Beginner Dungeon (1)
What is a dungeon?
No, I don’t have anything to explain at length.
Anyway, there was no change in the fact that it was a dangerous place for both ordinary people and mercenaries.
How dangerous is it for a 10-year-old child, even more so for adults? No, it’s a place that children shouldn’t enter in the first place.
Where the hell did you go in there carelessly?
In all cases, such dangers to children must be prevented by adults, and adults should not intentionally push children into danger.
Even more so, if life was in danger, there was really no turning back.
Of course, I was doing it with safety devices in place, so it was okay, but how can I trust others?
In addition, the target was our only daughter, Rise.
Until dirt gets in my eyes… … .
Aww!
“evil!”
“Calm down.”
I was startled by the intense shock I felt in my head, and I looked around.
Then, for some reason, he asked Douglas, who was nearby.
“Uh, senior? What’s wrong?”
“Every time like this, you’re a funny junior. Didn’t you turn a blind eye and try to attack me?”
I? to Douglas?
While I was confused because I couldn’t remember the situation for a while, Douglas smiled and added.
“Usually, even when I try to sparring, he gets nervous, but when the word comes out that he is taking Rize to the dungeon, he immediately tries to grab me by the collar. If I had known it would be like this, I would have said it sooner.”
“Oh right! No, why are you taking Rize to the dungeon?!”
He raised his voice reflexively as he recalled all the situations he had momentarily forgotten.
At that, Douglas turned his pitiful eyes to me again.
“I have already explained everything.”
“You said you could go into practice soon. Still, wouldn’t it be dangerous for Rize?”
I also remembered what I had heard from Douglas.
He learned the battlefield with his eyes while watching the fight with Arandura before, and as expected, the results of training are getting slower and slower.
That feeling of killing a monster.
No, it’s not something I’m going to say, having had children of the same age kill goblins until just before, but wouldn’t it be too soon for Rize?
“It is dangerous.”
“I’m going, you’re going, and that lady’s going too, but what’s the risk?”
“You still don’t know what will happen. Let’s stay for just one year.”
“Are you Rize’s teacher? I am Rize’s teacher. If you miss it now, it could be rather dull.”
Having worked as an educator in a previous life, I know that Douglas is right.
But as a father, it’s hard to accept.
Now that this has happened, the fathers can form a bond of sympathy and convince them… … No, this man had thrown Scarlett in front of monsters since she was younger than Rize.
As I kept rolling my head, Rize approached me at some point and pulled my collar to make eye contact with me.
When I wondered what was going on, Rize looked at me with a determined face and then opened her mouth.
“Daddy is too overprotective.”
“… … .”
Let’s thank me for not falling down.
The thought that the time of rebellion had finally arrived filled my head.
Whether or not she knew my feelings, Rize raised her tightly clenched fist and spoke confidently.
“I have to become stronger. So, I will protect my father. To do that, you have to follow Master even if it’s a little risky. Master promised to make me stronger.”
“… … .”
protects me
Previously, I didn’t know why I was so determined because I thought it was just a child’s chin.
But if Lize remembers Angelina’s death… … That feeling was understandable to some extent.
It means that you love me as a father.
That’s why I didn’t tremble and cry even if I was slightly injured.
Rize then smiled broadly and added something that I couldn’t resist.
“Until I get stronger, Dad will definitely protect you, right? So I’m not worried.”
It was obvious, but when Rize said it, something made her heart thump even more.
Along with that, I felt that my mind, which had been full of worries until just now, calmed down.
When Rize said that, how could she oppose it any more?
“Sniff, after all, there is no father who beats his daughter… … .”
“There is one condition.”
“In the meantime, what other conditions are there?”
Douglas put on a look of disgust, but he couldn’t concede.
I turned to Douglas with a determined expression and said a word.
“I will choose the dungeon.”
* * *
I spread a large piece of cloth on the living room floor and started painting.
It was a map of the entire continent that was drawn on a piece of cloth that could not be contained even on a table.
It’s hard to find on the market, there’s nothing this big, and the accuracy is lacking, so I had no choice but to draw it myself.
It doesn’t have to be that precise, so after completing the continent by drawing a rough coastline, I made the topography by drawing large mountain ranges, rivers, and forests.
It was only after drawing the small mountain ranges and rivers that led from it that it became something that could be looked at roughly.
After that, it looked pretty plausible when I put in the main cities and the cities that became the background of major events.
I’m the only one looking, so there’s no need for place names.
And dungeons that Rize can go to… … .
“You have a lot of talent.”
At that moment, Irina’s voice came from behind.
Holding the blanket in her arms, Irina stared at the map I had drawn and said in amazement.
“Are you going to make a gift to His Majesty the Emperor? It would be worth it to call for a map this sophisticated.”
“It’s just for retrieval. Oh yeah. I can give it to you later.”
I focused on marking the dungeon again, leaving Irina alone.
First of all, regardless of the distance, all the dungeons that Rize could go to were marked.
There was one here, there was one here, there must have been one over here, but there was one over there, no, two.
As we marked the dungeons without hesitation, Irina, who had brought a blanket and watched, said admiringly.
“Could it be, are all those dungeons?”
“Rize has marked the appropriate dungeons to go to. Places that are as safe as possible, that I know well, and where I can protect Rize at any time.”
“You’re not saying you’ve been to all those dungeons, are you?”
“I know.”
At my answer, Irina narrowed her eyes.
I don’t know if you’ll believe me just because I tell you the truth. No, if you think about what you’ve shown so far, it’s surprisingly easy for you to trust me.
I don’t intend to reveal that already, though.
When I continued to mark the dungeons, there were already close to 100 of them on the map.
Hmmm, was it that many?
Based on the memories that clearly came to mind, I marked with an X and deleted those that had even the slightest risk factors. Also, those that are too far away or difficult to enter are also deleted.
“Wow, did you draw this?”
At that moment, Lize appeared and gave out a voice of admiration.
Rize approached me and crouched down, unable to take her eyes off the map.
I didn’t mean to show it like this.
From noble mtl dot com
As if she had just finished training, Rize, who was looking over the map with a slightly sweaty face, soon turned her head to me and raised her voice.
“Dad, is this a map? I saw it in the book, but this is much more detailed! Dad is good at drawing maps. wow, that’s dad Really great.”
Rize, who had been constantly praising me, turned her gaze back to the map and continued to look at it without hiding her interest.
If it’s Rize’s memory… … I think I will memorize them all.
No, it’s rather good.
“Ah, Findel is here! This is Rogarden. Hee hee, I want to go again. uh, then… … Is this the town where you lived with your father before?”
“Can you read a map? Our Rize, there is no need to worry about getting lost.”
“The map my dad drew is so accurate that I can just think of the road when I see it.”
That alone was a great talent.
There were many people in the world who did not know the way, could not find the direction properly, and could not even find their destination even after looking at the map.
I was glad I didn’t have to worry about that.
Rize, who was looking at the map in the middle of it, found the things I marked and tilted her head.
“Dad, what is this?”
“I marked the dungeons that Rize can go to. That doesn’t mean you can go to all of them, but Dad will think about it and choose a dungeon that suits Rize perfectly.”
“Wow, how many dungeons are there?”
As if showing interest in the dungeon, Rize pressed her face into the map a little more and scanned the dungeon sign.
As Rize waited to clear her thoughts, she immediately raised her head and pointed to a dungeon.
“Dad, here!”
The dungeon Rize pointed to was not too far from Findel.
It took less than half a day and the road to get there was not too difficult.
If there… … It was a place used for experiential learning at the soon-to-be-opened Imperial School in Findel.
It was an easy dungeon, and it was easy to manage the students from the school’s point of view.
I thought it would be perfect because I could go there quickly in about a day.
“Then shall we go here?”
“huh! I want to go here.”
“good. then do it here Can’t you change your mind?”
“I won’t change. I think it will be a lot of fun here.”
We decided to accept the opinion of Rize, who is actively insisting.
It was a good dungeon from an objective point of view, so I had no reason to oppose it either.
As I was fist bumping with Rize for no reason, I heard a snort in front of me.
“I heard you pick it yourself, but in the end, is it going to be left in Rize’s hands?”
“It’s not like that, it’s just a coincidence. It’s close and I like Rize, so there’s no need to look elsewhere.”
“Sniff, what, do you know that place well?”
“It’s a good place for mercenaries who are just starting out to gain experience. Don’t you know, senior?”
“There is no reason to memorize every single dungeon that such kids go to. You are unique.”
I didn’t try to memorize it, but I memorized it naturally as I kept going here and there and thoroughly analyzing it.
I never thought I would be of help in this way.
“Dad, are you leaving tomorrow? huh? Let’s go, let’s go.”
It seemed that Rize really wanted to go to the dungeon for quite some time. It’s not like Douglas was blowing anything while I was gone.
Dungeons aren’t all that fun.
“Is that so? If Master Douglas will allow it, yes.”
There was no reason to object to the schedule either.
The equipment for Rize’s fun and safe dungeon exploration was already prepared, and I also had no special plans, so it was the right time.
Douglas also just nodded silently, as if leaving it to him without offering another opinion.
“How long will it take?”
“Are you going to go long? One day should be enough.”
When Douglas answered that, Rize immediately turned her head and looked at her with surprised eyes.
“why? Aren’t we camping? I hear you spend one night in a dungeon.”
After all, that nobleman encouraged Rize.
Feeling betrayed, I stared at Douglas, and after being attacked by the father and daughter’s eyes, Douglas put on a rare puzzled expression and then looked at Irina as if asking for help.
“I ate grilled meat in a dungeon with my former colleagues, and it tasted special.”
“Wow! meat!”
However, Irina has always been a strong ally of Rize.
In the end, it was the moment when the schedule to visit in one day was extended to two days.
I organized the map and checked the preparations for tomorrow’s dungeon exploration once more in my head.
Since it was one of the dungeons I carefully selected, I should have assumed that there were no special risks, but it was something I didn’t know.
I just hoped that the first dungeon exploration would end without incident.
“It will be so much fun, Dad. right?”
“… … Okay, let’s have fun.”
In the meantime, it would be even better if Rize enjoyed it.