Allied Forces Conference
—Kiiiiiik.
The massive golden door creaked open a beat wider.
Light spilling from the gap soaked the long carpet lining the corridor floor once more.
A gust of air rushed through from beyond.
The oily scent of incense, leather, parchment, and the heavy overlay of mana.
Right in the thick of it, something with the densest concentration shot straight toward her.
Her gaze snapped there instinctively.
The first thing that hit her vision was red.
Dead center beyond the door. Towering at least two heads taller.
Untamed crimson hair flowed past his shoulders like a lion's mane.
Beneath rolled-up sleeves of a black shirt, his forearms bulged like twisted ropes of muscle.
His chest and shoulders strained the fabric from within.
Light footsteps that belied his massive frame.
He stared her down directly.
His eyes were red too.
—Tsrng.
The sound of a single sword drawn from his waist.
The blade caught the light once, briefly taking on the hue of the stained-glass ceiling, then plummeted vertically.
Right overhead.
—!
Her body moved before her mind could catch up.
Mana surged in a single stream from her toes to the crown of her head.
A thin barrier layered over her skin.
Her palm rose above her head, meeting the blade head-on.
—Kwaaaang!
The marble floor shuddered once.
Fragments of color from the ceiling's stained glass scattered in the shockwave, raining down into the conference hall like a brief shower.
Where palm met blade, mana crackled, spitting tiny sparks.
The sword couldn't descend further.
Her fingers clamped the flat of the blade from both sides.
A single palm had halted the sword of a man far larger than her.
"……."
She looked up past the blade with her red eyes.
The crimson-haired man's lips curled up slowly on one side.
"Ho."
A low, gravelly voice.
"Even if not in earnest, to catch my strike so effortlessly."
"……."
She twisted the gripped sword lightly, shoving it aside.
The blade slipped between her fingers, wrenching his wrist slightly.
Her toe tapped the carpet once.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Her voice dropped half a tone lower than usual.
Mana began to leak faintly from her fingertips and the edges of her shoulders.
The air inside the conference hall chilled a beat.
The crimson-haired man took the flow head-on.
He burst into laughter.
"Haha, no need to get so mad."
"……."
"Just confirming your qualifications."
He tossed out his words and sheathed his sword.
The sharp blade slid smoothly into its leather scabbard.
—Chak.
The hilt clicked into place.
Before she could open her mouth, he glanced sideways.
The Elf Queen, who had entered first, stood facing him a couple paces away.
The crimson-haired man placed a hand over his chest.
"It's been a while. Hard to even catch a glimpse of your face these days."
"You haven't changed."
For the mood right after a mid-conference hall swordfight, their tones were too flat.
As if this was routine.
"……."
She had a rough idea of who this crimson-haired man was.
He laughed heartily once, then stepped back—one pace, two.
He flopped into the grandest chair at one end of the massive round table at the hall's center, the one with the tallest, most ornate backrest.
"Conferences of the strong have no need for the weak."
He flicked his fingers.
"Send the rest outside."
The Human Empire soldiers lined along both walls moved at once.
Toward the cluster of suits who had entered in a line behind her.
"W-wait, what is this—"
"We are official diplomatic envoys approved by our home governments—"
"My position as envoy—"
"Hands off! This is a diplomatic breach!"
"Hands off, I said!"
The soldiers' gauntleted palms shoved their shoulders, backs, sides.
"Let go! This is a clear diplomatic breach—"
"The United States formally—"
"Russia's dignity—"
"We'll report this to our home office—"
Even if they reported to their home countries, there was no postal system to send protests to this dimension.
She glanced back.
Dozens of suits, shoved by armor into a clump, were herded out the conference hall entrance.
—Bang.
The massive golden door slammed shut again.
This time, far lighter and cleaner than when it opened.
"……."
She let out a low sigh.
The point of bringing them was gone in an instant.
Another thick laugh boomed from one side of the hall.
"Kuhahaha."
She turned toward the sound.
At another seat across the table sat a sturdy man about shoulder-height to her, his beard cascading well past his chest. His forearm muscles stood out sharply even over his armor.
A dwarf at first glance.
"Dragging in all those hangers-on? Your world's a strange one."
"Ha… ha."
She forced an awkward chuckle.
At the Elf Queen's gesture, a soldier guided her to her seat.
Not directly in front of the queen, but offset one spot to the side. Perfect—not too close, not too far.
A faintly musky scent wafted from the seat beside her.
She turned her head.
Fluffy tawny fox ears perked up on either side of her head.
A matching bushy tail draped softly past the chair's backrest.
A beastkin.
The woman extended a hand lightly.
"Nice to meet you, Earth representative."
She shook it. Brief and firm.
Her palm was warm. The tail swayed lazily once.
"Likewise."
"That just now? Pretty cool."
"Guess greetings here involve swords."
The woman laughed.
"No. Just that human."
Sounded about right.
Her tail swished once behind the backrest.
"Too bad for your entourage, though."
"……They weren't essential anyway."
"Oh?"
"Yeah."
The crimson-haired man at the table's head clapped his hands together once.
"Alright, everyone's seated. Let's begin."
His gaze stabbed straight at her.
"Earth representative. Tell us about your world."
Her finger tapped the table's edge once.
Now the real thing began.
* * * * *
"Gates. How much do you know of that phenomenon in your world?"
"Not much in detail. We're learning as we go, getting hit along the way."
"Someone with that much power doesn't know?"
"Power didn't come with a manual."
The dwarf chuckled from beside her.
"I like that."
The king smirked too.
"Good. Tell us what you know."
All eyes in the room fixed on her.
The high ceiling made her voice echo faintly.
She spoke from a neutral posture, back neither pressed deep nor leaned forward.
"Our world is different from yours. There was no mana originally. Not until Gate Shock. The concept itself didn't exist."
The beastkin woman perked her ears slightly.
"A world without mana?"
"Yeah. But other things developed instead."
"Other things?"
"Machines, electronics, that sort."
The king furrowed his brow.
"Stronger than weapons?"
"We don't fight with swords or magic. We fight with machine-made weapons. From small tools one person carries to big ones that can wipe out a city in one go."
The dwarf's beard twitched.
"A whole city?"
"Yeah. Those exist."
"Kuhaha. I'd like to see that."
"Better for everyone if you don't."
The beastkin woman leaned forward a bit in her chair.
"So your world is ultimately ruled by the strong too, right?"
"…No."
"Huh?"
"Ours isn't ruled by the strong."
The king asked again.
"Then who is?"
"The rich."
Silence blanketed the table briefly.
The beastkin blinked, the dwarf stroked his beard, and the king stared at her for a long moment before asking lowly.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said. Sword skills, magic—none of that mattered much in our original world. Those who hold capital sit at the top, with rulers riding their backs."
"……."
"That's how it was until Gate Shock three years ago. Things have changed a bit now."
"Changed how?"
"People who can handle mana appeared. The strong started claiming their voice. That's why I'm here as the official rep."
The king rubbed his chin.
"Intriguing. Alright, to the main point."
He tapped the table twice with his fingertips.
"Gates open on our side, and things from your worlds spill through. Beasts, humanoids, and the variety keeps growing."
"Growing?"
"Started simple, but lately the patterns are shifting. Intelligent beings show up, mixed with odd ones."
The beastkin woman's tail swayed slowly.
"So Earth is already bordering multiple worlds."
"Probably."
The king narrowed his eyes.
"Probably?"
"Nothing certain yet. Just guesses."
She stopped tapping her fingers.
"Seems like another world—wuxia—is connected to us too."
One Elf elder twitched an eyebrow. The dwarf stroked his beard; the king listened silently.
"From Earth's view, there are more neighboring worlds besides yours. The monsters we see don't fit one mold. Fantasy beasts come, and ones from other vibes too."
The king asked.
"The cause of this?"
"We don't know."
"Not at all?"
"Not entirely. Just pieces. Worlds mixing, something like that. Who started it, how far it goes, where it ends—we haven't pinned it down."
Brief silence.
The Elf Queen broke it.
"Earth faces the results first, chasing the cause after. No different from us."
The king nodded slowly.
"Good. Our turn to share."
After that, questions piled on.
The emperor probed Earth's politics and military structure; the dwarf grilled on magic stones and industry.
The beastkin woman delved into city sizes, transport, civilian ratios.
The elves checked pollution purifiers and gate-adjacent ecological shifts.
She answered only what she knew, admitted ignorance where due, and flagged guesses as such.
The meeting dragged.
Without the evasive politicians, it actually went faster.
Everyone spoke straight.
She liked that.
* * * * *
"That's enough for today."
The emperor leaned back against his chair.
"Done with the brainwork. Time for drinks."
A heavy side door opened to a banquet hall.
Meats, breads, fruits, soups lined the long table.
Spice and roasted fat scents rose together. Heavy metal goblets brimmed with deep golden liquid.
Tension easing, her stomach finally grumbled faintly.
The emperor grabbed a goblet and strode to the seat beside her.
The beastkin shifted aside slightly. He plopped down; the chair creaked.
"Earth representative."
"Yes."
"My attack—"
"Attack."
"…My attack, sorry about that."
"Got it. Fine."
"Sword nuts like me? Can't truly respect a new face till blades clash."
"I'd prefer a milder method."
"Hahaha!"
—Cling.
Two goblets met.
The golden liquid washed her mouth, slid down her throat.
High proof. It warmed from tongue tip down.
"…Strong stuff."
"From the Empire's east. Battlefield vets favor it."
"…Earth's got fans of the same."
"Humans, after all."
He laughed heartily again.
Goblets emptied twice, thrice.
The hall's mood shifted to party.
The beastkin woman bantered loudly with the dwarf at the next table.
The two Elf elders sipped demurely, murmuring to each other.
The emperor swirled his goblet.
"Back in my youth, wrestled a boar-like mana beast barehanded outside the walls—cracked ribs."
"…Barehanded."
"Sword came after."
The dwarf poked his head from the next table.
"Small potatoes! I smashed a head twice that size with my hammer!"
"Here they go again."
The beastkin woman clicked her tongue.
"Half of that's booze-talk exaggeration. Earth rep, don't buy it."
"……."
She just sipped silently.
"Earth's unique."
The emperor muttered, tilting his goblet again.
"Not ruled by the strong."
"Loudmouths try instead."
"We got those too."
"Same everywhere, then."
The emperor boomed another laugh. He swirled his goblet, gaze drifting.
Her eyes flicked to the Elf Queen beside him.
The queen ignored their table, sipping slowly from her own.
"What about her?"
"Hm?"
"…How strong is the Elf Queen?"
The emperor quirked one brow.
His goblet hand paused, then rose slowly to his lips. He swallowed once before speaking.
"She was there in my great-grandfather's great-grandfather's time."
Her chewing paused.
"Can't help but respect that."
"……."
"And yeah, she's strong."
He tapped the goblet's rim once with a finger.
"Ruling's just tiring, but holding that seat so long? I'd have ditched it for the mountains ages ago."
He laughed heartily.
She couldn't laugh.
Her face blurred on the goblet's surface.
Great-grandfather's great-grandfather.
At least five generations back for the Human Empire. At thirty years a generation, that's 150 by math.
Elves were long-lived, and she'd already been queen back then.
No telling how much longer before that.
The flat expression with no apology for arriving thirty minutes late that dawn suddenly made sense.
To someone who'd lived this long, an hour or two was just a deep breath.
"……."
She touched the goblet to her lips, then set it down.
"What's wrong, Earth rep?"
"…Nothing."
"……."
"Just… hit me late that I'm in a conference hall with someone that old."
The emperor burst into a hearty guffaw.
"I like that phrasing."
"……."
How damn old is she?)
The golden liquor warmed her throat once more as it went down.