It had been about a month since the meeting between the Elven Queen and King Reyd of Allysia Kingdom.
So far, there had been no word from both rulers.
Nell, who was in charge of communication, told me that it was taking a long time because it was a new project, and that it was more difficult than expected to decide on the competition and the rules.
However, it seemed that the general outline itself had been decided, and the next meeting was scheduled to be held at Rogard Empire in the near future.
Some might say that I have been taking it easy, but in fact, I have actually been busy working hard every day with a certain project as well.
I had been spending every day working tirelessly on the expansion of the dungeon area.
Although, the expansion that I was working on was not for the purpose of securing DP, so the scope was rather small, and I just kept extending a road continuing onward, so in terms of area, it was not much larger than before.
However, since the purpose of this project was to create a proper road…. this result was fine.
As long as it was within my dungeon area, I would be able to install dimension doors, so this would still make a lot of significance.
The final destination of this path would be the Demon Kingdom's Royal Capital [Regighihegg].
I was doing this so that if something happens to Lefi, a doctor could be brought to her right away.
Her belly had also grown, albeit a little bit.
Lefi also had a good style and a slender figure, so any changes in her body could be easily noticed.
I could also see changes in her physical condition from time to time, and she was probably feeling some pain right now that I, as a man, couldn't understand.
She never complained about her physical condition, or rather, she seemed happy because she could feel that her child was growing normally…
I have felt Lefi's strength many times before, but now that she had become a Mother, I think I could feel it even more than before.
Women were strong.
Also, I wouldn't know because I have no knowledge of such things… but according to Layla, who was rapidly improving her knowledge, there was a delay of about two months in the changes in Lefi compared to a normal human pregnancy.
And, according to Layla's assessment, the delay could be even longer in the future.
It seems that the Dragon Race's characteristics could also be seen in the duration of the pregnancy.
After all this time, Lefi's body still remained quite a mystery.
Well, for a man, a woman's body was a mystery in itself – the very idea was unpleasant, so I should stop thinking about it.
Although I kept thinking about what to name the child she would give birth to…I still haven't come up with a particular name yet.
It would be something that the child would carry for the rest of their life, until the day they die, so it was not an easy decision to make.
I have been searching for a name that could be written in kanji characters, but that would not sound like something from this world. So it was difficult to decide.
…I also needed to think of more potential names for when Lyuu, Nell, and Layla have a child of their own.
Well…not with Nell yet, but with Lyuu and Layla, a child may be born earlier than with Lefi depending on the case, so if I relax too much, that day would come very soon.
Oh no, I get nervous just thinking about it.
I have already prepared myself for it, but…I have to try my best once again.
Anyway, I am getting sidetracked, but that's basically the reason why I have been spending my days expanding the roads, and when I run out of DP, I hunted monsters to turn into DP and continued the process once more.
So far, I had already extended the road to the inside of the demon realm, and by riding Rir, I could reach the royal capital of the demon realm in a single day.
…Before I continue this any further, I should meet with Finar and get his permission before making a path when I am within his realm.
And since I was going to visit him, I might as well ask him about the competition.
"Okay, Rir, we'll stop working on the expansion tomorrow and go to the Demon Capital. You can come along with me."
"Kuu?"
"Ah, I'll meet up with Finar. I think it's a little bit bad to incorporate his territory into mine without his permission. Even though I have already extended this far."
Speaking of which, I recently noticed an item that would require a huge amount of DP that I would never reach even if I kept accumulating DP for a hundred years, [Do?mi?nu?].
Which was probably, [Promotion to Dominus].
At that time, when I looked at it, I couldn't help but think, "What the…?"
However, looking at it again now, I noticed that the DP required for this had been reduced…
But the amount only changed a little, so it was still sky high at the moment…but I guess the more I expand the dungeon area, the more it decreases.
The more the dungeon expands, the more powerful it grows after all.
My theory was probably not far off from the mark.
"Kuu."
"Yes, Fuhahaha, my domain is going to cover the world before you know it!"
And so, while joking around with Rir, we proceed with the day's work–.
The next day.
I left my house early in the morning with Rir and Enne, went through the door that was closest to the royal capital of the Demon Realm, and rode Rir from there to the destination.
Nothing special happened on the way, and I kept getting stares from passing carriages, travelers, adventurers, and others, but I kept going without worrying about them.
Enne, who had been chatting with me, fell asleep and was now in my item box, and I was also starting to get a little tired.
It was like a labyrinth, this capital of the Demon Realm, where one could easily get lost if one ventured a little too inside.
…No, seriously, I think I might actually get lost.
This was our fourth time here, but it was the first time for us to come here without a guide. I had always been accompanied by someone I could rely on.
I couldn't trust myself when it came to directions, so I'd have to rely on Rir's sense of direction.
"So we've arrived. …I can tell by this experience that my stamina has improved a lot since my race evolved. At this rate, performance aside, I think I can stay active for up to two days if I wanted to."
"Kuu."
"Indeed. But Lefi told me once that she had to fight Fenrir for several days straight. That can happen depending on who you're fighting, you know?"
From what I've heard, it sounded like Fenrirs were exceptionally tough.
I could tell that from looking at Rir.
While I was feeling a little fatigued, he seemed to still have plenty of stamina to spare.
Unlike me, who was just riding and being rocked, he was running all day long. He really seemed to have an inexhaustible amount of stamina.
Perhaps, the fuel efficiency of their bodies was superior to that of other creatures.
His Engine part of the body was probably of incomparably high performance.
I realized that Fenrirs, like the dragon race, were among the pinnacle of this world in terms of biological performance.
Therefore, while his abilities were increased dramatically by the dungeon at the same time as mine when I evolved, his race did not change like mine did.
"Damn, I envy your physical strength. I would be exhausted after a day of playing with the little girl army."
"Kuu."
Rir, as if smiling wryly, responded with a "Me too."
"Really? Well, I guess, even if you have inexhaustible stamina, those girls have more or less inexhaustible stamina, as well. So that means that little girls also reign at the pinnacle of this world, right?"
"Kuu, gaaah."
No doubt about it, Rir affirmed.
Yes, there was no doubt about it. I was going to name this the [Theory of the Strongest Little Girls] and present it at an academic conference.
While talking like this, we slowly made our way to the open front gate of the Demon Realm's Royal Capital.
I felt that I might end up being halted and questioned by the soldiers as to why I was here once I reached the gates and they knew my identity, since that always happened every time I approached a gate of any town or city.
At that moment, a man appeared in front of the soldiers, and after dismissing them with a wave of his hand, he turned to us and bowed his head.
"–We have been waiting for you, Your Majesty the Demon Emperor."
It was dark, so I couldn't see his face well, but I understood who it was by his voice.
"Is that Renaugil?"
It was Renaugil, a Royal Guard secret agent, and a direct subordinate of the Demon King, whom I knew very well.
He was the man who captured Emperor Shendra in the war and had lost all his magic power due to the aftereffects of the war.
From the looks of it, it seemed like he was waiting for me.
"What are you doing here?"
"Today, we received a report from a patrol unit regarding a wolf and a man riding on it moving at a great speed along the road leading to the royal capital. The features of the wolf and the man riding it look familiar to the patrol unit, so we were immediately informed of your presence."
Ah…I see…so that's how they got informed in advance.
"I see. I'm sorry if I've caused you any trouble. I just wanted to talk to Finar for a bit. Is he around right now?"
"Yes, he's here. If it's urgent, he should be ready to talk to you as soon as possible…"
"No, it's not urgent at all. I am simply doing a quick errand. And…I hate to be a spoilsport, but is there someplace we can stay for the time being? I was just thinking of looking for one after this."
"I'll see what I can do. I'll make the arrangements right away."
"Thanks."
Following Renaugil's lead, Rir and I walked through the royal capital as the night set in.
I was relieved that I didn't get lost this time.