第二十話 〈禁断の大森林〉
「そ、存在進化した〈夢の主〉を、その場で討伐しただと!?」
ギルド長のハレインが声を荒げる。
「最初から〈百足坑道〉を攻略したと、そう伝えたはずですが......」
「そ、そうであるが、いや、しかし......。できるものなのか? まだ経験の浅い、装備も整えきれていないD級冒険者が、【Lv:80】近くの、情報も出回っていない〈夢の主〉を討伐するなど......」
ハレインはひっきりなしに、自身の髪へと手を触れている。
相当動揺しているようだ。
「そ、その〈夢の主〉の魔石はどこにある?」
「私が換金いたしまして。現在はギルドの保管庫に」
マルチダがハレインの言葉に答える。
「そうか......既にギルドに、提出されていると......。ここまでして嘘を吐いているとは思わんが、しかしそれでもなお信じ難い......」
ハレインは落ち着かない素振りで、何かを探すように、机の上へと手を這わせる。
「あ......ハレイン様。紅茶でしたら、先程ハレイン様が机から落とされたばかりですよ」
受付嬢のマルチダが指摘する。
ハレインはこほんと咳払いを挟み、表情を取り繕う。
「マルチダ、持って来てくれ」
「紅茶の替えですね! すぐに......」
「違う、魔石の方をだ! 急いで持って来い!」
「ひゃっ、ひゃい! ただちに!」
マルチダが慌ただしく執務室を出ていった。
「......おっかない人かと思いましたけれど、なんだか思ったより可愛いですね。ギルド長の方」
ルーチェが安堵したように小声で俺へと零す。
「よ、よくぞ存在進化した〈夢の主〉を、その場で狩れたものよ。何の対策もしていなかっただろうに」
ハレインが表情を取り繕い、上擦って高くなっていた声を強引に抑え、そう口にする。
......まあ、驚くのも無理はない。
俺が前以てステータスとスキル構成、そしてあのボス部屋の地形を把握しており、〈死線の暴竜〉と〈不惜身命〉のお陰で大ダメージを出せたため、ギリギリ勝ち筋があったというだけだ。
デスアームドは、高密度な情報共有のなされていた〈マジックワールド〉においても、通常であれば俺達のレベル帯では打破し得ない強敵であった。
「D級冒険者というのが信じられんな......ギルドの外で活動していたのか? いったいどうやって討伐したというのだ」
「あまりその辺りは詮索しないでいただければ。スキルポイントの割り振りまで申告する義務はないはずです。あなたと話がしたいのは、その部分ではありません」
「そ、そうだな......うむ、そうか......」
ハレインは一瞬手が紅茶を探して動きかけたが、すぐにさっと引き戻した。
最初は完全に会話の主導権を握られたと思ったが、いつの間にやら逆転していた。
〉の〈夢の主〉が存在進化を引き起こしたのか、ということです。それをギルド長殿に伝えておきたかった」
存在進化は本来、他の魔物や人間を多く喰らったような魔物が引き起こす現象である。
〉の最奥地にいる〈夢の主〉が存在進化を行うのは、かなりのレアケースなのだ。
おまけに〈百足坑道〉はできて日が浅い。
立て続けに挑んだ冒険者パーティーが全滅させられたか、複数回〈
そしてそんな事件が起こっていれば冒険者ギルドが把握していないはずがない上に、冒険者達に知らせていないのも不可解だ。
「......それは確かに、不自然で不気味なことだ。万が一に備えての調査が必要だが、問題の〈百足坑道〉も消えた後となってはな」
「ギルド長として、一冒険者に曖昧な憶測を口にするわけにはいかんな。ただ......そうだな、これくらいは話してもよいか」
ハレインの様子を見るに、どうやら心当たりがないわけではないらしい。
「元々、僻地......特に〈禁断の大森林〉に近い北部の領地では、妙な魔物災害が多発しやすい傾向にある」
〈禁断の大森林〉は知っている。
この大陸最悪の禁足地だ。
〈禁断の大森林〉の奥では、攻略されず放置され続けた〈
「それに近い現象が、都会であり冒険者も多いこの土地で発生した、と?」
「理解が早いな、エルマとやら。だが、その問いには答えん」
ここから先は曖昧な憶測にしかならない、ということか。
事実として伝えられるのは、突発的に不自然な魔物災害が発生する前例がなかったわけではない、という部分だけだ、と。
「安心するがいい。ハウルロッド侯爵家は、独自に〈
しかし、どうにも不穏なものを感じる。
ゲームにはなかった何かが、この世界で発生しようとしているのか?
いや、もしくはゲーム時代からあった何かが、この世界が現実化したことで歪みつつあるのかもしれない。
この世界が現実となったことで、情報やアイテム、戦力を独占する貴族の権力が増大したように。
話に区切りがついたとき、ハレインが顔を顰めた。
「しかし、マルチダが遅いな。そちを解放する前に、一応〈夢の主〉の魔石を確認して裏付けを得ておきたかったのだが。急いで持って来いと言ったのに......」
そのとき、丁度扉が開かれ、執務室へとマルチダが入ってきた。
「申し訳ございません、遅くなりましたハレイン様! こちらが例の魔石と、新しい紅茶です」
「まっ、魔石だけでいいと言っただろうが!」
ハレインは顔を赤らめ、マルチダへとそう怒鳴った。
Volume 2 - Ch 20
"Y-you defeated an Evolved Dream Lord immediately after its Evolution!?"
Guild Leader Hallein raised her voice.
"We started by saying that we cleared the Centipede Pit...."
"I-I know that, but.... Is something like that really possible? Two still inexperienced D rank adventurers, lacking even proper equipment, defeating a nearly [(Lv:80)]  Dream Lord without any prior information about it...."
Hallein kept clutching her hair.
She seemed to be quite agitated.
"W-where is the magic stone of that Dream Lord?"
"I was the one who accepted it at the exchange. It's currently in the Guild's storeroom."
Maltida answered Hallein's question.
"I see....it was already turned in to the Guild.... I don't think you would be going this far with a lie, but it's still hard to believe...."
Hallein didn't seem to be calming down and she kept feeling for something without looking on top of her desk.
"Ah.....Hallein-sama. If you are looking for your cup of tea, then you just knocked it off your desk."
Maltida, the receptionist girl, pointed out.
Hallein let out a small cough and attempted to compose herself.
"Maltida, please bring it here."
"Another cup of tea, right? Right away...."
"No! The magic stone! Bring the magic stone here!"
"Ye-yesh! Right away!"
Maltida hurriedly left the office.
"....I thought she was a scary person, but it seems she can be rather cute, this Guild Master."
Luce whispered to me in a relieved tone.
"You two did well to defeat an Evolved Dream Lord right away. Especially since you shouldn't have had any countermeasures ready."
Hallein gathered herself and said after carefully lowering her voice from the high pitch it unintentionally climbed to.
....well, it's perfectly understandable to be surprised by it.
We barely managed to eke out a minor chance of success after being carefully prepared with our Statuses, Skill compositions, prior knowledge of the boss room's layout, and with the ability to deal a huge amount of damage with the help of [Half-Dead Savage Dragon] and [Relentless Vigor].
Even in Magic World, where information was freely shared, the Death Armed would've been an all but unbeatable enemy for people at our current level range.
"I can't believe that you two are still D rank adventurers....Were you two active outside the Guild? How on earth exactly did you manage to take it down?"
"I would like it if you didn't pry further into that. We should have no obligation to report our Skill composition. That's not what we came here to discuss."
"T-that's true....mhm, I see....."
For a moment, Hallein's hand almost reached out in search of her cup of tea again, but she pulled it back immediately.
She was entirely in command of the conversation in the beginning, but things completely turned around before I knew it.
"I'm just worried about the reason why the Dream Lord of a relatively fresh Dungeon was able to Evolve. I simply wanted to notify the Guild Master of this."
Ordinarily, only monsters that ate a large number of humans and other monsters could undergo an Evolution.
That's why it's fairly rare for the Dream Lord, that normally stays in the deepest part of the Dungeon, to Evolve like that.
In addition to that, the Centipede Pit was still pretty new.
I don't think that multiple adventurer parties went in to get wiped out one after the other, or the Dream Lord went wandering several times.
If something like that happened, then it would be impossible for the adventurers' guild to not know, and not passing that information on to adventurers would be simply baffling.
"....that is certainly unnatural and ominous. We should investigate it, just in case, but with the Centipede Pit already gone...."
"As the Guild Master I shouldn't speak to an adventurer about some vague conjectures. However.... I should be able to share this much."
Judging by how Hallein was acting, it seems she had some ideas.
"There are some remote places....especially the Forbidden Forest and its surroundings far up north, where strange monster calamities happen one after the other."
The Forbidden Forest is a place I know of.
It's one of the worst danger zones on the continent.
Within the Forbidden Forest, there are many Dungeons left alone without anyone to clear them, making monster calamities an everyday occurrence there.
"Are you saying that something like that could've happened here, next to a city, even with a lot of adventurers frequenting the place?"
"You are quite quick on the uptake. However, I can't answer that."
That means that anything more than this would be just vague conjecture.
In the end what she managed to convey is that there is a precedent for spontaneous and unnatural occurrences of monster calamities.
"Do not worry. For many years, the Howlod Family have spent a lot of effort independently researching the trends of Dungeons and the nature of Classes. This matter will not be simply dismissed and will be carefully investigated by the Guild and the Howlod Family. I thank you for the report and the warning."
However, something still doesn't quite sit right.
Is something that wasn't present in the game version about to happen?
Or perhaps something that existed within the game started expressing itself differently now that the world turned real.
Just like how the power of nobility greatly increased due to monopolizing knowledge, items and a considerable amount of fighting power.
With a natural break in the conversation reached, Hallein furrowed her brows.
"Maltida should be here already. I wanted to check the magic stone to make sure before I let you go. I even told her to bring it quickly...."
Right at that moment the door opened and Maltida walked into the office.
"I'm sorry it took this long, Hallein-sama! Here is the aforementioned magic stone, and a new cup of tea."
"I-I told you to only bring the magic stone!"
Hallein yelled at Maltida with a blush.
The Reincarnated Heavy Knight Who Was Exiled After A Supposed Big Miss Is Unparalleled With His Game Knowledge
大ハズレだと追放された転生重騎士はゲーム知識で無双する
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/the-reincarnated-heavy-knight-who-was-exiled-after-a-supposed-big-miss-is-unparalleled-with-his-game-knowledge/
Action Adventure Fantasy Romance Shounen
Abandoned Children Adapted to Manga Adventurers Alchemy Arrogant Characters Artifacts Blacksmith Calm Protagonist Clever Protagonist Determined Protagonist Dungeons Fallen Nobility Fantasy World Game Elements Guilds Hot-blooded Protagonist Level System Love Interest Falls in Love First Lucky Protagonist Male Protagonist Mystery Solving Naive Protagonist Nobles Poor to Rich Previous Life Talent Reincarnated in a Game World Romantic Subplot Skill Books Strategic Battles Strong Love Interests Strong to Stronger Sword Wielder Underestimated Protagonist Weak to Strong
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n8465gx/
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