We are now in the town where the Gartz Kingdom's dungeon is located... Or rather, to be precise, we are inside that dungeon... At about the 47th floor, to be exact.
Before we continue, let me explain why a town exists in a place with an uncleared dungeon.
As you know, dungeons are dangerous entities, often categorized alongside natural disasters—greater threats than even Demon Kings or dragons.
So, why build a town there?
In a sense, it is for protection. Every nation handles dungeons differently, but Gartz treats them as a source of revenue.
They coordinate with the Adventurer's Guild to establish branches, build towns around the entrance, and use the location for both constant surveillance and fiscal gain. While there is a risk that powerful monsters could surge out at any moment, the kingdom has judged that it is better to be in a position to respond immediately while lining the national coffers.
Of course, our own dungeon is an outlier. It shouldn't even be used for comparison. The leadership, spearheaded by Seraria-sama, has absolute control over it.
By the way, Rithea—being the headquarters of the Adventurer's Guild—follows a similar method to Gartz, surrounding dungeons with towns and keeping them under constant watch by adventurers and knights.
Our country, Roshure, has very few dungeons. Only three have appeared in the last few decades, with the most recent being eight years ago. Consequently, we monitor them by building guild branches and knight facilities in nearby existing towns or villages. In the past, Roshure had no dungeons at all. While the newfound revenue is a blessing for the treasury, the accompanying danger is a constant headache.
"What are you spacing out for? Qual, focus. You're supposed to be our guard."
"A-Ah! My apologies."
While I was reflecting a little on dungeon history and getting lost in thought, Seraria-sama, my protection target, cut down an ogre shnaid and came over here.
An Ogre Schneid is classified as a relatively high-tier species even among ogres. Normally, it's a monster that requires several Level 50 adventurers—basically general-class individuals capable of leading armies—to take down together...
"Fumufumu. At this depth, they're finally starting to survive a single hit," Ratz-sama noted.
"...Un. I thought they'd be a bit more troublesome," Kaya-sama added.
"You're right~ Even for a backliner like me, they're quite manageable." Rurua-sama chimed in.
...First was Ratz-sama. She used to be an adventurer who fought with a spear, apparently, but in her fake body she effortlessly mows down the ogres.
...Next was Kaya-sama. She apparently worked hard in her village's self-defense force, and she too has no trouble using sword and magic to cut down enemies with ease.
...And finally Rurua-sama. She was the former Saint of Lithea, and though not on Seraria-sama's level, she must have been high-level too... but even so, bludgeoning ogres to death with a staff is just brutal.
『Yuki-sama!? Are you safe!? I thought I saw an Ogre Schneid on the feed!!』
"Yeah, we're fine. Seraria and the others wiped them out."
『Did any good metals drop?』
"Let's see... Oh, some Orichalcum showed up."
『Oh, my. It's expensive to summon with DP—and while it's not impossible, doing it recklessly would crash the market. Could you collect some there?』
"Good point. Maybe we can 'import' it in small batches since we officially obtained it here?"
"Yeah, we could treat it as acquired from here and bring it in little by little."
『Ah, that works. We're starting to export blacksmithing goods soon, and while we can substitute almost anything with DP, doing it too easily would deplete other mines' value.』
『True. Our dungeon needs to focus on exporting finished goods. If we stop importing raw materials from others entirely, it creates its own set of diplomatic problems~』
...And the one standing in the middle of this deep dungeon, casually discussing future national policy, is Seraria-sama's husband: Yuki-sama.
He hasn't fought at all, but his strength is something Seraria-sama praises constantly. I am aware of his capabilities, but I simply don't have the nerves required to have a leisurely chat this deep in enemy territory...
『Ugh, I'm so jealous!! I wanted to go with Yuki-sama too!』
『Now, now, Sheila-sama... you have the important role of acting as the liaison...』
『Narjia-san, you do it~!! Why must I be separated from my husband...』
『Even if you say that, Yuki-san did say you were the most suited for it.』
『Uuuu~!』
So, Sheila-sama stayed behind to monitor the movements in Gartz.
Well, she is, or rather, she is still a royal of Gartz, so she's the most suitable.
Then there's Narjia-sama.
She was interested in the weaponry of Gartz, so she remained in the capital as part of the stay-behind group while we went on our "inspection."
Rock-san is currently in a meeting at the capital's guild branch.
"Sorry, Sheila. I'll bring back souvenirs, so just hang in there for a bit, okay?"
『...Instead of souvenirs, I want a passionate embrace and a sleepless night.』
...Lately, the conversation always turns pink. Even Seraria-sama says things like that normally now... The world truly is unpredictable.
"But Seraria-sama, are you really going further? We're already on the 47th floor. According to guild reports, the record for this place is the 34th. I believe it is far too dangerous to proceed..."
I say that, trying to stop them from exploring the dungeon any further.
According to the data, we had already dived significantly deeper than any information the guild possessed. Normally, dungeon conquest is a meticulous process, clearing one floor at a time. Every floor deeper means stronger monsters and more vicious traps. Even if you can wipe out one floor easily, there's no guarantee for the next.
"In the first place... 47 floors in five hours is insane! You're overworked! We should seriously head back!"
That's right... 47 floors in just five hours. That's a little over seven minutes per floor. It's madness. It's an impossible speed.
"Hmm, you have a point. Dear? Diving for five hours straight might be a bit much, don't you think?"
"Yeah, that's true. Normally, this would be high pace."
It's beyond "high pace"!
"So Dear, how is it?"
"Hmm, I'd say about fifty-fifty."
"Oya? You even managed half-and-half~?"
"Which means..."
"Yes. I've already taken control of the floors we've descended through so far... How should I put it, it's kind of like Monopoly... if you pour in more DP, you can dominate each floor, and then from the dungeon core placed in the upper levels, you can take control of other dungeons too."
That's right. Yuki-sama is advancing while taking control of this dungeon...
If there's another dungeon master here, they're probably crying by now, aren't they?
