第１３５３堀：ざわつき始める (Part1)
Chapter 1353: The Stirring Begins
Side: Ratz
“Ratz, have you received word?”
“Yes. It has arrived.”
I am receiving a report from Milly in the principal’s office of the International Exchange School. Eris seems to have received word as well; her expression is unusually grim.
“I’ve already notified Tiffany so she can be ready to act whenever the call comes, but…”
“Honestly, we have no idea what kind of intervention will be required. Neither the supplies nor the budget are clear. Even Non is clutching her head over this.”
“Still, we have secured the necessary budget and supplies for such an eventuality, but the scale of this changes everything. *Sigh.* Is it a blessing or a curse that a Great Outbreak is occurring in a nation outside our alliance?”
“Indeed.”
I am in complete agreement with Eris’s assessment.
It is a situation where one cannot truly be happy, even if it were a cause for celebration. This alliance was forged for times like these, yet it is not functioning as intended. However, this is not a failure of the Intercontinental Exchange Alliance. It is the responsibility of a nation that chose not to join. Because of that, our intelligence gathering isn't functioning smoothly, and even in Weed, Kirika and the others are in a state of chaos trying to grasp the situation.
“But since they’ve asked Lithea for help, it’s certain they’re going to move, right?”
“Likely. Given the scale, Lithea might be able to handle it on their own, though.”
The total number of monsters in the Great Outbreak is around ten thousand. It is a number that a major power could easily overwhelm if they gathered their armies, and they have the military strength to match. I cannot say for certain how much damage will be dealt, however.
“In that case, won’t Weed be left out of the loop? I assume we’ll end up moving in some capacity, won’t we?”
“Well, that is true.”
If the Holy Kingdom of Lithea intends to handle it alone, there would be no reason for them to contact us. That said, since Adventurer Guilds and various other organizations exist in every country, it is possible they reached out simply because they couldn't keep their mouths shut. Well, considering the personality of Lady Alstaire, that seems unlikely.
“Still, a Great Outbreak triggered by a massive surge of monsters in a place where there is almost no monster habitat… is this a dungeon, after all?”
“It’s not confirmed, but the possibility is high. Yet, there are unnatural elements to it.”
“There aren't supposed to be any dungeons in the vicinity of the Suurus Principality. If they were trying to summon monsters on the scale reported using a newly created dungeon, it would require a massive amount of DP.”
“It makes one wonder if such a dungeon even existed.”
“Exactly.”
Yes, even if it originated from a dungeon, the question remains: where did the initial capital come from? Well, we don’t have details on the Dungeon Masters in the small nations under the umbrella of the Holy Kingdom of Lithea, so I assume it has something to do with that connection…
“Arwin-san and Reye-san both said they knew nothing about it, too.”
Arwin-san is the Dungeon Master who controls the dungeons including those in the small nations under the Gartz Kingdom. Reye-san is a Dungeon Master who operates a single dungeon and is Deryu’s younger brother. Both have been Dungeon Masters for a long time—though saying they have a track record might be a stretch.
“The most troublesome scenario is if some Dungeon Master has been farming DP and then relocated.”
“Or rather, looking at the way this is occurring, that is the only reason that comes to mind at the moment.”
Eris and I have reached the same conclusion.
A Great Outbreak of ten thousand, equipped with decent military strength, emerging from a location where no dungeon had been discovered until now. Seeing that the different species aren't acting sporadically but are moving toward a specific objective, it is clear there is a commander. I don’t know if that commander is a monster or a Dungeon Master, though.
“Right. Isn’t it dangerous to even advance an army against this?”
“It is. If it were Big Brother, he’d just build a pitfall and turn the entire army into DP. We cannot deny the possibility that the enemy is aiming for exactly that.”
Luring an army in to turn them into DP. This has been Big Brother’s standard tactic. No, if you think about it normally, it is the ultimate move—you can neutralize an enemy army without using your own strength, simply by consuming DP, and you even secure a budget in the process. It is a wonder that no other Dungeon Master has done this until now. Oh, come to think of it, did he say the "Dig-Dig-Woof-Woof" skill had low performance? Is that the issue?
As I was thinking about this, Eris suddenly voiced a doubt.
“But why now, I wonder?”
Indeed, when asked why now, I can only tilt my head. Well, a small nation might be able to manage a force of ten thousand, but that’s where it ends. They can’t sustain it. The plan to intercept the army of a major power is, as Eris pointed out, a possibility, but Big Brother should have already warned the various nations, so they won’t be caught off guard so easily. In other words, further expansion of their influence will be difficult.
No, wait a moment…
“Could it be that they are taking the people of the nations they’ve conquered into the dungeon?”
“Like the same concept as Weed? But even then, the numbers aren't as high as Weed’s, and wouldn't the gap only widen?”
“Certainly, if it were only the Suurus Principality, that would be true. But what if there are others?”
“In other countries? But there have been no reports to the Adventurer Guild.”
“That’s the thing. Even if they are keeping their activities confined within the Anti-Weed Alliance, there is far too little information leaking out. It’s impossible.”
I judge it to be impossible even as I say it. After all, if you conquer a nation using the military power of a dungeon, the Adventurer Guild is bound to be notified. Conversely, even if they are negotiating within the Anti-Weed Alliance to quietly pool their strength into the dungeon, there is far too little information flowing to us. Since they would need to increase their allies, they would have to reveal their nature. Not everyone would join the Anti-Weed Alliance, and if they acted in such a way, information would inevitably reach Weed or the major powers, yet there is nothing.