Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: The Awesome Trio
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Balak and his sworn brothers tilted their heads at the sight of the grand walls under the blue sky.
"Is this... the right place?"
"Brother Balak, wouldn't it be better to just wait for Mr. Karian?"
"You think so?"
"Hey! Brothers, check that out."
They all turned to where Orek was pointing.
There, near the massive city gate, they saw skeletons clad in armor.
Balak approached to confirm if this was indeed the place indicated on the invitation.
But—
"Everyone!! At attention!!"
Snap!
The guards at the city entrance immediately formed up in review formation, centered around their captain, the Dark Knight.
Balak nearly got a question mark floating above his head at the sight of the undead displaying such impeccable discipline without a single gap.
Bam-bam-ba-ba-bam, bap-pa-ba~
Then, out of nowhere, an undead marching band appeared and began to play.
Sensing the welcoming atmosphere, Balak and his group approached the Dark Knight standing in the center of the entrance.
"Welcome to the city of Astra, Lord Balak, Lord Orek, Lord Ferguson."
"Since you know our names, this must be the right place for the gathering. Do we need to show the invitation to enter?"
"Your group has been classified as special honored guests in this city. No inspections will be required, and you may carry your weapons freely without any restrictions. Please enjoy the festival at your leisure."
"Oh ho, is that so?"
Seeing the three brothers satisfied with the preferential treatment, the Dark Knight felt relieved and introduced himself as the captain of the city's guards.
The guard captain then guided the trio into the city and told them where to go.
"Follow the main road straight ahead, and you'll reach the entrance to the citadel. That's where the other honored guests are gathered."
"The citadel... The city entrance alone is so long and massive—what must the castle itself be like?"
"This city accommodates guests with massive physiques, like dragons and giants. So, most of it is built on a grand scale, allowing even those who don't use polymorph or transformation magic to move comfortably."
"Then, Captain, just how big is this city's area?"
"To put it in perspective... it's about the size of a small kingdom."
"The scale is beyond imagination."
"You got that right, big brother."
Afterward, Balak and his group passed smoothly between the perfectly aligned guards and proceeded slowly.
At the end of the seemingly endless passageway, a dazzling golden sun illuminated the city.
The trio's eyes beheld a splendid city unfolding in majestic splendor.
As the three brothers entered the city, fireworks burst in the vast blue sky as if to welcome them.
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!!
Moreover, the moment the guard captain spotted the trio at the city entrance, he must have sent some signal inside.
Those nesting within the city of Astra rushed toward the main road to catch a glimpse of their protectors in person.
They cheered and applauded for the three brothers.
Just as colorful confetti and flower petals from the fireworks scattered vigorously across the sky amid the welcome.
Welcomed by all, Balak and his sworn brothers marched down the city's main road like triumphant generals.
The festival within the dungeon had only just begun.
*****************
Walking down the city boulevard, Balak found himself lost in thought.
'Sigh... what the hell is this?'
This gathering's location and atmosphere were nothing like what he'd expected.
No, for a meeting of dungeon bosses, it should start with a battle of glares, not this kind of welcome!
Conflicts over profits from different dungeons!!
Pointless pride clashes among the dungeon bosses!!
Assassinations and deadly schemes!!
Ah... that was the dungeon gathering I imagined....
But damn it! What's with all this warmth!
And the cheers from these diverse monster races didn't feel like any magic at all.
Which meant they weren't being manipulated—they were genuinely welcoming them.
But he still needed to verify it.
He waved to the female figures atop a nearby building, who had bird wings and legs instead of human arms and legs.
"""Kyaaaaaaa!!!"""
Yes!! That scream!
Pure terror—!!
"The Champion waved to us!!!"
"Sob... I could die happy now...."
"Ah, I'm gonna faint...."
Uh...?
Wasn't that the reaction of a male celebrity's female fans?
No, wait!! I'm not falling for it!
Cross-verification is a must!
This time, he waved to the women with snake lower bodies but human upper torsos.
"""Heuk?!"
Oh, wow.
What the hell did he just witness?
The snake women even had glazed eyes and were drooling.
Better hurry past this.
Amid the endless cheers and applause from the diverse monsters, his thoughts began tilting toward this not being the tense gathering he'd imagined.
But what about his brothers' states right now?
He glanced back slyly.
Seeing their flushed faces, they must be just as flustered.
Right, life never goes as planned!
Truth be told, they'd prepared scenarios for where this meeting would be and what might happen.
'Since it's a dungeon bosses' gathering, it'll probably be somewhere safe like a dim cave, ruined castle, or perilous demon realm!'
'That's the most likely. And there'll definitely be some who pick fights with you, big brother.'
'Orek, they might even pick on you and me.'
'Tch, like Ferguson says, that could happen... Should I just bring Zepira?'
'Little bro, that might make the other bosses look down on you even more. Better pack more magic artifacts that evade body searches.'
'Then I should ask Mr. Karian for some good concealment-type defensive artifacts.'
All those headache-inducing plans were going to waste!
He should've listened when Karian said it was a real festival-like gathering and just come relaxed!
Ah... 99% of worries never come true. Pure foolishness.
Basking in the endless cheers from the diverse monster races, they finally reached the citadel entrance.
And there, in the distance, they spotted someone they'd met before with his brothers.
"Hey! Lord Balak! Welcome!"
"Oh, Bellesa! You're participating too!"
The dream demon who'd helped them build the glow-in-the-dark mecha dinosaur approached.
Whoa, seeing a familiar face really brought out the gathering vibe.
His brothers seemed to relax upon seeing the succubus too.
"Hello, Lady Bellesa."
"It's been too long."
"Oh~ You've all gotten even cooler!"
The succubus greeted the brothers warmly, and they chatted briefly.
He asked why she was waiting outside instead of inside the castle.
"Of course, I came out to help you guys~"
"Us?"
"You're meeting the folks inside for the first time, right? So I'll introduce you."
Ah, she came to look out for them?
Without an introducer at these gatherings, meetings could get super awkward.
He'd been worried without Karian, but this would make natural introductions to the other dungeon bosses.
"By the way... how do I look, Lord Balak?"
"Hm? Ah... You're even more beautiful than last time."
Since it was festival-like, the succubus had gone all out on makeup and wore a stunning dress.
But it clung tightly to her body, revealing every curve, and wasn't the skirt a bit too short?
Thanks to his past-life memories, even he found it quite provocative.
One wrong move and her underwear would... No, wait!!
Lately, he'd been thinking too conservatively.
Plus, she was a succubus, not human.
They surely had their own unique fashion sense!
His brothers noticed the short skirt too but played it cool since he didn't comment.
"Hmph, you're no fun."
"So what reaction did you want?"
"Just saying. Come on, let's head inside!"
And so, they followed the succubus into the castle.
************
As the guard captain at the entrance had said, the castle was staggeringly huge.
"Everything is so massive."
"It makes us feel tiny. Lady Bellesa, are there many with giant bodies inside?"
"Not really. It's just built extra-large to accommodate everyone."
She added that there were cyclopes, trolls, ogres, and other giants inside.
"O~ So there are tons of actual giants among the dungeon bosses."
"Yeah? But Lady Bellesa, one question. Those races are known to be pretty barbaric—won't they cause trouble here?"
In all fantasy media, giants were usually the type whose brains didn't strain because their bodies were too strong.
And they defaulted to looking down on others.
But the succubus dismissed Ferguson's concern.
"Pfft, those sweet, gentle souls causing problems?"
"G-Gentle?"
"Don't worry about it. My friends have order locked down tight."
"Friends? Ah, right—you're with the dungeon merchants."
The succubus was incredibly strong herself.
And from the dungeon merchant faction where even the capable, powerful mage Karian was just mid-level management.
So even the barbaric and dumb ones would behave meekly before overwhelming powerhouses.
No risk of giants rampaging and turning the gathering into chaos.
"But it's a bit disappointing."
"Yeah...."
"Hmm...."
"Y-You guys... you weren't hoping for a real fight here, were you?"
"Nothing like that."
Asking the succubus various things, they soon arrived at the grand hall where the gathering was held.
The moment they stepped into the great hall.
Everyone in the massive chamber turned to look at them.
And as expected...
Just like the monsters on the boulevard, the dungeon bosses sent very friendly gazes.
Good, this was enough.
Balak let out a deep sigh and lowered his guard a bit.
The succubus grinned widely at his reaction, clearly amused.
*********
Like when walking the city boulevard, the trio entered amid cheers and applause, feeling a bit awkward at first.
But thanks to Bellesa beside them, the tension melted away quickly, and they took their seats.
Now that the festival's stars had arrived.
A succubus checking the participant list at the hall entrance sent a signal.
From one side, Zarkan—who had shrunk his body slightly—stepped up to give the opening remarks.
But someone swiftly snatched the voice-amplifying magic artifact.
"Hold on!! Zarkan, you gonna pull that stunt again here? I'll handle it this time."
"Hm? Laihel, you?"
"Yeah, ahem!"
And so, the demon Laihel, who took over the opening speech for this gathering, grinned.
"Alright! Attention everyone! You've all worked hard this past year—let's eat, drink, and party hard!"
""""""Wooooooooo!!!!"""""""
With Laihel's short and punchy words, the banquet began.
Afterward, everyone in the great hall wanted to greet Balak's group.
But orders of meeting were already set.
Bellesa first led the trio to her close friends.