''This time I actually investigated that vertical hole ...... and it looks like I'm about to conclude that it was the cause ...... of the appearance of the dragon in the 'Demon King's Castle Realm' as I suspected.

　I waited for Theodore to continue with his statement, feeling more than a little surprised.

　I've heard about this huge vertical hole for some time now.

　It's so large that it looks like an entire town block could fit into it, and although there may be some exaggeration, it's said to be so large that it makes the dragon look like a bat coming out of a cave.

　Theodore had already told me the hypothesis that this large hole is connected to the depths of the dungeon and is the source of the dragons that live in the Demon King's Castle Realm.

　But I didn't expect the hypothesis to really come true.

　This is why the adventurer's business continues to attract so many people even now.

We haven't gone into the depths of the investigation yet, but we have enough evidence to be sure.

　Theodore laughed happily as he began to explain the information he had found in his research and studies so far.

　--First and foremost, the most reliable evidence is the results of fixed-point observations of the vertical hole.

　Although the observations have confirmed that more dragons are emerging from the longitudinal hole than expected, on the contrary, it seems that no individuals have been found to enter the large hole.

　In other words, it was a one-way street for the dragons to pass through the vertical hole.

　This means that the dragons that moved from the first level to the depths of the vertical hole do not necessarily return to their original location.

Of course, it's also possible that the dragon is crossing over. Of course, it could be migrating, like a migratory bird, coming and going in long cycles, and now it's time to spend time in the upper levels.

　Theodore guilelessly acknowledged the shortcomings of his theory and turned the focus of the conversation to Hild for now.

''The Lord Knight of the Rainbow Scales. I've heard that this dungeon is divided into four levels according to what the dryads who manage the neutral city say.
''Yes. The place we called the 'Demon King's Castle Realm' is the first level, and the place where the neutral city of Athropolis is located is the second level.

　Hild spread out a large document on the tabletop.

　It was a concise overall imaginary map of the dungeon 'Ark of the Elements', created based on information provided by the administrator Fraxinus.

　At the uppermost level is the first labyrinth we call the Millennium Corridor of the Abyss, and underneath that lies the first level of the Demon King's Castle Realm, which looks like a wilderness.

　The second labyrinth is a small-scale labyrinth that spreads out underneath the Demon King's Castle, and beyond that, the second level is filled with water and greenery.

　And although the rest is completely hearsay and imagination, the third labyrinth and the third level, and the fourth labyrinth and the fourth level are also listed on the imaginary map.

''The latest information has arrived at my hand as well. I heard that this dungeon, as the name 'Ark of the Elements' implies, has four levels based on the four major elements.

　First Theodore tapped his finger on the third level of the imaginary map, then moved his fingertips to the fourth level.

'The four major elements are supposed to be ordered in the order of heaviness(-): earth, water, wind and fire, and each level is arranged in this order from the top. And the fourth level is the hierarchy of fire.
Yes, Fraxinus, the administrator, told me as much.
''Dragons are demons with a strong connection to the fire attribute from the beginning. I don't even know what kind of environment the fourth level is, but it wouldn't feel out of place as their original habitat.

　Additionally, Theodore began trying to talk about the different types of dragons and their respective habitats.

　There are many different types of dragons, and the reason why the flames they breathe out of their mouths are called breath is because each type breathes differently: ......

"If we follow the standard naming conventions, the so-called 'ordinary dragons' that inhabit this dungeon should probably be called fire dragons, but they're usually just called dragons, with nothing attached to them.
Ha, ha. ......
Instead, a peculiar type of fire dragon, one that wears flames all over its body as well as its breath (breath), is called a fire dragon. ......
We're going off on a tangent.

　On behalf of Hild, who is unable to interfere because of the momentum, I'll give him a heads up and urge him to get back to the main point of the conversation.

I'm sorry. Anyway, here's my hypothesis. Originally, dragons lived in the fourth level, but Fraxinus also unknowingly drilled a vertical hole through which the dragons extended their territory to the first level: ......
It's consistent with the testimony of Fraxinus, the administrator.

　Hild flipped through the stack of materials and read again some of the information he had gleaned from Fraxinus.

''Administrator Fraxinus, Demon King Gandalf, and their former companions in Eavaldi ...... Alphasul, they were residing on the third level to manage and operate the 'Ark of the Elements'.

　-- in the very beginning of their activities, each level was assigned a role as follows.

　The first level was a frontline base to intercept threats from the ground and a mining base to collect underground resources.

　The second level is a conservation area that preserves a part of the natural environment above ground and maintains the lifeblood of flora and fauna, demons and demonkind.

　The third level is an extremely high-level urban area where the races, including humans, live a civilized life.

　The fourth level is a power engine, so to speak, that generates energy to maintain the functions of each upper level.

　However, these are only the initial allocations that Fraxinus knows of.

　According to Fraxinus, he started to protect the demons of the second level at a very early stage, and moved to the second level and transformed himself into a neutral city (Athropolis).

　After that, he didn't receive much information, and he had no idea that there were dragons living in the Ark of the Elements, let alone the first level, and that they could be unleashed on earth under certain conditions.

　He has no idea why the Demon King Gandalf abandoned the third level and moved to the upper levels, nor does he have any idea of the origin and identity of the mysterious automatic doll ...... Agart Ram that defeated the Demon King's army, nor does he have any idea of the current situation on the third level.

　The only information we got from Fraxinus was the initial information before he became an Athropolis, and the little information we were able to get afterwards, so we couldn't know everything about the current situation in the Ark of the Elements.

　At this point in time, the situation in the Third Maze and beyond is a complete mystery.

　There is even a possibility that the terrain and the environment are far removed from what Fraxinus knew.

　Of course, the testimony of the current situation alone is an extremely important and significant step forward, but...

This is indeed a strange situation. I've heard that the Ark of the Elements was created to store the environment and cultural civilizations on Earth to help them survive the destruction of ancient magical civilizations. But dragons were not supposed to be part of that, were they?

　A sincerely amused smile appeared on Theodore's mouth.

''Perhaps I was going to leave the protection of the dragons to other dungeons, but the dragons are actually there now. I want to solve this mystery at all costs, and ...... actually, if it's only a hypothesis, I already have it floating around.