Prelude ②
Giant trees stood densely packed in the deep, deep forest. Looking up at the sky revealed glittering crystals.
A lone man ran through this mystical forest.
He reached what was a camp. Many tents stood in rows.
The man entered the largest tent.
“Where’s the Boss?”
“Whoa, whoa. What’s wrong?”
“Where’s Forcut? The Boss? Aren’t they in camp?”
“Nah, they’re away from camp. Deeper in the western forest from here.”
“They should be together.”
“Deeper in the western forest, then.”
“H-Hey!”
The man ran.
He dashed single-mindedly through the wondrous forest.
The monsters in this part of the Dungeon had been cleared out, but it was still dangerous nonetheless.
Even so, the man ran toward his goal.
Eventually, atop a huge fallen tree, he came across a Faun man practicing swings with a large poleaxe.
He was bare-chested and drenched in sweat.
“Halt.”
“Ah, Trebol-san. Where’s the Boss?”
“What business do you have with the Boss?”
“A message. From the Grand Guild.”
“In that case, the Boss is further in.”
“Got it.”
The man ran.
Eventually, he arrived at a giant crystal. Before it, twin Elves sat side-by-side, reading books.
The two looked up at the man simultaneously.
“You there, man.”
“Stop.”
“Cuore-san. Almas-san. Where’s the Boss?”
“He’s further ahead, but…”
“What business do you have with the Boss?”
“A message from the Grand Guild.”
“In that case, the spring further ahead…”
“He’s there.”
“Got it.”
The man ran.
He was starting to get tired. His running speed slowed.
And then, out of breath, he finally reached a small spring.
Surrounded by trees, it held clear, still water. A single man stood there.
“Boss.”
The man who turned had flowing golden hair. Sharp, black eyes. Gallant and beautiful features.
He possessed an androgynous air that felt almost divine.
He was a beautiful young man, like a sculpture crafted with exquisite detail everywhere.
Clad in a pure white suit of armor and a red mantle, his mere presence made him seem like a painting.
That was the kind of man he was.
“What is it?”
“A message from the Grand Guild. ‘The Great O’Browns will be held.’ That is all.”
“I see. Is it that time already? Understood. We’re returning to the surface.”
“Y-Yes, sir.”
This beautiful young man was the Boss, Alveld von Rootbelt.
He was the Clan Master of Hydrangea’s largest clan, Koon Hunt.
And a Tier I Seeker, known as ‘The Destroyer of Collapse’.
The northernmost part of the continent. Great Prosphora Mountain.
Midway up its slope stood a giant structure resembling a cracked egg.
Inside the structure stood enormous triangular prisms of white, blue, and red.
At the center of the triangular prisms floated a huge, black, metallic ring, with a white dome in its middle.
That white dome.
That was the Seeker Guild General Headquarters, the Grand Guild, ‘Brisgjav’.
Inside the dome lay the Grand Guild Master’s Office.
Alhazardo Abramelin peered at documents through his reading glasses.
He had the face of a black panther and a pure white beard.
The Grand Guild had already transitioned from scrolls to bundles of paper and books.
An elegant, brown-skinned woman in a black coat and uniform, standing by his side, inquired.
“Grand Guild Master. We must soon begin preparations for the ‘Great O’Browns’.”
“I see. It was this year, wasn’t it?”
The ‘Great O’Browns’ was a major Grand Guild event held once every five years.
It was a grand conference where, without exception, all Tier I Seekers gathered.
“Yes. This year, there are three individuals ascending to Tier I Seeker.”
“Will the curse of 27 finally be broken?”
Alhazardo gave a wry smile. For decades now, the number had remained at 27.
There was no particular rule about 27, but even if the number increased, several would often die within five years, bringing it back to 27.
“The three are Agaro, Megadia Megalopolis, and Ens Hylant.”
“I know the name Agaro. The ‘Ruinblade’, was it? Megadia is Edda, then. The Megalopolis are an old family among the Six Houses of Edda. Ens? Surely not. No, but he… What is the meaning of this?”
Alhazardo looked up.
“Yes. Please review this documentation.”
Alhazardo accepted the proffered documents and read them.
“…Hmm. Dungeons are truly strange and mysterious. To think such a thing could happen.”
“Indeed.”
“Now then, about the venue.”
The venue was decided to be one of the cities, not the Grand Guild itself.
“Yes. Also, my apologies. I had forgotten. There is a separate matter, but there are two documents requiring your urgent seal.”
“Which ones?”
“They are the request forms for the provisional budget for the post-processing of the Minos Unit incident that occurred the other day.”
“That was in Hydrangea, I believe.”
“Yes. Floor 12 of the Dungeon in the city where it occurred has completely collapsed and is now off-limits. The connection of the Teleportation Array has been completed.”
“Chive, was it?”
“Yes. That invoice is also attached.”
Alhazardo frowned upon seeing the amount on the documents.
“…Isn’t this a bit high?”
“This is already considerably cheaper than the initial estimate.”
“Is that so?”
Alhazardo reluctantly stamped his seal twice.
The woman received the documents.
“Thank you very much.”
“Now, about the venue.”
“Yes. The candidates are here.”
“Hmm. Hmm. Not bad, but…”
Alhazardo looked over the documents he was given and muttered that something didn’t feel right.
All of them were locations where it had been held several times before; they offered stability but lacked excitement.
“It’s not meant for enjoyment, but…”
“Still, the soul of a Seeker is necessary. For we are Seekers.”
It was partly due to his position, but he hadn’t explored a Dungeon in several decades.
Suddenly, he remembered.
“The Witch’s disciple.”
“Pardon?”
“The Witch was in Hydrangea, wasn’t she?”
“Yes.”
“And the Minos Unit appeared in Hydrangea, did it not?”
“Yes. That is correct, but…”
“Do you have the documentation?”
“Yes. Here it is.”
Alhazardo pushed his reading glasses up his nose as he looked at the presented documents.
“Point of appearance, Floor 12. Ark Ruins— That Watchtower mural… Not much time has passed since I spoke with The Witch’s disciple, and now this. Should this be dismissed as coincidence or not? Truly interesting. I see, The Witch’s disciple. This is utterly, utterly delightful, is it not?”
“Is something the matter?”
“I’ve decided. This year’s ‘Great O’Browns’ will be held in Hydrangea.”
Alhazardo looked truly satisfied for the first time in years.
A festival of unprecedented scale was coming to Hydrangea.
The Royal Capital.
An unnatural hole gaped open in the northeast of the ancient city.
At the bottom of that hole lay the ‘Edda Noble Manor’.
It was a subterranean world overflowing with nature.
Countless mansions and castles dotted the forests, lake shores, and mountain peaks.
Among them stood an ancient temple.
It was the temple of the Utopia family, one of the Six Houses of Edda, which presided over rituals.
The one enshrined was, indeed, the Edda god, [Generous].
“That brat…”
In the ancient sanctuary only she could enter, a single girl seethed with irritation.
Purple hair. Purple eyes. Brown skin. Features that were beautiful but still held a trace of youthfulness.
She wore a white ceremonial robe wrapped in multiple layers of blue cloth.
Deep slits ran from her waist to her ankles, leaving her thighs completely exposed.
She danced before the divine statue only she could worship.
Then, using [Vanish], she made the paper streamers on either side disappear.
Closing her eyes, she took a small breath in and exhaled deeply.
“So… magnificent… so magnificent… the most magnificent in this world… and yet, that guy. That brat. That child. An ignorant mortal, unaware of themself. A shameless fool convinced they are weak. Unforgivable… I won’t forgive him… I shall not forgive him. I’ll make you understand. Wof.”
Narcissus Utopia, the ‘Reappearance of Generous’, swore a firm oath.
――――――――――――――――――――
Thank you very much.
Season 2 ends here.
I’d like to move straight into Season 3, but I’ll be taking a short break.
During that time, I’ll compile character introductions and setting details for Season 2.
Furthermore, my buffer for Season 3 is currently zero.
I want to maintain a somewhat stable update schedule, so I’d like to stockpile about 5 or 10 chapters.
I plan for the break to be about one or two weeks.
Please wait a short while.
Thank you for your understanding.