Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 49

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

Episode 49: The Critical Difference
“I simply can’t believe it!”
Huztis’s face had turned completely red as he suddenly shouted loudly.
“Brother, do you still not grasp what you’ve accomplished? You’ve become the first to conquer the City of Pleasure—an Unconquered Dungeon for a full ten years since its creation!”
First Conqueror of a Labyrinth.
The highest honor of any explorer had fallen into the hands of a newborn expedition party whose name had barely spread beyond whispers.
What’s more, they’d unearthed a Hidden Piece that had remained hidden for ten years, and despite lacking sufficient level and numbers, they’d brilliantly cleared a C-Rank Labyrinth.
“An Achievement of this magnitude will set the entire Pletica ablaze with talk—never mind just the 3rd Zone! The Glorien Family might even attempt to recruit you!”
In his state of drunkenness, he was spouting utter nonsense.
The Glorien Family.
The massive power that governed the 1st Zone would never allow wicked cultists or cowardly assassins into their expedition parties.
Of course, a fledgling swordsman whose career had only just begun would be nowhere near recruitment material either.
“The Glorien Family? To think I could ever be worthy of such a thing…!”
But Pendrick, already drowning in drink, had lost all capacity for independent judgment and was now thoughtlessly absorbing every word that spilled from the intoxicated dog-man’s mouth.
Presently, the genius swordsman turned to stare at me with gleaming eyes.
“To be honest, I hadn’t quite grasped it yet, but now I understand! Captain, you’ve given me a truly great opportunity! Thank you so very much! I shall serve you my entire life…!”
—…….
Astrimia, who had no seat and was nestled in her lover’s embrace, let out a silent sigh.
Huztis, swaying beside me, threw an arm across Pendrick’s shoulder.
“To be honest, I came here intending to recruit only the Half-Elf and Nature Elf explorers into our Heterogeneous Race Association. I thought having you two with us would be really reassuring. But now I want to take Pendrick along too!”
“…Huztis, he’s human.”
Mech covered his face with his hand and shook his head.
But the drunken dog-man warrior’s ears seemed deaf to his goblin companion’s voice.
“Did you all know? The expedition party that discovered the Hidden Piece of the City of Pleasure and conquered it for the first time is here!”
Huztis, now fully standing on his chair, began bellowing our expedition’s achievements to all who would listen.
“So there was this massive creature called an Undead King, right? And just three of us used our wits to take it down beautifully! Isn’t that amazing—?!”
Our conquest strategy was being wildly exaggerated and spread in real time.
Strictly speaking, what he was saying wasn’t entirely false, but it would certainly spawn the misconception that a Level 9 Undead King had been defeated with ease.
“Ugh, this guy really….”
Mech, drunk and reeling, tried to pull his companion down from the chair, while I decided not to stop him.
“Please leave him be. Why would you object to him spreading word of our expedition’s glorious Achievement?”
“…Fine, if you’re content with it.”
I sat beside the goblin, watching Huztis—now singing drunkenly—before casually broaching a new subject.
“Mech, how is the Invincible Father doing these days?”
…….
Mech, who had been giggling in his drunken state, suddenly went rigid and met my gaze directly.
Holding his stare without flinching, I rested my chin on the table as the goblin—who valued honor over money—quietly drew out a cigar.
“How did you know?”
“Did I not already tell you? Ridni knows all things.”
“Huh, you’ve been marked ever since you raked in over ten thousand coins at the casino from card games alone.”
The goblin lit his cigar and swept his gaze over me quickly, top to bottom.
“You possess a mystery related to Knowledge or Information, don’t you? That’s how you were able to uncover all the information about the Hidden Piece.”
“Correct. Mech, you too should pledge yourself to Ridni. Then all the truths of the world shall be revealed to you.”
“If you really did learn all the Labyrinth information through the mystery your Evil God granted you, I’d genuinely be willing to offer my faith—but is it possible you can access even more diverse knowledge than Artein’s mystery?”
The goblin, realizing even as he spoke that his words sounded absurd, quickly regained his composure.
“No, thinking about it, that can’t be right. Even if you combined all Believers across the entire Continent, you wouldn’t reach a hundred.”
“A precise calculation indeed. Honestly, how powerful can a Divine Being be when the follower count hasn’t even reached three figures?”
I revered Ridni above all others, but as a cultist, I found satisfaction in keeping the facts straight.
“Something bothers me—is your Evil God truly exceptional, or is it simply your own insight that’s exceptional?”
“Since you’ve offered such a pleasant compliment, I shall not deny it.”
“…If you’d become a priest of the Harmony Sect, you’d have made a far greater name for yourself as an explorer, wouldn’t you? Intellect clearly falls under Artein’s domain.”
Wisdom and Knowledge were separate stat designations in the attributes precisely because they were fundamentally distinct concepts.
If one were to judge which Divine Being currently wielded the most eloquent wisdom, it would naturally be Artein, who presided over clear and manifest wisdom.
“This is a secret, but Ridni, who is called the ‘Wise One’ by that honorific, suffered a decisive defeat in a numbers game against Artein even in an era when he had far more followers. Now he should properly be called the ‘Learned One,’ but he stubbornly refuses out of pride.”
《I strongly advise you to cease this barrage of truth!》
Ignoring Truth’s protest, I sipped my beer as Mech fixed me with an intrigued gaze.
“…You’re completely different from other cultists. Usually they go berserk if anyone insults the Evil God they serve.”
“Yes, I am different. There is certainly a difference.”
The ways in which I differed from other cultists.
I had a ward, comrades who fought alongside me, and extensive knowledge.
And there was one decisive difference.
I could serve multiple Evil Gods at once.
And soon, the one I served would increase by one more.
‘Please be patient with me, Reria.’
It was time to advance to being a triple cultist.
***
Tonight was truly a night that felt good.
A full moon hung in the night sky.
People staggering back and forth along the streets.
Not a sight that delighted the eye, but the gentle intoxication that had risen in me worked its magic, making the ordinary world seem extraordinary.
“Ahahaha! Shall we go, little brother?”
“Yes, let’s!”
At some point, Pendrick and Huztis had become like older and younger brothers, and they walked arm-in-arm toward the Night Market, their steps unsteady.
Astrimia, hanging from his back, swayed this way and that as if uncomfortable, but the Ego Sword, knowing her own worth, held her tongue in crowded places and refrained from nagging.
“…I should be heading out. My stomach’s turning.”
A goblin, thoroughly drunk and barely able to walk straight, held out his hand.
“If you happen to come to the 5th Zone again, go to the Heterogeneous Race Association headquarters and ask for Mech. I’ll treat you generously.”
“Understood. Please get me something expensive.”
“Uh… just something moderately expensive. Anyway, see you next time. Drink a little more carefully from now on!”
Mech, who had repeatedly warned us never to touch alcohol again for some reason, waved and disappeared into the distance.
As I watched his receding figure for a moment, Rosalia suddenly grabbed my wrist and began walking toward the south, where our lodging was.
“Shouldn’t we head back already? Couldn’t we play a little longer? I heard the Theater is having a bard ensemble perform tonight.”
…….
The red-haired elf pointed at my face and drew an X with her fingertip.
“Ah, you mean I’ve had too much to drink?”
True enough, having indulged in two whole cups, my appearance must have looked absolutely terrible to anyone watching.
“I’m fine. I’m speaking quite normally, just as always, am I not?”
The taciturn elf merely shook her head silently, hearing my voice and manner no different from usual.
And so, led by Rosalia back to the inn room at the Cry of the Sheep.
Rosalia forced me to lie down on the bed, even covered me with a blanket, turned off the Magic Stone Lamp, and left.
《Your face is as red right now as Rosalia’s hair. I recommend you sleep and wake up.》
Even the Eye of Perceiving Truth urged sleep, so I had no choice but to obey.
“Alright. Just one last thing before I sleep.”
The cozy darkness spread across the room and the quiet, dreamlike path outside, made quieter still by the late hour.
It was perfect atmosphere for a ritual.
I took out the greatest prize from my last Labyrinth exploration from the Subspace and set it down in the center of the room.
A Cobra Statue, majestic and lifelike, spewing flames.
So skillfully made that I almost believed it would writhe and move at any moment—I knelt before this idol.
“Lord of gloomy twilight who shrouds the land in darkness and calls forth inevitable death.”
The curtain trembles.
Hot wind blows into the room despite the window not being open.
“This cultist Karga offers prayers to the silent one.”
Silence.
A suffocating quiet began to settle over the room.
Flicker.
A flame appeared above the head of the Cobra idol.
Frailer than a candle, fainter than a firefly—a tiny, tiny flame.
“Please answer to my call.”
The faint flame quivered precariously, as if responding to my voice.
And in that moment, the quiet darkness enveloping the room grew even deeper.
【Ah, hello….】
An oracle echoed faintly, hazily, in my mind.
A watcher of lonely silence.
A great Deity who commands the flames of life and death.
Reria herself had deigned to speak to this lowly Half-Elf cultist.
【D-did you… c-call me…?】
If I felt the voice was meek and withdrawn, unlike what it would be in the future, then I was mistaken.
How could a Divine Being who was once the primary god of the Evil God faction possibly be cowering?
“No, that’s not it. I was trying to call someone else. Why are you answering, Reria?”
【Just as I thought…? I’m sorry. I shall take my leave…】
“No, that’s correct. I called for Reria.”
【Ah, aha, haha… so it was just a mischievous jest after all….】
I quickly dropped the act—if I’d kept going the way I had with Marlin, she really did seem like she’d leave for good.
“O Solitary Watcher of Silence, I wish to become your Cultist.”
【You… you truly wish to become my Cultist…?】
The divine message, barely audible, trembled with a kind of delighted laughter.
“Yes. What must I do to earn the honor of serving the flame of one so lonely?”
The qualifications to become a Cultist serving Reria, the Solitary Watcher of Silence, were refreshingly simpler than they’d been with the previous deity—mere appearance seemed to suffice.
【Well, there are… no qualifications, really. You are now my Follower….】
Evaluation criteria.
None.
【You need not even practice faith….】
“No, surely that cannot be right.”
【I truly desire nothing.】
“But surely there is something you wish of me? Please, speak honestly. I wish to offer you genuine devotion.”
【What do I wish…?】
Reria fell silent for a long moment, deliberating.
【W-well, I do have one request.】
After that long silence, the Solitary Watcher spoke again through the Oracle.
【Please… do not abandon me….】
Current number of Reria’s Followers.
Three, including myself.

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