Delicious in Dungeon vol. 9
Am I going to keep talking about each volume in this series as it comes out? Yes. Yes I am. At least until the inevitable anime adaptation arrives. Most likely after the end of this series.
Which, if you squint after reading this volume, may just be barely in sight. This is another volume where mangaka Ryoko Kui advances just about every major plot and subplot in this series. It starts off with a bit of backstory regarding why Marcille joined up with Laios and Falin, which involves a Dullahan, a headless horse, the headless horse’s head, and just the teensiest bit of retconning. Then there’s a two-parter which has “Izutsumi, Alone Against the Succubi!” which is action-packed, if not as racy as that would sound. This is followed up by another encounter with the Winged Lion, who shows Laios his ideal world. We then change perspective entirely to find out what happened to Kabrun and Mithrun after they fell into the hole created by the Mad Sorcerer in the previous volume. While there are some fun encounters with monsters that we’ve previously seen, the real focus is on Mithrun and revealing his backstory.
Which is quite interesting and tragic. If you thought that his absent-mindedness was a personality quick mainly designed for comedy, then you thought wrong. It’s actually the result of an encounter with another lord of the dungeon like the Winged Lion. In telling us about this, Kui does some deft worldbuilding as we learn about the true nature of dungeons and why they need masters who have strong desires. Like Sissel. Or Laios. Or one other character whose real desire hasn’t been revealed yet. Because this is “Delicious in Dungeon,” the reveal of how screwed the world might be if Laios does wind up becoming the new Master of the Dungeon is played for a pretty great punchline. In fact, it’s pretty impressive how Kui keeps comedy at the forefront of this series without muting the impact of the drama. Which is one more reason why I still think this is the best comic being published today.