Chapter 62

62 – The Shut-in Dungeon Master

We teleported into what looked like the lobby of a high-class inn.

Since I’ve experienced working in the Demon King Castle, I’ve come to realize that, in the end, Dungeons are just like any place of work. The parts that entertain guests and the parts that only staff use are completely different.

The interiors were surprisingly modern and functional. The place was spotless, and couldn’t be further from what you’d expect of a Dungeon. If you really think about it, it’s probably not that surprising, but it doesn’t feel right at first.

It would appear that the Dungeon Master is in a room that isn’t equipped with a Teleportation Stone, so we walked there.

We arrived in front of a door with a knob on it. Even this area feels like we’re in front of one of an inn’s rooms.

Kei knocks on the door.

「Master, I have brought with me the personnel from the Demon King Castle.」

No response.

「Tsk…」

Kei clicked her tongue, or at least it felt like she did.

「Maste-…Thor. Open this door.」

Her tone became more informal. Like when talking more familiarly, regardless of the workplace pecking order.

「These nice people have come all this way to help us. Be a good Dungeon Master and greet them.」

Saying that, a voice could be heard muttering from the other side of the door.

「…please leave me alone, Kei.」

「Excuse me? Just how long do you plan on shutting yourself in? While you’ve been doing all that, the payment date is getting closer, you know?」

「I know…I know, so could not say it like that, please? You’re making me sink into deeper depths of despair.」

「I’m amazed that you can sink further. I had thought you sunk to the bottom long ago, so it gives me peace of mind to know that you still have further to go.」

「The sarcasm is appreciated but I’m not in the mood to laugh right now. Uhm…right, tomorrow. I’ll greet the people from the Demon King Castle tomorrow…」

「Hmph.」

Kei turned her back towards the door.

Perhaps he heard the way she shifted her hooves, you could hear the voice behind the door going「Wait, you’re not gonna…waitwaitwait…」.

In the next instant, Kei’s hind legs sprang up, pulverizing the door.

「Gah, dammit…! I knew it!」

Screamed the voice from inside.

「Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone. Please, enter.」

Cashew was already off her back when we arrived at the door, so there wasn’t any worry of her tumbling off when she kicked.

However, after seeing that perfect buck kick, Cashew’s mouth hung open and her ears trembled.

I leaned in close and pet her head to calm her down.

「Good kick.」

Furcus, who had finished up her skewered meat, gave small praise.

I don’t think the kick is what you should focus on, Furcus…

But somehow this didn’t seem like the time to bring up the obvious, so I just entered the room at Kei’s urging.

It was a simple room. There was just the bare minimum of furniture and a shower room.

The Dungeon Master was wrapped in a futon in the corner hugging his knees.

「Oh maaaan. Now I gotta fix the door…」

「It would be easier if you didn’t.」

「Ahaha, yeah that works too. You’re a genius, Kei…heh…ha…」

The Dungeon Master laughed dryly.

I can’t tell his appearance since he’s wrapped up in a futon, but I can tell he’s a man from his voice. His body seems larger than mine.

「Just greet them already. You’re a Dungeon Master, despite appearances.」

「…Y’know, I know I’m a failure of a Dungeon Master, but you could treat me a little nicer. If you keep treating me coldly like that, I won’t be able to stand again.」

「I didn’t see you stand up when I was kind.」

「Oof…」

「If you don’t hurry up, I’m gonna kick you too.」

「Please don’t. I’ll be defeated for real from that…」

While saying that, Thor the Dungeon Master reluctantly stood up.

His skin was green, with noticeably thicker limbs and torso when compared to the average person.

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Thor was an Orc.

「Ha…I apologize for showing such a shameful sight. I am Thor, the Dungeon Master of this Dungeon. At least, for now…anyway, thank you very much for coming.」

We introduced ourselves as well.

「Ah…Wait Lem? Eh? You’re saying Lemegeton is…the former Fenix party member, Lem?!」

Having realized that, Thor jumped in surprise.

「Waitwaitwait…huh? But, you punched a hole through the Flame Hero’s abdomen.」

「I did, yes…」

「But weren’t you driven out of the party? The Warrior Alba said so in an interview.」

「While that’s not entirely accurate, that is more or less what happened.」

「Honestly speaking, even I wondered what a Black Sorcerer was doing in a fourth-ranked party. Oh, sorry, no offense…!」

Thor shuddered at Kei’s death glare.

Kei wasn’t surprised when she found out, but Thor’s response is more natural.

「But wait…if you were that strong, why were you driven out? Not that I’m doubting your abilities! The Demon King Castle assured me.」

「There are quite a few reasons. But leaving that aside, why don’t we discuss how we can help out the Dungeon.」

At that moment, Thor’s eye’s looked down.

「Ah, right…heh, that’s right. This isn’t the time to be interested in your life story…」

The Elementary Level – Beginner’s Dungeon is currently undergoing financial difficulties.

Her Majesty’s father offered financial assistance to save them from that. Believing that he was an acquaintance of his grandmother, Thor just signed the contract without really reading it.

If payment cannot be made before the settlement date arrives, the Dungeon will be seized.

「…go ahead, berate me, don’t hold back. I’m just a stupid Orc who blindly signed a contract…」

「You fool. Living trash. A hopeless idiot who went on a fool’s errand without consulting me, and then was so easily tricked.」

Kei verbally abused him without skipping a beat.

「Uh, I…I was talking to Lem.」

「My apologies. I thought that you would enjoy being berated by a maid.」

「I…don’t think I have that kink… Even if I did, I wouldn’t ask you to do it right in front of people.」

Dungeons can naturally produce an almost infinite supply of Magical Energy, but the downside is that the output and amount generated differ from Dungeon to Dungeon.

For example, if you think of it as a water tap with an infinite supply of water, except only one drop of water comes out of it every few seconds, how do you use it?

Just because it’s inexhaustible doesn’t mean you can do anything with it.

Taking that into consideration, you have to decide how many strata you want, how many staff-use facilities to create, and exactly how to create them.

「I didn’t just shut myself in my room, alright? I thought about a lot of things, like how to get out of this…but, he didn’t break any laws so…」

When Dungeon Clearing became a form of entertainment, the use of Magical Energy was strictly determined by the law.

To oversimplify it, the law states that you are not allowed to use Magical Energy outside of the Dungeon business.

TVs, computers, fridges, cocoons, etc all run on Magical Energy. The source of that Magical Energy is a Magic Stone. Stones that are charged with Magical Energy. You can charge it with your own Magical Energy or with purchased Magical Energy and then use the stone.

Furthermore, Magical Energy is the source of magic.

The Magic Stones in circulation are created in such a way that they cannot be converted into magic, but occasionally, magical crimes are committed using modified Magic Stones.

That’s right, infinite Magical Energy can enrich one’s life but it also comes with many dangers.

「Well, let’s think about more ways together.」

Right after the end of the war, not even the Dungeon Masters were willing to take advantage of something that they didn’t exactly understand how it worked. Some may have thought about it but nothing came of it.

Considering all of its valuable uses, should we assume that there was some problem that prevented it from being used?

In exchange, a strict limitation was put into place.

Even to this day, this law has been mostly unchanged. A portion is allowed to be used for the generation of Adventurer Avatars, and more things are increasingly recognized as Staff-use facilities.

This means that the Magical Energy from Dungeons cannot be used to earn money. It is illegal.

It is permitted for use to regenerate the Avatars of defeated Adventurers, but that is something Adventurers themselves cannot do in the first place.

「Now that I think about it…you said you’re the Chief of Staff but your field is defense, right? Not management. Oh yeah, I went nuts about your defense of the tenth stratum! It was awesome. If I wasn’t in this predicament right now, I’d be watching that video on repeat. But y’know, this is the Beginner’s Dungeon. I don’t want to draw in Adventurers with a promotional slogan saying「Featuing a special guest: the Demon King Army’s Chief of Staff!」or something. Not like that…」

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If news spread about the person who drove back the Fenix party visiting this Dungeon, all the nearby Adventurers would surely come rushing in.

However, that would substantially raise the Dungeon Rank of the Dungeon.

He doesn’t want to use a method where I am front and center.

I have no objections to that idea.

「…I understand.」