Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. – Chapter 3 – E-Rank Labyrinth – Hideout of the Lurker Ghouls (2)

Author: Cireng

Chapter 3 — E-Rank Labyrinth – Hideout of the Lurker Ghouls (2)

“…”

Marlin, who had been approaching me, immediately backed far away again.

With an expression of complete revulsion.

“Where are you going?”

“…I’ll stay over here.”

“That hurts my feelings.”

“Please don’t say things like that without changing your expression. It’s scary.”

Just what did I look like?

Come to think of it, I had absolutely no idea who I was now or what I looked like.

The first thing I’d do after escaping the Labyrinth would be to find a mirror.

“Don’t go too far. It’s dangerous.”

Warning Marlin as she slowly edged farther away, I examined the explorers’ corpses one by one.

Just as the young expert had said, the bodies were moderately decomposed.

A little gruesome, but not enough to make me sick.

Unfortunately, what I wanted were fresh corpses that hadn’t been dead long.

Every single one of these was unsuitable as a human sacrifice.

‘Figures they wouldn’t let me have it easy.’

Since reality wasn’t the same as the game, I’d hoped things might be different.

In the end, though, it looked like I’d have to take some risks if I wanted to clear this.

“Marlin.”

“Yes?”

The girl who had been standing some distance away cautiously came closer again.

“Do we need more corpses?”

“We do, but we’ll have to move.”

“There won’t be any suitable bodies out here on the plains.”

“Suitable… bodies….”

Rendered speechless for a moment, Marlin lightly smacked the ground with her tail.

“Then where are we supposed to find them?”

“The ghouls’ settlement. It’s in the middle of the forest.”

“…If they catch us, we’ll die.”

“What an obvious thing to say. That’s why we’ll sneak in.”

Ghouls possessed exceptional physical abilities and were surprisingly intelligent.

Even so, they were still monsters.

There were plenty of ways to reduce the chances of being discovered.

“I’m back.”

Right on cue, Abel returned as well.

His hands and pockets were stuffed with round stones.

“Will these be enough?”

“More than enough.”

“Thanks.”

Now that we had everything we needed, it was time to move.

“Here, you two should put these on first.”

After stripping the clothes off the dead explorers, I handed them to the siblings.

I’d even carefully picked sizes that would fit each of them.

Yet, for some reason, both of their faces instantly fell.

Maybe the designs were just that unfashionable.

[Various filthy, heavily worn articles of clothing. Worthless rags reeking of decaying corpses. Surely you aren’t planning to wear these?]

Of course I was.

“The sun’s already starting to rise. Hurry.”

As we hurriedly changed clothes, I noticed Marlin still standing there, staring at me.

“What are you looking at? Pervert.”

“…”

Marlin alternated her gaze between me and the ragged clothes in her hands before finally retreating behind a thick tree to change.

Abel merely frowned and draped the clothing over himself like a crude cloak.

“Finished?”

“Yes….”

“Let’s go. Follow me.”

Gathering our original clothes into one pile, I headed straight into the forest.

The siblings hesitated in surprise.

I reassured them while giving off the overwhelming stench.

“You’ll be fine wearing those. Ghouls only react strongly to the scent of living people.”

“Oh… So the smell covers up our own scent, making them unable to find us?”

“Exactly.”

Young Abel immediately relaxed.

Marlin, however, two years older than him, wasn’t so easily convinced.

“…What if they spot us with their eyes?”

Did I really need to answer that?

I simply patted the anxious Marlin gently on the back and continued walking.

“Wait, Mister! I’m asking what happens if a ghoul sees us!”

“Shh… If you keep talking so loudly, the ghouls will come. Their hearing isn’t particularly remarkable, but we should still be careful.”

“…Are you sure we’ll be okay?”

“Keep walking. If you dawdle and run into one of their patrols, we’re finished.”

“…”

The constantly chattering Marlin finally fell silent.

Softly.

Quietly.

Despite three people walking together, barely a footstep could be heard.

The siblings weren’t the only nervous ones.

I was tense as well.

If a ghoul found us this time, the moonlight wouldn’t be there to save us.

[There are ghouls nearby.]

I immediately dropped flat into the thick undergrowth together with the children.

Not long afterward, a group of about five ghouls rushed past toward the plains where we’d left our discarded clothes.

“They definitely came this way…. I can still smell them faintly! Kihihihi….”

Only after they had gone well into the distance did we emerge from the bushes and continue moving.

Avoiding every patrol route I could remember.

As quietly as possible.

Since we had absolutely no means of defeating them if discovered, avoiding combat was our only option.

“Come out, intruders…. Where are you hiiiding? We know you’re there—!”

Every Lurker Ghoul in the forest was searching for us.

The entire forest reeked so horribly that our sense of smell had long since become useless.

It was impossible to detect approaching monsters by scent.

The trees blocked out the sunlight, leaving everything dim enough that our vision wasn’t much help either.

It was precisely in situations like this, where part of one’s senses had effectively been sealed, that a Cultist of the Twisted Truth truly shone.

[They’re coming from behind.]

Whenever Eyes That Perceive the Truth warned me, I never questioned it.

I simply moved.

Hide behind a thick tree.

Conceal myself inside the bushes.

Sometimes even climb up into the trees themselves.

After playing that deadly game of hide-and-seek, where getting caught meant becoming groceries for what felt like an eternity…

My back was drenched in cold sweat.

Fortunately, we reached our destination without incident.

“We’re here.”

The northeastern section of the ghouls’ settlement.

A small building built in an unusual architectural style, standing where the forest met the clearing.

It was a warehouse the ghouls had built to imprison captured intruders.

[The Lurker Ghouls’ food warehouse. In other words, a place where corpses are stored. A high-quality facility equipped with magical devices that maintain the perfect temperature.]

“They’ll be around here too. Don’t let your guard down.”

Keeping my voice low, I approached the warehouse’s back door.

Marlin crawled behind me, almost completely flat against the ground.

Her stiffened tail reflected exactly how nervous she was.

“The smell is awful. So they really are storing corpses in there….”

“That’s right.”

A ghoul’s staple food was corpses.

Oddly enough, despite being undead, they had rather refined culinary tastes.

They preferred bodies that had decomposed to just the right degree.

“That’s why they built this warehouse. …So it’s so they can enjoy them at their best.”

“Exactly. They understand how delicious fermented food can be.”

You could think of it as a giant corpse kimchi refrigerator.

They didn’t just store any random body, either.

Only carefully selected premium ingredients made it inside.

Despite their hideous appearances, suggesting they’d eat anything, they were surprisingly meticulous.

“Can you open this?”

“Yes.”

Marlin, a currently active burglar from the slums (age fourteen), took a lockpicking tool from her pocket and got to work.

Click.

“It’s open.”

Unlocking a massive padlock in less than five seconds.

Her future was certainly bright.

“Abel. Stand watch.”

Abel silently nodded before crouching near the entrance, ears perked up.

“Marlin. Come with me.”

“Yes….”

As we stepped into the warehouse, cool air brushed against us.

The first thing we saw was a pile of explorers’ corpses stacked high.

About ten of them.

Since the Labyrinth had only existed for a week, there weren’t many yet.

I cautiously approached and examined each body.

Using just any corpse because it was convenient would only waste our effort.

I had to choose carefully.

Fortunately…

I had the perfect assistant for moments like this.

[Corpse of Wildhorn (Bull Beastkin, age 28), member of the Tide Guild. In life, he merely trembled in fear while his teammates fought. His condition is unsuitable as an offering to the Wise One.]

[Corpse of Ronpo (Human, age 37), an impoverished alchemist. Joined a Labyrinth expedition to earn money for his alchemical research, only to meet disaster. A base human. Under no circumstances should he be offered.]

Not this one.

Nor that one.

Reading one line after another brought on a mild headache.

Pressing my thumb against my temple, I continued searching.

[Corpse of Bold (Human, age 26), an untalented hunter. Despite training since childhood, his lack of talent left his soul at merely the Second Stage. Even so, he would make a satisfactory offering.]

Found him.

He was a gaunt hunter dressed in light clothing.

The expression of terror from the instant of his death remained frozen on his face.

“I’m sorry. But I don’t really have a choice. I have to survive too. Marlin. Please drag him over to the center.”

While Marlin pulled the untalented hunter’s corpse into the empty space in the middle of the warehouse, I began taking ritual items from my belongings.

First… A crow idol with both of its eyes gouged out.

It had been among my possessions from the moment I first awoke in this world.

Next… I arranged the stones Abel had collected around the corpse.

Finally… I lit one candle at the head and another at the feet.

It was a rather shabby setup.

Still, I’d done everything I could.

A makeshift shrine and altar.

“…Is this where that starts?”

I gave a small nod.

“I’m beginning the sacrificial offering ritual. If it makes you uncomfortable, turn around.”

The offering for the evil god needed to be prepared.

I silently took out the sharpened ritual dagger that every Cultist carried and began moving my hand.

Slice.

The sound of a blade cutting echoed throughout the silent warehouse.

With every stroke…

The metallic scent of blood spread farther.

The dull-colored floor slowly stained red.

‘This is harder than I thought.’

The dagger was cheap.

It didn’t cut properly.

The limitations of starter equipment.

Because of that, even the simple task of separating a head from a body left me drenched in sweat.

“Why are you cutting off the head?”

Covering her eyes with her tail, Marlin cautiously peeked at what I was doing as she whispered.

She looked terrified that a ghoul might burst in at any moment, yet she couldn’t suppress her curiosity.

“The one I worship, Lord Lidni, has rather particular tastes.”

“Tastes?”

“He prefers heads removed cleanly. Rather like preparing shrimp. If the head stays attached, inferior knowledge remains inside, and He finds that unpleasant. So it’s best to remove it whenever possible.”

“…”

Thud.

While talking with Marlin, I’d finished the task before realizing it.

Only then did I finally straighten my aching back and stretch.

With both hands, I picked up the result of all that work.

The hunter’s head.

“Whew….”

After wiping the sweat from my forehead with my sleeve, I gently placed the severed head on the floor.

Strange black text floated above it.

[This human once vented his frustration over his lack of talent by secretly shooting innocent goblins to death with a bow. Since he possessed not a shred of knowledge worthy of satisfying the Wise One, separating the head was the appropriate decision.]

Just as expected from an offering personally selected by Eyes That Perceive the Truth.

It turned out he was a criminal who had murdered innocents.

Offering someone like that to an evil god came with absolutely no guilt.

Next, I pulled the teeth from the severed head and gently placed them atop the body.

Ingredients to provide a satisfyingly crunchy texture.

I even took the time to remove the decayed teeth before using them.

I’d have liked to add more ingredients.

But this was the limit for now.

Scattering the teeth densely across the body with lingering regret, I placed my hand upon the headless corpse.

Then I quietly began reciting.

“I present this daily nourishment to the One who possesses Infinite Truth, Master of all the world’s wicked knowledge and grotesque sorceries.”

From here on, the prayer became needlessly long.