Chapter 83 : Chapter 83
Chapter 83
Jereuth said that the Giant's help was needed to conquer the Minotaur's dungeon.
Hearing those words, I recalled a book I had read in the library long ago about the various races living in this world.
‘If it's a Giant…… they are a race that looks similar to humans but are mostly over 3 meters tall, right?’
It was a book I had read a long time ago, so I couldn't remember the details, but I recalled the main characteristics of the Giants.
Giants are innately unable to use magic. Instead, they are born warriors with physical abilities superior to most monsters, and thanks to that physical prowess, they were said to have survived in the ‘Wasteland of Ruin,’ where even vegetation doesn't grow properly.
Also, although their appearance is fearsome, they rarely start fights first. However, if someone tries to harm their 'friend', they never forgive and will chase them to the ends of the continent to get revenge.
‘And also…… they fundamentally favor the brave, and while it's difficult to form a friendly relationship, once you are recognized as a friend, you can receive a lot of help.’
After thinking about the ‘Giants’ for a moment, I asked Jereuth.
“Why is the Giant's help necessary to seal the Minotaur?”
“There is a massive iron gate inside the Minotaur's dungeon. You have to lift that iron gate to enter the dungeon's interior, and the strength of a Giant is required to lift it.”
You have to lift an iron gate to get in?
“Can't a group of people just enter the dungeon and lift the iron gate together? I don't think it's necessary to get a Giant's help.”
“The maximum number of people who can enter the Minotaur's dungeon at one time is five. Of course, those five could lift the iron gate, but if they did, they wouldn't be able to handle the monsters pouring out of the dungeon.”
“……”
“In addition to the personnel limit, there is a condition that those who enter the dungeon ‘must trust each other deep in their hearts.’ And there is one more condition.”
“Only five people can enter, and even then they ‘must trust each other deep in their hearts’…… That's complicated. What's the last condition?”
“You must enter with a member of the royal family. When I entered the Minotaur's dungeon before, I was able to enter because Philip, who was the crown prince at the time, was with me.”
“……If royalty must accompany them, then I'll have to go too. My father cannot go to the dungeon.”
“If Your Highness has a reason why that dungeon must be conquered, then I believe you must. However, Your Highness, with all due respect, you frankly do not have the skill to face the monsters in that dungeon. You would likely still be very lacking even if you trained for several years.”
“……”
“Even if we think about that point later, what makes sealing the Minotaur more difficult than any other condition is this - ‘those who enter the dungeon must trust each other deep in their hearts’. ……That condition makes it very difficult.”
Jereuth spoke in an uncharacteristically clouded voice before continuing.
“First, I will continue to speak about conquering the dungeon. As soon as you lift the giant iron gate near the dungeon entrance, monsters will pour out from inside the dungeon. If you don't drop the iron gate until you've defeated all those monsters, the conquest is complete.”
“What happens if the iron gate is dropped?”
“Then the dungeon's exit and entrance will be blocked, and you will be trapped and die.”
“……That's scary.”
“Indeed. It is a 'dungeon', after all.”
Jereuth nodded at my words 'that's scary', but I could feel that he wasn't the least bit afraid.
‘Is that level of fear nothing to a knight of Jereuth’s caliber? Or is it because of his confidence?’
While I was lost in thought, Jereuth continued.
“As such, conquering the Minotaur's dungeon itself is not that difficult. The problem…… is that it is difficult to befriend a Giant who will lift the iron gate. Giants do not easily help others—especially other races, so earning their trust is truly difficult.”
“Hmm…… Commander, how did you receive the Giant's help?”
“When I was young, there was a Giant among the companions I adventured with for a long time. He was a fellow named 'Barut', and he was a truly great companion. But we disagreed on the matter of sealing the Minotaur…… and I haven't seen him once since then.”
“You disagreed…… was it perhaps that Giant who opposed sealing the Minotaur?”
At my casually thrown question, Jereuth's gaze blurred, and he answered with a faint sigh.
Hoo—.
“You are sharp, as expected. That's right. It was Barut who opposed sealing the Minotaur.”
“……”
“But, Your Highness. At that time, his opinion was right, and my opinion was also right. It's just that the beliefs we each prioritized were different.”
Everyone's opinion was right, but the belief each prioritized was different.
—I both understood and didn't quite understand what this meant.
‘Why did Jereuth and Barut disagree on sealing the Minotaur? He said they had to trust each other deep in their hearts to enter that dungeon, so they wouldn't have disagreed easily.’
And above all, I couldn't think of a good reason to oppose sealing a terrifying monster like the Minotaur.
I wanted to ask why the Giant opposed sealing the Minotaur.
But there was something I had to ask before that. First, I needed to know whether or not I could get the Giant's help.
“Commander. Then this time, will we be able to get help from that Giant named 'Barut'?”
“Yes. To a Giant, a 'friend' is an existence they can never abandon, so he will surely help. No matter how much we fought or how long we haven't seen each other, if I extend my hand first, he will take it.”
To a Giant, a friend is an existence they can never abandon…….
Somehow, that sounded cool.
“Your Highness. This time, if we are to conquer the Minotaur's dungeon, I will take responsibility and persuade Barut to seal the Minotaur. I don't know why Your Highness is suddenly worried about the Minotaur, but you must have your reasons for being concerned.”
“Aren't you curious about why I'm concerned about the Minotaur?”
“……It would be a lie to say I'm not curious, but since Your Highness has not spoken of it first, I will not press the matter. Your Highness always tells me right away if it's something I need to know, don't you.”
Just like that, Jereuth didn't ask why I was worried about the Minotaur.
It seemed he just thought, if I say it is so, then it is so.
“Then, Your Highness, it is getting late, so I will take my leave now. As for receiving the Giant's help, and for training so that Your Highness can challenge that dungeon…… I believe it would be best to discuss it step by step after we return to the royal capital.”
Honestly, I wanted to continue talking about this and that with Jereuth right now. But I felt it was more important to check the <Future Diary>.
‘Since I had this conversation with Jereuth, something new might have been written in the <Future Diary>. If something new was written, it would be best to read that first and then talk to Jereuth again.’
“I understand.”
“Then, Your Highness. Please rest well. I will take my leave.”
Clack!
After finishing his words, Jereuth saluted me and left the room.
I looked at the door Jereuth had exited and thought.
‘Just what is it about sealing the Minotaur that made Jereuth and the Giant, who were companions that 'trusted each other deep in their hearts', fight?’
Many questions followed, but that was okay. Because I have the answer key.
Shwarrack—!
I immediately opened the <Future Diary>. The future closest to the present.
‘As I thought.’
Just as I thought, new content had been written. However, it wasn't the direct information about the ‘Minotaur's Dungeon’ that I had been hoping for.
It was literally 'the future closest to the present'.
…….
After recruiting the Ingrid Island Pirates in Misty Port.
I instructed them to recruit and subjugate bandits on their own. The first thing I ordered them to do was to clean up the pirates of the West Sea.
Having received my order, the Ingrid Island Pirates left Misty Port and set out for the West Sea.
I, too, had no more business in Misty Port, so I returned to the royal capital.
……Omitted.
I returned to the royal capital.
It was a bit annoying because the officials did some useless things in the name of welcoming my return to the royal capital, but it wasn't a major issue.
There was nothing particularly special.
I turned to the next page.
……
As soon as I returned to the royal castle, I discussed the conquest of the Minotaur's dungeon with Jereuth.
First, the ‘conditions’ for entering the Minotaur's dungeon were as follows.
First, ‘only five or fewer people can enter at a time’.
Second, ‘a member of the royal family must be included’.
Third, ‘those entering the dungeon must trust each other deep in their hearts’.
The first and second conditions were not that difficult. The five-person limit could be met, and for 'a member of the royal family must be included', I just had to go.
The problem was the last condition: ‘those entering the dungeon must trust each other deep in their hearts’.
Of course, I have a few people I trust. People like Jereuth, Seria, and Elly, who would devote themselves to me until the moment I die.
The problem was that none of them could lift the giant iron gate at the dungeon entrance, so in the end, as Jereuth had said, the help of a Giant was needed.
‘Jereuth said that a Giant who was a former companion named 'Barut' would help, but there was another problem with that.’
That other problem was that Barut and I were complete strangers. To enter the Minotaur's dungeon, we had to meet the condition of 'trusting each other deep in our hearts', but my relationship with Barut wasn't that close.
In other words, even if the Giant named 'Barut' helped me as Jereuth said, it was questionable whether he and I would come to trust each other enough to enter the dungeon.
…….
This was what was written on this page for now.
There was a lot of important information, but unfortunately, not much about my future was written. Most of it was content that reminded me of the current situation.
I continued to turn to the next page.
Swish-.
‘……Now it's coming. The stuff about the future.’
As expected, it wasn't a very hopeful future.
…….
After long deliberation, I decided to go meet the Giants first.
I thought it would be better to meet the Giants in person and face the situation head-on rather than just sitting in the royal capital, wasting time worrying.
Whatever the case, I had to meet a Giant to get close to them or not. Maybe I could become friends with a different Giant besides Barut.
That being said, I didn't just go to meet the Giants recklessly. Before going to their territory, the ‘Wasteland of Ruin,’ to meet the Giants, I prepared gifts. Things like food and cloth, which the Giants were always in need of.
It was a gift I had prepared with my own consideration and effort.
……Omitted.
After a long journey, I finally arrived at the Giants' territory, the 'Wasteland of Ruin'. The road here was rough, and the carriage carrying the gifts for the Giants broke down, and it took longer than expected to repair it.
It was quite an eventful schedule.
But anyway, I, Jereuth, and the other knights and soldiers succeeded in reaching the Giant village with the gifts.
And so we arrived at the Giant village.
There was a Giant guard at the village entrance. As expected of Giants who don't trust other races, the guard's first words were quite sharp.
“Why has a human like you come here?”
Despite his harsh words, I smiled and spoke in a friendly manner.
“I am Leonardo, the Crown Prince of the Plank Kingdom. I have come to ask a favor of the Giants and to forge a friendship.”
“……”
“It is a humble offering, but I have also prepared gifts for you all. Food, cloth, things like that.”
Since I had even prepared gifts, I naturally thought the Giant would let me inside.
However, contrary to my expectations, the Giant's words were cold.
“……A gift? A human like you will never be welcomed by the Giants. If you don't want to make an enemy of the Giants, get lost immediately.”
After saying that, the Giant guard aimed a giant spear, well over 5 meters long, at me.
It was a clear and merciless order to leave.
Jereuth, who had been watching me from behind, stepped forward.
“Wait. I am a friend of the Giant elder Barut—.”
“I've heard the elder has a human friend. But I do not know you.”
“……”
“And in the first place, it's impossible for humans like you to be friends with the elder. If you don't get lost immediately, I will consider you an enemy, human.”
……It seemed impossible to forge a friendship with the Giants.
After reading all the newly written diary entries.
A sigh befitting a 40-something head of a household with too many worries to even tell his family escaped my twelve-year-old appearance.
Hoo—.
‘To have it written so blatantly in the <Future Diary> that it seems impossible to forge a friendship with the Giants. ……Shit, what am I supposed to do.’
To conquer the Minotaur's dungeon, the help of a Giant is essential.
But the <Future Diary> says it's impossible to get close to such Giants.
It was no different from being in an unsolvable situation. Annoyance rose, and my head throbbed.
I calmed my surging annoyance with a deep breath and thought calmly.
‘……No, there must be a way. There must be some way.’
This was just my feeling, but all the problems the <Future Diary> had foretold so far were ‘solvable problems’. And hints for the solution were in the diary.
It's just that the problem is damn difficult, and the hints in the <Future Diary> are too well hidden.
‘Still, I can't give up just because the situation is difficult.’
I composed myself and slowly read the <Future Diary> again. It must be in the diary. The reason why my future self was not welcomed by the Giants.
I have to find it.
……The search for the hidden hint in the <Future Diary> had begun again.