"I came because I had something to ask, but you said you went out and came back quickly."
"Yes. What did you want to ask?"
"It's been resolved."
Esperanza said, pointing to the book on the desk. Cider sighed and loosened his cravat.
"I'm going to smoke paoran, do you want to stay?"
It was rare consideration from him. If it had been someone else, he would have blown smoke to drive them out. Esperanza's eyes widened.
'Paoran in a place with this many books?'
Thinking that he didn't particularly treasure books since it was for research purposes, she got up from her seat.
"I'll come back after you finish smoking and ventilate."
The door closed. When he lit the cigarette, there was a pungent smoke smell. His head, which had been tormented by the bothersome old man, cleared a little.
"Ah, the hide."
He understood why she had been waiting here when her question was already resolved.
Really, this was why he hated Parliament. If it weren't for the duties that came with this damn Count title, he could have finished talking about the hide and immersed himself in research long ago.
Since the topic came up, he took out that hide from the drawer and spread it out. Checking again with the stimulator, as expected, it had much higher permeability compared to other hides. He had felt it at the store too, but for something like this to not have been discovered until now—was it a protected species?
No.
Cider, who inhaled paoran smoke once more, thought.
"......Monster?"
He didn't even think of monster encyclopedias. Still holding his cigarette, he ran out of the study.
"Esperanza!"
Esperanza, who was called back in less than 5 minutes after leaving, sat down with a sullen expression.
"Did you know what this was?"
"Well, would I have told you to buy it without knowing?"
She had planned to slip into the kitchen before tea time to influence the tea food menu, but was dragged into the study filled with acrid smoke. Naturally, grumbling sounds came out.
"I told you to ventilate before calling me......"
"Ah, sorry."
Cider put out the paoran without complaint and opened the windows too. And Esperanza had to enter the inner research lab instead of the study filled with acrid paoran smoke.
"Are all monster byproducts like this? Unlike general materials, they have high magic permeability too."
"It's not just high permeability, there are various additional attributes attached, though it would depend on how you process it, right? That looks like troll hide, it's used a lot for defensive equipment."
Though the grade wasn't very high, it was much preferred because its stats were good compared to the difficulty of defeating it.
Of course, like what Cider did last time, you could break through everything by combining magic stones with hunter's blood, but that was like a cheat key that could only be used on some offensive weapons. Naturally, it was something that required a lot of money first, but such methods were difficult to use on defensive equipment. Especially for clothing that couldn't have liquids poured into it and gave debuffs the heavier it was, neither blood nor magic stones could be used.
The point was, ultimately, monster byproducts were better the more varied and plentiful they were.
"How do you usually process them?"
"That's......"
Esperanza slightly avoided the expectant man's eyes.
"I don't know either. I only made purchases."
A sigh naturally came out.
"Then we have no choice but to experiment with each one. But the quantity is a bit insufficient to try this and that."
The mad scientist's eyes flashed. The kind of eyes that would make Esperanza run around as an item supply slave if only there were dungeons.
"How can I obtain what doesn't exist?"
"You're right. It's regrettable."
It was an obvious tone about what would have happened if there had been dungeons or monsters. Esperanza slightly moved her foot to escape from the eyes sparkling with scholarly enthusiasm.
"Anyway, the sudden appearance of something like troll hide is strange. It must be related to the Golden Claw."
"It would be."
The man who was more interested in the scraps than the Golden Claw or Esperanza's return problem replied while leaning his long body diagonally. At that insincere reply, Esperanza's eyes became triangular. It's not your business!
"This is important, Lord Avondale. The appearance of troll hide means......"
Around then, Cider also hardened his expression. Esperanza whispered as if afraid someone might hear.
"Either there's a hunter like me who came back through time and sold the hide, or."
"There's a dungeon right now."
The man finished the sentence. He was refreshingly matter-of-fact, like someone who didn't understand the gravity of the situation at all.
"The latter possibility is higher. According to the shop owner, all the hides sold that day were items brought by a relative of a hunter he usually dealt with."
'Is it really a slave ending?'
Cider's eyes shone as if counting monster byproducts that didn't even exist. If there had been a dungeon in front of him, he probably would have kicked Esperanza out until she brought items. When she read the mood and closed her mouth, the room became quiet. Only the sound of regularly moving instrument panels covered the pounding heartbeat.
Their eyes met. They passed over each other as if scrutinizing thoroughly. Driven by the fierce silence, she opened her mouth.
"No, that can't be."
"Why do you think it can't be?"
Half the thought that it was too unfair for only good things to happen to him. Half the thought that setting collapse from the prologue didn't make sense. That was the conclusion reached.
Certainly in the prologue, that 'monster crisis' also called the Memorial Park incident was said to be the first dungeon. But now to come to the conclusion that 'actually, there were dungeons before that too'?
"They said the 'monster crisis' was the first dungeon!"
"It probably wasn't known."
Cider said without blinking an eye. Actually, that was a reasonable speculation. If that had been historians' judgment. But what Esperanza knew was the setting put out by the game development company.
"That can't be."
Anyway, the game started 5 years after the monster crisis, and at that point, whether the monster crisis was the first dungeon or not wasn't even important. No one would find out. Even if they did, nothing would change. So.......
'Why would they lie about such a thing?'
Rather, the hypothesis that the past had changed for some reason was more believable. And as for factors that could change the past, Esperanza herself was one of the variables. But since she hadn't done anything after coming to this time, setting that aside. This was a truly painful reason.
The most likely possibility was probably.
"It might be because of the Golden Claw."
If dungeons were appearing because the Golden Claw had fallen to this time period, everything would be explained.
"It could be because of you."
Cider threw a bomb in an amused voice.
"Probably not. What did I do?"
"Of course you didn't do anything."
This person?
Even if she really hadn't done anything, it felt different when she said it herself versus when someone else said it. Esperanza rolled her eyes. Regardless, Cider Claiborne tapped the armrest with his index finger and said.
"What if it wasn't you and another hunter who came back through time, but you and monsters? What if monsters came along because of you?"
"......That's really an amazing idea."
It was an idea a 'player' wouldn't have.
Monsters were settings within the game, and hunters were real people. If Esperanza coming to this time was intentional by someone who sent the 'quest,' probably someone related to the development company, there would be no reason to move monsters along too. Even if there were, they would have dropped them at Avondale mansion together. Not to meet them suddenly as hide.
Of course, that would only be possible thinking under the assumption that this place was 'inside a game.' Esperanza desperately suppressed the rising anxiety. If this wasn't inside a game, if it was a real space, she couldn't know if she could return with just a 'return ticket.'
When Esperanza showed distaste, Cider shrugged off that hypothesis. He wasn't convinced, but it was a problem they couldn't derive an answer to right now anyway. The rhythm of tapping the armrest gradually quickened.
"Or we could think of it this way. There's a hunter who came to this period with you. And there are also dungeons in this period."
"That's!"
It was the most unlikely case, but given the current situation, it wasn't impossible. The hypothesis that due to the existence of the Golden Claw, or some other action, dungeons had already occurred at this point, and another hunter existing at this point was solving the dungeons.
Anyway, someone must have taken down the troll.
"Then we should look for that hunter."
Cider shook his head.
"The opposite. We need to find the dungeon."
"Ah, do you want monster byproducts that badly?"
"Of course there's that too."
There was another reason. Unlike people, dungeons wouldn't hide their bodies.
But seeing that dungeons weren't known yet, there were obviously few records about them.
If they couldn't be found in official records, the place they had to go was, going around and around, back to that place again.
"In the end, we'll have to go to an information broker."
Cider opposed it. Saying they were dirty, filthy, dangerous, and untrustworthy. Those words weren't wrong, but Esperanza had no other choice.
Thirteen years later, even in that place overflowing with hunters, necessary information was obtained this way.
Some gamers also exchanged information on places like hunter free bulletin boards. She had no intention of criticizing their methods, but when playing virtual reality games, Esperanza tried to use such functions minimally. She barely formed friendships between gamers either. Nevertheless, people she became a little closer to than others were bound to appear, but wasn't that also part of the game's charm?
❀⋆｡°✿☆❀✿°｡⋆❀
[Map: Alter District, Nine Holder]
The map she had seen recently appeared as it was. The difference from that day was that a clear cream-colored path was laid out inside the spider web-like twisted black back alleys.
It was exactly the path she had taken last time.
Today's Esperanza was properly equipped and wearing the black hood she had worn then.
'Uncomfortable, but the equipment is so conspicuous.'
Though she had several sets prepared, she inevitably wore only the one with the best stats, so Esperanza's outfit wasn't different from the day she first arrived at Count Avondale's mansion. If she walked through the streets in that state, as Cider said, she might be caught by the police, so she wore a black riding hood over it.
'Almost like death......'
No. That could be possible. The hood could be somewhat black. Certainly there was an additional attribute that killed presence, but it might somehow seem more conspicuous.