Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 154

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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 154: Southern Continent Expedition — The Frozen Lands (4)
Whoooosh——!!
The blizzard swept fierce and violent.
It bore down with the force to scatter every visible soul.
“Ahahaha!”
Heavy snow, the bitter wind, and an unsettling laugh pressed in from all sides without end.
Pendrick cleaved through one Ice Snow Recreation modeled after Kar and let out a rueful chuckle.
“…When the captain becomes the enemy, it really does feel strange!”
– Watch out!
At Astrímia’s warning, Pendrick sprang back with practiced speed.
A thin tendril of dark lightning split the air in his wake.
“Truly the movements befitting an Exceptional Swordmaster of the Eastern Continent, Pendrick.”
The Ice Snow Kar, whose waist had been severed moments before, smiled coldly with lips that barely moved.
Its body had already healed completely.
– That miraculous recovery really…!
Astrímia ground her teeth in frustration.
– Ice Snow Kar? Would you tell us where your weaknesses lie? Then I can let you savor all the hardship you crave!
“Attempting to exploit my nature, are you? How like the brilliance of mind to match your radiant beauty, Astrímia.”
– Stop spouting such obvious things like it’s some revelation!
“…Asmi.”
Pendrick shook his lover briskly.
“You just got your weakness exposed.”
– …Oh no!
“Hmm, pity. We were almost there.”
Ice Snow Kar extended its right hand, expression showing little disappointment.
Crack.
A single bolt of dark lightning surged forward.
Pendrick easily deflected it with Astrímia, wreathed in starlight’s aura.
Though its recovery was impressive compared to most, it fell short of the real Kar’s; fortunately, its other aspects were far less remarkable.
– Its Spirit Rank is around Level 4, but its physical abilities are much lower than that!
“Correct. Indeed, a mind as radiant as your overwhelming beauty——”
– That won’t work anymore!
Hum.
Astrímia’s Second Star, Merak, blazed with light.
Shhhhh——!!
The summit of Snow Mountain was engulfed in blue luminescence.
The Ice Snow Kar copies, already sluggish in their movements, grew slower still as the light washed over them.
And their weaknesses were dyed blue as well.
The heart.
More precisely, the Demon Stone serving the function of a heart.
“Everyone! Strike at the points glowing blue!”
Pendrick bellowed with all his might and assumed the opening stance of the Violent Gale Sword Art.
Ice Snow Kar shook its head slightly.
“True enough—the heart is my weakness. Strike it, and the tingling sensation that floods my entire body renders me unable to think rationally.”
– …You can’t think rationally normally anyway! Pendrick, let’s go!”
“Right!”
Against the savage blizzard, Pendrick’s wind rushed forth to meet it.
Meanwhile, Bartimir and Tilda were at the vanguard, mercilessly toppling Ice Snow Recreations.
“Die! You fake mother!”
“You phony raven! Take what the real one should!”
Crack!
Thud!
Fists and blade-whip shattered the hearts of two Ice Snow Kars.
“…Ahh, ahh.”
“Ahh….”
Even as they suffered the fatal wound, they savored it.
Soon the two beasts’ forms crumbled to dust.
Then, immediately after, four more Ice Snow Kars rose from the snowfield.
“Striking your mother with such ferocity.”
“Such ingratitude. Though honestly, I don’t dislike it.”
“Tilda, is this how you’re avenging your grievance over the Guild War impostor?”
“Oh dear, this is far too much.”
Two entities blushing for some reason, and two more feigning tears.
Bartimir and Tilda exchanged glances, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.
“…Don’t tell me they keep spawning?”
“Is this a nightmare…?”
Slash.
Merlin was also fighting earnestly, gripping the dagger First Breath.
She was accompanied by Rosalia, who had asked Kar for a favor and continued to follow in order to protect her.
“Merlin, how could you betray me, your patron….”
The Ice Snow Recreation Kar, stabbed through the heart, sent a pitiful look as if utterly wounded.
“…That’s already been used on seven people up ahead.”
“Ah, is that so? Then I suppose I should just die.”
The Ice Snow Recreation Kar melted away and vanished.
Moments later, two Kars appeared.
“I’ve returned as one of the Undead to take revenge on you, Merlin.”
“Sister, please punish this naughty child who attacks my patron!”
“…Ugh, this is driving me mad!”
Merlin yelped in terror and hid behind Rosalia.
……
Rosalia eliminated both Ice Snow Recreation Kars simultaneously with a spinning heel kick, then leaped backward while cradling the innocent Sif sibling.
Four Magical Beasts were being spawned in the space where they had just stood.
“…Sister, is this really going to be all right?”
Merlin sensed it instinctively.
The Ice Snow Recreation Kar was unremarkable except for its recovery ability, but at this rate, they would inevitably lose.
“…Veldora, this isn’t ending.”
Rael, the wood elf ranger of the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild, stood farthest back, firing arrows in rapid succession, her face twisted in frustration.
“Thanks to the Moon Expedition Party’s swordsman, we’ve identified the weakness that nullifies its recovery, but it’s useless. More Magical Beasts are spawning instead.”
……
Veldora bit her lip.
No matter how many she killed, Magical Beasts summoned ceaselessly.
It resembled the combat style of the golden crow—no matter how much damage it sustained, everything healed completely.
Then the strategy to overcome it should be much the same.
– From now on, I’m changing our strategy.
Veldora spoke to all the explorers through the voice transmission device hanging from her lip.
– Everyone, focus solely on preventing the Ice Snow Recreation from reaching where the expedition leader is.
The wisest approach to facing the original Kar was to abandon any notion of defeating it from the start.
Touching it carelessly would only cause it to strike back painfully like a skunk or porcupine—it was a socialite with that nature, so avoiding combat altogether was the best course.
– And golden crow. You’re listening, aren’t you?
Veldora rose onto her toes, her gaze fixed on the far end of the battlefield hidden by the blizzard.
Lightning crackled and flashed. Flames roared upward.
Kar was locked in fierce combat with the leader entity—an Ice Snow Recreation with abilities identical to the original, created by Dungeon Enhancement.
– While we hold them back, eliminate the leader entity quickly.
Ordinary Magical Beast swarms scatter and disperse once they lose their focal point, the leader entity.
The Ice Snow Recreation was artificially created, so it likely wouldn’t possess the exact same instinct, but at least we could buy time until the expedition leader completes his research.
– Don’t enjoy this—focus on bringing it down! Please!
Unfortunately, Veldora’s cry did not reach them.
It reached them physically, but mentally, it went in one ear and out the other.
“Come quickly into my embrace and fall silent, Ice Snow Recreation Kar.”
“Surrender at once and bury yourself in the Snow Mountain, true Kar.”
They were too absorbed in their lovers’ quarrel to pay attention.
***
The Ice Snow Recreation Kar was a cruel beast.
Why wouldn’t it understand my heart?
I only wish to whisper a romantic poem of longing, keeping only the head and cherishing it until the world ends.
“I despise you.”
Whoosh!
A web of black lightning was wielded like a whip.
The Ice Snow Recreation Kar, whose Agility matched mine, inevitably could not dodge and lost its right arm.
It recovered at once.
“I despise you for turning away from my true feelings.”
Whip!
Then a web wrapped in the same black lightning came flying at me.
Of course, I couldn’t evade it.
Tear!
My left shoulder was severed.
I quickly picked it up and reattached it, and it healed almost instantly.
“It seems this won’t end like this.”
“Indeed, I quite agree.”
“Shall we call it a draw and seal it with a kiss of reconciliation?”
《The Wise One finds this a refreshing sight, yet finds it far too strange, and is reluctant…》
Crackle, crackle-crackle!
Ridni and Sue’je moved in the same direction, but showed different reactions in height.
“But this place is a bit awkward for that.”
The negotiation broke down.
Whoosh!
The Ice Snow Kar spewed fire from his left hand.
In an instant, a barrier of flames obscured my vision.
Whip!
A web wrapped in black lightning came flying from the left.
Just as I was trying to neutralize the Dark Brain Blooming at the impact point to deflect the attack, it passed right through my body.
An illusion created with the Whisper of Falsehood Eye.
“What are you looking at?”
A web flew from the right and wrapped around my neck.
“But that’s just an illusion of mine, isn’t it?”
Crackle-crackle!
Black lightning flooded in and burned my entire body.
The web wrapped around my neck tightened, strangling me.
Electrocution and asphyxiation.
Two different forms of pain demonstrated their unexpected camaraderie, pressing down upon me.
“How does that feel?”
The Ice Snow Kar walked through the barrier of flames, waving the right hand from which the web extended back and forth.
“…Perhaps because we’re both ‘Kar,’ you understand my preferences far too well.”
I found myself cornered by a magical beast that mimicked me.
It was a delicacy I could never normally experience—something I could only taste here in the Dungeon.
“Why don’t you crawl on all fours now? I could even grant you the humiliation of degradation, becoming a dog on a walk.”
“That’s quite a tempting proposal.”
Crackle-crackle!
Even as I spoke casually, the black lightning poured in ceaselessly.
“If you surrender now, I’ll cherish you as my pet half-elf.”
“Unfortunately, I must decline.”
If this were a Dungeon of A-rank or higher, perhaps. But I couldn’t end my life as an explorer in a place like this.
I seized the Ice Snow Kar’s web with my right hand.
“Instead, I’ll make you my tame magical beast.”
I began to control the incoming black lightning with Dark Brain Blooming.
Children of Sue’je, return to the place where you were born.
“A pet half-elf who resists… That’s not so bad either!”
He was using Dark Brain Blooming as well.
The black lightning that had been rushing in roughly now wavered and hesitated.
A fierce tug-of-war with lightning.
Since the Tier of Dark Brain Blooming was identical, and my neck was already being strangled, I was at a disadvantage.
In a normal situation, that would have been the case.
Crackle-crackle!
Just as the black lightning wavered chaotically along the web.
《Congratulations! – Dark Brain Blooming has reached Tier 5!》
The Exalted One’s power had finally advanced one stage.
Tier 5—where output and control leaped forward dramatically.
“Was this your target all along!”
The black lightning that had been wandering aimlessly now obeyed my will entirely, turning to assault its creator.
First limit—of the Leader Entity Ice Snow Recreation.
A Secret Art only grows further if it hasn’t already been mimicked at the moment of imitation.
Blizzard Kar, sparking violently with electricity, spoke with perfect calm.
“It must be me, then. Shall I pat your lips as a reward?”
“Any attempt to break free through charm is futile. I distinguish between public and private matters more rigorously than anyone—that is the socialite’s creed.”
There’s still time to suppress Love and keep only the head intact.
I kept channeling Dark Brain Blooming through my right hand while raising my left.
Whoosh!
Scarlet flame shot forth.
Even as electricity raced through me, Blizzard Kar raised his left hand and radiated fire in return.
It was the traditional countermeasure to fire—a backburn strategy.
“A meaningless resistance. Though I must admit, I do rather enjoy that particular tactic myself.”
But the two flames could not meet as equals. My fire utterly consumed the other’s.
Blizzard Kar’s second weakness.
The effects of artifacts cannot be mimicked.
My Flame Wave Spell was synchronized with the Ember of Glory and the Hand That Grasps the Ember, which gave my firepower an entirely different caliber from his.
“…Aha ha ha ha!”
His entire body blazing, Blizzard Kar laughed loudly.
His body melted and recovered in rapid cycles, as though he were activating some technique whose name I didn’t know.
“I cannot be the only one to savor this stimulus!”
Blizzard Kar’s mouth opened wide.
From that gaping maw, a long tongue shot toward me.
A Secret Art learned from a Secret Art Tome acquired in the Library of Sin—the Whisper of Falsehood Eye.
Crackle-crackle!
The dignified one expressed vigorous displeasure.
That was precisely why I, the genuine article, had been avoiding its use as much as possible.
In the midst of lamenting my lapse from the socialite’s duty, the tongue coiled around my waist.
Whoooosh!
A chill wind swept from the tongue.
The Malicious Freezing Wind.
He was expelling malevolent energy accumulated in his body through the tongue.
It was an admirable application of Secret Art technique, but this was something I had already conceived long ago.
Naturally, a countermeasure came to mind with ease.
Click!
With a cheerful sound, the prosthetic hand’s form transformed.
Specifically, Rainbow Reflection Mode.
– It’s my turn to shine!
Along with the lively voice of the golem, the palm of the prosthetic hand began absorbing the Malicious Freezing Wind.
My body was already frozen, but compared to the comprehensive gauntlet of ice-attribute trials I’d endured in the Extreme Ice Royal Penguin Ruins, this was merely adorable.
“…….”
Watching the prosthetic hand function, Blizzard Kar’s eyes glowed with meaningful intent.
I understood the meaning perfectly.
I could not have missed it.
Though he could have resisted further and held out longer, he was choosing to surrender now, defying Blizzard’s will.
“One makes a final desperate gambit with a hidden trump card, only to be cleanly countered and defeated—the pinnacle of hardship from which surrender comes hardest.”
“…Mm, mmm.”
The shame of being frozen and preserved by an enemy after a crushing defeat—I envied him that.
Understanding Blizzard Kar’s feelings well, I absorbed as much of the chill as possible, then extended my left hand forward.
“Do go ahead and be frozen in place.”
Whoooosh!
The absorbed Malicious Freezing Wind amplified and shot forth.
Blizzard Kar made no effort to dodge, simply spreading both arms wide.
Then he raised his thumb.
“I apologize to Blizzard, but becoming a pet magical beast might not be such a terrible thing after all.”
I agreed entirely.
Whoooosh!
Blizzard swept in as though trying to stop it, but it was already too late.
“Aha ha ha ha!”
Laughing with all his might, Blizzard Kar was caught in the icy wind and froze solid.
The leader entity had been subdued.
– Half-Elf….
Suddenly, from the mouths of all the ordinary Ice Snow Recreations and Kar, Blizzard’s emotionless voice flowed forth.
– Blizzard has come to hate the Half-Elf even more!
The voice ringing out from all directions is laying bare its hatred toward me.
Now the fury was entirely unconcealed.
– The Leader Entity’s fumbling is regrettable, but Blizzard has a countermeasure.
Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble!
In the middle of the snow field, an Ice Snow Recreation of impossibly enormous size rose up.
The form of a colossal penguin.
It was the Extreme Ice Royal Penguin that had created Blizzard, the cause of this Confusion.
《Colossal Ice Snow Recreation (Level 6)》
《An Ice Snow Recreation mimicking the Extreme Ice Royal Penguin. A new Leader Entity. Mind yourself—its bulk makes it inherently dangerous!》
‘…A second Dungeon Enhancement?’
New content.
– This is Blizzard’s trump card that it had prepared.
The Ice Snow Recreation, vast enough to overlook the Ruins, began to lumber forward with heavy, thundering strides.
– The Snow Mountain shall become the grave of the Half-Elf.
Overwhelming bulk and presence.
A frame of that size would be a catastrophe to earthbound creatures merely by walking.
Yet I bowed my head and conjured a Falsehood.
“Master, did you call?”
“Go and tell Veldora.”
It will surely be strong—poured every ounce of its power into this creation—but if we can hold it back, that’s all we need.
“We need only endure. Buy as much time as you possibly can.”
“You mean you’re just going to hold the line while the master solves this?”
“No.”
I turned my gaze toward the Ruins.
“There is a problem-solver ready to take the stage.”
It was time for Deus Ex Machina to make its entrance.

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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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