In front of the gate to Nagano Dungeon No. 2.
One bored staffer struck up conversation with another nearby. After all, today was especially dull. Hardly anyone came here on normal days, and with the dungeon rented out for a large-scale raid, there was even less to do.
“Hey, those kids who just went in… think they’ll be alright?”
“Ah, the ones supporting Ryokufuu, yeah? Man, they were all cute.”
“No, not that.”
“I know what you mean. Only six of them going in must mean they’re veterans… which makes me think they’re aiming for a full clear.”
“So, real aces, huh.”
“Yeah. Still, the boss here is a Wood Golem. Even if they’re fast, I’d expect at least tonight before—”
Before he could finish, the transfer zone lit up.
“What the—!?”
The staffers cried out in shock. There stood Inari’s party—back already—and with them, a Building Block Golem that hadn’t gone in with them.
And what it carried in its hand… matched what Inari herself held.
“Two reward boxes!? Wait—what!?”
“The system message—it’s…!?”
The announcement wasn’t just for the staffers or for Inari’s group.
It was broadcast to the entire world.
The world’s first Expansion Dungeon has appeared and been cleared
Dungeon Expansion is a natural phenomenon caused by the rise of the world’s ambient magical power
Existing dungeons are expected to undergo expansion in the near future
“E… Expansion Dungeon…? Huh!?”
Before their eyes, the reward boxes in Inari’s and Atsuage’s hands shimmered and vanished—replaced with new boxes wrapped in comical, patterned paper.
One bore the image of a silver wolf’s face. The other… likely a Wood Golem?
“Sp-special boxes… W-what do we do in this case?”
“Idiot, take photos! Excuse me, may we snap some pictures!?”
“Umu.”
The boxes were photographed. Then the appraisal officer arrived, and they all laid out the drops.
Magic stones. Low-quality weapons. From the New Moon Werewolf, a pendant strung with a black disk. From the Wood Golem, a set of wooden armor.
“This armor… Wood Golem Armor. A set piece, quite good quality. And this pendant… eh? Eh!?”
While the appraiser stammered, Inari and Atsuage were already prying open their reward boxes.
Hearing the sound, Eri glanced back, and gasped at what emerged.
“Whoa—looks like a really cool coat. And that one… a helmet?”
“Fumu. Well… I have no need of it.”
The helmet was carved wood. The coat looked as though the silver pelt of the New Moon Werewolf had been turned directly into a garment.
Even without appraisal, Inari could judge it unnecessary.
“May I appraise them?”
“Umu.”
“Then… yes, the helmet is the Wood Golem Helm. And the coat… gkh!?”
“Nuoh!? Wh-what troubles thee!?”
“N-no, forgive me. This is… the Silver Wolf Coat. Its abilities are, well—”
“Ah. Umu. Both of them, put on the auction.”
“Eh!? B-but! These stats are incredible!?”
“If I wear them not, I need them not.”
“…U-understood.”
The reward boxes were Inari’s by rule. Her decision was final.
“A-are you sure about this?”
“’Tis fine. I’ve no intention of wearing a wolf’s skin.”
“Ahh, right. You’re a fox, after all…”
The helmet would never fit atop Inari’s fox-eared head anyway, Eri realized. Strange as it was, it somehow made sense.
And since it was Inari’s right to choose, she said no more.
“Alright! Then send the goods to the Servant Uniform Workshop, please.”
“Understood.”
“Now, for the report… excuse me, where is Ryokufuu’s master?”
“It seems some emergency came up at his café. Well, nobody expected the raid to end this fast…”
The staffer’s explanation made Eri nod.
“Right?”
Truthfully, without Inari, they would still be inside.
“I’ve seen it before… but she really is absurdly strong…”
To Eri, Inari’s strength defied common sense.
She knew Inari’s job was Fox Shrine Maiden. She’d witnessed her fighting more than once.
And yet, she still couldn’t glimpse the bottom of Inari’s power.
That “New Moon Werewolf”—if Eri herself had fought it, her Counter Saber might have been countered the moment she used it.
If it had been Shizuna, maybe she could have matched its speed… but not without wounds.
And then, there was Atsuage.
They all knew it as a Building Block Golem, but seeing it here…
“Um, Inari.”
“Mu?”
“Atsuage looks… a different size from the last time I saw it.”
Indeed—it was now smaller than Inari, but still about the size of a dog.
Yet back at her home or the workshop, it had been tiny and adorable.
Even earlier, they had seen it grow to giant size in battle.
“Umu. Normally, its size is thus.”
At Inari’s glance, Atsuage shrank down—into the little mascot-sized form Eri was used to.
Then, just as quickly, it swelled again, to about fifty centimeters tall.
“It seems now, it can grow to this size even outside combat.”
Atsuage’s “battle form,” perhaps. Or perhaps the smaller one was its “mascot form.”
Which was true? No one could say—since Atsuage only ever spoke one word: “Beam.”
And so, the conquest of Nagano Dungeon No. 2 came to its close.