Water Magician

Seven o’clock the day after Niles and others from Room 10 returned.

At the entrance to the dungeon, Abel and the Crimson Sword, along with ten Court Magic Group members who would serve as the advance party, were gathered.

The guild branch office at the entrance to the dungeon remained as it was when it was destroyed during the Great Tidal Bore.

The inspector general from the royal capital was still investigating it so repairs had not started.

Originally, the dungeon was scheduled to be closed for a month, so there would be no problem with that, but the situation changed as the blockade was lifted for the investigation team.

For the time being, a temporary tent was set up as a temporary guild branch office …

“Okay, shall we enter?”

At Abel’s command, the Crimson Sword and the ten Magicians of the Court Magic Group nodded.

“But let’s investigate first. Rin, do your thing.”

The previous time, during the Great Tidal Bore, Abel had a bad feeling before opening the door.

That was why he asked Rin to cast the Wind-Attribute Magic <Probe> … and they found that the hall on the first floor was already covered with monsters.

The adventurers were ready to intercept because they were able to detect the abnormalities of the Great Tidal Bore early on.

This time, he didn’t have a bad feeling, but he wanted to proceed with extreme caution.

After all, they were diving into the unknown, a dungeon after a Great Tidal Bore.

“Yep, there is no reaction of creatures until to the first-floor hall!”

“Okay, open the door.”

At that signal, the guild personnel unsealed the dungeon and opened the door.

Fourteen people went down the hundred steps with Abel in front.

As Rin said, there was nothing in the first-floor hall.

Rin’s <Probe> consumed magical power depending on the extent of the Probe.

For example, if she searched up to the fifth floor of the dungeon, her limit was three times at most.

Moreover, there was a need to preserve magical power in case something went wrong.

So it couldn’t be used so many times.

“Okay, let’s examine the first floor precisely. As we discussed yesterday, we will at most go down to the third floor today. Explore slowly and surely.”

“Yes.”

The ten members of the Court Magic Group replied together.

While Abel and his group were exploring the dungeon, the four members of Room 10, including Ryo, came to the lecture room on the third floor of the guild.

Continuing from yesterday, today the Guild Master would explain to the E-rank and F-rank parties.

At the same time as the 9 o’clock bell, Hugh, the guild master of the City of Rune, entered the lecture room.

“Good morning. Thank you for gathering. I will explain the current situation at once.”

Hugh announced that the investigation team had entered the dungeon and began the investigation.

And that it was under the support of the country.

They plan to hire adventurers as guards.

Do not slander the ones who take up the request as they are hired through a formal request.

Up to that point, it was the same as the explanation for yesterday’s D-rank parties and above.

“However, I wish that E-rank and F-rank parties avoid taking up the request as guards to enter the dungeon as much as possible. The reason is that we do not know what will happen in the dungeon after the Great Tidal Bore.”

Hugh paused for a moment there.

He wanted to see the reactions and facial expressions of the adventurers, but … there seemed to be no adventurers who were particularly dissatisfied.

“With Abel and the Crimson Sword as the first wave and other adventurers diving in, information should surface one by one. They will be posted on the bulletin board in the guild from time to time, so please take a look at each one. Also, rather than serve as dungeon guards, they might hire you all for ground support. These will be mediated by the guild as usual. For example, the White Brigade is undertaking the role of guards to escort food from neighboring towns. Don’t worry because there will be many jobs like that.”

(I see. I was wondering why I didn’t see them, so the White Brigade is out of town?)

Phelps, the leader of the White Brigade, left a strong impression in Ryo’s heart.

However, Ryo did not know that the five Knights of the Kingdom, who were berated by Phelps, had disappeared and their inspectors were desperately looking for them.

If he knew … he might think that they were ‘erased’.

After a few questions and answers, no one seemed to raise their hands, so Ryo decided to ask a question.

“Master, I have a question about the Great Tidal Bore.”

“Ryo? What is it?”

“I would like to know whether the magic stones of the monsters defeated during the Great Tidal Bore, especially the magic stones from the Goblin King and Generals, were dark or lightly colored.”

Most adventurers tilted their heads when they heard Ryo’s question.

Or looked at each other and shook their heads.

They couldn’t understand the meaning of the question.

However, only the person who was asked was different.

“Oh, that’s it, that’s how it should be. Ryo, you’re spot on. Those arrogant research team members … that should be the first question to ask!”

Hugh was excited all on his own.

“But since arriving, not a single one of them came to check it!”

At that point, Hugh realized that the other adventurers didn’t understand the intent of Ryo’s question.

“Ah, right, this is outside the scope that was taught to beginners. Well, as an adventurer, it’s better to know.”

Hugh said and began to explain.

“The magic stones of monsters are colored according to the attributes of the monster. Wind is green, Earth is yellow, and so on. However, the colors also have shades of 『light』 and 『dark』. The magic stones of monsters that have lived for a long time and gained a lot of experience will be dark.”

At that point, Hugh paused and looked to see if the listeners understood what he said.

“So, this leads back to what Ryo asked earlier. Was the color of the magic stones of the monsters that were defeated during the Great Tidal Bore dark or light? If it was dark, it would have meant that the monsters had lived in the dungeon for a long time. If it was light … that would imply trouble. It would mean that the monsters did not come up from the lower floors of the dungeon but were monsters that ‘spawned’ recently. And, all magic stones from the monsters defeated during this Great Tidal Bore were 『light』 in color.”

Hugh waited for a while until the meaning of his words permeated everyone.

“In other words, those King and Generals weren’t ones who lived a long time in the lower dungeon, but recently ‘occurred’. We do not know if the dungeon spawned them … but at the very least, they didn’t exist until recently.”

There was complete silence.

“Sure, there is a theory that the dungeon produces monsters inside it. But even then, if that number of monsters were generated only recently … where did that energy come from? I think that is the answer to look for.”

Ryo once thought about it when he was in the Rondo Forest.

Where did the magically generated water come from?

At that time, he thought of Einstein’s ‘E=mc²’.

The formula showed that it was possible to generate energy from matter.

But at the same time, it was also a formula that made it possible to generate matter from energy.

If the dungeon produces monsters as matter, what provides the ‘enormous energy’ that makes it possible?

If the Great Tidal Bore is a phenomenon that produces a large number of monsters, where does that enormous amount of energy that makes it possible come from?

(The more I think about it, the less I understand. There is only one solution in such a case! Don’t think about it!)

“Well, that’s why … the answer to that is that the King and Generals’ magic stones were light in color.”

After finishing the explanation in the lecture room, they were dismissed.

Hugh returned to his office and was drinking tea.

“Hmm. I hope one month passes without any problems …”

Even though he said those words, Hugh felt that something would go wrong … it would definitely happen.

He had given up on that point long ago.

“Even so, Ryo has a good eye. Isn’t he far more suitable for investigation than the investigative team who didn’t come to confirm? As expected of someone Abel has eyes on.”

In a place that Ryo didn’t know, Ryo’s evaluation went up before he knew it.

Ryo questioned the shades of the magic stones because he was listening to Abel on his journey from the Rondo Forest.

The magic stone of a monster that had lived for a long time and gained a lot of experience would be dark.

“If the magic stone was dark, it wouldn’t be difficult, because it’s likely that they came up from the lower floors, the unexplored area below the 39th floor. But the color was light. Over 30,000 monsters were created just recently … is that possible … but that’s the only possibility.”

Hugh messed his hair after thinking to that point.

“I don’t know! I don’t know and I don’t care! It’s not my job to think about it!”

That reminded him of today’s schedule.

“I have to report to Margrave after this? Maybe, I should consult Neville at the same time? In case of emergency, I hope the Knights would be able to act.”

Neville was Neville Black, the commander of the Margrave Knights of Rune.

He was the man who spearheaded the northern wall at the time of the Great Tidal Bore and was a very good man in Hugh’s eyes.

He was an excellent man, but he was also a man who liked alcohol very much, so …

“I will need alcohol as a gift … should I use the treasured 30-year-old single malt? I guess I have to use it during such times.”

Of course, since it was their job, they would work as professionals even without having to bring gifts.

He knew that.

However, that was the 『reasoning』 half of human beings.

By taking into account the other half that is 『emotion』, there would be a much greater chance of success.

If he could get him on his side with a bottle of alcohol, that would be considered a cheap price to pay.

If it was modern Earth, that might be considered a bribe, but on Phi, there was no problem.

Moreover, this was the 『frontier』.

It was not a bribe but lubricating oil to keep things running smoothly.

These little things that help keep relationships well could be historical events that can change the course of important developments.

Hugh knew that.

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