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Though the Hero Perishes, the Lake’s Beauty Persists – Part 05

“Freya, you’re a good girl, so how about taking charge of the dungeon?”

“No, thank you.”

“I’ll even grant you the naming rights!”

“Angela Dungeon has a pretty nice ring to it, don’t you think?”

“Hmm… In that case, we’ll add in the fortune that Scorching Goblet provided to the guild!”

“We already split that three ways, though. Besides, whether it’s Vireocean’s guild or Ponsonia’s guild that manages it, it won’t have anything to do with us receptionists.”

“Are you serious? Your salary will get bumped up!”

“I’m already well-compensated.”

“I’m begging you, please!”

“No, thank you.”

“I think it’s a fantastic proposal,” someone interrupted.

“Hikaru?!”

He had been listening in on their conversation.

“Wh-What happened? Your head is all wet.”

Hikaru laughed dryly. “Ah, well… Achoo!”

He was cold after having just finished swimming in cold water. Paula could use her magic to cure a cold, but his body remained tired nonetheless.

“So, about the dungeon, I think it would be good if Freya takes it over. We can leave the management to the Adventurers Guild in Pond.”

“Right?! This adventurer knows what’s up,” Angela said.

“Hikaru, managing a dungeon is not an easy task.”

“I get that. But I also think you should get a raise.”

“What?! M-Me?!”

“We came all the way here and gained nothing. That’s just disappointing. Although management of the dungeon will be outsourced, it will create jobs. It’s not all bad. Besides, if you don’t take it, someone else will.”

“Y-You have a point.”

“I believe you’re not the kind of person to ignore and abandon this dungeon.”

Hikaru looked straight into Freya’s eyes.

“Ugh… F-Fine! Pond’s Adventurers Guild will take charge of the dungeon.”

“Yay! You heard that, right?! Leave all the remaining tasks to her!”

Jumping with joy, Angela shook the chief of the guild’s investigation team then skipped away.

“Hahaha. So much energy. Well then, Miss Freya, are you okay with taking on the management here?”

“Yes,” Freya replied reluctantly. “Hikaru, you owe me one, okay?”

Hikaru smiled meaningfully. “I think you’ll thank me,” he whispered.

Within the same day, Angela and the guild’s investigation team withdrew. Freya explained to the settlement’s chief the future plans for the dungeon. Hikaru and Paula accompanied her nonchalantly.

“Oh, this is about the future, isn’t it?” the chief said.

“Yes. As for this dungeon, it will be managed by the royal capital’s guild’s branch, the Pond Adventurer’s Guild.”

“I see. So we just need to contact you in the future.”

“That’s right.”

Thank goodness we settled that quickly, Freya thought.

“That would be all, then.”

“Oh, when will the branch office be ready?” the chief asked.

“Branch office?” Freya parroted back, leaning forward.

“Yes. Um, I thought we were going to discuss the establishment of a branch office here.”

“No, we’re not. Maybe if the dungeon still had value, but it’s already dead.”

“What?” Surprised, the chief looked at Freya, then Hikaru. “What does this mean, Hikaru?”

“What?” Freya turned to Hikaru. She wondered why the chief addressed him.

“Before explaining everything, how about the four of us go and see?” Hikaru suggested.

“Wh-Where are we going?”

“To the dungeon, of course.”

Puzzled but having faith in Hikaru, Freya headed to the dungeon.

“Hikaru, it’s pitch-black inside. We can’t go in.”

“It’s fine. Let’s go,” Hikaru asserted.

“Seriously…?” Confused, Freya reluctantly followed.

The surroundings of the dungeon was deserted. With Hikaru in the lead, Freya, the chief, and Paula descended a long staircase.

“See? It’s dark inside, and we can’t see a thing,” Freya said.

“It’s because your eyes were used to the brightness outside.”

Freya blinked. “Whaaaaat?!”

Staring intently, Freya noticed that the inside of the dungeon was faintly glowing. They had already descended about twenty meters from the entrance. She could just barely make out the path ahead.

“Do you get it now? The dungeon has come back to life.”

The revelation left Freya speechless.

“We just needed to verify it,” Hikaru said. “Monsters should be respawning, so let’s go back to the entrance.”

Freya, still unable to say anything, followed Hikaru back to the house, along with the chief, who didn’t know whether to be happy about the dungeon coming back to life.

“Wh-What’s going on?!”

It took thirty minutes before Freya recovered.

“She’s talking, Lord Hikaru!”

“That took a while. The tea has cooled, so I’ll make a new one.”

“Th-Thank you… Wait, no!”

“We can talk over tea.”

“Oh, we’ll talk, all right. I’m not returning to Pond until you tell me everything.” She fixed him with an intense stare.

I didn’t know she could look so scary. Hikaru learned something new about Freya today.

“So, let’s start with the structure of the dungeon,” he began.

This dungeon was structured up to the second underground floor. Once the jade and gold dust were exhausted, replenishment was unlikely. However, the monsters would respawn.

The crucial element was the cup in the innermost room. Returning it reactivated the dungeon. The duration of the dungeon’s activity remained unknown, but immediate cessation seemed unlikely, as the cup brimmed with magical power. Power likely obtained in exchange for Zappa’s life, which made Hikaru feel a little weird.

The mummy in that room was probably a victim of a ritual using the cup. No idea what the ritual was for, though.

There were no mermaids in the lake. At least, Hikaru didn’t see any from where he swam, and the fishermen in the village didn’t know about them.

Maybe the few remaining mermaids all turned into humans through the ritual… just a thought.

Hikaru continued his explanation.

Members of Scorching Goblet had secretly taken the cup, but due to internal discord, they tossed it into the lake. Hikaru retrieved it and hurriedly returned it. However, he kept the hidden shortcut to himself.

“So, monsters should be showing up right now. If the guild takes control, it would be advisable to avoid entering the innermost room, or even the large hall before that, or the second floor entirely. Dealing with a large number of fishman monsters is difficult unless you have a party like the Scorching Goblet.”

“How do you know all that?” Freya eyed Hikaru suspiciously.

He smiled awkwardly. “I asked members of Scorching Goblet. They seemed to have analyzed the dungeon’s structure to some extent. But since Zappa passed away, they stopped caring about managing the dungeon or revealing its secrets.”

“Oh…”

Hikaru decided to outright lie by invoking the name of Scorching Goblet. It wouldn’t tarnish their reputation, and if Scorching Goblet disbanded, they wouldn’t be able to conduct any follow-up investigations.

“I see.”

Hikaru felt a twinge of conscience at Freya’s sympathetic and pained expression.

“But is there any point in reactivating the dungeon?”

“There is. Well, it might not be that appealing to many adventurers. But for the people living in this settlement, it holds significant meaning.”

“Hmm?”

“It becomes a means to make money during the harsh, long winter.”

“Ah!”

“I am told that the elemental magic stones obtained by killing monsters can be sold to the Adventurers Guild,” the chief said.

Freya realized Hikaru’s intention. Even if the adults in the hamlet joined forces, they could only defeat a few fishmen. Nevertheless, for them, who hardly earned any money during the winter, having a way to earn cash was crucial. They could sell them in bulk in spring or attract traveling merchants even during the winter. Merchants would go anywhere if there was money to be made.

Moreover, the price of elemental magic stones had surged recently. While the elemental magic stones dropped by a single fishman might not be very large, those produced by the dungeon were often of high purity and could be sold for a decent amount.

“We still don’t fully understand how dungeons work, but it looks like there are dungeons that extract elemental magic stones from the earth, and others that generate them in some way. Since there’s no elemental magic stone mine around here, I think it’s probably the latter. In that case, as long as the dungeon stays active, it could be a nice source of income for—”

“You’re so…”

“—the village. What? Did I say something?”

Freya was amazed by the magnitude of this boy’s idea. Her heart was moved.

Reactivating the dungeon alone was a tremendous feat, but he had thought beyond that, considering how to utilize it. He intended to use the dungeon as a means to bring life to this declining settlement.

Needless to say, with the decrease in the circulation of elemental magic stones, obtaining even a bit would be a significant contribution for Pond’s Adventurers Guild.

“I understand what you’re trying to do,” Freya said. “I’ll make sure to keep up with you. I will study hard to become a top-notch receptionist. And I’ll put my all into making sure the Adventurers Guild enriches people’s lives.”

She squeezed his hands tight, their foreheads almost touching.

“What? O-Okay.”

“I’ll do my best!”

“I-It will be challenging, but good luck.”

“Thanks!”

Hikaru didn’t quite understand, but he decided it was a good thing that she was motivated.

And so, a dungeon named the Mermaid Dungeon formed once again in the hamlet near Lake Tseng-Ti.