Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 37

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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 37: Wholesome and Steadfast Tastes
A Class C Labyrinth is meant for intermediate explorers.
It’s a difficulty level recommended for those with some experience accumulated.
If a novice enters, within hours their entire body will be shredded by monsters, or they’ll wander the Labyrinth half-dead for eternity.
According to the Labyrinth Management Division, the royal authority tasked with assessing such things, the appropriate Level is 5 or 6—the rank of a Silver Badge Explorer.
That’s the minimum needed for stable exploration.
“We’ll need to enter a Class C Labyrinth. What’s your current Level, if you don’t mind my asking?”
I asked while sipping at a sickeningly sweet coffee I’d ordered with an extra twenty spoonfuls of sugar.
“It’s a bit embarrassing to say…”
Pendrick, who had been nibbling at a biscuit, furrowed his brow slightly.
“I’m still Level 1. As I mentioned before, I’ve had almost no opportunity to enter a Labyrinth. Since my guild had so many aspiring explorers like me, I had to wait at least a month just to get my turn.”
This wasn’t a problem stemming from any particular corruption on the guild master’s part.
Pletica was a city to which would-be explorers flocked from across the continent.
What they called the Pletica Dream.
With thousands of Labyrinths lurking about, and a life of poverty turned upside-down becoming possible with sufficient effort and a bit of luck, the immigrant population grew steadily year after year.
‘The Player, according to the setting, hadn’t been here very long either.’
Given the city’s circumstances, there were plenty of explorers like Pendrick who hadn’t even gotten the chance to enter a Labyrinth.
“Are you really sure it’s all right for someone like me to join you in the Labyrinth?”
“Of course.”
I answered without hesitation.
Pendrick was different from the typical and ordinary exploration hopefuls.
Potential. Traits. Unique mysteries. Artifacts in his possession.
And even looks and personality—things not strictly necessary for exploration.
Having it all earned him a nickname.
‘The foster son of creator Kato Roger.’
Still, with so much talent overflowing, I didn’t want to simply let him grow and neglect proper training, even if he’d thrive on his own.
From the seedling explorer stage, I intended to nurture him deliberately.
“There’s no need to be anxious.”
I had facts solid enough to lift Pendrick’s flagging self-esteem.
“I myself am only Level 2. Among our expedition party, the only one truly suited for Class C Labyrinth exploration is Rosalia at Level 5.”
— What? Really?
Pendrick’s mouth fell open, but the one more surprised was his girlfriend.
— Because of the way you speak and carry yourself—never seeming afraid of Labyrinth exploration—I assumed you were at least Level 7. Are you not afraid of failure, Kar?
“Failure isn’t welcome to me either.”
A person who shows no tension before an important moment isn’t optimistic—they’ve suffered a serious head injury.
I wasn’t oblivious to the possibility that things could go wrong.
I simply had eyes fixed on something greater, and could boldly ignore the painful middle steps.
“I love the fervent feeling you can only get when pushing forward until the end to satisfy a Labyrinth’s clear conditions. I adore that pleasant sensation when you finally overcome adversity and crisis.”
The exhilaration born from hardship.
That heat was why I played the game called Nightmare Dungeon, and why the profession of explorer appealed to me.
Perhaps my sincere words had moved her somehow.
Astrimia, who had fallen quiet for a moment, soon murmured.
— So you’re saying you have a warped taste for enjoying pain?
“Not at all.”
A misunderstanding had arisen, so I hurried to clarify.
“I simply welcome the hardships that come along in the process of charging toward a goal. Pain itself—I dislike it ordinarily.”
— …Either way, that’s not exactly normal, is it?
It seemed she genuinely didn’t understand my true heart.
What would someone without a pulse know about the tension and thrill that can only be felt when one’s life is threatened?
— But is the City of Delights really Class C? Honestly, it’s hard to take at face value. If you’ll forgive me saying so, Ridni is a weak deity.
“I’m not as certain as you are, but I do find it a bit odd too.”
As expected, the wise woman’s knowledge fell somewhat short of being the sole source of all information I possessed.
Still, I had more than one excuse in my arsenal.
“There is naturally evidence for it.”
I gestured with my thumb toward Rosalia, whom I’d shifted closer to myself to dodge the black-haired beauty lover.
“Did I not already tell you she is the deep shadow of the youngest young master of the Brithes Family?”
“Ah, the Brithes…!”
Universal excuse source number two.
The Brithes.
The name of the Family, which had risen to become a force controlling Pletica’s fourth district through information sales alone, carried inherent weight and credibility all by itself.
“Then I can trust you!”
– Wait, hold on! So the real question isn’t whether the City of Delights is actually Class C or not—it’s whether that elf actually belongs to the Brithes Family, and we just let it slide?
I didn’t miss that.
What a suspicious lot.
“Your intellect shines as brilliantly as your appearance. You’re quite right. In truth, I possess no evidence capable of completely convincing you.”
– Is that so?
“But does that matter much?”
I dunked a biscuit into my coffee and continued speaking.
“You intend to follow me into the Labyrinth regardless, don’t you?”
– Well, that’s true, but…
“Then simply assume you’re being deceived. Even if I treacherously strike you down, won’t you be prepared to respond in time? And besides, I’m merely a frail Social Class—I’m hardly a difficult opponent to handle.”
Pendrick broke into a radiant smile at my flawless logic.
“Oh, that’s absolutely true!”
– How is that true?! You absolute fool, you fool, you complete fool!
The Ego Sword, thrashing about wildly in Pendrick’s embrace, didn’t calm down until I’d drained half my fresh cup of coffee, at which point he released a mental sigh.
– …Understood. So you’re asking me to assume you’ll betray us at the critical moment?
“Yes, being the wretched Social Class that I am, it should be quite easy to empathize with such a thing.”
– That actually makes me even more nervous, honestly…
Having successfully convinced Astrimia, I resumed where I’d left off.
“Currently, only Rosalia at Level 5 is suited for clearing a Class C Labyrinth to obtain the cursed ring.”
Ordinarily, attempting a Class C with such a composition would end in total annihilation or at best Rosalia’s survival alone—but as always, exceptions existed in this world.
“However, while the City of Delights’s proper rank is indeed Class C, the actual difficulty feel is approximately Class D level.”
“Really? Why is that?”
“Because the risk diminishes dramatically with sufficient preparation. It’s hardly comparable to the upper-tier Class C Labyrinths.”
Still, it would be somewhat taxing even for a Level 2 Explorer—though entirely manageable nonetheless.
I’d cleared this Labyrinth countless times already, having stopped by repeatedly to complete my Immortal Build even without Astrimia’s aid.
“I plan to obtain special attire from within it, and if everything proceeds as planned, the clear should be safe.”
“And if, by some chance, things don’t go according to plan?”
At Pendrick’s sharp question, I observed a moment of silence.
Was there any need to voice the answer aloud?
“Ah, so this is a clear where we must risk death? That’s rather thrilling.”
Pendrick indeed.
His mind bore the bearing of a true swordsman—one without the slightest shelter for doubt or fear.
I nodded with satisfaction, threw back the rest of my coffee, and rose from my seat.
“Then let’s depart. We must gather supplies.”
Thus began our delightful expedition shopping hour.
***
We arrived at an explorer supply shop on the Vibrant Promenade.
Unlike the stores in the Social Class Town of District 6, prices here were set higher, though the average quality was superior.
“Rosalia.”
I called to the elf who had been browsing the “Alchemical Flowers and Mushrooms” section.
“I plan to invest heavily for a stable expedition, so lend me some money. Isn’t this precisely what your young master gives you spending allowance for?”
…
The red-haired assassin slowly produced a money pouch from the shadows.
She shook her head firmly while looking at me.
“Don’t spend too much, right? Understood. I, a half-elf of considerable prudence and rational consumption, shall be careful indeed.”
Without hesitation, I withdrew three hundred gold from the pouch.
Rosalia watched this with an expression of dismay, her whole frame trembling slightly as her brows furrowed sharply.
“So what you’re saying is: whenever I try to spend, you always stop me, yet why does this golden-haired mongrel here hoard coins so freely?”
How could I explain this to an elf so lacking in financial sense?
I pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized there was no need for such complicated persuasion.
“…Sister.”
Time to deploy the trump card that always works without fail.
“You wish to taste a variety of things you’ve never encountered before, yet your young master and your butler forbid it, so you’re restraining yourself—isn’t that right?”
“…!”
Rosalia stared at me with eyes wider than I’d ever seen them before.
“While you’re with me, you needn’t suppress such desires.”
Is this how the demon race seduced other species in their golden age?
I moved close to the frozen elf and whispered softly into her ear.
“As your expedition leader, I say this: purchase whatever your heart desires. I shall keep it a secret from your young master and butler forever.”
“……”
Then I turned to face the couple who’d been staring at us blankly this whole time.
“Pendrick and Astrimia, I’d appreciate it if you’d keep this confidential as well.”
“I don’t know what it is, but my lips are sealed!”
– I don’t have a mouth to begin with!
Once I’d secured the same promise of secrecy from both lovers, the taciturn assassin’s eyes held something warmer than before—a flicker of goodwill.
Tap-tap.
Rosalia patted my forearm briskly, then made her way toward the corner she’d been eyeing, her movements reverent and deliberate.
[Various toxins and poisonous substances]
A display case lined with small vials, each holding poisons intended for coating weapons or feeding to monsters.
The red-haired elf began examining every variety of poison with meticulous care.
To the uninitiated, every gesture would have looked sinister, but now that we’d grown closer, I could see the truth beneath it.
“You seem delighted.”
“Do I? I look the same as always to you, don’t I?”
“If you look closely, the tips of your ears are trembling ever so slightly.”
Pendrick, watching the assassin’s back, let out a soft laugh.
“You’re right. So you enjoy collecting poisons?”
“It’s similar, but not quite.”
She did collect all manner of poisons—
Inside her body.
“What you enjoy is consuming them.”
Rosalia was addicted to poison.
– Wait, do you possess some sort of toxin immunity skill?
A thousand years old, the Ego Sword found the taste rare enough to lace genuine bewilderment into her voice.
“Rosalia’s Fresh Companion, the Red Death Rose, absorbs the poison for her. But in that process, the toxin torments her body for a few minutes—and that’s what she savors.”
Since she could weaponize the ingested poison in combat, it wasn’t purely for pleasure; there was some practical value to it.
Though her personal motivation was entirely rooted in taste.
– Still, the danger must remain…
“Of course. If one truly means to enjoy poison, it can’t be safe, can it? I had a similar habit in my homeland—when eating fish notorious for their deadly toxins, I’d deliberately keep reminding myself that the poison might not have been completely removed.”
– Why would you…?
“Because then you’d simply eat a normal meal, yet reap the free reward of joy that you survived without dying.”
– ……
Astrimia fell silent, then leaned over to whisper something to Pendrick alone.
– Neither of them is in their right mind…
“In Pletica, we respect people’s quirks, Astrimia.”
Honestly, from where I stand, a man courting an Ego Sword seems far stranger.
Shields I could understand, but swords are far too sharp.
I shook my head gently and surveyed my companions.
“……”
The elf, ears perked, selecting poisons to sample.
“Let’s do our best anyway.”
– Yeah, we should…
The swordsman-and-Ego-Sword couple, murmuring quietly.
‘Yes, this is an expedition team.’
What a formidable roster it was.

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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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