“Alright! We’re heading into the depths of the forest!”
“Eh?”
We all voiced our doubts at Lady Evelyn’s unexpected declaration.
The cleanup was done, but the escort team was still nearby, you know?
“Miss Evelyn, isn’t that dangerous?”
“I heard the most dangerous monsters in this forest are Orcs!”
“I see, then it’s not that dangerous.”
“No, the danger lies in taking unscheduled actions!”
“The boy speaks the truth! This is not acceptable, Princess!”
“But there’s so much Running Wheat here! Perhaps a Dungeon has formed deeper inside!”
“A Dungeon? Unlikely.”
“A Dungeon, huh? I don’t think so.”
“Why not!?”
“Because it’s close to the Royal Capital.”
“Gunuunuunu…”
That’s right. This forest, being close to the Royal Capital, is patrolled frequently. Knights, soldiers, and Adventurers are constantly entering it. If there were a Dungeon, it would be found immediately.
“This must be a Running Wheat infestation!”
“If that’s the case, it’s a welcome situation. We shouldn’t try to conquer it.”
“Indeed.”
Beneficial Monster Dungeons are managed by the country or territory. Recklessly interfering could lead to being charged with a crime.
Apparently, anyone who approaches the Dungeon Core of a Dungeon managed by knights is cut down without question. The Meat Dungeon is the same.
“There’s so much of it!”
“Well, yes, there is.”
“If you insist on deviating from the schedule, at least allow the escort team to accompany us. If we go any deeper into the forest, Kalinka’s movements will be restricted, not to mention the boy.”
“Y-yes, you’re right.”
Kalinka-san, in her full plate armor, becomes less mobile in areas with many obstacles. Furthermore, the forest has uneven terrain. In the deeper parts of the forest, there will likely be muddy ground, making the conditions even worse.
“Even so, I don’t mind.”
“…Understood. Then we shall protect you.”
Lady Evelyn relented, so Carlos-san seemed to agree.
“Lady Arianna, what will you do?”
“Of course, I’m coming along! I want to stretch my legs a bit!”
So, I ended up accompanying them into the depths of the forest as well.
And, surprisingly, we actually found it.
“See! It was here! This hole radiating Magical Power!”
“Whoa…”
“As expected of Miss Evelyn!”
“Hoh-hoh-hoh!”
A vortex distorting the space between two large trees. It was indeed the entrance to a Dungeon.
“I’ll notify the Guild. I’ll use a smoke signal.”
“Mm.”
In case of an emergency in hunting grounds, they either send someone running or use a smoke signal to communicate. Since we have the job of escorting the Young Ladies, we can’t leave them. I’ll raise a smoke signal indicating an emergency.
“It’s surprising. Really… Running Wheat came out.”
“Perhaps no one noticed because the Running Wheat was overpopulating…”
“Maybe Adventurers were too busy dealing with them to come this far into the forest.”
“Perhaps. Knights and soldiers wouldn’t venture this deep into the forest with their equipment.”
Lady Evelyn seemed a bit intimidated as a few Running Wheat appeared.
“I-is it an infestation?”
“It’s hard to say. Running Wheat are monsters that run around, after all.”
An infestation is a phenomenon where too many Monsters are born inside a Dungeon and spill out. However, so far, only Running Wheat have appeared. It’s possible that the Dungeon is full of Running Wheat… but it’s also possible that the Running Wheat running around are just happening to come out of the entrance.
“Young Lady, please defeat any Running Wheat that come out.”
“O-okay. I’ll defeat them, right?”
“Yes. Well, harvest them first, then defeat them.”
The Young Lady also became tense, thinking it might be an infestation.
If it is an infestation, more and more Monsters will appear from here, so it’s better to reduce the number of Monsters outside as much as possible. We’ll change our strategy to defeating all the Running Wheat.
“I’ll investigate the surroundings. Don’t stray too far, but check for signs of other Monsters.”
“Yes, sir!”
Carlos-san is a Knight, so he probably knows the initial countermeasures for Dungeons. His instructions are clear.
“Boy, how many Monster Repellent Sachets do you have?”
“Depending on the range, I have about five days’ worth.”
“That much isn’t necessary, but it’s good preparation. I’ll ask you to provide some if we need it here.”
“Understood.”
“Do you have food as well?”
“We have plenty.”
“Sorry, but we only prepared enough for one day. Can I leave the night to you?”
“No problem.”
“Uwa!”
“What’s wrong!?”
“N-no, it’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing! Report!”
“Y-yes! Th-there was a big spider!”
A spider! Insect-type Monsters are hard to detect!
“How big was it!”
“A fist… no, about the size of a thumb, I guess.”
Oh, so that’s big to you.
“…I’ll burn some insect repellent.”
“…Sorry.”
Well, some people aren’t used to it.
“Hmm, so this is it.”
“Huh? Grams?”
After raising the smoke signal, a large man appeared with many people in tow. It was Grams, who I teamed up with during the Black Ant incident.
“Claugh, it’s been a while.”
“Long time no see. But Running Wheat and Grams?”
“No, not that. I’m escorting the Guild staff.”
“Ah. I see.”
Since a Guild branch office is coming, naturally, there are Adventurer’s Guild personnel here. Even though this forest isn’t that dangerous, escorts are necessary.
“…Well, it still feels excessive, though.”
“It’s mostly because I had some free time.”
So, you were bored.
“So, we confirmed the emergency smoke signal, but…”
“Mm. It’s this.”
Carlos-san is the point of contact for the Guild people. He looks like the leader of our group, after all.
“It looks like a Dungeon entrance.”
“It’s the type created by distorting space. The inside is still unconfirmed. No one has entered it since we discovered it.”
“A wise decision, I think.”
Even so, the Guild staff seemed perplexed. I wonder why.
“They don’t seem very enthusiastic.”
“I heard on the way here that the location is bad.”
“The location?”
“This forest is on the border between the Royal Capital, or rather, the Royal territory, and the Filgrace Count territory.”
“Ah.”
The issue of Dungeon ownership.
“Moreover, it’s Running Wheat. There’s a very high chance it will be recognized as a beneficial Dungeon.”
“I see.”
“They’re Royal Capital Adventurer’s Guild staff, so they’ll report to the Royal Capital, but the subsequent developments will be troublesome.”
“That’s tough.”
We’re not involved in that.
“Well, the investigation comes first. There might be Monsters that are impossible to manage.”
“True.”
“So, I’m going in.”
“Eh? Is that okay? What about your escort?”
“It’s been arranged. Besides, they can fight too.”
Well, the Guild staff who go outside are probably capable fighters.
“It depends on the discussion between your representative and the Guild, but since a Knight found it…”
“Grams-san! Permission granted!”
“It’s like that.”
“Be careful.”
The large man took out a huge Sword Mace from his Magic Bag, saying it’s easier to maneuver. The presence is on another level.
Entering an unconfirmed Dungeon alone is incredibly brave. Even Dad wouldn’t do that in our village.
“Princess, we should be going soon.”
“No, let’s wait and see him return. The testimony of someone from the Marquis family might be necessary. Lady Arianna, is that alright with you?”
“Yes, I don’t mind. I want to hear about the inside too.”
“Understood.”
At first, she was scared, thinking it might be an infestation, but now that she knows only Running Wheat are coming out, the Young Ladies are very interested in the Dungeon.
Before long, Grams returned. He was a bit dirty, but he didn’t seem injured.
“I lightly explored the first floor. There’s a wide grassland with some trees growing.”
“Hmm, so it’s a copy Dungeon of the surrounding terrain. In that case, it’s a Dungeon Core type.”
The Guild staff were taking notes seriously.
“I saw Running Wheat, Gravel Flowers, Fruno, Bone Wolves, and Bone Rabbits. Weaklings.”
“Weak… everyone is weak compared to Grams-san, right?”
True. A Rank 3 Adventurer wouldn’t fight with such a big Sword Mace.
“Running Wheat are troublesome, you have to chase them. But I won’t bother them unless they attack.”
“Were there entrances to the second floor or beyond?”
“Yes. I peeked in a bit, but it was a dark forest. The visibility seemed poor, and there was a stench of death, so I returned.”
“Stench of death?”
“Probably Undead-type Monsters. With flesh.”
The Guild staff made disgusted expressions at Grams’ words.
“There wasn’t an infestation, right?”
“I felt there was enough space between the Monsters. It seems like a relatively young Dungeon. The Running Wheat were probably coming out due to their habits.”
“I see. That’s reassuring.”
The Young Ladies’ eyes sparkled at Grams’ words.
“I won’t be going inside.”
“Eh?!”
Just as I thought.
“We finally found it! And we even got the first discovery rights!”
“That’s right!”
“That’s not the issue here.”
“Indeed. At least wait until the Guild or the Knights Order finishes their professional investigation.”
“We’ll take on that investigation!”
“Impossible.”
“Impossible, indeed.”
“Muuu!”
Don’t “muuu” me.
“Cladfield, why is it impossible? The discoverer should have the right to participate in the investigation.”
“Young Lady, we don’t have the knowledge to conduct an investigation… Do you even know what it specifically entails?”
“W-Well, then, how about observing…”
“If we get attacked by unknown Monsters and are all wiped out, it won’t be a joke.”
“S-Such a thing wouldn’t happen easily, would it?”
“It wouldn’t happen easily, but I can’t say it would never happen.”
Untouched Dungeons really do try to kill intruders. We can’t let our guard down when Dad and Aniki, who are experienced in Dungeon攻略, aren’t here.
“At the very least, we need more people with experience fighting in Dungeons as escorts.”
“Muu, then how about hiring him? He’s strong, isn’t he?”
“Me?”
“Grams is a Third-Rank, it’s not cheap, and he’s already employed, so it’s impossible.”
“Sorry, Young Lady.”
“Muu, I thought it was a good idea…”
While we were talking, Carlos-san gave the order to return. We successfully handed over the information to the Guild staff, and we’ll receive a reward for the initial report of the Dungeon discovery. Well, the Young Ladies don’t need it, though.