第１０掘：面倒事はまとめてやってくる (Part1)
Tenth Dig: Troubles Come All at Once
Troubles come all at once.
Side: Elju Rau Roschur
I am currently in the royal capital.
It's about five days from Yuki's dungeon. Thanks to Mauve and the others, I was able to reach this point without any problems during the journey.
From here, it's my role. To end this tragedy.
"Mauve, Raiya, Curse, thank you for your company on the journey. From this point on, I will stop this war, even if it costs me my life."
When I declared this clearly, Mauve and the others looked troubled.
"Princess, I appreciate your feelings, but don't overdo it. It's strange for me to say this, but this is a life you picked up. Don't waste Yuki's efforts to help you."
Yes, this life and my reconciliation with Mauve and the others were thanks to the help of a strange Dungeon Master. But he is not here now.
He said, "I don't want to leave the dungeon. I never know when my life might be targeted," and saw us off, remaining in that dungeon.
"In the end, I couldn't repay Yuki for the favor he granted me."
For him, simply providing information seemed to be enough, but I still feel that I haven't repaid the favor sufficiently.
"I understand how you feel, but you can't just walk around openly. That's something the Princess can mediate."
"Yes... that's right. If I can end the war and have some leeway, it would be good to talk about Yuki and offer various assistance."
Right now, in this chaotic country, I cannot speak about the Dungeon Master. It would put Yuki in danger and create an opening for other countries.
As we talked, we arrived at the royal capital's fountain plaza.
"Well, this is where we part ways. I have an errand for Yuki to run."
"Yes, you've truly helped me so much."
I had intended to host Mauve and the others at the royal castle, but he said,
"Please don't. I haven't done anything worthy of praise from the Princess. Well, perhaps I've preserved my chastity?"
"Oh, really! How rude!"
Indeed, whether by good luck or bad, my chastity remains intact.
In the end, he said something like that and evaded the topic.
"Will you be in the royal capital for a while?"
"Yeah. While I'm running errands, there are a few things I want to do myself. I'm thinking of adding more funny stories for my wife and daughter."
"...Is that so?"
"..."
"..."
"Then, I look forward to the day we can meet again."
"Yeah, I think there's a high chance you'll see me if you come to the dungeon."
With that, the three of them left.
"Oriel, from here on, this is our battlefield. Will you follow me?"
"Yes, wherever you go."
Side: Mauve
"Alright, I'll go take care of Yuki's errand."
As I said that and started to move, Curse called out to me.
"No, wait. Did you listen to what Yuki said!? There's a high possibility that trouble will arise from now on. We need to observe the royal castle for a while."
"That's not my hobby, and it's not like it's happening right now, is it? So, I'll use my free time to look for slaves to help out."
With that, I waved my hand and left Curse and Raiya behind.
"Mauve is as irresponsible as ever..."
"That's just like him. We'll observe the royal castle. We can leave the errand to him."
"Shut up! Anyway, stakeouts are out of my league. I'm primarily a combat type."
Muttering to myself about the criticism I just heard, I searched for my destination.
"But, 'just like me'... huh. Can I go back to those days, even a little?"
Thanks to Yuki, I've been freed from those brutal times. Many things won't return, but I still think it's better than staying as I was.
"But, slaves to help in the dungeon, huh... Well, there probably aren't many other workers... Oh, I didn't ask what kind of slaves to buy."
With that, I entered an empty alley.
"Uh, was it 'Call Yuki'? Answer me."
Yuki's subordinate, effectively. The skill I received allows me to freely contact anyone who is a subordinate of Yuki. It's convenient.
"Huh? Mauve, what's up? I'm busy right now. Has something happened already?"
"No, it's a separate matter. About the slaves, I was wondering what kind of 'helpers' you'd prefer."
"Ah, I forgot to mention that. Hmm, they're like maids, so young women should be fine, right?"
"Right. Old maids aren't really... their lives would be short, and if I brought them to the dungeon, their hearts might stop."
"True. As for appearance or race, there's nothing specific. Oh, right, try to get different races."
"Why is that? Wouldn't it be better to have the same race to avoid confusion with personalities and manners?"
"That's it. I want information based on race. I've heard information from you guys, but there's a lot you wouldn't know unless they were actually of that race, right?"
"I see, got it. I'll look for them based on what you just said."
"Alright, I'm looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to your preferences."
"Gah, is that your goal!?"
"Pfft."
"Ah, he hung up!? Hey!!"
This is bad. If I buy slaves alone, it will all be attributed to "Mauve's" taste.
Depending on the situation, I might even buy someone around my daughter's age... no, that possibility is high...
Raiya and Curse have to participate, or I'll be seen as the only pervert.
Thinking that, I contacted Raiya.
Side: Oriel
"Elju!! Thank goodness, you're safe!! When your carriage was found as wreckage, I thought you, being so clumsy, had died!!"
"Sister Chii, it's hard to tell if I should be happy..."
Currently, Elju's older sister, Seraria, is crying and hugging her in front of me.
Seraria's words may be harsh, but her actions show that they are not her true feelings.
We are currently in Seraria's private room within the royal castle. We were allowed entry without any problems, though the gate guards were a bit surprised, and I even met His Majesty, who praised me saying, "Elju... it's truly good! Oriel, I thank you for your devoted service."
In reality, I was not only unable to protect her but was even reduced to a slave.
"Someone!"
"Yes, I'm here."
"Prepare Elju's favorite tea and sweets. Quickly!!"
"Understood."
"Sister Chii, you don't have to go to such trouble."
"What are you saying? It's not for Elju, it's for me!!"
It's a heartwarming scene from an outsider's perspective. I wish nothing would happen to disturb this peace.
It's precisely because of this peace that Yuki's words bother me.
"What I'm about to say is merely a prediction. I haven't seen the situation myself, so I can't say it's absolute. But if you want to protect Elju, listen. If nothing happens, I'm just being overly cautious. But if it's different..."
Yuki told this story only to me. I thought it was to spare Elju unnecessary worry.
The content concerned Elju's involvement in this war.
"You probably understand, but the fact that Elju was used as a banner means there's someone who wants to use her."
"Ah, I thought so too."
"I'll list a few patterns, from the reassuring to the worst-case scenario."
The contents are as follows:
Pattern 1: The Princess has already been used. She can now live in peace.
If this were true, I would be truly grateful.
Pattern 2: It's a pretext for the internal war-promoting faction to incorporate Elju.
If this is the case, we must continue to be careful in our actions, or the previous tragedy will repeat itself.
In fact, the invasion is being carried out in Elju's name, so this has credibility.
Pattern 3: And the worst possibility, a plan to eliminate Elju, though the background is unknown.