Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. – Chapter 147 – South Continent Expedition

Author: Cireng

Chapter 147 — South Continent Expedition — Land of Delirium (2)

I have nightmares regularly. Dreams in which my younger sibling, who died a lonely death, appears before me in a pitiful state, blaming me.

At first, they were so horrifying that even I found them unbearable. But after growing accustomed to them, they became a way to reunite, if only briefly, with the sibling I’d lost.

“How disappointing.”

I rested a hand on Marlin’s head as she looked at me with concern.

“I had high expectations, but honestly… it was far too underwhelming.”

“…Was it?”

Marlin’s tail slowly swayed. She looked as though she wanted to ask something, yet hesitated.

“Are you curious who that was just now?”

“…A little.”

“They didn’t look anything like you, and their clothes were strange too. What kind of relationship did you have?”

“You may ask me. But don’t ask anyone else.”

Patting Marlin on the back, I walked over to the party members whose unpleasant memories had just been unearthed.

Every one of them either had their brows furrowed or their eyes tightly shut.

“This mountain is frighteningly good at exploiting our psychological weaknesses. Simply asking what relationship someone had with the person who appeared as a Snow Reconstruction can deepen the wound in their heart. So be careful.”

“…Okay.”

Marlin’s ears drooped. Feeling sorry for my dejected ward, I decided to answer her question at least briefly.

“She was my younger sibling.”

“…Your sibling.”

Her curiosity seemed to grow. Marlin’s lips parted blankly. But perhaps remembering the warning I’d just given her, she refrained from asking anything further.

“Captain… are you really alright?”

Pendrick, the only one who hadn’t been subjected to a mental attack and whose complexion remained unchanged, spoke cautiously.

“If this mountain targets each person’s emotional weak points so precisely… then surely it must have been painful for you as well.”

“Well, I can’t exactly say it feels pleasant. I’ve simply grown used to it enough to endure.”

Honestly, the Hallucination status ailment I’d suffered in the World of Nightmares had been far more dangerous. Back then, even my own mind had nearly broken.

“From this point onward, Sir Pendrick and Marlin’s roles will become extremely important.”

The two of them silently tightened their lips.

“Fortunately, Sir Pendrick grew up in a loving family. You don’t have any memories capable of inducing psychological terror the way the others do. Is that correct?”

“I certainly did grow up peacefully.”

Pendrick had no painful past. Originally, tragedy would have struck him when he lost his lover. But I’d prevented that from ever happening.

“If I had to name something… Perhaps the Labyrinth Wraith I encountered in the labyrinth where I met Asmi?”

“But meeting that person isn’t something you consider a traumatic memory, is it?”

“No.”

“Then it won’t pose much of a threat. Sir Pendrick, please take the lead in eliminating any Snow Reconstructions that appear.”

The basic strategy for exploring the snowy mountain: Defeat the Snow Reconstruction before it can speak.

“The key is attacking them the instant they appear.”

“Understood!”

“It’s fortunate all the people they’re copying happen to be rather weak in combat.”

“…Wait. They imitate combat ability too?”

“Not completely. But they become as strong as roughly Level 6.”

That was why we couldn’t climb together with the Nunun Bear Love Guild. If we’d all ascended together, they probably wouldn’t have lasted even a few days before being wiped out.

“…Lord Karr.”

“Don’t worry. The mountain can’t read the memories of sentient tools like Lady Astrimia.”

If it had been capable of exploiting Astrimia’s memories, I never would’ve chosen the South Continent Expedition as a labyrinth to clear. We’d have ended up facing Snow Reconstructions that were utterly impossible for us to defeat at our current level.

“And Marlin, continue listening to every surrounding sound with Heaven Ear. Your role is extremely important.”

Marlin’s ears, sticking out from beneath her hat, twitched once.

“Once a little more time passes… You’ll naturally understand what I mean.”

“…I’ll do my best.”

“We’ll resume moving.”

“I’ll lift everyone’s spirits!”

Pendrick encouraged each of the still-frozen party members one by one until they regained their composure. A role I could never properly fill.

This was exactly why labyrinths were meant to be conquered alongside companions.

“…This feels awful.”

“I nearly collapsed from shock without realizing it.”

Thanks to our super-genius swordsman’s efforts, Bartimir and Lucius barely managed to recover their composure.

“……”

Rosalia, who had stood stiffly frozen, finally regained her usual gaze and gave Pendrick a small nod of thanks.

“Now you’ve all seen just how terrifying this mountain truly is.”

Looking around at everyone, I continued.

“You must keep your minds firmly grounded. Don’t let the snow and wind freeze your hearts.”

The latter half of the South Continent Expedition was effectively a B-rank challenge.

However… if one’s resolve to endure psychological trauma was unwavering, its difficulty dropped to C-rank or even lower.

“Now then. Let’s continue.”

***

The brutal expedition continued.

“Experimental Subject Demon-227. Why are you always so foolish and stu–”

“Shut up!”

Slash!

Pendrick severed the Snow Reconstruction’s waist before it could finish speaking.

“Rosal–”

“You’re the worst of them all!”

He dealt with any Snow Reconstruction, digging into Rosalia’s past, especially quickly. Every time one managed to open its mouth, our usually silent assassin visibly faltered.

“Sir Pendrick! At four o’clock!”

“Got it!”

Thanks to Marlin rapidly calling out enemy locations with Heaven Ear, the monsters were now dying before they even managed to speak.

Even so, the party’s mental fatigue continued piling up. Given the frigid environment, their bodies were naturally nearing their limits as well.

“…I’m getting tired.”

Lucius murmured quietly as he left another Waypoint of Protection in the snow.

“This makes the fifteenth waypoint.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“How much farther have we come?”

“One moment.”

Using Sky Invader, I estimated the location of our destination. The only place upon this pure continent that wasn’t ‘pure’. Since it wasn’t a direct detection method, it took a little time.

“We’ll need to climb for another two to four days.”

“…I see.”

Lucius rose to his feet, his knees trembling.

“Lady Artein… Please protect us so we may continue onward safely.”

The relentless expedition through the freezing wilderness continued.

Whoooooosh!!

The blizzard obscured our vision. Our bodies sank deeper. By now, the snow had piled nearly to waist height. Travel itself had become brutally difficult.

On top of that, the snowfall pouring from the heavens had become so heavy that seeing ahead was almost impossible.

BOOM!

Bartimir’s demonic energy shot forward, destroying a Snow Reconstruction before it had even fully formed.

“Ahaha! That feels sooo satisfying!”

The kind-hearted demon happily ran about, carrying Marlin, who located newly forming monsters with Heaven Ear on his back.

“You’re too fast!”

“Slow down a little…!”

“Nooo!”

“Waaah, Kaar!”

At this point, Bartimir was the only one still full of energy. The rest of the party had already become utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally, from the relentless cold.

[The surrounding environment is strangely wavering!]

‘…It’s starting.’

The Snow Reconstructions appeared more and more frequently, yet Pendrick and Bartimir continued eliminating them before they could utter a single word.

However… there was no way to prepare for the phenomenon that was about to occur.

“……”

The moment Rosalia staggered forward… the snowy mountain suddenly vanished.

A dimly lit space spread out around us. The blizzard continued unchanged. Only the scenery itself had shifted.

“Eh?”

“…Huh?”

Bartimir, who had been hopping around moments ago, landed beside me.

“Mom, what’s this?”

“The mountain’s mental assault.”

Through telepathy, I instructed Lucius to move beside Rosalia.

Crack.

Somewhere ahead, beyond our sight, bones shattered. Then screams erupted from every direction.

Slash.

“AAAAAH…”

Crunch!

“Please… save me…!”

The smell of blood filled the air. Even fouler than the Kraken’s stench.

“……”

Rosalia, already the one struggling the most… began trembling violently. An overwhelming terror filled her eyes. The very reason she’d mastered the Mystery Phantasmal Shuriken, which dredged up horrific memories, was vividly displayed before us.

‘Drip.’

A single drop of blood splashed onto Rosalia’s face.

That lone drop was enough to slowly destroy the composure of the assassin who always appeared perfectly calm.

“Lady Rosalia!”

Lucius quickly caught the assassin before she collapsed. Marlin climbed down from Bartimir’s back, her tail hanging limply.

“…Karr. What do we do in a situation like this?”

“There’s no perfect solution. We simply endure it and move forward.”

The greatest reason why the normal, clear condition of the South Continent Expedition was actually harder than the hidden one… was this very mechanic.

No matter how powerful one became, strength alone could never overcome it.

“Lady Rosalia.”

I took hold of her hand as her eyes began losing focus.

“This isn’t the Brites family’s assassin training grounds. The adorable half-elf Kar is here. And so are your dependable companions.”

“……”

Rosalia, who had been swaying, steadied herself once more.

“Can you walk?”

She nodded.

The same small nod as always… only weaker than usual.

“We’re moving.”

“Please… please! I want to live…!”

“Don’t be deceived by the delirium.”

“Mom… Dad…”

“None of this is real.”

Ignoring the cries and screams echoing from every direction, we continued walking for several minutes.

The blizzard intensified.

Kihihihit!

A bizarre laugh echoed somewhere. Part of the dim landscape transformed into a village. Undead monsters whose appearances differed little from ordinary humans were devouring the villagers alive.

“…Lady Artein.”

Supporting Rosalia, Lucius bit his lip hard.

“Come here.”

One of the undead was calmly chewing on the body of a child who looked exactly like him.

“…Everyone! Get away from me!”

A young priest whose body was slowly transforming into an undead desperately urged everyone to flee… all while splitting open an innocent middle-aged man’s skull and tearing out his brain.

It was Lucius.

“Sir Pendrick.”

“…Yes!”

Pendrick rushed over, his face completely twisted in anguish, to support the priest, clutching his head.

Meanwhile…

“Silence.”

Part of the surrounding scenery transformed into an immaculate laboratory.

“We shall resume the constitution implantation experiment. Bring in the test subject.”

“Mmph! Mmmph!”

“Shut up!”

The hulking assistant to a dark mage kicked down the gagged young demon being dragged in, then forced them onto an operating table and began injecting all manner of grotesque materials and energies into their body.

“…I knew this would be hard. But… It’s even worse than I expected.”

“You mustn’t lose yourself.”

I walked over and rested a hand upon Bartimir’s shoulder. The demon daughter, who was always so energetic, was trembling uncontrollably.

“I know it’s an illusion. I know… but…”

“You needn’t say any more.”

“Marlin. Please look after Sir Bartimir.”

“…Okay.”

Marlin wrapped both arms around the kind-hearted demon’s waist.

Whoooooosh!!

The blizzard raged even more violently. The expedition’s pace visibly slowed.

“You thieving cat!”

As if the dim wasteland, the village where undead devoured people, and the dark magic laboratory weren’t enough, the slums of District Six were added to the scenery.

“You picked the wrong house today! You little brat!”

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”

A tiger beastkin girl, caught entering what she’d believed was an abandoned house, was being beaten with a broom by its owner.

“Marlin.”

“…I’m alright.”

Marlin shook her head firmly, her eyes widening.

“Compared to what everyone else is seeing… mine is nothing. I don’t think I’ve lived a life hard enough to deserve anyone’s pity.”

“……”

Only now did I finally understand why Lucius had looked at me with such sympathy back at the Sanctuary of Repose.

“Everyone! Just endure a little longer!”

“Keep going!”

Supported by Pendrick and Astrimia’s spirited encouragement, we slowly but steadily advanced.

Then… suddenly… a new scene overlaid the world around us.

An old monastery, its floors littered with shattered mirrors.

‘Thump.’

‘Thump, thump.’

Why? Why had my heart suddenly begun pounding?

Crash!

One of the mirrors shattered.

The child standing before it sprouted grotesque arms and legs all over their body… before returning to normal as though it had all been a mirage. The priest standing nearby stroked his chin.

“Rare. But useless…. Store it anyway.”

“Yes.”

The bowing attendants led the child away.

Then… the priest turned his gaze toward me.

“You’re next.”

He wasn’t looking at me.

“……”

Behind me, a young boy stood before an ordinary wall mirror.

Golden hair. Golden eyes. A half-elf whose extraordinary beauty was already apparent despite his young age.

CRASH!!

The mirror shattered, and the boy’s entire body twisted and swelled into something indescribably grotesque… before returning to normal.

“…Remarkable.”