Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. – Chapter 52 – I Wouldn’t Believe It Either

Author: Cireng

Chapter 52 – I Wouldn’t Believe It Either

[Targon, Guildmaster of the Ashen Wolf Guild (Gray Orc, 40). Without question, a powerhouse.]

Ranked 2nd among the Twelve Heroes selected by the Dungeon Management Corps. The strongest orc among all Warrior-class explorers!

Seeing him in person… his presence was unbelievable.

It felt as though I were facing a gigantic mountain compressed into the form of a sentient being.

‘Now that’s a warrior.’

As an explorer, I wasn’t particularly fond of the Ashen Wolf Guild, since they weren’t very accommodating toward beginners.

Personally, however, I thought well of Targon.

We had quite a few things in common, so I couldn’t help but feel drawn to this massive orc.

The reason I’d offered Ymir an orc berserker as a sacrifice last time was because of the giant standing before me now.

“Good to meet you. I’m Targon.”

The gray orc, whose overwhelming frame dwarfed everything around him, extended a hand larger than most bucklers.

“Greetings. I’m Karr, Cultist of Twisted Truth and captain of the Moonlight Expedition.”

When I reached out my own slender hand, the size difference looked like that between an adult and a child.

No matter how orcish he was… was it really possible to be ‘this’ huge?

[This ridiculously enormous orc must have inherited the blood of the extinct giants. :O]

There was even a video by the creator, ‘MiTube’, explaining Targon’s lineage.

The theory was fairly close. Though it missed the crucial point.

“Sit.”

The enormous orc lowered himself onto the sofa opposite us.

Even though it was large enough to comfortably fit the three of us side by side, he filled it all by himself.

“First, there’s something for you.”

His secretary quietly handed over an item from her pouch.

It was an identification plate made of bronze with a wolf’s face engraved upon it.

Pendrick’s name was carved into the center.

“Congratulations on officially becoming a Bronze-Rank Explorer.”

Pendrick had finally escaped trainee status.

Bronze badges weren’t especially difficult to obtain if you proved a reasonable amount of skill, but the genius swordsman from the Eastern Continent simply stared at it for a long while, clearly moved.

Targon spoke again.

“I heard you came to sell Hidden Piece information.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s hear it.”

A High Warrior didn’t waste time on trivial greetings or idle chatter.

Pleased by his straightforwardness, I immediately got to the point.

“The Hidden Piece information I’m selling consists of two parts.”

How to enter Nightmare World, the true form of City of Pleasure, along with its strategy.

And… the Artificial Heart used to lure and weaken Bloodyve, the Blood Bird leader of Blood Bird Banquet Hall.

I deliberately omitted any mention of the Mystery Resisting Body, which Pendrick had learned.

Since it could only be obtained during the very first entry, there was no reason to tell them.

“…That’s everything.”

After transcribing everything I’d said in shorthand, the secretary bowed before retrieving a heavy sack of coins from a glove… one of the most common subspace storage tools.

A bulging pouch of gold coins.

If Marlin had seen it, her eyes would’ve lit up.

“Well explained. Here’s an advance payment of 800 gold.”

Targon looked steadily at me before continuing.

“Once we’ve confirmed the information, you’ll receive the remainder. Any complaints?”

Judging solely from his expression and tone, it sounded almost like: “Complain, and you’ll regret it.”

In reality, this was simply his version of being polite.

Though Targon wasn’t exactly gentle by nature, he was categorized as one of the good-aligned characters.

I placed the heavy pouch into my subspace and shook my head.

“None. It’s more than a satisfactory amount.”

Eight hundred gold as an advance alone was already well above average.

Considering they’d even gone out of their way to issue Pendrick’s identification badge without us asking, it was obvious they were treating us favorably.

I more or less knew why.

“Is there something you’d like from me?”

“There is. Especially from you.”

Never one to beat around the bush, the High Warrior leaned slightly forward.

“Join our guild. I’ll treat you as the equivalent of a Gold-Rank Explorer immediately.”

Pendrick inhaled sharply in surprise.

Meanwhile, Rosalia tilted her head before subtly poking my back. ‘Isn’t that strange?’ That was what she meant.

“You’d treat me as Gold Rank?”

“Correct.”

“Why?”

“Because we need your knowledge.”

Targon placed both hands upon the table with movements that carried tremendous weight.

“The Guild War will be held one month from now. I want you to become our guild’s advisor.”

Pendrick glanced at both Rosalia and me, both of us quietly nodding,

before cautiously raising his hand.

“Um… what exactly is the Guild War? I’ve heard of it, but don’t really know the details.”

“…Elvira.”

“Yes.”

The secretary immediately stepped forward and explained in the guildmaster’s stead.

“The authority to manage District 3 changes hands periodically. Every two years, the guilds compete through dungeon exploration. The guild with the best overall results earns the honor of governing one of Pletica’s six districts.”

Other districts occasionally changed rulers as well, but District 3 was the only one where it happened on a fixed schedule.

“Any further questions?”

“I understand now. Thank you.”

The elf smiled faintly before stepping back.

Targon clenched and unclenched one hand as he frowned.

“I’ll be honest. This time… I don’t think we’ll win.”

Pendrick blinked.

“Even with Guildmaster Targon, one of the Twelve Heroes? I don’t really understand. Is it because I lack experience?”

Secretary Elvira exchanged glances with her superior.

When the High Warrior nodded, she lowered her voice and spoke quietly.

“We have a spy within our guild.”

Even a novice explorer could understand that explanation.

“Our guild’s strategies, along with detailed information about our explorers’ Mysteries, have all been leaked and made public throughout District 3. We’ve even used artifacts capable of detecting lies, yet still failed to identify the culprit. They appear to possess a very unusual Mystery.”

“That’s why I want you. The one who uncovered the Hidden Piece in City of Pleasure. I saw potential in you. We’ll make up for your lack of levels and combat experience. So…?”

I quietly met Targon’s gaze before replying.

“I’m sorry, but this isn’t a decision I can make on my own. I’ll discuss it with the co-founder of our expedition first before giving you an answer.”

“…Very well.”

“However… Before that, I can at least offer you a small gift.”

There was one gift guaranteed to make this stoic warrior beam with delight.

“The spy is Vice Guildmaster Rigobert. He also commands the Watchman Expedition.”

It was the fastest possible answer, offered for the sake of an orc who would become an invaluable ally once befriended.

“…I can’t simply ignore those words.”

Targon’s expression hardened as he leaned forward.

That simple motion alone made me feel as though an enormous mountain were crushing my entire body.

“Rigobert has been with me ever since I first became an explorer. He’s practically family. And you’re saying he betrayed me?”

Targon’s terrifying stare tightened around my throat like a noose.

“And I was too much of a fool to notice? That’s not an insult I can simply overlook.”

“…”

To experience firsthand the killing intent of the strongest berserker in Pletica… one of the Twelve Heroes!

Mentally, I found it deeply satisfying.

Physically, it wasn’t easy to endure.

Rosalia quietly placed a hand upon my back as my breathing became ragged.

After meeting her eyes briefly in gratitude, I looked directly back at Targon.

“I understand. Of course you’re angry. Anyone would be.”

“And yet you still said it?”

“Lidni granted me a revelation. And my business partner, the young master of House Brites, obtained the same information.”

I’d activated two irrefutable justification cheat codes simultaneously, yet the stubborn orc remained unmoved.

“Anyone can string together convincing words. What matters is whether they’re true.”

“Then humor me. Conduct a discreet investigation. You’ll uncover clues you’ve never noticed before.”

“That sounds less like humoring you… and more like simply being deceived.”

The gray orc shifted as though about to stand.

Secretary Elvira appeared to be seriously considering my words, but she clearly had no intention of shortening her own lifespan by offering advice to her furious superior.

“Cultist Karr… Are you slandering my irreplaceable comrade Rigobert for some malicious purpose?”

“No.”

“Of course you’d say no. What fool would openly admit to spreading lies?”

Petty wordplay would never convince the High Warrior before me.

What I needed now was a single secret capable of piercing the heart protected by muscles harder than armor.

Fortunately…

I knew the one sentence that would shake Targon’s resolve.

“If I’m wrong… I’ll enter a District 4 dungeon together with you.”

“…”

The orc immediately understood the true meaning behind my words.

He frowned slightly.

Meanwhile, Secretary Elvira openly widened her eyes before hastily composing herself once she noticed her superior looking her way.

“…Hah. You’re an unbelievable fellow.”

Targon silently stared at the table for several minutes before finally raising his head.

“Fine. I’ll verify it. But if you’re lying… you’ll bear responsibility for your words.”

That concluded the meeting.

“We’ll conduct our own investigation. We’ll await your return.”

Escorted out by Secretary Elvira, we left the Ashen Wolf Guild headquarters.

Rather than heading straight back, we made our way toward the eastern district, filled with places to enjoy ourselves.

Only then did Astrimia, who had remained silent the entire time, speak.

“Sir Karr… why would the spy leak the information to every competing guild? Wouldn’t it be better if only their guild knew? That would improve their chances of winning the Guild War.”

A sharp observation.

Exactly what one would expect from an Ego Sword considerably smarter than her own partner.

“Keep this among yourselves for now. The reason the spy spread the information… is because he wasn’t sent by ‘another guild’.”

Vice Guildmaster Rigobert.

He belonged to something far higher.

“Nightmare Dungeon.”

I looked up at the sky.

Since it was morning, none of the residents of the night could be seen.

“Rigobert is acting under the orders of the Great Monster residing on the top floor of Nightmare Dungeon.”

The boss of the final dungeon could exert influence even beyond the dungeon itself.

” …What?”

Astrimia’s blade trembled slightly.

“Sir Karr… I know you’re unbelievably knowledgeable, but… that’s really difficult to believe. Honestly, does that even make sense? Only the fourth floor out of the dungeon’s total fifty floors has been cleared so far.”

“That’s correct.”

“This is even the first time I’ve heard there’s a ‘Great Monster’ on the top floor… Ah! Wait! Was that one of your usual deadpan jokes, and I just reacted way too seriously?”

I didn’t answer immediately.

We simply kept walking for a while before I finally spoke.

“You answered so seriously that it caught me off guard. Obviously it was just a joke, wasn’t it?”

“Aaaah! I don’t even have a face, yet somehow it still feels like my face is burning!”

“Asmi… I’m embarrassed for you.”

“Pendriiick! Be honest–you were startled for a second too!”

Listening to the two lovers bicker affectionately, I couldn’t help smiling bitterly.

‘A joke.’

For now… that was exactly how it had to remain.

The fact that even this exceptionally intelligent Ego Sword reacted so skeptically

meant that, at this point, there were almost no people who would believe my words without question.

[No… seriously…]