After a short talk, I immediately followed Dayphon.
Only the sound of two pairs of footsteps at regular intervals echoed in the wide and quiet hallway.
The destination was, as I heard earlier, the Overlord's conference hall.
Depending on what would happen next, it was a place that could become a public execution ground for me instead of just a conference hall.
Things are just getting more and more complicated.
No, why should I, a complete outsider, attend a meeting where only the lords of Calderic gathered?
Right now, I just wanted to hit the back of Dayphon's head, who was currently walking ahead of me.
After all, he was the culprit behind all this.
It's true that I could escape the convoy because of him, but it was also him who attacked it.
Otherwise, the ship would have been cruising across the sea by now without sinking.
Even though the destination was a concentration camp, compared to the current situation in which I had to face the rulers of Calderic in just a few minutes, wouldn't the former be better?
It's a useless assumption.
I moved on with a detached mind.
I couldn't even avoid it since I had already come this far.
We would soon find out which way was the better way.
Would I be able to survive safely in front of the lords, the pinnacle of Calderic, without revealing my insignificant self?
If worse comes to worst and I really got caught…
Even if it's only one instant death skill, it could still protect me. Even if just a little.
Since it also worked on the warrior, the effect was certain. But there was a fatal condition that I could only activate it upon contact.
Well, even if that was the case, there wouldn't be any other way, anyway.
I could use my vast knowledge of the game as a negotiating card with the Overlord. But I doubted if that would even help.
Of course, the best thing would be to get through this hurdle somehow without getting caught.
The more we walked further, the darker it seemed. Before I knew it, the windows in the hallway had completely disappeared.
Instead, glowing stones embedded in the ceiling lit up the darkness.
Eventually, as I entered the aisle covered with a dark red carpet, several knights stood solemnly lined up at what seemed to be the entrance.
The knights raised their swords and saluted.
Dayphon nodded to the knights and walked past them. And I followed, pretending to be calm.
After walking for a long time in the long hallway, I slowly saw a huge door at the end.
And the figure of someone standing in the front a little further away, as if they had just arrived like us.
It was a woman with red hair reminiscent of a blazing fire.
The beast's ears stood on either side of her head. A cut that ran in an oblique line from the forehead to the chin. And the huge sword on the back.
"Hey, chief of staff."
The woman who was looking this way spoke in a light tone.
Contrary to that, Dayphon bowed his head politely.
"Fifth Lord."
I knew her true identity from the moment I saw her, even without hearing her title or name.
[Lv. 95]
With that terrifying level and that appearance, there was only one person who came to mind.
The Fifth Lord – the Lord of Madness, Ignel.
Even before entering the meeting room, one of the lords suddenly appeared like this.
I looked at her, feeling a little strange.
Even though she's just standing there, her presence seemed to weigh down the entire space.
I wasn't familiar with the 'warrior'. Dayphon was a character that was rarely involved in the game, but the Fifth Lord was different.
One of the most familiar names among the named boss characters in the game, which I struggled to defeat dozens of times.
Once again, I realized the fact that this was a world within the game.
"It would be a big deal if I didn't arrive on time. But what is that?"
The Mad Lord asked with a chin gesture towards me.
"The Overlord herself is the one who gave permission to let this person attend the meeting."
"…Hoh?"
At that, she put on a puzzled expression.
"The Overlord's permission, that's something rare. So, who is it?"
"This time, I accidentally brought them from outside…"
"Ah, come to think of it, you went to Santea. Where did you find such a guy…hmm?"
Her gaze turned back to me.
The beast's pupils, which were torn vertically, scanned my whole body once, and I met a pair of terrifying eyes.
"It doesn't look like much."
Waa!
An explosive sound shattering the air.
Suddenly, her hair fluttered with the gust of wind, and the blade of her sword stopped right in front of my neck.
"…"
I just stared at her, who was holding a sword, stiff as a stone statue.
…What did she do? Did she wield her sword? When?
I wasn't even aware of her pulling the huge sword out of her back.
Unreasonable speed, as if it omitted altogether the process of going from point A to point B.
"Hmm?"
The Mad Lord grinned as she drew her sword back.
"No matter how lifeless it looks, I never thought you wouldn't react at all. You're tough compared to your appearance."
It's not that I didn't react, it's that I couldn't.
I felt like I just went back and forth on the Jordan River just now.
If it wasn't for the emperor's soul, I would have collapsed already because of how weak my legs became.
"Fifth Lord."
Thankfully, Dayphon stepped forward with a firm voice.
"Don't be too serious. It's just a light greeting."
Giggling, the Mad Lord retrieved the sword and turned around.
"You, let's talk together later when the opportunity arises. No matter how I look at it, I can't feel any magic power. So, I wonder what kind of ability you have."
What a terrible suggestion.
It seemed that more stacks of misunderstanding had accumulated unintentionally.
As I watched her from the back as she continued to walk towards the door, Dayphon bowed his head to me.
He seemed to apologize for what had just happened.
It would have been nice if he had stepped forward before Ignel swung her sword. Well, let's just be thankful that my neck was still intact.
Cooong!
The huge door opened wide with a heavy echo.
The Mad Lord opened the door first and went inside the meeting room.
All the other lords, aside from her, must have already been inside.
"Then, let's go in."
I entered the meeting room with Dayphon, feeling as if I was walking through the jaws of a monster.