Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. Chapter 95 - Praise for Confessing with a Clear Conscience

Chapter 95: Praise for Confessing with a Clear Conscience

 

District 6 had exactly two marketplaces.

One was on the street where the tavern with the entrance to [Hideout of the Lurker Ghoul Pack] was located.

The other was inside Cultist Town, officially recognized as the most detestable facility in all of Pletica.

It was the Harmonious Church’s warm consideration for cultists, who were required to remain within their residential district.

When the market separation plan had first been announced, however, the other residents had actually welcomed it even more, saying it meant those gloomy people had one less excuse to wander outside.

“Quiet again today.”

Even in broad daylight, the market inside Cultist Town was deserted.

The only customers were the occasional cultist or Holy Knight from the Spear of Order.

Cori, who ran a food stall, simply sat there absentmindedly scratching his back.

“Ah, I want to sell things at the markets in District 3 or District 5 too.”

“If you want to, then go.”

The vegetable vendor across from him answered bluntly.

“They’d never accept you in District 5. You’re human. And District 3 only grants permits to merchants with sufficient experience, so you won’t get in there either. Just wait a little longer. The master of District 3 might change soon.”

“Well… I have heard rumors that the Ash Wolf Guild is in genuine danger this time. Apparently, all their internal information leaked.”

For sixteen years now, the Ashen Wolf Guild has retained its position as district administrator thanks to Guild Master Targon, one of the Twelve Heroes, and his overwhelming combat ability and leadership.

This time, however, information on all of the core guild members’ Mysteries had been exposed.

The common consensus was that if the other guilds entered the tournament with thorough countermeasures, even Targon would struggle.

“Still, you never know. I heard Targon has made contact with ‘that guy’.”

“That guy?”

“…Who else?”

The vegetable vendor wrinkled his nose as he casually trimmed the yellowed ends off some green onions.

“Golden Crow Karr.”

“…”

Of course, Cori knew that name.

The promising explorer who had unearthed Hidden Pieces from labyrinth after labyrinth, and had even discovered the hidden completion condition of [Sanctuary Purification Facility].

Thanks to Valentin, deputy commander of the Spear of Order, loudly talking about him every single day, there was practically no one left in District 6 who didn’t know his achievements.

“He’s definitely incredible…”

“He’ll certainly become a famous explorer…”

The two merchants let out awkward laughs almost simultaneously.

“But he’s terrifying, isn’t he?”

“…Don’t even get me started. My heart skips a beat every time he walks past.”

Honestly, there wasn’t a single flaw in his appearance.

Naturally not. He was a half-elf.

Yet his completely emotionless expression…

Combined with the bizarre things he suddenly did with that beautiful face…

Sent chills down their spines every time.

It evoked the same instinctive revulsion as seeing an undead that had only just risen.

“Come to think of it, he should be showing up again soon…”

As Cori looked down the street while speaking, his shoulders suddenly jerked.

At the far end of the marketplace…

Two explorers radiating terrifying auras were walking side by side.

District 6’s greatest up-and-coming explorer… The cultist Golden Crow Karr.

And beside him, A demon whose entire upper body, including the face, was wrapped in bandages.

“Merchant Cori.”

Karr walked over and spoke.

“…Y-Yes!”

So flustered was Cori that he didn’t even find it strange that Karr knew his name despite never introducing himself.

“What can I do for you, sir?”

“I have one question. It’s an important matter.”

Just what sort of question required such a frightening atmosphere?

‘What if he asks me what I think about the Evil God he worships…?’

Cori’s vision was already beginning to spin when Kar finally asked in his cold, emotionless voice,

“Would you happen to know where I can buy cotton candy?”

 

***

 

Bartimir and I walked through the market eating cotton candy.

“It’s good.”

Bartimir, who had tagged along simply because he had nothing better to do, stuffed his mouth full.

“But this place is boring. I thought it’d be some incredibly dangerous place where you’d become a living sacrifice the moment you let your guard down.”

“That’s a terrible misunderstanding. That only happens occasionally.”

As we walked side by side through the marketplace, the few people around quietly moved aside.

“Why does everyone panic and run away whenever they see us?”

“I’m not entirely sure. It’s always been like this. I’ve lived here for quite some time, yet not once has a passing cultist exchanged a friendly greeting with me.”

I’d always smiled brightly and even waved enthusiastically.

Why did everyone ignore me?

Feeling a little disappointed, I ventured deeper into the market.

The farther we walked, the more customers there were.

“Outlaw fingers for sale!”

“Oh. Perfect.”

“…Perfect?”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You’re not collecting fingers, are you?”

“Of course not. They’ll be added to offerings for the Evil Gods.”

No matter that I was a cultist, I wasn’t fascinated by human body parts.

True, I’d collected the heads of outlaws who ambushed me during expeditions…

But that was merely a casual hobby, like collecting bottle caps.

“Thank you for your business!”

After buying two bags of fingers, we continued until we reached our first destination.

A shop run by a vampire dressed entirely in black.

Next to the display counter stood a roughly painted sign.

[Fresh Vampire Bodies (Perfectly Legal!)]

“Welcome…”

The vampire shopkeeper whispered in a chilling voice.

He was difficult to hear, but I decided to be understanding.

After all, it would be outrageous oppression to ask a weak minority race like vampires or half-elves to raise their voices.

“You’ve come at just the right time…”

The owner quietly opened one of the coffins behind him.

Inside lay a pale-looking vampire with both hands folded over their chest.

“This one lost their mind just yesterday. Worth 800 gold. Twenty percent of the proceeds will be given to the surviving family. Heh heh heh…”

Vampires were an immortal race renowned for extraordinary survivability.

They died only if they succumbed to one of their few weaknesses…

Failing to satisfy bloodlust, sunlight, silver, fire, garlic, holy water, divine Mysteries, symbols of benevolent religions, stakes, flowing water, entering a home without permission, and so on.

However… If they lived too long, eventually their minds would collapse.

Only the body remained alive.

At that point, they could donate their body to cultists like this, helping support their family’s livelihood.

“I’m jealous of vampires. They’re worth money even after death.”

“I’m not. As a half-elf, my corpse could become a taxidermy display appreciated for its beauty. So in terms of postmortem usefulness, we’re about equal.”

“Wow!”

“…Ugh. What strange customers.”

Ignoring the owner’s exasperation, I paid the 800 gold.

Nearly all of the thousand gold the Harmonious Church had given me disappeared… But it was worth every coin.

“Conduct your ritual inside. The tent itself has Divine Mysteries suppressing the influence of Evil Gods. So finish as quickly as possible…”

“Thank you.”

Inside the cramped black tent, I created a temporary altar with Full Moon Executioner and swiftly completed the preparations.

“Thank you for your noble donation, elder.”

I laid the mindless vampire upon the altar.

I made none of the elaborate preparations I’d done previously.

There was no recipe name either.

After all… They hadn’t lived an evil life.

It would be disrespectful.

“I present this offering to the One who gazes upon Twisted Truth and hungers for all knowledge.”

Simply offering them as they were was sufficient.

The Wise One especially delighted in elderly vampires who had lived for thousands of years.

So much so that…

Although they normally insisted heads be removed like shrimp because crude knowledge seeped into the meat…

They wished elderly vampires to be offered whole.

“…Ah. One moment, please.”

On second thought…

If it were too plain, they would definitely start complaining.

That wouldn’t do.

“Bartimir?”

“Yeah?”

I asked Bartimir for a little of his blood, collecting it in an empty bottle.

Then I took out another vial containing my own blood and divided the fingers I’d bought into two piles.

‘Drip.’

One pile received half-elf blood.

The other… Demon blood.

I carefully dyed every finger red before placing them into a bowl woven from spiderwebs.

Finger tteokbokki with two delicious flavors.

Perfect.

“Lidni.”

Placing the finger tteokbokki beside the elderly vampire, I clasped my hands together.

“The meal is ready.”

CAW!

Immediately, the Blind Crow burst from my eye socket and enthusiastically tore into both the vampire and the fingers.

Naturally, it displayed neither respect for the deceased nor proper table manners.

Blood and flesh flew everywhere.

【Karr, my child!】

While I cleaned the now-filthy floor, the voice of the Great Deity echoed inside my mind.

I immediately dropped to one knee.

“You called?”

【I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed such an old vampire!】

【The knowledge, emotions, and memories this one carried were all exquisite delicacies!】

Lidni, who was usually filled with anger, now delivered a joyous oracle.

They truly seemed delighted.

Whenever an Evil God rejoiced after receiving an offering…

A cultist couldn’t help but feel as though they’d gained the entire world.

Not because of deep faith. For an entirely different reason.

“Quite an extraordinary ‘special meal’, wasn’t it?”

【Indeed! Ah, though the finger offering you personally prepared was even more delicious!】

They’d turned even this into praise for me…!

As expected of the Wise One.

Though compared to their prime, “someone fairly knowledgeable” would now technically be a more accurate honorific…

Their intellect still far surpassed that of any mortal.

【I cannot converse long while you’re in your current location.】

【Quickly… tell me what you desire.】

Without hesitation, I spoke the name of a Mystery.

“I desire Eyes That Whisper Falsehoods.”

The other half of Eyes That Pierce Truth.

Together, the two formed a perfectly complementary combination.

Its Tier would always match that of Eyes That Perceive the Truth .

[XD]

【Very well.】

【Since you’ve even prepared a special meal, I can’t very well refuse.】

【Take it!】

CRUNCH!

Suddenly… My left eye twisted and collapsed.

Destruction then reconstruction.

Pain, unlike anything I’d ever experienced when receiving a Mystery, coursed through me.

When my vision finally returned… Text appeared as though it had been waiting.

[A warm welcome! : Eyes That Whisper Falsehoods has replaced your left eye. At last, my partner has arrived! Praise the Wise One’s boundless generosity!]

Now…

Both of my eyes were Mysteries.

As I rubbed my still-aching left eye, Bartimir leaned closer.

“…I heard all these crunching and cracking noises. Are you okay?”

“As you can see. I’m perfectly fine. Let’s move on.”

Our next destination was one of the larger stalls in Cultist Town’s marketplace.

[Statues Always Scowling]

Bzzt!

Sue’je laughed uproariously at the shop’s absurd name.

We entered. The dragonblood merchant hurried over.

“Welcome! If you tell me what kind of statue you’re looking for, I’ll fetch it immediately.”

“May I browse first?”

“Of course! Please, come in!”

I slowly examined the many statues filling the tent.

The item I wanted didn’t take long to find.

A statue with… The head of a wolf, the legs of a horse, the tail of a snake, the body of an undead.

All those elements somehow squeezed together into a bizarrely elegant form.

“…Are you really sure you want that one?”

The dragonblood shopkeeper scratched the scales on his arm.

“I mean, I’ll gladly take your money. But honestly… I only stocked that thing to scam customers. You seem like a rather distinguished person, so I thought I’d tell you.”

“Heh… Thank you for your honest confession.”

“But I still won’t lower the price.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Without hesitation, I handed over one gold and fifty silver.

It was an item difficult to obtain unless you came to this shop at exactly this point in time.

Holding the statue I’d bought for roughly three times its actual value, I looked it over.

Truthie wriggled as though protesting before displaying text.

[A shabby idol created to worship Okail, the Herald of Cataclysmic Upheaval….]

The time had come… To become a quadruple cultist.