Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. – Chapter 94 – Hunter Pierre

Author: Cireng

Chapter 94: Hunter Pierre

The basement of Odilon’s mansion…

A place that had absolutely never been used as a torture chamber.

The dog beastman, whose arms and legs were tied to the chair placed in the center, looked at me with half-lidded eyes.

“How’s the back of your head feeling?”

As I sat down in the soft, luxurious chair Rosalia had brought over specifically for the young master, I asked. Pierre gave his head a small shake.

“It still stings. But a surprise attack is always a powerful spice that makes the heart race.”

“Indeed. An unexpected shock always sends an exhilarating thrill through one’s chest.”

“So you know that refreshing sensation as well.”

We stared into each other’s eyes for a moment before speaking almost simultaneously.

“You seem to be someone who understands. Just like me.”

“It appears we’re cut from rather similar cloth.”

[You two really do seem to possess similarly deranged mindsets….]

“Just so we’re clear… Even so, I suggest you abandon any thoughts of pretending to chat while looking for an opportunity to ambush me. I’ve already prevented the activation of Mysteries.”

The Divine Poison of the Crimson Death Rose… Rosalia’s Fresh Companion.

It could only produce minuscule amounts, making it impractical in real combat.

However, it was extremely useful for suppressing restrained enemies like this.

“I had no intention of doing that anyway.”

Pierre absentmindedly looked up at the ceiling.

“I enjoy being caught in an ambush. But I have no desire to be the one carrying it out. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be fighting on equal terms.”

“So that’s why you openly showed yourselves instead of waiting until we were asleep?”

“Exactly. The others wanted to wait until it was much darker. But I led them along using a perfectly reasonable excuse.”

Bzzt!

Sue’je sent me the thought,

‘My pretty one, you two get along surprisingly well!’

The conversation really was proceeding remarkably smoothly.

Neither of us could become friendly because of our respective positions…

But we certainly understood each other.

“Even if you’d attacked during the night, the outcome wouldn’t have changed. I don’t sleep very deeply.”

I took a sip of Abel’s special tea before continuing.

“Negotiations. Let’s begin. What exactly is it that you want?”

Frowning at the fragrant aroma, Pierre turned his head slightly before answering.

“I’ll hand over every ‘garbage outlaw’ belonging to the Silent Alliance. You offer every last one of them as living sacrifices. It’s a proposal that benefits us both.”

[Question: Doesn’t this proposal only benefit you…?]

At first glance, it might seem that way.

But the reality was different.

It truly was a win-win plan…

Provided the dog beastman before me had inherited the exact personality of the Hunter Pierre I had personally played.

“I roughly understand what you mean, but I’d like to clarify. What exactly do you mean by ‘garbage outlaws’?”

“There’s no hidden meaning. They’re garbage.”

Pierre’s tail, tied to the back leg of the chair, twitched violently.

“I can tolerate outlaws who simply lack skill. If I see genuine determination in them, I’d even be willing to teach them. But…”

His jaw trembled.

Hatred completely filled his eyes.

“Outlaws with outstanding ability who only target weak expeditions they can rob safely. I find those bastards utterly revolting.”

A low animalistic growl escaped between his exposed fangs.

“An outlaw shines brightest only when robbing powerful explorers. But they wander around preying only on people weaker than themselves simply because they fear dying! I cannot tolerate such cowardice.”

Pierre’s entire body trembled.

His face overflowed with murderous intent. Rage. Pure fury directed at outlaws who refused to rob their victims proudly.

[Why do only insane people gather around you? Or are you the one attracting lunatics…?]

I dismissed the text.

“So… You intend to eliminate every pathetic outlaw in the Silent Alliance and leave behind only those with courage and conviction.”

“Exactly. And since they’ll be eliminated anyway, having you offer them as living sacrifices benefits both of us.”

“…Indeed. It’s an irresistible proposal.”

Free sacrifices practically deliver themselves.

Opportunities like this were incredibly rare.

After all, as a model cultist, opportunities to conduct offering rituals were hard to come by.

“Everything sounds good. But there’s one problem.”

There remained a fatal flaw preventing me from accepting immediately.

“If we did that, the ‘Boss’ who created the Silent Alliance would target both of us.”

“Most likely. But just who is this Boss anyway?”

“Oh? You don’t know?”

“I’m still just an ordinary guild member of the Hyena Guild. The guild master has been giving me considerable support after my recent achievements. But I don’t know who’s above the alliance. And frankly, I have no desire to know.”

It made sense.

The Boss’s identity was top-secret information known only to guild masters.

He didn’t know. I did.

That alone gave me the upper hand in negotiations.

After taking another sip of tea, I crooked my finger.

“Then I won’t reveal their identity just yet. You understand why.”

“A rational decision.”

“What I can tell you is this… The Boss absolutely won’t tolerate impurities within the alliance like you. And naturally… I’m also one of the people they intend to eliminate.”

After all…

I was the one who had taken care of the Black Sword Guild Master.

And Rosalia, acting under Odilon’s orders, had eliminated most of the Black Sword Guild’s outlaws.

Once the truth came out…

The young master would become a target too.

“…An unexpected complication.”

Pierre, who had become perfectly calm again as though he had never been excited in the first place, muttered softly before looking back at me.

“Even better. A plan that only expects things to proceed smoothly is foolish and pathetic. My opinion remains unchanged.”

“…”

I quietly stared into the orange eyes of the dog beastman as his bound tail swayed slightly.

Then I clapped loudly.

“Very well. Let’s proceed with the plan.”

I’d found them.

The partner who transcended the distinction between friend and foe.

***

Pierre didn’t become an outlaw to kill explorers for expensive treasures and money.

His objective was robbery itself.

Even if the target were a penniless nobody…

If they possessed respectable levels and a good Mystery combination, he’d gladly hunt them.

In other words… He was a hunter who loved those moments when both sides wagered their lives.

‘More precisely… I used to be.’

Back when he existed only as a character.

But the real Pierre didn’t seem all that different.

His ultimate goal matched exactly what I’d once pursued as a nine-thousand-hour “newbie.”

“Someday… I want to rob one of the Twelve Heroes inside a labyrinth.”

Forcing down Abel’s special tea that I poured into his mouth, Pierre curled the corner of his lips upward.

“I don’t need the fame of defeating one of the Twelve Heroes. I don’t even mind dying during the robbery. As long as, in the end… I can claim a technical victory.”

“What an admirable ambition.”

He was fundamentally different from the countless mediocre outlaws who attacked innocent explorers merely to become rich.

Was it because he was practically my own creation?

“Your goal is to conquer the Nightmare Dungeon? Compared to yours, it’s rather ordinary.”

“Not at all. It’s a worthy goal. Though mine probably has a slightly higher chance of becoming reality.”

At the moment…

Both of us were chasing completely impossible dreams. Fantasy, an absurd delusion.

At least for now.

But give it a year or two…

And they’d become goals we could almost reach in reality.

“Then let’s summarize the terms of our cooperation.”

Using Full Moon Executioner, I cut the rope binding Pierre’s left leg.

“My objective is to completely dismantle the Silent Alliance. You wish to eliminate the garbage outlaws within it. At the very least, our objectives point in the same direction.”

Snap.

I freed his right arm.

“From now on… We’ll remain allies until every garbage outlaw has been dealt with… And until the Boss of the Silent Alliance abandons thoughts of revenge.”

“Wouldn’t it be faster to simply kill the Boss?”

As I cut the rope around his left leg, I shook my head.

“Were you asking that because you hoped I’d accidentally reveal their identity? It won’t work.”

“Hm… As expected, you saw right through it immediately.”

“Still, I believe the fact that I used ‘abandon revenge’ rather than ‘die’ as the condition provides enough of a hint.”

“I understand.”

Finally, after freeing his left arm as well, I stepped back.

“At least for as long as our alliance lasts… I look forward to working with you.”

“Likewise.”

We slowly shook hands.

Cultist Karr. Beast Tamer Pierre.

The so-called Karr-Pierre Alliance, something that should have been impossible, was born.

Of course… It would never end well.

When the final moment came…

We would inevitably meet inside a labyrinth as explorer and outlaw, each seeking the other’s life.

“Now I finally feel alive.”

After freeing his own tail, Pierre slowly stood before extending his right hand.

A communication magic tattoo was engraved on his palm.

It was an extremely inexpensive product that allowed the Magic Tower of Scholarly Inquiry to rake in enormous profits.

“Contact me through this.”

Inside the ear-shaped tattoo was a ten-character code composed of letters and numbers.

Essentially… A phone number.

As long as you remembered it, you could contact the owner anytime using the Magic Tower communication devices.

“I’ll return now and testify that I’ve confirmed beyond doubt that you were the one who destroyed the Black Sword Guild.”

“However… The Boss of the Silent Alliance doesn’t act on testimony alone.”

“So that’s why the guild master kept getting irritated…”

“The Black Sword Guild Master’s weapon should still be somewhere in this mansion. I’ll have it returned to what used to be the Black Sword Guild’s hideout.”

“You may retrieve it there.”

Our first operation would begin after the upcoming Guild Tournament concluded.

The Boss of the Silent Alliance was someone who meticulously examined evidence and testimony over and over before finally making a move.

“Until we meet again… Please don’t fall victim to another outlaw.”

“Likewise. Try not to get yourself captured while robbing people.”

After exchanging heartfelt words of farewell… Pierre departed.

Crackle!

The Exalted One lavishly praised me once again for another productive day of worship.

Though apparently…

They’d been watching only my face the whole time.

“Finished?”

When I entered after seeing him off, Bartimir waved at me while coming out of the dining room.

“What did you talk about with that dog?”

“We’ve agreed to form a temporary alliance.”

“I figured it’d end up that way…”

“You expected it?”

“From the moment I first saw him. I had this feeling that you two would really get along.”

“Like I’d want to strike up a conversation with him.”

Since the two of them were, quite literally, siblings born by my own hand… It wasn’t strange for him to feel that way.

“But I still don’t want to join hands with him. He’s just an outlaw.”

“It’s only temporary. He’s simply that extraordinary.”

The Boss of the Silent Alliance was by no means an easy opponent.

You could say they ranked just below the Six Apostles among the villains.

Even if I hadn’t interfered with the Black Sword Guild Master…

I would’ve encountered them eventually.

“Please trust me. Someday, we’ll become enemies who try to kill each other inside a labyrinth. But until then… He’s a beastman worth cooperating with.”

“…That’s kind of cool.”

Bartimir chuckled before walking over and draping an arm around my shoulder.

“The Guild Tournament’s coming up soon, right? Mom, is there anything else we need to prepare?”

The Guild Tournament.

Along with the Silent Alliance…

That, too, was a troublesome issue.

If we failed to make the Ashen Wolf Guild the champions…

Our plans for conquering the Nightmare Dungeon would face serious complications.

But who was I?

A cultist more confident than anyone when it came to causing or preventing major incidents.

“There is. Mysteries perfectly suited for the Guild Tournament.”

“Do we really need those?”