Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 91 - D-Class Labyrinth – Cherry Cherry Hill (3)

Chapter 91: D-Class Labyrinth – Cherry Cherry Hill (3)

 

Lucius sharpened his concentration to its absolute limit.

‘If I’m even a little too slow, it’s over.’

An outlaw expedition drawn by Karr’s rapidly rising fame.

Those kinds of people would keep appearing endlessly, like moths flying into a flame, no matter how many you burned to death.

For the sake of upholding the spirit of the One Who Protects All, they had to be eliminated.

‘…Sir Karr.’

His hands trembled.

Back in the Sanctuary of Repose, Karr had sacrificed his left arm to protect innocent people.

And now, once again, he was willing to throw away his own life to protect his companions.

A noble spirit of self-sacrifice that made it completely understandable why Saint Seraphina had chosen to befriend a cultist.

“Die, you disgusting cultist bastard!”

The demon whose lower body had transformed into an undead horse rushed forward.

At the same time, the red-skinned orc fired a green arrow, while the Snowfield Wolf charged as well.

All of them targeted Karr.

Wanting to help in any way he could, Lucius hurriedly deployed a barrier.

Vwoooong!

Three layers of the gray Protective Warmth spread around Karr.

Crack!

The arrow shattered the first barrier.

Craaash!

The freezing breath expelled by the Snowfield Wolf Flonos destroyed the second and third as well.

“Hah!”

Immediately afterward, the Monster Warrior that had closed the distance thrust his sword straight through the center of Karr’s face.

“Sir Karr!”

Lucius flinched and instinctively tried to activate a Mystery.

“Stop.”

Just as he was about to cast his highest-tier healing Mystery, Bartimir grabbed his wrist.

“A low-tier one is enough. Save your divine power.”

“…Pardon?”

He soon understood what the unusual demon meant.

“So this rising star backed by the Harmony Church really isn’t much after–”

The Monster Warrior demon froze mid-sentence.

“…You’re smiling?”

“Heh…”

Karr let out a quiet laugh.

Then drew Full Moon Executioner across his own throat.

Slash!

A torrent of blood burst forth, splattering all over the demon.

His proud mohawk became soaked and drooped.

Both his human upper body and undead lower body were drenched in blood.

“What the hell are you–!”

The demon frowned and tried to pull out his sword… Then, suddenly stiffened.

“Kh… ugh… GAAAAH!”

His entire body trembled violently.

A mouthful of pitch-black blood poured from his lips.

He had been poisoned.

Grrr…!

“Guh!”

The Snowfield Wolf simply rammed the poisoned demon out of its way before slashing Karr’s face with its claws.

The already painfully thin half-elf staggered violently.

“I shall protect!”

Lucius hurriedly cast a healing Mystery.

Following Bartimir’s advice, he used a lower-tier spell.

Whine…

The Snowfield Wolf, which had pinned Karr to the candy beach and was savagely tearing into him, suddenly began swaying unsteadily.

It had endured longer than the demon…

But once the deadly poison spread through its body, even such a massive monster couldn’t resist forever.

“Fall back.”

Following its tamer’s command, the Snowfield Wolf retreated.

At that very instant…

Seven arrows flew simultaneously.

Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

As Karr struggled to rise…

Arrows pierced his entire body.

Then the Monster Warrior, who had collapsed moments ago, painfully stood again.

Using the powerful legs of his horse-like lower body, he charged fiercely and swung his sword horizontally.

Slash!

The blade cut through the half-elf cultist’s body halfway. It advanced only to the middle…

Before the speed of its cut slowed dramatically.

“Heh… Ahahahaha!”

Despite being reduced to such a horrific state…

Karr laughed so hard his shoulders shook.

Laughing like a madman. Joyfully. Ecstatically.

As though he’d obtained every happiness in the world.

“Now you understand why a low-tier healing spell was enough?”

“…Yes.”

One who welcomed hardship with joy.

One who accepts ambushes calmly instead of fearing them.

Lucius once again recalled the realization he’d reached during their long conversation in the Sanctuary of Repose.

Karr was no ordinary man.

‘Lady Artein… I understand now why You’ve taken notice of him.’

Someone ordinary like Lucius…

Could never hope to comprehend the way that man thought.

“You insane cultist!”

The Mohawk demon staggered while drawing out more power.

Behind his back appeared the image of a tangled mass of vines.

Drawing upon another monster absorbed into his soul, the demon neutralized the poison and once more hacked viciously at Karr’s body.

He sped up.

Then slowed as the poison took effect.

Then accelerated again through monster power.

Then staggered again from the poison.

The cycle repeated endlessly.

“Move already! I can’t get a clear shot!”

The orc shouted irritably.

The moment the Mohawk demon shifted slightly to the side…

“Everyone.”

Karr whispered.

His entire body was a ruin from arrows and sword wounds.

“Let’s go.”

No one understood what he meant.

While Lucius hesitated in confusion…

The other expedition members instantly obeyed their leader’s command.

Thud!

Hidden daggers shot silently out from the tent.

One pierced the mohawk demon’s forehead.

Weakened by the poison, he failed to dodge the Hidden Dagger Art of a mere Level 2 Thief.

All three struck true.

He collapsed face-first.

“…Tch.”

Rosalia emerged from the shadows.

Her dagger stabbed into the beastman tamer’s back.

The beastman twisted his waist at the last instant to evade a fatal blow…

But couldn’t avoid having the blade gouge a hole into his body.

“Now?”

Bartimir beamed brightly.

Taking a stance to charge, he shouted,

“The counterattack starts now, you bastards!”

 

***

 

Bartimir rummaged through his clothes and took out a round stone.

A mana core.

It radiated the murderous aura of the bloodthirsty golem that had emerged from Golemophia.

Hooo…

Holding the mana core to his nose, Bartimir inhaled deeply.

Then, gripping the bandages he’d unwound around both hands, he charged.

“Come at meee!”

The distance closed instantly.

His target… The comparatively fragile schemer demon.

His bandages, hardened by demonic energy, lashed outward.

Thwack!

A bow suddenly intercepted them.

Dyed a murky green.

The Ranger orc had rushed in to block the attack, shoving Bartimir backward with his shoulder.

Even while falling, Bartimir swung his arm.

Slash!

A crescent-shaped wave of demonic energy flew through the air, slicing into the orc’s shoulder.

“Ha!”

The disease Flow Solidification, which hardens the energy flowing through the body.

The curse Scattering Ruin, which prevented expelled energy from gathering and instead dispersed it into the air.

If afflicted with those two calamities in that order…

One could launch ranged attacks resembling sword aura.

“Die, you filthy bastard!”

More waves of demonic energy flew like an imitation sword aura.

It required a fair amount of delicate control…

But that weakness could easily be overcome through practice.

The orc could do nothing but desperately defend with his sturdy bow.

“…Hup!”

Meanwhile, trembling from Rosalia’s surprise attack, the beastman tamer suddenly swung his hand axe backward.

A swift, vicious strike.

But there was no way Rosalia would be caught by something like that.

The nimble assassin lightly ducked beneath it.

Then raised her right leg before smashing her heel downward.

BOOM!

The beastman rolled aside just in time.

Only an innocent pile of candy pebbles was pulverized beneath her heel.

A reaction speed so extraordinary it was hard to believe.

‘At that level… he could’ve dodged the first ambush too.’

Had he simply been caught off guard earlier?

“…”

“Don’t stare so much.”

The taciturn assassin rushed the beastman tamer.

Clang! Clang!

Rosalia’s dagger flashed with terrifying speed.

The beastman blocked or dodged every strike using nothing but his hand axe.

An exchange consisting of only the smallest possible movements…

Too fast for the pitiful cultist’s eyes to properly follow.

As expected…

A direct confrontation wasn’t an assassin’s specialty… Though the beastman’s physical abilities were exceptional as well.

Grrrr…

The Snowfield Wolf Flonos, which had been targeting only me until now, joined its master.

Its jaws opened wide.

Frozen Breath.

Why use that instead of Wolf Pack Blizzard, it’s superior Mystery?

It puzzled me slightly.

Though…

If it connected properly, Frozen Breath alone was dangerous enough to threaten explorers above Level 6.

“…”

Well. As long as it didn’t hit me, there was no problem.

Before anyone noticed…

Rosalia had shoved the beastman aside and mounted the Snowfield Wolf’s back.

Immediately, the Crimson Death Rose, blooming from the poison-loving assassin, scattered black poisonous powder.

Simply… An extremely potent toxin.

Whine…

As the wolf groaned in agony…

Bartimir launched a surprise wave of demonic energy.

Slash!

Blood sprayed from the wolf’s waist.

Even so…

Its exceptional recovery and endurance allowed it to persevere.

It was prepared to unleash its breath at the demon who had attacked it.

The limitations of an unintelligent monster.

It had taken its eyes off the assassin.

“Above!”

The beastman shouted while attempting to throw his hand axe too late.

Thunk!

Marlin’s hidden dagger, patiently waiting for her second opportunity, pierced the tamer’s shoulder.

Immediately afterward… Rosalia leapt high using Powerful Leap.

As she descended, she swung her dagger.

A crimson arc traced itself through the air in the wake of the assassin’s strike.

Slash!

[Extreme: Severance.]

A simple yet devastating Tier 5 Assassin Mystery…

Nothing more than an overwhelmingly powerful slash.

The wound Bartimir had opened earlier split wide apart.

Snowfield Wolf Flonos’s body separated cleanly into front and back halves.

“…Urgh.”

The beastman tamer coughed blood and collapsed.

It was the backlash from his partner’s death.

“Damn it!”

With no frontliner remaining, the orc who had been desperately holding Bartimir back alone grimaced.

“Marsent! What the hell are you doing?!”

He was calling for the Mohawk demon.

Since Marsent was in no condition to answer… I kindly replied in his place.

“He can’t help you. It seems he’s lost his eyesight.”

“…What?”

Only then did the orc look toward where the Mohawk demon lay.

Cawww!

The Blind Crow had pecked out both of his eyes.

His empty eye sockets stared blankly into space.

Thanks to a Monster Warrior’s tenacity, he hadn’t even lost consciousness.

He merely writhed helplessly. Rather adorable, really.

“…That idiot!”

Grinding his teeth, the schemer demon threw a lump of dirt covered in bloody writing.

A one-time-use curse tool.

A wall of earth instantly rose.

“Just kill that bastard too!”

“Looks like we’ll have to!”

The orc drew his bowstring.

A single arrow glowing with green energy appeared.

Fwoooooosh!

Then it split… Into hundreds of arrows raining from the sky.

Rapid Downpour.

The strongest Mystery available to a Level 5 Ranger.

“Lady Artein.”

Ding.

The sound of a bell rang out.

A pure white round shield floated into the air.

It drew every single arrow toward itself.

Though only Level 4…

By borrowing the power of his sacred tool, Lucius could use the Tier 5 Mystery Fragment of Clericium.

A mass-produced version of the buckler holy relic possessed by Seraphina.

“May flames descend… upon the heads of those who oppress the innocent.”

As Lucius spoke…

The shield emblems on my chest grew hot.

Both Arteins were watching the battle.

For the sake of my subscribers…

It was time to bring this to a close.

I reached into my dimensional storage and pulled out my trump card.

“Where am I?!”

That cheerfully unfortunate voice…

Even after hearing it again, it remained regrettable.

The head of the centaur-type elite golem…

My fierce rival from Sanctuary of Repose.

It possessed the ability to absorb energy released by opponents…

Amplify it… And fire it back.

“Please serve as a tool for a moment.”

“What are you planning to use me for?!”

Crackle!

I poured black lightning into the speaker-like head.

As much as possible. Without holding back. Until Rapid Downpour finally ceased.

“Bartimir!”

“Got it!”

Having retreated to avoid the rain of arrows, Bartimir charged forward.

He smashed the earthen wall apart with his knee.

Then immediately rolled aside.

The instant the outlaws hiding behind it came into view…

I raised the golem’s head.

“Fire.”

“My comrade with whom I shared my heart. I don’t want to help, but if I don’t, my head might explode… so I don’t have a choice…!”

KRAAAAAAAASH—!

Black lightning raced across the earth.

Lightning far beyond anything my current level should have been capable of producing.

My frail cultist body nearly blew backward from the recoil… But Marlin hurried over and braced my back.

“Hup!”

“…You bastard!”

Without even panicking, the schemer demon stabbed his dagger into the orc’s thigh.

Then turned and fled.

Sacrificing an ally to escape.

A fundamental outlaw survival skill.

The kneeling orc ranger was swallowed by the black lightning that surged onward.

KRAAAAAAAASH!

“AAAAAAAGH!”

His screams were drowned beneath thunder.

Once the golem discharged every last bolt of black lightning…

The orc remained standing.

Burned completely black. Dead.

Crackle!

Su’eje delighted in the completion of the lightning-roasted orc.

If the deity was pleased… Then so was I.

“So? Would you like a bite?”