第４３９堀：大混乱だぜ！！ (Part2)
"Y-yes, I see. Faide, tell me what you have seen and heard."
I had been clinging to a sliver of hope that Faide would deny it, but...
"Nonoa. It is the truth. If you launch an attack now, you will be remembered for nothing more than petty jealousy and spite. There is no righteousness in your cause."
"..."
What am I supposed to do? I have already set so many schemes in motion; is it even possible to defect at this late stage? No, the real question is why there was such a massive discrepancy in our understanding to begin with.
"I am still in a state of confusion. However, do you have any idea why such a misunderstanding has arisen?"
"I must preface this by saying it is only a conjecture."
"That is fine."
If I don't listen carefully now, my country will cease to exist. I had that sinking feeling. Faide is on their side, and I am already at a disadvantage in terms of information and sheer numbers. I have no moral high ground. How am I supposed to win this?
"First, I must ask: Nonoa-dono, you have never actually met the Dungeon Master in person, have you? You heard this information secondhand, didn't you?"
"…That is correct. I heard it from the Sword God Nogosh. As for cooperation, I did perform the act of channeling my magical power into the core."
"I see. Then, it is highly likely that you were fed limited information and used as a pawn by your collaborators. After all, as the Magic God, you are capable of supplying a vast amount of magical power."
"Indeed, as you say. But why would Nogosh or the Dungeon Master do such a thing... asking that is a foolish question. They wanted to keep it all for themselves, didn't they?"
"In all likelihood, yes."
*Tch.* Even that man I thought was an idiot had been using his head, planning to keep me on a leash.
"It is frustrating, but I understand. However, why tell me all this? It is not as if I lack a Dungeon Master of my own, and the possibility that I am the one doing the deceiving cannot be ruled out. Why take such a risk to seek a dialogue with us?"
"That is because we have secured our safety."
"Secured your safety? What do you mean by..."
The words I intended to use to prompt an explanation died in my throat.
*“Literally. We’ve secured our safety. And it means we were prepared to capture you if you chose to be hostile, or to establish a cooperative relationship if you chose to listen to the facts.”*
The voice of a third party—someone not in this room—echoed through the air. My guards and I frantically scanned our surroundings, but there was no place for anyone to hide. Unless my ears were deceiving me, the voice was emanating from Yuki-dono.
*“Oh, don’t worry, I have no intention of harming you. Please, tell your people not to make a move. If they do, I’ll have no choice but to capture them, too. Now, to continue: the main reason I’m telling you this is that you know far too little. About the Dungeon Master. After all, this castle has already been turned into a dungeon and is under our control.”*
"What!? That’s impossible. Are you mocking me?"
The disembodied voice suddenly claimed something preposterous. If it were that easy to create a dungeon, the world would be overflowing with them by now.
*“I have no intention of mocking you. That is precisely why I can trust that you truly don’t know. For now, you should have Yuki there show you the proof that we have seized control of this castle as a dungeon.”*
At those words, I looked at Yuki-dono and the others. They were, as expected, completely composed.
"…It seems your collaborator is the real deal. So, will you show me this proof that you have my castle in your grasp?"
"Understood. Then, first, perhaps a three-dimensional floor plan of this castle..."
As Yuki-dono said this, he used his power as a Dungeon Master, and a small, translucent model of the castle appeared.
"This is... without a doubt. My castle."
"I am glad you are convinced. If you require more concrete proof, I believe summoning a goblin into this room would be the most straightforward method. How would you like to proceed?"
"N-no. That will not be necessary."
...What does this mean? Was this Yuki, whom I thought was a fake, actually a real Dungeon Master? Then what is Seraria? I don't understand. What kind of situation have I fallen into!?
*“That confusion is proof that you know nothing. That is why I judged that you were merely being danced on a string and decided to attempt persuasion. You should thank him—Yuki—for his good judgment. Under normal circumstances, you would have been captured or executed without a word.”*
With the words of that disembodied voice, I finally understood my situation. We had been in a position where we could have been killed at any moment...