Let's Welcome the Intruders

"Aaah, goddammit. Why do I gotta dogeza for that…"

"Didn't you hear from the captain? They have an A-Rank adventurer backing them."

"Gotta be a lie. What would an A-Rank adventurer come to a place like this for? The captain's unexpectedly a scaredy-cat."

"Hey, the captain might hear you."

"Oh, crap. Keep it quiet, yeah?"

The Leech family's Third Knight Order. Believe it or not, they were knights serving Earl Leech… in name only. In reality, they were a band of adventurers assembled for rough work. Things like dungeon searches and rescues, like this time, were part of their job.

This time, they received a report through the guild from the Leech family's second son, Doran—-"The third son has gone missing in the dungeon"—-and rushed over. First response is crucial for dungeon rescues. Therefore, they acted quickly so they could later claim they "handled things properly."

By the way, the "Imperial Guard" part of the "Third Imperial Guard Knight Order" they go by… was self-proclaimed because "it sounds strong and important and cool." Nobody in the group actually knew what it was supposed to mean.

"Hey, there's a trap there. Proceed carefully."

"Got it. For us, the Third Imperial Guard Knight Order, even dungeon rescue operations are a piece of cake… That is, assuming the target is still alive."

In dungeons, rescue operations like this rarely succeed.

After all, if you die in a dungeon, all your equipment disappears without a trace. You can't find what doesn't exist. Usually, they'd search for two or three days and then conclude, "We couldn't find them, so they're presumed to have died in the dungeon."

Because of this, what they called a "rescue operation" meant exploring the dungeon to earn some pocket change, then filing an appropriate report and calling it a day… It was really easy, cushy work.

"Captain～, think that idiot young master is still alive?"

"No way. He died somewhere ages ago and got consumed by the dungeon. If he somehow survived together with those hangers-on of his… I'd have killed him myself within two days."

"Haha, no doubt. Really, that idiot young master does useless things."

"The eldest son, Kandra-sama, is already set to inherit anyway. Kandra-sama already has an heir, so the Leech family's future is secure."

The Leech family's heir was decided to be the eldest son, Kandra. Kandra had already produced a son, securing the family line. Therefore, the only path for the third son, Drasan, to become the head of the family was to achieve accomplishments that would overturn everything.

Of course, failing to return from a dungeon while searching for a magic sword was far too pathetic to even discuss.

"Well, ain't it fine? With the idiot gone, we can at least appreciate that much, right?"

"Kukuku, you got that right."

They spoke ill of Drasan, who was supposedly part of the family they served.

Yet they didn't know that the next family head, Kandra, considered them a troublesome bunch of idiots too.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

"Still, it sucked not being able to have fun with that woman. I'm all pent up now."

"That slot thing was the worst. Already blew through the reward for this job…"

"Those playing cards, I only managed to swipe one, but what good is just one card…"

These guys are doing whatever they damn please. And that card got torn up and thrown away.

So they did steal after all… I'll need to take countermeasures.

Now then, today I'll be holding a welcoming party for these guys, and as a special treat, I'll let them pass through the labyrinth area and the Puzzle Area.

Let's have them test out the traps and defensive features of the unexplored area.

"Oh, golems. Just like we heard. Get them! … Ah, they ran away!"

"Don't chase them. This is a labyrinth, you know?"

"Mm, right…"

While sicking golems on them in moderation, I opened up paths to guide them through the labyrinth.

I had Rei and the others operate the golems as practice.

"Master, is this guidance working?"

"It's plenty. We're just changing the paths while the golems distract them… See? They've regrouped."

The knight order had split their ten members into two groups of five to explore the labyrinth. I'd set things up so they'd meet back up right at the labyrinth's exit, and the guidance worked out well.

"Oh? Your team made it too. Good timing."

"As expected of us… So, looks like beyond here is mostly unexplored territory?"

"Hoh, that's promising… But it's also dangerous. What do we do?"

… Hmm, they're being cautious after all. Will they take the bait?

"Nn? Hey, look at that."

"… That's a treasure chest. Pon, go check it out."

"Yessir!"

A scout called Pon opened the treasure chest while staying alert… The contents were—-

"Ooh, a weapon! A knife… it's got a magic stone, it's a magic sword! Captain, can I keep this?!"

"Good job, Pon. I'll hold onto that for you."

"Aww…"

"We'll turn it into money and split it later, yeah? … Hey, look. There seem to be more treasure chests further in. Or rather, are there no traps around here?"

"From what I can see, no traps. I heard there were riddles, but… maybe they're further in?"

And so, the knight order fell for the simple treasure chest bait and got lured deeper and deeper. They're being lured along so easily it's hard to believe any of them are C-Rank.

… Is this really okay?

"Woah! Amazing, this one's a magic sword too! There's one over here as well!"

"That makes five! Hahaha, I can't stop laughing!"

Yeah, this is working out well. Good thing they're idiots. Once they'd gone far enough in, I quietly closed the door to the first room.

… They'd put a door wedge in place, but no problem—-I just collected it. When did they even set up that wedge? Guess they're C-Rank for a reason, even if they're rotten.

With the door closed, the puzzle room fully activated.

Normally, the doors in that room won't open unless you solve the room's puzzle. The only exceptions are entering the first and last rooms. That's this place—-the [Four-Room Serial Puzzle Rooms].

Furthermore, the puzzles have several patterns, and they switch to a different problem each time a door is opened. You can't come and go freely just by solving it once.

… In other words, the knight order is now confined beyond the [Puzzle Area]. The DP we're getting has doubled.

I wonder if the DP we get when they die will also double? It's a good opportunity. Let's find out this time.

"Hey, we can't go back!"

"Huh? Wait, where's the door wedge?!"

"It's gone… I've never heard of them disappearing this fast. That should have lasted at least a day…"

"Did you skimp and reuse an old one? Did we miss some special mechanism? No, maybe a monster moved it?"

"I don't know, but anyway, a puzzle appeared when the door closed."

What, so that's what kind of item it was? … Come to think of it, that might have been in the [Introduction to Dungeon Studies]. Crap, I forgot. This must be another piece of fake common knowledge that Haku-san spread, like the [Safety Zone]. I'll make sure to have golems remove them from now on. Using mice might work too.

"… What now? Looks like we can't get out without solving the puzzle?"

"Yeah. But look, can you solve this?"

This time's puzzle was special. I prepared a simple question that anyone could answer.

"'How many steps are in the spiral staircase ahead, and what color is the door at the bottom?' … What the hell?"

"Conveniently, the door leading forward is open… Looks like we have no choice but to keep going."

Right this way, party of ten～.