第５２５堀：本当に忙しい半日 昼之部 (Part1)
**Dungeon 525: A Truly Busy Half-Day – Afternoon Session**
**Side: Yuki**
"In the first place, Lizardmen are best utilized when they are properly equipped. Bringing out 'raw' Lizardmen is pointless. Their gear is just too pathetic."
As I said that, I picked up the weapon one of the "Liza-chans" had been holding. It was nothing more than a stick with a rock tied to it—a primitive spear, or perhaps more accurately, a club.
"Sure, they might have high physical stats, but that alone doesn't bring out their full potential. For example, what do you think would happen if you gave them a decent spear instead of this junk?"
It’s basic logic. If they’re strong to begin with, giving them good equipment makes them even stronger. Honestly, looking at their gear, what kind of backwater Lizardmen are these? The Lizardmen I summon come with swords, shields, and leather armor as a default.
...Ah, are they running low on DP? Since they were summoned using a core, I suppose the swords and shields would be separate costs.
"Hmph, don't get cocky just because you managed to take down one of them. Go!"
At Clay’s command, the rest of the Liza-chans charged at us all at once. There were about twenty of them in total.
"Vilia, Dressa, Eoid, Amanda—handle them. Capture one each."
"Yes. Leave it to us, Brother."
"Finally, something that feels like it might have a bit of bite to it."
"How are we supposed to capture them, though...?"
"Eoid, with monsters like these, you just have to show them your strength! Like this!!"
Amanda dashed forward to demonstrate, driving her fist into the Liza-chan in front of her.
*THUD!!*
With that sound, the Liza-chan was sent flying, crashing into the others trailing behind it and knocking them all down.
Wait, hold on. Wasn't Amanda a fire mage? While I was busy pondering that, Vilia, Dressa, and Eoid also charged toward the Liza-chans without drawing their weapons.
"…They’re more fragile than I thought. If I stabbed them with a spear, they’d probably fall apart. Let’s do as Amanda-san suggested."
"True. Mauve and the others always said physical combat is important, so this is good practice."
"Oh, I can actually do this."
They proceeded to knock the Liza-chans away just as easily.
"Hey now. I get Vilia and Dressa, but why are Eoid and Amanda so good at hand-to-hand combat?"
"Hmm. They’ve been training during their downtime. People learn fast when they’re desperate. Even Popuri and the others could probably do that much by now."
I wasn't sure if I should be convinced or not. I could only imagine how much they’d struggled to get to this point.
"Actually, these Lizardmen aren't that strong to begin with. I wonder why?"
"Indeed. How pathetic."
"Well, you can't really compare them to the Lizardmen in the Weed Monster Corps."
The foundation of our units is completely different, and they even have access to modern weaponry. The ones I’ve trained are at a level where even Ria and Deryu would struggle against them. We’ve drilled them in tactics and every dirty trick in the book.
"…I never imagined it would be to this extent."
"…Amazing."
"…As expected of Yuki-sama."
Duke Kamishiro, Kagura, and Catherine stood there, completely stunned. I hadn't really shown off our true capabilities in such a clear way before. Kagura and Catherine had seen Vilia and the others dominate human opponents, but they’d never seen them fight monsters, so they must have been worried.
Just then, Clay and his group secretly unleashed a barrage of magic at us, hitting the Liza-chans in the process. It looked like fire magic; it had decent power and the impact zone exploded... right on top of Vilia and the others.
"Ehh!? No way!? Vilia!! Dressa!! Amanda!! Eoid!!" Kagura screamed.
"Hahaha…!! You may have some skill, but you lack the awareness to watch your surroundings! You are no match for this assembly of wisdom!"
Clay’s voice echoed from beyond the smoke. But I hadn't trained them to be taken out by something like this.
" *Cough*. Good grief, all this dust..."
" *Ptooey*, *ptooey*. I got grit in my mouth."
"Hmm. I feel like Eris-san’s attack magic had more power than this..."
"Besides, it’s all just for show, isn't it?"
As the smoke cleared, the four of them stood there, brushing off the dust and soot. Naturally, they had each secured one of the Liza-chans.
Honestly, I expected Amanda and Eoid to avoid serious injury, but to be completely unscathed? Ah, right—the charm bracelets Firia gave them. That’s why I hate cheat equipment.
"What!? Unscathed!? Damn you, go!!"
Clay and his group finally decided to move, charging at us with two of their subordinates, but it was too late. Deryu took down the two subordinates in an instant, and Ria began to walk toward Clay at a leisurely pace. Clay attacked Ria with a mix of sword strikes and magic, but Ria didn't look flustered at all; she swatted everything away with her sword and knocked him down.
Though, considering she was wearing hero-grade equipment custom-made by Narjia-san, she probably didn't even need to swat them away.
"Guh!? W-we couldn't even touch you!? W-who are you people!?"
Thank you for the classic line. Ria pondered the question for a moment before answering.
"Let's see... we're a happily married couple and their entourage."
"A-are you mocking me!?"
"I'm not mocking you. Because of you people, we haven't been able to have any quiet, romantic time. Are you prepared for the consequences?"
Ria answered with a smile, but it wasn't a kind one. It was a bone-chilling smile. She clenched her fist...
"W-wait a minu—"
*CRUNCH!!*
She brought her fist down without a second thought.
"Honestly, if Yuki-san hadn't given me orders, I would have shredded you into pieces and fed you to the animals. Let's see... is this it? Yuki-san, I've secured what looks like a core."
"Good. Then let's tie them up and head back to Duke Kamishiro’s mansion. Is that alright, Duke?"
"Y-yes. That would be for the best."
If we kept dragging this elite Haiden magic unit and these Lizardmen around, we might end up being treated as the villains, and the explanations would be a hassle. To investigate properly, we decided to return to the Kamishiro territory for the time being.
"To think they were summoning monsters... The Findar Empire won't stay silent about this. No, could it be... the remnants from *that* time?"
Duke Kamishiro muttered to himself on the way back. Hearing that, it clicked for me.
*Oh, so that’s how it connects?* The monster incidents in the Empire and the neighboring small country—they’re all linked behind the scenes? Well, that’s just a guess for now.
I might need to have a talk with George in Baide. We need to analyze this "core" thing, so going back to Baide is a must anyway. But if it really is a core, that means there’s a Dungeon Master’s trail, right? Do I have to go get a list of this continent from that Useless Goddess again?
What a pain. Mostly because talking to that goddess is a headache.
Fortunately, we made it back to the Duke’s mansion by evening. Since we’d only just left today, the timing of Clay and his group’s attack was actually quite convenient. Dragging them around while camping would have been a massive chore.
For now, we threw Clay and his two lackeys into the mansion’s dungeon.
"Duke, please compile everything these people know. We’re going to head back to Baide for a bit to take care of some things. We can handle the interrogation together later."
"Understood. Though, it is convenient—to think that passing through this gate takes you to Baide in an instant."
"Well, it comes with its own set of troubles, too. See you later."
...And so, we returned.