第１５８０堀：墓所のダンジョンについて (Part1)
Chapter 1580: Regarding the Dungeon of the Catacombs
Side: Yuki
"Ah, I'm surprisingly tired."
My words were met with agreement. We had safely concluded our treasure hunt and returned to the church in the old Vinoshia royal capital, but we found ourselves more exhausted than we had anticipated.
"It's quite rare for us to simply walk, you see."
"Indeed. Though I feel like I'm saying something strange."
"It's unusual for you all to walk for extended periods, isn't it? You either rush through at top speed or use vehicles, so it's an unaccustomed action, which is likely why you're tired."
"It's strange, isn't it? Yuki, you're the best at sustained combat, right? And yet, you're tired just from walking."
"I don't want to hear that from Covil, who's floating in the air~"
"Why not? If I were to walk, it would be incredibly difficult for me, you know."
Indeed, Covil is shorter than Agil. During the mountain climb, she flew through the air like a true fairy, and perhaps emulating Agil and me, she even rode on Kiyu's shoulder.
"Well, it's a mental thing. After all, mountain climbing isn't something we do often, and the overgrown grass made it quite troublesome."
"Yes. I imagine even regular soldiers would find that exhausting."
Agil and Light pinpointed the reason for their fatigue. Well, it's certainly true that we did something we're not accustomed to.
"Moderate exercise is good for the body, so you should feel good about what you've done."
"That's right~. It's not like we're injured or anything~"
Hearing our conversation, Rurua and Lilishe, who had been examining us, approached. As soon as we returned, they had checked our physical condition. Fortunately, everyone, including the escorting soldiers, was merely fatigued. Meaning there were no poisons from the Dark Guild or anything of the sort.
"Exactly, it's good exercise. You get tired because you don't play tag with the children."
Then another companion also arrived, saying it with a 'good grief' kind of air. Nevertheless, children's stamina is truly not to be underestimated. They forge ahead through pathless terrain, fearless of injury. Though it's due to their innocence, their will to push forward is truly remarkable. To play with all their might and then sleep as if their batteries have run out when they're done, that's truly something only children can do. But...
"Even I would die if I played with the children."
All of my wives nodded at my words. We are parents ourselves, after all. We understand the children's inexhaustible stamina. Of course, it's fine to play with them if necessary, but with work to do, it's simply impossible.
"Haa~, how pathetic~. Wait, Kirika?"
As another companion turned her gaze, we also looked in that direction to see Kirika standing there.
"Excuse me for interrupting your rest. I have come to report, as the information has been compiled."
With those words, the room was enveloped in tension. Would we finally understand the full relationship between the Dark Guild and the dungeon? Was this incident merely a decoy? Or was there another objective entirely? There were mountains of things we wanted to know.
"To conclude, it seems there was no Dungeon Master behind them; rather, they merely acquired the core."
"Only the core?"
"Yes. While it's comparable to a previous instance of a core being transferred, the Dark Guild members seem to have simply acquired the core without any explanation."
"Only the core?"
Not quite understanding, I asked Kirika again, and she nodded.
"Yes. It seems the Dark Guild also gathered in this land of Vinoshia after hearing rumors of the hidden treasure. And they appear to have found the core within a treasure chest in a hidden room."
"Ah, I see. So they were the ones who conquered the dungeon?"
"That seems to be the case. However, they apparently hadn't understood how to use the Dungeon Core until now. After all, there was no one to teach them, and they couldn't simply release the Dungeon Core onto the market."
"That's certainly true."
Dungeon Cores can, in theory, be sold. While they are currently used on the Logari Continent to create magic-nullifying barriers for royal nobles and the like, in such cases, their origin is thoroughly investigated. And above all, the place that would truly enhance the value of a Dungeon Core would be...
"And most importantly, no magic power had accumulated in the core. This meant they couldn't create a particularly strong barrier, so there was no point in selling it off."
"Indeed. Well, before that, ever since Weed was established, we've essentially been involved in the buying and selling of Dungeon Cores."
Yes, as a final blow, or rather, because we, Weed, founded a nation using a dungeon, attention to cores has become stronger than before. After all, they were tools for Dungeon Masters to create dungeons. If mishandled, a nation could be absorbed. Therefore, if a core is acquired, inquiries are now directed to us. From our perspective, it's also a good opportunity to potentially gain information about other Dungeon Masters. That's why, even though they acquired the core, they couldn't use it for anything.
"So, they utilized the catacombs becoming a dungeon? What about the matter with Suulus?"
"Yes. Regarding that, it seems there was someone who understood how to use the core."
"Understood, or rather, 'mastered' it, is a bit subtle."
That's good news for us. Meaning the conditions are worse than in the previous instance. If they truly understood how to use it, dealing with a Dungeon Master would be incredibly troublesome. However, it's strange that they could use it without it being transferred.
"That seems to be the case. So, they had been experimenting with various things, and it appears the Suulus incident involved them hinting at the treasure in the old Vinoshia catacombs, primarily gathering adventurers, killing them, and converting them into DP."
"So it was as we initially predicted."
"Yes. However, it seems things diverged from there, and they had a falling out."
"A falling out?"
"Well, it wasn't a dispute among close kin, but it seems there were multiple individuals who learned how to use it, and they had acquired three cores. By agreement, one was apparently used in Suulus to gain a large amount of magic power and DP."
"So, opinions diverged after that?"
"Yes. They had planned to secure funds and magic power by assisting the de facto occupation of Suulus by both the Kinauf and Irinau nations, but..."
"And our alliance thwarted that, causing their resources to dwindle, correct?"
Of course, we nearly annihilated the nearly ten thousand monsters they summoned with our bombardment. The subsequent pursuit eliminated even the higher-tier species. Their invested budget was blown away.
"Exactly. That's where they argued over how to use the remaining budget, splitting into a faction that wanted to lure new sacrifices using a certain individual to calmly recover their strength here, and another faction that believed they should go to a new land and create a new dungeon there."
"In any case, recovery is essential, then."
"It seems they argued over the method of recovery. They believed that efficient recovery was no longer possible in old Vinoshia as it had been. And the treasure operation using a certain individual was also deemed undesirable, as it risked exposing the dungeon to the public."
"I see. So they were wary of exposure. Well, information about treasures is usually kept within oneself or one's party."
If the location of a treasure is carelessly revealed, one might be beaten to it, and if there are too many companions, the share decreases. From that perspective, such matters often remain strictly internal. In other words, from the dungeon operators' perspective, it means a manageable few would infiltrate, and information about the dungeon would be less likely to be exposed.