Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 167 - If It's Going to Be Safe, Then Why Challenge It?

Chapter 167 – If It’s Going to Be Safe, Then Why Challenge It?

 

I was falling from the sky.

“Waaaaaaah! We’re free-falling the instant we enter?!”

This was how you entered Sky Village. If you lightly bit the entrance carrot with only your lips, you would immediately be transported high into the sky, with the ground impossibly far below.

Falling alongside me, the two demons shouted.

“This is awesomeee!”

“…Of all things, it had to be the height I dislike the most!”

One was expressing a positive emotion.

The other, a negative one.

In other words, each was reacting in a way beneficial to the other.

“How much longer are we going to keep falling?!”

“Grand Duke Karr, do something!”

The Demon King grabbed my waist tightly in midair. Although His muscles had become much smaller than in His original form, His presence remained just as imposing.

“Haha. You have wings, so what exactly are you worried about? In any case, please wait just a moment.”

No matter how unfriendly labyrinths might be toward explorers, they seldom tried to kill you the moment you entered. Unfortunately, this cultist had started by exploring one of those extremely rare exceptions…

Fweee!

Accompanied by a lovely chirp, a giant long-tailed tit flew beneath us and caught us on its back.

“Is everyone alright?”

The rider sitting near its neck while holding the reins spoke to us. A brown-skinned elf wearing flight goggles.

 

[Sturdy Long-tailed Tit Rider Sylphren (Fire Elf, 177 years old). An explorer belonging to the Interracial Association’s “Sky Flight Corps.” A speed freak who enjoys recklessly flying around atop the monster bird he personally tamed.]

 

(TL Note: Truthy here! Just Google it first, okay? Don’t let your depraved mind fool you. (￣▽￣;))

 

“Thank you for saving us.”

After straightening Bartimir’s windblown hair, I thanked him.

Sylphren merely chuckled and waved dismissively.

“No need. Actually, even if I hadn’t come, the Cushion Wind around here would’ve safely guided you into the village.”

“What? Then why’d you bother rescuing us?”

In response to Bartimir’s question, Sylphren flashed a thumbs-up.

“Because I needed an excuse to fly at full speed!”

Fweee!

The avian monster, the sturdy long-tailed tit, lightly raised one wing while flying, following its master’s enthusiasm.

Reficul’s face turned pale as He spoke with a trembling voice.

“High-speed flight… I trust you realize that such behavior is hardly commendable.”

His gentle manner of speaking reflected the Celestial disposition to remain kind in any circumstance. Yet even so, His dignity as the Demon King remained unmistakable.

“However… You clearly possess great passion for ‘speed.’ In that case, I have no objections. Provided everyone enjoys themselves safely and without injury.”

“Then… may I increase our speed just a little more?”

“…Captain Karr!”

Reficul… who had agreed to call me “Captain” whenever other people were around… opened His eyes wide.

For someone who practically embodied positivity, that expression was astonishingly… negative. I had discovered what was perhaps His only weakness.

“Hoo! I can’t hold back anymore!”

“We’ll just circle the sky a few more times at top speed!”

Sylphren declared it as though there were no room for discussion. Sensing the positive emotion behind his longing for speed, the Demon King found Himself unable to refuse.

“…Your passion burns so brightly. I cannot bring myself to dampen it.”

“Very well. Only two laps.”

“…J-just… a little slower, if possible.”

“Hyah! et’s go, Bingi!”

Fweee!

The sturdy long-tailed tit… whose specialty was high-speed flight… beat its wings excitedly and shot through the sky. As the rushing wind battered us, the speed-loving Association member happily spoke.

“You really did come looking for the Sky Flight Corps, right? Surely you’re not here after Sky Village’s rewards?”

“Of course, we came to meet all of you.”

“I knew it!”

There was hardly any reason to pursue Sky Village’s rewards.

The reward, Windstones, had once been an extremely valuable special material six hundred years ago… during the era in which this labyrinth was set.

Nowadays, however, alchemists mass-produced them with ease. Their value had collapsed to the point where you could buy ten of them for a single silver coin.

“Let’s save the detailed conversation until we reach the village!”

Fweee!

Flying at tremendous speed, the sturdy long-tailed tit completed exactly two laps around the broad sky, as Repicul had requested, before heading toward the labyrinth’s central settlement.

A fairly large village, formed from numerous floating islands suspended in midair through the use of Windstones… which themselves were the labyrinth’s clear reward.

This place was known as… Sky Village.

“Refreshing winds, Sylphren!”

“Refreshing winds!”

After warmly greeting several villagers, Sylphren landed the sturdy long-tailed tit on a tiny floating plot near the edge of the village.

There was only a single wooden house and a small vegetable garden.

“We’ve arrived!”

“Phew…”

Sweating profusely, the fake Celestial weakly stepped onto solid ground. He remained bent over with His hands on His knees for a moment, so I gently patted His back.

“Are you alright?”

“…My stomach feels somewhat worse. But in exchange, my mind has experienced something wonderfully refreshing. A rather unique experience.”

He wasn’t merely saying that. The dark expression on His face gradually brightened.

“No one can spend life doing only what suits their tastes. Even Talendros, who governs every fortune beneath the heavens, taught that truth. Since I have now experienced something harmful to myself… the next fortune to roll my way shall surely be all the greater!”

Reficul straightened up, raising his clenched fist triumphantly.

“Thinking of the joy that awaits makes even this discomfort feel pleasant!”

The most grandiose praise of motion sickness imaginable. Someone capable of transforming suffering into joy like this… perhaps that was why, despite being a mutant so despised by demons, He had still become Demon King.

“…That aside. Please help support me. Sir Bartimir, would you?”

“Okay!”

Supporting the wobbling Reficul, we followed Sylphren into the wooden house.

Inside was a modest office. The Sky Flight Corps occasionally used it to write reports regarding their Coexistence Society activities.

“So then… What brings you here? Are you applying to join the Sky Flight Corps?”

Removing his goggles, Sylphren served us some simple snacks.

Crunch.

While shelling and eating a blue peanut, I answered.

“We’re currently doing the Coexistence Tour.”

The Coexistence Tour. An activity where outsiders experienced the various Coexistence Societies within the Interracial Association.

Each completed experience earned a stamp. Collecting ten or more allowed participants to exchange them for increasingly generous rewards.

“The Coexistence Tour! So you’re not Association members?”

“Officially speaking… that’s correct.”

Smiling, I continued.

“But aren’t all of us non-human races prospective members of the Interracial Association?”

“Haha! Absolutely!”

“Our goal is to collect ten stamps through the Coexistence Tour and exchange them for the Association Membership Pass.”

“Then I absolutely have to help!”

The Fire Elf’s eyes burned with enthusiasm. It seemed the Association’s philosophy… ‘Love everyone except humans’… was in full effect.

“Would you like to start your experience immediately?”

“Let’s do it.”

“Just wait here a moment!”

The now noticeably excited elf dashed outside. 

Quietly munching on blue peanuts, Bartimir poked my arm.

“Did you use the Coexistence Tour as an excuse because you thought that speed freak would get suspicious otherwise?”

“Not really. I’ve genuinely wanted to try it at least once.”

The Association Membership Pass was nice, but the rewards for collecting over fifty stamps were exceptionally generous.

Besides, the activities themselves were wonderful sources of stimulation. How could anyone resist things like:  an Inferno Marathon,  disrupting a witches’ gathering,  infiltrating a pit full of insects,  or a bare-knuckle fighting tournament?

“That said… It’s also true that we needed a natural way to approach Sir Brightfeather without making him uncomfortable.”

“So he’s kind of shy around strangers?”

“Something along those lines.”

As I kept slipping peanuts into Bartimir’s mouth, Sylphren returned.

He carried two wing-shaped devices in his arms.

 

[Masterpiece – Sky Flight Corps Wings]

[Allows the wearer to fly through the sky.]

 

“First, each of you should put these on!”

Sylphren held the wings out before us. His shoulders bounced excitedly, his breathing quickening. The joy of an experienced veteran discovering eager beginners practically radiated from him.

We stepped outside the office and fastened the wing apparatuses onto our backs. Reficul already possessed Celestial wings, so only Bartimir and I needed them.

“Naturally, the experience offered by the Sky Flight Corps is… Flying!”

Climbing onto the sturdy long-tailed tit waiting outside, the speed-crazed elf pointed toward the distant horizon.

“We’ll first do some simple flight practice. Then we’ll hunt the monster flocks that periodically approach the village!”

“Whoa, we even get to hunt?”

“…We’re hunting as well?”

The two demons’ moods shot off in completely opposite directions.

Quietly, I leaned toward Reficul and whispered.

“If you’re uncomfortable, you may remain here.”

“No! If my body suffers once more today… Then the fortune waiting to roll toward me later shall become even greater! I shall go!”

[Doubt – Perhaps positivity at that level is actually a symptom of mental illness!]

“Shall we depart?”

Sylphren looked as though he could barely restrain himself from flying immediately.

“I’ll explain how to use the wings!”

Flapping both hands like wings, the Fire Elf pointed at his back with a thumbs-up.

“First, imagine yourself flying. Then calmly project your intent into the wings. And don’t worry, even if you fail and fall, the emergency safety device between the wings will activate.”

“…Hmm. That’s actually a little disappointing.”

“…What?”

“Shouldn’t there be a genuine risk of crashing into the ground? Wouldn’t that make the achievement of ‘successful flight’ shine even brighter?”

A safe challenge. It was a phrase every bit as meaningless as: “An expedition that doesn’t risk death.”

If there were no genuine danger threatening one’s life, then there was no reason to experience something outside one’s ordinary routine.

“Yeah. Exactly.” / “Just as expected of Captain Karr.”

Bartimir and Repicul nodded simultaneously. For the first time, their opinions matched.

“Haha! This half-elf really gets it!”

Sylphren immediately agreed, speaking in rapid succession.

“Exactly! If you wanted safety, there’d be no point in flying! The possibility that you might suddenly meet the ground while soaring through the sky… that’s the very charm of flight!”

“Then could you remove the safety device?”

“Sure!”

Now visibly even more delighted, the Fire Elf removed the coward’s safety mechanism from my wings. He removed Bartimir’s as well.

[I’d like to commission some idle mage to study the phenomenon known as “madmen inevitably attracting other madmen.”]

“Practice as much as you’d like!”

Following his instructions, I moved the wings. It felt awkward at first, but thanks to my prosthetic arm, I already understood how to control additional body parts through sheer will.

I quickly adapted.

“Like this…?”

Bartimir learned a little more slowly than I did. But he, too, mastered flight without issue.

“Ready?”

Sylphren, who’d been unable to stop bouncing excitedly, suddenly asked.

“More or less.”

“By the way… You can keep those wings! Normally, they’re just loaners. But since you folks clearly know what’s important, I’m giving them to you!”

We had obtained equipment that would undoubtedly prove useful during future explorations.

Even Odilon would hesitate before paying the exorbitant price these wings normally commanded. So even if recruiting Brightfeather failed, this trip would still have been worthwhile.

“Let’s go.”

Fweee!

The sturdy long-tailed tit flapped its wings powerfully and soared upward. We followed after it, taking flight ourselves. A somewhat precarious… and therefore all the more exhilarating… journey through the skies.

“Sir Bartimir. If we fall from this height, you’ll die instantly. I might barely survive.”

“I’m not jealous! I won’t fail in the first place!”

“Bartimir… That attitude pleases me. One who fears failure can never reach great heights!”

The atmosphere remained warm and cheerful. The Moonlight Expedition’s first aerial gathering drifted leisurely through the sky, chatting comfortably as they flew.

[Sigh… Odilon was right that you and Bartimir couldn’t be sent alone… but the only companion available happened to be the Nameless Demon King, leaving no one capable of keeping things under control.]

“Looks like you’ve gotten the hang of flying!”

Having already circled the sky once, Sylphren pointed toward the eastern horizon, where the sun was slowly shifting.

“Now we’ll head over there! Several of our members should be hunting flying monsters by now!”

Following Sylphren’s lead, we shot across the sky. After flying for some time…

“Kueeeeh!”

“Kiiiii!”

In the distance, a flock of white birds filled the heavens.

[Cloudbirds (Level 1)]

[Bird-type monsters whose bodies are fluffy like clouds. Individually, they’re laughably weak, but beware… their ability to merge together into stronger individuals is dangerous.]

“These monster flocks regularly appear near Sky Village!”

Sylphren drew an elegant, curved sword from his subspace.

“Just wipe out everyone you see! Don’t get too close!”

Fweee!

With a wave, the elf tugged the reins and shot forward.

Watching the excited elf and his monster disappear ahead, I spoke.

“Let’s naturally approach him while we’re hunting.”

Flying toward the Cloudbird flock, I scattered black lightning.

Crackle!

“Skyyyyy Puuuuunch!”

“An aerial battle!”

Bartimir hunted Cloudbirds with his fists, while Reficul swung the Drizzle Trident.

“Kieeeeh!”

True to their Level 1 designation, the Cloudbirds were pitifully weak. The problem was simply their overwhelming numbers.

At this rate, we might spend the entire day hunting without ever meeting the person we came to recruit. So, left with no alternative, I decided to employ a rather extreme method.

“Kiiieeek!”

“Oh dear, heavens!”

Pretending not to notice several Cloudbirds approaching, I deliberately allowed one of them to strike.

Crunch!

Its beak smashed part of my left wing. The balance between both wings collapsed. I immediately lost control, flailing helplessly in midair.

“Kiiiii!”

“Keeeh!”

Sensing weakened prey, the flock surged toward me.

“Playing at falling again?”

“Don’t overdo it, Captain Karr.”

Perhaps because of my usual reckless behavior, my companions showed no surprise whatsoever. Even as I slowly plummeted toward the ground, neither attempted to rescue me.

To be fair, the recruitment plan had merely been an excuse. I’d genuinely wanted to experience the thrill of a life-threatening fall. I couldn’t really criticize the two demons for their shocking disregard for safety.

“Sir Bartimir! I’m really falling this time!”

“…Mom!”

Only after I waved my hand and shouted did Bartimir finally panic, rushing toward me. But by then, the Cloudbird flock had already closed in.

“Kieeeeh!”

“If you’re going to eat me… please bite out my heart first.”

Just as several Cloudbirds pecked into my body…

BOOM!

An arrow flew. It traced an elegant arc, piercing only the Cloudbirds surrounding me with incredible precision.

Marksmanship bordering on acrobatics.

I immediately turned toward the direction from which the arrow had come.

‘…Just as I thought.’

Right in the middle of the chaotic Cloudbird flock, a parrot Birdfolk of modest stature drew the string of a bow nearly as large as his own body.

“Ah! Are you alright?!”

Although this was our first meeting, I couldn’t have been happier to see him.

 

[Interracial Association member Brightfeather (Parrot Birdfolk, 28 years old). Living a relaxed life alongside the members of the Sky Flight Corps without harboring any great ambitions. This appears to be the talented individual you were searching for.]

 

Brightfeather. My first encounter with the hunter-class companion, who possessed the highest potential ceiling of them all.