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Never touch Eldmia Egga - Episode 54

When Gaendal and I woke up, the sunset was starting to set..

As always, I got up and smelled the fragrant stew, but it was obvious that if I wanted to go to the bathroom, it would be a hassle, so I decided to just relax and move..

"They say there is a group that buys supplies from the village on a regular basis.."

Surprisingly, while we were asleep, Catherine and Lely went to the nearest village and returned after exploring. While I could not help but be amazed by the party members actively moving around, the two continued their explanations..

It took a leisurely 20-minute ride to reach the village on horseback, and they usually visited every week, and it is said that the time to visit is slowly approaching. When Gar Endal looked into it, he concluded that there were no horses around the dungeon, so if they moved, they came and went purely on foot..

"It is said that usually 6 or 7 people come down in groups, and each time they hang out at the bar for half a day and then return.."

Without a doubt, it is thoroughly planned stress management..

I don't know if it came from the demon's head, or if someone else is acting as the head, but thanks to this, my level of vigilance towards them has increased a little..

Still, if we got it right, it was an opportunity to start with half the number of security shifts, so we gave the two people who sought information a generous round of applause..

I woke up to find that the difficulty level of the quest had skyrocketed! What a great team..

"No matter what happens, I won't be back until tomorrow morning, so if there's any sign of me approaching, I'll just have to be alert and watch. You may be tired, but it would be better to be on alert every three hours.."

"Aren't the two of them going to stand four hours apart, even if they can't? Don't worry."

I was moved by Gin's kindness in handing over his cloak to me, who said I didn't need it since I was next to the bonfire anyway, so I moved without a cape. Gaendal and I headed to the abandoned dungeon without delay..

Even though there is moonlight and starlight in the forest at night, there is darkness so deep that it cannot be ignored. Since we lived in a cabin in the forest, the night vision was quite bright, but the problem was that Gaendal had poor night vision, so we walked as quickly as possible..

The reconnaissance plan is extremely simple. Sitting back and watching trends.

No matter how much they pretend to be guild members, it is clear that they will pay attention to full-scale activities, so if they want to do anything outside of the dungeon, it will be late at night or early in the morning. If there is no such external activity at all, then it is enough to conclude that something is going on in the dungeon..

I guessed that the village visit to stock up on supplies would be between noon and before the sun completely sets..

They spend most of their day inside the dungeon. Even then, the only thing that comes out is security work..

As you will learn from now on, if there are no other external activities, there is nothing. It may be limited as it is, but if you work without light under such tension for several months, you will inevitably become mentally exhausted..

There's no way the guy who came up with the idea of ​​spending nearly half a day at the village bar to manage his stress would overlook that fact. It was clear that he was keeping the bar's operating hours in mind, allowing them to get as much light as possible, and then resting for a day or so upon returning..

"indeed. Manage stress. I hadn't thought of that.."

"Even if we work in the dungeon for a long time, it is difficult to last more than two weeks. They are in hiding, so it must be necessary.

I don't know how long it has been going on specifically, but it has been several months since they started visiting the village, so unless they are managed in that way, they will become extremely sensitive and problems will definitely arise between them. As Gaendal said, the fact that even the personnel on guard did not feel sluggish is at least proof that management has not become lax, which further strengthens my opinion..

"You're really well-versed in dealing with people, aren't you? Can you even think that far? I'm surprised."

"It just happened to be something."

"It doesn't seem like a simple enough guess to know...."

After a conversation that gave me a strong sense of déjà vu, we ran for about ten minutes and arrived at the safe surveillance location that Gaendal had checked..

I heard that the entrance had the structure of a temple, so I thought the entrance was like that, but surprisingly, the entrance was cave-like with a tangle of dirt and grass. In any case, you may not know that this is a dungeon in this world..

"Well then, before it gets too dark, I'll take a moment to check if there are any noticeable signs around me.."

"Please."

In order to repay Gaendal for his firm trust in me without even asking me what traces I was looking for, I wandered around eagerly, secretly, and quickly..

What you want to find first is simple. The condition of medicinal plants that can be collected during long-term residence, vines that can be used as materials, and wood for firewood. And things like traces of people.

In my past life, I didn't even know how to survive, but now, having grown up under Asilier's intensive care, I am skilled enough to easily trace traces even at night without the help of spirits. A tracker specialized in the forest. To me, who has mastered elf skills in a human body, the forest is no different from the front yard..

Now that I think about it, I might be awesome.?

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The investigation continued for another 20 minutes even after the sun went down and complete darkness fell in the forest. Meanwhile, there was no movement in the dungeon. I could only faintly hear the sounds of those on guard talking to overcome boredom..

And when I returned to the observation point, I had to report the undesirable results to Gaendal..

"I haven't touched anything around those guys.."

"nothing?"

"nothing."

I didn't touch anything to the point where I wondered if this made sense. Even things that can be used as firewood are plentiful compared to the time they spent there. Since there are no traces of cutting down the trees, it is unlikely that the money was made by felling trees..

"The problem is that they have so much money that they do not feel any burden in providing most daily necessities, including firewood, in the village, and the problem is that no attempt was made to prepare in case the supplies run out.."

They are clearly hiding from others..

That meant that they had no external means of making money, and that they didn't even steal for fear of being caught, and just endured for several months as if they were guild members constantly monitoring the dungeon..

"Does this mean that the demons are plotting something out there, even providing funds, or that there is a third force providing funds?..."

A strong tension ran down my spine..

"Mr. Gaendal, have you ever seen a demon??"

"Just once. I saw it indirectly when I was entrusted with a request for a battlefield reconnaissance team.."

Gaendal, who briefly remembered while stroking his chin, continued:.

"Even in the Demon King's army, there is only one soldier. However, the level of strength is so different that the basic tactic of the Demon King's army is for a single soldier to smash the square made up of tower shields with his body. Of course, I think we can easily deal with those level of demons as long as we don't have magic. but..."

"The problem is that the demons sent to places like this are probably not at the level of ordinary soldiers.."

"yes. Even if you measure it by our standards, it's not something we can entrust to ordinary soldiers.."

okay. Even if they couldn't do it, they would have brought in special forces. Although I had a serious expression that mirrored Gaendal's serious face, I was happy on the inside. Still, there is a higher chance that he knows something..

Above all, war is not only waged by kingdoms, but also demons. It's been several years already. As Gaendal imagines, it would be a waste of talent to send incredibly strong demons into such a secret mission. The proper way to utilize it is to send it into the battlefield and destroy as many of the kingdom's troops as possible..

At best, one demon capable of taking out 20 of them alone or a squad-sized demon would be best. In addition, there may be at least one more head leading the plan..

I can assure you that you can win on your own, assuming you don't overdo it..

"It is said that when people experience an unknown situation, they tend to think negatively rather than positively.."

"hmm?"

"If a child goes out in the morning and doesn't come back late at night, they start worrying that something has happened, rather than thinking that the child may have gone to another friend's house and stayed there until dinner.."

"...This means that our thoughts can be too negative.."

To be honest, I thought it would be considered nonsense, but Gaendal was truly thoughtful. Thanks to this, I was able to convey to him what I thought without any hesitation..

"yes. Even if they are demons, they are ultimately a race that forms a nation, and they are similar creatures that have not been able to overwhelm us in a war that has lasted for several years, right? If it's a really strong demon, they'll be busy putting it into the battlefield and giving it even a little bit of an advantage. Even in the worst case scenario, I think it is a reasonable judgment at the moment to assume that there will be about five to six people, like special forces...less than ten people.."

If you think about it, it's very unlikely that he's one guy strong enough to tear down all 20 people I thought of earlier..

Because it's inefficient. It is relatively more common for a person to cut down 5 to 6 people than to eat 20 people. If that's enough, it's normal to use it like that..

"Instead, we can see that a structure has been formed to enable direct contact with the Demon Lord's army or to receive material support in some form that we do not know.."

"Hmm...that's true. I was really scared of the fact that they were demons. I'm so glad you came with me.."

Gaendal's face became brighter, further increasing my trust in him. A leader who doesn't listen to the opinions of those clearly younger than him. If this request is successful, Engrim will be able to move around with some strain on his neck..

It means that his eyes on people are real..