Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 118 - Everything an Elder Elf Says Is Right

Chapter 118 — Everything an Elder Elf Says Is Right

 

I followed Elvira up the stairs.

“You worked incredibly hard during the guild war.”

About halfway up, Elvira, who had been silently leading the way, finally spoke.

“Thanks to you, Lord Karr, our guild has once again secured the management rights to District Three.”

“That’s right. It was all thanks to me.”

“I didn’t expect you to say something like that about yourself.”

“My accomplishments were simply too spectacular for false modesty, weren’t they?”

“…Well, that’s true.”

Elvira smiled faintly before looking back at me. Then, after a brief hesitation, she continued.

“Laenis, the one the spy impersonated, was my friend. We had quite an age difference, but we were both Jewel Elves, so we became close rather quickly.”

“I’m sorry. There was nothing I could have done to stop it beforehand.”

“I know. I’m not blaming you, Lord Karr.”

Her sapphire-like eyes stared directly into mine.

“Laenis has surely returned safely to the fields of the One Who Guides Great Nature, so I am not grieving. Still… I can’t help feeling a little bitter.”

Turning around again, Elvira resumed walking.

“You’re still a young half-elf who hasn’t even lived a hundred years yet, so allow me to offer you a piece of advice.”

Advice from an elder elf who had lived for over eight hundred years.

Naturally, I listened with the utmost attention. Words like those were worth their weight in gold.

“Lord Karr. Someday, during an expedition, one of your companions may lose their life. Countless promising explorers have been broken after suffering such tragedies.”

“…”

An explorer was a profession in which one inevitably became accustomed to the deaths of friends and comrades.

That was why Elvira could remain outwardly composed even after losing someone close.

She had undoubtedly experienced the loss of loved ones countless times over her long life.

“Our Ash Wolf Guild hopes to maintain a long relationship with you, Lord Karr. So please, no matter what happens, continue your expeditions without losing your companions.”

It would not be an exaggeration to say that a party member’s death was entirely the expedition leader’s responsibility.

Viewed that way, her advice truly cut to the bone.

“I understand. I’ll remember it.”

“And there’s one more thing I’d like to say…”

Elvira turned toward me once more. This time, wearing a deep frown.

“I’m talking about your unique fighting style. It’s far too indecent.”

“…Pardon?”

“Your clothes keep getting torn apart, exposing your bare skin! Why is a young person fighting in such an improper manner?”

I stared blankly at Elvira’s disapproving expression before answering as carefully as I could.

“Could it be that you’re saying this because you don’t realize how refreshing I look when I’m naked?”

“…Be quiet and pay attention. An elder is speaking.”

The elder elf grabbed my shoulder and continued.

“Back in my day, anyone who exposed their bare skin in front of others was looked down upon. But youngsters these days, men and women alike, wear revealing clothes without a care in the world. The world truly is coming to an end.”

‘Tsk.’

Clicking her tongue for emphasis, Elvira gently patted my shoulder.

“Don’t you agree, my young friend?”

“Absolutely.”

I nodded immediately. After all, she was an elf who had lived for nearly a thousand years. There was no way she could be wrong.

“Then from now on, please fight in a way that minimizes exposing your body.”

“I shall gladly accept your wise advice, Lady Elvira.”

“Good. I knew you were a sensible young man.”

‘Crackle.’

Su’eje sent me several counterarguments.

However, saying something like “But I’m more attractive without clothes” carried the very real risk of reigniting the elder elf’s anger after she’d finally calmed down.

So I wisely kept my mouth shut. I’d save that line for someone else later.

“We’ve arrived.”

Passing the floor where the reception room was located, we reached the Guild Master’s office on the very top floor.

It was a clear sign that from now on, they intended to treat me not as a mere guest… but as one of their own.

“Guild Master, I’ve brought him.”

Following Elvira inside as she opened the door, I was immediately hit by a strange smell of sweat.

The shock to my sense of smell was quickly followed by an assault on my eyes.

[:O Good grief, what kind of insane orc is this?!]

The Guild Master’s office was wolves. Wolves everywhere. The ceiling.The wallpaper. The floor. Even every ornament and every piece of furniture was shaped like a gray wolf…

“Welcome.”

Seated in an enormous chair carved with a wolf’s face, Targon pointed toward a sofa at one side of the room.

Odilon was sprawled across it, buried in fluffy fur made to resemble a wolf’s back.

“You’re here.”

“I am. So this is where you were…”

“Indeed…”

With nothing more than eye contact, we achieved miraculous communication.

‘I want to get out of here as quickly as possible.’

“Berserker Targon.”

Odilon immediately spoke.

“Enough small talk. I’d like to receive our reward.”

“Is that so? Very well.”

Fortunately, Targon showed no suspicion toward our intentions and immediately stood up.

“I’ll show you right away.”

A surprisingly faint smile appeared on the gray orc’s rugged face.

“To the treasure vault our guild cherishes above all else. Elvira, open it.”

“Yes.”

Answering respectfully, Elvira pulled a single book from a bookshelf shaped like a wolf’s head.

‘Rumble.’

The bookshelf slid aside, revealing a large circular iron door behind it.

A vault. Naturally, a vault belonging to the prestigious Ash Wolf Guild was anything but ordinary.

 

[Artifact — Firmly Sealed Mouth]

[It possesses a faint consciousness. If anyone approaches without permission, it hides itself within a subspace. Should someone forcibly drag it out using spatial Mysteries, the vault and everything inside it will be completely annihilated.]

 

A perfect anti-theft vault that made it impossible to lay so much as a finger on the valuables.

There was certainly the risk of losing everything stored inside.

But if a thief skilled enough to break into subspace itself came along, those items would never be recovered anyway. Destroying them was probably the better option.

“I’ll open it now.”

When Elvira placed her palm against the center of the circular door, the vault quietly opened on its own.

Fortunately, the wolf enthusiast’s influence hadn’t reached the interior. Inside was simply… a perfectly ordinary warehouse.

A vast space packed with artifacts, Mystery books, gemstones, and every sort of valuable imaginable.

[This is a place worthy of intellectual exploration. The Wise One is smiling with satisfaction!]

“The promised reward was any three items you desire. If you attempt to renegotiate now, I’ll consider it a breach of contract.”

Even though Targon would surely honor the agreement without needing a reminder, Odilon still insisted on making the point.

He truly was an exhausting young master.

Sometimes people needed to be betrayed by trusted friends or deceived by malicious intentions disguised as kindness. That was how one developed mental resilience.

“Naturally. I have no objections whatsoever.”

Targon answered calmly.

“I’ll say this in advance. I’d like to establish a long-term cooperative relationship not only with Karr, but with your entire expedition.”

A proposal for cooperation, the reward obtained after clearing the Guild War’s hidden route.

Accepting it meant occasionally lending them assistance, but in exchange, we’d receive numerous benefits normally reserved exclusively for guild members.

“…That sounds good.”

Even Odilon, who loathed the very word ‘cooperation’, looked interested.

“Then go inside with Elvira and examine the items. If I stand there watching, it’ll only make you uncomfortable, so I’ll stay here.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

As I started toward the vault, I suddenly remembered something and turned toward Odilon, who had begun following me.

“Young Master, perhaps you should stay here and discuss future cooperation instead.”

“That does make sense.”

The young master nodded readily before looking down at his own shadow.

‘Ripple.’

Rosalia immediately emerged from it and stood beside me.

“Rosalia, go in on my behalf and stop Cultist Karr if necessary.”

“Why are you already assuming I’ll do something that needs stopping?”

“Quiet, you expedition addict.”

Odilon silenced me with a wave of his hand before dragging a chair over to Targon’s desk and sitting down.

“Lord Karr, this way.”

At Elvira’s call, I promptly stepped into the enormous vault.

Seeing it from inside… it truly deserved to be called a treasure chamber.

The sheer value filling the room was so overwhelming that estimating its total worth was impossible.

As expected of one of the Milky Way Guilds. Their wealth far exceeded imagination.

“You may begin choosing.”

Elvira narrowed her eyes as she handed me an inventory list.

“But only three items. There will be no bargaining over quantity. Combining several lower-value items into one selection is not allowed. Items of lesser quality still count as one item. Single-use artifacts also count as one. And once you’ve chosen something, you cannot exchange it later. With those conditions in mind… please choose whatever you wish.”

[Odilon and this pointy-ear are both such exhausting people! :<]

There was little helping it.

Jewel Elves always calculated profit and loss meticulously.

Still, at least there wasn’t some ridiculous clause stating that particularly valuable items counted as two choices. All things considered, the conditions were perfectly fair.

“Big Sister.”

Walking over to Rosalia, who had been quietly surveying the room, I leaned close to her long ear and whispered.

“I made sure the Young Master stayed outside for your sake.”

“…!”

The assassin, whose unusual tastes would earn her a scolding if either the Young Master or the butler discovered them, widened her eyes. Then I pointed toward the section containing poisons.

“Choose the rarest poison you like most. Just one.”

“…Little Brother… You’re the best.”

Using language she normally never would, Rosalia patted my shoulder before heading toward the shelves lined with countless vials of poison.

‘Twitch…’

The tips of her ears trembled slightly.

“So she enjoys collecting poisons.”

Watching Rosalia’s retreating figure, a figure that looked almost no different from usual at first glance, Elvira murmured quietly.

“It’s hardly unusual for a Wood Elf to be interested in natural toxins.”

“She doesn’t collect them. She enjoys eating them.”

“…”

“I’m serious.”

“…Why?”

“Because they’re delicious. I’ve had quite a few thanks to her. The flavor is far more addictive than you’d expect. Once you get a taste, it’s difficult to stop.”

Of course, respecting her preferences wasn’t my only reason for letting her choose poison. With [Sin: Gluttony], I could make excellent use of it in combat as well.

Leaving the deadliest toxins to the true enthusiast… I went searching for the rewards I’d already decided upon.

‘First, this.’

Bottom shelf of the artifact section. A pair of handcuffs forged from cold-colored metal rested there. Without the slightest hesitation, I picked them up.

This was an irreplaceable item. One that could only be obtained here.

 

[Masterpiece — Demon Suppressor]

[While worn, it absorbs a fixed amount of demonic energy whenever such energy accumulates within the user’s body. It was originally created to capture notorious demon outlaws during their prime, but due to the immense cost and rare materials required, it was never widely distributed and eventually fell into obscurity.]

 

“So this is your first choice?”

Elvira frowned slightly.

“It’s certainly valuable, but it’s old and has few practical uses. It seems you know of some remarkable application I don’t. Very well. Two choices remain.”

‘Tap.’

Just then, Rosalia quietly approached after finishing her selection and tapped my shoulder.

In her hand was a bottle filled with a white poison.

 

[Poison — Gourmet’s Thread]

[Drinking it causes no pain whatsoever, but it gradually paralyzes the nervous system.]

 

An extraordinarily rare poison found only within a certain A-rank labyrinth in District Three.

Though paralysis developed somewhat slowly, it was one of the finest paralytic poisons precisely because victims rarely realized they had been poisoned. Even inhaling a trace of its scent caused the body to begin stiffening. Anyone lacking proper expertise would be unable to handle it safely.

Fortunately… Rosalia was a master of poisons.

“An excellent choice. Very good.”

“…”

When I gave her a thumbs-up, she quietly returned one.

Then I selected my third and final reward.

This time… a Mystery tome.

 

[5th Tier Mystery Tome — Wicked Freezing Wind]

[Allows demonic energy to be transformed into freezing wind and released.]

 

Unlike the Demon Suppressor, this Mystery had once belonged to demons themselves.

Since demonic energy was difficult to obtain, it wasn’t particularly versatile.

But for an Immortal Cultist build… it was practically indispensable.

“So your third choice is Wicked Freezing Wind.”

After pondering something for a moment, Elvira looked directly at me.

“It seems you possess some method of freely accumulating demonic energy within your body?”

“Sharp as always.”

I stroked the snake tattoo on my left hand. There was exactly one. One Mystery that allowed me to generate demonic energy at will.

[Life · Reverse · Cycle.]

The Mystery of Lonely Silence I’d obtained through the offering ritual conducted together with the Saint.

Using it greatly increased my Vitality… but also accumulated demonic energy known as Dark Solitude within my body.

After ten stacks… I would die and become undead. That was why I’d never dared use it recklessly.

But now?

With Demon Suppressor and Wicked Freezing Wind…

[Only now do I understand why you insisted on becoming a cultist of gloomy Lriria. Even the Wise One has slapped His forehead in realization!]

From now on… no one would dare underestimate the Watcher of Lonely Silence ever again.

As a cultist of the Silent One… I would personally spread the dignity contained within that name.

‘Wriggle…!’

The snake tattoo lifted its head, its tiny eyes gleaming. Its tail swayed happily behind it.

It seemed Lriria was imagining returning to His former status as Lriria, Chief among the Evil Gods.

“That makes all three.”

Perhaps because I’d shown absolutely no interest in the objectively most valuable treasures, Elvira sighed in visible relief.

“Are you satisfied?”

“Completely.”

“To be honest, it stings a little… but I’m looking forward to seeing what you’ll accomplish with today’s rewards.”

“In that case… please watch closely.”

As I stored the handcuffs and Mystery book inside my subspace, I declared,

“From now on… no matter what enemy I face… I’ll become a cultist even more tenacious than a vampire, one who simply refuses to die.”