Chapter 77 - Chapter 77: A Small Enemy
Heading toward Sensei's place at the monster research facility in Haneda, I was attacked by monsters on the sea again.
This time it was a squid monster.
I don't know if it was a Kraken or Tentacles, but for now, I decided to call it Tentacles.
Squid sounds edible, but the severed arm smelled of ammonia, so that was impossible.
Showing Sensei the legs of the Tentacles I had taken down and the red-skinned Lesser Demon, he was overjoyed.
On top of that, I consulted him about the reason why the Princess doesn't get pregnant.
Could it be that the cause lies in my seed?
Thinking that, I decided to have Sensei examine my seed.
With this, I should be able to determine the cause for sure.
Well, since I can't do anything with anyone else, I think the cause must be me~.
Leaving the research facility, I returned to the Special District with the Princess.
I was worried we might be attacked by Tentacles again on the way back, but it was an unfounded fear.
I don't think they are dead since I didn't kill them off completely, but...
They seem to need magic power to survive, so maybe they die if they move away from near the dungeon?
According to Sensei, they seem like normal creatures, so it might be possible for them to catch prey and eat to survive.
In fact, Harpies steal and eat human food.
I'm curious about monster diets, but cannibalism among monsters hasn't been confirmed yet.
It hasn't been confirmed, but that doesn't mean it's zero.
"Hehehe..."
The Princess, who returned to the Special District, looked happy.
The Princess walking beside me, her beautiful profile illuminated by the sunlight, shone softly.
The smile floating on her face was innocent yet elegant, never losing its grace.
Joy was too much to hide, and her smile had a natural warmth.
It felt as if she was truly enjoying this moment.
Her black hair danced in the wind, showing a silky gloss as it swayed.
Every time her hair played with the wind, it flowed elegantly in time with her light steps, drawing the gaze of those around.
Even those who don't know her cannot help but be drawn to the Princess's charm.
Her magnificent stride was light, as if dancing, with a rhythm that made her seem to float slightly.
From the feeling of holding hands, I could tell her innocent joy.
I was also smiling while holding her hand, but...
I pulled the Princess close and whispered.
"Darling."
"They're following us..."
"I know."
As expected of the Princess.
It seems she noticed it too.
She suddenly let go of my hand and disappeared into the crowd.
As I continued walking, I heard a woman's scream.
The Princess must have caught the culprit.
I wondered what kind of person it was, but the one brought by the Princess was an acquaintance.
"Sana!"
"..."
She was looking down.
"Why were you following us?"
"...Because I saw Daisuke-san..."
"You could have just said hello."
"..."
She was saying something while looking down, but I couldn't hear it.
No, with my level, I could pick it up if I concentrated, but I had no intention of doing that.
Doing that in such a crowd would be too noisy anyway.
"Here."
I took the curry pot out of my Item Box and handed it to her.
"..."
"You wanted to eat curry, right?"
"Uu... Uwaaaaa~!"
She snatched the pot and disappeared into the crowd.
"W-what happened?"
"She wanted to cut in between me and Darling, but she has no strength, so she was frustrated."
"You could have just come to play normally..."
"Like that would work!"
"Iroha is fine, but she's not?"
"Of course she's not! Hmph!"
I don't understand that boundary.
That hotel room was her room, so if the Princess says no, then it's no.
"Then, how about I rent an empty room in the special suite and invite her there?"
"Gabu!"
For some reason, the Princess suddenly bit my arm.
"Ouch! Hey, Princess, stop! It's just a joke."
"Hmph!"
She let go.
The Princess's teeth marks remained on my arm.
If it were a normal woman, I might not even get hurt, but the Princess is different.
If she were to bite a normal human's neck, wouldn't it snap?
We have already turned our whole bodies into weapons.
Truly, human weapons.
Rubbing my arm, I looked around... guards seemed to be lurking here and there.
Well, it's grateful, but my fighting power is superior to theirs.
"Oh, right."
Seeing the guards around reminded me, so I contacted the Prime Minister.
"Did you find out anything about the sniper I caught before?"
A reply came immediately.
It might not be the Prime Minister himself, but the person in charge assigned to me.
『Regarding that matter, it has become a highly advanced political issue, so please entrust it to us.』
"We can't do anything, nor do we know anything, so we leave it to you. Thank you very much."
This is serious.
I have no idea what is going on.
What kind of tug-of-war is happening between nations right now?
Japan, leading the world in Dungeon Engineering, and other countries.
With the addition of the Item Box, it's not strange that other countries think they can't handle it.
Well, they probably understood that killing high-level adventurers isn't that easy after failing the assassination attempt.
Still, if they are pinned down like the high-level adventurers from enemy countries who attacked near the nuclear plant, they have a high chance of dying, turned into a honeycomb.
No, since they can't die easily, they might suffer more.
The enemy soldiers back then were hit with about 100 bullets and were still moving.
I don't want to end up like that.
Returning to the hotel, I had Kaorulko heal my wounds.
Rolling up my sleeve, the Princess's teeth marks were clearly visible.
"Kaorulko, please. I was attacked by monsters."
"Hmph!"
The Princess turned away at my words.
"Even Lady Sakurako does such things?"
She was smiling at the wound, but this is a level of injury that would normally leave a scar.
I was bitten by a dog in the past, and the scar is still on my arm.
"Well, in a simple brawl, you can't beat me."
"Heal."
Since we are near the dungeon, magic can still be used here.
The effect is poor, but this kind of injury should heal quickly, and it's grateful that no scar remains.
"Phew, thank you."
"Hehehe."
Kaorulko was smiling.
With nothing else to do, I made curry again.
I had already divided it, but I gave it to Sana.
Originally, it was divided for that purpose, so there's no problem.
No matter how much curry I make, it's never enough.
It disappears in a flash, and even if I make a lot, I can eat it anytime if I put it in the Item Box.
I cook rice in large pots too.
The IH on the sink in the room lacks firepower, so I had Kaorulko heat it with magic.
Once heated, it's fine on the IH.
I watched the curry simmering with a bubbling sound.
I wondered what to do about Sana, but... there's nothing I can do.
The Princess will get angry.
I want to think that if Sana shows her potential as a high-level adventurer, the Princess will accept her.
Thinking of Sana's appearance as she casts magic and shines, the phone from the front desk rang.
I picked up.
"Yes."
"Is this Niwa-sama?"
"Yes, that's right."
"There is a customer in the lobby."
The front desk wouldn't take a call from someone unknown, so it must be someone I know.
"I'll go down for a moment."
Stepping out into the hallway, I took the elevator down.
When I reached the lobby, a small shadow was sitting on the sofa.
"Mio-chan."
At my voice, the small shadow stood up.
"Daisuke!"
She ran and hugged me.
"What's wrong?"
"Daisuke, the smell of curry!"
Mio was sniffing my clothes.
"I was making curry just now."
"Mio wants to eat Daisuke's curry too."
"Eh? I gave curry to your sister during the day..."
"Sister ate all the curry while crying..."
"Eh?!"
Why cry?
I thought there was quite a lot, but did she eat it all?
Well, magicians seem to consume a lot of calories.
She might be hungry, but... she shouldn't eat her sister's share too.
Kirara and Ema-chan were there too, weren't they?
"Umm, then... shall we eat curry at my place again?"
"Yes!"
Since Sana ate the curry, there might not be any food left.
I'll contact Sana just in case, but there's no reply.
No reply probably means it's not a problem.
"I'm back."
"Yay!"
"Oh! Darling! That kid again!"
"It seems sister ate all the curry."
"What is that? I don't get it."
"Mio-chan wants to eat curry too. I'll send her back after she eats."
"Gnnn..."
Hearing that, Mio was sulking.
"Can't I stay?"
"Umm, this is sister's room."
"No! No!"
Mio hid behind me, seeing the scary face of the Princess.
"Princess, don't bully children."
"I'm not bullying her!"
"Really, Lady Sakurako..."
Kaorulko was a bit dumbfounded too.
You don't have to treat her so coldly.
She crossed her arms and turned her back, so I sat Mio on the sofa.
The curry was already done, so I asked Kaorulko to help and set the plates on the table.
In the center was the curry pot and a bowl of salad.
Rice was self-service, but I served Mio's portion.
"Let's eat!"
Mio climbed onto my lap and started eating the curry.
"Why are you sitting there as if it's natural!"
"Princess, don't compete with children."
"That's right."
While saying that, Kaorulko was piling up rice.
"Gnnn..."
She sat down roughly and started eating the curry.
"Hug hug!"
As if drawn in, Mio was eating the curry with all her heart.
Well, it must be delicious.
I'm always worried about what she eats.
"Phew, I'll eat too."
The taste was the usual curry flavor... well, since I use store-bought roux, it's naturally the same taste every time.
However, I mixed my own spices and sprinkled a little on top later.
It doesn't make it delicious per se.
Just a bit of spice aroma.
"Mio-chan, are you eating rice properly?"
"Yes!"
She probably bought ready-made food from a street stall since she can't cook.
I feel like it's not good for her body.
After the meal, I divided the curry into small pots and gave it to Mio.
To avoid spilling, I put it in a bag.
"..."
She seems to want to stay, but the Princess won't give permission.
She was staring at me the whole time.
"Here, sister is making a scary face, so it's no today."
"...Yes."
Mio seemed to understand.
I sent her off and went to the lobby via the elevator.
Outside, it was getting a bit dark.
I went out with her.
"Wait a moment."
I sent a message on my smartphone.
"Are there any of my guards nearby?"
A reply came immediately.
『What is it?』
"I want someone to take this child home..."
『...Understood. I will send one person.』
"Thank you."
Soon, a woman arrived.
She was small but had a sturdy build, looking like she was definitely trained.
"Did you call?"
"It's getting dark, so I thought it was dangerous for a girl to be alone. I want you to take her home."
"Understood!"
"..."
Mio seemed a bit shy around strangers.
She was wary of the strange woman and hid behind me.
"It's okay. I know her."
"...Yes."
"Yes."
The woman reached out and held Mio's hand.
"This is a gift..."
I took out a Magic Stone from my Item Box.
"You can't. If a civil servant receives something from a civilian, it becomes bribery."
"Oh, right... come to think of it, that's right."
Hareyama-san said that too.
Japanese civil servants are serious.
In foreign countries, they would naturally ask for bribes with a straight face.
"Bye-bye, Mio-chan."
"Bye-bye, Daisuke."
The woman was carrying the curry too.
Well, I don't know if she's from the Self-Defense Forces or Public Security, but no fool would attack such a person.
Outside the dungeon, firearms can be used.
After seeing Mio off, I returned to the room, and the Princess's headbutt missile flew at me.
"Gwee!"
"Boo!"
The Princess headbutted me as I fell and poked me.
"Gwe! Hey, Princess, it hurts!"
"Boo!"
"The other party is a child, I can't just leave her?"
"Boo!"
She wouldn't listen.
I had no choice but to sit up and picked the Princess up in my arms, sitting on the sofa.
I put my lap as a pillow and stroked her head.
"Okay, okay, be a good girl..."
"..."
For now, she seemed quiet while I was stroking, so I stroked her whole body.
"There's no need to make a fuss over such a child."
Iroha is okay, but she's too wary of elementary schoolers.
"No! That kid is definitely targeting Darling!"
"I'm an old man, though. I might even be her grandfather?"
"Age doesn't matter!"
"Okay, okay."
"Even if Mio grows up, she wouldn't choose her when the Princess is here."
"Uu!"
It seems she can't accept it.
"A top-ranking adventurer with a beautiful face, a rare charisma, and a daughter of the famous Yaegashi Group in Japan... she has so many things others don't, yet she's still anxious?"
"The Darling I know isn't interested in such things..."
"Hahaha, well, that's true."
"Uuu!"
"Please say something to Kaorulko too."
"Something."
She seemed completely indifferent, doing work that looked like office work.
Probably... Kaorulko was accepting the Princess's actions like this.
Since the Princess's target shifted to me, she might be able to work without hesitation.
"I wish we could recruit the vice-leader of the Golden Path."
"Boo!"
The Princess booed.
"No. I thought if she did office work, Kaorulko's burden would decrease."
"She seems nice."
Is she really listening to my words or not?
Kaorulko didn't stop working.
"See, when we go into the dungeon, the guild becomes empty."
"I was thinking that was a problem too."
"If someone is always at the front desk, things would proceed smoothly..."
"Well, if it's absolutely necessary, I'll install an AI."
An unexpected word came from Kaorulko, surprising me too.
"AI? Can AI do that kind of work?"
"With the latest model from Yaegashi, it can handle it without problems. We need to prepare servers, lines, and various things..."
"Isn't introducing AI cheaper than hiring people?"
"Generally, yes... but performance is guaranteed."
According to Kaorulko, even large company front desks can handle it easily.
"Wow... the times have evolved."
Anyway, the Princess wouldn't leave me.
She stuck to me wherever we went.
Bath, of course, and the toilet too.
"Hey, hey, Princess..."
She stood like a guardian in front of me sitting on the toilet.
"Darling said a husband and wife can take care of each other's lower needs in an emergency. I can do it now!"
"No, it's fine now."
"No! This is the time!"
"It's not..."
Leaving the toilet aside, if this makes her happy, I decided to let the Princess do as she pleases.
―― The next day, after going to Haneda, meeting Sana, and having Mio come to eat curry.
When I woke up, a naked Princess was on top of me.
"Uuu... Darling..."
Putting her down from my stomach, I checked my smartphone.
A file had arrived from the outsourced woman I asked to edit the video.
It was the finished product of the edited video.
Checking it... good job.
It's worlds apart from my casual editing.
Thumbnails and opening title backs were inserted.
It was like professional work... wait, is she a pro?
While I was doing various things, she edited the video, so it's grateful.
This is worth paying for.
I immediately uploaded the video to the site.
After that, I got up and prepared breakfast.
While toasting bread and checking the video, comments were already there.
The video counter was spinning at an amazing speed.
There are many viewers waiting to see my video uploaded.
If this continues like this, I'd be rich, but it won't last.
Initially, rare monsters and powerful battle scenes might be popular, but it won't last long.
Flashy scenes repeated in a similar way will get boring.
Even if they get bored, this isn't staged; it's non-fiction.
I can't add interesting effects either.
"Phew."
Reading comments.
"Amazing number of Wraiths!"
"Do Wraiths swarm like this?"
"Since there are many high-level adventurers this time, maybe the level adjustment is happening..."
"Does that happen?"
"It's like a game."
"Why now..."
The scene was Kaorulko's Chain Lightning flash.
"Amazing!"
"Empress! Empress!"
"Breasts! Breasts!"
"Breasts! Breasts!"
Endless responses about breasts continued.
Very trained viewers.
The next video was the horde of Golems rushing.
"Great God of War?"
"Grandpa, now it's ground leveling lol."
"Whoa! How do you defeat a horde of Golems?"
"These can't even be used as materials, so what can be done... but there are so many."
"Eh?! You flipped over a Golem?!"
"Who is this?!"
"The owner of this channel, the Item Box old man, right?"
"Is this person really strong?!"
"Didn't Cherry Princess say? The strongest in the world."
"For real?"
"If he's the strongest, can he date Cherry Princess... back mountain."
The next video was the red, 3x speed Lesser Demon.
"What is this?!"
"It seems to be a Lesser Demon."
"Is this a Lesser Demon? Come to think of it, it's unusually red!"
"Equal to high-level adventurers... seems to use magic too, this is impossible for normal adventurers."
"Floor 6 is Minotaur, but this guy is a beast."
"This one seems to have level adjustment too..."
The next video was Floor 7... the entrance/exit at a height of 100m.
"Huh?! There's only an entrance/exit at 100m height?"
"What kind of crap game is this lol."
"Are they going to build a scaffold and climb there..."
"This is impossible without the Item Box old man."
"That's why this attack became a joint effort of the top guilds, right?"
"No no... this is impossible, impossible, snail..."
And finally, the last battle.
"What is this?!"
"According to the explanation, it seems to be a Chimera."
"A human Chimera?!"
"Could these be the remnants of 'Dancing Darkness'?"
"Uwaaaaaa!"
"Fuhaha! The dungeon is hell!"
"Empress-sama's great magic!"
"Breasts! Breasts!"
"Other adventurers are amazing too!"
"Is this a top ranker?"
"It's amazing to watch top rankers' real battles like this!"
"Thanks to the Item Box old man!"
I reported to the government offices that the Chimera was the leadership of Dancing Darkness.
The wanted ones died inside the dungeon, so they will be removed from the extermination targets.
The only one left is that woman of the Labyrinth Cult.
I haven't seen other cult members, but do they have a base somewhere and are they there?
No, seeing the fate of Dancing Darkness, I can't believe other believers are still alive...
I can't imagine it.