Information is unconfirmed information until it has been confirmed.

I was listening in on Narikin and the others' conversation while using [Posession] on Tran.

"And with that, we managed to obtain information from Nayuta."

[Ooh, that information on the hidden dungeon's pretty perfect, huh? Heeeh. Let's see, these coordinates… I see, I seeee, it's dang close to the magic tool workshop.]

"Naana did an excellent job. Please praise her, Master."

[Yep, well done.]

"No, it wasn't that much."

Somehow, Toy seemed to have effortlessly obtained information from Nayuta by taking advantage of being her little sister. I don't dislike the stance of using anything that can be used.

[For now, we'll report to Haku-san then send some mice in there.]

"Good idea, Master. I'll prepare them."

Rokufa spoke while opening the menu.

[Rokufa, put that aside for a moment, okay?]

"Mu, sorry. I was in a hurry because it seemed like I was the only one without any achievements."

[Don't worry, this information is the achievement of all three of you.]

Upon hearing that, NaanaToy let out a sigh.

"Kehma-sama, should I really be included?"

[Given that you were the main one to contribute to obtaining the information, I don't see a reason to not include you.]

"Well, that's true."

NaanaToy sighed again. Be careful, too many sighs can drive happiness away.

"Aren't you trusting me too much, Kehma-sama? I could be lying about this report. It's possible that even if it's not me, Nayuta could be lying."

[That's why we're going to investigate properly afterward.]

It's not like we're going to die if the investigation fails and it's obvious that I'll be reporting it to Haku-san as unconfirmed information. If we assumed it as confirmed information and it turned out to be a trap, we might be purged for making a false report.

"… As long as that's your intention, then it's fine."

[Right, Rokufa. How about we name the mice? I'm planning to see if I can't possess them to investigate with. I want to try possessing monsters named over there from here, so please name them for me.]

"Understood. What names should I give them?"

[Let's go with [Hamelin]. Add numbers like Hamelin 1, 2, 3, and so on.]

"Alright, I will do that."

"Kehma-sama, since we're doing this, may I borrow one mouse and accompany you?"

NaanaToy cut into the conversation with a smile.

[… Just stick to sharing information through the monitor.]

"I'm relieved. I wouldn't have known what to do if you'd actually said yes there."

Could you stop with the casual tests please? It's a hassle.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

It was finally time to investigate the place where the hidden dungeon seemed to be.

Waiting for nightfall, we discreetly moved the mice to the destination.

When I displayed the mice's view on the monitor from the Master Room of [Cave of Desires], we could see six mice running through the night streets of Kuromaku—seven if you counted the one we were monitoring.

Their code names, or rather their names, were Hamelin 1 through 7.

… We could've prepared up to a hundred mice, but too many would draw attention and be unsuitable for investigation. Seven felt just right. It's said that lucky gods, samurais, and plants are just right in sevens as well after all.

By the way, although the communication fees for keeping the monitor up would be significant, Haku-san agreed to cover the expenses this time. In return, we'd show her the monitor footage we recorded.

Since we had the opportunity, let's try using the communication feature to its fullest.

"Still though, this dungeon function is amazing with how it allows us to investigate foreign lands while staying in the comfort of our own home."

"Ehehe, is it really that amazing?"

Rokuko looked proud. It's not like I was praising you—wait, she's the dungeon itself, so I guess I was?

"Even I didn't think I'd be able to see this far away. I tried it because you said I could do it, Kehma."

"Being able to peek wirelessly all the way to another country is absurd. There's nothing like this in Japan, probably."

"Fuhe—!? … Wh-what are you planning, praising me so much? Do you want me as your body pillow tonight? S-sure!"

"I was just stating my opinion, I wasn't really aiming for anything."

Leaving the blushing Rokuko aside, we arrive at the destination on the map. It was a small house covered in black curtains, similar to the other buildings in Kuromaku. There were unnecessarily fluttery sections, but it seemed sturdy enough to run up as a foothold without any problems.

[Master, can you hear me?]

Despite him still being back in his room at the inn, I heard Narikin's voice. Not only could I hear his voice, I could also see him. Both audio and video coming from the small birdTran were being directly reflected on a separate monitor here.

And our appearance and voice are also being shown over there through the dungeon's surveillance monitor function.

"Yes. How about over there?"

[I can hear you clearly… This is very convenient.]

"The consumption of DP for communication fees is intense, though. Haku-san is covering the expenses this time, but for regular contact in the future, it will still be better for me to use [Possession] on Tran."

[Hmm, is that so?]

Let's call it a two-way monitor system—… Well, it's simply a video call.

With Hamelin 1's view up on the center monitor, the views of the other mice were displayed with three on each side. Being able to easily operate the monitors like that was one of the convenient features of the dungeon. By the way, it seemed that communication fees remained the same even if you displayed things bidirectionally or used multiple monitors. … I wonder the DP is used to create holes that connect two places like Soto?

"Now, how should we enter this building?"

[Kehma-sama, in Kuromaku architecture, ventilation openings are hidden in the folds of the cloth. Humans wouldn't be able to enter them, of course, but mice should be able to pass through. I think it would be best to infiltrate from there.]

"I see. In that case, first… Where is the ventilation opening in this black cloth?"

[Let's split up and search for it. Logically, I think it would be in a lower location.]

As the seven mice split up to search the folds, the mouse operated by Rokufa found the ventilation opening. As Toy predicted, it was in a lower position.

[I found it, Master.]

"Great job, Rokufa."

The ventilation opening was just a small window with some iron bars covering it. It seemed that the mice could easily enter… Well, even if it was a trap, only the seven ordinary mice would be dying. Moreover, we're only watching through the monitor. It'd be neither painful nor itchy.

"From now on, we'll proceed with the investigation. I'll borrow the control authority for Hamelin 1 only; the rest is up to you all over there—commence the operation!"

[Yes, sir!]

The mice climbed up the decorations of the Kuromaku architecture and sneaked into the ventilation opening.