Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 54 - Isn't It the Ideal Way to Settle Things?

Chapter 54 – Isn’t It the Ideal Way to Settle Things?

 

“You certainly caused quite a commotion in District 3.”

After the banquet ended, I was speaking privately with Odilon in the cozy wine-tasting room beside the dining hall, as the co-founder of the Moonlight.

We had more in-depth matters regarding our plans to discuss.

“I never imagined you’d actually conquer an unexplored dungeon whose entry conditions had remained unknown for ten whole years.”

Rosalia poured wine into the young master’s glass.

‘Splash.’

Just like last time, her movements were elegant… and just like last time, nearly all of it spilled onto his clothes.

Even so, Odilon continued speaking as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

“The knowledge your Evil God grants really is deep and vast. It’s difficult to even estimate the extent of it.”

[There truly was a time when the Wise One knew everything in the world. How fleeting the ages are!]

“Thanks to that, our expedition’s name has become known throughout all of Pletica.”

“Didn’t everyone say it was a wonderfully cool and adorable name?”

“Some people laughed at it or made fun of it.”

“They’re simply mocking it because they have no sense for naming things.”

“Either way, well done. By now, my elder brother and sister should realize our expedition isn’t something they can afford to underestimate.”

The eldest and second children of House Brites, who governed District 4.

Nicholas Brites and Flora Brites.

The expeditions they commanded consisted entirely of Silver Badge-ranked adventurers and above.

At present, they were opponents far too powerful for us to compete with properly.

“We’ll have to build up our strength while they’re still underestimating us.”

“Exactly. To do that, you’ll first have to gather talented people, just as you planned.”

The young master inhaled the vapor emitted by the portable healing artifact Comforter and continued speaking, his voice gradually growing softer.

“In that regard, I should commend you for successfully recruiting the swordsman Pendrick. The butler spoke very highly of him. He said he could genuinely become the leader of the Twelve Heroes someday.”

“And I even brought Lady Astrimia from the Sentient Weapon series along with him.”

“You did well with that too.”

Odilon nodded absentmindedly before looking directly at me.

“How strong is Pendrick at the moment?”

“He’s currently Level 3.”

When we first met, Pendrick had only been Level 1.

Thanks to the endless battles inside Nightmare World, the rank of his soul had advanced twice.

“Despite only being Level 3, he possesses combat ability roughly equal to that of a Level 5 adventurer.”

He possessed the absurdly overpowered Trait Master of the Sword.

And on top of that, he wielded Astrimia of Joy.

Even I couldn’t begin to imagine just how astonishing his future accomplishments would become.

“Excellent…”

Odilon took another sip of wine, the corners of his lips lifting slightly.

He really did like what he heard.

“Young Master, it’s still too early to be satisfied.”

We’d only recruited one person so far.

The real talent hunt hadn’t even begun.

“Five.”

I spread all five fingers of one hand.

“There are still five more adventurers on the same level as Sir Pendrick.”

Among all the recruitable adventurers, Pendrick was unquestionably a Tier 1 companion.

Even while Astrimia’s ego had been sealed away by the curse, he had still been the strongest and finest swordsman.

There were five more adventurers equal to him.

Every single one was so outstanding that even Rosalia, an exceptional assassin, was pushed down into Tier 2.

‘Though honestly, one Tier 1 companion would already be enough.’

Still… if possible, I’d like to recruit all the others as well.

Realistically, however, that wouldn’t be easy, so I decided not to be greedy.

Furthermore, most of the “Le-” siblings weren’t recruitment targets.

Although I hadn’t met them yet, given how their growth works, they were almost certainly as morally questionable as Ymir.

“Isn’t it incredible?”

Leaning back in my chair, I wiggled the hand with all five fingers extended.

“The fact that there are still five more adventurers equal to Sir Pendrick, who slaughtered dozens of Hellhound Watchdogs while still only Level 1… If they truly exist, then I am interested in seeing what they’re capable of.”

Perhaps he was imagining what our expedition would look like after recruiting every talented individual.

Odilon quietly fell into thought while sipping his wine.

“The moment it happened, Astrimia and I both realized it… That our hearts had connected.”

“Oh… so it was love at first sight?”

During the brief lull in our conversation, lively voices drifted in from the dining hall.

Mostly Pendrick’s and Marlin’s.

Odilon silently drank his wine before narrowing his eyes.

“It’s become awfully crowded. Far too noisy. What I originally wanted was an expedition built on purely professional relationships, where people only exchanged the words necessary for exploration. I also think maintaining nothing more than a strict contractual relationship would probably be better.”

Efficiency. Stability.

In many ways, contracts that tightly bound everyone’s potential for betrayal were certainly more reliable than personal friendships between adventurers.

But… were people truly creatures that acted only through reason?

“Even so, if everyone gets along, the atmosphere becomes much warmer. There’s less needless stress, and everyone can rely on one another more. Isn’t that nice?”

A certain degree of romance… or inefficiency… provided a peaceful refuge for the mind.

It was something I’d learned firsthand from the camaraderie of enduring under the demonic Section Chief Choi, where we survived only because we relied on each other.

“No. Conflict and disagreements arise more fiercely between close people. The closer they are, the greater the feelings of betrayal and anger become. Personal emotions are nothing more than unnecessary impurities in work.”

“I won’t claim you’re wrong. Everyone has their own beliefs and way of thinking.”

Life was ultimately relative.

There was no absolute right answer.

Even I, a half-elf cultist, was living quite happily as an exemplary cultist despite most people considering my choices completely wrong.

As long as someone didn’t commit crimes or behave immorally,

I could even smile warmly upon a person whose hobby was putting on a dog collar every night and walking on all fours.

“Let’s stop this pointless debate. It’ll never end.”

After inhaling another puff from Comforter, Odilon crossed his legs.

‘Crackle.’

‘Crackle.’

The Exalted One, upon seeing the sickly young master’s bony thighs and calves, sent waves of excited intent.

Apparently, thin physiques were exactly His type.

“There’s something I want to address.”

“Please.”

“That Great Monster of Nightmare Dungeon you mentioned after meeting the Gray Wolf Guildmaster. What exactly was that? I think we need a more thorough discussion.”

“That was just a joke.”

“Nonsense. Don’t underestimate Rosalia’s powers of observation.”

The taciturn elf standing quietly nearby gave a small nod.

“Speaking with a completely serious face while saying outrageous things is your trademark as an exploration maniac.”

“An exploration maniac? What an incredible nickname.”

“There you go again. But now and then, you genuinely tell the truth. And talking about that Great Monster was one of those moments. Wouldn’t arguing further just waste time?”

I shrugged after drinking the spirit water Rosalia had brought me instead of wine.

“So you’ve already become convinced. How? It was such an absurd claim.”

“If there’s even the slightest possibility, I never ignore it. If what you said is true… then the future isn’t looking very bright.”

As expected of someone with 18 Intelligence.

If he’d already seen through everything, making excuses would accomplish nothing.

In the end, I honestly confessed the truth I’d wanted to keep hidden.

“If Nightmare Dungeon isn’t conquered within five years… the world will end. The Great Monster on the dungeon’s highest floor, who can already influence the outside world, will descend upon the surface, leading its army.”

The end of the world.

The idea that our seemingly eternal world would collapse within just a few years was too cruel a reality to accept cheerfully.

That was why I hadn’t mentioned it before.

Like Atlas of mythology, who bore the heavens upon his shoulders alone, I’d intended to carry that crushing burden by myself.

“But since you insisted on asking, Young Master, I had no choice but to tell you. So from now on… you’ll have to share the burden. You too, Sis.”

“…”

The young master lowered his head slightly, gently swirling the wine in his glass. His bodyguard secretary watched me silently, just as always.

“There exist beings known as the Six Apostles, who act under the Great Monster’s orders. They’ve been tasked with disrupting and assassinating adventurers to hinder dungeon exploration.”

The Six Apostles.

The primary enemies on the path to clearing Nightmare Dungeon.

Masters of sabotage, manipulation, and sowing discord.

“We can’t just leave enemies who threaten every adventurer alone, can we?”

As lively conversation continued drifting in from the dining hall, Odilon suddenly spoke.

“…Even so, I can’t move solely for the sake of ‘everyone’s future’. I’ll act in whatever way benefits us the most.”

Putting profit ahead of preventing the apocalypse.

That was exactly what I’d expect from the young master of an information broker family.

Which was precisely why he was someone I could trust.

“Naturally. Selflessly working for everyone’s sake without anyone recognizing your efforts isn’t necessarily a bad thing… but it’d be nice to gain something from it as well.”

We would completely crush the schemes of the Six Apostles while simultaneously increasing our fame.

Prevent the apocalypse, and become renowned adventurers in the process.

For now, it sounded like nothing more than a dream.

But if we continued exploring dungeons steadily, we would naturally become one of Pletica’s most famous and capable expeditions.

“So in the end, all we can do is repeat the same conclusion over and over. We need to recruit more talented people.”

“Exactly.”

In the end, dungeons were meant to be explored together with companions.

No matter how outstanding someone was,

clearing even an A-rank or B-rank dungeon alone was nearly impossible… let alone an S-rank one.

“I’ve already finished investigating the mage who activated the Hidden Piece in Grave of the Earth Elves, the one you mentioned.”

Odilon continued while idly twirling the comforter between his fingers.

“An apprentice mage from the Dark Magic School of the Tower of Voracious Study. His name is Bartimir. A demon. Twenty-two years old. The same age as you.”

“…I see.”

I took another drink of spirit water to suppress the smile threatening to appear.

‘So it really was you.’

Bartimir… the youngest of the ‘Le-‘ siblings, a demon dark mage whose combination was every bit as disastrous as that of a half-elf cultist.

When I’d created him, my playtime had already reached around nineteen thousand hours.

If my guess was correct, he was developing exactly according to the build I’d designed.

“I already sent Sergius to make contact with him. Unlike most mages, he was receptive to joining an expedition. However… he attached one condition. It was a condition that required your approval.”

“What condition?”

“He said he doesn’t want to take orders from anyone.”

Apparently reaching his limit, the young master leaned back against his chair and frowned.

“When I told him about you, he became even more enthusiastic. He said he wants to defeat you, become the expedition leader himself, and take your place.”

“What do you think?”

As something akin to his parent… or perhaps creator…

I found his ambition to aim higher rather endearing.

But personal feelings had no place in dungeon exploration.

So I made a purely rational decision as an adventurer.

“How about this? We both enter the same dungeon at the same time. Whoever clears it first becomes the expedition leader. The loser faithfully serves as an ordinary member under the winner.”

A competition to conquer a dungeon.

If it were settled that way, even if I lost overwhelmingly and became the utterly defeated loser,

I’d gladly accept the result.

“Are you really satisfied with that?”

“Of course.”

“That’s exactly why I call you an exploration maniac.”

“…What?”

I genuinely couldn’t understand what he meant.

“Isn’t dungeon exploration the ideal way to settle a contest? Whether you win or lose… both sides can smile happily from beginning to end, can’t they?”