Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. – Chapter 40 – O Lonely Silence!

Author: Cireng

Chapter 40 – O Lonely Silence!

I stood near the entrance to the temple and briefly looked around.

A majestic stone cobra statue stood proudly in the middle of the street, flames held in its open mouth.

Despite the enormous sculpture obstructing the road, the dungeon’s phantom pedestrians paid it no mind at all, calmly offering prayers as they passed.

“Oh? There was a temple to an evil god here? But the name is… Lri… what? I’ve never heard of it.”

“Me neither.”

I could safely ignore the irrelevant chatter of the passing explorers.

Meanwhile, before I even spoke, the evil gods seemed to have already guessed why I had come.

[The Wise One has permitted you to worship Lriria alongside Him! I approve as well. :>]

Crackleeeee!

Lidni was displaying unusual generosity today, while Sue’je burst into laughter.

Since the two of them were, for once, united in welcoming my new faith, there was no reason to hesitate.

After asking my companions to wait outside for a moment, I stepped inside.

“Welcome to the mortal sanctuary where lonely silence dwells.”

A cultist dressed in an elegant ceremonial robe bearing a hood and a sun emblem approached me and spoke in a gloomy tone.

“It seems you have already knelt before the dark star that resides beyond the distant night sky. Why, then, have you sorrowfully wandered into the lamentation of death?”

In other words:

“Why has a follower of another evil god come here?”

Matching the atmosphere, I answered with an equally sinister smile.

“I have long heard of Lord Lriria’s glorious name. I wished to keep his idol close and receive even a small measure of His blessing of darkness.”

“O Lonely Silence! Even amidst brilliant light, You faithfully watch over a solitary flame. Very well. I shall gladly grant you the opportunity to receive the blessing of taking one step closer toward the dignity of death.”

I quietly waited.

Soon, the priest returned carrying a cobra idol breathing vicious flames.

It looked so lifelike that it seemed ready to spring to life at any moment.

Its craftsmanship was on an entirely different level from the ordinary Blind Crow Idol used by common cultists.

[An idol embodying the terror and awe bestowed by Lriria, Watcher of Lonely Silence. It also possesses a hidden function guaranteed to make evil deities laugh whenever shown to them. What an incredible treasure!]

IgnoringEyes That Perceive the truth, subtle mockery, I placed the idol into the storage space contained within Radiant Faith.

I was already looking forward to it.

The day I would officially become one of Lriria’s cultists.

‘I finally have it.’

The Mysteries granted by Lriria formed the very core of the Immortal Cultist Build.

“Every loneliness has its proper turn.”

As I hurried to leave with the idol, the priest stopped me and continued speaking.

“Though it is merely a fragment, one who wishes to grasp the sacred vessel containing the Quiet One’s embers must first witness, with ears, eyes, and mind alike, the world’s most tranquil law.”

He intended to recite part of the scripture.

If I ignored him and walked away, he’d simply follow me around until I listened.

So I respectfully stood still.

The priest then launched into a lengthy account of Evil God Lriria’s merciless slaughter of the benevolent gods.

“The first sacrifice was the hypocrite Artein. Protection and wisdom proved to be nothing more than a coward’s shield, trembling helplessly before inevitable death. The next was Talendros. Ha! That vulgar miser obsessed only with fortune and wealth became no more than a lamb drowning in a lake before comforting solitude.”

“How astonishing.”

“The third to be draped in the abyss’s suffering was Meterd. Before the dead, nature itself was nothing more than kindling. Likewise, Solmiran and Selbaran, who were raised beneath his care, were reduced to ashes.”

“Truly incredible.”

The vocabulary was already bizarre enough…

And with the priest lowering his voice dramatically, it became even harder to understand.

So I simply offered suitable reactions while waiting for it to end.

“Now I shall spread the dark whispers of the silent footsteps that the Quiet One desires his standard-bearers to follow.”

Now came the part about religious practice.

My patience was beginning to wear thin.

As I absentmindedly stared ahead, my right eye kindly displayed a translation.

[Religious Practice 1 — Burn every living being without exception.]

[Religious Practice 2 — Together with the dead, transform the world into a silent land of death.]

[Joke: You could replace the phrase “Religious Practice” with “Reasons the cult collapsed.”]

So it had all been information I already knew.

Yet he’d somehow managed to make it almost incomprehensible.

It was a valuable lesson in why language ought to remain socially understandable.

“…Thus concludes it. You may now withdraw from the realm of death.”

“Thank you for your enlightening words.”

After bowing respectfully and leaving the temple…

Pendrick, who was somehow now wearing a pair of rabbit-ear headbands, waved at me.

“Finished with your business?”

“Yes.”

“It was a bit overwhelming, but I managed.”

“…By the way. What’s with those?”

“They were selling them right over there, so I figured I’d try one on. Cute, aren’t they?”

As I answered, I glanced beside him.

Rosalia had narrowed her eyes while staring fixedly at Pendrick’s rabbit ears.

I immediately understood what that meant.

So I acted at once.

“I’ll take two rabbit-ear headbands.”

She was obviously saying,

“Buy one for me too.”

I purchased two identical headbands from the nearby street stall.

After putting one on myself…

I handed the other to the elf who was giving me a sharp look.

“Let’s wear them together. It’s necessary for the dungeon.”

“…”

Rosalia hesitated briefly…

But eventually complied.

“The Rabbit Beastfolk Trio. Excellent.”

If only I had a camera.

I’d definitely commemorate this moment with a photograph.

Smiling in satisfaction, I announced our next destination.

“We’re going to the casino.”

“I have to ask just in case… We’re not actually going there to play, are we?”

“Please don’t doubt me. I, Karr, am a surprisingly sensitive half-elf who gets sulky quite easily.”

“…Then why? Is the means to remove my curse there?”

“Not exactly. But we do have to go.”

The casino was one of the places worth visiting whenever you entered the City of Pleasure.

“We’re going to clean out all the prizes.”

***

As far as I knew…

Casinos were ultimately designed so that customers would always end up losing money.

Naturally, they existed to legally empty gamblers’ pockets.

Of course, they’d arrange the rules so the house always profited.

The casino in the City of Pleasure was no different.

“You may enter.”

After a simple belongings inspection…

We stepped inside.

A luxurious interior covered entirely in gold greeted us.

Clink, clink.

The cheerful sound of chips changing hands echoed everywhere.

If I’d brought Marlin, the money-crazed teenager, she’d probably have completely lost herself.

Leading my companions…

I headed for the prize exchange counter.

“Take a look. See if there’s anything you’d like.”

Every prize was related to dungeon exploration.

Clearly an attempt to lure explorers inside.

【Prize Exchange List】

– 10th-Tier Common Mystery Tome – Miracle of the Soul (10,000,000 Coins)

– Artifact: Despair Desperiarch (9,000,000 Coins)

– Gem: Hoperinne (8,000,000 Coins)

“Hmm… Surely one coin isn’t equal to one gold?”

“It is.”

“…Those are pretty expensive.”

The listed coin prices represented each item’s absolute value.

The more universally powerful an item was…

The more expensive it became.

Take Miracle of the Soul, for example.

As long as one’s soul remained intact…

It allowed endless body-swapping, effectively granting immortality.

No wonder its price was absurd.

“Captain. How much money do we actually have?”

“About two hundred gold remains from the young master’s allowance.”

“Then there’s no way we can win any of the good prizes.”

True.

The casino’s grand prizes existed merely as motivation to lure customers into spending more money.

In reality… Most explorers, gambling with bloodshot eyes, were steadily becoming penniless.

“But that’s fine. I only need one of the relatively inexpensive prizes. I think I’ll aim for something lower down too.”

Reading down the list…

Pendrick smiled with growing interest.

Rosalia was looking as well.

She repeatedly folded and unfolded her fingers, apparently calculating something.

“Captain. Which prize do you want?”

“I need that one.”

‘ Authority of Restoration (1,000 Coins)

Compared to the others…

It looked almost adorably cheap.

In reality… It was equivalent to roughly 100 million won.

Even so… It was considered one of the few prizes an explorer could realistically obtain from this casino.

“I’ll go earn some coins. If any of you find an interesting game, feel free to enjoy yourselves.”

After receiving fifty gold from Rosalia and exchanging it into casino coins…

I headed straight for the easiest place to make money.

A card game where you played one-on-one against the dealer.

“Welcome.”

A rabbit beastfolk dealer, sitting alone while shuffling cards, smiled warmly.

“I see you’ve come wearing adorable rabbit ears. Care for a game?”

“That’s why I’m here.”

“Please, have a seat.”

Just as I sat down to hear the rules…

A short spectator suddenly approached me.

It was that same goblin who had spoken with Pendrick before entering the dungeon.

Mek, a cigar hanging from his lips, grumbled.

“Hey, friend. You should quit while you’re ahead. You won’t win a single coin. I know because I already tried. They cleaned me out.”

“But weren’t you the one loudly declaring you’d conquer this unexplored Dungeon for glory? So why are you at the casino?”

“…That’s not what’s important right now.”

Shaking his head… The goblin glared at the dealer.

“That guy’s a professional. Not just me. More than ten explorers challenged him. They all got crushed.”

“I thought you came here seeking glory rather than the heart of all these amusements… the casino.”

“…”

Mek frowned silently at me.

The dealer finally spoke.

“Please stop disturbing my customers. If you continue, I’ll have security escort you out.”

“…Fine. Do whatever you want.”

As the grumbling goblin stepped aside… The dealer finally explained the game.

“The rules are very simple. There are sixty Explorer Cards. They’re divided among six classes, each with Levels 1 through 10.”

Shuffle, shuffle…

Moving so quickly, his hands were nearly invisible…

The dealer shuffled the deck before laying out sixty cards in six neat rows of ten.

“Now. I’ll reveal one card.”

He flipped one over.

Level 5 Craftsman.

“Now you’ll place your bet. Then reveal one card. My revealed card is Level 5 Craftsman.”

“If you reveal either another Level 5 card… Or another Craftsman-class card… I’ll pay double your wager. However… If you reveal a card of the same class that’s exactly one level higher… I’ll pay five times your bet.”

“May I use Mysteries?”

“You may.”

These weren’t particularly favorable rules.

After all…

Allowing an open-book exam usually meant the questions themselves would be monstrously difficult.

“Of course… So may I.”

The dealer’s eyes widened.

Whoosh!

Suddenly…

Flames burst from his eyes like smoke… Coating every single card.

“See, friend?”

Mek, who’d supposedly been leaving but never actually walked away, clicked his tongue.

“Once he does that… No Mystery can read the cards beneath those flames. I don’t know how confident you are… But stop, he’s a professional coin-cleaning dealer.”

“So the chances of me losing everything are extremely high. I might even lose all my clothes and equipment.”

“Don’t even joke. He’ll keep provoking you until you bet everything you’ve got instead of coins.”

“My goodness.”

“So hurry and–”

Mek suddenly stopped talking.

He narrowed his eyes.

“…Why are you smiling? That’s creepy.”

While gently stroking the rabbit ears atop my head…

I answered.

“Mek. I’m sorry. I’ve already become rather excited.”

“…What?”

Gambling.