Intruders

"Heeh, so this is the [Ordinary Cave] huh…"

The male adventurer set foot in the empty cave.

His party members followed a few steps behind him.

There were three people in the party in all. They received the investigation quest from the guild and were F-Rank adventurers.

"Oi oi, be careful. This is still a dungeon, we don't know what kind of traps there could be."

"We don't need to worry, didn't the guild tell us? There's nothing really here. Just the Dungeon Core, that is."

"Yeah, but…"

Even though his timid comrade stopped him, he entered as though he didn't care at all.

The passage stretched left and right. However, there wasn't anything to see… just the remnants of a burned wooden door.

"Guess none of the bandits survived it."

"You think any of the knights would let them live? Even so, it seems there was around twenty of them."

"Wow… Well, these guys didn't have good luck, huh."

"Ah, this way's a dead end… The other way then?"

"Looks like there's a room a bit ahead. Let's go."

The adventurers backtracked without incident. It was to be expected. In this cave, there were neither traps nor monsters.

… But in just one spot, there was about five to ten Goblins that could come out of the Dungeon Core.

As for the contents of the quest, it was the delicious work of getting a silver coin by just reporting how many goblins come out.

It'll more or less turn into a goblin subjugation. Well, something like five goblins could easily be defeated by a single F-Rank adventurer. Three people would be a surplus for ten.

Then, they arrived at the room with the Dungeon Core inside.

Five goblins appeared from the Dungeon Core.

It wasn't a problem with just this many coming out. It was settled with two, three crude swings of their swords.

"Heeh, pheeew… five. Alright."

"Quest complete. Hmm? What is it?"

One of the adventurers was looking at the Dungeon Core.

"So this is it."

"Yeah."

"Why not break the Dungeon Core?"

"Huh!? What are you talking about. The guild told us to not do that!"

"But, isn't there talk about how knights can become sage knights and get stronger if they destroy a Dungeon Core? Couldn't we get stronger and instantly get to A-Rank if we destroy it?"

"A-Rank…"

He gulped.

A-Rank. The title of an undeniably successful adventurer.

Even adventurers, those that dream about getting rich quick, most are between F-Rank and E-Rank.

At D-Rank, adventurers would finally earn enough money to make a living for themselves, and C-Ranks were veterans. B-Ranks were respected among those veterans and earning gold coins from a single quest would become normal. A-Ranks were successful people whose names were known all over the world.

Above that there were even the inhuman S-Ranks. Though it was said a single S-Rank person could affect the world, so far it hasn't happened.

"But you know, when they ask us about it, what would we do? There's also the dudes that come after us, what then, wouldn't we get caught and our Guild Cards get confiscated?"

"Theeen, wouldn't it be fine to say it wasn't us? So then since it wasn't it, the guys before us would be suspicious… they'd probably wonder about the bandits or knight-samas. They won't say anything to the guild right? The bandits're already gone, the knights aren't adventurers."

"… Oi, you're a genius."

Though that would actually come to light immediately once the magic tool detected their lie, the three unfortunately didn't know there was something like that.

The discussion was quickly settled. Drawing his sword, he stabbed it towards Dungeon Core.

Once, twice, though the sword was repelled, chips were steadily accumulating.

The Dungeon Core didn't react at all, as if it were ordered to 'not do anything'.

Then, finally, the sword pierced into it… With a high pitched noise, the crystalline sphere shattered.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

"—!?"

I jumped awake.

… There's an unpleasant sweat covering me head to toe.

… I saw a bad dream. In the dream, the Dungeon Core was destroyed.

Falling into the hands of a crude adventurer, the Dungeon Core was shattered.

… Ah, seeing a nightmare like that is something you don't want when you're sleeping outside.

Since we didn't take satisfactory preparations, we had food and water remaining in our luggage, but having to order the clothes golem to intercept enemies and sleep on the cold ground sucked.

Niku and I were sprinting at full speed to return to the [Ordinary Cave], but the day fell on the way and we decided to sleep in the open.

Though we wouldn't meet any accidents since we had a map and the clothes golems, in the state where I was getting hit in the face by branches while moving around the forest and couldn't see that well, I gave up travelling any more.

clothes golem, come to think of it, how does it even see things? Can it even see to begin with?

However, I was thinking a lot about what I saw in my dream.

Someone who became an adventurer for their own desires, destroying the Dungeon Core for their own desires… that kind of story could be found anywhere.

Thinking about it now, even without coming to destroy the [Ordinary Cave]'s Dungeon Core on a quest, someone could one day come to destroy the core for personal reasons without a quest. Besides, all they needed to do to continue being adventurers was jump ship and head to another town.

… Right, in other words, I've just been lucky up to now.

There wasn't any guarantee that someone wouldn't just appear one day and destroy the Dungeon Core.

That nightmare could become truth in the future if the dungeon's current state continued.

No, more than not having the quest, it wouldn't be odd if it happened now.

"… Nuu… Papa… nyumu… more…"

When I looked to the side, Niku was holding me while she slept.

… Though I'm a bit reluctant to wake her from such a happy dream, it can't be helped.

That said, it was early in the morning and I could see to some degree.

I used [Purify] to clean the sweat from my sticky body, woke Niku up and resumed heading toward the [Ordinary Cave].

… Gu-… muscle pains, grah!

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

By the time we arrived, it had already become near noon.

Though it took more time then I though, we arrived at our base.

… When we looked at the cave from exiting the forest, we saw an impossible scene.

At a white table and chairs, Rokuko was gracefully enjoying herself over tea, with an unfamiliar white-haired Ojou-sama. Beside the Ojou-sama was a black clothed butler with blonde hair… a man? No, a beautiful woman in male clothing?

"Ah, Kehma! Welcome back, that was pretty quick!"

"… What are you doing?"

"Eh, can't you understand just from looking? It's a lady's tea time you know?"

Rokuko answered with a boast while sticking out her nonexistent chest.

That's not it. I wanted to know why the heck you were doing something like that.

"Number 89 Ane-sama dropped by!"

"Heeh, eighty-nine… Number 89? Wait, a Dungeon Core!?"

"Ye~s, nice to meet you… … Kehma-san, are you doing well?"

The white Ojou-sama waved her hand elegantly.

Though she had an unreasonably honest type, I wonder why…

I felt a chill.