第１９３０堀：研究者たちの見解 (Part2)
"In terms of having zero casualties, it’s undeniably a landslide victory. To go through over a hundred skirmishes without a single death is nothing short of a miracle."
Agil was right. In large-scale combat, the idea of coming out unscathed is practically unheard of. Looking at the results, calling it a landslide was certainly accurate.
"Regardless, once the Knightman retreated, the battle was decided within an hour. As for the three large Ogres that remained, the skilled adventurers managed to coordinate their efforts, allowing them to take them down steadily."
Reviewing the progression, it was clear that the capable adventurers had banded together, preventing the remaining Ogres from coordinating while whittling them down. If they hadn't, the Ogres' natural regenerative abilities would have made them an impossible nightmare to manage. The only other option would have been a one-hit kill, but if that were possible, they would have done it already.
"Now, that covers the battle against the monster horde in the town of Wesa. As for the detailed data recovered from those monsters..."
With that, Agil opened another window. It was a status screen—something I hadn't seen much of lately. While it served as a decent guideline, it was only ever just that. I tended to avoid looking at them too closely, fearing they might breed complacency.
"I know you don't put much stock in these kinds of stats, Yuki, but for now, please look at this as a simple point of reference."
"Understood."
She added that because she understood my distaste for them, or perhaps just my general philosophy.
"First, this data is for the Orcs that attacked Wesa. It’s the average value from the nearly one hundred we faced. Their level was 37. The stronger individuals were over 40. Now, I’ll display the data for Orcs from the regions of Rogari, Ifu, and Zurable."
The data for those specimens from the other continent appeared, and...
"Level 20s? That’s low—or rather, that’s what’s normal, isn't it?"
"Exactly. Since the average on other continents is around 20, the level of the Orcs in the northern part of the New Continent is, frankly, abnormal. It’s double. That said, it’s not unheard of. It’s common enough to find places where the quality of monsters is artificially bolstered."
"True. It might not be a Demon Lord's doing, but there are plenty of places where the quality of monsters is high, leading to higher individual levels."
It was just that these were outliers compared to the average; it didn't mean they didn't exist. It just meant the environment was that much more unforgiving.
"The fact that so many high-level individuals exist in one place is, in our judgment, proof that someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes."
"Indeed."
Comet nodded at Agil’s words and continued.
"One or two might be a fluke, but when over a hundred exceed the standard level, something is clearly wrong. While we can't entirely rule out environmental factors, seeing them organize into groups and move with the precision of a military unit tells us there’s a deliberate intent behind it."
That was the crux of it. The monster disturbances in the north definitely had a commander. Someone with the skill to not only deploy monsters but to cultivate them.
"On a side note, Vilia and her team’s investigation confirmed that these Orcs were stronger than usual. In other words, that group of Orcs was an anomaly even by northern standards. Though, we still don't know what the situation is like on the front lines."
I’d heard that the monster offensives had intensified over the last few years, but I hadn't heard whether that was due to an increase in quality or quantity. We needed to investigate the details.
"Now, with all this information laid out, we researchers would like to state our conclusion..."
Agil braced herself as she spoke, and Comet joined her, both of them offering a smile.
"While we lack definitive proof, given the high levels and the level of organization, we strongly suspect the presence of a Dungeon Master or a Demon Lord."
"I agree, Yuki."
Hivia chimed in with a smile of her own.
"Yeah, I figured as much."
Which meant, in no uncertain terms, that this was going to be an absolute pain in the neck. What on earth was happening to the human sphere of influence on the New Continent? Or perhaps, should I call this the chaos inherent to humanity? Is it just that wherever people gather, conflict follows?
It was all on such a massive scale. But for Weed, the only option was to keep solving these problems one by one.