第３４８堀：内通者 (Part2)
How does a slender, beautiful elf go about training until they possess a magnificent, inverted-triangle physique?
"However, looking at the situation, the main culprit seems to be an insider. The King and the Chancellor certainly have their hands full."
"No. I apologize for exposing my own incompetence through such an affair."
"It is our failure that allowed such a person to fester in this country that Comet-sama built for us. Please, punish us however you see fit."
Saying this, they knelt before Comet like condemned criminals.
"Yeah, yeah!! Stand up already. This is your country now. It’s not my place to interfere, nor will I punish you. I only provided a little bit of help to this place. My previous words were meant literally—that you have a tough job, nothing more."
"Ha! I am grateful for Comet-sama’s magnanimous heart."
"Thank you very much!!"
"We are grateful!! Comet-sama!!"
For some reason, the King, the Chancellor, and even General Strong Arm were all kneeling.
"...What a pain."
Comet muttered that. I can’t say I don’t understand the feeling. Comet and I are somewhat akin to craftsmen. We only need the bare minimum of etiquette, and we don't demand it from others. Because it’s just too much trouble. Like right now.
"U-um, Your Majesty, Chancellor, General... Comet-sama seems troubled, and we must take the criminal into custody, so..."
Perhaps because Tomori-chan has only heard of Comet’s achievements through rumors, she doesn't seem to share the absolute, god-worshipping obedience of the other three.
Just then, the dungeon lights suddenly went out, plunging everything into darkness.
"W-what is this!?"
"An enemy!?"
I heard the panicked voices of Claudia and Kaya from the darkness. The other soldiers were clattering with their gear, clearly caught off guard.
"Eris."
"Yes. Light."
I had Eris, who was with me, illuminate the surroundings. Naturally, Ria, Jessica, Cleena, and Samantha were firmly securing our perimeter. Oh, by the way, Samantha’s older sister, Runo, is on standby so she can evacuate immediately if the worst happens.
"Hmm? It seems there’s nothing in particular. ...In that case."
Comet exchanged a look with me, and we opened our Dungeon Maps simultaneously. The place we looked at was...
" "The Dungeon Core is gone." "
"What!?"
"I-impossible!!"
"I-immediately, retrieve it!!"
"Y-yes!! Pursue the thief at once!!"
The faces of everyone from White Forest were deathly pale. Naturally, having the Dungeon Core, which is essential for maintaining the country, stolen is a major crisis.
"Ah, it’s fine. It’ll switch over immediately."
"Switch over?"
"Yes. For the time being, I’ve replaced everything that would be problematic if stolen with dummies that look like the real thing. I told you that, didn't I?"
"C-certainly. But you even swapped the Dungeon Core? W-will there be an impact on the country?"
"Ah. That part is fine. ...Look."
While I was speaking, the lights in the dungeon returned to normal. Still, relying on the Dungeon Core for lighting is a problem. If it goes pitch black like just now, we can't do anything. I’ll need to discuss improvements later. Bringing in electricity like in Weed is too early, so maybe something from Zargis’s research would be appropriate?
"Oh. The lights are back."
"Well, to put it simply, I placed the real ones in a double or triple layer. That way, it’s no problem if one is taken. I’ve set it up so it switches to the next core, just like it did now."
"I see. You’ve saved us. However, we cannot let the great criminal who stole the core, which is the lifeblood of our country, escape!!"
"Exactly!! All troops, pursue—"
Tomori and General Strong Arm were about to order a pursuit in a fit of rage, but...
"Ah, sorry. Please wait on that."
Before I could stop them, Comet put a halt to it.
"Why is that?"
"I’m tracking them with this dungeon’s functions, so I want to gather more information. Like, why were they targeting the Dungeon Core? The opponent seems to be a Human. But if that’s the case, it’s strange. As of now, Humans should have almost no information about dungeons. What value could they possibly find in a Dungeon Core?"
"...Indeed. We keep even the location of this place a secret, and only a handful of people in White Forest know about the Dungeon Core. Security is tight, too. Even if they were going to steal something, there should be plenty of other things that are easier to convert to cash or harder to trace..."
That’s right, which means...
"There is a high possibility that the opponent has a Dungeon Master we don't know about."
As Comet said, someone who knows the characteristics of a dungeon inside and out. It is highly likely that there is someone close to being a Dungeon Master. Moreover, on the enemy's side.
"So, I’ve added various tricks to the Dungeon Core, including security measures to send us audio and video, so I want you to hold off for a while, even if you intend to catch them."
I never expected the Dungeon Core to actually be stolen, but being prepared for anything is important.
Well then, I think things are moving in a quite interesting direction. The existence of a third-party Dungeon Master has appeared. Well, since it seems a mountain of Dungeon Masters were appointed, it wouldn't be strange if some remained.
Now, now, what will happen!!
And finally. I apologize for the many typos and omissions lately. Thinking about the story structure and writing various things has led to an increase in errors. Also, it’s because I’m doing so many other things. It seems I’m in an overheated state because I’ve spread myself thin with "We’re Doing Things Freely" and the "Eastern Collection."
However, even after reviewing, this is the result, so I probably lack the ability to edit typos!! I must be auto-correcting them in my brain. I’m also writing a doujin novel, and I’ll be busy until around April 1st, so please bear with me until then.
I truly apologize for the typos making it difficult to read.