Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. – Chapter 92 – D-Class Labyrinth – Cherry Cherry Hill (4)

Author: Cireng

Chapter 92: D-Class Labyrinth – Cherry Cherry Hill (4)

“…What in the world is that…?”

The schemer demon, who had been dragged back while bound by Rosalia, muttered blankly.

“It’s nothing special.”

“I am nothing special!”

“Thank you for your hard work. Please go back.”

“W-Wait! Please don’t put me back in there! It’s way too boring and cramped inside that subspace!”

As a side effect of absorbing too much lightning, the golem’s head had become excessively hot, so I quickly stored it back into my dimensional storage.

“Karr, are you feeling any better?”

“Of course I’m perfectly fine.”

Naturally, my entire body was aching, so I asked Lucius to heal me.

Unfortunately, the Third-Tier Sin: Gluttony did not apply to potions or divine power, so a priest was necessary for rapid treatment.

“How’s that, you little punk?!”

Bartimir returned while rewrapping the bandages around both hands, then repeatedly stomped on the schemer demon’s head.

“…”

Rosalia silently moved about, dragging over both the mohawk demon with his eyes gouged out and the limp beastman before tying them up as well.

She casually tossed the completely charred orc beside them too.

“Karr, what are we going to do with these people now?”

“I have one answer suitable for teenagers and another for adults. Which would you like?”

“The latter.”

“We’ll embrace them with love and hope.”

“…Then what’s the first one?”

I glanced toward the temporary altar created by Full Moon Executioner.

“We’ll have to offer one of them.”

Three whole choices.

For the first time ever, the Evil Gods would get the pleasure of choosing their meal.

“Um… Is it really okay to perform a sacrificial ritual in front of Priest Lucius?”

“That’s perfectly fine, Lady Marlin.”

Lucius smiled gently.

“More precisely, I’m fine with it. Some of my brothers and sisters dislike it.”

“Even though you’re all members of the Harmony Church, you have different opinions?”

“That’s correct. I personally believe that beings who disrupt harmony, such as outlaws, may be offered as sacrifices. Others insist that cultists, the very source of disharmony, should all be eliminated.”

“…Really?”

Marlin looked at me worriedly.

“Don’t worry. When they say ‘eliminated,’ they simply mean imprisoning them forever in a Heretic Detention Facility. Lady Artein doesn’t wish for cultists to be killed.”

“…Yes. That certainly puts my mind at ease.”

Patting Marlin reassuringly on the shoulder, I summoned the Blind Crow, which had been pecking at fragments of eyeballs scattered across the ground.

“So then… Which one should we send to the side of the Great Deity?”

Caw!

The Blind Crow quickly returned.

Since we’d defeated the schemer who had been interfering with information reading, text now appeared before my eyes without issue.

I examined the condition of each potential sacrificial offering in turn.

***

[Monster Warrior Demon Marsent (Demon, age 24). I’ve already eaten both his eyes; he’s drenched in poison, and he reeks of monsters. At least if you roast the drowned Kelpie’s lower half, gloomy Lriria will like it a little.]

His condition was far too pitiful.

Rejected.

[The corpse of Ranger Orc Makon (Red Orc, age 27). Already burned, making it worthless as an offering. Even filthy Su’eje would dislike it because it’s ugly.]

[Schemer Demon Vikpaki (Demon, age 28). Fairly decent-looking by demon standards, so Su’eje might like him somewhat. Unfortunately, schemers have dirty knowledge infused throughout their bodies, something the Wise One dislikes.]

Neither possessed much value as an offering.

Finally, I pulled back the beastman’s hood.

He resembled a German Shepherd.

[Beastman Tamer Pierre (Dog Beastman, age 22). Quite handsome, a hunter whose meat isn’t overly tough, and a beastman that’s ideal for roasting! Not only the Wise One, but even the other tagalong Evil Gods would probably like this one!]

“…”

I’d found the perfect outlaw for a living sacrifice.

However…

There was information that caught my eye even more strongly.

‘Pierre…?’

The third son of the Lee family.

Pierre, the dog beastman tamer.

The alternate character I’d created after reaching 9,000 hours of playtime was standing right in front of me.

For a moment, I almost reacted with a tacky “Why are you here?!”

But after thinking it over…

It actually made perfect sense.

[This guy belongs to the Hyena Guild under the Silent Alliance, the same organization the Black Sword Guild belonged to. Looks like he attempted this robbery as revenge from the very beginning!]

Pierre had originally been developed specifically as an outlaw hunter.

Furthermore, as a member of the Hyena Guild under the Silent Alliance, I’d always expected there might eventually come a day when he’d ambush me inside a labyrinth for robbery.

Apparently… That day was today.

Now it also made sense why he’d reacted to Rosalia’s ambush and even fought her on equal footing.

He was a hunter from the Lee family.

He should be capable of that much.

And… I realized one more important thing.

“You.”

Squatting down, I looked directly into Pierre’s brilliant orange eyes.

Emotionless eyes. Utterly devoid of feeling.

“You weren’t fighting seriously. Am I wrong?”

“…”

Thinking back…

The Snowfield Wolf Flonos had gone down far too easily.

He hadn’t even used Wolf Pack Blizzard, the overwhelming Mystery capable of freezing an entire battlefield.

Considering his astonishing reaction speed…

He also should have been perfectly capable of avoiding Marlin’s hidden dagger.

“…You figured it out.”

Lying on his side, Pierre bared his fangs in a grin.

“That’s right. I deliberately held back. If I’d fought seriously… I could’ve taken that assassin’s head without much trouble.”

“…”

Apparently offended, Rosalia stared coldly down at the dog beastman hunter.

Despite the killing intent pressing down upon him, Pierre continued calmly.

“But I chose not to. Our objective wasn’t robbery. If I unnecessarily weakened a powerful person, it’d only hurt me later.”

“…What are you talking about?”

Bartimir frowned.

To put it simply…

“He wants to attack explorers only when they’re in perfect condition.”

“Why? So both sides can fight on a completely equal footing. No excuses. No injuries. If the odds are too one-sided… It’s boring.”

“Ah.”

“…Exactly what part of that deserves an ‘Ah’? Priest Lucius, do you understand this?”

Receiving Marlin’s gaze, Lucius merely smiled gently.

“If robbery wasn’t your objective… What was?”

“Half-elf Karr, I came to negotiate with you.”

Pierre painfully pushed himself upright and smiled while staring directly into my eyes.

“I’ll hand over the trash outlaws belonging to the Silent Alliance. You offer them as living sacrifices.”

***

Pierre.

There were many things I wanted to discuss with our third son.

But we’d decided to continue negotiations outside the labyrinth.

After all, proper negotiations should be conducted while both parties are in good condition.

“Patron.”

Abel, who had silently continued cooking throughout the battle, spoke.

“The meal is ready.”

“…Were you just copying me?”

“I’ve been found out. I’ve always thought it looked rather cool.”

After patting Abel’s head, I gestured to everyone gathered nearby.

“Let’s leave the outlaws alone for now and eat. It’s our vacation, after all.”

Thus, our delayed dinner finally began.

The menu… Steamed Fruit Bird with vegetables.

The chicken-like meat paired surprisingly well with the vegetables, whose natural freshness remained intact.

“Abel, you’ve really improved since becoming a Cook!”

Marlin repeatedly exclaimed in admiration while scraping her bowl completely clean.

Seeing that, I gave her over half of my own portion.

After eating just a thumb-sized piece of meat, my stomach was already completely full.

I couldn’t eat another bite.

The others, meanwhile, even finished the fruit for dessert.

“Did everyone enjoy the meal?”

“Yes!”

“I’m a demon, so I don’t really know… But it was pretty tasty.”

“…”

Everyone seemed satisfied.

Lucius, in particular, stared at Abel with genuine admiration.

After all, he’d spent so long eating nothing but bland monastery food.

“It’s about time for bed.”

Perhaps because it had grown late…

Even the moon hanging in the sky was nodding sleepily.

It was a little unfortunate that we’d lost so much time fighting the outlaws.

Still… It was finally time to head into dreamland.

“If anyone’s sleepy, feel free to go sleep first.”

I still had work left to do.

First… The sacrificial ritual.

“…Mmph! Mmmph!”

The naked schemer demon, his mouth gagged, was seated upright atop the temporary altar.

His hands rested neatly upon his knees.

His back perfectly straight.

Like a martial artist practicing breathing techniques.

“Patron. I think it’d look better if we scattered these.”

Abel offered an excellent suggestion.

The beautiful flowers we’d gathered along the way were spread around the demon.

He now looked like someone peacefully meditating in a flower garden.

“We should tidy his hair a little as well. It’s far too messy.”

“Shall I lend you some scissors?”

Lucius produced a pair of scissors from the subspace within his rosary.

“…Thank you.”

Abel accepted them.

Then trimmed the schemer demon’s hair.

The previously neglected hairstyle became remarkably neat.

“Patron. What do you think?”

“He looks much better.”

As I smoothed down his now tidy hair with my hand, I asked Lucius just in case.

“Do you happen to carry cosmetics as well?”

“Yes. I do.”

The sleepy-eyed priest immediately produced natural cosmetics.

I had no idea why a priest carried those around…

But they proved extremely helpful.

Making full use of my skills, I carefully applied makeup to beautify the offering’s face.

Originally…

When preparing a living sacrifice for Su’eje, one had to pay attention to external appearance as well.

“…What exactly are you doing?”

“Should I do your makeup too, Marlin?”

“I’m good.”

After all that effort…

The schemer demon looked incomparably cleaner than before.

“As for the offering’s menu name… ‘Monk in a Flower Garden,’ what do you think?”

“Not bad. I especially like how completely unsuited it is for a schemer.”

The Evil God who loved consuming beautiful living sacrifices raw, as fresh as sashimi.

The offering worthy of such an exalted being was complete.

“Su’eje. Your meal is ready.”

Crackle!

“Mmph… Mmmphhh!”

Lightning burst from the tattoo near my collarbone.

Writhing like a living thing…

It swallowed the struggling demon whole.

His entire body burst into flames in an instant.

【AHAHAHAHAHA!】

Having finished the refined meal,

Su’eje expressed delight as always through booming laughter.

【Kar! My precious little darling! If only I could descend to the mortal world, I’d hug you so tightly!】

“Is that so?”

I pulled aside Sky Invader, gently exposing my bare skin.

The Great One’s presence drifted far away for a brief moment… Before returning.

“My small and delicate body is always ready whenever You desire it, O Exalted One.”

【AHAHAHA! Why do you always do the cutest things?!】

Leaving the lightning dancing around my cheeks and lips uncontrolled, I voiced the reward I desired.

“Please grant me the Fourth-Tier Mystery… Thunder Rumble Boom.”

Among the two domains governed by Suu’eje…

This belonged not to violent thunderclouds… But to Filthy Authority.

Its effect is a flexible transformation of one’s impression.

In proportion to one’s Charm stat…

The success rate of persuasion, intimidation, seduction, deception, and similar interactions increased.

It was perhaps the Mystery best suited for a half-elf who had nothing but good looks to rely upon.

Crackle!

A tiny spark of static danced near my collarbone.

The new Mystery settled into my body.

【I’m off! And keep practicing your faith exactly like this!】

As soon as the Great One’s presence disappeared, I turned to my ritual assistant.

“How do I look?”

“…”

Abel looked me up and down for quite some time before answering.

“It feels as though… You’ve become more…”

“Dignified? Reliable?”

“Something along those lines.”

No matter how much he enjoyed reading…

A twelve-year-old’s vocabulary still had its limits.

I asked the others as well.

Each gave a different answer.

“You somehow seem more dependable.”

“…Smaller.”

“Your eyes feel stronger than before.”

“You now carry a more refined, noble atmosphere.”

Each person’s impression differed depending on what aspect of me they focused on.

Every single change worked in my favor.

[A Mystery acquired in preparation for negotiating with the outlaw Pierre. The Wise One grumbles that while it wasn’t a bad decision, a Mystery of Twisted Truth would’ve been even more useful.]

Wriggle…

After soothing the other two dissatisfied Evil Gods appropriately…

I moved on to the next task.

Whoosh!

A blazing torrent of fire engulfed both the already dead orc…

And the Mohawk demon whose life I’d just ended.

Then… A miracle occurred.

“Gh… ah… ah…”

“Ah… aa…”

The dead outlaws slowly stood back up.

Resurrection.

No… Walking corpses.

Undead servants raised by the Cultist of Lonely Silence.

They had risen through the new effect granted to the now Third-Tier [Death · Flame · Transformation] .

“Although we met as enemies… We’re comrades now. Let’s work well together.”

I patted both undead on the shoulders.

Then moved on to my final task.

Abel quickly laid out everything the dead outlaws had been carrying.

After removing the useful items… Three spoils remained.

[Masterpiece – Peering Eyeball]

[Those annoying craftsmen stole the effects of my Eyes That Perceive the Truth to create this information-gathering tool. Smash it under your foot immediately!]

Completely useless to me.

But not to someone else.

“Marlin. You take this.”

With her high Perception stat and role as the party’s utility Thief, Marlin was by far the most suitable owner for this Masterpiece.

The remaining two items were Masterpiece-grade as well.

The ranger orc’s bow and the Monster Warrior demon’s sword.

The sword would go to Pendrick.

As for the bow…

I’d keep it until I recruited another future party member, then gift it to them.

After confirming all the spoils, I wiped the sweat from my forehead with deep satisfaction.

‘That was refreshing.’

We’d enjoyed a vacation.