Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 127

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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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Chapter 127: B-Rank Dungeon – Tower of Trials (3)
[Tower of Trials] Third Floor.
“Your skill is improving steadily.”
The pig-faced swordsman wielding the greatsword grinned wickedly.
An opponent he’d grown quite familiar with after 178 previous attempts.
Still not easy to face, yet through repeated challenges, he’d reached a point where the battles had become roughly even.
“Come at me again!”
The pig-faced swordsman radiated fierce momentum as he drove his greatsword deep into the ground.
As befitted a strong opponent, he yielded the first move.
“Let’s go again.”
Bartimir spoke in an unusually calm voice.
“Me and Pendrick will hold the front line and weather the assault. Merlin, watch for openings and harass when you can. Lucius, support us. Any questions?”
“Yes.”
Merlin raised her hand while gripping the short sword Primordial Breath.
“Everyone else gets a nickname, but why do you only call me ‘Merlin’?”
“Because you’re Merlin.”
“That means there’s no real reason, right? Give me a nickname too.”
“You’re quite a demanding child, aren’t you?”
“That’s exactly what Kar says….”
Pushing down Merlin’s head as she let out a hollow laugh, Bartimir gestured.
“Pendrick, let’s go!”
“Understood!”
Bartimir and Pendrick burst forward simultaneously.
“Here we go—!”
Bartimir went first, driving his fist hard into the pig-faced swordsman’s torso.
Boom!
The sound of striking a boulder.
The pig-faced swordsman’s expression twisted slightly.
“That’s no ordinary martial technique!”
The Rock Shattering Art, taught to him by Dilmo, the gnome sub-guild leader of the Ash Gray Wolf Guild.
Through repeated attempts in the Dungeon, he’d raised his previously lacking proficiency to a remarkable level, making its power incomparably stronger than before entering the Dungeon.
“I’m coming too!”
Pendrick followed, swinging his single-edged sword.
Clang, clang!
The single-edged sword and greatsword began colliding head-on in rapid succession.
The Tier of a Martial Mystical Art follows the Tier of its master.
And Pendrick’s trait Master of Swords raises the Tier of all sword-related Mystical Arts by 2.
In other words.
The Fierce Gale Swordsmanship that Pendrick, at Level 4, was wielding now exerted the power of a Tier 6 Mystical Art.
Slice!
Pendrick’s swift, graceful blade carved a wound across the enemy’s thick wrist.
“Truly remarkable!”
The pig-faced warrior, now without leisure, spoke with genuine pleasure.
“Developing endlessly in real time. Extraordinary talent indeed!”
“Thank you for the praise!”
Even to Bartimir’s eyes, Pendrick’s skill was advancing at a frightening pace.
It was because of the assignment Kar had given him.
‘He’s definitely finding his own path now that he’s not relying on that great weapon.’
Pendrick’s assignment.
Reach the 10th floor using only the Fierce Gale Swordsmanship, without Astrímia’s help.
“Hah—!”
As the swordsman’s greatsword slashed horizontally, Pendrick swiftly parried the strike.
Then the pig-faced warrior’s barrage of attacks began.
What had seemed like Pendrick pushing the opponent back suddenly turned into him being forced into a defensive position.
“Pendrick!”
At that moment, Merlin appeared beside the pig-faced warrior, moving while using Brithes Stealth Art.
“There you are!”
The seasoned warrior shoved her away without even looking at her.
“…Hmm?”
The tiger-faced girl who’d been knocked down vanished, and in her place, a hidden blade came flying at the warrior’s back of the head.
Thud!
Thanks to the stealth inherent in the Brithes Hidden Blade Art, the ambush landed clean.
“…That stings!”
But the gulf in spiritual rank was so vast that the pig-type being barely flinched at the wound.
Still, whenever an opening emerged, Merlin sent his doppelgänger—created through the Rabbit Divergence that he’d learned from Yallen—and his hidden blade to harry the creature’s mind.
‘That one’s got considerable latent talent.’
The assignment Merlin had received:
Growing comfortable using the Rabbit Divergence, Brithes Stealth Art, and Brithes Footstep all at once.
At first he’d fumbled controlling his copy, but now they moved almost like twins.
By the time they reached the fifth floor, he’d probably be a fully trained rogue.
“Doesn’t look like there’s much for me to do,” Lucius remarked, bell in hand, watching the fight with an awkward smile.
Bartimir, who’d stepped back a moment ago, reached over and patted the sleepy-eyed priest on the shoulder.
“Then cheer us on. Act like a Bard who’s mastered a Dance-type Secret Art—dance the Dance of Faith or whatever.”
“…That might be a bit much.”
“Then at least cast a Strength blessing on me to make up for it.”
“Understood.”
Ding.
As the bell chimed, considerable power began gathering around Bartimir’s body.
“I’m going in. If things look bad, heal right away.”
The Demon-type Being who collected calamities didn’t even wait for a response—he charged straight ahead.
He’d just spotted a perfect opening.
– Merlin, right thigh! Pendrick, roll!
Thud!
The hidden blade buried itself in the pig-type being’s thigh, and Pendrick feinted against the creature’s counterattack before nimbly rolling aside to safety.
“…Ugh?”
For a moment, the pig-type warrior’s frame lurched as he lost control of his momentum.
The opening they’d been waiting for—a chance to land one decisive blow.
“Hrraaaagh!”
With a roar, Bartimir thrust his right hand forward, hardened Magical Energy coiling around it from the Flow Coagulation.
Driven by the curse of Scattering Collapse, that rigid Magical Energy shot out with tremendous force.
Boom!!
The pig-type being’s body hurtled backward, struck full-on by the blast of Magical Energy.
His chest—the point of impact—hung in tatters.
“Yes!”
Bartimir, having landed his decisive blow, threw one fist up in triumph.
The assignment given to Bartimir:
Properly fusing the Rock Shattering Art with his existing combat style.
“…Not bad!”
The pig-type being slowly rose to his feet, but his condition had taken a turn for the worse.
The stalwart warrior soon dissolved into smoke and vanished into the air.
– Excellent! Sending you to the fourth floor!
They could finally challenge the next level.
It was the fruits of six days of relentless training.
– Fourth floor! Give it everything!
The entire party was transported to the center of a tall rocky hill.
– Grrrowwwl!
This time the enemy was a wolf—large-bodied, pale-furred.
“A snow wolf? Nothing we can’t handle,” Bartimir, the temporary squad leader, said, tapping each team member on the shoulder in turn.
“You’re all doing great, so just keep it up. That way we’ll finish the assignment and beat this floor too!”
“Yes!”
“We can do this!”
Even as they caught their breath after the last fight, the team members wore unbroken smiles.
“Let’s go!”
Not a shred of worry crossed their minds.
They’d sent them forward with faith, backed by Kar—the most erudite Socialite among them—who hadn’t warned them that they might die.
“By Artaine’s blessing!”
Blessed by Lucius’s aid, the team drove forward with vigorous momentum.
“Excellent work!”

It was momentum without the slightest hesitation.
***
Overwhelming momentum.
A single word to describe the force with which we were conquering the Underground Aqueduct of Trials.
“Ahahaha!”
A troll ranger appeared as an enemy and fired arrows.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
A barrage of arrows that ricocheted wildly off the ceiling, walls, and floor, surging forward in a deluge.
The Rapid Ricochet Shot—a Hunter-class Martial Mystical Art—came pouring in.
“Allow me!”
I sprang forward and became a living quiver, absorbing every arrow myself.
To keep my comrades unharmed.
“Splendid! Now that’s the spirit of the Northern Continent!”
While the troll marveled at this typical Northern defense, Rosalia materialized from shadow behind the enemy and unleashed a spinning kick.
Crack!
The troll, struck by the roundhouse kick, twisted its face and rolled across the floor before leaping backward in retreat.
“Both of you are magnificent!”
Without sparing praise, the troll launched a single arrow that carried power of an entirely different magnitude than before.
A Power Shot—containing more than triple the force of an ordinary arrow.
The target was Rosalia’s head.
“Hup!”
She threw herself upward and took the blow directly.
The arrow buried itself precisely in her abdomen.
Along with the searing pain as though her insides were being shredded, an opening came—a precious moment for an assassin to strike.
“…….”
Rosalia, already rushing toward the troll, threw a spinning kick aimed at its head.
Like a seasoned hunter, the troll dodged lightly, and in that instant was about to counter-attack the assassin with its bow.
Crash-crackle-crack!
Black lightning at maximum output surged forward relentlessly.
It consumed both Rosalia and the troll entirely in its path.
“…Ugh!”
As the ranger was charred by the lightning, trembling violently, Rosalia gracefully dissolved into shadow and dodged, reappearing beside me.
The troll, its skin completely burned, stood unmoved and questioned me.
“That elf’s approach—it was a feint. How can your coordination be so flawless?”
“That would be because she and I are as close as blood siblings could be.”
“…….”
Since Rosalia was staring at me intently, I answered with a bright smile.
Not with my mouth, but with my mind.
– Why are you looking at me like that, sister?
Telepathy exchanged through “All right, friends!”
With this alone, we could become the strongest duo—one defending while the other attacks.
– Shall we keep fighting?
The conquest of the Underground Aqueduct of Trials was sufficient for just the two of us.
Crunch!
Finally, Rosalia’s upward kick shattered the troll’s jaw.
The troll’s body dissolved into smoke and vanished.
《The 19th enemy has been eliminated!》
《Remaining enemies until successful conquest: 1!》
“You’ve worked hard. That was truly magnificent.”
I applauded while glancing down at Abel.
Abel, receiving my gaze, opened his mouth at once.
“It is truly astonishing. How is it that you amaze me in every battle? I wish to become an explorer like you, Rosalia, in the future.”
The flattery of a slum child.
It was splendid worldliness that required no teaching from me.
“…….”
Rosalia accepted the admiration with an unruffled expression, then tapped my wrist lightly.
Then she pointed toward the passage shrouded in darkness ahead.
“Let’s hurry forward and beat down the remaining enemy. Understood. Let us move.”
We began advancing through the aqueduct once more.
“Now only the final one remains.”
The path descended gradually, and with each step forward, dampness seeped steadily into the air.
A foul stench drifted up from below.
“…The smell is getting stronger,” Abel said.
After walking a bit further, he scrunched up his face in disgust.
“Here, try this.”
I pulled out a pungent medicinal herb I’d bought at the market from my Subspace.
Tear Mint.
It was a plant notable for its pale blue leaves that resembled teardrops, famous for its intensely refreshing scent.
Rub, rub.
I gently applied the Tear Mint around Abel’s nose.
This would block the smell while slowing the rate his mental fortitude declined.
“Much better. Thank you,” he said.
“Would you like some too?” I asked Rosalia.
“…Just a little.”
We continued down together, companionably applying the herb as we walked.
The stench that had grown steadily worse the deeper we descended now seemed to permanently lodge itself in our nostrils.
Splash, splash.
Underground water trickled across the floor.
We were nearly there.
“Patron,” Abel said carefully as we walked.
His voice was hesitant.
“You don’t seem happy, even though we’re exploring. Are you unwell?”
“…It shows?”
This expedition hadn’t stirred much in me.
The Underground Aqueduct of Trials had always been straightforward to clear, and I’d already experienced far more grueling dungeons.
The Nightmare World with its skeleton crew.
The Sanctuary of Respite, where I lost an arm.
The Battlefield of Sun and Moon, where I fought explorers with more experience than myself.
‘I loved every moment of those…’
The problem was that my body had grown beyond satisfaction with mere small-scale dungeon difficulty.
“Honestly, I’m getting a bit drowsy. Keep wanting to yawn.”
Prolonged peace is poison and punishment for me.
Lock me in the underground prison of the 3rd District, and I’d lose my mind within days.
“Still, this dungeon was meant to focus on the team’s growth, so I should hold back. Isn’t it touching how I’m thinking of the group’s benefit over my own? Don’t you want to pat my head over and over?”
……
Abel just moved his lips silently for a moment, then looked ahead.
“We’re almost there, I think.”
“I see.”
A lake lay before us, formed where water had pooled abundantly.
A space created by geological shifts from ages past.
Unlike the smooth passages before, rough, natural cavern walls loomed into view.
“Hold on!”
I raised both arms to halt the team.
“One more step forward and the next enemy appears. But we’re getting tired, aren’t we? Right, Rosalia?”
……
Rosalia shook her head.
She couldn’t show weakness in front of her younger companions, so I could interpret her denial as the opposite.
“Understood. We’ll rest here a moment.”
……
The cold assassin slapped my back with her palm and surveyed the passage we’d come from.
“Yes. It’s time he arrived soon.”
Pierre would be bringing the outlaws here shortly.
“Let’s greet them here. Those outlaws will lift the gloom that’s settled over my heart.”

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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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