Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. – Chapter 174 – C-Rank Labyrinth – Giant Hunting Grounds (4)

Author: Cireng

Chapter 174 – C-Rank Labyrinth – Giant Hunting Grounds (4)

“P-P-Pierce… the heaven?”

Brightfeather looked up at the heavens with wide eyes.

“Me?”

Meeting his jewel-like eyes, each a different color, I answered calmly.

“Yes.”

“……”

“Surely you can?”

I lifted my head and looked toward the sky. Perhaps because we were trapped inside a prison-like labyrinth, the sky seemed unusually narrow. The blue expanse stretched overhead with an almost painful clarity.

“In Pletica, piercing the sky is something any Hunter-class explorer around Level 3 can do.”

“T-There’s no way…!”

Brightfeather pressed his forehead against his bow, his jaw trembling.

The other half of [Fear of the Unfamiliar] its lingering Anxiety still remained, causing intense unease.

“Waaah! I don’t think I deserve to live in Pletica…!”

“…Calm down, Laipe. That’s impossible.”

Sylphren grabbed Brightfeather’s head as his pupils shook as though he alone were experiencing an earthquake.

Then he glared at me.

“Are you serious? Your face never changes when you speak, so I genuinely can’t tell whether you’re joking or not.”

“I’m a half-elf who keeps a respectful distance from absurdity. I would never ask someone to do the impossible.”

“You literally just did.”

“Sylphreeen…!”

Brightfeather suddenly snapped back to his senses and hurriedly tugged on the Fire Elf’s arm.

“Don’t get angry. It makes me saddest when you’re angry.”

“…I’m not angry.”

The Fire Elf, who had briefly gone stone-faced, hurriedly forced the corners of his mouth upward. It was a painfully earnest effort from someone who hated being disliked.

Brightfeather was already well past the age of needing a guardian. But because his childhood had been so brutally harsh, Sylphren still devoted himself to acting like one.

“Sir Sylphren, I completely understand how you feel. I also suppress my own personal desires for the sake of the sibling pair under my care. Whenever I undertake dangerous explorations that push my body to its limits, I either do it in secret or only to the extent that I can heal myself afterward. We agreed on that.”

[Truth — The siblings never actually agreed to any such thing….]

Shake. Shake. Shake.

“Allow me to say it again, Sir Sylphren.”

I spoke once more to the Fire Elf, who was now flustered beneath Brightfeather’s gentle yet icy gaze.

“I would never assign one of my companions a task they cannot accomplish.”

Trials and hardship only held value when there was a genuine possibility of obtaining a worthwhile reward.

If there was no reward, then hardship was nothing more than meaningless suffering. That was why I only ever attempted things that were just barely within my abilities.

Besides, I was a kind captain. I applied even looser standards to my companions.

“I can confidently declare this. Sir Brightfeather can pierce the sky with a single arrow. I’d even bet roughly eighty of Lord Lidni’s believers on it.”

[Don’t recklessly wager the Wise One’s last shred of dignity. >:(]

“…Do you truly believe that?”

Sylphren’s breathing quickened.

“Do you really think… that Laipe can finally soar high into the sky?”

“Of course.”

Brightfeather’s dream was to explore labyrinths alongside companions. Even while living a peaceful life, he never missed a single exploration newsletter. That was how deeply he longed for it.

But because of [Fear of the Unfamiliar], born from his experiences as a slave, he’d never truly been able to spread his wings.

Instead, he remained confined inside his comfortable cage, watching other explorers’ brilliant adventures from afar.

“Sir Brightfeather. Why do you love dressing yourself so flamboyantly?”

Caught off guard, the Birdfolk flinched before glancing down at himself… at his small body covered in colorful accessories.

“Because I want to become dazzling. I want to become someone cooler than my ordinary self.”

His answer carried unwavering determination. When speaking about something he loved, his voice neither trembled nor trailed off.

“That’s a wonderful dream.”

Taking the completed Circle of Liberation from Bartimir, I held it out to him.

“Then it’s time for you to become more dazzling than anyone else.”

“……”

Brightfeather accepted it without hesitation.

“If you strike exactly where that fragment indicates, the magic circle distorting the wilderness will be undone. Ordinarily, you’d need several additional steps to create a staircase leading into the sky, but–”

BOOOOOM—!

Before I could finish, a thunderous explosion echoed through the air.

A crushing presence followed immediately after, despite still being some distance away.

“We’ve arrived!”

“We’re here!”

Voices carrying barely a shred of intelligence. A different group of giants from the ones we’d shaken off earlier had entered the hunting grounds.

“Karigirastu! Find the prey!”

“Start with the hidden place!”

“ROOOAR!”

The gigantic hunting dog howled at its master’s command. Heavy footsteps thundered toward us.

I shrugged at Brightfeather, whose pupils had started trembling again.

“…We’re running out of time.”

The giants knew how to enter the hidden area.

Naturally. How could they use this place as a hunting ground without knowing its rules?

“The giants truly possess remarkable physical abilities!”

Reficul smiled with His arms folded.

“They’re coming directly this way. Captain Kar, what do you think we should do?”

Though He asked for my opinion, He had probably already decided what He wanted to do.

What I had to accomplish wasn’t merely giving an order. It was correctly guessing my lord’s true intentions. A considerably harder task.

“Please buy us some time.”

“Hm.”

The fake Celestial narrowed one eye.

‘…Wrong answer?’

Fortunately, I’d spent enough time dealing with someone even more whimsically unpredictable than Director Choi of Evil Spirits Inc. I’d long since learned how to recover gracefully.

“…If I were a mediocre expedition captain, perhaps I’d say something like that. But as it happens, I’m one of Pletica’s most promising rising explorers.”

Giving Him a bright wink, I immediately revised my request.

“Sir Reficul. Fight the giants…”

“Fight them?”

“Head-on. And buy us time.”

“Hahaha!”

His laughter rang out with the majesty of a lion’s roar.

‘…Good.’

That was the correct answer.

“I’m off!”

Laughing boldly, the fake Celestial immediately soared toward the direction of the hunting dogs’ howls.

Still, no matter how great the ruler of the newborn Demon Realm was, His soul had been suppressed to Level 2. He couldn’t handle them alone.

“Sir Bartimir. Please assist Him. Every giant is Level 6. Their leader is as strong as a Monster-class creature. Absolutely do not fight them head-on.”

“Got it! Yay!”

As though he’d been waiting for precisely that instruction, Bartimir immediately flew after Reficul.

I then turned to Sylphren.

“Please distract the giants with Bingbing once again.”

“…Understood.”

Riding atop Bingbing, Sylphren frowned while looking at Brightfeather.

Receiving his gaze, the Birdfolk hurriedly clenched both fists. Thanks to Freedom and Resistance eliminating Fear, he struck a surprisingly brave pose.

“S-S-Sylphren! D-Don’t woooorry! I-I can do it…!”

Yet because his Anxiety remained, his speech still stretched awkwardly.

Sylphren hesitated, unable to fly off immediately.

“…Laipe.”

“Yeah…”

“Don’t push yourself too hard. It’s alright even if you fail.”

The Fire Elf spoke quietly before lowering his goggles.

“No bird is born knowing how to fly. Every bird practices before its first flight.”

“……”

Brightfeather fidgeted silently for a moment before speaking.

“U-Um… Actually… Some monster birds can fly immediately after they’re born…”

“…Really.”

Sylphren let out an awkward laugh and unnecessarily adjusted his goggles.

“Don’t keep locking yourself inside that cage anymore. You deserve to fly across those skies.”

“…But I’ve always been flying through the sky…?”

“……”

Sylphren awkwardly scratched his head. He had clearly intended to leave behind an inspiring line before rushing into battle.

Apparently, encouraging speeches weren’t his strong suit.

This seemed like the perfect moment for me to step in. I might lack empathy, but I gave excellent advice.

“What Sir Sylphren means is… ‘I’ll be waiting to see you pierce those skies in spectacular fashion.’”

“Ah! I get it now! I’ll do my very best!”

The Birdfolk, who had been shrinking into himself moments ago, finally smiled brightly.

Sylphren stared blankly at that radiant smile before turning toward me.

“…What Laipe needed wasn’t some profound quote. He just needed someone to push him forward.”

“I’ve known him for so many years… yet I still didn’t understand him.”

“Please don’t blame yourself. Inspirational sayings simply suit certain people better. Like Saint Seraphina.”

“Saint Seraphina? That’s setting the bar awfully high…Still, Thank you.”

The Fire Elf bowed to me, then gently patted Bingbing’s head.

“Please… guide Brightfeather safely through his first fl–”

“FWEEET!”

Before his owner could finish, Bingbing, having grown tired of waiting, shot off into the sky.

Apparently, solemn moments simply weren’t meant for Sylphren.

“There are so many winged things!”

“Hehehe! Hunting time!”

The giants’ voices had already drawn frighteningly close. Our companions were delaying them, but they wouldn’t hold out forever.

“There’s no time. Let’s go up.”

“Okay!”

Without hesitation, we flew into the sky. The cloudless blue heavens, which had looked so peaceful from the ground, now rippled above us like a stern judge.

“Please confirm the location.”

Brightfeather immediately raised the Circle of Liberation before one eye.

A moment later, he spoke.

“I found it!”

“But… It’s too far. I don’t think my own strength is quite enough.”

“Is that so? I’d already anticipated that.”

“Wow! Really?”

“No.”

How could I possibly know Brightfeather’s exact maximum firing range? I wasn’t Lord Lidni in His prime, having conquered infinite truth.

Naturally, I’d already prepared another solution.

“Would you look over there for a moment?”

Following my finger, Brightfeather widened his eyes.

“Push harder, giants!”

Shiiiiii!

Reficul was remotely extracting crimson energy from one of the giants, wielding a pole longer than a fully grown orc.

The Tenth Tier Mystery… [Sin: Wrath].

“Did you see?”

“…Yes.”

“What do you think?”

“The red light is beautiful…”

“Then… Copy it. From me.”

I held out my arm, letting him grasp my wrist, before closing my eyes.

For a brief moment, I remembered that day.

A snowy evening. Returning home from school, only to find my younger sibling missing. Searching everywhere, until another child from the orphanage pointed me toward the hill behind it.

And then… Yoonji.

Buried beneath the earth, cold and pitiful. After finding the culprit, rendering them unable to move, and questioning them, they admitted it with infuriating ease.

“Yeah. I buried them.”*

That shameless expression. One that still made rage boil to the top of my head every single time I remembered it. An expression that made me want to tear open the mouth I’d already ripped apart once before.

Shiiiiii…

When I opened my eyes, crimson energy was pouring from my body like a raging river.

Thanks to [Copycat Parrot], Brightfeather had successfully copied [Sin: Wrath].

“Ah…”

A small gasp escaped him. Large tears once again welled up in Brightfeather’s eyes.

“It’s hot… But sad. It’s violent… But heartbreaking.”

“……”

“Kar… A-Are you really alright?”

I shook my head. Of course, I wasn’t.

But I had to pretend. Otherwise, I’d be swallowed whole by the overflowing memories and emotions of the past.

“Imagine venting your anger on whatever deserves it. Sir Brightfeather. Haven’t you ever wished to shoot arrows at those people who used to bully you?”

“…Sometimes.”

“Even so. Never allow yourself to be consumed by your anger.”

I slowly pointed toward the blue sky.

“Instead… Consume your anger. Make it the driving force that propels you relentlessly forward.”

“…Yes.”

Brightfeather twisted the shape of the flickering Wrath into a long weapon.

A chilling arrow, dripping blood.

“Now it should contain sufficient power.”

“…I think so too.”

“I’m counting on you.”

After wiping away his tears with his sleeve, Brightfeather slowly drew back the bowstring, loading the Arrow of Wrath.

No lengthy preparation was necessary. Not for an archer blessed with Brightfeather’s natural talent.