Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 124 - Demons Will Be Demons

Chapter 124 — Demons Will Be Demons

 

The Tower of Trials was a difficult yet deeply rewarding labyrinth.

You could push yourself through grueling expeditions while rapidly improving your abilities, and the rewards were quite respectable as well.

What other labyrinth could be this ideal?

The part I liked most was that even a mere Level 4 explorer like me could personally experience the terrifying nature of a B-Rank labyrinth.

[Just what happened to you in the past for you to end up this broken? You’re starting to scare me. :(]

Surprisingly, however, the Tower of Trials was extremely unpopular.

The fact that B-Rank labyrinths were difficult to conquer was obvious, so that alone wasn’t the reason. There was another decisive factor.

“Here we are.”

Southwest of Cultist Town.

Our expedition arrived at a gloomy, chilly neighborhood buried beneath the shadow cast by Pletica’s outer wall.

“It’s really quiet…”

Pendrick frowned as he surveyed the village, which lay in silence, almost like the Nightmare World.

“At least the neighborhood where you live felt like people actually lived there. Why is this place like this?”

“I’ve been waiting for that question.”

As I rubbed my palms together in proper cultist fashion, Pendrick copied me and rubbed his own hands.

“Hehe. I figured you’d like that question.”

“As expected, Sir Pendrick is the emotional pillar of the Moonlight Expedition.”

“…Uh, isn’t that supposed to be you, Captain?”

“How could a fragile cultist possibly serve as the pillar supporting everyone’s hearts?”

Pendrick was destined to become one of the Moonlight Expedition’s greatest assets in the future.

“The reason this place is so quiet is because of the nature of the cultists who live here.”

“What kind of people live here?”

I covered Bartimir’s eyes, which peeked out from between his bandages, with my palm before answering.

“The cultists of Radmie, the Watcher of the Murky Rainbow.”

“…Eek!”

Astrimia twisted her blade dramatically.

“Then don’t tell me…”

“That’s right.”

I slowly turned in place, taking in the eerily silent neighborhood.

“From the moment we stepped into this district until now… They’ve probably been carefully observing our expressions, the way we walk, our habits… everything. And naturally, they’ve also been quietly listening to every single conversation we’ve had.”

The specialty of the Murky Rainbow cultists was quietly watching people from hiding… spying.

They didn’t do it to gather information for sale like House Brites. They simply devoted themselves to secretly observing others because that was the form of worship their Evil God desired.

“People simply find it unpleasant. And that’s the real reason why the Tower of Trials isn’t popular.”

“…”

The expedition members immediately began casting wary glances toward the surrounding houses.

“So what? That’s nothing.”

Only Bartimir strolled leisurely down the deserted street.

“When I was a test subject in the Black Magic Guild, every word and action of mine was monitored. If all they’re doing is watching us, I can enjoy that.”

“I feel the same.”

“Should we share some secrets while we walk? Mom, you go first.”

“The truth is… I’m a half-elf.”

“Gasp!”

While I enjoyed a pleasant conversation with my kind-hearted demon daughter, we gradually approached a peculiar sight.

In the middle of the road near the outer wall… The upper half of an upside-down tower had been embedded into empty air.

[Entrance to the Tower of Trials.]

Even though we were standing right at the entrance, not a single explorer could be seen preparing to enter. As we approached further, we spotted a labyrinth priest sitting blankly on a chair beside the road.

“Huh?”

Marlin’s eyes widened.

It was a priestess we had met before.

“The big sister priest from the Fire Ant Nest?”

“…Huh? Tiger friend!”

Reina, the endlessly energetic priestess who had overseen the Crimson Fire Ant Nest, jumped to her feet and enthusiastically waved both hands at Marlin.

Then she noticed me and greeted me just as warmly.

“Oh! Isn’t this the Harmony Church’s honored guest, Sir Karr?!”

“We meet again.”

“Have you come to conquer the Tower of Trials?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Finally!”

Watching the priestess throw both hands into the air in excitement, Marlin cautiously asked,

“Weren’t you assigned to the Fire Ant Nest? How did you end up transferred here?”

“I got disciplined!”

At Reina’s unnecessarily energetic answer, Lucius, another member of the Seeking Lantern, developed wrinkles on his forehead.

“…How did you get disciplined?”

“I got swept up in everyone saying we should go welcome Saint Seraphina after she’d entered another timeline! So I skipped work and entered a labyrinth! I got chewed out pretty badly!”

After overhearing that, Lucius finally let out a tiny sigh.

Reina caught it immediately and shot her hand into the air.

“Wow, Brother Lucius! Hi!”

“…You’ve been working hard, Sister.”

“Since Sir Karr is here and you too, I guess I can skip explaining the detailed strategy?”

I nodded. Reina immediately unfolded the ladder that had been lying on the ground and stood it upright. Since the entrance floated in midair, climbing the ladder was the only way in.

“The next reset will happen in about one hundred days! So make sure to hurry!”

“Isn’t that plenty of time?”

Reina wagged her right index finger at Pendrick.

“Not at all. The longest successful clear of the Tower of Trials took an incredible three years.”

“…It can take three years?”

“If you reach a point where you simply can’t climb any farther, you can give up midway. You’ll have to restart from the very beginning… but at least you’ll keep your life.”

After finishing her explanation, the lively priestess suddenly looked toward me.

“But there are seven of you. You already know this, right? The maximum expedition size is six.”

“Seven or more violates exploration regulations. So we’re planning to split into groups of four and three before entering. Would that be acceptable?”

Reina smiled without much thought.

“Of course! Thank you. You’re every bit as generous as Lady Artein Himself.”

“You won’t get anything by flattering me!”

After exchanging cheerful conversation with Reina for quite some time, I gathered the members of Team One. The super-genius swordsman. The kind-hearted demon. The future incredible thief. The thoroughly prepared priest.

Among them, Bartimir possessed the greatest knowledge of exploration, so I handed him the notes I’d written the previous night. They contained strategies for conquering the Tower of Trials, various tips, and individual assignments for each member.

“If you simply follow what’s written there, you’ll be fine. But if you come back without finishing your homework… I’ll have to punish you. So do your best.”

“Yeees!”

“Sir Bartimir, you’ll serve as acting squad leader. Please lead the expedition responsibly.”

“Don’t worry!”

Perhaps because the expedition was about to begin, Bartimir looked especially excited. He sent the other members into the labyrinth first before entering himself. I watched them go with my hand resting on Abel’s shoulder.

“Patron. When do we enter?”

“The composition of the party entering the Tower of Trials is important. If we enter too close together, we might get grouped into the same expedition. So let’s wait just a little longer.”

“Understood.”

Abel nodded before taking two water bottles from his backpack.

“Please try this. It’s tea made using a new recipe.”

“Thank you. The other one is for Lady Rosalia?”

“That’s right. I especially added poisonous herbs.”

“So that’s what he says. Please try it.”

“…”

The assassin lowered the cloth covering her mouth slightly and took a careful sip of Abel’s special, poisonous tea. Her eyes widened ever so slightly.

“What do you think?”

Rosalia stared silently at Abel before gently shaking her head.

“It’s good… But I wish the poison were stronger. Is that what you mean?”

Nod. Nod.

“…Those herbs would seriously endanger an ordinary person’s life. But… understood.”

Thanks to Abel, our waiting time passed pleasantly. Eventually, Reina waved at us.

“You can go in now!”

“Understood. Let’s go.”

After sending Abel and Rosalia up first, I spoke to Reina.

“Priestess. In a little while, some outlaws disguised as ordinary explorers will follow us inside.”

“…Hmm. I’m sorry, but the Harmony Church doesn’t interfere with explorers entering labyrinths.”

“I know. I’m not asking you to stop them. In fact… The opposite.”

As I climbed the ladder, I glanced briefly at the silent village.

“Whoever comes… Please don’t stop them. And don’t accidentally send them somewhere else. Guide them straight into the labyrinth.”

These days, opportunities to obtain a large number of living sacrifices were incredibly rare.

 

***

 

Bartimir and the others stood before the entrance to the tower that stretched toward the heavens.

The Tower of Trials.

Once you enter… Only hardship and suffering awaited.

The towering structure looked down arrogantly upon the expedition.

“You all memorized everything Mom wrote, right?”

Acting squad leader Bartimir spoke with excitement in his voice.

“Only one enemy appears on each floor. Since even all of us working together won’t be able to defeat them easily, don’t push yourselves too hard and get injured for nothing. Even with a priest, serious injuries aren’t easy to heal.”

Marlin glanced at Bartimir’s face beneath the bandages.

Those slightly sinister-looking eyes… which Karr insisted belonged to a kind-hearted person…  overflowed with anticipation and excitement.

‘…Are they really not family?’

No matter how she thought about it, Karr and Bartimir seemed to share the same blood.

Otherwise… How could there possibly be two people who welcomed brutal adversity with genuine happiness?

“The completion condition is to defeat the enemy on the tenth floor consecutively without giving up halfway…”

While Marlin seriously questioned whether the two were secretly related by blood, Bartimir continued speaking.

“Mom wrote this next to the hidden completion condition.’Figure it out yourselves through study.’

“Honestly… We have absolutely no idea.”

Pendrick smiled casually.

“Sir Bartimir, do you happen to know?”

“I’ve got a rough idea. I once read research records from the Mage Tower. I’d always wanted to come here and suffer through it myself.”

“…So what do you think the hidden completion condition is?”

Bartimir pondered briefly before answering.

“I think… It’s probably breaking the fastest completion record.”

“Breaking the record? That actually makes sense…”

Pendrick stroked Astrimia’s hilt, which rested inside the Artifact scabbard Hall of Swords, as he continued.

“Lord Fist King built the Tower of Trials to raise the average strength of the Northern Continent. If someone reached the tenth floor faster than anyone before… I’m sure he’d have been delighted.”

“Exactly!”

The demon with the sinister appearance pointed dramatically toward the top of the tower.

“So… We’re going to beat this era’s fastest record… Sixteen days!”

“…Won’t that be incredibly difficult?”

Even as she asked, Marlin already knew the answer didn’t matter. Someone like Karr would never be discouraged by being told something was difficult.

“Of course it’ll be unbelievably exhausting.”

Just as expected. Bartimir grinned broadly.

“That’s exactly why it’ll be fun! Let’s go!”

“…”

Marlin quietly followed behind the acting squad leader, clutching her tail with both hands.

‘…Still, I’m relieved. Because she’s like Karr.’

The same personality as Karr and nearly the same wealth of labyrinth knowledge. Bartimir would never let any expedition member die. That was the conclusion Marlin had reached through experience.

Even so… She couldn’t stop a small feeling of unease from creeping into her heart.

‘Just… how hard is this going to be…?’

She didn’t have to wait long for the answer.

“Waaahhh!”

Tower of Trials – First Floor.

Assigned the role of luring away the gigantic boar monster by herself… Marlin learned firsthand.

“Marliiin! Cry even more pitifully while you run! That way the monster will think you’re safe prey and won’t pay attention to the rest of us!”

“Waaahhhhhh!!”

Even though the era had changed… A demon was still a demon.