Chishiya stood calmly on stage, ignoring the crowd's murmurs.

"For the first trial run, we'll launch ten shopping carts. That means we'll need forty staff members."

"Shuna will be in charge of recruitment and training."

"Any questions?"

"If not, you may head to the registration desk."

"That's all."

With a casual wave of his hand, the crowd in Lapris Square slowly began to disperse.

---

Beast Kingdom Delegation

Several beastkin stepped forward, clearly frustrated.

"Albis-sama, that human is far too arrogant."

"We traveled all this way with diplomatic gifts, and he won't even allocate one or two slots to us?"

"He doesn't seem trustworthy at all."

"Why would Carrion-sama want to form diplomatic ties with someone like him?"

Albis remained silent.

She glanced toward the back of the group, where a man wearing a lion mask stood silently.

Then she answered coolly, "Carrion-sama has his reasons."

"We follow orders. No need to comment further."

"…Yes, ma'am."

Seeing her expression, the beastkin reluctantly backed down.

---

At the Same Time — Armed Nation of Dwargon

Inside the royal palace's conference hall—

"Your Majesty, we've received reports that the Beast Kingdom sent a diplomatic envoy to the Jura Forest yesterday."

"Their destination appears to be the Labyrinth City, Lapris."

A Night Assassin agent reported the update.

The Beast Kingdom's people had always moved in a flashy, dramatic way.

It likely reflected the bold personality of their ruler, Carrion.

The entire nation had a warrior's spirit.

For a simple envoy mission, they dispatched over a hundred beast-drawn carriages...

Their appearance caused a major stir across the Jura Forest.

It was as if they wanted the whole continent to know they were coming.

The Dwarf King narrowed his eyes slightly.

The Beast Kingdom—prideful to a fault—had never even approached Dwargon for formal diplomacy.

But now, they made a show of initiating contact with Lapris?

That wasn't something to overlook.

A military officer spoke up.

"Your Majesty, it appears that Chishiya Shuntaro is being held in very high regard."

"Yes, sire."

Dorf, commander of the Pegasus Knights, added:

"Demon Lord Carrion clearly sent this envoy to make a statement."

"I recommend we go and solidify our relationship with Chishiya-sama immediately."

The Dwarf King remained thoughtful.

"Who did Carrion send?"

Everyone turned to the Night Assassin.

The Demon Lord Carrion was known for his three Beast Warriors.

Who he sent would reflect just how serious she was about building ties.

The agent bowed.

"Your Majesty, intelligence confirms…"

"All three of the Beast Warriors have been dispatched. If nothing went wrong, they should already be in Lapris."

"WHAT?!"

The ministers erupted, save for the Dwarf King, whose expression remained composed.

Dorf looked stunned.

"All three of them?!"

He turned quickly to the king.

"Your Majesty! This has never happened before!"

"We can't sit on this. Please, allow me to take the Knights there at once!"

Sending all three Beast Warriors?

That level of attention was usually reserved for other Demon Lords.

This wasn't something they could ignore.

But the Dwarf King simply leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

First it was Milim.

Now Carrion.

Chishiya... just how popular are you with Demon Lords?

Moments later, he opened his eyes.

"The goods for this month's shipment—have they been delivered yet?"

"Sire, how can you be thinking about trade at a time like this?!"

Dorf protested, flustered.

The Dwarf King ignored him, speaking to himself more than anyone else.

"I'm rather curious about the quality of this batch…"

"So, I'll accompany the Knights personally."

"Any objections?"

Dorf paused, then quickly caught the king's intent.

A smile crept across his face.

"Understood, Your Majesty. I'll prepare everything immediately!"

---

Back in Lapris

"How about we continue this conversation somewhere more appropriate?"

Chishiya looked down from the stage at the delegations.

"Let me show you the core infrastructure of the city."

He raised a hand, pointing toward the massive tower that stood at Lapris's center.

The moment he spoke—

Youm and the others perked up with interest.

They'd been curious about the tower since the moment they arrived.

Now they were finally getting to see inside.

---

Ten Minutes Later

The group arrived at the entrance to the Labyrinth.

As they got closer, everyone realized...

This tower wasn't just big.

It was absurdly massive.

You couldn't even see the top by looking up.

No one could imagine how it had been constructed.

"Underground Labyrinth Co., Ltd."

Youm read the words aloud slowly.

He and his group had explored plenty of ruins in the past.

But this?

This was something else entirely.

Instead of a dark cave entrance like they'd expected...

There was a rotating glass door.

The architecture looked modern.

If anything, it resembled a high-end hotel.

A red carpet lined the front steps.

Oni waitstaff in crisp suits and ties stood at attention on either side of the door.

"Welcome. This way, please."

Everyone blinked, still recovering from the sheer culture shock, and followed Chishiya inside.

"…This is…"

They entered a massive, spacious lobby.

It could easily accommodate thousands of people.

The interior gleamed with polished white marble.

A brilliant crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling.

In the center of the hall, a decorative fountain bubbled gently.

The trio darted around the room in excitement.

"Hey, there are fish in the fountain!"

In his past life, Chishiya had tagged along with his boss to many high-end hotels.

This lobby?

A one-to-one replica of one.

The delegation stood frozen, overwhelmed.

None of them expected this level of elegance.

Even the beastkin envoys from Euranazia looked around in awe.

"…It may be a small country, but their architecture is incredibly advanced."

"Let's not forget—they've established diplomatic ties with Dwargon."

"This is probably built using Dwarven tech."

"As expected of the dwarves…"

"This place might even outclass Carrion-sama's palace."

"…Honestly, maybe we should've been working with Dwargon instead."

Toward the rear of the group.

Kaijin narrowed his eyes slightly but said nothing at first.

Still, for the sake of appearances, he maintained his composure.

As he passed by the beastkin, he made a quiet remark:

"My lords, it's dangerous to underestimate others."

"In trade, battle, or politics."

Without another word, he walked on.

The orc envoys looked at each other in confusion, unsure what he meant.

---

Chishiya stopped at a massive stone door.

"This is the administrative lobby on the first floor."

"The actual Labyrinth begins behind this door."

Everyone turned to look.

It was a massive stone gate, about seven or eight meters high.

A sun emblem was carved into the center.

It looked bizarrely out of place among the marble and chandeliers.

"Come with me."

Instead of leading them through the main door, Chishiya turned toward the front desk.

Behind the counter stood an Oni girl with striking looks and a sharp gaze.

Beautiful—and combat capable.

She was hired specifically to handle problem adventurers.

"Chishiya-sama."

She bowed respectfully as he approached.

Chishiya gave a nod.

"Register the party. We'll use the teleportation array to the fifth floor."

"Understood."

(To be continued.)

***

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