Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 102

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 102: Guild War – First Light (3)
The favorite to win the Guild War was, without question, the Ash Gray Wolf Guild.
In second place stood the Unforgotten Turtle Guild, led by the undefeated Lufrité.
But which guild deserved third place remained a matter of sharp disagreement among Dungeon specialists.
“In any case, we shouldn’t be associating with those cowardly bastards.”
The Grand Warrior Guild.
Composed mostly of Warriors, they lacked the tactical flexibility of a mixed Exploration Expedition, yet their Explorers were strong enough to hold their own against the Ash Gray Wolf Guild in direct combat.
“The feeling’s mutual. We had no interest in allying with blockheads whose brains are made of muscle.”
The Eyebeam Bear Love Guild.
They had no particularly outstanding individual members, but their Explorers boasted superior survival instincts across the board.
The two guilds, poles apart in temperament, had never gotten along well in the first place.
“Well, it works out better this way, Vice-Master.”
A Bovine Humanoid Swordsman from the Grand Warrior Guild, Greatsword in hand, spoke up with a snort.
“Let’s use this chance to wipe out those cowardly bastards in one go!”
“Yeah!”
A Pink-Haired Berserker wielding a Tonfa threw his support behind the idea with enthusiasm.
Börn, the martial artist and Vice-Master of the Grand Warrior Guild, moved to calm the two members.
“Not yet. If we start fighting among ourselves, only Yallen benefits.”
“Tch.”
Yallen laced his fingers behind his head and grinned.
“Don’t mind me—keep fighting. Honestly, your fingers must be itching to eliminate each other, right?”
……
Thwip!
Rael, a Wood Elf Ranger of the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild, suddenly loosed an arrow.
As Yallen ducked at the waist, the arrow curved through the air and streaked toward the Pink-Haired Berserker.
Bang!
The Grand Warrior Guild’s Berserker knocked it away with his Tonfa and gnashed his teeth.
“Did your hand slip again?”
“How careless of me. I seem to have injured my hand.”
“Forgive my adorable clumsiness!”
Here we go again.
“This is absolutely insane!”
“I can’t stand it anymore…!”
The Grand Warrior Guild members looked back at Vice-Master Börn as if ready to charge in at any moment.
‘…This is maddening.’
For a martial artist who relied more on his body than his mind, this was an exceptionally difficult position.
The Eyebeam Bear Love Guild showed no intention of cooperating, and Yallen was simply waiting for his chance to slip away.
Börn was caught between a rock and a hard place when—
Crackle.
The tall grass rustled, and four Explorers emerged from the undergrowth.
An Eastern Continent Dwarf wielding a Hammer, a Withered Lizardman, an Owl Joiner with a Crescent Blade, and a Human Druid with a measured air.
“Vice-Master, we found Yallen.”
The Lizardman, holding a strange flesh-creature covered in arrow shafts, frowned.
“But there are Explorers from other guilds here as well.”
“Ah, so everyone’s already gathered.”
The Dwarf with the Hammer stroked his beard and laughed.
“Even he’s shown up….”
“…Great.”
The martial artist Börn and Ranger Rael grimaced in unison.
“Excellent! Let us join forces and eliminate Yallen together!”
Mordan Emberhammer, Vice-Master of the White Jade Hand Guild.
His epithet was the Crushing Hammer.
Though he was a blacksmith rather than a Combat Class warrior, this Eastern Continent Dwarf was renowned for a martial prowess that exceeded most dedicated warriors and decades of hard-won experience.
And beyond his formidable combat strength, there was one other noteworthy peculiarity to bear in mind.
“Or would you all prefer to test my Hammer’s crushing power right here?”
Mordan took far greater satisfaction in pounding the skulls of people and monsters than in working stone.
So belligerent was his nature that rumors circulated of him possessing violence levels equal to Brunelda, the Rhinoceros of the Northern Continent.
“Why do you not answer?”
The Human Druid of the White Jade Hand Guild spoke with a chilling tone.
“Our Vice-Master has posed a question.”
“……”
Börn, the deputy guild master of the Grand Warrior Guild and a martial artist, replied calmly.
“Of course we intended to join forces. We didn’t form an alliance until we’d defeated all the Ash Gray Wolf Guild members, did we?”
Mordan Emberhammer was a problem in his own right, and with three more White Jade Hand Guild members present, there was no reason to needlessly provoke them.
Rael, the wood elf from the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild, and the human explorer reached the same conclusion, nodding vigorously.
“…We think the same way.”
“Besides, we climbed up into the branches to support you from the rear in the first place!”
“Hmm! That’s right!”
Mordan, satisfied, drew his lips up into a smile and gripped the hefty handle of his combat hammer in both hands.
“Good, I’m pleased we all understand each other so well.”
He then turned his gaze toward Yallen and took his stance.
“Come on then, shall we test ourselves? Little Fox Yallen.”
“Ha ha. Against you, Mordan?”
Yallen replied with a grin spreading across his face.
“Surely not. I’ve no wish to be eliminated just yet.”
“Well, what explorer worth his salt would simply surrender to a rival?”
The explorers of the White Jade Hand Guild lined up behind the dwarf deputy guild master.
Vials and crescent blades, branches.
Each gripping a different weapon in hand.
‘…Hmm?’
Rael, drawing back her bowstring, narrowed her eyes.
The human druid from the White Jade Hand Guild was quietly slipping away to the side, unnoticed by the other explorers.
Tap.
Rael tapped the ribs of the explorer standing awkwardly beside her and whispered softly.
“I’m not sure what it is, but it’s an opportunity.”
“Huh?”
She was about to explain in detail when Mordan suddenly bellowed.
“Grand Warrior Guild, encircle him with us from all sides! Eyebeam Bear Love Guild, interfere whenever Yallen tries to draw tools or use Secret Arts!”
After issuing orders to everyone, the dwarf tightened his grip on the hammer and charged forward without hesitation.
Thud!
The earth below caved inward.
“Ahahaha!”
Mordan shot forward like a cannonball, swinging his hammer with savage force.
At the same time, the bovine humanoid swordsman of the Grand Warrior Guild bounded forward and brought his greatsword down in a heavy arc.
Clang!
Yallen, blocking both the hammer and greatsword with short daggers in both hands, split into two and ran off in opposite directions.
A rogue class Secret Art: Rabbit Division.
It was Yallen’s signature technique, details already revealed through leaked information.
“There you are!”
The pink-haired berserker of the Grand Warrior Guild brought his tonfa down on the western continent dwarf fleeing to the right.
This was the real body.
Boom!
The tonfa erupted in an explosion, sending Yallen’s body flying backward.
At the landing spot, Börn was already waiting.
“A fist thrown ten thousand times reaches toward heaven.”
A blue wind wrapped around his straight punch as it shot forward with tremendous force.
Bright Heaven Strike.
Shatter!
With the sound of breaking glass, Yallen tumbled across the ground.
An artifact’s effect—one that blocks a single fatal blow—activated and saved his life, though blood spurted from his mouth.
In that moment, he tried to immediately use Hopping Rabbit, his long-range short dagger art….
Swish!
An arrow and a dagger fired from the trees knocked the short dagger from his hands.
“It’s a shame when all the information is already known—it makes for a rather dull battle….”
As Yallen swayed unsteadily before abruptly darting away, a viscous liquid scattered down over his head.
A Paralysis Potion, manufactured by the Withered Lizardman alchemist of the White Jade Hand Guild.
Yallen’s nimble movements suddenly froze rigid.
“Rabbit Shadow Leap. A fine and formidable Secret Art, but once you know the principle, it’s not difficult to counter.”
“Hah ha! Well done, Zurtal!”
Mordan laughed heartily as he approached his dwarf kinsman.
“The small fox’s reputation has taken quite the blow! No wonder high-level explorers guard their secrets so carefully.”
“I wasn’t planning to share them anyway.”
“It’s my fault for not managing the guild members properly.”
……
Mordan Emberhammer raised his hammer high and brought it down toward Yallen’s defenseless head.
Thud!
“…Ugh?”
At that moment, an arrow suddenly flew in and struck Mordan’s shoulder, sending the hammer’s trajectory wildly off course.
Boom!
The hammer crashed into the ground instead, throwing Mordan off balance.
In the next instant, a volley of ten arrows came streaming down toward the off-balance dwarf.
“…Vice-leader!”
The Owl Joiner from the White Jade Hand Guild rushed forward, sweeping his Crescent Blade to deflect every arrow, his round eyes wide with alarm.
“Pointy-ears, what are you doing!”
“Do you really need to ask?”
The wood elf Rael nocked another arrow with unhurried ease, her voice calm.
“We were never on the same team. I simply eliminate my enemies.”
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
A rain of arrows shot forth like wind.
At the same time, thorns erupted from the Fresh Companion blooming around Rael’s body.
“…Don’t deflect—take cover!”
At Börn’s voice, the members of the Grand Warrior Guild and White Jade Hand Guild all dove behind trees.
The barrage of arrows and thorns continued for some time before finally ceasing.
“…Fine then, I’ll crush you first!”
Unable to restrain himself, the Pink-Haired Berserker from the Grand Warrior Guild leaped toward the branch where the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild members were perched.
Crash!
The tree where his tonfa landed exploded in splinters.
But the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild members had already moved to another tree.
“Damn it! All of you, just die!”
The Bovine Humanoid Swordsman from the Grand Warrior Guild suddenly swung his Greatsword at the Owl Joiner of the White Jade Hand Guild.
Whether the arrowhead had been poisoned or not, Mordan, who stood behind him, still hadn’t regained his senses.
“No…”
The martial artist Börn exhaled a short sigh before charging toward the Withered Lizardman alchemist of the White Jade Hand Guild.
Honestly, fighting fellow explorers who were supposed to be allies wasn’t sound judgment, but at this point, there was no other choice.
“…How dare you.”
The Withered Lizardman alchemist gulped down a potion.
A crimson aura began to spread across his entire body.
Body Enhancement Potion.
A potion with an effect as straightforward as its name.
Börn’s eyes widened as he threw a punch meant to subdue him instantly.
“An alchemist… blocking this?”
“Human, you’ve underestimated the White Jade Hand Guild far too much.”
The Withered Lizardman laughed coldly and hurled Börn to the ground.
Of course, the martial artist’s sturdy body wasn’t fazed by such a throw, and he soon got up to continue fighting.
Crash.
Crack.
Boom.
Combat erupted simultaneously across multiple points.
“Argh!”
The Human Explorer from the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild went flying after a tonfa struck him.
“…Ugh.”
The Withered Lizardman alchemist from the White Jade Hand Guild, a gaping hole punched clean through his abdomen, collapsed.
The Owl Joiner and the Bovine Humanoid Swordsman had been locked in tense combat, but once Börn joined in, the outcome was decided quickly.
The badly wounded Owl Joiner from the White Jade Hand Guild fell face-first to the ground.
‘I have to get away while I have the chance…’
Yallen, still struggling desperately against the lingering effects of the Paralysis Potion, was writhing when it happened.
Roooaarrr!
Suddenly, an enormous pillar of flame erupted skyward.
In an instant, the forest was consumed by fire.
“…What?”
“What?”
The Explorers who had been fiercely attacking each other quickly fell back, widening their distance.
“Greetings.”
Then.
A single Explorer emerged unhurried from the flames.
Kar, known as the Golden Raven.
A rising Promising Explorer Socialite in the 6th District.
“Those who wish to experience the thrill of dancing with fire, please step forward.”
Since flame was a vampire’s notorious weakness, the Explorers did not dare approach carelessly.
In that moment, Kar was slowly walking toward Yallen.
“Are you all right, Yallen? I’ve come to rescue you.”
“…My body hurts a little.”
“I’ll give you a Stamina Recovery Potion, so please hold on just a moment longer.”
Kar turned his back and knelt down before the Eastern Continent Dwarf sub-guild leader.
“Please, climb onto my back.”
“But I still can’t move…”
Yallen began to speak, then flinched.
Whoosh!
The Bovine Humanoid Swordsman of the Grand Warrior Guild, wearing a Flame Defense Robe, had somehow drawn near and swung his Greatsword at Kar.
“Oh no!”
The broad blade of the Greatsword cleaved through the startled Kar’s chest in an exaggerated, wide arc.
“…What?”
More precisely, it passed right through him.
Crack!
A small Hammer that suddenly flew in shattered the large head of the confused Bovine Humanoid, who had only been blinking in bewilderment.
“Just as I thought.”
Mordan Emberhammer, who had launched the surprise attack, let out a bitter laugh.
“Kar, the Socialite of Twisted Truth. You were an illusion. All this time, you’ve been traveling with our Guild.”
……
Kar, who had kept silent for a moment, soon smiled faintly and shrugged.
“Ha-ha. However did you know?”
“Frankly, it was quite a refined illusion. If Teyrun hadn’t been a friend who traveled with me for so long, I wouldn’t have noticed that he couldn’t perfectly imitate even the smallest and most trivial of habits.”
The Eye that Whispers False Truths does not possess the vast knowledge of its master.
Thus, it could not perfectly mimic even the minor details of the original.
Of course, it was more than sufficient to deceive ordinary Explorers.
“Well, well! A famous Explorer truly is different!”
The illusory Kar laughed with a licentious pose.
“But you know one thing and not two, don’t you?”
“…What do you mean?”
Whoosh!
From the flames that had surged before, brilliant crimson fire suddenly erupted and spread rapidly across the surroundings.
Fire raced across the floor.
Searing heat flooded the area.
The Owl Joiner of the White Jade Hand Guild, who lay wounded on the ground, was consumed by the brilliant red flames.
“The arsonist who set the fire is not me, I’m afraid?”
“That’s correct.”
Another Explorer approached the illusory Kar’s side with an unhurried gait.
Mordan’s beard trembled as his expression turned grim.
“…Zurtal?”
A Lizardman Alchemist.
The White Jade Hand Guild Explorer who had fallen to the Warrior Börn earlier met Mordan’s gaze.
Slip.
The Lizardman’s appearance shifted in an instant.
He now looked identical to the Socialite Kar standing beside him.
“Greetings. I’m afraid Zurtal has already become kindling.”
With an expression chillingly devoid of emotion, Kar extended his left hand forward.
“Now it’s your turn, Mordan. I shall roast you starting with your head.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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