The appearance of the Winged Lion stirred different reactions in everyone.
While sizing up the Winged Lion from top to bottom, Kairo Retsu gave Laois a small push from behind.
"So you're the Winged Lion…"
Laois stood before the lion-headed entity that had emerged from the book, feeling a bit tense as he stepped forward and picked up the tome. "If it's just the head, it looks like an ordinary lion…"
"I've been watching you all along," the Winged Lion replied with a smile. Its leonine face showed remarkably expressive emotion. "Just as you expected—once the seal was broken, Thistle noticed and is already on his way back with Falin."
"You've already made preparations to deal with Falin, haven't you? So your final target… is Thistle?"
The Winged Lion gazed directly at Laois. "Are you trying to take Thistle's place and become the master of the dungeon?"
"Laois," Chilchuck nudged him from behind, "I think the Winged Lion means what the people of the Golden Country said: whoever kills the Mad Sorcerer becomes king here…"
"I haven't fully decided on that yet."
Laois shook his head. "But to save Falin, we do need to deal with Thistle first."
"Winged Lion, I want to know."
Laois locked eyes with the Winged Lion, presenting the first bait in the plan he and Kairo Retsu had prepared in advance.
"How did Thistle become the master of the dungeon?" Laois asked, staring into the lion's eyes—eyes that, despite being leonine, seemed almost goat-like, with a faint trace of an ∞ symbol in the pupils. "If I wanted to replace him as dungeon master, what would I need to do?"
"Laois?" Marcille widened her eyes—she hadn't expected him to say something like this to the Winged Lion.
But the Winged Lion smiled even more gleefully at Laois's words. "You want to become dungeon master?"
"I see within you all a strong…" The Winged Lion paused, choosing its words, "...pursuit."
"I can help you defeat Thistle. As long as you defeat him, one of you may take his place as the dungeon master."
"But I'm curious—what would you do if you became the master of the dungeon?"
The Winged Lion's gaze scanned everyone before it.
That desire leaking from the depths of their hearts was intoxicating to the creature.
People with desires that strong were rare.
Especially someone like Laois.
That half-elf had deep desires, too.
The dwarf and halfling… they had desires, but not the kind that swelled.
That girl who had fused with a monster's soul—she didn't have anything she particularly wanted to do.
As for the rest…
The Winged Lion's pupils turned toward the hunters.
The young man with the shield carried a faint scent of revenge—but it was gradually fading.
The dual bladesman and the bow user had intense ambition, yet the sort that would stop of its own accord once fulfilled.
The scarred boy had the eyes the Winged Lion had seen many times—eyes that could never become a dungeon master's. He was too content.
But that last one, the man who had pushed Laois from behind… his desire was deep. Particularly enticing.
"Laois, I've been watching your journey—I know you."
The Winged Lion's tone was noble, almost reverent. "You have love, even for monsters. Unlike the others, you're different. I want to entrust the people of this land… and the monsters… to you."
"To save the people here, I will help you defeat Thistle." The Winged Lion extended its wings from the book and gently brushed Laois's cheek. "You will be a more reasonable dungeon master than Thistle ever was."
"Well then, let's get ready," Kairo Retsu stepped forward, clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention, and said, "Time to prepare the meal that'll put Falin to sleep. Let's take care of her first."
"Laois, you go ahead and talk with the Winged Lion," Kairo added as he pulled out some ingredients from his pack. "And mix in some sleeping agents. We've still got that Rathalos whiskey, so let's keep things painless for Falin if we can."
"But Laois…" Marcille still seemed worried, but Chilchuck caught on to the mood and tugged her away.
To have enough space to cook, everyone headed outside to set up a cooking pot, leaving only Laois and the Winged Lion alone in the room.
Senshi and the others led the way.
As Kairo Retsu nudged the group out of the house, Joseph Joestar shook his head and commented to the others, "Guess the demon didn't pick us."
"The Winged Lion wasn't interested in any of us," he muttered. "In the end, the only ones it cared about were Laois, Marcille, and the Guildmaster."
Joseph grumbled about it, "Am I really the type with weak desires or something? I don't feel like I am…"
"Not even Kazuma got picked?" Naofumi Iwatani looked confused. "His desires seem pretty obvious to me."
"Hey!! Why do you say that like I'm some sort of scumbag!?" Kazuma yelled in protest.
"Guildmaster, will Laois really be okay alone with the Winged Lion?" Tanjiro asked, looking worriedly back at the house. "And what should we do now?"
"What else? Stick to the plan." Kairo Retsu patted Tanjiro's shoulder. "Since the Winged Lion only took interest in Laois and me, we're the ones at risk."
"You all need to be ready for the possibility that both Laois and I could be completely charmed," Kairo said bluntly. "No matter how much you remind yourself to stay strong—until you actually stand at that line, you'll never know what you'll do…"
"Always prepare for the worst outcome." Kairo advised the hunters again. "Relax—the Felynes have already started setting up the battlefield for us."
At his words, the hunters breathed a little easier.
After this brief exchange, they joined Senshi outside to prepare the meal for Falin.
And every move they made… was being quietly observed by a small wyvern not far away.
It was one of Thistle's familiars, watching the oddities occurring throughout the dungeon.
The elves were clashing with adventurers. The elven captain was destroying parts of the dungeon. And the ones who released the Winged Lion… were now frantically cooking?
Why were they cooking?
Thistle was baffled—but he knew what had to be done first.
Return home, reseal the Winged Lion, fix the dungeon's balance—and then use its power to deal with everything else…
"Go! Dragon!" Thistle commanded Falin. "We're going home!"
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium