Kays Translations

Chapter 57

“Thanks for waiting. Sheele-san, you’ll be starting at the Emerald Rank. Same as young lady Melt over there.”
“I see. Understood.”
“Yay, we match!”
“Honestly, we’re short on high-ranking rear-guard types, so it’s a big help. I’m counting on you for things like exterminating flying-type monsters.”
“Got it. There are days when I’ll be tied up, but I promise to take at least one request like that.”

As a result, I was assigned Emerald Rank, which meant I could now undertake monster extermination outside the city without any issues.

That’s a huge relief. If I can take on such work as official requests, all the better.

“What do you want to do, Sheele? Want to take on a quest?”
“No, I just registered today as a side task. Let’s head home for now.”
“Okay!”

Now then, to the real issue: the Dungeon Core—I need to think about how to utilize it.

We walked home at a leisurely pace rather than hurrying, and it took about two hours from the general guild to our house.
Using a shared carriage really is the smarter option for getting around the city.

Once home, I locked the door right away and checked the sunroom to make sure no one was nearby.

“Now then. I’m going to investigate how to use this Dungeon Core… but Melt, I’m sorry—could I ask you to lend me some of your knowledge from your time spent inside a dungeon?
If it’s something too painful to recall, feel free to say no.”
“Knowledge from the dungeon… yeah, I’m okay with that.”

Honestly, I didn’t want to make this request.

Because I knew she’d say yes no matter what—even if it meant dredging up painful memories.

“Alright, let’s take a look at this old report on how this country studied dungeon cores.”
“Oh, I’m curious! Show me, show me!”

Huh, Melt’s more eager than I expected.

“Hmm… Looks like it starts with trying to understand what a Dungeon Core actually is.”
“Come to think of it, I’ve never actually seen a Dungeon Core appear before.”
“Right. It shows up when the Dungeon Master is defeated. So maybe it’s created inside their body, or maybe it manifests as some sort of reaction upon death… or perhaps it’s just something they drop.
No one really knows for sure.”
“Huh! I wonder… what happened to the Dungeon Master of the Dreamhill Great Forest where I was held…?
Did it become the core?
Maybe that’s why I was able to get out?”
“Eh?”

Wait… oh—OH NO!

Neither Silent nor Same ever told Melt that they killed the Dungeon Master of that place!!

“Melt, there’s something important I need to tell you.”
“What is it? Is it something scary…? Now I’m nervous.”
“No, not exactly… It’s about the Dungeon Master of the Dreamhill Great Forest dungeon in the Kingdom of Golda, where you were.”
“Right—The dungeon master shared his power with Shizuma, didn’t he? I hated that man, but thanks to him, I’m able to talk with you like this, Sheele.
So I’ll give him credit for that.”
“Y-yeah. About that Dungeon Master though…”
“Oh! I get it. Sharing that power weakened it, right? That’s why you could escape?”

So close!

“No. Silent killed it.”
“……What?”
“Shizuma received its power and transformed into Silent. But the moment he did, he thought, ‘I don’t like this guy,’ and forced the Dungeon Master to drink a powerful holy water—one that completely erased it.”

Yeah… I really should’ve told her all this much earlier.

Come to think of it, that holy water was an item Shizuma only had one of.
It wasn’t something he could craft himself.

It was a unique item from a certain job’s scenario quest.
It was meant to be used in that quest, but Shizuma cleared it without using the item, and kept it stored away instead.

Maybe… that item was the reason he was able to defeat the Dungeon Master.

Because the core probably couldn’t be destroyed by the very power it had granted—it likely had conditions like, “You can’t kill me with the strength I gave you.”

“…No way. Really…? That thing… it’s gone? For good?”
“Yes. It was completely erased, and turned into a Dungeon Core. Here—this is it.”

I pulled out the Heart Core of Grimgram and showed it to her.

“This is it… That thing… the one I hated more than anything…”
“Yes. It panicked when its powers didn’t work on Silent, and in that moment, he forced a vial of holy water down its throat. It screamed a horrible death cry and vanished.”
“I see… I see… I should thank Silent—no, maybe I should thank Shizuma.”
“They’re the same person at their core. All their memories are shared.”
“So… does that mean Sheele, too?”
“Yes. Our awareness might be a little separated, but essentially, we’re the same.”
“Then—”

In that instant, Melt ran around the table and threw her arms around me in a tight embrace.

“Thank you. Thank you so much. I really thought I’d never be able to return home again. I hoped maybe, if Same was strong enough, I might get that chance. But deep down I kept thinking, ‘What if Same loses? What if I get trapped again?’ But it’s already… it’s all already over, isn’t it?”
“Melt… I’m sorry for keeping it from you.”

There was a moment back when I was Same when I said to her:

“Then maybe you’ll find some back in your village.”

Just casually, talking about fruit wine.

She responded, “Shall we go get some? Someday?”

But beneath that casual chat, maybe she was struggling with a much bigger conflict.

Maybe… she had already given up on ever returning.

“No… thank you for telling me. So now… there’s nothing left to fear, is there?”
“No.
So one day, let’s go see your hometown together.
I’m sure we’ll find that fruit wine, too.”
“Yes! I know we will! Grandma had so many bottles in her room!”

At that moment, the smile she showed me was— the brightest I’d ever seen from her.

…Dungeons.
I don’t believe they’re all evil, but… they’re certainly capable of breeding tragedy.

That’s what I truly believed as I resumed reading through the research material.

“Hmm… Lendia seems to have studied dungeon cores—and dungeons—far more than I expected.”
“Amazing… I never knew there used to be a huge natural dungeon around here in ancient times!”
“But this part about ‘territorialization’ concerns me. Even more than the dungeon entry permissions.”

From what I’d read, Dungeon Cores weren’t just about being the absolute ruler of a dungeon.

It turns out that a dungeon is essentially ‘a place where the land’s energy is condensed and turned into a kind of alternate realm.’

The Dungeon Core not only controls the scale, depth, and structure of that altered realm, but it can also weaken the dungeon’s “otherworldliness,” lower its difficulty, and in exchange, expand the controlled territory around it.

To put it simply, you can choose between: a deep and dangerous dungeon, or a shallow, easy dungeon that also lets you manage a large surrounding area.

You could control both dungeon and land.

If I really wanted to, I could reduce the difficulty of the Scorched Earth Ravine—currently considered a national border—and fully take control of that area.

That would allow me to personally manage all traffic between Golda and Lendia.

“It’s only natural for the Queen to grant favors to the owner of a Dungeon Core…”

“Right? I don’t fully understand what it means to completely sever two countries, but it sounds amazing, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it’s an incredible thing. First and foremost, it means ‘we can drastically weaken the Kingdom of Golda.’ We still don’t know the exact criteria a dungeon uses to identify people, but it’s stated that ‘it can reliably determine a person’s affiliation and completely control entry and exit by faction.’ One current hypothesis is… the energy that flows through the land—often associated with fertility—also flows, even if slightly, through humans. Therefore, the dungeon can discern detailed information about individuals.”

Honestly, this idea that humans might be managed by the world itself is quite unsettling.

“I think that’s probably correct. When I was trapped in the dungeon, I was clearly being restricted in my actions, as if my will was being bound. Dungeons definitely possess some kind of force that influences humans too.”

“I see. Based on what you just said, if a war were to break out, Lendia would have a ‘safe stronghold,’ while it could also ‘completely cut off Golda’s supply lines.’ And the reason is…”

“Oh, I get it! It’s because you also have not only the Dungeon Core from the Forest of Dreamhills but also the Scorched Valley!”

“Yes. However, the fact that we possess even the Dungeon Core of Golda must absolutely never be revealed. That is, in the truest sense, our trump card.”

If—if—a war were to break out, revealing that we possess a way to end it quickly could serve as a powerful bargaining chip.

Undoubtedly, if we chose to, we could bring the Kingdom of Golda under our control and, as rulers, form an alliance with Lendia—perhaps even one where we have the upper hand.

…Not that either I or Shizuma has any desire to deal with such a troublesome thing.

“And finally, the last possible use of the Dungeon Core: Although we’d lose the ability to control land access or impose restrictions on certain locations… in exchange, we’d gain the ability to enrich the land of a specific faction. Not just the land around the borders—this would enrich the entire country. I suspect that’s the Queen’s true goal.”

“That sounds like it would make everyone happy! Isn’t that what really matters?”

“Yes, but the fact remains that Golda is acting suspiciously. Preparing for war by securing control over the border regions is still a valid course of action. We’ll need to discuss this with the Queen.”

“I see. But I’m really relieved, you know? Look at this—it says you could monopolize the Dungeon Core and use it to gather wealth and power through the dungeon. That means becoming the next Dungeon Master and growing stronger and stronger, right? But knowing that you won’t do that makes me feel so much better.”

“Yes… I won’t say I have zero interest in strength or wealth. But we can achieve those things through other means if needed.”

The last method involves deepening the dungeon, making it more dangerous, and monopolizing the surrounding territory—reigning as the Dungeon Master.

That strategy would attract many adventurers and explorers, who would expend their magic power inside the dungeon. That magic power would then become sustenance for the master.

This is likely how Dungeon Masters become stronger—by accumulating such power.

And occasionally, that accumulated magic power is released in the form of treasures within the dungeon.

…Properly managed, this could even become a form of tourism, benefiting the country.

“…I’ve made my decision. At the very least, I will propose one of two options to the Queen: ‘Place the borderlands completely under control to prepare for war,’ or ‘release and dissolve the dungeon’s power to enrich the nation.’”

“I support it! If we do this well, maybe by next fall we’ll be able to harvest even more delicious food! The mountain animals might get fat, and we’ll have juicy meat full of flavor!”

“Fufu, that would be wonderful.”

Yes, that’s the right path.

More important than difficult politics is that she—and the people—can be happy.

…If I’m honest, the royal family of Golda and their inner circle deserve punishment. But I don’t want the rest of the citizens to suffer.

There are people who’ve helped us gather information, Guild staff, fellow adventurers I’ve worked with.

In that case, the only way forward is to bring Golda entirely under Lendia’s control and share its harvest as a part of our territory.

Which means that, in the end… a war will probably happen.

“Phew… Now that we’ve reached a conclusion, my role is technically over, but—”

“No way! I want to be with you a bit longer.”

“Thank you. Yes, I too would like to stay like this just a little while longer.”

I still want to engage in combat for a little longer in this form to test the skill inheritance system.

And—there’s something else I want to try.

I focus my gaze, and wish strongly to “see.”

Then, my skill Observation Eye activates.

…If I use this skill a lot, I wonder if it will also be passed on to Shizuma?

“What is it? You suddenly got all serious—did you spot something?”

“Ah, sorry, no—it’s nothing.”

Noticing my sudden change, Melt called out to me, and I reflexively turned to look at her.

『Melt』
『A woman of the Silver Fox Tribe』
『Nerve concentration is highest at the base of her tail and ears』
『Capable of manipulating multiple magic attributes』
『Extremely agile with high movement speed』

Oh no, I accidentally activated it on Melt!

…Hmm, it seems I can’t see her exact numerical stats.

I continue scanning the room using my Observation Eye.

『Fireplace』
『Constructed from heat-resistant lava stone』
『The chimney is too narrow for human entry』
『However, it shows no signs of ever having been used』

Huh? Never been used…?

『Chandelier made of magic crystals』
『Simple in appearance, but a type of chandelier』
『Uses magical crystals to maintain a constant room temperature』
『Crafted by Onyx Flameshield』

Oh! That’s an impressive feature—so it functions as both lighting and temperature control.

But… that makes things a bit odd.

“You’ve been acting strange, Sheele… Don’t tell me you’re seeing something… like, ghosts or something?”

“No, no, of course not. There’s no such thing.”

“Um… but there are. Like undead, ghosts… they sometimes settle in old houses… There weren’t any in the forest I lived in, but… I was always told they were scary ever since I was little.”

“…They really exist? No, it’s not that—I just noticed something odd. Come here for a moment.”

I head toward the “unused fireplace that was installed despite the room already having temperature control.”

This house… clearly still holds some secrets, doesn’t it?

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