Approximately half a month after Romaria was crushed.
[And that’s why I think it is about time we’re leaving this country.]
[Eh, you’re leaving onii-chan!?]
Sakuya raises her voice in surprise after hearing my words.
By the way, all of my subordinates are gathered here. I’m fully equipped with Sakuya and Dora on my knees and Coco and Roro on each sides. Mio lost the territory war and is beside me, squatting on the floor like in a gym class.
[Yeah, we have been in this city for a while and we also unexpectedly made progress in our objectives which is obtaining our base and the expansion of my subordinates. That’s why I thought it’s fine to go back to our journey around various places and sightseeing, which is one of our main goals.]
[The scale of our base is larger than I initially thought, isn’t it though……]
Sakura smiles awkwardly as she says that. Yeah, I didn’t plan on getting a huge mansion at this point.
[By the time we noticed, the amount of subordinates became large too……]
The fact is, the number of my subordinates who will be staying in this base alone has become more than thirty. I didn’t plan on having that many in just this country.
Dora speaks full of confidence. Come to think of it, Dora was the first one I used <engage link=""> on, wasn’t she? I guess she is the most senior among my subordinates.</engage>
[We already completed the training of the apprentice maids and butlers and the adventurer group has become B rank adventurers too you see? Isn’t this just right?]
We asked the maids and butlers from Lusia’s residence to do the training of the slaves Maria and Lusia bought, but the <maid> and <butler> skills I’ve given them in the beginning affected it in such a good way that a portion of them became good enough to be called one in less than half a month. All of them also obtained <loyalty>……</loyalty></butler></maid>
By the way, those former apprentice maids and butlers are gathered in one place, kneeling down and offering prayers. They always come to offer prayers at a place where I can see them. I mean, they seem to be doing that even if they are at work and I was thinking what was happening when they stopped their sweeping hands and kneeled to me. I can’t go near the kitchen thanks to that. I want to tell them to stop kneeling while cooking the food (including the thing about sanitation).
The eight slaves I picked up at the thieves’ place were performing requests energetically. And thus, they passed the B rank adventurer’s examination several days ago and now they have their names entered into the public lists of B rank adventurers. I have plans to have them become S rank eventually, so this is just a checkpoint. However, if they’re B rank, then they’re also senior adventurers. This will be just right as a break.
It’s just an aside, but we let the maids and butlers have combat training too. These so-called maids or butler really do have to have a certain amount of skill in combat, don’t you think?
[That is so isn’t it? Comfort is fine and all, but our first priority is our journey after all.]
[If you are to travel, Jin-sama, then naturally I will also act as your companion.]
[I shall accompany you as well.]
<<dora also="" go="" will="">></dora>
[Leave the cooking to me!]
So the party member I will take with me are the five people and one monster: Sakura, Maria, Sera, Dora, Mio and Tamo-san.
Other members will stay in this mansion. I have Midori do some production once in a while while she is relaxing in the garden. Lusia and the adventurer team will be focusing on their activities as an adventurer in this town and country. And then, I plan to establish a clan when their fame rises a little more. As for the maid and butler, I plan to let them manage this mansion.
These members weren’t told everything, but they got an explanation regarding our abilities and naturally they are also forbidden to speak about it. I’m sure there will be no problem whenever we come back.
[Though I say that, it will take some time to leave this country, so for the next while I think we will take on a lifestyle where we ride the carriage during the day and we go back here when it becomes night regardless of whether we stay in a hotel or sleep outdoors.]
Sleeping outdoors itself is part of the charm of traveling, but fact is that we reached the point where we can return whenever we want to relax at home.
[This is really a non-journey isn’t it.]
[Yeah, we were able to make it this comfortable in the end. To the point I have to ask “Is this really a journey?”]
[That’s so not something you should say full of confidence……]
Mio speaks with amazed tone.
[Well then Mio, will you sleep outside on your own the whole way?]
[No~~~~. I don’t want that~. Ah, I love you Master! I adore you~!]
Saying so, Mio clings onto me. It is really packed here. As packed as the amount of food Sera puts into her body during a meal.
[Putting aside Mio’s screams of love, which country we should go now?]
[I’ve been put aside!]
Mio is neglected.
Well then, the first agenda is “Which country we are going now?” And so, Kastal queendom features borders with four countries. The one in the west is the kingdom of Eludia. Well, that one’s out.
The next one is Sanokia kingdom in the north. It’s the country Sera was born in and it seems to be a strong country where nobles have a lot of power. So pass.
The next is the Atto Union in the east. This is a union assembled with small countries. In creating this union, they raised their right to speak. It might be a good place for sightseeing since individually the countries are small and their culture varies.
The last one is the kingdom of Estia in the south. Also known as the dungeon country. This country has a huge underground dungeon underneath its territory. No, that isn’t completely right is it…… To be more precise, its entire territory has a dungeon underneath it. In short, it means that the so-called dungeon is larger than a single country. And the dungeon is composed of layers, so its real territory is several times to several tens of times larger than its surface territory.
There are dungeon’s entrance all over the place. Furthermore, the dungeon’s entrances have become a city or a village. The inside of the dungeon is a treasure house of resources so adventurers…, no, in this case they’re called explorers, but the resources they bring back are their main special products.
Dungeon like this is, in a meaning, one of the templates of the other world. It would be stupid not to challenge it. So I would like to go to this dungeon country if possible.
I spoke for a long time about the aforementioned country in front of everyone.
[No, I do know about it though, you know……]
Says Sakuya. Well, that goes without saying. I think a queen who doesn’t know about their neighboring countries ought to resign.
[Or more like, they’re unmistakably the country who trades with Kastal the most……]
Estia kingdom have low food self-sufficiency rate and an abundance in mineral resources produced by the dungeon. Compared to that, Kastal has very high food self-sufficiency rate. They have abundant forests with huge fields of crops and they also feature a lake and sea we didn’t visit. On the other hand, the mines are scarce, so they’re in a give-and-take situation with Estia. There are also many exchanges in human resources by adventurers with pride in their skills challenging themselves in the dungeon.
[But is that fine? That country is part of the Hero supporting faction though……]
Heroes supporting faction. They’re countries that have declared they will support Heroes’ adventure at a national level. While I was busy in the capital, Eludia contacted each nation that “they officially summoned the Heroes, so they desire their support.” They have reached the first stage of their training in the country, so they dispatch the Heroes to each nation with the official stance that they will go around various places to polish their abilities and it seems they’re drawing out support including financial support or so they say.
After checking, what the demon said about waging war with the neighboring countries and destroying it was true. Meltis kingdom, a small country at northern side of Eludia, was destroyed. It seems that most of the royal families were executed and their citizens were either killed or have fallen into slavery.
Under such circumstances they requested support from other countries in a very clear way, so a several countries didn’t declare support. Incidentally, they have declared that Heroes won’t be dispatched in countries that are not giving support and they will not help them if by any chance demons are attacking them. As for Kastal, it felt like they are saying “What are you saying this late?”.
Of course, Kastal didn’t declare support either. More accurately, Sakuya was worried about it a little. No, it doesn’t mean she’s saying she won’t support me and Sakura you know. ……I can’t say that Sakura suddenly becoming sullen and me letting so much killing intent that Sakuya wetted herself when she brought up that topic had nothing to do with it though.
[If I had to say it, there are a lot more countries that are supporting the Heroes after all. If I say I would stop going to a country just from being told they’re part of the Heroes supporting faction, then the countries I can go to will be nearly gone. MOreover, I have no such reason to avoid Heroes either you know. So nothing will change if I happen meet with those annoying insects.]
[Master is amazing, being able to call Heroes an insect.]
Mio is being impressed on a strange point.
[If you wish, Jin-sama, I wouldn’t mind you calling me “Insect” as well.]
Maria is also a Hero after all…… But Maria, I don’t think that is what loyalty stands for.
[I……, I would rather not meet them if possible. But not going because a Hero may be there is like running away and I don’t like that.]
It looks like Sakura doesn’t plan on running away. We’re not going to “go and meet one”, but it seems that she’s unable to stomach “not going because there is a chance to meet one”. She seems to be quite influenced by me I guess.
[Alright then, we will take votes then. Who is against going to Estia kingdom?]
Nobody raise their hand. Yep, I knew that. Or rather, I don’t know anyone who would raise their hands after that way of speaking.
[Well, if Master would like to go then, then there will be no opposing viewpoint from me. And it seems like I will be able to play a reasonably active role there as well……
[There is nobody who can oppose Master with his current way of speaking in the first place is there……]
Everyone also knew. And with that, Estia kingdom have become our next destination.
[Well then, let’s leave tomorrow. Although we can return any time, let’s just prepare ourselves.]
With that said, our meeting is dissolved. Each person is working on preparing for our travels. The work is basically buying up the goods necessary to capture the dungeon. With the exception of the main members, they are gathering the necessary luggages for our travels too.
The next day, we finished our preparation and departed from the capital. On the way out of the mansion, we saw the bizarre scene of all maids and butlers lining up and kneeling along the way out. It feels like passersby are clearly avoiding me.
The estimate time to arrive Estia is around two weeks. In the meantime we will find some cities or villages, so it will be just right if we take our time sightseeing. Sakuya and Alta also told me what kind of villages there are in advance.
About 3 hours later with the horse carriage, Sakuya contacts me with telepathy.
Note: Lizard-type monster. Regrows its tail immediately even if it is cut. A slo***ke.
Dungeon Worm
LV 12\n[Tch, hey. Leave behind the corpses of the defeated monsters here. We will be investigate them after all.]
His attitude is really bad. I don’t like this to be honest, but there’s no doubt about the thing about needing them for investigation.
[There were also B rank monsters, so that’ll be a nice sum of money. Is it fine if I deliver them to a nearby large town?]
Dungeon monsters also have magic cores. Of course, since they’re B rank monsters, its core will be a nice sum of money. Whether the amount of money can be paid up just by doing business in this place is said to be a delicate matter.
[What foolish things are you bastards saying? Why do we have to pay money?]
[What are you yourself saying? Monster defeatd for the subjugation request becomes the adventurer’s property. That is, unless it’s excluded from the contents prior to the request.]
I didn’t hear about this from Sakuya. Anything she didn’t say should follow the usual treatment.
[Don’t say selfish things, outsider! Just be silent and and do what we say!]
[That makes no sense.]
[What did you say!? Taking on that attitude while addressing a knight, do you bastards intend to make enemies of this country!?]
Look who’s talking? To think he’s taking on such an attitude towards the party that came here to the rescue. Maria is also preparing for war…… Since it looks like he’s going to harm us I am about to acknowledge him as an enemy, but just at that time resounds an unfittingly calm voice of a woman.