Peridot

Night.

I held the yellow-green gem between my fingers and peered at the lantern light shining through it.

"Pretty big, huh? And it's cut really nice, too."

The gemstone, roughly ten centimeters across, was stunningly beautiful.

Sometimes, treasures unearthed from Dungeons like this could yield something valuable without even venturing deep inside.

But that was exceedingly rare.

The reason I hadn't converted it into currency was because I couldn't decide how to handle a gemstone infused with magic power. It was undoubtedly worth a pretty penny, but I had no way of judging how much.

I wasn't the only one gazing at the gemstone.

Shannon was looking up at the glow of the lantern mounted on the front of the Porter, standing right beside me and staring at the gem in my hand.

"That one's, like, really pretty. And it's got so much magical energy gathered in it—I've never seen anything like it. Hey, gimme."

"Hahaha, scram."

I tucked the gemstone back into my coat and held down Shannon's head as she flailed her arms around in protest.

That was when Novem spoke up.

"...That's a peridot, isn't it?"

I turned around and tilted my head, wondering when she'd shown up.

Shannon, startled by Novem's proximity, bolted.

(She's ducking out of work again, isn't she...)

Exasperated as always with Shannon's antics, I pulled the gemstone out once more.

"Want to see?"

I handed the gemstone to Novem.

Novem took it and gazed upon the jewel—.

"…For a first-floor dungeon, that's quite the expensive gemstone you've found. I heard this wasn't an ancient dungeon."

The treasure hoards stored within a dungeon gain rare value as they're bathed in magical energy over time.

If Shannon, who could see magical power with her own eyes, said she'd never seen anything like it, then it must be worth something.

(There might be another path for Shannon, too. Maybe something like an appraiser.)

Novem handed the gemstone back to me.

"What do you intend to do with this?"

I hadn't quite decided on a use for it.

"Still thinking it over. With just this one, we'd probably turn a profit even if we found nothing else. There might be some way to put it to use, but even if I wanted to look into it, it'd attract too much attention here."

Novem looked at me.

"…Why not entrust it to someone?"

I shook my head.

"No, it's valuable, so I'll keep it. I'd worry about leaving it behind, and it's not like it takes up much space."

Novem looked as though she wanted to say something, but she quickly broke into a smile and agreed with my decision.

It was the second day of our dungeon raids.

This time, I decided to take on the dungeon with Novem, Clara, and then Eva and May.

This would be Clara's second consecutive outing, but since she was on support duty, she wouldn't be participating in combat.

I knew it would be tough on her, but she wasn't the type to complain over something like this, so I decided to have her push through.

On our way to the dungeon, I called out to Clara.

"Sorry for making you go two days in a row."

To which Clara replied.

"No problem at all. However, with one-day rotations, we'd only go until we return the same day... which would put us at roughly the fifth basement floor, I'd say. If that's the case, then when we go back to tackle the dungeon again, we'll need to carefully select our members."

Inside the cave.

Once we set foot on the second basement floor, the dungeon's structure became mostly clear.

Narrow corridors that were tight for combat.

Cold, dripping cave interiors.

A dungeon whose spaciousness remained unchanged even as we went deeper underground.

Having a boss on every floor was a hassle, but beyond that, the difficulty was low and it was a relatively easy dungeon to clear.

As of the first day, exploration had already pushed through to the third basement floor.

Since the bosses hadn't reappeared, once the main members began their full-scale assault, progress from there might be quick.

"That depends on Alette. But apparently there are dungeons that change dramatically at certain points, so we'll need to be careful around those areas."

There was still a lot unknown about the dungeon.

May, dressed in her usual chilly-looking outfit with a coat thrown over it, walked along with her hands clasped behind her head.

"...If it were me, I could crush the whole thing in a single day, you know?"

For May, a powerful Kirin, a dungeon of this caliber seemed easy enough to break through.

But that would cause problems, so I was having her hold back this time.

"Just be patient. If you wipe everything out in one go, it'll stir up a commotion. Below the fifth floor, they say you need to proceed slowly and carefully, so we'll do the same."

More than wanting to avoid standing out, I also had the goal of investigating how Baim's adventurers went about their work.

Eva stored her short bow in the quiver at her lower back, equipped her short sword, and walked at the front.

Maybe it was because the dungeon was so different from the forest, but she kept muttering complaints.

"It's dark, and it's hard to walk, and it's cold... I hate this place."

(The forest was dark and hard to walk through too, though.)

Still, she was getting her job done as the front-line fighter.

We advanced while confirming the surroundings with Skills [Map] and [Search], but several adventurer parties had already made their way down.

That said, it seemed no one had committed to actually staying overnight yet.

Novem spoke.

"By the third day, the main members will probably take on each floor's boss. They want to keep the momentum going and unlock down to the fifth floor, apparently."

If they unlocked down to the fifth floor, the adventurers they'd brought along could enter the Dungeon as well.

With some luck, they might even obtain the treasures the Dungeon had produced.

At least, from my perspective walking through the second floor, it already felt like the treasures had been picked clean.

(Guess the luck of the first day won't last.)

Even the Monsters seemed to have dropped off significantly in number.

The adventurers were probably killing them left and right for the money.

"Let's head down to the third floor today and check out the situation. By tomorrow, Alette and the others will probably challenge the boss, and I want to do some groundwork for that."

Alette had little interest in treasures, but there were things she was particular about.

That was fighting the boss.

Fighting inside the Dungeon was one thing, but Alette and her group showed no willingness to compromise when it came to combat.

Their stance was that if anyone was going to challenge the boss, it had to be them.

In exchange, they were willing to grant a fair degree of freedom in everything else.

It was a simple way of thinking — as long as they didn't end up in the red, Alette and the others weren't a problem.

The fact that they weren't adventurers to begin with, but temporary ones, was probably a big reason why.

As I walked while checking the surroundings on the map, a staircase leading underground soon came into view.

The five of us descended those stairs — and —

"…Well, this is something."

Besides Albano and his group who were already ahead of us, other combat-capable parties were tearing through the place with abandon.

They were fighting against Monsters.

Straining my ears, I could hear the sounds since we were close to the battles.

When an explosion went off, I felt a brief jolt of panic, wondering if someone had used magic.

Eva wore a grim expression.

"…Hey, it's dangerous when people use magic in such a tight space, isn't it?"

She seemed worried about getting caught in the crossfire.

May didn't seem bothered at all.

"Just block it, right? More importantly, why don't we just rush in, smash them, and call it a day? I want to get back for tonight's dinner — it's meat tonight, so let's hurry."

Novem chided the two of them.

"They should be exercising at least some caution. Let's keep our distance as well. Also, even if we do head back, dinner won't be ready yet, May."

The two of them never argued with Novem, so they acknowledged her and continued down the corridor.

Clara watched the exchange and said:

"Novem, subhumans really do seem to take a particular liking to you."

Hearing her say that, I remembered as well.

Come to think of it, during the Griffon extermination, the dwarves and gnomes seemed to really take a liking to me… or was I just imagining it?

Novem had been met with hostility from Monica the Automaton, but subhumans found her easy to like.

Well, Novem is kind, so… that's all there is to it, right?

Shaking off the thought, I pressed onward.

We returned safely on the second day, and after finishing the currency exchange, I was on my way back to my companions.

Seeing the town grow larger day by day, I couldn't help but wonder if they were truly planning to build a full town.

The tents were fewer, and buildings had increased.

Stalls had multiplied, and the place was brimming with vitality.

Stepping outside, I gazed at the scene and murmured.

"This is just like the Village of Mages itself."

Clara nodded at my words.

"It really is."

Then Eva spoke up.

"Oh, I know about that one too!"

Novem nodded as well, but only one person — May — looked puzzled.

"What do you mean, 'Village of Mages'?"

Then, the Fifth Generation's voice came from the Jewel.

"Laiel, shouldn't you tell May about this? Tell her kindly and thoroughly."

The Sixth Generation made a snide remark.

"Truly kind to animals, aren't you."

Just as I was about to explain, Novem and Eva had already taken action.

Novem gave a brief summary.

"Long ago, a mage came to a village and ruined it, destroying everything."

Eva added, looking slightly exasperated.

"They used magic to solve everything, and their good intentions ended up destroying the village, right?"

May listened and seemed to vaguely understand.

"Ah, so that's how it is. People who can use magic, and people who can't... that's how humans divide things up, isn't it? If you ask me, everyone uses magic in one way or another."

Walking through the bustling streets, we made our way toward where our companions were.

Clara explained the finer details to May.

"It all started when a single mage visited a poor village. He used magic to drive off the Monsters, and the villagers were grateful to him. So the mage decided to settle in the village and use his magic for their sake."

It was a story meant as a cautionary tale.

Clara continued.

"At first, the villagers were delighted. The mage used magic for the benefit of the village. But once he started crafting farming tools, the local craftsmen ended up leaving the village."

The reason was simple: the mage single-handedly handled everything from manufacturing to repairing the tools.

The craftsmen couldn't make a living under those conditions.

"Next, he used magic to enrich the village. There were bountiful harvests every year, and he conjured iron, silver, and even gold with magic. The villagers stopped working."

No matter how hard they tried, or how little effort they put in, there were always abundant harvests each year, so the motivation to work vanished. And as the village grew wealthy, taxes disappeared as well.

"Eventually, the villagers multiplied and the village grew larger. It even became a full-blown town. But a single mage simply wasn't enough to maintain such a large village."

The village had grown beyond the mage's ability to manage, but the villagers had grown accustomed to luxury and become dependent on him.

They had come to expect that the mage would handle everything.

“The mage works himself to exhaustion for the village day after day, but the villagers complain that it’s never enough. Then the mage collapses and never returns. That’s where the real problem begins. The villagers who had relied on the mage up to that point had become wealthy and arrogant.”

May said this with a weary sigh.

“If only they could just return to their old lives.”

If that were possible, things wouldn’t be so difficult.

Giving up a certain quality of life is actually surprisingly hard.

Honestly, I’d gone through a lot of trouble myself, burdening Novem.

Clara spoke the final part of the tale.

“There were no craftsmen left. Harvests plummeted, and there was hardly anyone willing to work properly. They couldn’t pay their taxes, and the village quickly fell into poverty. And then—”

May seemed to grasp the general outcome.

“—the villagers, in their despair, perished along with their village. They weren’t destroyed by bandits or Monsters. They didn’t even seek help. They simply vanished together with their village.”

It only took a little thought to realize that the surrounding communities hadn’t helped a village that had grown accustomed to luxury and become arrogant.

There were various reasons, but this lesson was—

“In other words, they failed to keep up with rapid development. They became prosperous thanks to magic, and when that magic disappeared, they perished. Good intentions don’t always lead to good outcomes, and magic should always be used with careful thought. That’s the moral of the story.”

After all, there aren’t always kind-hearted mages around.

May summed it up at the end, and Clara looked a little dissatisfied.

(…That Eva, she just swooped in and took the best part.)

Perhaps unaware of this herself, Eva was chatting cheerfully with May.

From within the Jewel, the Fourth Generation’s voice sounded.

'Laiel, a man should step back and let others take the lead.'

I spoke to Clara.

"Hey, Clara — what do you think the Village of Mages is trying to say? From where I stand, it feels more like a list of warnings for ruling a domain."

I was no longer the heir to a lordship, but I still couldn't help thinking that way.

Clara heard me out, then spoke.

"That's a valid way to look at it, too. From the villagers' perspective, you could read it as: don't rely too heavily on convenient things, and don't forget to be grateful. But still..."

"But still?"

"...There are times when I feel like magic might just be an illusion, after all."

Plenty of books leave different impressions on different readers.

And among all that, Clara seemed to feel that magic was something akin to an illusion.

As we walked, Novem spoke up.

"It's a gift from the gods, isn't it? Magic, Skills — all of them are presents from the last goddess. In principle, none of that should have been necessary, but..."

When I turned around, Novem was smiling.

Yet to me, she looked just a little bit sad.

—The fourth basement floor of the Dungeon.

It was Albano's party who set foot on it.

Three days had passed since they began their Dungeon subjugation.

After defeating the boss on the fourth floor, Alette's group appeared behind Albano's, who had pushed on ahead.

Seeing the knights show no signs of fatigue even after battle, Albano let out a whistle.

"Wearing that much heavy armor and still taking down a boss — you ladies sure know how to have fun."

Albano's light tone met Alette's deadpan retort, her expression unchanged as she removed her helmet.

"A knight's armor is the same as being naked. Getting excited, Albano?"

With that, Albano burst out laughing.

"Don't lump me in with that guy Crate, sis! So — do you need a guide all the way to this floor's boss?"

Alette looked around at the members surrounding her.

"...Right. Find us a room where we can rest. If you discover the boss, let us know. If you're having trouble dealing with the Monsters, you can have your subordinates handle it."

She was telling Albano's group to go search for a place, but they were all grinning.

That was because it was more convenient for both sides.

If Alette and her party accompanied them and took down the Monsters to find a treasure chest, the split would end up being half and half.

There was no profit in that for Albano's group.

"Nice. Looks like we can keep up a good relationship with you after all, sis. So we're free to claim whatever treasure we find as our own?"

Alette replied with a hint of exasperation.

"Leave a little for the other groups too. If you take everything, the resentment will just end up pointed at you. Well, our goal isn't treasure — it's combat. Find something and do what you want with it. That said, I will be taking the treasure from the innermost chamber."

Alette and her party intended to defeat the boss in the innermost chamber, and they had more than enough strength to do so.

Albano's group hadn't exhausted themselves traveling alongside Alette up to this point. As they started to walk away, they waved back.

"Yeah, there's no way we could do that ourselves. Until then, we'll scrape together some earnings from treasure chests along the way. If you want, we could even set up a trap in front of the innermost chamber. We'll make sure nobody bothers you."

Alette laughed at Albano's joke.

"That won't be necessary. I'd welcome any party that could outmaneuver us. In fact, I'd rather you beat the boss before we do. Alright then, I'm counting on you."

"Leave it to us!"

Albano's group broke into a run and quickly vanished from sight.

One of the knights turned to Alette for confirmation.

"Are you sure, Captain? There are rumors they were former thieves."

Alette smiled as she looked at the knight under her command.

"So what? Albano's group is necessary for our objective of clearing the Dungeon. So we make use of them. What's wrong with that? Besides, this isn't Baim. We have no authority to apprehend criminals here."

The knight looked displeased. He probably despised Albano's group for being former thieves.

Alette addressed the disgruntled subordinate.

"Being virtuous is a fine thing. But try to be a little more flexible."

The knight sought confirmation from Alette.

"Captain Alette, do you intend to recruit Albano?"

Alette's group had a purpose.

It was, in part, the recruitment of talent. Beyond bolstering the knight order, Alette's group also had the objective of bringing talented individuals back to their homeland.

But—

"I'd like to get along with people in Baim. Only in Baim, though. Crate is too rigid to be of any use, and Marina is a lone wolf. It's unfortunate that I still haven't found anyone who's truly 'the one,' but Albano's group isn't it either."

They were talented but so problematic that it was exhausting to deal with them. And Albano's group was greedy to the point of causing friction with everyone around them.

She had come to Baim to train the ranks of the next generation of elite knights.

That was also a tradition in Alette's homeland.

Powerful enemy nations surrounded them, leaving no room for complacency.

The conclusion her homeland had reached was that knights should gain experience by adventuring in order to grow stronger.

Training her noble subordinates and honing them into elites was part of Alette's job.

(I wonder if any interesting talent will emerge this time.)

As Alette looked forward with anticipation, one particular person came to mind.