85. The Poisoned Holy Grail (1)
85. The Poisoned Holy Grail (1)
- 1 -
"Shurr... Your Majesty, the Dungeon Queen, I presume."
"It is a pleasure to meet you."
I raised one eyebrow, a habit I had recently picked up.
It was to openly express the bewilderment I felt, without holding back.
'A completely different race showed up.'
I had two questions right now, and the first was this.
I had expected the queen herself would not be waiting at the lake, but I hadn't imagined there would be an entirely different race from the queen.
'The Ent coming was within the realm of understanding, though.'
Alraunes, being fundamentally fused with plants, find it rather difficult to move beyond a certain range.
Despite their slow bodies, the fact that a solemn and free-spirited tree spirit, an Ent, came as an envoy was why it hadn't struck me as odd.
At points closer to the queen's location, red Alraunes had even come out to greet me...
And hadn't Kamaya sent a fellow Harpy to invite me in the first place?
'But sending a completely different race...'
A Lizardman.
That they were not of the same race as the queen was something I could quickly understand without much thought.
These semi-aquatic monsters had a system where the chieftain led the group, and judging by the fine armor the Lizardman before me wore, he was clearly that chieftain.
Whether they were looking down on me, testing me, or simply showing how much they trusted this monster, I couldn't guess the cause, so I couldn't help but be bewildered.
And then...
'He's using human etiquette.'
The second question arose from the term "Your Majesty" this individual had used.
This Lizardman had naturally used the term Your Majesty.
As if he used it regularly.
Even the Ent or Alraunes sent by the Alraune, who were said to have interacted frequently with humans, didn't attach such a word to the queen's title.
'Is this meant to give me a certain impression?'
Was she showing off that her information network was good enough to know human terms, or was she trying to flaunt her vanity?
If it was a title she used habitually, it might be meaningless, but even in that case, it was still bewildering.
Why use a title that humans use?
...I guess I'll find out when I meet her.
"Are you the guide?"
"That is correct, Your Majesty."
...On a separate note, it did feel a bit cringey.
The term "Queen-nim" used by other monsters gave me a similar feeling anyway.
I suppose I'll have to get used to this too.
"I serve as the chieftain of the tribe occupying the area near this lake."
"You have the look of a fine warrior."
"Thank you. Now, please come this way."
His pronunciation had a breathy quality that might have sounded a bit funny, but he was a man with a gravitas that made up for it.
A sense of responsibility befitting a leader was palpable at a single glance. It was in the way he spoke without a single rhetorical flourish, and the way he handled only the essential matters in his actions.
Was this a solemnity shaped by etiquette, or his inherent personality?
My curiosity about the opposing queen gradually grew, because if she kept a subordinate like this, it set an expectation that she herself would possess at least a certain baseline of ability.
"This is the place."
"Alright. It certainly looks that way at a glance."
As I walked following the Lizardman chieftain, I spotted a rock standing naturally on a corner of the lake.
A rock that was long from top to bottom, its head tilted toward the lake, yet standing in balance without falling over completely.
'How bizarre.'
Upon closer inspection, I could infer that the lower part of the rock was much longer, and that it was standing with that part buried in the earth.
A moment later, I could also see that the surface of the rock facing the lake had been cleanly hollowed out.
The Lizardman chieftain stopped at the spot that served as the rough entrance to that bizarre space.
"Your Majesty. I have brought Her Majesty, the Dungeon Queen."
"Tell her to come in."
After hearing the answer from inside, the chieftain stepped back, bowed deeply to me, and asked for my understanding.
His attitude remained polite and solemn.
"This is as far as I can guide you. Inside, Her Majesty the Queen is alone. Her Majesty wishes for a private audience with Your Majesty, the Dungeon Queen."
"Very well. Everyone, stay here."
To comply with her request, I even brought all the soldiers waiting in the shadow space out and had them stand by.
It was less arrogance and more a gesture of sincerity as someone who had come to discuss amity.
'Even if the other side launched a surprise attack, I just needed to buy a little time.'
I was also confident that I wouldn't suffer fatal damage in this place.
Hardly any magical presence could be sensed around, and even if she were strong, she wouldn't be able to overwhelm me.
'If that weren't the case, there's no way two queens would exist in this vicinity.'
This place wasn't far from the ridge summit where the Harpies lived.
If either Kamaya or this queen had been strong enough to overwhelm the other, the victor would have immediately become the head of an alliance or a unified force.
However, judging by Kamaya's demeanor, the two forces still seemed to be in a relationship of seeking mutual understanding.
And the fact that these two forces coexisted nearby was, in itself, almost a guarantee of my immediate safety.
Even if my power paled in comparison to theirs after their many years, it was still enough to catch up quickly.
"So. I finally get to see you. Dungeon Queen."
The third queen I encountered in this way was indeed someone who possessed an aspect comparable to Kamaya's presence. Starting with her appearance.
- 2 -
Inside, there were two large chairs and a table set with all sorts of refreshments, and she was sitting in one of the two chairs made of black marble.
A pale woman who had stretched her long serpentine body under the table, dipping the tip of her tail into the lake.
"Welcome. Dungeon Queen. I am the queen who rules this lake and the surrounding forests. I am called Echidna."
A snake-human, a Lamia.
And the queen of those Lamias, Echidna.
She greeted me with a friendlier attitude than I had expected, as if to emphasize that she had come here purely for conversation.
'Her attitude seems to flaunt arrogance, though.'
However, an irrepressible arrogance seeped out from her attitude: she already spoke to me as if I were half a subordinate, and she didn't bother to rise from her half-reclining chair.
Feeling both dislike and interest rise simultaneously at her attitude, I observed her appearance.
'And she's unique.'
The first thing I noticed about her appearance was her pure white body and incredibly luscious tail.
A pure white tail with a faint violet sheen, thick and glossy without any particular patterns, displaying a majestic shape.
And scales, along with silver ornaments of the same color adorning her exposed body here and there.
Those made her mystique stand out even more.
'She's not an albino.'
I could quickly tell from the color of her eyes that her appearance was merely a characteristic, not a health issue.
Her two eyes looking at me were simply black, with no whites at all.
The only way to distinguish what corresponded to the white and pupil in a human eye was a single, whitish fissure running down the very center.
The eye itself, in the iconic shape of a snake's eye, was eerie, but the shape of her eyes was leisurely and softly curved, containing a degree of wariness and arrogant leisure.
"It's a pleasure, Echidna. I'm Dungeon Lord, Libertas."
"A pleasure, Libertas."
Her sleek hair was also pure white, and her leisurely smiling lips and fingernails were a dark violet.
Thus, apart from the white parts, she possessed a splendid color scheme, giving the viewer the straightforward impression of a dangerous viper.
A look that made you feel you should never get involved with her lightly.
'It seems possible.'
However, the moment I saw her, a certain inspiration came to mind.
To put that into practice... first, let's start with small talk. About the thing she clearly liked best—adorning her body.
"All of them are pretty and artistic accessories, every single one. Do you like silver?"
"It is the most sensitive and pure, and close to water, which is my power. Naturally, it is my favorite metal."
Countless silver ornaments decorated her body: several earrings adorning her pointed ears, rings on every finger, bracelets on her upper arms and wrists, a choker on her neck, a pendant hanging between her collarbones, and even three tail bands on her belt.
All of it was made of silver.
And among them, one in particular...
"This one is... a Mithril crown. And this tail band as well. They even bear the power of mana."
"It merely contains emergency protection and a simple attack spell. Nothing special."
"In the human world, the value would be immense. For demon tribes as well, of course."
The tiara she wore on her head and one tail band at the tip of her tail were ornaments made of Mithril, and at the same time, they were artifacts.
Solid Mithril, and artifacts.
Treasures whose price would be whatever one named if they crossed over into the human world.
"It is natural that what I drape on my body should hold the highest value, but what use is appraising an item I won't sell?"
"That's a fair point."
However, she seemed indifferent to such things.
Her attitude was as if her authority was far more important than the value of such treasures.
"Both are especially beautiful."
"Though silver is my favorite metal, it is somewhat difficult to prove my authority with it alone. Seeing your reaction makes me think I did well to have them made."
"Do you keep special artisans with you?"
Mithril was a metal that couldn't be reforged by ordinary means.
It was a natural inference that her forces would have some kind of technicians.
She immediately affirmed it as well.
"I have some Dwarves I obtained by striking down passing slave traders."
"Impressive. Both the queen's discernment and those technicians' skills are excellent."
"You flatter me."
Elves and Dwarves existed in this world too.
However, it seemed that Elves mainly inhabited the Western Continent and were thus hard to see on the Eastern Continent, while Dwarves resided in all sorts of mountains or underground, but were similarly hard to come by.
After all, wasn't it too obvious what humans, who had suppressed the dungeons and stabilized their power, would want to dominate next?
Elves with their special beauty. Dwarves with their special skills.
They would be overly coveted prey for humans.
'When should I bring it up?'
But that was a problem for other humans.
For me right now, rather than such practical matters, something right before my eyes looked incredibly tempting.
Even though we were in the process of smoothing over our mutual goodwill before the real conversation, my gaze kept drifting that way.
Whether she noticed my wandering attention or not, Echidna smiled, now looking more at ease, and spoke to me.
"You have a smooth tongue."
"Do I?"
"You really do. I was wary at first... but I find myself relaxing like this before I knew it. I have certainly come to understand Kamaya's words that you are different from other Dungeon Lords."
Words I could immediately tell contained a positive meaning.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I have also come to want to interact with you, Libertas."
"That's a relief. That it could be settled with words."
When I asked with a smile, she simply affirmed it.
To achieve the very goal of coming here already—this was truly good news, so my smile involuntarily grew wider as well.
"Ah, but it is not yet full cooperation. It merely means I wish to watch and see."
"One who leads the masses must be cautious. It's a good choice."
"Huhu. Thank you."
Of course, she didn't commit so easily, but that actually looked better to me.
As a colleague, prudence was a virtue to be encouraged—though not if excessive.
Anyway, it seemed all right now.
"It might sound strange, and perhaps even rude, to ask this at a first meeting, but I really want to ask this question first."
"What is it? Speak. If it is something I can grant, I shall grant it."
Feeling the time was ripe, I threw a single question at her: the one I had found hard to hold back for a while now.
"Your tail. Would it be alright if I touched it?"
"What...?"
Echidna's eyes widened, filled with incomprehension.
It was a look that perfectly embodied 'What on earth is she talking about.'
Seeing such an expression on this queen—who always carried herself with an air of leisure and had probably rarely shown it to others—I felt oddly delighted.