Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 211 - Butterfly

Chapter 211: Butterfly

 

It’s cramped.

A foul stench that stung the nose drifted in from somewhere.

“Number 3849.”

Suddenly, the boy crouching on my right called my name. More precisely, he called the number that had been assigned to me.

I’d been sold to the cult immediately after birth, so I still didn’t have a name.

“What is it, Number 2232?”

I answered quietly, and the heavenly demon race boy let out a snort.

“You’re really calm. We’re about to die, but aren’t you taking this a little too calmly?”

“Maybe Goldie really can’t feel emotions?”

The half-monster girl sitting on my left spoke in a cheerful voice completely at odds with our surroundings.

“Honestly, I’m jealous. I’m so scared I could go crazy.”

“Yeah.”

“……”

I alternated my gaze between the two children sitting beside me.

Then I suddenly bent the middle finger of my right hand backward.

“……”

My finger bent at an angle far beyond the limits of a humanoid race, pressing my fingernail and the back of my hand together in an impossibly intimate contact.

“What’s wrong?”

“Is something the matter?”

“No.”

I gave a small shake of my head and leaned against the wall.

‘It’s a dream.’

I frequently had lucid dreams.

Sometimes my body moved on its own, but there were also times like this when I was completely free.

Still, even though I could manipulate the dream world however I pleased, I never played around in it.

There was only one thing I repeated every single time… something impossible in reality.

“Yoonji.”

The moment I softly called her name, all the children filling the dark space disappeared, leaving only one person leaning against the opposite wall.

 

Yoonji.

 

Yoonji, exactly as she’d looked on the day she was found.

“…Trash.”

As always, she condemned me while wearing that horrific appearance.

“Are you happy you left me to die and survived all by yourself?”

She glared at me with her empty left eye and her right eye carved open with wounds.

I didn’t avert my gaze. Even in a dream, I had no right to turn away from Yoonji.

“You should die too. Die horribly, just like I did. Tear your own brain out and swallow it, rip out your heart and crush it, hang yourself with your own intestines and die.”

Thinking about it again, the mental attack used by the [Southern Continent Expedition]’s ice-and-snow recreation had been far too weak.

They had tried, in their own way, to pressure me by imitating the Yoonji from my lucid dreams.

But compared to what I actually experienced… it was nowhere close.

“If you’d just paid a little more attention to me, I’d still be alive.”

“You’re right.”

“If you hadn’t gone to school for no reason, I wouldn’t have died.”

“That’s true.”

I simply nodded, agreeing with every single word she said.

And then…

Flutter.

Suddenly… A butterfly with brilliant golden wings flew out from inside my body.

“…?”

Without thinking, I held out my hand.

The butterfly that had been fluttering around me landed on the back of it.

Fwaaaash!

A brilliant light burst forth.

When I closed my eyes for a moment and opened them again… the butterfly had disappeared.

Or perhaps… rather than disappearing, it had become something that would remain with me forever.

A golden butterfly tattoo.

Flutter, flutter.

The wings of the tattoo gently moved as if in a dream.

Then the dim dreamscape was swallowed by a powerful radiance, transforming into a completely different place.

A flower field. An endlessly vast flower field where the fragrance of blossoms drifted on a gentle breeze.

“…Thank you.”

And Yoonji’s horrifying appearance changed as well.

She now wore a beautiful flower crown upon her head and smiled brightly.

The cheerful smile I’d been unable to picture clearly no matter how hard I’d tried ever since that day.

“Thank you for still crying for me in your heart.”

She didn’t resent me. She only showed me the bright smile I’d always loved.

I didn’t know what to say.

So I simply smiled back before looking down at the butterfly on the back of my hand.

“……”

Butterfly Karr.

This must be the third, and final, gift he was giving me.

Was this compensation for having toyed with me?

After all, I’d received the sight of Yoonji smiling in exchange for nothing more than a single kiss.

By any measure… I’d come out ahead in that trade.

“Next time we meet… maybe I’ll try giving him a deep kiss.”

“Go ahead. Like I’ve always told you… do what you love, just don’t hurt innocent people.”

“Okay.”

“You’re always good at answering!”

My heart, which remained quiet except when facing hardship and adversity, was beating rapidly.

That’s right. When you were still alive, even without pain… I could always feel that I truly existed in this world.

“I miss you.”

“But you’re looking at me right now.”

“…Not like this.”

I was happy… and at the same time, empty.

The happiness produced by a futile dream never accumulated inside my heart.

It evaporated all too quickly.

“…I guess it’s time for me to go.”

Soon, the flower field slowly began to fade.

It was time to part.

“Take care.”

Yoonji smiled gently and waved her hand.

I waved back just as softly.

And the next moment…

“Karr.”

My eyes met Marlin’s as she looked down at my face.

“Go sleep inside. Don’t sleep in a place like this.”

“……”

After the tournament ended, I’d returned to our lodging and lay down on the wooden floor, intending to rest for a while.

Apparently… I had fallen asleep like that.

“Could you help me up? My body won’t listen to me.”

“Good grief.”

Marlin scooped me up in a princess carry and walked into the inner room.

“By the way… did you have a nice dream?”

As she walked, Marlin casually asked.

“You kept smiling in your sleep. You looked happy.”

“…I did.”

It was certainly a dream I wouldn’t forget easily.

“By the way…”

After carrying me into the large room and laying me down, Marlin grabbed my right wrist and stared at the back of my hand.

“You’ve got a tattoo I haven’t seen before.”

“…Ah.”

The golden butterfly tattoo that had appeared in my dream… had followed me into reality.

It flickered precariously, as though it might disappear at any moment.

As I examined it for analysis, Truth dawdled for quite a while before finally displaying some text.

 

[?-Rank Mystery — ???]

[I can hardly read any accurate information. The only part I can glimpse is incomprehensible, but it seems to be a message meant for you, so I’ll display it exactly as written.]

[“Next time, we’ll meet not as ‘Assassin Karr,’ but as yourself. Until then, I’ll be waiting. Make sure to brush your teeth before you come. :)”]

 

“Karr, is this another Mystery bestowed by the Evil God?”

“No.”

“Then what is it?”

“…Who knows. I don’t really know either.”

I let out a dry laugh and shrugged.

I still couldn’t tell exactly what Butterfly Karr intended.

But one thing was certain.

 

[P.S. — “To be honest, I prefer the version of you that lost the memories from this ■■ period. You’re no longer shackled by that messy familial love. If you let Perrin help you completely forget the past, I’ll give you an even better gift next time.”]

 

Butterfly Karr was not a trustworthy ally.

If he were… he would never have left behind a message like that.

“It’s probably the work of an enemy. I’ll have to teach him a lesson next time we meet.”

“Really? That’s perfect. I was planning to teach Karr a lesson too.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Marlin grabbed my right leg and lifted it.

My foot, now smooth after losing all five toes, came into view.

“You performed that ritual again, didn’t you?”

“……”

I instinctively tried to avoid the fierce tiger beastman girl’s gaze.

But she grabbed my chin, forcing our eyes to meet.

“Karr.”

“…There wasn’t any other way.”

“Really?”

“Hmm… honestly, I’m not sure. As a cultist of Cataclysmic Upheaval, without thinking too deeply, I simply chose the option that attracted me the most–”

Press.

Her sharp fingernail poked the back of my right hand.

A small attack… yet one carrying countless emotions.

“I’m always sorry.”

“…Don’t apologize.”

Marlin’s shoulders drooped as she gently stroked the place she’d just poked.

“I’m just upset. And I’m scared. I’m afraid that one day you’ll offer up your entire body.”

“……”

Butterfly Karr truly wasn’t an ally. I found myself certain of that once more.

‘Messy familial love?’

What a ridiculous thing to say.

There was no reason to listen to someone who knew nothing.

I patted Marlin’s back reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. Even if I offer up my entire body, as long as my soul remains, I’ll find a way for us to stay together.”

“…That’s even scarier.”

“You’re saying it’s scary to stay with me? Karr is hurt…”

“No matter how much it’s you, Karr, living together with a ghost is a bit much. I’m sure Sister Rachel would agree with me too.”

“Alright then. How about I possess you or Abel instead–”

“That’s even scarier!”

And so… I spent the time leisurely chatting with Marlin.

It was an ordinary conversation… one that Yoonji would have watched with both warm satisfaction and pride, seeing that I’d become just a little closer to being a normal person.

 

***

 

“This ends now!”

The Nameless Demon King thrust forward the [Shower Trident], wreathed in an indescribable darkness.

KRRRSH!

The Fate-type Mysteries surrounding Zmurtral, the ‘Whisperer,’ began to shatter.

He was effortlessly tearing apart conceptual barriers that lacked physical form with what appeared to be nothing more than a masterpiece-grade weapon, as though ripping cloth.

“…I cannot accept this fate!”

Grinding his teeth, Zmurtral squeezed out every last ounce of his strength.

Thick threads of possibility, visible even to the naked eye, wrapped around the lizardman’s body as his scales rapidly turned pitch black.

The Fate-type shaman Mystery: [Last Exclamation].

It causes any attack that would result in death, of any kind, to unconditionally miss once.

“Persistent.”

The ‘Conspirator,’ Kyras, muttered quietly before forming hand seals and throwing a shuriken engulfed in blue flames at his former comrade.

A fatal strike aimed directly at the head.

Thanks to the effect of [Last Exclamation], the shuriken’s trajectory bent in midair and missed.

“Excellent assistance!”

Perfect support tailored to an ally’s situation.

There was no need to analyze it. It was clearly a positive action.

Taking a deep breath before immediately ‘consuming’ it, the Demon King tightened his grip on the trident.

“…So this is where fate ends.”

Zmurtral, who had stubbornly endured the absurdly high-level attack, finally abandoned his defense and left himself completely exposed.

Crunch.

The [Shower Trident] pierced through Zmurtral’s torso.

A fatal wound that even a high-level shaman would find impossible to overcome.

“…Hm?”

Kyras, who had been preparing ninjutsu in case of a desperate counterattack, narrowed his eyes.

“Not a single drop of blood splattered?”

“Bloodshed is a negative concept. It isn’t pleasant to look at, so I prevented it from splattering.”

“…Was that really something you could simply decide?”

“Nothing is impossible for me.”

The Demon King grinned and forcefully pulled out the trident.

Groaning in agony, Zmurtral collapsed forward.

The three wounds the trident should have left behind… had vanished without a trace.

“…What is this? There isn’t even a wound.”

“Grabnd Duke Karr asked me to bring him back in one piece if possible.”

“I wasn’t asking about your motivation! I meant the method!”

Elvira, who had merely been blocking Zmurtral’s escape route, quietly nodded.

She had lived for quite a long time… yet had never before seen a Mystery like that.

“Well, you see–”

Just as the half-elf ninja and the jeweled elf knight perked up their ears…

“…Hehe… Ahahaha… Ahahahahaha!”

Zmurtral, who had been lying motionless, suddenly burst into hysterical laughter.

The Demon King beamed and crouched beside him.

“The pain of defeat and the agony of being impaled by the trident are powerless before laughter! Well done!”

“Why now of all times…”

Clicking his tongue, Kyras planted a foot on Zmurtral’s waist.

“Zmurtral. If you’re planning any tricks, stop now. Your fate belongs to the Golden Crow from here on.”

“…Golden Crow? Ahahahahaha!”

“That’s it! Laugh even more!”

“This is driving me insane…”

“I’ll bind him first.”

Elvira lightly cut her own wrist with her sword.

Shrrrk.

The blood flowing from the shallow wound transformed in midair into a long green gemstone.

The jeweled elf’s innate Mystery: [Vivid Formation].

A Mystery that converts parts of one’s own body into gemstones with different effects depending on the type.

“This emerald prevents the use of Mysteries.”

The rope-like emerald wrapped around Zmurtral’s body.

“Heh… Hahaha…!”

Even while being restrained, the lizardman shaman continued laughing.

The Demon King, who had been watching with satisfaction, narrowed his eyes and stroked his chin.

“Hmm… If laughter becomes excessive, doesn’t it eventually turn into something negative…?”

“It seems his heart has been swept away by fate.”

“What do you mean?”

“Those who specialize in Fate-type or Precognition-type Mysteries sometimes go insane after looking too far into the future.”

His heart has been swept away by fate.

It was an idiom referring to prophets who lost their minds after witnessing a dreadful future.

“Proof that the ability to foresee the future is far too great a power for intelligent beings.”

Kyras nodded, then suddenly frowned.

“More importantly… what exactly is the Golden Crow going to do to him that drove him insane?”

“If it’s Lord Karr, I think even the sanity of a perfectly healthy shaman could collapse!”

While Kyras involuntarily shuddered, Elvira’s face flushed with excitement.

Though they were both thinking of the same blond half-elf known for bizarre behavior, their reactions couldn’t have been more opposite.

“……”

The Demon King carefully observed Zmurtral’s trembling shoulders before speaking.

“Grabd Duke Karr isn’t the cause.”

“What?”

“There is another true culprit who drove this one mad. Is that not so?”

At those words, Zmurtral, who had been trembling with his face against the ground… suddenly snapped his head around.

His eyes lacked focus, drool streamed from his mouth, his face twitched uncontrollably, his neck jerked at irregular angles, and his body writhed violently.

“The past is nothing more than meaningless fragments of memory! The present is merely an event destined to crumble away!”

“…Say it in a way people can understand.”

“Conspirator! We grabbed hold of a possibility that was catastrophically wrong! The fate of every intelligent being upon the earth has already been completely seized! Ahahahahaha!”

The mad lizardman stared excitedly into empty space.

“Butterflies. In all of our futures… there exists nothing but swarms of brilliantly colored butterflies.”