Chapter 41

Base (Dungeon)

After putting our camping equipment away using [Storage] when we'd reached a spot away from the town, we ran up the mountain trail almost empty-handed.

Even though Ichika wasn't being assisted by a clothes golem, she was after all a former C-rank adventurer and was able to properly keep up.

Although I ignored Ichika's good advice when she said we should prepare camp since it was going to be night soon, we kept our sight by using light magic tools prepared beforehand.

We arrived at the [Ordinary Cave] when the sun had set completely.

"Meat, time!?"

"Eh, the time it took!? L-let's see... six hours, thirty-two minutes!"

Meat answered after looking at the clock golem she took out of her pocket... She replied like the boke as usual. Rather, she was keeping track of the time properly huh, amazing. [1]

"It's a pain that our speed halved after dark huh. With a bike, we could... no, that wouldn't work with a mountain path huh? ... Hmm? It doesn't really need to be a bike, maybe another vehicle would work?"

"Go~shu~jiiin-sa~ma~. I am huuungry, pre~pare~ camp?"

Oops, should've gone inside first huh. Rather, I haven't told Ichika our destination yet have I?

"We aren't going to set up camp. We've arrived."

"... This is Goshujin-sama's base? I was sure it would be a village or something..."

I thought about it while bringing her here, but I wonder how I should explain...? This is home!—or something?

"... This is home."

"It's just a cave."

That's right. Its appearance hasn't changed since the bandits were here after all.

... If it's going to become an inn in the future, a lot of changes need to happen huh. Wonder how I should make the dungeon a crowd puller?

"Eh it's fine, let's hurry up and go in."

While using the light magic tool, I lead Meat and Ichika into the cave. Stone floorboards paved the passage, and multiples of [Torch for Dungeon Lighting (50 DP)] illuminated the inside.

(Still, the [Torch for Dungeon Lighting] is an amazing kind of torch that keeps burning if it isn't moved from where it's installed. I guess it uses mana as fuel.)

"Wai—!? This is a dungeon!"

"I know it's a dungeon?"

"How's this yer base!?"

"This is my base though?"

"It's a dungeon!"

"Yeah, it's a dungeon... Ah, be careful since there's a pitfall there."

"Uoh seriously, this's dangerous—!?"

When I opened up the map to check it out, Ichika was being treated as an intruder.

Huh? That's strange. Despite Ichika also being my slave... ah, I treated Meat as a hug pillow (item) huh.

Meat and I both have gotten used to it recently, so I don't really feel guilty over it despite sleeping with her as my hug pillow.

People aren't suitable for being hug pillows... there was a time I thought that too. There was a problem at first when I was inexperienced and that accident happened, but she's been a very comfortable hug pillow since then... Might be hot in the summer though.

It's still pretty cool out right now, but it'll warm up eventually. Wonder what I should do...

"Haah, but for me who used to be a scout to not notice pitfall traps like these... rather, bein' able to move so fast around these, as expected of Meat-senpai."

"All of the pitfalls in this dungeon, I know them all. Fufun."

She was bragging. Well, she did make the pitfalls after all.

"All of them... Huh? Isn't this the [Ordinary Cave]? But the guild said... nothin' was here?"

"That's, well... the guild's information is outdated. That's how it was a month ago."

"Heeh, so then now... it turned into this. Guess it was a transformation period."

A transformation period was the rapid growth a dungeon went through that was explained in the [Introduction to the Study of Dungeon].

According to Haku-san's addition, she only said it to hide the effects of a dungeon battle.

"You're pretty knowledgeable."

"It's important stuff to know. I heard it from a guy studying dungeons a while back."

"I'll be counting on you in the future, seriously."

"Leave it to me! ... Wait, come to think of it, Goshujin-sama? I was bought as a chore slave yeah? By chores was it for bein' a dungeon conquerin' meat shield?"

"That's not it. I want Ichika to work at the inn so you don't have to help with adventurers... ah, don't touch those spears sticking out there."

"Uoh—wait up, Goshujin-sama! Ku—looks like this really is his base... you'd have to know of everything to advance that well."

"Goshujin-sama doesn't lie."

Meat was walking smoothly in front of Ichika, she'd perfectly memorized the traps' positions.

... I just realized. Couldn't I have went in from the separated goblin room if I used dungeon core castling?

Or rather, couldn't I be retrieved to the core room if I asked Rokuko?

Hmm, my head is hurting.

"Oooi, Rokuko. Can you hear me~? If you can, retrieve me~"

"Rokuko? Is that Goshujin-sama's comrade? Where?"

My vision was filling with white light as Ichika asked. I felt a sensation of floating, my field of view blurred, and I was suddenly in a right room.

Right, it was the master room. Looks like Rokuko was able to retrieve me.

Of course, Meat and Ichika also here... Ichika was still being shown as an intruder on my map, though.

"Welcome home, Kehma!"

Turning towards the voice, I saw the blond-haired little girl-type dungeon core, Rokuko. She was smiling with her arms linked in an imposing stance.

"I'm back. Feels like it's been a while since I've seen your face, Rokuko"

"Really? Hasn't it just been one or two days?"

A simple answer.

Since Rokuko was a dungeon core, her longevity was also long. Her sense of time was probably different from a human like me. Haku-san said she was alive around a hundred years.

"So, Kehma. That's the new slave?"

"Yeah. Her name's Ichika. Well, please get along well with her."

"Alri~ght, pleased to meet you. I'm the dungeon core, Rokuko."

"Wai-wait up, my head isn't keepin' up... dungeon core? This cute Ojou-sama isn't human?"

Ichika was holding her temples.

"A human-type boss monster core combination...? I've heard of it... no...?"

Though she was trying to figure it out somehow with her common sense, it couldn't be helped since the information her common sense was giving her was wrong to begin with.

Unable to hold back any longer, I called her.

"Hey, Ichika."

"Hey! Is Goshujin-sama... perhaps... the demon king!?"

Why'd I turn into something like that?