5-1 Young Man, Go On An Adventure

His name was Berglit.

He was a low-ranking civil official of the royal palace.

On top of that, his social standing was awkward—he was the sixth son of a baronial house.

Worse still, his mother was a concubine, so there was no chance whatsoever that he would inherit the family estate.

To be blunt, if he went back home, he would be treated as little more than thin air.

His mother was a wise woman, and from a young age she educated Berglit thoroughly, while he himself diligently applied himself to his studies.

Perhaps thanks to that, he had secured a respectable post in the royal palace at a young age (he was currently twenty).

He had entered service at the age of fifteen, just after reaching adulthood, which was truly admirable.

Although still young, Berglit-kun had achieved an unusually rapid promotion, and apparently his brothers—who had spent their lives idling away—were fiercely jealous of him.

They constantly pestered him, demanding introductions to jobs and complaining endlessly.

Originally, his father was a robe-wearing noble with no lands, who had taken a concubine from the daughter of a major trading house for the sake of assets.

As a result, his mother’s family was extremely wealthy.

His grandfather doted on Berglit and provided him with abundant financial support.

Berglit did not spend that money on luxury, but poured it all into his studies.

Even from his grandfather’s perspective, he was a grandson to be proud of.

After that, despite his meager salary, he continued his dungeon research while receiving his grandfather’s support.

That was because his workplace was the department that managed the dungeon.

And recently, he had noticed abnormalities occurring within the dungeon and felt that an investigation was necessary.

He had a sense of foreboding.

Someone who had worked in the specialized department for five years, handling actual management duties, felt that way.

That it was probably not unfounded worry was something I could tell, as someone who possessed a “foreboding-specialized ability” like the Seventh Sense.

Well, to be precise, it wasn’t my own chest that was stirring— it was just “that thing inside me” making a fuss on its own.

In any case, this was not something to be laughed off.

After all, thanks to that very issue, I had repeatedly fought battles that should never have existed, right there in the dungeon itself.

The incompetent superiors obsessed with self-preservation had ignored his opinions, telling him instead, “Don’t do anything unnecessary—just make sure this department, and we ourselves, profit.”

As an aside, as one would expect, there were people in that department who had been purged in the previous incident.

After all, it had occurred within the district directly under their control.

Thanks to that, he was now able to go to the field and raise his concerns in person—but the situation was still this pathetic.

“What do you think?”

In a sense, I asked Mari—who could be called the ruler of Adros.

“Well… It’s true that strange things have been happening lately. I look at things over a very long span, so I didn’t pay much attention. But yes, I suppose it could be called signs of a monster stampede.”

I see.

This did seem to warrant an investigation.

But he also had his own job, and probably didn’t have the time.

Hmm? He worked at the royal palace, didn’t he?

I see…

“Hey, Berglit. Come with me tomorrow morning.”

My name is Berglit.

How did things end up like this?

This was the royal palace.

True, it was my workplace.

But… but this was the main audience chamber of the royal palace!

He had summoned me first thing in the morning, gone straight to the palace, said something to the gate guards, and gotten a free pass with just a raised hand!

Since I was a civil official assigned to the palace zone, I was let through without issue.

But this man just marched straight ahead, and before I knew it, we were standing in front of the audience chamber.

Then he said this to the guards.

“I’m an S-rank hero, and I’d like to see the king right now. Depending on the circumstances, this could become a national crisis—so if you don’t pass this along, you may be held responsible.”

The guard snapped to attention and saluted.

“Yes, sir! At once!”

Saying that, he hurried inside.

The other guard was also staring at this man with awe.

Oh no… I’ve gotten involved with someone outrageously dangerous.

And almost without any delay, we were now standing before His Majesty the King.

I was down on one knee, on the verge of fainting.

“To hear words like ‘national crisis’ come from your mouth is not something I can ignore. Explain yourself, Alphonse.”

“Yes. Simply put, signs of a monster stampede have been observed in the dungeon.”

Alphonse-san was exchanging words with His Majesty the King.

The tone suggested they had met before.

“W-what did you say?!”

“If something were to happen that devastated this royal capital, neighboring countries would surely seize the opportunity to invade. It would indeed qualify as a national crisis.”

His Majesty the King closed his eyes for a moment, then replied gravely.

“In the past… there have been many crises. But sealing the dungeon was impossible. Neighboring countries have many dungeons, but our nation has only two. There are precious resources that can only be produced there. Adros, located near this royal capital, is the main dungeon—and there was also the matter of that ring.”

“I heard from this specialist here, and Mari on our side also believes it’s possible. She is a living witness who has seen monster stampedes many times with her own eyes. Furthermore, I myself have felt a persistent sense of unease. After all, I am one of the people most directly involved.”

“I see. So an investigation is necessary. Still, to have such a grave matter brought by someone outside the palace…”

As His Majesty sighed, Alphonse-san immediately cut in.

I was just kneeling quietly behind him, trying to make myself as small as possible.

“Ah, this guy has been appealing about it for a long time, but his superiors kept crushing it.”

“Hey, Chancellor. Which fools were responsible for that?!”

So the person standing behind His Majesty was the Chancellor.

That was the first time I realized it.

How would someone like me know the face of such an important person?

“That would be… those who were executed in the recent incident. The young man there belongs to the dungeon management department. He himself is extremely capable.”

H-he praised me.

Why did such an important person even know who I was?

Did he know the names and faces of all government officials?

His Majesty the King looked as though he were biting into something bitter.

Then Alphonse-san, stifling a laugh, said this to His Majesty.

“So, we’d like to go investigate—but he’s a palace employee. Please grant him permission to leave his regular duties. And if he produces results, promote him. There should be openings above him, right? It’s better for Your Majesty’s own safety to place people like this in appropriate posts.”

He was implicitly accusing His Majesty of neglecting his duties.

This must have been a situation where His Majesty wanted to give a wry smile, but instead he responded with a splendid grin.

“Very well. I promise you that. Then go and conduct the investigation at once. Submit the expenses later. No—Chancellor, provide them with advance funds. And contact that civil servant’s department immediately, ensuring his work continues smoothly in his absence.”

“Then let’s get going right away. Come on, you. I’ll at least let you give a handover greeting at your workplace. This is a royal command issued to you by His Majesty the King. We’re leaving now.”

Alphonse-san, accompanied by the Chancellor, grabbed me by the collar and hurried me along.

Wow… what an impatient person.

Wait, I’m not mentally prepared yet—

And so, thus began the great adventure of me, Berglit, in the most abrupt way imaginable…