When I woke up, it was morning. Obviously, but I was sleepy.
I suppressed a yawn and got up, but I was so sleepy, so sleepy, that I passed out right there.
"Wake up. Hey. Wake up, Wof."
"N-no..."
What. Someone's shaking me...?
And... is that a nice smell?
"Oy. Wake up. Nebosuke."
"...Nn... huh?"
A black-haired girl, faintly visible...
Ah.
Ah,
wh
a
t
.
Is
she
a
girl?
......
"Isurugibara......"
"That's right. Hang on. Something about that sounded off."
What were they even talking about? Still, this smell...
No way.
"Mixed meat soup?!"
When I sat up, there was a black-haired beauty who looked vaguely familiar.
No, that wasn't all.
A fine girl's rear, complete with a fluffy black tail.
And next to it — a large, alluring, plump peach-shaped rear belonging to a woman. Both were lined up right beside the bed.
"What the—?!"
Startled, I caught myself. Oh, right. There's a kitchen in my room.
It's on the far side of the bed and the hallway, so when someone stands in the kitchen, their rear ends up lined up right next to the bed.
When I wake up, it's not unusual to find the Minosdol maids' backsides lined up like this.
It happens often enough, but this lively rear swaying along with that black dog tail — altogether too sexy, in all sorts of ways.
It kept moving — too absorbed in cooking to notice I'd woken up.
From the two stockpots on the stove, steam rose in gentle wisps.
A rich, heavy scent of assorted meats wafted through the air. Yep, it was mixed meat soup, all right.
"Oh, you're finally up."
"Isurugi... rose?"
"Is that so, ga? No, something about the way you're talking is weird."
"Isuibara..."
"You've reverted to how you talk. What's going on?"
A black-haired beauty sitting on the bed.
The will of Heizen's dungeon. Isuibara.
Glossy, short black hair neatly framing her neck. Deep black eyes. Small, cute features.
Her height was about average for a girl. True to her request, she was wearing a white one-piece dress.
From any angle, she looked nothing but human.
There was no trace of the black spider woman.
I was the one who suggested it, but they really could pull off that kind of drastic modification, huh.
That lab, and Haiyarn who ran it. I'm struck once again by how they were beyond the norm.
More importantly though.
"Juishi and Mineha."
"My, you're finally awake."
"Um um, good morning!"
Juishi cheerfully greeting the slightly standoffish Mineha.
"Both of you, coming here this early in the morning—"
"It's not early in the morning. What time do you think it is?"
"Um, um, um, it's already… past noon."
"What?"
"You lazybones. You missed my awakening, you know."
Damn it. I'd dozed back off, and that much time had already passed?
"I-I'm sorry."
"You were dead to the world. Staying up way too late."
"Um, um, well, going to bed early at night is good for your health."
"Just because you're my apprentice doesn't mean you should turn into a witch."
"I-I'm sorry."
She said I stayed up late, and I guess she wasn't wrong, but something about it didn't sit quite right.
A witch could pull all-nighters without blinking, and I definitely didn't want to end up like that.
Mainly because my past-life memories of being a corporate slave were still all too fresh.
Anyway, I let out a big yawn and stretched.
"Here."
Mineha ladled mixed-meat soup into a bowl.
It was the wild, no-vegetables version — packed with meat from all sorts of cuts.
I didn't dislike it, but this was a bit much on a freshly-woken stomach.
"Thank you."
"As expected, this is cheaper than Heizen, isn't it?"
"Is that so?"
"Just a little."
Mineha gave a soft laugh.
We all sat on my bed and had lunch rather than breakfast, chatting about various things as we ate.
The reason the two of them were here was simple.
Mineha had just finished adjusting the Spiral Dawn spear, so she had time on her hands.
Juicy was free too, and Mineha had invited her along.
So they'd asked Riv, who happened to be in Heinzen, to bring them back.
Apparently Riv was in the lab right now.
I felt kind of bad about using her as a taxi for everything.
But she's the only one who can pilot the Etrange, so there's no helping it.
As for why Riv can pilot it, well, that's beside the point.
"I'm headed back to Heinzen today. What's Wof gonna do?"
"Let me see. I think I'll go after meeting the witch and asking about the save crystal."
I'd heard from Chive that the save crystal was nearly complete.
I wanted to ask the witch about it. If it was done, I wanted to get it installed and tested as soon as possible.
"I'll be staying here for a while. I've been neglecting things, so I need to clean my room. Call me when the dungeon's ready."
"Got it. Oh, by the way — what about Shaldina and the others?"
"They went off to Heinzen ages ago."
Right. It was already past noon, after all.
Juicy was slurping down a huge serving of mixed-meat soup with gusto.
Her appetite was something else — she certainly didn't look like a duke's daughter.
Well, compared to Mineha, who was demolishing an entire stockpot like it was nothing, Juicy was practically dainty.
But the way she ate reminded me of a dog back home.
"What about you, Juicy?"
"Woof! Um, well, I'll be staying in Heizen for a while. I'm planning to return to Hydrangea once the dungeon is complete. Woof."
"I see. Finishing the dungeon first is the big goal, then."
"That's right."
"Come to think of it, I think I'm apparently going to become a Dungeon Ruler."
"Is that so?"
Isibara tilted her head.
Despite being the will of a dungeon, she didn't know a thing about it.
"What's that?"
"It's apparently a title for someone who's touched a dungeon core and created a dungeon, like I did."
"So there were others besides you, too."
"Seems like it."
"Oh my, oh my, how wonderful! A Ruler is an establisher — it carries the meaning of a sovereign! It suits you perfectly, Lord Wof!"
"R-Really?"
Being told that with sparkling eyes by Juicy, I was a little taken aback.
"Still, creating a dungeon... Your life is going to be anything but uneventful."
"I just want to live a normal, peaceful, uneventful life."
"Wof is born to be king."
"No, no, I'm nothing like that."
"The Night King."
Mineha murmured.
"No!"
Absolutely not. That guy is a two-meter-tall man.
And more to the point — how do you even know about that!?
"Wah! Um, Wof!"
"Whoa, you scared me. What is it, Juicy?"
"Um, ah, um... Wof... are you interested in dukes or anything like that?"
"Huh... dukes?"
What was this all of a sudden? Juicy hung her head and started fidgeting.
"Um, um, um, the Tasan family and such... what do you think?"
"What do I think..."
Well, we do have a history with them and they've been good to us.
"Juicy. What are you talking about?"
"Um, wah. Wof, I've always thought you were the kind of person who would become king." "No, I won't. There's no way I'd become one."
And besides, that's not really something a duke's daughter should be saying.
"Rather, I think I should be the one to become king, oh~"
"You won't become one either!"
"Is that so? If you wanted to become king, I'd fully support you. I could even become a concubine, you know. The main wife works too~"
"I'm not becoming anything. And please stop saying things that aren't even funny."
Because the memories of my past life were aching.
Being told things like that while looking like Ishii Baru was a real problem.
"Um, um, I— I'll be perfectly happy being a pet dog!"
"I'm not keeping a pet!?"
That's supposed to be "main wife" in normal circumstances. No, no, no. That's not the point.
Mineha smiled in a teasing manner.
"But you'd think about it if it were Wof, right?"
"Even you, Mineha... That's harsh, even as a joke."
"But you'd have no shortage of concubines, would you?"
"Mineha!"
"Just kidding. Jordan."
Mineha grinned with a sultry expression.
Every little movement of hers was shamelessly alluring.
Good grief. At this rate, I'd really end up being called the King of the Night or something.
And besides, this isn't exactly a topic a ten-year-old should be having.
Also, one thing was nagging at me.
"Besides, I'm not going to take concubines."
"Then what are you going to do?"
"Um, um, a king needs concubines."
"That's right!"
That's the thing.
It's the part I can't accept.
"If that's the case, then everyone here is my primary wife."
"............"
"............"
"............"
"Ah, wh-what? No, uh, that was just a joke about a primary wife..."
What am I even saying, getting carried away like that?
The three girls fell silent for a moment, then inexplicably looked at each other before sharing a faint, wry smile.
"Well, if it's Wof."
"Wan. That Lord Wof."
"If it's Wof, then it's fine."
Wh-what? What's with them? What does it matter that it's me?
I muttered that, and the three girls laughed.
What does it matter that it's me?