第２２３掘：身内報告と会議 (Part2)
However, dismantling this massive alliance won't be easy, and even those war-mongering generals are benefiting from the trade facilitated by Weed. As Seraria said, all I can really do is keep my ears open and stay personally vigilant.
"Well then, I’ll go next. Regarding the Blacksmith District, thanks to the vast knowledge I’ve gained from you, Yuki, we’ve succeeded in developing gunpowder and firearms that use magic power as a substitute. But, it’ll be a long time before these see the light of day. They’re stable, sure, but there’s no reason to go out of our way to arm fools and disturb the peace. As planned, we’ll keep these firearms under wraps for the time being and continue producing standard weapons. Of course, I’ll provide them to you and your group free of charge. Besides, since I developed them personally, there’s no risk of the information leaking."
Yeah, Narjia is amazing as always. Her technical prowess in blacksmithing and related fields is head and shoulders above the rest. And she clearly understands the dangers involved, too. With this, there’s no longer any reason to spend a high amount of DP to procure rifles. I’ll need to ask her for the details on material costs later.
"And finally, for the Weed group, it’s my turn. The Adventurer Guild is, for the most part, calm. The Grand Master is there, and the dungeon in Weed is functioning normally. That said, as mentioned in the initial report, there’s a high turnover of adventurers, so those coming from elsewhere occasionally cause trouble. There were some idiots who were extorting money from children, so they’ve been banned. Oh, and of course, the children who were targeted have been properly protected and are receiving care. Actually, it was Vilia and Hiiro who told us about it, and they even beat those malicious adventurers to a pulp."
"Wait, seriously? Are they that strong!?"
"Well, Vilia and Hiiro are the top students at school, and they’ve been going in and out of regular dungeons, too. The safest ones, of course."
"What!? Hold on, I’m going to go see those two."
I was so shocked by the report that I started to head toward Vilia and Hiiro, but Seraria held me back.
"Now, now, calm down. They’re doing this because they want to. Don't interfere."
"B-but, in a regular dungeon, there’s a risk to their lives..."
"It’s fine. I’m one of the people who gave them the green light. Vilia’s swordsmanship is actually quite impressive. Besides, even if the worst were to happen, that’s the risk they take. That’s the resolve of anyone who enters a dungeon. Both Vilia and Hiiro understand that."
"...Resolve, you say? Even without doing something so dangerous, there are ways to earn a living safely. I only intended for that children’s dungeon to be a reminder of the dangers of monsters..."
"I understand what you’re saying. But you don’t need to be so overprotective. Those girls are thinking and acting for themselves. It’s not like you to get in the way of how people choose to live."
Hmm. I suppose she’s right, but they’re still children—that’s just my own selfish opinion.
"I don’t not understand your feelings. Now that we have a child of our own, I also have that urge to oppose them doing anything dangerous. But even so, they were very serious about it."
"...I understand."
For now, since Seraria and Milly have given their approval, it must be fine. I’ll try asking them about it casually next time I visit the school.
"Sorry, I lost my cool for a second. Anyway, that concludes the report for Weed. Next is the New Continent members. Mauve, if you would."
"You got it."
The report from Mauve and the others regarding the demi-human village began. Since I moved my base to Betan, I’ve left things entirely up to Mauve. I haven’t received any urgent reports, so there probably aren’t any major issues, but the conflict between humans and demi-humans on the New Continent is severe. I’ve intentionally left it to Mauve, but I’m sure there will be reports regarding that as well.