As the Canaries squad approached the cabin, the first thing they saw was the fallen Falin Dragon lying on the ground. One of the elves leading the group turned to Laios and asked, "Hello, are you an adventurer?"
She pointed to the chimera-like dragon collapsed on the ground. "Did you defeat this monster?"
"Yes. She's my sister."
Laios nodded and replied directly, "Come inside."
"?"
Kabru was growing more and more confused.
Why wasn't Laios surprised by the elves' arrival? Why did he look like he was expecting this, even prepared to talk to them? And he just admitted that Falin was his sister—wasn't he worried that would make them more suspicious of him?
Kabru's mind raced with doubts and questions.
Eventually, Laios led Kabru and six of the Canaries elves into the house, where Kairo Retsu was sipping the tea that Senshi had brewed. Looking completely at ease, he turned to Kabru and said, "What a great day for a discussion… Care for some tea?"
"Uh… huh?"
Kabru's gaze landed on two unfamiliar people at the table.
Kairo Retsu and Tanjiro.
Why were there two people here that he'd never seen on the island before?
Were they the reason for Laios's change? Or perhaps…
"Um… Hello?" Kabru, despite his swirling thoughts, decided to address the two directly. "You two look unfamiliar. Are you companions of Laios?"
"Absolutely!" Kairo Retsu gave Kabru a thumbs-up. "Laios and I are kindred spirits! We've even stolen eggs together!"
"!"
When did Laios gain a kindred spirit? And Kabru really wanted to correct him—surely he meant stealing monster eggs?
Who was this strange man, and where had he even come from?! Kabru had zero intel on him!
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Kabru!" Tanjiro responded loudly and earnestly. "I'm Tanjiro Kamado! I'm a swordsman and one of Mr. Laios's companions!"
Tanjiro's introduction made Kabru exhale in relief.
An Eastern-style name, the calluses on his hands—Tanjiro was easy enough to read. But why did he have to introduce himself so loudly?
As Kabru tried to make sense of it all, one of the elves stepped forward and addressed Laios's group.
She held up a document and presented it. "My name is Patadril. We've received permission from the island lord and are currently investigating the dungeon."
She and the other elves kept a sharp eye on Laios and Kairo Retsu, watching their expressions closely. "We'd like you to tell us… Have you encountered the dungeon master?"
"Hmm…"
Laios tilted his head, seemingly thinking hard, which made Kabru mentally scream.
Why was he hesitating now?! It was clear they had encountered the dungeon master, and something must have happened!
Then, in full view of the elves, Laios beckoned Kairo Retsu and Tanjiro over, and the three of them huddled together to whisper in hushed tones. Then they looked up at the elves… and huddled again.
Eventually, Laios stepped forward with a troubled look and said to the elves, "I'm not good at lying… If you mean Thistle, he's sleeping upstairs right now."
"!"
The natural tone in Laios's voice instantly put the elves on alert. Some had already drawn their weapons and were staring at the ceiling, ready for combat.
"Ah! Thistle isn't dangerous anymore. We already defeated him and captured him. He's sedated right now." Laios tried to explain, shaking his head. "Um… could we talk first?"
"Maybe start with some tea." As Laios said this, Senshi brought out cups of tea brewed from Dryad Seeds, along with several plates of milk custard.
"Wait—where's the captain?" one of the elves suddenly noticed that their group of six was now five. Their leader, Mislen, had disappeared without them noticing.
"He's right here."
Kairo Retsu's voice came from the stairwell. He was gripping the wrist of Mislen, who had tried to sneak upstairs. "We've still got someone sleeping up there. It's not really polite to just go marching in, right?"
Kairo Retsu stood firmly at the base of the stairs, like a guard.
"Hand over the dungeon master to us."
Patadril spoke directly to Laios. "We will take responsibility for the dungeon."
"Hmm… No."
Laios's answer made several of the elves tense.
But he quickly waved his hands. "Ah—I don't mean to argue with you!"
"It's just that we haven't had a proper discussion yet!"
Laios said earnestly, "I've been wanting to sit down and talk with you all for a while! Let's drink some tea and have a quiet conversation first. There's a lot to discuss."
"Then what exactly are you doing?" Patadril asked sharply. "Are you trying to exchange the dungeon master for a bounty with the island lord?"
"If that's the case, you can hand him over to us now—we'll handle the bounty procedures." Her tone carried the typical elven authority. "The dungeon master is extremely dangerous. Sedation isn't enough. We need to act quickly…"
"No." Laios remained firm. "We still have something we need to do…"
"Enough. There's no need to keep talking."
Among the elves, the dark-skinned Hishewis stepped forward, interrupting Laios and addressing her comrades. "It's clear, isn't it? This man plans to use the power of the dungeon."
"Wait! Let me—" Kabru started anxiously, but Hishewis—who specialized in illusions—silenced him with a spell. "You shut your mouth."
Then she continued, "The monster outside is a chimera—his sister, transformed. He must have killed her himself. And now he wants to use the dungeon's power to bring her back."
"I don't know how they managed to defeat the dungeon master, but the fact that they kept him alive proves it—they're planning to exploit the dungeon."
"That's not it! We…" Laios's voice trembled with distress as he looked toward the elves.
And Kabru could only scream silently in his heart, overwhelmed by a deep sense of helplessness.
Let me speak to them! Let me do it!!!!!!!
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