In the jungle west of Labyrinth Country’s pub, deep within lies the new dungeon discovered by Kelvin: “Grim Reaper’s Dining Table.” The monsters that appear are all high-leveled, making even A-class adventurers risk their lives on its shallow floors. The Adventurer Guild has certified it as an S-class dungeon, and below A-class adventurers are forbidden from approaching its vicinity, let alone attempting to conquer it. For those based in the pub, only the Guild President Shin and the S-class adventurer Kelvin can truly set foot in this territory. As an exception, Kelvin’s disciples Suz, Paul, Shinjir, and Oddrad are also permitted entry, but only when Kelvin is accompanying them.
…However, these are merely publicly released details, and other exceptions existed. Within this extremely dangerous zone, near the deepest floors of this dungeon, two suspicious human shadows, seemingly male and female, were present. This area, originally an empty room, has now been transformed by the Grim Reaper into a special prison. The female-figured shadow is inside the cell, while the male-figured shadow is on the other side of the bars, seemingly speaking to the woman within.
“Gloria, how long do you intend to be stubborn? I, your副官, am telling you this, so quickly side with us.”
“I’ll say it again, though it pains me… How dare you, Kelvum! To betray the enemy after being defeated in battle!? Do you still consider yourself our副官!?”
The human shadows were Kelvum and Gloria, who had been defeated by Sera and was currently being held captive. It was less a discussion and more of a heated argument. Kelvum had been tasked by Kelvin to persuade Gloria, but the negotiations seemed to be proving difficult.
“For starters, I am acting under the orders of Eld, who is in a higher position than you. I have no reason to be ordered around by you!”
“That Eld has gone mad. He’s needlessly reducing our comrades with his reckless orders and still refuses to correct his own course. He strings together coherent words, but they are all foolish ravings. If Adams’ right arm has gone mad, then it’s only natural for me, his left arm, to take action. For you, who once reigned as the ‘God of Discipline,’ this shouldn’t be a bad thing. Correcting mistakes, that’s what discipline is all about, isn’t it?”
“Fool! You’re just interpreting discipline to suit your own convenience!”
“Interpretations have always been made by the strong. Gloria, if you have become a loser, then for now, you have an obligation to follow the winner. If you agree with Adams’s way of thinking, I wish you would understand at least that much.”
“There’s no way I can understand that!?”
…No, it wasn’t just difficult; it seemed the persuasion was impossible.
“Kelvum, excuse me— Ah, were you still arguing? It doesn’t look like you’re convincing her.”
“Wow, I didn’t know a place like this existed.”
“I’d never been this deep before. It’s surprising.”
“Everyone, more importantly…”
“Hahaha! …Ah, I understand.”
It was Kelvin and his four disciples who arrived. Kelvin sighed with half-hearted exasperation, while his disciples looked around with interest, yet remained wary of the two before them.
“If it isn’t Kelvin. Well, there’s no one else but you who would visit this place.”
“It’s a resort facility where you can fight vicious monsters once you step outside, without anyone bothering you. It’s quite comfortable, isn’t it?”
“…Well, it’s not boring.”
“Oh, he agrees with Master’s idea! Isn’t he also a battle junkie at heart!?”
“Yes, I have high expectations! His black hair makes him relatable too!”
“Unlike Oddrad, he looks pretty good too. Though, not as good as me.”
“You guys, stop talking, you’ll get in Master’s way.”
“…So, what are these humans?”
The prison became lively all at once, and Kelvum asked Kelvin with a suspicious look. Gloria, meanwhile, was bewildered, unable to grasp the situation.
“These are my disciples. Kelvum, train them for me.”
“…If you’re going to make such a sudden request, at least add some specific explanation.”
It was a reasonable point. Kelvin briefly explained.
“—So, you want to boost their power to have them participate in the decisive battle?”
“Yeah, I refused once, but their passion was immense. However, I have other things to do. Kelvum, you’re the perfect virtual opponent, and I think it would be beneficial for them.”
“I refuse. I don’t have time to be bothered with such trivial matters. As you can see, I’m busy persuading Gloria.”
“No, the way you’re going about it, you’ll never convince her… If you want, Gloria can join the training with them too. The conditions I proposed to Gloria with “Grasping Eagle’s Gale” are the same as yours. While you’re training them, you can parallel the persuasion, and there won’t be any problems, right? Don’t you think the success rate will be higher if you persuade her in a relaxed environment rather than locking her in a prison like this?”
“…I see.”
“Don’t ‘I see’ me! Kelvum, it’s your head that’s wrong, isn’t it!”
Gloria, having regained her composure, forcefully interrupted the conversation between Kelvin and Kelvum.
“Haha, I’m glad to see you’re doing better than I thought. I heard you had a spectacular battle with Sera. I’d like to spar with you sometime too, Gloria.”
“…So you’re Kelvin. I’ve heard some things from Kelvum. No matter what you do, I have no intention of yielding to you.”
“Ah, that’s fine too. Besides, I never expected you to agree with Kelvum’s story in the first place. If that’s the case, it means our side will gain more combat power, which will be problematic.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Well, you can interpret it however you like.”
“Hmph, bravado. You intend to involve those people as well? It seems the combat power of the surface dwellers is severely lacking. Do you really intend to fight us, the Ten Authorities, with such meager strength? I’m telling you this for your own good, stop it. You have no chance of winning.”
” (Whispering) That guy, how can he talk so big right after being defeated? I want to learn that audacity.”
” (Whispering) I agree with that too, but it’s quite rude to say such things to a lady—”
—*Glare*.
“……”
Paul and Shinjir, glared at by Gloria, suddenly fell silent and averted their gazes. It seemed their whispered conversation had been perfectly audible. Like evolved humans, fallen angels also have keen hearing.
“Haha, they’re quite spirited, aren’t they? And to answer your question from earlier, of course, we intend to fight and win. These guys, well, what should I call it, a field trip? Don’t expect them as combat power, think of their participation as looking towards the future. Those who will fight on the front lines are members like Sera, who defeated you, so you can rest assured about that.”
“What am I supposed to be assured of… It seems you’ve mistakenly assumed that by defeating me and Kelvum, you can stand as an equal to the Ten Authorities. How pathetic.”
“It’s not a mistake. Kelvum was a fallen angel and the副官 of the Ten Authorities, right? In other words, he was number two. Isn’t it natural to think that way?”
“It’s that very assumption that’s pathetic. If you have ears that aren’t just for decoration, listen carefully. The greatest combat power of the Ten Authorities, its top three—the strong individuals known as the Three Authorities of Authority—are still active. And their pure strength is in a league of its own compared to the other Ten Authorities.”
“Ah, I know! I’m looking forward to it!”
“…Huh?”
Gloria intended this explanation as a threat. However, unfortunately, she didn’t anticipate that when dealing with the Grim Reaper, its effect would be the exact opposite. What an unfortunate tale.
This will be my last post of the year. I look forward to your continued support next year.
The posting schedule for the New Year is as follows:
“Black Summoner”
January 4th, Episode 189
“The Black Cormorant Sisters’ Isekai Camping Meal”
January 1st, Episode 37, Episode 38
January 2nd, Episode 39, Episode 40
January 3rd, Episode 41, Status at the end of Chapter 3
