Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 182 - I Wonder What Kind of Person I Was

Chapter 182 – I Wonder What Kind of Person I Was

 

Late morning.

Warm sunlight poured down over the rooftop of Odilon’s mansion.

“Young Master, here you goooo.”

Charlotte, the maid who reeked of alcohol, grinned as she poured a thick green drink into Odilon’s glass.

 

[Beverage — Charlotte’s Special Health Juice]

[A drink made by blending together every ingredient that’s good for one’s health. Odilon, who suffers from various chronic illnesses, drinks it consistently every few days.]

 

The moment Odilon caught a whiff of it, his face twisted.

“…What did you add this time? It smells even worse.”

“Crunchy celery, Sunset Celery, and Dizzy-Wizzy Celeryyyy!”

“So it’s celery juice.”

“And I also mixed in a children’s health tonic sold by the Harmony Churchhh!”

“……”

The sickly young master stared at the health juice and let out a long sigh. It was the first troubled expression I’d seen from him since we’d become business partners.

Seeing such an explorer-worthy expression, I raised a hand and spoke to Charlotte.

“I’d like a glass as well.”

“My, of course!”

“Sir Karr needs to improve His health toooo!”

Even while swaying from intoxication, Charlotte deftly filled my glass with health juice.

“Please enjoy!”

“I’ll drink it gratefully.”

Gulp.

“…Oh.”

Honestly, I was surprised.

“It tastes better than I expected.”

“Righttt?”

“The harmony between bitterness, bitterness, and more bitterness has been achieved with exquisite balance. It truly is a flavor that would delight even Artein.”

I promptly drank the rest in one go.

I was so satisfied that I even asked Charlotte to make me a glass every day.

If I drank it consistently, perhaps my Stamina stat would increase?

“…The fact that Cultist Karr likes it proves it’s a catastrophically terrible drink.”

Odilon was still slowly sipping his health juice, his brow deeply furrowed.

“Aren’t you exaggerating a bit? You’re not a child. What are you going to do if you keep whining, ‘No, no, I don’t wanna drink bitter things!’?”

“It seems the aftereffects of our last expedition have made me hear strange things. Why don’t you go visit a Harmony Church healer?”

“Young Masteeer! I’ll stay right beside You until You finish every last drop!”

Reeking of alcohol, Charlotte suddenly began tidying Odilon’s long hair.

Perhaps because she’d been close to him since childhood, the sickly young master who distrusted people didn’t even resist. He simply sat there helplessly.

“…Ah! That’s right!”

While happily turning the young master into an adorable young man with twin ponytails, Charlotte suddenly widened her eyes.

Because she usually smiled with her eyes closed, it was the first time I’d clearly seen them.

“Lady Michelle will be returning to the mansion soon.”

Pffft!

Odilon sprayed the health juice straight into my face.

“……”

Rosalia, who had been blankly staring at the sky, kindly wiped the face of her good, adorable, handsome half-elf little brother with a handkerchief.

“Thank you, Big Sister. As repayment… Would you like to admire my sexy collarbones?”

“…Get lost.”

While the foul-mouthed assassin cursed at me, Odilon casually wiped the juice from his mouth.

Once again, it was an expression I’d never seen before. A face twisted into an almost perfect fusion of fear and annoyance.

“…Mother’s coming?”

“Yeees.”

“When?”

“About… ten days from nowww.”

“…Sigh.”

The sickly young master extended a hand to one side.

Rosalia glanced cautiously at Charlotte before reaching toward her shadow…

“…Freeze.”

Charlotte, who had somehow stepped into Rosalia’s shadow, whispered quietly.

“What did I say would happen if you gave him wine on a day he’s forbidden from drinking, Roza?”

“……”

Rosalia desperately avoided Charlotte’s gaze, slowly backing away.

“Let’s be careful. Alright?”

Nod. Nod. Nod.

Only after seeing the intimidated assassin hurriedly nod did Charlotte hum cheerfully as she left the rooftop.

Pretending to be an oblivious fool incapable of reading the atmosphere, I asked,

“Your mother’s coming. So why were you looking for alcohol, Young Master?”

“…You already know. So why bother asking?”

“Because I know. So I wanted to ask anyway.”

“…Let’s not continue this conversation.”

Shaking his head slightly, the young master met my eyes seriously.

“When my mother arrives… don’t come anywhere near this mansion for a while. That is… unless you want to experience something terrible.”

A heartfelt warning from a business partner. His tone was so solemn that I unconsciously straightened my posture before replying seriously.

“When you put it like that… it makes me want to come around even more.”

“…I worried for nothing.”

Odilon ultimately returned to his default expression, ‘The World Is a Cursed Place,’ and slowly resumed drinking his health juice.

Watching him lazily sip it like a baby reluctantly eating baby food because they hadn’t eaten properly, I spoke again.

“Now then. Would you tell me why you summoned me today?”

Today’s meeting had been requested by Odilon.

Until now, I’d been the only one desperately pursuing our one-sided relationship. At last, my feelings had been answered.

“I simply have several things to discuss.”

After forcing himself to finish the health juice, the young master quickly handed the empty glass to Rosalia before continuing.

“First.The new expedition members.”

“The Demon King and Sir Brightfeather?”

“Correct.”

“You like them both because they’re so charming and capable, don’t you?”

“From what I heard about the expedition… You certainly recruited them well.”

The Nameless Demon King was at minimum a Level 10 powerhouse.

Brightfeather was someone who could become one of the strongest explorers if raised properly.

If someone didn’t find such explorers appealing, perhaps they ought to spend some time reflecting upon why their standards had become so badly warped.

“However… There’s one problem.”

“My goodness! To think there was a problem!”

Gasp!

I inhaled sharply.

“What is it? If you tell me… I’ll think very carefully about how to convey it to them without hurting either of them.”

“…Enough. Be quiet. I can’t even speak.”

Rosalia silently walked behind me and covered my mouth.

Only then, apparently satisfied, Odilon looked directly into my eyes and spoke.

“Cultist Karr. Is it intentional? Do you deliberately avoid recruiting capable people who don’t carry psychological scars born from difficult lives?”

“Mmph! Mmph!”

“Rosalia. Let him speak.”

“So… Are you saying every single member of our Moonlight Expedition is abnormal?”

“Exactly. They’re all mentally unstable.”

He casually declared that everyone in the expedition was crazy.

As captain, I immediately stepped forward to defend our honor.

“The Demon King is a mutant Demon obsessed with positive concepts. Brightfeather suffers from a pathological fear of unfamiliar environments because of his past. Even the newcomers aren’t normal. They’re all incredibly capable. But this is excessive.”

“Our Marlin and Abel are perfectly normal, aren’t they?”

“I’ll admit that. But what about everyone else?”

“…It’s true they all have one or two traits that make it difficult to call them completely normal.”

As an honest, model cultist, I humbly acknowledged my own flaws.

To be honest, excluding the siblings, I couldn’t deny that every one of my companions had their own strengths and weaknesses.

“But that doesn’t mean I dislike recruiting ordinary explorers… people who grew up in stable environments.”

If there truly were flawless explorers without any shortcomings, I’d naturally hurry over and recruit them before someone else did.

However, the laws of the world were exceedingly fair. They never granted overwhelming potential without demanding a price.

“Young Master. Exceptional talent and calamity always arrive together. It’s one of the truths Talendros delights in most.”

“But Swordsman Pendrick had a comfortable upbringing. And his future is still incredibly bright.”

“That’s because I worked hard… to help him avoid the calamity known as Lady Astrimia’s death.”

Among companions of at least Tier 3 quality, there wasn’t a single explorer completely free of drawbacks.

Even Pendrick, back when this world had still been a game, had possessed the penalty trait Black Mage Slayer… which caused him to completely lose control whenever he encountered Black Mages, the class responsible for cursing Astrimia.

“Remember this well. To become one of the truly exceptional… one must possess at least one heartbreaking story.”

“…Absurd.”

Odilon snorted, leaning back in his chair. 

“Still… Considering Talendros’s nature… your words aren’t entirely wrong. Very well. I’ll continue leaving recruitment entirely in your hands.”

“Thank You for trusting me. Since You’ve entrusted me with full authority… I’ll recruit explorers who stray even farther from the path of normalcy than I do.”

“……”

Odilon rubbed his face with his palm.

Was he really that happy?

“…The second matter concerns District 5’s Grand Interracial Unity Festival.”

So this was the true reason for today’s meeting.

The already gloomy young master grew even darker.

“I heard the Invincible Jerix is holding this tournament in order to completely sever District 5’s contact with humans. Is that reliable information?”

“It is as undeniable as the fact that I’m the most alluring cultist alive.”

“…Enough with the nonsense. Tell me, why are you so determined to stop Jerix’s plans?”

Out of habit, Odilon reached toward the table, then awkwardly returned his hand.

“It’ll certainly harm our expedition’s future activities if we simply stand by. But that’s not enough.”

“My lovely beauty alone isn’t enough for you–”

Rosalia smacked my lips with her hand, cutting me off.

“I don’t perform meaningless acts of charity. You know that.”

“And yet… You still choosing to act. You’re such a little tsundere.”

I had already been planning to explain my real reason for stopping Jerix.

After all, Odilon and Rosalia were among the very few companions who knew of the bleak future awaiting this world.

Taking out Abel’s special tea from my subspace, I took a sip before speaking.

“One of the Six Apostles of the Great Monsters.”

‘The Whisperer,’ Zmurtal.

Race: Lizardman. Class: Shaman.

 

“Beside Sir Jerix… stands a truly vile villain who continually encourages hatred and disgust toward humanity… Zmurtal.”

“I’ve never heard that name before.”

“That isn’t surprising. He isn’t an explorer.”

In the labyrinth city of Pletica, no matter how high one’s level, without exploring labyrinths, one never became famous.

Even Odilon’s own mother, Michelle Brites, hadn’t been famous until the Dungeon Management Corps named her one of the Twelve Heroes.

Though tavern owners certainly knew her by a wonderful nickname, such as ‘That Crazy Drunkard.’

“He lacks fame… but he’s tremendously capable. If he fought Conspirator Kyras… Zmurtal would barely emerge victorious. He constantly whispers into Sir Jerix’s ear… pushing him toward increasingly extreme actions.”

“…Are you saying someone as powerful as Jerix would actually be manipulated into pursuing such an idiotic future?”

The sickly young master had gradually transformed into a slime, tilting his head.

“I don’t understand.”

“Rather than being manipulated… It’s more accurate to say he allowed himself to be manipulated.”

“…I see. I think I understand. Considering how catastrophically destructive those Six Apostles are… we certainly can’t afford to ignore them.”

Sweating profusely, Odilon barely managed to continue.

“Handle everything related to the Grand Interracial Unity Festival however you see fit.”

“I shall.”

“By the way… I heard your expedition is still one participant short. Have you contacted Beast Tamer Sylphren?”

“I have. He refused.”

Apparently, the Sky Flight Corps would also be participating in the tournament, making cooperation impossible.

The best option was no longer available. That meant I’d have to settle for an imperfect but still attractive alternative.

“I’ll soon create an obedient and dependable temporary expedition member. So there’s no need to worry.”

“…Very well.”

Odilon was gradually becoming one with his chair.

I was just about to suggest ending our conversation when he spoke first.

“One last thing.”

Taking a deep breath of [Comforter] smoke, the young master spoke in an almost inaudible voice.

“One of the Faint Shadow operatives obtained some strange information. A citizen claimed they’d spoken with a blond cultist who entered Pletica several months ago.”

“……”

That was a period I knew nothing about because of my amnesia.

“…What did that person say?”

“He didn’t really have a conversation. He simply said something incomprehensible before leaving.”

Looking at me sharply, Odilon smiled faintly.

“’To my future self, who has lost his memories. I’ve buried my possibility within the Amrelitu Mountains, located far to the northeast of Pletica.’”

“……”

“I already knew you’d lost your memories thanks to Thief Marlin’s testimony. But those words… spoken to someone he didn’t even know… are far too strange.”

“It’s almost as though…”

The young master carefully chose his next words before continuing.

“…he had already foreseen the future where a Faint Shadow operative would obtain that information from the citizen.”

Whoosh.

The smoke of [Comforter] drifted into the sky.

“Cultist Karr. What kind of person… were you before you lost your memories?”

It was a question whose answer I wanted to know just as badly.

“I wonder. What kind of child… was my past self?”