Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 149

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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 149: Southern Continent Expedition — Land of Confusion (4)
“Shall we go rescue the expedition members right away?”
Pendrick bounced on his feet with enthusiasm.
He looked ready to dash off at any moment.
Pendrick had always been a typical Warrior — his body moved faster than his mind.
— No, you can’t!
Fortunately, the prodigious swordsman had Astrímia at his side.
The Artifact blade, having lived for countless ages, possessed an intellect that surpassed most sentient beings.
— Right now the members are completely trapped in confusion. Running around aimlessly won’t help. They can no longer tell the difference between illusion and reality.
“What if we just search hard enough? That should work somehow, shouldn’t it?”
— Not at all!
“Then what should we do?”
— Well. I’m not entirely sure myself….
It was times like these that Pendrick deeply missed having Kar nearby.
He’d ask about the strategy, and Kar would first spout nonsense and jokes, but after pressing the question again and again, he’d eventually give a clear and correct answer.
Pendrick pondered for a moment, then spoke up.
“The Second Star….”
— …Ah!
Merlin tilted his head.
“The Second Star, you say?”
“If we activate Astrímia’s Second Star, we can visually identify the enemies’ weaknesses.”
The Second Star, Merak.
The star that weakens enemies and reveals their weaknesses.
— That’s a good idea, but Snow Mountain’s confusion has no substance, does it?
The ice and snow phantoms that appear intermittently are Magical Beasts, so they can be defeated.
But the illusions?
They have no physical form to begin with, making it impossible to strike them.
That was what logic would suggest.
“…We can cut them.”
Pendrick gripped Astrímia’s hilt with both hands.
“My masters were always saying this when they taught me. A Warrior’s most crucial skill is knowing exactly where to strike.”
Hyustis, the dog-faced martial artist.
Brunelda, the wildwoman of the Northern Continent.
The Warriors who had trained Pendrick drilled this point home relentlessly.
A Warrior must directly confront enemies, so they must cultivate a sharp eye for quickly identifying where to aim.
“Illusions have no substance. That’s true.”
Whirrrr.
Astrímia’s First Star, Dubhe, gleamed as a starlit aura wrapped around the blade.
“But what about the ‘wind’?”
Whishhhhh—!
The blizzard raged fiercely.
Since beginning to climb Snow Mountain, a relentless barrage of heavy snow and piercing gales had not let up.
“Astrímia, you can do this, right? If we’re together.”
— …Yes.
Pendrick smiled brightly and took his stance.
The posture just before unleashing the Violent Gale Sword Art.
“Merlin.”
“Yes!”
“I’ll cut through the blizzard. Use your Heavenly Ear to locate our comrades’ positions.”
“Understood!”
Merlin nodded briskly.
Shhhhiiiing—!!
A second blue star rose on Astrímia’s cyan-green blade.
The Second Star, Merak.
The entire Snow Mountain, where space itself lay twisted, was suddenly bathed in blue light.
Each snowflake swirling through the air sparkled brilliantly in luminous blue.
“…There’s quite a lot to cut.”
“You can’t do it, Master?”
“No. I’ll do it anyway.”
Pendrick laughed and swung Astrímia three times in rapid succession.
Violent Gale Sword Art.
A gale wind, relentless and driving.
Crack-crack-crack!
The gale wind, saturated with Aura and inner force alike, tore through the air in succession and scattered every blue point embedded in the void.
Whoooosh…!
The blizzard weakened slightly.
Merlin immediately swept the surroundings with Heavenly Ear.
Instead of the cacophony of voices that had been pouring in, only a few faint sounds came through.
“…I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
“Please kill me, Artein.”
“Leave me alone!!”
Rosalia, apologizing over and over.
Luxerion, drowning in despair.
Bartimir, seething with rage.
“…Come quickly, Merlin.”
And.
Kar, trusting and waiting for his ward.
“…I found them!”
“Well done. You’re the finest thief there is.”
“Let’s go!”
– Wait just a moment!
Astrímia urgently stopped Merlin, who was about to dash toward the direction of the voices she’d found.
– It’s not simply a matter of knowing their location. The others have already fallen deep into the illusion. If you drag them out by force, the backlash could grow worse and actually damage their minds.
An Illusion-Class Mystery of the sort that traps someone within a false vision cannot be overcome by external aid alone.
What matters in such a situation is one’s own will.
– Only after they recognize the illusion for what it is and decide in their hearts to escape from it can you extract them without any adverse effects.
“…But all the other expedition members have already fallen into serious confusion. What do we do?”
After asking the question herself, Merlin quickly found the answer.
“Then we rescue Kar first! After that, Kar will take care of everything!”
Having reached her conclusion swiftly, Merlin charged headlong toward the direction from which Kar’s voice had come.
“Is she going to become as renowned an explorer as the captain someday?”
– Seems like it.
Following after, her lover let out a soft laugh.
“Kar—!”
Soon she reached the spot where the half-elf’s distinctive tenor rang out.
But the golden-haired socialite was nowhere to be seen.
All that met her eyes were a shabby monastery and a mountain that didn’t look particularly high.
Merlin flailed about in confusion for a moment before crying out.
“…Raven!”
The second application of How to Use Kar.
Keep in mind that he serves multiple Evil Deities simultaneously, and leverage that capability wisely.
Merlin’s elegant solution was rewarded at once.
– Caw-caw-caw!
A long, harsh raven’s call.
Running toward it, she found a black raven circling in midair, drawing attention to itself.
“There it is!”
Pendrick immediately slashed at the empty space.
Another Gale Wind.
Crack-crack-crack!
Star-bright Aura and black inner force carved through the blizzard.
Then the monastery and mountain grew dim at once, and Snow Mountain revealed itself partially beneath.
“Captain!”
At last Pendrick spotted Kar’s body.
Only his rear end and thighs protruded above the snowdrift.
“…Your style of being buried is quite original, sir!”
“Hopeless!”
Merlin and Pendrick joined forces to haul Kar out.
Whoooosh….
Slowly.
The blizzard was weakening.
***
Ting, tong, ting-a-ling.
The music continued on.
“…Number 3849.”
“Goldie.”
The Sky Tribe Boy and the Half-Demon Girl, who had been staring at me with impassive faces the whole time, suddenly opened their mouths.
“I understand the number, but what’s this ‘Goldie’ business?”
“Your temporary name. Because you’re golden.”
“Not exactly creative, is it?”
“I came up with it myself.”
“It certainly shows.”
…….
The Half-Demon Girl’s eyes grew even more menacing.
As if I cared.
I kept playing diligently, and every so often I tidied up my dead brother’s hair.
“Ah, you’re pretty. Our Yunji.”
…….
The Sky Tribe Boy, who had been gazing at me intently, wiped his face with both hands.
And then.
– Half-Elf.
He spoke abruptly, his voice completely devoid of emotion.
A cold tone that conveyed no feeling whatsoever.
– Your inner world is incomprehensible.
From the Half-Demon Girl’s mouth came a voice that sounded like ice being shoved into ear canals.
– No matter how much I read your memories, I can’t understand.
– What memory could freeze your heart.
– Where in your past lies that moment capable of burying you in snow forever.
Perhaps it was just my imagination.
But her voice seemed to be melting away bit by bit.
– Your mind is all in disarray.
– Your spirit is corroded.
– The blizzard cannot contain you.
Like an icicle left beneath the blazing sun.
Like a snowman on a midsummer’s day, the cool voice was gradually sagging downward.
– Leave now.
– Vanish.
– The blizzard does not confine you.
– Depart far and do not return.
A banishment order.
The Snow Mountain was trying to cast me out.
I shook my head firmly.
“I refuse. You drew me in first, and now you cast me out? That hardly seems fair.”
At first I was flustered, but the longer I remained, the more I realized it was quite an agreeable place.
Even knowing I was trapped in an illusion, my senses felt no discord, and the landscape seemed vivid and real—a miraculous confusion that defied logic.
It was a comfortable space where I wanted to linger until I was rescued.
– Go.
– The blizzard rejects you.
Whooooosh—!!
The blizzard raged more violently than it had all this time.
“Please reconsider instead.”
– The blizzard fears a creature without fear.
– Withdraw at once.
“No, I want to stay longer.”
– …….
– …….
The look in their eyes turned absolutely murderous.
I was trying, certainly, but there were still many shortcomings.
“Because of the nightmares about my brother, I find it difficult to respond to ordinary mental attacks.”
Moreover, with the protective effect of Rigid Parjik as well, there was no ordinary way they could break me down.
“You would need to come at me with the determination to kill me completely. Or you should have discovered my weaknesses and vulnerabilities carefully and struck there.”
– The blizzard hates Half-Elves….
“Do you understand? Try shouting after me. The essence of mental attacks is terrifying momentum and analyzing weaknesses!”
– …Please, just go away.
“I said follow along! From now on, explorers thoroughly armored with mental-class defenses will keep seeking this place, and if you keep doing this, no one will be able to stop them!”
– The blizzard shoves the Half-Elf back.
It was around the time the boy and girl’s figures were drifting further and further from me.
“Kar—!”
Crack-crack-crack!
A cheerful voice I knew well suddenly pierced through the empty air.
She had come.
The remarkably talented future Seer.
“I should go now, Yunji.”
I laid my dead brother gently on the ground, then carefully arranged his hair and face one last time.
“See you next time.”
When we meet again, I hope our conversation will make at least some sense.
“No.”
Suddenly.
Yunji’s tightly closed mouth opened.
“Stop dwelling in the past. Look at what’s around you.”
“……….”
Crack-crack-crack—!
The space around me shattered completely and collapsed inward.
A cold wind rushed past.
And then.
I was lying on Snow Mountain, snow swirling around me.
“Kar!”
Before my eyes was Merlin’s beaming face.
There was Pendrick, relieved, and Astrímia, shimmering with starlight.
‘Look at what’s around you….’
Perhaps it had been the Snow Mountain’s kindly advice after all.
Or perhaps I’d simply heard something in my confusion.
Who knows.
Rational reasoning is a luxury I can’t afford.
“My thanks.”
I forced all my tangled thoughts aside and, still lying down, raised my thumb in salute.
“I’ve been anchored here like a stone in the snow, waiting for you two to make use of me.”
“…Don’t be ridiculous!”
Merlin flicked me on the chest.
“Captain, the other team members are still trapped in the illusion.”
Pendrick helped me to my feet, then spoke to Merlin.
“I trust you can handle this situation brilliantly. This is the third item in the ‘How to Use Kar’ manual, yes?”
“No, sir. That one’s ‘ignore the first thing he says because it’s a joke or nonsense, and wait it out.’ But since this is an emergency, let’s skip ahead to the fourth item!”
Merlin’s tail swished as she nudged me in the ribs with her elbow.
“Go on, get started. I’ve already mapped out the positions!”
“Understood.”
Following the guidance of a promising Seer who possessed the Heavenly Ear, I began to walk and speak.
“Now begins the active service of Captain Kar, who is both cute and impressive.”
– How do we extract the team members from the illusion? They probably haven’t even realized they’re trapped in confusion yet….
“Astrímia, I’m not just playing the clever Half-Elf again, am I?
Snow Mountain’s illusions are quite formidable.
It’s the decisive reason why the Southern Continent Expedition remained an unexplored dungeon all this time.
But I already possess the most reliable method to break through them.
“Space formed by Illusion-Class Mystery can be pierced by the same Illusion-Class Mystery.”
For example, the Illusion that the Evil Deity Ocaile granted me.
Clank.
The sound of chains rang out from my right thigh.
The confused one’s anticipation shows clearly.
“I understand.”
I touched the area where the tattoo was and answered respectfully.
“I’ll resolve this quickly. Through the ‘steadfast falsehood’ that Ocaile prefers.”

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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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