Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 106

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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 106: Guild War – Moonlight (3)
Every explorer who had pushed into the Deep Levels was elite.
They were the strong ones who had passed through the quality screening conducted on the lower Battlefield.
Those whose skills fell even slightly short had all been filtered out; it was fair to say that only renowned explorers remained.
“Everyone, focus up!”
Inside a well-maintained building.
Tilda Iress, a lurker for the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild, was flailing both arms about wildly.
“Mordan said it too. That Kar can use Transformation without any sense of incongruity! A member of the Apocalyptic Reform Cult, no less!?”
Those who serve Okaile, the supreme deity of calamity, are beings who sow chaos wherever they go.
Since the Great Temple Incident, how much senseless chaos had erupted across three continents!
Even the Harmony Cult refused to extend its spirit of accord to members of the Apocalyptic Reform Cult, who deliberately pushed people into danger and hardship.
“One person here could be him! If he’s committed to hiding, there’s no way to find him!”
“Don’t worry.”
A middle-aged warrior radiating an uncommon presence.
Lufrité, guild leader of the Unforgotten Turtle Guild—the second-strongest contender after the Ash Gray Wolf Guild—smiled gently.
“The problem with Transformation is that the user’s sense of self merges with the target form. If anyone’s anxious, it’s more likely to be Kar.”
“…Still, we have to find him!”
“Just be patient a moment.”
Lufrité glanced toward the window.
A bespectacled dragon-blood was carefully affixing polished gems to some sort of Mirror Artifact.
Eradra, guild leader of the White Jade Hand Guild.
The finest craftsperson in Pletika.
“Do you know what Eradra is making?”
“Of course not. You all were conspiring among yourselves.”
“An Artifact that can temporarily seize the mind of anyone reflected in the mirror and issue a single command.”
“…What?”
The effect was nothing short of eye-opening, even just hearing about it.
“Once that’s completed, we’ll have no trouble finding a hidden cultist. We just use it on everyone one by one and make them state their true identity.”
“Is that so?”
“Indeed. With Transformation, the mind cannot structurally achieve perfect alignment with the target form—the user’s original self and the transformed self remain mingled.”
The words of Lufrité, an explorer with twenty years of experience, carried considerable weight.
“Then… when we ask for their identity, whoever answers strangely would be Kar?”
One’s true self and the assumed form.
With two identities mixed together, the answer given when asked for their identity would surely blend traits from both.
“Kar probably wants desperately to bolt outside right now. But he can’t anymore.”
There were two entrances to the building.
The main gate and a hole torn through the middle of a wall.
But both were blocked by stocky explorers from the Grand Warrior Guild.
“We’re holding the line, so rest easy, you skeletons.”
“That’s right….”
Heaviclo, the Grand Warrior Guild leader and a bear-human of a build rivaling Targon’s.
And Kukus, a wise ogre martial artist famous for wielding mysterious Secret Arts.
“Once we’ve found Kar and wrung information from him, we’ll clash with the Ash Gray Wolf Guild. At that point, we’ll seize Targon’s mind too.”
“Wow, impressive?”
Tilda couldn’t bring herself to voice any objection outright—Lufrité was such a seasoned explorer and respected guild leader that his confidence was contagious.
So she asked indirectly instead.
“But where did you get hold of such a powerful Artifact?”
“Our sub-guild leader Laenis acquired it.”
An elf with a topaz embedded in her forehead stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
“We obtained that Artifact recently at a market run by the Heterogeneous Race Association. We were fortunate. It was an incomplete piece, though.”
“And Eradra, Pletika’s greatest craftsperson, was able to complete it?”
“Yes. Ordinarily it wouldn’t work on anyone whose spiritual grade exceeds the user’s, but this is the Battlefield of Sun and Moon—not even Targon will be able to resist.”
Lufrité nodded slowly.
“Once we control Targon’s mind, dealing with his guild members and even the Light Wyvern becomes simple. We just issue a command like ‘fight for us.’ So, what do you think? My strategy?”
A method to suppress the Ash Gray Wolf Guild and dispose of the Light Wyvern with ease.
“Truly the Unforgotten Turtle Guild. Your reach is simply beyond mine.”
Tilda’s eyes glittered with admiration, but her mind was turning to something else entirely.
‘Does this even make sense…?’
The Unforgotten Turtle Guild’s strategy was flawless, yet it hinged entirely on a single Artifact with absurdly impossible performance.
An Artifact capable of affecting the mind of a monster like Targon—acquired ‘by chance’ at a market?
This doesn’t feel right at all.
Rael, the Precious Elf, caught the same unease and exchanged a quiet glance with Tilda, both their expressions turning troubled.
‘If this goes south, we bolt.’
‘Agreed.’
Laenis seemed suspicious too. So did Lufrité.
And there was another suspicious presence in the room.
Tilda approached Rael, pretending to make casual conversation before discreetly flinging a Secret Dagger at someone behind them.
Whoosh.
Kukus, the warrior of the Grand Warrior Guild—a Wise Ogre—caught the Secret Dagger cleanly as it flew toward him.
“…What was that?”
Heaviclo, the bear-folk Guild Master, frowned and rose to his feet, displeased that one of his guildmates had been attacked.
Tilda laughed with casual confidence.
“Did none of you notice? That’s a fake. A Wise Ogre with sluggish movements couldn’t possibly catch a Secret Dagger with such Agility.”
Perhaps she’d overplayed her hand.
But what could she do about being clever?
……
Eradra, the Guild Master of the White Jade Hand Guild, regarded Tilda with a flat expression before speaking.
“Kukus possesses multiple Secret Arts that heighten his Agility.”
“…What?”
“You’re the suspicious one here.”
Eradra tapped the Bracelet on her wrist.
Whoosh!
The Bracelet rose into the air, elongating as it shot toward Tilda.
“Ah?”
Tilda tried to flee in alarm but was quickly bound by the Bracelet Artifact.
“Stay like that until the suspicion clears. Right now, you’re the most likely candidate for the Transformation disguise, since you were trying to sow discord.”
“…Me?”
“Then who?”
Heaviclo, the Grand Warrior Guild Master, clicked his tongue while regarding Tilda with clear disapproval.
“The Eyebeam Bear Love Guild wasn’t much after all. I suppose with the Guild Master already eliminated early, this was inevitable.”
……
Tilda steeled her resolve.
‘I’m going to give you such a thrashing for this…!’
As she glared at the bear-folk, a human explorer who bore a striking resemblance to Tilda crouched down beside her.
“Tilda, I know you’re not the socialite Kar.”
“Sister…!”
Tilda’s older sister.
Veldora Iress, the next in line to lead the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild, shook her head gently.
“So please, don’t embarrass us—just stay quiet.”
“Okay….”
“I’ll find the Black Crow Kar myself.”
“Okay!”
Whoosh-whoosh.
Tilda nodded vigorously.
Her sister truly was dependable.
***
The Depths of Lumeran Ruin had once been a village where priests dwelt to guard a sacred relic.
Time had claimed all those priests, yet one existence remained—a solitary, wandering spirit that refused to fade.
Roooaaarrr!
The Light Wyvern unleashed a beam of radiance.
A brilliant shaft of light erupted, dazzling and stark.
“Don’t take this lying down!”
“Bite it to shreds!”
The Ghouls, having learned somewhat, evaded with newfound grace, slowly carving wounds into the Wyvern’s hide.
Though they were nothing more than surface scratches.
《As butcher Ghouls who rely on brute strength without Secret Arts, they cannot overcome a Light Wyvern.》
This meant that Ghouls alone could never claim the Orb of Lumeran.
And indeed, in actual history, neither Vampire nor Ghoul had ever obtained that sacred treasure.
—Krooooooarrr!
Kar, disguised as someone else, heard the Wyvern’s savage roar and refocused on the situation unfolding within the ruins.
“It’s finished.”
Eradra, guildmaster of the White Jade Hand Guild, held up a hand mirror for inspection.
A rare artifact—beautiful gems embedded thickly around the mirror’s frame.
The Consciousness Thief.
It could temporarily seize the mind of whoever appeared in its reflection and compel a single command.
Complex instructions were beyond its capacity, and each use inflicted severe mental trauma on the user, yet even accounting for such drawbacks, it remained undeniably broken.
“Well done.”
Lufrité, guildmaster of the Unforgotten Turtle Guild, approached with his characteristic gentle smile and extended his hand.
“Hand it over now.”
……
But Eradra merely stared at that hand without surrendering the artifact.
Had she discerned his true intentions?
Laenis of the Unforgotten Turtle Guild’s expression hardened.
“Eradra. This artifact’s ownership belongs to our guild.”
“Of course it does. I know that.”
Her words agreed, yet the draconic craftsman’s hands remained stubbornly still.
Lufrité’s affable expression cooled visibly in response.
“Stop being difficult and tell me what you want.”
“This artifact would never have been completed without my craftsmanship.”
“…I’ll grant you that much.”
“Then as the artisan, I’m entitled to proper compensation, wouldn’t you say?”
Eradra pushed her glasses up as she continued.
“As payment, I’d like to try this mirror on you first. Honestly, you’re the most suspicious of all.”
“…How dare you.”
A sorcerer from the Unforgotten Turtle Guild scowled and lunged toward the draconic woman.
Had the guildmaster not raised his arm to stop him, he might well have had his hair torn out by now.
Though Eradra bore the weight of his furious glare, she remained perfectly composed, toying casually with the mirror’s backside.
“Why such an extreme reaction? Wouldn’t you need to test it on everyone eventually anyway?”
“Touched a nerve, have we?”
A green orc bard from the White Jade Hand Guild snickered openly, his mockery unmistakable.
“Mind your tongue.”
……
A human tracker and a werewolf sorcerer from the Unforgotten Turtle Guild stepped behind their guildmaster.
The Unforgotten Turtle Guild had fielded four explorers in the deep levels.
Second only to the Ash Gray Wolf Guild in numbers.
Though outnumbered, Eradra remained utterly unflustered.
“I don’t understand why you’re so angry. Is there truly some reason you don’t want to go first?”
“Eradra, enough. Don’t stir up needless trouble.”
“Isn’t your refusal of my legitimate request causing trouble instead?”
……
The two guildmasters locked eyes in silence, waging an unspoken war of will.
A taut clash between equals.
Suffocating stillness.
“…I simply cannot bear this any longer!”
Heaviclo, the bear-kin guildmaster of the Grand Warrior Guild, watched with bored eyes before huffing over to them both.
“How long will you stare at each other? If you want to fight, then fight with Secret Art and fists!”
“…Was that the problem?”
Tilda, still bound, muttered in bewilderment.
“Lufrité, Eradra. Let me settle this situation once and for all.”
The enormous bear-kin extended three massive fingers.
“You have two choices.”
“That’s three, though?”
Rael from the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild clamped a hand over Tilda’s mouth, silencing her nervous muttering at such a dangerous moment.
“Either work together nicely to expose that crow bastard or whatever he is, or both take a beating from me. Decide.”
……
A declaration that suggested he could dispatch both of them with ease.
The atmosphere between the guildmasters grew even colder.
Hair-trigger tension.
Just as the explorers began quietly drawing their weapons, the precious elf Laenis exhaled heavily.
“Guildmaster, I believe we should defer here….”
“…Laenis.”
The tracker from the Unforgotten Turtle Guild called out her name as though questioning her sanity, but Laenis seemed to have already made up her mind.
“If we start fighting each other here, the Ash Gray Wolf Guild’s victory will be assured. Now is the time for all of us to join forces. Please, I’m begging you—stop this.”
A plea spoken with genuine conviction.
The fragile beauty of her appearance only deepened its appeal, lending it a sorrowful weight.
The guild masters, who had been glaring at one another, soon looked embarrassed as they spoke.
“…You’re right, Laenis.”
“Your guild’s sub-leader is even stronger than the guild master, isn’t he?”
“Exactly! If I waste my strength before facing Targon, I won’t be able to fight him fairly and squarely! You all need to be in top form so I can face him on equal ground!”
The frozen atmosphere thawed like a spring day, warmth returning to the gathering.
It was a unity made possible only by the existence of a common enemy: the Ash Gray Wolf Guild.
“Then, shall we use it on you first, Lufrité?”
“Very well. It’s not to my liking, but it can’t be helped.”
It was just as the hand mirror began to inch slowly toward the face of Lufrité, the guild master of the Unforgotten Turtle Guild.
“Oh, this just suddenly occurred to me.”
Veldora from the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild suddenly opened her mouth.
“What was that inherent trait of the dragon-blooded race again? I have a feeling it might be connected to our current situation somehow.”
“…Why would you suddenly bring that up?”
Rael, the wood elf from the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild, hung his head deeply.
Veldora and Tilda.
The Iress sisters suffered from a congenital affliction—an utter inability to read a room or grasp the moment.
“Oh! I know this one, sister!”
Taking advantage of a gap in the imposed silence, Tilda eagerly opened her mouth.
“Dragon-blooded people keep it secret among themselves and don’t talk about it much, but when they come of age, they learn a martial art Secret Art that amplifies people’s Mystique or the performance of tools!”
Tilda truly had no sense of timing.
She had no idea whatsoever what kind of consequences would ripple out from the words she was now uttering.
“Wait. Hold on. Does that mean that Mirror Artifact too?”
The Consciousness Thief could impose one absolute command upon anyone reflected in its mirror.
But.
If a dragon-blooded hand were to touch it?
Perhaps—that “one command” might cease to be merely one.
“…….”
Eradra, who had been calmly receiving the flood of doubt, confusion, and anger directed at her, let out a soft laugh.
“Caught.”
“…….”
Silence fell across the chamber.
The disguised Kar nodded knowingly in secret.
‘It’s begun.’
The schemer who favored grand designs was about to witness a chaos he could not control.

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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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