第８掘：情報を聞いてみよう
Dungeon 8: Let's Ask for Information
Let's ask for information.
side: Elju Rau Roschur
The door in front of me closed, and the sound of footsteps faded away.
"A Dungeon Master? That's impossible."
I muttered to myself.
He introduced himself as "operating the dungeon."
But given the situation, it doesn't seem like Yuki is lying.
I was 'protected' inside a dungeon, and there I encountered goblins, creatures considered lowly and particularly disliked by women.
Yet, those goblins brought us here without harming us.
"Oriel, do you believe that Yuki is a Dungeon Master?"
"From the situation, I don't think he's lying, but I also don't think he's telling the whole truth."
"That's how we feel too..."
"Yes, he, Yuki, was it? The situation isn't clear enough to judge yet. Though it's strange for me to say, Yuki has, for now, treated us and kept his promises."
Oriel frowned, recalling her actions from earlier.
"Oriel, you really..."
"Yes, I apologize. I intended to subdue him, if not kill him, and seize control."
I understand her feelings; we don't know his intentions for protecting us. However, Yuki has kept his promises so far.
He freed us from the pain we suffered as slaves and treated us.
"I don't know what will happen next, but as long as we are not harmed, Oriel, I strictly forbid any hostile acts or violence towards Yuki."
"Yes, I understand. But 'designated protection,' you say... it seems to restrict our actions. After I was healed, I tried to attack, but I couldn't move."
"You..."
I am grateful for Oriel's devotion, but this time she went too far. He has done nothing wrong so far. On the contrary, he freed us from slavery and treated us. Normally, we should bow our heads, even if Yuki is that Dungeon Master.
"It seems we'll have a chance to speak tomorrow, so you must properly apologize and thank him, Oriel."
"...I cannot promise that. I will prioritize protecting Elju."
"Oriel!!"
After that, I lectured Oriel until dinner was served.
side: Kazuya Torino, alias Yuki, protagonist for now
First, let's focus on the women's story. The men also had various experiences, but they're rather uninteresting, so I'll omit them for now. I'll talk about them if I remember later.
In the end, I informed them about our discussion for tomorrow and returned to my room.
It's currently 8:00 AM. I woke up to my phone alarm as usual.
On the first day, I doubted if I had truly flown to another world, but humans get used to things. I immediately opened the MAP to check for any anomalies. I have alarms set for dungeon anomalies or intruders, but I still worry.
635 DP
Oh, it's more than I expected. The three men I captured in the dungeon yesterday are not under designated protection, so their MP is absorbed at an hourly rate as long as they are in the dungeon.
I didn't immediately put the princess under designated protection after capturing her, so her MP must have been converted to DP for an hour or two.
It seems a small battle occurred while I was sleeping. If the dungeon determines the intruder is not human and can be dealt with, it doesn't wake me.
Well, considering that, it seems to absorb 1/100th of their MP per hour.
It's a good haul to have captured people with four-digit MP.
I'll think about how to use this later... For now, I'll eat breakfast and quickly ask them for information about this continent.
After filling my stomach, I decided against bringing my PC, as it might cause confusion, so I took a notebook and a ballpoint pen and headed to where they were.
A map is for sale at "Dig Here, Woof Woof," but it costs 10,000 DP.
Lost in thought, I arrived at their location.
"Good morning. How are you feeling? Any abnormalities?"
"No, thank you for your concern. There are no abnormalities."
"I see. Oriel, was it? Are you alright?"
"Yes, no problem... I apologize for yesterday. The situation was what it was, and I overreacted."
Oriel apologized, looking a little awkward.
"No, I don't mind. So, how about it? May I ask you for information?"
"Yes, you may. But is Yuki truly a Dungeon Master? I don't mean to doubt you, but you are completely different from the Dungeon Masters we know of."
"I apologize, but I don't know what kind of Dungeon Master Elju knows."
"What do you mean?"
"I..."
"Could you wait a moment? Please speak normally."
"I see. Then I'll take you up on that. I just woke up and found myself made the operator of this dungeon, or what you call a Dungeon Master..."
From there, I spun a web of lies. That I didn't know the name of this continent, that there were no dungeons where I came from, and that I was an ordinary human living in a town before coming to the dungeon.
However, I instinctively understood that this dungeon core was connected to me, and if it was harmed, I would also be harmed.
Though bewildered, I had been protecting this dungeon for a while, looking for someone to talk to...
Wow, the lies just flowed out. Well, in a way, it wasn't entirely false.
"Is that so? Such a thing happened."
"Yes, I know it's hard to believe, but please understand. I was confused at first too."
"No, Yuki's actions are trustworthy. What do you think, Oriel?"
"It makes sense. There's no reason for him to deceive us and talk here."
"Alright, then, can I ask a lot of questions?"
"Yes, you may."
And so, I asked them if they knew the information I wanted.
From now on, I will list the questions and answers in bullet points.
* **Dungeon Operators (Dungeon Masters)**: They are called Dungeon Masters. If a dungeon appears, it's either immediately targeted for subjugation, or if it's manageable, it's monitored and used as a nearby training ground for adventurers and knights. Dungeons have danger levels; those with only a dungeon core are relatively safe and suitable for training, while those with strong monsters are put on hold for conquest. Dungeons with a Dungeon Master like me are apparently set to the highest danger level. So far, only about 12 have been recorded. All of them required deploying about a company of the country's royal guards just to determine if they could be conquered and subjugated. Two of them even possessed enough power to swallow up the Demon Lord or powerful nations of their time.
* **Heroes**: They do exist. The condition for being a Hero is having a skill like "Hero of ○○." Records show that many Heroes have been born and died. Among them, the "Hero from Another World" skill is highly valued, possessing outstanding combat abilities. Tch, so otherworld summoning really exists.
* **Demon Lords**: This was also a given. They are kings who rule demons and monsters. The definition here is vague; it's just a title used by this side. Well, they wouldn't show off their skills and declare, "I am the Demon Lord!!" There are currently two confirmed Demon Lords on this continent, and it seems there are multiple Demon Lords in total. I'll try to remember their names if I meet them.
* **About this Continent**: The size of this continent is hard to grasp from just talking, but this current location is designated as territory of the Roschur Kingdom, and there's a town about 15 km away. Crap!! 15 km is too close, isn't it? I panicked, but in this world, there are no cars, of course. Horses are the means of transport, and monsters roam outside towns. I see, it's a good location, just as Luna said.
* **About the Roschur Kingdom**: Its territory ranks among the top five countries on the continent, and it is a powerful nation worthy of its land. It is currently engaged in territorial disputes with other countries. I sense a slight exaggeration. After all, the person in front of me is the princess of that country, and she was a slave, which tells you something. It concerns national defense, so I wasn't sure if they would tell me, but I asked about the capital's population, and they answered readily: "200,000 citizens support a highly prosperous nation under a wise king, and the population continues to grow." Can 200,000 be boasted about? It really is like medieval Europe. Or perhaps I should see it as doing quite well.
* **About Currency**: It uses a decimal system, which was very helpful. Copper coin < Silver coin < Gold coin < Platinum coin. Roughly, one gold coin can support a family of four for a month. The unit is "Forl."
* **About Races**: As Luna said, there are Beastmen with animal ears, Elves, and Humans, and even among humans, there are many variations.
I extracted a lot of information, but then I realized I was getting hungry, and it was already past noon.
"Sorry for taking so long. I'll prepare a meal."