When the materials and the shield vanished, the lab's front glass pane suddenly turned into a display screen.
Various data appeared along with a percentage.
0%. 5%. 6%. 7%. 10%.
Hmm. Slow. It looks like it'll take a while to finish.
I explained to Lupinus, who looked puzzled, and she seemed to understand.
While we waited, I heard from Hiyarn about what happened with the Hiyarn Trading Company.
"In short, I resigned as president."
"You resigned?"
"Oh my."
"I caused them enough trouble, after all."
"Well, that's true..."
It made sense. Normally, by now, I'd probably have become a rabbit stew.
Or maybe wine-braised. Or perhaps deep-fried.
"The new president is Miss Akindura. The vice president is Anstanshiru. I've become an advisor. The Kodakusan Trading Company and the Tasa family are still backing us, as before."
"I'm glad to hear that."
"What will happen to that big head office building?"
"We'll keep using it."
"What about the Minos unit security detail?"
"We'll keep some as security personnel, and the rest... we plan to sell to the Delvers' Guild."
"You're going to sell them?"
"Yeah, can't exactly dispose of them."
I wondered what they'd even be used for. Then I noticed Haiyrne was looking straight at me.
Staring, actually. Creepy.
When I gave her a quizzical look, Haiyrne gave a small nod.
"Wof. You punching me knocked some sense into me."
"Glad the punch did its job."
"Come to think of it, you also socked me the first time we met..."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, well..."
Back then, it was anger.
Pure anger, nothing else.
And this time, too, it was nothing but anger.
So basically, it was always anger.
"Haiyrne Trading will keep producing products like before, but I won't be involved in anything else. The funds for our original goal are in place. With this, I should be able to run the lab at full capacity."
It had been quite a roundabout path, but we'd finally made it.
So I got straight to the point.
"That reminds me — I have a favor to ask, Haiyrne. Could you build a human body?"
"What? A human body...?"
"What on earth would you need that for?"
Lady Lupinus furrowed her brow.
Coming from me, that was quite the outrageous request.
"Her name is Isibara. Right now, she's using a monster's body."
"I see. Her, then. And she wants a human body."
"I suppose the black spider-woman form is rather inconvenient for moving around. But at first, didn't you say that form was perfectly adequate?"
"She must have been truly disappointed by the Guild Master assigned to her post."
"Ah, yeah, that's fair enough… His abilities and status are both incredibly high, but…"
Even Lady Lupinus seemed to know what was going on and let out a bitter smile.
Haiyrne grew curious.
"Oh? What sort of person is she? A woman? A beauty?"
"She's certainly a beauty, yes."
"Oh-ho!! What's her name?"
"Ennea-Tasan."
"Tasan, huh…"
The rabbit's energy suddenly deflated.
It was as if his interest had evaporated in an instant.
"You don't get along with her?"
"The sisters are all jaw-droppingly gorgeous, which is great, but every last one of them is way too intense."
"Ah… I think I can imagine…"
"You understand, don't you."
We came to an agreement.
The Tassan Duchy. Ranked third in precedence and the only duchy in the entire kingdom.
They also sat at the very top of the noble factions.
And those great nobles had daughters.
I hadn't met all of them, but every one I had met was a genuinely good person.
Not a single one lorded her family's power over anyone or looked down on us in the slightest.
If anything, they resented being part of the Tassan family — even felt burdened by it.
Right. They weren't bad people. They were just intense. Absurdly intense, in both looks and personality.
Speaking of which, the only man among them, Rel, was a welcome relief for my poor soul.
And Rel still hadn't come back from his family home.
The leader of "Thunder Fang" — the party he and Hoss belonged to — was still away at home, too.
Hoss's letters had gone silent, and he was getting worried.
"Got it. The human bodies should be female, right? I don't want to make or look at male ones."
"Yes, female please. Isibara told me the dungeon's will seems to manifest only as women."
"Huh."
"That is quite fascinating, isn't it."
"She said it's because of the dungeon's structure."
"Because of the structure... is that so."
Lupinus wore a look that said she had no idea what any of that meant.
But Haiyān seemed to get it right away.
"Oh my. When you put it that way, dungeons really are quite feminine."
"Oh, are they?"
"Lupinus, you don't understand?"
"Not in the slightest. Though the two of you seem to have it figured out."
Should I… explain this?
I exchanged a glance with Haiyan, and she asked to borrow my ear and whispered to her.
"It tickles… Wait, what? Um, I mean, the female… ah, wha… t-that's what it means… but… that's… w-well, yes, that's true, but… something like that…"
Lupinus's face turned so red it practically looked like steam was coming off it.
She really did not sugarcoat that one bit.
Well, I suppose being thorough was probably better.
Once Haiyan pulled away, Lupinus stayed bright red and stared at the floor.
I'd give her a while.
"Still, though. How did you end up building a dungeon in Heizen, Wof?"
"That's—"
I told her everything that had happened in Heizen.
Haiyan gaped in shock, then looked genuinely impressed.
Lupinus, who'd been resurrected, chimed in to fill in the parts she'd been involved in.
I left out the bit about Laada, though — it was complicated given the whole situation with Haiyan's original body.
Oh, but she's still in that second-floor bedroom of "Etrangé" in the storage bay.
Well, she'd basically turned into a shut-in who never came out, so there was nothing to worry about.
"Oh, it should be just about done."
Haiyan glanced at the display and said.
80%.
If he said "just about," then I guess so—but 20% still remained.
"It's taking quite a while, but is it always like this?"
"No, it was faster when we made Mineha's spear."
"Is there something causing the delay?"
"Could be."
Even Haiyan didn't know.
But at Haiyan's "just about" remark, Lupinus started getting antsy.
"Wof. I can't wait to see what kind of shield it'll be."
"Yeah."
Actually, the display was showing detailed data on the finished shield, complete with illustrations.
So Haiyan and I already knew what it was going to be.
90%. 91%. 93%. 94%. 95%.
Ticking along.
"Hmm."
"What's with the groaning, Haiyan? What's wrong?"
"There's one entry on the shield data list that I don't recognize."
"Data...?"
96%. 98%.
"Ah, there it is."
100%. Complete.
The table at the center of the lab split open, and a shield resting on a black pedestal rose into view.
It was a large, round, white shield. Its shape hadn't changed from the original round shield.
But now blue seams and lines ran across it here and there, and a black gemstone glowed at its center.
"This is my… 'Tank' shield."
Lupinus's voice trembled slightly as she stepped closer.
Just then, the black gemstone flickered.
"Hey. What the hell is going on here!?"
A man's voice came from the shield.
A Sh— a Shabettar!?