"You're saying the dungeon won't disappear even if the Evil God is gone?"
"How can you be so sure? Do you have evidence?"
Both the First Prince and Erginos fixed their intense gazes on . Feeling the weight of their scrutinizing stares, I broke out in a cold sweat.
The reason I knew the dungeon wouldn't disappear was simply because I had seen it in the ga.
Even after defeating all the Evil Gods sealed within the dungeon, and even after vanquishing their leader, Agra, I saw the dungeons— including the large one—remaining intact.
But how could I explain why the dungeon didn't disappear? What proof did I have? Was there any change? When asked these questions, I couldn't answer them.
No, wait.
I’ve seen birds flying.
So, when I say birds can fly, can I really explain how they fly?
I can only say that I’ve seen them fly!
‘...I think so.’
And, honestly, in the worst case, maybe that only applies in the ga. In reality, it’s possible that I might never be able to raid another dungeon again.
If sothing like that happens after I made such a bold claim, I’d have to deal with the consequences myself!
Ah, right! I should ask Chumman!
If I ask Chumman, they might have so insight on whether the dungeon will really stay intact.
Chumman! Chumman! If I bring the Evil God into the dungeon, will it remain unchanged?
[Move as you believe, and that will be enough.]
Such an ambiguous answer!
So, the dungeon won’t disappear, right?
Even if I’m held responsible, I should move forward with what I believe is right, correct?
Ugh! Seriously, the attitude of this pesky, little, reclusive kid who gave these skills... it’s really getting on my nerves!
"Can both of you trust my daughter’s words for now?"
I scowled, thinking there would be no response, but just then, Benedict ca forward and bowed to both of them.
"Although I cannot elaborate, I am confident that my daughter’s words are the truth. If anything goes wrong, the Alrn family will take responsibility, so please..."
"And the Art Guild will share in that responsibility. You are aware of the amounts our guild has been earning lately, so you needn’t worry about any promises being empty."
Following suit, the perverted apostle also bowed. The First Prince, startled, quickly rose from his seat and bowed as well.
"No, there’s no need to go that far. I just... ha, I understand. We will proceed as Erginos wishes."
Even the usually strong-willed First Prince couldn’t maintain his posture, retreating from the pressure. The other courtiers followed suit, lowering their heads without offering any comnt.
Though, on the surface, it seed like things were going smoothly, I couldn’t bring myself to smile.
They were trusting this much, but what happens if the dungeon disappears?
The pressure from their good intentions weighs even more heavily than the pressure of malice!
I’m sweating bullets inside!
Ugh. If I’d known this would happen, I should have just kept my mouth shut. Why did I have to say anything?
‘What is it?’
‘Escalate? What do you an?’
After Lucy Alrn and her party left, the First Prince, Rene Soladin, was left in the room with his courtiers. Ignoring the gazes around him, he slouched in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.
What passed through his mind were the monts when he first t the party.
More specifically, the hostility he had felt from Erginos, the legendary hero, was still vivid in his mind.
Originally, Rene hadn’t planned on coming here. He had been focused on his duties, unaware of what Lucy Alrn and her group were trying to accomplish. The matters of this city were far from his mind.
But Rene had co to this dungeon city solely because of the First Queen’s orders.
"Go to that place and et with Erginos. The reason? Hmm... just say you’re concerned about the dungeon."
What his mother, the First Queen, had said was so uncharacteristically vague that it didn’t sit well with Rene.
For soone who usually carried out kingdom matters with ticulous calculation, hearing her speak like that was surprising.
Rene thought it was strange, but since he trusted the First Queen, he ca here, believing that she must have had a plan.
But what he faced here was direct hostility.
"What’s the point of this?"
Unprepared and suddenly thrust into this situation, Rene had no power to persuade anyone. He only had vague worries and doubts about things that hadn't even happened yet.
If this were a common citizen in the market, this would be a trivial matter, but Rene was the First Prince—a likely heir to the throne.
What was the point of showing up unprepared and trying to force his authority?
Especially when his opponents were of equal or higher status?
"What is the First Queen thinking?" Rene wondered aloud.
He had worked under her for a long ti, yet he still couldn’t figure out her thoughts.
"What do you think, gentlen?"
"Well, perhaps she wants you to make connections, even in this manner."
"Maybe she’s hoping you’ll get involved in Erginos’s great cause."
It seed the courtiers also couldn’t follow the First Queen’s reasoning.
Of course, it made sense. How could those who were less clever than him understand her thoughts?
Forget it. I won’t waste any more ti thinking about it.
He thought of his unfortunate younger brother, who couldn’t even et his gaze, and of Lucy Alrn, who was now gaining respect and admiration while he was stuck in this ss.
"...Traitor."
"Excuse ?"
"What did you just say, First Prince?"
"It’s nothing. Forget it."
Rene snapped at his courtiers with a cold voice, then stood up, brushing his hair back.
"Now, prepare to release the people. We may need to stir up so chaos."
"Are you really going to follow Lady Alrn’s request?"
"Is there any other option? In the blink of an eye, I’ve managed to make enemies of a legendary hero, a revered apostle, and a renowned Sword Saint. What else can I do?"
No matter the circumstances, what Rene had done here was just getting in the way of their plans.
It seed like things were settled for now, but who knew how this would turn out later? He had to resolve the situation, at least for now.
When the ti ca, he would say that he had done his best, even if his reputation took a hit in the process.
"Let’s make sure we create a few scapegoats while we’re at it. No one should dare try to raid the dungeon under my orders."
What my grandfather had asked Rene to do was to prevent anyone, except us, from entering the dungeon.
Today, in the na of the royal bloodline, we were to block the entrance.
‘Can that really be done?’
Though I was doubtful, when I asked, Rene let out a light laugh and nodded.
If that’s what was wanted, he’d do it.
The courtiers tried to dissuade him, saying it was tyrannical, but Rene easily ignored their objections.
And not long after we left the mansion, chaos erupted in the dungeon city.
"No, I have a mission I need to complete by today!"
"Ha! Is that more important than the prince’s safety?!"
"This is crazy! If I don’t finish this by today, there’ll be consequences!"
"Calculate the losses and submit them to the mansion!"
"What’s the difference between that and asking for my head on a platter?!"
"My lord! Even if it’s the First Prince’s orders, this..."
"Please understand. He’s the next in line for the throne. We can’t defy his orders."
Rene showed exactly what would happen if the next potential ruler of the kingdom decided to go rogue.
Using the military forces stationed in the region, he suppressed the voices of the people. Anyone who resisted was thrown in prison under various pretenses. All opposition was crushed in the na of the prince’s safety.
Thanks to this, our presence in the dungeon city was pushed to the back, and the reality of the situation was much larger than the rare faces around us.
"Hah. The true nature of people is revealed when given a reason. Truly disgusting."
Erginos, who had been watching this scene, showed an unusually harsh reaction.
I’d noticed before that he seed to dislike the First Prince a lot, but wasn’t this too much?
I don’t like the guy either, but this was a bit over the top.
If this keeps up, it feels like Erginos might just do sothing drastic.
"Your Highness would never do sothing like this without reason."
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who thought this. Arthur, unable to hold his tongue any longer, spoke up.
"Why do you think that?"
"Because I’ve known my older brother my whole life."
"Can you say that everything you’ve seen is the truth?"
...
Ah, did he figure it out already? He may be awkward in front of a chicken coop, but he sure knows how to handle things when it matters.
How unfortunate. If he’d been this quick to notice things elsewhere, he wouldn’t have been living as a virgin all this ti.
"What are you trying to say, Erginos?"
"Well, what do you think, huh? He’s just jealous of people who get attention from won, unlike him, who’s never even touched a woman’s hand. That’s why he’s acting like this, right?"
"I’m not jealous."
"Oh? Well, if it’s not jealousy, then it must be hysteria? Is this where you vent your stress on soone you don’t know how to deal with? Haha, it’s so heroic. It’s pathetic, really. Keep it up."
After Erginos let out a mocking laugh, we received the polite greetings of the soldiers and entered the dungeon.
Phew, okay. Let’s release all this stress inside the dungeon.
Now that I’m with this party, which is even better than any I’ve seen in the ga, we might even break the ga’s record!
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