Reincarnated as a Dungeon Master, I Became Unstoppable by Doting on My Monsters—My Gorgeous Monsters Have Started to Conquer the World on Their Own! - Chapter 29.1: Yuuto Soemaki

The 13 monsters had been given a brief explanation by the priests as they crossed the corridor.

About the proxy war using dungeons by the gods.

That the upper echelons of human-governed nations are mostly dungeon masters.

That dungeon masters receive divine blessings by dedicating their lives to gods from other worlds.

That Yuuto alone, valuing love more than life, received an especially large amount of blessings.

However, due to being magically silenced, they couldn’t ask the most important question: “Why are we being restrained right now?”

The priests stopped before a particularly large stone door at the end of the corridor, bowed their heads, and opened it.

What spread before the eyes of the 13 monsters was a grand chamber of gold, a massive bed, and the strikingly beautiful goddess Nanaya at the center, radiating an otherworldly presence.

However, none of these eye-catching sights entered their vision… because their beloved Yuuto was lying on the floor.

Why was their master restrained in what should be an allied base? Why was Jacqueline safe? Why were they brought here? Is this goddess an enemy?

Goddess Nanaya immediately provided the answer.

“Unfortunately, I’ve killed this one’s—Yuuto’s—heart.”

“Aghaaaaaa!”

When those words were uttered, Ridwina let out a roar and lunged at the goddess with all her might. All the monsters of “Ragnel’s Labyrinth” had basic escape techniques. This time, it was Ridwina, but if there were even a slight mistake in the restraint, any of them would have lunged at Nanaya.

The other monsters also resisted the magical restraints, making cries resembling wails.

“Didn’t you have a C-rank intelligence stat? Even a G-rank rat would properly kneel before me.”

However, there was no urgency on Goddess Nanaya’s face. When Ridwina raised her arm, her leg had already been blown away.

“Whooooooooaaaa!”

Ridwina’s eyes turned a furious red as she sprinted forward on her hands.

“Enheduunna!”

However, as Goddess Nanaya called out, Ridwina was easily subdued by a priest standing next to the goddess, using a staff.

As expected, in this state, without any techniques, the difference in status couldn’t be overturned.

Goddess Nanaya looked down at Ridwina, who was pinned down by the staff and spoke.

“I acknowledge your tenacity and would even praise your loyalty to your master. Even tearing off the antennae, I would usually celebrate such courage.”

Goddess Nanaya continued, “But you see,”

“Killing his heart is also for his sake… Yuuto. If he continues this war, killing and being killed, a man with such a weak spirit will suffer a fate worse than a dead heart.”

Then, she proposed the monsters with a smile more devilish than demon Ridwina’s.

“It’s you, isn’t it? You’re the one who tore off this child’s antennae. With your undeniable skill and ruthlessness, if it weren’t for Yuuto’s soft-heartedness, you alone could win this proxy war.

At this moment, a burning flame ignited in the heart of Margarita, who aspired to be a negotiator for Yuuto. This goddess is trying to negotiate with us.

And we absolutely cannot lose this negotiation.

Because Yuuto is being used only for his “contract,” his heart is killed due to his kindness, which doesn’t condone killing.

As a mere vessel filled with blessings for the sake of killing.

“You all seem to love Yuuto… So, if you go against what I say, I’ll make him suffer. But don’t worry. Once everything is over, I’ll set both Yuuto’s heart and you all free.”

Goddess Nanaya’s argument was extremely self-righteous as a war commander but infuriatingly logical.

Margarita knew that even under these circumstances, her mind was exceptionally clear.

What’s needed now is to prepare for a possible battle later and to aim for an opening when the goddess lets her guard down.

It’s to win this negotiation and ensure the safety of our master.

Margarita glanced sideways and confirmed that a new contract emblem was present on Yuuto’s chest. It must be proof that the contract he once made with Goddess Navalbi had been transferred.

And that meant an absolutely non-negotiable condition for them: “Yuuto” was already in the hands of the enemy.

At this point, the negotiation had already shifted to the stage of “how to extract concessions from the opponent.”

She repeatedly recalled the principles of negotiation that Yuuto had taught her.

When negotiating from an overwhelmingly disadvantageous position, three materials can extract concessions: “Something that brings far greater benefits to the opponent,” “A method that is far easier than the opponent’s,” or “Something incredibly interesting.”

Even in this place where even her unique skill was sealed, Margarita was staking her entire life to create a card that met one of these three conditions in her hand.

(I mustn’t. First, I need to organize the benefits for the opponent.)

…What Goddess Nanaya wants to do is “turn Yuuto into a puppet fighting machine.”

The benefits she would gain from this are “being able to eliminate the deterrent of us monsters who hesitate to kill,” “being able to control us by taking Yuuto hostage,” and… “according to her, sparing Yuuto from harm.”

On the other hand, we want to “protect Yuuto’s heart.” For that, we need to be prepared to give up everything.

(But there’s hardly any material. First, I need to eliminate the opponent’s benefits and gather negotiation materials, whether it’s through pity or sympathy.)

Margarita raised her hand to latch onto the negotiation, even if she couldn’t overturn it.

Goddess Nanaya, who glanced at it, temporarily lifted the seal on speaking.

“Thank you for permitting me to speak. Earlier, you mentioned that the Dungeon Masters are already dead. If it’s in the form of sending out the dead rather than killing people, my master… Yuuto will fully devote himself to the task.”

This was information that Margarita had confirmed during the ten years she had spent with Yuuto. Yuuto had fought a few years ago to send the souls of the dead to heaven. Therefore, if it’s already-dead Dungeon Masters, Yuuto would likely be permitted to fight.

Margarita hoped that this statement would eliminate the benefit for Nanaya of “being able to remove the deterrent of us who hesitate to kill.”

However, it didn’t reach her at all.

“Don’t you need to call people into the dungeon to gather DP?”

Goddess Nanaya said as if soothing a child. For the first time, Margarita realized that her usually expressionless bark-like face was twisted with demonic intensity.

Understanding that her chances of winning were slim, Margarita tried to cling on.

“If we do the same as other dungeons, our chances of winning are slim. We should set up a defensive base in a remote area to avoid confrontation with ordinary people and specialize the dungeon for anti-dungeon purposes…”

However, her words were drowned out by Goddess Nanaya’s dismissive, “That’s not going to work.”

“Idiot, keep quiet. Even if we take your strategy, having more options is better.”

(Ah, she’s right.)

Eliminating the opponent’s benefits wouldn’t overturn Goddess Nanaya’s already established plans.

(After all, I must devise why Yuuto is necessary for Goddess Nanaya.)

Margarita looked at her beloved Yuuto. His eyes were dead, staring at the floor. Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with anxiety that some mistake might kill him along with his heart.

Even while acknowledging that what Goddess Nanaya said was correct, Margarita struggled to say something. She had to say something.

“Wouldn’t it be problematic without humanoid beings like Dungeon Masters? As you can see, we’re all monsters.”

…Margarita heard a ‘pash!’ sound, like air escaping from a balloon. Reflexively turning toward the sound, she realized her arm had been severed from the shoulder.

However, Margarita no longer felt any pain; she was just relieved that she could still be at the negotiation table as long as she wasn’t killed.

“You think I haven’t thought of that?”

Goddess Nanaya angrily carved letters into the air, glowing a deep purple.

“One of the curses I can bestow upon my followers is the ‘Curse of the Loathly Lady.’ The ability to break the curse of an ugly appearance through true love.”

As Goddess Nanaya said this, a priest lifted Yuuto’s limp head by grabbing his hair.

“Nnnn!!!”