

“What’s that?” I looked at Keima and gave a fake grin.

“...You don’t mind if I destroy the organization myself, do you?” My eyes widened, then I spread out my wings and laughed in amusement.

“Heh, hahaha! Of course not. Do what you can, and if you actually manage it, I’ll help you get the Divine Pillow myself!”

“You sure? I’ll destroy them even if you end up being the mastermind or something,” he said with a smile. His expression made it clear he was fully confident that he could do just that.

“Feel free. I imagine the mastermind is a regional noble. I give you permission to take him down. Ah... But if someone in my family is the mastermind, I would appreciate you telling me ahead of time.”

“Okay, let’s make this official. I accept your quest, Lord Bonodore. Please wait for my report.”

“Very well then, Keima. I expect good things from you.” Truly, how far would he go?

I sent spies to follow after Keima and learn as much about him as possible, but they lost sight of him within minutes. That afternoon I heard a report from the southern gate that Keima had left the city.

...One week passed. Bizarrely enough, the administrators of the criminal organization I had sent Keima after all came and turned themselves in. It was unbelievable. The timing made it clear that Keima was responsible for it. But how in the world did he make all the administrators of a criminal organization turn themselves in with evidence of their crimes? Not to mention that the leader of the organization was one of my subordinates... I had long considered him suspicious, but even he walked readily into jail with evidence of his wrongdoings.

In any case, there was so much evidence that just confirming everything as true was enough to keep everyone busy. Hurry back and explain this, Keima! We could use your help sorting through all this... Wait, things ended up like this because of his help.

I ordered a guard who knew Keima’s face to stand guard at the gate to be ready for him, and in the end he came the next day.

“Keima! I’m glad you came!”

“...Hello again, Archduke Bonodore. How are you?”

I checked with him and got confirmation that he was responsible for the Last Commune administrators turning themselves in. His results were better than I ever expected. And he finished them off so quickly it made me question what we had been doing wasting our time investigating them so slowly. There would be some chaos following their sudden absence, but it would likely take some time for another large criminal organization to form.

“You did great, Keima! So great we’ve been breaking our backs since yesterday. This is pain that feels good, to be sure... What in the world did you do to them?”

“You promised not to ask that, Archduke.”

“Right, right. Forgive me.” I sat opposite to Keima.

“Your work was unbelievable. I didn’t expect that you would actually destroy the organization. In a single week, at that.”

“...To be fair, I definitely wouldn’t want to do it again.”

“Which means you could if you did want to, huh?” In other words, he could repeat this feat as many times as he wanted. Just what I would expect from an adventurer who had the Ivory Goddess vouching for him. I wanted him working for me no matter what it took. Or rather, I will have him working for me, no matter what.

I didn’t know what Keima’s ultimate objective was, but I knew he was looking for the Divine Pillow. That was my way in.

“The Divine Pillow is in the possession of my daughter, Maiodore. At the direct request of the Ivory Goddess, the women of my house have taken care of it for generations.” Okay. This is Keima we’re talking about. He’s a smart guy. Shouldn’t take long for him to realize what he has to do if he wants the Divine Pillow.

# Keima’s Perspective

The Divine Pillow was in Tsia. Or to be more accurate, it was in the care of the Tsia house. That meant it was in this city, or perhaps even in this manor. He could give it to me immediately if he wanted to.

“So... You’re going to give me the Divine Pillow?”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Keima,” said Bonodore with a shrug.

“Well, I seem to recall you saying that you would help me get the Divine Pillow if I destroyed the organization for you.”

“Indeed I did. As promised, I will support you in your efforts to obtain the Divine Pillow.” What’s going on here? Is he going to give it to me or not? I wish he would just give a straight answer.

“There are two important factors to consider. My house has been directly requested to manage the Divine Pillow by the Ivory Goddess. We cannot go against our word and give it to an outsider. Furthermore, it is tradition that the women of the Tsia house manage the Divine Pillow.” Those two factors led to one simple conclusion. “You just have to marry into the Tsia house and the Divine Pillow will be yours.”

“...Marry into the Tsia house?”

“Indeed. I have no intention of breaking my promise to you. I will support you in this endeavor.” Is this guy telling me to seduce and marry his daughter?

“To show my support... Indeed. I will recognize your marriage with my daughter, Maiodore. In truth, I do not want her to marry just yet, but with a man of your caliber I have no reason to oppose it. In fact, I already discussed this with Mai yesterday.”

Well. That was definitely one way I could get the Divine Pillow. Probably the best way too, with the least amount of problems arising from it—if I didn’t already have Rokuko as my partner.

I was only gathering the Divine Bedding so I could become immortal and live with Rokuko longer, so without Rokuko there would be no point in getting the Divine Pillow. Naturally, I needed to avoid marrying Mai. Or at the very least, it wasn’t something I should do without discussing it with Rokuko first.

“Is that really the only way?”

“Why do you ask? Are you not satisfied with my daughter?” asked Bonodore, glaring at me. But it was clearly just for show and didn’t scare me at all. That was partially thanks to the mental strength I had developed over the past week, but it was also because his glare was like a warm smile compared to Haku’s murderous ones.

“...Isn’t Maiodore a bit young to marry?”

“The women older than Mai are already married. But in any case, she’s not young enough for her age to be a problem. I was twice as old as my wife when we got married.” It was true that even political marriages on Earth had age gaps that wide. At the worst of times, babies ended up married to adults, sometimes before being born.

“But that’s for nobles. I’m a commoner.”

“Well, even so, that won’t be a problem for you. You won’t be taking over as the head of the family, after all.” Me being a commoner doesn’t matter?! In what world?! I mean, I know sometimes rich merchants end up married to minor nobles, and it shouldn’t really be a problem if I’m removed from the line of succession, but still.

“In any case, you don’t need to hide yourself like that. I’ve heard the rumors about you. That you are romantically interested in children. That’s not uncommon for those in the nobility, you know.” Come oooon! I’m not a lolicon, that’s just a rumor! Who the friggin’ hell told you that?! The spies from before? How useless can they be! Execute them already! Ah, sorry, I went too far there. Just cut their salaries in half or something.

“It truly hurts my heart for my adorable daughter to become the target of a lolicon, but she is a noble. I will permit you to, ahem, do with her as you will after your marriage. You are skilled enough that I consider that a worthwhile sacrifice.” Yeah, actually, kill whoever told that to you. He’s basically character assassinating me here.

“Like I said, I’m a commoner. The world of the nobility is above my head. Also, those rumors are false.”

“Like I said, you don’t need to hide yourself. I know you’re already a noble.”

“Wha?” Bonodore had said that I was a noble with such clear confidence. There could be only one explanation. My other guild card. The B-Rank guild card Haku gave me made me an adventurer noble. How did Bonodore find that out? “...What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what I said. Your name is in this year’s nobility almanac.” Wait... What? Seriously? You’re telling me there’s a list of nobles called the nobility almanac? I mean, of course there’s something like that, wow. I didn’t expect my rank to get leaked like that. I guess he’s so fine with me marrying Maiodore exactly because I am (technically) a noble.

Anyway, c’mon Haku, be more careful... Wait, I guess she was. She must have put my name in the almanac knowingly. If the almanac doesn’t match up with the issued B-Rank guild cards, things could get bad. There are adventurers who are actually B-Rank, after all.

“Do you mind if I take a look at the almanac?”

“Not at all.” Bonodore ordered a butler to bring the almanac. He left the room and returned not long after. The almanac was an impressive leather bound book, just like one you’d find in a library.

He placed it on a desk and I opened it, somewhat intimidated by its size. My party and I were apparently recorded in the section for new nobles. There were heads of families, there were upstarts who brought their house from peasantry to nobility, and... Oh, there we are. Keima Goren... Wait, what?! Keima Goren? Not Keima Masuda? I know that my guild card just has Keima on it, but... Oh. I don’t think I’ve ever told Haku my last name before. I guess Goren does kind of sound like a last name, since people name towns after themselves and stuff.

Incidentally, beside my name was my rank, gender, age, relationship status, and all sorts of information. The almanac seemed like it existed entirely to facilitate marriage hunting, to be honest.

“Am I in it?” Niku peered at the book. She was there too, as Niku Kuroinu. Her last name was correct, which made sense given that was the name she was registered with.

“...I was quite surprised when I saw Kuroinu’s first name. It is what it is, after all. I would sooner believe her gender was misprinted than that being her true first name. To think she truly is a girl,” said Bonodore, scratching his cheek. I couldn’t blame him. Who wouldn’t be surprised to see essentially the words “sex slave” on a fancy list of nobles? When it came to men, by the way, “niku” was slang for “meat shield.” There were many ways to write each name, so he considered the possibility that it was a misprint, though it would be unthinkable for such a mistake to be made and overlooked.

“Not one adventurer named Niku has risen to nobility in the history of the empire. Almost everyone named Niku is a slave with no rank, and those who register with the guild change it to something else. Those who don’t are gently told to reconsider by the kindhearted scribe recording their noble name. Did that not happen to you?” Haku isn’t kindhearted... She doesn’t have a heart at all, actually.

Maybe it would be better if I forcibly changed Niku’s name against her wishes? At the very least, we could change the name recorded on the almanac. It’d be a lot better if we gave her the nickname Kneesocks Kuroinu... No?

Also, Rokuko and Ichika were in the almanac since Haku had given them B-Rank guild cards too. Rokuko’s last name was Labyrinthart and Ichika’s last name was Kuroinu. Well... Looks like you’re Niku’s sister now, Ichika.

There was a quiet knock at the door.

“Oh, excuse me. It seems Mai is here. I called for her after being informed that you had arrived. Come on in, Mai.”

“Thank you. Hello, Keima. It’s good to see you again,” said Mai as she entered the room. She looked just like she did a week ago, with wings and blue hair that curved somewhat into drills at the bottom. I closed the almanac and turned to greet her.

“Yes, it’s been one week since we last met, Maiodore.”

“I heard that you not only accepted our family’s quest, but even exhibited results far beyond what my father expected. Please accept my sincerest words of gratitude. Thank you very much.” She was just as polite as last time. There weren’t many people this sincere and polite in my town. Children of nobility were something else.

With our greetings finished, Maiodore plopped onto the sofa next to Bonodore.

“We were just discussing your marriage with Keima, Mai.”

“My my! Is it settled, then? I suppose I should start addressing him as my fiancé.”

“Hold it, Mai. You’re not engaged yet. That’s what we are discussing now. Right, Keima?”

“Er, well, technically... But I’m still not on board with this engagement.”

“Oh? You want to skip the engagement and marry her on the spot? Hahahaha!”

“My my, aren’t you a hasty one, Keima? Ahaha.”

No, I’m turning her down. Why are they both acting like I already said yes? I thought, just as Niku raised her hand.

“...May I speak?”

“Of course. What is it, Kuroinu?”

“He is rejecting the marriage in its entirety.” SHE JUST WENT AND SAID IT! Niku smashed the flow of the conversation and said it straight up! I knew I could count on you, Niku! I love you so much!

“Sorry, I couldn’t hear you. Would you mind saying that again?”

“I said he is rejecting the marriage.” SHE SAID IT AGAIN EVEN THOUGH HE PLAYED DUMB! This is what I’m talking about, this is social competence personified... I thought I was more courageous now, but I see I have a long way to go. I was just being a garbage person focusing on self-preservation. I need to be more like Niku and just say what I mean, clearly and firmly.

“...Keima? Is she speaking for you here?” He glared at me again, but as expected, it wasn’t that scary. It was nothing compared to the looks Haku gave me when she actually felt the urge to kill me. It was like the full moon versus its reflection in a muddy puddle. A nightmarish hellscape versus an air conditioned room in the summer.

“Yes, she said what’s on my mind. I don’t intend to marry your daughter,” I said flatly, which made Bonodore break out into a grin.

“I like you! Very well, I will honor your position on the matter.”

“To think you would be so courageous as to turn my father down... Keima, you’re so wonderful!”

W-Wait, what? Was turning them down the objectively best thing to do?

“I should expect nothing less, truly. Perhaps it would be different if you were of noble birth, but you are from a common birth. It is only natural that you would be opposed to marrying a woman you just met, especially one with as young and as small of a body as mine.” Maiodore was nodding repeatedly. I guess she’s on my side here. “I believe it will be best if you remain as a marriage candidate for now so that we might become engaged later when you are more comfortable with my youth.”

“Oh, good idea. You’re as smart as ever, Mai. Does that sound good to you, Keima?”

“Huh? Er, I do—”

“I would like to get to know you better, Keima. I would like to hear stories of your adventures ever so much. Please, oh please!” Maiodore leaned forward eagerly. Her eyes were sparkling with childish excitement and her wings were flapping. Bonodore had to hold her back.

“Do calm down, Mai. Now, Keima, do you remember your promise?”

“My promise? Uhhh...”

“The one you made with Mai, remember? You promised to tell her tales of your adventures while you serve as her bodyguard.” That was just something Maiodore said while leaving, I don’t remember agreeing to it. “I won’t force you to do that, but you still have to work as her bodyguard. It’s the second part of your quest.” Right, the guard quest. We did talk about this ahead of time. They would be mopping up the remnants of the organization instead of destroying it, but that didn’t change much for me when it came to this part of the quest.

“Your efforts have brought great change and, forgive my rude phrasing here, instability within Tsia. The remnants of the organization cannot do much with so many of their administrators gone, but they will likely cause some problems. I want you to protect my daughter for the next three days.”

“Understood. As you wish, Bonodore.”

“...So, you don’t need to answer right away. Or rather, I would prefer you not answer right away. Spend the next three days considering a marriage with Mai. In the meanwhile, you will be a marriage candidate. That sounds fair for us both, doesn’t it?” he said with a grin. “Just remember that I can’t give you the Divine Pillow if you aren’t engaged to her.” Well... There’s no doubt that this is my best chance to get the Divine Pillow for myself. This opportunity will vanish if I just turn them down and leave. I got the feeling that Bonodore was silently challenging me to find a way out of the engagement trap he had set for me.

“My guard duty with Maiodore begins right now, correct?”

“Keima. May I ask you something?” Maiodore slid back into the conversation.

“Certainly, Maiodore.”

“That’s exactly it! Couldn’t you, um, be a little more warm and... call me just Mai?” asked Maiodore, cheeks blushing and fidgeting shyly. I glanced at Bonodore and he didn’t seem to have an issue with it.

“...Errr, if you do insist, Mai.”

“You do not have to be so formal, either.”

“Forgive me, but around nobility I feel compelled to be more formal. It’s just my personality. If you order me to stop, though, I can do my best.”

“No, I quite understand. I am the same way myself. I won’t force you. But just remember, if you ever wish to be more casual, know that I will always welcome it.”

“Understood, Mai. I will remember that.”

“Oh, and you may call me Mai as well, Kuroinu.”

“In that case... Please call me Kuro, Mai.”

“I see you are just as strict about being formal as Keima. Very well, that’s quite alright.”

“You don’t mind a slave addressing you like that?”

“Of course. It is well known that you treat Kuroinu very well and consider her precious to you, Keima.” I mean, I’m using her as a dakimakura, but I guess I can’t say that here. That would be actual suicide.

“Hahaha... Well, Kuro is family to me so we sleep in the same bed sometimes. She definitely is precious to me, but I haven’t, uh, laid my hands on her.” I fiddled with the truth to the best of my ability without lying in a last ditch effort to defend my honor.

“...Family? But her name is...” Ah, yeah. The name Niku would throw anyone off.

“A lot happened that led to her name being what it is. She ended up with it before I could name her. All I could do was give her a last name I can use in public.” I made it clear to Bonodore that I hadn’t given Niku her name. It was entirely true. Nothing but the truth. Not a lie in sight. Niku refused to change her name, not me!

“...I see now. Forgive my prior rudeness, Keima.” Huh? “It seems I misunderstood you. Forgive me. Will you accept my apology? Although I spoke out of ignorance, I accused you of being a pedophile.”

“Errr, uh, don’t worry about it.” I wasn’t entirely sure how, but his unjust belief that I was a lolicon had finally been vanquished. Man, this feels pretty good. Heck yeah.

“Thank you, Keima. Now, Mai. Please be good friends with Kuroinu. Actually, speaking of which. Do you like sweets, Kuroinu? We have sweets known as cookies here, made from the highest quality flour in Tsia and sugar from Pavella. I imagine Keima knows about them already.”

“Um... Master?”

“Ahhh, yeah, sure. Sounds good.” I didn’t want to owe him any favors, but well, cookies were a small price to pay after finally freeing myself of the lolicon rumors.

And so, we ended up having a tea party in the garden. It was basically like a park, visible from the front gate of the mansion. Oh, that spot over there looks good for naps. I’ll have to remember that.

Participating in the party was me, Niku, and Maiodore. Also a maid and a waitress. Naturally it would have been hard to breathe with Bonodore around, so he declined to participate. That’s fair, since I came out of nowhere and took up a lot of his time when he’s busy already.

“Now then, Keima, Kuro. Please have a seat.”

“Thank you. You sit too, Kuro.”

“Understood.”

Niku, Maiodore, and I sat around a circular table at equally distant points from each other. The girls had a much lower sitting height than me, so they sat on a bunch of cushions to boost themselves up. Those cushions look like modified futons from our dungeon.

“These cushions are being produced in your dungeon, I believe.”

“That’s right. The nuns in our town are making cushions like these out of futons.” Indeed. Our Beddhist nuns (Succubi) were tearing apart beds (futons) to make cushions. That could technically be considered as blasphemy, considering that the Divine Comforter is an object of worship, but Beddhism is a religion of forgiveness. Really, sharing futons is a holy act in itself... Or that’s how I decided to interpret it, anyway. The cushions could be used as pillows if folded a bit, so everything was fine.

In the end, even butts deserved peace and comfort. We offered donut-shaped cushions too, at a very affordable price. Oyasuminasai.

“The nuns in your town... Do you refer to Beddhism, then? What kind of religion is that? It’s not a name I have heard often.”

“Beddhism is a religion that preaches peace above all else. I’m more or less the pope. Kuro is a nun too.”

“What?! I had no idea. So you’re a man of religion, then.”

“I suppose so.”

Maiodore seemingly tensed up a bit. I would do the same after realizing I was talking to someone religious.

“By the way, when is the tea coming out?”

“...U-Um, are you not going to try to convince me to join your religion?” asked Maiodore, timidly. That explains her tensing up.

“Beddhism is a religion that says if you have the time to proselytize, you have the time to sleep instead.”

“Oh, I see.” Maiodore let out a sigh of relief. “Um, is it taboo to talk of other religions, then?”

“Not at all. Beddhism’s fine with just about anything as long as you’re not bothering other people.”

“I see. That is a relief. In the past I have been subjected to quite forceful proselytization attempts.” Probably from the Church of Light. “That said, I would like to hear more of the religion which my fiancé adheres to.”

“Mai, we’re not engaged.”

“Oh yes, you are correct. But I wouldn’t mind at all if we were,” said Maiodore with a bright smile. “This is tea imported from the Holy Kingdom. Let us drink while we talk.” The maid stepped forward and gracefully poured tea into our cups. As expected from a maid serving an Archduke, she was clearly experienced and knew what she was doing. Niku, not knowing the proper manners for a tea party, was observing me closely. But honestly, I didn’t really know them either. I would just end up looking weird if I tried to force my Wearable Golem to act out the proper motions here. Might as well be honest here.

“I’ve never attended a tea party like this before. If there are any special manners I need to know, please tell me.”

“My my, you don’t need to worry about that.”

“I see. In that case, I’ll not worry about potentially being rude today.”

“Ahaha, so stiff. If only you would feel more at ease.” Maiodore took a sip of her tea first. “At tea parties and such, those who prepared the food eat and drink first as a symbolic gesture that it isn’t poisoned. If anyone brought food of their own, they eat said food first before the others do,” explained Maiodore for me. Makes sense, you shouldn’t give food you can’t eat yourself to other people.

I took a sip of tea. It tasted just like normal black tea. I wasn’t great at picking up subtle differences between tea. Niku saw me drinking and hurriedly did the same. Her ears drooped a bit, probably because she didn’t like it much. No surprise there, it didn’t have any sugar in it. She probably expected it to taste better than it did thanks to the smell.

Soon, a plate of cookies was placed on the table. Yep, these just look like normal cookies.

“Let us eat.” As explained a moment ago, Maiodore took a cookie first and chomped into it. Niku reached out for a cookie before I could. Ah, okay. She wants to eat one first to do a poison test of her own. I reached over and patted her head. Her ears flapped happily as she nommed on the cookie. Seeing that, Maiodore put a hand on her cheek and let out a heartfelt sigh.

“I’m not sure how to say this, but. She is quite cute, isn’t she? It’s hard to describe, but she makes my heart feel warm.”

“Right? She means the world to me and my party.” Niku’s expression was as flat as ever, but her ears and tail made it clear how she felt. “That reminds me, you wanted to hear about my adventuring tales, right?”

“Yes, I would like to hear more about you.”

“In that case, well...” I thought back to see if I had any good adventuring stories, but really, I hadn’t done much adventurer things. Cleaning toilets, deliveries, hunting rabbits... Most of my actual stories involved dungeon stuff, which I couldn’t say in public. Guess I’ll just make some stuff up.

“To tell the truth, I haven’t really been on that many exciting adventures, so there’s not much for me to talk about. I know stories from other adventurers, though. How about those?”

“Yes, those will do just fine!” Her eyes were sparkling and her wings flapped. Her being so easily excited makes her look really cute, just like the kid she is.

And so, I turned some Japanese legends (adventury ones) into Beddhist bedtime stories. Of them, Mai was particularly fond of the Momotaro story.

“Then Momotaro, having tamed the dog, monkey, and pheasant, heroically defeated the village of ogres, making their treasure and magic stones his.”

“Goodness... The underwater dungeon Urashima Taro faced was quite something, but Momotaro’s story was much more exciting.” Yeah, probably because Urashima’s story ended with him being eaten by a mimic treasure chest. It seemed she particularly liked the battle scenes in Momotaro. Also, Niku was also completely enraptured by the stories. I had gotten surprisingly into them and ended up giving fairly dramatic retellings of the spruced up stories.

“I do say, this might be the most calm tea party I have ever had.” According to Mai, she usually had to talk a lot more than she was now. Niku didn’t talk much, and if spoken to she generally just nodded or gave a short reply. I wasn’t sure what to say when not telling the bedtime stories. But well, I guess a three person tea party won’t end up too noisy anyway.

We continued our calm tea party. Fwaaah... I’m getting kind of tired.

“...It’s a bit late for me to ask this, I suppose, but does your religion permit luxuries such as tea parties?”

“Beddhism doesn’t forbid anything but bothering other people.” I seemed to recall Rei and the nuns joking about tea being forbidden in Beddhism, but it wasn’t actually. Sure, caffeine prevented sleep, but only temporarily. The Beddhist way was to hope that by drinking a warm beverage and relaxing the body, a better night’s sleep awaited.

“Goodness. In that case, is it even permitted to worship other deities?”

“Hahaha, that’s right. You knew about that?”

“Hm...?” Maiodore tilted her head, still smiling. Her long blue hair with curled tips shook a bit. Ah, looks like she didn’t know. That was just her guessing.

“The truth is, Beddhism can be practiced as a sub-religion while still practicing another religion.”

“...Truly? W-Would that not anger the god of Beddhism?”

“No. Beddhism doesn’t even have a god.” My explanation made Maiodore tilt her head further.

“...A religion, with no god?”

“That’s right. You can worship the Ivory Goddess, the Food God, the Smith God, the Dice God, whichever you want. Just remember not to bother people. Also, pray each night. That’s all Beddhism asks for.”

“Not bothering other people is one thing, but I see you have to pray each night. That sounds like quite the task.”

“Not at all. Here, let me show you how to pray in Beddhism. I noticed a good spot for praying on the way here, and now’s a good time for a demonstration. Kuro, keep Mai entertained while I’m praying,” I said, intending to slip out of the tea party and take an afternoon nap.

The best part of Beddhism is that you can sleep whenever you want and nobody will judge you. It would be fair to say that’s exactly why I made the religion in the first place.

＊ ＊ ＊

By the time I woke up from my praying (afternoon nap), the sun was already starting to fall.

“Keima, that was a magnificent prayer. We have a guest room prepared for you, if you would like to continue there.”

...I was a little surprised to wake up and see both Maiodore and Niku staring at me, but well, I was napping outside in a garden. I had to expect and forgive that an audience would form.

I scratched my head while Maiodore and Niku took me to the guest room.

“I will see you again soon, when it is time for supper,” said Maiodore before leaving once we were there.

...Looks like the bedding here is a futon. One from our dungeon, too. Didn’t expect to see them being used in a rich mansion like this. I guess futons are like, top tier stuff for nobles in this world.

“Master.”

“Hm?” Niku got close to me after we entered the room. Then, she whispered calmly.

“...We’re being watched.”

“Hm.” Niku stealthily pointed at a wall, from such an angle she couldn’t be seen doing so from the wall. Alright, yeah, she definitely has some kind of skill that detects when she’s being looked at. Don’t know when she got it, though.

Anyway... I know Bonodore probably wants as much information as possible on the guy who might be marrying his daughter, but still, this doesn’t feel so great. I think I’ll play a little prank on them. I sat on a soft-looking sofa, with my back facing the wall.

“C’mere, Niku.”

“Ah...! Understood.” Niku guessed what I was going for and sat in the same way I was. In other words, she sat on my lap with her small body fitting perfectly against mine. We really did fit right together. She had spent so many nights as my dakimakura that she was used to this.

“Nnn... Haah, Master.”

“Good girl, good girl.” I rubbed Niku’s body all over and occasionally gave her tight hugs. Each time I did she let out a moan.

Wait... This isn’t what I was going for at all. I was just trying to play around with her like a pet, to make the spy feel silly for watching us.

“Nah nah nah, I’m being silly. We definitely just look like a father and daughter playing around right now... We’re family. This is fine!”

“...Family... Daddy?”

“Ohohoho.” Man, my kid’s cute. I’ll rub her some more.

...Is this going to make them think I’m a lolicon even more than before? Well, whatever. My kid’s cute, my kid’s cute. Wait wait wait... She’s not transformed into a succubus, right? I have the ring, right?

“Nmmm.” Niku was rubbing her body against mine. She really is like a puppy. Cute, cute, cute.

In any case, we couldn’t talk carelessly while being watched. Nothing better to do than play with Niku until someone came knocking. Or so I thought, moments before a loud bell rang out from somewhere. It was probably a bell signifying the time that could be heard throughout all of Tsia. A knock came on our door soon after.

“Keima, it’s me, Maiodore.”

“Uh, one second... Okay, come in.” I sat Niku beside me before giving her the go ahead. The door opened gracefully, then Maiodore came inside with a maid. That was the same maid that was at the tea party. She was probably Maiodore’s servant in particular.

“It is time for supper. Shall we go to the dining room, Keima?”

“Oh, it’s that time already?” Alrighty then. I think I’ll take the Archduke up on his offer. I wonder what kind of food they eat here? May as well take note and pass the info on to the inn.

We arrived at the dining room, where there was a long narrow table. A ton of people could eat there all at once. Bonodore was already seated, along with three others. A young man, a woman, and a boy probably in the middle of puberty. Guess that’s his family.

“Allow me to introduce my family, Keima. This is my eldest son Rondo, my wife Waltz, and my second son Jive.”

“...Nice to meet you all. I’m Keima, town chief of Goren.” Yeaaah, this is just like introducing your daughter’s fiancé to the family first. Might as well be a job interview.

Incidentally, the three of them didn’t have wings. The color of their hair and their appearances made it clear they were the Archduke’s children, but they inherited a lack of wings from their mother. It seemed that when beastkin and so on married between races and half-breeds were born, the children generally are the same race as just one of their parents.

I went to sit down and a butler pulled my chair back for me. Maiodore and Niku sat down in their chairs without blinking. It kind of threw me off, but I sat down too.

Then, the meal started. It wasn’t as good as I expected. The bread was white, but the soup normal and salty. The meat inside was rabbit that had been blood drained. There was also salad, but who cares?

Overall, the meal was a lot more simple than I expected for an Archduke to eat. That said, whether due to the quality of the ingredients or the quality of the chef, the food had a very strong flavor that made all of the ingredients stand out. “This food isn’t as extravagant as what you serve in your inn, I’m sure. Disappointed?”

“No, it’s very well made and good food. The ingredients all taste great. The carrots in particular are very sweet.”

“I see. That is the best praise you could have offered. The ingredients we use are almost all grown in Tsia,” replied Bonodore, his grin widening. It was there that his eldest son Rondo spoke to me.

“Keima, you don’t look very muscular for an adventurer. Are you a wizard?”

“Well, something like that. I usually fight in the back row. I know a little swordplay, but just enough to buy time if something manages to get close to me.”

“Hm? That a fact? I heard you were a skilled warrior and was hoping to spar with you if possible.”

“You’re looking for Kuro, not me. She’s the strongest fighter in our party, despite appearances.”

“She certainly doesn’t look it. If she is a skilled fighter, I couldn’t imagine anything scarier. I wonder if she is just a good group fighter?” The eldest son Rondo seemed all about fighting. I couldn’t see his daily DP value since we were out of the dungeon, but he was probably a well-trained fighter. He definitely seemed confident.

Rondo’s interest shifted to Niku, which gave the second son Jive an opening.

“Hey, Keima. How do you hunt Iron Golems? Normal swords can’t cut through their iron bodies, right?”

“There’s lots of ways to kill them. Aim for their magic stone if it’s exposed, if not, hit them with magic... Using hammers to take them down with force is an option too. I know a C-Rank adventurer who uses a hammer on them.”

“Magic, wow. What kind of magic do you use, Keima?”

“Lots of long-range attack spells. Anything more than that is a business secret. The more an adventurer reveals their secrets, the easier it is for them to die, so please understand that I can’t tell you much more.”

“Ngh, but I’m so curious... Oh well.” The second son was more into magic. Kind of embarrassing for a kid to still believe in magic. Just kidding, it’s totally normal since magic actually exists in this world. In Earth terms he would be kind of like a programmer, a nerdy kid only interested in using his head.

Since Jive couldn’t ask anything more since it would be putting me in danger, it was Waltz’s turn, the Archduke’s wife.

“I hear that you are skilled at business and managing your town, Keima. I would like to hear about how you grew your town so quickly. I would also like to hear about Beddhism.”

“Ahaha, I’m nothing special at all. Business wise, there just happened to be a skilled merchant in our town. I’m leaving all that stuff to him. The town grew like it did because a nearby dungeon just happened to have Iron Golems, that could hardly be called my own accomplishment. Even Beddhism was only founded thanks to a bible discovered in the dungeon.”

“Aha. So humble.”

“It’s all the truth.”

With his wife assuaged, next was Maiodore.

“You have discovered many rare things within the dungeon, it seems.”

“Yes, we’ve been quite lucky.”

“What is the rarest thing you have ever discovered within it?”

“Hm, good question... Probably the Beddhist bible. It’s filled with bedtime stories and the like, so given your love of adventures I imagine you would like it more than anything else.” The conversations continued such that I was the last one to finish eating. Niku had finished eating as soon as possible and had been impatiently waiting for us to go back to our room.

With the meal done, I left the room with Niku. I should probably send a letter to Rokuko now. Let’s see, I wonder if I should write about the [Divine Pillow] and all this engagement stuff. Well... She’s my partner. I should discuss this stuff with her, yeah.

That night I wrote a letter to Rokuko before going to sleep. I decided to just send it when I woke up tomorrow. After casting {Purification} on myself and Niku, we went to sleep.

# Bonodore’s Perspective

Despite trying to engineer a marriage between my daughter and Keima, he turned me down. He didn’t budge an inch even when I glared at him with both the anger of a scorned father and mana for extra pressure. It was a glare of such intensity that a weak-willed individual would pass out and even a skilled merchant would break out in a cold sweat, but Keima didn’t even blink. Just what I would expect from a man who has the Ivory Goddess’s backing. It would be more surprising if someone who could destroy an entire criminal organization in a single week didn’t have an iron will like that.

In talking with him I pressed for details and discovered a shocking reality. Niku Kuroinu, who was thought to be his sex slave, was in fact something else entirely. She was... his family. There was no mistaking it. Keima said so himself.

Thinking about it, they were both individuals with black hair and black eyes. Those colors were generally only found on Heroes, which meant they were descended from Heroes. It wouldn’t be odd for them to be connected by blood.

To think about how rude I was, accusing him of being a lolicon due to his love for a family member! I should have known they would have extreme circumstances surrounding them given that her name is listed as Niku in the noble’s almanac! Keima had not named her himself. That could only mean that Keima saved her after she fell into slavery. He brought her with him wherever he went so he could be with family. There was nothing suspicious about it whatsoever.

Kuroinu’s first name was no doubt a sign that she had been through indescribably horrible experiences. Would it be right to make a girl that young sleep alone at night? Absolutely not! There is nothing wrong with little girls seeking the warmth of their family! I apologized immediately. Keima forced a smile and accepted my apology, but I knew that no words could make up for my rudeness. What could be done about this?

After the tea party was done, I received a report from a spy I had foolishly forgotten to summon back from Keima’s room. According to him, Kuroinu called Keima “daddy,” while he referred to their relationship as a “father and daughter” relationship.

...No father in the world would reject their daughter’s request to sleep in the same bed as them! The rumors that he took her to his room at night often made sense in light of this. If possible, I would have liked to do the same with Mai. Perhaps I could if I were a commoner? Regardless, I couldn’t give up my position as Archduke, no matter the cost.

According to the noble almanac, Keima was single. Perhaps his wife died before him. The almanac often didn’t record information regarding one’s life prior to becoming nobility. I wanted to know the details, but... I ran the risk of antagonizing him by digging further.

I ordered the spy to return to his normal duties. There was no more need to spy on Keima in his room.

Keima ate dinner with us afterward. I introduced him to my family and served a meal that our head chef put his all into (though to be honest, we only had the one chef and his apprentice). He was the pride of Tsia, the greatest chef in the region... But it was well known that Keima served rare, delicious food in his inn. A chef of extraordinary talent apparently worked in his country inn. I could only imagine what secrets lurked behind their true identity. It would be impossible to tell which chef was better without directly comparing their food, but it was possible that they had the legendary skill {Ultra Cooking} said to have once been held by the Food God Ishidaka. Or not.

Keima engaged in fruitful conversation during the meal, acting friendly with my family. It did indeed feel like an act, however.

“Still, you know some swordplay. How about a mock battle after we finish eating?”

“Ahaha, surely you’re joking, Rondo. I wouldn’t last a second against you.” I wished that Rondo would focus more on his studies than his swordplay, considering he will be inheriting my position. Regardless, Kuroinu was a surprisingly large child given Keima’s age, but just how old was she really? Her mother must have been a dog beastkin, but I had never heard of dog beastkin growing particularly fast. Which meant that Keima must have been older than he looked. Perhaps he had elf blood in him on top of Hero blood.

...Some said that the Ivory Goddess is a high elf, proven by her unchanged beauty from the founding of her empire. Perhaps Keima was descended from the Ivory Goddess? No, no, that could never be the case.

# Keima’s Perspective

The next day. I woke up to a bright and sunny morning, which made me sleepy again.

“Okay, as of today, I’m Maiodore’s bodyguard, but what does that mean for me? Should I get up now? Should I go back to sleep? Something tells me I should go back to sleep.”

Suddenly, a knock came at the door. Yeah, figures. It’s breakfast time. I know.

It was Maiodore knocking. Guess I’ve gotta get up since I’m her bodyguard. The hard thing about being a bodyguard is that I can’t sleep more than the person I’m guarding. Taking this quest was a big mistake... Haaah. But there’s no going back now. Gotta get up.

“Keima, I would like to go out today. Please prepare for our departure.”

“...You’re going out? To where?”

“The city. I intend to visit the orphanage.”

“...Let’s ask Bonodore for his permission first.”

“In that case, we can ask him at breakfast!”

I took Niku and followed after Maiodore. She took us to the dining room, where only Bonodore was already seated. Everyone in his family was so busy that they rarely managed to eat breakfast together, it seemed.

Breakfast was freshly baked round bread with eggs, boar bacon, and salad. A simple, classic breakfast. The tomatoes in the salad had a nice and strong flavor.

“Now then. Do you have any plans for today, Mai?”

“Yes, I was planning to visit the orphanage with Keima.”

“I see. That might be a good opportunity for you to better understand what duty we as nobles bear. As for your guards... Hm, I suppose you don’t need any with Keima around.”

“As her guard, I would like her to stay in the mansion without putting herself at needless risk until the situation settles down.” I wanted him to turn her down so I could sleep. Ideally he would tell her no, since it would be dangerous, but...

“Hm? Well, there is some commotion right now, but that primarily has to do with all the paperwork. We have already finished suppressing the cells of criminal activity reported in the evidence. There won’t be a problem with her simply walking through the city. Especially with a skilled bodyguard protecting her, no?” said Bonodore, looking at me. Yeaaah, figures. We’re two crazy strong adventurers that jumped into a hive of villainy and destroyed a criminal organization on our own, after all. What a pain. But really, given what I know about this guy by now, he’ll probably send stealth bodyguards to follow us from behind.

“In terms of danger, the city has by now returned to how safe it was before the Last Commune arose. You could even say it is more peaceful than before, since the criminal remnants are restraining themselves to avoid attention. I have no reason to stop her with you two at her side. She goes to this orphanage quite frequently, after all.”

...And so, Maiodore’s plans were made into reality.

“Let us leave at once, Keima!”

“Sure. Where’s this orphanage, then?”

“This way!” said Maiodore, taking my hand and pulling me down the road. Er, please stick beside me, I’m your bodyguard. As Maiodore got all excited like a kid, Niku held out her hand.

“Lady Mai. Your hand.”

“Oh my, Kuro. Friends holding hands while walking is so childish I would be deathly embarrassed to do so in public.” I mean, you’re still a kid.

...Maiodore glanced in my direction. “However, I would be quite fine holding hands with my fiancé, Keima.”

“You’re forgetting that I’m just a candidate, Mai. And sorry, but as your bodyguard, I need to keep both hands free. I’ll have to ask you to hold Kuro’s hands.”

“If you insist so strongly, I suppose I can do nothing else,” said Maiodore while taking Niku’s hand, still walking. Niku would be able to pull her and flee while protecting her in the event of an unlikely ambush. As long as nobody on Leona’s level showed up, we were safe.

The orphanage was built into a church. One first had to enter the church before going to the orphanage. A priest greeted us at the door, which meant he had probably been informed of Maiodore’s arrival ahead of time.

“Keima, this is where the venerable founder of the Laverio Empire, the Ivory Goddess, is worshiped. Now then, let us pray.” Haku’s Ivory Church, huh? Woooow. Thank you, Ivory Goddess, I owe you everything (monotone).

My mockery was interrupted by the priest joining our conversation.

“...Could it be that you are not of the Ivory Church?”

“That’s right. I belong to the Beddhist church. We’re on good terms with the Ivory Church, however, and we worship a god that protects our night’s rest while valuing peace and relaxation.”

“Beddhism, I see. I have heard of Beddhist followers growing in number throughout Tsia. The emphasis on night’s rest leads me to believe your church branched off from the Dark God’s church. In which case, there is no doubting your friendly relationship with the Ivory Church.”

“Uhh, yeah, you’re exactly right.” Let’s go with that. I’m the pope, so everything I say is true.

“Please, take your time.”

“Yes, thank you.” I wasn’t sure what kind of praying posture this church had, so I mimicked Maiodore and got on one knee with my hands clasped in front of my chest. May this end soon so I can go home already, amen.

...Yeah, something tells me Haku’s not gonna listen to that prayer. We’ve got a long road ahead of us.

We headed to the orphanage after finishing our prayers. Once inside, we could hear the loud noise of children shrieking excitedly. Calm down, sheesh. Learn from Niku... ah, wait, she’s going a bit too far in the other direction.

“Ah, it’s Lady Mai!”

“Wow, it is! Lady Mai! Lady Maaaai!”

Small kids either as small as or smaller than Niku and Maiodore gathered around us with smiles. There was a wide range of species from beastkin, humans, elves, and probably dwarves. Sounds kinda weird to say this, but they all looked surprisingly clean and neat. I had thought the same at the slums. This world’s {Purification} just changed everything.

“Who’s this guy, Mai... um, Lady Mai?”

“Oh, well.”

“I’m an adventurer working as Mai’s bodyguard. Same goes for this other little girl.”

“You look real weak for a bodyguard. And how’s a tiny girl like this gonna guard anyone?” Idiot, Niku’s stronger than me. Part of her strength is that people underestimate her for being a kid. Watch out, bud.

“We don’t look like much, but we’re still D-Rank adventurers. But either way, as long as we don’t go to the slums or something, I’ll be more than enough to protect her.”

“Oh, coooool.”

“Anyway, I’m a bodyguard. Gimme some space and go talk to Mai.”

“Okaaaay.”

Y’know, I don’t think I’m that good with kids. They tend to kinda look down on me. I mean, I’m not saying we’re all low-IQ or anything, it’s just that... Uuuuh.

Anyway, Maiodore seemed pretty popular with the kids. The fact she knew all their names and recognized them despite being a noble showed just how often she came.

“Keima, would you like to play with us?”

“Nah, I’m good. I’m just gonna relax in the shade over there.”

“Hey, hey, Lady Mai! Let’s go play minotag! Minotag!”

“Certainly, certainly. I’ll be off playing then, Keima.” And off they went, running around playing something that resembled tag. You lost if your back got stabbed by a stick held by the one who was “it.” “Mino” came from minotaur.

...Yeah, no thanks. That’s a bit too much running around for me. I glanced to the side and saw that Niku was eager to... not join. Can’t say I’m surprised. Niku’s not really a normal kid, in more ways than one.

“You don’t want to join?”

“...Well. I would win in a second. That wouldn’t be fun. For me or them.” Alright, I get it. They’re on completely different levels. That’s fair. But some of the kids heard her and came looking for a fight.

“Y’know, we’re gonna be adventurers when we grow up!”

“We won’t lose that easily! I can even last five minutes against adults!”

“......” Niku swiftly stood up and gently took one of their hands.

“Wh-What’s with yo— Whoa!”

“Finished.” Niku tossed the kid over her shoulder and chopped his back.

“S-Surprise attacks aren’t fair...”

“Are you going to say that to a real minotaur, too?” asked Niku, making the boy fall silent. I mean, a real minotaur’s not gonna trick anyone with its appearance, but alright. She’s established herself as stronger here.

But Niku had dug her own grave. By showing that she was so much stronger than them that they couldn’t even touch her, all the kids who wanted to be adventurers when they grew up surrounded her in awe. They called her awesome and asked her to teach them how to be strong too. Hey, don’t look at me. You dug this grave, climb out of it yourself. Some experience with kids her age would be good for Niku anyway.

Maiodore, freed from the kids thanks to their shift in attention, came walking over. She laid a handkerchief next to me and sat in the shade.

“Haaah. Goodness, these children simply do not know how to contain themselves.”

“Well, that’s kids for you.”

Maiodore’s voice was bright and cheery despite her complaints. At the end of the day, playing with kids her age was just fun for her, no doubt.

“The majority of children here are the children of adventurers.”

“Oh yeah?” Well, figures. If anyone would leave orphans behind, it’d be adventurers. I wonder if some of these kids are those of people who died in my dungeon... That line of thought made me feel conflicted.

“To the east of Tsia is a dungeon known as the [Flower Garden of Light]. These children will find their vengeance there.” That wasn’t a name I had heard before. Guess my dungeon isn’t involved here, at least.

“...There’s a dungeon to the east of Tsia?”

“Oh? Did you not know? It is famous enough to be known as [Tsia’s Dungeon], you know.”

I’d had no idea. I was so focused on my own dungeon that I never really looked into that kind of thing.

“Are you aware that cities and dungeons are fundamentally intertwined in the Laverio Empire?”

“That’s the first time I’m hearing about that.” I knew that the top of the empire was a Dungeon Core, but that wasn’t what she meant.

“In the Laverio Empire, cities are nigh universally constructed as dungeon cities. There will always be a town founded beside a large dungeon, which is precisely why adventurers thrive here as they do.” I had no idea. Which means... this city was built right next to the [Flower Garden of Light], with the [Flame Caverns] not too far away at Tsia Mountain. Though given how the caverns are wedged between here and Pavella, the [Flower Garden of Light] is probably the main dungeon here.

“Incidentally, you will primarily find plant and insect monsters in the [Flower Garden of Light]. You could say that it is thanks to them that Tsia is well known for being the breadbasket of the empire,” explained Maiodore proudly. Her wings were flapping happily. The wings of an avian flapped just like Niku’s beastkin tail did.

Once the conversation trailed off, Maiodore suddenly realized something and blushed.

“Hm...? What’s up?”

“Oh, nothing. It’s just... How mean of you, Keima.” How mean? What’d I do? Is the automatic translator messing up again? “There’s simply no way that a skilled adventurer such as yourself wouldn’t know what dungeons exist in Tsia. Gracious, Keima, for a second I thought I knew something worth teaching to you... Oh, I’m so embarrassed!” She hit her hands against my side. It didn’t hurt at all.

“There’s actually a lot I don’t know. I really appreciate you telling me about that dungeon, Mai.”

“...T-Truly?”

“Yep. I may be an adventurer, but I don’t know everything. It’s also important to hear information from multiple different sources before making a conclusion.”

“I would like nothing more than for my words to be of use to you, so consider me relieved if that is the case.” Well, I actually didn’t know, so yeah. That’s probably information the guild doesn’t tell to D-Ranks.

Once our discussion about dungeons came to a close, Maiodore looked at me and asked about something else.

“...Um, Keima. I am providing financial support to this orphanage myself. What do you think about it? Does it seem like I am merely funding it for propaganda reasons?” asked Maiodore, looking uneasy. It wasn’t hard to guess that someone had accused her of that in the past.

“Are you doing it for propaganda reasons?”

“No! I wouldn’t dream of exploiting children for that purpose. But some accuse me of such.”

“Then why worry? Listen to what other people say, consider their ideas, and leave it at that. If they’re wrong, that’s that,” I said, which seemed to relieve Maiodore a bit.

“This orphanage has long been here, but the children happily say with smiles that my support has given them more food.”

“Kids not starving is a pretty good thing. See? You’re fine.”

“True. Um... Keima. I would like to continue supporting this orphanage even after getting married.” Maiodore was fidgeting, as if saying something she would rather not.

“What’s the problem with that? Seems reasonable to me.”

“Um. It’s about the money. At the moment I am receiving said money from my father, but once married, I will need to ask my husband instead. In short, Kei—”

“I see, you’re worried about relying on other people for money.” I’m not gonna let you call me your husband. Actually, I should use this opportunity to act like greedy scum and make her hate me. I feel like she has so many love points for me somehow that she’s going to overwhelm me with affection otherwise. That said, I’ll need to hold back a little so she doesn’t hate me too much. I still need that Divine Pillow. “In that case, you’ll just need to make money yourself. Or better yet, use the orphanage to make the money in the first place.”

“You suggest I use the orphanage to make money?”

“Yep. That way the orphanage can support itself even if you do lose the ability to fund it. I’m not a fan of dumping money endlessly into a pit with no returns.”

“But for an orphanage to make money... they would have to sell the orphans, no?” That’s the first thing you think of? Really? I mean, same for me, but come on.

“You have the right idea with selling things, but if they sell the orphans, that’s that. They’ll run out of money and they won’t have anything else to sell. Basically, I’m not saying to enslave them or anything. You can just introduce them to the market in general. Have them work at food stands, have them make trinkets to sell, that kind of thing. They can even work in the fields. Anything that gives them the life skills necessary to survive without turning to a life of crime or relying on you.”

“The skills, to survive?” Mai put a hand on her mouth and fell into thought, worried. Perfect, she’s getting uncomfortable.

“That’s better for you, since you don’t have to worry about the orphans starving without you, right? And you won’t have to keep giving them money for every little thing. Even if things go bad, they’ll survive, considering that the orphanage was running before getting your support. But you know, thinking up all these methods to make money is pretty annoying. I can ask a merchant in my town to teach them how the market works. That’ll definitely go well.” Heheh. Look at me trying to abandon these orphans and despair at my greed.

“I see! We could hire a merchant to teach them!”

“Huh? Uuuh, yeah, that could work.” How’d she get that from what I said? Alright... Gotta act even more greedy!

“You can lend them a starting fund under the terms that they’ll give it back if they make money. Do it properly and you can make a lot of interest off them. You’ll be swimming in free money instead of losing it. Though you’ll lose the starting fund if they fail.”

“I see, I see! If they fail, we could consider the starting fund as simply more financial aid. I will handle the paperwork necessary to give them access to trade and the like. This certainly seems fun.” With the Archduke’s daughter throwing her weight in the ring, it was hard to imagine any amount of red tape getting in their way. With that in mind, it was likely that merchants would be falling over themselves to pay for the orphans services so that they could sell whatever they wanted wherever they wanted. Wait... Does that mean I’m setting them up for success, not failure? Hahahaha, naaah. Making money’s not that simple. Only skilled merchants like the one at my town can guarantee profits from an investment.

Buuut if this somehow does succeed, that’d be kind of a pain for me. Let’s pull back a bit.

“Uuuh. But if your goal here is just to make yourself look good, or to give the orphans more time to play, then just handing over money like you have been is fine too.”

“.........”

“You should do what you think is best. This isn’t my job, after all.”

“...Yes, you’re right.” Mai fell into thought. Well... Did it work? Did I mess up? This is a pain. Nothing will come from worrying about it, though. Guess I’ll go save Niku.

Hey! Back off, kid! That’s my dakimakura, stop trying to stick boogers on her!

＊ ＊ ＊

We left the orphanage and began walking down a well-kept, peaceful-looking street. We weren’t sneaking around so we didn’t need to hide. It felt good for a change.

“Keima, would you like to stop by that store?”

“Huh...? Oh, the greengrocer?” Now that I look, I think that’s the place I bought an apple at forever ago. It was pretty sour. “Do you want an apple or something?”

“Yes. Excuse me, may I have a moment?”

“Welcome, welco— L-Lady Maiodore! Welcome to my humble store!” The store owner shot up straight the second he saw Maiodore. That was probably reflective of how often Maiodore went on walks throughout the city.

“May I have some of this fruit? As much as this much money will buy.”

“Absolutely! Thanks again!”

Maiodore handed a silver to the store owner. He left the counter and went to the storage room in the back.

“Here you are! Have’m all!” He came out carrying a barrel full of bananas. Uh... Is she going to hand those out or something? Maybe she should have bought those before going to the orphanage. And wait, I’m the only one with her right now. Is she gonna make me carry that barrel? I glanced to my side and saw Niku wagging her tail as if to say “leave it to me.”

But a second later Mai used {Storage} to vanish the barrel away. She then looked at me with pride.

“Ahahaha. Indeed, I know how to use {Storage}. I eat these at home, but there are so many that I will donate them to the orphanage the next time I visit.”

“That’s a good idea. Time’s stopped in {Storage} so it’s a good fit for transporting food that rots easily. Not to mention that it’s convenient for not having to carry big barrels around.”

“...You do not seem very surprised, and you are well informed. Have you seen {Storage} before?” In fact, I use it all the time. Not that I’m going to say that. It’s apparently a pretty expensive skill overall. Uuuuh, alright, time to hide the truth and manipulate information.

“I’ve seen the Ivory Goddess using it.”

“...You never cease to amaze me, Keima.” Shouldn’t it be the Ivory Goddess that’s amazing you?

I glanced at Niku and saw her tail hanging sadly, her enthusiasm for carrying the barrel having gone unrewarded. You really wanted to carry those bananas, huh? There there. Cheer up, I’ll buy a bunch for you.

We left the greengrocer and went back to the main street. She had no destination in mind and just wanted to wander around aimlessly, but to tell the truth, we were being followed. Niku was the one who noticed and warned me, again.

There was an adult man in a raggedy-looking outfit who looked like a thief, and beside him were two people who looked like normal citizens. Hm. They’re probably bodyguards the Archduke sent to follow us.

As proof of that, they hadn’t messed with us at all. A true thief would have attempted to exploit one of the many opportunities for kidnapping Maiodore that had surely presented themselves. But this was actually perfect for me. Maiodore seemed like she still wanted to go all over the place, but I wanted to go back to the mansion and sleep. I woke up early today, after all.

“Mai, let’s go back to the mansion.”

“Awww, but I don’t want our date to end yet... Must we go home?”

“Yes. Also, I’m your bodyguard, not your date. Basically... Take a stealthy look behind you. That thuggish-looking dude is watching us.”

“What?! R-Really...? Is he a remnant of that criminal organization?” Definitely not.

“In any case, the safest thing to do here is to go home. Don’t you agree?”

“M-Mmnnn... You could just send them running in an instant, couldn’t you Keima?”

“My job is to protect you from danger, not create danger. If necessary, you will be carried back to the mansion.”

“Oh! W-With a princess carry, then? Also known as a bridal carry?” It seemed that both our worlds had a princess well-known for being carried in a specific way. Maiodore fidgeted in place for a bit, twisting a roll of her blue hair in her finger while thinking, then looked at me with steely determination.

“I-In that case, p-please do!”

“Okay then... Kuro, please carry her for me. Just lift her right up, with your arms like this.”

“Understood.”

“Wha?!”

I mean, I never said I’d carry you myself.

Maiodore’s eyes widened in surprise as Niku hefted her up into a princess carry. Her Wearable Golem was finally doing what it had been originally made to do.

＊ ＊ ＊

Niku set Maiodore down once we arrived at the mansion. We had easily shaken off the guards following us. They had to remain stealthy, whereas we could run straight forward with the assistance of our Wearable Golems giving us nigh infinite stamina. An easy and natural victory. Though... my hip joints hurt a little.

“Oh, quite the speedy one, I see. And I didn’t shake in your arms at all. You are stronger than you look, Kuro.”

“Eheh.” Niku puffed out her chest in pride, though her expression remained as flat as ever. I guess this is one of those things where she’s expressive in every way except her actual expressions?

“...I would have liked Keima to bridal carry me, though.”

“Unfortunately, I’m not that strong. I leave all the heavy lifting to Kuro.” Niku looked weaker than me, but even without Golem Assistance involved I wasn’t as strong as her. She was pretty strong, especially thanks to being a beastkin.

“Please bridal carry me yourself next time, Keima, if you would be so kind.”

“If the opportunity arises, I will consider it.”

“As time goes on I will only be growing bigger. Now is your chance to carry me while I am still light.”

“That won’t be a problem. I may not be strong, but I won’t have any issues carrying a full grown woman.”

“Ahaha.”

“Hahaha.”

Maiodore laughed with a hand over her mouth. This loli’s tiny, but she’s a noble down to her bones.

“Now then, let’s go report what happened to Bonodore.”

“Would you be a dear and bridal carry me to Father’s room, then...?”

“Emergencies are one thing, but far be it from me to touch a lady when the time does not demand it.”

“Mnn. But I don’t mind.” You should! Anyway, I’m tired. Let’s get this over with.

I headed to Bonodore’s office with Niku and Maiodore in tow. I knocked, then entered after being told to do so. Inside was Bonodore sitting at a desk and doing paperwork. He set his pen down and looked at us with a smile.

“We have returned.”

“Welcome back. That was quite fast. I would have expected you to play for a little longer.”

“Well, some fishy-looking guy was watching us, so we cut it short. No doubting they were from the Last Commune.”

“...I think I’ll need a description of those fellows.” I had no reason not to tell him, so I gave a simple description of the group. Bonodore nodded without blinking. Yeah, they’re definitely guards Bonodore sent. The perfect excuse for me.

“Surely you understood, Keima.”

“Sorry, no clue what you’re talking about.”

“If you insist.”

In any case, that was it for Mai going outside today. I successfully managed to take a peaceful afternoon nap, for religious reasons. Once that was done I had dinner with everyone, just like yesterday, and my bodyguard duties for the day were over.

Incidentally, I went with Beddhist bedtimes stories for that evening’s dinner, but Bonodore had observed a Beddhist service before and knew the one I told. Time for bed.

＊ ＊ ＊

The sun rose. Once again the weather was great, which meant it was a good time to go back to bed.

Or so I thought, right before Maiodore came knocking once again. Uh... Don’t tell me you want to go out again.

“Let us go out again today, Keima.” Figures.

“...Ideally I would like to have an easy day of work here and there.”

“We went home early last time, so today we will finish what we started!”

Long story short, we were going back to the city.

Permission? Bonodore gave it in a second, of course. Clearly he’s out of his mind, doesn’t he remember that some suspicious people were after us yesterday? Wheeew, this region’s Archduke is one wildcard.

“So, where do you want to go today?”

“I believe there is a market being held today. I received my allowance so let us go and buy plenty of things!” Maiodore skipped to the market, holding Niku’s hand once again.

But along the way, someone appeared to block our path. She had defiant, confident eyes. Long blonde hair that reached down to the middle of her back. She was a girl that looked about fifteen years old in a white dress.

Indeed... It was Rokuko!

“That’s right. Here I am, Keima.” Rokuko was standing in the middle of the street, head held high. Beside her was Ichika wearing a maid outfit, whom she had probably brought for protection. That was our inn’s work uniform, but it stood out among the city scenery pretty hard. It was a bit too fashionable, and despite the knee socks covering the color of the skin, the skirt was just a bit too short.

I asked Maiodore to excuse me for a second, then walked up to Ichika, who was yawning.

“...Why’d you come here?”

“I mean, not like I could stop her, dude. The second she saw that letter she was all outta there.”

“Hey! Why are you talking to Ichika and not me?” said Rokuko with a pout. “What, are you saying I shouldn’t have come? Obviously I’m gonna come. You disappear for a week and then you’re talking about some kind of marriage proposal. How could I talk about something that serious through letters?”

“Okay, fair. Guess we can have a serious talk about it now that you’re here.”

“I mean... We’re partners, right?” said Rokuko, blushing and looking the other way in a pout.

“Well, anyway, I’m glad to see you again. It’s been too long, I missed you. The stuff I’ve been doing here really grinds down your soul...”

“...Um, what’ve you even been doing, Keima?” she asked, looking exasperated. To be honest, I didn’t know why I had gone so far for them myself.

“Went ahead and destroyed a criminal organization called the Last Commune. Using... using charms.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t make Niku do that, which means you used Kosaki yourself, didn’t you? When we get home I want to see you in Succubus form, okay?” Whoa, whoa, whoa. I don’t want her to see that.

“Well, whatever. So that blue little girl’s, um, the one you might get engaged to?”

“That’s right. I summarized it in the letter, but she’s managing the Divine Pillow.”

“...Okay, so you’d be marrying her to get your hands on part of the Divine Bedding.” Rokuko figured out the situation pretty fast. I had already written about it in the letter, but still, that didn’t always equate to understanding.

“...Are you going to? Like, marry her.”

“I don’t intend to, so I’m looking for a way out right now,” I said firmly enough that Rokuko let out an impressed noise.

“Well, anyway, introduce me to that blue squirt first.”

“Uhhh, sure.” I returned to where Maiodore had been waiting for a bit, with Rokuko and Ichika right beside me.

“Who might these two be, Keima?”

“My party members Rokuko and Ichika. You two, this is the Archduke’s daughter, Maiodore.”

“Hmmm. Hi. I’m Keima’s partner, Rokuko. Can I call you Mai?”

“Feel free, Rokuko. Same to you, Ichika.” Rokuko and Mai exchanged a handshake. Rokuko was acting pretty smug for some reason. Ichika introduced herself and that was that.

“By the way, where were you three heading?”

“To the market. There will be no better way to keep an eye on the town than investigating the market. With Keima at my side this even feels like a date.”

“Oh, a date, huh? You wouldn’t mind me joining you three, would you?”

“My my. Keima, won’t it be more difficult to do your job with more people to protect?” I can already see the sparks flying between them. But I’m on Rokuko’s side. Though I’ll hold back so that I won’t be in danger of losing the Divine Pillow.

“Mai, Rokuko is one of my party members, so there would be absolutely no problem with us working together.”

“...If you insist, Keima, I will allow it. Just be sure to protect me, yes?”

And thus we somehow ended up going to the market with Rokuko.

＊ ＊ ＊

The market was near the center of Tsia’s eastern district. Six days of the week it was an empty plaza, but today there were stands, carts, and all manner of mobile stores displaying their wares. They sold food like fruit, wheat, and dried fish on top of accessories, small gems, cutlery, baskets, weapons, armor, and so on. It was like a combination of a market and a flea market divided by two. At some points the merchants had their wares spread on rugs on the ground.

“Wow, lots of stuff here.”

“Seems inconvenient to me. We finish all our shopping in a single store back home.”

“Thing is, dude, you can buy everything at the market. Even stores that have lots of stuff like ours back home buy a lot of their stuff from here, y’know?” It was cheaper to buy things directly from the market, but the stores themselves survived by being located further away from it. The greengrocer and kebab stand, for instance, would just be one food seller of many here.

“If we intend to have the orphans get into trade, it seems wise to buy a stand and a license to sell in the market. We can order the raw materials from, hmmm...” Maiodore was observing the market carefully. She sure is an earnest little girl. She was just talking about this being a date, too. Incidentally, she was still holding Niku’s hand.

“Look, Keima! They’re selling some weird stuff over there. What is that?”

“My my, Rokuko, that is a kiwi fruit.” Rokuko pointed at a light brown thing, and Maiodore responded before I could. Neat, this world has kiwis too.

“Hmm... Is this really a fruit? I thought it was an animal since it’s so furry. Have you ever had one, Ichika?”

“Dude, who do you think I am? Duh. They’re sweet and hella tasty. Surprised to see them around here. Guess they ordered them from Pavella? They grow from trees, but once you take ’em off the tree they eventually grow legs and start running around. Some people think they’re an animal too ’cuz of that. But dude, doesn’t matter to me as long as I can eat ’em.” Wait, what? The kiwis in this world run around?

“Pretty sure that the girls are yellow on the inside and the guys are green. Girls are more sticky and boys are more chewy, basically. Takes some talent to figure out which is which from the outside, but I’m guessing the guy selling them knows.” Said guy piped in to say “Yep, and if I’m wrong you can have it for free!” Mmm, they sure all look the same to me. They’re all just normal looking kiwis.

“I’m kinda hungry, so. Anyone else want one?”

“In that case, why don’t we buy one of each gender and split them? We can share, Keima. Mister, one of each gender.” Maiodore paid for them the moment she finished speaking. The guy picked out two kiwis seemingly at random and cut them in half with a knife. Indeed, one was yellow on the inside and the other was green.

“Same for us, please.” Rokuko paid for some and the guy repeated the same steps, and once again, he was right. What a pro. He’s kinda like the people who are paid to figure out which baby chickens are boys and which are girls.

With that done, they both eagerly walked up to me.

“Now then, let us share, Keima.”

“Keima, you’re going to eat my kiwis, right?”

“...Uhhh, there’s an odd number of us, so things won’t add up if we all share. I’ll just get some for myself. Mister, one girl kiwi please.”

“What was the point, then?!”

“Figures. You’re good.” I played dumb, shocking Maiodore. Rokuko on the other had apparently predicted what I would do.

Niku gently patted Maiodore’s shoulders and split kiwis with her. Yep, yep. Maiodore’s the only girl Niku knows that’s about the same age as her. I want them to be good friends.

“Whoops, messed up. Have one for free.” For real? I was surprised for a second, but judging by his smile, he messed up on purpose. Come on!

“Keima, I can’t eat with both hands full. Hold one.” Rokuko pushed a kiwi slice onto me too. I took it.

“Okay, you eat that one. Ichika, you can have the other two.”

“Wait.”

“Duuude, really?! Heck yeah! Good idea!”

...It ended up with me exchanging kiwis with Rokuko, Maiodore exchanging kiwis with Niku, and Ichika getting two slices. Maiodore looked at me angrily, but I ignored her and took a bite of kiwi. Oh man, this is good. Tastes just like the kiwis I ate in Japan.

We looked around at other stands and saw one that took up two spaces.

“Looks like he’s selling wheat.” The sacks of wheat were stacked higher than I was tall. This was where you could buy wheat in sack quantities.

“You a merchant, black hair? You gotta buy wheat from Tsia if you’ve got a cart. It sells like crazy all over the place.”

“That a fact?”

“Indeed, Keima. Tsia is the most prominent breadbasket in the Laverio Empire.”

The merchant noticed Maiodore and bowed his head without looking too surprised.

“Didn’t see you there, Lady Mai. Good to see you.”

“Hello again. How goes your business?”

“Can’t complain, can’t complain. You could say I’ve found a good line of trade with Pavella. Though over there vegetables and fruits sell better, since they get their wheat by boat.” Maiodore was having a business talk with the merchant. Smart girl, huh?

As an aside, this guy apparently had an actual store north of Tsia, and this was basically a form of marketing for him. Same price for his stuff here and there.

“The price of wheat is very important. Hmm... Same market price as always, perfect.” Maiodore was taking her trip through the market very seriously. What a hard worker. I could never be like that.

“Well. Looks like they’re selling the bags of flour for a bit more than in our store,” said Rokuko, comparing the price of Tsia flour to the flour sold in Goren.

“The stuff in our storage buildings has old wheat mixed in, which makes it cheaper. It’d be a waste to just throw wheat away when it gets old. We do sell stuff that’s unmixed, but it sells way worse.”

“Oh, I didn’t know.” The unmixed wheat was a bit more expensive than the wheat here. Considering the transportation fee, that was reasonable.

There was no reason for us to buy wheat, so we didn’t get anything there. I would leave the town’s wheat to the town’s merchants. And speaking of the devil, we stumbled upon a merchant that came to our town often.

“Oh, hello, Keima. Out shopping?”

“Hm? Oh yeah, I’ve seen you around town.” He was a member of Beddhism. As for his products, he was selling things made in Goren town. Cushions made by Beddhist nuns and portable massagers, for instance.

...The nuns paid a great deal of attention to how the massagers felt, carving them carefully and varnishing them to the point of being silky smooth before stroking and even licking all over them to ensure top quality texture. The result was a top-tier massager shaped like a kokeshi doll. Sheesh, I told those succubus nuns to carve wooden dolls or something if they have so much free time, and they ended up making massagers. They’re actually pretty good for reaching hard spots, though they’re not electric.

“Uhhh, do those actually sell?”

“Oh, the kokeshi massagers? They’re fairly popular among women, thanks to rumors that say using these massagers will make them more popular with men.” That’s probably thanks to the succubus juices soaked into them. “Though many men buy them as well, since they smell nice and are hand crafted by nuns. Overall, yes, they sell quite well.” That’s probably thanks to the succubus juices soaked into them (again).

“Beddhist holy water also sells fairly well, thanks to you.”

“That’s great, but remember, holy water doesn’t last very long.”

“Indeed, I remember. I will keep what doesn’t sell today for myself. Would you like some yourself, your holiness?”

“Nope, nope. I’ve got plenty at home.”

“I can imagine,” smiled the merchant.

“Hahahaha, you little. I’m expecting lots of donations,” I replied, sounding entirely like a corrupt priest as Maiodore peered at the massagers with great interest. I would rather she not, though. They were the shame of our town.

“These are products from your town, Keima?”

“Well now. Is this little girl your new girlfriend?” Although Mai visited the market often, there were undoubtedly still merchants that didn’t recognize her. This guy was one of them. But his phrasing was, uh, poor. I immediately corrected him.

“Don’t be rude. This is Maiodore, the Archduke’s daughter. I’m serving as her bodyguard right now.”

“Oh! E-Excuse me. Please accept my apologies.” The merchant bowed his head immediately. Naturally.

“My my, it is quite alright. Besides, you were not far off from the truth.” Uh, yes he was.

“...As an apology, please allow me to gift you some of my wares.”

“Oh, you don’t mind? Thank you very much.”

“No no, thank you for visiting,” he said as he handed Maiodore a kokeshi doll and holy water.

“Ahaha. What do you think, Rokuko?”

“Hmph. You’re pretty good, Mai. Get me some too, Keima!”

“...You could get loads of kokeshi dolls and holy water for free back at town. Why buy them here?”

“That’s not what I ... Ngggh!” Rokuko growled to herself. It looked like she had to swallow down something she wanted to say. Are these two fighting through buying stuff or something?

We walked on and next chanced upon a weapon stand. Oh, but there’s shields too, and accessories. Not sure what to call it. A... A hardware stand?

But in any case, it seemed that not many high quality weapons or shields were sold in the market. Mostly just apprentice work that couldn’t be displayed in the store. Apparently these kinds of cheap, easily lost or broken weapons were essential for the survival of upstart adventurers. Though you could also find the work of future famous blacksmiths, high quality used weapons, Magic Blades dug out of dungeons, and so on if you looked hard enough.

“Thing is, most dudes will bring those right to the smitheries themselves. Only people selling Magic Blades and stuff here are dudes who don’t wanna wait for their power to be identified or whatever.” Fakes were mixed in with the rest, too. Hmm. Maybe these accessories are too?

“Whoa whoa whoa, everything I have here is one hundred percent legitimate. No trying to pull the rug out from under me, please.”

“Whoops, my bad.” I narrowed my eyes at the products, which made the lady behind the stand get mad at me.

“Keima, this ring seems quite nice. Don’t you think it would look just wonderful on me?” said Maiodore while showing me a ring with a greenish blue gem resembling turquoise on it.

“Wow, that is a pretty gem. Is the metal part silver?”

“You got some good eyes! That’s a ring my little youngster made as practice. The gem’s a real one, carved by my hubby, a top class craftsman. I’ll make it cheap for ya, whaddaya say?”

Maiodore glanced at me. I mean, I’m just your bodyguard, I’m not gonna buy you stuff. Though it is true I kind of made you give your kiwi to Niku back there.

“Hold up, Keima! What about this ring? Doesn’t it look good on me?”

“You’re already wearing the ring that suits you best.”

“Oh, you’re right. Eheheh.” Rokuko puffed out her chest with victorious pride. Maiodore pouted unhappily. Don’t brag, Rokuko, it’s childish. Oh. Right, she’s a loli on the inside. Loli mode is her real form. Right.

Niku was staring at a pendant while still holding Maiodore’s hand.

“...Um, what’s the name of this red gem, in the pendant?”

“Hm? Oh, that’s... I dunno. But it looks pretty good, for sure. How ’bout one silver for it, black hair?” Seriously, you don’t even know what gem it is? Whatever. Niku wants it, so sure.

“Alright, I’ll take it.”

“Wha, really? Alright then, I’ll throw in that ring from earlier. Thank ye thank ye.” Well... Now I have the ring. Maiodore was glancing furtively at me.

“Here, Kuro.”

“Th-Thank you.” I handed both the pendant and the ring to Niku. Perfect, that solves everything.

Incidentally, according to Ichika, jewelry was generally priced excessively high under the expectation that buyers would haggle down. Only men who wanted to show off to their girls would buy at the initial price. In short, the lady had thrown in the ring as a bonus since it looked to her like I was unknowingly buying it at an inflated price while trying to get a gift for my daughter, which wasn’t far from the truth.

Also, Niku gave the ring to Maiodore, who was slumping over sadly. She loved it and her wings flapped happily. I’m glad I raised a good kid.

And so, with that done, we’d had our fill of the market and left.

＊ ＊ ＊

It happened on our way home.

“Hold up, you five.” Someone called out to us as we walked down the main street. We could’ve just ignored him, but I turned around just in case and there I saw a fairly muscular guy. On his wrists were iron handcuffs with broken chains hanging off them. He was looking down at the ground, which made it hard to see his face. Who is this guy?

Niku’s ears twitched and she tensed up. Well... Must be someone pretty strong.

“Rokuko, get behind Ichika. You too, Mai.”

“R-Right.”

“Certainly.”

The two of them obeyed my orders and got behind Ichika and Niku respectively. Wait, does that mean I’m on the frontlines here? W-Well. I have a Wearable Golem too, I’m not defenseless here. Be sure to help, Niku, okay? I mean, feel free to beat him all on your own, I don’t mind.

“What do you want?”

“I’ve been... looking. For answers. It’s her,” he said, pointing at Maiodore.

...No way. He’s after the Divine Pillow too?!

“Don’t get in my way. I just have. Questions.”

“I’m afraid I’m gonna have to get in your way. I’m her bodyguard, y’see.” Seriously though, I feel like I remember him somehow... Wait. “You! You’re from the Last Commune!”

“Huh? Yeah, I am. I’m Hugo. The Last Commune’s number two.”

It all came back to me. He was the greatest foe I had faced there, the owner of immense mental fortitude who only broke after I patted his head while giving him my lap as a pillow. Yuck. These are some memories I could have done without. Gives me goosebumps.

“Why are you here? Didn’t you turn yourself in?”

“Yeah! That’s right, I did. Which makes me a good boy. I’m a good boy, but they locked me up. Does that seem right to you?” asked Hugo, his eyes unfocused. Did this guy do some hard drugs or something?

(“Ahhhh,”) interjected Kosaki, (“This guy’s mind is totally broken. You can really mess someone up if you push them too far, charmed or not.”)

(“Seriously? And you didn’t tell me?”) I responded, telepathically.

(“Well, no worries, you just gotta charm him again and it’ll be okie dokie. Go go go, let me possess you again!”)

(“Not in the middle of town! Can’t we do anything else?”)

(“Yeah, you can beat the crap out of him.”) Alright... Guess that’s our only choice.

“Ichika, guard those two! Ni, uh, Kuro! Hold him d—!”

“GAAAAAH!” I paused for a moment after mistaking Niku’s name. Hugo charged forward as if exploiting that blunder. He roared like a beast and went to tackle me...

...And just like that, picked me up before spinning around and running in the opposite direction.

“Huh?! Wha, wait, hold on!” Hugo was carrying me away in his arms. I could hear Rokuko and the others yelling from behind me.

“I’m not stopping. I’ve been looking so long, and it’s finally over.”

“It’s finally over? That sounds like you’ve found what you were looking for.”

“Yeah. I have. Don’t have to ask that dog-eared girl anymore.” Dog-eared girl? Does that mean he was pointing at Niku a second ago, not Mai? “What I was looking for, is now, in my arms.” Hugo’s voice was so warm I got goosebumps of terror, his arms holding me were so gentle I wanted to throw up, and his eyes looking at me were so filled with love I nearly passed out.

“I can tell. I noticed right away. You’re... my mama. My beloved mama!” That sealed it. There was no mistaking that this guy was after me. Or more precisely, after me in my succubus form. If one were to describe Hugo’s warm embrace in a single phrase, he was bridal carrying me.

Holy fuck. I felt more terror than I ever had in my entire life. I had to get away, somehow!

“L-Let go of me!”

“Struggling makes you hard to carry. Don’t struggle, Mama.” I flailed, fighting back against his muscular right arm pinning me to him, but my blows were weakened by my inability to kick off the ground to build up inertia. I wasn’t damaging him at all.

“You know, Mama, you hitting me... doesn’t feel bad. It feels good, actually. Hit me more,” he said with a gleaming white smile as he continued running with me in his arms. Th-This guy... Did he just awaken to a masochist spirit?! Right here, right now?! He’s enjoying me, a guy, hitting him?! God, I can’t stop shaking! What the heck is happening? What can I do about this?

“L-Let go!”

“Are you cold? Sorry, but deal with it for now. I’ll warm you up once we get home.” Where is this guy going anyway?! N-Not to his inn room, right?! I opened the menu to check. Wait... We’re going east? Not to the slums?

“Wh-Where are you taking me?”

“Outside the city, there’s a dungeon. Heard of it? That place is a paradise. My secret hideout’s there,” answered Hugo. Okay, basically. There’s a dungeon to the east called the [Flower Garden of Light], this guy has a secret base there, and we’re heading there now.

“How are you going to get past the gate?”

“Yeah, about that. Some nice person told me there’s a weak spot in the wall. Weak enough to blow a hole into it. Just gotta get there faster than a messenger, then blow open the hole.”

It wasn’t long before we reached a part of the wall right next to the east gate. At first glance it looked like a normal stone brick wall, but...

“Hmph!” One swift kick from Hugo and a hole crumbled open, big enough for people to walk through.

“Empty on the inside? That’s some lazy work here.”

“But that’s so that we can get outside safely. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” He ducked into the hole with me in his arms and just like that, we were out of Tsia.

“Could you let go of me already, by the way? Please?”

“No. You’re just gonna leave me behind again, aren’t you? Not happening.” He squeezed me tighter. Guuuh, I’m starting to think I might never get away... Gah! I should have taught my Wearable Golem how to escape from bridal carries. Wait, who could have predicted this?! It’s not my fault! Come on... guuuh.

＊ ＊ ＊

In the end, Hugo didn’t stop. It was forbidden to enter the [Flower Garden of Light] when not on Guild business, but Hugo literally knocked away the guards and forced his way inside. The guards were probably fairly strong, but it looked like their hesitation at seeing me as a hostage gave Hugo the opening he needed. Er, sorry. But my arms are kind of locked in here, so I would have liked for you to beat him up for me. Not that I would know what to do if a massive muscular dude suddenly came running at me with a random guy in his arms.

“This is my secret base, Mama!” And so, we finally arrived. It was Hugo’s secret base. Though in reality, it was just a Safe Zone in the dungeon, not a building or anything like that.

“Yep, this place sucks. I’m leaving.”

“You’ll be in danger out there alone, y’know? You should just live here with me.”

“Also, I’m a guy! Don’t call me Mama!”

“Mama is Mama. I know that you’re actually nice on the inside, Mama.” It’s no use, I’m not getting through to him.

Actually, wait. We’re in a dungeon right now. This may be a Safe Zone, but there’s nobody around. That means I can transform into a Succubus and make him listen to anything I say!

(“Alright, Kosaki! Possess me!”)

(“...I kiiinda wanna see what happens if I don’t.”)

(“Quit joking around! Do your job!”)

(“Okaaay, but if you mess up, things will get really bad really fast.”) Really bad? I blocked Kosaki’s possession midway through.

(“Ouch! C’mon, don’t resist after telling me to possess you, that’s like hitting my head.”) What head...? Anyway, more importantly,

(“What do you mean, really bad? Details please.”)

(“Um, I mean, we’re talking about a buff dude and a weak little Succubus. The dude’s head over heels for the Succubus, and they’re both alone... How could something NOT happen, get what I’m saying?”) O-Oh man! That’s terrifying! I can’t even use my Wearable Golem when I’m possessed!

(“That’s why I told you to let me possess you in the town. You coulda had Niku protect you if he went wild or something like that.”)

(“Come on! You should have told me that earlier! Details matter in decisions!”) I went back to the planning stages. For now, I should make him set me down.

“Alright, alright. I’ll compromise and say that I am indeed your mother.”

“Compromise or not, Mama is Mama. Hahaha. Still, hearing you say that really makes me happy, yeah.” I could directly feel his large chest muscles quivering with joy.

“Uuuh, so yeah, could you set me down? This is actually pretty uncomfortable.”

“Mmm... You won’t try running away?” He’s sure on guard... If he just sets me down, I can take out Siesta. Then I can put him to sleep and get out of here. Might take some sacrifice, but I’m running out of options here.

“...I can’t give you a lap pillow with you holding me like this, can I?”

“Oh! Good point, you’re right. No reason not to put you down if it means getting a lap pillow.” Hugo finally let me down, next to the wall. Alright! Time to ge— Uh, hold up, too close. He’s basically pressing me against the wall here.

“Could you step back a bit?”

“Nuh-uh.”

“I’m not gonna fall right asleep or anything, so come on, please.”

“How ’bout this: I’ll step back if you give me a kiss,” said the older dude with a grin, his hard muscles bulging. Hold up. I’m an adult. Come back to your senses already! You weren’t like this back when you were the Last Commune’s number two! You’ve changed!

(“And that is absolutely your fault, Master.”)

(“But! Buuut!”) Regardless, I had to get him away from me. I mean, if it’s just a kiss...? No, no way. Never. Jesus, I want to cry.

The second I thought that, the floor suddenly vanished from beneath me. I felt a floating sensation, and Hugo exploited the opportunity to rush forward and cling to me. Oh yeah, this is a dungeon. Safe Zones aren’t safe at all! Ahahaha!

We hit the ground with a surprisingly heavy thunk.

“...Are you okay, Mama? Are you... hurt?”

“N-Nah, I’m fine.” Hearing that, Hugo smiled.

“Thank, goodness...” He fell unconscious with a smile. It seemed that he had cushioned my fall, leaving me mostly unhurt. Which meant he had clung to me to protect me. Sorry for thinking you were just exploiting the opportunity.

Hugo falling unconscious weakened his grip enough for me to wiggle out of his arms. I looked around and saw that I was in a bright, small room filled with green. The door leading into a hallway was blocked with rows of iron pillars coming out of the ground and reaching to the ceiling. In other words, I was in a jail cell.

I started looking around for an exit when suddenly I heard some kind of music. It was an upbeat, flashy kind of song you might hear at the start of a movie. A man appeared with the music playing in the background. He was wearing a flashy white outfit embroidered with golden thread. His blonde hair was cut in a masculine fashion, but he had a delicately crafted face like a woman’s. He was always wearing thick make-up that made his expression more clear.

The man... Wait, no. There were rounded curves at her chest. This was merely a beautiful woman dressing as a man.

She walked to the rhythm of the song, practically dancing with each step as flowers bloomed where her feet touched the ground. The rails bent away and allowed her to step in front of me. She then lifted her arms up in a Y shape as the music reached a dramatic climax. “Why hello there! I’ve been waiting for you!” She had a clear, husky voice.

“...Who are you?” Her outfit, tone, the whole package made her feel like the lead actor in a theatrical play. Was she a Hero?

“Well well, Keima. I know you, but you do not know me. Aaah, how unfair! Allow me to introduce myself then!” The beautiful cross-dressing woman posed dramatically as she spoke. “I’ll put it simply, so you can understand! I am the... Core of the Tsia Dungeon!” She struck a triumphant pose as the flowers at her feet grew around her, looking like the background to a romantic manga page as fanfare played from somewhere. What kind of joke is this? Why is she acting out a play in front of me?

“By the way, my number is 219. I am much your senior, so be a dear and show me respect, mmm?” If we’re talking about seniors, Ittetsu’s 112 is a higher number than yours, so.

I shook off my confusion and tried asking some questions.

“Uhhh. You said you know who I am, right? How’s that?”

“Is it truly so hard to guess? You are the [Cave of Greed’s] Dungeon Master. I’ve heard all about you from her. Don’t touch him, she said.” Yeah, that “her” is definitely Haku.

“Then let me out of here.”

“I would love to say yes, Keima, but no. I have my own circumstances, you see.” Vines stretched out and attacked me. It was sudden, but I managed to dodge them thanks to my Wearable Golem. If only we weren’t in a small jail cell. The vines chased after me and caught me in no time.

“...Hm. Would you turn back into that beautiful form for me? You’re much more charming that way.”

“Wha?! How do you know about that?” I asked to be sure, but I honestly already knew the answer.

“Is it not obvious? Surely you remember what this dungeon is called.”

Indeed, the Tsia Dungeon. A dungeon with a close connection to Tsia.

“Tsia is under my control!” she said, holding up a hand dramatically and flashing her white teeth in a smile as she spoke. Figures. She’s been watching what I did in Tsia.

Just like I could monitor Goren through dungeon functions, she could monitor Tsia. And since she’s a Core, she didn’t need to take breaks or sleep. She could watch anyone or anything she wanted twenty-four seven.

“That man by your feet was ever so helpful. I put the silly humans following you to sleep and broke the cell and city walls for him, but it was up to him to bring you here for me.”

“...So you’re behind him kidnapping me, huh?”

“Charms are very dangerous. A charmed individual can have their mind and goals warped with the simplest of pushes. I just had to give him a sweet sniff of a little pollen.” She hadn’t just influenced Hugo’s surroundings, she had apparently done something directly to him. Maybe she had doped him up with the pollen or whatever while telling him about the weakened walls.

“But still. Charms. They’re delightfully powerful. The way you wrapped those criminals in the slums around your fingers was as splendid as it was comical. I would not have had it in me to touch those disgusting men as you did, to be honest,” said Core 219 before clapping. She saw that much? It should be safe to assume that she’s been watching me constantly since I entered Tsia.

“Oh, and of course, charms won’t work against me. They are the power of Succubi. It helps that there exists no one more beautiful than I, but even besides that, I have charm resistance. Of course.” Yeah... She can use DP, skills shouldn’t be too hard for her to learn.

“But in any case. You are a human, no doubt about it. Why can you, as a human, use the power of Succubi?”

“Well, I’m a Dungeon Master. Consider that a business secret.”

“Spicy, spicy. That’s more than fine with me, you can tell me later if the mood strikes. I thought that we might be birds of the same feather, but I see now that is not the case.” Uhhh, yeah, I’m not into cross-dressing. I didn’t do all that because I wanted to.

“So. What do you intend to do with me?”

“You are a hostage. Now now, don’t fret. I will of course feed you. No point in a dead hostage, after all. Much human food is gathered from my dungeon, the [Flower Garden of Light]. I’m not sure how it tastes, but you won’t starve.”

“...You’ve never eaten any yourself?”

“I do not eat. What comes in must go out, no? Spare me the thought of such ugliness.” In other words, pretty girls don’t p**p. Fair enough. “I need only water and sunlight to sustain myself, though nice ground is always welcome. You humans need food to survive, no? Can’t say I envy your inconvenient bodies.” She must be a plant-type Core. Flowers and vines grow from her footprints, and the Tsia Dungeon’s plant-based with bug monsters if I remember correctly, so this should be a safe assumption.

“In short, fear not. You need only sit still until I accomplish my objective. I’ll have no reason not to release you once all this is over.”

“What is your objective, anyway? Why kidnap me?” I asked, which led to Core 219 smiling as if she had been waiting for me to ask just that question.

“Revolution! I will wave the flags of rebellion against her. Yes indeed, up until now I have endured the humiliation of kneeling before her. To be fair, yes, to be fair, she is quite beautiful herself, the picture of voluptuous grandeur. But still, these harsh days of humiliation will one day be but a spicy memory in my tale of ascension! The finale will be mine!” Alright. Basically, she’s going to use me as a hostage to fight against Haku.

“...Wait. Hold a second. Why use me as a hostage?”

“Come now, there could only be one reason. Core 695 adores you, and she adores Core 695. In short, if I take you as a hostage, she will be unable to lay her hands on me directly! What a splendid idea!” said Core 219, striking a pose again. Uh... Your plan’s awful! You’re just killing yourself with extra steps!

“Look, I’m gonna be real with you. Give up now while you’re ahead. No way you can beat Haku.”

“I can and will beat her. I have much DP stored from years of Tsia’s development, and you as a hostage.” Haku obviously has a ton of DP stored up too! And me being a hostage won’t stop her from doing anything! “Hahahaha! Fear not, my beauty could never lose!”

“That’s not proof! Rethink your whole life!”

“Hahahahahaha! Aaaahahahaha!” Core 219 ignored my yells and left while laughing brightly, flowers blooming in her footsteps. I was still locked up, though.

...Wait, hold on. Couldn’t she at least move this dude to another jail cell?! My chastity’s in danger!