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chapter-244

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“Whew, I’m exhausted,” Amy sighed.

Since performing with the band in the Royal Capital, Amy’s popularity had been steadily climbing. She had become a valuable figure in maintaining order in the city, too. The absence of Monitors, unlike in Dungeon City, was a hindrance to further boosting her fame, but her potential and determination were undeniable.

[If I can make a name for myself in the Royal Capital, maybe Tsutomu will notice me!]

With this hope driving her, she had been promoting herself around the city at every opportunity, and diligently practicing the latest trendy songs. When she returned to the inn, she found Daryl in the lobby, chatting animatedly with Korinna, his face aglow with excitement.

“Looks like you’re in a great mood. Did something happen?” she asked casually.

“Oh, Miss Amy! You won’t believe this–”

As Amy listened to Daryl’s story, her eyes narrowed in concentration. Once he finished, she immediately dragged Diniel from their shared room and stormed into Xeno’s quarters.

“Emergency meeting!”

“W-what? Must it be now?” Xeno asked, looking up in surprise as the door swung open.

It seemed he had been leisurely reading, apparent from how he surrounded himself with stacks of scholarly books from his academy days. He glanced from Amy to the half-asleep Diniel, whom she had hauled along.

“Tsutomu is going to have dinner with Daryl on his day off when they’re back in Dungeon City!”

“…And that is why we are having this so-called emergency meeting?” Xeno asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

“This is a serious situation! Tsutomu never spends his days off doing anything but focusing on God’s Dungeon! But now he’s going to have dinner with Daryl!? It doesn’t make sense! Daryl was in Team 2 last time! And Tsutomu has never had a one-on-one meal with anyone before!”

Amy, slightly misunderstanding what Daryl had said, clenched her teeth in frustration. Xeno, however, looked as if he found her reaction overblown.

“Is it abnormal, though? Daryl is a man — and I see no signs of favoritism or romantic interests going on between them.”

“This could lead to him having meals with others too! People around Tsutomu are suspicious! Like Ammie and Hannie! Even Lelee has been acting strangely around him these days!”

“Is that so?” Xeno asked, his skepticism clear.

“Yeah! And it’s SUPER blatant with Stephanie, Tsutomu’s former apprentice! Eunice is scary too! Ugh! Now THAT stunt she pulled was SO unfair! I wanted to be in that position too! It’s your fault, Xeno!” Amy protested, her eyes brimming with tears.

Xeno, looking thoroughly perplexed, recalled how he had stopped Amy from rushing to Tsutomu’s rescue when he was captured, only to witness Eunice, the Healer from Golden Tune, bolting off instead.

He could understand Amy’s feelings. Xeno honestly hadn’t expected Tsutomu to disregard his own safety to rescue Eunice, but he did. From Xeno’s perspective, that act had been quite beautiful and admirable. It was no wonder that Amy, who had feelings for Tsutomu, envied it.

“So, you came here to complain to me?” Xeno asked, his voice tinged with a hint of exasperation.

“That’s right! So at least help me out! You’re married, Xeno, so you know about these things, right!?”

“Well, I suppose I can try… but you know Tsutomu better than I do. I’m afraid I’m not sure I have any useful advice to offer.”

Xeno figured that Garm was the person closest to Tsutomu. However, he knew that Amy and Garm got along as well as cats and dogs, so she would never seek Garm’s help.

As Xeno pondered the situation, Amy shook Diniel’s shoulder in an attempt to wake her up.

“Dini! I need your advice as someone without any desires! Do you know any way to impress Tsutomu!?”

“Mmm…”

Elves were known for their detachment from worldly desires, so Diniel had a similar aura to Tsutomu. Roused from her sleep by Amy’s insistent prodding, Diniel’s irritation was evident as she begrudgingly sat up.

“It’s not that I lack desires, you know… Knowledge and sleep are crucial to me. Everything else just doesn’t matter as much,” she explained.

“…So what does that mean?”

“If my sleep is disturbed, I get angry.”

“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!”

Amy yelped as Diniel pinched her cheek before releasing her grip and yawning deeply.

“You know how Tsutomu gets furious if anyone disrupts his work in God’s Dungeon? He was probably annoyed by the recent Stampede too…”

“Re-really?” Amy murmured, her hand rubbing her sore cheek, her cat ears drooping as she listened intently.

Even Xeno leaned forward, showing some interest in Diniel’s words.

“But the Stampede is over, and there’s no more interference. So maybe he relaxed a bit. And then Daryl invited him out,” Diniel said.

“So, it was just a coincidence?”

“Maybe. I’m not Tsutomu, so it’s just a guess. But I do know one thing: after I sleep, I get hungry. Now, I’m going back to sleep.”

With that, Diniel departed from Xeno’s room, heading toward her own. Watching her slowly walk away, Amy clutched her own head in frustration.

“I don’t understand! I have no idea what to do about Tsutomu! In Dungeon City, I’m popular, but Tsutomu doesn’t care about me at all! Ugh!! Why!?”

“…Look, I’ll help you as much as I can, but you might be better off getting advice from my wife. I’ll ask her when we return to Dungeon City,” Xeno offered.

“Huh!? Really!? Thank you!!” Amy exclaimed, her eyes wide with hope, her expression so endearing that even the steadfast Xeno felt a flicker of emotion.

Yet, Xeno knew Tsutomu had shown no signs of interest in Amy, leaving him as perplexed as ever about how to assist her.

▽▽

Three days later, Melchor and the vice-captain of the Labyrinth Conquerors arrived in the Royal Capital as the only survivors of their once-mighty group. They had been accompanied by a contingent of other Explorers and knights, but all those brave souls had been reported killed in action.

The carriage transporting Melchor and the vice-captain had been caught in a sudden ground collapse, plunging them into the depths of the earth. Orbis, who had always regarded Melchor with apprehension, had orchestrated an elaborate trap to ensnare him on the way to the Royal Capital.

Trapped in a deep pit and surrounded by hordes of monsters, Melchor and the vice-captain fought valiantly to defend themselves. However, they soon realized they had fallen into a vast nest of insectoid monsters. The nest was an intricate labyrinth of fragile tunnels, meticulously designed to counteract the destructive power of Melchor’s Magic Fist. Stripped of his full strength, Melchor led his dwindling group through the maze, desperately seeking an escape.

For nearly a week, they wandered through the twisting tunnels, surviving on the flesh of the insect monsters they slew. The constant threat of attack wore them down, and one by one, the knights and Explorers were picked off by the relentless creatures.

As starvation and sleep deprivation set in, a swarm of monsters dragged the remaining survivors deeper into the nest. Retracing their steps to attempt a rescue was too perilous, as it ran the risk of them perishing as well. After many harrowing sacrifices, Melchor and the vice-captain finally managed to claw their way back to the surface. Ragged and weary, they reached the Royal Capital the next day.

In the meantime, Brooklyn, who had publicly betrayed the kingdom, was thrown into a solitary cell deep within the underground prison near the royal castle. Her proficiency with Shield magic rendered a public execution too hazardous, so she was condemned to spend her remaining days in a place devoid of magical energy.

Orbis’s lifeless body was delivered to a research institute in the Royal Capital, while Weiss maintained a vigilant watch over Meena, who had been captured alive. Meena, privy to the secrets behind Orbis’s unnatural abilities, was subjected to intense interrogation in a heavily guarded location. Despite the severe questioning, she remained cooperative, divulging all she knew.

After a thorough and prolonged period of interrogation, the information extracted from Meena would be kept confidential, and disseminated only to pertinent authorities.

Then, five days after Melchor’s return, the King, who presided over the Royal Capital, extended an invitation to the Explorers to attend an audience at the royal castle.

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