We were heading toward the latest property in a company car owned by Kiritani Real Estate, with Yuta-san behind the wheel. Kiritani-san had stayed behind at the office, promising to scout out other promising listings while we conducted our viewing.
Still, the indescribably anxious expression he’d worn when we left remained burned into my mind, right alongside a prickle of guilt. I really didn't think we would find another undiscovered dungeon... probably.
"I feel like it's been a while since we all went out to look at a property together," Yuji remarked.
"Well, a lot happened during the last one," I replied.
"No kidding. When we realized that place was actually a dungeon, it was a total shock."
"It was the same for us," Yuta-san added. "We never dreamed we’d stumble onto a dungeon while just checking out a listing."
Inside the car, the conversation stayed lively as we discussed the dungeon from our previous outing. Since we never knew who might be eavesdropping, it wasn't a topic we could discuss openly in public, but the privacy of the car made it safe.
Though calling it a "discussion" was a bit of a stretch; it was mostly Yuta-san’s vent session.
"Seriously, why is there so much paperwork involved with the authorities?" he groaned. "I’ve been forced to submit documents with nearly identical content to different government offices over and over again."
"Hahaha, that sounds like a nightmare," Yuji said with a sympathetic laugh. "Isn't that the classic 'wrong department' routine you see in TV dramas?"
"That’s exactly what it was. Until this happened, I thought those shows were just exaggerating. But the bigger the situation got and the more departments that got involved, the more it turned into a paperwork hell. We have our regular real estate business to run, too, so we couldn't spare many people for this case, which only made it worse."
"Well, given the nature of the situation, you can't exactly go around increasing the number of people who know about an undiscovered dungeon," I noted.
Yuta-san looked exhausted to his very soul, and we couldn't help but feel a bit apologetic. In our case, we’d been let go after a discovery report and a brief explanation. We hadn't been required to fill out any tedious paperwork. Compared to Yuta-san and his colleagues, the amount of time we’d lost to the ordeal was practically zero.
On top of that, we’d received a substantial sum of hush money for the secret of the magic bag.
"Exactly," Yuta-san continued. "Since they’re employees of the same company, we've shared the basic fact that an undiscovered dungeon was found on one of our managed properties, but only a few of us—including the President and myself—are deeply involved. Those few of us have to draft and submit everything, all while the government offices nag us to move faster every day. And then there are the negotiations with the landowners of the surrounding plots. I'm so busy I’d take help from anyone at this point."
"That does sound... intense."
"It really was! And the hardest part, without a doubt, has been negotiating with those landowners. Before we told them about the dungeon, they were complaining that their mountains were never going to sell. The second we mentioned the dungeon, they did a complete 180 and said they wouldn't sell at any price."
"Ah, well... I guess that’s to be expected."
Land that had been worth next to nothing—essentially a tax drain—had suddenly become a potential gold mine. It wasn't surprising that owners would be blinded by the prospect of profit and start counting their chickens before they hatched.
Of course, since it was all just speculation, there was no guarantee their gamble would pay off.
"Yes, we expected some pushback," Yuta-san said. "But having it actually happen while we're in the middle of this hectic mess is infuriating. I understand how they feel after losing money for so long, so I won't criticize them to their faces, but still..."
"It’s only human to want to turn a profit when the opportunity arises," Yuji said. "Maybe they're just trying to recoup their previous losses?"
"That’s likely the case for most of them. However, in a special case like this, there’s a high probability that they're making a bad move."
"A bad move? How so?"
If the site we found became a public dungeon, explorers would flock to the area and boost the local economy. I assumed that would lead to development and a surge in land value around the perimeter... but was I wrong?
As we tilted our heads in confusion, Yuta-san explained.
"The tactical error is that if a landowner refuses to sell, the state might just decide they don't need that specific plot and walk away entirely. Especially given this location."
"...They’d just give up on it?"
"It’s a real possibility. For this particular dungeon, the state will definitely buy the immediate area—the wetlands around the island and the access path to the national highway—to ensure security. But as for the rest of the surrounding land? Since the dungeon is so deep in the mountains, far from any settlements, they might judge that the risk of human casualties is low enough that they don't need a huge buffer zone. If the state has a limited budget for dungeon land acquisition, and a landowner plays hardball, the state will simply skip them."
"I suppose if the budget is tight, they won't go out of their way to buy land from people who refuse to sell," I mused. "As far as I know, there haven't been any reports of monsters actually wandering out of the dungeon, so they probably won't ignore their budget just to buy up excessive amounts of land."
If a situation arose somewhere in the world where monsters started overflowing from dungeons, the state might start buying up massive swathes of land for defensive positions. But as things stood, they were likely to avoid overspending.
When I looked at it that way, the landowners' refusal to sell really did look like a poor strategy.
"I think the chances of that happening are fairly high," Yuta-san agreed. "The state will buy if they can get it cheaply within their budget, but they won't overextend. I’ve tried explaining to the owners that if they miss this chance, they might never be able to sell the land, but..."
"But most of them are betting on the idea that holding out will drive the price up?"
"Exactly. I’m still trying to persuade them, but I can't get a single one to agree to an early sale..."
"..."
Yuta-san pressed a hand to his forehead and let out a heavy sigh.
If the state pulled the plug on the land acquisition while Yuta-san was still negotiating, the landowners would probably turn around and blame Kiritani Real Estate for 'failing' to sell the land. It was an irrational grievance, but people who lost money were always looking for a scapegoat. It was even worse when there was someone convenient nearby to point the finger at.
"We want to do right by our clients, but a sale requires a willing buyer," Yuta-san muttered.
"So if the buyer loses interest, the whole deal vanishes," Yuji summarized.
"Precisely. We have to get the owners to agree before the state decides they’ve had enough."
"A trade only works when someone wants to buy and someone wants to sell," Yuji added, his voice tinged with a bit of exasperation.
Yuta-san nodded vigorously.
The owners had been complaining for years that they couldn't find a buyer. Even if the state's offer was a bit low, I felt like they should have taken the win while it was on the table.
"Well, I'll keep trying to talk sense into them before the other side loses patience."
"I... I'm sorry we can't be of more help," I said. "Especially since we're the ones who brought this whole situation to your doorstep."
"Oh, no, don't worry about it. Even if you hadn't found it, it was only a matter of time before it was discovered. It’s just a question of sooner or later. You shouldn't let it weigh on you."
"I see... Well, good luck then."
Yuta-san gave a small, weary nod.
Seriously, I hoped it worked out for him.
After driving along the mountain roads for a while, we finally arrived at the property. All I could see was a mountainside thick with trees, but in a remote place like this, the fact that there was a paved road at all was a sign of decent maintenance.
We pulled into a small turnout on the shoulder of the road and began our inspection.
"We’re here. This is the property."
"It took about an hour by car," I noted.
"Yes. Public transport would require a bit of a detour, so it would take longer that way."
"True," Yuji said. "We drove quite a bit, but it was a smooth trip since there were no traffic lights. With a slope like this, explorers like us could easily make the trip on bicycles."
It was certainly possible, but considering the wear on the bike and the strain on the brakes, I figured it would still take over an hour. It wasn't much faster than the bus, but having the freedom of a bike once we arrived would be a significant advantage.
However...
"The lack of a nearby home center might be a problem when we start clearing the land," I said. "Even if we buy supplies in the city, there’s a limit to how much we can haul out here at once."
"That's true," Yuta-san admitted. "There isn't anything like a home center in this area. There’s a small hardware store in the village at the foot of the mountain, but... it might not be enough to develop this place from scratch."
"I figured. If there were a shop nearby, we could use a trailer to move more at once, but with no stores in the vicinity, it's a bit of a hurdle."
"It wouldn't be much of an issue if any of you had a driver's license," Yuta-san pointed out.
I could solve the problem instantly with my skill, but while using it inside a dungeon was one thing, I couldn't exactly use it for a massive land-clearing project. If anyone asked how I’d transported tons of materials, I’d have no good answer.
To make matters worse, we were the ones who had officially found a magic bag. If we left any trail of suspicious activity, the Association might start poking around, wondering if we’d found a second one and kept it for ourselves. Carrying a secret like that meant we had to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention.
"Transporting goods by bike is a tall order," Yuji added. "On flat ground, you could use a trailer, but a bike with a trailer on these mountain roads..."
"Please don't," Yuta-san interrupted. "Climbing and descending these roads on an overloaded bicycle is just asking for an accident."
"Haha, true. That makes the supply transport even more of a headache. Any chance a home center is planning to open nearby?"
"Not that I've heard, unfortunately."
Well, life is rarely that convenient. I wondered if this place was within the delivery range of a city home center? That might be a way to get supplies here without raising eyebrows.
"Anyway, let's worry about the transport logistics later," Yuta-san suggested. "There's no point in stressing over it if you don't even like the property. We should start with the viewing."
"You’re right," I agreed. "We need to see the place before we get ahead of ourselves. Sorry, I was getting a bit carried away."
"Not at all. The fact that you're already thinking about the future is a sign that your first impression is a good one. That’s actually very encouraging for me."
"I'm glad to hear that. You're right, though—compared to the other places we've looked at, the commute here has been much better."
Yuta-san gave a satisfied smile. Our previous requests had led us to some truly grueling treks through literal wilderness. Even if this was just a forest, being able to step right off a paved road made a world of difference.
Of course, we had only seen the part right next to the road so far.
"I appreciate the positive feedback. Well then, let's head in. The entrance is where the guardrail breaks over there. It’s a dirt slope and it drops off pretty quickly, so watch your step."
"Understood."
With Yuta-san leading the way, we began the viewing in earnest.