Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. – Chapter 35 – D-Rank Dungeon: Bloodbird’s Banquet (5)

Author: Cireng

Chapter 35 – D-Rank Dungeon: Bloodbird’s Banquet (5)

Fwoooosh!

Flames burst forth, scorching the Bloodbird’s tongue and the roof of its mouth with blazing, spicy heat.

Fire and lightning.

Two different forces began roasting the Bloodbird.

Its body was being cooked evenly, inside and out.

Screee…!!

Stamping both feet frantically, the Bloodbird let out a cry of agony before desperately flapping its wings.

It intended to drag me into its own domain… the sky.

I couldn’t let that happen.

I attached the seashell I’d kept on me to my mouth and shouted,

“Sis!”

Before I’d even finished speaking, Rosalia was already charging toward the Bloodbird.

Crunch!

Another heavy kick slammed into its body.

Still in the middle of taking flight, the Bloodbird was sent flying over the cliff and splashed into the sea.

Naturally, I went with it, still skewered on its beak.

Screeeech!

The Bloodbird thrashed desperately after being forced into the water.

It looked exactly like a giant red swan… But apparently it couldn’t swim at all.

“You should’ve taken a look under the sea once in a while. The fish that nibble on corpses are pretty adorable.”

This was why people who never enjoyed culture only ended up hurting themselves.

While it twisted its body wildly, I pulled myself free from its beak.

[Remaining HP: 20/100]

[Remaining Mental Strength: 30/100]

“Thanks.”

Even though I’d been the one dominating the fight… I’d nearly died.

As expected of a Level 3 Named Boss.

It was an enemy far beyond what I could easily defeat right now.

Which was exactly why… A smile naturally spread across my face.

‘Now this is what monsters should be like…!’

I didn’t want easy victories.

A life-or-death struggle where the monster threatened my life…

Where my health hit rock bottom… Where my mind blurred from exhaustion.

Only a battle overflowing with danger, thrills, and excitement could truly be called a proper dungeon clear.

“Bloodbird.”

Grabbing the Bloodbird just as it struggled to regain its senses and flap its wings… I transformed my entire body into lightning.

Crackle!

Dark lightning met its best friend, the conductive sea.

The electricity went wild.

“Hang in there.”

The brutal duel, which would only end when one of us died, had begun.

The time limit… Until my Mental Strength reached zero.

“If you’re still alive by then… I’ll count it as your win.”

On the other hand… If the Bloodbird collapsed first, Victory would be mine.

Screeeech!

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s both accept the outcome with good sportsmanship.”

The winner would soon be decided.

Perhaps instinctively realizing death was approaching… The Bloodbird suddenly slashed at me with its claws instead of trying to fly away.

Just before those enormous talons could tear into me… A throwing dagger plunged into the water’s surface.

Shhhhh…

From the dagger’s shadow… The red-haired elf burst forth and leaped.

“…”

She had merely appeared.

Yet the Bloodbird froze from the sheer killing intent radiating from her.

“Thank you.”

Not wasting the opening personally created by a Level 5 Assassin…

I transformed my entire body into lightning and pierced straight through the Bloodbird.

KRAAAK!

Even after taking that electrified body slam… It still refused to fall.

Screee…

Barely managing to steady its staggering body… It grabbed me with its beak.

It clearly intended to chew up the prey that had tormented it and swallow me whole.

“You really are patient….”

I had to respect its determination.

Enduring being roasted from head to toe wasn’t easy.

But… The battle wasn’t over yet.

I’d never said I’d surrender just because it survived my lightning.

“Go.”

Caw!

The blind crow, which had patiently waited its turn all this time, sprang out of my right eye socket and flew directly into the Bloodbird’s mouth.

It wasn’t sacrificing itself as an appetizer.

Crunch. Crunch.

Its exterior had become sturdy enough to withstand Rosalia’s kicks.

But what about the inside?

CRAAACK!

Blood suddenly burst from the Bloodbird’s mouth.

SCREEEECH!!

It shook its head, wings, and legs in agony.

I backed away to avoid getting caught in the struggle.

Soon… A tiny beak emerged after biting through the Bloodbird’s right eyeball.

Caw!

Having devoured the other eye as well…

The crow burst through the top of the Bloodbird’s skull and triumphantly flew into the sky.

Unlike the Bloodbird… Which would never return to the heavens.

…Ghk.

With a gaping hole through the center of its head… The Bloodbird finally toppled over onto its side.

‘Hummm…’

A gate leading outside appeared above its charred corpse. At the same time… The sky turned blood-red to announce the dungeon’s completion.

Bloodbird Blarive.

After a desperate battle… The hunt was successful.

The adrenaline surging through my body gradually subsided.

Only then did the aftereffects of the fierce fight catch up with me.

‘Ugh… my head…’

A pounding headache assaulted me, as though giant spikes were being driven into my brain.

Caw!

Apparently drunk on victory, the Eye That Perceives Truth had been performing aerial acrobatics before hurriedly returning to my eye socket.

It immediately displayed a message.

[Remaining Mental Strength: 7/100]

[Had the Bloodbird fallen even a little later, you would have met your death. Revere your capable assistant!]

It hadn’t rushed back because it was worried about me.

It just wanted credit.

“Yeah. Thanks a lot.”

[Ahem. :)]

While I floated blankly on the water, enduring the splitting headache…

Rosalia walked over and pulled me onto the Bloodbird’s corpse.

As she dragged me along, I said,

“Cut into that nice plump rear. There should be both a mana stone and a Bloodstone there.”

The red-haired elf deeply sliced open the Bloodbird with her dagger and pulled out two gemstones.

One blue. One red.

The blue one was a mana stone.

It was fairly large and would sell for a good price.

Though… It was cheap compared to the red one.

[Gemstone — Bloodstone]

[A gemstone formed from the blood the Bloodbird has consumed throughout its life. A priceless gem desperately sought by mages, alchemists, and jewelers. Treasure it well.]

Demand was enormous.

Supply came only from Bloodbird’s Banquet.

That was why Bloodstones sold for such absurd prices.

“…”

Rosalia stared intently at the gem, whose colors closely resembled her own hair and eyes.

Then she strode over and placed it into my arms.

Afterward… She lightly poked the area around my heart that had been pierced earlier.

“Ow! Are you trying to kill me?!”

“…”

“Don’t glare at me. Yes, I exaggerated a little. But you don’t have to look at me like I’m hopeless.”

Meeting the assassin’s strange gaze… I spread my arms.

“I don’t have the strength left. Could you carry me? Thanks, as always.”

Activating ‘Please Hug Me’…

Rosalia quietly studied my face for a moment.

Then she lifted me into a bridal carry.

Surprisingly… It was quite comfortable.

“Let’s head back and get some rest. We still have to recruit Pendrick. And there’s plenty left to do.”

D-Rank Dungeon. Bloodbird’s Banquet.

It hurt a little… But we’d completed the request safely and even obtained a Bloodstone.

Dungeon cleared.

***

Jewelmaster Guild Headquarters

“…Eric.”

As soon as we laid down the mineralized body of the young jeweler…

Guild Master Tabirek and the guild members all fell silent.

Until now… They’d probably held onto a tiny thread of hope.

Maybe…

Just maybe… He’d somehow survived inside the dungeon.

It pained me to crush that hope.

But there was nothing I could do.

I was merely a cultist who sacrificed the living.

Not a saint who could resurrect the dead.

“Good work.”

Wiping away the moisture gathering around his eyes… Tabirek handed me a neatly wrapped bundle of gold coins.

“Here’s the agreed payment. Ten gold.”

Beside me… Rosalia glanced at me before looking toward her own shadow.

Compared to the five hundred gold Odilon had given us as travel funds…

She seemed to be silently grumbling that ten gold was pitiful.

“Thank you.”

It wasn’t exactly a satisfying amount.

But retrieving the corpse had only been an excuse to enter District Three in the first place.

If money had been my priority…

I’d have chosen a client offering a much larger reward.

Still… I’d obtained both the Mystic for Pendrick and the Bloodstone.

Thinking of it as performing one final kindness for the young jeweler who’d died a meaningless death…

I’d say the balance worked out.

“And as promised… We’ll also give you one tool crafted by our guild.”

The Jeweler class specialized in crafting accessories and equipment using carefully processed gemstones.

Tabirek pointed toward the guild’s display stand facing the street.

Bracelets.

Necklaces.

Gloves.

Belts.

Various items decorated with gemstones and precious metals.

To be honest… Even with generous praise, it was difficult to call their quality exceptional.

“Go ahead and choose. They’re all useful.”

Even Tabirek couldn’t quite bring himself to boast that they were “masterpieces personally inspired by Solmiran,” as dwarves so often did.

After examining the items for a while…

I casually asked,

“Do you also take custom orders?”

“Of course! What kind of item do you need?”

I glanced toward the glove Tabirek had used earlier to pull out Eric’s photograph.

A spatial-storage tool.

Essentially… An inventory.

“I’d like something that lets me store and retrieve items conveniently. Like your glove.”

“Ah, something like this?”

“Certainly.”

“What form would you like?”

Ever since waking up as the cultist Kar…

There had been one piece of equipment I’d always wanted.

“I need a ceremonial stole. You know… That long strip of cloth worn around the neck.”

A stole.

Also called a clerical scarf.

It was symbolic attire for clergy.

Wearing one made rituals and prayers slightly easier, improving communication with divine beings.

Besides… It looked rather cool.

“That shouldn’t be too difficult. Though to make one… I’ll need a gemstone harvested from a dungeon monster.”

“You mean something like this?”

I took out the Bloodstone.

Tabirek’s eyes widened.

“Oh ho! A Bloodstone! This is more than enough. Leave it to me. I’ll make you something at least of masterpiece quality. Just give me a few days!”

Judging from the other products…

I couldn’t help feeling skeptical.

Still… I’d choose to trust him.

Trust didn’t cost money.

Why start with suspicion before he’d even begun?

“I’ll begin work immediately. Come back in about five days to check the progress.”

“I will.”

Leaving the Jewelmaster Guild headquarters…

I headed toward The Sheep’s Cry, where Pendrick was waiting.

Tap. Tap.

Rosalia, who’d been walking silently beside me, looked toward the inn and gave a slight shrug.

“You’re wondering whether Pendrick has already made up his mind? It’s only been half a day. You’re being too impatient. We should wander around the market, eat some snacks, watch a play, and wait peacefully.”

“…”

I casually suggested spending the next few days having fun.

The assassin, who understood nothing about entertainment… Simply stared at me.

She refused to budge.

At this rate… I’d have to use my ultimate trump card to persuade this elf before long.

“Well… To be honest… I think he’s probably already made his decision.”

Pendrick was desperate.

The woman he loved was slowly dying under a curse.

Creak.

Opening the inn’s door… We found the swordsman whose appearance was exactly the type Sue’je would admire.

He held a sword wrapped tightly in cloth against his chest.

“Pendrick.”