第９８掘：ダンジョンの記憶 (Part1)
**Dungeon Memory**
**Side: ???**
How much time has passed since that day? I wonder.
My life changed completely from that moment on.
Everything I had possessed was gone.
Well, there were a few things and friends that barely remained.
But I suspect that for most people, the phrase "lost everything" would be the truth.
That day, my homeland perished.
Literally, it was wiped off the map.
If it had been a natural disaster, it might have been easier to bear.
But this was a war started by men.
Invasion by a foreign power.
Merciless slaughter.
I couldn't protect my people, and my father the King, my mother the Queen, and my sister the Princess all died.
Yet, I alone survived, along with a single maid—no, she was more like a dear friend to my sister. We were the only ones left.
...That day, I survived by becoming a Dungeon Master.
She had been pulling my hand, trying to help me escape, but it was nearly impossible. Even the warehouse we had ducked into was being encroached upon by the enemy.
That was when a woman who called herself a god granted me the power of a Dungeon Master.
"Do you want to live? Then use that power. The price? Let's see... for now, just learn how to master those Dungeon Master abilities."
I didn't understand what was happening.
But I somehow intuitively knew how to use the Dungeon Master skills.
So, I immediately created a passage to a small dungeon within the warehouse and scrambled inside.
I killed the pursuing soldiers with traps and monsters.
And so, hiding in the dungeon with her, several days passed. When we finally peeked at the outside world...
The castle had crumbled, the city was burned, and not a single soul remained.
She and I walked through what used to be our territory.
But it had all been razed to the ground.
There were no survivors.
Or rather, if there were any, they would have already fled.
"Young Master... what shall we do?"
"...I didn't think it would come to this. Tell me, Anna. How long would it take to reach a neighboring country?"
"...Well, at our pace... I believe it would take two months..."
"...I see. We wouldn't be safe in our current state, would we..."
I tried to assess our situation.
If we went to another country now, we would just be treated as refugees.
Moreover, I couldn't prove I was a prince, and there was no guarantee of safety...
"Anna. Listen, I think I’ll stay in the dungeon beneath the royal capital for a while to build up my strength. I want to mourn my father, my mother... and my people. What do you think?"
"I believe that is a wise decision. I, Anna, will stay with you until the very end, Young Master."
"...Thank you."
And so, Anna and I returned to the dungeon beneath the capital. We used monsters to clear the rubble and held funerals for everyone.
Since there was no one left to protect the graves from looters, I felt terrible, but I had their remains moved to a room within the dungeon for safekeeping.
Time passed.
The ruined capital weathered away, and adventurers seeking treasure began to swarm the area.
"Young Master. Another intruder."
"Again? They really won't leave us alone. Intercept them as usual. If they seem to be treating slaves or others cruelly, protect them."
When I gave the order, the Dullahan saluted and left.
"He has been with us for a long time now, hasn't he?"
"Yes, he has been protecting us ever since the capital fell."
The Dullahan was the result of me calling forth the strongest monster I could find, without even thinking about the DP cost, when the capital fell.
His level was 130—a monster on par with legendary heroes and demon lords.
Through our dungeon defenses, he had reached level 150.
As I watched the Dullahan leave, a young girl from the residential area came running toward us.
"Reye-sama! Where is Dullahan-san?"
She looked around, searching for him.
She was a girl who had been brought here by adventurers who intended to use her as mere bait.
Anna and I had discussed many times how we wanted to contact the outside world, but adventurers could not be trusted.
We had tried to negotiate several times, but they would either attack us as monsters or try to take Anna hostage; it never went well.
Among them, she was the only one who became our ally—a precious member of our family.
"Riri, he has gone to work."
"Eh—!? I'm going to chase after him!! I'll use my sword to defeat the adventurers!! I won't forgive anyone who bullies Reye-sama, Anna-san, or Dullahan-san!!"
"Ah, calm down. It’s alright, okay?"
"Really?"
"Yes, he is very strong, you know."
And so the days went by.
Believing that one day, someone we could talk to would come.
"Reye-sama, today marks 225 years."
"You count well. I only have a sense of about 200 years. And Anna, you’re still so young."
"I’ve gotten used to it, but it is strange, isn't it? I’m 182 years old now. It’s quite a surprise."
225 years had passed by Anna’s count.
The dungeon I created had become the center of a town, with an adventurers' guild, and it was bustling with life.
Our companions had increased and decreased over the years.
With my Dungeon Master authority, I could grant eternal youth, but few actually desired it.
While they could still die from external factors, the fact that they no longer aged or succumbed to illness meant they didn't want to become something other than human—that was the main reason.
This town was the result of a group of slaves I had saved working hard to build a home here.
To the very end, no one spoke of us, taking our secret to their graves.
"I might be persistent, but..."
"I do not regret becoming ageless."
"I don't mind it either. If anything, I get to eat Reye-sama and Anna-san all I want... hehehe."
"Ahem. Riri, let's not talk about that..."
"Yes, sorry."
Well, even though our appearances don't change, we still have the physiological phenomena and desires of men and women, so the three of us get along quite well.
We haven't had children, given our position, but I do hope for them someday.
"Alright, I'm off to the adventurers' guild as usual."
"Yes, be careful, Riri."
"Please pick up some groceries, too."
"Will do!"
Nowadays, Riri regularly visits the adventurers' guild, exchanging materials for goods from the outside town.
We have a cycle where we stay inside for ten years every thirty years or so to avoid being discovered as ageless, but we are currently in an active period.
Riri has become quite strong, reaching level 150, the same as the Dullahan used to be.
By the way, the Dullahan is currently level 310; I feel like we could take on any hero or demon lord now.
I see, I finally understand why dungeons are called natural disasters.
And then, that day became a fateful one for us...
"Gah!?"
"What!?"
Anna and I cried out in unison.
"W-what is this!? That’s impossible!?"
"I-I can't control the dungeon!? It’s being stolen!?"
Yes, we had been monitoring the adventurers clearing the dungeon that day.
But suddenly, I lost control of the first floor...
And every seven minutes, the number of floors I couldn't control increased.
"Anna, how many adventurers are currently inside!!"
"Yes, I have confirmed 55 of them!!"
"Check everyone's status. There’s something strange mixed in there!!"
"Understood. I will use a doppelganger to contact Riri!!"
"Please do!!"
However, mercilessly, control of the dungeon was being stripped away.
Five hours.
In just five hours, the 50-floor dungeon had become uncontrollable up to the 47th floor.
"...What on earth is happening?"
"Young Master, it will be fine. Riri and Dullahan should be heading to intercept them."
"Yeah, I don't think Dullahan could lose... but I wonder if Riri is alright..."
"She has been working hard and her level is even higher than ours. She will be fine. Besides, I have released the elite monsters we have been training."
"Damn it, if I had known this, I would have leveled up myself...!!"