Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 123 - 'Thump-Thump, Thump-Thump'

Chapter 123 — ‘Thump-Thump, Thump-Thump’

 

“…A B-Rank?”

Marlin’s eyes widened.

“Can we really clear a B-Rank labyrinth at our current level?”

Lucius firmly shook his head.

“Of course not.”

“…Huh?”

“B-Rank labyrinths are the domain of Gold Badge explorers. Therefore, with the Moonlight Expedition’s current capabilities, it is absolutely impossible for us to conquer one.”

A Gold Badge explorer had to be at least Level 7.

Considering that even Rosalia, the strongest member of our expedition, was only a Level 6 Silver Badge explorer, attempting a B-Rank labyrinth was practically no different from suicide.

“However, there are always exceptions that fall outside conventional wisdom.”

Lucius smiled as he gently stroked his rosary.

“Before explaining the completion conditions, let me first tell you about the Tower of Trials.”

The sleepy-eyed priest pulled a sheet of paper bearing an incredibly realistic painting from the rosary’s subspace and spread it across the floor.

 

[Masterpiece – Nostalgic Canvas]

[Can memorize a particular scene and project it into empty space.]

 

‘Wooooong.’

The Nostalgic Canvas began projecting the scenery of a city into the air.

A small city. A majestic tower rose proudly from its northern outskirts. Beyond it stretched the barren wastelands characteristic of the Northern Continent.

“This is what the inside of the Tower of Trials looks like.”

Lucius stepped slightly to the side so everyone could see before looking around at the expedition members.

Marlin, whose ears had perked up as she admired the cityscape, suddenly asked,

“Didn’t you only just find out that Karr was planning to enter the Tower of Trials? Then how do you already have something like this…?”

“I’ve often been told that I’m… rather well prepared.”

“…Rather?”

While Marlin narrowed her eyes suspiciously, Bartimir’s eyes sparkled.

“Do you also carry spare underwear for changing during expeditions?”

“I do.”

“For women too?”

“Of course.”

“Oh! That’s amazing! As expected of a priest of Lord Artein.”

The demonkin and I nodded in perfect agreement.

Back when this had only been a game, Lucius had simply seemed like one fairly decent priest among many, so I hadn’t known much about him. He was far more capable than I’d expected.

“…I think now is the time to be horrified, not impressed!”

Astrimia cried out in disbelief. Marlin shook her head.

“Now it all makes sense. He’s someone Karr personally recruited. There was no way he’d be completely normal.”

“Exactly!”

“Astrimia, we’re the only sane ones left. We have to stay sharp!”

“Right, Marlin!”

Watching the former burglar girl and the narcissistic sword forge such a wholesome friendship somehow warmed my heart.

Was this what it felt like to be an expedition leader?

“I’ll continue.”

Lucius pointed toward the towering structure floating in the air.

“That is the Tower of Trials. It was constructed after the Baltelium Empire completed its war to unify the Three Continents, and it was designed by an overwhelmingly powerful individual.”

“Wow! Who was it?”

Using [Transformation], I turned into Marlin and asked.

The real Marlin glared at me.

“It was Lord Graik.”

He had clearly expected dramatic gasps. However, although Graik was certainly a great historical figure, he wasn’t nearly as famous as Seraphina. The expedition members reacted rather indifferently.

“Um… who exactly is that? Is he famous? Since I’m from the Eastern Continent, I don’t really know many people besides Saint Seraphina.”

Hearing Pendrick’s mutter, the experienced labyrinth priest responded as though he’d been waiting for that question.

“Perhaps I should put it this way.”

He paused.

“The Fist King.”

“…The Fist King!”

The super-genius swordsman finally sprang to his feet in shock.

“You mean ‘that’ Fist King who established the foundation of the Martial Artist class?”

“Precisely.”

Fist King Graik. An orc who had made enormous contributions to the Martial Artist class, which until then had fought crudely and primitively with nothing but bare fists, elevating its combat capabilities to entirely new heights.

“Lord Graik lamented the state of the Northern Continent after it had been completely subjugated by the Baltelium Empire. He concluded that the Northern Continent Alliance had been defeated because it lacked enough high-level experts.”

It wasn’t an incorrect analysis. The overwhelming military might of the Baltelium Empire, which advanced while enslaving countless races, stemmed from its crushing numbers.

“So, belatedly, he constructed the Tower of Trials to cultivate powerful fighters. By incorporating countless Mysteries and Artifacts of every discipline, it became the ultimate training facility. How amazing is it?”

This time, it was genuinely Marlin who asked.

“The Tower of Trials analyzes the strength of those who enter, then pits them against customized opponents.”

He continued,

“Specifically, tangible illusions recreated from records of countless masters and monsters preserved within the tower.”

“So by ‘customized opponents,’ you mean enemies the challenger can realistically defeat?”

“No.”

The labyrinth priest deliberately paused.

“Quite the opposite.”

He resumed calmly.

“It only presents opponents who are difficult to overcome.”

“That way, challengers strive desperately to win… and in doing so, improve themselves.”

Pendrick enthusiastically raised his hand like an elementary school student eager to answer.

“Yes, Pendrick?”

“I understand that it was built with noble intentions as a training facility. But what exactly are the completion conditions? Since the Tower of Trials has become a labyrinth, surely it won’t favor explorers.”

“Sharp observation.”

Lucius smiled faintly.

“The completion condition is to defeat the enemies presented by the tower ten consecutive times… without any rest.”

A so-called boss rush labyrinth. To conquer the Tower of Trials, the only thing one truly needed was strength.

“…Ten battles in a row without resting?”

Marlin’s tail shot straight upward. She was surprised a little too quickly, so I added,

“That’s not all. Unlike the Battlefield of Sun and Moon, dying won’t safely send you back outside.”

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on the person the Tower of Trials offered no convenient mechanics such as save points or resurrection. Fist King Graik firmly believed that training which didn’t resemble real combat was meaningless.

Lucius quietly continued,

“And that is precisely why Sir Karr chose to challenge the B-Rank labyrinth, the Tower of Trials. Because of its nature of generating enemies only slightly stronger than the challengers, monsters, traps, and environments appropriate for a true B-Rank labyrinth never actually appear.”

“So then, everyone.”

I clenched both fists. 

Exceptionally demanding completion requirements. A gimmick that allowed even low-level explorers to experience the brutal hardships worthy of a high-rank labyrinth.

“Isn’t it the perfect labyrinth?”

“It sure is!”

“…”

Aside from Bartimir, who was practically bouncing with excitement, everyone else remained silent.

Pendrick’s expression became serious for a moment before he flashed his usual bright smile.

“Captain wouldn’t assign us a challenge we can’t overcome, right? Then there’s nothing to worry about. Sounds great!”

“What’s great about iiiiiit?!”

Astrimia screamed again today, wildly shaking her blade.

“Team One will climb the tower. Team Two will deal with the outlaws in the city surrounding the tower. Any questions?”

“Me.”

“What is it, Marlin?”

“Why do you like difficult things so much, Karr?”

“It’s not that I like hardship. I like the process of obtaining results… even if that process is difficult.”

“…What’s the difference…?”

After lightly patting the top of Marlin’s head, I took out the pink Mystery Tome we’d obtained from Cherry Cherry Hill.

 

[1st-Tier Universal Mystery Tome – Yay Yay, Friends Forever!]

[Builds a bridge between the minds of those who have learned the same Mystery. Enables simple communication through thoughts.]

 

“Since we’re all gathered, please learn this as well.”

A Mystery that enabled telepathic communication.

With this, I could issue commands faster than speaking aloud, and the expedition members could coordinate silently. There was hardly a better Mystery for strengthening teamwork.

“I’ll go first.”

Starting with me, every member learned the Mystery in turn. It only had a few pages, so everyone finished quickly.

— “Can everyone hear me?”

I used the Mystery as a simple test.

Immediately, multiple voices echoed inside my head at once.

—”Wow, I can hear you perfectly!”

—”Since it’s only Tier 1, the voices are a little faint.”

—”This is amazing!”

—”It’s… making me slightly dizzy.”

—”It seems like a Mystery that shouldn’t be overused.”

After everyone had spoken once, I stared directly at Rosalia, who alone had remained silent.

The taciturn assassin quietly met my gaze before finally sending a telepathic message.

—”…I hear you.”

“Excellent.”

Now that everyone had successfully learned the telepathy Mystery, I clapped my hands lightly.

“Then we’re dismissed. Please gather in front of our house tomorrow morning.”

Together with the siblings, I returned home.

“Welcome back! Thank you all for your hard work today!”

Our housekeeper Rachel, greeted us with a perfect ninety-degree bow.

“We’re heading upstairs first…”

“I think I’ll sleep early today.”

After the siblings went upstairs to bed first, I quietly sat down on the sofa.

Rachel hurried over, knelt on one knee, and addressed me.

“Sir Cultist. I have a report.”

“Very well.”

“But why wait until nightfall instead of reporting earlier?”

“Because it’s cooler this way.”

“Ah. You’re absolutely right.”

Cultists were naturally supposed to discuss important matters only after darkness fell.

If we exchanged serious information under bright sunlight, wouldn’t we seem far too cheerful and positive?

“As you instructed before the guild battle, I secretly entered the home of Laenis, the explorer from the Fire Turtle Guild, and carried out the ‘forced transfer of ownership.’ At first, I didn’t understand why you specifically targeted that elf. But now I do.”

Rachel removed an item from the standard-issue storage space attached to her bracelet.

It was a circular device adorned with intricate mechanisms beyond the skill of any ordinary craftsman. An astronomical observation instrument.

 

[Artifact – Follower of the Starry Night]

[Allows comfortable communication with others possessing the same device, and even enables the exchange of items. However, it can only be used at night.]

 

“It was hidden so well that simply finding it took quite some time.”

“You’ve done excellent work.”

Accepting the Follower of the Starry Night, I wrapped it tightly in spider silk. Then I stored it inside my subspace.

“Sir Cultist. But why did you have me change the ownership of that Artifact?”

“Because it has extremely useful applications.”

This Artifact served two purposes. Communication among the Six Apostles. And… The means by which the Great Monster dwelling within the Nightmare Dungeon issued orders to the Six Apostles.

 

[The Wise One is pleased that a means has been secured to eavesdrop on communications between the Great Monster and the Six Apostles!]

 

The Follower of the Starry Night was virtually the only means through which the Great Monster could communicate with beings in the real world. That was why the conspirator had hidden it inside his home. So that, should his plans fail, another of the Six Apostles could later retrieve it in secret.

Of course… that was no longer possible.

‘They probably haven’t realized it yet…’

But the moment they discovered I possessed it… Communicating with one another would become exceedingly difficult.

Naturally, they’d attempt to kill me and forcibly recover it. Since they’d fear attracting the attention of the Royal Peacekeeping Corps, they obviously wouldn’t try to assassinate me in downtown Pletica.

Instead, they’d quietly attempt to eliminate me inside a labyrinth.

‘…Come quickly.’

Thump.

Thump-thump.

I’d obtained an artificial means of making my heart race… a way to make labyrinths even more exciting.