“So, the contract was successfully made, huh?”
“Yeah, well… what exactly do I do with him, though? If it were just a place to live, I guess I could take him to my mansion… is it okay to bring a Divine Beast there?”
“It’s more like he *has* to be by your side.”
Having established a connection with the Divine Beast Fenrir, now named Feri, I’ve gained a partner for my future role as a general. But even with this new acquisition, I don’t have a concrete understanding of what I should do next.
After all, I haven’t received any explanations for it.
Expecting Evia to be the one to provide those explanations, I asked about my future plans, and it seems Feri will be acting with me from now on.
“A Divine Beast, the core of the Dungeon Core, can only fulfill its function as a dungeon when it is with its contractor.”
“So, a contract is a prerequisite.”
I looked at the white toy poodle in my arms, wondering if it could really create such a dangerous-looking space. While marveling at the incredible power of this soft, warm creature, I felt the weight of its significance, even if it was still light in terms of mass.
“And because you succeeded in the contract, this is the document the Demon Lord instructed me to give you.”
“You said ‘if I succeeded’… What would have happened to me if I failed?”
I pondered, unsure whether my superior trusted me or was simply giving me an unreasonable task by acting with the assumption of success.
Still holding Feri, I accepted the brown envelope that Evia handed me.
“It’s quite thick.”
For my enhanced body, the weight of the brown envelope itself wasn’t much, but I was still slightly surprised by its thickness. Skillfully, I opened it with one hand, and as I pulled out the documents inside…
“A Dungeon Construction Plan?”
“Yes, it’s the construction plan for the dungeon you will manage. It details agreements reached through discussions I led with the Japanese and American governments. This is classified, so don’t lose it, alright?”
The title alone suggested a content of considerable ambition.
Feri, perhaps curious as well, peered into the plan, carefully making sure not to dirty it.
*Impressive, this Divine Beast can read Japanese too.*
“Kuuun.”
“Ah, you can’t read it, can you.”
I had assumed so, but it seems that while Feri can understand, it cannot read. Its eyes, looking up at me as if pleading for me to read it, reminded me of a certain financial institution’s commercial.
“I can’t read it all, but I’ll give you a rough overview.”
“Woof!”
Of course, I couldn’t read the entire document aloud here, so I’ll just skim through it and convey the main points.
“Approximately fifty kilometers from Tokyo in a straight line. That’s quite far.”
“It can’t be helped. This act connects nations. The other side must also be cautious about homeland defense. Regarding economic support, we have agreed to construct a dedicated trade port on the Pacific side.”
The first thing that caught my eye was the construction site of the dungeon. The overview map, which was mostly just a dot in the Pacific Ocean, was labeled “planned location.”
The fifty-kilometer distance from the Japanese mainland was likely the Japanese government’s decision…
“Evia.”
“Yes?”
“Frankly, are there means to attack from this distance?”
“There are.”
From the perspective of unknown technologies like magic, even within a gravitational sphere, this distance is well within the effective range to target the mainland. Moreover, if they wanted to, couldn’t they perform a surprise landing attack using teleportation magic?
“Not knowing is terrifying.”
The Japanese government probably wouldn’t suspect they possessed such technology.
The Demon Lord’s Army is the one that materializes the utterly bizarre into reality.
Even with prior knowledge, estimating the expected line of attack is quite difficult.
Well, the Demon Lord’s Army wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize the friendly relationship they are trying to establish.
“Some degree of risk might be unavoidable for profit. Keeping it within connecting waters and consolidating it within the Exclusive Economic Zone seems to be a claim to other countries. If they moved it further away, other nations could interfere.”
“That’s another way to look at it, I suppose.”
“Woof!”
“Alright, alright, next up.”
With my questions about the construction site resolved, Feri’s prompt urged me to move on. The diagram showed the location on the continent…
“…Isn’t this exactly where…”
“It’s my family’s territory.”
Seeing the map labeled “Nordis Territory,” I had a hunch. And that hunch was largely correct.
“You don’t have territory on the continent, do you? Still, causing trouble by creating obligations with any local nobles here would be a hassle later on. That’s why the spotlight fell on me.”
“Are there any problems?”
“I informed my father. He was overjoyed, saying he would gladly cooperate if you’d take me in?”
“Sorry, I don’t know how to react to that.”
And thinking about how much that had to do with her worries about marriage, I was at a loss for how to respond to Evia’s father’s reaction.
“Don’t worry, I’ll give him a good talking-to when I visit home next time, so it’s fine.”
“Moderately, alright?”
“Don’t worry, I know his limits. I won’t misjudge my strength.”
Whether her family relationships are good or bad, I’ll have to find out when I go to greet them. Deciding it was dangerous to dwell on it further, I turned the page and found an excessive amount of explanatory text. Summarizing the general content…
“Is this a project proposal for the Earth-side foundation?”
It detailed how to create a floating island, considering defenses, commercial facilities, security, and natural disaster countermeasures.
“Wait, reading this plan, it sounds like they’re going to create a whole island…”
When I first contacted the Japanese government, they mentioned something about constructing it like a Mega Float or an artificial island. However, this plan describes a process of artificially piling up soil to create an island.
Detailed plans, including what kind of magic to use and on what scale, were described. Turning the pages, I could see the approximate shape of the island.
“Whoa, it’s huge.”
“Is it? In terms of area, it’s at most a five-kilometer square island. We originally intended to make it larger, but we reduced the size considering the need to minimize stimulation to this world.”
“Five kilometers square is twenty-five square kilometers, right?”
Indeed, it might be small as landmass, but they boasted about being able to create land of that scale, and moreover, with residual capacity. The power of the Demon Lord’s Army, which asserted that they could achieve this, was as outrageous as ever.
Furthermore, it was even titled “Expansion Plan.” As I imagined that it might eventually result in a landmass large enough to accommodate another country in the Pacific, I let my thoughts wander to the endless possibilities, wondering what would happen to sea levels and the like.
“…”
“This is the dungeon you will manage.”
After finishing the overview of the island, IFinally came to the main event: the dungeon’s plan, and I finally understood that I would truly be creating a dungeon.
Required materials, required spells, personnel.
In every aspect, it was meticulously planned, and I felt a vague sense of emotion that the dungeon’s construction was already on a predetermined course.
“It’s a blueprint for a dungeon, like a blank canvas. You and Feri will paint upon it, dye it, and contribute to the nation. Do you feel the weight of that?”
Evia gently placed her hand on my shoulder, as if to remind me that I shouldn’t be lost in my emotions.
“Yes, I do.”
Earlier, I said the paper itself wasn’t heavy, but now, looking at the contents compiled in this stack of paper that the nation was acting upon, I felt the immense weight of this document.
“Yes, I feel it.”
Flipping through the pages, I finally reached the end, where I saw the signature of the President, or rather, the Demon Lord.
“Insigne Runallos.”
The Demon Lord’s personal signature, written in the continental language. The seal impressed behind the name was the royal seal.
The fact that the current Demon Lord had approved the creation of this artificial island and the construction of a dungeon was a reality, not a dream or an illusion. The documents before me determined my future.
I carefully returned the documents to the envelope, intending to reread them later.
“Well, this is where things get tough. I need to contact Muil-san and Keiri-san to iron out the details of dungeon management.”
“Hahaha!! It’s going to be busy from now on!!”
The instructor, who had experienced such busyness, laughed lightheartedly. But as someone about to experience that busyness myself, I wanted some advice.
“By the way, how did you and Evia get through that busyness, Instructor?”
One shouldn’t underestimate experience. I hoped to hear something useful for the future.
“Sheer grit!!”
“Make sure to make a proper plan.”
“Yeah, just as I expected!!”
Their responses, not overly indulgent as usual, left me no choice but to laugh. In any case, I understood that there was a lot to do from now on.
“Then, the problem is how to handle you.”
The immediate issue was how to treat this Fenrir.
“Waf?”
A Divine Beast that could be cradled. While there was no fear of kidnapping, if it were to rampage carelessly, it would be a catastrophic disaster.
In a sense, this being, requiring more caution than a nuclear missile, tilted its head, wondering what he had done.
*He has no self-awareness,* I thought with a wry smile.
“For now, I’ll introduce him to Suella and the others.”
“Be careful not to let too many people know. Even in that form, he is a bundle of secrets. Make an effort to limit the number of people who know of his existence to the bare minimum.”
“Understood. Though, at first glance, he just looks like a toy poodle. Unless my senses are deceived, one wouldn’t be able to feel that immense magic power and would just see a normal dog, so I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”
Fortunately, Feri in dog mode didn’t seem to possess any magic. If anything, it felt like the minuscule magic possessed by small animals.
Where had that ocean-like magic disappeared to? It was a chilling thought.
“He can still use his power even in that state, so be careful not to kill anyone.”
“…That’s what you’re worried about?”
Considering the possibility that I could have been bitten to death if I hadn’t fought with my full strength, Samul’s warning wasn’t entirely unfounded.
“As a test, could you give me a light attack right here in your current form?”
“Waf.”
Still, just to be safe, I gently placed Feri on the ground and asked him to attack forward. Feri, raising his front right paw, seemed to swing it lightly forward.
However, an unbelievably strong gust of wind emerged from that tiny paw, and if I wasn’t mistaken, it looked like a wind slash had been created.
“See? If you leave that one alone, people will die!”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Irritated by Samul’s smug face, I thought, *I really can’t leave him unattended.*
“…Speaking of which, Feri, what kind of food do you eat?”
I thought about the dietary needs of Feri, not just a regular dog but a Divine Beast, and decided to ask him directly.
“Waf!”
A three-dimensional object was formed above the dog’s head by magic.
“Meat, huh.”
“Waf!”
“Ah, so you like fruit too.”
“Waf!!”
He indicated his desire for meat and fruit. Of course, I had no intention of feeding a Divine Beast dog food. However, he requested various types of meat.
Pork, beef, and chicken were understandable, but among the objects formed by magic, he requested things that looked like bear, deer, and snake. Was he quite the gourmand?
“Ah, I’ll give you a list of what this child has eaten later, so please use it as a reference. Also, essentially, this child doesn’t need to eat, so rather than quantity, focus on the quality and variety as a treat.”
“That’s a great help.”
Yamul’s assistance with my bewildered expression was truly a lifesaver.
“Take good care of him!! Feri! If anything strange happens, you can always come back home!!”
I thought if only this little brat would get a taste of his own medicine.
“Before that, Samul will probably get scolded by the Sister.”
Yamul had already determined that Samul would be scolded upon his return.
“Eh!? Why!?”
It’s probably because he has no familiarity with the reason.
“Waf.”
Even Feri seemed a bit exasperated by Samul’s personality, offering a rare sight of a toy poodle sighing.
Today’s word: Without a clear direction for work, nothing can be accomplished.
Thank you as always for your comments and for pointing out any typos. If you found this interesting, please leave a review, rating, bookmark, etc.
I am currently serializing another work: Pandora Pandemic Panic – Pandora’s box has been opened again, but we are fighting back with various things at our secret base!! Please check that out as well!!
