As Miyi lost himself in his private thoughts, a heavy silence settled over the room the moment Jold finished presenting his opinion.
"Father, are you listening?" Sliviy interjected, her sharp voice breaking the quiet as she stared at him with an intensely serious expression. "Don't tell me you're already thinking about going back to bed?"
Miyi snapped back into reality, quickly shaking off his daydream.
"Oh, yeah, I was listening. I just had something on my mind." Recovering his professional composure, he leaned forward and looked around the table.
"I have one question for everyone. Do you think it's possible that remnants are still hiding out within that remote area?"
The room plunged into deep thought as everyone turned their attention back to the holographic files, reading through the data once more.
"It should be impossible," Miyu spoke up, her eyes narrowing as she pointed a finger toward a specific section of the glowing projection.
"But since you raised the question, Your Majesty, I actually have a suspicion of my own after re-reading this. Everyone, look closely at the image at the bottom, near point 34. Look at that device... or whatever that object is."
Iris leaned in closer, squinting as she tried to analyze the shape. "A ball...? Is it Square? What exactly is that thing?"
"Takao, what is your opinion on this?" Miyi asked, turning to his tech-obsessed daughter.
"Erm? E-Erm..." Takao fumbled over her words nervously. Reaching into her pocket, she quickly pulled out a small device that resembled a single-eye glass and held it up to inspect the image.
Her eyes widened. "A machine parts... wait, no. That's... a dungeon core!"
Bang!
Jold stood up abruptly, his chair scraping loudly against the floor as pure shock washed over his face.
"Impossible! Dungeons core shouldn't even exist anymore! I thought every last one of them was completely destroyed during the Gaia War!" his voice was thick with genuine concern.
Iris turned to her twin sister, wanting absolute certainty. "Takao, are you completely sure that object is a dungeon core?"
"Yes, Sister," Takao replied, her voice trembling slightly under the pressure.
Seeing the rising panic, Miyi raised his hand in a calm, grounding gesture. "Everyone, calm down and please take your seats. I fully understand your concerns."
"Forgive me, Your Majesty," Jold apologized quickly, bowing his head before slipping back into his chair.
"Your apology is accepted," Miyi replied with a firm nod, allowing the commander to relax.
He then turned back to the second princess. "Takao, can you explain to us why that is?"
Fearing the spotlight, Takao began nervously waving both of her hands in front of her face, desperately signaling that she couldn't explain it properly.
Miyi tilted his head slightly. "Huh?"
Sensing her twin sister's mounting anxiety, Iris smoothly intervened by raising her hand to eye level.
"Father, may I share her findings on her behalf?" she asked, knowing all too well that Takao completely lacked the ability to translate her high-tech theories into normal layman terms.
"I understand," Miyi said, a soft smile gracing his features as he accommodated Takao's personality issues. "You may proceed with the explanation. Takao, you can share your findings directly with your sister."
Takao let out a sigh of relief and nodded quickly. Leaning over, she began to whisper rapidly into Iris's ear.
Whisper, whisper...
Iris listened intently, nodding along as she piece the technical jargon together. "Okay, I understand the situation now," Iris announced to the room, looking back up.
"According to Takao's findings, even though this dungeon core is located in an area where it should have been completely eradicated, it's different from the ones in our history books. This specific core... seems to possess a conscious will of its own."
"A core with its own will?!" Rory's eyes practically lit up with sparks. Bouncing in her seat, her drop in energy instantly vanished as her signature excitement roared back to life.
"Isn't that incredibly exciting, Sister Iris?! I want to go and fight that thing right now!"
"Absolutely not," Sliviy shot back instantly, crossing her arms as she stared down her eccentric sibling.
"You can't just run off and fight it. What if it triggers a huge explosion, Sister Rory?"
Rory slumped back into her chair, pouting heavily. "Pssh... you are absolutely no fun."
"Rory, Sliviy is right," Miyi spoke up, his commanding tone cutting through the banter. "This is a highly concerning matter, and I want this resolved immediately."
Understanding the gravity of the King's direct order, everyone in the room stood up in unison, bowing deeply.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" They answered together before filtering out of the room, leaving only Sliviy behind.
Miyi watched the heavy doors close before turning his gaze to his fourth daughter.
"What is it, Sliviy?"
Sliviy fidgeted slightly, her focused demeanor melting away into a look of deep, vulnerable concern.
"Father... when exactly will Mother be coming back?"
"Miyuki?" Miyi's eyes softened, a wave of profound longing and concern hitting his chest.
"I don't know for certain, but I know she's currently staying at her sister's place. She actually messaged me last night saying she has a massive mountain of work to complete over there... though I honestly don't know why she has that much to do."
"It's nothing... I was just asking, Father," Sliviy replied.
Forcing a reassuring smile onto her face to ease his worries, she quickly turned around and exited the room, leaving the King alone with his thoughts.