Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 16

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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 16: A Common Dream for the Future
“That’s quite an unreasonable request.”
Odillon muttered flatly, stroking his chin.
“The Black-Check Guild master—you’re talking about that small-time thief in the Eastern Slum who preys on the homeless and squeezes protection money out of them?”
“That’s correct. He’s been exploiting the children I intend to support fully as an Explorer, and if left alone, I’m certain he’ll cause us trouble eventually. I’d like to eliminate him before that happens.”
It was a judgment born of experience, not mere prediction.
If I left him be, he’d inevitably create a combination of petty schemes, sowing discord, and fraud that would hinder Maze exploration and prove tiresome.
So normally I’d have kept him alive deliberately to raise the difficulty level, but now that death meant a true end with no restart, it was necessary to remove dangerous variables quickly.
“Only by excluding all sources of anxiety can one finally paint an ideal future. I understand.”
Odillon nodded absently, then gestured to Rosalia, who had been standing in silence.
“How soon do you want it delivered?”
“The sooner the better.”
“I’ll leave it at your doorstep by tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
“Well then, I should be going. Until next time.”
Odillon waved dismissively and left the Library without hesitation, with Rosalia clinging to his heels like a shadow.
“…Patron.”
Abel, who had frozen the moment Rosalia appeared, suddenly tugged at my sleeve.
“What is it?”
“Are you going to eliminate the guild master for my sister’s and my sake?”
“Yes.”
“…That won’t do.”
Abel shook his head vigorously, his wavering eyes fixed firmly on my face.
“That man has connections with underground guilds operating all across Pletica, not just in District 6. If he suddenly disappears, they’ll definitely track down the culprit and retaliate.”
I was genuinely surprised.
He understood the covert “Silent Alliance” to some degree.
It was the kind of sharp insight that couldn’t have emerged without careful, constant observation.
“You make a fair point. Still, don’t worry yourself too much.”
“How could I not be concerned…?”
“Are you disobeying your patron’s words?”
I ruffled Abel’s hair vigorously.
Only then did the boy’s unusually grave expression soften somewhat.
“The kind of disaster you’re afraid of won’t happen, so just study with a peaceful mind.”
“Study, you say?”
“If you’re going to work as an Explorer going forward, you’ll need to learn the fundamentals, won’t you?”
“Do I have to enter the Maze too…?”
“Do you dislike the idea?”
“Not at all. I’m actually looking forward to it.”
A glimmer of moisture appeared in the boy’s usually dry eyes—though whether it was genuine emotion or flattery for his patron was unclear.
“I’ve never told my sister, but the truth is, I’ve always dreamed of becoming an Explorer.”
“A common dream for the future.”
In Pletica, a Maze city, were there even children who didn’t dream of Maze exploration?
Explorers who rose to fame as entertainers and celebrities, raking in wealth, were a profession envied by all.
Precisely because of the danger involved, it had become the number-one job parents steered their children away from.
“But until now, I’ve lived in half-resignation. When I couldn’t even afford proper meals most days, how could I possibly study exploration?”
“That’s why you didn’t tell Marlin either.”
“Yes. If she knew, she’d try desperately to scrape together money so I could pursue my dream alone.”
The bond between these siblings was indeed remarkable.
One could be moved by their affection—so long as one deliberately ignored the inconvenient truth that Marlin earned her money by breaking into abandoned homes.
“Since we’re at the Library anyway, let’s borrow some books covering the basic knowledge Explorers should master. Come on, I’ll help you pick them out.”
I led Abel downstairs.
The librarian was nowhere to be seen.
Probably lounging somewhere sunny, catching a nap.
“But patron, the librarian isn’t here. Can we actually borrow books?”
“Just slip them out and return them later.”
“Isn’t that theft?”
“How dare you use such vicious criminal terminology. It’s merely temporary unauthorized acquisition and transfer of ownership, nothing more.”
“Understood.”
Abel’s response was far too plain compared to his sister’s.
He accepted it so readily that I’d already lost the moment to admit I was joking.
“This library operates on an honor system. Patrons borrow books and return them once they’ve finished reading.”
“But wouldn’t unscrupulous people simply refuse to bring them back?”
“Fair point, though a thief who makes his living by stealing is hardly one to lecture about conscience.”
“You’re right about that.”
“The books are protected by an anti-theft Mystical Power. If someone doesn’t return a book within a month, a spirit emerges from it and destroys their mind. So if you want to keep reading, you have to come back to the library regularly.”
I drifted toward the Maze Studies section, which occupied the most prominent display area, and posed a casual question to Abel.
“Abel. When that crimson elf appeared earlier—how did it feel?”
“…Terrifying, sir. If she’d wanted to, she could have killed us all in seconds without breaking a sweat.”
“Right.”
Rosalia’s Level was five at this point.
Low-level heretics and tiger Beast-Humans alike would crumple the instant she flicked a finger at them.
“That Hidden Ghoul Maze that gave us so much trouble—she could clear it alone, no problem.”
“Still, having someone of her caliber join your exploration team would certainly be reassuring.”
“Reassuring, huh…”
“Would it not be?”
“She’s skilled and competent as an assassin, but trusting her is another matter. She’s too good at killing.”
Abel tilted his head, clearly puzzled by my words.
“Since I’m still a novice when it comes to Mazes, I’m afraid I don’t follow, sir.”
“You’ll understand eventually. In any case, that elf could beat twenty of you.”
“Surely if there were that many of us, we might win by sheer luck at least once.”
“Honestly, even fifty wouldn’t be enough, but I didn’t want to hurt your pride, so I lowballed it.”
……
Despite the kindness behind my words, Abel’s pride was clearly wounded, his gaze turning resentful.
I pressed on regardless, stepping before the Maze Studies shelves.
“And you realized immediately when that elf appeared that fighting her meant death. Didn’t you?”
“I did.”
“Yet you still tried to engage her.”
“My body moved on its own, sir. I thought she was targeting you. Did I make a mistake?”
The young tiger Beast-Human’s tail, which had been held stiffly upright, drooped.
“I’m not scolding you. If anything, I’m proud of you. You didn’t flinch or lose your fighting spirit even facing an opponent overwhelmingly stronger than yourself.”
I pulled a book from the shelf and pressed it into Abel’s hands.
You Can Do It Too! Everything About Maze Exploration
“Abel. You have the makings of a fine Explorer.”
《Your ward Abel (tiger Beast-Human, age twelve) has not yet chosen a Class, unlike his sister. It would be wise for him to refine himself through the path of an Explorer, as you have suggested.》
His sister had already entered the path of a support Class, but the younger brother’s future remained open.
Among the various options, he could choose whichever Class suited him best.
“Starting today, train your body consistently according to the book’s teachings. Through repetitive practice and drills, you may occasionally awaken a Mystical Power, so give it your all.”
……
Abel stared blankly at the book cover—a fist emblazoned across it—before responding with genuine vigor.
“Yes, sir!”
It was the most childlike expression I’d seen from him yet.
***
“This is boring…”
Marlin lay sprawled across the sofa like dried squid, reading a book titled Fundamentals of Maze Studies, her face growing increasingly despondent.
“Why do I have to read this anyway? I can just ask you whenever I’m curious and you’ll explain it all clearly.”
“Do you really dislike reading that much?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll give you a written Maze knowledge quiz every night, and if you fail, I’ll punish you severely. That should light a fire under you, yes?”
“…Not at all.”
I moved aside her legs, which she’d stretched across the sofa, and sat down, regarding my savior with that look of displeasure on her face.
“As punishment, I’ll feed you the pork I bought at the market.”
“How is that a punishment?”
“Do you really want to know why?”
“No…”
As we bantered pointlessly back and forth, Abel returned carrying two steaming cups.
“Tea I brewed myself. Please, have some.”
“Oh.”
I took a cup and sipped it, and my eyes widened involuntarily.
The aroma was remarkable—as if an entire flower garden had been compressed into a single cup of tea.
“Blegh, ptooey, ptoooey!”
An uneducated tiger Beast-Human girl frowned deeply, but I found myself charmed.
“What kind of tea is this? It tastes wonderful.”
“It doesn’t have a particular name. I made it myself.”
“You made it?”
“It’s Abel’s specialty!”
Marlin, who had been pouring her own portion of tea into my cup, laughed with evident pride.
“We go hungry so often that whenever we manage to get our hands on ingredients, Abel does whatever he can to make them taste better by developing recipes his own way. Isn’t it impressive? Abel, show them your notebook too!”
“…Sister. Stop making such a fuss.”
Seemingly torn between wanting to show off and being embarrassed, Abel fumbled in his pocket and handed me a notebook.
I told myself I should feign surprise as I flipped through the pages, but I ended up genuinely astonished.
“This is remarkable.”
Secret methods for bringing out the best in each ingredient’s flavor, the types of seasonings worth adding when preparing certain dishes, and even varieties of desserts good for eating afterward.
The contents were far richer than I’d imagined.
To have honed his culinary skills to this degree through self-study alone, without any formal instruction….
‘Perhaps that Class would suit him better after all.’
I’d been deliberating between two Classes suitable for Abel, but now my heart tilted toward one.
Still, his own wishes mattered most, so I’d leave the choice to him.
“You have real talent.”
I gave Abel’s shoulder a pat.
“Reading through your notebook’s recipes, a good idea suddenly struck me.”
“What idea, sir?”
“That would be….”
Knock, knock.
The sound of someone rapping on the door suddenly filled the room.
“Who could… Ahhhhh!”
Marlin hurried to open the door, then gasped and staggered backward.
“C-Comrades!”
“Compose yourself.”
I pressed the tea I’d been holding into Marlin’s trembling hand and greeted our unexpected visitor.
“Welcome.”
“Mgh… uhhhhh….”
At the doorway lay a man, covered from face to feet in unmistakable marks of a thorough beating, his entire body bound and collapsed.
《Maken, Leader of the Black-Check Guild (human, 27 years old). The very man who has been exploiting your young wards. He’s been beaten by the assassin Rosalia and brought here. Precautions have been taken to prevent him from using Mystical Power—an ideal offering.》
A delivery swift as a rocket.

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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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