Festival preparations in Kainaldia Empire continued as usual.
Merchants from many different kingdoms began arriving in Dark Village. One by one they set up their stalls, preparing goods ranging from food and rare materials to weapons, magical tools, and luxury items.
As part of Kainaldia's long-standing tradition, everything sold during the festival would be free for visitors. After the festival ended, the Empire itself would compensate all the merchants.
Shiroi personally inspected the preparations together with Vergil and Axel.
They walked through rows of stalls while merchants busily organized their goods.
"Everything looks good so far," Axel commented while checking a list of merchant registrations.
Vergil nodded.
"Looks like the traders came prepared this year."
One day before the festival officially began, delegations from many kingdoms arrived.
Some were from allied nations.
Others came from kingdoms that only maintained trade relations.
There were even delegations from states that had nothing more than basic diplomatic ties with the Empire.
Shiroi personally greeted them all.
Risa accompanied him during the meetings.
Among the visiting dignitaries was King Edward XIV, along with Risa's father. The discussion between them quickly shifted into negotiations regarding a large-scale trade agreement.
The diplomatic meetings continued until late afternoon.
By the time the final delegation left, Shiroi finally headed toward the palace's family lounge to rest.
He sat down with a tired sigh.
Vergil walked over and handed him a bottle of water.
"You're not allowed to eat anything heavy today."
Shiroi raised an eyebrow.
"But Shinobu and the palace chefs are cooking tonight. You know the food is going to be incredible."
Vergil shook his head.
"You already know the rule. Before the opening ceremony, you keep your stomach light."
Shiroi sighed.
"I only had bread and water for breakfast."
Aeka, who was sitting nearby, looked at him with concern.
"Don't push yourself too hard, Shiroi."
She crossed her arms slightly.
"After the festival, we still have an important project to work on."
Shiroi nodded.
"The Project D2-A schedule hasn't changed. We'll continue it after the festival ends."
He then looked toward Vergil.
"How is the dungeon map coming along?"
Vergil leaned back comfortably.
"It's about eighty percent finished."
He paused before adding with a grin,
"Though… I might have made the map a little too big again."
Freya sighed.
"That's his usual problem."
She continued,
"Technically the dungeon is already complete by normal standards. But your uncle decided to add something extra."
Shiroi tilted his head.
"What kind of extra?"
Freya smiled slightly.
"Each floor will have two separate scenarios."
Shiroi thought about it for a moment.
"Because the dungeon area is large enough to accommodate both party groups and solo adventurers?"
Vergil nodded.
"Exactly."
Risa looked curious.
"Was the Arudi Dungeon built the same way?"
Vergil shook his head.
"Not quite."
"In Arudi Dungeon, each floor can only support about twenty adventuring parties at a time."
He continued,
"And every floor has about five different scenarios."
Aeka added calmly,
"Vergil's older brother designed the layout of every floor in the Arudi Dungeon."
Risa looked surprised.
"How do you know that, Aunt Aeka?"
Shiroi smiled.
"Aunt Aeka was one of the original administrators of the Arudi Dungeon."
He leaned back slightly.
"The first management team made the dungeon famous."
Aeka laughed softly.
"I wasn't alone, though."
She began counting on her fingers.
"Your Uncle Dante and your Aunt Takano also helped manage it."
Shiroi nodded.
"It's a shame Uncle Dante and Aunt Takano aren't here right now. They will enjoy training the monster and make them scared to them at same time"
Risa could only laugh softly as she listened to the conversation.
Vergil and Aeka began laughing as well.
"Dante even taught Dialga how to use a Thunder Trap," Vergil said with a grin.
Aeka nodded, remembering the incident vividly.
"The other monsters had mixed reactions," she said. "They were excited… but also terrified."
Risa tilted her head.
"Terrified?"
"They were afraid Dialga might forget where he placed the traps," Vergil explained.
"But Dante had a clever trick for that."
He chuckled.
"He told Dialga to leave behind a thin layer of his scales near each trap as a marker."
Aeka added with amusement,
"Of course, the other monsters weren't told about that part."
She shook her head while laughing.
"I still remember what happened last month. A Dragon Guard and an adventurer accidentally stepped on one of those Thunder Traps."
Risa blinked.
"What happened?"
"They both triggered a Thunder Pillar," Aeka said calmly.
Vergil nodded.
"Freya and I watched the whole thing from the control room."
Freya crossed her arms.
"And Anastasya said it was a shame…"
"She said that adventuring party had already managed to injure Dialga by about sixty percent."
Shiroi and Aeka both nodded.
Risa looked completely confused.
Shiroi smiled slightly.
"That dungeon has always been a little… short on strong opponents."
He glanced at Risa.
"Once you and I join the dungeon operations, that problem should be solved."
Vergil chuckled.
"If that happens, Dungeon Project D2-A will definitely become far more challenging."
Evening arrived quickly.
Soon the banquet celebration began.
Delegates from every invited nation gathered in the grand hall of the palace.
Shiroi stood at the head of the hall and formally opened the banquet. The guests began enjoying the food and drinks while lively conversations filled the room.
Suddenly, one of the palace guards rushed into the hall.
He bowed quickly.
"Your Majesty! Spirit Queen Lumina has arrived. She is accompanied by Spirit Princess Yuna and several spirits taking the form of animals. They are currently approaching the palace."
Shiroi nodded calmly.
"Allow Queen Lumina and her entourage to enter."
He then added firmly,
"No matter what happens, do not interfere with them. Queen Lumina is a guest we have been expecting."
The guard bowed again.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
A short while later, Spirit Queen Lumina arrived at the banquet hall.
Shiroi was already waiting near the entrance.
Lumina approached gracefully and smiled.
"Thank you for inviting us."
Shiroi returned the smile.
"The banquet is already prepared. Please enjoy it."
The dinner continued smoothly throughout the evening.
There were no major problems, although the envoy of the Demon Queen attracted a great deal of attention from the other guests.
Aside from that, the night passed peacefully.
Eventually, the banquet came to an end. The visiting delegates returned to the guest lodgings that had been prepared for them throughout the capital.
After most of the guests had left, Spirit Queen Lumina approached Shiroi once more.
She gently placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"Yuna will remain here from now on… with her future husband."
Ragnar, who had been standing nearby, nodded with visible satisfaction.
Eva immediately turned to a palace servant.
"Prepare a special room for Princess Yuna."
Yuna looked nervous and slightly frightened.
Seeing this, Risa stepped closer and spoke gently.
"If you're nervous, I could show you around the palace tomorrow."
Yuna hesitated for a moment, but the offer seemed to calm her.
Her tense expression softened slightly as she nodded.
The next morning, Emperor Shiroi officially opened the Kainaldia Festival.
Across the capital, celebrations began immediately.
Theaters performed dramatic plays, scholars delivered scientific presentations, and various exhibitions filled the streets with crowds of excited visitors.
Meanwhile, inside the massive colosseum, the annual Kainaldia Empire Martial Arts Tournament was about to begin.
Vergil stood at the center of the arena, serving as the chief judge for the competition.
Shiroi sat among the spectators together with Risa and Yuna, watching the gathering of fighters below.
Adventurers from across the empire had gathered to test the strength they had honed inside the Arudi Dungeon.
As Vergil observed the contestants entering the arena, something caught his attention.
He noticed Gideon Vanguard sitting among the audience rather than preparing to fight.
Vergil frowned slightly.
"That's strange."
Shiroi also noticed and stood up.
"I'll ask him."
He walked down toward the spectator stands where Gideon was seated.
"Gideon," Shiroi said, "why aren't you competing this year? You were last year's champion."
Gideon smiled faintly.
"Because it wouldn't be fair."
Shiroi raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean?"
"I've been training more than just swordsmanship lately," Gideon explained. "I've also been studying magic and speed techniques from assassins."
He shrugged slightly.
"If I competed now, the tournament would feel one-sided."
Shiroi considered his answer, then nodded.
"If that's your decision, I respect it."
Gideon smiled again.
"But one of my party members is competing this year."
Shiroi crossed his arms.
"Then I'll be watching closely."
The festival continued for three days without any problems.
Merchants sold all their goods successfully, and as promised, the Kainaldia Empire paid every trader in full once the festival ended.
Delegations from various kingdoms were very pleased with the event.
They also discussed the future prospects of Dark Village, especially since the Arudi Dungeon had become such a major attraction.
Shiroi sighed slightly during one of the discussions.
"Recently, Arudi Dungeon has become so popular that people have to line up just to enter."
Several representatives nodded.
One nobleman spoke up.
"My party and I had to wait several hours before we were allowed inside."
Shiroi rubbed his forehead.
"That's exactly the problem."
He continued,
"Our development division is currently working on a new transportation system."
He gestured toward a large map.
"The goal is to connect Eastern Empire Xui in the east and Blackrot Empire in the western part of the Distopi Continent."
Risa looked intrigued.
"A transportation network across the continent?"
Shiroi nodded.
"It must move quickly and carry large numbers of people and materials."
The delegation from Alfana Kingdom responded immediately.
"We will ask King Edward to send our best mages and engineers to assist with the project."
Another delegate spoke up—the representative of the Western Elf Kingdom, located west of Kainaldia.
"Our kingdom will also send some of our finest mages," he said. "They wish to study elemental manipulation techniques developed in Kainaldia."
Shiroi nodded appreciatively.
"We welcome the cooperation."
He added calmly,
"Kainaldia will ensure the best possible results."
With the discussions concluded, the delegates began requesting permission to depart.
"We must return to our kingdoms," one of them said politely.
Shiroi gave a final nod.
"Safe travels to all of you."
One by one, the representatives left the palace to begin their journeys home.