That Time I Got Reincarnated as an Underground Labyrinth Manager

"The Dwarf King, Gazel Dwargo!"

A cool, commanding voice rang out, instantly silencing the entire plaza.

Three new presences suddenly appeared, and the voice came from one of them.

"Dryads?!"

The court mage cried out in shock.

Chishiya turned his head and saw that it was Treyni. Her sisters stood beside her.

Treyni smiled at Chishiya, then turned a sharp gaze toward the Dwarf King and his group.

"You've shown great disrespect to the leader of our forest, Dwarf King."

"You barged into our territory with swords drawn. Are you prepared to become enemies of the forest's residents?!"

Now the dwarves were truly rattled.

Even the dryads—

The guardians of the Jura Forest—had shown up!

What kind of terrifying town is this place?!

"The highest-tier beings of the forest… even the dryads are here…"

"Our intel was totally insufficient…"

The dwarves began whispering among themselves.

The Dwarf King lowered his gaze and looked toward Rimuru.

"The leader of the Jura Forest…"

Eh? Why are you looking at me?! Rimuru panicked.

"W-Wait, I've been trying to say this from the start…"

"You're misunderstanding something…"

"I'm not the person you're looking for, am I?"

Gazel: "Misunderstanding?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Rimuru. Isn't this your territory?"

"Who else but you could command so many monsters?"

Upon hearing this, Benimaru and the others glared coldly at the Dwarf King.

"HUH?!"

Rimuru broke into a cold sweat.

This is so embarrassing!

Saying something like that right in front of my boss…

Chishiya might not care, but to monsters, territorial hierarchy is serious business!

This is basically public treason!

Rimuru waved his hands in a panic. "Y-You're wrong! You've got it all wrong!"

"This isn't my territory!"

"I'm currently living under someone else's roof!"

The Dwarf King froze. "What?!"

That slime… is renting from someone else?!

Could I have completely misjudged the situation?

What is even happening…

"Oi, oi, Dwarf King," came a voice dripping with menace.

Shion cracked her knuckles and stepped forward, a dangerous aura leaking out.

"That's right. We will not forgive anyone who disrespects Chishiya-sama!"

Shuna's aura flared up too, her voice cold and sharp.

"Chishiya…?"

Gazel blinked.

Who the heck is that?

Then a terrible thought hit him.

He slowly turned toward the black-haired boy standing beside Milim.

Don't tell me…

At that moment—

Treyni's voice echoed again.

"That's right, Dwarf King!"

"This is the true leader of the Jura Forest."

"Chishiya-sama."

As she spoke,

Everyone's eyes turned to Chishiya.

Chishiya casually patted Milim's head, then straightened up and smiled politely.

"Nice to meet you, Dwarf King Gazel Dwargo."

"I might be the one you've been looking for."

"I'm the owner of this monster town. Chishiya Shuntaro."

"As you can see, I'm human."

The air went dead quiet.

Then—

"NANI—?!!!"

The one pulling the strings behind the Orc Lord's defeat…

The one commanding an army of 100,000 orcs…

Was actually a human boy who looked under twenty?!

The Pegasus Knights felt like they were on an emotional roller coaster.

They thought nothing else could shock them today.

And then this happened.

A slime controlling 100,000 monsters was already absurd enough.

But reality went and made it worse!

The Dwarf King stood frozen, unsure what kind of face to make.

Goosebumps ran down his arms.

How… how is this possible?!

"The terrifying figure our scouts kept speculating about… was just a human kid?!"

"This is insane… Who could possibly believe this?"

"A human child… giving names to 100,000 monsters?!"

"Commanding multiple high-ranking demons… and friendly with Demon Lord Milim?!"

If all of that is true…

There's only one possibility.

The Dwarf King lowered his eyes and looked at Chishiya.

His strength… is probably on par with a Demon Lord…

Across from him,

Chishiya just smiled.

"Dwarf King, Gazel-san, since you've come all this way, let's sit and talk."

——————————

That evening.

The town square glowed with warm lights.

Over a dozen tables had been set around the central fountain.

A banquet was in full swing.

The long center table was filled with delicious food.

Laughter and toasts echoed through the square.

"Ah~, so good!"

Knight Commander Dorf gulped down a sparkling wine and smacked his lips, his expression blissful.

He slammed the glass on the table and looked around like a man reborn.

"Chishiya-sama, where did you get this wine?!"

"This is amazing! I haven't tasted anything this good in years!"

It was high-end sparkling wine from the Konosuba world.

Even Aqua got drunk off it, so of course the dwarves were loving it.

Chishiya gave a casual smile. "If Commander Dorf likes it, feel free to take some back with you."

"Consider it a parting gift."

"Hahaha! Much appreciated!"

Dorf stood up with a hearty laugh and went to toast his fellow knights.

Meanwhile, beside Chishiya—

Gazel lifted a glass.

"I never imagined you were the benefactor of Master Hakurou."

"Please, allow me to offer a toast."

Hakurou stroked his beard with a chuckle. "Well, I was surprised too."

"It's been, what, 300 years since we last met?"

"I never thought the kid from back then would grow into the Hero King."

Gazel nodded slowly. "I didn't expect to see you here again either."

Hakurou's smile faded slightly.

"Though it's been a long time…"

"I won't easily forgive how you treated my benefactor just now."

Gazel turned toward Chishiya and bowed deeply.

"Chishiya, as Gazel Dwargo, I offer you my sincere apology."

Chishiya waved his hand with a light smile.

"Dwarf King, no need to stand on ceremony."

Gazel shook his head.

"No!"

He straightened up.

"Chishiya… if you'll allow it, call me Gazel in private."

"This is the least I can do to express my thanks!"

They'd originally gathered to assess the nature of the monster forces that had defeated the Orc Lord.

Were they friend or foe?

But then Treyni had arrived. Then Hakurou. And then the misunderstanding cleared itself up.

At that point, there was no need to continue.

Instead of negotiations, it turned into a dinner party.

The Monster Federation's food, hospitality, and environment won them over instantly.

And it turned out—

These monsters were nothing like the rumors.

Especially after interacting with Chishiya—

Everyone instinctively trusted him.

…Well, Chishiya had been perfectly polite from start to finish.

But of course… he had his own thoughts.

(To be continued.)

***

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