“What?”

“No, it’s nothing. More importantly, just go ahead.”

I asked what he was laughing about, but he brushed it off.

…Well, whatever.

As Teresa and I took our seats, Liesel also sat down.

Rose, who had apparently been preparing, quickly lined up the tea.

“So…? Is this a continuation of the conversation from dinner?”

“Something like that.”

I answered Liesel’s question.

For the past few days, our dinner conversations had mostly been about the dungeon.

Since there were no visitors from outside during this season, and there wasn’t anything particularly noteworthy to discuss, it was only natural that our conversations revolved around events in the dungeon.

However, it wasn’t always just us at the dinner table.

Sometimes there were bureaucrats, Knight Order members, Sera… Depending on who was present, we had to be mindful of what we discussed.

But with the people in this room, there was no need for such reservations.

“I had heard about this dungeon, but it’s not suitable as an evacuation site, is it?”

I took a sip from my cup and immediately started the discussion.

The dungeon.

Originally, it functioned as an artificial mine within the city, producing both holy coins and resources from monsters.

But apart from that, it also served as a refuge in times of crisis.

Since it was isolated from the outside world, and aside from the exception of demons, the types and strength of monsters that appeared could be predicted.

Moreover, as long as one could tolerate the taste and effort required, food supplies could be replenished, and it was possible to shelter a significant number of people for a certain period.

There are records of times in the past when, during wars or monster outbreaks that nearly led to the fall of the territory’s capital, people managed to endure by taking refuge in the dungeon until reinforcements arrived.

That said, in situations desperate enough to require such measures, there was often no future left regardless.

Some records mention territories being annexed by others after barely holding out, or cases where people perished inside the dungeon, leading to eventual collapse.

Such cases were, in fact, more common.

Even so, since this was a matter concerning my own territory, and considering that circumstances might arise where we’d need to use it, I wanted to see it firsthand.

“That’s true… The monsters aside, the shallows have poor visibility, and there’s also the temperature issue. If we could reach the upper layers, it might be different, but leading the populace that far would be difficult.”

“Exactly. In fact, the underground passages seem to have more practical use than the dungeon itself.”

“No doubt about that…”

Liesel chuckled at my remark.

We continued talking for a while about hunting in the upper levels, Sera’s hunts using 【Danrem’s Thread】, and other similar topics. Then, as the conversation settled, Liesel brought up another matter.

“Is evacuation to the dungeon unnecessary?”

“Yes.”

“In that case, should we train a few more people for command?”

By autumn, many of the key figures in this territory—Liesel, August, Alec, Zighart, Luban—would all be leaving.

The security of the territory as a whole should be maintainable with our current forces, but from a more localized perspective…

Specifically, for the territory’s capital alone, Liesel seemed to feel that our forces might be a little insufficient.

However—

“That won’t be necessary. There’s not enough time, and having half-trained people around would only be a hindrance.”

Liesel was probably considering promoting someone from the First Unit, but this city had a slightly different set of circumstances.

Beyond just maintaining public order, we also had to be prepared for external monster threats.

Forcing someone unfamiliar with command in this city’s unique environment would only create chaos.

In that case, it would be better to maintain the current structure, with the Adventurer’s Guild managing the outside threats.

“Hmm… Well, we have enough adventurers for now. While I’m away from the territory, I’ll leave things to you… But don’t overwork yourself, alright?”

Since our discovery of the undead presence, we had gradually gathered information from Sera and uncovered the details of the undead within the church and orphanage grounds.

Normally, when nobles bury their dead, they completely drain the body of magic power and place it in a special coffin.

For commoners, the bodies are cremated until only bones remain, and then the limbs are severed.

Only after these measures are taken can they be buried within the city.

However, at the orphanage, they had simply dug holes and buried the bodies as they were.

Upon learning this, I had investigations conducted into past practices, and it turned out that under Rutor’s rule, regular burial customs had been followed for the city’s residents.

The only exception was the orphanage children, who had likely become undead as a result.

It seemed they had taken precautions to handle unexpected incidents themselves, but if undead suddenly appeared in the city, it would still cause mass panic.

They would likely use that chaos as an opportunity to either attack me or strike at the dungeon in some way. That was probably their goal.

Moreover, the reinforcements from outside had already been blocked, and we had a grasp of the people inside.

That’s exactly why we needed to deal with this now and prevent them from making unpredictable moves once Liesel and the others left the territory.

“Yes… I’ll be fine. I’m sorry, but while I have a rough idea of how they will act, I don’t want them to realize what we know just yet. Please give me a little more time.”

Liesel likely understood as well.

With a resigned expression, he simply shrugged.

As for when to reveal the existence of the undead… perhaps around summer?

————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sera・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】【Wind Garb】・【Floating Orb】+1【Shadow Sword】【Scarlet Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】【Amber Shield】【Purple Wings】【Red Sword】・19 cards

Seriana・【Range Identification】・【】・34 cards

Elena・【】・【Green Fang】【Amber Sword】・4 cards

Alec・【Strong Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・9 cards