Haku-san's Imperial Villa

When I passed through the gate, I found myself in a warehouse.

There was armor, and swords and spears decorating the walls.

There were shelves with wooden boxes, and swords and shields carelessly tossed inside like junk.

… Even the swords in those boxes have gems embedded in them and look incredibly expensive though.

Rokuko and Haku-san, who had gone through the gate ahead of me, had turned around and were waiting for me.

Niku, who I'd brought along, was lightly gripping my clothes. Looks like bringing her was the right call.

"Just in case, I connected the gate to my hobby room… my warehouse. Unfortunately, lending any of the things here would count toward this time's DP, so I can't lend them out."

I see, so this is her hobby room… meaning the things in those boxes are part of her collection or something… Are these all magic swords? So Haku-san has a hobby of collecting magic swords.

I'm really curious about magic swords that aren't homemade. Setting aside borrowing any, I'd love to get a good look at them at least once.

"Ooh, I remember this spear. It's the one that put up the firewall during the Dungeon Battle, right, Haku-ane-sama!"

"Ugu…! Y-yes. That's right."

Rokuko casually dug up an old wound without even realizing it. Brutal.

"… Anyway, I've prepared a room for you to stay in, so please come this way."

Led by Haku-san with a strained smile, we walked through the villa.

The whole place was white, like a temple. I wonder if she's being worshipped.

"Here you go, Rokuko-chan."

"Ooh… it's huge!"

It was about the same size as the suite in our inn. A white canopy bed, queen-sized. Nice. Bedding I could only dream of. The sheer curtains… is that what they call a veil? Having something so classic like this is actually pleasant.

The pillows, mattress, and comforter are all down, maybe? Plump and looking so soft. I want to dive in. And then sleep soundly.

As for the rest of the room? Ah yeah, it all looks high-class. I don't know for sure, but the lighting is probably all magic tools too. Oh, and the massage chair we sold before is here too.

But as expected of bedding in a room prepared by Haku-san — you can tell at a glance it's high-quality. This looks like it'd be worth sleeping in. Just looking at it is making me drowsy!

"Ah, Kehma-san and that slave are over here."

Before I could even say "eh," I was ushered into a small, dreary room a short distance away.

Whew, a barren four-and-a-half tatami mat room. It feels like a former storage room that just had its contents removed.

Not a single futon. No pillows either. It reminds me of when I first came to this world.

"W-wait, Haku-ane-sama, this treatment is a bit much…"

"Oh my. But Kehma-san won't work if he sleeps, right?"

"… N-no, um, d-did I say something like that?"

Rokuko had a face that said, "Ah, come to think of it, I did say something like that before."

I see. So this is your fault, Rokuko.

Well, even without that, I never expected to receive the same treatment as Rokuko in the slightest.

"Hey, a-at least a futon…"

"Why don't you just return to the dungeon every day?"

Right, Haku-san clearly wants nothing more than to keep Rokuko here and have me leave. That's fine though. It's fine, really. But you could at least try to hide it a little?

"… Well, it's good enough that you're lending me a room at all, yeah."

"Ah, why don't you come to our room? The bed looked big enough for about three people to sleep in."

"Oh, sorry Rokuko-chan, that bed is for Dungeon Cores only."

"Really?! Uu, well, there's nothing to be done then…"

Rokuko, that's probably a lie. Dungeon Cores only? That's definitely just Haku-san wanting to sleep together with you.

"Setting aside the room, where should I build the dungeon?"

"I'm glad you're eager. Let's go to the conference room then. I've prepared a map."

And so, we headed to the conference room next.

It was another room with a white motif, but in its center was a three-dimensional model map… of the entire empire, as well as neighboring countries… including the Demon King's territory.

"… What an elaborate map. The ones I've seen before were much rougher."

"Yes. Maps are vital strategic information after all. Besides, using kuusatsu… knowledge brought by past heroes as reference, I had harpies directly record from the sky."

So otherworld knowledge is doing its part in subtle ways. While feeling impressed, I looked at the map again.

Tsuia Mountain where our dungeon is located is within empire territory. Calculating backwards from the size of the mountain… yep, it's pretty huge. How many Hokkaidos would fit in this?

Furthermore, besides ours, there are dozens of other dungeon locations marked on the map. The several near the imperial capital are all probably Haku-san's dungeons.

"So, how about building the dungeon around here? There's varied terrain, so you could make use of it in various ways… Also, there's an indigenous monster settlement nearby."

Hm? Is using indigenous monsters okay under this competition's rules?

I was wondering about that, but Haku-san smiled pleasantly. Seems like it's allowed.

"We should narrow down the candidates and then actually go inspect the sites before deciding."

"Yes, for now I recommend this mountain. With a mountain, you could use all the techniques you've cultivated so far, right?"

Saying that, Haku-san pointed to a spot on the map a bit away from the imperial capital.

A mountain not far from the Demon King's territory… Ah, so you want a dungeon to keep that in check?

I wonder if she intends to use it as a lookout post afterward. Also, what happens to the dungeons created for this competition anyway?

"Ah, for dungeons created this time, the winner's junior gets to keep theirs, and the loser's senior takes them. So please work hard on building yours, okay?"

If we lose, a lookout dungeon gets built there, so that's okay. If we win, we'd be stationed there as lookouts, which is also okay. In other words, no matter which way it goes, this location benefits Haku-san.

"Hey, Haku-ane-sama. Can you tell what Kehma is thinking even when he doesn't say anything?"

"Yes, I can tell by looking at his face. I'm experienced in negotiating with people, after all."

"I wonder if I could learn to do that if I try hard. I want to at least understand what Kehma is thinking."

"… Rokuko-chan doesn't need such a skill, you know?"

Rokuko pondered for a moment.

"In other words, even without the skill, Kehma and I are of one mind and body… my thoughts are Kehma's thoughts?!"

"Rokuko-chan has become somewhat unpredictable lately, in a certain sense…"

"Fufufu, that's because I'm growing."

Rokuko puffed out her chest with a triumphant expression and snorted. Yep, same as always. Good to see.

Haku-san nodded with a relieved expression.

"So Kehma, isn't around here fine? It's the place Haku-ane-sama recommended."

"Hold on. Those are still just candidates. It also depends on what kind of dungeon we're going to build."

And so, we narrowed down the candidates on the map and decided to head out to inspect the proposed sites starting the next day.

… It's a hassle, but I can't exactly afford to lose either, so there's no helping it.

By the way, that day Niku and I returned to the dungeon, while Rokuko stayed over.