Chapter 713: Alliance Proposal
Chapter 713: Alliance Proposal
“Ah… ugh. Is that what this is about? The thing is, I’m a little weak when it comes to this sort of thing. It’s hard for me to make such an important decision on my own.”
In response to Diana’s proposal, Alicia scratched her head with an awkward expression.
Well, it’s true that even if she’s an executive, Alicia doesn’t seem like the type to be involved in anything that requires using her head.
But what kind of proposal was Diana planning to make to Alicia?
Seeing as she brought her all the way here, she was probably going to suggest something related to the sub-layer, but I couldn’t guess her intentions at all.
Still, Diana must have her reasons for doing this.
I decided to keep listening carefully to what she had to say.
…Me, a clan leader, thinking that I’m in no position to judge Alicia?
N-No, this is about putting the right person in the right place! When it comes to brain work, you just have to utilize talented people!
If you look at the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the protagonist is Liu Bei, a man of virtue, not Cao Cao, who had high stats all around, right? I’m that type of guy!
“Hm. Is that so? In that case, I shall give you more detailed information so that even you can make a judgment. However, you must first promise not to divulge what I am about to say to anyone until a cooperative relationship with your clan is established. Oh, there is no need to overthink it. This will not be a bad deal for your clan. I stake my name on it.”
But Diana, perhaps wanting to make her proposal succeed no matter what, made a rather bold offer.
Was she really planning to tell her everything about the sub-layer before getting a firm promise of cooperation?
That was way too generous, wasn't it?
“Huh? I-If that’s the case… but is this really okay? My… no. I mean, I…”
Alicia, who seemed to be thinking the same thing I was, mumbled hesitantly, her expression showing that the deal was so good it was making her suspicious.
Diana probably anticipated that suspicion, which is why she staked her name on it.
“It is fine. You seem to be a person who keeps her word. For what it’s worth, I believe I am a good judge of character.”
“Ah, ahh… Is that so? Th-Thank you?”
At Diana’s unexpected compliment, Alicia bowed her head with an abashed look.
“However, you will be the only one to hear it. Those three young ladies must cover their ears for a moment.”
“Ah, yes. That’s fine. You three!”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
The trio had been standing quietly in the corner, shooting resentful glares at me but not having the guts to complain while a big shot like Diana was talking.
When Alicia gave them a look, the three of them hurriedly covered their ears with both hands and even squeezed their eyes shut.
I mean, we were still inside the dungeon, so they should have had some resistance to acting like that.
Just how harshly does she usually treat them for a single glance to have that effect?
“I did not mean for them to literally cover their ears…”
Diana muttered with a slightly dumbfounded expression, then waved her staff and cast a spell on the trio.
She then turned back to Alicia, her expression serious once more.
“I will say this again. You must not speak of what I am about to tell you to anyone until this matter is properly settled. That includes your clan leader. Do you understand?”
“Not even Miriel…”
“If you cannot promise, then this conversation ends here.”
“Agh! Fine! I get it! I promise! This is really a good deal for us, right?”
“Indeed. Then I shall explain. First, I imagine you are curious about this space. This is the nesting ground of the sole male penguin of this sub-layer. That corpse over there is its remains. Do you understand what this means?”
As soon as Alicia promised not to tell anyone, Diana unhesitatingly revealed the information about the male penguin.
Of course, just showing her this hidden space was a significant disclosure of information, but she could have still hidden the details about the male.
And there was no way Alicia wouldn’t grasp the meaning of her words.
She might have a simple-minded, brute-force image, but she was still a top-class adventurer.
It was impossible for her not to understand information related to adventuring.
“Th-That means, don’t tell me?!”
“Correct. It means there is a passage here that connects to another space through its penis. And that space is none other than the 4.5th Layer.”
“What?!”
“The truth is, each sub-layer has a single male monster that can be called its true master. The structure is such that each sub-layer is connected through the penises of these monsters. Miss Leia.”
“Ah, yes!”
At Diana’s signal, Leia immediately raised the staff in her hands to her chest and looked around.
When I pointed out the location of the hole to her, Leia scurried over and planted her staff in it.
Instantly, the passage to the 4.5th Layer revealed itself.
“Whoa! Waaah! Oh my god!”
I felt a little sorry for the trio, who were huddled together and trembling as the ground vibrated while they couldn't see or hear anything.
Seeing them keep their hands over their eyes even through that, it seemed they were truly terrified of Alicia.
“Th-Then does that mean we can use this to go beyond the 6th Layer…?!”
But Alicia paid no mind to the trio, her eyes wide and fixed on the revealed passage as she asked her question.
There it was again. Talk of the 6th Layer.
I’d heard that progress was blocked at the 6th Layer, but was it something that would make Alicia react like this?
No, well, she’s an adventurer. It’s probably natural to want to challenge something when you find out that the place you’ve reached isn’t the end.
But how should I put it? Her reaction seemed to hold something more.
It was as if she was aiming for something beyond the 6th Layer.
Come to think of it, her clan had continued to explore the dungeon even after defeating the 6th Layer’s master and failing to find a passage leading down.
It was as if they were certain that something existed beyond the 6th Layer.
They must have defeated the 6th Layer’s master before the Goddess descended into Leia’s body, and back then, they would have had no reason to be certain that anything lay beyond it.
Thinking about it that way, there was definitely something strange going on.
“Indeed. That is what I believe.”
“Wh-What are your conditions?! Ah, no. What are they, ma’am?!”
The moment Diana nodded, Alicia pounced on the topic, looking ready to charge at her.
“It is nothing much. As we are a small, elite clan, there are limits to our exploration. In exchange for sharing this information with your clan, we would simply like some assistance with our investigation.”
“We’ll do it! Let’s do it! An alliance! Right now!”
The moment Diana stated her condition, Alicia accepted it immediately.
Hey. Didn’t you just say you couldn’t make a decision like that on your own?
“Wait. I have not finished speaking.”
“Anything is fine! We’ll do it! I can convince Miriel and all the others!”
“Hm. Is that so? Then all members of the Arachne Clan shall become our slaves…”
“Hwuh?!”
“N-Ngh?! No! Wai—!”
When Alicia recklessly charged ahead even as Diana tried to continue, an utterly absurd condition popped out of Diana’s mouth.
Thanks to that, a strange sound escaped from both my mouth and Alicia’s at the same time.
“It was a jest. So calm yourself and listen until the end. And my dear husband. Don’t tell me you were just getting excited?”
“…I was not. Slaves? I believe such an inhumane system must be abolished.”
“…Hmmmm.”
As Diana shot me a suspicious glare, I blinked my utterly innocent eyes at her.
Fortunately, our staring contest was quickly ended by an impatient Alicia.
“S-So, Archmage. What are the conditions?”
“Mm. I imagine you have already guessed, given that the passages are penises, but I believe this dungeon was designed from the start with the assumption that a Saint would descend through it.”
“…Ah, yes.”
This girl, Alicia. She was now blatantly making a ‘this is getting complicated’ face.
But Diana didn’t seem to care whether Alicia fully understood or not, as she continued her explanation.
“The Goddess herself told this man to descend into the dungeon. We surmise that there is something related to the Saint’s mission in the lower parts of the dungeon. Therefore, in exchange for using our information to access the yet-undiscovered sub-layers or reach beyond the 6th Layer, you must share every single piece of information you obtain beyond the 6th Layer with us. And if anything even slightly special is discovered, you must not touch it and must inform us first so we can investigate it together.”
“…Ugh. S-So, you mean… hmmm…”
After hearing all of Diana’s conditions, Alicia clutched her head as if she had a headache and fell into thought.
Well, this was a matter that would give anyone a headache, not just Alicia.
To summarize Diana’s proposal, it was this:
We’ll tell you how to get past the 6th Layer you so desperately want to reach, and in return, you hand over everything you find there to us.
If the Arachne Clan’s goal was simply to fight stronger monsters and accumulate wealth by obtaining rarer items, it would be a decent condition.
But judging from Alicia’s reaction just now, that didn’t seem to be the case at all.
Frankly, it was a pretty selfish proposal.
But what made it even more of a headache was that we had a justification on our side.
“It is for the mission given by the Goddess.”
Right. A justification so great it could be considered absolute in this world.
“Um. I’m sorry to say this after hearing the detailed explanation, but the conditions are still too strict for me to decide on my own. Could I at least talk to Miri… our clan leader? It’s fine. I’ll make sure she doesn’t tell anyone…”
“No. Your clan leader is not the type to prioritize a secret with us over her own objectives, is she?”
“Urk…”
Alicia, having finally decided she couldn’t make the call on her own, tried to negotiate, but Diana flatly refused.
Alicia, unable to refute Diana’s words, was left speechless.
For a while, Diana and Alicia said nothing, simply staring at each other.
Diana, with an expression urging a decision, and Alicia, with a troubled look.
At this rate, this could go on forever.
Perhaps thinking the same thing, it was Diana who finally yielded a little first.
“…Hm. Then let us do this. You may tell your clan leader only this: that we have certain information that will allow you to go beyond the 6th Layer. And to get that information, she must accept the conditions I have just presented. You will act as if you do not know the details of the information I have shared.”
“If that’s the case…”
At Diana’s words, Alicia finally let out a sigh of relief.
“And until the details are decided, I must ask you to silence those young ladies about this space as well.”
“Ah, yes. That’s not a problem.”
“Good. Then consult with your clan leader, and once you decide whether to accept our conditions, contact my mansion.”
“Ah, yes. I will do that.”
“Phew. So, are we done talking?”
Seeing that their conversation seemed to have reached a conclusion, I was finally able to open my mouth and step in.
“Mm.”
“You. If you’re the clan leader, you should be the one handling this stuff.”
Alicia must have felt considerable pressure talking with Diana, because as soon as I intervened, her expression relaxed, even as she chided me.
To think she could intimidate even a wild mare like Alicia… Diana really is an amazing person.
Not that I didn’t already know that.
“You’re an executive, but you’re not used to this either, are you? So, uh. Have you been well?”
In any case, thanks to Diana’s proposal to Alicia, I was able to buy some time to calm the emotional turmoil this sudden meeting had caused me.
Because of that, I was able to ask how Alicia was doing much more calmly than before.
Though even if I had calmed down, it was impossible for a conversation like this with a woman I’d dumped not long ago to be completely free of awkwardness.