The Fallen Prince’s Pleasure Dungeon: I Won’t Let the Female Adventurers Leave ~ I Was Reincarnated as the Villain in an Eroge, and Even Though I Just Want to Live a Quiet Slow Life, Beautiful Girls Keep Gathering Around Me!?~ - 16-17

Chapter 16: This Miasma Stinks!

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

■　■　■

“Hmm? What’s this hole?”

In front of a large hole located just past the forest, a young girl let out a suspicious mutter.

“Was this always here? When I came here before with Big Sis…”

She had a short ponytail. Her face was well-featured, but she wore a strong-willed expression that seemed like a bundle of defiance. She wore a tube top that concealed her thin chest and a tattered cloth scarf. On her lower half, she wore hot pants that revealed almost all of her thighs, paired with worn-out short boots. Dressed in an outfit with zero defensive power, the girl strained her eyes to check the inside of the hole.

“So suspicious. I mean, it reeks of treasure in there.”

She could see almost nothing inside the pitch-black interior, but an extraordinary presence wafted out. It wasn’t a threat. It didn’t feel like an invitation, either. Somehow, it was a “scent” that seemed to say, “I don’t want to be found.”

“Heh, you can’t fool this Kia-sama’s nose! Sniff, sniff.”

It was a skill of the 【Thief】 class—sensing danger from the faint magic in the air.

“Wait!? What!? What’s with this miasma!?”

It was a miasma more dense than anything she had ever smelled before.

“Ugh, it stinks… but maybe it’s a little addictive? Inhale, exhale…”

As she breathed it in, a shiver ran down her spine, and the core of her body—for some reason, her lower half especially—began to feel numb in a sinful way.

“Wait, this is no time for that!”

She shook her head vigorously to regain her senses.

“This is definitely one of ‘those’ spots. I should call Big Sis… No, if I find the treasure all by myself, Big Sis will give me so much praise, right?”

Kia’s “Big Sis” was the leader of the bandit group Kia belonged to, a woman who commanded even the roughest men. She was the one who had picked Kia up when she was an orphan. Kia felt a debt of gratitude to the woman for protecting and raising her when she was like a tattered rag, but more than that, she adored her.

Her “Big Sis” was a female bandit who didn’t lose to men and didn’t bow to authority. Kia wanted to catch up to her quickly. She wanted to become someone who could be useful.

“Alright, just you wait, treasure!”

The thief girl licked her lips and entered the side tunnel in high spirits. She had no idea…

She had no idea that inside this dark, deep hole, she would end up exposing every inch of her maiden skin and writhing in agony.

■　■　■

“An intruder.”

After a thorough workout in the bath, I was standing in the kitchen with a clean body when an alert informing me of a human intrusion echoed in my mind. I immediately brought up the monitors in the living room. This place functioned as a surveillance room and a command center all in one.

“…A thief!”

It was a named character. The level of the intruders was rising. I thought I could get by with just the village girl for a while.

“Human?”

Medi sat down snugly beside me as I lowered myself onto the sofa.

“Yeah. It’s Kia, a low-level thief who came looking for dungeon treasure.”

“You know her name?”

“….. I heard a bit about her back when I was a prince.”

That was close. That was actually game knowledge from my previous life.

The Kia reflected on the monitor was looking confused in the first small room. It was a dead end immediately upon entry. Normally, one would judge that there was “nothing here,” but…

“She’s tapping.”

“She’s searching.”

As expected of a thief. She was checking the walls of the cave by tapping them with her fist. Her age—if I recalled the setting correctly, she should be 18. Even so, her career as a thief was long, and she was likely the type suited for exploration. She was searching the area cautiously and thoroughly. Eventually, she came up against the wall I had used to block the passage.

『Isn’t this place… Kind of weird?』

She muttered to herself. Touching the wall with her palm, she said:

『Skill: 【Unlock】, go!』

With that, the barrier crumbled away into pieces. Perhaps the logic of the 【Unlock】 skill recognized the obstacle blocking the intruder’s path as a trap.

“What a troublesome skill. I guess it’s useless no matter how thick a wall I use to block the way.”

Despite being Copper Grade, this thief girl possessed not only resistance to traps but a means to counter them. Her level was definitely different from the Unranked village girl.

“Alto-sama, what are you going to do?”

“Let’s see. I think I’ll have our newcomer, Oboro, take action right away.”

I didn’t want to meet humans, and Medi would just turn them to stone. It would be best to have the Thousand-Year Fox Spirit, who excelled at bewitching people, take the front line. That was why I scouted her, after all.

“Oboro?”

“Whuuh…?”

Fresh out of the bath, she had become completely lightheaded. She was currently prostrating herself on the hardwood floor, throwing her whole body down and lying face-first like a corpse.

“What is it, Master…?”

“Didn’t you hear me? I was thinking of having you go another round.”

“R-round…!?”

She seemed to be completely in the zone after our earlier bath.

“Again, with such intensity…!? ♡ V-very well!”

“No, no.”

It was good that she was motivated, but now wasn’t the time for that.

“I want you to help me drive away an intruder. …Medi, can you stay and watch the house?”

“Protect… home?”

“Yes. Our home.”

“I’ll protect it!”

I patted the head of the enthusiastic Medi and led the still-dizzy Oboro to confront the thief girl.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

Chapter 17: It’s Like I’m Peeping on Someone

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

■　■　■

A magical flame flickered at her fingertip. Illuminating the darkness and advancing with stealthy steps, Kia let a small grumble escape.

“There’s nothing here…”

She had been certain that this was one of those “dungeons” from the legends. Yet, far from finding treasure, she couldn’t even spot a monster or a trap. She began to lose confidence in her own intuition, but…

(Still, it’s impossible for there to be ‘nothing’ given how thick this miasma is, right? Sniff, sniff…)

Furthermore, the corridor stretching into the depths indicated that this was no ordinary cave. Steeling herself and moving forward, she found strange depressions in the ground here and there. Perhaps they were marks left by something like stakes driven into the earth. At every fork in the path, several new holes had been opened.

“Maybe there’s even a guide sign or something—ha, just kidding.”

It wasn’t like this was a tourist spot. In that case, were they traces of traps after all? Perhaps she should proceed with even more caution.

“Kia.”

“Hick!?”

Just as she was trying to sharpen her focus, a voice spoke from behind.

“What are you doing in a place like this?”

“B-Big Sis…!?”

It was a tall woman—Imelda, the female leader of the bandit group.

A benefactor and an idolized figure. Between the fledgling girl Kia and the twenty-five-year-old beauty Imelda, who had a long career in the thieving trade, there was too much of an age gap to see them as sisters, but Kia looked up to her as if they were. She had olive-colored long hair and wore plain, inconspicuous clothing. She wore leather gloves and a tattered cloth scarf. Her sharp gaze was useful for keeping the bandit men in line, and just by standing there with her arms crossed, she exuded a sense of dignity.

“What about you, Big Sis? Why are you here?”

In a cave that looked like a dungeon she had found by chance, why was Imelda here?

“This is my ‘secret place’.”

“Secret?”

“Follow me.”

“Wait, Big Sis…?”

Kia hurriedly chased after Imelda, who was striding forward.

“But… man, I thought I could find some treasure without Big Sis knowing.”

“Hmph, you’re ten years too early for that.”

“In ten years, I’ll be as tall and cool as you, Big Sis!”

“You’re fine just the way you are.”

“Eww. No way.”

Being treated like a child was frustrating, but she didn’t dislike following the woman’s lead. While many bandits were driven by personal greed, Kia and the others who had gathered out of love for Imelda were different. They were chivalrous thieves who targeted nobles and, occasionally, even royalty. They were a bandit group with the resolve to throw their lives away at Imelda’s command. 

Following the dependable boss, they came upon…

“It’s here.”

They encountered an extraordinary space.

“What is this!?”

Thick steam filled the air. With a wooden interior—was that a bathtub? Hot water was constantly pouring in and overflowing. This was…

“A bath…?”

“That’s right. I come here alone when I want to relax in these waters. …I never expected you to find it.”

“Huh…?”

Imelda was a person who never showed her private side. She went so far as to finish her meals alone and apart, rather than with the rest of the gang. She never showed her sleeping face, and seeing her while bathing was out of the question. Because she was a person who was a bundle of vigilance…

(I see. So she takes a breather like this sometimes.)

In a place like this, she wouldn’t have to expose her skin to others’ eyes.

(Also… it smells so good.)

The space was filled with a fragrance bleeding out from the wet wood. It was undoubtedly pleasant, but…

■　■　■

The thief girl Kia reached the bathhouse I had built. Meanwhile, I was watching her from behind the wall. From the other side, it looked like a mirror, but from this side, the other side was completely visible, like a glass window. It was what they call a one-way mirror.

(It feels like I’m peeping on someone or something.)

It wasn’t just “like” peeping; it was genuine, certified peeping. But this, too, was my job as the Dungeon Master. It couldn’t be helped. And also… The “Imelda” who had guided her here was Oboro.

Using her shape-shifting abilities as a Thousand-Year Fox Spirit, she had transformed into the tomboyish female thief. According to Oboro, she could read human memories and reproduce their appearance. I shared my game knowledge with Oboro. About Kia, and about her boss, Imelda. Including their relationship and manner of speaking. 

I could have used “Imelda” to guide her all the way out of the dungeon. However, what happened after going outside was the problem. I couldn’t exactly have them say “bye-bye” at the exit, and I couldn’t have her continue acting with her only to run into the real Imelda.

(It’s against my better judgment, but I’ll have Kia follow the same fate as the village girl.)

(Yes, I’ll make her swear to secrecy and then kick her out. With Oboro’s guidance, I’ll have her sink into the bath I made that feels far too good!)

(Prepare yourself, thief girl Kia. I’m going to engrave an indelible pleasure onto that young maiden skin of yours…!! (Through the bath.))

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー