Dwarf Dungeon

A large dining hall in the port town of Northpton.

Inside the restaurant, several table seats were lined up, and the place was crowded with people.

There were also private rooms in the back of the restaurant.

Hilda guided us to one of those private rooms.

It was a slightly narrow room with only a table seat inside.

However, paintings were hung on the walls, and bright lighting had been installed as well. The furnishings also looked expensive.

I briefly thought the food prices probably looked expensive too.

I sat facing Hilda across a table covered with a white tablecloth. Liricia sat beside me.

The server soon brought over the fish dishes and drinks we had ordered.

There was fried white fish with sauce poured over it. There was also shellfish soup and so on.

After confirming that the server had left, we talked while eating.

“Mm, this is good. It’s moist and goes well with the bread.”

“Yes, Master. The flavor has soaked into the coating, and it is delicious.”

“Yeah, the fried fish here is the best.”

Hilda was eating boldly, stuffing her cheeks with a large-cut piece of fish.

I spoke to her while eating as well.

“Now then. I’ll ask you directly. You’re having trouble with a dungeon, aren’t you?”

“That’s right. Originally, the Dwarf Duke Territory used a dungeon to gather mineral resources.”

“So you found a dungeon that started as a mine?”

“No. Our ancestors, who were driven into a mountain region where there was supposed to be nothing, secretly brought in a Dungeon Core.”

“You can move Dungeon Cores!?”

“Apparently, they could do it by using some special technology? that our ancestors had. We couldn’t reproduce it, though.”

“I see… But when I went there recently, the dungeon was gone.”

At my words, Hilda’s hand stopped. A dark shadow fell over her downcast face.

“We were deceived…”

“What happened? Was the other party the Church?”

“Yes. We were supposed to form an alliance for the world war, but when we let our guard down, they destroyed the core and took away the cores inside it.”

“I see. So that’s why you were going to Luktia to take them back…”

“The dungeon is absolutely necessary! We’ll definitely take Sebastian back!”

Hilda clenched the fork she was holding. Her fingers left deep marks on the handle.

What incredible strength.

“The dungeon’s name is Sebastian? Were you close?”

“Yeah. It often played with me.”

Hilda’s expression softened, and she looked into the distance.

—It had probably been kept secret from the public, but the Dwarf Duke family alone must have had contact with the Dungeon Core.

I voiced my question while biting into some bread.

“The one thing I don’t understand is this. Even if you’re going to get the cores back, wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t personally charge in?”

“…I don’t want to say this, but it was my fault that we let our guard down. That’s why…”

“Even if that’s true. Couldn’t you appeal to the king of Fortis and have the country lodge a formal protest?”

“There’s no way we can say that. It’s a secret that we’re using a dungeon.”

“But it’s peaceful use, so there shouldn’t be a problem, right? Even the Luktia Holy Papal State openly uses a dungeon as catacombs, doesn’t it?”

“That’s…”

Hilda mumbled, but the words would not come out.

Liricia, who had been drinking soup with elegant movements, tilted her head slightly.

“I heard that the duke territory, which originally belonged to the Dwarf Kingdom, rebelled against the tyranny of the Dwarf Kingdom and proposed joining Fortis… Could it be that the reason mineral resources stopped being available in the Dwarf Kingdom was…”

“Don’t pry any further than that.”

Hilda said it in a sharp voice.

A thought flashed through my mind, and I could only nod.

“Ah… So that’s what happened. Yeah, you couldn’t make that public.”

“But come on, even though we had plenty of craftsman-like dwarves too, if they told us we were third-rate and shouldn’t use the resources, and that the resources should be given to the first-rate royal blacksmiths, of course we’d snap, right? The kingdom side resented our noble ancestors and drove us into a remote region with no resources in the first place, so that was the root cause.”

“And then you sought protection from the neighboring Fortis, which led to war.”

“For Fortis, they could obtain mineral resources, dwarf technology, and manufactured goods, so it should have been a decent deal.”

Hilda said it outright without the slightest remorse.

Somehow, I felt like I had seen the hidden side of history. Apparently, most reasons for war were not differences in ideology, but economic causes.

—Both sides had their issues, then.

I shrugged and said,

“Well, I guess a lot happened. Or rather, if the dungeon disappeared, would the Dwarf Duke’s position be in danger too?”

“Hmm, people thought there were no resources, but apparently there were some far below. It’s just hard to dig them out manually.”

“It looked like cave-in accidents were happening all over the place.”

Thanks to that, a huge amount of Puchi Elixirs had sold, though.

While eating the fried fish together with bread, I said what I had been thinking.

“But if you attack Luktia and seize the cores, that sounds like it could turn into a war.”

“That would be horrifying… More children without parents would be created again.”

Liricia said that with a sorrowful expression while eating a small-cut piece of fish. Because she had managed an orphanage, her words carried weight.

Hilda furrowed her brow and glared at Liricia.

“Then are you saying we should just let them do whatever they want and cry ourselves to sleep? Don’t be ridiculous.”

“I understand. I’ll cooperate. But if the Church side has all its cores stolen, they won’t just stay silent, so we’ll only take back what was stolen.”

“Mm, that’s fine, then.”

“How many were stolen?”

“Two.”

“If it’s only that much—no, wait. Right, it couldn’t be just anything. It has to be the actual cores you were using.”

“They were brown and yellow, I think.”

“Got it. I’ll cooperate so we can get them back.”

I said that with a smile while eating the last piece.

For a moment, Hilda looked happy, but she soon furrowed her brows.

“But why would you go that far for me?”

“For myself. More precisely, to free Liricia from unconditional slavery. Apparently, even if I have the money, I need a recommendation from someone with a reliable status.”

“Hmm. So that’s why you were listening to Father.”

“That’s right. I’m counting on you too, Hilda.”

“Yeah, same here. Please take care of Sebastian.”

Hilda smiled for the first time. She had large double-lidded eyes and a straight nose. It was an adorable smile.

However, Liricia frowned with her well-formed face.

“But what will you do, Master? We do not have a ship to go to Luktia.”

“We’re going to attack the dungeon anyway. Let’s use my dungeon. We can invade the floor just above the floor where the core is.”

“What shall we do about Rāna-chan’s Jewel Orb?”

“How about this: instead of completely destroying the dungeon, we receive the Jewel Orb?”

“Will things really go that smoothly…?”

“It would have been difficult until now. But if they attacked the Dwarf Duke Territory’s dungeon, then Luktia was the one that made the first move. This should already be within the rules of a dungeon battle.”

“But would our opponents not end up being humans, such as priests and holy knights?”

“Mm. If we’re up against a large number of people, it might get rough.”

Against monsters, it would be easy, but against humans, the blessings of Holy Wave would not help very much.

Hilda, sitting across from me, also warned me with a stern expression.

“Besides, Luktia’s dungeon is dangerous, you know?”

“Is it strong?”

“I mean, the materials alone are strong, right? The people buried in the catacombs are heroes, holy knights, archbishops, and so on. They’re all people on the level of A-ranks or S-ranks, aren’t they?”

“I see… That does sound troublesome.”

“So that was how far ahead the Church thought when operating the dungeon… It sounds like they will be formidable opponents.”

Liricia muttered with a grave expression.

Or rather, was that the reason they had made the dungeon into catacombs?

They should have been placed in stone coffins and decorated like altars, but to think the contents were being absorbed by the dungeon.

I took out my sub-device.

“Let’s ask Kou how strong the catacombs’ level is. If it seems impossible, we’ll just ask Edgar.”

“That would be best.”

Liricia nodded while bringing fish to her mouth.

I spoke into the sub-device.

“Kou, can you hear me?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Can you check how strong that Luktia Church dungeon, the one called the catacombs or something, is?”

“The one you talked about before? It’s a weak little Tier 1 dungeon with only one core.”

“Huh? I heard they stole cores from the dwarf dungeon.”

“Then perhaps they have not inserted the cores into the core? They may insert the cores only when using them, then hide them afterward and pretend to be weak. Hiding the core but not the rear.”

I could only frown.

—I see. It made sense, given that the Church had operated it for so long. You could also call it a strategy that was possible precisely because they had so many people.

Finding where the cores were would be difficult.

“I guess we have no choice but to ask Edgar. Can you tell him to look for the Dungeon Cores and Jewel Orb in Luktia?”

“Yes, easy as—huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Edgar-san seems to be outside the service area?”

“Hmm? What does that mean?”

“He is not in this world right now?”

“What!? —Is it that? Is he in the Demon Realm or Fantasy Realm?”

“A poison signal would reach there? Calls worked in the Demon Realm.”

“That’s true… Can you check where he went? I feel like he said he was going to see the children.”

“Hmmmm. Emails and LaLine are not reaching him either. I shall ask some other people—… Oh.”

“What is it?”

“A message from Rubel-san. Apparently, something big and black appeared near the Royal Capital?”

“What the hell is that… I’ve got a bad feeling. I’m going back once.”

“Yes. I will try various ways to communicate with Edgar-san too.”

I ended the call.

I said to Liricia and Hilda,

“Apparently, some kind of problem happened in the Royal Capital. Let me postpone the trip to Luktia.”

“Could something have happened to Edgar-san?”

“I don’t know. I need to take a look first.”

Hilda also spoke.

“I heard that, but if there’s only one core there, there’s no point going, right? If they’re being stored in a Church outside the country, it would be a wasted trip. I’ll recheck the trail of the priest who deceived me.”

“I see. That possibility exists too. I’ll leave the investigation to you.”

“Leave it to me.”

Hilda clenched her fist and smiled confidently.

After that, I settled the bill, took Liricia with me, and hurried back along the path we had come from.

Meanwhile.

Edgar was on top of a great tree. From a high branch, he looked down at the sky and the ground with a grim expression.

“What is this place…?”

A pitch-black sun shone in the purple sky, and the forest of twisted trees was thick with blood-red leaves.

On top of that, black shadows were wandering across the gray ground.

Edgar took out kunai and shuriken from somewhere, wrapped a rope strung with them around his waist, and muttered.

“This place is seriously full of dangerous presences. —I hope the kids are safe…”

Sweat shone on Edgar’s forehead.

Then he sprang from the branch with a swish and vanished.