The Way to Absolute Dungeon Administration – There Is No Reason To Meet With the Opponent! - Volume 02 Chapter 13: The Fox and the Answer

Volume 02 Chapter 13: The Fox and the Answer

Side: Kaya

I couldn’t do anything.

I just watched the village burn.

Without the strength to lift my battered body, I lay there, pathetically…

In the village, I was considered a candidate for the next self-defense leader, priding myself on my martial arts, magic, and calm command skills.

My lover was there too.

A man who, despite being hopeless at physical tasks, was incredibly kind. My childhood friend.

Life was happy. Modest, but we rarely went hungry.

It was supposed to be a peaceful village, with time flowing gently…

But one day… Saintess Elju-sama visited, and everything burned to the ground.

No, to be precise, after Saintess Elju-sama visited and left our village, soldiers from Rocheur Kingdom came and pillaged.

They said they’d discovered our village was connected to Gartz Kingdom and came to “deal with us.”

I didn’t understand. Why were we attacked?

There’s no way our village would do something like that!!

I fought desperately alongside the self-defense team to help the villagers escape.

Among beastman tribes, foxman tribes are rare for their proficiency in magic.

Exceptional foxmen combine magic with physical techniques, becoming versatile warriors for both close and long-range combat.

Even so, we were overwhelmingly outnumbered and helpless.

As the leader and I frantically cut down countless soldiers, a man in luxurious clothing emerged from the back… holding a sword to my precious person.

Taking a hostage, the coward made his demand.

“If you kill the man beside you, I’ll guarantee this man’s and your safety. I am Loire Essha, a minister of Rocheur Kingdom. The same goes for the other villagers. Kill him, and I’ll ensure the safety of those we’re protecting.”

What a joke… As I thought that, I realized his words were a lie.

Behind him, most of the villagers were watching our fate unfold, but a few were missing.

It’s a small village, less than 100 people. I could tell instantly who wasn’t there. Excluding the bodies of my comrades lying around, maybe four or five people.

“If you keep resisting, we’ll officially designate these villagers as spies for Gartz Kingdom. That means execution on the spot.”

We had no choice left.

Even knowing his words were a trap, we had to comply.

In the end, almost all the villagers were slaughtered.

…Some young women survived, only to be used as playthings and die on the spot…

The rest were sold as slaves.

“…Kaya!! Kaya!! Pull yourself together!!”

“…Sorry. Leave me and go. If you don’t, we’ll both get caught.”

And I see this dream again.

Normally so frail, my childhood friend was incredible in that moment.

He was carrying me, running through the forest.

But no one’s stamina is limitless.

His breathing grew ragged.

The moment I realized we’d be caught and slaughtered,

the village’s mages cast flash magic in unison, blinding the enemies.

With my last ounce of strength, I escaped with my childhood friend.

As expected, arrows rained down around us, and only a few of us made it out.

Between the earlier battle and the wounds from fleeing, I had almost no strength left.

I wanted at least him to survive.

But…

“They’re over here!! It’s the ones who resisted until the end!! Surround them!!”

“Kaya, I’ll protect you!! Just… keep running…”

An axe was lodged in his head.

One of the enemies must have thrown it.

He collapsed, motionless, and I fell with him.

“The woman’s beat up but a fine catch. Killing her wouldn’t be worth it. Heal her and sell her!!”

The man called Loire grabbed my hair, yanking my face toward him.

The hair he called beautiful made a tearing sound as it was pulled.

“What about this guy?”

“An axe to the head? No way he’s alive. Dump him.”

I was torn away from him.

I gripped his hand, my final act of resistance.

But that resistance was easily shaken off, and he was left behind.

Tears poured from my eyes. They wouldn’t stop.

“…!!”

I wake up in a dimly lit room.

Where am I?

Looking around, I see Tori and Riel, and it finally clicks.

“…The inn, huh.”

Right, this is the inn on the dungeon’s lowest floor.

A private room provided by the Dungeon Master.

But most of the members sleep in groups of three to five in someone’s room.

Honestly, these luxurious private rooms are something else, I think.

I have a private room too, but even with Tori and Riel sleeping over, it’s just one room.

The rooms are divided into three spaces. Ten tatami for the living room, eight tatami for the bedroom, and eight tatami for a hobby room, Yuki said?

According to him, the ten-tatami room is the living room, one eight-tatami room is the bedroom, and the other is for hobbies.

It even comes with a toilet and a simple kitchen. There’s a closet (?) too.

Apparently, it would normally have a bath, but there’s none because, as he put it, “A private bath in an inn? Are you stupid? Wanna die?”

“…Water.”

After a dream like that, my nerves aren’t thick enough to fall back asleep easily.

Careful not to wake Tori and Riel, I slip out of the bedding.

I go to the kitchen and pour water into a glass.

“…Luxurious, huh. This place will be a truly lavish, happy place for everyone besides us.”

Yuki said people get used to things, and it seems he’s right.

Just six days, and I’m already no longer surprised by the convenience of this kitchen and these facilities.

And I understand.

This luxury, this convenience, will surely make the people who live here happy.

But it’s not just that. If we run this dungeon according to Yuki’s policies, the residents can choose what they want with their own hands.

As long as Yuki or we don’t give in to greed, this dungeon is an incredibly effective fortress against external enemies.

“…That’s why I need to keep personal feelings out as much as possible. I can’t let conflict spill into this dungeon.”

I tell myself this.

The day after I arrived, I learned why my village was burned.

Saintess Elju-sama, manipulated by Loire, who was backed by Litea Holy Nation, took actions that incited war.

No, to be precise, Loire deliberately burned the towns and villages Elju-sama visited, framing it as Gartz Kingdom’s doing to escalate into a war.

That’s why I couldn’t help but hate Elju-sama when she stood before me so nonchalantly that day.

By then, the mastermind Loire had already been dealt with, leaving Elju-sama as the only one I could call my enemy.

Before I could act, Milly threw a teacup at her, yelling and drawing everyone’s attention. I tried to rush at Elju-sama impulsively, but Tori and Riel held me back.

Elju-sama, perhaps feeling some guilt, bowed her head and apologized to Milly.

…That doesn’t mean I can forgive her, though.

It was unexpected. I thought she was no different from Loire.

Since then, Elju-sama, in her own way of atoning, found things she needed to do and even lowered her head to help us.

“…She’s throwing me off.”

Yes, Elju-sama is a strange person.

I thought she’d either desperately beg for forgiveness or act superior, but I was wrong.

She was probably just doing what she thought was right.

I heard about her relationship with Mauve-san and the others.

She bowed her head and apologized to Mauve-san and his group, who enslaved her, assaulted her, and tried to use her as a plaything.

…What an airheaded dreamer.

“…I’m sweaty. A bath.”

Finishing my water, I notice my body is damp with sweat.

It’d be bad to sleep like this, so I decide to take a bath to clear my mind.

Grabbing a spare yukata, I quietly leave the room.

“Ah.”

“…Ah.”

Entering the changing room, I see someone taking off their yukata.

It’s…

“Kaya…-san, right?”

There stands Lulua-sama, the other person I’d call my enemy.

She speaks cautiously, as if gauging my mood.

“….”

“…Sorry, it seems I’m intruding. I’ll leave…”

“…It’s fine.”

I say only that, take off my yukata beside her, and head into the bathhouse.

“…Not coming in?”

“No, I’ll join you.”

“…You don’t need my permission.”

An awkward atmosphere lingers between us, but since I didn’t say no, I don’t keep my distance unnecessarily. I wash my body and soak in the ofuro with her.

Above us… it’s fake, but a beautiful night sky spreads out.

Silence persists.

“…Why are you taking a bath at this hour?”

Almost impulsively, I ask Lulua-sama a question.

“I was just… thinking about things. About what to do from now on.”

Oh, I see.

I’ve been so caught up with myself and this dungeon, but Lulua-sama must be going through a lot too.

Unlike Elju-sama, she wasn’t brought here at her country’s request for protection. She was cast aside as a nuisance, nearly assassinated, and ended up here.

In a way, she’s like me. Having lost everything, she’s here.

As I think about this in silence, Lulua-sama, perhaps feeling the awkwardness, speaks up.

“…Do you hate me?”

“Yeah, I’d love to kill you right here.”

I answer her question honestly.

There’s no deceit in that feeling.

“…But I also hope that one day, I can forgive you and Elju-sama.”

“What do you mean?”

“…The person who was precious to me wouldn’t smile even if I killed you.”

“….”

As I say this, I realize something myself.

Right, it’s still there.

“…I… want to live a life that would make him smile. …It’s still there. I thought I’d lost everything…”

Tears spill from my eyes.

“…Are you okay?”

Lulua-sama speaks up, seeing me cry.

Right, she herself isn’t at fault.

Well, as the head of her nation, she was probably a failure.

“…I’m fine. Lulua-sama, thank you. You helped me remember. …I thought I’d lost my village, everyone, my precious person—everything—but I was wrong.”

I close my eyes as I say this.

The smiles of the villagers and my precious person, which were too painful to recall until now, come to me naturally.

“…It’s true I lost them. But their memories are still here, clearly. If I sought revenge, the villagers would probably give me a lukewarm look.”

Exactly. Even if I stained my hands with the blood of revenge, the villagers, and he, wouldn’t reject me, but they’d give me that lukewarm look.

Because they were kind.

So I’ll live in a way that makes them smile.

That’s surely what will make me happy too.

Yes, I’ll probably still have nightmares of him and the village burning.

But it’s not enough to let myself be consumed by revenge.

Is this how Mauve-san and the others felt?

No, they went all out and caused chaos, so they’re probably even more awkward about it.

“…I’m getting out first.”

“Oh, okay.”

With that, I leave Lulua-sama and climb out of the ofuro.

I feel like I’ll sleep soundly tonight.

“…Lulua-sama. Even for me, who lost everything, there’s still something left.”

“….”

“So there’s got to be something left for you too, Lulua-sama. If you find it, I think your worries will be resolved.”

I don’t know what her worries are.

But there’s surely something left.

Something that will let her decide her future from the bottom of her heart.

“…My… something left…”