Episode 219: The Town Near the Dungeon
The day after Yuma and the others displayed their magic before the Indian Seekers, the three of them were at the courthouse once again.
“Hey! What’s the meaning of this? Just you two got to stay in private hotel rooms?!”
Yuma was shouting at the entrance of the courthouse. Rui scratched his cheek sheepishly, while Akito let out a huge yawn, “Fwaah~.”
“Sorry, Yuma. The Indian staff told me that Yuma had been taken to different lodgings, so I just assumed you were staying at another hotel…”
“I was thrown into a warehouse-like building! And with a bunch of smelly old guys!! Meanwhile, you two were in some fancy hotel?”
Yuma groaned, “Mugugugu,” to which Akito replied, “Ain’t it fine?”
“They haven’t realized your power, but that’s convenient in its own way. It’ll save us from getting caught up in unnecessary trouble again.”
“But because of that, my treatment has been rough!”
“Patience, patience. Just a little patience, Yuma. Once we achieve our goal, we’ll be saying goodbye to India soon enough. Don’t forget what we came here for.”
“Well… that’s true.”
Yuma reluctantly calmed down, though still dissatisfied. Indeed, they were here to save Kaede as quickly as possible. He thought that enduring this much was unavoidable… but then.
“Wow, you guys were amazing yesterday.”
“Come over here. We have a meeting starting now.”
“You’re from Japan, right? Tell us all sorts of things.”
Only Rui and Akito, walking through the courthouse corridor, were surrounded by Indian Seekers, who spoke to them with smiles. No one even glanced at Yuma. Seeing Rui and Akito looking not entirely displeased, he started to get angry again.
“Aren’t these guys here too harsh on those who can’t use magic?”
Muttering complaints, Akito put a hand on Yuma’s shoulder, saying, “Come now.”
“Can’t be helped. They’ve seen hell in the battles against monsters. It’s only natural they’re happy about strong reinforcements.”
“Ugh, but still…”
Still not quite convinced, Yuma and the others entered the courthouse’s large conference room. Many Seekers had already gathered and were seated. Dasha and Kaira could be seen on the platform at the front. Yuma and the others sat at the very back of the conference room. After a while, Dasha stood up, stepped in front of the podium, and picked up the microphone.
“Now, let’s begin the regular meeting.”
All eyes turned to Dasha. Only Kaira was seated at the side of the podium. These two must be the leaders who controlled over a hundred Seekers. He thought there might be other leaders, but it seemed to be just the two of them. Dasha cleared her throat and began to speak.
“As those here know, the administrative functions of various Indian government bodies have been weakened by monster attacks. In addition, the Seekers fighting across India are gradually decreasing in number, and, most importantly, the people of India are dying.”
The conference room fell silent. Everyone understood the dire situation in India.
“In short, we don’t have time. The more time passes, the more the monsters gain power, and we weaken our forces. We can’t wait any longer. Therefore, we will begin the capture of ‘Dvarapala,’ which we have been planning for some time!”
Cheers erupted from the venue. ‘Dvarapala’ was the world’s largest Green Dungeon. Capturing it was one of Yuma’s goals.
“A large number of monsters emerge from Dvarapala every day. These monsters are acting as the Green Lord’s hands and feet, attacking towns. Unless we stop this supply, no matter how many monsters we defeat, it will be meaningless. Of course, defeating the Green Lord will also be impossible. First, we will capture this dungeon, and then, we will defeat the King of Monsters!”
The sound of someone gulping could be heard. Yuma looked around and saw that the Indian Seekers all had strained expressions. It didn’t seem like a mission that could be realistically achieved. Everyone here probably understood that. Breaking the tense atmosphere, Dasha continued to speak.
“We will enter the dungeon in a week. First, we will go to ‘Saddar Sampur,’ which will serve as our forward base, and wait there for the Seeker Clans gathering from various locations.”
Around them, Seekers raised their voices, trying to shake off their fear, saying things like, “Is it finally happening?” and “I can’t wait to show my skills.” Waiting for the commotion to subside, Dasha opened her mouth.
“Of course, there’s no doubt that it will be a tough battle, but there’s also some good news. As you all know, we have warriors who have come all the way from Japan. Let me introduce them again. Amasawa Rui and Tennoji Akito.”
Thunderous applause erupted, and many Seekers turned to them with smiles. Rui and Akito, bewildered, stood up and responded to the cheers. Rui smiled shyly, while Akito scratched his head, his cheeks relaxed. Only Yuma, sitting next to them, had a grim expression. The meeting ended without incident, and the Seekers in the courthouse began preparing to move their base. Yuma and the others also gathered their belongings and got into the wagon prepared by Dasha.
“How rushed~ I wanted to stay at the hotel a little longer~”
Akito, sitting in the back seat, grumbled.
“No, no, I’ve had enough of that unfairness! Let’s capture the dungeon quickly, defeat the Green Lord, and return to Japan!”
Yuma, sitting next to Akito, crossed his arms and sulked. Rui and Akito exchanged glances, chuckled, and fastened their seatbelts. The car carrying Yuma and the others headed towards the town near the dungeon, ‘Saddar Sampur.’
◇◇◇
“This is going to be our forward base?”
By the time they arrived at their destination, the sun had already begun to set. Yuma and the others got out of the car and, guided by an Indian Seeker, walked through the town of ‘Saddar Sampur.’ It was located in the middle of an Indian national forest, more like a settlement than a town. The few remaining houses and buildings were tragically destroyed. They had probably been attacked by monsters. In one corner of Saddar Sampur, several large tents were set up. They looked like they could hold hundreds of people.
“This way, please.”
Urged on by the Indian Seeker, Yuma and the others entered a particularly large tent.
“Ah, welcome.”
Inside were Dasha and Kaira, still wearing their battle suits.