Chapter 81

We moved to the campsite north of the Nara Mountains Amusement Park.

This area is currently off-limits to the general public and is now filled with prefabricated buildings, serving as living spaces for the Self-Defense Forces.

We rented one of these prefabricated buildings entirely.

The Minister of Defense, who is staying in the neighboring prefabricated building, told us that if we had any answers, we should let him know. He allowed only the four of us to stay here.

The atmosphere was heavy.

Hime was the first to speak.

"I'm going to dive into the dungeon. It seems that Dad is definitely being targeted by Dumpy, and I can't just give up as his daughter. However, the three of you are just involved because of me. You can refuse if you want to."

Milk continued.

"I'm going too. Dad was cursed by a monster that came out of the dungeon. I know the danger of monsters appearing outside the dungeon. We absolutely have to stop that."

Honestly, I expected these two to say this.

Both are strong-willed girls.

Especially Hime, if her father is involved, she can't just stand by.

And I—

"I'm going to level up now. We still have about twenty hours."

"Twenty hours isn't much time. More importantly—"

"I'll tell Hime and Milk my last secret."

I couldn't stay silent.

I told Hime and Milk about the PD.

Inside the PD, time passes at one-hundredth the normal speed, so if I train for twenty hours, I can level up for 2,000 hours.

The spawn rate of monsters is five times higher, so in terms of efficiency, it's even better.

"So, if I use the twenty hours for training, I think I can level up quickly."

"The secret to your strength, Taiga, was that... Ayame knew about it?"

"…Yeah. I found out by accident today. I learned the skill 'Pouch' from the Vampire Flea and attached myself to Ichino to enter the PD."

"Attached? So, can we enter the PD by holding hands?"

"Want to try?"

I created the entrance to the PD in front of me.

Of course, the stairs that appeared were invisible to the other three.

I took a step onto the stairs.

From their perspective, it probably looked like my foot was sinking into the floor.

I extended my hand to Hime.

She took my hand.

I started to go down the stairs.

However, halfway down, Hime's feet floated in mid-air.

She couldn't enter.

Apparently, just holding hands isn't enough to enter the PD.

"Can we enter if we lift this floor?"

"It's impossible. The dungeon is a different dimension."

"Ichino! I'll also dive into the PD with you to level up! That way, the chances of destroying the core of the Black Dungeon will increase, right?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

Ayame had a determined look in her eyes.

Honestly, it would be a great help if she levels up.

"Can't we enter… all we can do is wait for the two of you?"

"…It's a shame."

Milk looked at us with sad eyes, and Hime bit her nails in frustration.

"Apparently, my partner can enter the dungeon…"

"Partner?"

"Apparently, it means a spouse."

"「「「—!?」」」

Suddenly, the three of them changed their expressions.

"Marriage!? Marry Taiga!?"

"I didn't know that marrying Taiga would give such a bonus… I won't hide my feelings anymore…"

"Right now, only I can enter the dungeon with Ichino… Does that mean I'm married to him?"

Hime then ran out of the room.

When she came back, she had three sheets of paper.

They were all marriage certificates.

"I asked the Minister to print them out quickly."

"Wait, what did you ask the Minister to do!?"

"I thought about the definition of marriage. If it's a common-law marriage, it's possible for all three of us. But, of course, if we've been living separately and only met today, no one would recognize it as a common-law marriage. So, the best way is to file the marriage certificates."

"Polygamy isn't allowed in Japan!"

"That's true. If all three of us are registered at the same time, even if it's accepted, it will be invalidated during the review. However, legally, the moment the marriage certificate is accepted, the marriage is recognized. If the certificate is invalidated during the review, the marriage status is also invalidated. So, I asked the Minister to accept all three marriage certificates and not to review them until we finish the Black Dungeon. This way, under current Japanese law, we can maintain a polygamous state until the Black Dungeon is cleared. It won't be registered in the family registry. Since exploring the dungeon is dangerous, I wanted to leave a record of our bond in case something happens—something like that. The Minister accepted it."

Did he really understand?

In just a moment?

Is this even allowed!?

"No, wait! Hime is fine, but the other two!?"

I thought this was a joke, but they were already filling out the forms.

It felt like the start of a school exam, as they filled in the necessary information.

Ayame doesn't need to marry; she can enter with the Pouch skill.

"Ichino, please sign!"

"Hime, Ayame, please sign as witnesses!"

Seriously?

I never thought I'd be signing three marriage certificates.

Moreover, for the marriage certificate with Milk, Ayame and Hime are the witnesses; for the one with Ayame, Hime and Milk are the witnesses; and for the one with Hime, Milk and Ayame are the witnesses.

Even for the sake of protecting Japan, this is ridiculous—

Then Milk said,

"Taiga, I want to make sure you're not misunderstanding. I'm not marrying you out of obligation. I've always liked you. You might not have noticed, but—"

What? Wait, Milk.

You said you wouldn't date anyone weaker than Ushizou—

"Milk, that's unfair!? We agreed not to jump the gun. When Ichino saved my life, I saw him like a shining prince and fell in love at first sight! I've never changed my feelings. Ichino, please marry me!"

"Making girls confess this much, Taiga is really dense. I've always liked you, but it's not because of the time we spent together or a first impression. I simply believe that you are the only one I can walk through life with. So, sign this."

Hime, who finished writing first, handed me the marriage certificate.

I—what an idiot.

I only realized their feelings after they said all this.

I signed Hime's marriage certificate and said,

"Hime, you've always helped me. Whenever something happens, I consult you. I treat you like a kid, but I rely on you more than anyone else. Your goal to be the best has always been inspiring. Honestly, I've even been jealous of how cool you are. It's almost tear-jerking to be called your partner. Thank you. I like you too. Will you marry me?"

When I said that, Hime smiled and said, "Thank you."

Then she signed Ayame's marriage certificate.

"Ayame, from the first time we met, I felt I had to protect you. You called me a prince, and I felt like a hero protecting a girl, which gave me a sense of superiority. But that was a mistake. You've been fighting (the curse) more than anyone. You've always been strong and bright, even when you were suffering. I've always been helped by you. But from now on, if you have any problems or are feeling down, please tell me."

"…Yes."

"Thank you, Ayame. I like you. Will you marry me?"

Finally, it was Milk's turn.

I sighed deeply as I looked at the marriage certificate, which only needed my signature.

"Taiga, what's wrong!? Why are you sighing only for me!?"

"No, I just realized how silly I've been, taking such a roundabout way."

I looked at Milk and said,

"Because you said you wouldn't date anyone weaker than Ushizou, right?"

"That's… what Dad said. I used it as an excuse to reject unwanted proposals. I never intended to date anyone other than you—"

"Then why didn't you say that… I believed your words and aimed to become a higher-ranked adventurer than Ushizou."

"Eh?"

"I've liked you since elementary school. Will you marry me?"

I signed the third marriage certificate.

What a terrible proposal.

Proposing to three women at once.

And if their words are true, I'll have to make a decision after this is over.

That means I'll have to hurt two of the three women I truly like.

It's already painful to think about.

We took the three marriage certificates to the Minister and submitted them.

"I am now in a position of extraordinary authority granted by the state. I can officially accept these. However, I never thought I'd use my authority to accept such marriage certificates."

"Also, let's discuss the rewards for tackling the Black Dungeon. First, as an advance, we need a year's worth of food and at least fifty sets of clothes for all of us, including underwear. Don't ask what we'll use them for. And the top-tier equipment provided by the government should be gifted to us, not loaned. Consider it an advance."

"Understood."

"Entry permits to all non-public dungeons held by the government. The success reward is 3 billion yen per person, tax-free. I think we can negotiate for more, but if it's not enough, we'll consider it a loan to the government. Prepare a written contract. I'll call a clerk to finalize the details and prepare the contract."

Hey, I'm listening, but 3 billion yen per person and a loan to the government—how much did you plan to get?

Ayame, who has a commoner's sense of money, is wide-eyed.

However, the Minister, with a knowing smile, nodded and confirmed it.

"Finally, the four of us will enter the prefabricated building. No one should enter until 12:30 PM tomorrow. We might be having a strategy meeting that we don't want others to hear. Please place the supplies in front of the prefabricated building. We need it as soon as possible. Every second counts."

The Minister and Hime shook hands.

Then we returned to the prefabricated building—

"It's visible, isn't it?"

"Yes, I can see the stairs."

"This is the entrance to the dungeon that Taiga mentioned."

It seems the entrance to the PD is visible to the three of them.

Even with such a ridiculous method, the PD has officially recognized them as my spouses.

We have 19 hours left—no, 18 hours and 30 minutes until 12:30 PM.

How much we can level up from here will be the key to our success in the Black Dungeon.