第１５６８堀：戦うモノと知識を持つモノの共通点 (Part2)
"Well, I understand not wanting to dive headfirst into a pile of dust. Still, it’s important we make it look like we’re desperate to gather information."
"I am aware. However, we have been in the royal capital for four days now, and the lack of enemy movement suggests that, as expected..."
"Well, we knew this from the start, didn't we? They intend to finish us off inside the dungeon. It’s the easiest and most certain way for them."
"Indeed. I would do the same. Which is to say, one might argue that searching here is meaningless, but..."
"We can't have them noticing us and fleeing, either. We have to keep going to make them believe we’re moving exactly as they anticipated."
I had said my piece, but it seemed a search of the castle was necessary after all.
"Documents, you say... I doubt anything of that nature remains. Ah, though I suppose there is a possibility they secured them, much like the Adventurer Guild did."
Just the other day, we discovered that the Adventurer Guild had been cramming documents into the Guild Master’s office.
"Ah, right, that did happen. It’s amusing that we didn't notice even after reviewing the data beforehand. It was just so densely packed that it didn't register as a room, wasn't it?"
"Indeed. The 3D data is rendered in wireframe, after all. From the outside, it looked no different than the grain of the floorboards."
Covil and her team had investigated it beforehand, and we had taken a quick look during our search, yet we hadn't noticed a thing.
"That is the drawback. Then again, if we turned off the transparency, we might not even recognize it as a room... It’s never quite as simple as one would like."
"That is true, but to ask for more... is it even possible?"
Normally, one has no choice but to be satisfied with what is available. After all, improving such software is far beyond my capabilities. I had resigned myself to that, but the technicians—led by Yuki, and including the likes of Agil and Comet—are the ones who voice such dissatisfaction. I had thought it wouldn't be strange for them to be capable of such things, but...
"Ah, I don't think it will be easy. It becomes a matter of how to distinguish between a room and its contents, or how this skill was even created in the first place. It’s like tinkering with a game’s source code, and since we didn't create it ourselves, it will likely take time—if it’s even possible at all. But, if it makes things more convenient, we have no choice but to try, right?"
He said it so casually. I see; so this is how technicians and researchers are. I had always wondered why they thought the way they did, but...
"Haha, people say we’re hard to understand, but at our core, we’re no different from anyone else. Just as Deryu continues her combat training, we are simply aiming for the next step."
"Ah, when you put it that way, it makes perfect sense. I see—you believe you can still grow."
Hearing Agil’s answer—or rather, her perspective—I felt a sudden clarity. It is true that I train for combat partly because it is all I can do, but I also incorporate ingenuity to feel that next step of growth, to become more efficient, to become stronger. If I can achieve that, it leads to the safety of Yuki and everyone else. The technicians and researchers like Agil are doing the same, believing that what they do will benefit everyone, or that their convenience will lead to a better future.
"Well, that’s the grand reason, but isn't it simply fun to know you can reach the next stage? When there is a 'next' to strength, there is joy in achieving it."
"That is certainly true. If anything, for most people, that is the most important thing."
Being able to feel that you have grown stronger is the most easily understood result. For researchers, confirming that their knowledge was correct and expanding that knowledge is, I suppose, the same as us becoming stronger.
"Well, that aside, there is no doubt we must go to the site. And as Deryu said, while Yuki—and our own bodies, being Doppels—have their own physical limits, if we become unwell, our performance drops. Preventing that is only natural, so how about we request an escort from the church?"
"Hmm, now that you mention it, that is only logical. Shall we ask while Yuki is asleep?"
"That sounds like a plan."
And so, we set off to find members who would accompany us in our exploration of the castle.
Overcoming the problem before us to gain strength, only to face the next problem. Everyone is much the same, after all.