In the suffocating silence, Roxanne and I locked eyes in the air.
If looks could kill, I’d be dead hundreds of times by now.
Roxanne merely stared at me. Not even a twitch.
Honestly, she didn’t want to back down first. Even if she was a bit scared, the haughty woman wouldn’t drop her ego, especially not in front of the 72 Lords.
That said, she wasn’t about to throw her weight around either; I’d wager she was thinking the same as I was.
Someone, please stop me!
“Enough. You both, cut it out.”
As expected, Daron was the first to step in.
“A life-or-death duel? Are the Lairs of the Seven truly going to kill each other? You both are too emotional. Uphold your dignity. What kind of farce is this in front of the round table of 72 Lords?”
“Me too! I don’t want anyone else to die!”
“I agree!”
“Even the elders should stop holding back. They too, right?”
I knew they would respond like this without a doubt.
With a duel between the Lairs already a concern, we couldn’t afford a life-or-death battle.
Despite the surrounding pleas, Roxanne continued to glare at me silently.
“Tch.”
She clicked her tongue and abruptly turned her head away.
Not stopping there, she stood up abruptly and coldly turned her back to the round table.
Click, click.
Roxanne walked away, and all eyes shifted to her.
She paused at the door and slightly turned her head.
Casting a side glance at everyone, she then faced forward again.
“I have nothing more to say here.”
BANG!
With those parting words, Roxanne stormed out of the meeting room.
She seemed thoroughly offended… Seriously, what a thin skin.
With the highest-ranked Lord leaving, only silence lingered at the round table.
The 72 Lords silently observed, probably waiting for the other Lairs to speak up.
Daron, picking up on the atmosphere, sighed heavily.
“Continuing this meeting seems futile.”
“Right? What do we do now?”
“I agree!”
After about ten minutes of discussion, opinions from the Lairs of the Seven and Blizz gathered unanimously.
The other 72 Lords seemed to be in agreement too, and thus the meeting ended not with a resolution, but in a failure.
Outside the conference room, the upper management of the association started to trickle in.
“We bid farewell to the esteemed Lords. Please use the association portal for your return.”
The lower-ranked Lords dashed out of the meeting room.
To be honest, I wanted to leave this place right away, but the remaining Lairs of the Seven remained steadfast in their seats.
It seemed like the custom was for the Lairs to leave last, so I discreetly stayed put.
“It’s been fun for a change.”
The 72 Lords departed one by one, with Calandas being the first to go.
Calandas cast a slight glance my way, and our eyes met naturally.
With a faint black and orange level, he regarded me with a mix of caution and fear.
As long as that level didn’t change color, he wouldn’t show his teeth first.
Roseha, Daron, and Linmy were still sitting there, staring at me as if they were plotting something.
Honestly, it felt awkward, but I maintained my silence to exude a sense of weightiness.
“Glad it resolved calmly.”
Daron’s voice sank heavily.
With that big guy leaning toward me, I felt a little scared.
If he weren’t undead, I’d surely be foaming at the mouth and fainting.
“Sir Barugore. This old man has come to hold you dear, even though it’s our first meeting.”
I don’t need to say a word. Great King Daron’s level was a deep shade of green.
Unless it was some exceptional conflict, the Seven Lairs would likely approach me favorably.
As strong as they are, they have the disposition to respect other strong beings.
Of course, there were peculiar cases like Roxanne.
A lizard lady who won’t acknowledge anyone stronger than herself and just picks fights.
“You may be small, but you’re certainly not insignificant. It’s the first time I’ve felt this much interest at first sight.”
Daron chuckled lightly.
“Even at rank seven as a singular entity, I could reach toward rank two. My curiosity has been satisfied. In that case, we must rely on the dungeon’s strength. I need to cultivate my own power again like before.”
Swish. Daron extended his fingertip toward me.
I wondered if he meant to crush me with a hand the size of my whole body, but it turned out he intended for a fist bump.
Thud.
Without hesitation, I bumped my fist against his fingertip.
“Thank you, Sir Barugore. Thanks to you, my mind feels clearer. If you ever plan to visit the Thousand-Year Frozen Soil, feel free to come anytime, even without notice. I will welcome you with the utmost hospitality. And… my little friend.”
Before he could finish, Daron’s dwarf aide approached me.
At first glance, he looked like a short dwarf, but he had a level of 85.
Don’t be fooled by appearances; he wasn’t a pushover.
Daron’s title is ‘Great King for the Little Ones.’
Though he himself is a giant, his followers are composed only of small beings like dwarves and fairies.
This is due to Daron’s innate nature of caring for and protecting the little ones.
It’s like how a human feels compelled to cuddle a chick.
The dwarf aide reached into his pocket and pulled out something.
I wondered what it was, but it turned out to be a flask potion.
[Blessing of Mana (S+)]
[Enhancement Rate: 2%]
[※Warning! Enhancement failure will automatically destroy it!]
[If enhancement fails, the cooldown will reset.]
[Do you wish to enhance Blessing of Mana (S+)?]
[YES/NO]
The Blessing of Mana is an S+ grade item.
It’s a superior version of the heavenly elixir that Balmunk took and a magic potion.
“This is a gift to strengthen our relationship. It’s the only worthy item I could offer. If it’s of no use to you, you may pass it to my aide.”
“…Thank you.”
I could give it to Charlotte later and it would be epic.
No matter how much I appreciated this, it’s surprising to receive such a gift at our first meeting.
Unlike some others, the depth of his character matched his stature.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground shook with every step Daron took.
Following him were the magical dwarf and the fairy, each serving as the aide and guardian of the underground mausoleum.
“Then, I’ll see you at the next meeting.”
Soon enough, a portal opened slightly lower than Daron’s height.
A magical dwarf managed to open such a portal by himself.
Truly, what a worthy aide of the Seven Lairs. The magic power was astonishing—
“Hmm. He looks like he’s really struggling.”
The magical dwarf’s eyes were spinning.
He was about to face mana exhaustion, it seemed.
Daron bowed his head and pushed himself into the portal.
With that large frame disappearing, my field of vision opened up.
The vague tension of facing a cosmic horror also vanished.
Tat! Tat!
A notably light sound tickled my ears.
Soon, the twin homunculi looked up at me with sparkling eyes.
Snap! Ren pointed at me rudely.
Though they were over a thousand years old, they appeared utterly innocent.
They looked like innocent and naive kids on the outside.
“Rank 7! I like you!”
“Me too! I like Rank 7 too!”
The level of the twin homunculi was a darker shade of green than Daron.
With that kind of favor, they could be compared to Balutak.
The two of them spun around me like they were playing an endless circle dance.
“Let’s play together later! Lin wants to do that!”
“Lin! Lin! I love Rank 7! Barugore? Barugore?”
“Yep, that’s Barugore!”
“Hehe. I want to play with Barugore! Anytime! Let’s visit the dungeon!”
“I feel the same. Come visit the Twin Star Tower sometime. I’ll be waiting!”
Their chattering was dizzying, but I nodded without showing any reaction.
Then, suddenly, they both extended their pinky fingers.
“A promise!”
“Pinky swear~!”
“….”
I accidentally made a promise with both hands before they let go.
The two walked away giggling, waving their hands vigorously at the door.
They left the meeting room, showing nothing but their innocent appearance until the last moment.
“That was really cool.”
The last remaining lord of the Seven Lairs was Roseha.
She had already approached me from behind, caressing my nape with a sensual touch.
Whoa. That’s pretty scary.
“What to do? The more I know, the more I’m drawn in?”
“….”
“You know, I’m always open. Really, anytime is fine. It doesn’t even have to be for a one-night stand. If you want to see me, just come to the castle that day.”
Roseha gave me her signature eye-smile.
It was a captivating smile that reminded me of a fox.
“Or how about here at the round table? It would be a different experience.”
“…I’ll visit later.”
“Hehe. Got it. Oh, by the way, I’ll send support from the 9th Legion as soon as it’s ready. They’re not fully prepared yet. I want to send the best legion possible.”
Roseha removed her hands from my body.
From a distance, Drabule had already opened the dungeon portal, and Roseha was waving her fingertips at me from afar.
“See you later, darling.”
She fixed her gaze on me, flirting until the last moment as she stepped backward into the portal.
Only after everyone left did a sigh of relief escape me—a cool breath that seemed endless.
I’d never felt this flustered in my life.
To flaunt such bravado amongst the strongest in the world…
It was a series of situations where I could have died in an instant without any exaggeration.
Honestly, even I was thinking, “How the heck did I manage that?”
“How did you save me?”
Charlotte’s words interrupted my wandering thoughts.
…Saved you?
I looked at her with a questioning gaze, not sure what she meant.
“Any officer more capable than me could have been saved. But my relationship with Roxanne… I would have preferred it if you had just executed me.”
I understood what she was trying to say.
As she mentioned, the bitter tie with Roxanne was a significant blow.
From a practical standpoint, it would have been better to execute Charlotte and mend the relationship.
But how could I do that?
My heart was human, and I had developed a bond with Charlotte over time.
“Don’t say that. There’s no officer who can replace you.”
“….”
Realizing it again, Charlotte was meant to be Roxanne’s sentinel.
One could say I had stolen Charlotte from Roxanne.
Although she still fell short of being an officer in the Seven Lairs, Charlotte’s potential would only rise. Patience was the answer.
“I will dedicate my entire life to serving you, boss. But I have to ask…”
Charlotte hesitated, fumbling for her words.
“Would you prefer that I become a Lich to assist you, or become a Vampire and serve you for all eternity?”
The unexpected question momentarily left me speechless.
What on earth made her ask that?
She had such a serious expression that I couldn’t just ignore her.
“…Become a Vampire.”
“Yes, I shall obey.”
No matter how much of a Death Knight I was, having an Undead as my closest aide felt a bit unsettling.
No contest, a humanoid Vampire was definitely much better.
“Thank you for your hard work, boss.”
“You too, you worked hard.”
“Kirric! As expected of my high chieftain! You’ve humbled the other chieftains.”
I was the last to rise from my seat.
As I approached the door, Charlotte rushed ahead.
She flung the door open and waved outside as if she were a personal attendant.
This is really more pressure than I signed up for.
Hiding my uncertain feelings, I stepped outside.
In the new scenery, I spotted a small creature coming towards me, skipping along. What is that?
“Oh, hello…?”
Ah.
I totally forgot about her.
Estizel was shyly glancing up at me, nervously raising her eyes.
Thinking about it for a moment, I could understand why she was waiting for me.
“Did you make up your mind?”
“…Yes.”
Gulp.
Estizel’s throat trembled.
Her level color was a deep green.
I could predict the words that would come next.
“I… I also want to be with Lord at the Shrine of Faith.”
I thought she’d be scared about the Round Table affair, but instead, she seemed to have gained favor.
Perhaps she was sure I had no hostility towards her.
When your backing is strong, it makes you feel safe and favorable feelings grow.
I silently reached out my hand.
Estizel looked back and forth between my hand and my face.
“Wha-what’s this…?”
“I’m going to break your wrist.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Just kidding.”
Phew. Estizel let out a huge sigh of relief and took my hand.
I shook it up and down, and there was so little resistance that even her arm shook along.
“Boss even jokes….”
“Kirric! That’s not funny!”
Thwack!
A loud sound came from behind.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Balutak rubbing his sore head while Charlotte had her palm wide open, but I ignored it.
“Anyway, our family has grown. You two help Estizel adjust well.”
“Understood.”
“Kirric. Adjusting is my specialty. Just trust me. But Estizel, you look like Isabella. Suddenly, Isabella popped into my head. I miss Isabella….”
“Weren’t you dating Buraltak?”
“Kiriririr! Buraltak is my female! Isabella is my best friend.”
“Aren’t they both just females, though?”
“Kirric. If we go that route, even the aide is a female. She could be my female─”
Thwack!
The sound of impact rang out again.
Balutak, with his head down, was tearing up as he rubbed the back of his head.
Yeah. He needs to be hit sometimes.
‘By the way, Isabella.’
I’m getting curious like Balutak.
I wonder what she’s doing right now.
I hope she’s doing well.
