Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 139

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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 139: After All, She’s the Leader
A joint expedition with an expedition that didn’t get along was never simple.
A failure to cooperate at critical moments could lead to mutual annihilation, and poor coordination risked a humiliating collapse to the Dungeon’s mechanics.
When situations deteriorated to their worst, expeditions had even turned on each other like outlaws, fighting for each other’s lives.
‘Of all guilds, it had to be the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild…’
I found myself exploring alongside the Ires sisters, who harbored unfavorable feelings toward me.
The difficulty and danger of the clear had suddenly spiked.
“…Kar.”
Merlin pulled my arm, forcing my waist to bend, and whispered against my ear.
“Don’t laugh.”
“……!”
She was right—this was hardly the moment for it.
I couldn’t let my own amusement drag the rest of the team into an awkward exploration.
Snapping back to attention, I straightened up and faced the Ires sisters directly.
“Is there nothing you’d like to say to us?”
“I’m sure there would be.”
“I was just about to. I sincerely apologize for borrowing your appearances without permission.”
I bowed respectfully.
“As a gesture of apology, I shall offer you both ‘Kar Usage Rights’—divided equally between you.”
“…What exactly is that?”
“The right to enjoy me as you wish, in every nook and cranny. Though I am but one person, so we should divide me somehow. Shall we cut horizontally or vertically?”
“…….”
The sisters exchanged glances, their eyes never leaving me.
Then Beldora, the elder, drew out a scythe with a decidedly sinister appearance.
“Shall we try dividing you however we like and see how it goes?”
“An excellent idea. Please cut beautifully.”
“…….”
I stood waiting calmly, yet their expressions somehow grew even more menacing.
“Wait a moment.”
“…Hold on.”
One person from each expedition stepped forward to mediate.
Ours was Pendrick, the charisma monster.
The other side was Rael, the wood-elf ranger I’d seen in the guild war.
“Don’t you think it would be difficult if we don’t reconcile before exploring a C-rank Dungeon?”
“The kid’s right. Beldora, Tilda—I won’t ask you to forgive, but stop fighting.”
While remaining wary of the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild, Merlin couldn’t resist asking Rael cautiously.
“Did the two of you suffer harm from Kar’s impersonation?”
“…Both of us got scolded by the family head. We bombed out of the guild war.”
“…Pardon?”
The family head of House Ires was among the top five sorcerers in Pletika.
As skilled as she was accomplished, she was renowned for strict household discipline.
Then Tilda, the younger sister, stiffened her neck and spoke.
“Because of you, I got lectured by Mother all day long!”
“Do you have any idea how unbearable it is to kneel and hold your hands up at my age?”
It was a rather classical form of punishment.
Now I had a rough idea why they were angry with me.
“…Oh dear.”
Merlin, her brows drawn tight, jabbed me sharply in the waist.
“What are you doing?”
“Just… stay still, please.”
Without hesitation, Merlin grabbed me and forced my waist to bend.
She lowered her own head in turn.
“I’m sorry. Let me apologize on his behalf.”
“…The child’s better than the adult.”
At last, a genuinely mollified Tilda stepped back slightly alongside her sister.
“Besides, there’s no real need to apologize. We failed because we weren’t as capable as Kar, and we were being used anyway.”
“Is that so?”
《She’s been thoroughly angry this whole time, but now that she sees Merlin’s dignified side, she’s embarrassed. So she’s hastily changing her tone to sound more carefree and salvage the situation.》
Ah, I see now.
For someone like me, whose ability to read others’ hearts was severely lacking, without someone else to interpret it for me, this would have remained forever opaque.
“Anyway, let’s put the past behind us and do our best together.”
Beldora tucked the gruesome scythe into the pocket dimension of her Ring and offered our team members a smile.
“On behalf of the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild, I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Beldora Ires. It’s a pleasure to work with you all.”
I observed Beldora’s greeting carefully—the kind of noble bearing that had always marked her as someone of refined station.
One never knew when I might need to borrow her appearance again.
“Finished with introductions? You’re clear to enter.”
Lai, a member of the Ash Gray Wolf Guild, stood beside a pool of water and surveyed both expeditions.
“I’d recommend aiming for the Hidden Clear Condition to be as safe as possible, but I suppose you both came intending to go for the General Clear Condition. Do as you wish.”
The Naiadess perched on each explorer’s head in turn, patting their crowns affectionately.
“I pray you all return safely.”
As she said this, Lai’s eyes met mine.
With particular weight to the words.
“There’s no need to worry.”
I was the first to step toward the pool of water, holding up my thumb.
“I don’t enter Dungeons that don’t yield precious fruit.”
***
The air was cool.
Even though Solmiran’s sun chariot hovered in the middle of the sky, the weather wasn’t hot but refreshingly mild.
Standing still for a moment, a salt-tinged sea breeze came rolling in and spitefully tousled my hair.
A shrill cry cut through the air.
Monster seagulls wheeled overhead in busy flocks.
Birds the size of ordinary adult humans moving in coordinated masses—a spectacle to behold.
“…Are we just supposed to leave those alone?”
Merlin, who had been gazing up at the sky with his head tilted back, swatted me with his tail.
“They’re gentle creatures despite how they look. They eat people only very rarely—good kids, really.”
“But that makes them dangerous monsters!”
“On the other hand, they prey on other monsters too, which protects the ecosystem, so we can’t simply cull them indiscriminately. If there’s easier, meatier prey around, they won’t bother attacking people.”
“…I still don’t think I could live in a place like this.”
Merlin, holding back a knowing smirk, called over to Pendrick, who had been surveying the surroundings.
“Pendrick, is the Eastern Continent always this thick with monsters?”
We were now at the docks of Elbren, a port city on the Eastern Continent.
The starting point of the Dungeon’s Southern Continent Expedition.
The scenery was largely the same as the real Elbren, save for a few differences.
“The Eastern Continent doesn’t exist alongside monsters—it exists alongside everything.”
Pendrick tapped Merlin on the crown of his head.
“Great nature is a neighbor, animals are playmates, spirits are close companions, and sentient beings are comrades with whom we share our future.”
“It sounds like a harmonious place.”
“It truly is. Even when visiting a new town on the Eastern Continent for the first time, everyone treats you kindly, and there’s little hatred or mistreatment between people.”
The prodigious swordmaster born of the Eastern Continent stood with straightened spine, grinning.
Pride never left his lips.
“Come on, the situation isn’t quite that rosy, is it?”
Tilda spoke to her older sister.
“Sure, the atmosphere is more gentle and harmonious than other continents, but the discrimination against Half-Elves has always been extraordinarily severe, hasn’t it? Especially those ‘Purists’—they’ve even formed an organization dedicated to exterminating Half-Elves….”
A broad-shouldered member of the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild quickly covered Tilda’s mouth.
Rael and Pendrick, both from the Eastern Continent, simultaneously pressed their lips together and cast glances my way.
“…Some elves are genuinely twisted.”
Merlin, his expression hardening, grumbled his disapproval.
“If Half-Elves are so despicable, why don’t they just refrain from contact with humans? Yet they enjoy intimacy with humans and hate the Half-Elves that result from it—how does that even make sense?”
Rosalia nodded softly beside him.
“He’s right. It’s nothing but a contradictory belief.”
It was natural that reason could not comprehend such things.
“…It’s the residue of mindless ideology that took root long ago.”
《??????》
《How do you even know that?? You’ve always been like this, but this time I truly have no idea what you’re talking about…!!》
I wanted to provide an answer, but since the other party wouldn’t wish for it, I simply offered a socialite’s subtle, knowing smile.
“We’ll now begin our formal exploration.”
I turned my attention toward the members of the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild.
Though only four in number, all were Level 6 or above, and in terms of pure combat strength, they far exceeded the Moon Expedition Party.
“Shall we proceed together with you all? Or would you prefer to move separately?”
“Hmm….”
Beldora, the expedition leader on the other side, deliberated carefully before answering.
“The general clear condition for this Dungeon is presumed to be reaching the center of the Southern Continent. According to the Dungeon Management Bureau’s investigation, quite formidable enemies will appear.”
“I imagine so.”
“I’d prefer to conduct the exploration with only our guild’s strength, but I can’t let pride get in the way of something like this.”
Rael, a flora elf who had been listening to Beldora’s words with an anxious gaze, pressed her hand to her chest.
“Kar. You excavated the Hidden Piece from the Battlefield of Sun and Moon and led the Guild War to victory through unconventional yet brilliant strategy. To be frank, your competence as an expedition leader far surpasses mine.”
“Much obliged for the praise. Shall I treat you to a mad dance in return?”
“…Never mind.”
“Oh! I’d like to see it?”
A sturdily built explorer interjected, and Tilda’s mouth was shut again.
“You’re an annoying socialite, but you must have all manner of knowledge stored in that head of yours that I could never hope to match. So for the exploration to succeed, it would be best if we follow your lead.”
A seasoned Level-6 explorer’s cold judgment.
For my part, I would have been content if she’d stubbornly refused cooperation out of pride, increasing the variables in our exploration, but for the sake of the team members, we needed to pursue a stable expedition.
“I appreciate your cooperation.”
“I’ll do my best to guide the exploration.”
The Eyebeam Bear Love Guild’s expedition.
Temporary allies joining.
“From now on, I’ll be giving all the orders. You’re free to object and present different opinions, but once a direction is decided, please follow without complaint.”
“If the decision is rational, absolutely.”
“It definitely won’t be rational….”
At Bartimir’s murmur, Beldora tilted her head slightly.
“Once the exploration concludes successfully, I’ll concede most of the rewards. For us, the honor of clearing a dungeon matters more.”
“Kar prefers other things to rewards anyway, so you needn’t make any concessions….”
At Merlin’s words, Beldora blinked in confusion once more.
“First, I’ll outline the strategy I’ve devised.”
I turned my eyes toward the sea and spoke again.
“In a few days, I’ll begin recruiting members for the expedition to the Southern Continent on a large scale. I’d like all of you to apply.”
The Southern Continent Expedition clear strategy, phase one.
Application and acceptance into the Expedition.
“By the way, if you don’t pass, the exploration fails before it can truly begin.”
“…There’s a possibility of rejection?”
“We’ll screen candidates through a practical exam using duels and Secret Arts. Show your full strength and make absolutely certain you become expedition members. Your skill level makes it well within reach.”
Merlin is somewhat anxious, but with several high-performance Secret Arts in possession, it should be entirely feasible.
“I’ve written out the strategy here. Please study it thoroughly.”
I handed the detailed strategy document to Bartimir and Beldora.
Before long, the Demon-type Being and the human, having skimmed the contents, showed contrasting reactions.
“Oh! This looks fun?”
“…Top-tier C-rank difficulty. Or perhaps even higher.”
Though they used different expressions, the conclusions converged into one.
“Ah, and Rosalia—please stay within my shadow.”
“…….”
Rosalia tilted her head slightly.
“Why? Because I intend to move separately.”
The orthodox method for entering an expedition was to become an expedition member.
But this Dungeon held a hidden element accessible only to those of a despised race.
“I’ll explain the rest aboard ship. Well then, I’ll see you later. I have things to prepare in advance.”
Leaving the dock with Rosalia, I placed a hand over my chest.
Thump-thump.
My heart was racing with the joy of an exploration beginning.
***
Four days later.
Elbren’s docks.
“…….”
“…….”
The Iress sisters stared blankly at one spot.
In the midst of a group of criminals being forcibly conscripted into the expedition.
A certain beautiful blonde Half-Elf, bound in shackles, leg irons, and leash, winked at them.
“…Kar?”
“Why is she there…?”
Kar was boarding the brigantine as a ‘criminal.’
While Rosalia’s sister and the explorers of the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild muttered among themselves, the members of the Moon Expedition Party nodded in quiet acceptance.
“That’s rather maternal of her.”
“It’s so like Kar….”
“She really is our captain.”
“Indeed, Kar is truly extraordinary.”
All things considered, it was far less strange than he’d expected.
Merlin waved a hand gently toward Kar, then spoke quietly to the others.
“Let’s do our best out there.”
Southern Continent Expedition.
Departure commencing.

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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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