第１０１４堀：集う迷宮の主たち (Part1)
Chapter 1014: The Dungeon Masters Assemble
Side: Milly
“……That’s quite the bombshell. Well, it’s not like I didn’t see it coming.”
“““……”””
Even after Seraria spoke, everyone remained silent.
Because we were all thinking the same thing.
And this time, there was more to it.
“So, there’s a possibility of a Dungeon Master being present, huh? Well, that’s only natural. I suppose that’s why you went out of your way to call Sakuri along as well.”
“You’re a worrywart, Noble. Even though I have a prosthetic arm and leg, the wounds have completely healed thanks to the sacred sake.”
“Hmph. It’s rich coming from someone who insisted on keeping the prosthetics while wishing for a full recovery.”
The ones exchanging that bitter smile were Noble, the King of the Ex Kingdom, and his Dungeon Master, Sakuri-san.
“I understand your concern. Sakuri-san, are you really alright?”
“Yes. I’ve been feeling exceptionally well lately, Riel-kun.”
And that was Riel-kun, Deryu’s younger brother.
His name is a bit similar to Raiya-san, the spear-wielder who parties with Mauve-san, isn’t it?
Well, his appearance is just that of a shota, though.
Setting aside his looks, he is also a Dungeon Master, governing one of the dungeons in Gartz.
That said, he didn’t contribute much to the mana depletion problem that Luna wanted solved, so his evaluation is quite low.
As I was thinking that, someone burst into the meeting room, late.
“Sorry, sorry! I got tied up with data processing for Blue Hole.”
Comet entered with that excuse.
She has recently become the leading authority on Weed’s mana research, but she is also another former Dungeon Master from the If Continent.
Since she’s that kind of person, it’s no surprise she was called here.
Actually, she usually participates in our meetings as technical staff anyway, so her presence is expected. It’s the Dungeon Masters who have been here from the start that are the rare sight.
“Oh? We’ve got some faces here I don’t see very often. Riel, Sakuri… wow, even Arwin is here. Long time no see.”
“It has been a while.”
“Yeah, long time, Comet.”
“It has been a long time.”
The one who bowed politely at the end was Arwin-san, whom Comet was surprised to see.
He was a Dungeon Master who acted with completely different objectives than ours during the trouble in Ranks.
But his skill with the sword—no, the katana—is truly incredible.
“Oh? Is it the first time in a while for you and Comet?”
“Well, Arwin is in charge of a dungeon on the Rogari Continent that isn’t managed by Yuki, right? It’s been a while since he’s shown his face around here.”
“Ah… I see.”
“What’s with that reaction? What, do you and Seraria meet up quite often?”
As I tilted my head in confusion, Yuki-san revealed the truth with a wry smile.
“Comet. What is Arwin’s weapon?”
“Weapon? A weapon? Oh! Right! A katana!”
I was half-amazed that she didn’t get it immediately from that hint, and as we turned our gazes toward Seraria with wry smiles…
“You really are training hard, aren’t you?”
“Next time, I’ll definitely win with swordsmanship!”
Even though I only mentioned practice, Seraria declared her goal with fierce determination.
However…
“If you were relying on raw levels, maybe, but skill? That’s impossible. Seraria’s ability is still tied with Taiki at 3rd place, isn’t it?”
“Ugh!”
Rarely, Seraria clutched her chest.
And it was because of Deryu’s words.
Well, it is the truth.
“Ahaha. Oh my, so Seraria lost in a sword fight? Taiki-kun must be quite strong.”
“I am a Hero, after all. I might lose if you include levels and such, but in pure swordsmanship, I still won’t lose. I’ve been at this for over ten years.”
As Ratz said, the Hero Taiki-kun is indeed strong.
He says we could never beat him, but that’s only when it comes to brute-forcing a one-on-one battle with everything included.
Honestly, if it were a real fight, I think I’d lose.
We’ve learned how to fight from Earth, but Taiki-kun has too, and Yuki-san teaches us often.
Besides, he’s been working hard as a Hero since he was alone, so his hidden potential is different.
The proof of that is that Seraria still can’t beat Taiki-kun.
Taiki-kun mentioned the difference in experience, but Seraria has also experienced her fair share of life-or-death situations as a warrior called a Valkyrie in this world.
Yet, the fact that she still can’t surpass him when limited to swordsmanship shows the fundamental gap between them.
…It means that Japanese swordsmanship has a long, accumulated history behind it.
“Haha. Sword talk is interesting in its own right, but Yuki-dono, we gathered here today for more than just a debate on swordsmanship, right?”
“Ah, right. My wife is causing some trouble. Anyway, Comet, look through the documents first. We’ll proceed with the discussion in the meantime.”
“Roger that!”
Right, that was it.
The reason we all gathered with this many members today was, after all, because of the contents of these documents.
We certainly didn’t gather just to talk about swordsmanship.
“Now, I believe everyone except Comet has already looked through the documents, but the situation is simple. We have confirmed the existence of an active dungeon within the territory of the Hine Empire, which is currently at war with the Zuraburu Great Empire. Based on that fact, I want your opinions on how to proceed, including support for the Zuraburu Great Empire, which will be invading the Hine Empire. The reason I went out of my way to gather the Dungeon Masters today is that I specifically want your input as Dungeon Masters.”
“I understand the purpose. But Yuki-san, wouldn’t you have handled this yourself in the past without calling us?”
“That’s true. Even during the New Continent and If Continent incidents… well, we were short on manpower during the Rogari Continent incident, but since the If Continent, I should have been able to help. Am I wrong, brother?”
Those pointing this out were Arwin-san and Riel-kun.
Both are Dungeon Masters of the Rogari Continent.
“That’s true. With the caveat of ‘under normal circumstances.’ Also, as Riel said, the If Continent was an unknown new frontier, so I left the Rogari Continent to my waiting wife and Riel while we focused on the New Continent. It was the same during the Kagura incident. After all, I couldn’t send Arwin and the others into a place with 5,000 times the DP consumption without knowing the cause. Besides, at that time, inter-continental exchange had just begun, so I left the monitoring and operation to the Dungeon Masters of each continent.”
“Ah, that’s true. We’re still busy now.”
“True. Well, I’m mostly just doing research. So, let’s hear the reason you gathered us Dungeon Masters again. I’ve finished reading the materials.”
As if responding to Sakuri-san, Comet finished reading the documents and urged us to proceed.
As expected, geniuses are quick to get to the point.