Mark looked at Ely and Aria screaming at each other and decided that if he let the argument run one more second, it was going to end the same way it always did.

"Hey!" Mark said, raising his voice just enough for both of them to go quiet. "Before you continue with that, I have an important mission for you two."

It worked instantly.

Both closed their mouths at the same time and turned their heads toward him with a synchronization that was slightly unnerving.

"A mission?" Ely said, her eyes lighting up.

"For us?" Aria added with the same gleam. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"That’s right."

"Anything, Master!" Ely said, thumping her chest with one hand.

"I’ll do whatever you ask!" Aria added, pressing both hands to her chest.

"Have you met Alpha and the others yet?" Mark asked.

Ely blinked.

"Alpha and...?" she said, bringing a hand to her chin. "You mean the other five women who came back with you?"

"Those same ones."

"I only saw them from a distance when they arrived," Ely replied with a shrug. "But I haven’t spoken to any of them."

"Same for me," Aria added. "All I know is that they’re new subordinates, but nothing more."

Mark nodded.

"I want you two to take care of integrating them into the dungeon’s work," Mark said, looking at both of them. "Get to know them, teach them how things work here, assign them tasks... basically bring them up to speed."

"Understood, Master!" Ely said with determination. "We’ll do it right away!"

"Leave it to us!" Aria added, nodding vigorously.

’I hope they don’t scare them off...’ Mark thought, watching both of their excessive enthusiasm.

But then he briefly remembered the conversation he had with Alpha, Beta, and Gamma around the campfire that night he was sick.

’If Alice is with them when Ely and Aria show up, the transition will go much more smoothly,’ Mark thought. ’Because Alpha and the others trust Alice more than anyone.’

Mark looked in Alice’s direction.

"Alice."

"Yes, my lord?"

"Go with Ely and Aria."

Alice looked at him slightly confused.

"I’m sure you’ll be a big help with Alpha and the others," Mark explained. "They know you, they trust you... if you’re present when they’re being integrated, everything will be easier for everyone."

Alice opened her mouth slightly, as if she hadn’t expected to be included in that task.

There was a brief flash of confusion in her green eyes, but it disappeared quickly.

"...Understood, my lord," Alice said with a small bow of her head.

"Good, then the three of you take care of that."

Ely turned toward the door with her usual energy, Aria followed half a second later, and Alice began walking behind both of them at her own pace.

Until all three filed out through the large door one after the other.

Mark could hear Ely and Aria’s voices already arguing in the corridor about who was going to introduce themselves first to the new subordinates.

When the voices had faded far enough away, Mark let out a sigh.

And then Rose spoke.

"That was quite clever of you, Master."

Mark turned his head toward her.

Rose was standing with her arms crossed and an expression that, while not mocking, was dangerously close to it.

"Clever?"

"Putting Alice with Ely and Aria," Rose explained. "If you left those two alone with the newcomers, it probably would have been a disaster — but if Alice is present, she’s going to keep them focused on the task without even trying, simply because Alpha and the others will only listen to her."

"...Don’t give me too much credit, Rose," Mark said, scratching the back of his neck. "I just thought Alice knew the girls better and would be helpful — it wasn’t as calculated as you’re making it sound."

"Downplay it if you like, Master," Rose replied with a shrug. "But you put the right person in the right place, and in the process separated the two who were about to start fighting again without making it look like you were separating them."

"Alright, maybe that last part was intentional..."

Rose widened her smile.

"Anyway," Mark said, settling back in the throne. "Setting that aside, there are several things I want to talk to you about, Rose."

"With me?"

"Of all the people here, you’re the oldest," Mark said. "And therefore the one who should know the most about this world... so I need that knowledge if I’m going to try to make decisions that don’t get us all killed."

Rose stared at him for a second and then brought a hand to her chest.

"Did you just call me old, Master?" Rose said in a voice that mixed indignation with drama.

"I didn’t say old—"

"The oldest," Rose repeated, air-quoting the words with her fingers. "Which is exactly the same as saying old but with more syllables."

"Rose, that’s not what I—"

"How unkind you are, Master," Rose said, closing her eyes and shaking her head with a look of feigned pain. "And here I thought there was something special between us."

Mark tried to defend himself but then Rose opened one eye, glanced at him sideways, and laughed.

"Alright, alright," Rose said, waving a hand. "You’re right, I probably know more useful things than all the others combined, so it’s logical that you’d want to talk to me."

’I think I understand Alice a little better now...’ Mark thought.

"But," Rose added, raising a finger, "can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"If we’re going to have a long conversation... can we have it outside?"

"Outside?"

"Outside the dungeon," Rose clarified, gesturing vaguely toward the walls. "I’m not... used to spending this much time indoors, Master."

Rose paused.

"If I stay down here much longer without seeing the sky, I’m going to start getting a little restless," she said in a tone that made clear she wasn’t entirely joking.

"...Fine, let’s go outside," Mark said, getting up from the throne. "I have no problem with that."

"Perfect," Rose said with a satisfied smile.

Mark turned toward the only person still in the hall.

Yuki was standing exactly where she had been throughout the entire meeting, arms at her sides and dark eyes fixed on him, waiting.

"Yuki, come with us."

"Understood, Master."

Nothing more needed to be said.

Mark stepped down from the throne and began walking toward the door with Rose at his side and Yuki following close behind.