Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 22 - E-Rank Dungeon – Earth Elf's Tomb (3)

Chapter 22 – E-Rank Dungeon – Earth Elf’s Tomb (3)

 

“So, you’re grave robbers…”

Ermentaz, an Earth Elf from the distant past, clicked his tongue with a weary expression before lazily waving a hand.

“Begone. I have no treasures to hand over to the likes of you.”

“Now, now. Won’t you cooperate just this once? If not for anything else, then at least for the sake of my devastating smile and irresistible charm.”

I raised my index finger and poked my cheek.

I also made sure to tilt my head slightly.

“What kind of ridiculous… Wait.”

The elf, who had been shaking his head in disbelief, suddenly stared intently into my eyes before letting out a loud snort.

“So you’re a half-breed elf?”

“That’s correct.”

“How dare a mongrel like you address me? Where is your master?”

I remained calm, but Marlin, who had been listening beside me, jumped in surprise and whispered,

“What era does he think this is? How can he say something so discriminatory? That’s way too much! Kar, should I go scold him?”

Ripple.

Rosalia, who had been hiding in the shadows, also revealed only her face and quietly looked at me.

Her gaze clearly asked,

“Shall I eliminate him?”

“Marlin, calm down. There’s no need to react so strongly. You too, Sis.”

“But he’s looking down on you just because you’re a half-elf! How can you stay so calm?”

“Did you forget? This dungeon takes place in the distant past, when the Evil Gods still possessed immense power. Back when he was alive, half-elves weren’t even considered people… they were classified as ‘property,’ beneath slaves.”

“…Ah.”

Only then did Marlin lower the hand holding her dagger.

“The world’s become a much better place, hasn’t it? Half-elves can actually walk around on their own two feet now.”

“If you’re going to joke, could you at least smile while doing it…?”

Marlin laughed awkwardly as she scratched her head with her nails before whispering again.

“So what are you going to do? He won’t even acknowledge you because you’re a half-elf.”

Complaining to someone from an era where discrimination was perfectly normal would only earn confused looks.

At times like this, it was better to use a means of communication even more rational than conversation.

“Sis!”

“…”

Rosalia vanished for an instant before reappearing directly behind Ermentaz and immediately locking him into a sleeper hold.

Her technique was flawless.

“Ghk…”

As the Earth Elf from the distant past struggled desperately, a crimson flower bloomed from Rosalia’s hand, scattering clouds of pollen.

I couldn’t help but gasp softly.

I was finally seeing it in person.

 

[Fifth-Tier Mystery (Growth Type) – Fresh Companion]

[An innate Mystery possessed by Wood Elves from birth. A special plant grows within their body. In Assassin Rosalia’s case, it is the “Crimson Death Rose,” which releases pollen containing various toxins.]

 

Depending on the type of elf they were born as, every elf possessed a single innate Mystery known as a “Heavenly Gift.”

Each one was absurdly overpowered.

At one point, players using elves had become so rampant that they were considered a plague.

“This… insane…”

The Earth Elf also possessed an extremely powerful innate Mystery.

But once an experienced assassin had already subdued him, there was no escaping.

I stopped Rosalia just before Ermentaz lost consciousness and leisurely walked over.

“Sir Ermentaz.”

Bending down until my eyes met the half-conscious elf’s, I politely asked once more,

“I won’t ask twice. We wish to take the treasures hidden within this temple. Please cooperate.”

“…”

Perhaps my sincere feelings had transcended time itself.

Ermentaz slowly nodded.

“I… understand.”

“Thank you. As expected of the noble Earth Elves, whose dignity surpasses all other races.”

I then took the waterskin we’d prepared outside from Marlin’s leather bag and handed it to him.

“It’s hardly much of a token of appreciation, but please have a drink.”

“I don’t consume food given by mongr… Ah, never mind. I’ll accept it gratefully.”

After opening the lid and sniffing its aroma, the elf took a sip.

His eyes widened.

“Do you like it?”

“…It’s not bad.”

It seemed Abel’s special tea appealed even to the tastes of elves from the distant past.

As Ermentaz slowly sipped his tea, his expression gradually softened.

“If you’d offered this from the beginning while making your request, there would’ve been no need for unpleasantness.”

“Surely not. You would’ve never accepted something offered by a mere mongrel.”

“…True enough.”

Threatening his life had simply been the preliminary step necessary to get us talking on equal footing.

Members of other races didn’t require such troublesome procedures.

Only half-elves had to go through all this.

What a uniquely charming race they were.

“You probably already knew this before coming. This temple was built to protect the sacred land of our Earth Elf people.”

“Now it has been consumed by the foul power of the King of the Filthy Skies and twisted into this state.”

Crackle.

The owner of the power permeating this entire dungeon sent feelings of satisfaction through the mark engraved upon my body.

“So, you wanted treasure?”

Ermentaz pointed toward the stone tablets lined up to the left.

“Arrange those tablets against the wall in the correct order. If you discover the correct answer, you’ll obtain the treasure sleeping in the deepest part of this temple.”

At my glance, Marlin nodded before examining the stone tablets and beginning to solve the puzzle.

With her Perception of 19, it shouldn’t take long.

“I’m done!”

As expected.

After waiting quietly, the puzzle was completed in no time.

The mural depicted elves, threatened by a giant black eagle with outstretched wings, running toward a massive glowing stag, kneeling before it in prayer.

“…Fast. That’s correct.”

Ermentaz nodded.

“Now proceed to the depths. If you wish to obtain the treasure, you’ll first have to overcome the trial. Prepare yourselves well.”

If you restored every stone tablet here and reached the fourth underground floor, you would encounter an enhanced version of the boss monster.

Defeating it rewarded you with numerous hidden treasures… That was the officially documented method of activating the Hidden Piece, uncovered through the Harmony Church’s investigations.

Even that yielded respectable rewards.

But a true explorer never settled for “good enough.”

One had to seek richer, more valuable prizes.

“I have one question. What exactly happened here?”

At my question, Ermentaz slowly raised his head and stared into empty space.

“…We were executed by elite druids. As punishment for worshipping the Evil God Su’eje.”

“Why would an elf worship an Evil God?”

“That’s not exactly something ‘you’ should be asking.”

“I’m only a lowly mongrel. But a noble pureblood elf shouldn’t have done such a thing.”

“Hmm… I can’t argue with that…”

The Earth Elf smiled weakly before turning toward the completed mural.

“If you truly wish to know… Open the door leading to the hidden truth yourself.”

Without hesitation, I walked over to the wall and rearranged the puzzle.

There was no need for tedious work.

Simply swapping the positions of the very first and very last tablets was enough.

“Kar… This is…”

Marlin narrowed her eyes as she examined the newly arranged mural.

“The elves were threatened by the stag… So they went to the eagle instead? Am I interpreting this correctly?”

“Sir Ermentaz. Is she right?”

Instead of answering, the Earth Elf merely smiled bitterly.

It was a smile containing more meaning than a hundred spoken words.

“Now that the truth has been revealed… You shall face the worst possible trial.”

“Exactly what I hoped for.”

“I wish you luck.”

Ermentaz chuckled quietly before suddenly adding,

“What a strange occurrence. To think I’d see guest after guest willingly throwing themselves into a pit of hardship.”

“…You mean another expedition challenged this besides us?”

“It wasn’t an expedition. It was only one person. That brat caused me quite a bit of trouble.”

Earth Elf’s Tomb resets every three days.

That meant someone had fully activated the Hidden Piece only a few days ago.

‘Who was it?’

The problem was that I had absolutely no idea.

This had never happened before.

Of course… I wasn’t disturbed.

I was excited.

‘New content?!’

“We’ll be going now.”

“Wait.”

Just as I turned to leave, Ermentaz called out.

“You. You’re a cultist serving Su’eje, aren’t you?”

“I am. That magnificent being is extremely fond of me.”

“…”

The remnant of the past trapped within the dungeon stared silently at me for a moment before frowning.

“While you’re inside this dungeon… Don’t use [Black Lightning Bloom] carelessly. Su’eje’s power permeates this place. If you’re not careful, your body may transform entirely into lightning.”

I nearly burst out laughing.

His intentions were painfully obvious.

“Thank you for worrying about the safety of a mere mongrel. Then, until next time.”

Leaving Ermentaz behind, I exited the hidden chamber.

Marlin hurried after me and poked my side with her finger.

“What is it? What did he mean just now? ‘The worst possible trial’…?”

“Nothing much. I just activated the Hidden Piece that raises the boss monster’s power to its absolute maximum.”

Marlin blinked blankly before repeatedly poking my waist with both hands.

“Your nails hurt. Stop that.”

“But whyyy…?! Why would you deliberately make the dungeon harder?!”

“Because the rewards become incredible. If we clear it safely, I was even planning to give you an allowance once a month. Don’t you want that?”

“…I didn’t say I don’t. I’m just worried.”

“Just trust me again this time.”

It would be difficult.

But that was exactly what made it worthwhile.

The creator of Nightmare Dungeon was a sadist who delighted in watching players suffer.

Yet one principle was always upheld without exception:

Every hardship was rewarded accordingly.

“But why is that elf living inside the wall? He doesn’t seem crazy like the other cultists…”

“Who knows. Maybe he just enjoys being imprisoned.”

“As if that’s possible.”

“Let’s think about that later. For now, take out your dagger and wait.”

There was one final item to collect before heading deeper.

Entering the same password as before, using the numbers engraved on the opposite side of Ermentaz’s wall, caused the floor to open.

A treasure chest slowly rose upward.

Grrrrrr…

The ordinary-looking treasure chest suddenly opened its own mouth, revealing rows of sharp teeth as it growled.

 

[Lesser Mimic (Level 1)]

[A monster disguised as a treasure chest. Kill it and examine its contents; you may find an incredible treasure inside.]

 

I strode toward it and held out my arm.

Grrr!

Unable to restrain its aggressive instincts, the monster immediately bit down on my arm.

Soon, it paid the price for its impatience.

“Grrk…”

Injected with poison, the Mimic languished for quite a while before finally sticking out its tongue and going limp.

I pried its mouth wide open and had Marlin reach her arm deep inside.

“Eww… It’s all squishy…”

“Bear with it. You only get one chance.”

“It’s huge inside. My hand keeps touching things covered in slime. What should I pull out?”

“Look for something that feels like a book.”

Marlin searched carefully for a while before withdrawing her arm.

In her hand was a dark crimson Mystery Tome.

Grrr…

As soon as she removed her arm, the Mimic and the treasure chest itself melted away, leaving behind only a small mana stone.

Still looking bewildered, my assistant picked up the mana stone before handing me the book.

“Here.”

“No. This one’s yours.”

 

[Second-Tier Mystery Tome (Rogue) – Conceal Presence]

[Allows the user to erase their presence for a short period of time.]

 

Since thieves also belonged to the Rogue class, having a Mystery like this was always useful.

“Can I sell it? Learn it first.”

Only after securing the Mystery Tome did we leave the rest area and resume our exploration.

“Gahahaha!”

More deranged cultists came charging out of the darkness.

Unlike the upper floors, these Earth Elf cultists had black lightning tendrils clinging all over their bodies.

 

[High Earth Elf Cultist (Level 2)]

[Once a high-ranking cultist, now reduced to a monster. Though not particularly intelligent, it is a dangerous opponent. Exercise caution.]

 

They were fairly strong monsters for their level.

But there was no problem.

“Siiiis!”

Now that we’d successfully leveled up, I could simply leave the rest to Rosalia.

“…”

The assassin emerged from my shadow and silently slaughtered every High Cultist approaching us.

Getting carried had never felt so comfortable.

“This is amazing…!”

“If you’re grateful, hug your big sister afterward and say, ‘Thank you, Sis!'”

“I think she’d hate that…”

“Exactly. That’s why I suggested it.”

“…”

Enjoying our remarkably comfortable expedition, we eventually reached the stairs leading farther down.

With Rosalia taking the lead, we descended into the deepest level.

An enormous open chamber spread before us.

Its overall layout was nearly identical to the ground floor.

Massive pillars lined the walls.

At the very back stood a gigantic statue.

Unlike the one above, whose upper body had been destroyed, this one remained perfectly intact.

It depicted a strikingly beautiful elf.

 

[A statue created by the Earth Elves who worshipped the Nature God Meterd. It is saturated with foul power.]

 

“That statue… It isn’t going to move, is it?”

“As expected. Your instincts are excellent.”

Rumble…

The moment we took several more steps forward…

The statue began moving.

I firmly patted Marlin on the back as she stared blankly at it and warned her,

“Be careful. This monster is far stronger than the Lurker Ghoul could ever hope to be.”