Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 60

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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 60: D-Rank Dungeon – Library of Sin (3)
When large Demon Books ‘read’ an Explorer, they open their interior and extend tentacles.
While it’s being read that way, a gimmick activates—resistance is fixed at 0, and flame damage is amplified.
That moment was the only time I could deal meaningful damage to those creatures.
《I understand what you were aiming for, but it was reckless!》
The death of the ‘bait’—or damage equivalent to death—was essential, so it was a strategy I rarely used.
“But if I hadn’t done that, the kids would’ve died. There was no choice.”
《Observation: If you had sacrificed the bald Explorer and his team members, you and your wards would’ve escaped unharmed without suffering any pain whatsoever.》
But if I’d done that, the kids would’ve grown to resent me forever.
I know well enough what kinds of actions people consider morally wrong.
‘What a headache…’
I waved my hand dismissively at the floating text before me, then pressed hard on my temples.
The excessive drain on my mental energy was giving me a splitting headache.
Still, it was worth the effort.
《Congratulations: Sa-Yeom-Hwa has reached Tier 2.》
The growth condition for Sa-Yeom-Hwa.
To incinerate something or transform it into the dead using flame infused with the power of life and death.
Even if it was still the lowest rank within Tier 2, it could perform spectacularly in a place like this, which was teeming with nothing but bastards spawned from wood.
Writhe—
My left arm tingled.
A serpent tattoo with a slightly thickened body was thrashing wildly across my entire frame.
In its gleeful writhing lay a bizarre will that no mere intellect could comprehend.
If I had to express it in the language of the surface world, it would be something like a most dignified evil laugh—”Ehehehehe…!”
“…Desolate one, I too wish to share in the joy of growth, but regrettably, I haven’t the leisure for it at present.”
I hadn’t managed to defeat the large Demon Book despite using the gimmick.
With my current strength, no matter how much flame I unleashed, I couldn’t possibly defeat an 8-Level Demon Beast.
The large Demon Book was simply extremely vulnerable to blazing agony, creating an opening—in truth, its health bar had barely been scratched, probably less than a tenth depleted.
‘…So I’ll have to use other means.’
While the book creatures burned all around me, I barely managed to get to my feet and downed a Stamina Recovery Potion.
Not just one—I drank two, then three, as I walked forward.
The destination wasn’t far.
Amid the sight of nearby bookshelves and tomes burning to cinders, a single book that hadn’t caught fire stood out unmistakably.
《? Tier Secret Art Tome – Sealed Demon King》
《Still unknown what its effect is. But it’s certain this book appears when you possess all the other ‘Demon King’-related Secret Art Tomes.》
As the flames clinging to the large Demon Book’s body began to extinguish, I stumbled forward quickly and grabbed the pitch-black Secret Art Tome.
I hurriedly opened the book and read.
I couldn’t understand the content at all.
It was filled entirely with abstract illustrations and sigils, like a Magic Eye picture book.
– Screee—
Now that the flames had finally gone out, the large Demon Books began searching for whoever had set them ablaze.
Since I didn’t need to actually understand the tome’s contents, I flipped through the pages rapidly.
Meanwhile, a swarm of smaller Demon Books that had stayed clear of the flames at a distance was now hurtling violently toward me.
– Shrieeek!
Just a little longer.
《Demon Books approaching from all sides!》
Three more pages.
《Warning: If you don’t dodge now, you’ll die!!》
Taking advantage of the large Demon Books’ trait of hovering slightly above the floor, I threw myself flat on the ground.
The ones that had opened their pages wide to read me suddenly froze.
A momentary gap born from the limits of their physical form.
To miss this would mean I had no right to call myself an Explorer.
Crunch—
Just before the tentacles for reading wrapped around my body again.
– At last, destiny arrives.
The moment I took in that final bizarre image, a deep, low voice resonated from somewhere.
Sound was flowing from the Secret Art Tome I’d just been reading.
– Screee…?
The large Demon Books that had been about to read me faltered in confusion and began scrambling.
When I withdrew the remaining four Secret Art Tomes from the subspace of my shadow and placed them, all the books rose into the air centered on the ‘Sealed Demon King’.
A murky green profane pentagram being drawn in the empty space.
“I never thought I would see the light of day like this.”
Then, at last.
A blue-skinned demon emerged from the Five-Star Seal in naked form.
《Unsealed Unnamed Demon King (Demon, ???Tier). No detailed information can be read whatsoever.》
The Unnamed Demon King.
A leader of the demon race from a golden age now erased from history.
Simply being in the same space as him made my entire body feel crushed.
His presence and momentum were that overwhelming.
“What is the name of you who awakened me?”
Those peculiarly unnerving reverse eyes fixed themselves upon me.
“…Kar, my lord.”
I wrung out strength I didn’t have and forced the words out, whereupon the Unnamed Demon King smiled softly.
“A Half-Elf Socialite, then. You must have lived a difficult life.”
“…….”
It wasn’t rudeness that kept me silent—my body simply wouldn’t obey.
“If it’s difficult, simply remain still. In return, I shall bestow upon you a Secret Art of my own devising.”
The Unnamed Demon King approached with long strides, pausing to regard me from head to foot before kneading my forehead with his fingers.
“Here will do.”
Crack-crunch!
A sensation as though bone and muscle were being rebuilt tore through my body in an instant, and a strange perception began to ripple across my entire frame.
《?? : A growth-type Secret Art (Rank 3) [Sin: Gluttony] has taken root in your body.》
《What is this ominous Secret Art? This is confusing…!》
“Blonde Half-Elf, I shall personally attend to some small matters as well.”
The Unnamed Demon King surveyed the Demon Books that now lay scattered about the floor like prostrate worshippers, filling the space around him.
Then, abruptly, he swept his hand lightly downward.
Shriek!
The Demon Books surrounding me shattered in unison, their pages scattering in all directions like cherry blossoms.
The entrance effect of the Unnamed Demon King Hidden Piece—the annihilation of all nearby enemies.
In the game, the nearby creatures would vanish via a shockwave from the entrance effect.
The process was somewhat different, but the result was identical.
No—it exceeded expectations.
《All nearby Demon Beasts have been exterminated! Even those far removed from this location!》
“Done.”
The demon brushed his hands lightly, then went so far as to help me to my feet—a gracious gesture indeed.
“…I am overwhelmed by your kindness, my lord.”
“Now I shall depart. I must savor this freedom after so long.”
The Unnamed Demon King swept his hand through empty air, and a deep emerald gate to the outside materialized.
It was exclusive to demon kings; I could not use it.
“But Half-Elf—tell me, what is the state of the demon realm these days? Do they still wage holy wars daily against the teachings of the Good Deities as in times past?”
“…….”
I closed my eyes and turned my head away quietly.
There was no need to speak of things that would dampen his mood.
Apparently he had asked in passing, for the Unnamed Demon King pressed no further and soon vanished beyond the gate.
《What exactly is the identity of that demon king? This wise one is thoroughly perplexed….》
Chirp?
The Evil Deities expressed their confusion, but I had no real explanation to offer either.
Even back when this was a game, the Unnamed Demon King’s true identity was never revealed.
‘The consensus was just that he was a red herring….’
Even on creator Cato Roger’s video channel, where all manner of miscellaneous settings were documented, there was no video explaining the Hidden Piece that unsealed the Unnamed Demon King.
Thinking about it, it was strange.
The creator had explained every detail down to the window structure of the vacation mansion in [Nightmare World], yet there was no lore for this demon who had appeared so meaningfully?
《But at any rate, it was a novel experience. This wise one is most satisfied!》
I couldn’t say I was displeased either.
There was a fair chance I would encounter the Unnamed Demon King’s true identity as ‘new content’ going forward.
“If Ridni is pleased, then so am I.”
It had been a difficult yet rewarding spiritual practice.
I stood motionless for a time, then began walking slowly, favoring one leg.
“I shall now continue the exploration.”
There was still one more Hidden Piece remaining in the Library of Sin.
***
“There! It’s there!”
Pendrick, conducting the search under the dark mage Barthimir’s direction, cried out loudly.
Beyond the ordinary bookshelves, there stood some sort of towering cactus.
Drawing closer, he could see that the green volumes and shelves had merely been warped to resemble a cactus.
– What on earth is this place?
The surrounding landscape was even more absurd.
The floor, not content with its sandy coloring, rose and fell at varying heights.
An orange bundle of books brazenly embedded in the ceiling like a sun.
Faced with scenery that seemed to insist this was a desert, both Pendrick and Astrímia let out hollow laughs.
“Just now it was a forest, and now it’s a desert?”
“Ridiculous, isn’t it?”
– I’ve been curious about this since yesterday, but why is it like this?
“The Library of Sin expanded on its own as mana clustered together. But if mindless mana builds a library, how well could it possibly turn out? Of course it’s a complete mess.”
Barthimir tapped one of the shelves jutting out like thorns.
“That’s why places that mimic natural landscapes like this came to exist.”
All the clues for finding the Hidden Piece supposedly lie hidden in places like this.
“It’s a bit warm.”
“The climate’s been adjusted somewhat.”
It was indeed slightly muggy, but not unbearably so.
“Pendrick, Rosalia—search the surroundings carefully. There should be a bookshelf with a gap somewhere here too.”
“Understood.”
…….
Pendrick and Rosalia conducted their search with eyes wide open.
Rumble!
“…Ah, it’s starting again.”
Barthimir, his expression darkening, called out to the party members.
– Leave this place at once!
A knight made entirely of books rose up from the floor.
Level 7 demon beast—Library Guardian.
A creature on par with large demon books, and clad in flame-resistant armor, making it impossible to strike at weak points with fire.
For a D-rank Dungeon Explorer, it was a demon beast they could never defeat in direct combat.
“I’ll hold it off with Rosalia. Pendrick, find that empty shelf quickly!”
“Yes!”
“Ugh, here we go again with this mess!”
The demon race member, the bandages around both hands now unwound, charged without hesitation and drove a fist into the Library Guardian’s abdomen.
Vicious follow-up strikes ensued.
The beast knight weathered them effortlessly and swung a sword made of books.
But from the start, Barthimir had been nothing but bait.
…….
Just before the blade could cleave through the demon’s head, Rosalia swept a kick across the flat of the sword, using the momentum to land atop the Library Guardian’s head.
She forced open its thick, book-like jaws.
– Screech!
Maengmaeng, the venomous creature riding on her shoulder, slipped directly into the beast’s body.
– Tch, cowardly tactics!
The Library Guardian swept its sword upward, but Rosalia nimbly leapt away to evade.
Barthimir then hurled murky green spheres in rapid succession, buffeting the Library Guardian’s head.
It was another ploy to draw attention, but the Library Guardian refused to fall for the same trick twice.
– How dare you!
A crescent-shaped sword energy rippled outward through the air.
Crack!
“…Damn.”
Barthimir’s left arm had been severed.
Due to the curse of Bitter Companion, the petrified arm would regrow, but there was no avoiding a brief spell of helplessness.
The knight followed up with rapid sword strokes, cleanly severing the demon’s leg.
“Now!”
The moment Barthimir, with only his right arm remaining, seized the knight’s wrist, Rosalia capitalized on that fleeting opening and swung her dagger in a wide arc.
Extreme: Severance.
A Rank 5 Assassin Secret Art.
– …Argh!
The guardian, its throat cleanly slit, contorted the face carved from books.
– You will not escape with your lives!
The savage onslaught of a Level 7 Demon Beast had begun.
Rosalia was driven backward relentlessly, barely holding her ground.
Meanwhile.
Pendrick and Astrímia continued their search for the Hidden Piece.
How long had they been searching?
– Pendrick!
“…Yes. Here it is. On the floor.”
Along the edge of a gently rounded section of ground like a sand dune stood a small, modest bookshelf designed to hold just a single tome.
Pendrick withdrew a book from his robes and placed it on the shelf.
Creak-creak-creak.
A strange sound echoed, and a tear opened in the air itself as a sheet of paper fluttered down.
[Sharing Points : ■■□]
– Once you donate one more book, we shall grant you a special privilege!
“That’s one.”
One of two Hidden Pieces in the Library of Sin.
Three books soaked in blood, pain, and screams were required.
“Captain Barthimir, the donation is complete!”
No matter how much of a benefactor he was, Kar was the sort of Socialite who would surely feel slighted if they didn’t give their all.
So Pendrick intended to do exactly that.
That was what exploration demanded.
“You’ve donated? Then run!”
Rosalia bolted forward, carrying Barthimir on her back—his legs still not regenerated.
Pendrick caught up and joined them mid-stride.
– Curse you all!
The expedition barely managed to outpace the Library Guardian, whose only weakness was speed, by the narrowest of margins.
“…If we fight again, they really will take our heads.”
“Indeed….”
It was then that the team, having found terrain where the bookshelves formed a rounded wall, paused to catch their breath.
– Caw-caw-caw!
The cry of a crow echoed from somewhere in the distance.
Rosalia issued a warning at once.
“…Kar.”
Pendrick, who had been sitting on the floor, sprang to his feet immediately.
Barthimir’s eyes went wide and empty at the two members’ unusually sharp reactions.
“What’s wrong? Is Kar approaching?”
“Yes.”
Pendrick gripped Astrímia with a hardened expression.
“We must move at once.”
When allied with them, Kar—possessing vast knowledge born from Evil Deities—was truly reassuring.
But when faced as an enemy?
Brilliant schemes and cunning plots.
A combat style from which life force seemed to flow endlessly.
And above all, a madness that made their actions utterly unpredictable.
“If we linger, Captain Kar might ensnare us in a trap in the blink of an eye.”
When encountered as a foe, Kar was the most dangerous Socialite of all.

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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
—————