How to Survive as a Dungeon Manager in Another World

Episode 24 – Flirting

A colossal spire located in the center of the First Lord’s Territory.

The heart of the Lord Council, and the building of Grand Lord Arkan, who monopolized at least 20% of Blackmore’s depths.

And within the heart of that headquarters…

There existed a space where none but the Lords themselves, regardless of birth or status, dared to tread: the conference chamber.

A space exclusively permitted to the Lords of the Lord Council.

And here I was, a mere human, the first of my kind to set foot inside.

And the first words I heard there…

“Want to be a Lord?”

A recruitment offer.

Or rather, the senseless suggestion of whether I would like to take on a Lord’s position.

“Are you crazy?”

“Hardly. I’m perfectly sane.”

“No, you *are* crazy. Only a madman would utter such nonsense.”

“Is that so? If you say so, then I suppose it is. So, what do you think of my offer?”

What did I think? It was nothing short of an absurd proposition.

The Empire and the Lord Council, the two continental behemoths, were in a relationship of constant check and balance, yet he was offering a Lordship to an official of the Imperial court.

‘He’s completely lost it.’

Had I foreseen such a situation from the start, I would have refused her suggestion to rest for a while at headquarters.

The matter in Kalmashi was settled, and Elfriede was still unconscious; giving in to her words had been my undoing.

…Honestly, I was human too, and I wanted to rest for a bit.

I had suffered enough up till now.

But the moment I arrived, they dragged me straight into a meeting room, and since then, it’s been the same refrain, over and over.

“I refuse.”

“Why? I thought it a rather… alluring proposition.”

“It is an absurd proposition. Has a human ever risen to the station of a monarch in history? And what of the other lords? How do you intend to quell their opposition?”

“…Hm?”

Arkan seemed perplexed by my questions.

“The authority to bestow a lordship lies solely with the Grand Duke, does it not?”

“That may be, but the sentiments of the other lords cannot simply be ignored.”

“Strange… I would personally vouch for his character. Who would dare raise a banner against me?”

“…Are you truly so ignorant as to ask?”

I barely suppressed a sigh that threatened to escape.

It was true that I had received considerable assistance from the Lords’ Council thus far.

But it had been a purely transactional arrangement, a quid pro quo.

A simple exchange of desired goods, nothing more than a business relationship.

Therefore, it was now necessary to draw a clear line.

“You are aware I am affiliated with the Imperial Court, are you not?”

“Of course, I am well aware.”

“Then you must also know that the Imperial Court and the Lords’ Council regard each other with little fondness. In such a climate, seating a human of Imperial affiliation as a lord… Do you truly believe that is a palatable notion? Let me make it abundantly clear, I have no intention of relinquishing my current office.”

“Hmph…”

Arkan brought a hand to his lips, as if savoring my words, turning them over in his mind.

There was not a falsehood amongst them.

The Imperial Court and the Lords’ Council – the two colossal powers that formed the twin pillars of the continent – outwardly maintained a semblance of peace, refraining from encroaching upon each other’s territories. But their relationship was far from amicable.

It was, rather, a precarious state, akin to walking on thin ice, a drawn sword at each side of the throat at any moment.

And should I become a lord in this hair-trigger situation?

The repercussions would be incalculable, to say the least.

“…This would be without precedent.”

I drove the final nail into the coffin.

Surely they understood now.

Lord? What frozen, cursed lord.

They could have that hollow title, even for free. I would not take it.

“Well, it’s not exactly wrong. Though the Lord Council proclaims neutrality, their relationship with the Imperial Family isn’t exactly rosy.”

“Finally, someone speaks sense.”

“Then we should solve that first, shouldn’t we?”

Huh?

“Solve what, now?”

“You said the relationship between the Lord Council and the Imperial Family is a hurdle.”

“No, I mean… how on earth are you planning to resolve *that*?”

“Ah, that?”

Arcane smiled.

That clear, crystalline smile felt… ominous.

“I’ll just go meet the Emperor, I suppose.”

…Hold on.

Who are you meeting now?

“As a condition for seating you as Lord, the Lord Council establishes a top-priority friendly relationship with the Imperial Family. How’s that? Rather good, no?”

“……”

“It will need to go through the Lord Council, of course, but if I push it through, that’s that. And unless the Emperor is mad, he’ll surely accept it. That I, a Grand Lord, am being this cooperative; surely he won’t reject that? If he *were* to, well, perhaps a show of force…”

“Wait, wait a moment. Push what through? And, what? A show of force? Have you truly lost your mind?”

“Why? It’s neat and tidy, isn’t it?”

…I don’t even know where to begin correcting this whole mess.

Her words, from start to finish, were absurd.

Pure, unadulterated delusion.

But two things nagged at me.

One, that such an outlandish idea was very much in Arcan’s character.

And the bigger problem…

She possessed the ability to actually push through with such a reckless plan.

“…Are you serious?”

“Serious as can be?”

I pressed hard against my throbbing temples.

I knew her obsession had become twisted, directed toward me instead of the original protagonist.

But I hadn’t expected her to be this obstinate.

“Planning to quit?”

“Nope. Unless it’s directly harmful to you, I don’t see why I should, do I?”

It was the truth.

Far from being directly harmful, it was the fastest and easiest way to grasp immense power.

…Except it’s becoming awfully tiresome.

I sighed inwardly.

“…Let’s talk about this later.”

“Shall we?”

I nearly tried to dissuade her again, but stopped myself.

I didn’t have the strength to argue, and she wasn’t the type to heed anyone’s advice anyway.

The Arkan I know… no one could ever break her stubbornness.

Right now, I just wanted to rest.

I had opened my mind to visions overflowing from absorbing thoughts, but it was clearly a power that defied reason.

Of course, thanks to awakening the Five Stars of the Rune, there weren’t any major side effects, but the accumulated fatigue was not something to ignore.

“Oh, right. About the woman you brought. Her name was… Elfriede, wasn’t it?”

“Elfriede Trivia. Is something wrong?”

“Not really. She regained consciousness a little while ago, apparently. Seems you even crossed the boundary to save her, so if you want, I can send her to your room later so you two can talk.”

“…Thanks for the consideration.”

I offered a brief word of gratitude and turned away.

Just as I was about to leave the conference room, Arkan’s voice came from behind.

“A Demon Lord, wasn’t it? Inside that woman’s body.”

“……”

As expected.

I knew she’d notice.

“I was suspicious ever since the Imperial Family boasted about defeating a Demon Lord. No matter how heroic, it’s impossible to completely eliminate a Fragment of Chaos. But now it makes sense. You crammed it into some woman’s body for all those long years?”

…A sharp deduction.

It was so accurate, even I was taken aback.

“If she could endure having something like that inside her for so long, she can’t be an ordinary woman… so then, perhaps…”

Her head tilted slightly as she studied my expression.

“A Saintess, is it?”

“……”

“So, the woman prancing around pretending to be the Saintess now is a fake? Well, she’s got guts. Mad dogs, daring to swindle in the name of God? Aren’t they afraid of divine punishment?”

Why, weren’t these the kinds of setups commonly found in romance fantasy novels?

Among them, the trope of fates reversed between the fake and the real was practically a staple.

“What to do with this? We sent her off to Blackmoor to die where no one would find her, but some *human* not only removed her lingering thoughts but brought her back to life, good as new? And then, clumsy us, letting her uncover our little secret.”

“What are you getting at?”

At those words, Arkan grinned, bright as day.

“You’d best be careful. The Church… in some ways, they’re more vicious than the Imperial Family.”

Well, that’s just how fanatic groups are.

From the beginning, they were a notoriously deranged villainous faction in the original story, so it wasn’t surprising.

“Shall I help?”

…Help?

“Just pure goodwill, so feel free to accept. I have no intention of making a bargain out of this.”

Just help? With no compensation?

A woman who was more scrupulous about deals than anyone else?

Unable to suppress my curiosity, I asked,

“Why?”

“……”

A heavy silence weighed down upon the conference room.

Soon after, her eyes curved into a charming crescent.

“Can’t you tell?”

“Tell what?”

“I’m flirting with you right now. Quite passionately, I might add.”

…What?

“Believe it or not, I’m actually quite sincere.”

Before I knew it, she had leaned forward, her face now a hair’s breadth away.

“So… please, treat me well from now on?”

…Am I being flirted with right now?

Emerging from the conference room, I went straight to my assigned chamber.

As one would expect of a room prepared by the Archduke himself, the sheer scale of it was remarkable.

Each piece of furniture was so lavish that even nobles would be moved to exclamations of awe.

I rested there for quite some time.

It was two hours later, just as Arkan had predicted, that Elfriede arrived at the room.

Or rather, I hadn’t even realized she had come.

I’d only intended to lie down on the sofa for a moment, but somehow, I’d drifted off to sleep.

Thus, the ensuing situation was rather disconcerting.

The first thing I saw upon opening my eyes was Elfriede, kneeling before me.

With an expression of unwavering reverence, she pressed a kiss upon the back of my hand, then raised her flushed face.

“…My Cavillace.”

The faint murmur reached my ears.

“Your… faithful servant has come…”

I believe she’s praying…

“Please… salvation…”

…Why is she praying to *me*?