Chapter 3: Conference

“A Mysterious Explorer Single-handedly Defeats a Deep-Level Anomaly”.

“The Truth Behind the Man Who Returned from Another World”.

While it’s not the only topic of conversation, I sense a quiet yet fervent interest in the air.

Amidst this, news breaks that the government will hold a press conference regarding him.

Oishi, a reporter for a national newspaper, naturally joins the gathering.

Until the conference begins, he exchanges information with reporters from other papers sitting nearby.

[Is single-handed defeat the strongest in the country?]

[Saying it’s another world is probably overdoing it.]

[Could he possibly be certified as EX-rank?]

And so on.

Everyone is talking about things that anyone could find out with a little research, and speculations not much different from what’s being posted online.

It’s unclear whether they’re withholding information or simply haven’t grasped anything.

────

“Now then, as it is time, we will begin the press conference.”

Along with the moderator’s voice, Chief Cabinet Secretary Numazawa and the young man seen in the video enter.

All the companies simultaneously flash their cameras.

“First, I will explain the circumstances.”

As the Chief Cabinet Secretary speaks, presentation materials are projected behind him.

The outline is as follows:

・At the Kyoto Kyogoku Supernatural Disaster Structural Anomaly—the Kyogoku Dungeon—Supernatural Disaster Structural Anomaly Investigator A—an explorer—encountered an unusual supernatural disaster organism—a monster.

・Sehei Moritsuki defeated this, and returned to the Kyogoku branch with A.

・Investigation by Kyogoku branch staff and the Special Disaster Countermeasures Agency—Dungeon Agency—was conducted.

・After various examinations including health checks, it was confirmed that Mr. Sehei Moritsuki was the same ‘Sehei Moritsuki’ who had gone missing 50 years ago, and a citizen number was assigned.

・Considering his mental state, further investigation was conducted after a period of rest.

・As a result of the hearing, the exploration of the supernatural disaster structural anomaly—the dungeon—and the existence of another world were officially recognized.

As the materials were displayed along with the oral explanation, groans and shutter sounds could be heard from various places.

That’s understandable.

Including the authenticity of that dungeon streamer’s video, the government has officially ruled on content that has caused various debates in the world.

Among these, ‘Single-handed defeat of a deep-level irregular’, ‘Dungeon exploration’, ‘Existence of another world’, and ‘Time axis shift’ are events that lack a sense of reality even after being officially announced at this press conference.

Thus, while causing a great ripple in the venue and probably beyond the screen, the conference itself proceeded smoothly, and it was time for questions and answers from the reporters.

Each paper throws out questions about the evidence of the 발표 content, confirmation of facts, and so on, and the Chief Cabinet Secretary answers them clearly and logically.

There were also questions about Mr. Moritsuki’s personal information.

For several weeks since the video in question was released, each paper had been desperately gathering information about him.

As a result, information such as being a graduate of Hibiya High School, having been accepted to the University of Tokyo, and being a classmate of the Chief Cabinet Secretary next to him was being gathered.

Even though they were told in advance that they could not answer questions regarding Mr. Moritsuki’s personal information, the reporters who had such cards could not restrain their questions.

And Oishi was one of them.

“A question for Mr. Moritsuki. There is information that you are a relative of Nao Moritsuki, who is currently the Director General of the Special Disaster Countermeasures Agency’s Chubu Regional Headquarters and was previously known as the ‘Most Beautiful Explorer’. Is this true?”

The other papers hadn’t grasped this information, and a stir spreads.

As for the reaction of Moritsuki, who was asked the question, he stopped the Chief Cabinet Secretary, who was about to respond as before with, [We cannot answer questions regarding Mr. Moritsuki’s personal information], and took the microphone.

“I apologize for answering a question with a question, but what do you intend to do with that information? Are you planning to go interview my sister?”

“May we take that as an affirmation?”

“You may not. There have been many questions about my relationships and such, but if it causes them trouble…”.

Mr. Moritsuki, who had cut off his words there, looked at the reporters who had been asking about his personal information in turn.

The next moment, a chill ran down his spine as if a blade were thrust before his eyes.

A feeling of pressure that made it impossible to even breathe, and an overwhelming premonition of death that his head and body would be separated in the next instant.

It dissipated in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only a body drenched in cold sweat.

“I will not be able to answer any further questions from anyone.”

Looking around, it seems that everyone except for a few—the reporters who had just been stared at by Mr. Moritsuki—are acting normally.

He remembered this feeling.

It was similar to the aura emitted by the explorers called the best in the country when they were fighting in the dungeon during an interview.

Although it comes with the caveat that it would be hundreds, thousands of times more condensed.

“…I apologize. I withdraw my question.”

Anyway, he couldn’t bear the situation where he would no longer speak—information that might be useful for dungeon exploration both domestically and internationally might be lost due to his responsibility—and had to withdraw his question.

“Is there anything else?”

The moderator prompts, but perhaps because they were intimidated by the previous exchange, hands are slow to rise.

“Then we will soon…”.

“Ah, yes. I have a question.”

A reporter raises their hand, ignoring the atmosphere.

She’s a young woman with a non-Japanese look and overall light coloring.

“Um, from ‘Weekly World’s Dungeons’. A question for Mr. Moritsuki.”

Upon hearing the name of the magazine, the surrounding reporters and the moderator look disgusted.

“Mr. Moritsuki, you are said to be a returnee from another world and a dungeon conqueror, but what was at the deepest part of the dungeon?”

And some people look悔しい upon hearing that question.

It is one of the core things that people watching this conference are expecting.

They probably regret putting it off, thinking that they should start with the evidence of the outlandish circumstances.

“First of all, I only know about the Kyogoku Dungeon this time and the dungeon in the other world that was connected to it. With that premise, at the deepest part of the dungeon, there is a dungeon core and a gate to another world.”

Receiving that answer, she writes something down and continues to ask questions.

“Is the gate to another world something that connects that other world and this world? Also, what is a dungeon core?”

“Your understanding of the gate to another world is generally correct. I don’t know where other gates lead, but I’ve heard that they connect two realms. A dungeon core is, as the name suggests, the core of a dungeon, and it was said that destroying it would cause the dungeon to collapse.”

“Is it correct to say that you obtained that knowledge in the other world?”

“Yes. At least several thousand years have passed since dungeons appeared in that world, so it can be said that there is more knowledge about dungeons than here. However, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of that information, so please understand that.”

“I see. In this case, the Kyogoku Dungeon remains intact, but did you not destroy the dungeon core?”

“That’s correct. I opened the gate to another world and emerged in the deepest part of the Kyogoku Dungeon, but I wasn’t sure if it was the original world—I’ll call it the Earth world to avoid confusion—and I thought about going out by traversing in reverse order because I didn’t know where I would end up if I destroyed the dungeon core immediately after crossing the realm.”

“And you encountered that explorer while coming up like that, right?”

“Yes. Seeing that person’s clothes, I felt strongly that this might be the Earth world. So I helped that person, and when I tried to talk to them, they were streaming… was it? And it turned into this big deal.”

“I understand. Thank you.”

────

Thus ended, the content of the conference, which was featured on television broadcasts, extra editions, and the front pages of various newspapers the next day, sparked various discussions.

However, compared to before the conference, voices doubting its authenticity were silenced.

At least, the Japanese government announced it as the truth.