Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 65

Chapter 65: Effort and Its Fruits

 

“You’re saying I’ve been doing well?”

Bartimir gave a bitter smile and drained the rest of his coffee in one gulp.

“This is the first time anyone’s ever told me that. Everyone else just says I’ve lost my mind because I couldn’t accept reality.”

“The idle chatter of people who know nothing.”

“I know. That’s why I don’t pay any attention to them.”

[To be honest, I think the other mages made perfectly reasonable points. Collecting diseases and curses? And calling that admirable?? Neither you nor that demon is in your right mind!]

I waved my hand dismissively, erasing the useless text before speaking again.

“Others may not understand, but I certainly do. Given the constitution that the Dark Mage Guild created through their experiments, you couldn’t have turned out any other way.”

“…You knew about that too?”

“Of course.”

Traits weren’t merely game mechanics.

They truly existed in reality.

Constitutions… or, as the explorer industry often called them, ‘Soul Traits.’

Every person possessed at least one.

Most were so insignificant they were hardly worth mentioning. like [Hasty Legs], which merely made you walk a little faster.

As such, people generally paid them little attention.

However, enormous organizations like the Milky Way tested them in advance when selecting promising talent.

“The Dark Mage Guild engraved two constitutions onto you, Sir Bartimir.”

Just like me. He possessed two traits.

“The first is [Pure Soul]. It reduces the influence of effects that dominate the body and mind, but causes you to suffer from them for much longer.”

A trait that cut the effectiveness of status ailments to less than half… at the cost of greatly increasing their duration.

“The second is [Foolish Desire]. The more effects that dominate your body and mind, the stronger your dark magic becomes. In exchange, you can only ever learn Dark Mage Mysteries.”

The more negative status effects you accumulated, the stronger your dark magic grew… But you could learn only Mysteries belonging to the Dark Mage class.

I had personally selected both of them.

To be honest, [Pure Soul] wasn’t especially popular, since status ailments could simply be cured and [Foolish Desire] prevented mages from taking advantage of one of their greatest strengths, the ability to learn at least some Mysteries from other schools.

Even so…

I had boldly chosen them.

And they’d turned out to be even more useful than expected.

“When those two constitutions are combined, you can remain perfectly healthy no matter how many curses and diseases accumulate in your body. You’ll suffer from their side effects and symptoms longer than others, but the actual danger decreases dramatically. And on top of that, your dark magic steadily grows stronger.”

“Exactly…”

“Furthermore, demons survive by feeding upon the negative emotions emitted by living beings. You can continuously consume the discomfort and fear caused by curses and diseases, producing the additional benefit of keeping both your body and mind exceptionally healthy and resilient.”

The Collector of Calamities build was one where traits, racial characteristics, and class combined into perfect synergy.

Its weakness lay in the careful management required for curse side effects and disease symptoms.

But as long as one maintained them diligently, they posed no real problem.

“That’s exactly it!”

Bartimir leaped to his feet, grabbed my arm, and shook it enthusiastically.

A radiant grin spread across his face.

“You really do know your stuff! Ever since I entered the Bibliophile Mage Tower, everyone’s been whispering that the experiments I went through in the Dark Mage Guild drove me insane. It was driving me crazy!”

“Even if those constitutions were forcibly created, accepting curses and diseases lets you grow much more easily. So why refuse them?”

“Exactly!”

Apparently, he was so thrilled to finally meet someone who understood him that he was shaking me far too hard.

I was starting to get dizzy.

“You also used ‘Fertilizer Sprout’ as a stepping stone for your growth, didn’t you?”

“You’re absolutely correct.”

“Ah, I’m jealous… I wish a god would curse me too! Couldn’t you ask your Evil Gods to place a curse on me?”

[The Wise One covers Their face with one hand and lets out a sigh….]

‘Crackle…’

Both Evil Gods simultaneously sent revelations conveying utter disbelief.

“That would be difficult. You’re already lacking in faith. How could They personally place a curse upon you? Such miracles are only possible for deities with many followers, like Lady Meterd.”

‘Shake, shake.’

The Silent One suddenly began frantically shaking the snake tattoo on my arm, desperately asking me to tell Bartimir that if he became a believer in the lonely God of Silence, then someday in the distant future They would grant him a truly magnificent curse.

I wanted to fulfill that wish.

But it simply wasn’t possible.

“It can’t be done. Because of the curse [Mockery of the Atheist], you’re incapable of possessing faith, Sir Bartimir.”

A curse that permanently fixed one’s Faith stat at zero.

Although it completely severed one source of Mysteries the divine it didn’t affect any combat-related attributes, making it surprisingly advantageous.

‘Droop…’

The snake tattoo lowered its head sadly before slowly retreating beneath my sleeve.

Eventually, Bartimir, who’d looked ready to grab me and dance together, finally calmed down.

He sat back on the floor and folded his arms.

“I’m really starting to think joining your expedition team was the right choice.”

“Don’t be satisfied just yet. I haven’t even told you which curses and diseases you should collect. The order is especially important. So please pay close attention.”

If one acquired curses or diseases in the wrong sequence…

One’s growth could come to a complete halt.

They were as difficult to tame as wild monsters.

They required care as meticulous as that of a keeper raising a baby Komodo dragon.

“First, contract [Flow Coagulation Syndrome], then acquire the curse [Scattered Bankruptcy]. That sequence makes mitigating the side effects remarkably easy. Remember… the order is crucial.”

I revealed every secret and technique behind the Collector of Calamities Build without holding anything back.

At first, the demon listened while slouching carelessly.

But as the explanation went on… He gradually became more respectful.

By the end… He was kneeling.

“Please sit comfortably. Would you like me to give you my seat?”

I tried to stand up.

Instead, he hooked my leg and knocked me over, forcing me back into the chair.

“Stay still. This is my own way of showing respect.”

The starlike sparkle in his eyes alone conveyed his admiration perfectly.

Perhaps because he possessed such unusual thinking…

Simply hearing my explanation had been enough.

He had already fully understood my build and resolved to follow it faithfully.

“Now I’ll explain the Mysteries and artifacts.”

“Okay!”

‘Nod. Nod. Nod.’

He nodded so vigorously that the tattered ends of the bandages wrapped around his face fluttered wildly.

“The Collector of Calamities Dark Mage relies less on Mysteries and artifacts than other mages, but even so, they remain indispensable. Especially that artifact. You’ve taken very good care of it.”

Those bandages wrapped all around Bartimir’s upper body, including his face…

They weren’t there for no reason.

 

[Artifact – Devotee]

[When wrapped around the body, it protects one’s sanity from being shaken by disease.]

 

That was the Hidden Piece reward he’d obtained from [Earth Elves Tomb].

An artifact that suited Bartimir perfectly.

But… He was using it incorrectly.

“It produces a much greater effect when wrapped directly around bare skin rather than over clothing.”

“Mm. I know.”

“Then why wear it like that?”

“Because taking it off every time I bathe is annoying and wrapping it directly around my body feels too restrictive. But most importantly… There’s one very important reason.”

Bartimir glanced down at himself before proudly puffing out his chest.

“Doesn’t this look cooler?”

“……”

In that case…

There was nothing more to say.

“I was mistaken. You’re absolutely right.”

A magnificent appearance was one of the most important concerns encoded into the genes of every animal.

Bartimir smiled.

“So you don’t know every truth in existence after all? The only one who knows everything is Lord Lidni.”

The highly informative, personalized lesson continued without pause.

I even gave him advice on making his combat style more efficient.

Before I realized it…

The sun had begun sinking below the horizon.

I’d probably been talking nonstop for nearly two hours.

“That’s everything. Any questions?”

“I understand it all.”

“That’s a relief. I was so exhausted that I had no intention of explaining it twice.”

“But I’ll keep asking questions.”

Bartimir smiled faintly as he looked up at the sky.

“Hey.”

He gazed silently at the sunset-colored heavens for quite some time before suddenly speaking.

“When I was little… I was sold to the Dark Mage Guild. For fifty silver, a dirt-cheap price.”

“At least they didn’t lower your price all the way to copper, which is fortunate.”

“…Is it?”

I quietly stared in the same direction as Bartimir before leaning back against my chair.

“When I was young… My younger sibling and I were abandoned. I was only five.”

“……”

The demon remained silent for a moment before cautiously asking,

“Your sibling… surely…”

“Yes.”

I gave a gentle nod.

“They became a star in the night sky.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. My sibling occasionally appears in my dreams to resent me.”

“But even so… I’m happy that I can still meet them that way.”

Now that exhausting all my Mental Power gave me a chance of seeing them…

One could say the opportunities for reunion had increased.

“What was your time in the Dark Mage Guild like?”

“At first, it was miserable. Because of the constitution forced upon me, I can’t learn any Mysteries other than Dark Magic. I hated that so much back then that I even cried.”

Unlike other classes…

Mages could use Mysteries from other schools as a minor specialization.

In theory, they could wield Mysteries from every magical discipline without any risk.

An absurdly overpowered advantage.

‘Though it did take a very long time…’

Mage Mysteries were already the slowest to learn.

Mysteries from other schools took even longer…

Nearly a month of dedicated study just to master a mere First-Tier Mystery.

Even so…

The advantages greatly outweighed the drawbacks.

But because of [Foolish Desire], Bartimir could only learn Dark Magic.

Naturally, that had been suffocating during his early years.

“So I devoted myself to research. I came up with a growth method centered on gathering curses and diseases so that no one could laugh at me anymore.”

“How admirable.”

“After that… Life never felt difficult again. I genuinely enjoyed every trial and error.”

That…

Was the difference between Bartimir and the Council of Sages.

This demon dark mage did not fear hardship or adversity.

Instead… He enjoyed them while charging toward his goal.

Just like me.

“I also worked hard so I wouldn’t be intimidated by children mocking me for being abandoned by my parents. Physically.”

“…Don’t tell me you killed them!?”

“No. I didn’t hate them enough to kill them. But I’m sure they still see my face every day.”

“So your hard work ‘did’ bear fruit.”

Playing with his empty cup, Bartimir let out a small laugh.

“I believe that if I keep working hard… In the end, I’ll be the one who wins. One day, I’ll find the parents who sold me and make them regret it.”

A remarkably gentle mindset… Quite unlike the rest of House Lee.

That was probably the influence of [Pure Soul].

Which was precisely why I’d only recruited Bartimir.

His other siblings would likely have possessed the same selfish, cold rationality as Ymir, who’d long since descended into Hell.

“I’ve spent all this time searching for someone I could truly talk to.”

Bartimir looked away from the sky and turned toward me.

I nodded immediately.

“So have I.”

Each of us could provide exactly what the other needed.

And our personalities and temperaments fit together remarkably well.

There was no reason not to become close.

“So what should I call you from now on? Should I call you Captain like Black does?”

“You may call me whatever you like. ‘Captain’ is fine, ‘Mongrel’ is also acceptable. And if appearances don’t matter to you… ‘Mom’ is perfectly fine as well.”

Bartimir made his decision instantly.

“Mom!”

“Yes, daughter.”

[The Wise One cackles, saying that similar creatures truly do get along wonderfully.]

The first harmony within House Lee had been a success.

“But how do I contract [Flow Coagulation Syndrome]? I heard it’s become incredibly rare these days thanks to the Harmony Church’s continuous efforts.”

“Actually… It’s very simple.”

I rose to my feet and looked toward the location of the Harmony Church’s Arthea Monastery.

“We simply need to face the Harmony Church’s past.”