As declared by Zamlug, the day went straight into a spree.
　Normally, it would take more than a day for a large group of people to dismantle that many boss monsters and transport the materials to the city.
　However, it would be a different story if I put the entire corpse away in phase.
　Apparently, Zamrugs heard a rumor that I had an item box with an infinite capacity and recruited me to come back.
　He's so careful.

　So I'm in the guild's tavern with the members of Zamrg's defeat party.

　By the way, a natural suggestion to make the guild a better place to eat since there is a lot of money in the bank, but Zamrugu rejected it on the grounds that Lacana doesn't have a bigger bar than the guild, and that it would be a nuisance if we all made a lot of noise.
　The suspicion that I'm actually a petty thief has been born in me.
　I'm not sure if I'm acting like a rough-and-tumble adventurer, or if I'm just playing that role.

Don't be shy, boys!　Drink as much as you want!　Come on, there's not enough booze!　Keep bringing them in!
'Whoosh!　Leader!
"Here's to Zamrg, the hero of the sub-long slayers!

　That's the thing, it's noisy.
　I was sitting at a table away from the noise, quietly emptying my cup.
　I don't know how I got into this mess.

　The Ancient Wyvern really was the boss... and as I expected, the number of monsters I encountered on my way down the mountain had decreased dramatically.
　Just like in Rodnea's underground dungeon.
　If the nucleus was lost, the dungeon would lose its power.

　Even though they are close to beasts, monsters are an incarnate kind of thing.
　With the exception of the naturally living ones, the monsters that existed under the power of the other world of dungeons must have died out when the boss was defeated.

　The boss played a role similar to that of a nucleus.
　My hypothesis is now proven and this is not a good situation to be in.
　Now there was only one boss monster left to take the place of the dragon hole in the east mountain.
　I hope nothing happens........

''You're a spicy one, Seika Lamprog. You're drinking in a place like this.

　Zamrg sits down in a seat near me, and I look across at the big man.
　I looked at the big man with a sideways glance and said, "I see you're feeling better.

"Well, I see that he's feeling better, but I think you should cut back on the drinking. I'm glad to hear that you're feeling better, but I wouldn't advise you to drink less.
What's the point of an injury like this? The best thing to do is to drink to victory tonight. You ain't no adventurer if you don't drink.

　And then he popped his drink cup.
　The only injured person in the boss battle was Zamrg, who broke his leg, but the priest's healing magic had already healed him. However, it shouldn't be a full recovery yet. It would be a skinny one.

It's a good thing that you have a lot of experience with light-attribute magic. The only thing that I can think of to say is that I've never heard of that magic that brought down the wyvern in the curse ward. Are they the Lamprog family's best-kept secret?　Whatever it is, I was right after all. You're the best thing about this adventure.
....
I heard about it. I hear this one is pretty good too. What do you say, do you want to compare notes?
...you're very fluent in it.
Huh?
You've noticed that. The mountains to the south are dead. That boss monster was the nucleus. This will greatly diminish the wealth that Lacana will gain. Not a few adventurers will be left with a lot of trouble in their lives.
Ha, don't worry about it.

　And then Zamrg gulped down his drinking cup again.

''There was a time a long time ago when a boss monster was defeated. I heard that even then, like this, the monster was temporarily reduced. But, you know, within a year they were back to normal. Every mountain. That's what this place is.
....
And there are plenty of ways to make money in the mountains where the monsters have disappeared. You can now go to places that were previously inaccessible due to the presence of dangerous monsters. Mining for rare minerals and gathering rare medicinal herbs. You could make detailed topographical maps in anticipation of when the dungeons are back. The astute people would have already begun to make their moves. In times like these, the greedy ones are strong... and when the dungeon is restored, this city will become more and more powerful.

　Zamrg pours his drink again.

There are some people who are all brawn and clumsy. The guild can ration wheat for them.
How can you afford to take care of a guild that's losing revenue?
If you could give us a whole Ancient Wyvern carcass, it would be enough to pay for it.
....!
''With materials of that level, a single piece would fetch a tremendous value........ The guild should not want to lose skilled adventurers. The only thing left to do is for me to say a few words to them and they'll be right.

No, I don't think so. I just want power and honor. Adventurer's way of doing things, but yes. And in the end, that's what it will come down to.

　Then Zamrg laughs.
　That smile was similar to that of a conspirator floating around, which I had seen several times in my previous life.

　I wondered how far this adventurer called Zamrg was really going to go.

　I respond with a tongue-in-cheek response.

I'm sure you'll be able to find a way to make a living out of it. But we'll be fighting over the dungeons in the eastern mountains and slime slaying in the underground waterways for a while.
Yeah, East Mountain.

　Zamrg says lazily.

"They won't keep it up for long.
...What?

　I ask back, ominously.

"What do you mean?
It doesn't make any sense at all. I'm sure that Lloyd's bastard has a plan to take out the boss.
You think he's gonna be able to take down the boss?

　I say in a hard tone of voice, "He's not as powerful as you.

"He's not as powerful as you. I don't think the League of Brigade will be able to hunt down a monster as easily as you can with the help of me.

　That's my impression after today's battle.
　Although the boss monster was weaker than I had expected, it was still too much for a human to handle.
　A group of Zamrugs, minus me, stood up to it for five minutes. That's about it, from my point of view.

"It's not going to be easy. But I think he's going to do it.

　But Zamlug asserts.

''He's a guy like that, but he still has a track record of building his party up to the second place in Lacana. If he decides he can do it, it's only a matter of time before he's attacked.
....
"I'm the best shot in the world, that's for sure. 　I don't know, but I know how to lead a party. The reason why I was so unlikely to hurry with my success was because I was confident that if I didn't, they would beat me to it. If I'm not able to do this, today...

　Then.
　A clamor came from near the entrance of the tavern.
　The voices of several adventurers talking to the guild staff who had packed the room with excitement.

''Tch.................It was today after all.

　Zamlug muttered evasively in a small voice.

'Lloyd!

　All of the people in the tavern looked back at Zamlug at the ridiculously loud gorma voice that suddenly sounded.
　It was the same for the several adventurers who had been talking to the guild staff.

''........Zamrug-san.

　One of the adventurers, Lloyd, whose entire body was covered in dirt and blood, muttered quietly in the slight silence that had been created.

''You're too late!　No congratulations to me?
I've heard. Congratulations, Mr. Zamrg.

　Despite the words, there was a gruff sound to Lloyd's voice tone.

''I heard you defeated the southern boss. From the looks of it, it looks like you weren't injured.''
Well. So what about you?
It was a bit of a struggle, but we managed.

　Lloyd gives a muzzle-loader of a smile.

'Fortunately, we didn't have any deaths. As it turns out, we're doing well.'
Ha, that's good. I'm buying for you tonight. Get your drink on.
'I'll refrain from it. Unfortunately, there's still a lot of work to be done.

　At that moment, I sat up without thinking.
　Lloyd's gaze turns to me.

It's a good thing that you're there, Mr. Lamplogue. If you're there, then the rumor that Mr. Zamrg brought you in must be true. It's a pity..............................At least if you were there, we could have carried that big Abyssal Demon's corpse to the city today.
"...Mr. Lloyd.

　I open my mouth, much to my horror.

"You're not going to let the East Wing boss...
Yeah. I'm pretty sure I told you that. By the looks of it, you didn't really think you'd make it, did you?
'Just one thing ... tell me one thing. Did the dungeon disappear after you defeated the boss...?

　Lloyd's eyes widened for a moment, then he nodded.

'The monster count was extremely low, perhaps. But there's nothing to worry about. This has happened before. Soon we'll be back to normal Mr. Lamprog?

　Before I could get to the end of the answer, I ran out of the guild's tavern.


****


　After a few transfers, we arrived at the inn where we were staying.
　I pushed open the door of the big room with great force, not wanting to catch my breath.

'Amu!　Yifa!　Mabel!

　The three of them let out a small cry of surprise and rolled their eyes at me as I suddenly entered the room.
　They were all in their underwear as they had just changed their clothes, but now is not the time to worry about that.

'Listen to me, I need you to calm down and listen to me very carefully.
Se-se-se-seika-kun........?
Oh, how could you be so calm in this situation?
Get out.

　The three of them stare at me, hiding their bodies in blankets and behind the bed, but I can't back down here.

'I understand what you're saying, but this isn't the time for that. We need to get out of this city as soon as possible.
What?
...the pursuers?
No. It's more complicated than that. You're going to have to finish packing in the morning, anyway.

　We don't know how much grace we have.
　It could be months, years, or even centuries. Or it's possible that my fears are completely unfounded.
　But...the opposite is quite possible.
　The worst case scenario is that it could happen tomorrow.

"I'll pick up the carriage and provisions at dawn. I'll explain later...

　That's when.
　The city was shaking.

Oh, my God, what?
Is this an earthquake...?

　The shaking subsided quickly.
　A small tremor, not enough to bring down the building.

　But I was horrified.

　I didn't think it would happen this fast.

　This was not a tremor.
　This is not a volcanic eruption.

　I cross the room and open the window.
　The city walls appear dimly at night.
　Beyond that, I see many, many signs of power.

So this is... is it?

　It was the first time I had ever seen this phenomenon, but I was sure of it.
　The disaster of the dragon vein - the Monster Stampede - had begun.