***

“The Seven Great Evil Dungeons! Even the foolish humans recognize its strength, the pinnacle of all acknowledged dungeons! The goal of every monster! Do you understand?”

“Oh, yes.”

“However, even among the Seventh Great Evil Dungeons, there are different levels! Listen… Sir Devde, are you listening? Of course, all seven dungeon Kings are beyond ordinary monsters, but let me, for now, giiiive a loooong ─ Just, I meaaaan, in the end, iiiiiit’s juuuuust…. That’s not important.”

“The descriptions and titles are unnecessarily lengthy, aren’t they? Besides, these grandiose titles seem quite exaggerated. Maybe closer to homeowners than rulers. It’s quite an amusing jest to consider a being hunted by gatekeepers as a ruler – at least that’s how Devourer perceives it. Being the warden of all existence is a bit far-fetched, isn’t it? And the pinnacle of everything…”

“Sadly, I apologize, but the esteemed being you revere is here lost in these depths, barely capable of casting a proper spell. Where did those grandiloquent titles come from?”

“It’s not necessary! One can discern it from the humans’ word of mouth.”

The rumors, overseeing our dungeon’s promotion, must have been under Renee’s control. It seemed like Renee’s hand had been busier than needed. Maybe I should have asked what specific parts to exaggerate rather than assuming they’d manage it well. I trusted they’d do well and overshot it too far, leading to this deification.

“Of course, the other Seven Great Evil Dungeons are equally formidable! Look, ‘Cheite Castle’s’ Elizabeth Batory, ‘Corpse’s Demise’s’ Erebus, ‘Desert Hell’s’ Great Wyrm Hexabel, and also…hmm.”

“The rest of the descriptions are needlessly hurried…”

“Oops! I’ve already given descriptions for all seven places!”

“…Yes.”

Even though I counted only four, it’s futile to engage with an intoxicated entity. Simply giving a vague response, Devourer glanced briefly at Melje. With five empty glasses right in front, one could roughly understand the situation.

Watching Melje add one or two orders while being conscious was entertaining. However, they ended up in this state at lightning speed. If only I hadn’t let them continue drinking. Despite the regret, the present condition of the little demon, judging by the number of empty glasses, their attire, and outward appearance, indicated a certain state.

‘It’s the only gain, isn’t it?’

Ignoring the heavily drunk Melje, muttering in a tangled tongue, Devourer concentrated on recalling the contents of the paper seen earlier.

The red paper containing information about the The Seven Great Evil Dungeons.

Fortunately, there was nothing written under ‘Dungeon Participation Expeditions List.’ It implied that the formation of human expedition parties wasn’t yet complete.

The five-day limit set by Devourer and Patrick accounted for the expected human invasion date. So far, the situation had been proceeding according to Patrick’s plan.

There was no rush now that the sun had set.

Thus, Devourer didn’t need to move hastily. Already inebriated, Melje’s current state, appearance, and apparent age, combined with her female gender, heightened the likelihood of an attack while traveling.

For this reason, there wasn’t a necessity to move in the evening. With the sun having set, there was no hurry.

Seeing Melje, who was reddened, suddenly making an odd noise and straightening her neck, Devourer, who had been watching, decided to feign surprise.“Whoa, impressive! But where did those impressive titles for that figure come from?”

“…Let’s be careful about what we say. There are many ears listening.”

“Oh, come on! Answer me! I’ve been curious since earlier. How does Sir Devde, the esteemed being, handle strength? How could you easily handle those humans earlier?”

“…Let’s be careful with our words. There are many ears here.”

“Ooh, that’s frightening! If the esteemed being gets angry, it’ll be terrifying! The esteemed being is strong, even stronger than me!”

“You’re not exactly weak yourself.”

Despite being immeasurable accurately, even from Devourer’s perspective, Melje was by no means weak. She rather belonged to the category of strong individuals. Though not reaching the level of Devourer himself, Patrick, or Renee, the demon race itself wielded considerable power, making even average members able to handle most dungeon bosses with ease.

Although Melje appeared lacking in many aspects compared to a typical demon, she possessed a power that couldn’t be disregarded.

“Thanks for the praise, but Sir Devde probably meant it from the perspective of an ordinary monster, right? I…I want to become stronger. I want to try everything after getting stronger. If I become stronger, maybe Mr Devourer will acknowledge me?”

“…Seems like you’re quite fond of Devourer?”

“It’s Devourer ‘King’! Isn’t it magnificent? A strength that is incomprehensible…!”

“It seems like you’re fixated on strength.”

Melje, hearing those words, gulped down a beer that had been ordered, then spoke again.

“My father devoted his life to the dungeon and even drew his last breath on the throne facing the humans.”

“That sounds like the opening to an epic saga.”

“Shush. Sometimes, it’s polite to listen calmly. My father, I don’t think his life was wrong. He was strong. Even in this recent incident, despite me messing things up… he was a true Demon King who guarded that Demon’s castle for over a hundred years. He was the right one for the throne. There was only someone stronger than him, around ten years ago? I think it was Vern? A rather young human.”

“A warrior who defeated the Demon King? That’s something I wouldn’t want to encounter.”

“Well, that’s the gist of it. That’s why I unexpectedly inherited the dungeon. But even so, I don’t want to live like my father. Rather than dedicating my life to dungeon management, I wish the creatures drawn by my strength would create the dungeon themselves. That’s the reason I want to grow stronger. What do you think? Isn’t it impressive?”

‘Ah, youth is truly something. I had those days too.’

Even with a tongue twisted from the drink, the sincere tone in the speech reminded me of the past.

A time long forgotten.

Before creating and settling in the Primordial Core.

There were times of fervor, leading a legion powerful enough to dominate the world. Not to the extent of what Melje mentioned as the “Guardian of All,” but there was a time when all creatures bowed beneath my feet. I’ve lived more seriously than most, sought to master the knowledge of the world, and even had moments mingling with humans, deeply indulging in their emotions, dedicating everything to them.

───────Only to realize eventually it was all futile.

Now, the goal of my life is simply to lie down and rest.

Nodding to Melje’s words, I recalled the past. In the meantime, Melje had collapsed on the table after the phrase “Isn’t it impressive?” It seemed the strain of battling humans in the bustling streets had exhausted her.“Are you asleep?”

No response.

“Are you really asleep…?”

Still no reaction.

“…How much of a nuisance are you?”

Utterly unresponsive. It was confirmed, she’d fallen into a drunken stupor.

Is it acceptable for a Demon King to be this weak to alcohol? It made me doubt whether Melje was indeed a real Demon King.

Considering waking her and making her walk to her room for a moment, I reluctantly lifted Melje with both hands.

Though she might prefer to sleep on a bed of thorns, I suppose.

“You’ve worked hard.”

I did consider she might end up sleeping on the streets, so I should probably be grateful. Besides, both the cost of the drinks and the accommodation came from this Demon King’s purse.

Trying to positively brainwash myself as much as possible, I covered Melje with the blankets from both beds. She seemed not entirely asleep yet and was tossing and turning.

‘Resembling humans even in the smallest ways.’

Nevertheless, I’m not particularly annoyed.

* * *

A remarkably warm feeling. A feeling I haven’t had in a long time—a feeling of being cared for, wanting to rely on someone so warm…

Did I get drunk again? My head throbs. Although I seem to have sobered up quickly as a Demon King, the hangover persisted around my temples. Melje put her hand on my head. It seemed I relaxed too much after the intense drinking.

I slowly got up from the bed. I vividly recall drinking enthusiastically, but I couldn’t remember what happened afterward. However, based on the situation, I had a good idea of what had transpired.

“Did Sir Devde bring me here…? Hah, but more importantly…!”

A presence behind the door, presumably Sir Devde and only the two of us in the accommodation. And I was inebriated.

This situation, could it be?

“This, this is… a situation where I’d…with Sir Devde?!”

Melje’s mind became confused.

Is this an opportunity or a crisis?

***

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