Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 171

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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 171: C-rank Dungeon – Giant’s Hunting Grounds (1)
Giants.
A race defined by their towering frames, living monuments to size itself.
Once, giants ruled the Northern Continent, their name synonymous with dread.
Innate savagery and tremendous strength.
Save for the orcs—natural-born warriors—no race could stand against a giant in direct combat and claim superiority.
“Hah… hah…”
Brightfeather began to tremble at the sight of them.
His Unfamiliarity Phobia had activated.
He already felt acute terror and dread in unfamiliar situations; now, faced with such horrifying creatures, his fear was overwhelming.
“…Laipe.”
Silpren quickly embraced Brightfeather, settling the stout-bodied owl on her shoulder.
I checked the Compass I’d received from Sergius and pointed northeast.
Away from where the giants had appeared.
“Let’s fly that way immediately. We need to hurry.”
A direct confrontation would be suicide.
Unless the Demon King absorbed enough positive concepts—which wasn’t happening now—we had to preserve ourselves.
We were rushing through the air in the opposite direction from the giants.
Boom—!
Another deafening crash echoed.
Glancing back, one of the giants was smashing piles of boulders to dust with an enormous club.
“Where are they hiding—!”
The simple swing of that club released power rivaling a Secret Art.
At least the creature wasn’t so monstrously large that its head scraped the sky—we had that mercy, at least.
“I see them! Flying things over there—!”
Suddenly, one of the giants shouted.
They’d spotted us.
Whoooosh—!
A spear of tremendous size came hurtling through the air, cutting through the wind.
A powerful throw, the strength of his kind put to proper use.
“Hmm.”
The false celestial stopped mid-flight, wings fluttering gently.
The rushing spear altered its own trajectory and fell harmlessly below.
“Throw it properly!”
“No! I threw it straight!”
“Quiet, and chase them! Those winged things are getting away!”
The giants began bickering among themselves.
We seized the moment, accelerating and fleeing.
“Now this is getting interesting!”
“A proper worthy foe makes it worthwhile!”
“Wait! Don’t consume them!”
“Ssssigh.”
“Arrrgh!”
Even as the two Demon-type Beings made sounds at odds with each other, we continued flying without pause, putting distance between ourselves and the giants.
After flying some distance, we descended when jagged rock formations came into view, clustered densely across the terrain.
Silpren pushed her Goggles up and furrowed her brow.
“…Are we safe to stop?”
“If we go much further, we risk appearing on the other side and walking straight into them again.”
We landed and moved quickly between rocks that stood like trees in a forest.
“Hah… ugh…”
Brightfeather, clinging to Silpren’s back, remained in the grip of panic.
His body rigid, his eyes unfocused, his hands trembling.
The Abnormal Statuses of “fear” and “anxiety” had merged and tripled, manifesting as the panic symptoms of his Unfamiliarity Phobia.
“…Mother, why is he like this?”
Bartimir gazed down at Brightfeather, whose complexion had turned ashen, with worry.
“His constitution arose from trauma in his childhood days.”
“…How do we calm him?”
“I know how to fix it.”
Lepicul, who had likewise been watching Brightfeather’s state, spoke in my stead.
“Captain Kar, amuse me with your wit. If I consume enough positive concepts, I can draw out that joiner’s affliction through the Secret Art of ‘Sin.'”
At Tier 5 and above, they seemed to be talking about the Sin of Envy—an ability that could absorb abnormal statuses from others.
“How many more positive concepts will you need, sir?”
“Hmm, roughly a ‘deep embrace’ or ‘tremendously pleasurable physical exhilaration,’ or perhaps ‘thunderous applause’—maybe twenty times over.”
“All of those would take too long, I’m afraid.”
If we wasted any more time, Brightfeather might collapse and be unable to wake for hours, so I decided to act swiftly with the standard approach.
“It’s all right.”
Since this was our first meeting, I grasped his wing instead of his shoulder and spoke as gently as I could.
To dispel Unfamiliarity Phobia, one must reach a state of psychological calm.
Like he normally flew with the members of the Sky Flight Squadron, at leisure and in joy.
“…Do you know about this?”
When I broached the subject softly, his wavering eyes—different colors each—turned toward me.
“Giants are a race as formidable as dragons, and yet they’re now effectively extinct.”
“Really? Why is that, Dungeon Teacher?”
Bartimir raised his hand like a diligent student and posed the question.
He was asking it on behalf of Brightfeather, whose mental strength was plummeting toward zero.
“Well, that’s because….”
I drew a giant’s face in the air using Illusion.
As stupid and ridiculous as possible—nose running, mouth hanging open in a vacant gape.
“They were really, truly, utterly stupid.”
Brightfeather’s clear eyes fixed on the phantom I’d sketched in empty air.
The fear and dread had subsided somewhat.
“Giants possess overwhelming strength but sadly lack intellectual capacity. Barbarian student—do you know what foolish choice they made?”
“They allied with the Congregation of Lonely Silence!”
Writhe…!
The Snake Tattoo thrashed its tail violently.
“Yes, that’s right! Isn’t that absurd? How could they have trusted the temple of an Evil Deity, much less when it was in its height of power—not some weakling socialite clinging to modern days?”
“Stupid, stupid!”
Bartimir burst out laughing loudly.
“Right! They really are a stupid, dull, pathetic race.”
Lepicul soon joined in the performance for Brightfeather’s sake.
“Fools who can’t properly wield their overwhelming strength. How many times did they suffer crushing defeats at the hands of weaker Demon-type Beings? Truly, what a bunch of dimwits they are!”
Wait—he was just speaking from personal experience….
Still, perhaps it was because he was of the Heavenly clan, who never tell lies?
“Are they really that stupid…?”
Brightfeather, who had been trembling, finally calmed himself and gazed at Lepicul with bright, attentive eyes.
His Unfamiliarity Phobia had subsided considerably.
At least for now.
“…That was quite skillful.”
Silpren, who had been watching anxiously, let out a quiet breath.
“That’s why I never wanted to send Brightfeather on just any expedition. He often loses his reason and becomes fearful the moment he steps into a Dungeon.”
Silpren had sponsored and raised Brightfeather since childhood.
Though they were of different races, they were undeniably family.
Like me and my tiger-kin sister.
When two beings wished for each other’s bright futures and could feel genuine sorrow if things went wrong, they could be bound through the heart alone, bloodline be damned.
“He fears Dungeons and yet yearns to explore them. He claims contentment with a leisurely life, but every day without fail he reads explorer newsletters. He can’t hide what’s truly in his heart.”
Watching Brightfeather listen to Lepicul’s earnest story with bright, eager eyes, Silpren smiled softly.
“I don’t need Brightfeather’s future to be promising so much as I want him to join an Exploration Expedition with warmth—one that knows how to share kindness.”
“Then it’s worked out well.”
I met the eyes of Bartimir, who had draped an arm across my shoulder, and nodded together.
“We’re a remarkable expedition with promising futures and bonds of camaraderie that hold us all together. Isn’t that right?”
“Yeah!”
“…You do seem to get along well.”
“Silpren. Once we finish this exploration, you’ll be able to set aside all your worries.”
There was a reason I had chosen the Giant’s Hunting Grounds as the Dungeon to prove my worthiness to accompany Brightfeather.
“…And that’s how my fist shattered the giant’s jaw!”
Lepicul’s story had somehow transformed into an action-filled recitation, complete with punching motions in the air.
“That giant too left behind only the clichéd dying words ‘This can’t be happening!’—and then breathed his last!”
“Wow…!”
Brightfeather now appeared completely recovered.
He would lose his reason again if faced with an unfamiliar situation, but there would be no ‘next time.’
From now on, I can give them an exploration experience as stable as riding in a luxury limousine.
“Rest time is over.”
I settled into an endearing posture, drawing every explorer’s gaze toward me.
“Just so you know, there will be no more rest periods. You won’t have time to spare.”
I tapped Brightfeather’s wing, which hung with several ornaments, with my index finger.
“Giants devour other races. Sometimes while they’re still alive. You must never be caught.”
…….
Brightfeather’s eyes began to waver again, but thanks to the somewhat rough yet kindly celestial being at his side, he didn’t slip into panic.
“From here on, you’ll need to fulfill the clear conditions of the Endless Wasteland, the hunting grounds of giants, to escape. After that, you’ll need to fulfill the clear conditions of the Giant’s Hunting Grounds before you can finally complete the exploration and return to reality.”
This isn’t a small-scale Dungeon like the Trial Tower Underground Waterway — there’s literally a Dungeon within a Dungeon.
We’re essentially conducting two separate explorations.
Fortunately, the clear conditions for the Giant’s Hunting Grounds aren’t particularly difficult, so it shouldn’t take much time.
Boom-boom-boom!
Just then, a rough explosion echoed across the landscape.
The very ground beneath our feet trembled from the tremendous noise.
“We should move.”
There’s no time to hesitate.
“From here on, we’ll split into three groups and move separately.”
If they set their minds to following us, there’s no way to shake them off, so we’ll have to use our heads—something the giants lack.
We don’t need complex strategy.
The level of intelligence required is barely enough to outwit a ten-year-old child.
“Silpren and Lepicul, please draw the giants’ attention and create chaos. Attack occasionally and flee as well. There are eight of them in total.”
“We’ll give it a try.”
“Shouldn’t be difficult.”
The first group: Silpren and the nameless demon-type being.
Distraction duty.
“Bartimir, you’ll go to the locations I specify and gather the materials needed for the clear conditions. There are four locations in total.”
“Sounds fun!”
The second group: Bartimir.
Material collection duty.
“Finally, Brightfeather will move with me as we search for the Hidden Pieces.”
“Y-yes…!”
The third group: Kar and Brightfeather.
Hidden Piece excavation duty.
“Where are you hiding, you little things—!”
The giant’s voice and presence drew closer.
– Roooooar!
– Groooowl!
At the same time, the rough cries of beasts could be heard.
They were hunting hounds deployed for the giants’ “hunt.”
…Though their bodies were somewhat larger than ordinary dogs.
“Move at once, please.”
Silpren and the demon-type being took flight immediately.
“I’m going too!”
Bartimir headed toward the location I’d indicated, leaving only the two of us behind.
I gestured to Brightfeather, who was crouching with the bow I’d given him cradled in his arms.
“Let’s go as well.”
“Y-yes, yes, yes…!”
I checked the direction with the Compass and took to the sky.
“Flying things detected again—!”
“Heh-heh! Can’t escape us!”
Two giant hunters, chattering loudly at the sight of their prey, rushed toward us.
A hunting hound roughly ten times my size leading the charge.
The distance closed in an instant.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
– Whoooosh!
Silpren, riding on a whirlwind, swiftly raked his blade across both giants’ backs as he passed.
“Ow, that stings!”
“There’s an annoying flying creature—!”
The simple-minded giants immediately shifted their attention to Silpren.
– A deafening roar!
But the massive hound—cleverer than its master—continued its relentless chase.
A pursuit executed with single-minded devotion: draining the prey’s strength.
Whoosh!
The two fierce eyes fixed on us burned a vivid crimson.
[Eternal Pursuit].
A Secret Art that allows one to pinpoint a marked enemy’s location without losing track, while increasing the damage dealt upon attack.
“…….”
Brightfeather glanced back, and his shoulders began to tremble.
His limbs were shaking too.
Yet he did not fall into panic.
[Unfamiliarity Phobia] was, after all, merely a constitution that felt acute dread and anxiety when facing something encountered for the first time.
“I’ll bank slightly to the left.”
He kept his gaze sweeping the ground as he guided our flight.
Once we’d opened considerable distance from the giants, he spoke carefully.
“Strike the space between the hound’s eyes—the one chasing us. That is its weakness.”
There was no need to ask if he could manage it.
“I-I’ll try…!”
Fear still gripped him, but he had not lost his reason.
He trembled with dread, yet did not bury his face or turn away from reality.
“Hhh….”
A brief held breath.
Then, drawing upon a Strength stat far higher than appearances suggested, he pulled the bowstring of his great bow back with all his might.
Whoosh.
The two differently colored eyes fixed upon the ‘target’ burned bright crimson.
[Eternal Pursuit].
The Secret Art the giant hound had just deployed.
A Secret Art belonging exclusively to the Tracker Class—and yet Brightfeather, who bore the Butcher Class, wielded it without the slightest strain.
《:O?》
《The Wise One’s eyes shine brightly!》
[Copycat Parrot].
Brightfeather’s other trait.
An ability that allowed him to mimic an opponent’s Secret Art without any conditions whatsoever.
Whoom!
In the next instant, an arrow adorned with beautifully fletched feathers arced through the air in an elegant trajectory.
“D-Done now….”
Brightfeather wheeled about without even waiting to see the result.
I kept looking back as we flew.
Thunk.
Just as I had instructed, the arrow struck precisely between its eyes.
– A piercing shriek!
The giant hound wailed and staggered before collapsing with a dull thud.
Clap, clap, clap.
Applause came unbidden.
“Ten points… ten points, I’d say.”

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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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