第７９８堀：欲しいのは知識 (Part2)
"Yes. That is why we have a wealth of information gathered from adventurers, and we have a firm grasp on their characteristics, including their weaknesses."
"I see. That means there might be information on the monsters we are currently facing as well."
"Indeed. Who knows? It may prove helpful to us in the future."
"I would very much like to see it. May I ask that of you, Milly?"
"Oh, yes. That’s fine."
Sharing knowledge about monsters is only natural for adventurers, especially on the Rogari Continent, where monsters roam freely. It is a matter of life and death, after all.
Well, there are some monsters kept under top-secret status, but those are usually cases where the creature rarely appears. They are mostly rare monsters that drop valuable materials; if they were over-hunted, the local Adventurer Guild would worry about the future. Conversely, we are taught to stay away from powerful monsters at all costs.
Anyway, setting that aside, I contacted Rock to have him prepare the monster reference materials.
The Weed monster encyclopedia is incredibly detailed, complete with photographs, to the point where adventurers from other regions visit just to study them. The reason it is so comprehensive is that, from the very beginning of Weed’s founding, we used the Dungeon Master’s ability to summon and record monsters at the request of the Adventurer Guild.
Honestly, it would make things much easier if this encyclopedia contained the monsters that General Lake and his men are struggling with...
"...Ho. This is incredible. Everyone, study this thoroughly. This might be the key to saving Seasipho."
"Yes, sir!"
With that, General Lake and his men opened the monster encyclopedia and began to pore over it. Their demeanor was entirely serious.
Well, as they themselves said, this could determine the fate of the Seasipho Kingdom, so it is only natural. Still, it feels strange to see high-ranking officials of a nation coming to the Adventurer Guild to read books like this.
"...So, Milly. Where is this continent our guests are from, and what is their status?"
"Every single time. Can’t you give me a heads-up beforehand? I don’t want our reputation to suffer because of poor service from the Adventurer Guild. Besides, I have work to finish."
While glancing at General Lake and his men, I was being interrogated and scolded by Rock and Kina.
"Rock, these guests are from the New Continent. And Kina, work is something that just pops up out of nowhere."
"That place, huh? I heard there aren't any monsters there at all."
"Ughhh!? It’s Milly’s fault that I’m always stuck working overtime!!"
Actually, this isn't the first time something like this has happened. We receive many requests not just from the If Continent, but from the Rogari Continent as well. Since there are many undiscovered monsters or those that exist only in oral tradition, we often use Dungeon Master skills to summon and observe them for verification. Countries then act based on that information—efficiently hunting them if they are dangerous, or protecting them if they are rare.
What constitutes a "rare" monster? I’m not sure, but there are albinos like the Holy Sword user Alfin, or monsters born with golden fur, and those kinds of creatures seem to fetch high prices.
"So, why are people from a monster-less New Continent looking at a monster encyclopedia?"
"Come on, Guild Master. They probably just want to buy some exotic monsters to take home. It happens all the time, doesn't it?"
"Is that really the direction this is going? They seem a bit too serious for that..."
Rock looked at me as he said this. As Kina suggested, if they were just looking to buy a monster, I would have been relieved.
"Actually..."
I explained the situation to Rock and the others. Originally, issues like this are usually decided through discussions between the Adventurer Guild and the leaders of the towns or villages involved. In this case, the leader—or representative—of the nation of Weed is me.
"...And that is how it is."
I gave a brief summary of the events so far in about thirty minutes.
"I see. Monsters have started appearing in the sea, and they came here to deal with that..."
"The sea, huh? I went there once back when I was active, and sea monsters are a real pain."
"So Kina has combat experience at sea. How about you, Rock?"
"Forgive me, but my work was always inland. Still, I can certainly understand why underwater monsters would be troublesome."
With that, we turned our eyes back to General Lake and his men. They were still completely focused, reading the books intently, not wanting to miss a single word.
I hope there is some information in there...
I waited with Yuki and the others until General Lake finished his research. Gathering information on the enemy is the first priority. And if the enemy is a monster, there is no place with more information than the Adventurer Guild.
Though, I’m not sure if the Adventurer Guild even has information on marine monsters.