Happy New Year.
I will do my best writing this year too, so please treat it favorably!!
At first, I was worried that I might get caught up in trouble at the party and end up with a terrible outcome, but somehow I managed to finish it the next day.
“Ahahaha!! Jiro, we sure drank a lot yesterday!!”
I remained at the Demon Lord’s Castle for another matter.
This place is apparently a special space within the Demon Lord’s Castle, one of the few that can be counted on one hand.
It’s an underground space large enough to completely contain a sports stadium.
There, the three of us—the instructor, Evia, and I—stand.
The instructor, perhaps pleased from all the drinking last night, slaps my shoulder.
I wonder what kind of body I have that I can endure the impact, which would likely dislocate someone’s shoulder if they were an ordinary person, without flinching.
“Not as much as you, Instructor.”
Can the party last night be considered a success in hindsight?
Ultimately, the number of barrels lined up in the venue and the participants being carried home by their subordinates, drunk.
The least one could say for salvation was that no damage was done to the women, and the bad atmosphere was dispelled by the raucous fun at the end.
Count Mondment, the root of all evil, was thoroughly gotten drunk, so he’s probably down with a hangover today.
“If the location were different, there would have been no holding back on alcohol harassment.”
“Huh? What are you talking about, Jiro?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
I could think of no other way to restore the atmosphere that Count Mondment had ruined.
It was, so to speak, a desperate measure to avoid an emergency.
While thinking that it would be the end if there were an alcohol harassment consultation service in this world, I endured the damage inflicted by the instructor’s large hand.
Drinking a lot of alcohol naturally becomes something you get used to if you drink with the instructors.
I should be thankful to my mother for giving me a strong liver.
“…I never imagined it would turn into such an unveiling ceremony.”
However, even though I thought it was okay, it seemed Evia had made a NG ruling.
Without hiding her displeasure, she crossed her arms, dressed in her usual women’s suit, and glared at me with an intensity three times her normal.
“Oh, you seem displeased, Evia.”
“Of course, I’m displeased! It’s as if it’s been made public that my fiancé drinks as much as you. Tell me, how would you feel if you heard from your subordinates that it’s rumored throughout the world that people will get drunk if they pick a fight with Jiro?”
Well, the party, which was initially solemn and, in my mind, exactly what I imagined a noble’s party in a fantasy world to be like, eventually turned into a dingy izakaya where fathers with ties around their heads were passed out.
It’s understandable that Evia would be displeased.
In hindsight, it was only because the atmosphere was ruined by Count Mondment that some leniency was shown, allowing it to be overlooked.
If not for that, Evia’s mood would have been even worse.
It’s probably good that I danced along to the music of the orchestra, which was properly waiting, even while drunk.
I had promised that, so even though the dance was a little different from usual, I received passing marks.
If I had forgotten that promise, her displeasure would have been far greater than this.
So, in a sense, my unveiling as a general was a failure, and in another sense, a success.
And from here on, I will receive what is necessary for me to be a general.
“I’m sorry about that!”
“Don’t apologize if you don’t intend to feel sorry.”
“What’s with you, always picking a fight? If you’re stressed, want to have a match? I’ll indulge you?”
“Hoh, it wouldn’t be bad to correct those flippant remarks. I’m getting tired of being treated like a little girl, so I’ll cut off those prominent horns of yours.”
Knowing what is coming to this vast space, I think it’s amazing that the instructor and Evia can banter like this.
As for me, I can’t help but be tense enough for the alcohol to completely wear off.
No, rather than being tense, it’s more accurate to say I’m excited and looking forward to it.
“Alright, alright, stop it both of you, Instructor and Evia. If you start fighting here, it will definitely get dark.”
I step between the two, who look like they’re about to start a fight with just one more step, and mediate.
If they were serious about fighting, they’d start without such preamble, so stopping them like this makes them easily back down.
“You both received yours here too, right, Instructor and Evia?”
As if asking casually, I bring up the topic, and the tension in their shoulders eases, and the atmosphere of combat dissipates.
“When it was my turn, I brought a lot of subordinates, and they gave me a grand welcome!”
“I was with the Demon Lord, so I had a reasonable number of bodyguards. Unlike Jiro’s, it was a solemn atmosphere.”
“Huh? Are you picking a fight?”
“Who knows? If it sounds like I am, then buy into it.”
“Yes, yes, please stop, you’ll break the Demon Lord’s Castle.”
I’m used to stepping in between their lighthearted banter, which has been going on for years. Some people apparently consider it a death sentence, but both of them draw the line between life and death, so as long as I don’t make any fatal mistakes, it’s fine.
“Honestly, then I’m the quiet type? It’s just me, the instructor, and Evia welcoming you in such a large space.”
Their military strength is incredible, but conversely, it makes me uneasy about what’s to come.
I think I might have to use the Ore Tree on my back if it comes down to it, as the promised time is approaching.
“Well, who knows about that.”
“Ah, the instruction from the other side was to keep the number of people to a minimum. That’s what’s bothering me.”
As the time draws closer, the instructor begins to grin broadly, and Evia’s expression tightens.
Ah, so that’s how it is.
I’m already used to it. When these two speak less and hint that something will happen next, something will definitely happen.
I can almost never be wrong about that intuition.
“Judging by your reactions, it’s probably something troublesome, isn’t it?”
“Here we go again.” I can’t even sigh anymore. The president’s words, “Please look forward to it,” and the scene the instructor showed me. Because those two overlapped, I was looking forward to it, but it seems I misinterpreted the president’s meaning of “please look forward to it.”
“Well, yes. After all, it involves the Temple. Do you honestly think, Jiro, that nothing will happen when you, and those various people, are involved?”
And then the Temple, led by a lolicon god who happily challenges his own subordinates to a fight, as told by the instructor.
I hear I’m going to meet people related to that.
“No, not at all.”
When I think about it, there’s absolutely nothing reassuring.
“I was excited when I heard I was receiving a Dungeon Core, but I should have been more suspicious.”
“It’s too late for that. You should have realized if you thought about it calmly when you heard the Temple was involved.”
What I will receive here is a Dungeon Core, which I am permitted to possess as a general.
The heart of the dungeon that the instructor showed me at that time.
I was excited about the fact that I would be able to own it, albeit on loan, and that I would now be on the side of creating a dungeon.
I wish I had heard this before. My previous excited mood has completely vanished, and as Evia told me to think calmly, I am once again reminded that troublesome things pop up everywhere.
“At this point, it’s predictable that up to fighting the Divine Beast within the Dungeon Core, it’s going to be the usual development.”
“Too naive. I predict someone else will fight, saying ‘Convince me if you want to obtain the Divine Beast.'”
“Hmm, then I predict we’ll fight the Divine Beast’s parent.”
And the fact that we don’t doubt that it will unfold into a battle sequence from there clearly shows how fighting has become integrated into our daily lives.
And it’s time.
In the vast space, a complex magic circle unfolds, and something massive is teleported.
The magic power is immense, and I feel the same amount of magic power through my skin as I did in the instructor’s dungeon at that time.
It’s finally here.
And as the figure being teleported manifests.
“Huh?”
“This is…”
“…Unexpected.”
We were prepared to be suddenly attacked.
Although we were thinking of dodging instinctively, I was dumbfounded by the immense being that appeared, the instructor scratched his head vigorously, and Evia grumbled that her prediction was wrong.
“Hey, hey!! Human King-san. I’ve come to deliver the Divine Beast!!”
“Samle, you shouldn’t speak so casually. He’s a general!!”
And the ones who brought the actual Divine Beast were Samle and Yaml, Temple officials I know.
They still have infantile appearances, but the only difference from last time is that they are properly dressed in formal attire.
“Oh, uh. Thanks for your trouble?”
Despite their appearance, I was so shocked whether this being was truly a Divine Beast that it took time for my brain to reboot, and my response was delayed.
“Why a question?”
Samle, perhaps displeased with my response, puts her hands on her hips and puffs out her cheeks indignantly.
“Samle! That’s not right! You were told by the Sister to not forget your manners!”
“Because! Even though I went through a lot of trouble to bring this child, it’s unpleasant to receive an indifferent reply!!”
I understand why she’s saying it, and I do feel apologetic, but…
“No, sorry. I was surprised by the Divine Beast’s appearance.”
“Hmph, I see! You were surprised by its appearance and couldn’t even speak! In that case, it can’t be helped!!”
Upon hearing my honest impression, Samle, puffing out her chest to make her small body look as large as possible, tells me from a condescending stance that she’ll forgive me, while Yaml flutters beside her in a panic.
Even though I’m a general.
I wonder if it’s okay to be so impolite to a dignitary of the country, and I think, “Am I being underestimated?”
“No, well, I was certainly surprised.”
“Right! Right!! After all, this child is one I adjusted! A masterpiece!!”
…No, based on her way of speaking, it’s unlikely I’m being underestimated.
“…”
Then, it means the Divine Beast’s power is genuine, and I am being highly anticipated.
This is the partner I will be creating a dungeon with from now on.
To face that reality, I averted my gaze, deliberately avoiding eye contact with the Divine Beast.
Its white fur feels so fluffy it looks soft. Its round, gentle eyes stare straight at me, and it tilts its head cutely.
Its childlike innocence makes it seem like a young creature.
And, apart from the size of its body, I recognize this appearance.
It’s a toy poodle, and a puppy at that.
Its body length exceeds ten meters, but it undeniably looks like a toy poodle.
It sits quietly, staring fixedly at me.
Should I be relieved that it seems gentle, or worried that it looks unreliable for building a dungeon?
“I never thought the Temple would go to such lengths.”
Ignoring my feelings, the instructor nods in admiration.
“Ah, it seems the Temple also has high expectations for Jiro.”
Evia also nods in agreement with the instructor. What?
Is this toy poodle amazing, though I don’t know it?
The fact that everyone but me is impressed finally makes me start to think that this Divine Beast might be incredible.
“Of course!! This child is the Temple’s cherished treasure, a young Fenrir!!”
Ah, I see. Fenrir, Fenrir.
…
“Fenrir!?”
The thought of a toy poodle being a Fenrir makes me exclaim in disbelief.
Today’s word: The process of becoming famous requires caution.
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