Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 101 - Guild War — Dawn (2)

Chapter 101 — Guild War — Dawn (2)

 

Teyrun of the White Jade Hand Guild quietly wandered through the forest.

‘My luck’s incredible.’

By sheer coincidence, he’d run into two Slaughter Ghouls one after another and had already collected two Primordial Fragments.

Now, as long as he regroups with another guild member, reaching the depths should be easy enough.

“Over there!”

“Hurry!”

Voices approached from nearby.

Two people.

Outnumbered, he immediately climbed into a tree and hid.

They didn’t seem to belong to the Ash Wolf Guild, the common enemy, but he couldn’t recklessly reveal himself like a fool.

Even though they’d formed a temporary alliance, explorers from other guilds were ultimately enemies who would have to be eliminated.

‘Should I just wait here?’

Teyrun’s class was Priest–Druid.

Like a priest devoted to Meterd, he possessed Mysteries that allowed him to observe the entire forest as though it were his own backyard.

Rather than wandering around, it would be better to remain still and eliminate other explorers or ghouls.

Having made his decision, Teyrun quietly blended into the trees and observed his surroundings.

Then…

“Uwaaaaah!”

Someone was running toward him in a panic.

Wondering what was happening, Teyrun turned his head, and his eyes widened.

A small human explorer was being chased by an enormous gray orc.

‘That’s Targon!’

Targon, Guild Master of the Ash Wolf Guild.

A monster who had reached Rank 2 among the Twelve Heroes purely through achievements, surpassing explorers even stronger than himself.

Under normal circumstances, Teyrun wouldn’t have even dreamed of challenging him.

But inside this labyrinth, everyone’s level had been equalized.

He was worth attempting.

‘At least I’ll give it a shot….’

Attacking from concealment was safe.

Even if he failed, the unfortunate explorer currently being chased would become the sacrifice instead.

Generating several large seeds in his hand, Teyrun patiently waited for the right opportunity.

“Stop chasing meee!”

The pitiful explorer ran directly beneath the tree.

The instant Targon came into range…

Tututututu!

The prepared seeds shot forth like bullets.

[Bullet Seeds].

A Sixth-Tier druid Mystery capable of shattering even a monster’s exoskeleton upon direct impact.

“…!”

Completely focused on the chase, Targon only noticed the seeds at the last moment and hurriedly raised both arms to shield his face.

But now that he’d been reduced to Level 5, it wouldn’t matter.

Got him!

“…Huh?”

Just before celebrating, Teyrun realized something was wrong.

The [Bullet Seeds] had simply passed straight through the massive gray orc’s body.

“Hmmm~?”

And what was with that strangely seductive pose that suited him so poorly?

His confusion lasted only a moment.

He immediately leapt toward another tree to escape.

Even if their Soul Ranks had been equalized, he had absolutely no chance of defeating Targon head-on.

Fwoosh!

“Kh!”

Engulfed by flames erupting without warning, Teyrun fell straight to the ground.

Fire was one of a vampire’s many weaknesses.

Calmly protecting his neck with a proper landing before rolling across the ground to extinguish the flames, he suddenly saw a hand extend before him.

“Hello.”

The explorer who had been fleeing moments earlier smiled brightly.

Flames burst from the hole in his palm.

“…Ah.”

Fwoooosh!

Consumed by the flames of [Ember of Glory],

Teyrun’s body burned away into the air.

Three Primordial Fragments dropped onto the ground.

Watching the scene with both hands resting on his hips, Targon spoke.

“Oh, you had two already? That’s lucky.”

Karr, currently wearing the appearance of Explorer Beldora, nodded.

“Really lucky. Teyrun wasn’t an easy opponent.”

Without relying on deception, he wouldn’t have won so easily.

The White Jade Hand Guild, to which Teyrun belonged, became dramatically less stable without its support specialist.

It was practically the equivalent of catching a huge fish. Offering silent condolences to the unlucky druid, Karr stored the three gems inside his subspace.

“Master, who are we transforming into next?”

“Wait. I’ll decide.”

Although [Eye That Whispers Falsehoods] was originally an activated Mystery, it had replaced Kar’s real eye and taken its place, causing it to also be treated as a continuous Mystery.

Because of that, it could still be activated even while using [Transformation].

“Hehehe….”

“Why are you laughing like that?”

“This is how scheming cultists laugh. You should imitate me.”

“Ohhh! Hehehe…!”

Master and Mystery laughed together in sinister harmony.

And so, the cultist’s conspiracy finally began shaking the Guild War in earnest….

 

***

 

Somewhere within a forest illuminated by the gentle glow of a full moon.

“Die!”

A lion beastman explorer violently slashed with clawed hands.

A powerful strike combining several Berserker-class Mysteries.

“Not bad.”

Muttering calmly, the gray orc casually moved one hand and caught the enemy’s wrist.

“But too slow.”

“…Urgh!”

The orc effortlessly blocked an attack that most explorers couldn’t even react to.

Then he thrust out his other arm.

A straightforward punch.

Nothing more than a simple, direct strike.

The movement itself was light… Its aftermath was not.

BOOOOM!

With a sound resembling boulders shattering, the surrounding trees and undergrowth shook violently.

The struck explorer had already been launched far backward, spraying blood through the air.

“An opening!”

An explorer wearing robes suddenly emerged from behind a giant tree.

An icy blue glow gathered upon the staff in one hand before a torrent of cold surged forward.

[Frost Wave].

A Seventh-Tier Mystery favored by Mage–Elementalists.

KRAAAAAASH!

The wave of frost instantly swallowed the orc, continuing onward without losing momentum, freezing every tree and blade of grass behind him.

“We got him! Even Targon can’t withstand this!”

According to the leaked intelligence, Targon possessed no Mystery granting resistance to cold.

With his Soul Rank reduced to Level 5, there was no way he could endure [Frost Wave].

“…Don’t lower your guard yet.”

The lion beastman, his cheeks swollen from the earlier punch, walked over while rubbing his face.

“If Targon could be defeated by something this trivial… he would’ve died in a labyrinth long before earning his current reputation.”

“Yeah. I know.”

The Elementalist continued pouring magic into the frozen area for quite some time before finally lowering his staff.

Staring quietly at the completely frozen orc, he muttered, “Did we get him?”

Craaack!

No sooner had the mage spoken than the frozen statue shattered apart.

Targon stepped out through the ice.

“Refreshing.”

“…How did you survive that?!”

Though horrified, the Elementalist couldn’t suppress a mage’s innate curiosity.

As Targon casually brushed ice from his body, he answered,

“Soul Rank and physical ability aren’t what matter. So long as you possess exploration experience earned through blood and sweat… and Mysteries accumulated through countless efforts.”

Lightly stamping one foot, the orc suddenly stood directly before the mage.

He grabbed the enemy by the throat with one massive hand and lifted him into the air.

“Ghk…”

“Raiden!”

The lion beastman, whose body had suddenly swollen enormously, slashed forward with crimson claws.

CRACK!

Despite moving later, Targon’s hand reached him first.

His strike smashed apart the enlarged beastman’s jaw.

Moments later, the Elementalist’s neck snapped, and his body hung limply.

Before long, both explorers dissolved into blood, scattering through the air.

“As expected of the Guild Master.”

The Sea Garden Elf Rai emerged from his hiding place behind them, raising one hand.

“Eeheehee! Gems! Gems!”

Small water spirits followed their contractor’s instructions, bringing over two dark-colored gems.

“We’ve secured two more.”

“Rai.”

“Those two just now… which guild?”

“The Shooting Star Guild. This is their first Guild War. The two who were just eliminated happened to be their Guild Master and Vice Guild Master.”

“I see.”

The orc nodded calmly, shaking ice from his hair.

“No wonder only two of them challenged us. So that’s why.”

Had those words come from anyone else, they would’ve sounded unbearably arrogant.

But because Targon was the one speaking, they became an entirely reasonable observation.

After all, during the previous Guild War, he had defeated five explorers at once.

“Where are the others?”

At the Guild Master’s question, Rai unfolded the map.

“Dran and Brunelda have just regrouped and are heading this way. As for the Battlefield of the Sun…”

The elf carefully studied the map for a moment before narrowing his eyes.

“They spawned fairly close together… but for some reason, the two of them are moving separately.”

“Hm.”

As a veteran explorer, Targon could roughly infer the situation from that statement alone.

“It seems Karr is pulling some sort of trick.”

“I think so too. Will it be alright?”

“No matter what he’s doing, we have no choice but to trust him with the Battlefield of the Sun. After all, we recruited him specifically to disrupt whatever strategy the other guilds devised.”

His instincts told him.

Karr was undoubtedly causing something extraordinary.

“I only hope it’s something grand enough to drag in the spy who murdered Rigobert.”

“…”

A powerful killing intent poured from the slowly rolling shoulders of the gray orc.

Maintaining a slight distance, Rai spoke.

“Guild Master. Shall we move? Do you remember the strategy Yallen explained?”

“Of course.”

Targon nodded briskly.

Then grinned.

“First, beat up every member of every other guild I see.”

The other guilds.

The ghouls.

The spy.

Beat every single one of them down.

Then information leaks wouldn’t matter.

They’d still win.

“…Didn’t Yallen tell us to prioritize survival over collecting Primordial Fragments? That’s why we packed only exploration tools related to preserving and restoring vitality.”

“The Goddess Teramea, who watches over every battlefield, once said this. She won’t bless cowards who hide.”

The Goddess of Peace and War, Teramea, had never actually said such a thing.

Though there had once been controversy after she delivered an oracle saying, “I want to flick every coward on the forehead.”

“Let’s go, Rai.”

“…Yes.”

Despite being fully aware that they had become everyone’s common enemy, Targon walked proudly through the forest without concealing himself.

Their capabilities had already been exposed, so they’d encounter some difficulties.

That was fine.

“Let’s hurry and kill that spy.”

As long as he could take revenge upon the spy he despised, mere difficult battles meant nothing.

 

***

 

“We’ve finally cornered him.”

Near the golden tower on the Battlefield of the Sun.

Three explorers surrounded a Western Continent dwarf who had been driven into the corner of a natural fortress formed by enormous trees.

“…I’m really getting sick of this.”

Vice Guild Master Born of the Great Warrior Guild, a martial artist, rubbed his smooth bald head before sighing.

A pink-haired Berserker wielding tonfas caught her breath before shouting,

“Stop running already and give up!”

“Whatever do you mean?”

Yallen.

The youthful-looking Western Continent dwarf Schemer smiled brightly.

“Are you already tired? Well, I suppose it can’t be helped. The ghouls are especially aggressive on the Battlefield of the Sun, so it’s not easy to deal with them. If I didn’t have so much experience, I’d probably be exhausted by now.”

“…You little—! You just won’t stop talking!” the pink-haired Berserker exploded.

Even though every one of his Mysteries had already been revealed, Yallen remained far from an easy opponent.

He slipped through every encirclement with remarkable agility.

Various life-restoring tools.

And above all… one decisive factor.

“I’m sorry. To be honest, this really is a dangerous situation. But I’d rather not lose so easily. If possible, I’d like to be eliminated by someone who’s truly superior to me.”

Translated into ordinary speech, that meant: “You’re all too pathetic to defeat me.”

The Great Warrior Guild explorers, who had been gradually closing in, collectively exploded with irritation.

“…He’s seriously infuriating. I want to rip that mouth apart first.”

“Calm down. He still looks like a child, and criticizing a Western Continent dwarf’s way of speaking goes against the spirit of Harmony.”

“His mouth goes against Harmony even more!”

Yallen’s “pure” manner of speaking, which surpassed even the Western Continent dwarf average, was rapidly wearing away at the explorers’ sanity.

“…Enough getting angry. Let’s just kill him.”

Shaking his head, Born gathered internal energy into both bandaged hands.

The other explorers blocked every escape route using their Mysteries and weapons.

“Please, just give–”

Pew!

Just as Born widened his stance, an arrow suddenly flew from his blind spot.

Knocking it aside with a punch, Born turned his head.

“Oops. Sorry!”

“…”

Perched atop an unusually thick tree branch sat a Woodland Elf carrying a bow and a human holding a dagger.

The peculiar guild composed of people who adored the grotesque monsters known as Nunun Bears.

The Nunun Bear Love Guild.

“…What are you trying to pull? Didn’t we agree to an alliance until every Ash Wolf Guild member had been eliminated?”

“My apologies. My hand slipped.”

“What? Quit talking bullshit, you lunatic!”

The pink-haired Berserker shrieked.

The human explorer from the Nunun Bear Love Guild poked his cheek with one finger and gave a wink.

“Won’t you forgive me just this once after seeing my pretty smile?”

“…”

While the Great Warrior Guild explorers stared in disbelief, Yallen narrowed his eyes.

The blue paint on his wrist, linked through [Bound Colors], began trembling.

‘…He’s here.’

Karr… disguised as someone else… was somewhere nearby.