The air was heavy.
It was a literal expression, not a metaphor. This was the only way I could describe the atmosphere when I entered the conference room.
It was a much larger and slightly darker space than I had imagined.
The first thing that came into sight was the huge round table in the center, and the five people sitting around it… no, beings.
"Welcome Fifth Lord and Chief of Staff."
Breaking the silence, an old man's benevolent voice resounded.
It was a voice from a dwarf occupying a seat at the round table.
He was short, tanned skin, and had a thick beard that extended under his chin.
Above all, his rock-like muscular body was clearly visible, even from a distance.
There was only one being that could have all those features—a dwarf.
I also knew who he was.
The First Lord—the Wiseman, Agor.
All the gazes of the Lords of the Round Table, including him, were directed our way.
"Oh, it's been a while old Agor."
The Mad Lord approached one of the empty seats and sat down.
Other than that, there was no other greeting.
It's just that the gazes filled with question were still lingering on Dayphon and I.
The Third Lord—the Heavenly Palace, the Second Lord—the Thunder Lord, the Sixth Lord, the Tyrant, and the Eight Lord, the Black Sea Empress. I also looked at their faces and matched them with the names in my memory one by one.
The lords of Calderic were of completely different races and characteristics, so it was easy to see who was who at a glance.
Is the Overlord not here?
Hadn't she reached the conference room yet?
Besides the Overlord, the fourth, seventh, and ninth Lords were nowhere to be seen.
It was unknown whether they had not yet arrived or were absent altogether.
"By the way, who is the human next to you?"
The First Lord—the Wiseman, asked Dayphon.
As he explained to the Mad Lord earlier, Dayphon introduced me again.
"This is an honored guest brought in from the outside. The Overlord permitted him to attend the meeting."
The reaction of the Lords to those words were varied.
"The Overlord gave… permission?"
The Wiseman, who asked, muttered in a mixture of doubt and surprise.
"Huh? What's with this situation?"
The Eight Lord, the Black Sea Empress, rested her chin on the table and expressed interest.
"Anyway, our Overlord really prepared something good. At least this meeting hasn't been boring from the start."
The Tyrant also laughed as if he was having fun.
"…"
The Third Lord, the Heavenly Palace, was staring blankly into space as if he was not interested.
In the first place, he hadn't even looked this way from the very beginning.
"Why did the Overlord allow an outsider to attend the Lords' council?"
The only one who showed negative emotions was the Second Lord, the Thunder Lord.
An elf with long, sky-blue hair and long, pointy ears looked at me with blatantly displeased eyes.
I also don't know why I'm here, so don't look at me like that.
Then, the Mad Lord giggled and intervened.
"The Overlord gave permission, simple as that. Why are you acting strict and arguing here, kid?"
The Thunder Lord turned her gaze and glared at her.
"I already warned you not to call me 'kid', Fifth Lord."
"Did you do that? What can I say? Something probably blocked my ears."
At the Mad Lord's act of pricking up her ears as if teasing, the Thunder Lord only clicked her tongue.
I just stood there and watched the scene.
As I was thinking about whether I should keep standing like this, Dayphon guided me to my seat.
"Please sit over here."
So I took a seat at the round table and sat down.
Of course, I didn't return the interest given by the other Lords.
Oh, I hate it. This kind of atmosphere.
Above all, the Eighth Lord, the Black Sea Empress, who was sitting in the seat in front of me, made me feel quite burdened by just her presence.
The moth-like antennae on the forehead, the huge membrane wings on the back, and the appearance of a mixture of human skin and insect exoskeleton were so grotesque that it was hard to look at her.
Don't talk to me, please.
Among these monsters, all I could do was keep my eyes on the air and shut up with a blank expression.
As I was having such a hard time, the door to the meeting room opened again and someone came in.
It was a maid.
"…?"
No… maid?
A woman who entered the meeting hall alone bowed her head in greeting, approached the round table, and set down the teacups one by one.
Somehow, a more strange atmosphere filled the air.
The appearance of an ordinary attendant setting drinks before the start of the meeting shouldn't be a cause for worry.
But I couldn't take my eyes off her. Or more precisely, to the number above her head.
[Lv. 98]