第１０１１堀：改めてダンジョンとは何か？ (Part1)
**Chapter 1011: What Exactly is a Dungeon, Anyway?**
**Side: Yuki**
"Huh? Isn't this place a conference room?"
"Yeah. You’ve got that right."
"Wait, really? I heard if I came here, I’d get to eat dessert?"
"So, did you have dinner?"
"Yeah, of course! Souta and Enoru made it for me. It was delicious—gratin!"
I see, gratin. It must have been quite the meal.
Souta-san might be a zombie-type, but his sense of taste is perfectly intact, and he was Japanese in his previous life. Since coming back as a zombie, his appetite has returned, and he’s been thoroughly enjoying Earth-style cuisine. His wife, Enoru-san, is the same. Plus, since they cook for themselves regularly, their skills are top-notch. After all, these two are the pioneers who elevated the food culture of Heiden.
But, putting that aside.
"I see. I’ll make sure you get your dessert, but for now, let’s settle our stomachs with a little talk."
"Settle my stomach? I can eat even without a break, you know?"
"We’re going to eat with you, so just hold on for a bit."
"Ah, I see. Yeah, that’s fine then."
I’ve finally started to understand how to handle Hairen lately. She’s the type who unintentionally brings both trouble and the solutions to that trouble. If I get angry at her for causing a mess, it’s completely meaningless to her—she just sees it as an unreasonable accusation, which only makes her less cooperative. Trying to fix things by getting help from Lilishe, Rurua, or Kagura just leaves us exhausted and wastes time.
So, the conclusion Souta-san, Enoru-san, and I reached was that the best method is to simply treat it as a conversation, get the information we need, and then let her be.
"So, before we all dig into dessert, a little light chitchat. You know that barrier you deployed to eradicate monsters, right?"
"Oh, yeah. What about it?"
"Well, you know we’ve been going to the Zuraburu Great Empire on the other side of the Great Mountain Range, right?"
"I know that, yeah. I actually met Emperor Yupia, too. So? Was the barrier deployed that far out? I had the impression it was just from the Great Mountain Range to this side."
Ah, as I thought, she has no self-awareness of it.
Still, it’s a massive barrier covering an incredible range. Well, she deployed it through a dungeon core without any proper maps or knowledge, so I suppose it’s impossible for her to have specified the range properly.
"Actually, Kirika just reported that a dungeon was discovered."
"A dungeon? In the Zuraburu Great Empire? Well, that’s to be expected, isn't it? They don't have a barrier over there in the first place."
"That’s the thing. No dungeons were found anywhere near the Great Mountain Range where the Zuraburu Great Empire is located. But further east—in the territory of the Hain Empire—a dungeon was finally discovered."
"Huh? What does that mean?"
Yeah. As expected, it’s not clicking for Hairen. Well, Hairen used a dungeon core to create the barrier, but she wasn't a Dungeon Master to begin with. She wouldn't understand the nuances of that.
"After hearing the report, we suspect that while the Zuraburu Great Empire is outside the barrier, the DP consumption rate might have been too high."
"DP consumption rate? Oh, come to think of it, the DP thing was super high inside the barrier I made, right?"
"Yeah, it was 5,000 times higher at the start. On top of that, it prevents the solidification of magical power to stop monsters from appearing. Though, now that Luna has bypassed the jamming, she’s managed to get the DP consumption multiplier down to about double."
"Hmm, I see. And does that have something to do with there being no dungeons?"
"If the rent becomes incredibly expensive, it’s only natural to move to a cheaper place, right?"
"Ah, I get it now. So, my barrier made it impossible to maintain a dungeon on the Zuraburu Great Empire side? But wouldn't there be ruins or something left behind? There wasn't even that?"
"Ah, there are various conditions for a dungeon to remain as ruins."
"Conditions?"
"Yeah. First off, you know that a dungeon is generated and maintained by a dungeon core, right?"
"Eh? Is that so? I had no idea!"
...Alright, stay calm. She’s just proudly admitting she doesn't know. It’s a good thing to clearly state what you don't know instead of trying to bluff.
"I see. Hairen, you were just deploying the barrier based on instinct; you weren't actually managing a dungeon."
"Yeah, exactly. I’m amazing, so I just used the core that Aquenoki had and put up the barrier."
That’s right. She controlled the dungeon core based purely on intuition, and even went as far as breaking the core to cover the land where Kagura and the others live with a grand barrier. I remembered another problem related to that, but now isn't the time to bring it up. First, the explanation about dungeons.
"Alright, while I explain this to Hairen, it’ll be a good review for us, too. Oh, Hairen, it looks like the parfaits are ready. Listen while you eat. I want to ask you about your barrier while we're at it."
"Sure, that’s fine. I’m getting delicious dessert, so I’ll cooperate that much. Whoa, a strawberry parfait! Wow, thanks Kirika!"
"You're welcome. You’ve gone out of your way to join a meeting that doesn't concern you, Hairen-sama. There are seconds, so please don't hesitate to ask."
"Yay, I'm so happy! Alright, digging in!"
With that, Hairen plunges her spoon into the parfait without hesitation. Since it wouldn't be right for only Hairen to eat, we’re also having ice cream served on small plates as a tea snack.
Mmm. It’s cold, sweet, and delicious. Ah, it’s soothing.
"Huh? Aren't you guys eating parfaits?"
"I couldn't handle that much, honestly. This is enough for me."
"Same here. But having ice cream during a meeting is actually pretty nice."
"Yeah, it’s a nice change of pace."
"It’s one of those things—since ice cream melts, it forces you to take a break."
"That’s true. Some subordinates work without breaks, so maybe food like this is a good way to force a rest."
Oh, it seems surprisingly popular with Steve and the others, too. Well, when you put it that way, it makes sense. If it’s something that will go bad after a while, you feel like you have to eat it on the spot. Conversely, if it’s something that doesn't need to be eaten right away, you tend to prioritize work and end up working without a break.
The problem is the increase in procurement costs, and since things like ice cream melt, you have to synchronize the break times. Wait, if we keep them in a refrigerator, we can store them, so maybe we don't need to worry about that?
"Anyway, keep eating while I continue. About the conditions for dungeon operation."
"Ah, come to think of it, you said there weren't even any ruins, right? Isn't it weird that there isn't even a trace left?"
Hairen seems to have finally remembered, pulling her spoon out of the parfait and twirling it around.