Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 104 - Guild War — Moonlight (1)

Chapter 104 — Guild War — Moonlight (1)

 

Prrr.

The divine beast with the bright mane landed lightly on the ground, snorted, and walked over to me.

Its clear eyes were filled with curiosity.

Normally, the moment it was summoned, it would immediately fly off somewhere, forcing you to go through the troublesome process of tracking it down.

Thanks to my bloodline, however, I got to skip that part.

Sizzle… 

As Skinfaxi drew near, my vampire body slowly began to melt.

 

[Your remaining HP: 5/100]

[Skinfaxi does not heed the words of intelligent beings! Hurry and move away!]

 

My body was turning soft and mushy. My skin melted. My flesh roasted. My blood vessels burst.

The divine beast of the sun was merely approaching slowly, yet every component making up my body was being utterly devastated.

“…Please come closer.”

I barely managed to speak as I spread my arms wide.

I’ll be fine.

There shouldn’t be any problem.

In this labyrinth, where I could become an imperfect immortal, I wouldn’t die so easily.

 

[Your remaining HP: 30/100]

 

As long as Skinfaxi held no hostility toward me, I could endure forever.

And this divine beast of Solmiran did not regard me as an enemy.

To be honest, I couldn’t say I was absolutely certain.

But at the very least, it wasn’t suddenly going to change its mind and trample me to death.

 

[Your remaining HP: 70/100]

 

My body and mind repeatedly melted and regenerated.

The pain was excruciating enough to make me want to die, yet I didn’t dislike it.

After all, isn’t overwhelming hardship merely the seasoning that enhances the fruits you reap in the end?

“Ahaha…!”

I forced out a strained laugh.

Become even more intense, pain.

Endure a little longer, my body.

Hiiiiihing.

Skinfaxi, now standing right before me, tilted its head.

“May I hug you?”

Carefully, I embraced the divine beast’s long face.

The final stage of the Hidden Piece.

Establishing communion with Skinfaxi.

Since there was no way to completely block the heat radiating from the divine beast, it was such a dangerous act that ordinary explorers wouldn’t even dare attempt it.

“…Hah… haaah…”

In an instant, the flesh and muscles throughout my entire body melted away.

Normally, you were supposed to bring all sorts of specialized divine beast-resistant equipment.

But if your Vitality was high enough, you could simply brute-force your way through it like this.

Even as I rapidly died, I stubbornly continued stroking Skinfaxi’s mane.

Then…

Prrr!

With a cheerful snort, the divine beast suddenly vanished.

Leaving behind only me, with less than half my body remaining, and a single round golden jewel.

Thud.

Collapsed on the ground, I picked up the golden gem with my much thinner arm.

A large, smooth sphere is scattering mystical light.

Merely holding it quickly made my hand grow hot.

 

[Jewel — Skinfaxi’s Heart]

[A gemstone in which the radiance capable of illuminating the entire world of the divine beast has been compressed into a single point. It appears to be the original form of the Primordial Fragments.]

 

After waiting for my melted tongue to regenerate, I looked toward the hidden broadcasting crystal and spoke.

“Good children shouldn’t try this at home.”

 

***

 

One corner of the Moon Battlefield.

“Damn it…”

Crunch!

The head of a human warrior writhing on the ground was brutally crushed.

“…”

The explorer wiped the blood and flesh from his foot, then reached down to pick up the lone remaining Primordial Fragment.

At that very moment…

A gnome emerged from the darkness, driving a reverse-gripped dagger downward.

A surprise attack aimed perfectly at an opening.

“…Huh?”

The dagger sliced through empty air.

His eyes hadn’t even blinked, yet he’d completely lost track of the target’s movement.

Without panicking, the gnome immediately leaped sideways.

Stab!

A wheel-shaped shuriken flew through the air and embedded itself in the gnome’s neck as he sprinted away.

The instant it struck, his entire body stiffened, sending him tumbling across the ground with all his remaining momentum.

“…Urgh.”

Even while coughing blood, the gnome desperately tried to conceal himself with a Mystery.

Then, a foot suddenly appeared and stomped him into the ground.

“H-how…?”

“I have no interest in talking.”

Crunch!

Another Guild War participant was expelled from the labyrinth, leaving behind only a dark-colored jewel.

The explorer who had eliminated two opponents in an instant… one of the Six Apostles, the Conspirator… indifferently picked up the Primordial Fragment.

That made eleven.

‘…Just one more.’

 

***

 

I stood before the golden tower rising high above the Sun Battlefield.

[Tower leading to the Inner Sanctum. Constructed from materials that no longer exist in the modern era. It absorbs natural mana and shines eternally.]

‘It’s tall.’

A tower stretching all the way to the ceiling disguised as the sky.

It was so tall that simply looking upward made my neck ache.

After pretending to admire it for the benefit of the nearby broadcasting crystal, I approached the main entrance.

In the center of the door, made from pale-colored wood, were six circular holes arranged in a ring.

Insert all six Primordial Fragments, and the path to the Inner Sanctum would open.

Crackle.

The Exalted One offered another masterpiece of a joke regarding how the mechanism worked.

[Utterly lowbrow… I recommend pretending you didn’t understand it.]

“Lord Su’eje. That was so funny I can hardly focus on the Guild War. Please look at this and remain quiet.”

I brushed back my disheveled hair and cast a dreamy gaze into empty space.

Immediately, violent black lightning crackled from the tattoo near my collarbone before finally calming down.

“Thank you.”

With a refreshing smile to finish, I took out Skinfaxi’s Heart.

Whoooom.

The moment I held Skinfaxi’s Heart before the center of the ring of holes, the entrance shone brilliantly, then slowly slid open.

This was where the publicly known Hidden Piece of [Battlefield of Sun and Moon] ended.

‘No wonder Yallen said it was meaningless.’

After all that hardship, you finally obtained the jewel left behind by the divine beast… only for it to serve as nothing more than a key.

You could simply open the door using six Primordial Fragments.

So why go through all that unnecessary trouble?

By now, not only everyone watching the Guild War, but even the Evil Gods themselves, were surely wondering.

[The Wise One watches with great interest, wondering what exactly you intend to do with that divine beast’s jewel!]

“Lord Lidni .At this point, I doubt I even need to explain. Please simply trust me and wait.”

Looking toward the broadcasting crystals hidden around the tower entrance, I continued.

“Lord Lidni eternally hungers for fresh knowledge. That is why He urges His followers to actively seek knowledge as part of their faith. If you are interested in the Twisted Truth, please seek out this cultist, Karr.”

Simply advertising with words felt somewhat lacking, so I even formed a heart with both hands before climbing the stairs inside the tower.

[Those who passed through here before you and entered the Inner Sanctum: 19]

That number included ghouls.

The number who had entered from the Moon Battlefield was probably about the same.

‘I’m here.’

After diligently climbing the spiral staircase, another door appeared.

Rather than recklessly stepping outside, I transformed only my index finger into black lightning and poked a hole through the door.

Sizzle!

Through the perfectly sized opening,

I observed the outside with my left eye.

“Falsethy. Go.”

Soon, an illusion identical to me appeared outside.

“I’m back again!”

“Scout the surroundings.”

“Roger!”

Saluting smartly, the illusion scampered off with quick, frivolous footsteps.

[Your partner reports that the reconnaissance is complete.]

The moment I recalled the illusion, the image of a gloomy ruin… where most of the buildings had already collapsed… flowed into my mind.

‘No enemies nearby for now. They’ve probably all gathered together.’

Originally, [Eye That Whispers Falsehoods] was a Mystery intended for scouting and information gathering like this.

“Come out again.”

Another illusion appeared outside.

“The explorers from the other guilds should all be gathered in one place. Infiltrate naturally.”

“Leave it to me!”

After watching Falsethy run off, I withdrew my eye from the hole and unfolded the map showing my guildmates’ locations.

Five dots were gathered at a single point.

‘Not a single casualty.’

Considering all of Gray Wolf Guild’s information had been leaked, the fact that no one had been eliminated was impressive.

—Elf! Elf!

—Half-elf!

When I carefully opened the door and stepped outside, small children made of water flew over to me.

[Spirit (Water) — Naiades]

[A spirit collective composed of multiple Naias. Their intelligence is low, making complicated tasks impossible, but they are useful for handling simple chores.]

—You’re Karr?

—Karr Karr?

“That’s right.”

As I nodded, the two Naias flew onto my head and gently sat there.

—Rai says come!

—Come, come!

Rai was the Sea-Origin Elf spirit archer of the Ash Wolf Guild.

“Understood. Please guide me.”

—Let’s go!

—Now’s our chance!

The Naias boldly began flying off somewhere.

As I quickly followed them, I glanced upward.

In the middle of a sea of brilliantly twinkling stars, a dazzling sphere radiated magnificent light, visible even from afar.

 

[Grand Holy Relic — Lumerlan’s Orb]

[The great holy relic left behind by the divided deity Lumerlan. Its exact effects are unknown, but it certainly possesses the power to block sunlight and moonlight. That’s naturally why both vampires and ghouls seek it!]

 

The condition for clearing [Battlefield of Sun and Moon] was making contact with that holy relic.

At the same time, it was also the victory condition for the Guild War.

Because this was a special space, flight-type Mysteries couldn’t approach it.

Only a single person, after obtaining a special item within the Inner Sanctum, could reach it.

—Here! Here!

After traveling for a while, we arrived at a building whose outer wall had partially collapsed.

Entering, then climbing to the upper floor, I was finally reunited with the members of Gray Wolf Guild, all gathered together in a single room.

“Welcome.”

Leaning against the wall, the enormous gray orc Targon greeted me calmly.

“Karr, tribesman! Sit here!”

Brunelda, his hair in complete disarray, patted the spot beside him.

I hurried over and obediently sat down, whereupon the Northern Continent savage immediately threw an arm around my shoulder.

“Dran. Explain the situation.”

“Understood.”

The sheep beastman monk Dran quietly began speaking.

“At present, there are seventeen explorers remaining. Excluding ourselves, that leaves eleven.”

Less than half of the Guild War participants remained.

And six of them belonged to our guild. It looked overwhelmingly advantageous.

In reality, however, the situation wasn’t nearly so encouraging.

“The problem is that the other guilds have completely stopped trying to fight each other.”

Dran frowned slightly.

“If their numbers decrease any further, they’ll no longer be able to keep our guild in check. And they won’t have any way to approach Lumerlan’s Orb. So from this point onward, they’re unlikely to betray each other unless absolutely necessary.”

ROOOOAR!

Just as Dran was about to continue his briefing, a savage roar echoed from somewhere deeper within the Inner Sanctum.

Brunelda’s lips curled upward.

“Perfect timing. The guardian of this ruin is rampaging.”

Everyone turned to look through the shattered window.

BOOOOM!

Not far away, a gigantic wyvern was sweeping away entire buildings with its tail.

[Light Wyvern (Level 6)]

[A wyvern imbued with sacred light. The final guardian of the ruins left behind by Lumerlan. Defeating it grants the tool needed to fly toward Lumerlan’s Orb.]

A powerful monster that was already Level 6, and counted as a boss on top of that.

Defeating it was mandatory to fulfill the dungeon’s completion condition.

However, since every explorer’s level had been fixed at 5, no one could defeat it alone.

“Target its wings! That’s its weak point!”

“Kihahaha!”

The Slaughter Ghouls leapt into the air, climbing onto the wyvern’s neck and body before launching a fierce assault.

The sight of them enthusiastically stabbing at its wings with both arms was incredibly adorable.

“That won’t even come close.”

Targon snorted.

An accurate assessment.

ROOOOAR!

The wyvern shook off the ghouls clinging to its body through acrobatic flight, then unleashed a beam of light from its mouth.

KWAAAAAA!

Fragments of buildings and chunks of ground exploded like popcorn.

Mixed among them were undoubtedly pieces of Slaughter Ghoul flesh and blood as well.

“Instant death.”

Brunelda casually remarked while picking at his ear.

“Karr, tribesman. Did you know that even ghouls, despite their incredible regeneration, can’t recover if they’re completely turned into pulp?”

“Of course, the same applies to us now that we’ve become vampires. It’s a truly powerful monster… So that’s what makes it such a joy to fight, right?”

“Kuahahaha!”

Brunelda grabbed my chin and shook it enthusiastically.

“You adorable little brat! You really know your stuff! That was exactly what I wanted to say.”

Ever since arriving in Pletica, this was the first person I’d met aside from Bartimir, with whom conversation flowed so naturally.

Considering that I’d practically shaped the personality of my good little demon daughter myself, Brunelda was effectively the only one.

KWAAAA!

The wyvern let out a triumphant roar and flew away somewhere.

It had only flown over to punish the invading ghouls.

Normally, the Light Wyvern remained quietly within its nest.

“…As you can see, it’s still perfectly healthy.”

Dran resumed the briefing that had been interrupted by the brief ghoul extermination show.

“The explorers from the other guilds still haven’t begun subjugating it. They’re probably trying to act as cautiously as possible. Their numbers are starting to become a little worrying.”

The minimum number of people required to defeat the Light Wyvern was roughly nine.

That was why explorers from multiple guilds normally had to cooperate, treating it like a raid boss.

Gray Wolf Guild, however, was in a slightly different situation.

“What a bunch of weaklings.”

Brunelda clicked his tongue while resting a hand atop my head.

“There are eleven of them, yet they still can’t kill a single Level 6 monster? Our guild members gathered here are more than enough.”

Gray Wolf Guild was the only guild capable of defeating the Light Wyvern without borrowing strength from anyone else.

Because we had Targon… one of the Twelve Heroes, the Moving Mountain Range.

“I have no interest whatsoever in the explorers from the other guilds. I’ve already fought every one of them.”

The massive gray orc spoke in his deep voice, slowly clenching and unclenching one hand.

That insignificant gesture alone made the air inside the room suddenly feel heavy.

“But… that spy is still alive.”

Targon spoke in a voice so cold it created the illusion that my ear canals had frozen shut.

“Until I’ve completely crushed that bastard… I won’t let this Guild War end.”