The VIPs in the Meanwhile
“Are those adventurers your doing, Haku? They seem to be used to this.”
“Kehma-san’s doing, actually. I mean, I invited him to make the dungeon, it looks like he’s put them through some irregular training?”
“… Those adventurers must have been put through their paces. They’ve even overcome the succubi.”
The adventurers had annihilated the skeletons and gargoyles. Their movements were well practiced. Moreover, they seemed to shake off the succubi’s temptation easily. Normally, adventurers would have quickly been manipulated by the succubi and started attacking each other.
Not to mention Wataru, the hero who’d mowed down those succubi with his overwhelming strength.
“By the way, Haku. That one’s a hero, yeah?”
“Yes, he is.”
“If I recall, he’s one of your pawns?”
“Yes, he is.”
“… Him having a charm-resistant bracelet was pretty convenient?”
“It would be an issue if a hero were to fall under an enemy’s control, is it not a natural countermeasure?”
“I don’t recall him having it though?”
“I’d just thought it up the other day. Him not having it up until then was not safe, of course.”
Core No. 6 shrugged as if to acquiesce.
Looking back at the monitor, they saw that Core No. 564 had noticed the hero’s presence and was upset. He was shouting as his prided group of succubi was easily devastated and forced to fall back.
… It sounded something like him protesting that the hero alone was already too much.
Still though, that side was going with deploying the hero there since there was only one way in and out.
They weren’t letting their own allies do the attacking, instead making it so that the hero would only be hunting their enemies. Haku hadn’t given him that order, she hadn’t even been briefed on the dungeon. It was Kehma’s own scheming that brought this situation about so naturally.
Meanwhile, Core No. 666 was actively raiding Core No. 564’s dungeon. Swinging the fire magic sword that was her [Doppelganger], she easily cut through the gargoyles surrounding her.
Her breathing visibly rough, she used an arm to wipe the sweat from her brow, showing that she could allow to act tired in mockery. Core No. 6 and Haku knew the truth behind it, but would Core No. 564 after becoming so disturbed by the destruction of his troops?
“No. 666 is doing her best too, isn’t she?”
“Hmm. No. 666 is doing it irregularly, but she has achieved the strength of an instructor.”
“An instructor? Oh, in your Demon King Style. If I recall, it was something about achieving a body that doesn’t tire through an improved humanization?”
“Correct. And No. 666’s brat of a Master ordered her to [Forget] her fatigue. Well, she won’t be an instructor until she’s able to do it herself, but it’s still a valid strategy.”
“… Ah. The Absolute Command Rights. Haah…”
Haku sighed. Even if she felt that the Absolute Command Rights were annoying, she didn’t say it. [Father] was sitting right in front of her, after all. He probably had a deep reason for it…
Just then, [Father] smiled and spoke to Haku.
“Haku, I have some questions I’d like to ask, but could you ask Kehma-kun them for me?”
“Of course, if you wish. What should I ask him, Otou-sama?”
“No. 666 made it past No. 564’s attack, I’ve been wondering how she hid.”
“Oh. She was in that room from the start. She seemed to have been hiding herself by using [Illusory Wall].”
Yes, Aidi had been in that room from the beginning. However, she only appeared out from behind the insubstantial wall after No. 564’s attacking forces passed by.
Haku judged it to have been due to the insubstantial trap [Illusory Wall (500 DP)] and couldn’t help but feel admiration for using it to get past enemy troops.
“Hmm, it looked a bit different to me. Please ask him.”
“… Understood, I will.”
However, Haku couldn’t help but connect her monitor to Kehma and ask now that [Father] had said that.
“Kehma-san, do you have a moment?”
[Oh, what’s up Haku-san? I’m a bit busy with the Dungeon Battle at the moment.]
“I have a question for you. How did you hide Core No. 666?”
[Oh? You didn’t see the map? She was in the gate room from the beginning.]
She hadn’t looked at the map, but Haku did already know that, of course. Besides, Haku already felt she knew how this happened… but when she glanced back to [Father], he was looking at her with [Ask how she hid herself!] written on a piece of paper.
“Umm. How did she hide?”
[… Not going to say for free.]
The negotiations began. With that, [Father] quickly created a strong will bracelet. Its effect was enhanced through a god’s power, so this strong will bracelet could even be called godly.
… Haku felt that Kehma was getting a bit too compensated for this.
“So, how did you hide her?”
[It wasn’t anything so complicated. See? I spread a monitor to fill the room and made it show the picture of a wall. Then I just had her stand behind it.]
In other words, he’d expanded a monitor to the maximum size, made it visible, then used it to hide behind.
“Eh? You didn’t use an [Illusory Wall]?”
[… Illusory…? Oh, the trap. Those are expensive though? They’re worth ten futons. A monitor was enough for this Dungeon Battle.]
Setting aside whether 500 DP was expensive, for him to use the menu’s monitor like that…
Haku was suddenly brought back to the mind-shattering feeling he’d forced her to feel before.
“… That helped. Thanks.”
[No, no. Please give Father my regards.]
Saying that, he closed the communication.
“… It looks like Kehma-san did notice you after all, Otou-sama.”
“Ahahaha! Well, that’s Kehma-kun for you. But maybe I should respond with [You have no right to call me Father!] or something? Eh, I’m not really against it though.”
“If you don’t mind… wait, No. 6? What’s wrong?”
When Haku turned toward Core No. 6 next to her, she saw him busting a gut laughing.
“Kukuku, it’s nothing. Just seeing your face when you heard about how he used the monitor was funny. Forgive me.”
“… Did I look that strange?”
Haku placed her hand against her cheek.
“Yeah, you did. Your eyebrows and mouth froze solid. Kukukuku.”
“Alright. I’ll go all out in my attack in our next war. Perhaps I should lend my magic sword collection to my knights…?”
“Wait wait wait! I didn’t do anything wrong here! Right, Father!?”
“Ahahaha! Sorry No. 6, you’re at fault for saying saying a girl’s face looked funny. Though Haku, aren’t you the one that decided he’d used an [Illusory Wall]? I think you should be a bit more flexible.”
… [Father] had likely already realized what Kehma did even before she’d asked him, but had her do it for her own sake. He was grinning like a kid whose prank just succeeded.
“Did you know? In another world, they have people called shinobi that use cloth colored to look like walls in order to slip past enemies. They call it kakureminojutsuNinja Art of Camouflage.”
“… Is Kehma-san one of those shinobi?”
“That’d be a sight to see, wouldn’t it! —Ah, how about we get back to watching the Dungeon Battle?”
The Dungeon Battle was still in its early stages.
As for what events would unfold next, only god knew—nay, not even [Father], a god, had no clue and was looking forward to it in excitement.