Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 194 - The Grand Gathering of Interracial Harmony – Total Chaos (1)

Chapter 194 – The Grand Gathering of Interracial Harmony – Total Chaos (1)

 

“…You want me to brainwash everyone?”

Astrimia, who had become the lovable cultist Karr, blinked blankly.

Perhaps she still wasn’t used to having a human body, because her expressions barely changed.

Or perhaps… she had already become completely immersed in playing the role of Karr.

“Captain… That sounds really strange….”

The peerless genius swordsman, currently occupying my child’s body, scratched his arm as he spoke.

I firmly shook my head before cupping both cheeks with my hands.

“Captain?”

“The captain is Little Brother Karr. I’m the magnificent Wood Elf Rosalia.”

“…Stop that.”

Murderous intent radiated from the sword artifact’s youthful voice.

Apparently, she’d discarded the cumbersome concept of Joy and had been reborn as Astrimia of Killing Intent.

“…Anyway… It still sounds far too reckless.”

“Not at all. Please don’t develop preconceived notions simply because I used the word brainwashing.”

A sword wasn’t punished even if it was used to murder innocent people.

The guilty one was the wielder, not the weapon itself.

Brainwashing was no different. Whenever it was used for evil, wicked, or underhanded purposes, that was entirely the fault of the person using it.

The technique itself had done nothing wrong.

“I’ve experienced it myself. Perrin’s mind-control ability has no side effects.”

The ability Mind Seizure, inherited from the effects of Mind Usurper.

Unlike most mental Mysteries, it didn’t even cause headaches.

Safe, clean, and enjoyable brainwashing.

“…At least explain exactly what you intend to do.”

“It’s simple.”

I raised a finger and lightly tapped my temple.

“We’ll brainwash each member with the following thought: I didn’t switch bodies. I’ve always been the original owner of this body.”

A form of mental rewriting.

Originally, Mind Usurper could do nothing more than issue commands. But thanks to the other materials I’d used while creating Perrin, its effects had mutated into temporary mental domination.

“…Wow!”

Astrimia suddenly shouted, using my body.

“Words appeared in front of me! Oh! So that’s why Sir Karr sometimes stared into empty space and talked to himself! I honestly just thought you were acting strangely as usual!”

“To Lady Astrimia… I’m merely someone who acts strangely?… I’m hurt….”

Covering my eyes with both hands, I pretended to sniffle.

Using Rosalia’s Rogue-class Mystery, Evoke Sympathy… a tearful performance impossible to witness under normal circumstances.

“…Seriously. Don’t do that while wearing Sister’s face. At this rate… we’re going to hear Lady Rosalia speak more during this one day than we would in the rest of our lives.”

“You somehow look even weirder than when you’re yourself….”

Jeers and awkward laughter erupted from every direction.

I waved proudly before speaking again.

“Lady Astrimia, So… what did Eyes That Perceive the Truth say?”

“Well… it says… [The Catastrophic Upheaval monster Perrin can, when dominating the minds of those whose eyes meet his own, obscure specific memories with darkness or emphasize them with light.]”

The effect had changed because of the exalted Light and Darkness contained within the Great Sacred Relic, Lumerlan’s Orb, which had been incorporated during Perrin’s creation.

“But… The explanation is awfully wordy… Ah! A special symbol appeared. It looks angry!”

“It did, didn’t it?”

“Yes! This thing’s hilarious!”

While the beautiful cultist giggled at empty air, I walked over to the blond wolf Beastman.

“When I experienced Perrin’s mind control before… it felt as though I’d fallen into a void. I imagine that’s when he’d be able to emphasize or blur certain memories. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes.”

The parrot Birdfolk hurried over beside me and answered respectfully.

“He can even manipulate detailed memories.”

“However… if we tamper with everyone’s memories… the excessive strain will prevent us from using the ability again for quite some time.”

“You all heard that.”

“…Do we really have to do this?”

“Asmi… What do you think?”

The blond wolf Beastman rubbed his wrist, looking toward the blond Half-Elf.

Still smiling while waving at empty air, the cultist shrugged.

“Let’s just do whatever Sir Karr says. Has that ever turned out badly for us?”

“…That’s true.”

The peerless genius swordsman hesitated a while longer before finally clenching his fist.

“Following the Captain’s judgment has never produced disappointing results. I trust it’ll be the same this time.”

“Of course it will.”

I turned toward the others.

“Is there anyone who doesn’t want to do it? If even one person objects… I’ll come up with another strategy.”

The Gray Orc and the Tiger Beastman raised their hands together.

Fortunately, they were both members who could be persuaded rather easily, so I immediately continued.

“If something goes wrong halfway through… We’ll immediately switch to another plan. Besides… Pendrick can’t properly use Mind Seizure anyway.”

The Birdfolk-shaped Perrin nodded, then stepped forward with a quiet growl.

“No one except me can use mind domination perfectly. The brainwashing will contain flaws. So don’t worry… And don’t you dare oppose Master’s opinion.”

“Ahem, Perrin. Don’t threaten your teammates.”

“…My apologies.”

As I gently patted the back of the child, whose wings now drooped, the two members who had objected finally spoke.

“The terminology still bothers me… but I suppose we don’t have a choice.”

“I’ll do it.”

“M-Me too….”

Thus, our strategy… Everyone Gets Brainwashed Together… was officially approved.

Gently stroking the parrot Birdfolk now clinging tightly to my side, I spoke.

“Teach Pendrick the detailed method for using Mind Seizure.”

“Yes.”

Thus began the brainwashing lesson, taught by a monster capable of dominating the minds of others.

Meanwhile, the remaining members explained their hobbies, personalities, and past histories to the people occupying their bodies.

After all, those details had to be known before they could be emphasized through brainwashing.

“…I.”

The sword artifact resting in Orc Marlin’s hands quietly spoke.

“You don’t need to do anything. After all… a sword doesn’t have eyes. So Perrin’s ability won’t work on you.”

Walking close enough for Rosalia to see clearly, I placed both hands beside my temples, wiggling them like rabbit ears.

“…Will die.”

“If we’re going to die anyway… then we should at least enjoy ourselves first. Sis… Would you like me to swing you around? If you did… only your own body would get injured.”

Our productive conversations, which helped us understand one another better, continued for quite some time.

“Could you explain it a little more simply?”

“No! How do you still not understand this?!”

The bold parrot Birdfolk grabbed the arm of the peerless genius swordsman occupying his body and shook him violently.

Apparently, Pendrick wasn’t particularly good at things requiring complicated thinking, so it took a considerable amount of time.

“Got it!”

Only after nearly two hours did the blond wolf Beastman finally smile confidently.

“I think I’ve got the general idea now. Just listening to the explanation… made it surprisingly easy to understand how to use it.”

“…Easy? Easy?!”

Wrapping an arm around the furious child… whose anger looked terribly mismatched with the appearance of a parrot… I calmly explained.

“Lord Neuamshi… the creator of Chaos Disturbance Field… believed that the body, not the mind, was what truly defined a person. So every Mystery proficiency… and every skill in using tools… is stored inside the body.”

Of course, whether someone could actually make good use of them was an entirely different matter.

Pendrick might have learned how to use Perrin’s Mind Seizure, but he still wouldn’t be able to wield it perfectly.

“Everything’s ready. Shall we begin?”

“I leave it in your hands. However… Lady Astrimia… You must retain your complete memories… and continue acting as our captain.”

“Of course! There needs to be at least one more person besides Pendrick… whose memories remain intact… so we can guide everyone properly!”

“Excellent.”

 

“Then… please come over one at a time.”

Clapping my hands lightly, I folded my arms like a proper assassin.

Clink—!

As I quietly waited, the sound of one of Confusion’s chains echoed… more cheerfully than ever before.

The sound was so clear that even without being a cultist, I could roughly understand its meaning.

“You’re pleased, aren’t you?”

Truthfully, so was I. How often did one get the chance to experience brainwashing?

Although… next time, I’d like to experience the thrilling danger of having my mind dominated by an enemy instead.

“…Captain. Please come over.”

Since it was Pendrick’s first time, there had naturally been some trial and error, and it took a while before my turn finally arrived.

Standing before him, I looked into the serious eyes of the blond wolf Beastman.

“Is there anything you’d like to say… before your memories become obscured?”

“If… for some urgent reason… You absolutely need the complete Karr back… please say these words.”

There existed a phrase capable of awakening Sleeping Karr.

“1228.”

“…Just the number?”

“It’s a number representing a date that holds great meaning for me. The moment you say it… I’ll immediately snap back to my senses.”

Putting both hands behind my back, I silently indicated that I didn’t wish to answer any further questions.

“I’ll begin.”

Golden eyes overflowing with wildness looked directly into mine.

At that moment… chaos engulfed my vision.

“…Ahahahaha!”

Giving myself over to the dizzying current, I burst into loud laughter.

“Lord Okail… Please watch over me!”

The life of faith desired by the One of Confusion.

A future without purpose and the transformation of fate itself.

I’d already entrusted the Sixth Apostle, the Whisperer, to the Demon King and the Conspirator.

So during this tournament, I intended to act without any objective whatsoever.

A stumbling stone that brought chaos. A great boulder makes it impossible for anyone to predict the future with certainty.

“Ahahahahaha!”

Please enjoy every bit of the chaos I’ve prepared, Lord Okail.

 

***

 

Floskere, capital of the Meterdegus Kingdom.

A vast forest city, where eighty percent of its area consisted of woodland.

“Let’s head over there.”

Captain Astrimia pointed toward a gigantic tree rising in the far distance.

“That’s World Tree Number Two. The second-oldest World Tree on the Eastern Continent. That’s also the center of Floskere….”

The well-informed captain briefly paused, glancing toward empty space, before continuing.

“There’s a great lake nearby. The royal palace sits in the middle of it. If we want to fulfill the objective of evacuating the king beyond the Eastern Continent… we obviously need to head there.”

Adjusting the position of the mask covering my lower face, I quietly stood beside the captain as usual, listening attentively.

An assassin should never speak carelessly. After all, it was a class meant to remain hidden.

“Let’s move! Pendrick and Marlin… You’ll take point! Perrin… Stay in the rear! Laife… Stay beside me!”

Afterward, Astrimia looked toward me, hesitated briefly, then gave another order.

“And Karr… Ahem. Big Sister Karr… please remain inside my shadow!”

“……”

I nodded repeatedly before entering the captain’s shadow through the Shadow Tribe.

A quiet, compact space surrounded entirely by darkness.

Every shadow was connected, meaning I could’ve expanded it much farther. But I saw no reason to.

“…Phew.”

Lowering the face mask… which I’d worn constantly, yet somehow now found uncomfortable… I lay down inside the cramped space.

Looking upward, I could see the outside world through the captain’s shadow.

“Kuu!”

“Kii!”

Maengmaeng and Silsil, my Venomous Followers, wriggled onto my shoulders.

“Good. Such good children.”

As I scratched the bodies of the two pseudo-slimes, I quietly organized my thoughts.

Perhaps it was only my imagination. But compared to usual, my mind somehow felt lighter. Clearer. Thoughts flowed effortlessly.

“What do you two think? How is Astrimia planning to stop Jerix?”

Honestly, I had absolutely no idea.

Still, I wasn’t particularly worried.

As always, she’d probably guide the expedition using knowledge bestowed by the Evil God Lidni, combined with her utterly unimaginable ideas.

All I needed to do was focus on my own role. Assassination.

“Kuuu!”

“Kii!”

“Yes. Yes… Good children.”

While happily playing with the affectionate Mangmang and Silsil…

“Huh…?”

A faint voice echoed inside my head. My Fresh Companion… the Crimson Death Rose.

The friend who had been with me ever since I was born. Ever since I’d grown apart from my twin younger sister, Liliana, she had become my only companion to talk with.

“Different, different!”

“What is?”

“What, what?”

“What’s different?”

“Maybe not, maybe not?”

Since we couldn’t communicate in detail, she occasionally said things that were impossible to understand.

Apparently, it hadn’t been anything important, because the Crimson Death Rose immediately changed the subject.

“Poison, poison!”

“Poison?”

“Eat, eat!”

“You want me to drink poison?”

“Time, time!”

She probably meant it was time to consume poison.

I retrieved the vial of poison I’d recently managed to secretly obtain without Butler noticing and began removing the stopper.

Then, a sudden question occurred to me.

“Why did I like poison again?”

“Best, best!”

“What?”

“Addiction, addiction!”

I still had no idea what she meant.

After briefly trying to remember why I’d come to love addiction, I poured the poison into my mouth.

Sizzle…

The roof of my mouth. My tongue. My throat. Everything inside my mouth burned away.

A perfectly ordinary, lethal poison.

“…Ha.”

This feeling… of my life flickering like the flame of a candle.

The thrilling threat of poison, as though it were tearing my life apart.

As it turned out, the Crimson Death Rose had given me the correct answer all along.

“Best, best?”

“It’s the best.”

“Best, best!”

I continued drinking the poison remaining inside the vial.

There wasn’t much, so I carefully savored every bit of its deadly toxicity.

How many times had I become poisoned?

“…Enemies are approaching!”

Perrin, whose eyesight was excellent thanks to his Birdfolk body… shouted loudly.

His voice trembled considerably because of Fear of the Unfamiliar, but he didn’t sound intimidated.

“Fifteen in total! They aren’t explorers! They seem to be the labyrinth’s ghosts!”

Time to prepare for battle.

I gripped a high-quality weapon, the Red Blade Dagger, in one hand, and the blue-bladed artifact dagger, [Whoosh Whoosh Bang Bang], obtained as the hidden reward from the Southern Continent Expedition, in the other.

“Kuu!”

“Kii!”

Meeting the eyes of the little ones bouncing on each of my shoulders, I quietly spoke.

“…Let’s go assassinate them, children.”

It was time to do what I did best.

 

***

 

Clink. Clink-clink!