第８９０堀：不自然な森 (Part2)
"I’ve looked at the data from above, but there doesn't seem to be any convenient spot like that."
Kaya and I had asked that, but Yuki-san didn't seem troubled in the slightest.
"Well, there’s a golden rule for when you can't find a good spot."
"A golden rule?"
"What kind of method is that, exactly?"
"It’s nothing difficult. First, you choose a spot deep in the forest where the townspeople won't find you, build a dungeon, and then just use the dungeon’s terrain modification to clear the land around the entrance."
"..."
Ah, right. Of course. It was simple. We just had to use the dungeon's skills to reshape the land.
"That said, you'll need to use camouflage afterward so it isn't discovered, but that’s something you can leave to Steve and the others."
"In that case, the deeper parts of the forest would certainly offer better concealment," Charl noted.
"That’s true, but Charl, I don't know how far that forest is from Dragon Mountain. Is it close enough to be sensed?"
"I don't know the extent of a dragon's sensory capabilities, but we are still three days away from Dragon Mountain by carriage."
"So, about 20 kilometers if you're riding a fast horse. Well, if it's that far, it should be fine. In that case, I recommend this location."
The spot Yuki-san pointed to was right in the heart of the forest.
"Okay. Then, I'll head there now."
"Right. I hear the monsters around there are powerful, so be careful."
And so, we began our trek into the forest, but...
"It’s quite difficult to move through. Though, the fact that no one has passed through here is clear, so that much is reassuring."
"True. But it’s a hassle that we can't even clear the grass as we go."
"Yeah, because it would give away the fact that we’ve been here."
We were simply trudging through a dense, overgrown forest where neither beast nor man had tread.
"However, I don't see a single monster."
"And they said there were powerful ones here, too."
"I wonder why?"
Exactly. Yuki-san had warned us to be careful, but for some reason, we hadn't encountered a single monster on our way here.
"It’s no use thinking about the reason now. It’s a relief not to run into any, so we should just consider ourselves lucky. ...And this should be the destination."
Kaya stopped, and we followed suit.
"No matter how you look at it, it’s just a forest thick with trees and grass."
"There aren't any landmarks, either. It would certainly be impossible to find this place."
When I said that, everyone nodded. If anyone could find this place, it would probably only be a bird. Now that we had arrived, all that was left was...
"Alright, I'm going to build the dungeon now."
Tori took out the dungeon core and dropped it to the ground. It sank into the earth as if it were falling into water.
"I'll just make a simple basement level for now, since we only need enough space to construct the gate."
Tori operated the 'Dig-a-Dig' interface, and the ground in front of her glowed as the dungeon entrance manifested.
"And now, just install the gate. Good, installation complete. Riel, please contact Yuki-san."
"Okay!"
From there, it was easy. Yuki-san had already finished his preparations, so the gate connected immediately. Steve and his team arrived in a flash and began working with practiced efficiency.
Before Steve's team started the heavy labor, we took up positions in the temporary quarters they had prepared and began scanning the area. That’s the advantage of being under the dungeon's control. I had expected that if there were any strong monsters, they would show up on our sensors, but...
"Huh? There are no monster reactions on my map at all."
"...I don't have any either. Tori, Charl, how about you?"
"I don't have any, either."
"Neither do I. In fact, I don't see any large creatures, let alone monsters. It wouldn't be strange to see deer or wild boars in a forest this large."
As Charl said, the only reactions were small animals like tanuki or rabbits. It was an unnaturally quiet forest.
"For now, let's contact Mauve-san. Zargis might know something."
"...When it comes to difficult matters like this, we should leave it to Zargis."
"After all, that is why we brought him along."
I agreed. It’s better to leave these things to the experts. And so, we contacted Mauve and the others, who were busy gathering information in town.
Thus, Tori and her team successfully set up the gate in a forest devoid of monsters. What exactly will Mauve and the others discover back in town?
Everyone, do you remember the context so far? We are currently in the middle of visiting the dangerous Dragon Mountain for the Intercontinental Exchange Conference.