Chapter 45

Takano Miu, the world's cutest girl, was breaking out in a cold sweat. She was drenched in cold sweat.

Why? Well, it's because... the Great Mage's magic was too powerful. It was on a different level from a mere mage. How could it burn through the entire dungeon and the outside world? It was clearly the aftermath of the 'Solar Flare.'

'Solar Flare' is an area-of-effect spell, and if even one enemy remains, the continuous fire damage lingers. Because the Queen Ant didn't die immediately, the flames burned through all the levels of the dungeon, which spanned several kilometers.

It only took a short time for the Queen Ant to die, but in that brief moment, everything was burned to ashes... It was now a dangerous spell that couldn't be used. Perhaps using a spell to negate the continuous damage would be safe, but unless absolutely necessary, I had no intention of using it again.

There are also single-target spells, but I hesitated. I was unsure if it would only damage a single target, especially after the flashy game effects.

The dungeon was gone, replaced by craters, large bowl-shaped craters. This place used to be a warehouse, didn't it? Or was it just my imagination?

I had promised to play with Yami at night, so I stayed up late and played with Yami when she came over. Then, someone from the Teisei family came to fetch Yami, and I followed along. When I saw what seemed to be an event, my body moved on its own. It wasn't because of my curiosity. Nyaa.

I've heard that curiosity kills the cat, but indeed, I shouldn't have followed. The air was tense, and Ougata was glaring at the other men. Who were these people? And why were they here? They say the culprit returns to the scene of the crime, but I'm not a salmon.

Only the Queen Ant's corpse remained. I'll keep it as a trophy, so feel free to use it. Can I go home now?

Of course not, and even Yami had a serious expression. Everyone was fully equipped. Why? Were they going to fight?

I heard the story in the car. Apparently, a flame dragon rising to the sky was spotted in a certain part of the slums. I thought we were lucky the Queen Ant died quickly; otherwise, the slums would have been damaged.

Even though the slums are considered extraterritorial, they couldn't be ignored. When a few people went to investigate, they found the corpse of a powerful ant monster and the craters.

They decided to collect it immediately. No matter how dangerous the slums were, with twenty mages, no one would dare to interfere.

So, we rushed here, but it seemed other nobles had already arrived.

"This is my land, Duke Teisei. You don't need to be here. I will manage this, so please rest assured."

He bowed elegantly, exuding an air that didn't allow for argument. A middle-aged man in a suit with fox-like, nervous eyes.

"Shut up. I said this is my land."

A man with burning red hair and eyes, and a ruby-like full-body armor, growled like a beast. He looked like a typical fire mage.

I knew the red-haired man. The child standing next to him, too. They were from the Awakuni Duke family. They came to apologize after the Stone Golem incident. Since then, they've sent apologies, travel souvenirs, and seasonal gifts, which troubled my parents. After all, they were extremely high-end items. I thought the durian was a prank.

The return gifts had to be equally expensive, which strained my father's salary as a civil servant. I ate a delicious melon I had never tasted before and thought the travel souvenirs should be around 500 yen. My father became a viscount and a section chief, but his allowance only increased by about 50,000 yen. Rich people's standards are truly terrifying.

I recognized the child standing next to the fox-eyed man, who then realized who he was. This is Duke Kamina, the head of the Kamina Duke family, the leading duke family of the Japanese Magic Empire. His hair was blonde, and with his golden eyes, he looked even more like a fox.

The child was Shin. Kamina Shin, the protagonist of 'Magical Night,' the only male with the 'Void' attribute. In the game, he is treated as an all-purpose attribute. But I finally met the protagonist. He had an ordinary face, which means he was handsome. An ordinary face is considered handsome because it's the average of all features.

He had a serious expression and smiled in a friendly manner. He was intelligent, and his talent was high even without magic. However, he was exiled for not awakening to 'Mana' in a family with multiple attributes.

He is only ten years old. Until he is twelve, it is believed he will awaken to 'Mana' and be raised as the heir. Shin was capable, and a string with an old ring was tied around his neck. Nice, I found the second artifact. Should I prepare a fake one?

"Let us, who maintain order, take care of this."

"No, the military cannot accept this."

"Get out. This is my land."

The three men argued without backing down. The Teisei family is the top of the constabulary, no, the samurai corps. The Kamina family is the top of the military. And the Awakuni family is the owner of this land? ...Hmm. If only Munin were here... What a shame.

I realized they were connected to 'Chimera.' They were using it as a subordinate organization, but it was clear they didn't manage it properly.

While my favorability towards the Awakuni family plummeted, I speculated that they were not involved in using children as bait. Why? Using children's lives to earn a few million yen would be more detrimental than beneficial for a duke family. If it were exposed, the family's reputation would be ruined. Knowing this, they wouldn't claim ownership of this land.

Probably, Awakuni Enraku secretly let 'Chimera' manage the dungeon. I suspect 'Chimera' was out of control, which is common. It's a cliché.

Enraku probably thought it wouldn't be a problem if his secret management was exposed. If he knew 'Chimera' was using children as bait, he wouldn't have come here.

Damn, I already killed all the witnesses. If I learn about this later, I'll try to cover it up. I survived, but if I'm involved, I'll have to face the consequences. For now, it's impossible.

On the other hand, the children's lives are no longer in danger. If they claim ignorance, it's best not to get involved with the children. If witnesses are killed by assassins and the public suspects a duke family, it would be disastrous. After all, a mage who cleared this dungeon is suspected to be behind it, making it even more dangerous.

If they claim ignorance and send assassins, it would be contradictory. They would probably say 'Chimera' had secretly made this place their base, which is plausible in the slums.

Unless I can prove they were connected to 'Chimera' and using children as bait, they won't act. They will try to find out who cleared the dungeon, and other nobles will do the same.

I understood their purpose. They wanted the Queen Ant's corpse. It's a level 52 boss monster, and its materials are far superior to those of other monsters at the same level. It might even be worth more than level 60 materials.

"Do you want the ownership of that corpse?"

I pulled on Yami's skirt and whispered. She nodded in response.

"Yes. The incredible magic... I've never seen anything like it."

Yami swallowed and answered, trembling. She was afraid of the massive magic, which I couldn't sense. I held her hand and shivered.

"Y-Yeah, it's incredible magic."

I didn't feel its power at all. It's not a second surprise. It just looks like a burned insect corpse. Maybe they'll use it for a gunship windshield? Anyway, I want the effect. It should have a 'gogo' feeling, like in the game. Since I can't sense 'Mana,' I don't understand what they mean by concentrated magic.

What I don't understand is why they brought their children to the slums. Did they bring their successors as additional forces?

The three men showed a tense atmosphere and spoke roughly, but there was no sign of a battle. Hmm... There won't be a fight.

If they fought, it would be a serious situation. If it were just subordinates, they might clash, but high-ranking nobles fighting each other is too risky. They must have anticipated this and decided to let their children gain experience.

I see. They're showing the slums and the conflict between high-ranking nobles, and also meeting each other. I don't know what else their purpose is, but that's probably it.

Miu, the detective girl, sees through everything.

Then, I should achieve a few of my goals. Sorry, but I'll use this. The Queen Ant's materials will be a good thank you, right?

"Hey, Yami. Is that blackened corpse expensive?"

"Yes... I'm still learning, but how much is it worth?"

Yami didn't know either. Hearing our conversation, Awakuni Enraku turned to me and showed a rough, sports-like smile.

"Can't put a price on it. It's been a while since we've seen such materials. It can be valued, but you can't buy it at that price, miss."

I think he was working with 'Chimera,' but I doubt he knew about using children as bait. I pretended to be surprised, but I wanted to make him pay. I'm only nine, and Miu can't do anything yet.

"Really? That's amazing, Yami! It's priceless! It's like a market price, right?"

"Miu-sama, it's a bit different from a market price."

Yami chuckled, and Miu, surprised, tilted her head cutely.

"Ah, Mr. Awakuni, thank you for the melon. It was delicious. But, luxury items trouble my parents, so something cheaper would be better."

I bowed and thanked him. Miu is a good girl. Enraku smiled and laughed heartily.

"Sorry about that. I'll be more careful next time. Since you mentioned it, this corpse belongs to my family. Even if it was burned by fire."

He answered me and then told Kamina and Ougata sharply. Despite the potential issues if this place were investigated, he still claimed ownership, indicating the corpse's value.

"That won't do... How about this? We can't reach an agreement through discussion. What if we offer the magic stone to the royal family? A magic stone of this size, if it becomes public, has limited uses. If we offer it to the royal family, it will be a good deed."

"Shall we make it a donation from the Awakuni family?"

Kamina's man thought about it. Clever. Kamina and Teisei are weak in claiming ownership, and Awakuni probably owns this land.

"Fine. The remaining corpse. Let's decide on its distribution. I need to investigate as well."

"Me too. We need to investigate what happened here."

Ougata's man agreed. Enraku scratched his head and sighed.

"Alright. This is the slums, so we can't spend more time investigating. Let's distribute the corpse and be done with it."

Haha... I saw a deal between villains. If they didn't want to be investigated further, they had to distribute the corpse. What kind of gang is this? This is the nobility...

A world with too much transparency is hard to live in. I miss the Tanigawa era. But I can't interfere. It's frustrating.

However, I want a world where children aren't used as bait. I don't want to give up just because it's a novel world. It's impossible now, but...

...Let's achieve the next goal.

"Hey, Yami. What is this place? There are a lot of people who look troubled."

I asked innocently about the slums. Yami looked troubled. Sorry, Yami. It's a hard question. But the slum residents were watching us from a distance. They all looked impoverished.

"I know. People who help troubled people! Can we help them?"

"Yes, there are people who help troubled people. Let's leave it to them."

"They help troubled people! Like orphanages and welfare facilities!"

"Indeed. How about we visit one next time?"

Yami tried to divert the conversation, but that's fine. I wanted to steer it towards the orphanage. I want to support the people I save, but I can't do more now. Miu's arms are short and thin.

"Visit? Help troubled people?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Let's visit an orphanage!"

She raised her hand and answered enthusiastically. Let's do charity for the 20 orphans I pushed. Miu will work hard. I'll give healing magic to those who donate.

What, the protagonist? I'm a minor character. I'm just a bystander. I won't get involved. I'll just take the ring.