Seeker 197

Test

Chapter 197. Meeting (2)

"Hey, you dwarves. I have a question - is there a dungeon near this village?" 

Yusefia-san's words suddenly stirred up dwarf warriors.

Grunba-san, sitting in the chairman's seat, responded with a question. "When you say dungeon, are you referring to the narrow definition of a dungeon?"

"Yes, precisely. If there's an overflow happening, it could explain this situation to some extent. Still, some parts remain unclear..."

As someone who had been listening, I was slightly surprised. 

It was because Yusefia-san used a term unfamiliar, but I vaguely recalled - the overflow. 

In our world, that was a phenomenon where monsters overflowed from dungeons.

I wondered whether there were dungeons in this world too, whether they used the same term, or if it was the effect of a translation skill, among other things.

"No, I've never heard of a narrow definition of a dungeon near the village." 

Grunba-san responded to Yusufia's question. 

Other dwarf warriors nodded in agreement.

Yusefia-san offered another perspective. 

"In that case. a new dungeon may have appeared."

"A new dungeon...!? Is that even possible?" 

It was Kazane-san's voice beside me that expressed surprise.

On the other hand, I nodded in understanding. 

In our world, people believe that dungeons suddenly 'appeared' about 30 years ago. 

At that time, dungeons appeared simultaneously all over the world, leading to a worldwide overflow of monsters. 

However, I had also heard that in rare cases, even in modern times - although it was a rare phenomenon worldwide - new dungeons would appear'.

In such cases, there was a possibility of monsters appearing in front of ordinary people. 

Inevitably, some damage would occur, and seekers would gather to delve into the dungeon, ending the overflow. 

That was the general pattern.

"Of course, it's not something that happens often, and it's just a hypothesis. Consider it as one of the possibilities." 

Yusefia-san said. 

"But if that's the case, these attacks will continue semi-permanently. You'll have to defeat the boss and clear the dungeon to put an end to it."

The entire conference room fell silent at those words. 

One of the dwarf warriors swallowed hard.

Next, Yuzuki raised her hand sharply and said. 

"So, on the flip side, if we go to that dungeon and defeat the boss, everything will be solved, right?"

She had a confident expression.

It wasn't a meeting with a formal hand-raising system, but for some reason, Yusefia-san frowned.

"That's why don't jump to conclusions. It's still a hypothesis. Besides, even if there is a dungeon, who knows where it is? Are you planning to search every inch of these surrounding mountains?"

"Well... uh, no, but..."

Yuzuki hesitated in her speech. 

Acting chief Grunba-san then continued the discussion.

"We understand the situation. Let's consider Yusufia's opinion as one possibility. In any case, we should prioritize the defense of the village until our tribe leader, Barzamund, returns. So, Daichi, Kazane, Hotaru, Yusufia, will you be hired as mercenaries to defend the village on our behalf?"

Grunba-san glanced at us and Yusefia-san, treating it as the main topic.

"For the time being, until our leader Bargamund returns. We expected him to be back tomorrow, or the latest day after. We'll pay each of you 5 large gold coins per day as compensation, regardless of whether there are monster attacks or not. Additionally, as a token of gratitude for helping us today, we'll each give you 5 large gold coins. What do you say? Will you help us?"

Dwarf warriors started buzzing with excitement once again.

"Five large gold coins per day? That's 20 coins for the four of them... Are they really going to pay that much?"

"But we can't put a price on safety. It's much better than having casualties among the village warriors. Besides, we can always earn money by selling goods in the human village."

"Yeah, and we should consider the worst-case scenario. I think Grunba's proposal is reasonable."

Dwarf warriors shared their opinions on the matter. 

Well, it wasn't a small amount of money. 

For reference, the going rate for an A-rank quest that could be completed within a day ranged from 12 to 15 large gold coins per person, assuming a group of four or more skilled adventurers. 

So, 5 large gold coins per person were more than sufficient as compensation for hiring skilled adventurers.

And then, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived.

───────────────────────

Special Mission, Defend Dwarf Town Dagmahar until Tribe Leader Bargamund Returns!

Experience Points Earned Upon Mission Completion... 20,000 Points

───────────────────────

20,000 points... 

Not bad for a mission that might take one or two days to complete. 

Well, it's within the "worth it" range. 

Above all, I didn't want to abandon the dwarves in this situation, and it seemed like Kazane-san and Yuzuki had no objections either.

I spoke up on behalf of the group and replied to Grunba-san. "Understood. The 3 of us will accept this request. As for Yusefia-san..."

I turned my gaze to the dark elf who was sulking in the corner of the room. 

Well, she's probably going to accept it anyway. 

She's a good person, after all. 

At least that's what I thought. 

However, Yusefia-san gave a somewhat unexpected response.

"I refuse."

She said it plainly.

Dwarf warriors in the room immediately started making noise again. Grunba-san frowned.

"Our dark elf guest. May I ask for your reasons?"

"I have two reasons. First, I'm not in need of money right now. Second, I dislike having my freedom restricted. If I enter into a contract, I won't be able to do as I please. But regardless, I intend to stay until Bargamund returns. If there are monster attacks during that time, I might help if I feel like it."

"..."

Ugh, what a hassle! 

Everyone in the room, except for Yusefia-san, probably felt the same way. But, she seemed like she might cooperate in case of an emergency. 

Kazane-san, Yuzuki, and I exchanged glances and chuckled.