The Demon Lord's Magic Depletion

In the darkness.

There was only the sensation of wandering through a void, with no dreams or light. My floating consciousness seemed aimless, unsure of where I was, and the very sense of my existence felt vague and a little frightening.

That was the feeling.

When I died, I had almost no memory of it. I just found myself in that place. But now, it felt like I was falling into an abyss where no light could be born.

...Well.

What exactly happened to me?

I remember setting up the dungeon and creating the cook. Then my consciousness must have been cut off almost immediately.

But why?

...Sama

Hmm?

I hear something. Even in this darkness, I can hear someone's voice.

...Mari-sama

Is someone calling me?

...Mari-sama!!

As the voice grew louder and more insistent, my world regained its light.

Heavy eyelids opened, and as my vision cleared, I saw several beautiful women who seemed about to embrace me.

""Mari-sama!!""""

I sluggishly lifted my body and looked around. I was in an unfamiliar room.

It was clear from the decorations that it was a room in a castle, but I didn't know where exactly.

"Why is everyone here?"

"It's because Mari-sama collapsed!" Harumena answered with teary

eyes.

Oh, right.

"Why did I collapse?"

"It was due to a temporary magical exhaustion," Elrodea explained from behind Harumena and Rafaena, who were leaning over my bed.

"Magical exhaustion?"

"I apologize for the lack of explanation. Magic is the energy used when performing spells or special skills. The amount of magic each person can use is limited. When this energy is depleted, it leads to magical exhaustion."

"So, I collapsed from running out of magic? But I didn't use any spells or skills. What's going on?"

"I'm very sorry. I didn't explain that using the management board also consumes magic. My apologies for the oversight."

Elrodea's unusually apologetic demeanor made me slightly confused.

What's going on...?

"By the way"

I noticed that there were an unusually large number of subordinates gathered around me.

Even if I had collapsed, only the floor guardians should have been able to respond quickly. But there were not just three guardians here.

"Why are Rorona and the others here too? What about the supply procurement?"

"That has already been completed. When we returned, Mari-sama was already collapsed, so we have been by your side since then."

I can't believe it could be completed so quickly. How did they manage to procure everything? Did they perhaps attack nearby villages or towns? Given that they're the demon lord's subordinates, it wouldn't be too surprising.

"We returned to this place at the same time as Rorona and the others," a particularly large figure said, sitting directly in front of me.

"And the others too?"

"Yes."

What does this mean? It's true that it would be meaningless to attack towns or villages for promotion, so they must have completed their tasks and then returned. If that's the case,

"How long was I asleep?"

"Five days," Elrodea replied.

"Five days! Really!?"

That makes sense. It aligns with the timing of their return. I shouldn't be doubting my subordinates.

But still, five days is a long time. Too long to be asleep without any special occasion.

"Is magical exhaustion really that severe? If so, I need to monitor how much magic I can use. If I collapse again like this, I won't be able to respond to emergencies. I have to be more careful."

"No, normally such a long rest is not required for magical exhaustion. Under usual circumstances, magic would recover in less than half a day. But this time, exceptional factors compounded."

"Exceptional factors?"

"One is that you are a demon lord with an abnormal amount of magic, far exceeding that of ordinary people. The dungeon's management system consumes a significant amount of magic in a short time. Small settings don't use much magic, but creating life, which is like a divine act, requires a huge amount. The continuous creation of several beings depleted your enormous magical reserves. Recovering from such severe depletion takes considerable time."

"So that's what happened."

"Even so, we tried to provide you with our magic, but our efforts were insufficient."

Harumena gently held my hand and bowed her head, and everyone else followed suit.

"Oh, um, don't worry about it! Actually, I think I recovered quickly, thanks to everyone's support. Thank you so much!"

"No, it's too much praise!"

Seeing Harumena bow even more deeply, I couldn't help but smile.

"Is something wrong?" Harumena asked.

"No, it's just that your humility surprised me. And everyone, sorry for causing you worry. I'll be more careful from now on, so don't worry."

I moved my heavy body and stood up from the bed. Having slept for five days, my legs felt a bit unsteady, and I wobbled slightly, but Rafaena and Harumena quickly supported me.

I hope nothing serious happened while I was asleep. Looking at their faces, there don't seem to be any major issues or urgent matters.

"Were there any problems while I was asleep?"

"Not particularly," Harumena replied firmly.

Good. In that case, I want to check what supplies were procured. And after sleeping for five days, I should be fully recovered and need to start building the branch office. I need to make up for the lost time!

I was surprisingly proactive. I never would have thought like this before but now strangely I do.

For now, I'll leave here and head to the supply room.

Having regained my balance, I told them I was okay and walked alone. The group straightened their posture and lowered their heads.

"There are no issues, but there is a report, Mari-sama."

What could it be? Is it something that would make me uncomfortable?

"What kind of report?"

Harumena answered while keeping her head bowed.

"Yes, it's about two days before your recovery. An intruder entered the dungeon with no intention of migrating."

At Harumena's words, I couldn't believe my ears.