Chapter 33

No one spoke, and it felt as if a long time had passed.

(I messed up... I ended up blurting out all sorts of things emotionally. What do I do with this atmosphere...?)

"Orun, I understand how you feel, but can we move on with our discussion now?"

Just as I was thinking about how to handle this icy atmosphere, the guild master spoke up.

"Y-Yes, of course. I'm sorry for my unseemly behavior."

Is my face completely red right now? I haven't let my emotions explode like this in a long time. I feel a bit relieved, but mostly embarrassed.

"I've never seen you get this emotional before. Eleonora was worried that you might be dead inside because you're always so calm and composed. It's good to see that you do have feelings."

"Hey! Guild Master!"

Eleonora, who was suddenly exposed, interrupted the guild master with a flustered expression.

Is this the guild master's way of lightening the mood? The members of the hero party still look gloomy, but the guild side seems to have relaxed a bit.

"Alright, let's get back to the topic. Orun, just to confirm, did you defeat that black dragon alone? Selma from *Silver Hare of the Night Sky* said you did it alone."

The guild master asked me. Honestly, I wanted to report that I defeated it with *Silver Hare of the Night Sky*, but if Selma has already reported it, there's no point in lying. From the looks of it, the information has already spread among the adventurers.

"...Yes, I defeated it alone."

"Alone? Defeating a boss on a deep floor is impossible! Did you use some special magic?!"

One of the guild executives, who was sitting with us, asked me excitedly after I confirmed that I defeated it alone.

"I can't tell you how I defeated it. I can only report on the black dragon's combat abilities and weaknesses."

There's an unspoken rule among adventurers that we don't pry into each other's combat styles or original magic. It's to avoid putting parties at a disadvantage during conflicts, which, though rare, do happen.

Moreover, original magic is something you work hard to create. Few people are eager to share such things freely.

However, adventurers are required to report any information they gather in the dungeon to the guild, and that information is made public. Therefore, there's no obligation to report on your combat style or original magic.

That said, during the reporting process, it's often possible to infer someone's combat style.

Ah, earlier, I was about to report that I didn't defeat the black dragon alone, but that's not part of the reporting obligation. The obligation is to report the characteristics of the monsters encountered in the dungeon and the locations where materials like ores can be found, not who defeated them or how.

"Of course, I understand. Can you tell us more about the black dragon, then?"

The guild master acknowledged that I couldn't answer the guild executive's question.

I reported the new attack patterns I discovered in this battle, compared them to the previous battle, and noted the commonalities.

"As always, your report is concise and to the point."

The guild master muttered with a complex expression.

"Is there something wrong with my report?"

"No, Orun, your report is excellent. It's just that other adventurers' reports often include more details about how their party fought, while the hero party, despite its fame, provides less personal information. You're still very good at keeping things under wraps."

"Information can be more powerful than force. I'm sorry, but I can't compromise on this. If there are no issues, I'll refrain from further reporting."

"You're a tough nut to crack. ...Ah, one last thing. Within the scope of what you can say, I'd like to hear about your future plans. You're a powerful individual who defeated the black dragon alone, yet you're now a free agent after leaving the hero party. There are countless parties and clans that would want you. We need to be aware of your movements to prevent any chaos."

My future plans, huh? To be honest, I haven't thought about it at all...

When I was in the hero party, I was always busy with various tasks and had almost no time for myself. Now that I have the time and the freedom to do what I want, I'm actually at a loss. I think this is what they call being a workaholic, right? Or maybe not.

"...I haven't really thought about it. I can continue living on my own as I am. I plan to continue being an adventurer for now. Eventually, I might return to the Southern Great Dungeon."

"I see. By the way, Orun, do you know that the Western Great Dungeon has been cleared?"

The guild master suddenly asked about the Western Great Dungeon.

I'm currently in the city of Tsutairu in the Kingdom of Nohitanto, located in the southwestern part of the continent. To the northwest of Nohitanto, in the Saurbel Empire, which occupies the western part of the continent, there is another great dungeon.

The city where this dungeon is located is called Sebair. The Western Great Dungeon, one of the four great dungeons on the continent, is located in Sebair. I believe that Fil Carpenter, who recently joined the hero party, is an adventurer from Sebair.

About three months ago, a party led by an adventurer called a *Hero* reached the deepest level of the Western Great Dungeon and brought back a supermassive magic stone, about ten meters in diameter, from the bottom.

After that, no more monsters appeared in the Western Great Dungeon, and it became possible to safely gather materials from the dungeon.

As a result, materials from deeper levels have become more common in the market, boosting the economy. The Western Great Dungeon is the only one of the great dungeons that has been cleared.

"Yes, I know. What about it?"

"Adventurers who were based in Sebair are moving to the cities with the remaining three great dungeons, including this city. Many parties have disbanded, and there's a lot of activity in party recruitment. I think you can handle it, but if any major issues arise, please report them to us."

I see. If materials can be safely gathered from the Western Great Dungeon, even non-adventurers can enter the dungeon. Even if monsters start appearing again in the future, there will be no income until then, so it makes sense to change their base of operations. I don't quite understand why so many parties are disbanding, though.

"...I see. Understood."

That concluded the discussion at the guild.

I was told that the corpse of the black dragon belongs to me as the slayer, so I decided to keep almost all the undamaged scales and sell the rest to the guild. I don't know the exact amount yet, but I think I'll get enough to not worry about money for a while. ...I already have quite a bit, though.

Still, while I understand what happened, nothing has been resolved. We don't know why the black dragon was active outside its boss area, and the guild has no idea what caused it.

Even with all the information the guild gathers about the dungeons, this is a situation they haven't grasped. There's not enough information to investigate on my own, and I don't have a starting point.

In the end, this kind of thing might happen again, so I can't let my guard down.

Well, I'm always on guard when I'm in the dungeon.

With the discussion at the guild over and my questions answered, I stood up to leave. The members of the hero party were still with their heads down, and no one from the guild was standing up. They're probably about to discuss the penalties for the forced return. I'll just leave.

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