Chapter 18

Second update of the day.

I was in a small room of the dungeon, reading the diary of Falboure, who had become a Hellrich.

Next to me, Lirisia was contorting her beautiful face.

"Well, he was experimenting on people without permission, so it was right to take him down."

"I feel sympathy for his unfortunate circumstances, but that was truly too monstrous..."

"You're so kind, Lirisia. You really are an angel."

"Is that so? I'm not sure myself... Anyway, let's report this place and the diary to the Adventurers' Guild."

"Yeah... Normally, that's what you'd do."

"Eh? --You don't mean..."

Lirisia pulled back, her face twisted in disgust.

I nodded, confirming her suspicion.

"A dungeon core that listens to orders is rare. How about living here? No rent, either."

In my days as a hero, I would have immediately reported to the kingdom or the guild.

But I've been fired. If something is useful, I'll use it myself.

Naturally, Lirisia, in her white nun's habit, came up to me, disheveled.

"Wh-What are you saying, Master! Hiding this and living here means... living with those poor people forever! We have to mourn for them!"

"I will. I'll report to the guild. But I won't tell them about this place."

"Ah... I don't like it. No matter how much it's your wish, Master. --No, that's right. As a slave, being able to argue with you like this is for your own good. Living in rooms with corpses or where the undead stayed isn't good for your health. You might get sick or cursed."

"You're right. Then, we should remodel the rooms."

"Eh? Can you do that?"

"Of course. The big bookshelf and bed in this room couldn't have fit through those narrow corridors. The dungeon core must have prepared them."

"Really?!"

"Let's ask."

We stepped out of the room and stood before the orb.

"Can you remodel this dungeon? Rooms, a living room, kitchen, and bath?"

"Yes, I can. Whatever you command."

"See, it's possible. What do you think, Lirisia?"

"Hmm... But there's no sunlight here."

"Got it. Let's use it just as a passage. It'll save time from the capital to the forest."

"I see. That might be good."

"In that case... Dungeon Core, can you change the passages?"

"Yes, I can. Whatever you command. I'm running low on mana. I can do it."

"You're breaking down... Are you okay? --Here."

I placed my hand on it and channeled holy energy.

Then, a strange sound, "Pikoon," and the orb glowed.

"Mana 100%. The dungeon level has increased. A new floor can be created. Do you want to create it?"

"Not now. How about fixing yourself first?"

"I can. I can't. I need materials. I have enough mana."

"What kind of materials?"

"Monsters. Living beings. Meat. Matter."

"Ah, you need to lure living beings into the dungeon and kill them... Oh, we have a lot of wyvern meat."

"I have enough. I need materials. I have enough. I can do anything. I have materials..."

"Uh... It's really breaking down."

"What do we do, Master!?"

"Let's hurry back! We might get buried alive!"

"Okay!"

Lirisia and I rushed back through the passage.

It was very bright with a bluish-white light.

The passage that felt long on the way in took only a few minutes to run back to the log cabin.

It wasn't dark outside yet.

"Alright, let's bring the wyvern meat too. If we can make it in time."

"I'll help!"

We brought the wyvern meat we had left in the nearby forest and threw it into the dungeon.

The meat was sucked into the floor, glowing and flickering.

It felt like feeding a pet, and it started to become fun.

After throwing it all in, the light leading to the wardrobe in the dungeon stabilized.

"Is it fixed?"

"I wish we could have taken the books and medicine from there."

Suddenly, a voice came from the dungeon, high and clear like a young boy or girl.

"It's okay. I'm fixed, Master."

"Good. Let's go see."

"Okay."

We walked back through the narrow passage.

The white light from the ceiling made it very easy to walk.

The passage that seemed narrow didn't bother us much.

"The lighting makes it feel cleaner."

"No, it's more than that. The atmosphere has changed. It's filled with holy power, as if embracing Master."

Lirisia, walking next to me, looked around, her silver hair swaying.

I don't understand what it means to be embraced by me.

"Hmm? Maybe it's because I used my holy energy?"

"Probably. ...To purify the dungeon core, Master, that's impressive."

Lirisia hugged my arm happily.

"Well, if this is the case, Lirisia, you won't have any complaints about using the dungeon core, right?"

"Yes! ...And I'm sorry for going against you earlier. I couldn't imagine you could achieve something this amazing..."

"No, no, I rely on you, Lirisia. Keep giving me sensible advice."

"Thank you, Master!"

Lirisia hugged me even tighter. Her large, soft chest pressed against me.

We reached the main hall in about a minute.

The black orb was now pure white, with blue light running across its surface.

"Did the distance get shorter?"

The white orb, glowing blue, spoke.

"I fixed it, Master. If it's a passage, shorter is better."

"Great, you can communicate properly now. Your words are still a bit off, though. --But is it okay for me to be your master?"

"The previous master wouldn't fix me even when told. He was a useless, bad person. That's why you're the master."

"I see. So, about the passages..."

"I can do it. What do you want to do?"

"First, I want to find out where the room on the capital side leads. Then, I want to connect the inn room to the dungeon."

"It needs to be on the ground. It's difficult if it's not underground or on the first floor."

"I see. Got it."

A rectangular panel emerged from the white orb's surface, shiny like tiles.

"This is a remote. If you carry it, you can give orders from outside."

"That's convenient. Got it -- Also, I want to move those people who were experimented on to somewhere in the capital. I'll contact you with this remote."

"Got it."

"Do you have enough mana? You just used some, right?"

"Mana is at 92%! Country breaking, leaking..."

"Here you go."

I touched the orb's surface and channeled holy energy.

The number 92 appeared on the side, and the digits increased with a "beep."

The core said to stop at 100.

"I'll make it so you can check the core's mana from the remote."

"Got it. I'll be back. Lirisia, let's go."

"Okay, Master!"

Lirisia and I walked through the white passage leading to the capital.

We reached the door in about a minute.

--This is really convenient, I thought to myself.

Thank you for the bookmarks and ☆ ratings!

I didn't expect it to rank not only daily but also weekly!

254th overall and 62nd in the genre for the week!

I'm happy that so many people are reading it, and I'm excited to see how far it will go.

So, as a ranking commemoration, I'll work hard on updates.

The next chapter will be updated in the evening.

→ 19. Dr. Falboure's Room