Chapter 130
The day after the night passed.
Dos is reporting yesterday’s events to Elibel.
It’s about the battle that took place in the town beneath the castle last night.
However, there’s not much to report.
『So, in the end, you don’t really know the details of the battle in the town.』
「…yes, sorry.」
『No need to apologize. With bird-type specs being so limited, it’s understandable.』
「…un.」
『The real issue is the one who was fighting the dragon slayer. A man dressed like a priest with a mask and a large sword… Hmm…』
Dos tried to check the battle details by sharing the vision of the bird-types, but their vision became suddenly unclear when they approached the predicted battleground.
『Some magic that obstructs recognition, huh? Either mental interference or environmental manipulation… Come to think of it, that old witch was knowledgeable about such magic. Got it, I’ll look into it on my end.』
「…you can?」
『Of course. Who do you think I am? I have my own sources, after all. I’ll focus on that. For now, do your best today.』
「…un, I will.」
Saying that, Dos ends his communication with Elibel.
He then looks to his side.
「Hehehe… Father… Ann… You smell so nice… Zzz…」
Una (his sister) is sleeping peacefully, even though it’s already time to get up and greet Orion.
Should I slap her to wake her up?
No, I must resist.
「…Una, wake up.」
「―――Mmm…?」
He gently shakes Una.
She slowly opens her eyes.
「…Ah, Dos. Good morning~ Huh? Where’s the meatball-pig steak? I need to serve it to father… Zzz…」
She seems to be still half-asleep.
A vein pops on Dos’ forehead.
I must suppress the urge to hit her.
「…sleepyhead. Here, water.」
He pours a glass of water and hands it to her.
She drinks it all at once.
「Puhaa~ I’m awake now. Sorry about that. I overslept a bit.」
Not just a bit! Dos thinks but doesn’t let it show.
He’s mature, after all.
I shouldn’t get upset over little things.
As he’s thinking this, there’s a knock on the door.
「Good morning, you two. Ready for breakfast?」
It’s Orion.
Well, Dos knew it was her because of his perception ability.
But isn’t it strange that the one being guarded is coming to fetch the guards?
It should have been us who went to her…..
This is mainly Una’s fault.
「Nufufu, did you two sleep well last night?」
Next to Orion stands the pig―――I mean, Sir Schwein from yesterday.
The oil on his chubby face is glistening.
Behind him, his knightly guard stands by.
「Munya… It’s the meatball-pig… Need to ship out….」
「Nuhii!?」
Una mumbles something upon seeing Sir Schwein.
She must be talking in her sleep. At least, I hope so.
And Sir Schwein, please don’t look so alarmed.
We won’t really ship you out.
「…Sorry, Orion, we should’ve come to get you.」
「It’s alright. Sir Schwein’s guards were looking after me.」
Orion chuckles, covering her mouth.
Sir Schwein also laughs in his peculiar way.
「Nufufu, my knights are very skilled. One or two more people to guard is no problem at all.」
「Why, that’s reassuring.」
They laugh together.
A beauty and the beast… or rather, a saint and a pig.
What a strange pair, thinks Dos.
「Shall we go for breakfast then? I bet it’ll be delicious… I can’t wait.」
Led by Sir Schwein, they all head to the hall.
「…Pig… Ship out…」
While still guiding the drowsy Una, Dos and the others head for breakfast.
The breakfast was delicious.
By the way, Sir Schwein had seconds of ham.
He seems to love pork.
It’s cannibalism, really.
Now, after finishing breakfast, it’s time to move to the congress room.
We are the “eyes” of the dungeon.
The broadcast must go smoothly.
The venue for the Continental Congress is quite large.
Boasting a size that could probably accommodate hundreds of people, the grand hall spreads out in a fan shape, with the chairman’s podium at the center. Lavish chairs and long tables are set out.
There are already several representatives seated.
The seats for each country seem predetermined, with their bodyguards standing behind them.
Dos takes a moment to scan the inside of the venue.
（…not having to sit is convenient. Easier to see the whole venue this way.）
Though there are windows, they’re designed like stained-glass, with vibrant colors ensuring outsiders can’t peer in.
（…magical barriers are in place too. It’d be impossible for Wraiths and the others to break in.）
Indeed, the venue is heavily guarded both inside and out, and barriers against magic have been erected.
（…I need to stay alert to maintain a connection to the dungeon）
Dos is currently threading his vision through a small gap in the barrier, connecting it to the dungeon’s monitor.
It’s something only he, with his heightened sensory abilities and mastery over magical power, can do.
Of course, he also has the support of Gijie and Elibel.
I need to do my best, for Papa.
「Anyway… it seems many of the bodyguards from various countries are quite renowned.」
Una observes as she looks around the venue.
「…true.」
At a quick glance, there are several adventurers on par with Dos, S-Rank.
He can also spot a few knights of equivalent skill.
「The fact that so many strong figures are here indicates the importance of this meeting. The Holy Kingdom hasn’t ever sent three participants before.」
Comments Orion, who has just taken her seat.
「Is that so?」
「Yes. Typically, there’s only one representative from each country. Some of the more populous nations might send more, but judging from the presence here, I’d say at least half the countries have sent two or more. Am I right?」
「…un, you’re right.」
Dos affirms.
Although Orion is blind, she can deduce the surroundings from the sounds and auras around her.
「…There are many bodyguards present.」
However, Dos thinks to himself,
（…there aren’t many with the capability of ‘Dragon Slayers’.）
One might not notice at first glance, but individuals of such caliber are rare.
From what he can see, the only ones with strength surpassing “Dragon Slayer” are the already seated emperor of the Hà Giang Empire―――and the elderly demon standing behind him.
And perhaps their own charge, Orion.
Though she seems mild-mannered, Dos suspects she possesses great combat ability.
After all, she’s one of the eight highest-ranking saint in the Holy Kingdom, known as the “Holy Ark.”
（…If she’s as perceptive as I think, she might already know our true identity. I need to be careful.）
If she has noticed but is deliberately pretending otherwise, she’s truly impressive.
With these thoughts, Dos continues observing the venue.
「…Hm?」
Suddenly, he feels a gaze on him.
Following the direction of the gaze, he finds someone waving.
A very plain-looking woman with glasses.
If I’m not mistaken, she’s seated in the Borhelic Kingdom’s spot.
Could she be their representative?
Oddly, she’s unguarded.
Alone.
Dos gives a vague nod and quickly looks away.
「What’s wrong, Dos?」
Una asks, noticing his behavior.
「…Nothing.」
「If you said so.」
Glancing again, the woman is already looking elsewhere, yawning while resting her chin on her hand.
「…imagination?」
He tilts his head, and as her magical power doesn’t seem remarkable, Dos soon dismisses her from his mind.
After a while, representatives from all countries gather.
Now, Dos focuses intently, establishing a link to the dungeon.
The Continental Congress begins.
The Continental Congress begins with an opening greeting from the emperor.
Next, it seems to be greetings and status reports from each country.
『Now, we’ll start with a report from the Harshalud Holy Kingdom regarding this year’s harvest and special products.』
Following that statement, a representative from the Holy Kingdom other than Orion begins reading the report.
He’s a man in his fifties, with streaks of white in his hair.
He appears to be one of the kingdom’s priests.
（….this is a good opportunity to learn about each country’s situation.）
That’s what Dos thinks, but…
「…Zzz… zzZ… Huh? Dos? Where are the pigs? What about the shipment?」
「…………」
Yeah, better not to comment.
Let’s stay focused
It’s best to just ignore Una.
Although she seems like this, she probably does her work properly… probably.
Representatives from each country continue reading their reports.
As they do, Dos assesses the economic conditions of each nation, picking out which countries could be beneficial or problematic for the dungeon.
This information is then fed back to Gijie and Elibel in the dungeon via magical channels.
The meeting progresses smoothly.
『…So the Rahnland region governed by that pig-noble is known for its pig farms. I wonder if they have skewered meat? I’d like to let Father and Ann try some.』
『…Una, your thought is leaking.』
『Ah! Sorry, I just…』
『…also, this conversation is being sent to Gijie.』
『Ah…!』
This is how the introduction of each country continues.
―――Two hours have passed since then.
Almost all of the greetings and reports from each country are finished.
Everything seems to be going smoothly, or so Dos thought.
「―――Now, lastly, a word from the representative of the Borhelic Kingdom」
The moment the chairman said that, something unusual happened.
Bzzzztt―――
Suddenly, the magical circuit connecting Dos to the dungeon was cut.
「―――!」
「…!?」
Both of them immediately notice the anomaly.
（…what’s happening? Why was the connection to the dungeon severed?）
He glances at Una next to him.
She returns his look, nodding slightly.
She seems to have noticed that the magical circuit to the dungeon was disconnected.
『―――Dos, our connection to the dungeon is…』
『…it’s cut. I think something unexpected happened in the dungeon.』
They communicate using thought transmission.
『…I think the connection to the dungeon was forcibly severed by some powerful force』
『Did something appear in the dungeon? Should we use our vessel golems to escape?』
『…let’s wait a moment.』
Dos promptly sends orders to the bird-type and wraiths waiting outside.
『…relay these messages to the dungeon.』
What Dos is doing is relaying information through a network of creatures waiting outside.
It’s pure thought transmission between the creatures, without using magic tools.
They relay the messages in a bucket brigade fashion to the dungeon.
It’s more analog and time-consuming than using a magic stone, but I have no choice.
It’s worrying what might have happened in the dungeon, but it’s not a good idea to move during the congress.
We can’t be suspected.
We need to find out what happened in the dungeon as soon as possible.
「―――Now, we’d like to move on to the main topics.」
While all this is happening, the greetings from each country come to an end, and the congress seems to be shifting to the main topics.
The chairman reads the content written on the parchment.
「The first topic is about the ‘teleportation dungeons’ that have appeared in each country」
The worst possible timing ― our own dungeon is the topic.
What should we do?
Before he could think further, a voice interrupts.
「Mr. Chairman? We’ve already spent quite a bit of time on greetings. Can we take a break?」
It’s an ordinary woman’s voice, but from where it’s hard to tell.
「Hmm…? Indeed, we’ve gone well over the initially planned time.」
The chairman looks at the emperor of the Hà Giang Empire, who nods in agreement.
「Let’s take a break here. It’s lunchtime, and we’ll resume in the afternoon.」
With that statement, the meeting is adjourned for now.
We’re saved.
This is our chance.
「…Orion, let’s get lunch.」
「Sure, I’m hungry. Let’s go.」
With Orion in tow, Una and Dos quickly leave the venue.
Once outside the venue, where barriers are set up, they have much more freedom.
Without a word, Dos and Una nod to each other, and upon exiting the venue, they immediately try to reestablish contact with the dungeon.
However, they haven’t noticed.
Someone has been quietly watching them, undetected.
The mysterious observer slowly follows them.
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