Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. – Chapter 66 – This Must All Be Thanks to Lord Artein’s Grace

Author: Cireng

Chapter 66: This Must All Be Thanks to Lord Artein’s Grace

A snowfield permeated by an icy chill.

“Urgh…”

A catkin warrior, his entire body torn to shreds, clutched his shoulder with his only remaining hand.

Fresh blood poured relentlessly through the gaps between his fingers, splattering across the white snow.

He’d thought he had already lost enough blood, yet it made him realize once again just how much blood truly flowed through a person’s body.

“Pierre! You crazy son of a bitch! Is it because you’re a cat? You keep saying things I don’t want to hear.”

The hunter, Pierre, casually played with his dry, coarse brown hair before lightly bringing down the hand axe he held.

Crunch!

The catkin’s remaining arm was severed as well.

“GAAAAAAAH!”

“Shh.”

Pierre embraced the screaming catkin from behind as he rolled across the ground, then jammed the shaft of his axe across the man’s mouth.

“Please keep quiet. At least until I slowly peel the skin from your entire body.”

“……”

Perhaps the polite request had worked.

The muffled cries quickly subsided.

Satisfied, the dogkin hunter gently stroked the cat’s ears sticking out through the yellow hair before speaking softly.

“I understand your confusion. Just yesterday, we happily robbed other expedition parties together as ‘companions who got along so well.’ So why has your companion suddenly become like this? You’re surely feeling both wronged and bewildered. I’ve never experienced it myself, but I’ve studied the emotions of others, so I understand.”

“Y-You…”

“I told you to keep your mouth shut.”

Rip!

He tore off the ear he’d been stroking.

The catkin immediately began struggling wildly again.

But after Pierre removed the other ear as well…

He finally quieted down.

“You’re wondering why I’m trying to kill you, aren’t you?”

“……”

Only now did the man quietly answer with a nod.

Satisfied, Pierre wiped away the flowing blood before removing the axe from his victim’s mouth.

“To tell the truth… There isn’t really a reason. I simply grew tired of being an outlaw together with you.”

“…You insane bastard!”

Perhaps he’d realized there was no hope of survival anymore.

The cat warrior trembled violently as he spat out his furious words.

“The Claudi Guild. You’ve heard of it, haven’t you? I’m one of them!”

“Oh? Is that so? You had much stronger backing than I expected.”

“Our guild specializes in hunting people down. If you kill me, my comrades will chase you to the ends of the continent and tear you limb from limb!”

He even smiled warmly, baring his sharp teeth.

Since he was doomed to die anyway…

Perhaps he intended to leave behind as much fear as possible.

The strategy itself wasn’t bad.

Unfortunately… It was nothing more than nonsense spoken by someone who still hadn’t grasped the situation.

“But by comrades… Do you mean them?”

Pierre grabbed the catkin’s head and gently turned it sideways.

There stood an enormous two-headed dog.

Each head held a corpse in its jaws.

The Claudi Guild’s cat warrior cried out in horror.

“The Guild Master…?! And even the Vice Guild Master!”

“They secretly followed me before we entered the labyrinth. They certainly seemed quite skilled at tracking people. So I killed them first before they could become troublesome.”

District Four.

In the outlaw paradise governed by House Brites…

Half-hearted outlaws did not survive.

“I shall cherish the brief but precious friendship and camaraderie we shared. Farewell.”

“W-Wait…!”

Crunch!

Pierre buried the axe into the man’s forehead.

The catkin died instantly.

“Lulu. Lili.”

“Come here.”

“Woof!”

The two-headed dog abandoned the corpses it had been eating and wagged its tail as it approached its master.

Pierre gently patted each of his beloved partner’s heads before smoothly climbing onto its back.

“Our business here is finished. Let’s go look for the Hidden Piece. Head toward the snowy mountains. That’s where it’s most likely to be.”

“Woof!”

Lulu and Lili happily bounded away, their broad ears flapping.

Pierre lay against their backs, closing his eyes to enjoy a brief rest.

Then… Urgent news has arrived.

A thin voice emerged from the communication tattoo engraved upon his palm.

It belonged to the Guild Master of the Hyena Guild, the organization Pierre belonged to.

—The Black Sword Guild has been annihilated.

“……”

The news instantly cleared the drowsiness from his mind.

“Who did it?”

—According to an anonymous informant, a half-elf named Karr, a Cultist of the Twisted Truth, offered every last one of them as sacrifices.

“Is the information reliable?”

—…Honestly, the informant’s identity is unknown, so its credibility is low. Still, it’s not something we can simply ignore.

Pierre nodded.

He had never spoken personally with the Black Sword Guild Master.

But they had met during the gatherings of the Silent Alliance.

The man’s personality had been memorably worse than the average outlaw’s.

Who would’ve thought that would be their final meeting?

“How unfortunate.”

—Why do I hear amusement in your voice?

“My emotions are unrelated. It’s merely something like an incurable illness.”

Vitality flooded Pierre’s normally emotionless heart.

‘Karr…’

A man capable of destroying the Black Sword Guild, one of the pillars of the Silent Alliance.

That meant they would surely meet again.

How delightful.

The more hardships and adversity await him… The better.

—However, the Boss ordered us not to seek revenge recklessly. Our priority is strengthening our internal forces.

The true identity of the Boss, the real master behind the Silent Alliance…

Was unknown even to ordinary guild members like Pierre.

Nor did he particularly care.

The man was undoubtedly just another coward pretending to be cautious about everything.

—Return to the hideout first. We need to discuss how to fulfill his wishes.

“Understood.”

His answer was obedient.

But in truth…

He already knew the answer.

The current Silent Alliance was incomplete.

A pitiful collection of people with neither passion nor ambition…

Living comfortably under the steady support of their patron.

Outlaws who grew complacent with reality… Would inevitably be eliminated.

Just look at the Black Sword Guild.

They’d been satisfied with robbing poor people.

And in the end… They’d been wiped out.

‘This won’t do.’

Pierre didn’t desire something as mundane as a stable life.

To achieve his ultimate goal…

He first had to drain away all the stagnant water… and replace it with fresh, clean water.

‘…I’ll start with our own guild.’

After all… Cleaning always began with the filthiest place.

***

“Karr!”

Marlin and Abel, who had been running ahead, bounced in place as they looked back.

“We’re almost there! Hang in there!”

“Patron, just a little farther!”

“…Alright.”

I was out on a morning jog with the siblings.

My Stamina stat had now surpassed theirs.

However…

Because of a certain benevolent deity’s curse…

My other attributes remained pitifully low.

As a result…

I was simply a slowpoke with slightly above-average endurance.

Still… Being able to persevere with the steadfast heart of a turtle wasn’t such a bad condition to be in.

“…Phew.”

By the time my entire body was soaked with sweat…

We finally reached the area near Odilon’s estate.

Standing beside me with her hands on her knees, catching her breath…

Marlin beamed brightly.

“Running every morning and evening makes it feel less tiring every day!”

“I feel the same.”

“It seems both of your Stamina stats have increased.”

Even regular exercise could raise one’s attributes.

I’d been too busy exploring labyrinths to benefit much from it myself.

But Marlin and Abel had trained diligently…

And seemed to have earned results worthy of their efforts.

“Well done.”

As I gently stroked their heads while walking…

I noticed a visitor who had arrived at the estate early that morning.

“Good morning.”

Holy Knights clad in armor of black and white.

Anyone too ignorant to recognize that color scheme wouldn’t last long living in Pletica.

“Pleasure to meet you. I am Valentin. A humble shield of Lord Artein.”

“Good morning?”

Charlotte, who always woke early because she handled the cooking, rubbed her eyes as she looked up at Valentin.

“What brings you here?”

“Well… We’ve received repeated reports that horrifying screams have been coming from beneath this estate lately.”

It was undoubtedly the agonized screams of the thieves from the Black Sword Guild.

Sergeius was currently training them in the basement.

To the neighbors…

The sounds must have been rather terrifying.

If they’d belonged to refined classes like Holy Knights or Priests instead of thieves…

People might simply have assumed a party was taking place.

“I highly doubt Young Master Odilon would involve himself in anything so difficult to speak of… But we would still appreciate an explanation.”

His tone remained gentle.

But the atmosphere… Did not.

A weak-willed person would likely faint merely from standing nearby.

A properly trained Holy Knight possessed a presence as sharp as a blade itself.

Truthfully…

Had this not been a villa belonging to House Brites… He wouldn’t have politely asked for an explanation.

He would’ve stormed in the moment the report arrived and arrested everyone inside.

“Hmm. I’m hardly some unbalanced heretic who violates Harmony. Don’t you think you’re glaring at us a little too intensely?”

Unlike when she’d been drinking…

Charlotte was calm, rational, and sharp-minded.

“My apologies. We’ve received so many reports that I’ve become somewhat on edge.”

Valentin took a small step backward after her composed protest.

Yet he didn’t withdraw his piercing gaze.

One hand still rested upon the hilt of the sword at his waist.

“Do all Holy Knights of the Church of Harmony apologize so obnoxiously?”

Charlotte refused to back down.

She quietly prepared to draw the kitchen knife hidden on her person.

At this rate…

They looked ready to start stabbing each other at any moment.

So I quickly stepped between them.

“Well, now. Look who it is.”

As I approached and greeted him familiarly…

Valentin turned toward me with a displeased expression… Then his eyes widened.

“Oh! “Isn’t this Sir Karr?!”

The Holy Knight flashed a brilliant smile as though greeting a beloved brother and immediately embraced me.

“I heard about your conquest of the Library of Sin. I hear you discovered not one but ‘two’ Hidden Pieces. And even made a noble sacrifice for another expedition party! Such deeds are worthy of a warm springtime smile from Lady Artein Herself!”

…Was this really the same man who’d been pressuring Charlotte moments ago?

His entire voice was filled with cheerful laughter.

“What brings you here? As it happens, I’ve joined Young Master Odilon’s expedition party.”

“I see! Wonderful! You’ve finally found someone capable of recognizing your talents, Sir Karr!”

Valentin displayed another dazzling smile.

Charlotte… Whom he’d been confronting only moments earlier…

Had already vanished entirely from his attention.

The oppressive aura surrounding him had disappeared without a trace.

“Come to think of it… I once heard an unbelievable rumor from District Three. They said an unexplored dungeon had been conquered by an expedition party led by a Cultist of the Twisted Truth. Don’t tell me… That was you as well?”

“That’s correct.”

“Lady Artein! It seems Her wise gaze has fallen upon both your body and soul, Sir Karr!”

“I believe so as well. Thanks to the One who protects all people, gently stroking my head… I was able to safely uncover secrets that no explorer before me had ever discovered.”

I deliberately said exactly what he most wanted to hear.

Valentin’s nostrils flared slightly.

As he nodded with visible satisfaction… I seized the opportunity and continued.

“Sir Valentin. In truth… The basement of this estate serves as a training ground for cultivating Faint Shadows.”

“Ah! So that’s what it was! As long as Lady Artein watches over the world, there are no secrets beneath the heavens, is there?”

“For the sake of innocent citizens… Wouldn’t Young Master’s Faint Shadows, who identify and analyze every threat and disaster in advance, be those whose work best aligns with the Goddess’s will?”

[That hypocritical goddess probably couldn’t care less what a bunch of thieves get up to!]

Perhaps that was true.

Still…

Lady Artein wasn’t the sort of deity who would strike someone down merely because a cultist casually mentioned her name.

So I decided to praise her appropriately.

“……”

For some reason… Valentin studied me with a peculiar look for a moment.

Then he smiled warmly, revealing his spotless teeth.

“Sir Karr. You’ve added even more ore of trust to the Scales of Harmony than before. You shall now receive even thicker armor of divine protection.”

In other words…

I’d managed my reputation well enough to earn additional benefits.

Considering all the achievements and prestige I’d accumulated through labyrinth exploration…