Seu, guided by Kaleido, stepped into the interior of the dungeon.
Perhaps because it was a secret space.
The atmosphere was different from the areas she had seen until now.
The farther she walked inside, the more a sinister aura tightened around her.
She felt an ominous sensation, as though someone were pursuing her.
Each time, a chill ran down her spine, but seeing Kaleido’s unruffled gait, she soon felt reassured.
After walking for quite some time, the narrow passage arrived at a vast, round hall.
“To think the dungeon is this large….”
Seu murmured in surprise.
“Many secrets are hidden in this place.”
Kaleido’s indifferent reply.
Indeed, dungeons were places that held endless possibilities.
That was precisely why the Demon Realm Trading Company dispatched a merchant in charge whenever a new dungeon appeared.
Just like Seu now.
However, this dungeon had not been newly formed for very long.
The sight before her was far too large for a fledgling dungeon.
“Um, excuse me. Where in the dungeon are we right now?”
Seu, harboring doubts, asked cautiously.
At first, she had dismissed it as merely her imagination, but now she could clearly feel it.
She felt that the atmosphere here was different.
She could not say exactly what kind of feeling it was.
‘Something feels strange….’
It was simply that kind of feeling.
Clap—
But Kaleido answered her question by clapping his hands.
“You will know soon enough.”
The instant the sound of the clap echoed through the dungeon, Seu’s consciousness grew clear, only to become hazy again soon after.
“Ah….”
It felt as though she were being possessed by something.
Suddenly, she recalled the day she had first gone to work at the Demon Realm Trading Company.
Back then, Seu’s heart had been filled with excitement and tension.
—Ah, I finally made it here!
Her innocent self, exclaiming in admiration at the grand building of the Demon Realm Trading Company.
Any monster knew well the prestige of the Trading Company.
A place situated near the entrance to the Demon Realm, exerting influence over dungeons across the entire continent.
For monsters tired of their existing dungeon life or with nowhere to go, the Demon Realm Trading Company could become one possible choice.
If things went well at the Trading Company, one could even live a life that would not lose out to that of a dungeon master, so joining the Trading Company was the dream of many monsters.
Of course, that did not mean just anyone could get in.
Even if one joined the Trading Company, their future work was determined by which department they were assigned to.
Fortunately, thanks to the racial traits of a doppelganger, Seu was able to enter the Dungeon Support Department.
The Dungeon Support Department was, befitting the name of a trading company, a department that dealt with dungeons.
Although there was the risk of encountering humans, it did not matter to Seu.
As a doppelganger, Seu had a skill that allowed her to transform into a human.
So she had thought she would soon be put in charge of a dungeon.
Until she met Evaneline, who had joined the company at the same time as her.
“…….”
Seu’s reminiscence did not last long.
Clap—
At the sound of Kaleido’s clap, Seu came back to her senses.
“Is something the matter? You do not look well.”
“N-no, not at all! I’m fine. I just had something to think about for a moment. Haha….”
At Kaleido’s question, Seu awkwardly laughed and waved her hand.
Why had she suddenly remembered the past now?
‘The Trading Company….’
The emotions she had felt on her first day came back to her exactly as they had been.
Excitement. Worry. Anticipation.
But more than anything, it had been a day when despair had weighed heavily upon her.
‘Evaneline.’
Evaneline, who had joined at the same time as her.
Though she was of the harpy race, high-ranking demon blood flowed in her veins, making her a colleague whose starting point was different from Seu’s.
Thinking back calmly, Evaneline had been vicious.
Evaneline had used her background to torment Seu thoroughly.
She spread malicious rumors about Seu or deliberately caused her work to go wrong.
‘I knew it all too….’
Seu could not have been unaware either, but she had simply endured it.
Because that was the way to survive for a long time in the Trading Company.
But what result had awaited her?
Had she not failed to be put in charge of even a single dungeon until now?
Even now that she was in charge of Necros’s dungeon, it was still a problem.
‘What if this place gets taken from me….’
That was Seu’s greatest worry.
In order to change the merchant in charge, the dungeon master’s will had to be firm.
But if it was the Evaneline Seu knew, she would try to coax the dungeon master by any means possible.
Why? Because this place was an absolutely incredible dungeon.
Even in Seu’s opinion, with a scale like this, she could surpass Mr. Moru, who was called a legendary merchant.
Would Evaneline really let this pass?
No, absolutely not.
‘There’s no way that bitch would let it pass… Huh.’
In that instant, Seu startled herself.
‘Why did I think that….’
Perhaps her mind had become complicated because things from the past had suddenly come to mind.
She did not know why, but every single act of bullying Evaneline had done to her came back to her one by one.
When Seu collected herself and raised her head.
“Kyaa—”
Right before her eyes, Kaleido was smiling faintly.
‘S-since when…!’
Since when had he been looking at her?
“Oh my, you seem to have many worries. Did something bad happen?”
“N-no.”
At Kaleido’s question, Seu’s face reddened.
It felt as though a shameful secret she had been hiding had been exposed.
“It is all right. You may tell me without hiding anything. After all, will you not continue to be in charge of this place, Manager Seu? Our Lord Necros does not change those in charge so carelessly.”
At Kaleido’s continued answer, Seu’s face became much more at ease.
How did he know so much about the circumstances of the Trading Company when this was a fledgling dungeon?
It would have been natural to suspect him, but it was not important to Seu.
The fact that there was someone who would listen to her story made her far happier.
“The truth is….”
Seu’s story began.
It was not a short time, but Kaleido listened to all of Seu’s story.
Along the way, he interjected in response to her tale.
“So such a thing happened?”
“That was not Lady Seu’s fault, was it? It is all right. Is the one at fault not that colleague named Evaneline?”
“Ha, she truly is vicious. That person named Evaneline, I mean.”
For Seu, who had gained someone on her side for the first time, it was joyful.
Each time she spoke, Kaleido empathized with her, so she unfolded even more of her story.
Her heart felt at ease.
It even felt as though this dungeon was the place where she had always belonged.
“Oh dear… Then are you saying, Miss Seu, that you want to kill Evaneline?”
“Pardon?”
In that instant, Kaleido’s atmosphere changed.
Seu asked again, wondering if she had truly heard what she just thought she had heard.
“W-what did you just say….”
However, Kaleido only looked at Seu without saying a word.
“…….”
A brief silence.
Yes. In truth, Seu had heard him correctly.
The other party had clearly asked whether she wanted to kill Evaneline.
‘Whether I want to kill her…?’
No. She swore she had never thought that.
Had she not continued working properly until now because of that?
Even so, she sometimes thought about it.
If Evaneline had not been there, could she not have done better at work?
‘If Evaneline weren’t there….’
Would she not be happier?
‘If Evaneline disappeared….’
Would she not have to feel anxious that her dungeon might be taken from her?
“If Evaneline died.”
Seu murmured without realizing it.
“I would be happier….”
If Evaneline died, she would work even harder at the Trading Company.
A gap opened in Seu’s heart.
“Now, Lady Seu. Do you wish for Evaneline to disappear?”
The other party’s words came to her like a sweet temptation.
“Think carefully about your own heart, Lady Seu.”
With exaggerated gestures, Kaleido circled around Seu.
“In truth, if you only had the power, would you not want to kill your colleague?”
Seu quietly nodded.
Because his words were right.
If she had power, would she have left Evaneline alone?
‘No.’
At its foundation, this was a world where the weak were prey to the strong.
The reason Evaneline tormented her was because she had no power.
If Seu herself had power, if she had power that surpassed Evaneline’s, would she have stayed still?
‘No.’
Absolutely not.
That thought just now spurred Seu’s resolve.
All that remained was her decision.
“Now, Lady Seu. If Evaneline disappears, what can you do for me?”
Soon after, Seu made her decision.
If only Evaneline disappeared, she would do anything.
“A-anything… I will do everything I can.”
And that choice made Seu into a spy.
* * *
“Yes, you did truly well! To think such a jackpot would come from the first dungeon you were put in charge of!”
Balor, the team leader of the Dungeon Support Department at the Demon Realm Trading Company.
His bull-like head shook greatly.
It was a powerful voice befitting a minotaur.
“Still, that dungeon is quite remarkable as well. To think it’s still holding out just fine among humans.”
From Team Leader Balor’s perspective, an unexpected stroke of good fortune had appeared.
He had sent Seu because he thought the dungeon had already been subjugated, but as it turned out, the dungeon was perfectly fine.
Not only that, every contract Seu had concluded involved expensive goods.
Items that were small in volume but high in price.
For the Trading Company, it was something to welcome.
While Team Leader Balor was laughing, there was someone off to the side burning with jealousy, and that was Evaneline.
“Hmph, it must be beginner’s luck.”
Evaneline was not in a good mood.
She had recommended Seu with the intention of putting her in trouble, but instead, it had become as though she had handed Seu a dungeon of mid-tier or higher on a silver platter.
‘If I’d known this would happen, I would have gone myself!’
That said, she was not one to back down.
There was no need for the merchant in charge of that dungeon to be Seu, after all.
Evaneline immediately rose from her seat and approached Balor.
“Team Leader, but since this is Seu’s first time, she may make a mistake midway. If it’s a dungeon trading at this level, it must certainly be an incredible place. If a deal falls through because of Seu’s mistake, wouldn’t we be the ones to bear the full damage?”
Evaneline spoke as though she was certain Seu would make a mistake.
At her words, Balor quietly nodded.
“Indeed, Evaneline, you are right.”
Seu had too little experience, far too little.
Things might go well for the moment, but there was no guarantee that beginner’s luck would continue.
If a deal with a dungeon like this suddenly fell through?
The damage would be directed solely at the team leader.
Thus, Balor said to Seu,
“Seu, you yield this matter to Evaneline.”
It was, in effect, a notice telling her to take her hands off it.
At Balor’s words, Evaneline cheered inwardly.
‘Keke, serves you right, Seu.’
Now all that remained was to watch Seu’s tearful expression.
But Seu did not look tearful.
Nor did her expression crumple.
Rather, she opened her mouth with a bright expression.
“I’ll do as you say, Team Leader.”
“……?”
At Seu’s immediate compliance, Evaneline looked as though she could not understand what was going on.
‘What is this? Has that bitch finally lost her mind?’
Perhaps the torment she had inflicted all this time had finally borne fruit.
Her will had probably been broken.
‘Hehe, yes. Looks like you finally realized that crawling on the floor like that is the only way you’ll last long.’
Evaneline did not think much of it.
After all, the dungeon Seu had been in charge of was now as good as in her grasp.
All that remained was to use it and soar even higher.
“Then, Team Leader, I will take this opportunity to visit the dungeon again.”
And so Evaneline left the Trading Company.
She never returned to work again.
At first, they thought it was merely some incident, but they could not find any trace of her.
As though she had evaporated.
* * *
While Necros’s satellite dungeon was doing well,
Celia, by contrast, grew deeply troubled.
“What is the current situation?”
At General Manager Celia’s question, Kazel immediately answered.
“As per Lady Celia’s instructions, we have finished restoring the dungeon. The fortification work is also proceeding smoothly, and since Lady Riche joined the dungeon, the strength of First Layer, Zone Three has been further reinforced. Above all, there are no issues whatsoever with the liquor being steeped with the lamias captured by Lord Goblin Lord.”
Kazel von Rosenberg.
Though he was a noble from the Kingdom of Seil, he was the first human adjutant Celia had appointed for the sake of efficient missions.
As Kazel said, the recent situation in the dungeon had been proceeding without any problems.
The damage suffered from the lamias’ attack had long since been repaired and more.
The dungeon fortification work was proceeding smoothly.
Above all, with Riche (Baalcherit) joining them, Zone 3 of the first floor, which had been the greatest concern, had also secured its fighting strength.
There was Baalcherit, a five-star vampire, of course, and beneath him were Aren and even the elf Nariel.
If anything, it now possessed far superior strength compared to the other zones.
Looked at that way, Kazel’s answer did not seem to have any obvious problems at first glance.
But Celia let out a small sigh.
“Then how many people have been invading the dungeon lately?”
“Well… there haven’t been any intruders at all.”
This was precisely Celia’s concern.
No intruders were entering the dungeon whatsoever.
One might say that having no intruders was a good thing, but at least for Celia, it was not.
“At this rate, there will be far too few sacrifices to offer to Master. That is a problem.”
Protecting the dungeon was important.
However, if there were too few intruders, the dungeon itself lost the opportunity to grow.
And that was not all.
The sacrifices to be offered to the Great One would also disappear, so it was a troubling matter for Celia.
Before long, aside from sending Master the liquor steeped with lamias, she would have no sacrifices to offer.
“If anyone has a good idea, please tell me.”
At Celia’s words, Kazel fell into thought.
How could they make intruders come to the dungeon?
It was a rather unusual sight compared to other dungeons, where they worried over how to stop intruders.
After pondering for quite some time, Kazel soon offered one suggestion.
“Then how about doing this?”
The proposal was simple.
“I believe the fundamental cause of the dungeon’s current situation lies in its location.”
Because the dungeon was located in the mountain range, it was difficult for adventurers to visit.
“The biggest problem is that all the intruders died. Someone needs to survive and leave, then spread rumors about this place.”
“Indeed, that is an excellent point, Mr. Kazel.”
Celia’s expression brightened as she nodded.
Until now, Celia had operated the dungeon from a monster’s point of view.
At the thought of those insignificant creatures invading the domain of the Great One, she had killed every intruder without exception.
That very behavior had instead caused the intruders’ footsteps to cease.
As Kazel said, it seemed better for the future to let some of the intruders leave alive.
Those who fled would spread the dungeon’s ill fame far and wide.
“Still, it is strange. Normally, if adventurers died like this, the guild would not sit idle.”
Kazel’s words were certainly correct.
If adventurers went missing, the Adventurers’ Guild should have investigated, but the Adventurers’ Guild was currently in a state of chaos as well.
In particular, the Adventurers’ Guilds within the Kingdom of Seil were practically paralyzed administratively due to the visit from the White Order’s delegation and the appearance of the seven-star calamity.
Requests and activities continued as usual, but they had no time to concern themselves with incidents from the past.
“It seems there is some kind of problem with the Adventurers’ Guild.”
Whatever had happened to the Adventurers’ Guild, they had now learned the dungeon’s current problem.
Now that they knew the problem, what remained was the will to solve it.
“As Mr. Kazel said, we need to spread rumors first. From now on, we will promote the dungeon.”
And so, Celia’s dungeon promotion plan began.