Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 25 - Godilon

Chapter 25 – Godilon

 

“You’re here?”

After waiting in front of the building for a short while, a figure silently rose from the shadow of the building.

It was Rosalia, the elf, who could express every thought using nothing but her eyes.

“Big Sis, did you get plenty of rest? The last expedition was fun!”

“…”

Marlin greeted her, but naturally, no warm reply came back.

Still, she seemed to have grown used to it by now and didn’t mind in the slightest.

“Shall we go?”

Nod.

We followed Rosalia as she guided us toward Odilon’s estate.

“Can’t we at least buy some apples on the way? I’m hungry.”

The cold-hearted elf ignored every word, quietly proceeding northwest along the main road.

After realizing where they were headed, Marlin’s eyes widened.

“Wait… are we going to the wealthy district?”

District Six of Pletica, managed by the Harmony Church, was a poor district where beggars, cultists, vagrants, and criminals gathered.

However, the wealthy residential area to the north, adjacent to District One, where the rich lived, was the lone exception.

Odilon, whose family had originally amassed wealth through the information trade, also lived there.

“Kar… are kids like us really allowed to go somewhere that incredible?”

“Now that you mention it, I suppose not. You two should head home.”

“…”

“If you’re going to glare at me like that, why even ask?”

The assassin, who silently walked ahead without saying a word, moved at a pace that was somewhat difficult for a cultist and two children to keep up with.

Fortunately, Rosalia wasn’t completely lacking in consideration.

She slowed down from time to time, preventing the unfortunate possibility of us collapsing from exhaustion.

Tap.

Only after walking for quite some time did Rosalia stop beside the road.

She lightly tapped my shoulder before looking ahead.

The place her gaze rested upon… was a stately mansion standing proudly in the middle of the wealthy district.

[The Brites Family’s Detention Center for Rule Violators]

I could safely ignore the rude message from that skill.

“So this is the Brites family’s villa where the young master resides?”

The taciturn assassin gave a small nod before opening the gate connected directly to the street.

The hinges creaked loudly.

Beyond them lay an interior lavishly decorated in the unmistakable style of the rich.

“…Wow.”

“…”

The siblings, who had grown up in the filthy slums, stood there with their mouths hanging open.

Perhaps they were experiencing culture shock.

Somehow… I suddenly felt sorry for them.

Kids their age should be surrounded by nice things.

Instead, they’d been forced to live in Cultist Town… a place inhabited by every variety of lunatic and madman imaginable.

“Welcome.”

As I led the frozen siblings inside, an elderly man with neatly tied-back gray hair greeted us.

 

[Sergius (Human, 73), butler of the Brites family. A veteran servant assigned by the family head to accompany Odilon and his mother after they were exiled to District Six.]

 

“Welcome, Mr. Kar the Cultist.”

“Greetings. Thank you for inviting me.”

“The young master is waiting. I shall escort only you upstairs.”

“What about the children?”

“As for your two wards…”

At Sergius’s signal, a maid standing in the back stepped forward after bowing politely.

“Please follow her. The young master’s orders are to feed the two children well, let them bathe, and prepare new clothes for them.”

“…We don’t have to pay for any of that, right?”

“Of course not. Simply enjoy yourselves.”

“He’s so kind!”

Smiling contentedly, the butler led me up the central staircase to the highest floor.

A hallway stretched ahead with doors at both ends.

Walking to the left side, Sergius knocked softly before carefully opening the door.

“You’re here.”

Just like its owner… The room’s interior practically screamed, ‘I spent a fortune decorating this.’

Odilon sat on a sofa with one leg crossed over the other, leisurely sipping wine.

“Come. Take a seat.”

A large table stood between us.

After I entrusted my precious backside to the chair opposite him, Butler Sergius placed a wine glass before me.

Along with a small bowl containing several round pieces of cheese.

“Please.”

“Thank you.”

As I sampled the remarkably refined cheese…

The butler quietly left the room, leaving only the two of us.

Crackle.

The appearance of Odilon triggered an excited reaction from the appearance-obsessed Evil God.

An overwhelming flood of intent suddenly poured into me.

I couldn’t fully understand it all…

But enough embarrassingly indecent messages were mixed in that I decided to ignore everything.

Seriously… What an incorrigible deity.

“Kar. Cultist of Twisted Truth.”

The young master, who had been silently drinking wine, finally spoke.

“I’ve heard you accepted my invitation immediately without giving it even a moment’s thought. May I interpret that as your willingness to form an expedition with me?”

“That’s correct. I was deeply impressed by the skills our Big Sister Rosalia displayed during the last expedition.”

“Big Sister? You’ve already become that close?”

“We’re already like affectionate siblings.”

At some point, Rosalia had quietly moved to stand behind Odilon.

She narrowed her eyes and stared intently at me.

‘Our little brother is adorable.’

That was probably what she meant.

“Regardless. You made the right decision.”

The young master pulled a stack of documents from beneath the table and slid them toward me.

“I look forward to working with you. It’s the contract. Read it. If there’s anything you dislike, speak up.”

“Understood.”

He wasn’t the sort to play tricks with fine print.

Even so… Signing without reading would have been foolish.

I carefully examined every single line before finally writing my signature.

“Any revisions?”

“Honestly… It’s perfect. It’s impressive.”

Profits earned inside dungeons would be divided solely according to each person’s contributions, completely excluding sentimental nonsense like friendship.

At the same time, every member was guaranteed a minimum income, so dissatisfaction wouldn’t arise.

As for the clauses covering betrayal… They continued for nearly ten pages.

A contract truly befitting a young master who distrusted humanity.

Every aspect emphasized maintaining a strictly professional contractual relationship.

“To be honest, I like it. No matter how close companions are, these things need to be clearly defined. How many explorers have died after getting stabbed in the back by their own party members inside dungeons?”

I’d personally experienced plenty of it.

If you played as a cultist… Eventually you’d develop a mentality where being betrayed by companions was little more than an everyday inconvenience.

“Exactly. If you trust something as flimsy as camaraderie, betrayal becomes inevitable. That’s why the contract completely seals off every possibility.”

Odilon nodded while biting down on Comforter, the healing artifact shaped like an iron rod.

“Then… Shall we begin discussing the expedition’s future? You’ll lead the expedition. Any objections?”

“Who would refuse being made leader?”

“And I’ll handle management. You may entrust finances, negotiations with other expeditions, acquiring equipment, artifacts, and Mystery Books entirely to me. Unless you’d rather…”

“I absolutely love the idea.”

I would lead the expedition with my vast dungeon knowledge and crisis management.

Godilon, possessing immense wealth and information, would manage everything else.

Who could possibly stop that?

It was practically already the strongest expedition imaginable.

“Have you already decided which dungeon to tackle next?”

“Of course. I’ll also show you the list I’ve prepared. Review everything before deciding.”

Since the young master possessed absolutely zero social skills…

There wasn’t a single unnecessary word in the conversation.

Even Su’eje, who demanded male bonding as part of religious devotion, seemed to be getting bored.

The tattoo kept sending increasingly provocative requests.

“However… There’s something we should prioritize before discussing dungeons.”

“I know. Our expedition’s composition is far too weak at the moment. It’ll be difficult to handle every situation.”

Still… It was convenient talking with someone who immediately understood everything and possessed extensive knowledge.

He was the complete opposite of Marlin, who lacked dungeon knowledge so severely that she asked dozens of questions every day.

Though she’d gradually improved thanks to my lessons.

“A cultist leading the exploration. An assassin capable of eliminating powerful enemies. With only those two, clearing D-Rank dungeons will be difficult.”

“Don’t forget our Marlin and Abel.”

“They’re still growing. No matter how great their potential, that has no practical value right now.”

“The siblings are assistants. They’re still in the middle of growing, but I’ll personally teach them. They’ll become proper explorers soon enough.”

Besides… Being a beastkin, who matured faster than humans… Both of them would grow into healthy adults within at most two years.

Even then, they’d still be too young to become the expedition’s main force.

But supporting everyone else would be well within their capabilities.

“Even so… We still need people who can strengthen the expedition immediately.”

“I agree. You intend to recruit companions from the Warrior and Mage classes. Am I correct?”

“Correct.”

A Warrior to stand on the front lines and protect the party.

A Mage… the class acknowledged to have the greatest influence during dungeon exploration.

Only after filling those two empty positions could the expedition truly be considered complete.

“There aren’t any suitable Warriors or Mages in District Six. Do you already have candidates?”

“Naturally. Lidni knows everything.”

 

[Correction: The Wise One does not currently know everything due to insufficient faith. Just where did your information come from?]

 

Ignoring the completely unnecessary fact-checking… I spoke the name of my highest-priority recruit.

“Pendrick. An explorer living in District Three. His class is Swordsman.”

“How great is his potential?”

“In the future… He is guaranteed to become the foremost among the Twelve Heroes.”

“…”

Pendrick.

Among every Warrior companion… He possessed the greatest potential without question.

Odilon signaled Rosalia with his eyes before inhaling and exhaling smoke from Comforter.

“How likely is it we can recruit him?”

“He’s already affiliated with a guild.”

“If we simply ask him to join us, he’ll refuse.”

“But… You already know how to recruit him.”

“Naturally.”

A mysterious smile befitting a cultist spread across my lips.

“As I’ve said repeatedly… Lidni knows everything.”

 

[Repeated correction: The Wise One does NOT!]

 

Why was this skill so oblivious?

I was trying to improve Lord Lidni’s image so more people would become believers.

“I understand. Then we’ll recruit this Pendrick into our expedition. So what’s the recruitment strategy your Evil God revealed?”

“First… I’d like to meet him personally. If he’s going to become our companion, we can’t lazily send one of the young master’s subordinates.”

“Then take Rosalia with you.”

“Understood. It’ll be nice going on a little outing with Big Sister.”

Rosalia narrowed her eyes at me once more.

‘I think it’ll be fun too!’

That was undoubtedly what she meant.

“Now then. We should discuss the Mage…”

“I already have someone in mind.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know yet.”

“What does that mean?”

I told Odilon everything that had happened in the Earth Elf’s Tomb.

“So… Another explorer activated the Hidden Piece, strengthening the boss before you, and cleared it?”

“Correct.”

“And why do you believe that person is a Mage?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

There was only one possible conclusion.

“The only class capable of clearing Earth Elf’s Tomb alone… is a Mage.”

The Mage class… was a filthy cheat class shamelessly favored by the developers.