Estimated reading time: ~8 minutes
Chapter 64
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After that, we decide on our roles.
Sensei and I continue with the extermination, while Ashley and Anon go to negotiate for defensive forces.
「Can’t we do something about how faint these presences are?」
Sensei and I have moved to a spot a little away from the shrine.
I’ve just finished wiping out multiple monster bodies that appeared, showering them with Rain.
「If we can just catch sight of them, these guys seem easier to deal with than I thought.」
Sensei says, arms folded, watching my battle from behind.
「This might be a miscalculation. Their presence is fainter than when I last saw them. Perhaps the Sealed Domain has grown since then.」
In any case, the monsters overflowing from the Sealed Domain have a faint presence.
I’m not that bad at reading presences, but these monsters’ presences are hard to detect. Because of this, Sensei has to accompany me every time.
「Wouldn’t it be better to leave them for a while and then wipe them out all at once?」
「Hmm, no. That wouldn’t be good. We once thought the same way and failed because of it.
If left alone for a while, the ‘Fog Monster’ starts to exhibit the same properties as what’s currently sealed in that shrine over there. In other words, it starts to function as ‘increase the mist here’.
Then the fog monster starts to multiply from that point. If left unchecked, the areas of interference start to overlap.」
「What happens when they overlap?」
I ask, swallowing hard at the unpleasant thought.
「As you imagine, the multiplication speed increases exponentially.
The ‘Token’ changes into a ‘Generator’, explosively producing Fog. It’s not a metaphor. It literally increases exponentially.」
That’s why, Sensei continues,
「We must destroy these guys as soon as they appear,」 she answers.
The change of the ‘Fog Monster’.
From ‘Fog’ to ‘Token’. From ‘Token’ to ‘Generator’.
In short, we need to eliminate these things while the ‘Fog’ is still in its mist form.
If that’s the case, what we need are people with the ability to sense presences well enough to read the mist’s presence.
To consistently defeat the Fog that’s said to multiply exponentially along with the loosening of the seal, we’ll definitely need personnel who can read presences.
I’ll request that from Anon and Ashley, who are running around gathering defensive forces.
○○○
We continue to steadily exterminate the mist for several days. Then, Anon and Ashley, who hadn’t shown their faces lately, return to the manor.
We share a meal with them for the first time in days.
「We’ve spoken with the Guildmaster and the lord of Boldaf.」
Anon says, his voice somewhat subdued.
「You know, the lord of Boldaf is aware of the seal. It would be a lie if he hadn’t been informed. After all, there’s a town so close to the seal.
Having the Holy Knight Ashley next to me probably lent credibility to the situation. And maybe they had already heard about the Hero party’s mess-up.
As a result, the lord of Boldaf agreed to send out his private army. Of course, he’s covering all the costs.」
Ashley, seemingly hungry, leaves all the explaining to Anon and keeps shoveling steak into her mouth.
「That’s reassuring,」
I say, expressing my joy without reservation.
「But I don’t think the lord’s private army alone will be enough,」
Anon continues.
「So, along with the lord, I asked the Guildmaster of Boldaf to recruit adventurers on a large scale. Then, the names of two famous clans in this area came up: ‘Berserga’ and ‘Vienetta’.」
「How are these two in terms of skill and numbers?」
「Of course, they’re both S-rank clans. Their skill and numbers are absolutely satisfactory.
If they help us with this matter, things should go quite smoothly.
However, while the ‘Berserga’ agreed to send troops if we cover their high fees and meet a certain condition, it seems ‘Vienetta’ is reluctant to send out adventurers.」
「Aren’t there any other candidates for forces besides ‘Vienetta’?」
Forcing them to help might be more of a minus if they end up half-heartedly doing the job.
In this situation, where even a single miss could be fatal—
「There are, but there’s a reason we approached these two clans as our forces this time.」
「A reason?」
「Yes. ‘Berserga’ owns numerous Eagle Dragons.
You rode one when you came here, right? We rented that from ‘Berserga’ Eagle Dragon rental department.」
「I see, so you’re counting on them not just as fighting force but also for transportation.」
「That’s right. As for ‘Vienetta’, they have many members with advanced presence detection skills. That’s why we definitely want their help for this matter.」
Then I listen to Anon talk a bit more about ‘Vienetta’.
Apparently, they’re a clan that has carefully nurtured their members under the motto 「Don’t overdo it, don’t be reckless, always maintain a safety margin」.
According to Anon’s guess, that’s precisely why they don’t want to involve their precious members in such an unclear matter.
「Won’t money do?」
Anon nods solemnly.
「No, both the lord and I tried to persuade them with money and were refused. They said, ‘No matter how much you offer, we can’t help this time’.」
Even before helping, when the time comes, they’ll have no choice but to help. And Anon must have told them that too.
There’s something called normalcy bias.
Even when a major disaster occurs, humans tend to have unfounded preconceptions like 「It won’t happen to me」 or 「Nothing has happened so far, so nothing will happen in the future」 until they see it with their own eyes.
This is called normalcy bias.
That’s why many people misjudge situations where lives are at stake, resulting in major disasters.
「I could force them to obey without all this tiresome pleading, you know.」
That smells illegal, so I’m vetoing it.
「Come on, come on, cut it out. Let’s keep things peaceful. I’m against violence. That’s my motto.」
「That’s such a pure motto, I can hardly believe it’s coming from someone who broke a kidnapper’s arms and legs and left them. My, I might tear up.」
「Why would you say something like that?」
I feel overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness, like losing an online argument. I’m so utterly powerless…
「My apologies, my apologies. I was just joking… Hey, what’s with that expression? Oh, sorry… I’m sorry…」
I finally recover thanks to Anon’s consolation of 「Cheer up,」 「I’m counting on you,」 and 「Come on, Dungeon Breaker.」
Back to the topic at hand.
「Let’s get back to our discussion. Don’t worry, it won’t come to what you’re concerned about. My specialty is information brokering, you know? Even a squeaky-clean white clan like ‘Vienetta’ has weaknesses. Of course, they probably haven’t done anything wrong, but if we trace back their family relationships, they’ll quickly be in my palm.」
I feel like there’s some terrifying subtext here!
「No way! I’m against it! I don’t like the idea of forcing them to obey!
But you know, using information might be a good idea! Hey, isn’t there anything the clan master of ‘Vienetta’ and the other executives are currently struggling with or might want?」
Anon raises his head. Though hidden by his hood, it seems he’s had an idea.
「The clan master of ‘Vienetta’ has a younger brother who’s suffering from an unidentified illness. It seems he doesn’t have much time left. So, I’ve heard that the clan master is desperately trying to find a way to heal his brother.」
Hearing this, I understand what Anon has thought of.
「You thought Sensei, who healed Ashley, might be able to do something about it, right?」
「That’s right,」 Anon nods.
「Strike while the iron is hot, they say. Take Sensei and me to ‘Vienetta’ clan headquarters.」
「That’s fine. But what if Sensei can’t do it? They’re desperately searching for a way to save his brother too. If you show up and say ‘Sorry, couldn’t do it ☆’, it won’t end well.」
「No, that won’t be a problem.」
I haven’t cleared several Newly Constructed Most Challenging Dungeons for nothing.
I have a trick or two up my sleeve.
Even if I have to use one of them, well, it’s fine. This isn’t just bravado. If that’s what it takes, so be it.
Just then.
The roar of beasts—no, dragons—echoes through the manor.
「GUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!」
And not just one or two, but an incredible number of dragon roars. The air seems to shake, it’s so loud. We cover our ears, unable to bear the tremendous noise. It lasts for a minute or two.
Just as we think it might be safe and slowly uncover our ears,
「HEEEEEEEY!!! WE’VE COME FOR YOU!!!」
An terrifyingly loud shout shakes our eardrums.
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