Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 40

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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 40: Lonely Silence!
I stood near the Temple entrance and swept my gaze across the surroundings.
A magnificent Cobra Statue, boldly erected in the middle of the road, flames dancing at its lips.
Despite the sculpture obstructing passage, the phantom pedestrians of the Labyrinth moved through without hesitation, even pausing to offer prayers.
“Oh? There’s a temple to an evil god here?”
“But what’s the name? I’ve never heard of it before.”
“Me neither.”
I ignored the irreverent chatter among the explorer pedestrians.
Meanwhile, the evil deities seemed to have already grasped my purpose before I could even speak.
《The Wise One has granted that Leria may be served alongside us! I consent as well. :》
Crackle-crackle-crack!
Lidni displayed an uncharacteristic generosity, while the other deity burst into raucous laughter.
With both of them united for once, embracing this new faith with genuine approval, there was no reason to hesitate.
I asked the team to wait a moment, then stepped inside.
“Welcome to this hall of the dying, where lonely silence lurks.”
A cultist in an elegant ceremonial robe, marked by an impressive hooded sun pattern, approached and spoke to me in sepulchral tones.
“You strike me as one who has already knelt before the dark star dwelling beyond that distant night sky, yet now you tread pitifully upon death’s sighs—why?”
They were asking why I’d come here when I already served another god.
I matched the atmosphere with a grim smile and replied.
“I have long heard of Leria’s great renown, and I wish to keep her idol close and receive even a fraction of darkness’s grace.”
“Lonely silence! Even amid splendor, you attend carefully to that single flame. Very well. I shall grant you the blessing of drawing one step nearer to death’s station.”
As I waited in place, the priest brought forth the Cobra Statue, spewing flames with malevolent grace.
The stone carving was so lifelike it seemed ready to move at any moment.
Its craftsmanship far surpassed the standard blind raven idol that all cultists possessed.
《An idol carved with the terror and trembling bestowed by Leria, the Watcher of Lonely Silence. It harbors a hidden function—displaying it to any malevolent deity guarantees laughter. A treasure beyond measure!》
I ignored the subtle condescension from the Eye that Pierces Truth and placed the idol into the subspace contained within Radiant Faith.
I could hardly wait.
The moment I officially became a cultist of Lonely Silence.
‘Finally, I have it.’
The Mystery that Leria granted was the cornerstone of the Immortal Cultist build.
“All solitude has its order.”
As I turned to leave with the idol, the priest grabbed me and launched into a lengthy discourse.
“Though it be but a fragment, to grasp the consecrated bread bearing the embers of the Silent One, you must first witness with ear and eye and mind the most hushed of laws that exist in the world.”
They meant to recite passages from their scriptures.
If I tried to leave, they would only follow and drone on, so I had no choice but to listen.
With an expression of reverence, I waited as the priest began to recount at length the epic of how the evil god Leria had ruthlessly destroyed the righteous deities.
“The first victim was the hypocrite Artein. Protection and wisdom proved to be nothing but a coward’s shield, trembling helplessly before inevitable death. Next came Talendros. Ha! A base miser clinging to mere fortune and wealth was but a lamb submerged in still waters when faced with serene solitude.”
“Truly remarkable.”
“The third to bear the anguish of the abyss was Meterd. The great nature itself was but kindling before the dead. Moreover, Solmiran and Selvaran, raised beneath that being’s care, were reduced to ash and oxidized!”
“Extraordinary indeed.”
The priest’s word choices were already distressingly baroque, and the deep voice made it nearly impossible to understand.
So I merely offered perfunctory nods of agreement to let the time pass.
“Now I shall spread dark words concerning the quiet footsteps the Silent One expects his horsemen to perform.”
This was the section on Religious Practice.
As I began to struggle with concentration, Right Eye kindly displayed an interpretation for me.
《Religious Practice 1 – Blindly incinerate all the living.》
《Religious Practice 2 – Make the world alongside the dead into a quiet land of death.》
《Humor Note: The term ‘Religious Practice’ above may be replaced with ‘Reason the Cult Was Destroyed’ without loss of meaning.》
It was all information I already knew, yet it was expressed with such deliberate obscurity.
It was an illuminating moment that clarified why language should maintain social utility.
“…Thus it concludes. You may withdraw from death’s domain now.”
“Thank you for your wisdom.”
I bowed and exited, only to find Pendrick waving at me—he was wearing a Rabbit Ear Headband.
“Is your business finished?”
“Yes. It was rather overwhelming, but I managed. But what is that?”
“It’s sold in the shop next door. I just thought I’d try it on. Isn’t it cute?”
As I glanced to the side, Rosalia stood staring at the headband on Pendrick’s head, her eyes narrowed to slits.
I understood the meaning immediately and took action without hesitation.
“Two Rabbit Ear Headbands, please.”
It surely meant, ‘Get me one too.’
I bought the same product from a street vendor and put it on my head.
Then I handed the remaining one to the elf, who had been watching me with a sharp gaze.
“Let’s wear them together. We need them for the strategy.”
…….
Rosalia hesitated for a moment before eventually complying with my request.
“A trio of rabbit-eared adventurers. How delightful.”
If I had a camera, I would have wanted to take a commemorative photo.
I smiled with satisfaction and announced our next destination.
“We’re going to the Casino.”
– Just to confirm—are we here to have fun?
“Please don’t suspect me. I, Karl, am surprisingly quick to pout, you see.”
– Then why are we going? Is there a way to break my curse there?
“Not exactly, but we need to go all the same.”
If you’d come to the City of Pleasures, the Casino was a place most did well to visit.
“We’ll shake loose all the prizes we can.”
***
From what I understand, a casino is ultimately structured so that customers always end up losing money.
It was only natural.
Built as it was to legally fleece gamblers, of course the entire ruleset would be calibrated to ensure the house always came out ahead.
The Casino in the City of Pleasures was no exception—the house always held the advantage.
“You may enter.”
After a brief security inspection of our belongings, we stepped into the Casino, where a luxurious interior draped entirely in gold welcomed us.
Clink-clink.
The cheerful sound of chips changing hands echoed from every direction.
If I’d brought Marlin—a youth obsessed with money—he would have lost his mind in here.
I led my companions toward the prize exchange counter.
“Have a look and see if anything catches your fancy.”
Every prize seemed designed to appeal to explorers, probably to draw them in.
[Available Prizes]
– Tier 10 Common Mystery tome ‘Miracle of Soul’ (10,000,000 Coins)
– Artifact Despair’s Desperiak (9,000,000 Coins)
– Gem Hoperinne (8,000,000 Coins)
“Hmm… Is it the case that 1 Coin equals 1 Gold?”
“That’s correct.”
“The prices are rather steep.”
The coins assigned to each item represented their absolute value as determined by merit.
They were priced high only if they could provide significant benefit regardless of who used them.
Take the most expensive item, the ‘Miracle of Soul’—as long as one’s soul remained intact, you could endlessly inhabit new bodies and achieve eternal life. It was a super-high-performance mystery, so that absurd price tag was hardly unwarranted.
There was good reason such astronomical sums were attached to these items.
“Captain, how much do you have on you now?”
“The young master gave me about 200 Gold in spending money, which is what’s left.”
“Then we certainly won’t be able to win anything decent.”
It was a fair point.
The prizes the Casino offered were ultimately nothing more than dramatic incentives to lure in customers and drain their wallets.
Most of the explorers huddled over the tables, eyes bloodshot and gleaming, were being drained of their fortunes in real time.
“Still, it’s fine. I only need a prize attainable with relatively few Coins.”
“I’ll have to aim for something lower on the list too.”
Pendrick, who had been scanning the list, wore an interested smile.
Rosalia was also checking it beside him, repeatedly folding and unfolding the fingers of both hands as she calculated something intently.
“What would you like to have, Captain?”
“It’s this one here that I need.”
– Authority of Restoration (1,000 Coins)
A sum that seemed relatively modest in comparison.
In actual terms, it amounted to roughly a hundred million won in Korean currency.
Still, it was the sort of prize the Casino had priced reasonably enough for an explorer to realistically obtain.
“I’ll go earn some Coins. Feel free to enjoy any games that interest you.”
I took 50 Gold from Rosalia, exchanged it for Coins, and headed straight for a place where money came easy.
It was a table where you sat face-to-face with a Dealer in a one-on-one card game.
“Welcome.”
The rabbit-eared Dealer sitting alone at the table, shuffling cards, sent me a mysterious smile.
“How charming—rabbit ears, I see. Shall we play a round?”
“That’s my intention.”
“Please, have a seat.”
I was about to sit across from her and listen to the rules when a small figure from the crowd nearby approached me abruptly.
It was the goblin I’d spoken with briefly before entering the Labyrinth.
Meck grumbled through the cigar clenched between his teeth.
“Listen, friend. You’d best quit while you’re ahead. You’ll walk out without a single Coin to your name—trust me, I know. My pockets were emptied clean.”
“Wait—aren’t you the Meck who was boasting about conquering an uncleared dungeon? What brings you to the Casino?”
“…That’s not the point right now.”
The goblin shook his head and pressed on, glaring at the Dealer.
“That one’s a pro. More than ten Explorers have challenged her, and every single one got demolished.”
“I’m more curious why you’d come to the City of Pleasures for honor, only to spend your time at the Casino—the hub of every amusement.”
…….
Meck stared at me with a twisted expression as the Dealer finally spoke.
“Please don’t disrupt business and step away. If you persist, I’ll call security.”
“…Fine. Do as you please.”
The goblin grumbled his retreat, and at last I could hear the rules.
“The rules are quite simple. Here we have sixty Explorer Cards composed of six Classes and Levels ranging from one to ten.”
Whish-whish-whish.
The Dealer shuffled at a speed where her hands barely blurred, then laid out the sixty cards in neat rows of ten across the table.
“Now I’ll flip one card.”
A single card on the table was revealed.
Level 5 Craftsman.
“Now place your bet in Coins and flip a card yourself. Since my card is ‘Level 5 Craftsman,’ if you draw either a different ‘Level 5’ or a ‘Craftsman Class,’ I’ll return your bet doubled. However, if it’s the same Class but exactly one Level higher, you’ll receive five times your bet.”
“May I use Artifacts?”
“Permitted.”
The rules weren’t particularly in my favor.
Opening a test for study was no different than announcing you’d make the problems impossibly difficult—a death sentence in disguise.
“Of course, I can use them too.”
The Dealer’s eyes widened.
Whoosh!
Flames suddenly erupted from her eyes like smoke, coating every card as if they were being sealed.
“Well? See that? That’s how it works.”
Meck clicked his tongue, lingering despite having told me to do as I wished.
“Once she does that, no Artifact can read the cards hidden behind the flames. I don’t know how confident you are, but quit. She’s a professional Coin-stripper.”
“So there’s a very high chance I’ll lose everything, and possibly my clothes and equipment as well.”
“Don’t even say it. She prods at your pride until you’re betting everything you own instead of Coins.”
“Remarkable.”
“So hurry and—”
Meck stopped mid-sentence, his eyes narrowing.
“…Why are you smiling like that? It’s unsettling.”
I touched the Rabbit Ear Headband on my head as I replied.
“Forgive me, Meck. I’m afraid I’ve already become rather excited about this.”
“What…?”
Gambling—where one misstep could cost everything, leaving you bankrupt.
“How could I possibly hold back?”

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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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