Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 29 - Nice to Meet You

Chapter 29 – Nice to Meet You

 

There was a special metric that applied only to cultists managed by the Harmony Church.

“Sir Kar, from now on, please actively accumulate Ore of Trust upon the Scales of Harmony.”

Valentin, the vice commander of the Spear of Order, continued speaking with a dazzling smile that made one wonder what his secret to such perfect dental health was.

“As long as the weight of the Stone of Evil Deeds on the opposite side does not become heavier, you will receive not only more external commissions, but also increasingly stronger protection under the Armor of Blessing.”

He went on, and on, using terminology only he understood, making the explanation rather tedious.

But the gist was simple.

If a cultist maintained a good “credit score,” the Harmony Church would grant them many benefits.

“Don’t be surprised. One of the privileges we offer is even a private audience with the Saint.”

I deliberately flinched in obvious surprise.

“Is… is that really true?”

I even asked as though I couldn’t believe it.

Sure enough, Valentin’s nostrils flared slightly with pride.

When you’ve worked under a demon like Manager Choi who would dump mountains of overtime work on you whenever you failed to react enthusiastically enough to what he said, only to look it over the next day and tell you to redo everything from scratch, you naturally develop the ability to tailor every conversation entirely to the other person’s mood.

If I asked another question here, he’d definitely be delighted.

“So I can actually meet the Saint! That gives me yet another reason to live harmoniously under Lady Artein’s embrace. How do I accumulate Ore of Trust?”

“Ahem! That’s simple.”

The knight with the dazzling teeth now looked ready to pick me up and twirl me around with how kindly he was treating me.

“You earn it every time you accomplish something as an explorer. Just as you did in your previous three dungeons, discovering Lady Artein’s arrangements, clearing an unexplored dungeon for the first time, or achieving something noteworthy enough for your name to become known throughout Pletica.”

In other words… If I simply continued my career as an explorer, I’d naturally receive all sorts of benefits from the Harmony Church.

That wasn’t an issue.

I had no intention of doing ordinary dungeon exploration anyway.

“Thank you for the detailed explanation.”

“Do you have any further questions?”

“Lady Artein’s guidance has already reached my mind.”

“In that case, let me explain external commissions in greater detail. Ilia, take it out.”

The Holy Knight standing stiffly behind Valentin’s right shoulder finally turned toward me.

His eyes were unnervingly clear.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Cultist Kar of the Twisted Truth.”

 

[Holy Knight Ilia (Human, 22), formerly a homeless drifter from District 6 who was granted “Order.” After being arrested for committing numerous vicious crimes, his mind became completely filled with justice, kindness, service, and sacrifice. Followers of that hypocritical goddess really are terrifying…]

 

“It’s such a pleasant day with the warm sunlight shining down. I hope you’re having a wonderful day today.”

His way of speaking sounded exactly like something straight out of an elementary school ethics textbook.

It was as if some AI had learned conversation purely through algorithms.

In many ways… That wasn’t far from the truth.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Sir Knight.”

As District 6’s model cultist, I couldn’t very well discriminate against someone just because he’d once been a drifter.

So I cheerfully held out my hand.

Grasping it, the Holy Knight pumped my arm up and down at a perfect right angle before handing me a stack of documents.

“Here’s the list of external commissions.”

As I skimmed through the papers, Valentin added an explanation.

“With the Ore of Trust you’ve accumulated so far, the only work available to you is recovering or disposing of bodies abandoned inside dungeons.”

In other words… Dungeon cleanup duty.

The Harmony Church assigned cultists requests from throughout all districts of Pletica to deal with the corpses of dead explorers.

A novice worshipper of an Evil God might wonder how this qualified as a “benefit.”

In reality… It was an extraordinarily thoughtful arrangement.

“Recovered bodies must not be offered as sacrifices. However, corpses designated for disposal may be used however you wish.”

A chance to obtain free corpses.

One could call it large corporations subcontracting work to small businesses in a spirit of cooperation.

The harsh reality was that countless fellow cultists failed to secure corpses for human sacrifice rituals, provoking the wrath of their Evil Gods and ultimately either losing their sanity or degenerating into indescribable creatures classified as monsters.

Seen from that perspective…

The Harmony Church wasn’t much different from religious biologists struggling to preserve an endangered species of Evil God worshippers.

“How fascinating.”

Every commission caught my interest. I’d have loved to accept them all. But greed was dangerous.

After carefully reading every listing… I found the one that best suited my purposes.

“I’ll take this one.”

 

[District 3 – Recover Bodies from the Battlefield of the Blood Birds]

[Client: Tavirek, Guild Master of the Gemmaster Guild]

 

Pendrick.

A swordsman blessed with overwhelming talent.

It was the perfect quest for recruiting my future companion.

 

***

 

The Harmony Church, which worshipped Artein, the Goddess of Wisdom and Protection, was both the largest and the greatest religious organization in Pletica.

Its doctrine was not hostile toward other faiths.

It promoted harmony and unity among all people.

Most importantly…

It granted Mysteries that greatly aided dungeon exploration.

Honestly… It would have been stranger if it hadn’t become Pletica’s dominant religion.

“So you’ll be departing to carry out the commission today.”

Because faith in Artein was welcomed positively in every district…

Building relationships with influential members of the Harmony Church meant receiving far better treatment wherever you went.

“Here. This is the certificate you requested yesterday, guaranteeing your identity, Sir Kar.”

Valentin had come bright and early in the morning.

He handed me a single document.

Stamped boldly in the center was the owl with clairvoyant eyes, the sacred symbol of Artein.

[A permit approved by the Archbishop. You have gained the freedom to stay away overnight. Even the hypocritical goddess’s Holy Knights can be useful sometimes.]

When I’d asked Valentin for travel authorization to facilitate my activities as an explorer…

He’d produced it overnight.

And even delivered it personally.

That’s why…

Even though he bore the fearsome nickname Heretic Crusher, a decent cultist like me had no reason to fear him in advance.

Of course… If you were the kind of incorrigible cultist who offered innocent people as living sacrifices, then you should flee the instant you met him.

“Additionally, we’ve also arranged permission for you to enter other dungeons while carrying out your commission.”

“Thank you very much.”

It reminded me once again how beneficial the ideals of harmony and unity truly were.

Meanwhile… Lord Lidni demanded nothing more than using the Mysteries I’d painstakingly learned to torment everyone around me.

[Your expression suggests you’re entertaining extremely irreverent thoughts. The Wise One has become suspicious.]

Bzzz.

[Do not bother interpreting that filthy Evil God’s intentions. They’re surely nothing but absurd slander!]

Ignoring the pointless bickering…

I saw Valentin off after he’d finished his business.

Then I returned inside.

“So you’re leaving now?”

Marlin, looking a little sleepy after getting up early for training, asked.

“Lucky you. I heard District 3 has lots of fun places and tons of delicious food!”

“I’m not going there to sightsee.”

There were only two members participating in this journey to recruit a companion.

Rosalia and me.

 

While I was away… Sergius the butler, and Charlotte the maid, would look after the siblings.

“Don’t slack off while I’m gone. Train hard. And don’t neglect your dungeon studies.”

After placing the wide-brimmed hat I’d bought her the other day back onto her head…

Marlin smiled brightly.

Beside her, Abel finally shook off his drowsiness after nodding off repeatedly and looked up at me.

“When you return… You’ll be astonished by how much we’ve improved. And then I’ll prepare a meal for you.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

After ruffling each sibling’s hair once… We headed for the western checkpoint bordering District 5.

Since the city consisted of six outer districts surrounding the central district…

There was no direct road leading straight to District 3.

Fast travel through teleportation circles was possible.

But I’d need to raise my trust score even higher before gaining access.

I’d probably have to clear another five dungeons or so.

“……”

Along the way… Rosalia emerged naturally from the shadow of a building and joined me.

Unlike usual, she wore a hood that concealed her pointed ears.

Bzzzt.

The Sovereign of the Tainted Sky suddenly sent over a wave of delighted emotions.

As always… If someone happened to be attractive, gender didn’t matter.

The contents were thoroughly indecent.

Honestly… What an exhausting deity.

“Ready for our little outing?”

“……”

Rosalia firmly shook her head before tapping her own temple twice.

“You’re reminding me not to forget that our objective is recruiting talent? Come on, don’t be so uptight.”

I nudged the stern elf’s arm with my own.

“If we have some spare time… Couldn’t we visit the night market, tour a museum, and listen to a wandering bard troupe perform?”

Her response came in the form of a glare packed full of vicious profanity.

It looked as though another suggestion might earn me nothing more than having my delicate cultist neck strangled by eye contact alone.

So I quietly continued walking.

Since my companion was so overwhelmingly silent…

I focused solely on walking.

Before long… We passed swiftly through District 5, with its ecological parks, and the gloomy atmosphere of District 4.

“Your identity has been verified. May Lady Artein’s blessing guide you on a peaceful journey.”

After passing inspection by members of the Royal Peacekeeping Corps stationed at the district border…

The scenery of District 3 finally unfolded before us.

“As expected. District 3 is crowded.”

Everywhere I looked stood buildings of every size.

The streets overflowed with people of countless races.

A bustling commercial district where laughter and conversation filled the air from early morning.

As expected of the district housing headquarters for countless guilds…

It was completely different from the perpetually quiet District 6.

Tap.

While I stood taking in the streets… Rosalia poked my arm.

Her gaze pointed toward the southern road.

“So you’re suggesting we head to the southern street where most of the inns are? That was my intention anyway.”

Since we’d be staying in District 3 for several days…

Our priority was securing a good place to stay before all the decent rooms disappeared.

“Let’s go.”

Following the road that ran alongside the city’s outer wall…

We soon began seeing buildings displaying Artein’s shield emblem, either painted above their entrances or mounted as actual shields.

The district known as… Dreaming Lane.

It was the most prosperous area in District 3 for inns and explorer training schools.

Tap tap.

The silent assassin tapped my arm once more before turning her head.

Following her gaze…

I spotted an elegant inn whose appearance alone screamed expensive.

“So you’re saying that staying in an ordinary inn might attract troublesome riffraff… And therefore it’s more sensible to stay at a luxury inn catering to wealthy explorers?”

The elf looked slightly satisfied.

She gave a subtle nod.

Then she rummaged through her shadow and produced a money pouch.

It was stuffed full of gold coins.

[Approximately 500 gold. Financial support from Odilon for recruiting talented companions.]

“So this is the allowance Young Master gave us? Please hand it over. As the younger sibling, I’ll take responsibility for managing the finances.”

I politely extended my right hand.

The silent assassin simply stared at me… Then firmly pushed my hand back down.

“……”

“All right, all right. Stop glaring at me like that. It isn’t even your money. Honestly, you’re unbelievably stingy.”

Clutching the money pouch protectively while glaring suspiciously at me… The miserly assassin eventually walked ahead.

After striding forward without hesitation… She stopped before a large building constructed in a mysterious and elegant architectural style.

[Radiance Inn. A lavish establishment catering to wealthy explorers, costing 200 gold per night. That pointy-eared assassin must suffer from an appalling spending habit.]

So she wasn’t Scrooge… She was Gatsby!

As Rosalia confidently marched toward the entrance… I hurriedly stepped in front of her.

“No! We have no idea how many nights we’ll be staying. How can you choose somewhere this expensive?”

“…?”

Rosalia looked at me as though she genuinely didn’t understand.

Then she silently took the money pouch back out and showed it to me again.

As if asking…

“We’ve got this much money. What’s the problem?”

 

[Rosalia (Wood Elf, 29), an assassin with a woeful lack of financial common sense. Just as you said… she really does seem like an elf who’s only good at assassination.]

 

“Just come with me. I’ve already picked out an inn.”

Holding Rosalia by the arm while she kept glancing longingly back at the luxury inn…

I examined the many buildings lining the street, each built in a different style.

There it is.

A wooden building with a distinctive triangular roof.

An actual shield hung above the entrance.

Painted upon its surface was an adorable sheep winking with one eye.

The Sheep’s Cry

The name sounded like the title of some thriller adapted from a novel.

Fortunately… It wasn’t run by a genius psychopathic serial killer.

“Here we are. Let’s go inside.”

Grasping the ram-horn-shaped door handle… I twisted it and entered.

Like most inns… The first floor doubled as a restaurant.

There weren’t many customers.

Most of the tables sat empty.

[Almost no guests. Only the overwhelming smell of sweat. Perhaps it should all be burned to ashes?]

While Eyes That Perceive the Truth casually proposed arson…

An employee carrying away dishes left behind by departing customers hurried over.

“Welcome!”

A young employee wearing the establishment’s ram-horn uniform cap.

Black hair. Purple eyes. It was our first meeting.

Yet… It was good to see him.

[Pendrick (Human, 20), an aspiring explorer. Currently working at the inn to earn living expenses. Is this the talented individual you were searching for?]

Pendrick.

My first encounter… With the swordsman who enjoyed the creator’s greatest favoritism.