Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 151

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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 151: Southern Continent Expedition – The Land of Frost (1)
The Eyebeam Bear Love Guild was climbing Snow Mountain.
Alongside their unpredictable expedition leader—a dwarf.
“Oh, good heavens—!”
Brinya dashed forward with a grin spreading across his face.
“You are….”
The Frost Manifestation wearing a dwarf’s shape flinched for a moment, then opened its mouth again.
“Brinya, you are a terrible failure. All ambition and no competence—a pitiful wretch who ruins everything he touches.”
“How marvelous!”
Even as the cold mockery poured forth, Brinya simply floated a Recording Artifact in the air before him and continued spouting observations.
“A magical beast manifesting memories from the past. It appears to possess some manner of mystical ability to read human minds!”
“You will spend your entire life abandoned like a stray dog, repeating nothing but failure.”
“Shall I name this Snow Mountain ‘The White Bitter Tongue’? Or perhaps ‘The Despair Factory’ would suit it better!”
“Brinya! You will chase ideals forever and die alone in sorrow!”
“Ahaha! Now that stings a little!”
He remained unmoved.
Whether the creature hurled abuse or not, he kept his attention fixed solely on recording.
Dwarves were naturally a stalwart race, but Brinya, a historian who had wandered the three continents and courted danger wherever he went, possessed a will of exceptional steel.
“You fool! Trash! Scum….”
Slice.
Beladora emerged from behind the Frost Manifestation and severed the creature’s body mid-tirade.
The enthusiastic dwarf stopped recording, looking disappointed.
“Was that not a tip-off from Kar, one of our expedition members? This Snow Mountain is certainly no ordinary place!”
“But… are you truly unaffected? Surely the person who left such a painful wound in your memory would manifest as a monster here.”
“I’m fine! It couldn’t read very deeply into my mind, after all!”
“What makes you so certain?”
Brinya stroked his beard heartily.
“If it could peer that far into the depths, it would have struck at my weaknesses far more cunningly. It wouldn’t resort to such surface-level insults as ‘failure’ and such!”
“…I see.”
Beladora forced a smile.
Her younger sister Tilda whispered with the other guild members behind them.
“At that rate, wouldn’t he just laugh off being insulted to his face?”
“Probably.”
“Rael, want to try?”
“If you’re going to, you do it.”
“…Everyone, quiet.”
Beladora silenced the guild members and, lying flat on her belly, motioned for Brinya—who was studying the severed beast—to hurry along.
“Expedition Leader, let’s move. If the entrance is like this, far worse phenomena await us higher up.”
“A fair point indeed!”
And so the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild resumed their climb.
Following the arrows the Moon Expedition Party had left in the snow.
As they pressed on, Frost Manifestations materialized without end.
“Another snow beast!”
“Agh, it’s from sister’s memories! Watch out!”
“That mad seal murderer again—!”
“Tilda! How many people do you actually hate?”
“They keep targeting me because I’m too cute and they’re jealous!”
A thoroughly boisterous expedition.
Despite the constant emergence of high-level Frost Manifestations, their average strength was such that their climbing pace far outstripped the Moon Expedition Party’s.
Not a single member fell.
“…We’d be in real trouble without the strategy guide Kar provided.”
Beladora marveled anew as she pulled out the sheaf of papers Kar had given them.
Pages crammed with dense handwriting—tactical secrets and exploit routes.
There were occasional irrelevant passages scattered throughout, like “I really do love the Eyebeam Bear ♡”, but overall it proved invaluable.
“A landmark. Here it is.”
Aira, a Wood Elf now acting as Brinya’s guard, raised her hand.
“We should proceed this way.”
“Let’s go!”
Brinya was charging forward on his short legs with bounding strides when—
“…Huh?”
The scenery around them shifted abruptly.
Clang, clang—the ring of metal striking metal echoed through a vast blacksmith’s forge.
A multitude of smiths surrounded a single dwarf.
“…Expedition Leader, you must be careful from this point on!”
A particularly dangerous section that Kar had devoted many pages to explaining.
A place where memories of the past unfolded as vivid reality.
“You are truly the worst….”
“Oh! Good heavens! Such a vivid hallucination-!”
Before the Snow Mountain’s mental attack could even begin, Brinya had spun into excited motion, chattering wildly into his Recording Artifact.
Tap, tap.
“Every object—the furnaces, the hammers, everything—is solid and real, not mere illusion!”
Squeeze, squeeze.
“Brinya, you are the worst failure….”
“And the people behave and speak with intelligence! Even their skin feels authentic!”
Brinya pursued his research without a trace of worry or hesitation.
The Eyebeam Bear Love Guild members, tense just moments before, exchanged awkward glances.
“My strength just drained away.”
“Should we try urinating on the ground at this point?”
“…Everyone, stay alert. We don’t have the immunity to mental attacks that he does.”
This was where the true danger began.
Beladora gripped an ugly scythe firmly and hardened her gaze.
“Come now, let’s push forward….”
“Hehehehe! I could live here forever-!”
……
Perhaps because of Brinya’s wholly serene demeanor.
The Eyebeam Bear Love Guild found themselves able to face the Snow Mountain’s confusion with a measure of ease.
Whoooosh….
The blizzard wailed and drove down in forlorn gusts.
***
“We’re nearly there.”
The Snow Mountain, stripped of its heavy snow and left with only bitter cold.
Our expedition climbed steadily upward, pausing at intervals to rest.
The summit was within reach.
“Finally, this tedious climb is coming to an end.”
Munch, munch.
Merlin chewed contentedly on dried meat as he spoke.
“I want to finish the survey and rest already.”
“Good heavens, Merlin. Apologize.”
“For what?”
“For whatever it is, apologize.”
“Sure. My apologies.”
Merlin spoke in the most arrogant tone imaginable, then brushed his head to the side in a dismissive bow.
For someone like me who values propriety above all else, such rudeness was difficult to bear.
“Sister, as an elder, would you please scold Merlin quite severely?”
……
A vigorous shake of the head.
“Your refusal was too firm—I’m hurt. Hmph.”
Puffing out his cheeks, he spun around, and for some reason, Astrímia let out a small, quiet laugh.
– Something feels strange….
“What do you mean?”
– I’m becoming so accustomed to Kar’s eccentric antics that they’re starting to feel ordinary. I shouldn’t be getting used to this!
Bartimir, who had hoisted a boulder onto his back and declared he would train during their rest, turned his head.
“What do you mean it shouldn’t?”
– Just imagine—what if an enemy employs some bizarre stratagem, but since Kar always does such strange things anyway, we fail to recognize the hostile intent? What would happen then!
“Then that’s unfortunate. ‘Death by falling for the enemy’s tricks’ is a common way for explorers to die, anyway. Isn’t that right, Senior?”
Luxerion, who had drawn a boulder from the subspace of the Rosary for Bartimir, nodded in agreement.
“That is indeed true. However, I suspect such an occurrence will not come to pass.”
– Why is that?
“Because there could not possibly be another person quite like Kar, could there?”
– …I cannot deny that.
It must mean I have a unique charm about me.
To repay their faith, I gave our priest a bright, conspiratorial wink.
“Ah, I’m jealous! Do it for me too!”
“A price is required.”
“How much will it cost?!”
“Simply ‘grow up healthy’ will suffice.”
“Ugh, that’s not easy for me. How infuriating!”
—…….
Astrímia fell silent for a moment before exhaling a long breath.
—Somehow it’ll work out, I suppose….
“That’s right. It will work out. If we all put our strength together.”
Pendrick drew Astrímia close, cradling her with care.
“We’re almost there!”
The mountain’s peak now lay directly before us.
Merlin’s ears perked up, and he bolted forward.
“I’m going to be first!”
He meant to hog the honor of crossing the finish line of all the trials we’d endured to reach this point—a cowardly scheme I couldn’t overlook.
Such shamelessness was beneath what I would tolerate.
“Sister, won’t you catch him for me?”
…….
Rosalia shook her head firmly once more.
This was too much.
“I’m here!”
Merlin bounded about above us, letting out a triumphant cry.
“Our daughter—would you carry her up, please?”
“Sure.”
Bartimir, who had returned the stone to the priest, hoisted me onto his back and set off at a trot.
And so at last, we had conquered the Snow Mountain.
The breathtaking vista of the range, blanketed in eternal snow, opened before us in all its glory.
“It’s truly spectacular!”
Merlin’s tail, swishing back and forth as he took in the scenery, wagged with joy.
“If I hadn’t become an explorer, I’d have lived my whole life never seeing a landscape like this!”
“Now you understand the true thrill of exploration.”
The flood of sensations unavailable in ordinary life, the dopamine surging without restraint.
That was the real reason explorers couldn’t stop their expeditions even after gaining sufficient wealth and renown.
“Should we aim for the next Dungeon—somewhere more challenging, but more rewarding? What do you think, Bartimir?”
“Oh! I like that!”
“…I’m not enthused about it.”
Merlin wrinkled his nose even as he continued admiring the view.
“But what do we do now?”
I rested my chin on Bartimir’s crown and pointed behind us.
“Walk that way, and you’ll understand naturally.”
I led the expedition toward the center of the summit.
“…Huh?”
Merlin’s eyes went wide, his shoulders trembling.
The other members gasped in astonishment.
In the middle of the snow-covered peak.
Space suddenly expanded, and a crystal-clear structure of ancient ruins emerged into view.
《Ancient Ruins – ????》
《The precise information cannot be read, but it is presumed to be the snow mountain city where the Extreme Frost Imperial Tribe dwelt. It was crafted through pure technique, not Secret Art. The level of skill is astounding!》
A city built entirely of ice, resembling a scene from a fairy tale.
An ancient metropolis visible only from the summit.
“That ruin is the site necessary to fulfill the conquest conditions.”
[Southern Continent Expedition] conquest conditions.
Expedition leader Brinya studies the Ancient Ruins and obtains results of historical significance.
I descended from the sturdy demon-type being’s back and walked toward the entrance of the ruins.
“The atmosphere feels ominous.”
When Pendrick tried to follow, I raised my hand to stop him.
“I’ll go alone. The ruins are laced with all manner of Secret Art mechanisms designed to eliminate intruders.”
From here on is the Kar Throwing Section.
“Bartimir?”
The demon-type daughter who met my gaze nodded and grasped the chains connected to her collar, pointing into the entrance.
“Go on, Kar! Neutralize the intrusion barrier!”
“Kar-kar!”
Equipping the Demon Suppressor with the Space-Transcending Treasure, I burst forward.
The moment I entered the Ancient Ruins steeped in frigid air, every mechanism activated and unleashed its assault upon me.
Whoooosh—!
A biting cold that froze my entire body in an instant.
Crack-crack-crack!
Ice spikes erupting from the ground, piercing my flesh indiscriminately.
— Want to build a snowman with me?
A snow spirit’s voice, turning me into a living snowman.
A veritable comprehensive gift set of ice-attribute torments.
I’d never felt what it was like to be a frozen food locked in a freezer—an experience rare enough to be almost worth savoring.
Crunch-crack-snap.
Life Reversal Action continuously restored a body that was being frozen solid and shattered.
From time to time I deployed the Wicked Frozen Wind to purge accumulated corruption, advancing without hesitation.
Crack-snap-crack.
A frozen beam cascading from the ceiling left everything below my waist locked in ice before shattering—and in the moment of regeneration—
《Truly, truly not congratulating! — [Life Reversal Action] has reached Tier 5!》
I’d reached Tier 5, that crucial breakthrough where growth-type Secret Arts improve dramatically.
Life Reversal Action, already a decent Secret Art if one could address its side effects, had its efficacy elevated dramatically.
Laughter burst from me unbidden.
“Aha-ha-ha-ha!”
Ruin exploration at its finest.

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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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