Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 21

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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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Chapter 21 – E-Grade Labyrinth: Tomb of the Earth Elf (2)
Marlin gripped her stiffened tail in one hand.
‘I want to leave.’
To be honest, she was frightened.
At first, she’d been terrified of the deranged cultists who crawled on all fours out of the darkness without warning.
Especially with that spine-chilling laughter and the bizarre insectoid movements so alien to human form, she’d nearly bolted from the Labyrinth more times than she could count.
Scratch-scratch-scratch.
“Ah, here we go again.”
But now, having acclimated somewhat to the Labyrinth, the source of her fear had shifted.
“Seniors, I’ve prepared my humble body as a housewarming gift, so please feel free to feast on it.”
— Kyaaaah!
The swarm of deranged elf cultists lunged forward and began tearing into Kar’s body ravenously.
Shoulder, wrist, both calves.
Even as they bit down on four different spots simultaneously, Marlin’s patron simply smiled contentedly.
“Is it truly so delicious? Perhaps you ought to slow down, or you’ll give yourself indigestion.”
Before the words had even finished leaving his lips, the cultists convulsed violently and collapsed to the ground.
Writhe-writhe.
The sight of them thrashing about with eyes rolled back, limbs flailing in seizure, was quite grotesque—but Marlin felt nothing anymore.
“Perfect timing. Marlin, we’ll handle two at a time.”
Kar downed a Stamina Potion, then drove the Spider Silk Poison straight into the brows of the elves without a flicker of concern.
“…Yes.”
Marlin obediently cut short the monsters’ lives with her Short Dagger, all the while watching her patron’s expression cautiously.
His slightly drowsy eyes and the mouth that always seemed to curve upward with some twisted amusement had not changed one bit from usual.
Looking closely, his complexion even seemed to carry a faint flush, as if he were in better spirits than normal.
How was it possible that someone saturated in poison from head to toe and absorbing the cultists’ attacks could appear like that?
‘Could he have already gone mad…?’
As Marlin backed away from her patron while turning over plausible reasons, she quickly shook her head.
Kar was not insane.
True, he worshipped not one but two Evil Gods, regularly made callous jokes with a blank expression, conducted Human Sacrifices with an almost eager smile, and seemed to derive genuine pleasure from terrible suffering—but…!
His rationality certainly hadn’t collapsed entirely.
One only had to compare him to the deranged cultists that spawned in this very Labyrinth to see the difference.
— Kyaaaack!
Another mad cultist emerged from the darkness, drool streaming down its face as it approached on all fours.
Look at that—clearly, absolutely out of its mind.
‘That’s true insanity!’
Even without presenting as a Monster, communication would’ve been impossible with that thing.
By contrast, Kar conversed perfectly fine and could engage in genuine emotional exchange.
There was no reason to be afraid.
Crunch-crunch.
“Haha, Senior. Perhaps a gentler bite? That’s my precious thigh.”
“…….”
Marlin severed an elf monster’s neck with her Short Dagger and wrapped her tail around her own wrist.
Now that she thought about it, his not being mad was the strange part.
Which meant he was doing all this while sane?
‘…That’s even more frightening!’
While Marlin absently stroked her tail, Kar straightened up after dispatching all the remaining monsters.
“Let’s move on, Marlin.”
“Y-yes…!”
The two resumed their advance.
Beyond the candle’s light, nothing was visible, yet Kar navigated with perfect understanding of the layout, his steps betraying not a moment’s hesitation.
“Marlin.”
After traveling in silence for some time, Kar spoke up suddenly.
“Why so quiet? Are you frightened?”
“At first I was, but now it’s manageable enough.”
“If you think you can’t endure it, just say so. I’ll wrap up the exploration immediately.”
“…Without finding the Hidden Piece?”
“Shame or not, I can’t keep searching if you’re scared.”
“…….”
Marlin toyed with the Hat that Kar had bought her before entering the Labyrinth, then spoke with determination.
“I’m not frightened, so we can keep exploring!”
Sane or insane—it doesn’t matter.
Kar treasures both Abel and me with genuine care, treating us with consideration in a way none of the other adults I’ve known have done.
For now, that was enough.
***
The expedition was proceeding smoothly.
— Screeeech!
As we descended past Basement Level 1 into Level 2, the welcome ceremony from the senior Cultists greeting the junior proved far more violent.
Crunch-crunch.
Tearing through flesh with teeth, then crushing the windpipes of those seniors who’d gone into convulsions from the poison—the cycle repeated itself relentlessly.
Having optimized the hunting method through trial and error, nothing unusual occurred.
‘It’s almost time.’
Levels could be raised through repeated combat, labor, or ritual.
I had conducted three human sacrifices, and Marlin had accumulated experience through solitary battles in the Fire Ant Nest, so both of us were on the verge of leveling up.
“I’m getting more comfortable with this. I was a bit disoriented at first.”
Marlin, whose expression had been rigid throughout, flicked the blood from her Short Dagger with ease now that she’d fully adjusted.
“I’m glad. At first you were trembling with fear, which worried me.”
“When did I ever tremble?”
Marlin drove her small fist into my ribs, then suddenly perked up her ears and crouched low.
— Screeeech!
— Hehehehe!
Two earth-elf Cultists emerged from the darkness without warning.
“Ugh, these tiresome things!”
Using the same method as before, I poisoned them, handed one to Marlin, and dispatched the other two myself.
‘…It came.’
The moment I drove the venom into the brow of the senior stuffed into the Labyrinth, my whole body surged with overwhelming euphoria.
A sensation that burned through flesh and spirit alike, igniting everything in searing heat.
《Congratulations! Your Soul Rank has risen one step!》
I had leveled up.
“Kar, I think my level just went up…!”
“Mine too.”
I extended my palm forward, and Marlin giggled as she high-fived me.
“Wait. When you level up, different stats increase depending on what kind of experience you gained, right?”
“Exactly. All that teaching has paid off.”
“Hehe!”
On level-up, a total of 3 stats increased.
The distribution was automatic, varying based on how the experience points had been accumulated.
I touched my right eye and whispered.
“Report which stats increased. Mine and Marlin’s both.”
The Eye of Truth Piercing displayed the text before my eyes without delay.
《Through bold speech and conduct offered as tribute to two Evil Gods, and combat that threw your entire body into the fray, your Faith, Charm, and Vitality each increased by 1.》
《Through repeated combat employing the Short Dagger and throwing techniques, Marlin’s Strength increased by 1 and her Agility by 2.》
Thanks to the careful guidance I’d provided, both of us achieved ideal growth.
Marlin had gained unnecessary raw strength, but since she was a minor character by nature anyway and her most important stat—Agility—had risen, it was a respectable result.
“And when your Soul Rank increases, the potency of Mysteries rises gradually as well. The Rank itself doesn’t change, but a Mystery cast by a higher-level user gains greater efficiency and power.”
“I see…”
Once a level reached 8 or higher, even Fireball, a Rank 1 flame-type Mystery notorious for its lackluster power at base level, could deliver hellfire-grade firepower.
“Then could we beat the Concealed Ghoul now?”
“No. You still can’t win, so keep working.”
“Couldn’t you just humor me and say something encouraging?”
“Of course you can win. Fighting with one hand alone, you’ll be able to shred the ghouls’ bodies without effort!”
“That’s laying it on way too thick.”
“You really are a fussy child.”
I began descending the staircase with my grumbling assistant.
“This is Basement Level 3 now. Unlike before, Level 2 monsters appear here too, so don’t let your guard down.”
“But shouldn’t we rest soon, Kar?”
“Yes, we should.”
Thanks to the Barrier of Deferred Wounds working overtime, the dull throb in my head had escalated into stabbing pain, as if spikes were being driven in.
But if I had no means to recover Mental Power, I never would have planned this hunting method in the first place.
“See that passage near the base of the stairs?”
“Yes. It looks like the entrance to a doorless chamber…”
“The Rest Area. Let’s stop there and catch our breath for a moment.”
Though it wasn’t a truly safe zone—this was the Labyrinth, after all—it was at least a space where we could rest comfortably.
“We can trigger a Hidden Piece there too. Though this won’t be our first discovery of it.”
“I’m sorry? I thought your Evil God was supposed to reveal information unknown to the world?”
“That’s true, but this Labyrinth is quite popular, isn’t it? The Harmony Cult has already conducted analyses hundreds of times over, exposing every last secret.”
Which meant there were no longer any true “Hidden Pieces” left to find.
“So we can’t sell the information this time?”
“Marlin, if you start obsessing over money at such a young age, you’ll end up as a stingy miser, getting pointed at and mocked by everyone.”
……
I calmed the fierce girl, who’d been about to scratch me with her nails, and stepped into the doorless chamber shrouded in darkness.
“But this isn’t the sort of Labyrinth where a Hidden Piece loses its value just because it’s become widely known.”
Using a match from the Candle Set, I lit a torch hanging near the entrance, and the darkness receded, revealing the chamber’s structure in full detail.
A spacious room with walls gleaming gold, covered entirely in ornate geometric patterns.
Piled high in the center were heaps of Gemstones and Gold Coins of every variety.
“Wow!”
The money-obsessed youth, Marlin, eyes wide, began rushing toward it, so I quickly grabbed her arm.
“Wait. You can’t just approach it carelessly.”
The third fundamental rule every explorer must learn.
Nothing in a Labyrinth is placed without reason.
“What happens if we approach recklessly?”
“See for yourself.”
I pulled out a Spider Silk Poison from my pocket and tossed it casually onto the floor.
Clang!
Suddenly the floor opened, creating a chasm between the entrance and the pile of Gemstones and Gold Coins.
“This is what happens.”
……
Marlin, peering down into the gaping hole with just her head over the edge, furrowed her brow.
“I thought you said there weren’t complicated traps?”
“It reacts when you approach. How straightforward is that?”
“…I suppose you’re right.”
“Wait here. The real thing is over there.”
I led my disappointed assistant toward the wall carved with various intricate patterns.
“Look for a circle with numbers in it.”
“Let me see…”
Marlin, who possessed sharp sensory Stats, soon pointed to a particular pattern at her eye level.
It was a circle with the numbers zero through nine arranged along its circumference.
“Here it is. Is this the right one?”
“That’s it. Good job.”
I patted her shoulder and immediately reached out my hand.
2 – 8 – 0 – 3 – 8 – 2.
Touching the numbers in this exact sequence would unlock the Hidden element.
Normally one would have to wander through all of Basement Level 3, finding each password digit one by one, but someone who’d already poured an exorbitant amount of time into the game could enjoy the privilege of skipping such tedious procedures altogether.
Click.
The center of the golden wall opened, revealing the hidden chamber within.
On the left side lay Stone Tablets lined up along the floor, each carved with different designs, and on the right stood an elf with a haggard expression.
The elf, who’d been examining Parchment spread across a desk, turned his head toward us.
“More visitors, then…”
《Specter of the Labyrinth, Ermentaz (Earth Elf, 235 years old). A ghost from the past, trapped within the Labyrinth. Believed to have some connection to this ruin, though his true nature cannot be verified, as he is no longer human.》
The Specter of the Labyrinth.
Unlike the Earth Elf Cultists who’d devolved into Monsters, he was treated as a sort of NPC—a being worthy of respect.
If we offended this elf, we couldn’t use the Hidden element.
“What brings you to this abandoned Temple of the Earth?”
I took hold of Marlin’s head, bowed respectfully alongside her, and spoke with careful courtesy.
“Greetings. We’ve come hoping to take every valuable item in this temple. Would you be willing to help us?”

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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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