Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 164

Chapter 164 – D-Rank Labyrinth: The Rainy Murder Manor (3)

 

A hidden room within the abandoned manor.

I was hanging upside down, tightly bound to a slanted steel slab.

Stab.

The taciturn masked Slayer lightly jabbed my abdomen with his trident.

“Gaaaah! Aaaargh!”

I deliberately screamed at the top of my lungs in agony. After all, killers obsessed with slaughter usually enjoyed this sort of reaction, didn’t they?

Wanting to give him an even more satisfying performance, I twisted my body as well. Blood began trickling from the three puncture wounds.

Drip.

A single drop of blood fell onto the floor.

“…”

The Slayer slowly approached and positioned my upside-down head so that it hung inside a bucket. Judging from the overwhelming smell of blood, he clearly hadn’t cleaned it properly after using it before.

“So the idea is that once the bucket fills with blood, I’ll suffocate to death, correct?”

I wiggled my bare toes as I spoke.

“A truly ingenious murder method. What kind of experiences did you have in the past to come up with something like this?”

“…”

No response. Even when Rosalia and I weren’t close yet, she’d at least answer with her eyes or a nod. This person refused communication altogether.

Of course… a conversation could still continue even if it was completely one-sided.

“How about using your creativity for something that benefits the world? If you head over to District 1 or District 3, there are plenty of craftsmen willing to pay good money for truly original ideas.”

“…”

Smack!

The Slayer struck my thigh with the shaft of his trident.

“Haha. His Majesty the Demon King’s criticism was spot on. Your attacks are certainly powerful, but they’re missing something. Would you like me to tell you what?”

Naturally, no answer came. Turning away coldly, the Slayer dipped the bloodied trident into a large fish tank and gave it a rough rinse.

“Excuse me, but could you wash the bucket too? It smells awful.”

“…”

The bucket blocked my vision, but I could hear the scraping sound of him dragging a chair across the floor. He intended to sit there… and leisurely watch me die.

“Would you like me to teach you a wholesome hobby?”

Committing murder simply for pleasure. As an exemplary cultist who pursued stimulation and dopamine without inconveniencing others, I could only find it regrettable.

“Or perhaps I could tell you how to relieve your emotional instability and anxiety? The answer is faith. Since you enjoy killing, how about serving Lriria, the Watcher of Lonely Silence?”

Twitch.

“…”

Receiving absolutely no reaction whatsoever made things rather awkward. The sort of silence that made me want to lock Rosalia in a room with him and leave.

Shhhhhh…

Perhaps because we were near an exterior wall, the sound of heavy rain echoed vividly.

Meanwhile, the blood had risen high enough to dye my hair completely red. Before the unfortunate event of becoming a Blood Raven by having my eyes turn scarlet as well, I calculated the remaining time.

‘About fifteen minutes after getting stabbed, wasn’t it?’

A sort of mini-quest where your kidnapped companion had to be rescued within the time limit. Since you had to evade the Slayer while finding this hidden location, it was practically guaranteed to fail on your first attempt… another mission reflecting the developers’ perverted tendencies.

The only difference from the game was… that I was the kidnapped heroine.

“Ah, my prince. When will you come rescue me?”

The bucket continued filling with blood, little by little. It was almost about to cover my eyes.

As I quietly watched the blood steadily drip down… I suddenly realized something important.

“I can’t just stay like this.”

[That’s an obvious statement. If you stay like this, you’ll die.]

“No, that’s not what I mean. These days, even kidnapped princesses get criticized if they don’t at least try to escape. The world’s become so harsh.”

[Honestly….]

“Mr. Slayer. Wouldn’t it be more entertaining for you if I desperately struggled to escape?”

After all… the exhilaration of overcoming hardship was doubled when both the one inflicting it and the one enduring it enjoyed themselves.

Out of courtesy, I ought to attempt an escape.

First, I secreted Kraken mucus onto the parts where my arms, legs, and waist touched the steel restraints.

Sssss…

A terrible smell accompanied the sizzling as the metal began dissolving. But although smoke rose… the restraints remained intact.

Crackle!

I attempted to transform my body into lightning using [Black Lightning Blossom]. However, because Mysteries were weakened by the labyrinth’s gimmick, only black static electricity flickered.

Then… what about this?

Crackle.

I created a sphere of black lightning near my face and was just about to shove it into my mouth…

“…”

The Slayer manipulated water to knock the sphere away.

“To notice that… Impressive.”

Well… if someone wasn’t quick-witted, becoming a serial killer would be difficult. Running away from those who looked strong and preying upon those who looked weak required sharp instincts. As I nodded approvingly while hanging upside down, the Slayer stuffed a foul-smelling sock into my mouth.

“…”

Escaping via [Sin: Gluttony] had failed. I tried various other methods as well.

None worked.

There was absolutely no way out. Helplessness and anxiety washed over me.

“…Mmph… mm.”

A laugh escaped. My heart, which had grown somewhat indifferent lately, pounded vigorously. I instinctively twisted my body again, fully realizing that… at this rate, I would die.

Your Majesty… Are you enjoying your meal? I’m teaching life a proper lesson.

[For the sake of your mental health, after this difficult expedition, I truly think you should experience at least one relaxing labyrinth….]

It was a somewhat inconvenient suggestion. But it was also undeniably correct. From now on, I should periodically visit labyrinths that didn’t suit my tastes as a sort of dopamine detox, and enjoy peaceful explorations.

Just… after this one exciting expedition.

“Hup!”

Falsethy received my intentions and sprang into action. Soon after, I sensed the Slayer swinging his trident.

“Hahaha! That’s not how you use a spear!”

“…”

Crash!

Smash!

Furniture shattered. The fish tank exploded. The trident swept wildly through every corner of the room.

“What exactly are you attacking? I’m just an illusion!”

While Falsethy busily entertained the Slayer, I generated black lightning around my mouth and burned away the sock stuffed inside.

“I’m off!”

Falsethy returned to my left eye. I licked the blood running down my face and said,

“You really are terrible with a spear.”

“…”

Stab.

Without saying a word, the Slayer thrust the trident into my chest.

A pain so intense my vision blurred. Blood streamed from the six holes now puncturing my chest and abdomen. But before long… the bleeding stopped.

[Thanks to the effects of [Life · Reverse · Cycle], your “Vitality” has increased by 3!]

Even though it had been drastically weakened, [Life · Reverse · Cycle] still raised my Vitality by three, healing every one of my wounds.

“…”

The Slayer remained motionless for a moment. Then he began stabbing me again.

First, my shoulder. Then my thigh. My side. My forearm. My calf. One hole after another.

There was unmistakable emotion behind those attacks.

[All of your wounds have completely healed!]

Naturally… every hole disappeared. The Mysteries of the Lord of Silence were truly this powerful.

Stab. Stab. Stab.

Despite personally witnessing every wound heal perfectly, he kept stabbing me with the trident.

“Are you… angry?”

“…”

“Come on. You’re definitely angry.”

“…”

“Honestly… it’s rather amusing.”

Blood flowed into my nostrils, making me cough briefly before continuing.

“I never imagined the great Warrior of the Azure Sea would become angry because of a mere powerless civilian.”

The moment those words left my mouth… the continuous pain suddenly ceased.

I cautiously looked upward. The trident, which had been about to stab my groin, had stopped.

“…”

The Slayer removed the bucket and looked down at me. The special properties of his mask concealed his eyes. Yet the way he clenched his teeth alone made his emotions perfectly obvious.

“Shall I guess what you’re thinking? ‘Gasp! How in the world did this handsome half-elf figure out who I am?’ That’s the correct answer, isn’t it?”

“…”

The Slayer lowered the trident, its tip pointing directly at my face. With the bucket gone, a clear opening had appeared.

“Lord Su’eje. Forgive me.”

Whoosh!

I shot out my tongue, wrapping it around the Slayer’s body.

Then, through my tongue, I discharged the excessive demonic energy that had accumulated from overusing [Life · Reverse · Cycle].

Fwooooosh!

The combination AKarr had spoiled… [Bewildering Tongue] and [Wicked Freezing Wind].

“…!”

The labyrinth’s gimmick weakened every Mystery. However, I was wearing the Extreme Ice Imperial Clan’s ring artifact, [Brrr, So Cold], which enhanced ice-attribute Mysteries.

The masked killer’s head froze slightly. Not enough to kill him… only enough to cause some discomfort.

Slice!

The trident severed my long tongue.

“…”

The Slayer struck his own mask, shattering the ice. Then he gripped the trident with both hands. [Whirling Raindrop] gathered around the tip. 

Before the trident could pierce me again, I used the telekinesis of [The Hand That Grips the World] to hurl the bucket.

Bang!

The bucket flew into his mask. Fragrant half-elf blood splashed everywhere. The mysterious patterns painted upon the mask were obscured.

“…!”

The Slayer… who had been moments away from skewering me… suddenly froze.

Ripples spread outward from the mask. His entire body writhed and twisted.

“Huuugh!”

Breathing roughly, he frantically wiped the blood from the mask.

The movements were violent. Convulsive. Seeing that he appeared to need help, I began pulling on the mask with telekinesis.

“Huff… huff…!”

Desperately holding the mask with one hand, the Slayer swung his trident with the other. The blades raked across my body like claws, breaking my telekinetic grip.

Thunk!

He drove the trident into my body once more. His hands trembled.

“So that’s it. You vent the anger festering in your heart through murder. That’s extremely unhealthy. If you relieve stress through increasingly stimulating acts, you’ll eventually only find satisfaction in things that are even more extreme.”

Speaking as a half-elf psychological counselor, I offered advice based on experience.

“Let’s gradually reduce the stimulation. Instead of killing people, try hunting monsters. Or perhaps use one of those illusion-based virtual worlds sold by any Magic Tower and kill enemies there…”

While I diligently provided unlicensed counseling without a certificate, the Slayer tightened his grip on the trident.

Had he abandoned the original plan… that wonderfully creative murder method of using my own blood to kill me? It was regrettable to witness creativity collapsing in real time after crashing into the wall of reality.

“…Heh.”

Suppressing my laughter, I watched as the trident pierced not only me… but also the steel slab to which I was bound. The blades remained embedded. Even [Life · Reverse · Cycle] could no longer heal the wound.

I was… about to die.

BOOM!!

…If my prince hadn’t come to save me.

“Princess Karr! I have come to rescue you!”

Grrrrr!

Five lion monsters burst through the entrance to the hidden room, charging straight at the Slayer.

Startled, the killer withdrew his trident and spun it rapidly.

The summoned beasts were also affected by the labyrinth’s gimmick. The Demon King’s weakened lions were annihilated by a single strike.

Crash!

But they had bought enough time. The Demon King’s fist smashed squarely into the Slayer’s mask.

Round Two had begun.

“This time shall be different. Thanks to you… I’ve had my fill of positive experiences!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A relentless barrage of punches followed. Each impact sounded like solid rock striking flesh. Just as the Slayer, now driven back against the wall, attempted to swing his trident… a fist wrapped in dense demonic energy slammed into his solar plexus.

KRAAAASH!!

The wall exploded apart, sending the Slayer flying outside into the pouring rain.

“Are you alright?”

The Demon King casually tore away the steel restraints and lifted me into His arms.

Looking at Him up close, His broad smile was incomparably brighter than before we had entered the labyrinth.

“To think I’d have to wander about rescuing a kidnapped companion while trapped in such a weakened body! So this is why you love labyrinths so much?”

“Exactly.”

A place where one could experience things impossible in ordinary life. That was why I couldn’t help loving labyrinths.

“The expedition isn’t over yet.”

“Indeed.”

Still carrying me in His arms, the Demon King leapt outside.

“…”

Amid the torrential rain, the Slayer slowly rose back to his feet. There was no need to explain that the Slayer became stronger wherever water was present.

After all…

“Hahahaha!”

The exhilarated Demon King was growing stronger every second as well. With a deep sense of fulfillment, I nodded.

May labyrinths endure forever.