Chapter 75 Mercuria Kingdom Uprising, Part ⑥
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”What do you mean, ‘which one’?” Tsubasa asked, puzzled by El’s words.
”You don’t get it?” El teased.
”Nope, that’s why I’m asking,” Tsubasa replied.
El sighed. “Alright. ‘Break them then lift them’ is Kanata’s go-to move. Simply put: you crush them—physically, emotionally, shame them until their spirit snaps. Then you swoop in, all sweet and gentle. Most girls fall hard. Take Amisa, for example.”
Tsubasa nodded, piecing it together. Since arriving, they’d been studying how girls interacted with Kanata, partly to pass the time. Amisa, a demonkin girl, stood out. She was glued to Kanata now, but when they first met, she was a haughty noble, looking down on everyone. How’d she end up like that? El’s explanation clicked: break someone’s spirit, then pamper them, and they’ll cling to you.
”And ‘lift then break’?” Tsubasa asked.
”That’s when you start by being kind,” El said. “Show you’re reliable—save them from danger, help with their problems, make them depend on you. Then, when they trust you completely, you reveal your true colors. They’ve bared their soul, ready to give everything, and you betray them. The despair…” She trailed off, smirking.
”That’s cruel,” Tsubasa said.
”Cruelty’s the point,” El replied. “It generates DP. Without DP, the dungeon collapses, and the Dungeon Master dies. It’s survival. You eat meat, right? You don’t call butchering animals cruel, do you?”
”I get it, but…” Tsubasa faltered. She’s right, but it feels wrong. They dropped it, knowing there was no easy answer.
”So, which is better?” Tsubasa asked. “Lifting then breaking gives more DP, right?”
”More DP, sure, but efficient? Not really,” El said.
”Why not?”
”Getting someone to trust you that deeply takes time,” El explained. “Only someone like Sara would fall for a little kindness so fast.”
Tsubasa nodded. True, building that kind of trust is slow. “In that case, maybe set a trap for the girls, and I save them? Keep rescuing them from danger, maybe tweak their drugs so I’m male when I betray them. They’d trust me, bare everything, then find out I’m a guy…” El giggled. “Sounds fun, right?”
”No way,” Tsubasa said. That sounds like a hassle.
”So, break then lift it is?” El asked.
”Yeah, let’s go with that,” Tsubasa agreed.
”Alright,” El said, grinning. “Split their party, capture them one by one. You doing it as Tsubasa-chan or Tsubasa-kun?”
”I’ll figure it out,” Tsubasa said, turning to the monitor. Taniella’s party was moving ahead—time to lower the barrier. Taichi stared, probably itching to say, If anyone’s breaking girls, it’s me! Tsubasa ignored him. Haruka’s curious gaze was harder to shake. Kanata, come back already, Tsubasa thought, exasperated.
* * *
Earlier, as Taniella’s group finished selecting their hundred subordinates…
”Nobles, huh? Not many are actually useful,” Kusuha said, her fox ears twitching. A beastmen from Flora Kingdom, she’d been an adventurer until an incident led to her enslavement. Taniella, her former party member, learned of it and, after some struggle, bought her freedom. Since then, Kusuha had stayed by Taniella’s side, joining this march as an attendant. Taniella initially opposed her involvement, but Kusuha’s skills were invaluable, keeping her in high spirits.
”Well, nobles rarely tackle dungeons,” Maeya said gently, dressed in her miko outfit. A former Saint candidate from Rubia Dukedom’s holy church, she’d met Taniella while traveling for training. They adventured together until Maeya returned home, only to be branded a “false saint” and exiled due to factional politics. Lost and aimless, she reunited with Taniella and joined her group, much like Kusuha.
Mary, Taniella’s long-time partner, had stuck with her since their adventurer days. Fiercely devoted, she followed Taniella into the knight order, declaring, “If you’re going, I’m going!” While Taniella struggled to pass the knight order’s tests, Mary breezed through, leaving Taniella with mixed feelings.
The four—Taniella, Kusuha, Maeya, and Mary—had adventured together, conquering dungeons with some success. Drawing on that experience, they planned their strategy.
”For now, let’s aim to build a base on the first floor,” Taniella said. “A solid base will keep that idiot commander from calling this a failure.”
”Right,” Maeya agreed. “We should also survey dungeon resources. Hopefully, there’s something good.”
They’d heard this dungeon was resource-rich, but their last visit suggested otherwise. Dungeons varied by type. “Forest type” dungeons, shrouded in trees, were maze-like, with shifting corridors. Their natural environments yielded rare herbs, mutated by dense miasma into valuable materials. “Mine type” dungeons, often mistaken for ordinary mines, produced mana-infused ores like mithril or adamantite, rare outside dungeons. Kanata’s dungeon, however, allowed free control over its resources, making it a treasure trove.
No wonder the ancient civilization was obsessed with creating artificial dungeons.
Back to the matter at hand.
Taniella’s group explored the dungeon, only to be stunned. As expected, plant-based resources were nowhere to be found. The rocky surroundings made that obvious.
They turned their hopes to minerals. Digging yielded mostly plain rock, but occasionally, they uncovered high-purity iron ore. The quantity was disappointing, but the ore’s unmatched purity made it too valuable to ignore. Just when they considered giving up, they struck mithril silver, compelling them to keep digging. Human nature—once you’ve gone this far, it’s hard to stop.
Kanata’s cunning shone through. The dungeon was designed to exploit that impulse, luring explorers deeper with rare finds.
A week into their exploration, with surveys and base building progressing smoothly, Taniella’s team decided to push further, expanding their range.
And then…
Notes:
• Tsubasa – A classmate, and a gift holder of Creator. He has an androgynous charm, popular yet approachable, bonds with Taichi’s group. The only son of the Ninari Conglomerate family.
• Amisa – Fallen Demon noble of Grayladd, joined Angula’s Aaren Plain campaign with maid Saria , captured with Rena, Annamira, Sheila; spared by Kanata, now loyal aide with maid Saria, calls him “Master/Big Brother.” Reminder: ex-heiress turned submissive servant.
• Sara – Friends of Sara and former allies of Rick. Attacked Kanata’s Dungeon, were captured, and freed thanks to Sara’s pleas.
• Haruka – A classmate who have Harvester gift. She keeps her distance from Ichiro, focused on her role in training. One of Setsugekka.
• Taichi – A fierce friend of Otaku Hero with the Brawler gift, protects Taichi’s group, united by their sacred oath. Appears: Mentioned in Taichi and Ichiro’s plans, training with others. Reason: Summoned as a hero, serves as group protector. Event: Set to go to town with Kimura, accompanied by Taichi and Ichiro.
• Taniella – Commoner knight of Mercuria’s Knight Order appearing after failed mass invasion of the Dungeon. Challenges commander Nui Tanggamus’s tactics to save soldiers. Commands 100 troops to prove her plan. Ally of Mary. Trait: brave, duty-bound.
• Flora Kingdom – A small demi-human majority realm, politically fragile and reliant on trade, undone when Leticia’s capture and contract ceded it to Kanata. Reminder: the kingdom that fell with its regent’s collar.
• Kusuha – Sorcerer in Taniella’s party using illusion, shadow, and spirit magic. Trait: versatile spellcaster.
• Maeya – Human Saint in Taniella’s four-woman party. Level 27, skilled in holy and healing magic. Appears during Mercuria’s Dungeon expedition, supporting allies as healer and balancing the team. No direct ties to Kanata’s group. Trait: calm, devoted support mage.
• Rubia Dukedom – A small nation between Mercuria and Flora, first cited in Chapter 38 during Kanata, Elriese, and Alusia’s dungeon-strategy talk. It hosts one ruin-linked Dungeon targeted because Kanata—following Elriese’s advice and Kuu-chan’s records—seeks control of Dungeons (direct cause) to gain their power (underlying cause); Kanata plans to pressure swift surrender; connection: future conquest; no known direct relationships; defining trait: strategically sandwiched.
• Mary – Former adventurer serving under Taniella. Appears after Nui grants command. Teases Taniella playfully and supports her Dungeon strategy. Trait: cheerful ally.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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