Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 174

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 174: C-rank Dungeon – Giant’s Hunting Ground (4)
“Ha, haha, pierce the sky, you say?”
Brightfeather looked up at the sky with widened eyes.
“Me?”
I met Brightfeather’s jewel-like eyes, each a different color, and spoke calmly.
“Yes.”
…….
“Surely you can do it?”
I lifted my gaze toward the sky above.
As if the dungeon were a prison, the expanse overhead felt unusually narrow, yet it stretched out in a painfully vivid blue.
“Pierce the Sky. In Pletika, any hunter-class explorer around level three can do it.”
“That can’t be…!”
Brightfeather pressed his forehead against the bow, his jaw trembling violently.
Extreme anxiety—the result of the other half of Strangeness Phobia, “unease,” remaining unresolved.
“Ahhhhh! I don’t deserve to live in Pletika…!”
“…Calm yourself, Brightfeather. That’s not true at all.”
Silpren gripped Brightfeather’s head as if he were experiencing an earthquake himself, his pupils trembling wildly.
Then he began to give me a sideways look.
“Are you serious? You don’t change your expression when you speak, so it’s hard to tell whether you’re joking or sincere.”
“I am a Half-Elf who has cut all ties with absurdity. I would never make an unreasonable request.”
“Didn’t you just do exactly that?”
“Silpren…!”
Brightfeather suddenly snapped back to attention and hurriedly tugged at the fire-elf’s arm.
“Don’t be upset. I hate it most when you’re upset.”
“…I’m not upset though.”
The fire-elf, who had been stern, quickly drew up the corners of his mouth.
A touching effort born of the fear of being disliked.
Though Brightfeather had long since passed the age one might call a ward, his upbringing in childhood had been so harsh that Silpren remained devoted to his role as guardian.
“Silpren, I understand that sentiment well. I too suppress my personal desires for the sake of my ward-siblings and keep my explorations either secret or limited to only what allows for proper healing.”
《Truth – The siblings never actually agreed to any such arrangement.…》
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh.
“Let me say it again, Silpren.”
I spoke again to the faltering fire-elf, meeting Brightfeather’s gentle yet chilling gaze.
“I never ask any member of my party to undertake a mission they cannot accomplish.”
Trials and hardships only gain meaning when there exists the possibility of grasping a worthwhile fruit from them.
Suffering without reward is merely needless struggle, so I always attempt only what I can barely achieve with my own ability.
Besides, as a merciful captain, I apply a slightly looser standard to my companions.
“I can even say with confidence—Brightfeather can pierce the sky with a single arrow. I’ll stake the faith of about eighty of Ridni’s believers on it.”
《Don’t stake the last shred of dignity of someone wise on a whim. >:(》
“…Do you truly believe that?”
Silpren’s breathing quickened slightly.
“Is it truly possible for Brightfeather to soar through the sky now?”
“Of course.”
Brightfeather’s dream is to explore alongside his companions.
Even while maintaining a peaceful life, he never failed to keep up with exploration newsletters, yearning for them so intensely.
But because of Strangeness Phobia—born from his childhood experience as a slave—he could not fly freely and remained locked in the safe cage of peace ever since.
Only gazing enviously at the glamorous exploration reports of other adventurers visible in the outside world.
“Brightfeather, why do you love such brilliant adornments?”
Join, asked so suddenly, flinched and glanced down briefly at his own body.
His small frame draped in colorful ornaments.
“I want to become brilliant. I want to become magnificent in a way different from my usual self.”
An answer brimming with unwavering resolve.
When his longing is mentioned, he doesn’t tremble or trail off.
“A fine dream indeed.”
I took the Circle of Liberation, now complete in Bartimir’s hands, and held it out to Brightfeather.
“Now is the time for you to become more brilliant than anyone.”
…….
Brightfeather took the fragment without hesitation.
“Strike the point that fragment indicates precisely, and the effect of the Mysterious Formation that distorts space in the Wasteland will be nullified. Normally, you would need to undergo additional steps to create stairs ascending to the sky, but….”
Crash!
Before I could finish my sentence, a thunderous boom echoed from somewhere ahead.
Hard on its heels came a weighty presence that pressed down on my shoulders despite the distance.
“Entrance complete!”
“We’ve arrived!”
Voices that barely scraped the surface of intelligence.
A different horde of Giants entered the hunting grounds—not the ones we’d left behind earlier.
“Karigirastu, find the prey! Start with the secret location!”
—Kuoh!
The massive hunting hound howled at its master’s command.
Thud-thud-thud—the sound of heavy, galloping strides filled the air.
I shrugged at Brightfeather, whose pupils trembled again.
“…We’re running out of time like this.”
The Giants knew how to enter the secret location.
They would naturally be versed in the rules of the hunting grounds if they intended to use it.
“The physical abilities of Giants really are impressive!”
Lepicul smiled with his arms crossed.
“They’re heading this way. Kar, what would be best?”
He was asking for my opinion, but in truth, he had likely already decided on a course of action.
My task wasn’t something as simple as following orders—it was the grueling challenge of divining my lord’s true intentions.
“Please buy us some time.”
“Hmm.”
The fake Celestial squinted one eye.
Was that wrong?
Fortunately, I had experience with whims more capricious than even that lofty demon executive Choi, so I’d honed the ability to naturally continue speaking in these moments.
“…An exploration leader of lower caliber would have certainly given that kind of order. But I, despite appearances, am one of Pletika’s rising stars in exploration these days.”
I winked brightly and immediately devised new instructions.
“Lepicul, against the Giants….”
“Against?”
“Fight them head-on and buy us time.”
“Haha!”
A laugh as splendid as a lion’s roar burst forth.
Phew—that was the right answer.
“Off I go!”
The fake Celestial laughed heartily and immediately took to the air, flying toward the direction of the hound’s cries.
But no matter how much a lord of the newborn Demon Realm, his Spirit Rank had been lowered to Level 2—he couldn’t handle them alone.
“Bartimir, go help him. The Giants are all Level 6, and their leader is as strong as a powerful magical beast, so absolutely don’t engage them head-on.”
“Got it! Alright!”
Bartimir, who had been waiting for this very order, swiftly flew after Lepicul.
Next, I made a request of Silpren as well.
“Distract the Giants once more with Bingbing. Draw their attention.”
“…Understood.”
Silpren, mounted on Bingbing, stared at Brightfeather with a furrowed brow.
Join, who received that gaze, fumbled before clenching both fists tight.
A spirited pose, the fear-dispelling effect of Freedom and Resistance in full effect.
“D-d-d-don’t w-worry, Silpren! I-I can d-do this…!”
But unresolved anxiety still caused her speech to stutter and stretch erratically.
As a result, Silpren hesitated and couldn’t immediately take flight.
“…Brightfeather.”
“Y-yeah….”
“Don’t push yourself too hard. It’s fine if you fail.”
The Half-Elf who spoke in a soft voice put on his goggles.
“No bird born with wings flies well from the start. Every bird needs practice before its first flight succeeds.”
“…….”
Brightfeather hesitated for a moment, fingers twitching, before speaking.
“B-but there are magical beasts among bird-type creatures that can fly right after birth….”
“…Is that so.”
Silpren let out a hollow laugh and needlessly readjusted his goggles.
“Stop confining yourself in a cage. You have the right to soar through that sky.”
“But I’ve always been flying through the sky…?”
“…….”
Silpren, who had clearly meant to leave an inspiring parody of his words before rushing into battle, awkwardly smoothed down his hair.
He seemed to have no gift for encouragement.
Perhaps this was the moment for me to step in—someone who lacked empathy but gave solid advice.
“What you meant to say, Silpren, was ‘I’ll be waiting for you, so pierce that sky magnificently.'”
“Oh! That’s right! I’ll do my very best!”
Brightfeather, whose shoulders had been hunched, finally broke into a broad grin.
Silpren gazed blankly at that radiant smile for a moment, then turned to me.
“So… what Brightfeather needed wasn’t some pointless aphorism, but encouragement to push forward. I’ve watched him for years, yet I still don’t truly understand him.”
“Don’t blame yourself. Wise sayings have their place with certain people. Those like the Holy Saint Seraphina, for instance.”
“The Holy Saint Seraphina? That’s setting the bar impossibly high… In any case, thank you.”
The fire elf bowed to me and patted Bingbing’s head.
“Please, guide Brightfeather safely through this first flight—”
Whoooosh!
Bingbing cut off his master’s words, impatient from waiting, and shot straight up into the air.
Silpren truly seemed fated to have no acquaintance with gravity.
“There are so many winged creatures—!”
“Hehehehe! Time to hunt!”
The voices of the giants had drawn alarmingly close.
My companions were holding back their advance, but they wouldn’t be able to hold the line much longer.
“We have no time. Let’s ascend.”
“Yes!”
Without hesitation, I soared skyward.
The cloudless blue sky, so different from how it appeared from the ground, rippled above us as though sternly rebuking our presence.
“Confirm the position, please.”
Brightfeather brought the Circle of Liberation up to one eye and spoke a moment later.
“I’ve got it! But the distance is so great that I don’t think my power alone will be quite enough….”
“Indeed? I had anticipated as much.”
“Really?”
“No.”
How could I possibly know Brightfeather’s maximum range?
I’m no Ridni from his glory days, having conquered infinite truth.
Of course, I had prepared contingencies for just such a situation.
“Look over there for a moment, would you?”
Following the direction of my finger, Brightfeather’s eyes widened.
“Press them harder, giants! Drive forward!”
Shriek!
Lepicul was drawing out a crimson aura from one of the giants, a creature wielding a staff longer than most adult orcs—channeling it remotely.
Rank 10 Sin: Wrath.
“Did you see that?”
“…Yes.”
“What do you think?”
“That red light is beautiful….”
“Then imitate it. Mimic me.”
I extended my hand, let him grasp my wrist, and closed my eyes.
In that moment, I recalled a particular day.
An evening when graupel fell.
I returned from school to find my younger brother missing.
After searching frantically, I received information from another child at the orphanage and climbed to the Orphanage Backside Mountain.
And there.
Yunji, discovered buried, cold and pitiful.
I found the perpetrator, left him unable to move a muscle, and when I interrogated him, he admitted with hollow indifference to his crime.
—Yeah. I buried him.
Every time I recalled it, every time I thought of it, heat would rise to the crown of my head, and I’d want to tear open that gaping mouth again—that shameless, casual expression that made my fury surge without end.
Shriek!
When I opened my eyes, crimson aura was pouring from my body like a river in flood.
Through his Mimic Parrot trait, Brightfeather was reproducing Sin: Wrath.
“Ah… ah….”
A small gasp escaped him.
Heavy tears had begun to form in Brightfeather’s eyes.
“It’s hot, but it’s so sad. It’s fierce, but it’s so heartbreaking….”
“…….”
“Kar, I… I’m really okay, aren’t I?”
I shook my head.
Of course I wasn’t okay.
But I had to pretend I was.
Otherwise, the flooding tide of memories and emotions from the past would sweep me away.
“Imagining revenge on the object of my anger makes it bearable. Don’t you sometimes wish you could pierce with arrows those wretches who tormented you?”
“…What about Kar?”
“Still. You must never let anger consume you.”
I slowly pointed toward the blue sky.
“Swallow your anger instead. Make it the driving force to move forward without hesitation.”
“…Yes.”
Brightfeather twisted the shimmering form of ‘wrath’ and crafted a long weapon in her hand.
A cold arrow with blood dripping from it.
“Now it will have sufficient power.”
“…Yes, it does.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Brightfeather wiped her tears away with her sleeve and drew back the bowstring holding the arrow of wrath in one long, smooth motion.
No lengthy preparation was needed.
Not for an archer blessed with natural talent like Brightfeather.
Whoosh!
The arrow of wrath was loosed.
A Powerful Shot that traced a blood-red arc through the empty air.
There was no reason whatsoever to worry whether it would succeed.
“Done…!”
Brightfeather, who felt ‘unease’ in unfamiliar situations, was certain of success.
Before long, the arrow reached a single point in the sky.
Crash—!
The heavens split cleanly asunder.
“Well done.”
I extended my palm.
Brightfeather promptly met it with her own.
“Keep it up like this. As a member of the Moon Expedition Party.”
“Yes, I’ll give it my best!”
Brightfeather.
Sharing long-held emotions of the heart, joining the Moon Expedition Party.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————