Princess-style Dungeon Attack (4)
It's already been five days since we entered the dungeon. It seems that the number of golems increases as we go deeper. Apparently, we were not the first people to enter this dungeon. Around this area, there were quite a few skeletal remains. And since some of them weren’t equipped with regular soldier gear, it's likely that many people tried to sneak in secretly and perished midway. There were also many traps.
Well, from my perspective, more traps mean more income, so I am thrilled. Master was in a good mood too, firing rockets and replenishing ammunition in the golem tank. Sometimes, he writes something down on paper, probably plans for modifications or notes for other golems.
"That's why we don't need a scouting party. No one has been injured since we entered. We're almost at the bottom."
(But it's been five days already! I'm worried. Are you eating properly? Are you getting enough sleep?)
"We're fine. We're getting food and rest in the Treasury, where golems can’t enter. Sleep... we're getting some."
Every day, Father calls. After five days in the dungeon, he seemed to be incredibly worried. But from his old stories, I remember him boasting about living in a dungeon for two or three months without any issues. Well, I accept it as a sign of how much he cares for me, but it's getting annoying.
(Sleep is important. You need to rest properly to maintain your concentration when it matters.)
"Another golem appeared, so I'll talk to you later~"
"Isn't His Majesty supposed to be busy?"
"He should be quite busy... but it's Father."
It's not that he can't handle his job. He's been the King for 20 years now. But he occasionally runs away from his duties... mostly because Volken excessively supplies him with work.
Volken is very capable, but he's a workaholic. His motto seems to be 'More work!' Thanks to him, his subordinates never get a chance to slack off. They're so overloaded with work that they have no time for corruption or colluding with others. There's a famous story about a nobleman who tried to recruit one of Volken's subordinates into his faction.
The subordinate, offered bribes, supposedly cried blood and shouted, "I don't have the time for that! Don't increase my workload!" and attacked the nobleman. They don't have time to join a faction and work for it.
Naturally, with such a person working with him, Father shouldn't have any free time. He probably manages to call me while working simultaneously. If we don't clear the dungeon quickly, Father's stress might get the best of him. Let's aim to reach the final floor by today. We're currently on the 16th floor.
"Woof!!"
"Woof!!"
"Ouh!!"
"Isn't one of them pronouncing it wrong? It feels like it's saying something else."
The bipedal magic beast walking ahead constantly performs straight punches while advancing with the golem tank, but honestly, everyone is getting tired of their high energy. The battle-loving Kung Fu Pups, who love consecutive battles, strong opponents, and suicide attacks, were energetically destroying golems today as well. I'm worried they might hurt their fists, but they've become incredibly tough somehow. Apparently, they train by punching the barriers in the Treasury.
"To be honest, it's overkill, isn't it?"
"Safety first."
"It makes us pretty free."
The maids in the back were mostly busy with cooking or scouting. Since they weren't intended to fight in the first place, there's no problem, but they seemed incredibly bored. Already tired of walking, everyone except Master was riding a spare magic beast from the Woofers Squad. Master doesn’t ride one because he often tinkers with the golem tank, and the woofers get startled by the rocket launcher’s firing sound at close range. It looks like he's having fun. Is this really a scene of dungeon conquest?
In battle, the golems that come running from the front or back are half-destroyed by Master and the golem tank's attacks, and those that luckily get through become fodder for the Gatling gun or are destroyed by the Kung Fu Pups' aerial combos. The ten Kung Fu Pups keep the golems airborne with their punches until they break, continuously coordinating their attacks. Occasionally, an injured magic beast returns for treatment. It really does get boring. Since I was also bored, I set up a barrier and started reading. Anon was... studying.
"Ugh~~ Why do I have to study while conquering a dungeon~~"
"Because you wanted more armor, Anon. If you manage to score 100 points, I'll give you the remaining armor pieces one by one."
Aside from her gauntlets, Anon wears her own leather gear. Since she demanded the rest, I made a condition that she scores full marks on the assignments given by the tutor—hired one because the academy is temporarily unusable. If she gets perfect scores, I'll give her the gear. Giving it for free wouldn’t be appreciated, and she would easily meet the condition of defeating golems, so I made her least favorite thing—studying—the condition. After all, she apparently cries to Keena whenever there are tests.
Inside the barrier, I've set up a makeshift desk and a random chair from the Treasury, and Anon was groaning. I'm reading while teaching her the key points. Today, I'm decoding ancient texts.
I could fight too, but Anon seemed to give off a vibe that it's best not to show my full strength in front of her, so no one fights seriously. Apparently, Anon has heard some unpleasant things from others as well.
What do you think about this chapter?
