第５５３堀：マジック・ギア・スティーブ 前編 (Part2)
"Man, I haven't been able to find anything that looks like a production base. If you look at the call screen, you can see that the magic tools I've designated as Magic Gear are scattered all over the place. I don't think they're being manufactured in the Haiden royal capital. Besides, I've confirmed five items brought in from the outside, and the number of Magic Gears hasn't suddenly spiked, so the possibility of them being hidden is low."
"I suppose we should assume the Boss's prediction is correct, then."
*Sigh.* What a pain.
"From the outside, you say? Does that mean we shouldn't consider this the main base?"
"Likely. For better or worse, there isn't a single spot that can't be investigated via the Dungeon Core's call function. I've spent the last half-day scouring everything from secret rooms in the castle to hidden passages. The residents here aren't even that high-level. At best, they're on par with the average soldier of the Rogari Continent. Well, the general-class ones are reasonably strong, but that's all—just 'reasonably' strong."
"It would've been nice if we could've done some recon on the ground, though."
"True, but it's too conspicuous for Orcs or Goblins to be asking around."
"Man... it’s tough for us to walk under the sun in any land, isn't it?"
"Well, it's better than not being able to stand on solid ground at all. Kirika and the undead squad of Liches are all kicking themselves for not being able to come here."
"Yeah, they’d probably perish the moment they stepped foot in this place. The Boss isn't the type to just casually perform biological experiments, so we’re stuck waiting for results from Zargis and Comet-san. Until then, it’s just us doing the covert work, huh?"
"It’s a matter of the right person for the right job. We Orcs are big and bulky, after all. The best we can do is lurk in the nearby woods, build a base, and gather simple intel via the call function. On that note, Steve and his Goblin crew are small, so infiltration with camouflage gear isn't much of a problem for them. I’m counting on you to cover for us, Surakichi-san, Mino-chan, and Kirika’s teams."
"John, I’m counting on your support too."
"Got it. Leave it to me. Oh—the target has made contact. Route the video and audio here."
While we were talking, the target—Clay, was it? Whatever, Clay-san—had entered a noble’s mansion.
*"Clay-kun. How did it go?"*
The one speaking was, if I recall correctly, Tarkram, who led the reinforcements to Baide and is currently listed as a person of interest.
So you’re involved in this too, huh? The name fits the situation perfectly, which is convenient for us.
*"...My apologies. Both operations failed. The Summoning Orbs led by my Haiden and Baide units have been seized."*
*"What did you say!?"*
Summoning Orbs? Ah, he must mean the Dungeon Cores that were modified—or rather, corrupted—to have limited functions.
*"There were some unknown individuals present. The assassination of the Duke and the kidnapping of the Princess and the Duke's daughter failed. All my subordinates, save for myself, were captured."*
*"What does that mean!? What happened!? Clay-kun, do you have no idea!? If this reaches the Sage's ears, he will be furious!!"*
*"Please, calm down, Tarkram-sama. We suffered a minor setback, but it is not a problem. In fact, this is the perfect opportunity."*
*"What do you mean?"*
*"When we were captured, we were already suspected of being sent by that Lira Kingdom."*
*"What? Why would you think that..."*
*"That woman in Baide must have been in contact with Findall."*
*"That woman!!"*
*"We shall use that to our advantage. We will report first that this Findall invasion was a scheme by the Lord of Baide. Since we, the reinforcements, were the ones captured, the report will carry significant weight."*
*"I see. And by taking advantage of that, we can reclaim the Summoning Orbs, secure the Duke and the Princess as leverage, and take control of Baide as well."*
*"Exactly. That woman is wary of this royal capital and won't come near it. That, for once, was our stroke of good luck."*
*"Indeed. If we build the narrative here first, there will be nothing they can do. Very well, I shall present this to His Majesty tomorrow. Clay-kun, you will come with me. You are the witness."*
*"Yes, sir."*
*"Tomorrow will be a busy day. Get some rest for now. I will find a way to rescue your subordinates. I must also contact the other comrades; let’s say tomorrow afternoon."*
*"I am grateful for your mercy, Tarkram-sama."*
After that ridiculous conversation, Clay and Tarkram had a light drink and went to sleep.
"Isn't this evidence enough?"
"It’s enough to haul them in, but we still lack information on the other 'comrades' or this 'Sage' fellow, so get going."
"Ugh, so we *are* infiltrating, then."
"It’ll be easier this time since we aren't flying blind like we were with Nogosh. I’ll provide support, so don't worry."
"Yeah, yeah."
And so, we headed off to Tarkram’s mansion to do our jobs.
**KEPT YOU WAITING, HUH!!** (In the style of a certain voice actor)
From here on out, it’s not *Metal*, but *Magic*—and instead of *Gear* and *Solid*, we’re starting *Steve*.
Starring: Steve (Steal 1)
Supporting Actor: John (Fang 1)
Supporting Actor: Yuki (Superior Officer)
And various others: Mobs
Will Steve successfully complete his mission!?
Stay tuned for the next episode!!
P.S. Many of you asked if it was okay to tell the Princesses about the Goblins, so I’ve added a note about that. Simply put, in this region, Goblins and Orcs are viewed as a specific race rather than "monsters," so they aren't treated with hostility. Also, the Dungeon DP multiplier explanation was incorrect, so I’ve changed the notation from 5,000x to 2x. Thanks to everyone who reports these mistakes every time. Thank you.