第１５４掘：とりあえず、どうしようか？
**Dungeon 154: For Now, What Should We Do?**
**Side: Yuki**
" " "We are terribly sorry!!" " "
The men bowed in unison.
"Hmph."
The only one wrapped up like a sushi roll and looking away was Set, the rabbit-eared dandy who had been knocked out by my single blow.
"Hey, you!! Is that any way to treat your savior?!"
A woman with a sturdy build—or rather, a plump belly—who appeared to be his wife, brought her fist down on Set.
*Thud.*
It was a strike with real weight behind it.
Yeah, that had to hurt. The sound alone was a heavy, low-frequency impact.
As expected, the rabbit-eared dandy rolled around in his bindings, unable to suppress the pain. When you can't hold the spot that hurts, that’s all you can really do.
"I accept your apology. By the way, who is the representative of this village? I would like to speak with them properly."
That’s right. The important thing is what to do from here on out.
I don't know if they are big shots of the Zilba Empire or not, but I’ve captured a portion of their forces. I have to decide how to handle these guys, but it would be problematic to decide without hearing from the villagers first.
Even if the number of soldiers isn't huge, if they were all wiped out, there would be some kind of reaction.
No, even if I let them go, they’d likely launch a retaliatory strike, so if the villagers flee, that would be... no, that’s not right either.
The dungeon is here, so I have to defend this base regardless...
*Ugh*, I’m starting to not care anymore.
No, calm down.
If these villagers move, I can use the dungeon's abilities to make this entire region an impregnable fortress, which would make things much easier.
If the villagers stay, I’ll have to be considerate, fight carefully, and limit the dungeon’s functions...
If they insist on staying, should I just send them to Weed?
As I was thinking about this, a sharp-eyed old woman emerged from behind the gathered villagers.
"I am the representative of this village, the Elder, Aetheri. I truly thank you for saving our village this time."
With that, the old woman bowed deeply.
She didn't seem to have any aversion to us just because there were humans among us. Or perhaps she was hiding it thanks to her years of experience?
"And so, you said your name was Yuki, right? What is it you wish to ask?"
"Well, we came from another continent, through the ruins you hold so dear, so we aren't well-versed in the local situation. I also need to ask how we should handle the captured Zilba soldiers. I mean, we’ve routed them and captured everyone, but I suspect it won't be long before the Zilba Empire comes to this village in earnest. What do you think?"
"Hmm... The story about coming through the ruins is hard to believe, but you are right that the Zilba Empire's attention will now turn toward this village."
As the Elder confirmed my words, the surrounding villagers began to stir.
Well, that’s to be expected. They might have to deal with the Zilba Empire’s vanguard regularly from now on.
"Quiet!! I am still speaking with this gentleman. Whether we abandon this village or defend it... I suspect that will depend on these people."
"What do you mean, Elder?!"
"Why, it’s simple. They suppressed 300 Zilba Empire soldiers in the blink of an eye with only about ten people. And looking at them, it seems they weren't even trying that hard."
Oh boy, this old lady has incredible observational skills. This is going to be difficult.
"Ha!! 300 is nothing for us!! Elder, we don't need the help of these guys!!"
"Set. If you’re going to say that, at least do it after you’ve soundly defeated this gentleman. You were taken down in one hit by him when he got a little serious earlier."
"Nghhh!!"
Set, you old man. Look at reality. I get how you feel, but still.
"So, if what you say is true and you are coming and going through the ruins, you need to protect this place, don't you?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"I see. You want to know how we intend to act?"
"Yes. We plan to operate with the ruins as our center, so we’d prefer not to have it taken by any specific faction. But coming here..."
"You mean to say we built our village around the ruins?"
"Yes. Our course of action depends on what you choose to do."
"Ho? I thought the only choices were to flee and perish, or defend this village and perish?"
"That’s true. I’d add a few more options: build a nation, or take refuge in our base and live safely."
When I said that, the Elder’s eyes widened, and then she laughed as if she found it genuinely amusing.
"Uhihihi!! My apologies. I didn't think there was anything left at my age that would make me laugh from the heart."
"I’m not joking; I’m quite serious."
"I know that. That’s why it was funny. I thought if you protected the village, it wouldn't be destroyed, but I’ve grown quite old. I’ve become too conservative. If I had looked at your strength, I should have reached that answer immediately."
She paused there and looked at each of our faces one by one.
"Indeed. No matter how I look at it, this is no ordinary magical power. It is certainly not impossible to build a nation."
"You don't have to force yourselves to join us. You could also live safely at our base?"
Actually, I’d prefer that. They’re going to be a burden, after all.
"No, if you outsiders are going to protect this place, we’ll lend a hand. Besides, we have our own pride in having protected this place until now."
I figured as much. They have their pride.
And they wouldn't just hand over the defense of their village to strangers, would they?
"For now, I will discuss this direction with the villagers. You all seem capable of doing many things. Do as you please; I will give you a formal answer tomorrow."
With that, the Elder took the villagers and left.
Since we were in the middle of the village, those who weren't participating in the meeting simply started working on rebuilding.
"Phew, the talk is over for now."
Mauve sat down, looking exhausted.
"Hey, you didn't even say anything."
"But what should we do from here on?" Ria asked.
"For now, the village and the Zilba prisoners are secondary. Let's wait for the answer tomorrow. Though, given the flow of things, we'll likely have to protect them."
"That's true. I don't like the idea of saving them only to abandon them later."
"I agree. I feel the same."
Riel and Tori are in favor of protecting the villagers.
Well, considering the future of the New Continent, they are necessary personnel...
"...The problem is the movements of the Zilba Empire."
Exactly as Kaya said. That is the biggest problem.
"The answer tomorrow will determine the Zilba Empire's next move. Though, it's just a matter of whether a large army comes to the village sooner or later."
"That's obvious. We'll just blow the enemies away."
"...I don't want to agree with Mauve, but that's how it will be."
"Well, that's likely how it will go."
Mauve is talking nonsense, but as Raiya and Curse said, in the end, the only way is to repel the enemy when they arrive.
Negotiation isn't entirely off the table, but...
"Even if we wanted to talk, we've already captured their soldiers."
"...True. If the forces were equal, there might be room for negotiation, but..."
Shera and Labyris said that negotiation is nearly impossible given the current situation.
Yeah, that’s right. If soldiers are captured by a village that doesn't look like it has any power, they’ll come to crush it with everything they’ve got.
For the sake of their face, if nothing else!!
Negotiation will only be possible after we’ve repelled them a few times...
In other words, after they’ve learned the extent of our power.
That means I have to deal with troublesome battles until then...
"In that case, regardless of the village's answer, we cannot use the dungeon's power limitlessly at this stage. Shouldn't we finish the planned survey and prepare our forces?"
Zargis is right. Even if I want to expand the dungeon to create traps over a wide area or crush them with a monster army, I need to investigate the magic depletion issues and the changes in ability due to magic attenuation, or it will become a problem when the time comes.
"So, preparing our forces means prioritizing the related surveys."
"Yes. Rather than investigating the depletion issue, it would be better to identify monsters that can be used for defense and bolster our numbers. Transporting supplies is a hassle as it is."
True. Monsters are the best for transporting supplies, but since I didn't know what would happen with this magic depletion, I didn't bring any on the first day. I should move that schedule forward and get our numbers up.
Because it looks like a war is about to start.
I wanted to live quietly on this New Continent...
Peace just won't come!!
(Note: The elf wife with a child has been renamed from "Hiriya" to "Naya". Names like Higil and Hiera were too similar.)