Chapter 170

Chapter 170

Otherworld Demon King Survival Guide.

Episode 170: The Reason The Orcs Moved (2)

Vacation time is over.

It was time to return to our regular routine.

“That concludes the morning roll call!”

With all commands issued, the roll call came to an end. Simultaneously, the dungeon’s members started bustling about.

After breakfast, the real work began.

“Serinu! After eating, teach the hobgoblins how to raise livestock!”

“Okay! Got it! So, we’re handing off all the livestock raising to them now, huh?!”

Serinu, who had become quite adept at using the slang we taught her.

“Exactly! Once they become a bit more skilled, the pixies won’t have to manage the livestock anymore!”

“Yay! Let’s hand it all over! I’m done with raising livestock!”

Why so excited? Was taking care of livestock really that bothersome? Well, seeing her so genuinely happy and excited was just too adorable. The pixies were in their typical state, bouncing around and radiating joy.

Anyway.

We had a room in the dungeon designated for livestock raising.

It resembled a poultry farm, where we released small, monster-like birds for rearing. They laid eggs and hatched chicks, making it quite a profitable venture. They ate almost any grass we gathered nearby, or even leftovers from our meals. Raising them was surprisingly easy.

From now on, the hobgoblins would take over this kind of production and manual labor.

“Muturi.”

“Grack.”

“You, along with a few other hobgoblins, focus on crafting equipment. Things like leather clothes, hats, spears. That sort of stuff.”

“Grack grack.”

Sharan was also crafting, but her efforts alone weren’t enough. Muturi had a lot of experience making clothes, so he’s dependable.

“Anything else you need?”

After Muturi departed, Serinu, who was waiting nearby, inquired.

“Serinu. That. That thing. You’re not working on that now, are you?”

“Yeah. We’ve brought in all the equipment, but we’re not doing it right now.”

Pixies also possessed some production capabilities. They’re skilled in activities like sericulture using larvae and smelting with spirits.

We had to pause these activities recently due to a lack of time, but let’s delegate those tasks to the hobgoblins as well.

“Can you teach them? How to make cloth from silk and extract iron using spirits?”

The iron was of low quality, but I could enhance it with my magic.

“Yeah! I can teach them!”

“The iron extraction too?”

“It’s okay since it uses spirits! Just making them work is easy! I’ll manage!”

“Then let’s also have the hobgoblins take on that task.”

“Dump it all on them! Yay!”

She was simply beaming with excitement.

So, I finished instructing Serinu.

Hobgoblins were smarter than I thought, smarter than all the races I had encountered so far: Kobolds, Imps, Goblins, Lizardmen, Satyrs. Among them, hobgoblins were the smartest.

So now, I was planning to fully shift the hobgoblins to production and menial work. If the pixies taught them well, everything should run smoothly on its own. If we kidnapped all the newly discovered hobgoblins and put them to work… The dungeon’s efficiency would greatly improve.

At this point, it seemed right to officially include the hobgoblins in my regular army. I’d decide that after seeing the results.

Just like that.

“Kerk!”

“Kruck!”

As per routine, the goblins started their combat training, and the imps went hunting.

“Lilriel! Focus!”

“I, I’ve already done this kind of thing in the past…!”

“Quiet!”

My elite troops, also known as my sexy elite troops, underwent small unit tactical training and physical training under Vanessa’s command, and practiced dark magic under Sister Reika’s command.

It’s a natural and sincere daily routine.

If these peaceful days continued, we should be able to grow steadily.

“Gyusam. Then I will go make the room.”

“Yeah! Our cute Gyuil is working hard!”

“Gyusam sam!”

Now that the tunnels were roughly built, the kobolds would work on creating new rooms, dungeons, and expanding to the second floor.

Let’s do the interior decoration later.

Several days later.

Buril brought back some kobolds he had captured.

“Kyussaaaaah!”

Including a mother kobold and her children.

“Wow! Buril! How did you manage to catch all these? You caught a mother kobold?!”

My dungeon was established after I defeated a mother kobold and took over her territory. The physical prowess of a mother kobold was not to be underestimated. She stood about as tall as I.

“Kerk kerk! It was nothing. Once they face this Buril, they’re all easily handled. Kerk. As soon as it charged, just like that, snap! Kerk! I subdued and captured them all with kerk kerk!”

Buril said, stroking his philtrum and laughing with a “kerk kerk.” What a cute little guy.

The mother kobold was somewhat injured but perfectly restrained.

“Hehehe! Perfect, kiddo! Wow! Our Buril!”

I patted his head while further inspecting the condition of the kobolds. I had never dominated a mother kobold before, but now it seemed possible.

“But.”

Come to think of it.

How did mother kobolds give birth? Did kobolds have something like a mating season? Was that why they impregnated the females?

Suddenly, I was curious.

“Hmm… Buril. Send someone to fetch Gyuil for a moment.”

“Kerk? Understood. Hey, you. Come here!”

“Kerook kerook.”

“Kerk! Commander Mook! Go call the kobold squad leader! Move out!”

“Kerook!”

A goblin scurried off at Buril’s adept command. Buril really had some charisma.

Anyway.

“Gyusam sam. Did you call for me?”

Soon, Gyuil approached, flapping his long snout as usual.

“Yeah. Good you came. Buril. And Gyuil. I’m curious about something.”

“Kerk? What is it?”

“What are you curious about, Gyusam?”

“You guys… uh.”

It was kind of embarrassing to ask outright.

“Don’t you need females?”

“Kerk?”

“Gyusam?”

Monsters were supposed to have sexual desires. The livestock we raised mated with each other and laid eggs. But the monsters in my demon castle hadn’t shown such behavior.

Ah, excluding the females, of course.

“Do you need females? Kerk?”

“Gyusam sam. I need more shovels and subordinates.”

But Buril and Gyuil responded to my question about needing females as if they had no interest, almost as if wondering why I’d ask such a thing.

Were they not interested in females?

Even monsters should have a mating season, right?

“Then let me change the question. What do you think when you see me with women?”

“Kerk. You mean when Mook is with females?”

“Yeah.”

“Honestly, I don’t really understand. Kerk. Maybe it’s for recovering magic power?”

They seemed to be completely indifferent to sexual matters.

Monsters desired mates. That’s a natural law of life. Otherwise, they couldn’t leave descendants. But these guys didn’t seem to show any signs of that. Could it be because they’re not old enough? Or because it was not their mating season?

If not that.

Maybe they’re influenced by my magic.

Becoming indifferent to sexual desire… Was that the effect? Then had I unwittingly made my subordinates eunuchs? The thought sent shivers down my spine.

“…Gyuil.”

“Gyusam.”

“What do you think when you see this mother kobold?”

—Kyussaaaaah!

The restrained mother kobold, currently in a pregnant state with a bulging belly, cried out at us.

“Gyusam sam. Making more subordinates. That’s good.”

“Any thoughts beyond that?”

“Don’t know. Gyusam.”

No particular thoughts about the mother kobold.

“Hmm… Well, okay then.”

Such an indifferent reaction.

This required further investigation. Anyway, this mother kobold must give birth to more offspring for our demon castle.

“Demon Domination Technique.”

—Poke.

The moment the domination technique was injected into the forehead of the rampaging mother kobold.

“Kyussaah…?!”

The mother kobold, momentarily startled, calmed down. I could roughly feel it. She had become loyal to me. I must have become much stronger over time. I hope she gave birth to many more offspring.

“Then, Buril. Gyuil. Dismissed.”

“Gyusam.”

“Ah, Lord.”

“Hm? Buril, why?”

As I was about to dismiss them, Buril looked up at me.

“Kerk, missed the timing to speak. Can I say it now? Kerk.”

“Yes. Of course, speak. What is it?”

—Swoosh.

Leaning close to Buril to listen, Buril matched my gesture and whispered in my ear.

“Lord. Something strange. Kerk.”

“Why?”

What’s strange?

“Kerk, that… monsters are coming? They are coming.”

What did that mean?

“Explain in detail.”

“Kerk kerk.”

Buril’s words were as followed:

The mother kobold we captured this time was found in the direction of where the orc tribe used to be. It made sense, but since we had settled here, such types of monsters were almost nonexistent in this vicinity.

And until recently, there were orcs here as well. Normally, it’s difficult for something like kobolds to be found.

“But it’s not just kobolds. Kerk. I didn’t catch them, but I saw other types of monsters too.”

“Really?”

“Kerk.”

Buril nodded seriously.

Suddenly.

A question about ‘the reason the orcs moved’ flashed through my mind. The size of the orc tribe was roughly two squads. Squads may sound weak, but orcs are physically superior to average humans.

A group that large moved? And beyond that, monsters are appearing in that direction?

“Did they lose a territory battle?”

That interpretation was possible.

The orcs moved down here because they lost a territory battle. And the other monsters might have also moved down to escape the ‘victor of the territory battle,’ just as we drove away the monsters around us.

“This… might not be an orc issue?”

“Kerk?”

“Buril. Stop sending scouts in that direction for now. Just a goblin squad going could turn into a mess.”

“Kerung? Lord. I can handle that. Am I not Buril? If it’s dangerous, I can run away.”

Although Buril expressed confidence, if there’s a being that drove away an orc tribe of roughly two squads, Buril would still struggle here, even if he bulked up ten more times.

“I have a bad feeling about this. Let’s check it out together with the brothers and the others next time.”

After explaining the basis of the danger, Buril nodded in agreement.

“Kerk. Understood. Listening to the Lord, it seems dangerous.”

“Yeah. Spread the word to the others.”

What made the orcs and other monsters flee?

We’d have to check it out.

Though, it’s still probably better than humans, I suppose.