Chapter 84

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---

Mr. Miyano, who responded to my voice, appeared and had changed from his stage costume into a tracksuit.

Mr. Miyano, taking off his explorer's gear and raising his hand lightly, seemed less stern and more like a refreshing college student, perhaps?

"It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has been. Is this the first time we've met face-to-face since then?"

"Yes, it is."

We exchanged some casual greetings first.

"I'm sorry about what happened this time. The safety checks were insufficient, and I put you all in danger."

"No, it's fine. Since no one was seriously injured, please don't worry about it."

"I'm relieved to hear that."

Mr. Miyano seemed to relax, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It seemed that he had been troubled by the incident, even though I had told him it was okay. Earlier, when he and his partner, Mizusawa, apologized, a middle-aged man, who was the person in charge, had done most of the talking, and Mr. Miyano must have been anxious about it.

"But really, it was fortunate in a way."

"Yeah, exactly. It was lucky that it flew towards you. If it had hit a regular audience member, it would have been terrible..."

Mr. Miyano's expression darkened slightly.

Of course, it would have been terrible if it had hit someone.

"Wasn't that wooden sword reinforced with an iron core?"

"Yeah, to prevent it from breaking during the mock battle."

"Right. It felt heavier than a regular wooden sword when I caught it."

"Of course, we can't use real swords in the show, so we use wooden ones."

Mr. Miyano scratched his head and sighed, looking tired. It seemed that the incident had really shaken him. Since there was no actual harm done, it was probably best not to press the matter further.

"Well, there's no point in dwelling on what's already happened. It's more constructive to think about how to prevent it from happening again, right?"

"...Yeah, you're right. It's more important to avoid making the same mistake again."

"Exactly. Besides, I've already received a form of compensation for this incident. Let's consider this matter closed."

I clapped my hands to signal the end of the conversation, and Mr. Miyano seemed to regain some of his brightness. Since I wasn't particularly bothered by the incident, I didn't want Mr. Miyano to keep dwelling on it.

---

Since Mr. Miyano seemed to have regained his composure, I decided to change the topic.

"By the way, what did you all do after that?"

"After that, you mean after we handed the attacker over to the DP? You don't know?"

"No, we were only briefly questioned and not asked to assist with the investigation, so I don't know the details."

"Did you try to find out?"

"I didn't do more than watch the news. Since we didn't hear anything from you and the payment for the recovery potions was quickly transferred through the guild, I thought it was a silent message to stay out of the investigation..."

"...I see."

Mr. Miyano listened to my explanation and seemed disappointed, his shoulders drooping. The dark atmosphere that enveloped him suggested that there was some complex situation we were unaware of. After a few seconds of silence, Mr. Miyano looked up with a determined expression and spoke.

"Would you mind if we changed locations to talk? I need to get someone, so can you wait for a moment?"

"Uh, sure, that's fine."

Seeing his sincere expression, I couldn't say no and nodded in agreement. Mr. Miyano excused himself and went into the tent. He returned after about a minute.

"Sorry for the wait. Shall we go?"

"Ah, sure."

I followed Mr. Miyano as we left the event area.

---

After buying some drinks at a food stall, Mr. Miyano and I sat down on a temporary bench in a less crowded rest area. Mr. Miyano took a sip of his tea and then began to speak.

"Where should I start?"

"Could you start from the beginning? I don't know much about what happened after you were questioned and released."

"Understood. Let's start with what happened after you handed the attacker over to the DP..."

Mr. Miyano looked up at the sky, recalling the events.

"Except for Shinohara, who recovered with a mid-level recovery potion, the rest of us were taken to the medical room before being questioned."

"Given the bleeding, I'm glad you're okay."

"Yeah, fortunately, the bleeding wasn't life-threatening. After resting in the medical room for a while, I felt a bit better. However, I was later taken to the hospital for further examination and was admitted immediately."

"I see."

Mr. Miyano smiled wryly as he told me what happened after we parted ways. So, Mr. Miyano and the others were indeed hospitalized after that. If they had been treated with mid-level recovery potions like Shinohara, they probably wouldn't have needed to be hospitalized for examination, but using multiple mid-level potions at that point would have raised suspicions.

"Still, you really saved us. Not only with the injuries, but if you hadn't escorted us back, I shudder to think what might have happened."

"Don't worry about it. We just did what we could. And we did receive payment for the recovery potions."

"Still, I want to thank you again. Thank you for helping us that day."

Mr. Miyano bowed his head to express his gratitude.

It was a bit embarrassing to be thanked so directly. I scratched my head, looking away from Mr. Miyano, who was still bowing.

"Anyway, the attackers were handed over to the police by the DP and were arrested on charges of robbery and assault. Did you hear their motive?"

"Ah, yes. I heard it when we were being questioned by the DP. Attacking people for entertainment money... they're just idiots."

Attacking people for entertainment money... what were they thinking?

"Exactly, as you say. They need to reflect deeply on their actions."

Mr. Miyano's expression twisted in disgust as he spoke about the attackers. From the victims' perspective, it was a selfish and unforgivable reason. They probably wanted to take revenge with their own hands.

"Mr. Miyano took a deep breath to calm himself and then continued, explaining what happened to the attackers after their arrest.

"Phew... They're in prison now."

"Prison? The trial is already over? I thought trials usually take a long time..."

"True, some trials reported in the news can drag on for years, but that's rare. In this case, the facts were clear, and the suspects confessed, so it didn't take long. The verdict was handed down about three months after the arrest."

So, the verdict was handed down in February or March.

"The attackers were convicted of robbery and assault. The leader was sentenced to 18 years in prison without parole, and the minor accomplice was sentenced to 15 years without parole."

"...So, they didn't get parole, huh."

"Yeah, it was a planned attack, and the motive was despicable. It was unlikely they would get parole. The defense tried to negotiate a settlement before the trial, but everyone rejected it."

Mr. Miyano's face twisted as he spoke.

Of course, that would happen. If it had been a drunken brawl, there might have been room for negotiation, but an attack with clear intent to harm and steal... there was no hope for a settlement.

Wait, but then...

"By the way, did you recover the cost of the recovery potions? From the bank statement, it looked like the payment was made two weeks after the incident..."

"There is a court order for the attackers to pay damages, but since they were robbers, there's no hope of recovering the money."

"..."

"So, for now, the hospital bills are out of pocket."

Mr. Miyano sighed weakly, filled with disappointment.

Being nearly killed and having to pay for treatment out of pocket... that's rough. At that point, I remembered that there was no insurance for explorers at the time... wow, one thing after another.

"..."

"Ha, don't worry. In such cases, there's a system called 'Crime Victim Compensation' that we can use... I've already applied and am waiting for the decision."

I was about to try to encourage him, but his words left me at a loss. If he was still waiting for the decision, he hadn't received any compensation yet.

I couldn't bear to hear more of Mr. Miyano's story and decided to change the topic.

"So, how are the others doing? Are they still exploring the dungeon?"

"...No."

The moment I mentioned the other victims, Mr. Miyano's expression darkened, and the atmosphere became even heavier. I had hit a nerve.

---

Overwhelmed by Mr. Miyano's aura, I stiffened. An uncomfortable silence stretched on, and my breathing sounded abnormally loud.

It felt like hours, but after a few seconds, Mr. Miyano broke the silence.

"Everyone quit being explorers."

"...What?"

"Shinohara is still exploring the dungeon, but my three friends quit because of the trauma."

"..."

Mr. Miyano's exhausted expression returned as he began to speak about himself and those who quit.

"Shinohara is amazing. He's still exploring the dungeon despite what happened. He's a professional, a real pro."

"..."

"Really, he's amazing."

Mr. Miyano looked up at the sky with an admiring expression.

I couldn't say anything, just watching him.

"Compared to him... we failed. I didn't have severe trauma, but I still get the shakes when I think about going into the dungeon."

"..."

"Right now, I'm working as a publicity staff member for the guild, but I can't go into the dungeon anymore."

"..."

"Maybe this is the difference between a professional explorer and a college student who was just playing around. We didn't have the resolve."

Mr. Miyano looked at his palms and sadly described his condition.

"Fujiki and Hirano can go out, but they're still unstable mentally and go to counseling every week. As for Hidaka, he quit school and is in a psychiatric hospital. He's afraid of being around people..."

"..."

"When we first heard about the dungeon, we were excited. It felt like a game. When we became explorers, it felt like we were the main characters in a story."

"..."

Mr. Miyano's face brightened slightly as he recalled the past, but it didn't last long.

"But, it wasn't like that."

Mr. Miyano's face twisted in regret.

He clenched his teeth and spoke bitterly about their foolish actions.

"We weren't the main characters. We mistook danger for excitement and thought we were just participating in a fun attraction with friends. We were just foolish, unthinking, and unprepared, going with the flow."

"..."

"The price for that foolishness is this... ha, we got what we deserved."

Mr. Miyano, speaking to himself, looked like he was about to cry.

But I couldn't find the right words to comfort him. We might have saved his life, but seeing him like this, I couldn't proudly say we had helped him. In stories and movies, they often say that while the body was saved, the mind wasn't.

But when faced with the reality...

"..."

"..."

The silence was painful! I had no idea how to continue the conversation. Maybe quoting wise words would help, but I couldn't comfort Mr. Miyano with borrowed words. I knew it would just sound hollow coming from me, who wasn't a party to the incident.

So, I just sat next to him, unable to say anything. It was embarrassing.

---

Mr. Miyano was called back to the event area for his next performance. I watched him go, feeling a mix of emotions.

In the end, I couldn't say anything more.

"How should I have responded..."

I was at a loss, troubled by the question.

Mr. Miyano's story wasn't just about someone else. As an explorer who continues to explore the dungeon, I couldn't say it would never happen to me, no matter how strong or weak I was.

"..."

"Maybe I should have had Mika and Saori sit in on the conversation."

It might have been better for the two of them, who were about to start exploring the dungeon, to hear Mr. Miyano's story directly from him. To help them make a firm decision before it was too late.

"..."

"Well, I should go say hello to Mika and Saori before heading home. I'm not really in the mood for the event anymore."

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and stood up from the bench.

Although it was an unexpected reunion, I considered it a valuable encounter for continuing as an explorer. After hearing Mr. Miyano's story, I resolved to guide Mika and the others more strictly to prevent them from ending up like Mr. Miyano and his friends.

---

Mr. Miyano and his friends suffered from PTSD after being attacked by PKs. Of course, being nearly killed would leave some trauma.

Incidentally, Mr. Miyano is working as an explorer because the guild's public relations officer, seeing his mental state, skillfully recruited him. As a part-time explorer who can participate in PR mock battles—explorers around level 10—he caught their eye.