Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 168 - Colorful, Vibrant, Every Color Under the Sun

Chapter 168 – Colorful, Vibrant, Every Color Under the Sun

 

Brightfeather. This Tier 1 companion’s class was Butcher.

If the Beast Tamer, another Hunter-class profession, represented one extreme, then the Butcher stood at the complete opposite. It was a class specialized entirely in hunting and killing monsters.

“It’s dangerous! I’ll help you!”

Eyes wide, Brightfeather repeatedly drew the string of his enormous bow.

Whoosh!

Arrow after arrow flew through the air, their colorful fletching trailing behind them like bright, fluttering tails.

The basic Archery Mystery: [Rapid Fire].

“Kiiieee…!”

Every arrow that flew shattered countless Cloudbirds. Even accounting for the enhancement provided by his Mystery, it was an almost unbelievable display of skill.

“Wow…”

Still barely holding on to me as I continued falling, Bartimir couldn’t stop expressing his amazement.

“He’s really good. Way better than that Wood Elf we explored a while back.”

“You mean Lady Lael?”

“Yeah. She was good too, but this guy’s even better.”

Lael, the Wood Elf from the Nunun Bear Love Guild, was Level 6. Meanwhile, Brightfeather’s Soul Rank was only around Level 3. Despite the considerable gap between them, Bartimir rated Brightfeather’s archery much higher.

“At this point, I’m almost tired of being impressed, my daughter. What excellent judgment.”

In an actual fight, Lael would naturally win.

However, if Mysteries, equipment, and levels were all removed, and only pure archery skill was compared… Brightfeather held a slight edge.

Flying slowly beside Bartimir, who still carried me, Reficul nodded.

“He certainly possesses extraordinary talent. As expected, Grand Duke Karr’s information network is exceptional.”

“It’s nothing special… Well, actually, I suppose I’m rather amazing.”

“To display both humility and confidence simultaneously! Splendid!”

Reficul opened His mouth wide. Then He began feeding.

“Suuuuup!”

“…Gyaaah! Mommm!”

“Bartimir. Rather than resisting, why not simply enjoy it? Even hatred is merely another negative emotion, is it not?”

“I still hate it!”

Even while Bartimir struggled and screamed, Brightfeather’s colorful arrows continued flying without pause.

“…Quit playing around and run away!”

Calling out from a distance, Brightfeather drew his bow once more. A single arrow flew straight toward its target.

The Rank 3 Hunter Mystery: [Power Shot].

BOOM!

The miraculous arrow pierced straight through the entire flock of Cloudbirds at once.

“Kieee!”

“Kiiiik!”

Perhaps sensing danger, the panicked Cloudbirds began gathering together.

Just as Truthy had warned, their special ability activated. The gathered birds merged into one enormous Cloudbird.

 

[Unified Cloudbird (Level 3)]

[A fusion-type boss individual. Not something an E-rank explorer should normally face, but considering your current ability, there’s hardly any need to warn you to be careful.]

 

“Giiieeeek!”

The newly formed boss Cloudbird let out a tremendous cry.

Immediately, every remaining Cloudbird became noticeably faster and far more aggressive.

The closest thing Sky Village had to genuine excitement… an otherwise dopamine-starved labyrinth.

For explorers of the same level, it wasn’t especially difficult. Still, it wasn’t a danger to underestimate.

“Ah! Everyone, hurry and retreat!”

Brightfeather, who’d been helping us so earnestly, frantically pointed toward the village while flapping his wings.

Just then, the sturdy long-tailed tit, which had been darting around striking Cloudbirds, flew over. Sylphren cut down four Cloudbirds rushing toward us with his curved sword before speaking.

“Don’t rush in recklessly. You should fall back. This could be dangerous for beginner fliers.”

“What are you talking about? It’s only just started getting interesting!”

Grinning, Bartimir handed me over to Reficul. The fake Celestial, who favored safe flying, accepted me into His arms without complaint.

“Here I gooo!”

Having already removed the bandages from both hands, Bartimir shot toward the boss Cloudbird.

Demonic energy wrapped around his head, scattering wildly in every direction thanks to the curse [Scattering Bankruptcy].

Crunch!

His [Heavenly Headbutt] struck the Cloudbird’s massive body. The Mystery inherited from the Heaven Flat-Eared Beast…the same species as Saint Seraphina’s father, obtained as the hidden reward from The Tower of Trials, tore a massive hole through the creature’s cloud-like body.

“Woooow!”

Preparing his next shot, Brightfeather flapped his wings excitedly.

“Giiieeegh…!!”

Although heavily wounded, the boss was still alive. With desperate determination, it beat its enormous wings, ordering every remaining Cloudbird to charge every explorer simultaneously.

“Kieee!”

“You’re certainly a noisy bunch!”

Holding me securely in front of Him, Reficul remained hovering in place instead of fleeing.

He wasn’t moving at all. Yet every Cloudbird veered away from the fake Celestial, circling around Him without daring to approach.

Even with His Soul Rank suppressed to Level 2, His mastery of [Sin: Sloth] remained astonishing.

Crackle!

Nestled quietly in His arms, I merely scattered black lightning. Entire groups of monsters ended up gathering together for us unintentionally.

“…You’re all incredible…”

Still riding his sturdy long-tailed tit while dealing with the approaching Cloudbirds, Sylphren stared blankly at us.

“Gieee!”

“Shut up!”

Bartimir’s [Rock Shattering Technique] blasted away part of the boss Cloudbird’s body, along with one of its wings.

BOOOOM!

Then came Brightfeather’s [Power Shot]. The boss’s head exploded into countless fragments of cloud.

“Kieee!”

“Kii!”

The remaining Cloudbirds abandoned the fight, fleeing toward the distant sky. Only then did Sylphren finally relax.

“Well… There was a bit of excitement… but that concludes today’s Sky Flight Corps activity experience!”

“Fweee!”

“So? What did you think?”

“I’ve always wanted to experience free flight at least once. I never imagined it’d be this enjoyable.”

Offering an appropriately peaceful response, I quietly shifted my gaze elsewhere.

Flap. Flap.

Brightfeather kept flying toward us… then stopping… then approaching again… only to hesitate and stop once more.

“I’d like to hear more about flying. Shall we head inside first?”

The meeting had occurred naturally.

Now, it was time to move on to the real recruitment.

 

***

 

Sky Flight Corps Office

Screech… squeak…

Sylphren was repairing my damaged flight gear, which the Cloudbirds had broken. Judging by his practiced movements, he had done this many times before.

“You’re quite skilled. You don’t need the Craftsman class to obtain maintenance-type Mysteries.”

The elf, still wearing his flight goggles, continued working.

Then…

“…”

Beyond the open doorway, a parrot Birdfolk cautiously peeked his head inside.

I gently waved.

“…Eep!”

Brightfeather instantly disappeared behind the wall. A moment later, he cautiously peeked in again.

I waved once more.

“Eek!”

Every time I greeted him, he let out another strange noise before disappearing again. Without looking away from the flight gear, Sylphren sighed.

“Brightfeather. Just come in. This gentleman isn’t human. He’s a half-elf.”

Only then did Brightfeather, who’d been peeking in with only his head, carefully reveal the rest of himself.

“…Huh?”

Bartimir, who’d been stuffing blue peanuts into his mouth by the handful, opened his mouth wide. Then, remembering my warning, he immediately resumed eating as though nothing had happened.

“H-H-Hello…”

Clunk.

Clunk.

Wearing an awkward expression, the parrot Birdfolk timidly stepped inside.

His hair was a dazzling mixture of countless colors. Both his shirt and pants were covered with ornaments every bit as colorful as his hair. On top of that, he wore numerous earrings, bracelets, and rings… all in every vivid color imaginable.

[:<]

[For someone who’s shy around strangers, his fashion certainly makes an incredibly bold statement!]

“…Ah…”

Misinterpreting our stares, Brightfeather hesitated, then slowly began backing toward the door again. Knowing he was the type to be deeply hurt by careless words, I decided to make myself seem more approachable.

Rustle.

Using [Transformation], I left my body unchanged, copying only Brightfeather’s outfit and accessories.

“…Oh!”

Nearly back outside already, Brightfeather’s eyes widened.

“I thought your style looked wonderful. So I tried copying it. What do you think?”

Then the Celestial Demon King nodded.

“Your love for clothing. Your passion for adornment. Both are warm and beautiful. It’s a wonderful sight.”

Two consecutive compliments, both completely sincere.

Unfortunately, Bartimir wasn’t capable of telling polite lies, so there was no third compliment.

Still, the effect was more than enough. Brightfeather smiled brightly and slowly walked back over.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Karr, a half-elf.”

The moment I greeted him, his already-large eyes became even wider.

“Wooooow! You’re really Karr… the ‘Golden Crow’?!”

“…Huh?”

Sylphren, who’d been concentrating on repairs, whipped his head around.

“You know him?”

“He’s an up-and-coming rising star these days!”

“Oh, really? Had no idea.”

 

Sylphren cared about nothing except flying, so he hadn’t recognized me. Fortunately, the person I had come to recruit did.

Brightfeather stepped a little closer before speaking cautiously.

“I heard you recently conquered the Southern Continent Expedition…!”

“That’s right. It took tremendous effort, but we barely managed to clear it.”

“I heard you uncovered lots of hidden pieces too?”

“Would you like to see one?”

I casually pulled an artifact from my subspace. A tiny tool resembling a small sardine.

[Kwek-Kwek Kkwek!]

Brightfeather lightly fluttered his wings and came another step closer.

“It looks kind of like a fish.”

“What does it do?”

“It’s a single-use item that summons an Extreme Frost Emperor.”

“Wooooow!”

“With this, even if you face certain death, you’ll survive at least once.”

“That’s amazing!”

By the time we finished talking, the distance between us had almost completely disappeared. Not missing the opportunity, I produced the secret weapon I’d prepared for recruiting him. 

A cupcake Charlotte had baked. It was still warm.

“Would you like one? It was made by the maid serving the young master who founded our expedition. It tastes absolutely incredible.”

“…”

Carefully accepting the cupcake, Brightfeather took a bite.

His eyes immediately widened.

“It’s delicious!”

“Naturally.”

Charlotte’s skill was exceptional. She had been so indispensable that, when Michelle Brites, 

The mother of the utterly incorrigible Odilon… was expelled from the family estate, she had rolled around on the floor, throwing a tantrum until Charlotte was allowed to come with her.

“Sir Brightfeather.”

Quietly calling his name, Brightfeather, who had been happily chewing, briefly flinched. Then he let out a relieved sigh, patting his chest.

“For a second, that scared me… but then I remembered you’re a Cultist of Twisted Truth. So of course you’d already know my name.”

“Exactly. I already know everything about you. Even before we ever met.”

Smiling with the sinister grin befitting a cultist, I produced another cupcake.

There was an offer he simply couldn’t refuse.

“Would you have any interest in joining our expedition? If you do… I’ll give you this cupcake.”

“…Gasp!”

Brightfeather’s eyes darted uncertainly between the cupcake already in his hands and the second one I was offering.

Then, with determined enthusiasm, he nodded.

“Deal!!”

Recruitment complete.