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.

　Why do dragons that should not normally exist in the Ark of the Elements dwell in the first level to the extent that they swarm there?

　Theodore doesn't seem to be in a hurry to explain his hypothesis to us, as if he can't wait to talk.

''Luke. I heard that you guys fought a monster called Skol or something on the second level. I heard there were many similar ones in ancient times and they were also called divine beasts.

　I nodded silently in affirmation.

　When the adventurers first landed on the second level, the ceiling of the underground space had lost its luminescence function, and it had been swallowed up by the night that could not be revealed at any time.

　The administrator, Fraxinus, requested us to restore the luminescence function as a condition for accepting people from the ground to the neutral city of Athropolis.

　I accepted the request, and climbed the tower that Fraxinus told us to climb up to the space behind the ceiling ...... and encountered the magical beast Skoll.

　You will be able to have a look at your own personal computer and see that it has a huge wolf shape with its belly and back united with the wall, and the reason why the light was lost from the second level is because the monster skull was sucking up the magic power to create a body.

'According to what I heard, the Demonic Beast Skol is an existence that uses magic power to construct a physical body using an artifact called 'Medallion' as its core, and as an application of that, it was creating its subordinate, Fenrir Wolf, wasn't it?
...... No way, the source of the dragons is ......
"It's just a... theory on my part. I haven't reached a unified opinion.

　Theodore re-emphasized that it wasn't a well-founded theory, then leaned toward me, keeping an eye out for curiosity and inquisitiveness.

'But it's an interesting theory, don't you think?　''To think that there are divine beasts in the fourth level, using some of their vast magical power to maintain the dungeon, and continuing to create an endless supply of subordinate dragons.''
...... "There's certainly no evidence that it can be done. But I don't mean 'there's no evidence that it can be done', I mean ...... 'there's no evidence that medallions and divine beasts exist in the fourth level'." ......

　Not in response to Theodore, but muttering the thoughts in my head as if they were straight out of my mouth, I remember the time we fought the demonic beast Skol.

　He was, as Theodore said, creating a large number of large wolf demons, even if not as large as ...... him, as a fighting force to intercept us, Fenrir Wolf.

　So if a divine beast with characteristics similar to dragons existed in the fourth level, it wouldn't be surprising if it produced a large number of dragons as well.

　The only question was whether such a substitute really existed, but if that was the case, the adventurer's search would be able to put it in black and white.

'Right?　If we can successfully get to the bottom of the vertical hole and explore the hierarchy that stretches out there, we'll know if this hypothesis is correct!

　Perhaps it was because I had affirmed the validity of his hypothesis, but Theodore squirmed excitedly in his circle.

'It's all connected, you know!　If the dungeon is not a naturally occurring coincidence, but an artifact created by an ancient magical civilization, then there must be a rational connection between most events!　No matter how you look at it, it's a huge undertaking that wouldn't be feasible without a meticulous design!
'...... Yeah, yeah!　I know!　It must be so!

　Hild raised his voice in concert with Theodore.

　It was the movement of his body that was the most reserved, as the hood that hid his head should not come off, but it was so resonant that it was enough to make me feel air pressure as I watched.

　Thinking about it, Hild is like an exile from the Northern Tree Sea Union to study the secrets of an ancient magical civilization, so it's natural to be excited about the dungeon's exploration that is the product of it.

　Well, I should say that Theodore, on the other hand, is more excited about the mechanism of the infinite spring of dragons - a metaphorical expression, of course - rather than the mystery of the dungeon.

　Anyway, I was going to eat up a lot of time with a two-person heated narrative at this point, so I'll have to interject before I catch more fire.

I think it's a very interesting theory. I hope you will continue your search in that direction. By the way, ......, do you think you'll need our help in that investigation?
Hmm?　Ah, the White Wolf Knights of the White Wolf Order: ...... No, I'm not sure I need Luke White Wolf's help.

　In order to get into the inner workings of the Argentean family, I owe a debt to Theodore, the legitimate son of the frontier county family.

　The way to repay that debt is to say, 'If my help is needed to search for Theodore, I'll be willing to help.

　If he needs me to explore the vertical hole, he will have to put aside his peaceful life in the White Wolf store and product development to help Theodore.

　If this was a 'friendship' with Travis and Roy and other 'friends', it wouldn't have been impossible to ask for personal attention.

　But the relationship between me and Theodore is not of that kind.

　It's not a friendship, but an interest.
　Teaching me about dragon outbreaks, selling out the materials of the dragons I hunt, asking for my backing as a nobleman, demanding contributions from my evolved skills - that kind of relationship.

　If it was the official business of the Order, or if they had prior commitments with other A-ranks, they would be able to postpone it, but that's not the situation right now.

　The more you force yourself to postpone the fulfillment, the more you will only result in a loss of trust from Theodore.

'I'm not sure I feel any particular need to do so at the moment. "I don't feel that it's particularly necessary at the moment because we're in the process of modifying some of the vertical holes that were not designed for human traffic, so that they can be moved safely to the bottom of the hole.

　Theodore spoke very simply, blowing my concerns away with one word.

'I'll probably only want to ask for your help once we reach the lowest level. Technically, though, it will be your 'right eye'. I have high hopes for you, Mr. Descendant of Alphasul.
I wish you wouldn't call it that.

　At the same time as laughing at the unexpected name, Theodore also laughed with amusement.

　It's hard to tell the difference between a joke and a seriousness of the man called Theodore.
　It's probably because we haven't gotten to know each other yet and haven't understood each other yet.

By the way, now that we've got the subject out of the way, I'd like to change the subject, but how have you and your fiancé been getting along?　I can't help but wonder about that as a single bite.
...... Do I have to ask that here and now!

　Theodore laughs even louder than before.

　Really, he's a man who can't tell if he's joking or serious.