第１２７０堀：びっくりするほど堅牢でした (Part1)
Chapter 1270: Surprisingly Robust
Surprisingly robust.
Side: Yuki
It went even better than I expected.
With the report that the "Defense System" had been deactivated, I began contacting Taizo-san, Taiki-kun, and Sota-san.
"Everything went off without a hitch."
"Is that... something we should be calling a success?"
"Yes, shouldn't it be? If the system crashes during a real emergency, that’s a failure in itself. It just proves that we need to insert dummy data into the core’s authentication process. I know the current way is simpler and easier, but..."
"Exactly. At the very least, the defense system needs to be isolated and run as a standalone, otherwise, a chain reaction like this will take the whole thing down."
That’s right. The goal this time was to verify our defenses, so discovering this vulnerability is a success.
In other words, I think it’s safe to judge this as a positive outcome. I’m of the same mind as Taiki-kun.
Well, Taizo-san’s concerns are also valid; he’s likely worried because this effectively crushes the spirits of our wives, who were so eager to prove themselves, right from the start.
"Well, it’ll be a good learning experience for Seraria and the others. It shows that nothing is perfect. If you can secure an internal collaborator and create an unwitting accomplice, you don't even need to risk exposing yourself by sending in a so-called 'criminal.' Besides, cultivating allies on the inside is a common practice in the world of politics."
"True enough. But using Miss Fusora as the perpetrator... are you sure she’ll be okay after this?"
"She’ll be fine. I’ve already made it clear to her that this is part of her training, not just in magic but in various other areas. Besides, she doesn't even realize she’s done anything wrong. Seraria and the others will likely move to protect her the moment they realize she wasn't trying to cause harm, but was simply being used by me."
"Even so, doesn't the fact that this method is possible mean that catching an actual enemy is going to be incredibly difficult? It implies that you don't even need the mastermind, or even the 'criminals' who would normally act as the strike force, to set foot in Weed to carry out an attack."
"Ah, well, in this case, everyone involved was physically in Weed, but in reality, neither the mastermind nor their underlings would necessarily need to step foot in Weed at all."
"Indeed, that’s true. We set up the premise that the mastermind was here to give Seraria and the others a 'win,' but in reality, a mastermind has no reason to come strolling into Weed."
Exactly. As Taizo-san says, we created an impossible scenario where the mastermind was present in Weed for the sake of Seraria’s team.
Well, we even went so far as to make it so the "mastermind" herself had no awareness of her actions, though I’m honestly not sure if you can even call her a mastermind at that point.
A true mastermind would rationally issue orders from their own base; stepping into enemy territory is almost unheard of.
Usually, it’s the underlings who do the dirty work.
In this case, it would be more accurate to say we caught the perpetrator in the act.
"But Yuki-san, were you able to verify the other aspects? Bringing in weapons, terrorism within the city, the protection of the students... wouldn't it be a problem if those aren't checked?"
"About that, the dungeon’s scanning capability is higher than I anticipated."
"What do you mean?"
"It turns out we can detect the smuggling of blades, poisons, or explosives—even if they’re hidden using magic-dampening techniques—or even the personal manufacture of such things within Weed. Even for me, the only way to bypass this security right now is to do what I did: hack the core via Miss Fusora and alter the Dungeon Core’s own commands..."
Yes, the reason I used the most troublesome method—hacking via data verification from IDs—was because it was the only way.
If I had more time, I could have turned someone on the inside, but we didn't have that luxury. Even if I tried, the dungeon’s surveillance is so thorough that any suspicious movement would lead to immediate capture; it wasn't a viable strategy.
That’s exactly why this was the only path.
"I see. It was the only way, so you took it. But is it really safe?"
"I can only say that, as of now, no threats have been detected. I have Steve and Zargis checking for loopholes, but since we’re inside the dungeon, we can ignore even substances that dampen magic..."
"So the scan doesn't just target magic? Wait, could it always detect things like temperature, air quality, and the like?"
"Yeah, it’s essentially like having airport-level security constantly applied to everyone. First, at immigration, all blades, drugs, and poisons are confiscated. We have an alarm set for the length of any blade, and drugs and poisons are under constant surveillance. Well, as for drugs, there’s always the possibility of unknown toxins, but we’ve inputted a mountain of data, including all known Earth toxins and information gathered through Rurua from Litea, Enaria, Hifie, the Haire Church, and Zrable..."
"Getting past that would be quite difficult. Even if they tried to create a new drug, with the technology here, they’d basically just be mixing existing substances, so it would likely be detected."
Exactly. The more I examine it from every angle, the more I realize that hacking is the only real way to breach the system.
That said, as Taizo-san worries, nothing is absolute. There is always the possibility of someone using undiscovered substances or abilities to instantly produce weapons or poisons on the spot to harm others.
Well, since that hasn't been discovered yet, that’s something for the future.
"Next, regarding terrorism in the city—that’s essentially impossible."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
"To begin with, there’s almost no benefit for an enemy to attack the city or its residents. If this were a law-abiding nation on Earth, it would be a massive issue, but in this world, you’re liable to find corpses in the back alleys even in the capital. Well, it might have some effect in terms of lowering the city’s public safety, but..."
"That’s a strategy that would only be effective if you were planning to conquer Weed. But to do that, you’d need to control the gates of a major power or invade Weed directly by land..."
"Ah, neither of those is realistic."