“Seriously?”
“Unforeseen.”
“Is this what they call beginner’s luck?”
“Hahaha.”
The bet was on when the Dragon King would arrive, and to my surprise, I won. My status said my luck was abysmal, yet somehow I emerged victorious. This bet brought me a rather lucrative reward.
“Hey! Don’t look at me like that.”
The Dragon King who bestowed this victory upon me glared at me like a thug. As always, he seemed ready for a fight, his irritation clear as he tried to gauge my reaction and the attention of those around us. I could tell he wasn’t being serious, as there was no killing intent to inspire fear, but the atmosphere was still charged, as if he might lash out if I made the slightest misstep.
Perhaps the President is the only one he treats with any semblance of friendliness. He tends to look down on me. Could he still be holding a grudge about that battle where I ignored him and fought the instructor instead of preparing for the General’s position? It’s been quite some time since then, and even after this reunion, such overt hostility is peculiar.
Like the saying goes, “Let sleeping gods lie.” Further provocation would only worsen this already acrimonious atmosphere.
“…”
“Um, King Uuor, is something wrong?”
There was another matter that concerned me.
“You’re not carrying *that* sword today?”
The person casting a curious gaze upon me was none other than the Giant race’s general, King Uuor. His massive frame sat motionless, as solid as a rock. He arrived only a minute after the Dragon King, a barely perceptible difference. I was surprised to see him in his work clothes rather than formal attire, clearly having been busy until the last moment, but no one pointed this out. The Demon Lord’s Army does have something akin to military uniforms, but generals rarely wear them. I myself wear a well-tailored suit, but the other generals all dress as they please, so there’s no sense of uniformity. Among them, King Uuor, with his appearance of a small factory owner, has kept his gaze fixed on me since entering this room, making him, in a way, the most difficult to deal with. My inability to be happy about winning the bet, despite the victory, is entirely due to his gaze.
“Naturally, I can’t bring weapons in here.”
“…I see.”
It seemed he simply wanted another look at my partner. According to Evia, King Uuor rarely compliments other people’s weapons. It’s understandable that he’d want to see it again when he meets me.
“Yes.”
“…”
“…”
However, there’s one thing I want to say. I know I can’t, but it’s okay to think it, right? The conversation pace is just agonizingly slow. Even if I wanted to expand on a topic, the Ore Tree, which would be the perfect subject, isn’t here with me. I really can’t bring weapons in here, so King Uuor, please stop looking so childishly dejected. I feel a pang of guilt. The instructors beside me are grinning, offering no help.
As we engaged in this awkward exchange, time slipped away unnoticed.
“The Demon Lord arrives.”
The Tree King, Lunaria, the last of the generals and currently serving as the President’s aide, arrived via teleportation. She instantly cleared the strange atmosphere in the room. Honestly, I was relieved. My estimation of Lunaria’s timing shot up. The relaxed air immediately tightened, and we all rose from our seats, assuming a stiffly upright posture facing the throne. The presence of teleportation and the flow of magic indicated the timing, and we knew who was coming. The President’s teleportation brought him directly in front of the throne.
“Hello. I appreciate you all gathering here today.”
Despite being the head of this organization, the President lacks any ostentatious display. Yet, he possesses a natural charisma that makes you want to follow him, a bearing befitting a leader. Even with a casual wave of his hand, as if greeting a neighbor, he evokes a genuine sense of reverence from the bottom of your heart. A true king. With that, the President took his seat on the throne. This served as a signal for us to take our respective seats.
“Now, ideally, I’d like to foster camaraderie among you generals gathered here, but I have a set schedule. So, let’s get straight to the main topic.”
It naturally falls to the President to set the flow of conversation. Among this unique group, who else would speak if not him?
“Demon Lord, Evia hasn’t arrived yet?”
However, not everyone was present at the appointed time. As Instructor Fushio pointed out, Evia was nowhere to be seen. She should be qualified to participate in this war council. Yet, she was absent. Had something happened?
“I’ve given her a separate task. She should be able to attend this meeting, but likely towards the end.”
It seems she was entrusted with a request from the President. Her lateness probably indicates a sudden instruction. If she had been aware of the meeting time beforehand, she wouldn’t have neglected such arrangements. Before hearing the President’s main point, a new concern arose. However, now was not the time to inquire about her task. While other generals seemed curious, no one dared to question the fact that the President wouldn’t divulge the reason. Seeing Instructor Fushio, the only one who had asked, nod in understanding, the President scanned us with his gaze, confirming if there were any other concerns, and the opportunity to ask was lost. The President nodded, indicating that was acceptable.
“Now, everyone, it’s war. And not just any war, but a great war unlike any we’ve seen in the past, or so I predict.”
The President finally dropped the bombshell, uttering this momentous statement with the casual air one might use when inviting someone to play. I shifted my focus to the main topic; the word “war” had become remarkably commonplace. Back when I was a corporate slave, “war” was something I only heard about on the news or saw in manga. Yet, here, it was spoken of as a matter of fact, with utmost seriousness.
“It appears the other side is also serious. Food stockpiles, troop mobilization, and even aid from the heavens. The swords have been drawn; they are poised to strike. They show no regard for our delaying tactics. This is the trouble with overwhelming numbers. They are reducing the time until the war begins with their human wave tactics.”
The President calmly announced the impending war with the casual tone of someone complaining about their difficult job. It felt unreal, yet his words were compelling. That’s how impressive the President is. “Now, you’ve all been gathered here at this time with no room for delay, not for any other reason than that you will be on the front lines. I trust I don’t need to ask if you are prepared for that.”
No one voiced an objection. What kind of generals would they be if they, the swords and shields of the Demon Lord’s Army, didn’t stand on the front lines? All of us, including myself, accepted it as natural. “The problem is that this time, we are the ones defending, not attacking.” The generals maintained a natural posture, unburdened by any sense of tension. I’m confident in my ability to maintain my composure, but I can still feel my body stiffen slightly. It’s not the thrill of battle; it’s the thought of countless lives being lost. As a former corporate slave participating in such an environment, and now finding myself at the heart of a war, I have mixed feelings.
“Are they planning to invade our continent? But I thought we’d eradicated all the dungeons in the ruins, whether complete or incomplete. We’ve also confirmed that any remaining dungeons have no connection to their world, Great Leader.”
However, my personal thoughts must be set aside for now. What matters is how we face this war that will decide the fate of our nation. We’ve received intelligence that we are about to be attacked. We cannot simply stand by and do nothing after hearing this.
“I agree with the Oni King. The means to connect worlds were prepared by the gods. The dimensional distance is not physical. The conceptual barrier maintained by the Moon God Luina is not easily broken.”
Therefore, the cause of the war originates from the other side. If we were to attack, it would only be after our dungeons are completed. And completion is not yet in sight. The initial plan was for hundreds of years of preparation. It’s impossible for it to be completed in just a few years, meaning they are attacking us during our preparation period. However, even if the land is physically connected, the continent and Isal are literally different worlds. The dungeons, the only passage connecting them, were almost entirely eradicated under the President’s orders. Furthermore, the Demon Lord’s Army has secured all the teleportation points for teleportation magic. There are no passages for a large army to advance. Instructors Kio and Amili’s concerns are very valid. If the two on the front lines haven’t detected a way to cross worlds, then the means must be difficult, right?
“Regarding that, Lunaria.”
“Yes. Upon interrogating the knights recently captured by the Human King and the Undead King, we obtained some interesting information.”
Are there other means, or is there a special method they’ve kept so secret that even those two couldn’t detect it?
“…Hm? And this ‘interesting information’… does it give them a reason to pick a fight with us?”
Whatever the case, the information Lunaria obtained is highly significant for the Demon Lord’s Army. Even the Dragon King seemed intrigued and urged her to continue.
“It seems there is a human who is researching and deciphering dungeons. He has apparently completed an imitation of a dungeon.”
“…”
And what Lunaria said was enough to surprise us all. Creating a dungeon is a miracle supposedly reserved for the gods. My eyes widened, and I could barely spare a glance at the expressions of the other generals.
“Although we’d like to believe it’s impossible, they, blinded by their own sense of justice, readily revealed their plans to destroy us. Based on that information, we investigated and found several cores that are imitations of Dungeon Cores. However, we couldn’t locate the designer themselves. Even imitations are still dungeons. They may not be able to build defensive facilities like ours, but they can certainly serve as passages. And these passages will not cease to exist until we find the designer and creator. Therefore, you can assume there will be no delay in their invasion.”
Sensing our surprise, the President elaborated on the details. The enemy is desperately acting to put us at a disadvantage. They are devising strategies, increasing their means, and stepping onto the path to victory to defeat the Demon Lord’s Army. “We are not so benevolent as to stand by and watch such a situation.” We must crush that path. We must reduce those means. We must devise strategies that surpass theirs. “First, let’s thwart their initial thrust. Kiō, I will be using your dungeon. If they come with numbers, we will crush them with numbers.” The route has already been laid out in the President’s mind. He then confidently turned to Amili, who had been gathering information on the front lines, “Amili… your task will be to defend against their advance.” “Understood. Leave our army to me,” Amili replied, bowing without a moment’s delay. “Yes, while other generals are skilled at attacking, when it comes to defense, there is no one more reassuring than you. I’m counting on you.” The President nodded with satisfaction at her response, and for a brief moment, he hesitated before moving to the next topic, a stark contrast to his previous directness. This hesitation felt familiar. What was it? The atmosphere in the room suddenly grew heavy. With just a glance, I surveyed the table. The eyes of the generals, except for Kiō, had changed. “Now, if we leave the defense to her, let’s move on to discussing the attackers.” Ah, I see. I thought I recognized those faces. “Then, I will!” “What?” It was the look of someone stuck when there’s no solution to a difficult problem. Today’s lesson: Discern when to be serious and when not to be. Thank you for your continued feedback and reports of typos. If you find this interesting, please leave a review, rating, bookmark, etc. I am currently serializing another work: “Pandora Pandemic Panic – Pandora’s Box Has Been Opened Again, But We’re Fighting Back with Secret Bases and Other Things!!” Please check that out as well!!
