Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 89 - D-Class Labyrinth – Cherry Cherry Hill (1)
Chapter 89: D-Class Labyrinth – Cherry Cherry Hill (1)
In the middle of a rainbow-colored hill beneath a pink sky where the smiling sun beamed brightly…
The outlaws stood frozen in place.
“…Damn it.”
Cold sweat naturally trickled down their faces.
Cherry Cherry Hill was a labyrinth whose danger rose to the upper tier of C-class if one failed to follow the Paper Fairy’s directions.
They were no different from being stranded in the middle of a lake of molten lava.
“Don’t panic. Stay calm.”
As everyone stood there awkwardly in silence, a hooded outlaw quietly spoke.
He was the beastman explorer who had taken the lead in assembling this temporary expedition for the robbery.
His presence was so extraordinary that everyone had tacitly accepted him as the expedition leader.
“There’s no denying that our situation is desperate. But it isn’t time to give up hope. After all, the objective is simply to defeat seven specific monsters, isn’t it?”
“…That’s true.”
“No matter what environment or creature we encounter, if we remain calm, we’ll be able to deal with it. That’s the very foundation of exploration. If we’re lucky, we may all make it through unharmed.”
“It won’t be as easy as you make it sound, but… we don’t exactly have another option.”
The demon outlaw, Marsent, slowly nodded.
“Fortunately, I’m fairly quick on my feet. I’ll be giving the orders from now on. Just follow them without complaint.”
Ordinarily, a typical outlaw expedition would have mocked him with ‘Who made you the boss?’
Yet not a single complaint was voiced.
Anyone foolish enough to pick a fight with an explorer who constantly carried an aura of killing intent and bloodshed would never have survived this long.
“Fine. Let’s move carefully.”
Following the beastman’s instructions, the outlaw expedition began advancing in the direction the crow had flown.
“Krruk?”
“Wait.”
A squirrel whose body was made of grapes appeared.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the beastman explorer swung his hand axe, splitting its head cleanly in two.
Its grotesquely elongated tail, which had been lunging toward them, immediately went limp.
“That thing was dangerous.”
“How’d you know?”
“It’s made of grapes.”
“…So?”
“I don’t eat grapes. The seeds are annoying.”
“…”
No one could understand the reasoning behind his judgment.
Nevertheless, thanks to the beastman outlaw’s cold insight, the expedition managed to hold together surprisingly well.
They continued pushing forward while barely fending off the snack animals that suddenly turned hostile.
But eventually…
The first casualty appeared.
BOOOOM!
“AAAAAHHH!”
After the colorful hills ended, they reached a scorching honey swamp.
Without warning, a pancake crocodile burst from its surface, bit down on the nearest outlaw, and dragged him beneath the honey.
“…”
No one mourned their fallen companion. The only regret was losing one more expendable meat shield.
Marsent grimaced.
As he instinctively turned his head… He froze.
…Why is he smiling?
Things have gone completely wrong from the very beginning.
The only visible part of the hooded beastman explorer’s face, his mouth…
Was wearing a radiant smile.
It was undeniably cheerful.
Yet…
It sent chills crawling down Marsent’s spine.
Once this is over…
I’m never associating with this guy again.
Even by the standards of experienced outlaws…
This beastman belonged to the sort of people you simply didn’t want anywhere near you.
***
Lucius was the ideal exploration companion.
“I’ve bestowed Clear Senses upon everyone. Your senses have become sharper. You should now be able to react more quickly whenever Sir Karr gives instructions.”
The healer.
The unquestioned aristocratic position of any expedition.
Not only could he heal…
He also possessed all sorts of useful support Mysteries, making exploration far more comfortable.
“Sir Abel. There’s a rather large rock beneath your feet… No, it’s a piece of candy. Please watch your step.”
On top of that…
His courteous attitude toward the younger siblings had already made Marlin’s eyes sparkle.
“He’s seriously amazing!”
Apparently pleased with their new companion, who had once fought beside them in the Sanctuary of Restful Purification, Bartimir repeatedly slapped the priest on the shoulder.
“We really got someone incredible on our team!”
“Thank you… But perhaps a little more gently…”
Thanks to Lucius’s blessing, following the Paper Fairy’s guidance became even easier.
“Ah! There’s another bad kid over there!”
The Paper Fairy enthusiastically fluttered through the air, drawing circles overhead.
It was time to fight the first “bad kid.”
“Kiii-oe-wiiii!”
A grotesque cry that somehow delighted the ears.
Ahead of us…
A red apple boar with roughly twenty human heads growing all over its body was devouring a squirrel made of bread.
[Many-Headed Apple Boar (Level 4)]
[An apple boar monster whose body sprouts the heads of those it has eaten. It possesses no special abilities aside from tasting slightly like rotten apples when eaten. But seriously… that’s an unbelievably disgusting appearance.]
“…Ugh.”
Even Eyes That Perceive Truth recoiled in disgust.
Marlin shuddered and hid behind my back.
Honestly… I found it disgusting too.
If it only had four heads, it would’ve been rather adorable.
“Big Sister.”
Rosalia dashed forward.
In a single motion, she beheaded the boar monster.
“GAAAAAAAH!”
The simultaneous death screams of twenty human heads echoed pitifully.
The merciless assassin remained completely unfazed.
She swung her dagger three more times, finishing it off cleanly.
“Karr?”
Marlin tugged hard on my clothes.
“Why exactly did we come here for our picnic? The scenery is beautiful, sure…”
“It isn’t a picnic yet. Right now it’s an expedition.”
“Oh…”
After spraying acid venom over the corpse and cleanly dissolving it, Rosalia returned.
The Paper Fairy raised both arms and cheered.
“The bad kid is gone! Thank you! Please follow me again!”
The guidance resumed.
Thanks to the cheerful background music echoing wherever we went, the expedition continued pleasantly without incident.
And yet… For some reason… The atmosphere gradually became rather gloomy.
Why?
Surely… It couldn’t be that everyone disliked exploration?
But Marlin, who’d seemed reluctant before entering, was now happily smiling while admiring the hill.
Only after carefully observing everyone’s expressions did I realize the problem.
“Marlin.”
“Yes?”
“Say something. Anything. Try to liven up the mood. You’re the only one suited for it.”
“…That’s true.”
Every member who’d entered Cherry Cherry Hill was rather poor at socializing.
Abel wasn’t especially outgoing.
Rosalia was excessively quiet.
Bartimir only showed interest in things that personally interested him.
Lucius was reserved and dignified.
Without Marlin and me…
This group would likely have spent the entire expedition silently focusing on exploration.
“Wow! Look at that strawberry flower field! It’s so pretty!”
Marlin did her best to keep the conversation alive with slightly exaggerated enthusiasm.
Unfortunately…
It accomplished very little.
“It is.”
“…”
“The blooming petals are beautiful. The strawberry fragrance is lovely as well.”
“Patron. I’ll gather some flowers. If you add them during a future offering ritual, they’ll give the offering a refreshing fragrance.”
No one had any intention whatsoever of continuing the conversation.
After chatting by herself for quite some time, Marlin eventually slumped her shoulders and whispered to me,
“Next time… Please make sure Sir Pendrick comes with us whenever we go exploring…!”
“…I suppose I should.”
With only one person absent…
The Moon Expedition Team had somehow transformed into a gathering of humorless honor students.
Sir Pendrick… We miss you.
I hope you’re doing well over there.
“We’re here! This is the place!”
Thanks to everyone remaining focused on exploration, we’d already reached the location of the third “bad kid.”
A beach made entirely of hard candy.
An emerald-green soda sea stretches endlessly before us.
Simply smelling the air made me feel as though my health were deteriorating from excessive sugar.
It was wonderful.
Had it not been for the tree rising from the center of the candy beach and ruining the scenery…
I could have admired the view forever.
[Hair Tree (Level 3)]
[A tree that grows long strands of hair instead of leaves. It captures passing creatures and drains their life force for nourishment.]
This time…
Rosalia didn’t need to step in.
Perhaps it was time to field-test my prosthetic arm.
The snake tattoo burrowed beneath the back of my hand, linking itself with the Ember of Glory hidden inside.
Fwoooosh!
My left palm opened with a metallic clank.
Flames erupted from within and engulfed the entire plant monster.
Wow…
It burned remarkably well.
[Not congratulations—Sacred Flame has reached Tier 3.]
I’d used it nonstop ever since Sanctuary of Restful Purification.
At last…
Its tier had increased.
It even gained a new effect.
“Great job!”
The Paper Fairy cheered with both hands raised, fluttering around my face.
“Friend! Thank you for helping us! You must be tired! Please rest today! And help us again tomorrow!”
“Of course.”
“See you tomorrow!”
The little paper creature tapped my nose several times before flying away.
That concluded today’s schedule.
Cherry Cherry Hill was a labyrinth that forced explorers to spend two days clearing it.
“Thank you for your hard work today.”
After seeing the Fairy off, I turned around.
Everyone was standing there absentmindedly staring at the soda sea.
It was an understandable reaction.
The scenery was breathtaking.
“So? What do you think?”
Resting my hand atop Abel’s head, I addressed everyone.
“This… Is the Moonlight Expedition Team’s very first vacation destination. Are you all ready to enjoy yourselves?”
“Karr…!”
Marlin looked up at me with brightened eyes.
“So… We really came here to have fun? It wasn’t just an excuse to explore?”
“Haven’t I always said so? I never lie about exploration.”
Cherry Cherry Hill was a labyrinth perfectly suited for taking a day of rest.
True…
We couldn’t stay long because of the outlaw expedition.
But it would still be a meaningful experience.
“Let’s camp here and enjoy tonight.”
Even explorers needed rest sometimes.
“You may all relax freely now. Just don’t leave this beach. It’s dangerous.”
Had Pendrick been here…
He would’ve immediately laughed brightly and led everyone toward the sea.
Unfortunately…
Everyone who’d come this time was completely unfamiliar with ordinary vacations.
“…What are we supposed to do here?”
Bartimir had spent his entire life as an experimental subject of the Black Magic Guild, enduring torture-like experiments every single day.
He’d rarely experienced simply resting however she pleased.
“…”
Rosalia, whose life as an assassin of House Brites consisted of nothing but brutal and horrific training… Found the very concept of “freedom” unfamiliar.
“Abel. When people come to the beach… What do they usually do? Didn’t your books say?”
“…I’m not sure.”
For the siblings, who’d been too busy merely surviving each day in the slums…
Even the idea of a picnic was foreign.
Watching everyone stand there awkwardly, Lucius let out a quiet sigh.
“O Protector of All… There are still so many in this world who have yet to receive Your protection.”
Even Artein couldn’t solve a problem like this.
No matter how vast Her divine power…
Surely she couldn’t intervene in the mortal world simply to teach people how to have fun.
That sort of thing…
Had to come from someone close.
Someone like me.
The expedition leader is responsible for guiding every member.
“Everyone. Please pay attention.”
I clapped my hands, gathering everyone’s attention.
“The reason I brought you all to Cherry Cherry Hill… Was to help fill the memories that are missing from your lives.”
It wasn’t only the siblings whose hearts were full of holes.
The others were much the same.
I couldn’t truly empathize with their emotional pain or loneliness.
But as someone who likewise lacked something…
I could at least help fill that emptiness.
“The Young Master distrusts emotional bonds between people. But I don’t want to. If we continue piling up shared memories together… I’m certain we’ll come to understand one another more deeply.”
Of course…
Perhaps we wouldn’t.
It wasn’t a conclusion I’d reached after particularly deep thought.
Perhaps Odilon’s philosophy was correct.
Perhaps forming close relationships only led to tragedies where, in situations requiring someone to be abandoned so the rest could survive…
Everyone foolishly died together instead.
But… So what?
“I want to become close with all of you. I want us to become companions willing to risk our lives for one another. And continue exploring together.”
Friendship and camaraderie lasted longest when they transcended pure rationality.
I still vividly remember the unwavering loyalty of those employees…
Who, despite knowing they could escape Manager Choi’s tyranny by sacrificing one another…
Never betrayed anyone until the very end.
“To begin… Let’s start with a simple game. Father Lucius. Do you happen to have a shovel?”
I asked just in case.
Lucius casually pulled an explorer’s shovel out of his storage space.
Taking it, I thrust it deep into the candy beach.
“First… Please bury me in the sand with only my head sticking out.”
“…Why?”
“It’s a game. The seeker covers their eyes and swings a club, trying to split the buried person’s head open. It’s a common one-time game people enjoy at the beach.”
“…You might survive that, Karr. But ordinary people would die.”
“That’s why I said it was a one-time game.”
“…”
Marlin stared at me for a long moment.
Then… She smiled strangely.
“I think… You should start by filling in your own missing memories first.”
…I couldn’t refute that.
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