Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 162 - D-Rank Labyrinth: The Rainy Murder Manor (1)

Chapter 162 – D-Rank Labyrinth: The Rainy Murder Manor (1)

 

The western part of District 6 bordered District 5, where people of many different races lived.

Perhaps because of that, it was the liveliest and most crowded area in the otherwise quiet District 6.

“This way.”

Unlike the gloomy Cultist Town, this bustling district echoed with conversations everywhere, and laughter bloomed without pause.

I was walking through the crowded streets, escorting the Demon King.

“Joy and happiness are surging from every direction. A truly splendid street.”

The Nameless Demon King smiled faintly and took a light breath.

It was the demonic practice of eating on the street. While it wasn’t exactly prohibited, ordinary demons usually fed on negative concepts, so the habit wasn’t particularly welcomed. Even so, none of the townspeople dared look at the ruler of the newly born Demon Realm with discomfort.

“Wow! It’s a lion!”

A human child came running over and stared with sparkling eyes at the Demon King, who was nestled in my arms in the form of a lion cub.

“Mister! What’s its name?”

“It doesn’t have one yet.”

“Why not?”

“Because we’ve only known each other for a short while.”

“Can I pet it?”

I lowered my head slightly. The Nameless Demon King gave me a look that clearly said it was perfectly fine. He didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. Well, a young child’s innocent curiosity and interest were undeniably positive concepts.

“Would you like to pat only its head gently?”

“Okay!”

The child slowly stroked the lion cub’s dull green fur.

“Wow! It’s so soft!”

“…Milo! Come here!”

A young human man hurried over, grabbed his younger brother’s hand, and quickly pulled him away.

“Big brother, what’s wrong?”

“…That person’s the Golden Crow!”

“Eek!”

The child, who had only moments ago been looking at me with affection, clung to his brother’s leg in terror.

“Grand Duke… are you perhaps a notorious cultist?”

“That can’t be.”

“Where could you possibly find a more exemplary cultist than me…?”

Apparently, people were still using outdated parenting methods like, “If you don’t behave, the cultists will kidnap you and use you as a living sacrifice!”

“…”

“…”

We resumed walking.

Strangely enough… Every single passerby avoided even making eye contact with me.

“Hm.”

The Demon King, happily feeding all the while, frowned.

“Grand Duke. The farther we go… the more negative emotions arise.”

“Could it be because Your Majesty’s overwhelming majesty is simply too much for ordinary people to bear? It seems we’d best head to the labyrinth quickly.”

We hastened our pace and arrived at the labyrinth entrance. It was a residential district in western District 6, lined with tightly packed, narrow houses. 

Before us stood an entirely ordinary-looking home.

[Entrance to [The Rainy Murder Manor]]

“You must be Lord Karr, Cultist of Twisted Truth.”

The labyrinth management priest standing beside the door bowed politely.

“Have you come to explore the labyrinth?”

“Indeed.”

“As an honored guest of our Harmony Church, there’s no need for you to present your identification badge. You may enter immediately.”

“Thank you.”

“Though, please wait just a moment.”

I gently placed the lion cub onto the ground.

Crack… crack…

Muscles and bones twisted. The tiny lion transformed into a demon whose physique possessed the ideal proportions imaginable. I quickly retrieved clothes from my subspace and handed them over.

“…So you were a person.”

The priest flinched. Apparently, he’d had no idea the lion cub was actually a demon using a transformation Mystery.

“However… I’ll need to verify the identity of the demon accompanying you. Please present your identification badge.”

The Nameless Demon King had come straight out of a labyrinth set during the era of the Grand Temple.

Naturally… There was no way He possessed such a thing. Fortunately, Pletica was a city devoted to harmony, so they weren’t overly strict about these matters.

“He only recently arrived in Pletica. He lost the identification badge issued in another city.”

“I see.”

Now fully dressed, though in somewhat shabby clothing, the Demon King nodded energetically, his arms folded.

Everything about Him, including His appearance, drew far too much attention. So we’d decided I’d handle all interactions with other people as the Grand Duke of the newly established Demon Realm.

“To receive a new identification badge, you’ll need to visit the Artea Monastery and apply for resident registration through one of the administrative brothers or sisters of the Joyous Bell order. By the way… do you intend to become an explorer?”

“He does.”

“In that case, if you successfully clear this labyrinth, we’ll be able to issue you an explorer’s identification badge.”

A remarkably flexible policy. Very much like the Harmony Church.

“As expected… The Harmony Church, which upholds Lady Artein’s warm teachings, is truly generous toward the weak.”

“…The weak?”

The priest looked the perfectly built demon up and down. Then he smiled kindly and placed a hand over his chest.

“Society still holds many prejudices against demons. It’s a mindset that ought to be corrected as soon as possible.”

“No. I wasn’t referring to social perception. His body is weak.”

“…”

For a brief instant, the kind priest’s compassionate smile nearly cracked. But he quickly regained his composure.

“Then perhaps you’re suffering from a curse or illness.”

“You could say that.”

Because of the sealing ritual, His physical abilities had drastically deteriorated, while His true power remained sealed away. It wasn’t entirely inaccurate.

“That’s unfortunate. Please visit Artea Monastery later and receive treatment.”

“Ordinary treatment won’t cure it. Still, thank you for your concern.”

“You may now begin your exploration.”

The priest slowly opened the house’s front door.

“It’s unlikely… but do you require an explanation of the labyrinth?”

“Of course not. I already know everything.”

“Only parties of two may enter. And everyone’s physical abilities are forcibly reduced to those of an average adult human. Even Mysteries are drastically weakened.”

Like Battlefield of the Sun and Moon, this labyrinth forcibly adjusted an explorer’s combat ability. On top of that, it limited parties to only two people. Because of that, I couldn’t bring Pendrick along.

“I look forward to seeing what arrangements of Lord Artein you uncover this time as well.”

Leaving behind the priest’s expectant farewell… The Demon King and I entered together.

The interior was perfectly ordinary. A simple house whose layout and furnishings reflected none of the traits of any particular race. One that could have been found in any district of Pletica.

“So this is the entrance?”

“Let’s head upstairs first.”

We climbed to the second floor.

Once again… It appeared to be an entirely ordinary bedroom.

But unlike the first floor… Something was unmistakably strange.

Shhhhhh…

Heavy rain poured outside the window. Only moments ago, the sky had been perfectly clear without a single cloud.

“Interesting…”

The Nameless Demon King, finding His clothes uncomfortable, tore off the sleeves until He was left wearing a sleeveless shirt.

Then He approached the window. I hurried over beside Him and looked outside.

The large yard was drenched beneath the torrential rain. Several withered trees stood lonely among wildly overgrown weeds swaying in the wind.

“The scenery outside has changed. Did we enter the labyrinth when we came upstairs?”

“No.”

Shhhhhh…

“We entered the moment we looked out the window.”

At my words, the Demon King turned toward me, His eyes widening slightly. The once ordinary bedroom had become an elegant guest room. Though now covered in thick dust, it was obvious that it had once been luxurious.

 

[D-Rank Labyrinth — The Rainy Murder Manor]

[A tragic mansion abandoned after an entire family was slaughtered in a monster outbreak. The laws of the labyrinth prevent me from knowing anything beyond that.]

 

“Your Majesty. The condition for clearing this labyrinth is surviving for twenty-four hours while evading the serial killer known as the Blood-Soaked Rainstorm Trident Slayer.”

Like Nest of the Hidden Ghoul Horde, the objective was simple: Survive for a fixed amount of time.

The problem was… That time limit was an entire day.

And all while avoiding a serial murderer obsessed with slaughter… With our combat abilities reduced to those of ordinary civilians.

“My body has indeed become extremely sluggish.”

The Demon King stretched in place. Soon, His expression brightened brilliantly.

“Excellent! The sealing ritual damaged the very rank of my soul. I needed to relearn what it feels like to start anew from the very bottom.”

“Incidentally… the Blood-Soaked Rainstorm Trident Slayer possesses a soul rank of Level Four.”

“A perfect opponent!”

[If you don’t lower your voice, that so-and-so Slayer will come charging over in no time!]

A companion who lacked caution.

In a horror story… He’d have been gruesomely murdered before long, filling both protagonist and audience with overwhelming terror.

Of course… It would have been rude to ask the ruler of the newly born Demon Realm to lower His voice.

“Grand Duke. What should we do now?”

The Rainy Murder Manor belonged to the Horror category of labyrinths. But to the Demon King… It was a little more than a children’s courage test.

No matter how much we ran away… It was unlikely to generate any meaningful positive emotions.

“Please make a loud noise in the hallway. The Slayer will come almost immediately.”

That was why I’d deliberately planned a route where we would confront him head-on instead of hiding timidly.

“Surely Your Majesty needn’t trouble Yourself by wandering around personally in search of a mere serial killer?”

“A fair point. Very well. Let’s begin.”

Bang!

The Nameless Demon King lightly stomped one foot before striding confidently toward the bedroom door and throwing it wide open.

The hallway beyond lay shrouded in darkness.

Twitch.

A gloomy environment wrapped in the silent stillness beloved by Lriria. It felt as though the murderer might emerge from the darkness at any moment… Painting everything crimson with blood and filling the mansion with screams.

“The Slayer is probably wandering somewhere in this mansion searching for victims. Because of the labyrinth’s rules, we’re currently ordinary visitors who’ve stumbled into an abandoned manor…”

“Enough with the background explanation. I have no desire to remain long in a place overflowing with nothing but negative concepts.”

The Demon King lightly tapped my head. Then demonic energy gathered around His fist.

“Come before me at once, you mad butcher!”

BOOM!

His fist, wrapped in demonic energy, slammed into the wall.

Because of the labyrinth’s gimmick, His physical strength had been reduced to that of an ordinary civilian. 

The wall remained completely undamaged. But the sound echoed thunderously.

A few moments later…

Drip.

The sound of a water droplet suddenly echoed from the far end of the hallway.

Drip… drip…

The faint sound steadily drew closer.

Drip… drip… drip…

Then… Water suddenly began leaking from the ceiling. The entire hallway ceiling was soaked. Soon, the floor became flooded as well. Humidity rapidly rose. Water fell in sheets, almost like rain itself.

“…”

Finally… A masked human bearing an intricate pattern slowly approached while dragging a bloodstained trident across the floor.

 

[Blood-Soaked Rainstorm Trident Slayer (Probably Level 4?)]

[Anyway, he looks incredibly strong, so be careful!]

 

The absolute danger of The Rainy Murder Manor. He was deliberately designed to be unbeatable in a direct confrontation.

Ordinarily… The moment water began dripping from the ceiling, you were supposed to flee immediately.

“Not bad. This one’s reasonably competent.”

The Nameless Demon King calmly walked toward the approaching Trident Slayer.

“I’ll grant you the first move. Come.”

“…”

Silently… The killer gripped his trident with both hands.

Rain cascading from the ceiling spiraled upward… Transforming into dozens of watery daggers.

Shrrrkk!

The blades of water shot toward us. Instinctively, I almost leapt forward to block them with my body… Then stopped. Because the Demon King simply stood there without the slightest intention of dodging.

“Your Majesty…?”

Could it be… Were He the same type of person as I was?

One person specialized in taking attacks… The other specialized in overwhelming offense. That kind of combination worked well together.

Papapapak!

But every single watery dagger veered around the Demon King. Not one struck Him. Instead, they embedded themselves into the walls and floor. As though they dared not wound His sacred body.

“…”

The killer showed no hesitation. He thrust the trident straight forward. 

An honest attack. But all the more difficult to evade because of its speed.

Stab!

The three-pronged spear pierced the Demon King’s body.

“Hahaha!”

No. He had clearly been stabbed. Yet in the very next instant… He was gripping the shaft of the trident, stopping it cold. 

An astonishing defensive technique. He had changed the very result itself. The labyrinth had drastically weakened Mysteries… Yet He still displayed an absurd miracle.

[What in the world just happened? Even the Wise One can’t hide His amazement!]

“It seems… the labyrinth’s rules caused me to misjudge.”

The Demon King grinned. A smile more innocent than any child’s.

“This spearman who manipulates water… is not without skill.”

I could feel it. The Demon King’s heart was steadily filling with positive emotions.

“Now then! Show me your true abilities! Delight me! Push me to my limits! Make me face death! Make me shudder at the thought that I might actually lose!”

Excitement. That uplifting feeling that swelled within you before doing something you loved.

Deep inside… I felt relieved.

‘He won’t be disappointed.’

The Demon King was a healthy, well-adjusted demon who regarded battle itself as something positive. Which meant… There was absolutely no chance He’d spend this labyrinth running away from a serial killer.

“Come! Attack me again!”

From this moment onward… The genre of this labyrinth had become Action.