"We're finally home." I exhaled deeply as Lefi and I finally arrived at what was effectively our doorstep, the cave in which the dungeon lay. "Man, it's good to be back. Walking through this cave really makes me feel that whole home sweet home vibe."
"It is as you say," agreed the dragon girl. "While I did enjoy my stay at that human settlement, I would not hesitate to state that I would very much prefer to spend my time relaxed atop the futon I call my own."
"You say that, but you pretty much spent just about as much time lazing around on the bed the hotel provided us as you would've back home. The only real difference would be that you invested a few seconds towards kicking me off from time to time."
"Fmph," she snorted. "You should be honoured that I deigned to allow you to lay by my side to begin with."
"Again, you're saying it like it's something special when it's not. In fact, I'd even say it happens pretty much all the goddamn time. Hell, I often wake up thinking that I didn't get a good night's rest, all 'cause a certain someone has a habit of getting on top of me and shoving their feet in my face in the middle of the night."
"…"
Oh, would you look at that? The perp's not only gone radio silent, but also totally refusing to meet my gaze. Big surprise there. Totes didn't see it coming. Not at all.
"Anyway, moving on." I shrugged and casually changed the topic in order to give the mighty "Supreme Dragon" a bit of breathing room. "The to-do at the top of my list is checking up on Rir. You mind if we head over to the plains, or do you wanna just dive right into the true throne room?"
"I mind not."
With my next task in mind and the Supreme Dragon's consent under my belt, I turned towards the door that led to the dungeon's grassiest floor and gave it a twist—only to find myself faced with a literal swarm of monsters.
There were over a hundred of them. Their forms and species were varied, the only commonality I could immediately identify was that they seemed to believe that my turf was theirs. They had began growling at us from the moment we opened the door, much in the same manner as would a feral beast an intruder.
"…Oh sh*t!"
The first scenario that popped into mind was the absolute worst possible. I was all but certain that misfortune had fallen upon both Illuna and the maids. And to that end, I drew my blade and readied myself for vengeance.
But my bloodlust waned as I heard a familiar sounding bark resound from the castle.
"Was that… Rir?"
I turned my head towards the sound's source, only to find the family pet, Fluffrir, headed in my direction. The way the monsters reacted to his cry laid their relationship bare, for they'd immediately leapt aside to provide him a straight-line path to his destination.
"Uhhh… what?" I blinked in confusion.
"Behold them well, Yuki, and the answer shall become clear." Lefi spoke in a calm tone. Unlike me, she hadn't been the least bit panicked, not even from the get go.
Despite my confusion, I lowered my weapon and heeded her advice; I looked over the monsters again. Only this time, I analyzed them in the process. In doing so, I discovered that every single individual present shared a title, one that read as follows.
Wolf Lord's Subordinate: One who obeys Fluffrir, the Lord of Wolves. Those that bear this title fear the Fenrir's might, are awed by his power, or both. And as a result, they have prostrated themselves before him.
Uhhh… What the heck? Are all these monsters seriously Rir's subordinates?
The first thing the white wolf did as he closed the distance between us was offer an apologetic whine.
"D-Don't worry too much about it. I was a bit surprised is all," I said. "Though, I do kinda want to know exactly what's going on."
According to the wolf, it had all started in the middle of one of his usual hunts. He was going about his business within the Wicked Forest when he was suddenly approached by a monster that begged him not to attack it. It swore loyalty to him and agreed to obey any of his orders. He couldn't bring himself to coldly refuse its request given the lengths it had gone to in order to explain its adoration for his strength. That said, he knew that he was a monster affiliated with a dungeon, and that it might not be the best idea for him to issue others orders on nothing but his own authority. And to that end, he continued to put off giving any orders whatsoever despite the incident repeating itself on more than just the rare occasion. The group that followed him continued to grow without him realizing just how big it had gotten. To the wolf, it'd felt like all the upscaling had happened in the blink of an eye.
After hearing that he had been tasked with guard duty, Rir's men had persistently insisted on participating until he eventually caved. And that was what had led to the status quo.
Honestly, I wasn't surprised. In fact, I felt like it made a lot of sense. Rir's growth had made him strong. Incredibly strong. His stats had long outstripped mine, and he was now able to go head to head with the monsters that lay to the dungeon's west, the strongest monsters in its vicinity. Is it just me, or does he feel like more of a protagonist than me? I mean, that is supposed to be what I am right? Seeing as how I'm the one that got ported to another world? Oh well, whatever. Doesn't really matter much to me either way.
"D-Don't worry about it, man." I pat the wolf on the shoulder as I finally finished getting over my initial confusion. "I'm the one that told you to do whatever you want, and I still stand by that statement. But do make sure you take care of those men of yours, alright?"
Rir bowed his head, as if to apologize for any trouble he caused, before turning around and barking at his subordinates. They immediately heeded his command and lowered their stances in a way that almost seemed reminiscent of a group of kneeling humans.
…Wow. That's some discipline they've got. Goddamn, Rir. You've seriously got to make sure you treat them well. These guys? They be men.
***
"Man… that was a shocker."
"It is only natural that he too would come to stand above others, for that is the fate of those who bear strength," said Lefi in the most matter-of-fact tone possible.
I mean, I guess that is one way to go about turning your life into a success story. Swearing loyalty to someone that's real strong definitely does seem like it'd raise your own shot at survival. 'Cause like, monsters have got it tough. They have to spend each and every day in a desperate struggle with the laws of the jungle just to survive. Finding yourself a reliable boss honestly sounds like a much better choice than trying to manage all on your own. Y'know, now that I think about it, being able to understand that must mean that they're pretty smart, huh?
There wasn't much of a point to loitering around in the dungeon's grass zone for much longer seeing as how I'd already finished conversing with Rir. And so, Lefi in tow, I headed towards the castle and opened the nearest door that led straight to the true throne room.
I had yet to greet the wraith girls, but not because I was intentionally putting it off. Lefi apparently terrified them. They refused to come out of hiding in her presence, so I would have to check up on them when she wasn't around.
"Hey everyone. We're back."
"That we are."
Lefi and I greeted everyone present as we stepped through the door.
"Yay! You're back! Welcome home!"
The dungeon's resident little blonde girl shouted gleefully as she dashed towards the door. Without dropping her speed, she leapt through the air and dove straight at me.
"Woah, careful there," I said as I caught her in my arms.
"Oh heya Master, heya Lefi. Nice t'see that you're back. Welcome home."
"Nice to see you too Lyuu. Where's Leila at?"
"She's prolly in the middle of doing laundry. I'll go 'n get her right away!"
"Nah, it's fine. All that'll probably amount to will just be you getting in the way of her work, so let's not." I flashed Lyuu a bit of a strained smile.
The next person to greet me did so by clinging onto one of my sides.
"Welm. Hom."
"Yeah, thanks. Good to… be…back…?" I slowly trailed off as I realized that something was off. …Wait, who the hell am I talking to again?
The person that had just greeted me couldn't have been Illuna or either of the maids. I knew where the vampire was. I was literally hugging her as she affectionately rubbed her face against my chest. The warwolf was too far away to do anything like clinging to me, and Leila wasn't here to begin with.
With those facts in mind, I slowly looked towards the source of the sensation.
After turning my head, I found myself face to face with another young girl who just so happened to resemble Illuna. If I had to name a difference between the two, it would probably be the fact that one was blue, and the other was not.
And by blue, I didn't mean that she had blue hair, nor that she was wearing blue. I had meant it in the most literal sense of the term. That is, I could see the floor through her translucent blue body.
Silence.
Silence was the only thing that I could muster as I stared at her, my mouth gaping wide open. Though it was supposed to be my first time ever seeing her, she gave off a sense of familiarity.
I could immediately tell that I knew her.
She was undoubtedly someone I had met in the past.
No, she was more than just that.
She was someone for which I felt a sense of affinity, a sense of affection.
I felt as close to her as I did Lefi and Illuna.
And it just so happened that the number of translucent blue individuals I happened to feel that way about numbered exactly one.
"Wait… are you… Shii!?"
"That's. Ite!"
The girl, whose body was as blue as the sea, happily jumped about on the spot in response to being identified.