Hospitality! The Dungeon Village*4
That day, we only took a quick look inside the dungeon and wrapped up. Apparently, they’re planning to go in again tomorrow—this time properly prepared, with the goal of a full clear.
How should I put it… they’re way more cautious than I expected. I guess the image of that Holy Knights left too strong an impression on me. Seriously though, how did those people even manage to be a knight order? Was it the power of fantasy? Yeah, must’ve been pure fantasy power.
“The deepest part of this dungeon supposedly holds a tree made of gemstones.”
“Yes. You’ve heard the rumors, then?”
So Princess Laperesiana had done her homework before coming here. She already knew about the Jewel Tree.
“Indeed. I was gifted a beautiful perfume bottle said to be one of that tree’s fruits.”
… Well, of course she’d know! Right, that makes sense! So she’s the princess who received one of those gemstone fruits!
Yeah. That gemstone fruit really suits her. I’m glad I made it.
“I’ve heard that the perfume bottle once contained a secret elixir with healing power.”
… And I nearly stumble. No, no, no—it’s just a simple fatigue recovery potion inside! I just made it a little sweet, that’s all! Nothing that fancy!
“This investigation is meant to obtain more of it. I only hope it will work for the members of the Third Knights Order…”
“Princess Laperesiana…”
Aaaah, I see now. So that’s how it is. Her Highness came all the way here out of concern for her injured subordinates…
But the stuff inside the Jewel Tree’s fruit isn’t anything that impressive—it’s literally just a basic fatigue recovery potion. Even the stuff in the baths, though stronger, is basically the same… ahhh!
“Well, more than anything, it was a decision made by the Council. That’s why I came.”
Princess Laperesiana smiled slightly as she added that. So, it was an official trip after all—though maybe it’s half “work trip,” half “it’d be nice if my subordinates’ old wounds healed while I’m at it.”
… Or so I thought—
“… The Council?”
Lisas looked startled.
“Her Highness came personally… because the council decided so?”
“Yes. Well, that’s how it is.”
Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?
“… Even Father supported it. I’ll say no more.”
“But that—”
“Enough. Don’t. I knew it would come to this.”
… Something’s definitely up. Hmm.
Feels like it’d be awkward to pry right now. Fine, I’ll just ask Lisas later, after we’ve shown the group to their lodgings.
When we guided the group to the inn, we were greeted with comments like, “Oh! Such a spacious and lovely building!” “The beds are so soft!” and “Excuse me, boy… about those slimes earlier, might one borrow one perhaps…?” So yes, I lent out some slimes. They didn’t seem to mind and just squished around contentedly. Go work hard, you little blobs.
… And then—
“So, there’s conveniently a single room available.”
“… I had a feeling Her Highness might come, so I had one prepared.”
“Sharp intuition… though really, I’ve said before I don’t mind sharing a room.”
“And I’ve told you before, that simply won’t do.”
After a little back-and-forth with Lisas, Princess Laperesiana settled into the single room. Whew, good thing I prepared one!
“… Still, what a fine room. Lisas, was this your doing?”
“Oh no, no, no, not at all! There’s no way I could make something like this.”
… Well, yeah. This room’s on the fancy side.
The bed and chairs are made from wood that I broke down once and rebuilt with perfectly smooth grain. The linens, cushions, curtains—all the fabrics are made from plant fibers I reconstructed in the dungeon.
I mean, when you can freely alter material composition, textile-making becomes ridiculously easy. Whether it’s thick yet soft cloth or ultra-fine luxury fabric, I can make it with dungeon power. So yeah, I take pride in my textiles.
On top of that, there’s a small but elegant chandelier carved from dungeon crystal, and the floor’s polished marble made in the dungeon. A vase of bluish-white porcelain—a new specialty of Panis Village—sits there, filled with wildflowers…
And a slime is sitting in the middle of it all, squishing contentedly.
A slime.
“… Sorry. That slime’s mine. I’ll move it…”
For whatever reason, it seemed to love the luxurious room and had made itself comfortable. Hey, this isn’t your room!
As I was pushing the big blob out, squish… squish…
“No, it’s fine. Let it stay if it wants to.”
Princess Laperesiana graciously allowed it. Lucky you, slime! Your insolence has been forgiven!
“… So, may I… sit on it?”
“Ah! Yes, of course!”
Lucky again, slime! You get to be a chair for a beautiful lady! Hey—stop wiggling! You better not be unhappy about it!
Apparently it found just the right spot to settle, and soon became perfectly still under Her Highness. She even poked it a few times. Good slime.
And with that, we left them to relax. “There’s a built-in bath! Men’s and women’s are separate!” I called out, and the knights cheered like kids.
But more than “Yay, a bath!” it was, “That means Her Highness can take her time and not worry about us!”
Yeah, I get it. She’s clearly the type who’d give up her own rest time for her subordinates—probably just dips in quickly to make sure they get their turn first.
I’m glad I made the baths roomy.
“Still, they’re all really good people…”
On the way back, I murmured that, and Lisas chuckled beside me.
“Indeed. They’re noble warriors who fought to the end of the war. And of course, Her Highness as well.”
Yeah, I can see that. I really like these knights. The word noble fits them perfectly—considerate, well-mannered, calm, not loud… well, maybe that’s just because I’ve seen the opposite before with the Holy Knights.
“The superior you praised before—was that Princess Laperesiana?”
“Yes. She’s remarkable. Strong.”
I see… right, Lisas did mention before that his superior carried a sword found in a dungeon.
Now that I think of it, I remember her sword’s sheath being beautiful. Haven’t seen the blade itself yet… but being a dungeon weapon, it’s probably made with great materials.
“However… no matter how strong a person may be, that strength alone can’t save everything.”
“Huh?”
His face darkened as he said that—and I realized this was about the thing that bothered me earlier.
“Her Highness Laperesiana is in a complicated position… I wasn’t sure whether to tell you, but… will you hear me out?”
“Of course!”
Yeah, figured. She’s got something going on.
“First of all, this country has two princes and four princesses.”
“That’s… a lot.”
“Is it?”
Well, to me, yeah. Japan’s royal family’s pretty small, you know? But I guess here, big families are the norm.
“Anyway, the First Prince and Second Princess share one mother; the First Princess, Fourth Princess, Second Prince, and Third Princess each have different mothers.”
“Ahhh, so it’s that kind of royal family.”
Right, that explains it. Lots of wives, huh? Okay, makes sense. Gotta adjust my mindset.
“… So. The First Prince and Second Princess’s mother has no ambition. Normally, the First Prince would be next in line for the throne. But the Second Prince’s mother—she’s ambitious.”
“Ah, so she’s scheming to make her son king, even if it means doing something to the First Prince.”
“Exactly.”
So it’s full-blown royal intrigue. Lovely.
“Now, with factions forming in the castle, the First and Fourth Princesses have already withdrawn—one married off to a neighboring kingdom, the other studying abroad. The fourth probably won’t come back.”
Okay, so those two are out of the succession race, playing it safe.
“The Second Princess, who shares the First Prince’s mother, has been harassed relentlessly. Still, she supports her brother and is engaged to a powerful noble—apparently they’re in love. But he’s a margrave’s only son, so he can’t be taken as a son-in-law.”
“Oof.”
“As for the First Prince… he lacks drive. He doesn’t seem to want to be king.”
Ah… yeah, that’s rough.
“So why not just make the Second Prince the heir?”
“That won’t work. He’s… how shall I put it… his character, behavior, and ability are all… problematic.”
… Yeah. Yikes.
“So now the kingdom is split between the faction backing the unmotivated but capable First Prince and the one backing the troublesome Second Prince.”
What a mess. Seriously, what a mess.
“Uh, and the Third Princess who hasn’t come up yet is…?”
“That would be Princess Laperesiana.”
Ah, of course. So she’s neither prince’s full sibling—she’s a third faction.
“… She distinguished herself in the last war. Achieved tremendous military merit. She even said she didn’t expect to survive.”
Yeah, sounds like her.
“But she lived. And she has the qualities of a leader.”
She really does.
“Because of that, she’s being watched by the Second Prince’s faction.”
Got it. So that’s it.
Princess Laperesiana’s caught up in political strife.
Man, what a grim story—but it’s good to know. My gut says this is important.
“So when you say ‘watched,’ you mean…?”
“… If the anti–First Prince faction focuses on the Second Prince, the other side might use the chance to have Her Highness assassinated. I’ve been away from the capital, so I don’t know details—but if the Council ordered her to come to a place like this…”
So the government bigwigs basically exiled her, huh.
“Her Highness could’ve done like the First and Fourth Princesses and married off quietly. But royal marriages are delicate matters.”
“Right.”
“And… she bears a scar on her face. Because of that, she says, ‘It would be cruel to force a man to marry a scarred bride.’”
“… Man.”
Yeah, this got complicated fast—royal politics mixed with war fallout.
“Even with a burn or scar, who would dare insult a face that beautiful?”
“… There are always spiteful tongues.”
Ah, so there are. And I guess she must be the one who minds it most. Yeah…
“So she now serves as commander of the Third Knights Order—keeping herself out of politics. Still, depending on who she marries, she could become a serious contender for succession, which makes her a target.”
“Got it… so that’s why you looked so grim earlier.”
“Exactly.”
We both sighed. Yeah, you can’t not sigh after hearing that.
“… I just hope nothing happens to Her Highness.”
Yeah… never thought a princess with assassins after her would end up in our village.
But—
“Well, if that’s the case, her coming here might be just right.”
I mean, I’m already her fan. I don’t know much about the princes, but she’s good people. I definitely don’t want her dead.
So—
“I’ll use every bit of this dungeon village’s power to protect Princess Laperesiana!”
Time for me to shine!
“First, let’s pack the area with slimes.”
“… Huh?”
Yeah, see, the way my power shines… is a bit different.
What do you think about this chapter?
