“Congratulations, Lolita.”
While the two men argued, the other three female members finally arrived as well.
“Heh. I never thought you’d really conquer Baal’s dungeon! You’re seriously impressive.”
“What are you talking about? I knew Lolita could do this from the start. The Twelve Gods are with her.”
The knight began to sulk and complain.
“Good grief. You’re making it sound as though this man conquered the Demon Lord’s castle all by himself. How could this widower enjoy himself in a dungeon under these circumstances? Tsk.”
Everyone laughed except the knight. How could they not laugh when a man who looked as though he had spent more than ten years living in some remote mountain region as the neighbor of a bunch of bears muttered something like that? As I watched the scene from afar, reality finally began to sink in.
Ah, it’s finally over.
I had finally managed to conquer Baal’s dungeon.
News of the Great Demon Lord’s death shook the continent. Humans, regardless of nationality or status, all cheered as one.
Until now, everyone had simply waited for the day the human world would come to an end. Dozens of armies had been sent under the pretext of capturing the Great Demon Lord’s castle, but every one of them had been annihilated. Most people had lost hope. Yet a group of brave soldiers, leading a band of adventurers and mercenaries, had succeeded in conquering the Great Demon Lord.
The birth of a hero!
Celebrations continued across the continent for ten straight days. Ever since the day the demon race spread a contagious disease across the surface world twenty years ago, every human settlement had felt like a house of mourning. They had been exhausting days. Now the nightmare was over. Humanity celebrated as though it had finally received compensation for the past twenty years.
Cheers and laughter echoed throughout the cities. Yet there was also a somewhat sad side to these celebrations. That was only natural. There were people who would never receive any recognition. Many had crossed a river from which no one could return. Humanity laughed, cried, and laughed again…
“Lolita the Adventurer.”
The Empress also attended the festival to pay tribute to the hero. And it wasn’t just the Empress. The twelve rulers who governed the twelve nations of the human world were there as well. They all went around paying their respects to the great hero.
“In the narrowest sense, you merely conquered a Demon Lord, but in the broadest sense, you saved humanity. Aren’t all the great rulers of this continent gathered here to show you their gratitude? Lolita. You will be honored by many for as long as you live, and your name will remain in the history books forever, even after you are gone.”
The Empress knelt. She raised a sword in both hands. The other rulers knelt at the same time.
The huge crowd surrounding the event hall fell silent. Who could have imagined that people who stood above everyone else would kneel! It would not be an exaggeration to say that, since the beginning of history, no one had ever been worshiped simultaneously by all twelve rulers of the continent. The crowd was witnessing the birth of history before their very eyes.
I accepted the Empress’s sword.
“Thank you very much, Your Majesty.”
Thunderous cheers rang out beneath the night sky over the imperial city. The mages immediately fired fireworks of every color into the sky. Lolita! Lolita! Lolita! ……The voices shouting the hero’s name continued without end.
With this, I had conquered every dungeon.
I was an adventurer among adventurers, and there was no dungeon I could not conquer.
At that moment, a voice came from my computer speakers.
『You have conquered the hidden dungeon, Baal’s Great Demon Lord Castle.』
『An extraordinary achievement! Congratulations. You have conquered all 72 dungeons.』
……I was merely the greatest adventurer on my computer monitor.
‘ I ’ let out a sigh.