第７２掘：軍部のお仕事
**Dungeon Dig 72: The Military’s Work**
**Side: Seraria**
"Phew, today is finally the day for the dungeon’s evaluation."
I finished reading the final document and pressed my seal onto it. Seals are so convenient. If I had to sign my name dozens of times, my hand would be a wreck. I then sorted the documents into the "approved" pile.
"Now then, we’re meeting at the Adventurer’s Guild after lunch, right?"
"Yes, that is correct."
Qual continues to work diligently as my subordinate here. Even now, she assists me in overseeing the military and acting as the public representative for the dungeon.
"Hey, Qual."
"Yes? What is it?"
"From your perspective, how is our unit doing? Are they settling into this dungeon? It’s been nearly two months. No matter how much they’ve been trained, I’d expect some complaints to be surfacing by now."
That’s right—it’s been one month since that defensive battle. We arrived a month before that engagement. This past month has been incredibly hectic for the military and police, dealing with refugees and immigrants from Litea. Idiots exist everywhere, after all.
"…Well, to be honest. May I speak freely?"
"Yes, please be blunt. The last thing I need is a unit that can’t move when the time comes."
If there are personnel with grievances, the plan is to swap them out with the remainder of my troops back in the Roschur homeland. I am well aware that I’ve pushed them quite hard. Especially during the defensive battle—even if their levels were artificially inflated, I had them fight an enemy force ten times their size. We had some serious injuries.
Miraculously, there were no deaths in my unit. But even if they are valiant, they are still human. My own heart aches when I go too long without seeing my husband or Elju. I worry incessantly if I don't see Aslin or Firia for even a single day. Well, I am also serving as the liaison to the homeland, after all.
This whole affair with Litea was a unilateral decision made by Yuki and me. If things had gone poorly, I would have faced immense pressure from Roschur. After I sent the letter, my father immediately replied, stating he would arrange a meeting at a later date. He must have been quite flustered. Fufufu... but that is a story for another time.
"Then, I shall be honest."
Qual paused for a moment, looking at me with a serious expression.
"It is not just a portion, but almost the entire unit…"
"…The entire unit?"
"They are requesting that the technological level outside the dungeon be brought up to match the level inside."
I rested my head against the desk. "Huh? What does that mean?"
"Currently, our unit is working with the dungeon police to guard the area outside the dungeon—the village, or perhaps town, at the main entrance. Correct?"
"That’s right. I don't think people would be drawn to this dungeon if there wasn't at least a decent place to stay outside."
"Yes, everyone in the unit understands that. We have been sending squads on one-week rotations to handle that security duty."
"Yes, I’m aware of that."
"To put it simply, the inside of this dungeon is so convenient that they are complaining about how inconvenient it is to live outside."
"…Have them retrain."
"But there are no baths provided outside. It’s just like any other village or town, where you have to draw water from a well."
"…So, from a hygiene perspective, it’s not an ideal situation?"
"Yes. Therefore, they are asking to eliminate the distinction between inside and outside and to have small-scale versions of the dungeon’s facilities installed outdoors. In my personal opinion, that would serve as a great advertisement for the dungeon. If we tell them there are even more amazing facilities inside, I’m sure they’d be happy to come in."
"…Hmm. Let’s consider it positively. Though, I can’t authorize changes to the dungeon without permission from all the representatives."
"I appreciate you hearing my suggestion. I work inside the dungeon as your aide, Seraria-sama, but even my eyes hurt from the lack of amenities when I’m on patrol outside."
"Oh? You’re welcome to go on outside patrol duty if you like."
"I decline. Even lighting a lamp requires candles or magic power—it’s incredibly inconvenient. Why don’t you go on outside patrol, Seraria-sama? Yuki-sama wouldn't object. He knows your temperament well; if you said you wanted to do it, he would surely nod in agreement."
"No. Way."
Who would want to go on outside patrol? I remember how inconvenient it was when I returned to Roschur.
"And there is one other request."
"There’s more?"
"Well, this is something I cannot judge on my own."
"What is it?"
"A portion… let’s say about a quarter of the troops are asking if they can bring their families to live here."
"Ah, I see."
The defensive capabilities of this dungeon, its laws—or rather, its rules—and its technological prowess are unparalleled on this continent. If they truly understand what this place is, it’s understandable that they would want to bring their families here.
"I’ll talk to everyone about that, too."
"Thank you."
As we were talking, the clock ticked past 12:30.
"Oh, look at the time. Let’s finish our meal and head to the Adventurer’s Guild."
"Indeed. Today is finally the day our dungeon opens to the general public of adventurers."
"Wait a moment, this is still the testing phase. We’re having the invited adventurers go through the dungeon and give us their feedback. Then, we’ll compare it to the difficulty ratings of the Adventurer’s Guild to see if there are any discrepancies. Only then can we determine the final difficulty level of the dungeon."
"My apologies. This is our first time creating a dungeon ourselves. We spent a lot of time as a unit planning these four floors, so I suppose I’m just feeling a bit emotional."
"I can understand that."
As I said that and stepped out of the office, Deryu happened to be walking toward us.
"Oh, Seraria, you were still here? Perfect timing. Why don’t we go grab some lunch? Qual is welcome to join, of course."
"Thank you. But Deryu-sama, have you decided what you want to eat?"
"Ah, no. I haven't decided yet."
Deryu currently holds a special duty position between the military and the police. Being a Demon Lord, that’s only natural. This special duty allows her to move freely between the military and police, and she is permitted to engage in combat based on her own judgment, provided she doesn't deviate from the rules. Well, the other representatives have that authority too, but Deryu is in a unique position. Of course, anyone who complains about it gets to experience the Demon Lord’s power firsthand before being sent to prison.
"Come to think of it, where are Yuki and Labyris? They were supposed to be with you, weren't they?"
"They’re both off on separate errands. We’re meeting up at the Adventurer’s Guild."
"Errands?"
"Yuki is dealing with some blacksmithing matters with Narjia, and Labyris is checking something at the government office."
"…They’re both quite busy, aren't they?"
"You’re welcome to help out, Deryu."
"Mmm, I’d like to help Yuki as much as I can, but his work basically requires using his brain for everything."
"And he uses his brain in such an unconventional way, too."
"Anyway, about lunch. I heard a 'conveyor belt sushi' place opened recently. How about that?"
"Oh? So the sushi Yuki made has become a restaurant?"
"Sounds delicious, doesn't it?"
"Yes, let’s go there."
With that, Deryu and I began walking.
"Excuse me, what is 'sushi'?"
Ah, I forgot Qual had never had it before. I’m looking forward to her reaction.
"Just follow us and you’ll see. It’ll be a flavor you’ve never experienced before. Look forward to it."
After this, Qual became a regular at the sushi restaurant, and I was quite surprised when she started pestering Yuki to make her hand-rolled sushi.
And so, that was the inside scoop on the military led by Seraria. It’s tough, isn't it? Everything inside is so convenient, yet the outside is so inconvenient. Well, that’s just how work goes! Also, Seraria’s dungeon is being designed by Seraria, Qual and her subordinates, and Deryu. You can probably guess what it’s like. Yuki didn't appear in this scene, but since he was mentioned throughout, I hope you’ll forgive me.