Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 153

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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 153: Southern Continent Expedition — Land of Frozen Bonds (3)
The Eyebeam Bear Love Guild reached the summit on the fourth day after they’d begun waiting.
“…Finally!”
Tilda raised both arms, phantom blades gleaming in her fists.
“The expedition is over!”
“Not yet.”
“Bartimir!”
“Why did you take so long?”
While Bartimir shared the joy of reunion with a friend of similar mental age, Beldora and the rest of the guild members trudged forward.
Beldora, who had walked all the way to me, collapsed into the snow with a heavy sigh.
“Kar. Thank you. Because of the Strategy Guide you gave us, we were able to reach here without falling to mental attacks….”
“It seems the journey was still quite demanding?”
Dark circles shadowed the eyes, and every gesture lacked vigor.
It was the unmistakable look of someone whose mind had crumbled and was only now barely piecing itself back together.
“…Don’t even mention it. We just came back from the Extreme Flame Dimension.”
“The Extreme Flame Dimension?”
Pendrick, who had been distributing life-recovery potions to the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild’s explorers, showed interest.
“What place is that?”
“It is an adjacent dimension.”
Taking over the explanation for the spiritless Beldora, I continued.
“Depending on the era, the world is usually called the ‘Middle Realm’ or the ‘Polytheistic Realm,’ is it not?”
“These days, it’s usually the Middle Realm.”
“Our world has the characteristic of being adjacent to countless dimensions, including the Demon Realm. Among them, the Extreme Flame Dimension is a world where hot, humid summers stretch endlessly throughout the year. The dominant inhabitants are mosquito-people.”
“A world one would hardly wish to visit….”
Beldora, stretched out on her back, shuddered.
“When I was young, my mother threw me into the Extreme Flame Dimension to temper myself, and that memory became an illusion I fell into and…!”
“You’ve endured much….”
“You’ve worked hard. Eat this and warm yourself up a little.”
I offered the dried meat I’d prepared in advance.
“…Thank you.”
Beldora accepted the dried meat listlessly and sank back down.
The other guild members were already sprawled on the ground.
I’d learned a Secret Art for times like this, when fellow explorers were exhausted.
Whoooosh.
A faint drizzle fell over the heads of the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild.
Beldora, who had barely been able to move her body, opened her eyes wide.
“…What is this? My body suddenly feels a tiny bit of energy returning.”
“I was waiting for that question.”
I proudly extended my left hand, revealing the coiled serpent tattoo.
“Precisely! It is the Life Divine Art, granted by the Evil Deity of Gloomy Twilight and Cyclical Death, the ‘Solitary Witness of Silence’!”
“…Wow. That’s impressive.”
“Be not surprised. This Secret Art restores life force when it strikes your body! It works by directly absorbing into your body, so the recovery speed is faster than ordinary healing Secret Arts!”
“I see.”
Clap, clap, clap.
Beldora offered dry applause.
“Why won’t you be amazed? Kar is hurt.”
“…You just told me not to be surprised.”
“When I say I dislike something, it actually means you should do it even more enthusiastically.”
“I understand now….”
“Kar, don’t pester someone who’s been through so much.”
Merlin jabbed my side with two fingers.
“But Beldora, where is the expedition leader?”
“She’s busy admiring and analyzing every sight, remarking with wonder at each one….”
Beldora shook her head tiredly.
Beside her, the wood elf Rael and the human beast warrior Barik also knitted their brows.
“We’ve finally reached the summit—!”
Not long after, a dwarf’s booming voice rang out across the peak.
Brinya, the expedition leader, was trudging upward with short, quick steps toward the very top of the mountain.
Along with her bodyguard, the Half-Elf Aira.
“You’ve arrived safely.”
“Ah! Kar, expedition member!”
Brinya looked up at me, striking her chest.
“So you’re an Apostate of Twisted Truth, I hear? And through your Knowledge Secret Art, you discovered that there’s a ruin of tremendous historical value at the peak of this mountain! Where is it?”
“Just a few more steps that way.”
The dwarf, burning with curiosity, bounded forward eagerly.
“…How is this possible—!”
The moment the ruins of the Extreme Ice Tribe Royalty came into view, she leaped straight up to a height roughly three times her own stature.
I bent my waist slightly and murmured softly.
“You’d like to research this, wouldn’t you?”
“Of course I would! Desperately!”
“I’ve located places with ancient tools and texts worthy of your study.”
“Oh…!”
Brinya’s eyes grew wide and bright as a full moon.
“Show me at once—!”
“Very well. Luxerion?”
“Yes.”
Luxerion, who had been waiting, stepped forward with his hands clasped together.
“The priest will guide you kindly.”
“Thank you so much! Such consideration! You must have wanted to examine these ruins closely yourself, Kar!”
“Surely the expedition leader should be the first to inspect something as magnificent as this?”
“Your heart is as beautiful as your face—!”
Brinya placed both hands on my shoulders as I stood in a humble posture.
“I’m truly grateful!”
“It’s nothing. Ah, could you leave Aira here? I’ve already removed all the hazards.”
“How kind you are! Of course, yes! I’ll be off at once!”
The dwarf struck her chest and lifted Luxerion bodily with both hands before bounding off down the slope.
Since I’d pointed out only the key locations for satisfying the conquest conditions, twelve hours should be more than sufficient.
Aira, the half-elf, who had been watching blankly, turned her gaze toward me.
“…What are you scheming now?”
Before answering, I observed the climbing routes of both our Exploration Expedition and the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild.
Whoooosh.
The halted blizzard was beginning to stir again.
An ominous wind and snow that made the air shimmer like a mirage.
I patted the head of Merlin, who stood facing the same direction as I, her expression stern.
“Tell me if you hear anything unusual.”
“Yes…!”
“…A golden raven?”
Beldora, who had been listening silently to our exchange, raised her hand.
“Once the expedition leader finishes surveying the ruins, isn’t it all over? Why do you speak as though something else remains?”
“Because something does remain.”
I continued patting Merlin’s head as I spoke quietly.
“Soon we’ll all need to combine our strength for what’s coming.”
***
Whiiiiiiiii—!
The blizzard lashed out violently.
The cold that had retreated momentarily rushed back as if it had been waiting, dancing and swaying.
“…It’s freezing!”
“I’m not cold at all!”
“Actually, neither am I!”
Bartimir and Tilda, standing side by side, giggled together.
The rest of the group crossed their arms or stretched their legs, trying to dispel an oblivious tension.
The time had come.
“…I hear it.”
Merlin, who stood close beside me, whispered softly.
I massaged her shoulder and spoke to everyone.
“It comes now. The final enemy.”
Whoooooosh!
The wind swept with force enough to hurl a body away.
Beldora, whose frame was slight, actually staggered but managed to catch her balance.
Pitter-patter.
The sound of footsteps crunching through snow reached my ears.
Crunch-crunch-crunch-crunch-crunch-crunch.
Countless feet were treading forward all at once.
The blizzard blocked my view, yet I could sense the enemies pressing in from beyond the veil of white.
《We’ve reached a critical distance!》
I nodded and stretched my left hand forward.
At the same moment, Barik, the Magical Beast Warrior of the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild, transformed his upper body into a furry beast form and opened his mouth wide.
Whoooosh!
The Flame Wave Spell surged forth with brilliant force, azure flames billowing in its wake.
The enemies not yet visible were engulfed in the inferno.
Yet they showed no signs of pain, not even a whimper escaping their lips as they advanced.
– The blizzard does not yield.
Then a voice devoid of all emotion began to echo from every direction.
– The blizzard does not wish to be approached.
– But you ignored that.
– More than that—you enjoyed it.
– Humiliation. Rage. Thirst for vengeance.
– The blizzard strikes back.
That very same voice I’d heard while trapped in the Confusion.
“So you cast me out, and yet you find yourself missing me after all?”
I couldn’t hide the gladness that flooded through me.
Whoosh!
I continued pouring flames from my left hand.
Barik, the Magical Beast Warrior, unleashed blue fire alongside me in rapid succession.
– Half-Elf. The blizzard endures no longer.
Through the scorching onslaught of flames, countless Ice Snow Manifestations began to emerge, stepping forward one by one.
“…What?”
Merlin’s tail, pressed against my side, went rigid.
“Ah….”
“Hah….”
“Quite the spectacle.”
My other companions and the explorers each expressed their shock in their own way.
I shook my shoulders vigorously to join in.
“Goodness! What extraordinary beauty! Whose features do you suppose they inherited?”
The Ice Snow Manifestations had taken the form of “Kar, the Half-Elf Socialite.”
A rough count easily topped several hundred—all Snow Kars.
《Ice Snow Manifestation in your likeness (Level 4)》
《There are thousands of you made of snow and ice! Surely the strangest army in all the world! The Wise One says it’s a sight that opens one’s eyes wide with delight!》
Crackle-crackle!
Though Lidni and I had different reasons, the Exalted One also rejoiced greatly.
A reverse harem composed entirely of Kar was certainly something to celebrate.
– From now on… experience the helplessness and bewilderment that the blizzard felt.
A touch of anger mingled with the emotionless voice, then faded away.
“Ahahahaha!”
The burning Snow Kar at the very front laughed just like Swe’je.
“Ahahaha!”
“Ahahahaha, hahahaha!”
All the other Kars joined in the uproarious laughter.
An impromptu festival of wild, unrestrained mirth.
“What is that?”
As the object of their mimicry, I couldn’t help but feel baffled.
“That doesn’t look like me at all.”
“That’s completely identical to Kar…!”
Merlin’s eyes widened.
“Is that all there is to it?”
The Snow Kar at the very front tilted its head slightly.
“Honestly, I expected more. I thought you’d melt me away with scorching heat like the sun itself.”
“It really is exactly like Kar…!”
“But rest assured—I have no intention of harming any of you. Except you, Merlin. I’m going to turn you into a snowman and roll you around.”
“It’s identical…!!”
I gently closed Merlin’s gaping mouth and stepped forward.
The Ice Snow manifestation of Kar at the vanguard met my gaze.
A leader specimen with an unusually high degree of manifestation.
“Dungeon Enhancement, I see.”
The Dungeon Enhancement of the Southern Continent Expedition.
The appearance of an Ice Snow Manifestation with completely identical specifications to the original.
“In any case, it’s good to see you.”
When I offered the greeting, the leader Ice Snow Kar feigned surprise.
“My word! How do you do? Ever since losing your sibling, you haven’t been able to bear it with just games, so you’ve become this pitiful stimulus addict who’s been recklessly exhausting your body, haven’t you?”
A devastating barrage of facts.
My chest tingled for a moment.
Which meant I was delighted by it.
Noticing my feelings, Ice Snow Kar ventured a question.
“Shall I continue?”
“Unfortunately, now is the time we must clash with each other.”
“I suppose there’s no helping it.”
“What if we each used Sin: Lust on one another and then determined our superiority?”
“Oh.”
Without either of us being first, we locked eyes simultaneously.
《Sigh, the Lust skill has activated….》
“Ice Snow Kar.”
“Original Kar.”
We stared at each other intently, then raised our right hands.
Crack-crack-crack!
Black lightning surged forth in unison.
“I shall preserve you in Subspace, leaving only your head. And I shall affix a Freezing Artifact to you so that you will remain with me until death.”
“I shall place you in the deepest chasm of Snow Mountain and bury you in snow. Though with your high Stamina stat, you won’t die easily. Let us spend eternity together in the snow.”
A battle of love that ends in a happy ending regardless of who wins.
It began with fervent intensity.

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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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