The hold music that had been playing incessantly finally cut off, replaced by a voice claiming to be a section chief. It was a bit of a surprise, but if I could speak directly with someone who actually held decision-making authority, it would make things move much faster. Even if I spent a long time explaining the situation to a subordinate, if it ended with them saying they had to wait for their superior's approval, we would have just wasted time to reach the same result.
Yuji must have reached the same conclusion. He took a shallow breath to steady himself before speaking.
"Um, is this Miyashita-san? My name is... I mean, I am Hirose. It's a pleasure to speak with you."
"No, the pleasure is mine. Thank you for reporting a new dungeon discovery so promptly. And Hirose-san, there's no need to be so formal."
"O-Oh, thank you. Well then, I'll take you up on that. So, how should we proceed from here?"
Section Chief Miyashita told Yuji, who had been struggling to maintain a stiffly polite tone, that he could just speak normally. Yuji, perhaps sensing it would be more awkward to refuse, accepted the offer.
I suppose it was a gesture of consideration. A complicated conversation was about to begin, and being able to speak naturally would make things at least a little easier.
"Let’s see. As for the process, we'd like you to head to the site with our staff to confirm the dungeon. You mentioned that you’ve already explored the interior and confirmed the presence of monsters, but for the official certification procedures, we need a verification from our specialized investigators."
"I see, understood. So, will that investigation take place on a later date?"
"No, given the significance of the find, we want to dispatch investigators today. Since the presence of monsters has already been confirmed, we want to expedite the official certification for safety reasons. Therefore, I apologize for the imposition, but I would like you to accompany the investigators to the dungeon once more..."
In other words, they were requesting that we wait here and then lead the investigators they were sending back to the dungeon. Well, they called it a request, but in this situation, it was effectively an order to accompany them. It was true that if a dungeon appeared in the middle of a city, there would be many witnesses, and it wouldn't take much effort to locate. But for a dungeon that had appeared quietly in the remote mountains, far from any human habitation, just reaching the spot would be a struggle without the discoverers acting as guides.
As Miyashita-san said, it was probably unavoidable that they would ask us to accompany them to ensure a speedy safety assessment.
"I see... Understood. Since we found it, leaving it as it is would definitely be a problem. So, when can the investigators get here? As a student, it would be a bit tough if you asked us to wait until the middle of the night..."
"Haha, it won't take that long. Considering the time needed to prepare and travel to the site... I think they can be there within two hours. I've already issued the dispatch order to the investigators."
By asking about the arrival time, Yuji was implicitly requesting that they consider the fact that we didn't want to be held up for an excessive amount of time.
In response, Section Chief Miyashita gave an estimated arrival time that was neither too long nor too short, as if he understood our position perfectly.
"Within two hours... so we'll meet up a little after noon?"
"Yes, it should be around then. Also, I'll tell the investigators to give you a call before they arrive. May I give them this phone number?"
"Yes, that's fine. But..."
While agreeing to Section Chief Miyashita's request, Yuji glanced at Yuta-san, who had been watching the exchange.
Understanding the meaning behind Yuji's gaze, Yuta-san cleared his throat lightly before speaking toward the smartphone.
"Excuse me for interrupting your conversation. My name is Yuta from Kiritani Real Estate. To clarify the situation, an undiscovered dungeon was found on a property managed by our company, so I asked Hirose-kun here to report it to the Association on our behalf."
"O-Oh, I see. I'm Miyashita from the Dungeon Association. Um, Yuta-san, was it? What do you mean by a proxy report...?"
"Yes. The dungeon was found on a property we manage, and the discovery happened while Hirose-kun and his companions were visiting the property as our clients for a viewing. Normally, it would be appropriate for our company to contact you directly, but given the nature of the discovery, we wanted to prioritize safety. To avoid the risk of being dismissed as a prank report, I asked Hirose-kun—who is an explorer registered with the Dungeon Association—to make the report on our behalf."
"Ah, I see. So that's why it's a proxy report..."
Yuta-san briefly explained the current situation to Miyashita-san while moving the conversation forward regarding the joint investigation and future contact procedures.
"Yes. Since that is the case, our company will handle the procedures regarding the dungeon land itself, so please ensure that any official contact from the Association comes to us."
"Understood. Then we will make Kiritani Real Estate our primary point of contact."
"Yes, please do."
With that, it was settled. We, as the ones who had called in the discovery, would stick to the role of introducing Kiritani-san's firm to the Association, while Kiritani Real Estate would handle the actual paperwork. After all, Kiritani Real Estate was the party managing the land where the dungeon actually sat. Since we hadn't bought it yet, we weren't the legal owners.
Even if the Association contacted us regarding the legal procedures, we weren't in a position to act as interested parties, so there would have been nothing we could do anyway.
"Also, since there will likely be an opportunity to interview Hirose-san and the others as the first discoverers, would this number be okay to reach you at?"
"Yes, please use this number. And there's one more thing I'd like to consult with you about, if that's all right?"
"Yes, of course. What is it?"
"Actually, when we investigated the interior of the dungeon, we encountered monsters and engaged in combat. At that time, we obtained drop items from the defeated monsters... If we obtain drop items in a dungeon before it's officially certified, how are those items handled? Usually, after the Association's appraisal, we can choose to either keep them or sell them, but..."
Yuji spoke with a voice that was a carefully crafted mix of apology and expectation, acting a bit nervous. The reason we had volunteered for the troublesome role of the reporters in the first place was to ask this question without it seeming strange. In this context, there was nothing odd about it. We had actually discovered a dungeon, defeated monsters inside, and obtained drops.
Asking about the handling of items obtained in a dungeon before official certification sounded like a perfectly normal question for a reporter to ask at a time like this.
"What? You fought monsters?! Ah, but come to think of it, you did say you confirmed their presence, so that was always a possibility."
"I'm sorry. Since it was just an investigation, we intended to avoid combat, but we just couldn't manage to steer clear of them..."
"Ah, no. It’s fine as long as you aren't hurt... You aren't injured, are you?"
"No. Fortunately, we were able to defeat them without a single scratch. So, regarding the drop items... what should we do?"
"Hmm..."
Section Chief Miyashita groaned over the phone, clearly troubled by Yuji's inquiry.
After worrying for a while, Section Chief Miyashita spoke apologetically.
"As a general rule, items produced from a dungeon belong to the state, and it's stated that when an explorer recovers them, they are paid a reward in either money or goods. However, in the case of an uncertified dungeon... I'm sorry. I can't give you a definitive answer right now. I'll need to consult with our legal department and give you an answer at a later date."
"I see... Understood. Then, what should we do with the drop items we recovered?"
"I'd like the Association to take them for appraisal for the time being. Once we have a conclusion on how to handle the drop items, we'll go from there... How does that sound? You can just hand them over to the investigators who will be visiting you."
"Understood. Then let's go with that for the drop items."
The answer was postponed, but since pushing for a conclusion might have aroused suspicion, we didn't press the matter further. Handing over the drop items was within our expectations anyway. We didn't know if they would be returned to us or confiscated, but the ones we were showing weren't items we would miss that much. If they weren't returned, it would just mean we'd have to negotiate for some kind of reward. I'd try my best to get a fair price without being so stubborn that it looked suspicious.
If we gave up too easily, it would probably feel weird, after all.
"Thank you for your cooperation. We'll dispatch the investigators immediately, so please wait for their call."
"Understood... Ah, by the way, we haven't had lunch yet, so we'd like to leave here for a bit to go buy some food. Would that be okay?"
"Yes, that's fine. I'll convey that to the investigators as well. But please make sure you can return immediately once they contact you. Well then, I'm sorry for the trouble, but I appreciate your help."
"Yes, thank you as well. Goodbye."
Having finished the basic discussion, Yuji said a quick word of farewell and hung up.
As soon as the call ended, those of us who had been huddling around the smartphone let out a collective sigh.
"Somehow, our first contact with the Association went smoothly."
"You're right. Thank you. Thanks to you and your friends stepping in, Hirose-kun, things moved along without a hitch. I guess for now, we just wait for those investigators to arrive?"
"Yeah. The official certification of the dungeon itself will probably happen soon. After that, it's just a matter of what procedures are needed to hand it over..."
Yuji spoke a bit hesitantly, casting a reserved glance at Yuta-san.
Yuta-san nodded with a smile that showed he understood. He looked at another smartphone and spoke.
"Our company will take care of that part, so I don't think you'll have to be involved, Hirose-kun... Right, President?"
"Yes. Thanks to Hirose-kun and the others mediating the report to the Association, they believed us about the dungeon right away, which was a huge help. If we had reported it on our own, there was a high possibility that things would have moved at a snail's pace."
"Yeah, that's really true. I never imagined a section chief would handle it from the start. Thanks to that, the conversation skipped several steps."
"Haha, you're right. Well then, Yuta-kun, I'll leave the response on-site to you. If you run into any trouble, let me know. I'm going to contact the landowner now and explain the situation."
"," Yuta-san replied, and Kiritani-san hung up the phone.
All right, I guess that's the end of the initial report and response for the dungeon discovery. Now we just had to wait for the Association's investigators to arrive... but first, we needed to eat. They say you can't fight on an empty stomach, after all.
It took nearly forty minutes just to drive to a nearby convenience store to buy bento for lunch and return to the clearing where our car was parked. As I thought, the location was quite inconvenient. If an ordinary person were to walk here from the nearest station, it would probably take more than two hours. For us, it would probably take about fifteen minutes if we ran. And if we were to go further to the marshland... yeah, it was a property that wouldn't sell to ordinary people. From our perspective, it was a good place without any prying eyes, though.
Still, maybe it'll develop as a dungeon boomtown in the future.
"Hm? Did they already call?"
Yuta-san, who had spread out a sheet and was starting to eat his bento, hurriedly answered the phone as it rang much sooner than expected.
"Ah, yes, that's right. This is Yuta from Kiritani Real Estate. Ah, yes, thank you for your hard work. What? You'll meet up with us in less than fifteen minutes?! I heard the estimate was two hours... Eh? Ah, yes. We have enough space for that."
Yuta-san continued the conversation with a bewildered and panicked expression. Based on what I could overhear, it seemed that the dungeon investigators were arriving much sooner than scheduled. To have the estimated arrival time cut in half... were those investigators already nearby?
While wondering about that and waiting for Yuta-san to finish his call, he finally hung up. He looked up at the sky, let out a heavy sigh, and dropped a bombshell on us.
"Everyone, sorry, but eat your bentos fast. It seems the Association is taking this very seriously. They’re coming here by helicopter."
"Helicopter?!"
"They said there's enough space to land here, so we need to get ready so that things don't get blown away by the wind."
I never expected a helicopter to show up. It was true that the Association would want to check a dungeon with confirmed monsters as soon as possible... but to think they would even go that far.
We quickly finished the rest of our meals, moved the car to the edge of the clearing to secure as much landing space as possible, and waited for the arrival of the helicopter.