第２５０掘：先輩の経験談 (Part3)
I haven’t mentioned this before, but beastmen actually possess both animal ears and human ears. They can switch their focus between them, meaning they can enjoy music with earphones just like anyone else. Their animal ears are primarily for hunting and combat. By utilizing them, they can pick up unusual sounds in the forest and pinpoint the location of enemies. This is the fundamental nature of the beastman race.
While it might be difficult for me to master, paying attention to sound is a basic skill, so I’ll try to be more mindful of it than ever before. Perhaps I might even catch up to Tori and the others.
The stories from those two were great, but Kaya’s insights were also incredibly educational. Since she was once slated to become the next captain of her village’s patrol, she was well-versed in how to fight in a camp that lacked fortifications and had few combatants.
Nowadays, she is quiet and rarely shows emotion, but to be considered for a captaincy, she must have been quite good at dealing with people. Despite her village being destroyed and having gone through a terrible ordeal herself, she still answered my questions. Kaya really is a wonderful wife.
To summarize Kaya’s advice, it comes down to one thing: if you’re going to run, do it quickly. If you’re going to fight, use every tool at your disposal to survive. It sounds like two points, but both are about survival. A village has limited manpower; any loss directly threatens its existence. Thus, survival is everything.
“Thanks. That was a huge help.”
It was about time to meet up with Eoid and Taiki, so I wrapped up the conversation. It really was a productive talk that I could apply to myself.
“I’m glad it was useful. I’m looking forward to tonight,” Tori said.
“Nfufu, I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow, Yuki-san,” Riel added.
“...I want to eat fried tofu today,” Kaya murmured.
“Yeah, I’ll keep my promises. By the way, what are you three doing for the monster hunt this afternoon?”
Come to think of it, I hadn't asked what these three and Eris were up to. Oh, and for the record, Ria has been by my side the whole time. She was listening and learning along with me while I talked to Tori and the others.
Jessica is currently guarding Princess Miffy. As planned, Princess Miffy is temporarily returning to Zilba. In her place, Rurua and Milly are staying behind as residents in Zilba, while Ratz is working undercover to gather information on Enaria.
Seraria and Deryu went back to Betan with Jessica under the pretext of guarding the princess, filling the holes left by Tori’s group and the children coming to the academy. Sia and her group were, of course, taken along, and the Holy Sword users acting as monitors arrived as scheduled.
With this, we’re ready for the enemy to make a move at any time. Honestly, since I can move at high speeds through the dungeon, they could have attacked from the start, but the enemy seems to have become obsessed with gathering information ever since Sia and the others were captured. They aren't wrong to be cautious, but... well, good luck to them.
Wait, I was asking about the girls' plans.
“Uh, what was it again?” Riel tilted her head.
“Honestly, Riel, you’re so careless about these things,” Tori sighed.
“...I think we’re hunting monsters with Samantha?” Kaya offered.
“You think?” I asked.
Kaya, why the questioning tone?
“Here’s the thing,” Tori answered for her. “We’re with Lady Samantha and Amanda. Apparently, those two are top-tier students, so they’re giving a monster-hunting demonstration for the first-years today.”
A demonstration for the first-years, huh?
“Does that mean Lady Samantha and the others will be the ones actually doing the fighting?”
“Yes. There are other instructors and guards, but Lady Samantha and Amanda will be the ones performing the actual demonstrations.”
“Wait, doesn't that mean you three and Eris won't get to hunt any monsters?”
“Ah, that’s fine. We’re already seen as being on the same level as Eris because of what we did during magic training,” Riel explained.
“...The principal has already been consulted. No problem,” Kaya added.
“I see. Well, that’s fine then. It’s a good opportunity, so go see what Lady Samantha and Amanda can really do. I’ll hunt some monsters while keeping an eye on Eoid.”
“Understood. But please, hold back a little during the hunt,” Tori warned.
“Yeah! If all the monsters disappear, there won't be anything left to demonstrate,” Riel laughed.
“...Hold back. Okay, Yuki?”
“I get it, I get it. See you later then. Shall we go, Ria?”
“Yes!”
As we were heading toward the meeting point with Eoid, Ria whispered to me.
“Um, I can’t tell stories like Tori and the others... but, well, I’d like you to love me... intensely tonight.”
Dammit, I knew it would come to this. However, to prevent the "damage" from spreading further, I needed to satisfy Ria and keep her as a bulkhead.
“Sure.”
“Really?!”
“Well, after hearing all that back there, I can’t leave you out. Besides, you’re always working hard as my guard. But keep it a secret from the others, okay? If I have to do this for everyone, I’ll shrivel up and die.”
“Yes, I understand! I’ll keep quiet!”
Her silver twin-tails swayed beautifully as she gave me a lovely, beaming smile. Unfortunately, this promise was destined to be broken. It wasn't that Ria was bad; it was just that after I worked my hardest, the five of them (including Eris) looked so radiant and refreshed that the other wives interrogated them until they confessed. I ended up having to give it my all for everyone.
“...If I die from this, what a way to go.”
“It’s fine,” Luna chirped. “Even if you die from overexertion, I’ll just resurrect you. Pfft, but a Dungeon Master dying from too much 'action' would be unprecedented. Why not give it a try?”
“Who would do that, you useless goddess?!”
“Boo, don't be like that.”
As I thought, this useless goddess is my toughest opponent.
Anyway, this time was about what it means to be an adventurer—or rather, the importance of confirming your work. Next time, an event will occur before Yuki goes on a rampage! There are still others here with us, like the kids.
***
**Author's Note:**
Changing the subject, I’ll be posting Q&A Corner 10 today or tomorrow. Corner 11 will be in two weeks, so feel free to take your time thinking of questions.
For those who don't know about the Q&A: I currently run a "Certain Victory Dungeon Q&A" roughly once a week. You can find it by clicking my name, "Yukidaruma," and checking the activity reports. The format features Aslin, Firia, and Labyris answering questions from readers, so it’s quite fun. Please check it out if you’re interested.
Also, here are the games I’m currently playing:
Online: Gundam Online, KanColle, Kanpani Girls.
PC: Minecraft.
PS4: The Witcher 3, Earth Defense Force 4.1, Disgaea 5, Bloodborne.
3DS: Etrian Odyssey IV, Etrian Mystery Dungeon, Pokémon.
VITA: Dungeon Travelers 2, Elminage series, Senran Kagura, Wizardry Empire III, Gundam Breaker 2.
I basically love adventuring.
You know, I wish someone would make a game with a system like Wizardry, but with a randomly generated map like Minecraft, a fixed number of castles and towns, and total freedom to adventure. Every time you clear an objective, you can move to a new generated world and gain "I’m OP" skills.
Oh, and maybe the characters' roles could be randomized each time. Even if it's the same character, their position would be different, so you could recruit them or they’d have different skills. I think that would be fun.
Maybe include a slave system where you can choose to make friends or buy companions? And of course, the ability to buy houses in each town. You could choose to be an adventurer or a soldier serving a castle.
Auto-managed events where if you’re too late to intervene, you can’t turn the tide and just have to run away—wouldn't that be interesting? Inside castles, towns, or dungeons, one step takes 10 minutes, and on the world map, one step takes 30 minutes, with monster placements changing based on time...
Someone, please make this! I think this delusional game of mine would be incredibly playable. I’ll even write the scenario! Someone make it, hurry!