第１９掘：原因とこれから
Excavation 19: The Cause and What Comes Next
I have finally returned to the dungeon. From now on, I will build villages and training dungeons within the dungeon, and many foolish individuals will also appear, stepping into the main dungeon that leads to the protagonist.
The Cause and What Comes Next
Side: Elju Lau Roschur
"Hi-ho, hi-ho, I hate work! Te-re-tte-te-tte-te-te..."
Yuki is leisurely renovating this dungeon, singing a strange song while listening to my father and the others' reports. Seraria has gone to the royal capital with my impostor, so only Oriel, Yuki, and I are here.
"Um, Yuki. Why did you push the blame onto the Demon Lord? There was no need to fake my death..."
"Elju, that is..."
Oriel steps forward to stop me, but Yuki answers as if it's nothing, continuing his work.
"I think you understand, but without another target right now, Roschur would be attacked from two fronts: Gartz and Litea. The public's sentiment would undoubtedly be directed towards a war of vengeance for Elju. Staging Elju's death publicly was to gain the complete trust of the Holy Kingdom of Litea. Conveniently, Rurua became a witness to Elju's death."
I understand the logic. But is that something a person should do? Such feelings stir within me.
"Hmm, if you don't like it, you can propose an alternative to the kings. If it results in fewer sacrifices than my plan and benefits everyone, they will gladly accept it."
"…!"
"If you're emotionally against it, then... you should go protest to the Holy Kingdom of Litea, praying for a miracle to happen. Pray for the miracle that they will bow their heads and admit they were wrong. If such a thing were possible, they wouldn't have resorted to assassination in the first place."
He is right, but still...!!
"Then the Demon Lord has nothing to do with this matter!! It doesn't have to be the Demon Lord..."
"Hmm, then how about Rumel, one of the remaining powerful nations? Or should we push the blame onto some insignificant small country?"
"Why must humans fight amongst themselves!?"
"No, you just said the Demon Lord was out."
Yuki nonchalantly writes something on a beautiful piece of paper I've never seen before, without even looking at me.
"Then why did you decide to push the blame onto the Demon Lord in the first place!!"
"Well, I heard from the King, Seraria, Aria, and even you, Elju, that there's actual damage occurring right now. Whether that's true or not, I have no way of knowing the truth at the moment, but if it is indeed true, then this incident will be a perfect reason for an alliance."
"But the Demon Lord in this matter...!!"
"It doesn't matter. The Demon Lord has committed enough evil deeds that this incident will be easily accepted. So, let him bear the burden, if it can save hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of lives."
That left me speechless.
"I'm sorry, I understand your feelings, but I can't understand why you're indignant about it. Not me."
"...Why!! So many lives were lost!! We should justly condemn the Holy Kingdom of Litea and demand an apology..."
"The cause is Litea... No, that's wrong, isn't it? You are the cause. You got carried away by the name 'Saintess,' flitting about despite being stopped by those around you, and created a situation where you could be exploited. Do you understand?"
"Eh?"
My vision suddenly wavered... I am the cause?
"Yuki!! What are you saying!! Elju was trying to bring salvation to the people!!"
"And that led to this conflict, didn't it? Well, isn't that great? Which is greater: the lives the Saintess saved, or the sacrifices made in the conflict she caused?"
"That... is..."
"I understand Elju's feelings, but don't throw a tantrum over the current outcome. Don't act like a tragic heroine. No one else will say it, so I will. You are the cause of this conflict."
Everything went dark before my eyes. No, I could see, but it was as if I couldn't...
"If you hadn't called yourself a Saintess, Rurua could have remained the Saintess of Litea. The citizens of the Holy Kingdom of Litea wouldn't have caused such a commotion either."
"St-stop."
"Minister Loire wouldn't have harbored strange ambitions and would have remained a petty villain. Mauve and the others would have been happy... with their families and comrades."
"No."
"The King, Aria, and Seraria would also have avoided assassination."
"Noooooo!!"
"Elju, please calm down!! Yuki, why are you doing this!! Didn't you promise to protect Elju!!"
Yuki continues his work dispassionately... What kind of nerves does he have? I can't look him in the eye, only whisper.
"No, I just answered the question. She's just getting worked up on her own, isn't she?"
"D-don't mess with me!! You're cornering Elju like this!!"
"She's just cornering herself. It's easy for Oriel, isn't it? Just keep affirming Elju and letting her take all the responsibility."
"What did you say!? How so!!"
"Isn't that right? If you had solidified your surroundings more, if you had gathered information, this wouldn't have happened. Am I wrong?"
"..."
Only Yuki's words weigh heavily on me, deeply permeating my body.
"What should I have done...? I don't know the future. I thought being a Saintess was the most I could do for everyone."
"Right, you don't know the future. That's why you desperately do what you can."
"..."
"Then why is Elju cowering now? Even if Elju was the cause, no one is blaming her. Rather, the entire country is saying you are to be pitied."
"...What are you trying to say?"
"From the overall perspective now, it's true that the damage caused by Elju calling herself a Saintess is significant. But it's also true that lives were saved because she called herself a Saintess, isn't it? Are those saved lives a mistake?"
"...That's not true."
"You understand, don't you? Then keep saving lives from now on, with all your might, to the best of your ability. For the sake of those who believed you were a Saintess, and to prove that the lives you saved were not a mistake."
"..."
"Do you think it's hypocrisy? But stopping now is what's truly wrong. You understand, don't you?"
"...Yes, but I still can't accept it."
"That's fine, isn't it? There are people who choose to commit suicide, so Elju is still better off."
Silence continued for a while. Oriel breathes a sigh of relief, seeing me recover slightly.
"Yuki, wasn't there a better way to advise her? Without saying such roundabout, cheesy lines."
"The moment you think these lines are roundabout and cheesy, you've already failed. I believe there's nothing clean or dirty about living. There's no point in saying the same words to someone who feels nothing. It's about the situation being right for them to hear it. If Elju just said, 'Yes!! I understand!!' here, I'd think she wasn't thinking at all."
Saying that, Yuki puts down his pen and reaches for the cup next to him.
"So, Elju. Conveniently, you've somewhat prepared yourself mentally, haven't you? You understand the national policy the kings are pursuing, don't you?"
"Yes, this is what can save the most lives right now."
"...You're still a little mistaken, but that's fine. So, who do you think will get the worst of it in this incident?"
"The Demon Lord?"
"Think a little more. As a nation, we'll give our stamp of approval to the Demon Lord. But in the true sense, the ones who got the worst of this conflict are the people living in that land."
"...! Yes, that's right."
"How many of them will be able to live a normal life? How many do you think have fallen into slavery?"
"There must be many... So, what do you want me to do? I am now dead. There's nothing more I can do."
"Alright, alright, think. Don't stop thinking so often. What do you think I'm going to build in the dungeon from now on?"
"Villages and towns... Don't tell me!!"
"Conveniently, many slaves will be on the market... I plan to extort the kings and buy a certain number of them. They probably don't want to spare manpower for the dungeon either."
"Are you going to force them to work!!"
"...Seriously, think carefully. Who would run things in a way that leaves lingering resentment!! What if those slaves were specifically protected, freed from slavery, and allowed to live freely here?"
"If they are freed from slavery and not oppressed, wouldn't that make them happy?"
"Well, I don't know how well it will be received, but it's worth a try. In the future, hearing that rumor, displaced people and slave merchants might even come to sell directly."
Yuki stopped speaking there and looked at me.
"Using your bitter experiences so far, I'm entrusting the operation of the dungeon village or town, whatever it is, to Elju. You should thoroughly experience your father's hardships."
Saying that, he handed me the paper he had been writing on earlier.
On it was written "Dungeon Village Plan."