"What the—!!"
As the new quest notification popped up on his interface, Kairo Retsu burst out of his room, shouting in a sharp voice, "All Hunters! Mess Hall, now! We've got a new assignment!!!!"
"What?! Naofumi Iwatani isn't back yet? Then what about Kazuma?! Kazuma's out doing adventurer quests in his own world…" After getting updates from the Felynes on everyone's whereabouts, Kairo Retsu quickly activated the hub's voice channel and called out, "We've got a new job! Get your butts over to the Gathering Hub for an emergency meeting!"
"Guildmaster."
Tanjiro came running from the training grounds, hauling a massive Long Sword and wiping the sweat from his brow. "We have a quest?"
"That's right! Send the Felynes to gather all the Hunters in the Mess Hall! Time for a meeting!" Kairo Retsu clenched his fist with excitement. "Let's see what monster we're up against this time!"
"I'll go call Mr. Joseph."
Tanjiro dashed off as well.
On the way to the Mess Hall, Kairo Retsu pulled up the new quest and read through the details.
[Hunt/Repel/Capture Quest: Demon (Winged Lion)]
Objective: Hunt / Repel / Capture the Demon (Winged Lion) (0/1)
Quest Brief: Since ancient times, demons have grown gluttonous through the acquisition of appetite. A demon is a "organ" birthed by magic to comprehend the speech of living beings. Now, the demon seeks to devour the entire world! It hungers for all desire! It's time for Hunters to prove their strength!
Reward: Demon Series Equipment; Equipment Enhancement Unlocked
Quest Trigger: Begins upon deployment of the first Hunter.
"Holy crap! This is bad! It's the demon from Delicious in Dungeon!"
Kairo Retsu cursed as he stared at the quest. "Why the hell are we getting a quest like this out of nowhere?! This thing is way out of our league! We're just five guys with Heavy Bowguns who usually just blast monsters to death!"
"That demon is practically the magical essence of an entire world!!!!"
Despite ranting, Kairo Retsu began rapidly compiling intel on Delicious in Dungeon.
Roughly thirty minutes later, all five Hunters were gathered in the Mess Hall, their faces grim.
"Meow... Would you like some Meowscular Meals, Hunters?" Granny Felyne offered kindly.
"Sure... Wait no—Granny Felyne! This isn't the time for food!!" Kairo Retsu said in dismay. "This time the monster is way too strong! There's no way we can beat it!"
"So what exactly is this demon?" Tanjiro asked, confused. "Is it really that dangerous?"
"It doesn't sound anything like the demons we know…" Kazuma muttered. "And turning the whole world into food? That's absurd!"
"OH MY GOD! I haven't even figured out how to beat Kars yet, and now I've gotta save the world?!" Joseph Joestar cried, utterly panicked.
A voice drifted in from nearby: "So the Winged Lion isn't a guardian deity? It's a demon? I thought it was just a monster."
"All right! Let's hold a serious meeting." Kairo Retsu—by now well-versed in throwing meetings—projected Delicious in Dungeon's content onto the big screen in the Mess Hall. The Hunters watched the story of Laios's party as they rescued Falin, ultimately culminating in their battle with the demon.
When the final scenes played—where the Winged Lion nearly turned all life in the world into food—everyone fell into stunned silence.
"This demon… doesn't actually have a body, right? Does it even count as a living being?" Naofumi Iwatani analyzed as calmly as he could. "And it can read the desires of others… that's basically telepathy."
"Forget the demon! That insane mage was terrifying too!" Joseph clutched his head. "Why do I always end up dealing with freaks that twist their own bodies—or worse, other people's?!"
"Doesn't matter whether it's alive or not. It's a full-fledged monster through and through." Kairo Retsu sighed. "Naofumi's right—it basically has mind-reading powers. And sure, Laios defeated it with a wish…"
"But that was a miracle!!" Kairo Retsu slammed the table. "If even one thing had gone differently, they might not have succeeded at all!"
"Exactly!" Kazuma added nervously. "But didn't Delicious in Dungeon have a happy ending? If we don't interfere, Laios will defeat the demon himself and everything will work out fine, right?"
"When you put it like that, we really don't need to get involved…" Naofumi agreed. "As long as we don't disrupt their team's original story progression, it should all go smoothly…"
"Yeah! As long as Laios's party isn't affected by us…" Kairo Retsu's spirits lifted. "Then it's not that big of a deal! Ahahaha…"
And then—a voice interrupted, laced with slow chewing and mild confusion.
"So if I've already heard all this stuff… doesn't that mean the world's in danger now?"
"..."
A heavy silence fell over the Mess Hall.
Kairo Retsu, Joseph, Naofumi Iwatani, and Kazuma slowly turned their heads…
To look at the sixth person at the table, who sat in front of a mountain of Meowscular Meals, eating with great enthusiasm.
The man was clad in silver armor, had light blonde hair, and an unusually expressive face. He was currently munching on a piece of grilled Rathalos tail…
And after watching all of Delicious in Dungeon together, everyone instantly recognized him—Laios.
"WHAT THE HELL—LAIOS?! WHEN DID YOU GET HERE?!" Kairo Retsu's eyes bulged. "AND WHY ARE YOU EATING?! No—how are you even here?!"
"I dunno," Laios replied with a very humanlike look of innocence. "I ended up in some unfamiliar place, and then a cat beastman told me Hunters were gathering. Then they said there'd be food made from Rathalos tail, so I came. When I got here, I heard you all talking about stuff related to me…"
"So you were here the entire time?!" Kazuma's face morphed into an abstract painting. "Why didn't you say anything?!"
"I did say something," Laios pointed up vaguely. "While you were talking, I said: 'So the Winged Lion isn't a guardian deity? It's a demon? I thought it was a monster!'"
"Guildmaster, he's the new Hunter who just arrived," Granny Felyne said cheerfully as she came over with a tray of soup. She explained to Kairo Retsu, "Since he's a fellow Hunter, be sure to get along, okay? Granny will keep making you all delicious food!"
"It's over. We're done for." Kairo Retsu clutched his face in despair as he looked at Laios, who now knew everything. "The demon… what are we supposed to do now?!"