第１０１５堀：さてどこから手を付けよう (Part2)
"Taizo-san, could you explain your reasoning?"
"Certainly. I don't mind."
With that, Taizo-san stood up and began explaining while writing clearly on the whiteboard.
**Target Dungeons for Investigation:**
* Dungeons within the Haine Empire.
* Dungeons along the route of the Zurable Great Empire’s advance.
* Regional dungeons.
"First, regarding the reason for investigating the dungeons within the Haine Empire as I mentioned earlier: even if the Dungeon Master isn't acting aggressively, it is highly probable that they have established a base dungeon within the Haine Empire's sphere of influence. This is because the Haine Empire is the leader of the alliance and is geographically positioned to coordinate easily with any other nation. There is no option to leave this uninvestigated. We will need to discuss separately which specific dungeons within the Haine Empire we should target."
Well, that’s only natural.
The others nodded at Taizo-san’s explanation, clearly feeling the same way.
"Next, regarding the dungeons along the Zurable Great Empire’s advance route: this is less about gathering enemy intelligence and more about protecting the Zurable Great Empire’s forces. If they suffer massive losses, the Haine Empire will likely shift to a counter-offensive. We cannot abandon that great power, with whom we are considering a secret alliance. In other words, Weed’s intervention is to be expected. To reduce such secondary and tertiary damage, we must conquer and secure the dungeons along their advance route. If we happen to gain information in the process, that would be a welcome bonus."
This explanation is also convincing.
It would be counterproductive if the Zurable Great Empire were defeated while we were busy investigating.
What we must protect is the stability of the Zurable Great Empire as a nation.
We cannot afford for them to collapse.
Just as I was thinking this, Taiki-kun raised his hand.
"Taizo-san, may I ask a question?"
"Go ahead. Let's hear it."
"Yes, thank you. First, regarding the Zurable Great Empire—I assume they will tell us their advance route. But what if there are many dungeons along that route, or conversely, no dungeons at all? According to the documents, dungeons are places adventurers frequent. There is also the rivalry between the Eastern and Western Adventurer Guilds; they might choose a route to avoid that trouble, or conversely, they might aim for lands where dungeons are located. How should we handle that?"
"..."
Oh, Taiki-kun’s question is sharp.
Most of the members fell into deep thought.
Indeed, they might intentionally avoid dungeons, or they might charge straight into them.
It comes down to which option benefits the Zurable Great Empire more.
"That depends on the situation. In the worst-case scenario, if the Zurable Great Empire intentionally invades areas with many dungeons, we would need to preemptively suppress all of them to avoid total annihilation. Alternatively, we could intentionally force the Zurable Great Empire to retreat early so they learn the threat of dungeons firsthand."
"Both options are quite burdensome. I don't want to perform dungeon attacks or retreat support when we haven't even grasped the enemy's strength."
Seraria is right.
I don't want to choose either option.
I’d rather avoid high attrition rates for our side due to such circumstances.
"That will depend on our efforts moving forward. This second proposal is only for the event that the Zurable Great Empire actually advances. We just need to seize the enemy’s vital points or the Dungeon Master before then. Well, that’s easier said than done. That is precisely why we must station conquest units at the dungeons along the advance route so we aren't left unable to move when the time comes."
"As expected of Taizo-san. You're talking about keeping our forces mobile."
"Exactly. I am proposing that while we investigate the dungeons, we also need to keep those suppression units ready."
This is another logical, flawless proposal.
Since these are our "in-case-of-emergency" conquest units, I want to assemble our main force and strike all at once...
Oh, wait, he hasn't finished explaining everything yet.
"And finally, regarding the regional dungeons: these are to determine the differences compared to the dungeons within the Haine Empire, which we have decided are our primary targets. If the structure, monster strength, and quality of resources are similar, we can judge that they have abundant DP. Furthermore, by collecting information along the way, we might be able to pinpoint the location of our primary targets."
Finishing his explanation, Taizo-san turned back to us.
"That concludes my proposal. If anyone has any opinions, please feel free to speak up."
Good, thanks to Taizo-san, our general policy is set.
No one has any negative opinions.
Now, it’s just a matter of adjusting and deciding where to set our sights.
There is so much to do.
Where would you all start cleaning up first?