Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 54

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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 54: Isn’t It an Ideal Means of Competition?
“You certainly made quite a stir exploring Zone 3.”
After the banquet ended.
As co-founder of the Moon Expedition Party, I found myself in an intimate wine-tasting room adjacent to the dining hall, deep in conversation with Odillon about future plans.
We needed to discuss matters of greater depth regarding what lay ahead.
“To think you’d actually conquer an uncleared dungeon—one that hadn’t even revealed its clearing conditions in a decade.”
Rosalia poured wine into his glass.
Splash.
Just like last time, the gesture was elegant, but she spilled it all over her clothes.
Still, Odillon continued speaking without concern, as though this happened constantly.
“The Knowledge your Evil Deity grants is indeed profound and vast. It’s nearly impossible even to attempt predicting its scale.”
‘Once, you truly knew all the world’s knowledge. Such is the fleeting nature of time.’
“Thanks to that, our expedition’s name has spread throughout Plethica.”
“Everyone was saying it’s such a charming and lovely name, weren’t they?”
“There were plenty of mocking reactions.”
“Merely the mockery of naming amateurs.”
“In any case, you’ve done well. By now, Nicholas and Flora should realize our expedition is no trivial matter.”
The eldest and second child of the Brethes Family, which oversees Zone 4.
Nicholas Brethes and Flora Brethes.
The expedition they run consists solely of explorers ranked Gold Rank and above.
At present, we weren’t yet formidable enough to face them in proper competition.
“While they’re caught off guard, we should rapidly increase our weight class.”
“Well said. To do that, you’ll need to gather talented people as you planned.”
Odillon’s voice grew quieter as he inhaled smoke from the Consoler, a portable healing artifact.
“In that regard, credit is due for successfully recruiting the swordsman Pendrick. My attendant says so—there’s clearly a glimpse of potential befitting the left hand of the Twelve Heroes.”
“Moreover, we’ve also brought along Astrímia, an emotion-series spirit.”
“That too was well done.”
Odillon nodded absently, then met my eyes.
“What level of strength does the swordsman Pendrick currently possess?”
“Pendrick is Level 3 at present.”
When we first met, Pendrick had been Level 1, but his soul’s rank had risen twice thanks to endless combat in the Nightmare World.
“Though Level 3, he possesses combat power nearly on par with a Level 5 explorer.”
A possessor of the broken trait Sword Master.
Yet a swordsman who also holds Astrímia of Joy.
I myself couldn’t dare predict just how impressive his future contributions would be.
“Quite impressive….”
Odillon took a sip of wine, the corners of his mouth lifting.
He seemed genuinely pleased.
“It’s still premature to be satisfied, sir.”
That was only one person so far.
We hadn’t even truly begun recruiting talented people.
“Five.”
I extended all five fingers on my hand, spread wide.
“There are still five more explorers of Pendrick’s caliber available for recruitment.”
Among those we could recruit, Pendrick was unquestionably a Tier 1 companion.
A swordsman who was strongest and finest even when Astrímia’s sense of self was lost due to curse.
With five more explorers at Pendrick’s level still available—skilled enough that even the exceptional assassin Rosalia had been pushed to Tier 2—every one of them was a capable explorer.
‘One Tier 1 member alone would be sufficient.’
Still, if possible, I wanted to recruit all the rest, though the reality made it unlikely, so I resolved not to be greedy.
Moreover, most of the ‘Le’ siblings were not recruitment targets.
Though I hadn’t met them yet, given their growth-focused builds, they were surely burdened with undesirable tendencies like Emir’s.
“Doesn’t that surprise you?”
I leaned back in my chair and wiggled all five fingers on my right hand.
“That there are still five more explorers equal to Pendrick, who slaughtered dozens of Hell Hounds as a Level 1?”
“…If that’s truly the case, I’m certainly curious what strength they might display.”
He seemed to be imagining the expedition after recruiting all the talent.
Odillon fell silent for a moment, sipping his wine in thought.
“At that moment, both Astrímia and I felt it simultaneously. Our hearts had touched.”
“Ah…you fell in love at first sight?”
During the brief lull in conversation, the sound of chatter drifted in from the dining hall.
It was mostly Pendrick’s and Merlin’s voices that filled the air.
Odillon, sipping his wine in silence, furrowed his brow.
“Things have gotten quite lively. Too noisy, frankly. What I wanted was an expedition party with a purely functional relationship—one where we only discussed what was necessary for exploration.”
“I too prefer maintaining a more strictly contractual distance between us.”
Efficiency and stability.
In many respects, a contract binding each party’s potential for betrayal proved more trustworthy than mere camaraderie among explorers.
Yet were people always governed by reason alone?
“Still, if everyone grew close, the atmosphere would feel warm and harmonious. Wouldn’t that spare us needless stress and deepen our reliance on one another?”
A measure of romance—or inefficiency—provided the mind a peaceful refuge in life.
It was the testimony of someone who had felt the bonds of comradeship under Chief Choi, enduring together through hardship.
“No. Discord and conflict arise more sharply between those who are close. The greater the former friendship, the deeper the subsequent betrayal and rage. Personal feelings are nothing but impurities in matters of work.”
“I won’t claim your logic is flawed. Everyone holds their own convictions and ways of thinking.”
Life is relative evaluation; no absolute answer exists.
Even I, a Half-Elf Social Operator, present what others might deem wrong answers, yet I live quite respectably as a model socialite.
As long as one refrained from crime or unethical conduct, I could warmly accept even someone whose taste ran to strolling on all fours each night while wearing a collar.
“Spare me the pointless debate. It never ends.”
Odillon drew smoke from the Consoler into his lungs, then crossed his legs.
Tingle, tingle!
Upon witnessing the sickly young master’s gaunt thighs and calves, that exalted personage transmitted a wave of excited interest.
Lean physiques were their preference.
“There’s something I need to address before we move forward.”
“Go ahead.”
“After your meeting with the Grey Wolf Guild master ended, you mentioned something about a Great Demon in the Nightmare Dungeon. What was that about? It seems we need a deeper discussion on the matter.”
“That was merely a joke.”
“Nonsense. Don’t underestimate Rosalia’s powers of observation.”
The quiet, taciturn elf gave a small nod.
“It’s your specialty—spouting absurd things with a grave expression. The exploration fanatic, we call you.”
“Exploration fanatic? That’s quite the flattering title.”
“There you go again. But there are rare moments when you speak with genuine sincerity. Your words about the Great Demon were one such moment. Why waste time denying it?”
I drained the spirit water Rosalia had brought me instead of wine, then shrugged.
“So you’re already convinced? How can that be? The claim was so outlandish.”
“If there’s even the slimmest possibility, I never let it pass unexamined. If what you said is true, the outlook is decidedly grim.”
Such was the insight of eighteen Intelligence.
If he already saw everything coming, denial would be meaningless.
I abandoned my bashful concealment and laid the hidden truth bare.
“If the Nightmare Dungeon isn’t conquered within five years, the world will perish. A Great Demon capable of exerting influence beyond the Dungeon will descend to the surface, leading its legions.”
Apocalypse.
The prospect of our world—which seemed destined to endure forever—crumbling within years was too harsh to accept with any lightness of heart.
That was why I hadn’t mentioned it.
Like Atlas bearing up the heavens in ancient myth, I alone had resolved to shoulder that crushing weight.
“But since the young master pressed me, I had no choice but to tell you. From now on, you must bear this burden with me. You too, Rosalia.”
……
Odillon tilted his head slightly, swirling the wine in his glass, while his bodyguard fixed me with the same composed gaze as always.
“There exist beings called the Six Apostles who receive orders from the Great Demon. They’ve been tasked with obstructing exploration through sabotage and assassination.”
The Six Apostles.
The primary enemy of Nightmare Dungeon clearance.
Enemies whose purpose is chaos, incitement, and discord.
“Surely we can’t simply ignore threats that endanger all explorers?”
As I listened to the lively conversation drifting from the dining hall, Odillon suddenly spoke.
“…But we can’t move solely for ‘everyone’s future.’ We must act in ways that benefit us most.”
Profit before apocalypse, then.
Fitting for a young master from an intelligence broker’s house.
Which meant he could be trusted.
“Of course. Unrecognized service and empty charity aren’t without merit, but naturally we should gain some reward for our efforts.”
Cleanly crushing the Six Apostles’ schemes while raising our renown.
Preventing the apocalypse and achieving success as explorers—a greedy ambition.
It seemed like a dream now, but with steady ventures into the Dungeon, we would naturally come to rank among Plethica’s most capable and celebrated expedition parties.
“In the end, it seems I’ll only repeat the same tedious refrain: we need to attract more talent.”
“A sound observation.”
The Dungeon ultimately demanded exploration alongside companions.
The reality was that solitary attempts to clear even B-Rank or A-Rank dungeons were nearly impossible, let alone anything approaching S-Rank.
“I’ve already finished the investigation into the Mage who activated the Hidden Piece in the Earth Elf’s Tomb that you identified.”
Odillon continued speaking while tapping the Consoler wedged between his fingers.
“An apprentice Mage from the dark magic faction of Thanadon Tower. His name is Barthimir, he’s of the demon race, and he’s twenty-two—the same age as you.”
“…I see.”
I took a sip of spirit water to suppress the smile threatening to break through.
‘So it is him, after all.’
A demon dark-mage—the worst possible combination, rivaling a Half-Elf Socialite—Barthimir, the youngest of the siblings whose names began with the letter ‘L’.
When I’d created him, I had approximately 19,000 hours of playtime logged.
If my suspicion was correct, he would be developing along the exact build I’d designed for him.
“I’ve already sent Sergius to make contact. Unlike other Mages, he showed positivity toward the expedition activities, but he set one condition—a condition that requires your approval before he’ll accept.”
“What condition is that?”
“He said he doesn’t want to follow anyone else’s orders.”
Odillon, finally reaching his limit, leaned back in his chair and squinted his eyes.
“When I mentioned your existence, he became even more enthusiastic—he wants to surpass you and become the expedition leader himself. What do you think?”
As a pseudo-parent or creator, I could appreciate the ambition and drive to reach greater heights, but in an expedition, one cannot afford personal motivations clouding judgment.
I decided to make an extremely rational and clear-headed decision as an explorer above all else.
“How about this—we explore one dungeon simultaneously, and whoever clears it first becomes the expedition leader. The one who loses becomes a team member who faithfully follows orders.”
A dungeon conquest competition.
With this arrangement, I could accept even a pitiful defeat by an overwhelming margin with a glad heart.
“Will that really settle it?”
“Of course.”
“So you’re what they call a dungeon-delving maniac.”
“Pardon?”
It was a statement I simply couldn’t comprehend.
“Isn’t dungeon exploration the ideal form of competition where both the winner and the loser can smile with joy and engage in it happily?”

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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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