novel
| ← Ch.217 | Ch.219 → |
We had returned to Avalon.
Immediately upon our return, I used [Floor Swap] to move the city floor back to being the first floor of my dungeon.
In order to keep the humans within the city, we announced that monsters were attacking the city's walls and closed the gates. In truth, those monsters were just monsters resurrected by Duke's [Enhanced Resurrection].
Thankfully, it was now fine to put an end to such an act.
And so, we made the Silver and Gold Golems exterminate the resurrected monsters.
I cherished each of Avalon's monsters and despised losing any of them, but that didn't apply to the ones resurrected by Duke. For me, they were expendable units.
When we announced our victory, loud cheers came from the city.
In order for the confined citizens to watch Avalon's might, we made use of Rorono's Divine Revelation to broadcast the fight happening outside.
Such monster attacks could happen to any city. If we could show that we could deal with monster attacks swiftly and easily, the citizens' sense of security would increase. So, instead of suffering a decrease in appeal, Avalon should only grow more popular.
"That was quite the show, Procell-sama."
"Well, Avalon's a city, so we have to pay attention to these kinds of things more than an average dungeon would."
If Avalon had a weakness, this would be it.
"This might be staged and all, but those marvelous walls and the golems that fought outside should be able to take care of ordinary enemy forces, you know."
"Maybe. But those golems aren't part of our main force. Those are though."
I pointed to the numerous artilleries lined up on top of the walls.
Those were actually golems. Unlike Rorono, the strongest golems that the Dwarf Smiths could make were only as strong as C rank monsters.
Because of that, their golems' total power was quite low. To somewhat compensate, they specialized each golem's role. In this case, the C-Rank-equivalent-golems were made into fixed artilleries. Compared to golems that wielded a heavy machinegun, these golems that were made into the weapons themselves could exhibit greater firepower, accuracy, and loading speeds. Moreover, because these golems' programming was limited to only what was needed to barrage the enemies with bullets, the overall shooting quality have considerably improved.
The fact that the Dwarf Smiths could make such golems by themselves—and without Rorono's help—couldn't be stressed enough. That made it possible to line up the outer walls with such golems. Like this, if a real fight breaks, these golems could rain bullets down on the enemies. Not to mention, these golems could also act as anti-air measures and take down flying enemies.
Depending on what was needed, these golems had no trouble switching from ordinary shotgun shells and armor-piercing rounds to high-explosive shells.
We definitely could count on it to protect Avalon.
"My, what a sight to behold. That reminds me, I have a request, Procell-sama. I want to see that dungeon room of yours where those 1, 000 monsters were confiscated. I have no doubt I'll learn a lot from it!"
"Understood. Let's go there before we celebrate."
Even if in the end he was a traitor, there was no sense in hiding that floor from him since he could just ask the other members of the anti-Procell alliance.
I also wanted to hear the more detailed reports, so going there now was quite a good idea.
◇
I used my Demon Lord powers to transport myself to the defense-focused floor. Meanwhile, Belial and the others were transported by Tiro via Transfer.
I instantly noticed Rorono and the Dwarf Smiths who were busy repairing things.
"Rorono, this room was quite effective, wasn't it?"
"Mhm. Its simple design made it strong."
We were currently in a cave-type room which looked a lot like the room guarded by machinegun-wielding Mithril Golems.
Its width and height were at the minimum value, but its length was set to the maximum possible of 2 kilometers.
Large monsters wouldn't be able to pass through, and those that could, would have to deal with the lump of metal that filled every inch of the path.
"...... ahahaha, it certainly isn't easy to get pass this one, I'll tell you that."
In our desire to find orichalcum, we had amassed a large amount of other minerals. The orichalcum and mithril we've gathered were used in our equipment, but the other metals such as iron, gold, and silver were left mostly unused.
Some portion of those metals were used as currency to pay our transactions with the humans, but there were still a lot left.
And so, we decided to use it to fill this room from end to end. Digging a path through this 2-kilometer-long lump of metal was bound to be time-consuming. Moreover, because of the width and height of the room, only one or two human-sized monsters could fit per row, making the act of digging a path even more time-consuming.
"If the enemy side has a Rorono-class alchemist, it'll be a different story, but most ordinary monsters should have trouble breaking through, if they could at all."
"Mhm."
In fact, the 1, 000 monsters that were confiscated after about 30 minutes haven't even made it 40% of the way through.
Actually though, the blockade wasn't a simple lump of different metals.
It consisted of multiple 3-meter-thick metallic plates that were then stacked together. Each plate had increased toughness via the Dwarf Smiths' [Unchanging Status] enchantment, so even if there was a mineral or alchemy expert among the enemies, they still shouldn't be able to tunnel their way through easily.
Because the Dwarf Smiths were B rank monsters, their enchantments were quite strong. Even an A rank monster of such kind should have their strength drained from the effort.
There were almost 700 of these plates stacked in this dungeon room. Moreover, never were the same kind of metal plates stacked together, meaning each plate needed a different type of alchemy or mineral-type magic. The more magic done by the enemy, the more exhausted they become.
This dungeon room might not deal any damage to the enemies, but in addition to buying time, it also made them more tired, which was perhaps more important.
Last but not least, 3 such plates were made of orichalcum and were prepared by Rorono who could use double enchant. These three special plates were without a doubt the toughest. Even Kuina had trouble breaking it.
"Master, once we've gathered enough materials for this barrier, let's make one more room like this one."
"Yeah, sure. But hmm, you know, more orichalcum's never bad, and we've still got some DP as well as some golems to spare, so why don't we make another [Mine] room while we're at it? Oh, but if we're going to make another trap room, making it exactly the same is not interesting, to say the least. I actually have a couple of ideas. For example, what if we make a room with a downhill slope and when the enemies have reached the last third of the room, we let loose concentrated sulfuric acid from behind them?"
"I think that's a great idea. But I think I have something better than sulfuric acid. I'll think up of some other new methods too."
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this room would be vital in our defense in the future.
By the way, the other two dungeon rooms in this floor also specialized in defense and buying time, but each had a completely different way doing so.
We were grateful to have confirmed the usefulness of one room out of three before the enemies were confiscated, but having tested all three before would have been more ideal.
"What wonderful ideas. I'd very much like to copy these rooms, if you don't mind."
"I don't mind, but without a workforce that'll continuously dig in the [Mines], I think it'd be difficult to copy."
We were able to implement such a room thanks to the golems that tirelessly work to gather the materials as well as thanks to the B rank Dwarf Smiths that not only made those golems but also prepared the metal plates.
For everyone else, these rooms might be more trouble than they were worth.
"Doing it exactly like this might be impossible, but if we scale it down, we might get it to work for us. Well then, Procell-sama, let's go celebrate, shall we? Oh, but please invite your [Monsters of the Covenant] first."
"Alright. Those girls should be happy to be treated to some delicious food."
Belial was such a thoughtful guy.
I really hope he's a friend. And to that end, I must thoroughly examine those footages.
◇
The party was so much fun.
Belial, the good talker that he was, livened the place with his amusing stories. During it all, I was surprisingly learning a few things from him. So, he could act like a senior Demon Lord from time to time.
I found the parts where he explained how and when to use certain monsters particularly interesting.
It wasn't just me that listened intently, Kuina and Rorono did too.
Most of all, he wasn't just a good talker, he was a good listener as well. Like that, we conversed and conversed.
When Ruhe arrive and announced that she was going to sing a song, Ubel the Fallen Angel Lucifer, his [Monster of the Covenant], wanted to sing along.
And so, with Belial playing the violin, the two sang such a beautiful melody together.
It was truly such a fun time.
◇
The next day, I showed [Beast] Demon Lord Marchosias and [Time] Demon Lord Dantalian the footages we captured.
I had asked them for help in identifying my enemy Demon Lords.
"Well, that clearly belongs to the [Serpent] Demon Lord. And that one to the [Wood] Demon Lord."
"I also recognize some of these monsters... For example, that one belongs to the [Blood] Demon Lord, that one to the [Ice] Demon Lord, and that one to the [Insect] Demon Lord."
As could be expected from two of the three strongest Demon Lords, they were able to recognize who owned the monsters with just a simple glance.
We continued to watch most of the footages, but the ones we identified were only those five: [Serpent], [Wood], [Blood], [Ice], and [Insect].
So, these are my enemies. Finally, I've learned the identities of some members of the anti-Procell alliance.
Instead of waiting for them to take action and then just respond, like I have been doing until now, this knowledge would allow me to take the fight to them.
"Thank you, to the both of you."
"This is the least I could do as your wife. Really the least."
"... hmp, I only did it because of Fel's request. Moreover, don't you dare forget about the year-long premium membership to your casino that you promised as payment."
A premium membership allowed one to play at any of the casino's games without waiting in line. It also allowed one to use the special seats for watching the flying dragon races as much as they'd like. We also had golem slot machines that were exclusively reserved for our premium members.
Dan was probably demanding such a thing as a way to hide his embarrassment. I was willing to bet anyone that deep down, Dan wanted to help even for nothing in return.
"Master, brush Fel's head more!"
Sitting on my lap was a purring white-haired, wolf-eared girl. It was the monster known as Fel.
Today was the day for Fel to collect the Avalon Wine that I had promised Dan before. It was usually just Fel, but today, Dan came with her. He didn't want to impose, so he said he was willing to help out for the right terms.
... I had recently discovered that [Time] Demon Lord Dantalian was incredibly thoughtful to those that he considered friends, but would do anything to hide that thoughtfulness... in other words, he was one big tsundere.
"Really though, thank you. Now that I know who my enemies are, I can proceed to crush them at my own pace. Plus, not having to worry so much about defense means I could be bolder in my attacks."
As of the moment, because a lot of their A Rank monsters were confiscated, the enemy Demon Lords should not be in any state to go on the offensive. Furthermore, I had confirmed the usefulness of my defense-focused floors, giving me a lot of breathing room. There was no more need to hold back on deploying Duke and Ruhe.
It was time to crush each of my enemies. They themselves suspected they couldn't take me down by themselves, and thus sought out allies to accomplish such a goal. So, as long as I fought them one by one, there should be no problem whatsoever.
I'll let them know what it means to go against me. I have no intention of showing them any mercy.
"You've become such a fine Demon Lord. As your guardian, I'm extremely proud of you."
"Then, why don't you stop treating me like a child like I've asked countless of times before."
Marcho and I had entered a romantic relationship, but she was still the same as before.
At any rate, we only had one more footage to watch and analyze.
It was the one recorded in Belial's dungeon.
"Well, what do you guys think?"
"Hm, I didn't notice anything strange or suspicious."
"I agree. If by this point they haven't done anything suspicious, it might be safe to say that he's clean."
I breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, I can trust Belial.
Up until this moment, I have been suspecting and doubting him to be an enemy, but if these footages and the listening device I planted in his crystal room couldn't prove otherwise, he might just truly be an ally, after all. If so, I would be giving him a [Creation] medal as a way of apology and as symbol of our becoming friends.
I'm looking forward to that day.
"That makes me so relieved. Well then, Marcho, Dan, you might have already heard of this, but the daughter of Kurt Arnolt—who is the world's top baker—has opened a restaurant in Avalon. Kurt Arnolt might be known for his pastry, but his dishes are wonderful as well. Now, imagine him saying that his daughter is more of a genius than he is. Thankfully, you don't have to settle with just imagining it because that daughter of his is holding a pre-opening event tonight, and these are the invitation tickets.... there's already a long reservation list, you know. If you let this chance pass, you'll have to wait at least a full year before getting another chance to dine there. So, how about it? Do you want to go?"
"I'll go, of course. Fufu, I'm excited already."
"After hearing her talents surpass even Kurt Arnolt's, there's no way I won't accept the invitation."
"Fel will go too. But it won't be as fun if Kuina isn't going as well, so I hope you can invite her too.... I'm not saying that because I think we're like sisters or anything."
I couldn't help but smile. Fel was just as much of a tsundere as Dan was.
Like father, like daughter, I guess. Tonight, we'll enjoy great food, and then tomorrow, we're going to crush the enemies one after the other. Can't give them too much time, after all.
| ← Ch. 217 | Ch. 219 → |