Two graceful women stood before me, both taller than me.
One had wings like those of a bat sprouting from her waist, her voluptuous figure exuding a seductive aura that perfectly fit the image of a succubus, gripping my heart with an almost overwhelming charm. The other had a finely chiseled face with two imposing horns emerging from her head and a tail resembling that of a lizard though far more powerful and majestic-extending from her lower back, marking her as a being beyond human.
As soon as they saw me, they immediately knelt down, bowing their heads in respect.
"It is an absolute honor to meet you, my lord!"
"We are deeply grateful to you for creating us!"
The strength in their voices conveyed the depth of their resolve.
Both of these women were set to be older than me, and they possessed far more knowledge about this world than I did. Hearing them speak so formally to me felt incredibly out of place. I wanted to do something about it, but it was a difficult issue to address. After all, I was like a god to them their creator and also their demon lord. For them, speaking casually to me was out of the question-they respected me to the point that they would rather die than show me anything less than the utmost reverence. There was no way we could have a casual conversation.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Mari Akagi. From now on, I'll be working with you to defend this dungeon. I look forward to your cooperation."
Giving instructions to someone older than me was tough. I only had two years of experience as a working adult, and even then, I was just a lowly office worker who never quite got the hang of things. I had no experience in a leadership role, so being in a position of authority like this made me incredibly nervous. I had no idea what I should be instructing them to do.
For now, having them kneel before me felt too awkward, so I suggested they take a seat in the spare chairs. After some hesitation, they finally sat down.
"I've created two subordinates directly under my command for now, but what should I do next?" I asked.
Elrodea answered my question.
"Next, please create the floor guards. With only two direct subordinates, the defense of this dungeon would be far too weak. It would be better to have as many allies as possible."
That made sense. The more allies we had, the more reassuring it would be, and it would certainly be less lonely.
Since coming to this world, the only people I have interacted with were Cornelia and Elrodea. Now, even after creating these two new allies, there were only four of us. In a dungeon with 100 floors, having just four people seemed far too lonely. It was clear that we needed to increase our numbers.
"How many floor guardians do I need to create?" I asked.
"For this dungeon, I believe eight would suffice."
Eight, huh...
That's quite a lot...
Deciding on the settings for each one would be quite challenging and time-consuming. It took me nearly an hour just to create these two and doing that eight times would take at least half a day. That would be exhausting.
So, I decided to take my time creating the floor guards.
For now, I needed someone to assist me, so I created one guardian and one servant.
The log house, which had felt a bit spacious before, now seemed a little cramped.
"Shall we relocate? My lord, please create a larger building."
I decided to expand the area and constructed a large castle not far from the log house on this floor.
Thanks to Elrodea's magic, we moved into the newly built castle without any effort on our part.
As we walked through the pristine halls of the castle, we entered a meeting room with 13 seats arranged around a table. It looked like a scene straight out of a roundtable discussion, though with many empty seats, it didn't quite feel complete.
"About what we discussed earlier, could you explain where exactly the floor guards will be stationed? I'm not fully familiar with this dungeon yet, so I'd appreciate a detailed explanation."
Just as she had summoned the management board earlier, Elrodea snapped her fingers, and a large, semi-transparent screen appeared in the air. She moved it so everyone could see it, and it displayed a detailed map of the dungeon.
"In this dungeon, there are specific areas known as 'Guardian Floors,' and each Floor Guardian is responsible for managing one of these areas. The Guardians will be stationed on the 12th, 20th, 28th, 36th, 42nd, 50th, 64th, 76th, 80th, and 90th floors. It would be wise to install teleportation devices connecting the floors so the Guardians can gather with you quickly if needed."
"Then let's assign the new allies I've just created as Floor Guardians, my lord," Cornelia suggested.
Following Cornelia's advice, I assigned the newly created allies to their respective floors.
12th Floor Guardian: Rafaena Rhea Gristera (Shadow of Death Doppelgänger)
80th Floor Guardian: Harumena (Succubus)
90th Floor Guardian: Altrius (Dragonkin)
Head Maid: Catela (Leopard Beastkin)
I decided it was best to place the direct subordinates on the deeper floors, while the others would be stationed on the upper levels.
I planned to create more maids later, but for now, I appointed the first one I created as the head maid.
Even though I had created my subordinates, seeing them gathered around the table and conversing with me felt surreal. It was strange to see the beings I had just designed on the board now moving and speaking before me. It didn't feel real.
My subordinates, seated around the round table, weren't human. I had no choice but to select non-human species since the dungeon management options didn't include humans. I tried to choose those with the most human-like appearances, but their inhuman traits still made me uneasy.
However, they were all beautiful, so it was a pleasant sight nonetheless.
"Does this arrangement seem alright? Rafaena, you'll be the first floor guard. Do you think you can handle it?"
Elrodea and Cornelia were seated next to me, with the floor guards seated in order of their assigned floors. Thus, Rafaena, the 12th Floor Guardian and Shadow of Death Doppelganger, sat next to Cornelia.
As a Doppelgänger, Rafaena had no true form, but I had designed a standard appearance for her. Though she could change her shape at will due to her species' nature, she always maintained the appearance I had set when in my presence.
She had silver hair cut in a medium-length style, sharp, determined eyes, and a modest mouth. Her alabaster skin harmonized with her silver hair, and her aquamarine eyes added a touch of color to her otherwise monochrome appearance. She wore a black nun's outfit that accentuated her slender figure, revealing a garter belt and thigh-high stockings through the slit in her dress, highlighting her fine skin and giving her an air of understated sensuality.
I swallowed hard.
...Exquisite.
It was clear that, ever since I arrived in this world, my perceptions had begun to shift.
The cause was undoubtedly that of God, who had sent me here. It must have started after receiving that parting gift from him.
Feeling a pang in my chest as I gazed at the nun before me was something the old me, who was strictly "normal," would never have experienced. But now, things were different.
This was a troubling development.
"I have no objections to your decision, my lord. I may not be of much help in physical combat, but I will do my utmost."
Her skills were primarily magical, making her less effective in physical combat. However, her magical prowess was formidable, making her a strong initial line of defense.
At least, that was how I had set her up. But since the power dynamics of this world were still unclear to me, I couldn't fully rely on that assumption.
"By the way, what happens if one of my subordinates is defeated? What would become of them?" I asked.
Elrodea answered my question.
"They would, of course, be erased. Their settings would disappear, and they would cease to exist. Even if you were to recreate them, it would never be the same being."
In other words, if one of them died, I would never see them again.
This dungeon might resemble a game, but in this aspect, it was frighteningly real.
I needed to devise some strategies to ensure they wouldn't perish. It was time to start planning.