The Inn Plan

… The story about the slum's underground slave dealers was the worst.

That said, I have no intention of going "Let's crush the slums!" or "Free all the beastkin slaves!" I'm not about to take responsibility for something like that.

If I did, I'd definitely be branded as a dangerous threat and driven out. Besides, I don't even think I could pull it off in the first place. Leave that kind of thing to some do-gooder, overpowered hero.

The most I can do is rescue Niku from nearly suffocating in Ichika's chest.

"Oh whoops! Sorry 'bout that, Niku-senpai. Ya alright?"

"Y-yesh…"

Her footing was a bit unsteady, but she seemed fine.

"Ah, so, Kehma. We got sidetracked, but since we're on the topic, tell me more about that 'setting' from earlier."

"Hm? The one where I leave my slaves with Rokuko and become a lazy bum adventurer? Well, about that…"

I decided to explain the inn plan.

The whole reason I built the inn was to secure a place for myself to sleep, but suppose an ordinary cave suddenly turned into a better-than-average dungeon, and on top of that, an inn popped up right next to it. What would happen?

Answer: It would be suspicious as hell.

That's why I decided to make a story that makes everything add up.

First, regarding this latest matter: Haku-san is actually our collaborator.

"The owner of this inn is Rokuko, the younger sister of A-Rank adventurer Haku-san. It was built quickly because one of Haku-san's adventurer acquaintances used a skill to just throw it together. Are you following so far?"

"If it's one of Haku-neesama's acquaintances, I could see them building an inn in a day or bringing one from somewhere. And it actually was you who did it, Kehma."

"Exactly. Well, the fact that I'm the one who built it stays a secret though. Too much of a hassle otherwise."

I already have her agreement on this. The condition of putting Rokuko in the position of being "A-Rank adventurer Haku's" "younger sister" came from Haku-san herself.

Having Rokuko's social standing guaranteed isn't a bad deal for either of us. There might be people who'd try to take out their grudge against Haku-san on Rokuko, but this is a dungeon. If things get dangerous, she can just retreat to the Master Room, and there are plenty of other options too.

"And I just happened to run into Haku-san near here, one thing led to another, and I ended up lending my slaves to Rokuko, Haku-san's younger sister and the inn's owner, to work for her. Meanwhile, I'm an adventurer renting one of the inn's rooms and just lazing around sleeping all day. That's the 'setting.'"

"Isn't that just… Kehma wanting to sleep…? That's not so much a 'setting' as it is the truth…"

"What are you talking about, Rokuko? The truth is that I'm a Dungeon Master."

"Ah, that's right!"

Well, it's not like I said I'm not a Dungeon Master, so it's not technically a lie!

Besides, having slaves work while the master relaxes is, in a sense, the proper way of things.

In practice, there'll probably be some work only I can do, like inn repairs and dungeon adjustments, so I'll end up having to work anyway…

"Hm? Then why is Kehma's 'setting' that he just lazes around?"

"It's easier to do various things in secret if I'm holed up in my room, right? I can't exactly do Dungeon Master work in front of people."

"That's true."

Well, there are probably various other suspicious points.

But any minor inconsistencies can be swept away with "Well, she is an A-Rank adventurer, so…"!

"It's perfect!"

"Right? Ahh, now I can sleep soundly～"

"Hey. Is it really true that Goshujin-sama and Rokuko-sama know the A-Rank adventurer… [White-Winged Goddess] Haku?"

"That's what you're hung up on? Yeah, we got proper permission from her, so there's no problem. She said she'd lend her name as much as needed if it's for Rokuko's sake."

"F-for real? If that's the case… well, yeah, I got no complaints then. The [White-Winged Goddess] is A-Rank and also on good terms with the bigwigs in the Imperial Capital. Her partner, the [Black-Winged Devil] Chloe, along with the other four party members known as the [Four Heavenly Kings], when they're all together they're treated as the S-Rank party [Dungeon Busters]. They've got so much power and clout that ya just gotta accept whatever they do."

I managed to get Ichika's stamp of approval too.

By the way, I'd already asked Haku-san in advance to go along with the story that building the inn at this dungeon was her whim, and that Rokuko became the owner because Haku-san transferred it to a trusted family member. I'd gotten all of this prepared alongside winning the Dungeon Battle.

For Haku-san too, this was a setting that would let her legally visit this inn with the perfectly legitimate reason of "checking on my little sister."

More than that though, Haku-san had seen through this plan… or rather, you could say the original idea was basically hers.

After the Dungeon Battle, Haku-san asked me "What are you going to do after this?" and I answered "I'm thinking of running an inn." Then she just went "Ah, so you'll make Rokuko the owner? … And you'll need my cooperation, I suppose. Very well. I'll permit you to use my name as an adventurer. In return, make sure you do it properly, understood?" and gave me the go-ahead just like that.

I hadn't even thought that far ahead.

I was just thinking about how I wanted to run a hot spring inn, but if a dungeon suddenly grew and an inn appeared right next to it, that would go way beyond suspicious. It'd be more like outright alarming. While I was wondering what to do about it, I ended up getting the ultimate get-out-of-jail-free card: the backing of an A-Rank adventurer.

Speaking of which, Haku-san really does whatever she wants as an adventurer too… Her title is neat and tidy, and then there's their party name, [Dungeon Busters]. They bust dungeons? Well, I guess every dungeon except ours and the [White Labyrinth].

"Still, the leader of [Dungeon Busters] bein' sisters with Rokuko-sama, who's the incarnation of a Dungeon Core, that's some pretty biting irony. Hilarious joke, that."

Hahaha, yeah, you're right. The leader alone being a Dungeon Core is plenty funny already.

Ah, I'm still keeping Haku-san's true identity hidden from Ichika for now. Even if she is a slave, I don't think it's something to casually reveal.

… Wait, huh? Is this really okay? This actually works?

I was honestly planning to hash out the finer details with Ichika from here, since she knows the common sense of this world, but we're good?

Even as I was explaining it, I kept thinking "This isn't convincing at all" and "This is full of holes," but…

I was even thinking of making up a mysterious earth mage acquaintance of Haku-san called Narikin, but that's not needed? I guess not…

… I even secretly made a mask for it, but I really don't need it?