Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. – Chapter 125 – B-Rank Labyrinth: Tower of Trials (1)

Author: Cireng

Chapter 125 — B-Rank Labyrinth: Tower of Trials (1)

The Tower of Trials was a labyrinth that recreated not only the tower itself, but also the wasteland surrounding the city of Disolum, where the tower stood.

After entering the labyrinth, Team Two of the Moonlight Expedition found ourselves standing in the desolate plains characteristic of the Northern Continent.

[B-Rank Labyrinth – Tower of Trials]

[Due to the labyrinth’s rules, explorers become trainees who cultivate both body and mind. Even if you choose not to challenge the tower’s trials, you won’t be living comfortably.]

“It looks like Team One has already headed toward the tower. Shall we go as well?”

Together with Abel and Rosalia, I began walking toward the city.

As we walked, I explained the labyrinth’s rules that they needed to know beforehand.

“In the Tower of Trials, explorers become trainees.”

As I spoke, I pointed to the green clover badge that had somehow appeared on each of our shoulders.

“This is the symbol proving one’s status as a trainee.”

[Leaf of Discipline]

[An item distributed under the leadership of the Orc High Chieftain, the former ruler of the Northern Continent, and Fist King Graik, signifying one’s status as a trainee. Other than distinguishing genuine badges from counterfeits, it is nothing more than an ordinary accessory.]

“Oh? Lady Rosalia, you don’t know what a ‘trainee’ is?”

“…”

The taciturn assassin quickly shook her head.

She was probably too shy to admit what she was thinking aloud, so I kindly decided to satisfy her curiosity.

“The time period of this labyrinth is immediately after the Baltelium Empire completed its conquest of the Three Continents. Back then, there was a custom throughout the Northern Continent that everyone, upon turning sixteen, would leave home and wander the land as part of their training. Those people were called trainees.”

It was a passionate training movement born from the painful past of the Northern Continent being utterly crushed beneath the Baltelium Empire’s military might.

The trainees wandered everywhere, fighting others, subjugating monsters, entering labyrinths, and tempering both body and mind.

“I’ve read about that in books.”

Abel quietly spoke while narrowing his eyes slightly.

“Once someone became a trainee, they had to continue wandering until they accomplished a feat that everyone would acknowledge.”

“You know your history.”

Unlike his older sister, Abel diligently continued increasing his Knowledge stat.

I gently ruffled his hair.

“But around two hundred years after the time period depicted in this labyrinth, corrupt trainees gradually began appearing.”

As a result, an enraged descendant of the Fist King eventually organized a grand martial tournament with the goal of beating every last trainee into submission.

If we ever entered the A-Rank labyrinth located in District One, we could participate.

“Pletica’s labyrinths really are incredibly diverse…”

Abel’s face lit up slightly. Even back when he lived in the slums, he’d dreamed of becoming an explorer.

“I’m curious why so many labyrinths exist specifically in Pletica.”

“Really?”

I stopped walking. That was delightful to hear.

“Are you really curious? You want to know the detailed mechanics?”

When I asked casually, Abel hurriedly shook his head.

“…That explanation would obviously be incredibly long. I’ll listen another time when we’re outside the labyrinth and have more leisure.”

“…I see.”

Feeling somewhat disappointed, I looked at Rosalia.

“Lady Rosalia, aren’t you curious?”

“…”

The cold-hearted assassin once again firmly shook her head.

“It’s actually really interesting… Very well.”

Putting the explanation off for another day, we continued walking until we reached the entrance to Disolum, the city surrounding the tower.

Although officially classified as a city, it wasn’t particularly prosperous. It was really closer to a slightly oversized village.

“In the Northern Continent, there aren’t any dreary procedures like inspections before entering a city. So we can simply walk in.”

As we entered, rough-looking buildings stood scattered throughout without any particular order. In the Northern Continent, the land of savagery and struggle, carefully planned city layouts were considered a luxury.

“You said we’d be fighting outlaws.”

After looking around the city once, Abel tugged lightly on my sleeve.

“Where exactly are we planning to fight? And are just the three of us really enough?”

Perhaps because he hadn’t yet received much combat instruction, he looked slightly anxious. His tail swayed uneasily.

“Of course.”

To reassure him, I proudly gestured toward Rosalia with both hands.

“We have Lady Rosalia right here. The strongest assassin among the Deep Shadows, personally assigned to protect Young Master Odilon, the second son of House Brites. What exactly are you worried about?”

“…”

Rosalia stared at me before slowly shaking her head.

The meaning was obvious.

“My, my. Looks like I’ll have to show my little brother what I can do.”

Abel chuckled softly before looking back toward the city.

“Sir Pendrick says something all the time. He says you’d never throw us into danger without having a plan.”

“I understand what you’re trying to say. But you picked the wrong example. Our super-genius swordsman is the sort of person who’d trust someone unconditionally even if they hadn’t earned that trust.”

If it weren’t for the skeptical Astrimia, he’d probably have been tricked by outlaws already and dragged into labyrinth expeditions as a disposable human shield.

“…Anyway. I’ll trust you, Patron. Like I always have.”

“Thank you.”

After thoroughly messing up Abel’s hair, I continued walking through the streets. There was something we needed to do before Pierre and the Hyena Guild outlaws arrived.

“First… How about we go shopping?”

Naturally, one had to prepare thoroughly before receiving distinguished guests.

***

We arrived at Disolum’s marketplace.

“…This is the market?”

The moment we entered the market street, one corner of Abel’s mouth twitched upward.

“This feels more like… An arena.”

Crunch!

No sooner had Abel spoken than an orc citizen collapsed in a spray of blood.

“If you’re unhappy… Train harder.”

The troll shopkeeper dusted off his hands and calmly sat back down on his mat. The orc’s crime had been attempting to haggle despite being weaker.

Similar scenes were unfolding throughout the marketplace.

“The people getting knocked down are all trainees. I can see that… They’re all wearing badges like ours.”

Rosalia casually rolled the unconscious orc off to one side.

“What exactly is happening here?”

“Back then, there was a popular belief that every experience a trainee went through was itself a form of training.”

Fist King Graik, who had spearheaded the great training movement, firmly believed that training that didn’t resemble actual combat was meaningless. Because of that, trainees approached even ordinary daily life as though it were training. And the citizens enthusiastically played along.

Price negotiations were settled not with words, but with combat. Meals were naturally obtained through hunting and gathering. Money was earned by knocking down anyone who caught your eye.

“Back then, in the Northern Continent, nobody punished citizens for beating trainees. On the contrary… They’d be showered with praise for helping someone train.”

In short… The entire Northern Continent had become one gigantic training facility.

“So then, Abel.”

I proudly puffed out my chest while looking over the bustling marketplace.

“Isn’t it amazing? An era where everyday life itself became rigorous training.”

Every single day was filled with stimulation and adrenaline. There wasn’t a single dull moment. It truly was an age when paradise had descended upon the earth.

“Then… Does ‘corrupt trainee’ refer to…?”

“Exactly. They were cowards who refused to accept a life filled with struggle, ignored reality, and avoided fighting and hunting despite being trainees.”

“…”

Abel’s ears drooped slightly.

“…So even without entering the tower, this labyrinth doesn’t let you relax.”

“Correct. Very smart. If this had been Marlin, it would’ve taken two more explanations before she figured it out.”

Labyrinths weren’t kind to explorers. Which was precisely why they were such wonderful places.

“Now that we’ve gotten a worthwhile history lesson… Shall we begin?”

First, we approached the troll who had beaten the orc earlier.

“Hmm. What a strange group. Interesting.”

The troll shopkeeper stood and looked down at us arrogantly.

“Me sell all herbs. Five gold.”

After looking them over, they were worth maybe three silver at most. An utterly absurd markup. Naturally, such outrageous prices applied only to trainees. Which meant it was time to haggle.

“Big Sister.”

“…”

Rosalia disappeared for an instant. Then reappeared beside the troll.

BAM!

A perfect roundhouse kick landed squarely in his ribs. The troll collapsed without even managing a scream.

“…Amazing.”

The troll immediately jumped back to his feet, smiling brightly.

“Everything. One silver!”

“Thank you.”

Combat-oriented shopping. A unique experience that could only be enjoyed inside the Tower of Trials.

I loved it so much that back when I played Berserker Ymir, I’d often come here just for this.

“Abel. Pick out anything useful. We’ll be using it for cooking.”

“…Yes.”

We made one full circuit around the market, buying all sorts of ingredients for incredibly low prices.

“…”

During that time, Rosalia suddenly stopped in front of a stall selling poisonous insect monsters as pets.

The poison-loving assassin stared directly into my eyes.

“Absolutely not. If the young master finds out, you’ll get into serious trouble.”

“…Your house.”

“You want me to keep them at my house? Hmm…”

“Ugh. I object.”

“So he says.”

“…”

Rosalia’s ears drooped slightly.

“We’ve finished shopping.”

After enjoying our aggressive shopping spree, my subspace was filled with every imaginable ingredient.

[Now you’ll be able to offer tributes with an even wider variety of flavors! :D]

“Now we’ll head to the place where we’ll quietly wait and lure in the outlaws.”

I led my companions onward. Our destination was a restaurant near the city’s outskirts.

Aside from the walls and floors being made of packed earth that embodied the Northern Continent’s rugged aesthetic, nothing about it particularly stood out.

“Welcome.”

A human waiter wearing a bored expression approached… then immediately swung a mace at us.

CRACK!

Rosalia reacted before he even got close, driving an upward kick directly into his jaw. The waiter tumbled backward before staggering back to his feet.

“Such a splendid strike…! All meals will be half price for you, honored guests.”

“…The Northern Continent during this era really isn’t easy to adapt to.”

I gently patted Abel’s shoulder before placing our order.

“Four whole onions coated in nose-searing sauce. Three plates of whatever grilled meat you have. And five servings of spirit herb salad mixed with poison.”

“…Understood.”

The waiter flinched briefly before hurrying into the kitchen.

Tap.

Rosalia lightly nudged me before tilting her head.

“You want to know why he was surprised? It was a sort of password.”

The hidden piece outside the Tower of Trials. Ordering food at this restaurant in a specific numerical combination.

“Ordering them in the sequence 4-3-5 activates the hidden piece.”

“…So the actual dishes didn’t matter?”

“That’s right.”

“Then why order onions covered in nose-burning sauce…?”

“Because they’re delicious.”

If only they’d had whole raw onions smothered in wasabi, it would’ve been even better. Unfortunately, Northern Continental cuisine at this point in history hadn’t developed very far.

“Honored guests.”

The waiter soon returned and placed three small accessories on the table. An upside-down clover. Badges that simply reversed the orientation of the Leaf of Discipline.

“Take these with you.”

“Understood.”

“I’ll prepare your food immediately!”

After waiting for the waiter to hurry away, I handed the inverted clover badges to Abel and Rosalia.

“This labyrinth is nothing but mysteries. What exactly are these?”

Attaching the badge beside my Leaf of Discipline, I answered,

“Beneath this city’s ground lies a gigantic underground waterway left behind by an ancient civilization. This is essentially an admission ticket.”

“…An underground waterway?”

“That’s right. Its proper name is…”

Just then, the food we’d ordered arrived.

I took a bite from the onion coated in purple sauce that belonged to me before speaking.

“The Trial Sewers. A C-Rank labyrinth.”