Chapter 14: Demon’s Lair – Part 10
After finishing my meal, I set out from the marquis’s residence towards the town.
My first destination was the Adventurers’ Guild. According to the marquis, the guild in Lagantz territory was operating normally. However, due to strict restrictions on the movement of both adventurers and merchants, it seemed that the branch’s operations were still significantly affected.
As I walked through the streets, the people going about their daily lives appeared lively, a stark contrast to the atmosphere in Mecalinan’s royal capital. Yet, I occasionally spotted soldiers transporting goods with carts, hinting at a sense of preparation for war.
Upon entering the guild, I found around a hundred adventurers loitering in the lobby. It felt like a larger crowd than usual for the size of the guild, likely due to adventurers from the royal capital flowing in. Danken had mentioned something similar in our earlier conversation.
I approached an available counter and spoke to a young male staff member.
“Nice to meet you, I am Soushi, a B-rank adventurer. I have a few questions.”
“Ah… B-rank, is it? It’s quite rare to see someone of your rank here.”
“Yes, I have my reasons for being here. I heard that adventurers in this country are unable to leave the borders. Could you explain the reason behind this?”
The staff member lowered his voice and replied, “Actually, there are rumors of an impending civil war between the current king and some nobles, including the lord of Lagantz. It seems the king ascended to the throne rather forcefully… Moreover, his policies have been quite harsh, leading to significant discontent among the citizens. Additionally, the king has hinted at an invasion of Oz, which has resulted in half of the borders being sealed off.”
“That sounds troubling… Thank you for the information.”
I expressed my gratitude and left the counter.
I had asked to verify the situation, and it appeared to align with what I had previously heard.
A civil war, huh? Personally, I would prefer the marquis to win, and if my participation could increase that likelihood, then I should indeed offer my cooperation. However, it seemed I needed a bit more time to mentally prepare for this shift in focus. In times like these, the best course of action for an adventurer is to delve into a dungeon.
After reading through the guide, I exited the guild.
I learned that there was one dungeon each of E to B class surrounding this town, so I decided to explore all the way up to C class for now.
First, I headed towards the E-class dungeon. It was a large tree-shaped dungeon I had entered before. After about two hours, I reached the lowest level and defeated the boss, the Kobold Leader, completing the dungeon. I acquired the skill “Heat Resistance,” which was a fortunate find as it was one of the skills I had hoped to obtain.
With some time to spare, I entered the D-class dungeon in the afternoon. This dungeon, located on the plains, had ten floors. The mid-boss, the Armored Minotaur, was a rare encounter, while the boss, the Gigant Tortoise, was a normal one. I crushed both with a single strike of my mace. Although it took less than four hours to defeat the boss, it was shorter than when entering with a party, primarily because the number of weak monsters was significantly lower.
From a silver rare treasure chest, I obtained a ring, but since Mariane was not present, I couldn’t appraise it. My skill “Fire Resistance” leveled up. Resistance skills are known for being difficult to level up, so this was a modestly appreciated gain.
When I exited the dungeon, it was already evening.
I thought to myself that I could easily handle a C-class dungeon alone, but as I watched the sunset, a sudden wave of loneliness washed over me. I had grown so accustomed to adventuring with a party that I felt a strong urge to reunite with my members. I was particularly worried about Freinir.
I asked the male staff member at the guild to appraise the ring I had found earlier, and he informed me that it provided “Poison Resistance +3.”
“A high-level Poison Resistance accessory is quite valuable and in high demand among the nobility, so it can fetch a good price,” he added.
“Is that so?”
It seemed that items with such auxiliary effects were beneficial even to commoners, and it wasn’t uncommon for nobles to wear them. However, hearing that nobles desired Poison Resistance left me with a somewhat uneasy feeling.
While at the guild, I spoke with other adventurers, but the majority of what I heard were complaints about the current king. They shared stories about how they couldn’t leave the country, how life had worsened due to restrictions on trade, and how acquaintances had been turned into slaves.
“They say they’re going to conquer Oz to expand our territory and improve the lives of the citizens, but no one believes that. The war has only just ended, and the lives of the common folk are just starting to stabilize. It’s ridiculous to think about waging another war for popularity. Everyone hopes the marquis will do his best and quickly drag down the king, especially those from the royal capital.”
This was the sentiment expressed by a veteran local adventurer, and others echoed similar thoughts.
Upon returning to the Lagantz marquis’s residence, I found the marquis’s trusted aide, Earthlin, waiting at the entrance. He seemed to have just returned from an outing.
“Soushi, are you heading to the dungeon again today?” he asked.
“Yes, I visited the D-class and E-class dungeons. What about you, Earthlin?”
“I’m keeping an eye out to see if any slave hunters come by today. I’m also concerned about that ‘Demon.'”
“Thank you for your hard work. Do slave hunters appear that frequently?”
“I believe they won’t come for a while since we drove them off yesterday. However, it’s hard to believe that the marquis, despite being opposed to the king, would resort to enslaving people from other territories. Don’t you think so?”
“I do. I’ve also heard that slave hunters from Mecalinan have been targeting elves and beastmen in the Kingdom of Vermillion.”
“Indeed, I’ve heard that the number of elves and beastmen slaves has increased over the past year or two. If other countries are engaging in such practices, we can no longer afford to wait.”
“Is a civil war about to start soon?” I asked.
Earthlin’s gaze sharpened slightly at my question. “Without a doubt. King Gizelfa desires the resources of the marquis’s territory. If you’ve seen the situation in the royal capital, you should understand.”
“That is certainly true.”
“The issue was that until recently, we lacked a just cause. While defending against an attack is one thing, we need a substantial reason to march on the royal capital. In that sense, your appearance in the royal capital at this time, along with bringing Ryusha with you, is a significant development. Moreover, you managed to capture Mazero, didn’t you? He was one of the king’s trump cards. His absence is undoubtedly good news.”
I had consciously participated in the matter concerning the boy Ryusha, but it seemed I had inadvertently aided the marquis’s faction in other ways as well. It felt too coincidental to be mere chance, and if this was indeed the influence of my Bad Luck Skill, it was quite a remarkable story. In fact, the series of events that had transpired lately seemed inexplicable without considering my Bad Luck Skill. I might need to seriously investigate this aspect soon.
The next day, I delved into a C-class dungeon. This dungeon, located by a water source, had fifteen floors, but according to the guide, it only contained monsters with physical attributes, so I deemed it safe.
Since I was solo, a kind party at the entrance warned me against entering, but when I showed them my mace, they were convinced.
Given that it was a water-themed dungeon, many of the monsters were aquatic in nature. The mid-boss on the fifth floor was a gigantic slime known as the Huge Slime. It possessed poison and acid, making it a tough opponent without ranged attacks, but I dispatched it with a barrage of Shockwaves. The treasure chest contained a First-Class Potion, a high-quality item capable of healing even severe injuries. I already had several in my Item Box, but they wouldn’t be a burden.
On the tenth floor, the mid-boss was the Flying Jaws, a flying shark. At around twenty meters long, it was practically a whale, but with a single swing of my mace, I left it on the brink of death. At that moment, an idea struck me, and I decided to use my Plunder skill. To my surprise, I managed to snatch a necklace made of coral. It seemed that some monsters also possessed Item Boxes, allowing me to steal items from them. This was potentially big news.
As for the treasure chest, it yielded about 100 kilograms of salt. It goes without saying that salt is a vital resource in this world, and dungeon-produced salt is particularly valued. I could sell it, but I decided to keep it for use during my camping.
The boss on the fifteenth floor was the Tiny Kraken. Though its name suggested it was small, this monster was a massive octopus. Despite being called “tiny,” its head alone stood seven to eight meters tall, and with its eight tentacles, its size was overwhelming.
Known for its high physical defense and powerful regeneration abilities, it was said to be a boss that would lead to a prolonged battle. However, it was utterly powerless against my mace. I shattered the tentacle it extended towards me and delivered a decisive blow to its head, ending the fight.
The skill I acquired was called “Persistence,” which seemed to be an advanced version of the “Immovable” skill. Now, even when standing on one leg and swinging the Immovable Fortress Wall, my body felt completely anchored to the ground. I could already confront that rampaging demon head-on, but I had no idea how far my physical prowess could go.
However, after diving into the dungeon, I felt a renewed awareness of my own abnormality. With such power at my disposal, if I were to hold back, I would have a hard time facing my party members.
It seemed that now was the time for me to make a firm decision.