Ch.431Debuting NPC. (6)

“What did you just say…?”

“O-oh, the dungeon exploration team that entered this afternoon has r-returned after defeating the boss on the 30th floor…”

-BANG!!

“Are you insane!! How is that even possible!!!”

The Elder Council Chamber of Aiti.

When the elderly man rises and slams the table forcefully after hearing the report from a man in a white lab coat, the glass he had been drinking from topples over, spilling its contents. The wine glasses of others who had been drinking with him wobble precariously, and another elderly man speaks softly to the frightened researcher who cowered at the outburst.

“Calm yourself, Third Elder. This researcher is merely delivering the report as it is.”

“Councilor Beretta! How can I possibly stay calm?! That outsider brought in by the Chairman has just arrived, and suddenly the lowest floors that remained impenetrable for eight years have been cleared by five more levels in an instant!!”

“…Indeed, this is not a situation where one can remain calm. First the direct trade of Behemoth materials from Neity, then the popularity of the female party they entered this season. And now they’ve even updated the lowest floor record. It’s quite possible that a significant portion of our support base could be absorbed by their side.”

As the elderly woman who wasn’t Councilor Beretta spoke, the other elders began to contemplate the situation with sighs.

These are the Chairman’s opposition. More precisely, they are the people who control the interests of this city and oppose all reforms the current Chairman is trying to implement. They are those who try to prevent the materials of the Behemoth, once called a disaster, from entering the city and potentially advancing all their research to a higher level, or allowing exceptional researchers or craftsmen to emerge and create new power structures.

They were despicable old people desperately struggling to maintain their vested interests and power, at least during their lifetimes. For such people, the recent introduction of Behemoth materials into the city was already terrible news, and now the update of the dungeon, the city’s core resource extraction site, was adding insult to injury.

“…Is there really no way to blame the train’s destruction on the Chairman and remove him from office?”

“That matter was already settled in yesterday’s meeting.”

“It’s too late to fabricate evidence now. Many of the passengers, including the driver and guards, have already sided with them. People who would betray their life-savers… well, they exist, but the testimonies would be too inconsistent, and we’d only end up cornering ourselves.”

“Damn it! Wasn’t it Councilor Beretta who said we could overturn the train with a Sand Dragon and finish them off?! If I had known this would happen, we should never have sent the Chairman to Neity in the first place!!”

“My, Third Elder. Your voice is getting loud. Besides, that plan was a consensus of everyone’s opinions…”

“No, the Third Elder is right, Beretta. We supported the operation because we thought your proposed plan would succeed. How do you intend to take responsibility for this situation? I’m not demanding immediate action, but your face still looks so composed that I can’t help but wonder.”

As the elderly woman naturally continued the conversation, representing the agitated Third Elder’s sentiments, Councilor Beretta slightly curled up the corners of his mouth into a smile and said, “Even at this age, I still can’t control my expressions properly. I still have much to learn.” He then turned his head to look at the researcher who had come to report.

“Tell me, do you happen to be wearing any defensive magical tools?”

“…P-pardon? Ah, yes. As a researcher in the weapons production department, I have this protective magical tool…”

-BANG!!

“…Huh?”

As the researcher was hastily answering and pulling out a necklace-type magical tool from inside his clothes, he looked once at Councilor Beretta, who was pointing a smoking pipe hole toward him, then looked down at his own body in confusion.

-Thud. Gurgle.

He collapsed forward, bleeding from his chest, and died instantly. As all the councilors and elders’ eyes widened in shock at the sudden event, the female elder who had composed herself first spoke up.

“A magic gun, isn’t it? Why suddenly use that defective item…”

She pays no attention to the fallen researcher. After all, his elimination was already decided the moment the Third Elder loudly revealed information that should have been kept among themselves. She’s merely questioning why he demonstrated the power of a “defective” magic gun that, by Aiti’s standards, requires strong magical power to use.

“Haha! This is an improved version of the magic gun. Here, would you like to examine it?”

“Hmm.”

Councilor Beretta casually handed the gun to the female elder, who took it and began to examine it carefully. Then.

“…It doesn’t activate using magical power?”

“What? Are you saying it fired without magical power? With that much power?!”

“That’s not all. Look at this defensive magical tool the researcher was wearing.”

“Insane! Isn’t that the kind that can defend against even flame magic stones or ignition stones exploding at close range?!”

While the female councilor was examining the weapon, Beretta stood up alone, approached the fallen researcher, tore off the protective magical tool hanging around his neck, and showed it to everyone with a smile.

“It’s useless against monsters with strong natural recovery abilities, but as you’ve just witnessed, it’s unmatched against humans even when they’re wearing considerable protective gear. I call this a ‘gun,’ without the disgusting magic.”

“My goodness! Such a weapon…”

“Amazing!! So, what about the range? The attack seemed to be fired at a much faster speed than a magic gun. Is the effective range longer too?!”

“Is this iron…? No, lead? Did it fire lead using the explosive power of ignition stones?!”

They are cruel and vile, but not stupid. Having all understood why Beretta demonstrated this weapon, they began asking questions excitedly, and after answering all their questions with composure, he continued.

“Isn’t it wonderful? Dungeon conquest? Let them do it. Behemoth materials? It’s just another opportunity for us to raise our reputation. Those witch women gaining citizens’ support? This city has always been wary of magic and magical power; that won’t change overnight! Moreover, think how delightful it would be to see those arrogant magic-using women fall to weapons we’ve created! All the things the Chairman has done until now and is doing now—in the end, ‘we’ will take it all!”

Understanding what could be done—what would be done—with this gun, their faces brightened as if their previous worried expressions had been a lie.

“Hahaha!! Well, Councilor Beretta! If you had prepared something like this, you should have told us earlier! I was making unnecessary noise!”

“Hoho! Seeing the Third Elder so uncharacteristically flustered, I couldn’t resist a bit of mischief. I apologize.”

And with the dead researcher’s corpse before them, they raise their glasses again for a toast, laughing as if they’ve already won.

[…I truly hate seeing Ragni’s weapons used like this. I don’t want her to know about this either.]

None of them were aware of the invisible gaze watching them.

*

“…What? They’ve already conquered the 40th floor today?”

“Yes. Additionally, [Golden Beast] has reached the 22nd floor today. [Neity’s Magical Girl] has cleared the 17th floor. Both teams are deliberately slowing down as they approach the publicly known lowest floors.”

In the Aiti Chairman’s office. The Chairman wore an expression of disbelief as he listened to the report on the current status of Dungeon Sports Season 13 over the past week.

He had heard that the 25th floor, which had been blocked for 8 years and which he had cleared on the first day, had been pushed to the 30th floor in just one day. But Jack and his elf friend’s advance showed no signs of stopping, so his surprise was understandable.

“But how strong are the monsters on the 40th floor…”

“Jack said they’re about 1.5 times stronger than the 25th floor boss, the Minotaurus. Well, the exploration party that went with him was all defeated by a single regular monster, so only the exploration captain, who was permitted to move with them, could witness him fighting.”

Standing before the astonished Chairman, Carrier Orwell shrugged her shoulders, wearing casual clothes instead of her usual maid uniform. She was speaking quite comfortably without the formal speech expected of a secretary. This was natural since she was officially reported to be hospitalized in Aiti. Thanks to this, she could focus on supporting them and report directly to the Chairman in a comfortable manner.

“…Haha! This is incredible. So how much money has he earned so far…”

“Just from dungeon gambling, 45 million cans.”

“Hahaha!! At this rate, he’ll pay off the entire 100 million cans in compensation through gambling alone in less than a month!!”

The Chairman laughed heartily with genuine amusement, but Orwell, who was happily watching him, shook her head and continued.

“Hehe. I’m afraid you’re wrong.”

“Haha? Hm? What do you mean?”

“Look at this.”

What she handed him was a document showing the sponsorship money and detailed view counts on the magic display boards for [Golden Beast] and [Neity’s Magical Girl], which the Chairman was sponsoring. After seeing the amounts written there, the Chairman’s expression changed from cheerful to disbelieving. He wiped his eyes several times, smearing soot on his face in the process. Seeing this, Orwell gently reached out to clean his face, then seductively embraced his thick neck and whispered.

“I’m truly proud. Your meeting them and building a friendship as Chairman is the fourth best thing that’s happened in our lives.”

He knows what the top three are without being told: their two children already born, and the child in her womb. She’s saying that meeting them was the best thing that happened to them apart from those three happiest events. However.

“…But still, this is a bit too much, isn’t it? It’s only been a week?”

“Hehe! They’ll earn even more in the future. When that happens, we can push out all those rotten elders and councilors, right? Then our children will surely be able to live in a better Aiti.”

-[Golden Beast]-

Views: 8,996,000

Revenue from views: 13,660,000 cans

Individual sponsorships: 45,720,000 cans

-[Neity’s Magical Girl]-

Views: 14,620,000

Revenue from views: 27,210,000 cans

Individual sponsorships: 100,000,000 cans (estimated)

“Hmm. It’s what we thought, but is it okay to spend money like this? Who on earth is sponsoring so much…”

“Haha! That’s not our concern, is it? The point is that those children are like geese that lay golden eggs, no—swans that scatter golden feathers! We’ll create more content centered around them to generate more views and sponsorships, so look forward to it, okay?”

“Hmm, I suppose so. I need to work harder too, then.”

Slightly flustered by his wife’s kiss on his cheek, the Chairman looked toward the workshop at the back of his office. Understanding that his fluster wasn’t due to the kiss, Orwell slightly frowned, and there.

“If I can complete that golem before the season ends, it will surely generate much more profit than now.”

“…Well, I don’t know about that.”

His golem, which he loves almost as much as her and their children—this time a golem in the form of a beautiful woman—was hanging there with its eyes still closed, which is why she couldn’t help but speak in a sulky, displeased tone.