“It’s not good at all,” Ludwin said. “You’re always doing this…”
“Ahaha, getting lectured through a speaking tube is kind of a fresh experience.”
Faced with a voice that showed no sign of regret whatsoever, Ludwin’s shoulders slumped. I felt like I could tell how their relationship worked just from what I’d seen here. One did crazy things and the other chased after her.
Ludwin shook his head and tried to get back on track. “Anyway, I’ve brought some important guests to see the place today. Let us in.”
“Important?” Genia asked. “Okay. I’m opening it up now.”
The closed shutter began to rise on its own. Was it switch-operated, maybe? It felt more and more out of place in this world.
When the shutter had opened fully, there was a set of stairs leading down underground. It seemed this garage really was just the entrance. With no regard for my surprise, this Genia person said in a cheery, singsong voice, “Okay, Luu, and my guests, too, come on in.”
We descended the stairs into the underground and soon came to an open space.
From what Ludwin had told me, this wasn’t a particularly huge dungeon. It was like a large six or seven floor building, only buried underground. What was more, the House of Maxwell who owned this dungeon had taken out all the walls and floors between levels to secure more space, so it was just one big rectangular space now.
The massive staircase that stretched out along the walls of that massive space felt like being at the edge of a sheer cliff face, and it was pretty scary. I wished they had at least put in railings.
The walls also seemed to be made of metal. Liscia had described dungeons like this as “bizarre spaces with metal walls,” but to me, it was like being inside a futuristic spaceship. The metal walls seemed to give off a faint light. The way that it wasn’t dark, even though we were underground, felt futuristic, too.
Internally, I was shocked to see this incongruously advanced technology, but Liscia and Ludwin didn’t seem to be bothered by it. Apparently the two of them thought the walls were shining because of magic or something like that. Because magic could do anything, perhaps the people of this world didn’t have much of a sense of wonder.
As we descended the stairs, I asked about the House of Maxwell.
“The Maxwells were the noble house that originally ruled over this area,” Liscia explained. “It must be in their blood, because the House of Maxwell has produced many great researchers, and it’s said that they have greatly raised the level of this country’s civilization. They’re particularly well recognized for their analysis of technologies discovered in dungeons. It was the Maxwells who discovered how to use simple receivers for the Jewel Voice Broadcast.”
Wow… I thought. So it was the Maxwells who discovered how to use those simple receivers, huh?
“Wait, huh?” I burst out. “I think they’re using them in the Empire, too, aren’t they?”
“It was a fairly long time ago, after all,” Liscia said. “One king a number of generations ago sold the knowledge to various foreign powers.”
“Hmm… Well, it’s hard for me to say that was a bad move, I guess,” I said.
It was scary to see cutting edge technology leak out, but if the technology would have little effect and someone else was going to discover it eventually, selling the knowledge while it was still worth something might be okay, maybe. That, or exchanging it for knowledge of something else.
“For that achievement, they were given this ruined dungeon and the land around it to rule,” Ludwin said. “However, the Maxwells, passionate as they were about their research, showed no interest in managing the land. With the understanding of the royal family, they delegated management of the land to us, their neighbors in the House of Arcs. Half of what they earn from the land is given to the House of Arcs, while the other half goes to supporting their lifestyle and funding their research. That’s the system that we adopted.”
“That’s… pretty amazing, in a way,” I said. Managing the lands of their fief was a noble’s duty. To think they were neglecting that to spend their days on nothing but research… “But, wait, isn’t the House of Arcs losing out on that deal?”
“Because the House of Maxwell’s contributions were so great, it was allowed,” Ludwin said. “Besides, if their research brings us new knowledge, the country will prosper even more. Though, that said, as the times have gone by, the Maxwells’ lands have been incorporated into the Arcs fiefdom, and now we’re treated as their patrons.”
Basically, while their house had been allowed to continue, their lands had been reduced to just this dungeon. And the House of Maxwell was being supported financially by the House of Arcs.
“…Huh? You’re the head of the House of Arcs, aren’t you?” I asked.
“Yes. I am.”
“And this Genia person is the only one here?” I asked.
“Yes. Genia Maxwell. At present, she is the last of the Maxwells.”
“In other words, right now, you’re paying to support this Genia, right?”
“Urkh…”
When I asked him that, Ludwin was at a loss for words. That was when I remembered those rumors that maybe Ludwin was facing financial difficulties.
“Don’t tell me, the reason you eat the cheapest bun the cafeteria has to offer is…” I said slowly.
“…Genia is five years younger than me, and we were raised like brother and sister,” Ludwin began with a far off look in his eyes. “The amount of support to be paid to the House of Maxwell is set at a fixed rate, but, well… Both my parents and Genia’s have already passed away… That makes each of us like the only relative the other has left… and, well… I’m a sucker when it comes to things my little sister asks for, and I can’t help but draw from my own salary, too…”
I was speechless.
I clapped Ludwin on the shoulder.
When we reached the bottom, I finally got a grasp of the scale of this space.
Up until that point, while the walls had been emitting light, the center of the space had been dark, and I hadn’t been able to see. Here at the bottom the floor also glowed with the same faint light, so I could tell that the space was split up with the same sort of cloth dividers you would see at a construction site.
First, there was one massive divider that split the space into two halves.
In the remaining space, there was one medium-sized area that had been divided off, a number of box-like objects with cloth over top of them, and a (two floor) log house.
I wondered what was behind the massive divider, but seeing a house that looked like it belonged in a forest here inside this metal space, it looked like a joke. That house had probably been the living space (and experimenting space?) of the owners of this dungeon, the House of Maxwell.
Ludwin knocked on the door to it. “Genia, it’s me. I’ve brought guests, so please open up.”
When Ludwin called out, a vapid sounding voice responded. “Okie-dokie. I’m opening it nooooow.”
Then the door opened, and out came a woman in her early twenties wearing a wrinkled lab coat. She looked a bit underfed, but she had regular features, and if she had taken proper care of herself, she would probably have been reasonably beautiful. However, her clearly unkempt semi-long hair ruined it.
This, I presumed, was Genia Maxwell. The small, round glasses resting on the bridge of her nose looked just like what I’d expect a researcher to be wearing.
“Hey, Luu,” Genia smiled. “Glad you’re here…Who’re they?” She tilted her head to the side.
Seeing her reaction, Ludwin hastily bowed his head in apology. “H-Hey, you’re being rude! I–I’m terribly sorry, sire, princess! Genia! This is His Majesty King Souma and Princess Liscia!”