Of course they're there. The Ark of the Elements is a refuge for civilization on earth.　In the third (...) floor (...) layer, the descendants of an ancient magical civilization will build a city - because that's how it's designed.

　Yeah - that's for sure.
　Why hadn't I thought of this until now?
　Is it because I had too many preconceived notions of the dungeon being the realm of the unpopulated demon race?

　If it was the Ark of the Elements that Alphasul had created to connect civilization to posterity, as the administrators Fluxinus and Senator Ail, who knew about ancient magical civilizations, had testified, and the dungeons around the world were facilities that imitated it.

　If this is why relics of ancient magical civilizations were sometimes found in dungeons.

　It would be more unnatural for a person(s) to be exempted from the subject of human(s) and their(s).

Can we start with me?

　The Duke of Kingswell opens his mouth in place of my frozen in surprise.

''Let's agree that the ancient magical civilization survived the destruction by hiding in the Ark of the Elements. But if that's the case, does that mean that our ancestors are the ones who returned to earth from the Ark of the Elements?
'No, it appears that the humans in the Ark of the Elements have not returned to earth. I can't say for certain that every single one of them have.
"So, either a returnee from another dungeon that mimics The Ark of the Elements, or a human who survived without resorting to the dungeon: ...... Hmmm: ......

　Having had time to collect my mind for a while, I was able to calm down and gather my thoughts.

　Originally, in the Ark of the Elements (that dungeon), people from the ancient magical civilization also escaped, and they lived on the third level, which was assigned to the ruling class, not the second level where most of the demon race lived.

　In other words, humans as a whole were positioned in the ruling class, and I thought I could see part of the reason why Gandalf was so cold toward humans, but that's not so important.

'...... administrator Fraxinus said that the third tier's interference in the second tier had ceased. He said that the Demon King Gandalf was also defeated from the third level and escaped to the first level: ......
'What happened to the people of the third level? I don't know what happened to the people on the third level. The closest to the truth will be the adventurers who are still searching for them.

　I have to agree with Senator Eil on this.

　Have humans also been destroyed by Agart Ram, or are humans and Agart Ram in league with each other?

　There is no way for outsiders to know the truth, and unless the local adventurers find a way to the third level, or capture a senior level of the Demon King's army and make them vomit, we will still not know what happened to the third level of humans.

''...... Oh my goodness, it looks like it's about time for tonight. I guess that's it for our first meeting, isn't it? I haven't told you enough, but we'll continue tomorrow or later.

　Senator Eil quietly rose from his chair and smiled with a smile that could only be described as neat and tidy.

'Selfishly, I have high hopes for the people of the Westland Kingdom.

　It was a gesture that, if I hadn't caught a glimpse of the anomaly inside, I might have assumed that he was pure to the heart.

'We do not appreciate the 'Ark of the Elements' being disturbed by the xenomolecule that is Agart Ram, and you see Agart Ram as a disrupter of the earthly order. ...... Don't you think it would be a mutually beneficial cooperation?'

　From earlier, I can only assume that Senator Eil's comments are fixed on his perspective as a High Elf of the 'Chalk Fairyland' rather than a member of the Northern Tree Sea Union.

　Surely this must be a matter of priorities.

　It's true that the elves of the Chalk Elves Township have lent a helping hand to the Northern Tree Alliance, with which they have long been associated, and they have gained enough influence to gain a seat in the Alliance's legislature.

　But for the elves ...... and especially for the ruling High Elves, the Northern Tree Alliance is relatively less important than the Kingdom of Westland, and the survival of the Alliance is trivial compared to its original purpose.

　And of the High Elves, at least for Ail Sesloumnir, Alphasul is the top priority.

　Therefore, neither the grudge of past wars nor the spark of new ones is of any concern to them.

''No, it's not just the Northern Tree Sea Coalition that doesn't give a d*mn.'' (......) I also don't care about ...... or even the Westland Kingdom. ......)

　If Eir Sethroomnir were as plainly hostile to humans as the Demon King Gandalf, the story would be easy.

　But she's trying to cooperate with humanity in a bent way.

　Even the fact that she modified my right eye is for the sake of humanity, according to her.

　Even though we can't understand each other fundamentally, we have no choice but to cooperate for the sake of unity of interest--there are few people more troublesome than this.

　His Majesty has a knack for bringing together nations that have been at odds with each other in the past and bringing them together as one nation, so he has a knack for getting the best out of both worlds.

　But I don't like the way things are going for Eil Sethloomnir: ...... Simply put, I don't like the way things are going for him.

　I don't know if he had any intentions of doing so, but if it was just me, he even involved Garnett, who was supposed to have little to do with it.

　Thinking about that makes me feel even more uncomfortable.

''Your Majesty, may I make one last check?''
Go ahead, say it.
Thank you.

　After properly obtaining His Majesty Alfred's approval, I will confirm this one matter that I can't leave without making sure of.

''The one case where Senator Eil has magically crafted my right eye and sealed the information about the ancient magical civilization after attempting to delete my memory: ...... Does this mean that this will be unquestioned in return for the information provided?

　And without a moment's hesitation, I'll add an accurate supplement so that you won't be misled into thinking that I'm accusing His Majesty of being an accuser.

'Of course, I think the information is worthy of doing so. If you had consulted me beforehand, I would have made the same suggestion to you. But if you have, I just want to be clear about it.
'Mmm ...... First of all, I apologize for the delay in contacting you. But that's an underestimation of the quid pro quo. I've managed to get quite a few other things out of you that are in our favor.
Yeah, I'm pretty much screwed.

　Eir Sethloumnir made a troubled face, but he couldn't get a single pent-up smile on his face at the moment.

　The advantageous conditions are surely something that the Northern Tree Sea Coalition or the 'White Chalk Fairy Township' would be able to pull off, and it's not the kind of thing that would hurt him.

''I still want to talk more about that matter later. You don't mind?
I understand. We are waiting for a date to be set.

　As if he hadn't seen the end of the exchange between me and His Majesty, Eir Sethromnir gave a polite bow and turned to leave the reception room with his subordinate, the elf.

　Just before the door to the reception room was opened, I threw the most important word at its back.

'Senator Eil. Let me declare this one thing very clearly. I am not going to surrender my body to Alfazul. Please give up that much.
"--Hey!　I see.

　Eir Sethromnir's expression was twisted as she stopped in front of the door and turned around, her expression twisted as if she were trying to endure an irrepressible sorrow.

　For her to place Alphasul at the forefront of her value criteria, it must be more painful than anything else for her to be denied the resurrection of Alphasul, which should have been a possibility.

　I'm sure that pointing that out once again is the single and greatest thing I can do right now and right now to counterattack the weaknesses that pierce me more accurately than anything else.