Sitting in one of the chairs in the meeting room, Enrico was surrounded by the Nartheis who had agreed to hear him out. After revealing his identity and interrupting the meeting, he proposed an alliance between the two parties, offering benefits he had originally intended to use only to help Kaela and, perhaps, himself, now that he had discovered the presence of Nartheis power inside his body.
Vergel was the first to show interest in the proposal.
"So you can make us leave the dungeon as well?"
"Yes, I can."
Enrico's direct answer aroused the others' suspicion. Although the possibility was extremely tempting, none of them was willing to blindly believe the words of a human who had suddenly appeared in the middle of their meeting. Kirvi was the first to speak.
"How can we believe you, human?"
Shortly afterward, Firlanda also spoke with a suspicious look.
"Exactly. We should be natural enemies."
They weren't entirely wrong. With the exception of some Nartheis, such as Val'Drakar, who possessed a rather serene personality, most considered humans their natural enemies. After all, in that world, Nartheis were seen as monsters, while humans usually faced them as threats that needed to be eliminated.
Enrico perfectly understood their distrust. Therefore, he didn't try to convince them with words alone.
"If you want proof, I can send someone to the outside world for ten seconds."
Kirvi narrowed his eyes.
"Why only ten seconds?"
"Because that way, you can immediately confirm with the person sent there whether I'm telling the truth. But, of course, we need to establish a non-aggression agreement with the humans, provided they don't attack you either."
Despite the explanation, the Nartheis remained suspicious. The proposal seemed far too advantageous for someone who, until a few minutes earlier, should have been considered an enemy. Even if Enrico truly possessed that ability, they still needed to understand what he intended to gain in return.
Vergel, who had remained thoughtful for much of the conversation, finally stepped forward.
"What else can you offer us?"
Enrico crossed his arms with a calm expression.
"Help fighting the invading Nartheis, information, and the possibility for you to evolve."
Marcelo immediately became interested in a specific word.
"Evolve?"
"Yes. It must be horrible to remain at the same level for so long. That's why I'm going to open your wings to the world of power."
Enrico knew that, to fulfill that promise, he would have to teach some evolution techniques he intended to use on Kaela in the future. However, he didn't intend to reveal everything he knew. The most important knowledge would remain reserved for himself and for the one he considered, in a way, his disciple.
Even so, even a portion of that knowledge could represent a significant change for the Nartheis of that dungeon.
Marcelo took a step forward.
"And how would you do that?"
"We could say..."
"Is it because you're also a Nartheis?"
Vergel interrupted Enrico with an unexpected question. Upon noticing the opportunity that had arisen, Enrico decided to take advantage of the situation. Revealing that characteristic could be more advantageous than simply claiming to have allies among the Nartheis.
"I never thought there would be a Nartheis capable of perceiving what I am so well, considering that this presence still seems to be very small."
Vergel nodded.
"Don't worry. You're still a newborn."
Beside Kirvi, Baltazar looked toward the prince.
"Prince, what do you mean by saying he's a newborn?"
Enrico remained silent while Vergel explained what he had sensed during their confrontation. The prince recounted how he had felt that unusual energy in the human's body and how his perception had become even clearer when he focused on it.
The Nartheis listened attentively, but not all of them seemed convinced. Firlanda, in particular, appeared even more suspicious. After observing Enrico for a few moments, she stepped forward and looked him directly in the eyes.
"Tell me, then, Enrico. How do you possess Nartheis power while being human? Don't tell me you're the child of two different races."
Enrico maintained his calm expression without showing any fear of the Nartheis standing before him.
"... No. We could say I was the result of an experiment conducted in the past."
"What kind of disgusting being mixes our DNA with that of humans?"
Firlanda's reaction was shared by many of those present. To them, the idea of mixing the two races in that manner was repulsive. However, Vergel and Marcelo, the Iron Priest, seemed more interested in understanding how such a thing had been possible than in expressing disgust.
Enrico noticed their interest and wondered what might be going through their minds.
[Don't tell me they're thinking about having children with humans now?]
'No. They know that's impossible. A hybrid of Nartheis and human is literally impossible to exist. What they want to discover is how to carry out this kind of experiment on Nartheis loyal to them.'
[I see. So they might be thinking about creating hybrids.]
Enrico didn't intend to delve deeper into that conversation. The subject wasn't important at that moment, nor did it need to become a concern in the future. Besides, he had a simple explanation to put an end to everyone's curiosity.
"If anyone is curious, know that I was the only one from the experiment who succeeded. Everyone else who came after me died."
"That's a shame."
Vergel sighed, seeming to lament the waste of possibilities. Marcelo, on the other hand, didn't seem willing to abandon the subject so easily. A rather absurd idea began to take shape in his mind, although it could be useful for his own objectives.
'I'll discuss this with the prince later.'
After a few moments, Vergel turned his attention back to Enrico, determined to clarify the most important point of their negotiation.
"You're offering us a lot of things. So answer me: what do you want in return?"
Everyone present became attentive. If Enrico was willing to offer so many benefits, it was reasonable to imagine that he also expected to receive something of equivalent value. After all, if the promised advantages already seemed extraordinary to the Nartheis, the gain expected by the human should be equally significant.
Enrico didn't take long to answer.
"First, I want to train in this place for two months, constantly fighting against you."
Vergel gave a small smile upon hearing that.
"That's easy to arrange, at least for me. What's the other thing you want?"
"A solid alliance between us."
"Another thing that can be easily arranged."
Up to that point, the negotiation had proceeded without any major difficulties. The Nartheis considered that they were receiving far more than they would need to offer in return, but Enrico still had one final request. And unlike the previous ones, this one directly involved the conflict threatening the dungeon.
"The last thing is... I want to fight alongside you to eliminate the leader of the invaders. If he isn't among them, then I want to capture some enemy Nartheis to learn more information about this guy."
The room fell silent for a few moments. Those present exchanged glances, trying to understand why Enrico was so interested in confronting that leader. His insistence suggested that there was something personal behind the request, perhaps some grudge or a reason he didn't yet wish to reveal.
"That's all? Are you sure you don't want anything else?"
"Perhaps in the future, when I'm certain this alliance is good for my plans."
Vergel observed Enrico with interest. It was already possible to tell that the human had his own motivations and wasn't making that proposal out of pure generosity. However, that wasn't a problem. As long as both sides benefited and fulfilled their obligations, there was no reason to demand that they share all their secrets.
"Very well. At least as far as I'm concerned, this can be done. What about you? Do you accept this agreement?"
Marcelo was the first to answer.
"As long as he can prove that he really can do it, I accept, Prince."
The priest seemed particularly interested in the possibilities that alliance could offer. An improvement in the power of the castle's inhabitants would be extremely valuable, and he was already beginning to imagine the topics he could discuss with Vergel and Enrico after the meeting. Furthermore, he felt no shame in taking advantage of that opportunity to obtain knowledge he might never be able to acquire on his own.
"I accept as well. I don't like remaining stagnant, unable to evolve. Honestly, I'd do anything to change that."
Baltazar spoke with conviction, making it clear that the possibility of surpassing his limits was enough to convince him to participate in the agreement.
"Good choice, Baltazar. And since you'd do anything, I want to talk to you about something else later."
"... I don't know what you're thinking, Marcelo, but know that I hate the weird things you do in your experiments. If that's what this is about, I'll refuse."
Marcelo didn't answer immediately, but his silence did little to reassure Baltazar.
After them, the other Nartheis also agreed to the proposal, although some still showed a certain reluctance to trust Enrico completely. Even so, the possibility of evolving, fighting the invaders, and discovering a way to reach the outside world was far too tempting to ignore.
With everyone accepting the agreement, Enrico nodded and took out a magical escape stone.
It was a rare item used to forcibly remove someone from a dungeon when a situation got out of control. Its production was extremely limited, as alchemists could produce only twenty stones of this type per month.
[Enrico, as far as I know, this doesn't work on Nartheis or any other race that isn't considered an ally. Besides, removing Nartheis from a dungeon is practically impossible. Cases like that are extremely rare.]
'Don't worry. I'll modify the way this stone works today. Two months from now, they'll have something similar.'
Enrico stood up and turned his eyes toward Vergel, indicating that he intended to begin training immediately. After all, the goal of those two months was simple: to fight the dungeon's inhabitants repeatedly, as if he were an invader who had just entered that place.
"The only thing you can't do is kill me. Other than that, treat me like a real enemy."
Vergel smiled upon hearing the demand. To him, that was practically an invitation to a battle without unnecessary restrictions.
"If you insist, I won't hold back."
That dungeon had revealed events Enrico had never expected to encounter, but none of that changed his original objectives. In fact, the situation seemed to have opened up a new possibility: gaining a valuable ally for the future while strengthening his own body and discovering more about the mysteries surrounding the Nartheis.
Two months later.