第１８７掘：ジルバ帝国の落日 終章
**Dungeon 187: The Sunset of the Zilba Empire – Final Chapter**
**Side: Yuki**
"Phew, that’s everything I needed to do for now. Well, there are still some minor issues, but at least we’re free to investigate the Zilba Empire’s territory as we please."
I had just handed over the culprits who attacked us to the person in charge—the King—in the throne room.
Wait, why is it a "King" if it’s an Empire? Shouldn't it be an Emperor?
Well, if I asked that, I’d probably end up being forced to listen to the entire long history of the Zilba Empire, so I’ll save that for when I have more time. For now, I just want to head to the cafeteria and grab some breakfast.
"Um, speaking of which, I left the negotiations with the Zilba Empire to you, Yuki-san. Is this really the end of it?" Riel asked, trailing behind me.
"Pretty much," I replied without slowing my pace.
Kaya chimed in, her voice filled with dissatisfaction. "And that’s it? After they saw us in such... unseemly states? ...I’m not satisfied."
"Ah, right, you were sleeping, weren't you? My bad."
My prediction had been that Labyris and the others would be the primary targets, followed by me, and then Tori’s group. I never expected them to go for such a wild card. Looking at the logic behind it, aside from Steve, Tori and her group had caused the most chaos in that throne room. I can understand the desire to eliminate the biggest threats, but I never imagined they’d actually make a move after hearing the rumors and seeing what happened to others. I thought they’d target me, the unknown commander, or perhaps the children I brought along.
"...I was in the middle of changing," Tori said, her tone lower than I’d ever heard it.
"..."
"..."
What’s the right thing to say here? Should I turn back and punch the guys who broke in? But that wouldn't fix the fact that I couldn't act immediately...
No, I’m furious that someone peeked at my wife while she was changing, but because of the negotiations, I couldn't just lash out recklessly. Still, what’s the correct response in a situation like this?
"Sigh. Tori, don't worry. He’s staying silent, but he’s desperately thinking of something to make you smile," Labyris said.
"Is that true?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Labyris." It seems Labyris had read my mind and relayed it to her before I could.
"Sorry. I’ve been thinking about it, but I just don't know what kind of reaction would make you happy, Tori." I decided to be honest.
"No, I was being a bit selfish. But, if it’s alright, I’d like steak for dinner tonight."
"Got it. Let’s do that."
"Ah, that’s not fair! They saw my cute sleeping face too! Buri! I want teriyaki yellowtail!"
"...I request Inari sushi as well."
"Sure, leave it to me."
Of course, I’d do the same for the two who were in the same room. Honestly, peeking at a woman’s sleeping face—especially at their age—is grounds for a lawsuit. Add breaking and entering to that, and they’d be behind bars. Well, they *are* currently behind bars, actually. It’s only natural that I, as their husband, should follow up and take care of them.
"Well, dinner is settled. But first, breakfast."
"Yes!"
As we walked into the cafeteria, I remembered one fact.
"Steve, wait."
"What is it?" Steve asked, wrapped in rags.
"No, why are you wearing those rags? Did someone steal your armor underneath?"
"No way! I’m just wearing this over it. I thought if I looked like this, people would realize I spent a miserable night in the stables."
"Is that so? Well, cut it out. Look, the maids in the castle who don't know any better are looking at you with such disgusted eyes. They probably think you’re stark naked under those rags!"
"Eh!?" Steve looked at the nearby maids, who immediately averted their eyes and began scurrying about as if to say they were busy working.
"We know the truth, but to the people here, you’re just a goblin. I guess it’s better than your reputation dropping even further?"
"No way! I’m not some kind of nudist!" He immediately tore off the rags, revealing his magnificent armor. The maids' gazes immediately snapped back to him. With a very sharp, intense focus.
"Now you look like you’re being hunted."
"...I suppose so." Steve looked dejected, but reality is what it is.
"Well, with your strength, no one’s going to strip you by force, but don't let them sweet-talk you into taking it off and stealing it."
"...I know that."
He clearly didn't know that. I’ve told him before: seriously, watch out for honey traps.
"Everyone’s at the table. Let’s eat."
"Understood."
There was no point in dragging out the conversation; Steve’s reputation wasn't going to improve. To them, he’s just a goblin who can talk and wears expensive-looking armor. The story about being beaten by a goblin is probably circulating, but since it’s so far removed from their common sense, it’s likely being treated as a tall tale. After all, Steve was the one thrown into the stables. Judging by the King’s attitude, there are people whispering in the shadows, but given how easily he followed my orders, this is probably the extent of how they perceive goblins.
So, after finishing the talk about Steve’s stupidity, we started eating breakfast...
"Haa, this is kind of bland..."
"It is. That’s why I asked for steak."
"...It’s not just bland, the level is completely different."
"Unyuu, the bread is so hard..."
"You should tear it into pieces, Aslin."
"Well, I suppose this is quite a luxury here. They have meat soup, after all."
"That’s true. I think it’s quite luxurious. In my castle, meat soup was only served to soldiers and castle staff about once a week."
"But since you’re complaining about such a luxurious meal, you really should be grateful to Yuki-san."
While the women were eating, accepting that this was just how things were despite some minor complaints...
"Hey Boss. It’s bland, so can I take some curry out of the box and eat that?"
"Try to have a little consideration for your surroundings."
"Oof."
This goblin apparently doesn't know the meaning of the word "restraint."
"So, Yuki-san, you said 'pretty much,' but what happens from here? What are we going to do?" Riel asked, biting into her hard bread.
"Since they attacked you today and got beaten back, they’ve recognized that messing with us is a very bad idea. Well, those who don't like the Zilba Empire will probably try to use us to stir up trouble, but they won't try anything sloppy. If they make one wrong move, they’ll make us their enemy."
"Hmm, I see. When you put it like that, it makes sense. So, we’re just on standby?"
"Yeah. We’ll be relaxing here for two weeks until the Zilba side reaches a conclusion. Though, I’ll need you to help with some investigating."
"Ugh, I’m not good at that kind of stuff..."
"Well, I expect things will start moving before the two weeks are up, so I’ll leave that part to you, Riel. I also need to contact those magic sword users... Oli-something and Pikumi-something?"
"No, it’s Olive and Mist."
Sorry, honestly, my image of them is so fixed that those names just popped out first.
"I get it. So, the real work finally starts now."
As Riel said that, everyone else’s expression turned serious.
"Like Riel said, I think we’ll be free to travel to the Zilba Empire and its friendly nations from here on out. The range is huge, so even if we don't do anything reckless, I’ll have the capable members act alone or in pairs to explore the various regions."
Yes, it’s going to be tough from here on. Using this place in the Zilba Empire as a temporary base, we’ll research the history of the magic swords, look for traces of the Dungeon Masters who were supposedly on this continent, identify the cause of the mana depletion, devise countermeasures, have the kings of the countries where Weed is located see this continent, and ask for their assistance.
We can finally start moving properly on this continent. Well, we still need a lot of preliminary research. The biggest issue is the map; we can't just buy the land to make one. I hope the maps provided by the Zilba Empire are at least somewhat decent. At worst, we’ll just have to take photos with our digital cameras as we go.
"It’s going to be a lot of work. But first, to celebrate our progress so far, and since we have Tori and the others' meals to look forward to, let’s have a luxurious dinner at home today."
"Yay!!"
The wives looked happy.
"Yay!!"
But there was one guy who couldn't read the room.
"You, go find an izakaya or something."
"That’s cruel!?"
And so, the bland breakfast passed with that kind of banter and laughter.
With this, all the major movements regarding the Zilba Empire come to an end.
Well, in reality, there is some friction between the Zilba Empire’s orthodox faction and the reformist faction, but Yuki and his group decide to adopt a policy of non-interference with each other. lol
Also, I came down with a 40-degree fever yesterday for the first time in a while and was bedridden.
Everyone, be careful of colds.
Steve is just Steve, for better or for worse.