“However, I don’t want to fight with the bounty hunters. They’re used to dealing with both monsters and humans. They’ll almost certainly have guards at the resurrection site, so they won’t hesitate to kill us.”
“Even if we run to the next layer, they’ll probably chase us, so we have to make them leave voluntarily.”
“Maybe they will run out of food?”
A large number of people will consume a large amount of food. They will most likely retreat if they hide for a while to buy time. Fortunately, they have plenty of food on their side.
But…
“They might be able to cook monsters…”
“Believe me, we don’t get freaks like that every day.”
“Eh? What’s the problem with that?! It’s simple to obtain, tastes good, and has a strengthening effect!”
“I’m not sure—humans dislike it for whatever reason.”
“For whatever reason…”
—Do you mean you dislike it physiologically? It’s true that you might feel rejected at first. But if you have the courage to take the first step, you may discover a whole new world!
—Maybe… It is my responsibility to enlighten them!
“I’ll spread the monster cuisine all over the world someday!”
“Y-Yeah. Goodluck… Leon, do you have any suggestions for how we can get out of this?”
Leonhardt has been deliberating for some time. Dee speaks to him, and he nods slightly.
“I’m wondering if they’re actually friends…”
He says this solemnly.
Lysette tilted her head.
They collaborate in a group to achieve a common goal. What are they if they aren’t friends?
“There are almost 20 of them—divide the prize money by ten million and you get 500,000 for each person—your share will be reduced even further if you have friends on the ground.”
“That sounds like a bad deal to me. Not worth the trouble.”
“That’s for sure…”
“I’m not sure what sort of distribution system they have… Some of them, I’m sure, want to make as much money as possible in order to outbid each other. It’s better to incite a fight within their ranks before annihilating them all…”
He stops speaking when he notices Lysette and Dee’s eyes on him.
“…Did I say something odd?”
“No, I just thought Leon was seeing things from a higher perspective.”
“As one would expect from a royalty. He has a black belly!”
“Uh…”
Leonhardt slowly walks over and takes a seat in the far corner of the room, facing the wall.
“…Was I the same kind as them?”
He was completely stunned. He mumbled something.
“Hey, hey, don’t be so annoyingly depressed. Aren’t you going to be king one day?”
“No. I’m not going home, and my brother will be king.”
“You’re going to defeat the dragon, aren’t you? Then there’s a chance.”
“I don’t believe it is anyone else’s concern…”
Leonhardt suffered from severe depression.
It is very serious.
“I-I think Leon’s thoughtfulness is admirable!”
Lysette follows frantically.
Dee approaches her from behind and says,
“Please tell him more. He’s trustworthy and nice…!”
“….”
Dee incites her from behind the scenes. This is the best Lysette can do for the time being.
Her heart is pounding, her breath comes in short bursts, and her chest is so full she can’t seem to say anything else.
Leonhardt then takes a deep breath and stands tall.
“The big monsters are on their way—and plenty of them!”