Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 123

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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 123 Thump-Thump Thump-Thump
“…A B-Rank Dungeon?”
Merlin’s eyes widened.
“At our current level, we can clear a B-Rank Dungeon?”
Lucius shook his head firmly.
“That’s impossible, of course.”
“…What?”
“B-Rank Dungeons are the domain of Gold-tier Explorers. Our Moon Expedition Party’s current capabilities cannot possibly conquer one.”
Gold-tier Explorers are at minimum Level 7.
Considering that Rosalia, our strongest member, is still a Level 6 Silver-tier Explorer, challenging a B-Rank Dungeon would be tantamount to suicide.
“However, the world always contains exceptions that defy common sense.”
Lucius smiled slightly as he fingered his rosary beads.
“Before I explain the clear conditions, I should first share some information about the Tower of Trials.”
The drowsy-eyed priest withdrew a sheet of paper bearing a realistic drawing from the rosary’s inner pocket and spread it across the floor.
《Premium – Longing Drawing Paper》
《One can recall a specific scene and project it into the air.》
Whirring.
The Longing Drawing Paper began projecting a cityscape into the void.
A small city with a dignified tower rising from its northern outskirts.
The desolate wastelands characteristic of the Northern Continent stretched out in the distance.
“This is the interior of the Tower of Trials.”
Lucius stepped slightly aside so everyone could see clearly, his gaze sweeping across the members.
Merlin, who had been gazing at the cityscape with admiring eyes and perked-up ears, suddenly spoke.
“You just found out Kar was planning to enter the Tower of Trials, right? So how did you have something like this…?”
“I often hear that I’m rather diligent when it comes to preparation.”
“…Rather?”
As Merlin’s eyes narrowed, Bartimir opened his mouth with a gleam in his gaze.
“By any chance, do you also have emergency spare underwear for changing during exploration?”
“I do.”
“For women too?”
“Of course.”
“Oh! That’s impressive!”
“Truly, you are Seraphina’s priest.”
I nodded along with the demon-type girl beside me.
In the game, Lucius had been merely one adequately competent priest among many, so I’d never learned his detailed abilities—but he proved far more capable than expected.
– …This seems like a moment for shock, not admiration!
Astrímia cried out in alarm, and Merlin shook her head.
“Now it all makes sense. If you were brought by Kar, you couldn’t possibly have any flaws.”
– Exactly!
“Astrímia, we need to stay sharp!”
– You’re right, Merlin!
Watching the former pickpocket girl and the narcissist sword solidify their friendship in a heartwarming way, my chest felt oddly warm.
Was this what it meant to be an expedition leader?
“I’ll continue the explanation.”
Lucius pointed with his arm toward the towering structure projected in the air.
“This is the Tower of Trials. It was constructed after the Valterium Empire’s unification war across the three continents concluded, and the architect was an overwhelmingly powerful master.”
“Wow! Who was that?”
Using Transformation, I took Merlin’s form and asked, but Merlin glared at me.
“It was Graike.”
Though I’d aimed for a dramatic revelation, Graike, despite being a historical figure, lacked the renown of Seraphina, so the members responded with indifference.
“Um… who is that? Are they famous? Since I’m not from the Eastern Continent like the Saint Seraphina, I’m not terribly familiar with them.”
At Pendrick’s murmur, the seasoned dungeon-managing priest answered as if he’d been waiting.
“Let me put it this way: the Sovereign of Martial Arts.”
“…The Sovereign of Martial Arts!”
The prodigious swordmaster jumped to his feet in surprise.
“You don’t mean the Sovereign of Martial Arts who laid the foundation for the Martial Artist Class?”
“The very same.”
Graike, the Sovereign of Martial Arts.
Until now, he had been an orc whose crude, barbaric hand-to-hand combat had contributed greatly to the remarkable martial development of the Martial Artist Class.
“The Sovereign lamented the current reality of the Northern Continent being completely subjugated by the Valterium Empire, and believed that the reason the Northern Continent’s alliance of intelligent beings suffered defeat was the shortage of high-level experts.”
It wasn’t a faulty analysis.
The Valterium Empire’s overwhelming military might, which marched forward while enslaving countless races, stemmed from sheer numerical superiority.
“That’s precisely why they belatedly constructed the Tower of Trials to cultivate capable fighters. Thanks to the investment of diverse Secret Arts and Artifacts, it became the finest training facility imaginable.”
“How remarkable is it?”
This time, Merlin posed the question in earnest.
“The Tower of Trials analyzes the full capabilities of those who enter and pits them against customized opponents. It manifests phantom entities recreated from information about numerous masters and creatures stored within the Tower.”
“So customized opponents mean enemies they can plausibly defeat?”
“The opposite, actually.”
The Dungeon management priest paused skillfully before continuing.
“We select only opponents who are difficult to overcome. That way, explorers must constantly strive to find ways to win, thereby refining their abilities.”
Pendrick raised his hand like an earnest elementary schooler absorbed in class.
“Yes, Pendrick.”
“I understand it’s a training facility with admirable intentions. But what exactly are the clear conquest conditions? Surely the Tower of Trials, manifested as a Dungeon, wouldn’t operate in an explorer’s favor?”
“A keen observation.”
Lucius let a slight smile play across his lips.
“The conquest condition for the Tower of Trials is to defeat ten consecutively appearing opponents without rest.”
A so-called Boss Rush Format Dungeon where successive enemies must be vanquished without pause.
The only preparation necessary for conquering the Tower of Trials was raw ability.
“…You have to win ten times straight without stopping?”
Merlin’s tail shot upright.
Startled by the sudden reaction, I elaborated at once.
“That’s not even the worst of it. Unlike the Battlefield of Sun and Moon, there’s no safety rule that sends you outside the Dungeon if you die.”
Fortunately for some, unfortunately for others, the Tower of Trials offered no convenient features like save points or revival.
The Sword King Graike was a martial master who believed that training without real danger held no meaning.
Lucius spoke again, his voice low.
“That is why Kar has decided to explore the Tower of Trials, a B-Rank Dungeon. Given the Dungeon’s nature of producing opponents slightly superior to the explorer’s level, no creatures or traps befitting a B-Rank—nor environmental hazards—will actually appear.”
“What do you think, everyone?”
I clenched both fists tightly.
Extraordinarily demanding conquest conditions.
A mechanic that allows even low-level explorers to experience the relentless hardship and adversity offered by high-tier Dungeons.
“Isn’t it truly the finest Dungeon?”
“It certainly is!”
…….
Except for Bartimir, who was eager, the rest of the party remained silent.
Pendrick’s expression, which had grown serious for a moment, soon broke into a bright laugh.
“Our commander wouldn’t give us a task we couldn’t overcome, would he? Then we have nothing to worry about. I’m in!”
– What’s good about this?!
Astrímia cried out again today, waving her sword spirit about wildly.
“Team One will ascend the Tower, while Team Two handles bandits in the cities surrounding it. Any questions?”
“Me.”
“What is it, Merlin?”
“Why does Kar like doing such difficult things?”
“It’s not that I like difficult things. It’s that I love the struggle inherent in seizing results.”
“What’s the difference…?”
I tapped Merlin’s crown gently as she shook her head, then withdrew the pink Secret Art Tome obtained from Cherry Cherry Farm.
《Tier-1 Universal Secret Art Tome – Good Good Friend Friend!》
《Establishes a bridge between the minds of those who have learned the same Secret Art. Enables simple communication within the mind.》
“Since everyone’s here, please learn this.”
A Secret Art that allows telepathic transmission.
With this, I could issue commands faster than by voice, and the party members could synchronize their movements without speaking.
No Secret Art was better for strengthening teamwork.
“Then I’ll start reading it.”
Starting with me, every party member learned the Secret Art in turn.
Since there were only a few pages, everyone could master it quickly.
– Can you hear me?
I tested the Secret Art briefly to confirm it worked.
Immediately, multiple voices echoed in my mind simultaneously.
– Wow, it comes through clearly!
– Since it’s Tier-1, the sound’s a bit faint.
– That’s amazing!
– I’m… feeling a bit dizzy.
– It seems like a Secret Art that shouldn’t be overused.
After everyone had spoken once, I stared directly at Rosalia, who hadn’t said anything yet.
The taciturn assassin accepted my gaze quietly, then sent a telepathic message.
– …I hear you.
“Excellent.”
Since everyone had successfully learned the telepathic Secret Art, I clapped my hands lightly.
“That concludes our session. Please gather in front of my house by tomorrow morning.”
I returned home with the siblings.
“Thank you for your hard work today!”
The housekeeper Rachel greeted us with a bow so sharp it could have been drawn with a ruler.
“We’ll head upstairs first….”
“I should get to bed early tonight.”
After the siblings went upstairs to sleep.
As I sat quietly on the sofa, Rachel hurried over and knelt on one knee.
“Socialite. I have a report for you.”
“I see. But why didn’t you do this sooner? Why wait until nightfall?”
“Because it’s more impressive that way.”
“Ah, that’s true.”
A proper socialite, after all, must conduct important conversations only after the world has grown dark.
Isn’t it the case that when you exchange words in broad daylight, people appear far too bright and optimistic?
“Before the Guild War began, I carried out the Forced Ownership Transfer on the home of Laenis, an explorer with the Unforgotten Turtle Guild, exactly as you requested. At first, I didn’t understand why you’d targeted that particular elf, but now I do.”
Rachel retrieved something from the basic subspace pouch on her bracelet.
A disk-shaped instrument adorned with all manner of intricate mechanisms that no ordinary craftsman could ever create.
An astronomical observation device.
《Artifact – Star Night Follower》
《Allows pleasant communication with anyone possessing an identical tool, and enables the exchange of objects between users. However, it can only be used at night.》
“It was hidden so thoroughly that it took considerable time just to locate it.”
“You’ve worked very hard indeed.”
I took hold of the Star Night Follower and wrapped it tightly in cobwebs.
Then I deposited it into a subspace storage.
“Socialite, but why did you ask me to transfer ownership of that artifact?”
“Because it will prove extraordinarily useful.”
This artifact serves two purposes.
Communication among the Six Apostles themselves.
And, when the great demon dwelling in the Nightmare Dungeon issues orders to the Six Apostles.
《The Wise One rejoices that a means has been secured to eavesdrop on communications between the demon and the Six Apostles!》
The Star Night Follower is nearly the only means by which the demon can communicate with beings in the waking world.
That is why the conspirator had hidden it in the house, anticipating the possibility that their plan might fail.
So that another of the Six Apostles could later sneak back and retrieve it.
Of course, that would no longer be possible now.
‘They won’t have noticed yet….’
The moment they discover I possess it, their ability to communicate properly will become severely compromised.
They would attempt to kill me and recover it by force.
Fearing the Public Security Force, which answers directly to the crown, they wouldn’t dare strike in the heart of Pletika—instead, they’d move to eliminate me quietly within the Dungeon.
‘…Come soon.’
Thump-thump.
I had acquired an artificial means of strengthening the Dungeon—one that made my heart race with genuine anticipation.

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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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