Having finished preparations for the Dungeon subjugation, I gathered at Baim's eastern gate to depart and found the assembled force numbered in the hundreds.
It didn't quite reach a thousand, but it was still a considerable number.
(I heard the difficulty was supposed to be low, but...)
The largest party was the knights led by Alette Baie. There were roughly thirty combatants, with an equal number of support personnel.
Perhaps because their support was insufficient, they had also taken on temporary hires.
The other parties, even the bigger ones, seemed to have around six fighters with a dozen-odd support staff. My party wasn't the smallest by any means.
The smallest was the lightly equipped group led by Albérno, as that narrow-eyed man had mentioned. They had rented a horse-drawn wagon, but there were only six of them in total.
Then there was Crate Benini, who had stirred things up with that duel. He had the usual six armed fighters, bolstered by an even larger support crew.
They had four wagons prepared as well, and while their equipment was mismatched, it looked almost like a military march. No—I had participated in a march at Central before, and in terms of actual fighting capability, this group was probably superior.
Looking around, I could see unrelated parties had also gathered.
"Huh? Can anyone just join in?"
As I was wondering about that, a staff member dispatched from the Guild was walking toward Alette, the commander of this operation.
It was Tahnia.
I had already finished checking the cargo loaded onto the Porter, so I watched the two of them interact from the corner of my eye.
Having arrived early that morning, I was positioned near the center of the gathering. Because of that, the Porter and I both stood out among the cluster of women.
Among them were adventurers who sidled up with leering grins, asking things like "Are you going to start doing business as soon as we get there?"
It seemed like the Dungeon subjugation here in Baim had all sorts of complications.
(I wonder what I've gotten myself into... Oh wait, someone's talking.)
The voices reaching me weren't all distinguishable amid the surrounding noise. But what I did manage to catch was—
"Here are the official subjugation members."
"...Thanks, Tahnia."
"You don't look too well? What's wrong, Alette? Oh, actually! The party I recommended is also participating, so when they get back, could you let me hear how things went?"
"...Sure? So, what's their name?"
"You'll spot them right away since the party stands out. That's the blue-haired guy named Lyle over there."
It seemed she had known I was eavesdropping.
When Alette glanced my way, she turned pale. I waved, and Tahnia smiled and gave a small wave back.
Alette hung her head, clutching it in her hands.
Once we finished the formalities, Tahnia came over to me.
Watching Alette vanish from in front of me like she was fleeing, I couldn't quite put my feelings into words.
(That's how it is, isn't it? It hurts because she remembers... I know. I really understand, Alette.)
From the Jewel, I heard the Third Generation's voice as he desperately tried to hold back laughter.
"Hey, Lyle... Make sure you ask if he always carries those documents around. Or better yet, ask right in front of him, 'Have you found anyone good yet?'"
(...The Third Generation is somehow the most sinister of all.)
I greeted Tahnia as she approached.
"Good morning. You noticed me, huh?"
"Well, you have a rather conspicuous pack animal. Or wait — it's not a pack animal, it's a Porter? I'm surprised you had one of those talked-about things from Aramsass."
Glancing at the Porter drawing everyone's attention, I spotted Monica nearby puffing out her chest proudly.
Thinking that nobody was actually praising her, I continued talking with Tahnia.
"Oh, right. You were saying something about the official members?"
"Huh? Oh, that. Lyle, you weren't really familiar with the process, were you? Since it's your first time, it might be good to learn how these things work."
Tahnia explained it to me.
In addition to parties approved by the Guild to participate in subjugations, there's also a system that allows parties and solo adventurers hired by those parties as support to be recognized as temporary participants.
Many parties typically operate with just enough members to handle commissions, but when it comes to dungeon subjugations, they hire adventurers to provide support.
Of course, it's not just those kinds of parties, and even when hiring temporarily, you have to be able to trust the other party.
Even for us, it would be difficult to hire someone in just a week.
"Besides adventurers, merchants also accompany the expedition. There are people traveling in the same direction, and even a troupe of traveling performers. See, they're over there."
Looking, I saw a group of elves gathered, checking their instruments.
They were a little off to the side, so I hadn't noticed them.
(They were carrying weapons, so I thought they were adventurers, but...)
Looking around, merchants were leading several carriages. Well-dressed women were cheerfully interacting with those nearby.
Among them were even some who had set up shop in the current situation, doing business with adventurers.
There were also young adventurers lingering around the nearby parties, begging to be taken along, promising to do anything.
"For a limited time, a small town springs up here, you know. Entertainment is also necessary. When moving, the temporary participants also act as guards. The full members can then focus entirely on tackling the dungeon."
"The temporary participants won't be allowed inside?"
Tahnia said with a wry smile.
"As a staff member, it feels strange for me to say this, but we can't keep an eye on everything. Although staff do accompany the group as escorts. After I verify the participants, I return to the Eastern Branch. It's probably better for you to see that side of things for yourself."
I nodded in understanding, and Tahnia added,
"Normally, forming connections with the surrounding groups through temporary participation is important, but you and your party have proven your strength, Lyle."
"...Alette-san mentioned earlier that she was the one who recommended us."
When I said that, Tahnia nodded.
"Yes, so please don't disappoint our expectations."
With a smile, she said that and walked off to confirm participation with the other parties.
——The departing group arrived at their destination under the lead of Alette's party.
Miranda walked from the base, piecing together the meaning of Tahnia's words.
(They really did build a small town. Unbelievable.)
The group had initially been just over a thousand people, but as time passed more had gathered, pushing the total beyond a thousand.
However, once they set out and began moving, groups with different destinations split off.
In the end, after six days of travel, roughly six hundred remained.
The subjugation difficulty was not especially high. But considering the scale exceeded ten floors underground with a boss on every level, it was expected to take time.
The parties actually participating in the subjugation numbered around a hundred and fifty.
Bringing twice that many along was a different approach from dispatching knights and soldiers.
Upon arrival, guild personnel sent ahead immediately confirmed the presence of the members.
Then the mages they had brought along began constructing a base.
The ground was leveled, walls were erected, and roads were laid out.
Just as Tahnia had said, a town had truly been built.
Once they arrived, merchants who unloaded their goods right away divided into those staying and those heading back, escorting adventurers with them on the return trip to Baim.
They would bring back supplies as well, but apparently another caravan was already headed their way, having departed a few days later.
Miranda was curious about what the merchants were thinking in doing all this, but the other party simply smiled evasatively and refused to elaborate.
The goods being sold leaned more toward weapons and armor, alcohol, and food. They had prepared items with a long shelf life.
Among them, some brought in ingredients and conjured up stone ovens with magic to bake bread.
The Guild staff distributed the goods they had brought to the main members, then set up tents and got to work on paperwork there.
They had horses ready, and would presumably be in regular contact with the Guild.
As they headed back to their assigned spot, she noticed that the adventurers had immediately gravitated toward the tent housing the women.
"Hey, five silver coins is steep, isn't it? How about three?"
The man who had brought the women answered the haggling adventurer with a smile.
"Sir, we risked our lives coming all the way out to this stretch of land to do business. A little markup isn't going to kill you. Besides, these are top-quality women I've brought along."
The adventurer wouldn't back down either.
"You're lying! You came all the way out here with an escort — no way it's that dangerous!"
But the man pressed on.
"Suit yourself. I've got other customers to attend to. And we've only just arrived, so we haven't even finished setting up yet. If you'd lend a hand, I might be able to knock a little off the price..."
As the man glanced their way, the adventurers offered to help and set about pitching the tent and handling other tasks.
Looking in another direction, she could hear singing and the sound of instruments — a troupe of performers had set up.
"Now that's lively," she said.
A voice answered her from nearby.
"Of course it is. When adventurers are making money, merchants, craftsmen, and yeah, even the women in those tents are making money too. We're not disciplined enough to fight day after day without any entertainment."
She turned around. Standing there was a man with short blond hair and drooping eyes. At his hip hung a single-handed sword with a long handle.
He was lightly dressed and struck her at first glance as something of a playboy, but Miranda greeted him with a smile.
"Can I help you?"
He smiled back and greeted her, placing a hand on his hip and pointing his thumb at himself with his right hand.
"I'm Albano. The truth is, I'd like to get to know a pretty lady like you. Well, and while I'm at it, I wouldn't mind having a word with your leader too."
Miranda casually let her arm go slack, putting herself in a position where she could grab her weapon at any moment. The man panicked, saying it was a joke.
"I said don't get mad! I really do want to meet your leader! This is your first time participating, right? I don't want things to get too chaotic, so I figured I'd talk it over beforehand."
When she stopped reaching for her weapon, the man visibly relaxed.
(He seems like a light sort of guy, but his reaction speed is surprisingly sharp. And he might be quite strong too.)
As Miranda made that assessment, the man began to explain.
"Alette's big sis basically joins in to train her own subordinates. She figures as long as it turns a profit, there's no problem. She's eager to fight bosses, but beyond that, she's generous. She's a wonderful commander for the likes of us."
Watching him explain, Miranda spoke up.
"So what exactly do you want from us? If it's going to put us at a disadvantage, I'd rather not introduce you."
Albano waved his hands dismissively.
"That's what I'm saying — it won't! Alette's big sis is dead serious about combat specialization. We're more about mobility, you could say — reconnaissance specialization. Well, one look and you can tell, we've got the same vibe."
Looking at Albano, Miranda realized he was the same type as her. He carried a lot of equipment, and was suited for removing and setting traps, and his light gear let him move freely...
(Now that I think about it, everyone in their group was dressed really lightly. So the whole party specialized in that sort of thing.)
"So basically, you don't want us charging ahead and stirring things up. I sometimes get asked to set traps too, and I really don't want to make an enemy of Alette's big sis. It's mutually beneficial. You're welcome to come check for yourself. After that, I wouldn't mind going over to introduce myself properly."
Despite his appearance, Miranda thought him to be a surprisingly meticulous man as she confirmed.
"You'd go that far? If you want me to let someone check, I can send Rael over there?"
At that, Albano made a disgusted face.
"That would be a problem. Everyone besides me has poor manners. Even without bad intentions, they have a way of pissing people off. That's exactly what happened with Crate — we got into a massive fight. Thanks to that, big sis's mood went sideways, and it was a real mess."
It seemed he had his own reasons for coming to introduce himself.
(You're not exactly a model of etiquette yourself, but if the others are even worse, that could be a real problem. Maybe just being aware of it counts for something.)
Miranda decided to confirm the story, even though the man didn't seem to be lying.
"I'll go check with Alette first. After that, let's meet again. It should be easy enough to find if I look around here."
It wasn't a large town.
Just a small place that functioned as a town. There were no villages in the surrounding area.
"That works for me. How about tomorrow morning, then? We've got a caravan, so we'll wait there. Starting work right away from tomorrow, so I'd like to explain things before we head into the Dungeon. Oh, by the way — your name?"
Miranda offered a smile.
"Miranda. If everything checks out, let's meet tomorrow. I'll bring Laiel along too."
Once Albano had finished his business, he walked away without delay.
He looked like a wanderer, but he certainly seemed to have the skills to back up the Guild's recognition.
(This is different from the Griffon extermination back in Central. The surroundings are familiar to everyone, so there's more for us to learn here. Still, I wonder...)
Miranda set off toward where the porter was.
That was the spot with a tent set up — the lodging place for Laiel and the rest of the group. Since they couldn't bring the porter into the Dungeon this time, it was being used as their sleeping quarters.
As she drew closer, she could see that Laiel and the others, having already arrived, were checking over the supplies received from the Guild.
It was food — hard bread, dried meat, and the like.
Monica was studying it all with a serious expression, trying to figure out how best to prepare everything.
Laiel was checking the small porter replica that Clara had named the "mini-porter."
May was lying flat on the porter's roof, yawning.
Eva had perked up at the sound of a song drifting over and was fidgeting, earning a quiet rebuke from Novem.
Shannon, exhausted from just the journey alone, had her legs hanging out of the porter's cargo bed, looking completely drained.
Novem was going through the luggage together with Eva.
Then, she looked at the staff Novem was carrying.
(The one she bought in Baim, huh. I wonder why she felt the need to lie about it.)
The metallic silver staff was simply crafted. The grip had a design that looked like wood stained black.
Both ends were silver, and the design of the upper portion was also simple for a mage's staff.
And then Miranda remembered Laiel's reaction upon seeing that staff.
"That one looks similar to Novem's staff, doesn't it?"
Miranda had never bothered to ask what exactly was similar, but she did know that she had her information broker look into it and confirmed that Novem had received something staff-like from her family.
(Maybe it's a coincidence, but the timing is just too perfect.)
Miranda grew wary of Novem.
Then, Novem turned back toward Miranda.
As if she had noticed her all along.
(Someday, I'll peel that mask right off you, Novem.)
Miranda returned to her companions with a smile, all the while thinking such thoughts—.