Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 152

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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 152 — Southern Continent Expedition: Land of Frozen Chains (2)
“Aha!”
I was running down a street formed of transparent ice.
The mysterious patterns carved into the outer walls of the rounded buildings created an optical illusion as if they were moving rapidly.
Crack-crack-crack!
The intricate patterns on the building’s exterior suddenly began spewing icicles in unison.
《It wasn’t an optical illusion—they’ve actually been moving the whole time!》
“Ah, I see.”
The movement was far too violent for a mere trick of the eye.
Splat-splat-splat.
Frozen icicles pierced through my face, chest, and abdomen.
I melted them with the Flame Wave Spell while continuing my exploration.
After running for a while, I reached a plaza.
“Oh.”
There stood a magnificent ice sculpture.
So vivid it seemed a real magical beast frozen in place.
Crack-crack-crack.
The sculpture suddenly shattered, and the thick-furred magical beast trapped inside broke free and lunged at me.
《Glacier Mammoth (Level 5)》
《A violent magical beast with considerable cold resistance. An actual wild magical beast, frozen in place.》
“Oh, so this was a real magical beast?”
Finding them directly in reality revealed facts I’d never known in the game.
Field experience learning truly is this rewarding.
— Mooooo!
The Glacier Mammoth wrapped its trunk around my body.
I felt considerable force.
“Quite bold contact right from the start.”
— Mooo!
“Not bad. But if I’m going to do this, I prefer to push much harder and more rougher.”
Halfway measures were worse than useless—I needed overwhelming force to truly enjoy myself.
Time to teach it a lesson.
Squelch.
Foul-smelling slime oozed from my skin.
A power I’d gained after absorbing the Kraken’s Soul Stone.
Anything—living or dead—that touched it would rot.
— Mooooo…!
The Glacier Mammoth’s trunk began rotting wherever it touched the slime.
Without missing the opportunity, I shoved my left hand into its mouth.
Whoooosh!
The Glacier Mammoth burned in roaring flames.
Following up with alternating volleys of black lightning and fire, it toppled sideways.
— Want to kill a snowman with me?!
As I caught my breath, a large-eyed spirit appeared and began rolling me around mercilessly.
There was no rest.
This is precisely why I had to be deployed.
Had any other member come instead, it would have been quite dangerous.
Whoosh!
— Fire! Hate it!
After driving off the spirit of snow with flames, ice-type traps continued to pour endlessly from the surroundings.
This time, an enormous frozen palm manifested in midair.
Boom-!
The palm came down and struck the ground with tremendous force.
“What exactly are you looking at?”
I emerged from the alley where I’d been watching.
“That was merely my illusion, was it not?”
“How adorable—the Whisper of Falsehood Eye!”
Falsehood appeared, passing straight through the center of the frozen palm, poking both index fingers against my cheeks.
Whoooosh!
I melted the giant hand away with fire.
Its technique was considerable, but with no fire resistance whatsoever, the Flame Wave Spell proved devastatingly effective.
《Regret – [Flame Wave Spell] has reached Tier 5!》
Following [Life Reversal], the [Flame Wave Spell] had also ascended to Tier 5.
Whoosh!
A vivid crimson blaze, infused with the power of the Silent One, erupted with ferocity that dwarfed anything before it.
The ruins held their rewards.
Fresh and bracing trials lay ahead.
“Ahahaha!”
I couldn’t help myself and burst into laughter, charging forward once more.
How long had I pressed on, freezing and advancing?
《All ice-locked traps within the ruins have been cleared!》
With this, Brin’ya’s safety was secured.
I stowed the Demon Suppressor and began wandering the ruins at ease.
There was somewhere I needed to go.
《The building ahead contains the hidden space you mentioned!》
Near the city’s outer edge.
I entered a round, endearing structure.
Inside, an unusually cool air hung thick.
A small-bodied, delicate creature lay within what resembled a cradle coffin.
《:O》
Features reminiscent of a penguin.
In the category of “cuteness,” a race whose charm exceeded even that of Half-Elves.
The Extreme Ice Tribe.
《Remains of an Extreme Ice Tribe member. Regrettably, the passage of time renders them unsuitable for offering as tribute.…》
I had encountered a race rarely seen in life—though only in death.
I bowed deeply, reciting words of prayer for their repose.
“I grieve your passing with sincere heart.”
I drew snow that I had gathered from Snow Mountain from my subspace and carefully draped it over the penguin-like form.
Sigh.
Both Arteins clapped softly, remarking that my conduct was admirable.
“I am indeed such a commendable child.”
《The Wise One regards your actions with interest. Surely this deed was not born from the reasons that the hypocrite goddess favors!》
After finishing my task, I emerged again and explored the city.
This time, I intended to gather in advance items I would later receive as “rewards.”
“Master! Over there!”
Through the entrance of an underground passage whose location shifted with each visit, as Falsehood had discovered it, I descended and navigated a maze that made my mind spin.
Even knowing the answer, I deciphered puzzles that nonetheless confounded me, until I reached the maze’s end.
There, a massive door carved with elaborate patterns stood firmly shut.
Crack.
I placed my hand on the lock and melted it with Kraken’s power.
“There.”
Just as I was using the Full Moon Slayer to slice away my rotted right foot—a side effect of the power—the door slid open.
The space within was composed of ice so clear it bordered on transparent.
A treasury of the Extreme Ice Tribe, scattered with precious treasures: shrimp, squid, sardines, and more.
Deep within, a Cube-shaped Artifact was sealed with intricate mechanisms.
《Artifact – ???》
《Its latent abilities remain unknown, yet an extraordinary aura emanates from it. It is presumed to have been crafted by the Extreme Ice Tribe themselves.》
“It looks rather impressive…!”
Falsehood, wearing my shape, fidgeted and bounced in place.
I waited for my severed leg to regenerate, then stepped deeper inward.
Crunch.
I manually dismantled the seal mechanism—which froze anything that touched it even slightly—and seized the stored item.
The brute-force unlocking method came with a minor side effect: my body froze for one hour afterward, but such a cost was easily worth bearing.
It was in the midst of claiming the artifact.
— Squeak?
A small squirrel poked its head through the ice floor from below.
An indispensable, precious being I had to take with me.
《Spirit Beast – Snow Squirrel Aiquiril》
《A Magical Beast squirrel that has attained spiritual sentience. Apart from the ability to pass through ice, it appears to possess no special powers.》
“Greetings to you.”
I offered a respectful greeting, but the snow squirrel merely swished its tail and scampered about, paying me no heed.
“Master, you’re not interested at all, are you?”
“There’s always a way around these things.”
Slice.
I cut a small piece of ice from the room with the Full Moon Slayer and swallowed it.
《Due to the effect of [Sin: Gluttony], your body has taken on the same properties as the ‘Ice of Eternal Struggle’ you just consumed!》
The name sounds grandiose, but really it just means I’m exceedingly transparent and slow to melt.
Now an Ice Half-Elf, I pressed myself flat against the floor.
– Chirrup?
Aiquiril glanced at me at last.
But she still seemed unimpressed, wandering around the chamber as before.
Yet persistence has its rewards—soon the aloof squirrel began to study me intently.
“Our eyes have finally met, haven’t they?”
《Due to the effect of [Sin: Lust], you have become enchanted with Aiquiril, and her attention has turned entirely toward you!》
“Aiquiril….”
How could such a beautiful creature exist?
The serene detachment with which she padded about, even as all the Extreme Ice Tribe departed.
Fur as cold as ice itself.
Eyes round as spheres, as if they held the shape of the world entire….
“On second thought, I really ought to return ‘Lust’ to the Demon King.”
《I agree with my partner’s assessment….》
Truth and Falsehood bickered between themselves in disapproval, but I chose to ignore them outright.
Non-beings like them could hardly understand what true love was.
I extended my right hand toward Aiquiril.
“Please, come with me. I swear you’ll live out your days in peace and comfort, without hardship.”
– Chirp?
To my dismay, the eye-squirrel who had been watching me from a distance finally began creeping slowly in my direction.
Not approaching directly, but hesitating with each step.
“So you know how to make one’s heart ache.”
Love is such that the one with the fiercer passion always yields.
Isn’t it all the more charming, the way she won’t open her heart at once?
I didn’t despair—I simply held my hand out, still and patient.
– Churr?
Patience and perseverance are always rewarded in the end.
At last, unable to resist the powerful draw of my attention, Aiquiril crawled up my arm and onto my shoulder.
Crackle-snap!
I immediately burned her with black lightning using Dark Brain Blooming.
– Chirrrr….
Aiquiril lost consciousness.
Cradling the limp squirrel against my chest, I stroked her gently.
“Hehehehe, now you can’t go anywhere.”
“…….”
Falsehood shook her head slightly from beside me.
《Could we please stop using [Sin: Lust] now…!》
Dismissing the message, I emerged from the ruins in satisfied spirits.
Near the entrance, Merlin—who had been building a snowman with Pendrick—waved at me.
“Kar! All done?”
“That’s right.”
I returned my body to normal and carefully set the unconscious Aiquiril down.
Merlin bent at the waist to examine my Aiquiril closely.
“What is it? It’s adorable.”
“A magical beast that normally inhabits only Snow Mountain, but has become a Spirit Beast. She’s the source of all those mental attacks.”
“…Really?”
More precisely, it wasn’t an ability she possessed—it was the work of the Extreme Ice Tribe’s Intruder Expulsion Device left behind in the ruins.
“When even a single resident remains within the city, the mechanisms are designed to activate and expel all outsiders.”
“Ah, so this squirrel was recognized as a ‘resident’?”
“Exactly. In protecting her, Snow Mountain ended up unleashing all those mental assaults on us.”
Ice and Snow Manifestations that mimic beings from memory.
Blizzards that drag past moments into reality and induce confusion.
All of it could be called the guardians of the city, built by the Extreme Ice Tribe’s techniques.
“Our Aiquiril here bears no fault in any of this, so please—don’t curse at her or tear her to shreds with your claws.”
“…I never had any such intention.”
Bartimir, who had been crouched down examining the flying squirrel, rolled onto his back.
“But why’d you bring this one along?”
“It’s necessary for excavating the Hidden Piece.”
I hoisted the unconscious Aiquiril onto Merlin’s shoulder.
“Merlin. Befriend it within a few days.”
“Why?”
“It’s cute.”
“So you’re still not going to tell me. Fine.”
……
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“This isn’t right….”
Merlin was giving such a measured response to my teasing.
It couldn’t be anything but a crisis.
At this rate, I’m going to worry myself to death.
“Captain, is that squirrel all you brought back from the city?”
“There’s one more thing.”
I unveiled the Cube-shaped Artifact I’d recovered from the warehouse to everyone.
It was a mysterious object, crafted with meticulous precision and emanating a chill that seeped into the air.
– This certainly wasn’t made by natural means.
Astrímia spoke in her characteristically clear voice.
– What is it, exactly?
“This is, in a manner of speaking, your ‘enemy’.”
– …my enemy?
“I think the explanation ends there. After all, you possess Wisdom as magnificent as your beauty.”
– Well, that’s true enough!
After placing the Cube-shaped Artifact into a subspace, I lay down quietly in the snow.
“Now we simply wait. Until the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild brings the Expedition Leader.”
It could take several days at most.
“Rest as much as you can. For the final battle ahead.”
“The final battle?”
I waved my limbs through the snow, making a snow angel as I gazed upward.
The sky was still filled with clouds—not a trace of blue to be found.
“Snow Mountain failed to break us spiritually. The same will be true for the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild and the Expedition Leader. So what happens next?”
The blizzard hadn’t given up yet.

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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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