<strong>Rewards</strong>


    [Congrattions on your win, No. 629.]


    Once the Dungeon Core had been touched, [Father] spoke.


    “Nkyuu!? P-P-Papa!?”


    [Oh, you didn’t realize? Kehma-kun, you realized, right?]


    “Yeah, sorta.”


    The Dungeon Battle caused a stir in the Dungeon Core Assembly. Of course it wouldn’t be strange for [Father] to make an appearance. Ultimately, what decided it was the existence of that VIP seating area.


    Who would prepare seating to appreciate watching a Dungeon Battle? For a confrontation between Haku-san’s faction and the Demon King Faction, that would be Haku-san for us like in the three-way Dungeon Battle we hadst year, and the Great Demon King behind Core No. 564.


    However, there’s a sense of ipatibility between the two of them; it wouldn’t make sense for the two of them to willingly share a room for something like this.


    “Ooh, nkyuu, that hello kyuu said back when Haku-sama talked with us was for Papa?”


    “What, you just realized?”


    “Even I noticed though?”


    [Oh, then I noticed too.]


    Really now? Sure.


    [Either way, good job! Ah, No. 666, could I send you back to the Master Room?]


    [Yes, please d—o, I’m back, Rokuko.”


    “Wee back, Aidi. Good work out there.”


    Rokuko and Aidi gave each other a high five.


    “Me too!”


    “Yes yes, here you go~”


    Pomf.


    Orange tapped Rokuko’s outstretched hand with his paw. So. Cute.


    [Ohoh, you three seem to be on pretty good terms.]


    “Father, Rokuko is my rivalbest friend, we’re obviously close. Well, I think it’s fine to say Orange is my enemyfriend now too, though.”


    “Nkyuu! Please pardon me from getting on Aidi’s bad side… oh, but I’m already in Haku-sama’s faction, so being a Demon King Faction Core’s, Aidi’s fr—nkyuu? Enemy? H-How’d that happen?!”


    [Hahaha. Right. So, I’m supposed to give a prize to the victors of thispetition. By the limits of my authority, Aidi, Orange, I officially recognize your names.]


    Official recognize—the moment he said that, both Aidi and Orange blinked in surprise.


    “Thank you, Father. Having a name like Rokuko does makes me so happy!”


    “Nkyuu! Yay! Having my name recognized by Papa, am I dreaming!?”


    Yeah, so I don’t get how that’s supposed to be a reward. They’re happy, though… so I guess it’s fine?


    [Fufufu, well, that’s just an extra prize. This Dungeon Battle was considerable amusing to me, after all, so I figured I’ll give the victors a proper reward. No. 564’s still unconscious, so let’s talk about the reward time first.]


    “Oh, can I get one of those rewards? If so, I want one of the Godly Beddings I don’t have yet.”


    [Oh, as expected of you, Kehma-kun. It’s like you’re ordering me.]


    “K-K-K-Kehma!? What’re you saying to Father!?!?”


    Rokuko started panicking, but is it really something to get that flustered about? Isn’t he your Daddy?


    [You’ve already got theforter, right? Maybe I could give a simr reward to Rokuko and make it two? Hmm. You’ve confirmed where the mattress and pillow are, but don’t have them, is it? Hmm, maybe this could work…]


    Two of them!? What a great miscalction! But why does [Father] know that I’ve already found out where the mattress and pillow are? Did he look into my head? Or maybe I got some kind of title or achievement just for finding their whereabouts? If anything I’d prefer thetter.


    [The mattress, pillow, nightcap, nket, pajamas, rm clock… oh, err, not the rm clock. The final one is the underwear, huh. So, which do you want? Go ahead and ask.]


    “… That’s a hard choice.”


    Crap, having to choose myself is hard! What I want most are in a way the pillow and mattress—the reason being that if you have those two along with theforter, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that you’ve basically gathered a full set.


    Still though, I know that those two are currently possessed by Maidence and the the disappointing elfShikina Kokkoro respectively. In other words, just as [Father] said, I already know where to get them.


    In that case, I should make my choice of either the nightcap or the underwear.


    “Wh-What would you suggest?”


    [Let’s see… The nket… or the rm clock, I guess?]


    Setting aside the nket, didn’t you just say that I couldn’t pick the rm clock?


    [It was such a work of art. An item that let you wake up feelingpletely refreshed… Haaah… I never would’ve thought that it would be destroyed.]


    It was destroyed…? By the Dark God?”


    [Why would I have destroyed something I made myself? It was obviously the Creation God.]


    “Oooh, I see. So that’s it. Right.”


    Wait. Just now. Did.. did he just call himself the Dark God? And then something about a Creation God?


    [Alright, it’s decided! One rm clocking right up!]


    “Eh?”


    [Oh, then you want the underwear instead? It’s all-purpose, either-gender underwear capable of switching between seven styles, including loincloth, boxers, and babydoll modes! Compared to the rm clock, it’s a seven in one!]


    “Err, I mean, you just said—”


    “Kehma! KEEEEEHMA! Sorry, Father! He’ll take it! And I’ll have the nket you rmended, the nket!”


    Rokuko held me back as she shouted over me. Gununu. Eh, oh well. I don’t really feel like going against [Father] anyway.


    [Ya sure? It sounded like Kehma-kun way about to say something though?]


    “… Oh, nah. I was just wanting to confirm what you were saying, I wasn’t about to object to getting the rm clock or anything. If anything, you did rmend me something.”


    [I see, I see! That’s good, hahaha! Alright, now for Aidi and Orange. Maybe I should give a reward to Haku too? I did hear Kehma-kun out, after all. Is there anything you all want?]


    “Oh my! Anything is fine?”


    “Nkyuu, anything!? Papa’s so awesome~! So cool!”


    [I can have something too? How tempting…]


    With that, Aidi, Orange, and even Haku-san seemed happy.


    “… Alright, I’d like to be able to talk with Rokuko more easily. Like how wemunicated during this Dungeon Battle, but always.”


    “I want a Master, nkyuu! A nice guy like Kehma! … Please?”


    [I’ll have… — — — —… Thank you.]


    I couldn’t hear any of what Haku-san said she wanted, themunication line was suddenly overtaken by what sounded like a sandstorm. She’d probably jammed it intentionally.


    [Everyone’s asking for such difficult things… but that makes me happy! Alright, leave it to me! Haku’s is good… As for Aidi’s, it might take two or three days, but I’ll incorporate a system for you to exchange messages in your Menus. Oh, Kehma-kun. Could that ve girl there be Orange’s Master?]


    “Eh, me?”


    “No.”


    [Figured. Alright, I’ll figure out a way to guide someone else to Orange’s core. It won’t be someone from another world, of course, but it’ll at least be an excellent adventurer that can support you.]


    Everything proceeded quickly. Apparently, Orange wanted a Master. That whole support part worried me, though.


    [Oh yeah, Kehma-kun. Here’s a freebie.]


    Saying that, a pure-white orb appeared in front of me—a Dungeon Core.


    … Come to think of it, it has been a year, hasn’t it? ording to Leona, I shouldn’t suffer the Light God’s corruption if I wait at least that long, I think?


    [Oh, I don’t have an orichalcum sword for you this time, so you’ll have to break it with your own sword.]


    Yeah. Did you think I was going to ask?