World Alliance (55)

★ Underground City Entrance ★

Why is Salme in a place like this?

Salme, who reigned at the pinnacle of the Underground City and was never supposed to set foot outside the mansion of the Urume Main House—a residence that grew ever more enormous in proportion to the wealth accumulated by her ancestors—was here. Why?

Her usual entourage of cheerful fools attended her with grave expressions utterly unlike their normal ones.

(Something is definitely different. But what?)

It was strange enough that Salme was in a place like this, but more than that, he had the feeling that he was making some colossal mistake.

"That thing... is one of the eight giant species that have inhabited this world since the Sacred Ancient Era. Only two have ever been hunted down. One was a mutual kill—the dwarves blew themselves up along with their own home—but the dwarves went extinct. The other was destroyed by the Dark Elves, but the elves were eaten alive by other monsters during that time, or so the story goes."

"I-I'd never heard... anything like that..."

"Of course I wouldn't tell you. Why would I? If your spirit broke, who would lead the roughnecks of the Underground City?"

The Marshal's heartbeat grew faster and louder. Thump, thump...