The meeting to report on the mid-level boss and discuss what to do about the other one had concluded.

Usually, this would mark the end of the gathering, and we would head straight to Seriana’s room. However, for some reason, everyone remained seated today.

Alec, Zighart, and Luban were also still present, but the topic wasn’t about the dungeon; it concerned the village under his governance.

It seemed to be thriving, which was good to hear. However, that didn’t seem to be the reason for staying behind.

Did something happen earlier before the discussion started… while I was napping?

Recently, perhaps influenced by Seriana and the others, Alec and Zighart have also stopped explaining things to me.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Sera, is something the matter?”

As I sulked, Liesel, who had left the room, returned with August in tow.

Seeing my face, she gave me a curious look.

“Don’t mind it. It’s the usual.”

“It’s not the usual! Why don’t you tell me why we’re still here?”

I appealed to Liesel, thinking, Isn’t she your wife?, but she only laughed and dismissed me.

Damn it… Seriana is the stronger one here.

“Alright, let’s not waste time on trivial matters and get started.”

“Ugh…”

Ignoring my grumbling, Seriana pressed forward with the discussion.

Though I wanted to ask what we were starting, I decided to back down here.

◇

The tea was freshly brewed, and the conversation began anew.

The agenda was the same as earlier, but the wording lacked restraint. The discussion included not only the dungeon but also 【Hideout】 matters, albeit under the label of 【Storage】.

We were to face the second boss, but it wasn’t something we’d tackle right away.

Luban would return to his village for the time being, and while he was still at the estate, they wanted to finalize their strategy.

In a way, this could be considered the main event of the discussions.

“Is it still difficult to increase our numbers?”

Though Liesel had shown understanding earlier, she again asked if it was possible to bring more soldiers to the boss fight.

Well… even if the number isn’t significant from the perspective of the territory, a single sacred coin is substantial to an individual.

I still get excited whenever I secure one, and opportunities for skilled individuals to obtain them are rare.

“No, it’s impossible.”

August denied it decisively.

Next, Zighart spoke. While he had been careful with his words earlier, now he spoke in his usual straightforward and easygoing manner.

“That’s right. We might manage to maintain formation and get through the mid-level without losses, but if the monsters’ quality and quantity increase beyond that, like in other dungeons, there will be casualties.”

“I see…”

“Yeah. Fighting an unknown demon lord species in an unexplored layer while carrying bodies… that’s not something I want to do.”

With those words, Zighart raised both hands in surrender.

“There’s also the risk of further casualties, and in the chaos, we might fail to retrieve bodies. Even if we brought 100 people and everyone returned safely, it would still cost us 107 cards, including our group.”

“If we lost even one body, it would take 11 years to break even. Add the appearance of demons to the mix, and it’s not worth it,” Liesel commented.

Everyone agreed with her harsh yet realistic calculations.

“Exactly. Plus, we can’t pull 100 elites away from the city. Even now, we’re short-handed due to the dungeon investigation, putting extra strain on our resources. Alec, how about the adventurers?”

“We can’t deploy any more of them either. While the number of hunters for outside threats is sufficient, it would be problematic if the prominent adventurers in the capital didn’t show their faces.”

“True… that’s the situation.”

August nodded at Alec’s words, then addressed Liesel.

“Understood. It’s regrettable, but I’ll give up on deploying my soldiers. That leaves it up to you. Can you manage?”

Despite his words, Liesel didn’t look particularly disappointed. This part of the discussion seemed more like a formality.

“…Well, we should be fine. But depending on the opponent, recovering remains like last time might not be feasible. The timing, too, isn’t something we can rush.”

Everyone’s attention shifted to Zighart, and he responded.

After all, he’s our strongest member. His opinion was reasonable.

We were lucky to slowly wear down the boss monkey last time after cutting off its leg, but against a faster and more violent opponent, that strategy wouldn’t work.

If something like Cymodoki showed up, we’d have to pierce its head due to its build.

The timing would also depend on our mid-level exploration progress and Luban’s availability. We couldn’t expect him to stay here indefinitely, and even with a direct route established, frequent visits weren’t practical.

Liesel seemed to understand this and nodded.

“That’s fine. Prioritize defeating it without casualties. There’s no need to rush.”

The discussion continued through dinner and late into the night.

I left midway, but now it’s spring, March to be precise.

The sacred coin transport unit is expected to arrive around autumn. They’d likely want to finish things before then, so the fight would probably happen in the summer.

There’s still time. Hopefully, we’ll reach our goal of 100 cards by then!

—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-

Sera・【Hideout】+1【Prayer】【Mira’s Blessing】・【Floating Orb】【Shadow Sword】【Crimson Bee Needle】【Fairy’s Eye】【Dragon’s Lung】【Amber Sword】【Danrem’s Thread】【Serpent’s Tail】【Ankle Bracelet】・64 cards

Seriana・【Range Identification】・【】・28 cards

Elena・【】・【Green Fang】・1 card

Alec・【Power Strike】・【Red Shield】【Fierce Horned Trumpet】・4 cards