Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 28 - Building Up Your Vitality, Boosting Your Survivability

Chapter 28 – Building Up Your Vitality, Boosting Your Survivability

 

The teachers assigned to instruct Marlin and Abel devoted themselves wholeheartedly to their roles.

“Even the way you hold a dagger is important.”

The basement, whose original purpose for construction was highly questionable, though it was now being used as a training hall…

Butler Sergius looked around at Marlin and the thieves before continuing.

“Do you know what happens if you throw a punch without making a proper fist?”

While the adult thieves hesitated, the youngest one, Marlin, immediately shot her hand into the air.

“Obviously, the other person gets hurt more… but wouldn’t your own hand get injured too?”

“Correct. As expected, your insight is exceptional.”

Smiling gently as he stroked his chin, the elderly butler shifted his gaze toward the other thieves.

“…Why is Lady Marlin always the only one answering? She is fourteen years old. Why does she know what all of you adults do not?”

His brow furrowed.

His voice grew noticeably colder.

Unfortunately, the warm, grandfatherly kindness he displayed was a service reserved exclusively for Marlin.

Andre, the former vice guild leader of the Black Sword Guild, hurriedly opened his mouth.

“Well, Lady Marlin is simply so clever that ignorant thieves like us never get the chance to answer!”

At first glance, it sounded like a pathetic excuse.

In reality, however, it wasn’t.

It was a perfectly reasonable tactic.

By praising Marlin, who enjoyed the butler’s favor, he hoped to add a little warmth to the icy atmosphere.

Sergius easily saw through the ploy.

Nevertheless, he decided to let it slide.

“A fair point.”

After all… It was undeniably true that Marlin was far more intelligent than the other thieves.

Kar, the cultist, had praised her so confidently, saying she was “the kind of talent that makes teaching enjoyable.”

Sergius had wondered whether that was really the case.

Honestly… She wasn’t quite that exceptional.

Still, considering how young she was, there was no doubt she possessed remarkable talent.

“Now, back to our lesson. For a thief, handling daggers and throwing knives should become as natural as breathing. You must not move only after thinking and making conscious decisions. When an enemy stands before you, your body should react naturally even before your mind issues the command.”

Since Marlin answered questions so consistently… Sergius found himself asking her more and more.

“There are four essential elements to being a thief. Dagger techniques and throwing-knife techniques belong to the category of weapon mastery. The remaining two belong together as well. Lady Marlin, do you know what they are?”

“Hmm…”

This question seemed somewhat harder.

She paused to think for a moment… Then answered confidently.

“I’d guess concealing your presence? I read in a book that thieves usually fight by exploiting openings and launching surprise attacks rather than facing enemies head-on.”

“…Exactly.”

Unable to suppress the smile naturally forming on his lips, Sergius continued.

“The remaining two are footwork and stealth. I intend to teach Lady Marlin what House Brites considers the finest among the foundational Mysteries accumulated by our family’s Thief class.”

Mysteries were usually acquired through divine blessings or Mystery Grimoires.

However… There were other methods as well.

Repeated combat.

Training.

Work.

The conditions were identical to those required for raising the rank of one’s soul.

Obtaining Mysteries was considerably more difficult.

But that wasn’t really a problem.

After all… The disadvantage of difficulty could simply be overcome through effort.

“Um… I have a question.”

Andre, with his intimidating face, spoke hesitantly.

“Are… you only going to teach Lady Marlin those Mysteries?”

“…?”

The elderly butler tilted his head.

What sort of question was that?

“Of course. You lot will learn Mysteries that are… reasonably decent.”

“…I see.”

“Instead… I shall raise your proficiency to the absolute limit through harsh and grueling training. My standards for evaluation are extremely strict. So you would do well to give your utmost effort every single day.”

The thieves silently pulled miserable faces.

Marlin glanced around before clenching both fists tightly.

‘I’m already excited…!’

Could it be… That after completing all this training… She would become a perfectly elite thief?

If that happened… Even Kar would surely be shocked.

If only to surprise the patron who was always teasing her… She resolved to devote herself wholeheartedly to her training.

‘You’d better prepare to be amazed!’

 

***

 

At that same moment…

Abel was receiving instruction in the kitchen.

“Did you know? A cook is actually the most important class in an exploration party.”

Taking little sips from a bottle of alcohol, Chef Charlotte spoke leisurely.

“I see.”

“Oh, don’t answer like a golem. Think about why.”

“Because there are many situations where an exploration party must remain inside a dungeon for an extended period, depending on the dungeon’s completion requirements?”

“Wow!”

The freckled maid rubbed her cheeks with both hands.

“The cultist kept praising you, saying you were an incredibly bright child… So that’s why! Have you perhaps received the blessing of knowledge from Artein?”

“You flatter me.”

“I am flattering you.”

“I knew it.”

As expected… His master was impossible to predict.

Calmly nodding, Abel focused intently on listening.

“A cook bears the crucial responsibility of satisfying the hunger of every party member.”

Charlotte set her bottle on the floor.

Her tone suddenly became serious.

“So don’t ever think something foolish like, ‘I’ll just become a decent cook.’ And forget vague ambitions like simply wanting to make delicious food.”

Abel understood perfectly.

“You mean I should aim to become the greatest cook from the very beginning?”

He answered with unwavering determination.

“From now on… I will become the most famous Cook-class explorer in all of Pletica.”

He intended to make that dream a reality.

If only for the patron who believed in him.

“That’s wonderful.”

Chuckling to herself, Charlotte picked up a kitchen knife.

“Then let’s begin. I’ll teach you how to prepare delicious meals… even from monsters that look like they crawled straight out of hell.”

 

***

 

According to the regulations…

Cultists were forbidden from spending nights away from home unless they were currently exploring a dungeon or had received official permission.

The rules hadn’t always been this strict.

After all… Every harsh rule is written in blood.

Long ago, several cultists wandered around wherever they pleased and caused spectacular disasters.

As a result… Their juniors now live under regulations even stricter than those of a high school dormitory.

‘Seniors… what on earth did you people actually accomplish?’

After the Great Cathedral incident… The cult never expanded its influence.

It lost virtually all of its rights.

Nor did previous generations pass down any techniques for pleasing the Evil Gods.

There wasn’t even a single senior cultist who had earned respectable fame as an explorer.

There were plenty of infamous outlaws, though.

In the end… If a junior like me wanted to succeed as an explorer while wandering this abandoned wasteland… There was only one option.

Carve out the path myself.

“Kar! We’re off!”

“We’ll be back!”

The tiger beastkin siblings, my greatest assets in this pioneering endeavor, waved goodbye before heading toward the wealthy district.

For the past several days…

They had been commuting daily to Odilon’s mansion, treating it like a school.

When I suggested they simply stay at House Brites’ luxurious villa, with its elegant rooms and ample accommodations…

They stubbornly insisted on continuing to live together with me in my tiny, shabby house in Cultist Town.

[Those siblings have clearly developed separation anxiety. If you don’t educate them properly now, they may end up clinging to you constantly and refusing to leave your side.]

It was merely a minor problem caused by my overwhelming charm.

Besides… Once puberty hit… They’d probably start yelling at me just for speaking to them before slamming their bedroom doors shut.

There was nothing to worry about.

[Shouldn’t you begin your own training as well? Laziness and procrastination are dreadful illnesses that slowly rust the minds of intelligent beings!]

“I was just about to.”

Sipping Abel’s special tea, Flower Garden in the Lake, a blend perfectly tailored to the tastes of elf bloodlines… I descended into the basement.

The ominously flickering mana lamps…

The unsettling silence…

A perfect environment for reading.

I took out the yellow Mystery Grimoire and opened it.

 

[Tier 1 Mystery Grimoire (Growth Type) — Avatar of the Earth]

[Originally the innate Mystery of the Earth Elves, but for some underhanded reason that you stubbornly refuse to reveal, it has become a Mystery Grimoire. Strengthens the body by drawing upon the power of the earth.]

 

Avatar of the Earth.

A powerful growth-type Mystery that continuously gained additional effects with each advancement.

Up to Tier 3… It merely enhanced the user’s body.

Upon reaching Tier 4… It could convert the earth’s energy into an Aura that enveloped the body.

From Tier 7 onward… It granted the ability to manipulate the earth itself.

 

[As the rank of [Avatar of the Earth] rises, your body will become healthier and sturdier. Though it will completely suppress every stage of growth of “Fertilizer Sprout!”]

 

A completely overpowered Mystery.

Every rank increased Strength by a staggering 3 points.

As Right Eye had mentioned… Fertilizer Sprout would interfere.

However… The copied effect of Rolling Thundercloud, duplicated through the artifact Mirror of Replication, converted half of that lost growth 1.5 points into Vitality.

In other words… Unlike its intended function… 

When I used it… It became a Mystery that steadily increased my Vitality stat… 

And with it… My survivability.

‘But this thing is ridiculously difficult…’

That was the problem.

No matter how many times I read it…

I simply couldn’t understand it.

It felt like some monstrous hybrid…

Combining classical Korean poetry filled with obscure Chinese characters…

With Yi Sang’s avant-garde poems.

It was nothing like Ghoul’s Mobility, which had flowed naturally the moment I read it.

At this rate… Simply learning it would probably require at least an entire month.

‘So that’s why it took so long to learn back when this was still a game.’

The more I thought about it…

The more impressed I became with <Nightmare Dungeon>.

It really had been an incredibly meticulous game.

That was precisely why its creator, Kato Roger, had once been so popular.

Though after it was revealed that he was an extreme Japanophile…

He’d become little more than a punchline among Korean players.

Bzzz.

The will of that exalted being flowed through the lightning mark near my collarbone.

“If you’re just going to keep getting distracted… why not go stare at our handsome Odilon instead?”

That was more or less what it meant.

“So you noticed I don’t feel like reading.”

It was simply too difficult.

I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy it.

Still… I calmly suppressed the endless distractions and focused on reading.

Then…

Ding-dong.

The doorbell rang upstairs.

Immediately tucking Avatar of the Earth back into my clothes…

I went upstairs and opened the front door.

“Good afternoon.”

Standing outside were three Holy Knights clad in black-and-white armor.

The one in the center stepped forward.

“A pleasure to meet you. Cultist Kar of the Twisted Truth. I am Valentin, a Little Shield of Lady Artein.”

 

[Holy Knight Valentin (Human, 37), member of the Order of the Spear of Order, the Holy Knight Order serving the hypocritical goddess. Judging from the fact that you cannot read his detailed information, he is an extremely formidable opponent. He may have come here to arrest and beat you senseless, so prepare to flee.]

 

He certainly was dangerous.

Valentin.

Vice Commander of the Spear of Order.

A Level 6 Holy Knight.

Nicknamed… “Heretic Crusher.”

If confronted head-on… He could subdue even Rosalia with ease.

Even so… There was absolutely no reason for me to run.

“It’s truly a pleasure to meet you, Lord Kar.”

Valentin was the kind of Holy Knight who treated obedient, hardworking cultists with proper respect.

“I heard you’ve obtained Lady Artein’s blessings in no fewer than three different dungeons recently. It seems the Protector of All is watching over you.”

“To think Lady Artein would illuminate the path of even a humble cultist like myself. As expected of someone renowned not only for her beauty but also for her noble character.”

[Noble character? :->]

With a casual wave of my hand, I erased the sarcastic floating text.

Valentin flashed a brilliant smile, revealing perfectly white teeth.

“The reason we’ve come today is simple. We’re here to inform you that you are now eligible to undertake external commissions.”

The tangled thoughts caused by wrestling with that impossible Mystery Grimoire instantly cleared.

An event triggered after a cultist gained enough reputation.

I’d been waiting for this all along.

‘So… It’s finally here.’

A legitimate opportunity… To travel into another district.