Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 155
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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 155 Southern Continent Expedition – Land of Freezing (5)
Thump, thump, thump!
A colossal ice penguin radiating raw ferocity came strutting forward with unshakeable confidence.
With each step it took, the ground trembled violently.
“…What on earth is that?”
Bartimir, who had been holding the lower bodies of the oncoming Ice Kar legion in check, blinked blankly.
“Are penguins really that terrifying as animals…?”
Penguins were creatures encountered only in adjacent dimensions like the Glacier Dimension.
There was no one present who could thoroughly resolve Bartimir’s confusion.
“Didn’t know it, but it turns out they’re animals that trigger instinctive fear. Next time I explore the Glacier Dimension, I’ll have to steer clear of them, sister.”
“We should.”
It was the moment Beldora nodded in response to Tilda’s murmur.
“This is no time for that—!”
Kar came bounding up, all carefree energy.
As Beldora turned her head, a blonde Half-Elf made a heart shape with both arms.
“…Kar, please try to act seriously.”
“Huh… doesn’t seem like Kar?”
“What?”
As Beldora widened her eyes at Merlin’s words and turned her head again, Kar winked and poked both cheeks with her index fingers.
“…It is Kar though?”
“It’s an illusion. I didn’t hear any footsteps at all. Aiquiril, you think so too, don’t you?”
Chirp!
Aiquiril, the snow squirrel spirit perched atop Merlin’s head, cried out cheerfully.
They’d played along with Kar’s instruction, and became close so easily that now the creature refused to leave her side.
“I couldn’t sense any presence either.”
Beldora, who had been gazing at Aiquiril with warm affection, suddenly shook her head.
“But that’s behavior and mannerisms that only Kar could pull off, no matter who looks.”
“That’s true, but…”
While the two explorers of similar height whispered uncertainly, the blonde Half-Elf who had drawn closer suddenly threw her arms wide.
Then she winked and struck a seductive pose.
“You two have decent Perception! As for me, I am the terminal of a wise being and a fragment of a mighty divine beast—the Whisper of Falsehood Eye! Come on, applause!”
…….
Clap clap.
Since no one else was clapping, the well-meaning Merlin reluctantly obliged.
Satisfied, the Whisper of Falsehood Eye stood before Beldora and pointed at the colossal ice penguin.
“The Master wants you to hold that thing back as much as possible. End of message!”
“…Just hold it back?”
“Yep. Buy enough time and then—whoosh—a rescuer will show up to beat that giant penguin senseless and wipe it out!”
…….
“Don’t look at me like that. Truth be told, ‘senseless’ and ‘whoosh’ were my own inventions. Got it?”
“Understood…”
“Do your best!”
The phantom Half-Elf spun in place and vanished into thin air.
“It really was an illusion…!”
Finally accepting that it wasn’t Kar herself, Beldora addressed everyone.
“Kar has some plan in mind. I’m not sure what it is, but for now, let’s buy time by blocking its approach as much as possible!”
There was no time for more detailed instructions.
Countless Ice Kars were pouring in even as they spoke.
“And, Sea-Born Elf!”
“What is it.”
Eira tilted her head slightly.
“Come with me to intercept the giant penguin!”
“Understood.”
“The rest of you, please handle the Ice Kars!”
With only the most urgent words spoken, Beldora’s form slipped away.
Eira too glided through the air as if riding water conjured beneath her feet, moving toward the colossal ice phantom.
“…Will just the two of them be all right?”
Merlin asked with some concern, but the members of the Eyebeam Bear Love Guild were calmly fending off the incoming Ice Kars.
“After this expedition ends, I’m going to confess to Roni.”
“I support you. But don’t let them get close.”
“Why?”
“I don’t care to get close to someone who’s about to die.”
Even as she traded casual remarks, the sharpness of her offense never dulled for a moment.
It was nearly an art form—the way she targeted only knees and calves, keeping the Snow Kar at a distance with surgical precision.
Honestly, I hadn’t known how skilled these Explorers truly were, but now it was clear: they were masters of their craft.
“There’s absolutely no need to worry.”
Tilda laughed brightly as Secret Swords materialized from the Subspace within her gloves, flinging them carelessly.
“My sister’s the strongest Shaman around—at least when we’re only counting Explorers below Tier 6.”
“…Really?”
“Merlin, stop asking and focus.”
Bartimir shouted from behind, wrapping his arms around Merlin.
“Just hold on and we win! Come on—!”
“Uoooh!”
“Yaaah—!”
The two companions, blessed with conveniently low mental ages, roared their encouragement.
– Screech!
Aiquiril reared up beside them, adding its own cry to the chorus.
The sound was adorably cute, but something about being a spirit creature gave it a certain weight nonetheless.
Merlin gently brushed Aiquiril’s jaw, then drew the Dagger and Secret Sword—one in each hand.
“I’ll show you my incredible skill, Aiquiril!”
There was no shame in saying such things now—not anymore.
Not when there was a problematic Half-Elf nearby who did nothing but say and do embarrassing things.
“Let’s go!”
– Screech!
The battle across the Snowfield was reaching its climax.
***
Whoosh!
A blazing scarlet flame shot toward the giant penguin’s rear.
The fierce fire of a Tier 5 Flame Wave Spell.
Part of its body melted away, but the creature was so massive that the blow dealt no meaningful damage.
– Snowstorm must protect the city.
An emotionless voice emanated from the mouth of the enormous ice incarnation bearing the form of an Extreme Frost Imperial Tribe member.
– Intruders will not be tolerated. None shall pass.
Whomp!
Vast wings swept through the air.
It was a motion so light it seemed almost casual—yet a Freezing Shockwave of tremendous power came hurtling toward me.
There was no way to evade it, so I transformed my entire body into lightning.
Crack—!
The Snowfield erupted violently beneath me.
If I hadn’t made the split-second decision to become pure lightning, I would surely be shattered into countless frozen shards by now, scattered across the sky as fragments of an Ice Half-Elf.
– Do not sully the sacred ground of our great race!
The enormous ice incarnation surged forward.
Toward the Explorers holding back the tide of Snow Kar forces.
“Truth, does that one have a Magic Stone near its heart too?”
《Analysis complete—no. Hundreds of Magic Stones are distributed evenly throughout its entire body. Eliminating it in a single strike is impossible.》
Perhaps this was the result of the Dungeon’s second-stage enhancement.
It didn’t look easy to suppress.
That’s what made my mind race.
A difficult opponent like this was, to me, merely a fastidious gatekeeper standing before the fruit of labor, scrutinizing every inch of my being with tiresome detail.
“This time, though, I won’t be able to lose myself in love….”
Because Snowstorm was controlling its movements with such care that I couldn’t meet its gaze from any angle, I couldn’t use Sin: Lust to draw its attention to me.
《That damned Secret Art is useless right when it matters most!》
“Truth, Fiction—you two go together and draw its eye.”
Pluck.
Whoosh.
The moment I commanded them, my right eye transformed into a blind raven and shot forward, while the phantom raven projected from my left eye took flight beside it.
– Caw!
– Caw!
The two blind ravens soared through the air together, keeping close to each other’s side.
A true sight could only be achieved when both eyes worked as one—such was the way of things.
The Secret Art of the Eye bestowed by the wise one could only demonstrate its true power when the two worked together.
– Caw-caw-caw!
– Caw, caw!
Sightless ravens fluttered before the colossal frost phantom’s eyes.
Whoosh!
Irritated by the distraction, the massive ice creature that had been walking in silence suddenly swept its wing wide.
One raven dodged effortlessly; the other, being an illusion, passed through untouched.
– Caw?
– Caw, caw!
The birds even mocked it with their cries.
– Snowstorm will not fall for the Half-Elf’s tricks again.
The colossal frost penguin finally gave up and began moving with heavy steps.
It would no longer be toyed with by the ravens, and that was fine.
We had already stolen enough time.
Splash-splash-splash!
Not long after, water suddenly materialized in empty air.
First, a single droplet.
Then several spheres.
Soon countless anchors of water had embedded themselves throughout the creature’s lower body.
– Meaningless. A waste of effort.
Snowstorm spoke as though amused by none of it, yet the great magical beast’s movements froze.
“Meaningless, you say? You’re talking nonsense.”
Eira, the Level 7 Tracker and Half-Elf, sneered and launched water freely into the air from her palms.
The Half-Elf’s innate Secret Art.
Source of Blue Water.
A simple yet powerful Secret Art that allowed her to generate water from her body.
“From this moment on, you won’t move a single step from where you stand.”
Crunch-crunch-crunch!
Water anchors generated endlessly, boring deeper into the frost phantom’s lower half.
“Kar, prepare to attack.”
Beldora walked to my side next, bringing a grotesque sickle before her face.
“I’ll show you my true strength—the power I couldn’t display during the Guild War.”
Ripple-ripple.
Beldora’s form wavered like smoke.
“My, my.”
This would be a rare sight to witness.
I quickly settled into position nearby.
“The foundation of the world is hue. The color that makes truth real.”
A Shaman belongs to the Priest class, yet does not worship the divine.
Spirits, phantoms, wealth, kindness.
The object of a Shaman’s faith is whatever entity, object, or concept calls to them with intense spiritual resonance.
“Ancestor, I shall now paint the world with color—lend me your strength, I beg you.”
Beldora’s faith was directed toward the founder of the Ires Family, a prestigious Shaman lineage.
“Once this expedition ends in safety, I promise you a drink—something truly potent and absolutely divine!”
The offering was the ancestor’s most beloved liquor.
The Eastern Continent Dwarf-Made Strong Liquor, renowned for its intensity.
Blaze-blaze-blaze!
Color drained completely from Beldora’s body and began spreading across the world around us.
The range covered only our vicinity.
Large enough to contain the colossal frost phantom.
“With my hue, I shall cloak the world.”
As Beldora’s color spread and painted across the world, the landscape transformed.
The snowfield became a bright meadow where delicate trees and grass flourished, and we—along with the colossal frost phantom—shrank into small, adorable forms.
A Shaman’s ultimate technique: the Unique Domain.
“Beldora’s Forest.”
In this newly miniaturized world, only Beldora—whose height remained exactly as before—leaped into the air.
Though the movement was light, she soared upward with a whoosh and landed squarely atop the head of the now-cutely diminished frost penguin.
Slice!
She swung her sickle in a charming arc, cleaving straight through the middle of the head of the creature mimicking the Extreme Frost Imperial Tribe.
“Beldora’s Forest amplifies the physical abilities and Secret Art power of myself and my ‘friends’! Come join the attack!”
Beldora swung the scythe once more.
The great arc cleaved through the enormous magical beast’s head again.
“Ughh.”
A formidable power that combined romance and performance unfolded before my eyes.
This was precisely why I’d never preferred the Shaman class.
Socialite, Black Mage, Thief—those had the flavor of crawling through garbage, but this was simply too inhumanely strong, wasn’t it?
“Kar—! Join in the combined attack, now!”
“But does this mean you’re including me as a ‘friend’?”
It was a matter of no small importance.
“…I’ll include you, so hurry!”
“Understood. My friend Beldora.”
After Pierre, I’d gained another friend.
With joy in my heart, I stretched my left hand forward and unleashed flame.
A Flame Wave Spell of maximum output that looked like it belonged in a children’s cartoon, flying through the air.
Whoosh!
Adorable fire engulfed the body of the massive snow-ice phantom.
The enormous form of snow and ice began to melt away, bit by bit.
—Snowstorm does not yield to this.
The giant penguin flapped its wings wildly.
Freezing Shockwaves scattered in all directions, freezing everything in the vicinity.
Whirrrrr—!
And Snowstorm roared with even greater fury.
Where the blizzard and howling wind touched the massive snow-ice phantom, its body healed rapidly.
“…It’s much stronger than I expected.”
Beldora, who’d landed beside me while dodging the shockwave, bit her lip.
“It’s fine.”
I continued unleashing flame as I spoke.
“As I mentioned before, we only need to buy time. And thanks to Beldora’s Forest, we should hold out well enough.”
“…I’ll trust you for now.”
Beldora darted about nimbly, swinging her scythe.
“Quite the remarkable Shaman.”
Eira, too, was creating more water anchors to impede the great beast’s movements.
“Let’s keep this pace! Shall I perform a victorious dance that’ll energize us? Or perhaps some adorable charm and pouting?”
“…Not necessary!”
“Same here.”
“How shy you both are. I understand perfectly.”
Later, when no one was watching, I’d definitely want to show them my secret technique—my precious, adorable antics.
—Snowstorm drives back the intruders.
The massive snow-ice phantom thrashed about even more violently.
Wave after wave of Freezing Shockwaves poured forth.
And yet Snowstorm healed its entire body.
“…Ugh.”
After holding out well for several minutes, Beldora finally couldn’t dodge—part of her right leg froze solid.
As her concentration broke, her Unique Domain shattered, and the world returned to its original appearance.
“Are you all right?”
I rushed over, thawed her leg, and quickly handed her a Life Recovery Potion.
—The Half-Elf’s end draws near.
The enormous snow-ice penguin turned its body toward me and slowly raised both wings.
—The city shall find peace once more. All according to the rulers’ will.
“Is this truly what they wanted?”
I looked up at the empty sky where Snowstorm raged.
“You eliminate everyone who approaches the city. Can you truly believe this is the will of those departed residents?”
—Snowstorm did not err.
Since the Extreme Frost Imperial Tribe left the city.
Created for the purpose of protecting the city, Snowstorm had been left neglected for so long, indiscriminately plunging those who climbed the Snow Mountain into confusion.
Repel the intruders.
For that was the sole purpose of its existence.
—In time, the rulers shall return.
I tilted my head lightly, then suddenly turned it toward the Ruin Site.
From the ice-made city, an unusual presence was rising.
“That’s not wrong, is it.”
It was the truth.
The Extreme Frost Imperial Tribe would return.
Boom—!
Right now.
“How noisy.”
A cute, diminutive penguin-like creature descended from the Ruin Site, landing before me.
The last inhabitant of the Extreme Frost Imperial Tribe—the one I’d buried under snow—rose with a low murmur.
– ???
The raging Snowstorm weakened for a moment.
– Ruler…?
“An illusion-wrought Snowstorm, then.”
The Extreme Frost Imperial Tribe Member rotated its wings as if limbering up, twisting its neck side to side.
Then, abruptly, it radiated a savage aura.
“To treat a rightful visitor with such rudeness. What barbarism is this?”
– Ruler, the Snowstorm was merely—
“Your thought-processes are overloaded.”
The Extreme Frost Imperial Tribe Member swept its wing in a sharp arc.
Crash—!!
A massive avalanche, overwhelming in scale yet born from that light gesture, plummeted from the sky and shattered the body of the colossal ice-and-snow manifestation.
“Sleep, and awaken refreshed.”
And then.
The Snowstorm ceased at once.
The ice-snow Kar surging toward the Ruin Site were absorbed into the Snowfield and vanished entirely.
“…Huh?”
“What….”
I gave Beldora and Eira a thumbs up.
“Ta-da! Battle concluded.”
The Extreme Frost Imperial Tribe had once been a race that rivaled dragons in supremacy.
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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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