Gather Divine Coins and Gacha! - Chapter 145

 "…I'm exhausted."

As I stepped out of the mansion's conference room and walked a bit, I glanced out the window at the darkening sky, and the words slipped out.

It had started in the early afternoon, yet it dragged on until this late hour.

"Indeed…"

Even Seriana's voice was tinged with fatigue. What a pointless meeting it was.

Since all the territory's leaders were gathered, the discussions often went off track. I nearly lost my mind when the deputies started reporting last year's harvest yields...

But setting that aside, the main topic was the recent incident in the Zelksis dungeon where two people died.

They were in an area far from the route to the mid-levels. Fortunately, I was nearby and could see through walls to spot people and monsters, preventing the worst-case scenario. If not for that, there could have been four more casualties in the Zelksis dungeon.

If that had happened, the annual dungeon maintenance cost would rise by 40 gold coins, and the appearance of four new demons could have impacted Zelksis and our new territory's policies.

This was the first time in over a decade that someone had died. Was there any foul play involved? Was the Adventurers' Guild's vetting process appropriate? Could it be foreign sabotage? The place was in an uproar.

After days of extensive investigations and interviews with the two survivors, today's meeting was the final report and discussion on countermeasures. Naturally, I, being on the rescue team and part of the lord's side, along with Seriana, who would soon become the lady of the new territory, were called.

The conclusion was that it was merely an unfortunate accident.

The incident happened because adventurers who were inexperienced with dungeons hunted there as if they were outside. This is apparently common. Usually, one learns the differences with goblins or kobolds, non-lethal adversaries, but the timing was bad this time.

Many competent adventurers were using the dungeon in preparation for the new territory's development. That was the issue. Those somewhat capable adventurers worked together like mercenaries on a battlefield rather than as an adventuring party.

When those adventurers moved to Rtoru for the development, fewer were left in the dungeon. Unaware of the lack of coordination, they pushed into the upper levels and clashed with orcs. Initially, they fought well, but the second wave's sudden attack overwhelmed them.

The accident resulted from inexperienced adventurers and the external factor of the new territory's development coinciding.

However, the smooth coordination during the rescue and body retrieval was highly praised. Adventurers halted their hunts to rush to the rescue, escorted the survivors to the exit, and fully cooperated with the investigation. The promise of a reward aside, it showed that the dungeon rules were well understood.

Thus, the Zelksis Adventurers' Guild would continue operating as before.

I agree with that decision, but…what a waste of time...

◇

"Good work, my lady."

When we arrived at the room, Elena, who hadn’t attended the meeting, greeted us.

"Such a waste of time…" Seriana sighed, reaching out to me...

"Ouch!"

She pinched my cheek. I don’t have much flesh on my cheeks, so they don’t stretch much...

"You were sleeping during the meeting, weren’t you?"

"Ugh..."

My memory gets hazy around the time the conversation veered off to the territory’s harvests. There were a few times when I found myself slumped over the desk.

"Well, I wanted to leave too, so I’ll forgive you…"

She sat down and exhaled deeply. I might be seeing her this exhausted for the first time. After all, all the important people, including my father, were there...

"I must ensure such things don't happen in my domain..."

It must have been quite an ordeal for her.