Live Dungeon!

Before Tsutomu went in to have his audience with Brooklyn Kantjelucia, he received several pieces of advice from the knights.

No matter what question was asked, do not speak and do not lift your face. Maintain that posture without any unnecessary movement. Among their instructions regarding language and manners, they especially stressed the importance of strict adherence to those two points.

For the nobility in general, the power of the stats and skills obtained in God’s Dungeon were terrifying powers that could be used without any intermediary. Magic requires Magic Stones, and if one was alone, no matter how formidable, knights could easily capture them if they were to attack in groups.

The Explorers of God’s Dungeon, however, possessed extraordinary physical abilities based on their status ratings, and skills could be used simply by speaking, so the nobility feared them. Still, for this audience — perhaps due to House Kantjelucia being the host — there were no pre-measures such as the usual mouth gag or bodily restraints.

And so, surrounded by knights, Tsutomu was escorted to the room where Brooklyn Kantjelucia awaited. While annoyed by the knights who watched his every move with stern eyes, Tsutomu glanced at the figure seated in a throne-like elevated position.

He had been informed by the head of House Babenberg that Brooklyn Kantjelucia was a woman. If not for that, he would have been having a difficult time determining that himself at this moment, as Brooklyn had an androgynous face and demeanor.

She wore a long-sleeved robe and comfortable-looking indigo trousers, not appearing particularly noble at first glance. Her black hair was also a short-cut, far from a feminine hairstyle.

[She looks as tomboyish as I’ve heard, and she’s officially called the Master… But she’ll be angry at people who treat her like a man, huh…]

Tsutomu had also been cautioned by the head of House Babenberg about interacting with Brooklyn, with one specific instruction being not to treat her as a man. Perhaps it had something to do with her being the rare female head of House Kantjelucia, contrary to the tradition passed down through generations, but the details seemed unknown even to House Babenberg itself.

As Tsutomu suspiciously observed Brooklyn, whose appearance, upon closer inspection, was that of a lax knight, a knight walking ahead of him stopped and turned around.

“Stop. Lower your head.”

Obedient to the knight’s command, Tsutomu cursed in his mind as he gracefully lowered one knee and bowed his head. Then, with two knights taking positions on either of Tsutomu’s sides, Brooklyn rose from her seat. Echoing with the rhythmic sound of expensive leather shoes, she came closer to Tsutomu, taking her position directly in front of him.

“GAH–“

Suddenly, the knights positioned to Tsutomu’s sides were blown away. Tsutomu turned to see the two knights now stuck to the wall, as if they had been glued to it.

Looking ahead, Brooklyn, with a displeased furrowed brow, held a Colorless Magic Stone in her hand. The stone glowed, indicating that she was using some form of magic.

House Kantjelucia, like House Babenberg who oversaw the Dungeon City, was known as a noble family that wielded powerful defensive shield magic. The two knights who had just been blown away were now immobilized within a shield perimeter cast by Brooklyn.

“I did tell you to NOT do anything unnecessary, didn’t I?”

“M-Master Brooklyn!”

“You. Are. Dead.”

Without giving any time to the knight, who seemed about to say something, Brooklyn clenched her fist, and the magical shield’s perimeter slowly began to contract. The bodies of the knights within the barrier started to shrink rapidly, an unpleasant sound echoing in the surroundings.

“NOOO!!”

“Master Brooklyn!!”

Amidst the rising screams, the shield folded mercilessly. With each clench, the bodies of the knights were compressed further, and the room resonated with spine-chilling cracks.

In the end, what remained resembled a mass of scraps, and within the collapsed shield, everything was obscured by red liquid, rendering nothing visible.

“I’ll be chatting with Tsutomu for a few moments — everyone, leave your positions. Anyone who interrupts us… will end up like this. Capisce?”

“…Yes, Master.”

Then, as Brooklyn waved her hand, the mass that was once two humans were passed over into the hands of the remaining knights. Though the contents were obscured by the shield, the knights, who received the square ‘box’ dyed in a deep red, left the room with pale faces.

In the spacious room, only Brooklyn and Tsutomu remained. Tsutomu, watching the knights leave, turned slowly to face Brooklyn.

“Apologies for my knights’ rudeness. But never mind them — I have heard rumors of you for some time now. A man publicly honored by the unfriendly Babenberg… you are most intriguing, Tsutomu.”

“……”

Brooklyn spoke with a cheerful expression, as if the grim scene from moments ago had never occurred, but Tsutomu’s complexion remained uneasy. Sensing his discomfort, she furrowed her brows apologetically.

“I had planned to visit you myself, but… well, let’s just say circumstances have limited my mobility. I’m quite thankful for your coming all the way to my room, but I suppose my knights were not quite as appreciative. I even told them to treat you as they would the members of House Babenberg, too… But alas, they couldn’t even follow that simple order…”

“……”

“Oh, not impressed, are you? Hehehe… it’s been quite a while since anyone has looked at me like that. Is this attitude what it takes for one to be acknowledged by House Babenberg, hmm?”

Observing Tsutomu, who quickly scanned his surroundings with vigilant eyes, Brooklyn’s gaze sparkled with a hint of amusement. After a tense moment, she suddenly turned and began to walk.

“Well then, I’ll extend the invitation once again — And I’ll make sure it’s without any rude treatment this time. Catch ya later?”

With those cheerful words, Brooklyn left the room, and Tsutomu followed her with his eyes. Once he confirmed she had left the room, he sighed and slumped down where he stood.

[She’s bonkers…]

It seemed that Brooklyn had misunderstood something; Tsutomu’s fear was simply a reaction to her brutal and sudden killing of the two knights.

He had been informed of the dread associated with House Kantjelucia from House Babenberg in advance, and he came here with a certain level of preparedness. However, seeing Brooklyn, who had a nonchalant expression after killing the two men by crushing them inside a shield, and the knights who silently carried what remained of them away, Tsutomu could not help but be overwhelmed by the madness of the situation.

While he had encountered overwhelmingly powerful monsters such as the Corroded Elder Dragon and the Devourer Dragon, Tsutomu had since gotten used to them with experience. Therefore, it was not the case that he was intimidated by Brooklyn; it was the surreal and gruesome scene that left him shaken.

[Man, the Babenberg folks are saints compared to her…]

After the unusual stampede that broke through House Babenberg’s shield, they promptly apologized to the people. The thought of House Kantjelucia ruling Dungeon City, on the other hand, was sure to send shivers down one’s spine. There would likely be numerous blood-stained shield-related incidents if they were in charge.

With these thoughts in mind, Tsutomu slowly stood up, cautiously surveying his surroundings. He then returned to the room assigned to him.

▽▽

While the initial impression of Brooklyn Kantjelucia was far from favorable, and despite the ominous letter he had received, Tsutomu found that she was not as hostile as he had expected. Still, having learned that she was a noble who casually killed people, Tsutomu decided to gather his Clan members in his room.

He proceeded to warn them about Brooklyn Kantjelucia’s eccentricity and advised them against drawing too much attention.

“Well, you’re the one who stands out the most, Tsutomu — I don’t think the rest of us have to worry too much.”

“Hang in there.”

“…I think we should try to stick together — don’t go anywhere alone if possible. You two… uh, can I count on you to defend me?”

“Aye, aye!”

“What a drag…”

“Thanks. Really, I appreciate it,” Tsutomu said… but not before sighing at Diniel’s usual reluctant reaction.

After spending a day at the Kantjelucia estate, the major Clans summoned from Dungeon City were once again called to the hall.

“It seems everyone is here. Well then, let us begin with the explanation of the current situation.”

In the gathering of Absolute Helix, Ealdred Crow, Scarlet Devil Squad, Golden Tune, and Labyrinth Conquerors, the knights of House Kantjelucia explained the current state of the Dungeons.

At present, there had been no confirmed sightings of monsters within the Dungeons surrounding the Royal Capital. This was an unprecedented situation in history — a clear anomaly.

The cause was, as one would expect, believed to be the failure of the usual culling of monsters due to the emergence of God’s Dungeon.

For over a hundred years, the development of affordable magic tools has led to the widespread use of Magic Stones even in ordinary households. Magic Stones had always had a steady demand, and until the emergence of God’s Dungeon, monsters that harbored magic stones in their bodies were hunted extensively.

However, since God’s Dungeon guaranteed steady supplies of Magic Stones of consistent quality, there had been no need for Explorers to venture into the more dangerous Dungeons to extract Magic Stones through violent means.

Previously, the demand for Magic Stones naturally thinned out the monster population in Dungeons. On the other hand, since the emergence of God’s Dungeon, almost no monsters have been hunted at all. This unprecedented situation has led to speculation about the current abnormality.

“…And so we would like to request your assistance in re-investigating the Dungeons starting tomorrow.”

While House Kantjelucia’s knights and the Labyrinth Conquerors had already been conducting investigations, no significant results had been achieved so far. Therefore, the Royal Capital’s side had decided to bring in the best of the best Explorers from Dungeon City to conduct a more thorough investigation.

[Man, I sure hope we don’t get jumpscared or anything…]

Tsutomu could not think of any reason why monsters would disappear from the Dungeons. However, if he were to think in terms of monster spawns of Live Dungeon, he could make some predictions of what to expect.

After the knights concluded the explanation of the current situation and the subsequent meeting, Absolute Helix also agreed to cooperate in tomorrow’s investigation of the Dungeons.