The Weight of a Bluff

I want to go home now.

In the suffocating silence, Roxanne and I locked eyes in the air. If looks could kill, I would have died hundreds of times by now. Roxanne merely stared, motionless.

Actually, I didn't expect her to back down first. Even if she was slightly intimidated, there was no way someone as arrogant as her would tuck her tail and run—especially not with all the 72 Lords watching.

But she wouldn't try to use her power right now either. If I had to guess, she was probably thinking the exact same thing as me: Someone, please stop us.

"Enough. Both of you, that is quite enough."

As expected, Dalon was the first to step forward.

"A duel to the death? How can the Lords of the Abyss kill one another? You have both let your emotions get the better of you. Maintain your dignity. What is the meaning of such disgraceful behavior at the round table of the 72 Lords?"

"Me too! I feel the same way! I don't want anyone else to die!"

"Rin agrees!"

"You should calm down too, Elder. And you too, Darling, hm?"

I knew they would react almost exactly like this. They were already worried about regular duels between the Abyss Palaces, so they had no choice but to stop a duel to the death at all costs.

Despite the surrounding protests, Roxanne kept her glare fixed on me.

"Tsk."

Clicking her tongue, she whipped her head away. Not stopping there, she kicked back her chair, stood up, and coldly turned her back on the round table.

Click, clack.

The sound of Roxanne's heels echoed as she walked away, drawing the gaze of everyone in the room. Stopping at the door, she turned her head slightly. She swept her eyes over the crowd with a sidelong glance, then looked straight ahead again.

"I have no further business here."

Slam!

With those final words, Roxanne stormed out of the meeting hall. She seemed to have left in a massive huff... She really is incredibly petty.

With the highest-ranking Lord gone, silence descended upon the round table. The 72 Lords silently exchanged glances, seemingly waiting for the other Lords of the Abyss Palaces to speak.

Reading the room, Dalon let out a deep sigh.

"It seems continuing this meeting any further is out of the question."

"Indeed! What do we do now?"

"Rin agrees!"

After about ten minutes of discussion, the Lords of the Abyss Palaces and Bliz reached a unanimous decision. The other 72 Lords also seemed to agree, and so the meeting ended—not in a breakdown, but simply fizzling out.

Executives from the merchant guild filed into the meeting hall.

"We bid farewell to the supreme Lords. Please use the guild's portal for your return."

The lower-ranking Lords scurried out of the hall. Honestly, I wanted to leave immediately too, but the remaining Lords of the Abyss Palaces sat firmly in their seats. It seemed to be a custom for the Abyss Palaces to leave last, so I stayed put to blend in.

"It has been entertaining, for once."

As the 72 Lords dispersed in order, Calandas was the first to leave. He cast a brief glance at me, and our eyes naturally met.

A pale black and orange level. He was wary of me, and he feared me. As long as ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠those level colors didn't change, he wouldn't dare bare his fangs first.

Rosesha, Dalon, Renrin. The remaining Lords of the Abyss Palaces sat glued to their seats, staring only at me as if they had planned it. Honestly, it was uncomfortable, but I maintained my heavy silence to keep up appearances.

"I am glad it was resolved peacefully."

Dalon's voice rumbled deeply. Having such a massive giant lean his head toward me was terrifying. If I weren't an undead, I would have definitely foamed at the mouth and fainted.

"Sir Bargore. Though this is our first meeting, this old man has grown quite fond of you."

I didn't need him to tell me. The Giant King Dalon's level was a deep green. Unless there was some specific conflict, the Lords of the Abyss Palaces would likely approach me favorably. They were strong, and they respected other strong individuals.

Of course, there was that outlier, Roxanne. That lizard-bitch who refused to acknowledge anyone stronger than her and only looked for fights.

"You are small, yet you are by no means small. This is the first time this old man has found someone so intriguing upon a first meeting."

Dalon let out a low chuckle.

"So a single entity, even at Rank 7, could threaten Rank 2. My curiosity has been satisfied. It seems we have relied too much on the power of our dungeons. I suppose I must start training my own physical strength again, just like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the old days."

Slide.

Dalon extended his fingertip toward me. For a second, I thought he was going to crush me with a hand the size of my entire body, but I realized he was offering a fist bump.

Bump.

Without hesitation, I tapped my fist against his fingertip.

"Thank you, Sir Bargore. Thanks to you, my mind feels clear. If you ever wish to visit the Underground Tomb of Thousand-Year Permafrost, you may come without warning. I shall welcome you with the utmost hospitality. And... you there, little one."

As soon as Dalon finished speaking, his dwarf lieutenant approached me. He was a tiny dwarf, but his level was 85. He was not someone to be underestimated based on his appearance.

Dalon's epithet was 'The Great King for Little Things'. Despite being a giant himself, his subordinates consisted entirely of small creatures like dwarves and fairies. This was due to Dalon's innate nature to care for and protect small things. It was like a human wanting to cuddle a tiny chick.

The dwarf lieutenant reached into his shirt and rummaged around before pulling something out. I wondered what it was, and it turned out to be a flask.

Mana's Blessing was an S+ grade item. It was a superior version of the Elixir of Heaven that Valmonk had taken, and a legendary elixir for mages.

"This is a gift to strengthen our ties. It is the only thing of worth I have on hand. If it is of no use to you, feel free to pass it to your lieutenant."

"...My thanks."

If things go south, giving this to Charlotte would have an incredible effect. To think he would give me such a gift upon our first meeting, no matter how much he liked me. Unlike a certain someone, his heart was as massive as his body.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The ground shook with every step Dalon took. The magical dwarf and fairy followed close behind him—the lieutenant and guardian of the Underground Tomb, respectively.

"Well then, until the next meeting."

Before long, a portal slightly shorter than Dalon's body opened in front of him. The magical dwarf had opened a portal of that scale all by himself. As expected of a lieutenant of the Abyss Palaces, his mana was truly monstrous—

Wait, he looks like he's struggling a lot.

The magical dwarf's eyes were rolled back. It looked like he was about to suffer from mana exhaustion.

Dalon ducked his head and stepped into the portal. Once his massive frame vanished, my field of vision cleared up. The vague tension of facing a cosmic horror disappeared with him.

Pitter-patter!

An exceptionally light set of footsteps tickled my ears. Soon, the twin homunculi looked up at me with sparkling eyes.

Point!

Ren pointed a finger at me rather rudely. Though they were over a thousand years old, they looked like innocent children.

"Rank 7! I like you!"

"Rin too! Rin likes Rank 7 too!"

The twin homunculi's levels were an even deeper green than Dalon's. An affection level like that was comparable to Balutak's. The two of them giggled and spun around me as if playing ring-around-the-rosy.

"Let's play together later! Rin says she wants to, too!"

"Rin! Rin! Likes Rank 7! Bergore? Bargore?"

"Yeah, it's Bargore!"

"Hehe. I want to play with Bargore! Anytime! Come to our dungeon!"

"I feel the same way. Come visit the Twin Stars Tower sometime. We'll be waiting!"

Their constant chattering was dizzying, but I nodded without showing it. At that, they suddenly stuck out their pinky fingers.

"Promise!"

"Proooomise~!"

"...."

Only after I reluctantly made a pinky promise with both hands did the twins let go. They walked away with goofy grins, waving their hands vigorously at the door. Showing nothing but innocent playfulness until the very end, they left the meeting hall.

"You were incredibly cool."

The last remaining Lord of the Abyss Palaces was Rosesha. She had already crept up behind me, her sensual fingers tracing the back of my neck.

Ugh. That's actually terrifying.

"What should I do? The more I learn about you, the more I fall for you."

"...."

"You know, right? My door is always open. Truly, anytime is fine. It doesn't even have to be for a single night. If you miss me, just come to the Castle of Pleasure that very day."

Rosesha gave her signature eye smile—a seductive, fox-like grin.

"Or how about right here on the round table? It would be quite a novel experience."

"...I will visit you later."

"Hehe. Alright. Oh, and I'll send the support from the 9th Legion as soon as they're ready. They aren't fully organized yet, and I want to send you a legion in perfect condition."

Rosesha pulled her hands away from my body. In the distance, Drabule opened a dungeon portal. From afar, Rosesha looked back at me, playfully curling and uncurling her fingertips in a wave.

"See you later, Darling."

Keeping her eyes locked on me with a flirtatious gaze until the very end, Rosesha stepped backward into the portal.

Only after everyone had left did a sigh of relief (cold air) escape my mouth. It felt like a never-ending stream, like chain-smoking.

Seriously, I had never been this terrified in my entire life. To think I pulled off such a massive bluff in front ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of the strongest beings in the world...

Without a shred of exaggeration, it was a continuous sequence of situations where I could have died in an instant if I slipped up even slightly. Honestly, even looking back, I wonder, How on earth did I pull that off?

"Why did you save me?"

Charlotte's voice broke my train of thought.

Save you? Not knowing what she meant, I looked at her with a questioning gaze.

"You could have found a lieutenant far more competent than me. But your relationship with Lord Roxanne... I would have preferred it if you had executed me instead."

I understood what she was trying to say. Just as she said, making an enemy out of Roxanne was a massive blow. From a purely practical standpoint, it would have been better to execute Charlotte and mend relations.

But how could I do that? My heart was still human, and I had grown attached to Charlotte over time.

"Do not say such things. There is no lieutenant who can replace you."

"...."

Thinking about it now, Charlotte was originally destined to become Roxanne's guardian. In a way, I had stolen Charlotte from Roxanne. Though she wasn't quite on the level of an Abyss Palace lieutenant yet, Charlotte's stock was only going to rise. I just had to hold on.

"I will devote my entire life to serving you, Boss. That is why I must ask..."

Charlotte hesitated, uncharacteristically timid.

"Would you prefer me to serve you as a Lich? Or would you prefer me to serve you for the rest of my life as a vampire?"

The completely unexpected question left me momentarily dazed. What on earth made her ask that? Her expression, which was always serious, looked even more solemn now, so I couldn't just brush it off.

"...Become a vampire."

"Yes. I shall obey."

Even if I was a Death Knight, I was somewhat reluctant to have my closest aide be a skeletal undead. Without a doubt, a humanoid vampire was much better.

"You worked hard, Boss."

"You worked hard too."

"Kirik! As expected of my Great Chief-dak! You really put those other chiefs in their place-dak!"

I was the last to stand up. As I approached the door, Charlotte quickly stepped ahead of me. She flung the door open and gestured outside like a personal attendant. It was incredibly embarrassing, honestly.

Hiding my awkwardness, I walked out the door.

In the new hallway, I saw a tiny creature trotting toward me. What was that?

"H-Hello...?"

Ah. Come to think of it, I had completely forgotten about her.

Estizel looked up at me, her pupils trembling nervously. Thinking about it for a second, I realized why she had been waiting for me.

"Have you decided?"

"...Y-Yes."

Gulp. Estizel swallowed hard. Her level color was a deep green. I could easily guess what she was going to say next.

"I-I want to join you at the Tomb of Faith, Lord Bargore."

I thought she would have been terrified by what happened at the round table, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but it had actually boosted her affection. She had probably realized I harbored no ill will toward her. When you have a powerful backer, your sense of security and affection naturally grow.

I silently held out my hand. Estizel looked back and forth between my hand and my face.

"U-Um, what is this...?"

"I am going to break your wrist."

"...Pardon?"

"It is a joke."

Phew. Estizel let out a deep sigh of relief and shook my hand. I shook it up and down, but she offered so little resistance that her entire arm flapped along.

"To think the Boss would make a joke..."

"Kirik! That wasn't funny-dak!"

Smack!

A crisp slapping sound echoed from behind. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Balutak rubbing the back of his head and Charlotte with her palm wide open, but I ignored them.

"At any rate, our family has grown. You two, help Estizel adjust well."

"Understood."

"Kirik! Adjusting is my specialty-dak! Leave it to me-dak! But Estizel looks like Isabella-dak. Suddenly, I'm thinking of Isabella. I miss Isabella-dak..."

"Wasn't Buraltak your mate?"

"Kiriririk! Buraltak is my female-dak! Isabella is my best friend-dak!"

"Aren't they both females in the end?"

"Kirik! By that logic, the lieutenant is also a female-dak. You could be my female—"

Smack!

Another slapping sound rang out. Balutak ducked his head, tears welling in his eyes as he rubbed the back of his head.

Yeah, he definitely deserved that.

Speaking of Isabella.

Like Balutak, I found myself wondering. What was she up to right now? Was she doing well?