In A Dimly Lit Room

View of ???

In the dim darkness, multiple shadows writhed.

They were human silhouettes.

However, every one of them wore a robe that covered even their heads, and they also wore masks, making it impossible to identify any individual.

From within that suspicious group, one person stepped forward and declared the opening in a solemn voice.

“Now then, it’s the appointed time, so we will begin the ‘Discussion Circle.’”

A clear voice echoed through the gloom, and the robed figures applauded.

What the “Discussion Circle” was about was likely something they felt didn’t need to be stated.

“Then, I’ll begin…”

It seemed the person who declared the opening would continue speaking.

“Today, Lord Fels ate ‘beef stew’ in the dining hall.”

At those words, a murmur of “Ooh…” rose from the masked figures.

This was Einheria Castle, where Overlord Fels resided.

A gathering that even Fels, the castle’s master, did not know about… the “Discussion Circle About Lord Fels.”

“Beef stew… I didn’t pay much attention to it before, but I like it too.”

“Lord Fels looked like he was enjoying it as well.”

“Food, huh… Is this also a difference from before?”

“Right? Discovering that meals are delicious—what a wonderful discovery~”

“Indeed. And that not eating would hinder one’s activities… I remember being surprised when Lord Fels pointed it out.”

“How far does God (Lord Fels) see, I wonder…?”

“That isn’t something we can know, but… at the very least, he’s certainly acting with years—no, even over a decade—in mind. That hasn’t changed since the days of that war.”

“…Lord Fels… amazing… now… and before…”

“The old boss was amazing too, of course, but the boss’s recent ideas have done nothing but surprise me. The head of development… ah, ahem! As someone involved in development, it’s honestly humiliating.”

“Come to think of it, not development exactly, but you were testing a new way to use summoned soldiers too, weren’t you?”

“Ah~ the measures being carried out in that village, right~ It’s interesting~ making summoned soldiers do things other than fighting~”

“Lord Fels may be thinking we lack manpower. I can only feel ashamed of my own inadequacy.”

“Yeah… it’s true we’re lacking in all sorts of ways, but… I think the boss just really wants to try new things, you know? Of course, we do need to work harder too.”

“We must devote ourselves so we may be of use to God (Lord Fels).”

“Speaking of being of use, lately there were several times I saw Lord Fels wearing a difficult expression in the Audience Chamber, you know~”

“I’ve seen it too. But when I approached, he said it was nothing. I’d been curious… so you saw it as well?”

“Yes… when I approached, he smiled and told me it was nothing too… mmhm.”

“W-what’s with that? Why are you suddenly laughing in such a creepy way?”

“How rude… It’s just that, at that time, Lord Fels was a little adorable, you know~”

““!?””

“He looked like he was flustered, too. Hehe, Lord Fels is always dignified, but lately, sometimes he makes that kind of face, and it’s irresistible~”

““……””

“Right, right—Lyn… you’ve seen it too, haven’t you?”

“M-me? I have not seen such a beauty— No, such a sight. Are you bragging!?”

“No, that’s not it~ Come on, after the first meeting when we arrived here… at the training grounds~”

“Ah… ahh! I saw it! I did! My memory is hazy because I was shaken up in all kinds of ways then, but… it was when Lord Fels first unleashed magic, right!?”

“Yes, yes! Lord Fels, who’s always so utterly composed, for just an instant, had his eyes shining like a child’s. That was unfair~”

“I get it! I get it! The moment I saw that face, my chest tightened! There’s no other way to describe it than a feast for the eyes!”

““……””

“…I also… saw it. That was… good…”

“Hm? You did?”

“After… I left a message for Arandor… I hurried back… and I got to see it… It was very good…”

“Right~”

““……””

“Hm? What’s with you all?”

“…Ah~ I remembered~ That was that time, right~ When two cats in heat followed Lord Fels and then said they wanted training~”

““Guhh—!””

“Ah, yes, that did happen. Trying to receive God’s (Lord Fels’s) special favor… the audacity was beyond measure.”

““……””

“Surely… those two… were a little embarrassed… maybe?”

““……””

“Yeah, well… it’s like, lately the boss has gotten gentler, you know? Like… he feels more human than before. That’s the vibe, isn’t it? So those two… kind of misunderstood.”

“That~ might be true~ Before, he was a bit more~ ruthless, you could say~”

“…Seeing through everything and continuously playing the best hand. Ever-victorious and undefeated in war… unifying the continent, defeating the Demon King… and beyond that, issuing commands as though he had even foreseen an enemy no one could predict—no, even imagine—an invasion by the Evil God. That visage—no, that bearing—was truly divine… a being that stood apart from counterfeits like an ‘Evil God’! The flawless paradise he built—an absolute, supreme being, and the true God (Lord Fels)!”

“Y-yeah. Well, even if I’m not that extreme… back then, I felt like as long as I moved the way the boss said, nothing would go wrong. And it really was like that… But because of that, it was like… he was untouchable, or… like it was improper to even be near him…”

“Yeah~ I understand that feeling~”

“So it’s not exactly that, but… lately, the boss is… kind of… I mean, he’s still an amazing person, no doubt, but…”

“Yeees~ I get it~ The perfect, transcendent Lord Fels started showing the warmth and kindness of a person that he must have suppressed before, and it made a woman ache~”

“That’s way too graphic!”

“Is it not~?”

“…”

“You want him to hold you, don’t you~?”

“H-hey, Eisha! No, wait… From the way you’re talking, do you actually prefer the old boss?”

“…? What are you saying? God (Lord Fels) is God (Lord Fels). There is no ‘before’ or ‘now.’”

“I-I see…”

“…However.”

“Hm?”

“…Lately, God (Lord Fels) has been very kind… and, um… he… pats my head…”

“…Oh?”

“…It feels really nice… and it makes me happy…”

““……””

“I… I’m tasting that feeling of my heart being cleansed for the first time.”

“My eyes feel like they’re about to go blind~”

“An unadorned feeling is something quite heartwarming.”

“Right~ Even though the root is kind of fanatic-like, it’s the gap, you know~”

“…Tch… Why am I not a woman?”

““……””

“……”

“Didn’t we just hear a weird voice~?”

“How strange. I thought I heard it too.”

“Isn’t it your imagination? I didn’t hear anything.”

““……””

“Why are you here?”

“…What are you saying? This is a gathering where there’s no need to reveal one’s identity, isn’t it? What’s wrong with me being here?”

“That’s just the pretense~ Besides, doesn’t everyone know who’s who anyway~?”

“As long as that pretense exists, there’s no problem with me being here.”

““……””

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a women’s gathering?”

“That’s what I heard~”

“Hmph… what now. At the very least, you are not a girl, are you? Your sex is female, yes, but…”

“You’re fine with those last words, are you?”

“Calm down~ Early twenties is unquestionably ‘girl,’ you know~”

“…Someday you’ll understand. This complicated feeling!”

“I-I’m already a grown woman, you know~”

“Whether child or adult, it seems you haven’t drawn even a millimeter of Lord Fels’s interest, though.”

““……””

“Oh~? That’s not true at all~?”

“What do you mean?”

“Girls are sensitive to the way they’re looked at~ At least~ you can’t say for sure that Lord Fels has absolutely zero interest in us~”

“Guh… Isn’t that just delusion? How disrespectful!”

“Lord Fels doesn’t seem to have that kind of inclination, so it’s a gaze you’ll never experience in your life~ Though you’re probably used to the kind of gaze people give trash~”

“……”

“…Hey, doesn’t that girl feel the darkest, even though she acts all soft in front of the boss?”

“Well, it’s precisely because she’s shrewd that Lord Fels entrusts domestic affairs to her. Otherwise, there’s no way she could run internal governance.”

“In every sense, I don’t want her as an enemy. There’s a scary feeling like you’d realize too late you were shoved into a coffin and buried alive~”

“I can hear you~, you know?”

“H-hmph. Fine! Keep rutting in the dark for the rest of your lives! I’m the one who shares Lord Fels’s vision. Ah… that sense of unity. The happiness, like I’m melting into Lord Fels… Just remembering it and I’m already… ah, ah, ahhh!”

““Creepy. Die!””

Deep within the darkness of Einheria Castle—unknown even to its master.

In this room where raucous voices echoed, probing each other’s identities was forbidden.

A paradise where they could speak freely without worrying about rank, without knowing who was who.

Tonight’s participants, too, knew nothing at all about one another—a free gathering.

Only one thing: as for the content of this gathering, it likely would never waver going forward.

“…Lord Fels’s… recent favorite… was pudding after meals…”

“Then I shall eat pudding from tomorrow as well. Everything shall be as God (Lord Fels) wills.”