Dungeon Overlord: Monster Girl Harem!-Chapter 144: Voices of the Goblin Council

Asuka strode in, her usual scowl in place. Her red eyes burned with curiosity, catching the light like polished garnet. Her crimson scales shimmered faintly on her arms and thighs beneath a cropped black jacket, sweat still fresh from training. Her long red hair was tied in a short tail, swaying behind her as she stalked closer.

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She didn't bother with pleasantries.

"I smelled something burning. This it?"

"You're early," Leonhardt said with a faint smile.

Her scarlet-red eyes flashed toward the wrapped weapon. "Couldn't help it."

Hanz coughed.

"For you, Flame Mistress," he said.

He tugged the cloth away in a single motion, revealing a monstrous blade beneath.

The curved eastern greatsword was nearly two meters long, with a black surface with veins of glowing ember red that pulsed like magma under skin. The crossguard curled in the shape of dragon wings, and the pommel flared like a roaring flame.

Asuka stared, unmoving.

"I used obsidian-blood ore," Hanz said. "And your old shed scales. It eats your mana. Stores it. Burns hotter with every strike."

Asuka didn't answer right away.

She stepped forward, wrapped her hand around the grip—

—and lifted it with one hand.

The weapon hummed.

Then cracked the air with a single overhead swing.

WHOOSH!

The floor sparked beneath her as the greatsword stopped an inch from the stone. Heat shimmered around her in visible waves. Her hair billowed behind her like smoke from a fresh blaze.

She grinned.

Asuka held the blade aloft, one arm flexed, crimson eyes glowing faintly beneath her brow.

"Heh… now this is a damn weapon."

Hanz grunted approvingly, folding his arms. "It's tuned to your breath. The more you swing, the more it remembers you."

"Does it explode?"

"If you want it to," he said flatly.

A feral grin crept across Asuka's lips. "Good."

Leonhardt leaned his cheek against one hand, watching her movements. The way her hips subtly adjusted for balance, the way the muscles in her back rolled beneath her scaled skin… she was reading the weapon like an extension of herself.

"You always were the type to love something heavy," he said, voice low.

Asuka's head turned to Leonhardt, with the edge of her damp bangs stuck to her forehead with sweat.

"What do you mean?" She closed her eyes, narrowing them into sharp slits, but the bright red scales gave away her true feelings.

"Nothing," he chuckled while waving. "Just admiring your taste."

She huffed. "Tch. Flatter me more and I might actually finish your stupid cake tonight."

Behind them, a sharp click echoed.

Lina, still standing on the outer ring, crossed her arms. Her gaze was like a dagger half-drawn.

"So we're handing out relics now?" she said smoothly. "Is this part of the military budget I wasn't told about?"

Snaggle leaned forward, adjusting his monocle with a sigh. "Minister of Craftsmanship receives his own budget, Speaker. It's in subsection four, line twelve."

Mossi, sitting on the moss-covered stone bench, twirled a sprouting vine between her fingers. "I think it suits her. She looks... fierce." Her tone was oddly genuine.

Asuka glanced at them, then back at Leonhardt.

She lifted the blade again—this time with both hands—and struck a diagonal arc toward one of the empty practice dummies in the corner of the hall.

The air screamed.

The sword didn't even touch the target.

But the wave of searing blue heat that followed struck like a dragon's breath. The wooden dummy ignited in a flash of cerulean fire—burned from the inside out—before collapsing in half, still smoking with cold flame.

"Oops," Asuka muttered.

Hanz's moustache twitched with satisfaction. "Perfect calibration."

Leonhardt chuckled.

"Alright," he said, finally rising from his throne, voice regaining its edge. "You've had your fun."

He turned toward the others.

"Now, let's hear from our final minister—Nebi."

Smoke curled from the still-burning dummy, blue flame licking at the charred base. The scent of scorched wood and ozone filled the chamber.

Asuka propped the greatsword across her shoulders, grinning widely as she turned back toward the throne. "Well? Not bad for a first test run."

Leonhardt gave a soft chuckle. "The dummy never stood a chance. Remind me not to insult your cooking again."

"You'd better not," she said, cracking her neck. "I might start with your bedsheets next time."

"Not the velvet," he said with mock dread. "Zafira will have my head."

Asuka's grin curled deeper, fangs flashing.

"Oh? But I have your back… and maybe your lap… if you're lucky."

That earned a few startled coughs from the council.

Lina twitched.

The motion was small—but Leonhardt's eyes caught it. The way her jaw stiffened. The way her hand clenched around the polished rune staff she always carried, thumb brushing too roughly against the inlaid sigils.

She was smiling.

But it didn't reach her eyes.

Snaggle, bless his oblivious coin-blinded soul, was already scribbling something about "volatile relationship subsidies" in his little ledger.

Mossi watched with vague amusement, whispering to one of her vines.

Leonhardt leaned slightly forward, voice lowered, just for Asuka.

"You really should be careful. That grin of yours might start a civil war."

"I'd win," she whispered back, her voice husky.

Before he could reply, a polite but firm voice broke through the tension like the snap of a scroll being rolled open.

"If I may...?"

All eyes turned.

Nebi, the quiet goblin, stood in her dark corner, her glasses shimmering from the flame. She clutched a leather-bound tome tightly against her chest and rubbed her ink-stained fingers on her dress. Of all the goblins, Leonhardt felt she might be the most normal... and cute.

Her fluffy bobbed brown hair and a simple, yet frilly dress.

But her eyes were sharp.

She adjusted her glasses.

"I'd like to present my findings and proposal," she said calmly. "Before the flirting reaches subcommittee status."

Leonhardt gestured smoothly. "Of course, Minister of Records. The floor is yours."

Lina sat back, silent now, watching Asuka, then Nebi.

Something faint glimmered in her eyes.

Possessive. Cold. Patient.

As Nebi stepped forward, opening her book, a scrape echoed beside the throne.

Asuka dropped herself onto the armrest, then slid smoothly into Leonhardt's lap without a word. One arm looped across his chest, her red eyes flicking toward Lina.

Not a glare.

Just a look.

Lina's smile didn't fade one bit, but her fingers tightened on her staff.

"Comfortable?" Leonhardt asked.

"You're warm," Asuka murmured. "Always are."

Nebi adjusted her glasses. "If you two are finished."

Leonhardt gestured. "Go ahead."

Asuka leaned in just a little more, chin resting on his shoulder. Her smirk didn't leave.

Lina said nothing.

But Leonhardt could feel her mana pulse once—tight, controlled.

Possessive.

Nebi flipped to a marked page, the firelight catching the silver trim of her glasses.

"After reviewing the dungeon's archives," she began, tone crisp, "I've identified major gaps in resource documentation, scouting logs, and spell inventory. For a structure this vast, the absence of a formal knowledge system is… inefficient."

She didn't look up, only turned the page—lines of diagrams and arcane glyphs inked in fine, clean hand.

"I propose the construction of a library. A dedicated archive for reports, maps, dungeon floor schematics, and most importantly—spell scroll transcription."

Leonhardt tilted his head slightly. "You found someone to write spells?"

"I'll do it myself," she said, matter-of-fact. "But I've already selected six promising goblins. Three show high memory retention. Two have innate magical affinity. One… is loud, but writes fast."

Asuka snorted softly from his lap.

Nebi continued without pause. "I've drafted a curriculum. We'll start by transcribing the most basic dungeon magic into scroll form—teleport glyphs, binding circles, low-grade illusion. With the right ink…"

She flipped to another page, revealing a chart marked Tunnel 3 — Sample X6.

"I found ink-stone near the northeast vein."

Leonhardt blinked. "You found… stone. With ink?"

She nodded once. "It's mineral-based. Soft, powdery, can be refined into scribe-quality black ink. It cuts the need for imported alchemical dyes by sixty percent."

Snaggle's monocle nearly popped off.

"That's hundreds of gold in savings—!"

Nebi didn't smile. "It will fund the library's foundation. If approved."

Leonhardt leaned back in his throne, his fingers resting lightly against his lips. "And what do you want in return, Nebi?"

This time, she looked at him directly. Her brown eyes behind the glasses were steady. Focused.

It almost felt like her eyes were shining gold, and her face filled with life.

"Only that you entrust me with the memory of your reign."