Question Time

Now then, let's try asking Setsuna directly about her goal.

"Let me ask you first. What is your goal? I don't want to do anything violent here, but if you're an enemy, I won't hold back."

I said it was the first question, but this is basically the last thing I want to know.

"I don't want to be hostile either. I'm looking for something, so I'm gathering information, I guess? Well, as an adventurer, I did kill a few monsters, so… sorry?"

Setsuna cutely put her hands together and apologized. Her chest jiggled a little.

… And for some reason, Rokuko lightly kicked me from the side. Why?

It's natural for adventurers to hunt monsters, and if she's doing it as an adventurer, there's no problem at all… ah, the Goblins? Is it because she hunted Goblins? Seriously, Rokuko's Goblin obsession is troublesome. I wish she'd either tolerate it a bit or adopt some aesthetic view like "being hunted is part of being a Goblin."

Still, information, huh? That's a bit vague. Depending on what she's after, we might end up as enemies.

"… I don't mind, that's within expectations. So, you want information? Sure. If I can answer, I'll tell you for a price."

"Price? … Don't tell me, with my body!?"

"What are you saying to a Golem? Or did you mean working as a boss in this dungeon?"

"I mean, don't dungeons eat corpses? If you told me to cut off my arm or something, I'd rather not…"

"Ah, don't worry about that. Money is fine, items are fine. I'll also accept information."

"That's pretty normal…"

"You'd prefer a non-normal exchange? Then I'll accept a leg too."

"No, normal is good! Normal is great!"

Setsuna hurriedly agreed to the negotiation. And I got pinched by Rokuko.

What? Even I wouldn't actually want a leg—that's too grotesque.

"Come to think of it, you didn't call my companions? Or did you call them to different rooms?"

"To answer that question… well, whatever. Since you told me a lot in your introduction, I'll give you this one for free. The others are still in those small rooms."

"… They're not hostages, right?"

"Who knows? I'll answer that question for one copper coin as payment. You can also suggest a price yourself."

Setsuna presented one copper coin.

"They're not really hostages. That room is a safety zone to begin with, so there's nothing I can do to them anyway."

"That's a relief."

"Well then, with the tutorial out of the way, let's move on."

Setsuna nodded. Now then, let's hear her questions.

"The first thing I want to know is about a black wolf. Could you tell me anything you know about it?"

"Black wolf? That's too vague, I don't know what to talk about. Can you be a bit more specific?"

"Then… the black wolf that was temporarily staying in this dungeon—does that ring a bell?"

"It does. For that information, hmm…"

I'd like information as payment too, but I can't really think of anything I want to ask.

"… If you tell me 'where Core 410 is,' I'll tell you some of what I know."

"Where papa is? … Hmm, alright. You know the ships that leave from Pavera to Wakoku? There's an island they stop at along the way. I think it was called Bania Island?"

Bania Island. I'll remember that.

"Then I'll tell you what I know. That thing called itself 'Rin.' It spent the whole winter cozily staying in this dungeon. That open area in front of the small rooms? It used to be a Puzzle Area, but it got destroyed by that thing. I left it alone since fixing it would be a pain… It left once spring came."

"I see… it does have the same name as what we're chasing."

"If you want to hear more details, tell me why you're chasing Rin."

"Hmm. It's grandma's pet. It ran away, so we're trying to catch it…?"

Dungeon Cores don't have grandmas though… if there were something, it would be a grandpa—'Father'… Ah, she could mean someone like an elderly neighbor. Let me confirm.

"This grandma you mentioned, who is she? Your actual grandmother?"

"Un, my grandma. Mama's mama."

"… I see. So in other words, I should send the bill for the dungeon damage to you?"

"Please send that directly to grandma… I don't have to inherit debts, after all."

"Then where is this grandma of yours? I'd like to send her the bill."

"If I knew that, one of our journey's goals would already be done."

Setsuna sighed. Now I'm curious about who this grandma is.

"So, what's the rest of the information about Rin?"

"Ah… It's not quite a weakness, but salt seemed to be effective against it. Apparently it tastes bad to them. Its favorite food was the smooth white plates that can be found in this dungeon. Also, it didn't die even after getting a hole punched through it. The leading theory is that it's actually a slime. Since you said it was a pet, the owner might know more."

"W-wow… that was more detailed than I expected. It was raised by grandma after all…"

"I'm glad you're satisfied. By the way, you never did say who this grandma of yours is."

"… Mmm, that's a secret. I'd only tell you in exchange for some pretty big information."

Oh? So that's how it is. She's getting the hang of this negotiation thing.

"Is that so? Well then, ask your next question."

"Hmm. Might as well ask. Do you know anything about rice?"

"Rice? Sure, I'll tell you if you tell me about your grandma."

"Ah, pass. Rice isn't that important to me."

Oh? Unfortunate. I was even thinking about giving her a seed. Just one though.

"Anything else?"

"Umm, that black-haired dog-eared girl living outside the dungeon—do you know her?"

Niku, huh. She called her Toy or something.

"I know of her. What about her?"

"Is that child connected to the dungeon in some way?"

"I'll answer that for five copper coins."

Setsuna quickly held out five copper coins, so I accepted them.

"… Hmm. I can't answer that."

"Eh—but I just paid the five copper coins!?"

"That was the price for learning that I can't answer. That's why it was so cheap, no need to make a fuss. Besides, what kind of connection are you talking about in the first place? You could even say adventurers hunting monsters is a kind of connection."

"… How should I put it… was she given some kind of special power or something?"

"Ah, that's also included in what I can't answer. If there are some circumstances, maybe try asking in a different way?"

"Muu. It feels like you're the one extracting information."

"I can't tell you something without knowing what you're after. Here, let me give you an example about that dog-eared girl—she really likes the man who's always near her. Is that the kind of information you wanted? It's trivial, right?"

"… Ooh."

Why'd she bite at that? Does she like romance stories?

Even Rokuko sank her teeth into it.

"Wh—… at? Niku… likes Kehma?"

"Oi, Rokuko. Is that a surprise?"

"… Kehma likes me the most though, right?"

"Ah, yeah. You're number one. You have that ring, right?"

"Then it's all good!"

I don't really get it, but I guess it's fine.