"…"
What?
What did I just hear?
For a moment, I wondered if I misunderstood what she had just said, so I tried to replay it in my mind.
But no matter how much I interpreted it, it meant exactly just that.
This woman, the Overlord Rashtain, asked me if I wanted to become a Lord of Calderic.
Was she being serious?
No, it couldn't be.
Of course, it could only be a joke.
If even I took that seriously, then no wonder I was on edge.
"Ah. This was not just empty words. I'm asking you if you are really willing to be one."
"…"
"Right now, the seat of the Seventh Lord has been vacant for several years. It just can't continue to be empty like that. But there's no one who I really like. Just in time, Sir Ron came to visit the castle. And I really would like it if you take over the seat of the Seventh Lord."
…What the hell was this woman talking about?
Take the position of the Seventh Lord? Who? I?
Hearing her say that, she probably really wasn't joking.
I could barely keep my expression, hiding the absurdity and bewilderment.
But why is the Seventh Lord's seat empty?
Where did the Seventh Lord—the Ghost, Lifrigon, that I knew evaporate?
It's like the warrior being a different guy from who I remembered. Was there really a time difference between the RaSa I played and the one I was experiencing now?
Since all the other Lords are the same, it's probably not the future. So, it's from the past… ah.
The timeline now was probably a few years before the game started.
Well, now wasn't really the time to think about that, but…
"Overlord… are you serious?"
Breaking the brief silence, the first one to speak was the Thunder Lord.
"I was wondering why you had an outsider attend the meeting suddenly, so it was because of this. Was it to decide here right away?"
The Tyrant also let out a laugh and buried his back in the chair.
The other Lords said nothing, but they all had expressions as if saying these were all absurd. Except for the Heavenly Palace, who looked like he was in his own world from the start.
But they were right to have those feelings.
The Nine Lords were beings with absolute power no one could touch except for the Overlord, Rashtain. They were also the symbol of Calderic.
The Overlord, right now, was trying to decide the person to sit in such a lofty seat, as if she was simply choosing a lunch menu.
I was so dumbfounded, but I wondered how the other Lords would be as shocked.
The Overlord laughed quietly to herself.
"It may be sudden, but everyone knows it, right? That there is nothing else necessary for the Lord's seat except for ability."
The Thunder Lord immediately protested.
"This is hard to understand. How did that man prove his ability?"
"He proved it enough. I heard he killed Santea's warrior in one blow."
"…!"
"Isn't that right, Chief of Staff?"
"That's right."
Dayphon affirmed the Overlord's question.
Naturally, she seemed to have heard of everything that had happened in the convoy.
"Huh? He killed the warrior?"
The Lords looked quite surprised.
Of course, all the Lords of Calderic were strong beings of a higher rank than the warrior.
In terms of simple numbers, it was only a difference of a few levels. But at high levels, especially in the 80s and 90s, each level was a big gap.
The point that surprised them was not the fact that I killed the warrior, but probably the part where I killed him with a single blow.
"Besides, he discovered my identity at once. Who else could do that?"
At those words, all the Lords fell silent.
Now it seemed that the other Lords had been subjected to similar pranks by the Overlord.
In the meantime, the Heavenly Palace, who had been quiet until now, suddenly raised his hand.
"Yes, except for the Third Lord."
The Heavenly Palace lowered his hand and stared blankly into space once again.
The other Lords didn't even care about him acting like that. As if they were already used to his eccentricity.
The Wiseman looked at Dayphon and asked.
"But High Overlord, I'm curious about the details of the Chief of Staff's mission when he went to Santea this time."
"Even if you didn't ask, it was one of the meeting's agenda, so let's put it aside for now."
The Overlord looked around the table.
"Anyway, I don't think there's much problem with Sir Ron sitting in the Lord's seat. What do you think? Are there any objections?"
Then, the Thunder Lord opened her mouth once again.
"Then can I check it myself?"
Check?
It was clear what the other meant.
"We're talking about the capabilities of this human called 'Ron'. If the Overlord allows it, a light duel would be enough."
…In an instant, my heart cooled down.
Calmness forced my heart to sink.
It had to happen.
From the time I entered the meeting room and got stuck with these monsters called 'Lords', the crisis I was concerned about had never gone down.
"Seriously, Second Lord? Are you trying to blow up the Overlord's Castle?"
The Mad King rested her chin on the armrest of the chair and laughed.
"Is there any problem with that Overlord? Things are definitely going well."
The Black Sea Empress also rustled her antennae and helped with a word.
All the other Lords also showed interest.
"Hmm, well…"
The overlord looked in my direction.
Seeing that smiley expression on her face, I had the feeling that she had expected something like this from the beginning.
"What do you think, Sir Ron?"
…There's nothing to think.
Second Lord, the Thunder Lord, Elyse.
Fighting that monster that could even cause a lightning storm in an entire area if she used her full power?
A confrontation between an ant and an elephant would be much more rational than that.
With one gesture from her, my whole body would turn into black ash and fly away.
Except for one instant kill, I really didn't have any abilities.
Is there a hole where I can escape…?
Everyone was waiting for my answer.
If I avoided a fight for no reason, I didn't know what kind of reaction they would have.
But things were definitely not going in the right direction for me.
For a moment, a pretty plausible bravado came to mind.
I didn't know if it would work, but the atmosphere would get weird if I stayed silent here longer.
I glanced at the Thunder Lord and opened my mouth.
"If you don't mind being killed." And then added. "I have little talent for being moderate."