Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 32

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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 32: D-Rank Dungeon – Blood Feast Hall (2)
To reach the place where the young Gem Artisan’s body lay, I needed time to restore both body and spirit.
“This way.”
At the foot of a steep mountain trail.
My breath caught for a moment at the sight of an endless cascade of stairs stretching as though they led all the way to heaven itself.
As this was beast-kin territory—a people inherently drawn to physical exertion, natural athletes by birth—there naturally existed no convenient means of ascending the mountain swiftly or easily.
“…Let’s go.”
It had been a very long time since I’d climbed a mountain.
After stretching briefly in place, I began ascending the stairs.
I could see that Rosalia, who was following me up the mountain without resistance, still bore lingering questions in her expression.
“You’re wondering why a dead explorer ventured into this dungeon with so many mountains, aren’t you? The area’s vast enough that there are many herbs, minerals, and beasts that explorers covet.”
Most of the exploration parties I’d seen upon entry were teams centered around artisans or hunters.
“The Gem Artisan Guild isn’t just any guild, is it? There’s a Mining Area deep in the mountains of the Blood Feast Hall, and if you go there, you’ll find precious minerals and gems in great abundance. There’s no safety in lingering too long—you could die—but with good fortune, you might become wealthy.”
The young Gem Artisan who’d perished must have met disaster chasing quick riches.
Given the dungeon’s nature, it wasn’t the work of other explorers; it was far more likely the Mining Area’s inherent mechanism.
‘Still, it’s a place where ignorance is your only downfall.’
A so-called “if you don’t know, you suffer” trap.
On the first attempt, there’s no choice but to stumble in blindly, but from the second exploration onward, you can disarm it with sufficient caution.
Yet this wasn’t a place where second chances could be pursued, was it?
Due to Zone 3’s irresponsible policy of refusing to support explorations, lives were needlessly withering away.
Tap, tap.
As I gasped for breath and struggled to lift my legs one at a time, Rosalia patted my waist and offered her back.
“…Thank you.”
She’d been so reluctant back in the Tomb of Earth Elves, yet now she was doing this entirely of her own accord.
I, having long ago sold my shame in a secondhand transaction, accepted without hesitation.
Rosalia, bearing the weight of a sluggish half-elf shackle that kept slowing the pace of our ascent, bounded up the stairs with effortless grace.
“Until I’ve completely grown, please carry me on your back like this often. Thank you.”
My current ‘Stamina’ stat still had much room for improvement.
It remained at an unsatisfactory level, which meant further development was necessary.
……
Rosalia, still carrying me as she ran swiftly forward, turned her head back and cast a gaze that was far from ordinary.
…It must have been a firm declaration of resolve to raise a poor older sister figure diligently.
I clenched my fist in affirmation of that unconditional, beautiful trust, then pointed toward the middle section of the staircase.
“We’re almost there. See those trees over there standing out with their pointed tips? Keep running in that direction.”
As the dwarf client had earnestly instructed, if I didn’t recover the body quickly, it would deteriorate.
Therefore, I needed to press forward with maximum speed.
“Please run a bit faster.”
At my words, Rosalia increased her pace.
Though her eyes occasionally flickered with silent complaint, she didn’t refuse the request.
It was behavior reflecting the trait Quick Judgment—she would follow any instruction deemed reasonable first and deliberate later.
“There it is!”
Thanks to the tireless effort of my assassin companion, we arrived at our destination in time.
The Mining Area’s entrance—a massive cavern—lay partway up the mountain.
Setting foot on the ground, I withdrew the Candle Set I’d prepared beforehand from my Leather Bag and handed it to Rosalia.
“Light the way for me.”
I couldn’t very well do what I’d done with Marlin—attach it to the top of my head.
If I did, she might carve out a neat groove in part of my scalp to use as a candle holder.
Crackle.
With the help of flickering candlelight driving back the darkness, we ventured deeper into the cavern.
“Nothing today.”
“Let’s rest a bit and head back.”
We encountered an exploration party who’d entered before us and were now exiting.
“Oh, hello there?”
“…Hello to you.”
The dwarf who appeared to be the party leader—a Blacksmith-class combatant—met my gaze and answered carefully.
Why was he fingering his hammer haft with such a meaningful expression?
I’d only greeted him in a friendly manner.
“Have you by any chance seen an explorer who looks like this deeper inside? A Gem Artisan class who came in with a Temporary Exploration Party, they say.”
As I produced the photograph, the dwarf party leader approached with cautious steps to examine it.
“Hmm, just asking to be safe—did you kill someone and now you’re searching for their whereabouts?”
“Good heavens. That can’t possibly be true, can it? You say the most terrifying things.”
“…You’re a priest of the Dark Arts, aren’t you?”
How did he know?
Now that I think about it, the Gem Artisan Guild master saw through me just as quickly.
“Yes. But why are you asking?”
“I heard rumors of some crazed Dark Priest or black mage or demon who goes around subtly bragging about whom they’ve killed.”
The dwarf, having just invoked a three-part hate package, continued stroking his hammer haft as he spoke.
“In any case, there was no one else in the Mining Area.”
“Ah, that person has already passed away.”
……
“A misunderstanding. I’m merely a righteous Dark Priest here to recover the corpse.”
“…Though I did spot some things I hadn’t seen before tucked away in the corners.”
After getting precise directions from the dwarf explorer, we parted ways again.
From behind, I heard several members of the exploration party exhale in relief.
“Why do you think everyone was so tense?”
……
Rosalia drew a V with her fingers and covered both her eyes.
We’ve been communicating through a “let your body do the talking” guessing game for a while now, and it’s surprisingly fun, so I’ve been playing along earnestly.
This clue seems a bit difficult though?
“If you spout any more nonsense, I’ll gouge out your eyes?”
She shakes her head—wrong answer.
“What is it then?”
As I continue offering guesses while we venture deeper into the cave, a vast expanse opens before us—roughly the size of three university campuses merged together.
A cavern scattered with minerals of five brilliant hues in all directions.
Most of them are gems.
If I mined them all, I could spend the rest of my life displaying the wealth of someone who wanted for nothing. But as always, the dungeon was never inclined to favor explorers.
《Once the primary income source for uncivilized beastfolk, this Mining Area is now thick with gems scattered everywhere. Yet those who remain too long find their bodies transforming into mineral. Even the beastfolk were cautious, sending only the swift and the strong—but these foolish explorers grow greedy and meet disaster by the dozens. Idiots!》
The dungeon seduces explorers with lavish rewards but punishes greed with an obstinate temperament.
With no authority to lodge complaints about such absurdity, one could survive long only by appeasing its temperament.
“Let’s hurry. We have roughly twenty minutes, and even a slight excess triggers Mineralization.”
Crude lanterns hang densely from the ceiling here, so candles aren’t necessary.
Rosalia set the Candle Set on the floor and alternated her gaze between the interior and the entrance of the Mining Area.
“Are you suggesting we leave when time nearly expires and re-enter? The dungeon isn’t so broad-minded as to tolerate such shortcuts from explorers.”
The daily twenty-minute limit doesn’t reset once you leave the Mining Area.
To re-enter, you’d have to exit the entire dungeon and return.
That was why the exploration party we’d encountered earlier had trudged out so listlessly.
Tap-tap!
“Stamping your feet on the floor won’t solve anything. Stop that and let’s hurry back.”
I led the elf, who was venting her frustration by kicking at the ground, to the location the dwarf explorer had mentioned.
The terrain had a shallow, deep indent carved low into the wall. Descending below, I found human-shaped minerals scattered throughout.
“There are more victims than I expected.”
Roughly six of them.
A number that filled the entire exploration party complement.
They must have formed a temporary exploration party for mining, but since none of them had learned the strategy, this was the worst possible disaster.
《Let me say this upfront: mineralized explorers hold little value as offerings in a human sacrifice ritual. I’d be tempted, but I ask that you refrain.》
“I had no intention of making an offering.”
What am I—what does he take me for—that he’d make such a remark to a specialist in dark god worship?
I had zero intention of using these minerals as offerings.
“Which one is he?”
Since they all looked alike on the surface, I appealed to the Eye of Truth, which promptly displayed text.
The corpse I needed to recover lay slumped beside a translucent emerald-green gem, its hand still stretched upward—transformed entirely into iron ore.
《The mineralized remains of the dead explorer Eric (human, age sixteen) you seek. He discovered a beautiful gem and, delighted, was mining it when Mineralization progressed. In his haste to escape, he perished. Note that the iron content is remarkably low, making it little different from ordinary stone.》
As I approached the young Gem Artisan’s corpse, his expression and clothing from life were preserved exactly as they had been.
I supposed that was a small mercy.
Had more time passed, his appearance would have completely transformed into that of ordinary mineral, leaving us unable to give him a proper funeral.
I wrapped the explorer’s eyes—which had never fully closed—in cloth and whispered a small prayer.
“Artein, I hesitate to petition my dark god for this, so I pray to you instead. Please guide this young explorer friend to the sanctuary you protect.”
Now as then.
I despise the reality of children dying away so meaninglessly.
***
When I offered a prayer for the young explorer’s soul to Artein, I received a brief complaint.
《Praying to a hypocrite goddess! The Wise One bristles with indignation!》
Crackle!
“But surely I can’t ask the evil deities, who have nothing but a crumbling hellhole underground to their names, to guide that soul? If he’d been a villain, perhaps—but he was just trying to earn a living. Better to send him to the heavens above, don’t you think?”
Presented with such rational logic, the temperamental divine patrons withdrew without further complaint.
“Still, I trust and rely far more on Lidni and Sue’je than on Artein. You understand well enough without my saying it.”
To avoid any lingering resentment, I provided some soothing aftercare service before finally rising from my seat.
“Rosalia, can a size this large fit into your shadow?”
The walking subspace assassin answered through action rather than words.
The explorer-turned-ore was smoothly tucked away into the shadow.
Indeed, the Shadow Folk is a convenient mystery.
But as her shadow’s capacity seemed to have reached its limit, Rosalia pointed to her own shadow and gave a slight shake of her head.
“Understood. We have nothing more to take anyway, so you should leave now.”
We’d achieved the quest objective, and I was about to head outside to secure the hidden piece when—
《A new fact worthy of your attention has been discovered.》
Suddenly, the Eye of Truth displayed a message.
Even taking its time before doing so.
《Among the explorers, I found one whose internal body hasn’t yet become mineralized. There—that dingy silver orc. It is in a suitable state to be offered as an Offering. I inform you lest you unknowingly pass by.》
What it was saying amounted to an instruction to present the orc as an Offering to Lidni.
First, I examined the orc that my right eye had indicated.
《The corpse of Imir, the red orc who met a dog’s death (Red Orc, age 22). A Berserker willing to do anything for his own growth. He had killed fellow explorers secretly in dungeons several times before. This time too, he schemed to kill all the explorers who entered with him, but being ignorant of the Mining Area’s nature, the fool has been turned to ore.》
‘Hm?’
As I read the message, my face involuntarily twisted.
There was no helping it.
Imir.
A Berserker-class red orc.
A character with a name ending in ‘r’—one that doesn’t appear in the game.
A warrior-class alt character I used to level whenever I grew bored of my standard playthrough.
‘…Why are you here?’
I was taken aback.
Naturally, in a positive sense.

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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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