第１０１２堀：謎の答えを探す (Part1)
**Chapter 1012: Searching for the Answer to the Mystery**
**Side: Hairen**
"Ah, I see. So if that happens, a swarm of enemies will pop out, and things will get troublesome."
Listening to Yuki, I vaguely understood that things wouldn't be as simple as they seemed. It’s true that Yuki usually makes meticulous preparations, sealing off an opponent's moves before thoroughly crushing them. In that regard, he’s significantly more ruthless than Sota. Well, it’s certainly reassuring to have him as an ally.
Recently, I’ve finally come to understand why Kagura, Mikos, Enora, and Stasia all chose to marry Yuki. In the beginning, Yuki was such a rude man who would call me an idiot at every opportunity; I couldn't understand why Kagura liked a guy like that. But, despite all his grumbling, he really does think about those around him.
Even with what he was just saying—it’s not that he enjoys spinning malicious schemes, but that he’s worried that if he clashes head-on with the enemy, innocent people will get caught in the crossfire. It’s true that if Yuki decided to get serious and use brute force, he could settle things in an instant with a parade of Earth’s weaponry. But the enemy would fight back with equal desperation, and they might attack unrelated people just to earn DP. That’s what happened with Aquenoki.
So, he’s saying we have to fight in a way that prevents that kind of collateral damage, right?
Hmm... Yeah! I don’t get it! I’m a healer, so that kind of stuff is the job of Sota or Yuki, who is Kagura’s husband!
Having reached that conclusion, I looked toward Yuki...
"Master. I felt something was off; may I speak?"
"Yeah. I felt it too. Tell me what you’re sensing, Kirika."
Oh, they’ve already noticed something. Yup, yup. As expected of the husband Kagura chose.
"Yes. Regarding Hairen-sama’s earlier statement, I felt a strong sense of dissonance with the phrase 'a swarm of enemies will pop out'."
"Yeah, I feel the same."
Huh? Dissonance with what I said? Did I say something weird?
"If a Dungeon Master were siding with the Hairen Empire, or any of the nations allied with them, wouldn't they have already launched an interception?"
" " "Ah." " "
Even I understood that. Right. If they had the power of a Dungeon Master, it wouldn't make sense for them to only bring out their forces now just because they’re fighting us; it’s strange that they haven't used them in the war against the Zurable Great Empire.
"To begin with, the Zurable Great Empire currently holds the advantage, and they are the only ones deploying large-scale monster forces. Judging from this situation..."
"It means the folks on the eastern side can't use dungeon powers."
"That's right. If they could use dungeon powers, monster forces would be a given. But we haven't heard a single report of that."
Yup, yup. Just as Surakichi-san and Mino-chan said. Aquenoki, and even the Dungeon Masters before that, always summoned massive amounts of monsters, which is why we were struggling so hard to fight them.
"Actually, if a Dungeon Master were involved, they would naturally be pulling the strings of the country. If that were the case, the Zurable Great Empire wouldn't have been able to form in the first place. So, does that mean the Dungeon Master in Hairen is barely active?"
John added that, munching on some lightly pickled vegetables that had appeared on the table as if they belonged there. Yeah, for some reason, you always want something salty after eating sweets. As I thought that while looking at John, he seemed to notice my gaze.
"Here, Hairen, want some? I made these with Chinese cabbage and cucumbers harvested this morning."
"Yeah, I'll have some. Thanks."
The vegetables John grows are delicious. He’s good at making pickles, too. Thanks for the meal.
*Crunch.*
The sound echoed in my mouth, and at the same time, a pleasant saltiness spread through my palate. Ah, delicious... It makes me want some rice. Or maybe some sake.
"I share John’s opinion. Considering the continental situation thus far, it is strange that the Dungeon Master hasn't moved. One could consider that there might be a hidden motive, but in any case, the possibility that a Dungeon Master is backing the Hairen Empire is low."
"That's true. The Hairen Empire has been losing continuously. If a Dungeon Master and the state were working together, they would be setting up gates and sending people in, just like us... wait, that doesn't fit the premise. The hypothesis is that thanks to Hairen, Dungeon Masters who couldn't pay their rent retreated to the Hairen side."
"Ah, that's right. In other words, there is a possibility they aren't moving because they believe they cannot deploy dungeon-based forces directly to the western side."
"Even so, the fact that they aren't using monsters at all makes me doubt that a Dungeon Master is involved with them."
Somehow, while I was eating these delicious pickles, the conversation turned strangely complicated. Should I say something that sounds smart, too? Hmm... but I can't think of anything.
Wait, that's it.
"Hey. I don't get the complicated stuff, but this meeting... wasn't it originally about the fact that a dungeon was discovered?"
"Yes, that is correct. ...I see. You mean it’s pointless to talk here without information or evidence."
"Eh? No, I just..."
I just wanted to get back to the main point because I’d get sleepy if they kept talking about difficult things forever, but... it was taken the wrong way.
Perhaps sensing my feelings, Yuki looked at me and gave a bitter smile.
"Hairen, the meeting is almost over, so please wait just a little longer."
"Ah, okay."
"For now, based on Kirika’s report and the documents, it’s certain that a dungeon exists on the eastern side, in the Hairen Empire camp. And the reason there is no dungeon on the western side, the Zurable Great Empire side, is likely due to high maintenance costs. Is that correct?"
"Yes, that is correct."
Yeah. It’s easy to understand when he summarizes it like that.
"The unknown point now is the stance of the Dungeon Master deployed on the eastern side. Are they an enemy, an ally, or should we consider them a third force? We’ll have to wait until Kirika gathers more information."
"That's right. First, we should look at the number of dungeons the Adventurer Guild has tracked, their operating rates, the types of monsters, and their floor counts, right?"
Yuki and Steve clearly listed the points that needed to be resolved. I see. I understand what Kirika and the others will be investigating from here on out. But, there’s one thing that bothers me...
"Aren't you going to investigate the Hairen Empire side at all?"
"We'll investigate them seriously if they're connected to a dungeon. But the Hairen Empire’s opponent is basically the Zurable Great Empire. If we suddenly intervene there, it’ll just cause confusion."
Ah, I see.
"Well, for now, we are probing them through the movements of General Wave, so it wouldn't be wrong to say we are investigating them, in a way."