Chapter 185: We’re Friends, I Tell You!!
From the devastating aftermath of the battle between the Emerald Dragon and the Silver Dragon, Lily and the others had somehow managed to escape with their lives.
Of course, they wanted nothing more than to leave this ravaged, unnatural expanse as quickly as possible—but the magic circle that had brought them here had been obliterated along with the ground beneath it. With no means of escape left, they had no choice but to sit helplessly upon the grassland, stranded in a world that felt increasingly like a prison.
Lily tilted her head back and gazed up at the vast blue sky.
“Haah… are we… going to starve to death out here?”
“Captain Lily, please don’t say such ominous things. However, should that unfortunate outcome occur… you would, in the end, live your entire life without ever marrying. Are you truly content with that?”
“No‼ Absolutely not‼ I refuse‼”
Her answer came with startling force, her entire being rejecting that fate.
The heroes weren’t faring much better.
“There’s no way a grassland like this exists in the middle of a desert. Which means this is most likely a separate spatial world created by the Dungeon Master… No matter how far we walk, there will be no end. Unless the Master creates another transfer magic circle, we’ll remain trapped here indefinitely.”
“I refuse to die together with you, Kaito.”
“…Eh?”
Meanwhile, in stark contrast to the tension in the air, Estelle, Lena, and Stingray were calmly enjoying snacks as if they were on a leisurely picnic.
“Daifuku-kun, this is the very daifuku you were named after. It’s delicious, you know.”
“…………” plop
“Here, Axel. Cookies made from Grace wheat. Say ahh~”
“Burururu…” munch munch
“Gyau!”
(Me too‼ Give me some too‼)
“For you, Homura, I’ve got grilled manju~”
“Gyau.” munch munch
(Ahhh… the taste of Hinomaru…)
“Come on, Alice-chan, you should eat too.”
“L-Lena…”
Alice, however, was slumped over, her expression unusually downcast.
The reason was simple—
“I am currently suffering from a severe deficiency of Ryoma-sama…”
“Ahh~ I used to be like that too~”
“How did you cure it?”
“Hmm… well, for me, it was pretty simple. Engagement, I guess.”
“Engagement…‼”
Something in Alice’s eyes sharpened—her resolve silently hardening.
And so, about an hour passed in uneasy waiting.
Then—
Without warning, a black gate opened nearby.
And from within emerged…
“…Looks like things were pretty rough on your end. Sorry we couldn’t make it in time.”
“My apologies for the delay.”
Ryu and Ryoma.
—And then—
“Uuugh…”
Between them, hand in hand, was the Dungeon Master.
Kaito muttered under his breath,
“…This composition feels oddly familiar…”
“Isn’t it like that picture of a captured alien? The black-and-white one?”
“Oh yeah, that’s it‼”
The former Japan group somehow got excited over the comparison.
Lily, meanwhile, glanced back and forth between Ryu and the small black figure.
“Ryu-kun… that little shadowy figure is… no way…‼”
“The Dungeon Master of this place.”
“EHHHHHH⁉ …Wait, isn’t he completely limp? Is he okay? Is he even alive?”
“Yeah. We just had a little chat earlier and became friends. Right, Ryoma?” grin
“Indeed. It was a most meaningful exchange.” grin
In the next instant, Alice launched herself at Ryoma.
“Ryoma-samaaaaa‼ I’ve been waiting for you all this time—‼”
“Oh, Alice. My apologies for worrying you.”
Watching from the side, Ryu let out a wry smile.
“You two should just get married already.”
“Once we return, we shall prepare the wedding hall immediately. Kakkaka.”
“In that case, I suppose I’ll be giving the speech as Alice-chan’s representative.”
Estelle and Lena joined in from behind, their tones light.
“I’m just glad you’re both safe.”
“It’s all thanks to Homura‼”
“Gyau.” “Burururu.” “……….” plop
Then Stingray stepped forward as well.
“Ryu-sama… I’m relieved to see you safe. Truly…”
“Stingray. What exactly happened here?”
“We were… caught up in a battle between two dragons…”
“Dragons…? Well, if it was dragons, that explains this devastation.”
Ahead of them, the land simply… ended.
Beyond the edge stretched a vast emptiness—everything for kilometers erased without a trace.
“Where were you, Ryu-sama?”
“Ryoma and I were each sent to separate labyrinths. After clearing them, we were transported to the Dungeon Master’s room. That’s where we got acquainted.”
“I see… you had quite the ordeal as well.”
“Compared to dragons? Not even close.”
“…Which brings us to this.”
Ryu turned his gaze toward the Dungeon Master.
“Dungeon Master. You’ve got something to say to everyone, don’t you?”
“Y-yeah…”
The small figure stepped forward, then bowed deeply, his tiny body trembling slightly.
“I’m really sorry for being mean this time. I promise I’ll never do something like this again.”
With his childlike voice and small frame, no one could bring themselves to be angry at him.
If anything, some even smiled gently.
“This little guy actually just wanted to be friends with all of you. That’s why he trapped us in the pyramid. Apparently, he’s been alone for tens of thousands of years… and didn’t want to miss this chance. After all, no one had ever made it this far before.”
“What he did is hardly forgivable… but tens of thousands of years of solitude… that’s pitiful indeed. What did you even do all that time?”
“Umm… I studied magic books collected from fallen adventurers, sometimes used clones to peek at the outside world, and… experimented with strengthening monsters…”
“I see, I see. Then that dragon… was also your doing?”
The Dungeon Master briefly glanced at Ryu.
Ryu gave a slow nod.
“Yeah. When I created this grassland world, I think I accidentally pulled in two dragons that were flying in the sky above the continent… But I’ve already sent them back outside, so it’s safe now‼”
“I see… that was simply unfortunate timing.”
“I’m sorry… it’s all my fault…”
“For a little runt, you’ve done well to reflect on your mistakes.”
“Though Estelle’s tiny too.” mutter
“Silence, you fool‼ Read the room for once‼”
Estelle kicked Ryu repeatedly in irritation.
Watching their exchange, the Dungeon Master let out a small laugh.
“Fufufu…”
“Dungeon Master. From today on, everyone here is your friend.”
“…Really?”
“Yeah. Of course.”
“Indeed‼ We are friends‼”
“Wait, I haven’t agreed to anything yet—”
“Shut it, Kaito. If I say we’re friends, then we’re friends. Want me to knock you out?”
“…Seriously?”
At that moment, Stingray spoke up.
“However, Ryu-sama… even if we become friends with the Dungeon Master, we cannot remain here forever…”
“Glad you asked, Stingray. Actually—”
It seemed… there was, in fact, a solution to this situation.