“It might be easy to say that, Joel. The Trees of Darkness is a really demanding dungeon though? It’s discovery was made after that incident...did you forget? An alliance of C rank parties like us was wiped out.”
She sounded half-bantering half-anxious. Rosalie, was a mage that acted as the party’s main firepower. And she was also the person rumoured to be Joel’s lover. Though she vehemently denied it when asked.
“No, I have not forgotten. When the report was made, the guild at the town we were at was making a huge fuss, like a beehive that had been pricked.”
Joel laughed bitterly.
A C rank adventurer was normally considered to be an ace at taking on the guild’s requests and the guild would have high expectations of them. After all, it would take many years of experience before the average adventurer could get to this point. It was a disaster that many of their precious C rankers were defeated at the same time. All this happened at the Trees of Darkness.
“If that’s the case―”
“Even then...”
Joel interrupted her.
“The monsters that we have encountered at the Trees of Darkness were all possible to be classified as a C rank subjugation. There was no way other C rank adventurers would fall to these monsters. So, this means the reason for their defeat remains a mystery.”
“Don’t tell me you want to unravel the truth of it?”
“Rosalie.”
Mariano was rebuking her for provoking him. She had a bad habit of testing others. Her rashness suited her sharp beauty, though it was difficult to deal with.
Joel shook his head and said, “It’s alright.”
“Well, I am an adventurer. There is no way I would not have that kind of desire. ...But, there is a bigger reason why I want to do so.”
“And that is?”
“...What do you all think of the adventurers of this town?”
It was a completely different topic altogether. However, Mariano and Rosalie did not overly disagree. They were deeply thinking about their leader’s question.
What about the adventurers here? Raymond and his gang had notoriously taken over the entrance to the Trees of Darkness. Adventurers of D rank and lower were denied entry and could not accumulate experience. And them being the only ones who disagreed with the schemes of the crows, they had to take out the C rank monsters deeper inside the dungeon alone.
“...The future seems bleak...with what those crows are doing.”
“It doesn’t have anything to do with us, but it isn’t something others can handle. I worry that the overall skill level of adventurers would weaken as time goes by.”
“Yes. While the middle rankers go for the easy jobs, the lower ranked adventurers would lose learning opportunities. What happens if the main cause for the annihilation of the alliance we were talking about, appears? It isn’t a big problem if the only ones that pay for it are the migratory crows. But if the monsters grow in population and eventually attack the town, then we will be the only ones that can deal with it.”
That is what will happen if jobs are monopolised. Middle rankers who should adventure deeper were content with the outskirts of the forest, so beginners could not get the chance to hunt weak monsters. If this situation prolongs, the average ability of adventurers in this town would weaken and if some disaster happened, the adventurers would not be able to handle it.
“The reason for all this is also because the middle rankers are only thinking that the dungeon is a new gold mine. And why would they think so? Because they don’t fear the dungeon. Since they don’t know if there are dangerous monsters within the Trees of Darkness, they are under the impression that it is a safe place.”
“So you mean...”
The fourth person in their party finally decided to join the conversation. She spoke flatly.
“...You want to gather information inside the dungeon and try to change the predicament?”
“Sheeran...”
“Hmph. Finally using that mouth of yours. And here I was thinking where you had gone.”
“...I was here throughout.”
“I know! That was a figure of speech!”
The person Rosalie was crossing words with was a young unassuming blond girl. Her ears looked as sharp as a leaf but when compared with elves’ ears, they were very much shorter. Human ears did not differ very much in length.
The young girl called Sheeran was a mixed blood, or what some would call a half-elf.
After making repairs to her bow, she gloomily looked at the three of them.
“...I don’t fully understand Joel’s motivations. The status quo is not favourable. But why should we act?”
“A high ranking adventurer would eventually explore the depths of the dungeon. And waiting for such an adventurer would be a safer plan. Is that what you are trying to say?”
Mariano clarified. She quickly nodded.
Sheeran’s opinion made sense. There was something strong in the dungeon that even a C rank alliance could not hold up against. There was no reason for the members of the Guardian of Balance to risk going near such an existence. It should be better for them to wait for a B rank or higher adventurer to challenge the depths of the dungeon.
Joel shook his head.
“It seems like that wouldn’t be the case.”
“Huh? Why? Something inside has eliminated many C rankers. Also, the surroundings of the dungeon are swarming with C to D rank monsters. So why can’t we wait for somebody stronger?”
“...I do not understand either. Please explain.”
Both girls were confused on what Joel meant.
“I hear that an abnormally large wave of monsters have appeared in the neighbouring country, St. Gallen. Many high rankers have gone there instead.”
“What?”
Rosalie's mouth was agape. Her posture was telling everybody how shocked she was.
Sheeran was probably thinking the same. She did not say anything but her eyes narrowed in doubt.
“The other country is paying well. St. Gallen fights monsters throughout the year and they are used to having adventurers. They have issued many subjugations requests already.”
“...Why? Why would the adventurers ignore a dungeon that appeared in their own country...”
“Sheeran, the thing is...”
It was Mariano’s turn to answer.
“For adventurers who drift from one town to the next, borders between countries mean nothing. Even for ourselves, we aren’t from the Arquell Kingdom either, we were from the Omnian Empire. Furthermore, it is pointless to expect patriotism from penniless adventurers. Because the country is bad, because they cannot provide for themselves, that’s why they are stuck with this job...many adventurers resent their jobs.”
And amongst the people who became adventurers because they wanted to, how many are willing to defend their birthplace from monsters? And even if it was the same country, why would there be a reason for them to travel to an unknown land and put their lives at stake? In this case, rather than patriotism, it is more about loving one’s hometown.
For example, it is well known that the A rank party, the face of adventurers in the Arquell Kingdom, are active in the west borders where they were born. There was hardly a chance they would come all the way to Marlan.
“Of course, the higher-ups in the guild would be very interested to find out the reason why the C rank alliance was defeated. But thanks to St. Gallen, they are taking much longer to find suitable adventurers to do an investigation. Also, they think the thinning of monsters in the Trees of Darkness is going smoothly.”
It was as Mariano had said. Despite the large number of prospectors that have gone missing and the defeat of the adventurers, there were no reports of monsters directly attacking the town or the people. Thus, they have assessed the situation with optimism and believe that there are no immediate dangers.
“...Danger past, God forgotten.”
“Damn right! Who was the most worked up at the beginning, huh!?”
Sheeran lightly sighed while Rosalie openly displayed her irritation.
Joel nodded bitterly.
“It is exactly as Mariano says. Everybody is taking the issue too lightly, or in fact, not even considering it an issue anymore. That way it is easier for all parties involved. It is not like there is a direct threat to their own lives. To change the impasse, we need concrete information. So long as there isn’t definite information about the Trees of Darkness, the guild wouldn’t give their full attention and crows can make the dungeon their personal hunting grounds. The only people who can do something about this now...are us.”
