第１０８４堀：水不足の原因発見？ (Part2)
And there were the Saintess, the magician, and the knight, foolishly complaining about the "luxury problem" of having large chests. Blast it, what's so terrible about shoulder pain? No matter how hard I try, I'll never have that kind of problem.
"So, Agil. How did things go with the mine?"
"Huh? Oh, right. No doubt about it."
Steeped in a bit of jealousy, my reaction to Yuki's question was delayed. How did things go with the mine? Ah, he must mean the water.
"Just as I thought. The dragon, Coral, diverting the river water was the cause."
"Well, no one would ever imagine a dragon diverting water inside a mine for drinking."
Indeed, the direct cause of the current water shortage was a dragon diverting water from the river to secure its own supply. It had seemed strange from the beginning. The river hadn't dried up due to lack of rain; its water level had simply decreased. That meant the river's resources were being taken somewhere.
"In that case, all that's left is for Steve's team to confirm the pond Coral created, then seal it off. If the river's water level returns, everything will be resolved, right?"
"That's right. However, what's become of that dragon, Coral, was it? I heard Lord Gaul persuaded her and took her away, but it would be troublesome if she decided she wanted to return, wouldn't it?"
Yes, if Coral were to demand to return, we couldn't simply eliminate that pond. After all, it's her livelihood. If such an important thing were to disappear upon her return, she could become enraged. If that happened, the damage to the Kingdom of Dafaiyo would likely be immense, but I wonder how they're thinking about that?
"That possibility is low. Gaul brought her to Weed using a gate, and apparently, after eating a meal and bathing in the hot springs at Kirika's Inn, she's now fast asleep."
"In human form?"
"Yes."
"...I thought she said she preferred her dragon form when she was there?"
"She did say that, but after having some food and sake, she seems to have decided that staying in human form is fine."
"Oh dear, that's quite weak-willed, isn't it?"
"Well, don't say that. She said that in human form, sleeping on rocky mountains would make her body ache."
"That would certainly be true. I see, so her dragon form is indeed better than her human form."
As a dragon, she wouldn't be bothered by a little rough terrain. And there would be no need to build a house.
"So, coming here and being served such delicious food, she decided human form was fine."
"Yes, that's it. After all, we and Gaul are vouching for her. What Coral needed was a place where she could live in peace. Dragons are often treated as nothing but nuisances."
"I suppose so. On the If Continent, dragons are truly legendary monsters. No one could possibly imagine defeating one. And if one were to transform into a human, it would only cause confusion. In that sense, Coral's approach to humans wasn't wrong."
She simply eliminated witnesses and lived quietly deep in the mountains. If it hadn't been for the water issue, she would have been able to live in peace.
"Ah, but she did mess up with the water issue in the end, so that's a problem. Well, Lord Gaul helped out, and everything is resolved. Coral will likely be looked after in Weed or Lord Gaul's village. Coral herself understands the situation and doesn't wish to return. After all, in Weed, we're guaranteeing her three meals a day and a roof over her head."
"Ah, there's no way she'd go back now."
Indeed, after letting her experience life in Weed, telling her to return to that mine would be akin to torture.
"So, with that, all that's left is to finish the mine survey, restore the pond, and have the river's water level return. By the way, how long do you think the mine survey will take?"
"Well, we want to thoroughly analyze the dungeonification data and also collect data on magic power distribution, so we'll need a good amount of time. At least several months?"
"Ah, so for now, we'll have to persuade Princess Fiora to prioritize sealing off the pond, and then conduct a follow-up investigation."
"I'd appreciate that."
And so, the problem Princess Fiora brought to us has been resolved. Now, it's a matter of how to explain this to them. And the compensation. As for the dragon subjugation part, we can just say we handled it on our own initiative, but simply borrowing the experimental site for water-producing tools won't be enough, will it? Oh, right. Could we negotiate that conducting a survey of the mine at the same time would be our compensation? Well, I'll leave that troublesome negotiation to Yuki and the others.
With that, I began my meal at a leisurely pace.
It seems the pond was likely the cause of the reduced water flow. All that's left is to conduct the necessary work and confirm, and the problem will be settled. However, I wonder if there's any information, in various senses, within the mine itself?