The trading city of Heizen was entering an era of change.
First among the major changes was the fact that Jinryu, one of the three great families, had been crushed.
The remaining Zenjela and Gorou families were splitting Jinryu's pie between them.
Who would get what. The negotiations were expected to be difficult.
However, so far they were proceeding smoothly.
If there was a problem, it was only Jinryu's remnants.
They could well be called Heizen's terrorists by now.
The other change was the dungeon.
With this forest wave, a long-held concern had become a real possibility.
Next year, it could no longer be denied that Heizen might actually be destroyed.
And so, as if sent from the blue, came the creation of a dungeon.
Wof, the witch's disciple, would contract with the will of Heizen's dungeon and create it.
A meeting was held regarding the matter of Wof, an outsider, being the one to create this dungeon.
Surprisingly, there were almost no objections.
The reason was simple. The people of Heizen hardly knew anything about dungeons.
So even if they wanted to create one, they wouldn't know how.
Of course, there were those who knew about dungeons.
It wasn't uncommon for subjugators to go outside, work as delvers, and return to Heizen.
However, if those experienced folk had been the ones to create a dungeon, it surely would have turned out something dull.
It would have ended up as an ordinary dungeon.
And that was exactly the kind of dungeon Isibara—the will of Heizen's dungeon—refused to allow.
After all, it was Isibara who had contracted Wof and designated him as the creator in the first place.
Combined with the fact that Wof was the witch's apprentice, the decision was formally made.
What's more, the dungeon's construction was designated as a public works project, with the Zenzera family as its backing.
Against this backdrop, Wof was given full freedom to design the dungeon.
It was through all of this that Seiran, head of the Zenzera family, received the report of its provisional completion.
Along with the test-play results from the "Torquetam" she had stationed as her bodyguard.
"..."
"What's wrong, my lady?"
"Giza. Could you read this for me?"
Giza took the report in hand.
After reading it, he sighed.
"A witch's apprentice, alright."
"Can you really wrap it up with one line like that? The report's written so even a layman can follow it, but listen—a 'deathless dungeon' with '120 floors so far,' a 'boss on every floor,' and 'couldn't even beat the 10th-floor boss'—just the first mention of 'deathless dungeon' alone doesn't make a lick of sense."
Seiran groaned and raised her teacup to her lips.
"According to this explanation, at the cost of half your carried gold and any treasures you've acquired, a teleportation circle activates right before you die. So that's what 'deathless' means."
"I can see why Isibara wouldn't want anything ordinary or boring. The Heizen dungeon—Wof himself doesn't seem all that concerned, but it's an essential part of Heizen's future. That said, isn't this going a bit far? The innovation, I mean."
Seiran let out a long breath.
Giza smiled wryly.
"True, but if it weren't on this level, Isibara wouldn't be satisfied. Still, for a 10th-floor boss, this is too strong, so some adjustments will be needed."
"You're talking far too casually about this. You know you and I have to explain this whole 'won't die' thing to Poorman and Gilmas next, right? What a pain."
"That's also part of the leader's duties. By the way, regarding the remnants of the Jinryu..."
"Have they been suspiciously quiet lately, or is something going on?"
"It appears they're plotting to destroy that dungeon."
"Right. Good work with that."
Seiran's reply was curt.
Giza made a complicated expression.
"I can understand why you'd feel that way after receiving a report like that."
"Do you actually think those people could destroy Wof's dungeon?"
"That's impossible."
The answer came immediately, without hesitation.
Seiran was a little surprised, because she'd expected him to say it would be difficult rather than outright impossible.
"That's quite a bold claim."
"I don't think they could even reach the 100th floor, but the pseudo-Generous we're considering placing there..."
"Generous as in Edda's god? What kind of joke is that?"
"If Wof created it, you can assume it's as good as the real thing."
When Giza said that, Seiran furrowed her brow.
"Seriously?"
"I'm certain of it."
"...What IS this? The potential trouble level is above Sturm's, isn't it..."
"How ironic that something like that is shouldering Heizen's future."
Giza laughs.
Seiran glares at her with a flat stare.
"There's nothing funny about this, Pon."
She flips to the next document with a resigned air.
She reads through it without enthusiasm, then narrows her eyes.
"It was related to that, but I was making inquiries.
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"...the Guild Master has been decided, it seems."
"Oh. So there's someone who can meet all of our conditions?"
"Yes... certainly, she can meet every condition without issue. But this is going to cause friction."
Seiran let out a deep sigh.
"Friction?"
"Yes. The new Guild Master is a Rank II delver."
"Oh. Not bad."
"What's more, she has the curious distinction of not having made Rank I even though she could have."
"That's quite the... reassuring track record. Who is she?"
"...She's a tanuki, same as Pon. The 'Sleeping Blast King.' Ennea-Tasan."
Seiran answered flatly.
The port town of Rize.
A young wolf-girl led a group of rather imposing tanuki women.
"Sleepy..."
"Hey, hey, big sis Ennea. You can't fall asleep!"
"But I'm sleepy…"
"We have to get on that ship!"
"…ZZZZZZzzzzz… *snore*"
"Hey, hey hey, you can't fall asleep!"
"Geez… Ashara… can't eat anymore…"
The wolf-girl sighed and picked up the sleeping tanuki woman.
She carried her straight toward the ship docked at the pier.