第１０２９堀：ダンジョンの新たな側面、いや通常の意味合い (Part1)
Chapter 1029: A New Facet of Dungeons, or Perhaps the Usual Perspective
Side: Yuki
“...And so, how is the progress on the subjugation going over there?”
“Don’t say such foolish things. If dungeons could be conquered so easily, I wouldn’t have been on guard from the start.”
The Emperor of Upiya replied curtly. In other words, the dungeon subjugation was far from complete.
“Fortunately, thanks to the communication devices, we are in constant contact, so we have received reports on the scale of the dungeons and the monsters encountered... but honestly, it is quite troublesome if these monsters were to emerge and form organized groups,” Show said, handing me the documents regarding the dungeons currently under siege.
“Are you sure about this?”
These were crucial documents for the Zurable Great Empire to understand the reality of the dungeon threat they were facing for the first time. It wasn’t something that should be shown to someone from another nation so easily, so I double-checked with the Emperor of Upiya.
“It is too late for such formalities. Above all, without your insight, Yuki-dono, we would have no way to properly evaluate this. I would appreciate it if you would look through them and give us your candid opinion.”
“If you insist.”
Having received permission, I looked through the documents. As expected of the Zurable Great Empire, which seeks to unify this continent, they were currently tackling ten dungeons—more than I had anticipated. That just goes to show how much manpower they have. I, on the other hand, am barely managing by sending Steve and Kirika’s units to these locations one by one.
Setting that aside, the reports from the Zurable side indicated that all of these dungeons had exceeded ten floors. They were decent-sized dungeons, and there was no discernible pattern to the types of monsters appearing.
Still, since they were only at the ten-floor mark, the majority of the monsters appearing were—well, not Steve, but Goblins and Slimes, along with slightly stronger ones like Skeletons, Kobolds, and even John—or rather, Orcs.
They were certainly not at the level of the beginner dungeon Steve had cleared; these were clearly places where an average villager would be slaughtered. And if this survey data was accurate, more powerful monsters would appear as the floors got deeper.
There were giant centipedes, large earwigs, salamanders, lizardmen, and so on—each dungeon had its own characteristic monsters and unique names to match. Whether there was an intentional elemental distribution or if it was just a hobby, I couldn’t tell, but it was clear that they were being operated properly as dungeons. As a Dungeon Master, I had to admit they were doing a fine job.
However, it was strange. Even though the dungeons were being managed so well, Luna claimed that she had lost all contact with the Dungeon Masters of this region. This meant that someone else, not on our list, must have taken over these dungeons... yet there had been no movement from them at all.
No, could it be that they all died without passing them on? ...Ugh, no, stop. Don’t try to jump to conclusions without proper information. I don’t have the surplus personnel to waste on misguided decisions based on assumptions. I had already decided on a policy for now.
“Well?”
As I was caught in that unnecessary internal conflict, the Emperor of Upiya called out, seemingly impatient. I needed to give my opinion on the documents.
“Looking at these materials, they are just ordinary resource dungeons.”
“By resources, do you mean the drops and treasure chests left behind by the monsters?”
“Yes. Though, you are quite well-informed.”
They had only recently recognized dungeons as a formal threat, after all.
“One can gather plenty of information on such matters just by poking at the Adventurer’s Guild. Though, the Guild Master didn’t seem too pleased that we were showing interest in dungeons.”
“That is to be expected. The Adventurer’s Guild prioritizes dungeons because that is how they earn money. In that sense, the western side where we are located has few dungeons, so the Guild’s income is low, and they have fewer opportunities to dispatch capable adventurers to deal with monster incidents. As a result, they have to rely on the other side for various supplies, forcing them to purchase at high prices.”
Ah, I see. That’s why the Guild Master dislikes the folks on the east side. Well, earning money as a company, an enterprise, or an organization is important. If you neglect that, the organization will collapse. However, the Adventurer’s Guild was originally an organization meant to help civilians with tasks that the national soldiers couldn’t handle, albeit for a fee. Abandoning that purpose for the sake of profit would undermine their very reason for existing.
Such friction exists in every organization. You don’t want to spend money on things that don’t generate revenue, yet doing so goes against the company’s philosophy. Honestly, I couldn’t say which side was in the wrong. Still, from what I’d heard about them inflating prices, I was inclined to support the western Adventurer’s Guild.
“Hmph, a common story. And since our war began, our relationship with the east has been severed, proving that we can survive even without dungeons. That is likely why he dislikes us sticking our noses into them.”
“He probably also fears that we might be blinded by the resources and funds of the dungeons.”
“We wouldn’t do such a thing... though I cannot say that with absolute certainty. Regardless, I will make sure not to treat them poorly.”
“That would be for the best. After all, once we have pacified the Hein Empire, I intend to ask them to oversee all the Adventurer’s Guilds.”
“Indeed. If he were to stand at the top, including the east, the Adventurer’s Guild would likely become much more convenient. But we’ve digressed. So, Yuki-dono, do you see all of these as nothing more than resource dungeons?”
“Yes. There is no sign that they are being used as any sort of base. For instance, these dungeons have narrow entrances and narrow passages, and they are frequented by adventurers daily. It would be difficult to march a large army of monsters out of them to attack the Zurable army or invade the Zurable heartland.”
If that were to happen, the local area—no, the entire country—would move to stop it. It would be impossible to convince anyone that a massive horde of monsters appeared and moved out specifically to attack the Zurable Great Empire rather than them.
“That is true. It is said that dungeon monsters are culled periodically, so if such a large army were to emerge, even those locals would view them as enemies.”
“When you put it that way, it’s obvious. If you suddenly claimed that a massive horde of monsters was actually your ally, people would question your sanity. Even if you had made arrangements beforehand, the distrust and anxiety of the adventurers and locals would be impossible to erase. Above all, if you are controlling the monsters, it would mean that all the dungeon damage until now was a self-staged act.”
That was the point. If you could control dungeons that were being used for resources, it would raise the question of what you had been doing all this time. Had you been intentionally allowing people to die? If that came to light, a civil war would break out in an instant.
...I hadn’t even realized that until just now. In other words, dungeons that are generally open—dungeons where adventurers earn their keep—cannot be actively hostile.