Chapter 125
Deep within the dungeon, in Elibel’s laboratory―――
『―――That’s why I’m wondering if there’s a way to go out without actually going out.』
「Your logic there baffles me, really.」
After pondering for a while without any good ideas coming to mind, I decide to visit Elibel’s lab.
And now, I’m discussing with Elibel if there’s any method to technically be outside without literally stepping out.
『Well, that’s a very… Lord Earth-like thought process, I must say.』
The one chuckling at my statement is Ann.
When I entered the lab, she was already here.
She seems to have been consulting with Elibel about some improvements for the middle layer of the dungeon.
Given her hands-on experience, Elibel seemed pretty keen to take in her insights.
Anyway, that’s the situation I walked into.
On a side note, Tsumugi seems to have given her report and left promptly.
Smart move.
『Look, I understand there are a ton of issues. But if possible, and only if possible, I’d like to resolve everything without actually going out.』
I insist, but Elibel looks less than pleased.
Although she’s a skeleton and doesn’t have facial expressions, I can sense a clear aura of annoyance emanating from her.
Yeah, I get why.
It’s purely selfish of me.
But it’s not about logic.
There doesn’t need to be a reason to be a shut-in.
Just like there doesn’t need to be a reason to live.
What? That’s a loser’s way of thinking?
Hey, I’m an earth dragon. Only two years old.
I don’t need that logic.
「Earth, isn’t that why we made the vessel golem for you? You could use that to―――」
『Yeah, but that thing’s kinda clunky to use.』
「Wha-」
Elibel tries to interject, but I cut her off.
The vessel golem’s body is hard to maneuver, and walking tires me out.
Plus, there’s no sense of taste, so food isn’t enjoyable.
There are quite a few downsides.
Although it has been refined.
「So you’re asking for a fight, huh. Okay, then. I’ll fight you.」
Elibel stands up, wielding her staff.
Wait, why?
Oh right, Elibel designed the vessel golem.
「You have a lot of nerve to criticize a golem I designed.」
『Wait, hold on, Elibel! I’m sorry, I apologize. Just put the staff down!』
「It’s okay, I’ll just skin you a little. Relax.」
『No, stop!!』
How am I supposed to relax knowing that?!
My skin?! Or my scales?! Or my claws?!
Anything would hurt, so stop it!
Ann and Berg are watching from a distance.
Hey, don’t just watch, stop her!
She’s really going to do it!
Seriously! Stop her for real!
『Ah, Ann! Help me out here! Elibel’s going to— Elibel’s going to!』
『Don’t worry, Lord Earth. I doubt Elibel is seriously mad.』
「It’s just the usual thing, after all.」
Ann and Berg decide to just watch, smiling as if watching a comedic act.
Really, guys?
『Wait, Elibel! I just shed my skin! I can have it delivered right now for you. How about we call it even?』
Upon hearing that, Elibel stops in her tracks.
Did it work?
「Alright. I might have gotten a bit carried away. Let’s consider it settled with that.」
Elibel lowers her staff.
Phew, that was close…
「But I’m still irritated. So, I’ll just take a bit off.」
With that, Elibel peels off one of my scales.
An echoing scream resonates through the room.
It’s mine.
She really did it after all!
『So, Lord Earth. I have a proposal. Would you consider using my antlings?』
Ann’s voice rises above the sting of my wound.
『My antlings and I are connected through a unique network. By focusing, we can share memories, experiences, and even vision. Using this, couldn’t Lord Earth virtually go outside without physically leaving this place?』
『Ah, the network of the antlings…』
It seems that Gijie’s experience-sharing golem was inspired by Ann’s network.
Indeed, it might be a feasible solution. By simply giving orders to the antlings and sharing their field of vision, there’s no need for one to leave the dungeon.
「Ann, that’s not wise. Don’t spoil him with such suggestions!」
Elibel objects.
『But, prioritizing Lord Earth’s safety, shouldn’t he remain inside? And isn’t it our duty as his subordinates to ensure that safety?』
「True, considering dungeons and organizations, that might be the safest. But if he’s always worrying about the sky falling, he won’t even be able to take a walk. Besides, knowledge and experience given by others alone won’t benefit him.」
『I understand, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.』
「No, like I said――」
The two glare at each other fiercely.
How did it become like this?
It looks more like parents quarreling over their child’s upbringing than a conversation between subordinates.
Sorry to be such a hassle.
Then, Berg suggests a compromise.
「Humu, why not improve the vessel golem, as you’ve suggested? If we address the improvements you mentioned, won’t you be satisfied?」
With that, Berg turns to me. .
Ouch, he’s pinpointed the issue
『Well, if it’s like that… there’s no problem… I guess…』
And so, the decision is made to improve the vessel golem and use it for my outdoor experiences.
Damn it.
I really didn’t want to go outside.
「Now that that’s settled, shall we move to the surveillance room?」
『Huh?』
「Not “huh”. The Continental Congress is about to begin. Aren’t you going to watch?」
Ah, right.
I’d completely forgotten.
Time has passed so quickly while I was just lazing around and spacing out.
My sense of time seems to be fading.
『Wait, can we watch it?』
「Of course! Just like when Una went to Agur Town. We’ll share Una’s vision, projecting it onto a monitor. This way, we can watch the congress in real time. Oh, let me get the others too.」
So, we moved to the surveillance room.
I also sent out a thought transmission to the subordinates who could join us.
Oh, I need to prepare some magic stones and fruits from the underground forest as refreshments.
In the dungeon surveillance room―――
The density of the surveillance room is quite astonishing.
There’s me, Ann, Elibel, Pururu, Tres, Tsumugi, and then Berg.
From the Fafnir side, there’s Robun and Othel.
And Elja is also here.
It’s quite the gathering.
Well, most of the space is taken up by me.
I’ve grown even larger after my recent molting, after all.
「Alright then, I’ll start it up.」
Elibel fiddles with a terminal, making a monitor appear.
There are two screens.
They display the shared vision of Una and Dos.
I watch the footage while munching on a magic stone snack.
The conference room… it’s pretty big.
And there are many people.
Close to a hundred, perhaps?
「Mmm… The humans look like ants, don’t they?」
Elja comments rudely while munching on a magic stone, but let’s not mind that.
「Fo, fo, fo! The Continental Congress has come a long way since our time, hasn’t it?」
「Indeed. In our era, dignitaries from different countries gathering like this was unthinkable. We were constantly at war with one another.」
Othel and Robun reminisce about the old days.
Well, it seems that during Elibel’s time, it was nothing but wars.
Such a sight would surely be fascinating for someone from that era.
It resembles the parliamentary buildings from my previous life.
Perhaps because it hasn’t started yet, the dignitaries from each country are chatting amongst themselves.
Around them, knights and adventurers stand erect as guards.
『But how did Una and Dos manage to enter the venue?』
「In the venue, aside from the representatives from each country, three guards are permitted to enter. Una and Dossun are acting as guards for the Holy Kingdom.」
Really?
From what I’ve heard, Dos has gained significant credibility as an adventurer, even more so than Una.
Apparently, even the Pope personally requests him for missions.
Well, he did become an S-Rank in record time, and he’s genuinely earnest.
That probably explains his trustworthiness.
As for Una… let’s not go there.
「Una, Dossun. It’s Elibel. How are things on your end?」
Elibel sends a thought transmission to the two of them through the communication magic stone.
『Is that you, Elibel? We’re fine. We’ve successfully entered the venue.』
『…no issues.』
「Good to hear. We’re currently in the surveillance room with Earth, Ann, and the others.」
When Elibel says that, Una’s vision blurs slightly.
『Wait, Father is watching too?! U-understood. I’ll do my best!』
『…Una, you can’t let your nerves get the best of you, okay?』
『I-it’s okay! I’ll be fine.』
I wonder if she really will be okay…
Dos seems alright, but Una appears to be quite tense.
It feels like she’s more nervous about us watching from the surveillance room than the people around her.
As I’m thinking that, a rather dignified-looking man steps onto the central podium.
『People from afar, thank you for gathering here! I am Emperor Kagrias Dir Hà Giang of the Hà Giang Empire. We take pride in our nation being chosen to host this honored event. We hope this congress leads to the prosperity of all nations. The role of the moderator and chairman will be served by our Prime Minister, Kelvin.』
So, he’s the emperor.
Once his speech concludes, applause erupts.
The emperor steps down from the platform, and another man takes his place.
『I am Kelvin, your host for the proceedings. Let’s begin with our first agenda item.』
The Continental Congress commences.
『First, we will have a report on this year’s harvest and specialties from the Holy Kingdom of Harshalud―――』
It seems the initial segment consists of status reports from each country.
Each country takes turns presenting their report.
Given the number of nations, this might take a while.
『Hey, Elibel.』
「What is it?」
『How long does this Continental Congress usually last? About half a day?』
From the looks of it, there’s no way it’ll wrap up in just a day.
「What are you talking about? The Continental Congress lasts for ten days. Today is just the first day, but I don’t think it’ll be too long.」
『Ten days? That’s quite long』
「Of course. Countries from all over the continent are gathering here. Ten days is actually on the shorter side.」
Hmm.
Is that how it is?
『On the contrary, I’m quite interested. Opportunities to learn about the ecology of humans are rare, not just for us Killer Ants, but for monsters in general.』
「That’s true.」
「Puu~」
Ann keeps her gaze steady, watching the monitor intently.
Pururu, Tres, and Tsumugi seem deeply fascinated as well.
Othel is staring at the three of them, his breathing heavy.
…Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to invite him?
Still, just watching can get tedious.
But everyone else is watching the monitor with serious faces.
Yeah.
It’s not an atmosphere where one could simply admit to being bored.
Maybe I should think about something else.
Like the dungeon…
With Tsumugi’s “altering” ability, the range of possibilities has expanded…
Huh…?
Hold on…
Could it be that with the current dungeon, “that” might be possible?
An idea I had once thought of and then abandoned.
It was impossible with the previous dungeon, but with the improvements to this new dungeon, “that” might be feasible.
『Hey, Elibel, can I ask you something―――』
Just as I was about to speak.
It happened abruptly.
―――Thud.
The image on the monitor suddenly cut off.
「Oh my? What happened?」
The screen is filled with static, resembling a sandstorm.
Elibel tries to fix it through the terminal, but it doesn’t revert.
『Is it malfunctioning?』
Ann asks.
「No, that shouldn’t be… strange… Una, Dossun, can you hear me?」
There’s no response to her inquiry.
What’s going on?
And then―――in the very next moment.
Suddenly―――a chill runs down my spine.
『…What… is this?』
Before I realize, my body is trembling.
An unsettling sweat forms.
I’m breathing hard.
It’s suffocating.
It’s not just me.
Everyone present is frozen in place.
Elibel, Ann, Tres, Pururu, Tsumugi, Berg.
Even Othel and Robun.
An overwhelming pressure, as if we’re being crushed.
It feels as if gravity has increased tens of times, creating an illusion of intense weight.
「What… what’s with this impossible magical power?」
『Ah, Lord Earth… This… pressure… what on earth…?』
「Da…Dad…」
「Pu…Puu~…」
What is this?
What in the world is happening!?
Then―――in the heavy, cold space, an out-of-place bright voice echoed.
「―――What a splendid dungeon.」
A voice.
Right before me.
Adjusting my gaze, I spot a tiny dragon resting atop the table.
Merely four inches in length.
Its earthy hue is reminiscent of a miniaturized version of me—a dragon in its own right.
Yet, despite its diminutive stature, it exudes an overwhelming presence.
The very spot it occupies feels as if it’s from another dimension, the sheer force of its aura inducing an illusion.
The creature surveys its surroundings with curious eyes.
「It seems… it’s not yet ‘complete’. That’s a shame, but I suppose it’s acceptable.」
『…Who… are… you…?』
I manage to force the words out, my voice strained.
Honestly, just finding the strength to speak was a challenge.
The overwhelming aura emanating from this dragon weighs heavily on me.
「You seem to be growing well, Earth. I’m relieved.」
The voice is warm.
A voice filled with benevolence, soothing to all who hear it.
「My name is Jibru. You should recognize it, dear Earth.」
Suddenly, unexpectedly, without warning or reason, there she was—my mother, the “Divine Catastrophe Dragon King” Jibru, standing right before me.
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