I have arrived at the dungeon management facility managed by the state, as Gray-san mentioned.
Even though it’s a military facility, it doesn’t look particularly imposing. There were places like the city hall I know where beings like me can enter and exit.
There’s a counter, and beyond it, clerks are writing documents.
The visual difference from a Japanese city hall is that people are demi-humans or demons, making the personnel rather fantastical. Soldiers stand guard at the entrance instead of security guards, and somewhere in the distance, material purchasing is being handled.
Other than that, it goes without saying that almost everyone, including myself, is armed.
And in this space, I, the only human, have been subjected to strange stares since I arrived. I’ve gotten used to it, but here too, I’m drawing stares.
At first, Mait-san and I waited while Gray-san went to handle the procedures, but it seemed to be going poorly, so Mait-san went to help him.
As a result, I’m left waiting alone, with no one to talk to, forced to wait quietly, all the while being subjected to more strange looks.
Honestly, I regretted not going with them, but even so, the more you’re stared at, the more you get used to it. Still, enduring constant scrutiny is stressful.
I briefly considered putting on a mask, thinking it might help, but that would just make me look suspicious, so I decided against it.
It’s not that some lingering chuunibyou wound was acting up.
“Who am I even making excuses to?”
I chuckled inwardly at my self-deprecating inner monologue and used the time to pass the hours, but I was getting bored.
The best way to avoid trouble is to not stand out.
Do nothing, and nothing happens to you.
That alone keeps the peace.
I leaned against a pillar again, alone, trying to be imperceptible, and waited for the two of them. This time, the procedures seemed to be taking a long time; it’s probably been over an hour.
This is taking far too long.
I wouldn’t say I’m tired of waiting, but at this pace, I’m starting to worry if some trouble has occurred.
Lately, or rather, since I joined the Demon Lord’s Army, it feels like peace has been a distant memory.
So, this pattern makes me suspect that trouble is, without a doubt, brewing again.
“Hey, why is a human here?”
“Probably some noble’s slave, right?”
“Yeah, he smells human. His weakness is probably contagious.”
And as usual, my worst premonitions are coming true.
In front of me stand figures that look like they’d appear in some RPG text as goblins, orcs, or imps.
Well, one of them is small and flutters with wings, but regardless, they look like the kind of people a hero would fight to defeat a dragon.
Is this the kind of trouble you get tangled up with at the Adventurer’s Guild?
I was carefully trying to avoid standing out, so why am I being bothered? I’d like to ponder this, but it seems the ones in front of me don’t care about my circumstances or feelings, and I’ll have to deal with them whether I like it or not.
“Do you need something?”
“Whoa, he can talk!”
“You’re the ones who approached me, so you must have a reason, right?”
Even when I talk, I’m treated like some rare beast.
*Humans can talk, you know!* I thought to myself, while observing them.
A goblin. I glance at it, and it’s overwhelmingly weaker than the skogobs I share coffee with at the company.
It grins vulgarly and laughs, for reasons I can’t fathom.
Three moves, or maybe two if I hold back and consider their feints.
I consider the procedure to subdue all three of them with my bare hands, gauging their strength based on their magical power, footsteps, and spirit. Simultaneously, I try to guess why these three have approached me.
It’s definitely not because they want to be friends.
And it’s certainly not out of kindness.
Judging by their expressions, even though they’re smiling, I can’t detect any positive emotions, so their intentions are likely not good.
I suspect it’s because they don’t like me being here, and I doubt I’m wrong.
“Human, this is no place for you. Put down that gear and leave.”
Just as I suspected, I suppress the urge to sigh at the words of the large orc who’s the only one I have to look up to.
“I refuse. I’m waiting for someone here. If you’re in the way, I’ll move, so please get out of my way.”
I cut off the conversation quickly.
What they have to say isn’t worth listening to, and I can handle it if they attack. However, in an environment where me initiating an attack would be clearly disadvantageous, the only thing I can do is leave quickly.
If I were the protagonist of a novel, this situation would escalate into trouble and further complications, but I want to avoid that.
My success rate in doing so has been low, mainly due to instructors.
But whether I try or not makes a huge difference in mental fatigue.
Therefore, I judge that talking is a waste of time and unilaterally cut off the conversation. No offense, but my visit to this facility is temporary.
I don’t have a base here, nor do I plan to settle down.
It’s unlikely to be resolved in a single day, but if I’m leaving in a few days, this method is best, even if it leaves a slightly negative impression.
“This guy, for a human…”
For some reason, I feel like this is why wars never end – because there are beings with personalities like this on both sides.
It’s humans claiming the Demon Lord’s Army is evil, like those I encountered when I was with Isal, and the humans in front of me, orcs who seek to dominate because they are weak.
Indeed, their claims are like oil and water.
They can only clash, with no possibility of mixing.
Given that their attitudes aren’t conducive to finding a compromise, conversation is merely a waste of time and energy.
To avoid that, I subtly swayed my body, dodging the orc’s arm, and moved to a slightly distant pillar, leaning against it again, standing quietly.
If they bother me again, I’ll return to my original spot.
They’re chattering away, but I’m ignoring it all.
I expected them to give up eventually, but…
“You’re persistent!”
“It’s because you’re acting so dismissively!”
“Ignoring me, for a human!”
“I’ll kill you!”
Normally, anyone would walk away if ignored to this extent, but these guys didn’t give up and kept pestering me.
They’re sticking to me with killing intent.
I admire their tenacity, but it’s a nuisance to me.
If this continues, the next development will be…
“What are you guys doing!”
Before I could even think.
Of course, if you cause this much of a commotion, the soldiers will intervene.
“They were bothering me, so I was just avoiding them. You can ask around; they’ll tell you.”
“We were just trying to get this human to leave!! This isn’t a place for humans to be!! Right!”
As I explained the situation to the approaching soldiers first, the orc’s emotionally charged shouts followed.
The reaction from the surrounding crowd to his voice felt like about sixty percent agreement.
And unfortunately, the soldier in front of me was also among that sixty percent.
From a distance, they probably thought I was some kind of demi-human.
As they got closer, they realized I was human.
The hostile atmosphere shifted from the orcs who were causing the disturbance to me.
*So this is how it is,* I grumbled inwardly. The development, which I had half-predicted, had come to pass. But what sort of situation is this where my colleagues become the enemy?
“Combat slave, huh? Humans like you should wait outside obediently! If you cause trouble again, it will reflect on your master!”
Before I could even explain that I wasn’t a slave, the soldier grabbed my arm and, using his ogre strength, dragged me towards the entrance.
I could have avoided it, but I figured it would cause trouble for Gray-san and Mait-san, so I went along. The orcs, meanwhile, were smirking with expressions that clearly said, *Serves you right.*
This time, I didn’t hold back my sigh and moved to a pillar in the corner, leaning against it to wait quietly, so as not to disturb anyone.
“That was unfortunate, big brother.”
“……”
“Oh, ignoring me?”
“…Haa, would you calmly respond to someone after a misfortune?”
However, if there’s a god of misfortune, they must love me too much.
As I idly looked out at the town, a pair of pointed, golden peaks caught my eye.
I recognized them as ears when they twitched, but I initially just thought of them as passersby and didn’t react immediately.
When I realized she was talking to me, I lowered my gaze to see a girl who looked like she loved to play pranks looking up at me.
Her features were well-defined.
Her pointed ears, whether they belonged to a fox, dog, or wolf, and the golden coloring led me to imagine she was a fox beastkin. She had short, similarly colored hair, and though still retaining a hint of youth, she was at an age where her feminine charms were beginning to emerge.
I thought she would surely grow into a beautiful woman, but my gaze, as always, drifted from her face to her neck.
“You pervert, big brother.”
“You know I’m looking at your neck, don’t you?”
More striking than her feminine curves or her cute appearance was the collar around her neck. The girl playfully gestured as if hiding her chest, creating an expression that suggested she’d prefer I didn’t focus on it.
“As a fellow slave, big brother, you must understand, right? Well, your master isn’t wearing one, but my master likes to put those on.”
“I don’t understand. I’m not exactly a slave, you know.”
“No way!?”
“Why would I lie?”
*Who benefits from a man wearing a collar?* I wondered, and for the first time, I was seeing what a slave was like.
They weren’t chained, and they were even allowed to converse like this. Or rather, she thought I was a slave and spoke to me. Perhaps her master wasn’t nearby, but she seemed to have more freedom than the slaves I knew from novels and history.
“I thought you were a combat slave, restrained by a slave crest, but are you really not?”
“Is a human’s status that low here?”
“Without your master’s protection, you can barely get any work done. Isn’t that obvious?”
“…I see. So that’s why the supervisor struggles with how to use us.”
“So you do have a master, don’t you?”
“No, I mean my boss.”
The troubles that occurred several times within the company.
The cause of those was, as always, a clash of common sense. The president was a moderate, while other executives were hawks. The hardliners, who plotted to use humans as consumables, were the cause of those troubles. The troubles that occurred when I became chief were likely also related to such individuals.
The trend of treating humans like consumables, a matter of course here, seems like everyday life at least to the girl in front of me.
I came here to prepare for marriage, so why do I have to discuss such depressing topics? Shouldn’t this be a more joyous event?
“Hmm, well, I’ll just accept that for now!”
And it seems this girl in front of me wants to make me her slave.
From my perspective, it’s a more realistic scenario than believing a human from another world, but being subjected to that “I know what’s going on” gaze is more taxing than being stared at with curiosity.
I earnestly wished for Gray-san and Mait-san to come quickly, suffering the dual torment of not being able to smoke in front of the girl.
“Jiro-kun! You were here!”
“Mait-san, Gray-san.”
Perhaps my wish was heard, as Mait-san and Gray-san emerged from the entrance. They must have come looking for me, as I wasn’t inside the building. They walked towards me quickly.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. The procedures for entering the dungeon took some time. And this young lady is…?”
“A stranger I just met. I don’t even know her name.”
“Big brother, that’s so mean?”
“It’s the truth.”
“Beastkin, a fox person.”
Now, if there’s an unknown woman beside me, my father figure would be concerned. I don’t want to be mistaken for a man on a date, so I’m clarifying our relationship. The girl protested, but I ignored her. As I am about to be married, I must avoid any misconceptions from my two father figures. Mait-san nodded in understanding, but Gray-san seemed to be contemplating something else entirely.
“So, can we enter the dungeon right away?”
“About that, there seems to be a bit of a problem.”
“A problem?”
“The person in charge here says they cannot allow a human who is not a slave to enter the dungeon. They are not granting permission even after we explained that I belong to the Demon Lord’s Army and presented the necessary documents.”
“It seems the person in charge here is not a moderate. They claim that allowing an unknown, unproven human into the dungeon would unnecessarily provoke the dungeon, and therefore, they cannot grant permission.”
“In other words?”
To avoid any such misunderstandings, I shifted the topic to steer away from her story, and in an instant, the atmosphere between the two changed.
Ah, I see. Both of them are extremely angry right now. Gray-san’s expressionless face became even more polished, as if all emotion had been stripped away, and while Mait-san’s polite tone remained unchanged, magic began to overflow, giving his expression an intense power.
“They said that if I defeat the explorer party that the other side prepares, permission will be granted. So, Jiro-kun, I apologize, but could you pass the test? No holding back, no mercy, no leniency – please give it your all.”
“Indeed. Please display the full extent of your abilities, which my daughter has told me about.”
Although their words were few, they must have said quite a lot about me. Their eyes spoke louder than words. I could see the unshakeable resolve to absolutely not permit it, burning with anger. What on earth did the person in charge say to make these two, whom I considered relatively mild-mannered, so enraged? I’m curious, but now is not the time to ask. What can I do right now?
“Understood. I will do my best.”
I nodded with a smile.
Today’s Word:
My smile isn’t strained, is it?
This is all for today.
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