The depths of the dungeon were quiet.
The darkness was still, and at times, it even felt cozy.
*Cozy...?*
No, truthfully, it was not cozy.
She had simply averted her eyes because she wanted to deny reality; this place was far from cozy.
In fact, no trace of life could be found in her eyes.
Nor could any hope.
“Sigh….”
If there was any fortune to be found, it was that her breath did not mist when she sighed.
This was something very important to Jein.
After all, the thin scraps of cloth she wore were far from warm even at the best of times.
Still, the dungeon interior, shaped like a cave, was warm.
Her situation was so dire that she had to find satisfaction in such trivial things.
“Brother Roni….”
Today, too, she had called her brother’s name without fail.
But no answer came.
“Denbeo….”
And she whispered another name in a small voice.
This, too, was merely the shape of her talking to herself.
Even though she knew it was a meaningless act, she called out those two names every time.
If she did not, she felt as though she would lose her mind.
Still, it was not all despair.
Whenever she called those two names, memories of her childhood always surfaced.
Each time, a small smile formed on her lips—a modest happiness.
A tiny village, almost too small to be called a neighborhood.
Jein had spent her childhood there.
With kind parents and her brother Roni, who always looked after her.
Though it was not a wealthy village, it was a life she would not have traded for anyone else’s.
In the morning, she would leave the house with Roni and gather with the village children to play.
Denbeo, who was bigger than the others his age, had played the role of the alley leader and guided the children well.
When they played together, losing track of time, the sun would begin to set before they knew it.
As the blue sky turned red, they would return home one by one at their parents’ calls.
When she went inside, she would enjoy the dinner her parents prepared and soothe her hungry stomach.
They were such happy memories.
But they were also memories that could no longer be found.
The village had burned and vanished due to a Monster Wave.
Fortunately, Roni and Jein had survived, but their parents had passed from this world.
And the same was true of Denbeo.
Only the three of them had survived from the burned village.
That was when it started.
They took care of one another and became each other’s pillars in this desolate world.
And once they became adults, they found a way to survive in their own manner.
That was becoming adventurers.
“…….”
For Jein, the happy memories ended there.
If she thought hard about it, there must have been more fun and joyful memories, but by now, they had grown far too hazy.
Most of all, Roni and Denbeo were no longer by her side.
She sometimes wondered.
She regretted not becoming a noble’s exclusive mage instead of an adventurer, just as her brother Roni had said.
“Regret…?”
In truth, she had known that she possessed a talent for magic.
She had no connections and had received no education, yet she had comprehended mana on her own.
To anyone else, this would have been an overwhelming talent.
Naturally, Roni had wanted her to become a safe and secure noble’s mage rather than an adventurer.
Adventurer life sounded arduous even in passing.
Adventurers entered unknown dungeons and fought monsters.
But if she became a mage, it would be different.
At the very least, she would be able to live a relatively safe life in a secure territory.
If she were lucky, she might even become the territory’s representative mage and be granted land.
But Jein had refused her brother’s proposal.
Because she felt far too guilty living a comfortable life as a noble’s mage all by herself.
But now, she was filled with endless regret over that choice.
“…….”
She should have just listened to her brother back then.
She should have entered service as a noble’s exclusive mage and taken responsibility for Roni and Denbeo as well.
But regrets were already too late.
She had chosen to be an adventurer instead of a mage, and so she challenged dungeon subjugation alongside Roni and Denbeo.
The result of entering the dungeon?
It was what she faced now.
Her brother Roni had been struck through the head by a flying arrow.
And Denbeo….
“Ugh.”
She did not even want to think about it.
Denbeo had also met his end, yet he had not died.
He had already become a monster devoid of any emotion.
Denbeo, who had hated monsters more than anyone as the village burned in the Monster Wave.
That Denbeo had become a monster.
If only the tragedy had ended there.
But the tragedy was still ongoing.
Jein caressed her stomach with a small hand.
When she lowered her head, her swollen belly was plainly visible.
“Urgh—”
A sudden wave of dry heaves rose within her.
Though the morning sickness had ebbed since her belly swelled, until now, not a single day had passed without her being forced to endure the goblins.
She had been unilaterally forced to satisfy the goblins’ lust.
And the result of that was now inside her belly.
“This isn’t why I became an adventurer….”
It was hollow.
And she felt resentment.
She resented Roni, who had left this world before her.
She even felt the urge to burst her own swollen belly.
The thought that something wretched was growing inside her own body was nothing short of repulsive.
But her thoughts never came to fruition.
Her current location was a prison in the heart of the dungeon.
Skeleton monsters were positioned around the prison, acting as watchmen to prevent any foolish acts.
Helplessly, Jein had no choice but to spend her days in this prison together with the wretched creatures growing inside her.
Still, she was not the only one here.
There were several other adventurers in the same circumstance.
Of course, all of the adventurers were women, and it was obvious what purpose they served.
“…Are you alright?”
Jein spoke to one of them.
The one she addressed was the last person brought here, and she was a mage.
Jein could also sense mana, so she had realized the other was a mage.
But as if her soul had left her, the other did not answer.
She had not spoken a single word since arriving here, and her eyes were hollow.
It was not that she had lost her will to live, but rather that her soul seemed to have entirely slipped away.
When the appointed time came, the skeletons dragged her away, and after a long while, she returned inside the prison.
Even so, her expression did not change in the slightest.
Because she never spoke, Jein did not even know her name.
Aside from the fact that she was a mage, there was nothing she knew about her.
Perhaps the mage had lost her mind from the shock.
Jein did not particularly want to imagine what happened outside.
Because Jein had also lost her mind for a time, she could understand.
Leaning against the despair-ridden prison, Jein closed her eyes.
Today, her belly felt especially heavy.
“Ah….”
Movement inside her heavy belly grew violent.
Suddenly, pain began to flare in her abdomen.
The pain spread from her stomach to her waist and spine.
“Urrgh—!”
She felt pressure.
That pressure extended to her lower body.
“AAACK!”
Jein thrashed violently, crying out in agony.
At the same time, the floor grew soaked with blood.
How much time had passed?
Amidst the pool of crimson blood, pale green beings revealed themselves.
There was not one.
There were three.
“Ahh….”
Coming to her senses, Jein looked at the *things* lying on the floor.
The pale green creatures squirmed and crawled across the ground on their own.
The one who had emerged into the world first among the three placed its hands on the floor and pushed itself upright.
Then it toddled toward the mother who had carried it.
It was instinct.
“…Go away.”
But to Jein, it was no different from a terrible nightmare.
The being approaching her resembled a goblin.
But to call it a complete goblin, its skin color was somewhat different.
Rather than fully green, it was slightly pale.
Above all, its face had an alien feel to it, as if a goblin and a human had been combined.
It was revolting.
To think she had carried those things in her belly.
It was repulsive.
The one that had entered the world first continued to approach Jein.
But Jein pushed it away.
Shortly after, the ones that had been squirming on the floor all rose to their feet.
All three.
No, should they be called three people?
In any case, the three continued to move their feet toward Jein.
It was the survival instinct to approach the mother who had carried them.
Above all, they were hungry.
And the mother before them could quell their hunger.
They persistently approached Jein’s chest, but Jein pushed them away.
“Go away….”
But Jein’s strength was spent from giving birth to them.
“Please, go away…!”
When she mustered her remaining strength to scream, the creatures also halted in their places.
As their mother wailed, they stood still, forgetting even their own hunger.
“My, my, healthy little ones have been born?”
And finally, the ruler of the dungeon appeared.
“Se-Selria…?”
Having spent no small amount of time here, Jein remembered Selria’s name at least.
All monsters obeyed Selria, so she must undoubtedly be the ruler.
Selria approached Jein, who thought this.
“You’ve really worked hard. I never imagined you would give birth to three, but this was worth the long wait.”
Selria smiled sincerely and caressed Jein’s face.
“Aren’t you being too cold to the babies? Come now, Miss Jein.”
Selria lifted Jein’s chin and met her eyes.
“Recall your childhood, Miss Jein.”
…My childhood?
Surely, it was filled with nothing but happy memories.
“What kind of people were your parents, Miss Jein?”
Selria whispered to Jein.
As she listened to her words, Jein felt her head growing increasingly muddled.
“Mother and Father….”
“That’s right, Miss Jein. What kind of people were your parents? Were they kind? Or were they cold to you?”
No. Her parents had never been cold to her.
They were kind people.
They had cherished her more than anyone else.
Even when food was scarce, her parents had always made sure that both Brother Roni and herself ate their fill.
“…They were kinder than anyone else.”
The answer left Jein’s lips.
“That’s exactly it. Then you know what you must do now, don’t you?”
At Selria’s whisper, Jein looked at the three little ones.
No, the three babies stopped in their places.
“…That’s right.”
Jein’s eyes grew hazy.
And she embraced the three babies before her.
“They are my most beautiful children.”
Hope had bloomed in this place that had been like hell.
Jein, who had always felt alone, was no longer alone.
Did she not have the babies she had given birth to?
With her triplets by her side, she felt confident that she could overcome any hardship that lay ahead.
“Then I look forward to working with you from now on, Miss Jein.”
Selria’s words did not reach her ears.
In that place, there was only Jein, lost in the happy dilemma of how to raise her babies.
* * *
After checking Jein’s condition, Selria immediately moved on.
“I hadn’t expected her to give birth to three.”
She had felt strong magical power from within Jein’s belly, but she had not imagined this would happen.
The beings she had given birth to were a combination of goblin and human.
They were even half-goblins who possessed mana.
Once they grew, they would be of great help to the dungeon.
“Please take good care of Jein going forward. She shouldn’t cause any problems with a simple suggestion, so we should create a separate living space for her.”
At Selria’s words, the skeleton knight bowed its head.
The plan for the Goblin Royal Guard proposed by the Goblin Lord had now begun.
Though she wanted to check on Jein, Selria was busy.
Selria had a duty to report to the Master that Jein had given birth to half-goblins.
There was also a report to write, but above all, Akeu Richi and Ajeumo, who had been attending social gatherings, had just returned to the dungeon.
“Clack!”
Akeu Richi’s return was splendid.
“You brought all of this with you?”
Behind Akeu Richi was a sight of an enormous number of slaves.
And the inventory artifact he carried contained various equipment and items.
There were even traps useful for the dungeon, making it an incredible harvest.
“Clack-clack!”
“To think all of this is the Master’s grace.”
“Clack!”
There was no falsehood in Akeu Richi’s words.
It was the great Master’s actions that had produced such results.
“As expected of His Greatness.”
It was a pity she could not witness the Master’s exploits directly, but this was not the only opportunity.
Because Selria had plans to one day summon His Greatness to this place, she decided to devote herself to her duties for now.
“Clack-clack-clack!”
“You mean the Master has entrusted me with a separate task?”
Before she knew it, her disappointment had vanished.
At the thought that the Master was always watching her, Selria’s expression brightened.
“Clack-clack-clack-clack.”
“I see.”
Akeu Richi read the contents written in the notebook.
Selria nodded and listened attentively to Akeu Richi’s words.
“In short, we are to conduct experiments on priests to find the source of power, aren’t we.”
Akeu Richi nodded.
True to his role as the dungeon’s chief administrator, they were perfectly in sync.
“Then two priests won’t be enough.”
“Clack?”
This was a mission bestowed by none other than His Greatness.
But the two priests Akeu Richi had brought were insufficient in number for experiments.
Wouldn’t they be able to reach more detailed results the more priests they had?
Surely, His Greatness would desire such results as well.
Selria’s deliberation was not long.
“Then we must recruit more priests.”
Selria felt proud that she had accurately discerned the Master’s intentions today as well.