Our party had swelled to twenty, and naturally, Fabian took the lead as captain. We cleared the dungeon with smooth efficiency.
Well, calling it "clearing" might be a bit generous. The obstacles in our path were, at most, three or four Goblins. The adventurers held an overwhelming advantage in both numbers and quality.
The branching corridors that had once thrown them into confusion were now forgotten. "We were worried for nothing," they said. "Typical low-rank dungeon."
But I could tell.
'Every single one of them was young. Tsk, tsk…'
Humans have a hard time guessing a Monster's age. Maybe it's because Monsters grow into their bodies so quickly from a young age, making it even harder to distinguish. Still, there was a subtle difference in their cries. Just from looking at their faces, I could tell whether they were adults or children — I was the Demon Lord, after all.
'Probably kids who didn't hear the evacuation order in time and couldn't get out.'
It was a pity.
Beyond the walls of the labyrinth, Monsters lived in settled communities. The Goblins who had once inhabited the area around the Demon Lord's Castle had all migrated here. They usually lived in the empty spaces beyond the dungeon's passages, and when adventurers invaded like this, they would slip outside through hidden corridors.
I had generously allowed the Monsters free access to this mana-rich dungeon. In exchange, each settlement was given one stronghold they had to defend from adventurers. When a crisis struck the dungeon, they were expected to hold that position.
If you think of it in human national terms, it was essentially a provincial militia system… or perhaps a slightly modified version of the garrison farming system.
The Monster villagers defended their strongholds, while the elite Monster unit led by Laura provided support.
From my position as Demon Lord, I was simply giving up living space and receiving a ready-made defense force in return. There was no downside whatsoever.
I had told the young Monsters they didn't have to join the fighting… but troublemakers existed everywhere. The little Goblins had been playing in the labyrinth's passages and missed their chance to evacuate. And now they had become prey for the adventurers.
"Well, it looks like there was no need to worry after all."
Fabian spoke in a relaxed tone.
"I was thinking it'd be trouble if the passages got any narrower, but thankfully that wasn't the case. No traps either."
"What if there had been traps? That would have been dangerous, right?"
"Hmm? Oh, right."
Fabian thought for a moment, then answered.
"If there had been a spider's nest, it would have been a real headache. One Demon Lord's Castle I know of had nothing but spiders and bats in the caves. Ever seen a spider as big as a water buffalo? Those things scaling the cave walls and attacking nonstop — it was enough to drive you insane."
"So a spider's nest, huh."
I kept asking adventurers, "What wasn't there that you're thankful for?" and "What would have been dangerous?"
It might have looked like idle chatter, but I was storing it all away for later use.
In the game, monster spiders were nothing but cannon fodder. They died in droves from a single sword swing, so I never thought of them as particularly efficient monsters. But real adventurers saw things differently. If I hadn't tagged along with a party of adventurers like this, I never would have realized it.
The adventurers, eager to show off their knowledge, offered all kinds of answers.
"Nothing really counts as a trap except the branching paths."
One person who argued traps were scarier than monsters.
"If it's only Goblins, it's a walk in the park!"
Another who pointed out that fixed monster types made it easy to develop tailored strategies.
"The Mana-bright stones are so luminous that keeping your sightlines clear is no problem at all."
Someone who zeroed in on something the game had never conveyed in the slightest.
"I see. Ah, so that too."
I nodded along, agreeing with each point.
This was, in effect, beta testing work.
I'd paid a hefty sum to bring these beta testers along, and they'd delivered exactly what I expected — expertly identifying problem spots. Adventurers were vagrants, sure, but their pride was enormous — the rougher the crowd, the fiercer their pride, as a rule — and given even the slightest chance to look impressive, they would never pass it up.
Thanks to that, the Dantalion Demon Lord's Castle was shaping up for a number of improvements. Mm, thank you very much. Every issue you've reported will be fully reflected in the open service. Please look forward to the open service.
If I'm still alive by then, that is.
"We should be arriving at the Demon Lord's chamber around now."
Fabian spoke. Roughly two hours had passed since they entered the dungeon.
Apparently, the scouting parties had surveyed the dungeon the day before yesterday and reported that no matter which route they took, it took two hours to reach the Demon Lord's chamber. They had made one mistake, though — they had scouted the dungeon before the Goblins started pouring out of the labyrinth walls.
Well, who would have imagined there was an entire monster settlement lurking beyond those walls? The scouting parties had reported it to the adventurers as "a place that perfectly suits the lowest-grade dungeon."
A botched reconnaissance leads to the annihilation of the main force.
The adventurers realized that fact only after they emerged from the final corridor. The courtyard of the Demon Lord's chamber. In the wide-open clearing that spread before them, the adventurers beheld a sight they had never imagined.
"…A woman?"
There stood a blonde girl. It was Laura.
The adventurers furrowed their brows, unable to comprehend why a girl would be inside a dungeon. But what was even more bewildering was the object she held in both hands. Laura was holding a human head.
"Oh? Ahh. So you've finally arrived."
Laura noticed them and turned her head. She yawned deliberately, making sure they saw.
"Really now, aren't you awfully late? This young lady was so tired of waiting she nearly dozed off. There weren't even any units stationed in your corridor, yet it took over two hours! I don't know who your leader is, but they're absurdly cautious."
"……."
The adventurers fell silent. The girl's voice was far too calm for the setting.
Dozens of severed heads lay scattered around Laura. She deftly worked her dagger, peeling the skin off a skull and gouging out the eyeballs. She didn't stop carving even while speaking in their direction.
With a soft thud, she tossed the finished skull aside. There, a small mound had already formed of skulls still bearing bits of flesh. Counting those as well, the number of "objects that had been heads not long ago" exceeded a hundred.
*Ugh, she's at it again.*
My head throbbed.
Ever since Laura came to my dungeon, she had developed a peculiar habit. She turned every intruder into a skull and displayed them like some kind of museum exhibit. I had begged her to stop because it was hideous to look at, and yet here she was doing it again. Good grief.
Laura spoke in a tone as casual as commenting on today's weather.
"I was so bored that I went ahead and enshrined your companions for you. Making a lady wait — even if adventurers are nothing but a band of vagrants, that's simply rude."
"U-UGHHH!"
Someone threw up. Must be a novice adventurer still green behind the ears.
Only the heads remained, rolling around the ground. Eyeballs, tongues, strips of scalp skin—all scattered in a gore-smeared mess. Anyone who hadn't experienced a battlefield would have their stomach turn inside out and then some.
Only a handful of veteran adventurers realized that "that girl" was no ordinary person and leveled their spears and swords at her. Fabian was among them.
"...Who the hell are you?"
"Hmm. Before you ask the mademoiselle's name, shouldn't you offer your own first? That's basic gentlemanly etiquette, is it not?"
Laura furrowed her brow. Fabian's expression hardened, apparently thinking she was mocking him.
I knew better. Laura was being entirely genuine about the matter of manners. Unlike me, she had no hobby of toying with people through silver-tongued wordplay.
"Fabian. Adventurer."
"I am Laura de Farnese."
Laura rose and curtsied—the way a young lady would at a ball, pinching the ends of her skirt and spreading them politely. A pale knee peeked out from beneath the fabric. Fabian blinked in confusion.
"...A noble?"
"The second duchess of Parma. It's a ruined house now, so there's no need to worry about it."
"Then why is a noble lady staying in the Demon Lord's Castle? Did the Demon Lord kidnap you, perhaps?"
"Hmm? Kidnap?"
Laura let out a small laugh. Her smiling face really did look as radiant as a teenage girl's.
"You've listened to too many old fairy tales. What use would the Demon Lord have for kidnapping a mere noble girl? Well, it's not entirely wrong to call it a kidnapping, I suppose."
"If you've been taken against your will, we'll protect you. If the Demon Lord is forcing you to do these sorts of things, you can stop right n—"
"How dense. With that little awareness, it's no wonder you're helpless against a girl."
Laura sighed. She was still scraping out skulls.
"This girl is not here against her will. She chose to be here of her own volition. Oh, that one came off cleanly this time. As expected, men are easier to work with than women."
"...You do that to corpses, and it's truly your ladyship's will?"
Laura nodded.
"It's a minor hobby of mine."
"Damn. So you're one of those psychotic bitches after all."
Fabian spat on the floor.
"Listen here, you little brat. Forget about ladies and gentlemen — where the hell did you sell your respect for the dead?!"
"This is the girl's way of giving them a funeral of sorts. Left alone, they'd either become food for Monsters or rot away to nothing. Isn't it better for the deceased to at least leave behind their skulls? At the very least, the girl remembers their deaths."
Laura replied flatly. She genuinely believed what she was saying. Fabian's face twisted with revulsion.
"You're full of shit. All you're doing is desecrating corpses."
"Hmm. Perhaps that's true."
However, Laura tilted her head.
"But wasn't it you who invaded the Demon Lord's Castle first? It wasn't us who disturbed this quiet place — it was you. You were the ones who committed the first rudeness."
She smiled faintly.
"So what's the great harm in insulting such a 'trash life'?"
"GRAAAAGH!"
One adventurer could endure no longer and charged forward with a scream.
He gripped his axe and swung it sideways with all his might. The so-called rage slash — a blow delivered with maximum force.
—SHLAAAK!
But the adventurer was only a few steps away when his head flew off. A greatsword burst from Laura's shadow and cleaved him cleanly in two from crotch to crown. As the pieces of the corpse crumpled lifelessly to the ground, the greatsword slid silently back into the shadow.
"Black Knight! You shouldn't be damaging the heads!"
Laura shouted, glaring at the shadow.
"How am I supposed to add them to my collection like this...! As a general rule, you lot kill humans so inefficiently. If you swing the blade like that, the edge will be ruined in no time! Oh dear."
She gazed at the bisected corpse with a look of genuine pity. Watching a girl who was sincerely heartbroken over the condition of the corpse, the adventurers were slowly engulfed in terror. What on earth had that just been?
What was this girl?
"Just wondering, if you don't mind me asking... where did you get those heads?"
"They were the ones who infiltrated alongside you, of course. Honestly, they were so weak it was a letdown. I had expectations since there were a hundred and fifty of them, but they were nothing more than a ragtag bunch."
The adventurers' shoulders trembled.
Laura smiled at them. There was neither goodwill nor ill will in it. It was the same kind of smile you'd give a passerby you happened to cross on the street — nothing more.
"If you leave now, you can still escape, you know? Ah, but twenty is a bit many. Among yourselves, decide on five who get to flee. I'll only take the remaining fifteen."
"...A Demon Lord's Castle guarded by a corpse-obsessed girl. We've stumbled into a completely absurd place. Everyone, form a formation centered on me! Let's show this crazy bitch what we're made of!"
The adventurers formed ranks around Fabian.
"If you insist on sealing your own doom, then I suppose I have no choice."
Laura set the head down. She drew the sword at her hip.
"Repent for underestimating the name of the Demon Lord Dantalion, and die, adventurers."
A hologram flickered before my eyes.
'Adventuring party "Fabian's Adventuring Party (Provisional)" has appeared!'
'Dungeon Floor 1 Boss "Laura de Farnese" intercepts the enemy forces.'
'Entering boss battle!'