Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 62

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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 62: D-Rank Dungeon – Library of Sin (5)
The accusation from the Library Guardian—calling me an arsonist—wasn’t entirely off the mark.
At this moment, I’d become a living half-elf flame-thrower, spewing fire in an endless stream.
– Screeeech!
The swarm of small Magical Books had long since grown sick of flame attacks and began dodging with acrobatic flight.
A battle where both sides tired of each other.
It was around the time the Spark of Glory had grown completely scorching from overuse.
“Good afternoon!”
With a cheerful greeting, a tall swordsman gripping a teal-blue blade rushed toward me and severed one Magical Book in half.
“Shall I lend a hand?”
“Ah, you’ve arrived. Pendrick.”
Pendrick, now wreathed in a starlight aura thanks to Astrímia, cast Powerful Slash in rapid succession, shredding all the small Magical Books.
His movements were still awkward and full of openings, but the sheer power was undeniably excellent.
“It’s reassuring to have you fighting alongside me. How did you end up here?”
“Well, that’s….”
Crack!
Bartimir stepped in front of me, unwrapping the bandages from his fist and crushing a Magical Book with a swing.
“There were research findings that on the Snowy Plain, the Magical Books’ movements slow down. So I kept searching for that terrain.”
“That’s excellent judgment.”
“I know that.”
Ping!
《Warning: Roll to the side!》
A simultaneous alert from both the Insight into Chaos and the Eye That Pierces Truth.
I threw myself aside immediately, and a demon black mage’s fist lashed through the space where I’d been standing.
“Unfortunate.”
Bartimir grinned wickedly and extended his arm again, but this time too, I discerned the attack in advance with the help of my Secret Arts and evaded it.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Just stay still. I’ll just knock you out and….”
Before he could finish, I grabbed his shoulder with my hand crackling with electricity.
“Ugh….”
As the electrocuted demon staggered, I didn’t hesitate—I spun around and bolted, only to have Pendrick charge at me next.
– This is going to hurt a little, Kar!
“Watch yourself!”
A flat-blade strike came crashing down toward my head.
I sacrificed my right arm to block while simultaneously unleashing flames.
“Aah!”
– No, wait!
Astrímia quickly twisted the blade to deflect it, shielding her flustered host.
The inferno split into two arcs, narrowly passing on either side of the prodigy swordsman’s face.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Bartimir, recovered while his partner dealt with me, closed the distance in one breath.
Pendrick was grinning as he rushed forward as well.
“How can you two gang up on someone as delicate as a Socialite like myself?”
“You’ve got all sorts of mysterious knowledge, don’t you? Then I just need to restrain you. The brats will be easy for Scarlet to handle anyway!”
“Is that so?”
I trust in the siblings.
They can definitely pull through.
“Bartimir, pause for just a moment. There’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
I spoke solemnly to the law-abiding demon who actually stopped punching.
“I’m your father.”
…….
It was a truth reveal I’d committed myself to, but Bartimir merely narrowed his eyes.
“How could you be my father? The butler grandfather said we were the same age.”
– …No, you’re just buying time by spouting nonsense! Don’t take something like that seriously!
“How can you call it nonsense, Astrímia? I’m hurt.”
Since my cheap ploy had been exposed, I twitched my fingers while activating Ghoul Mobility.
“Come at me. I’ll face you both in earnest now.”
“Don’t regret this!”
– Try to forgive me even if it hurts a little!
I transformed my body into black lightning while simultaneously moving to meet Pendrick and Bartimir as they charged forward.
A smile bloomed naturally on my lips.
‘…Yes, this is what exploration tastes like.’
Could there be anything more thrilling than fierce competition grounded in good faith?
The Friendly Exploration Competition was proving to be exactly the fresh stimulus I needed.
Of course, after such a prolonged exploration, my Mental Power was nearly depleted—winning a two-against-one engagement was impossible.
“Don’t you run!”
Spotting an opening, I electrocuted both of them simultaneously and bolted, but Bartimir quickly caught up.
Demons are a race that grows stronger the more they consume negative concepts.
Thanks to this library brimming with malice, his physical abilities had surged several times beyond normal, granting him that extraordinary speed.
“Finally got you, you bastard!”
Bartimir pinned me to the ground and mounted me, seizing both my arms with his hands.
The position was deeply embarrassing, and my face burned with heat.
“How shameful. But if you wish it, Bartimir, I am prepared to offer my chastity willingly.”
“Shut it!”
The demon bellowed and shoved his petrified hand into my mouth.
A half-elf’s delicate jaw couldn’t shatter a stone finger no matter how hard I bit.
So I counterattacked earnestly with my secret technique—licking—until Bartimir’s expression twisted in frustration.
“…You’re really persistent!”
“I could do this all day.”
Of course, I hadn’t yet grown strong enough to fight endlessly.
《Your remaining Life Force: 80/100》
《Your remaining Mental Power: 3/100》
I’d drained Stamina Recovery Potions like water, leaving my Life Force comfortable, but my Mental Power was near its limit.
Continuing the battle much longer would spell trouble, but fortunately this was enough to hold out.
It was time for them to appear.
– Intruders…!
Just as Bartimir was wrapping his petrified hand around my face.
A pure white Library Guardian rose from the floor and pointed a Book Sword at us.
– Leave the library!
“…Again.”
The demon shook his head with visible disgust, and while trampling my body with his foot, stood alongside Pendrick.
– Leave or face death!
Perhaps because of the Snowy Plain, the book knight slid forward and cut horizontally with his blade.
Pendrick blocked with Astrímia, his eyes narrowing sharply.
“I can’t hold for more than three seconds!”
That was plenty.
Bartimir pulled out a suspicious-looking Secret Art Tome from his pocket, brought it to his face, and took a loud sniff, then rapidly sprinted forward and kicked the guardian with both feet.
Normally, it shouldn’t have budged at all.
But the deception contained in the Secret Art Tome caused a temporary explosion in the demon’s Strength and Agility, and that drop kick actually landed some impact even on a Level 7 demon.
– How dare you…!
I dealt no damage, but at least I’d bought us time.
“Let’s go, now!”
“Yes!”
Bartimir bolted without looking back, alongside Pendrick who was carrying me on his back.
I’d been quietly riding on his shoulders when I suddenly opened my mouth.
“My apologies.”
Crack!
Lightning struck their backs, and both stumbled, crashing forward.
Bartimir sprang up immediately and roared.
“What are you doing!”
“Conducting a sacred exploration competition.”
“I get what you’re saying, but we need to survive first!”
“Survive from what? The guardian is already gone.”
“…Huh?”
I cast my gaze steadily behind the demon’s back.
Bartimir’s eyes widened, and he spun around sharply.
– Intruder!
The Library Guardian was still following closely behind us.
“…What the hell!”
But he turned his gaze back to me only briefly—the cunning socialite had already slipped far from the naive demon.
— Intruders!
The Library Guardian began attacking Bartimir and Pendrick.
“Hah-!”
“My apologies.”
Even in a friendly exploration competition, one had to fight for their life.
The moment Bartimir had spared concern for his opponent’s safety, he had already lost.
“You sly bastard, cunning as nature itself-!!”
High praise, truly.
***
Merlin was scaling and searching through a massive cluster of white bookshelves shaped like a snowy mountain.
“Sister!”
Abel was handling the steady stream of small magical books being hurled at them.
But watching his movements grow sluggish, it was clear he was approaching his limit.
“Abel, don’t overexert yourself!”
“Just find it already!”
“Why are you upset? Do you want to be scolded!”
“Because it’s urgent!
Bickering the whole way, they reached roughly the middle slope of the shelf-mountain.
“…There it is!”
Across the white ridge.
A bookshelf with just enough space to hold a single tome stood visible.
Merlin had broken out in goosebumps and grabbed Abel, pulling them both down flat.
Whoosh!
Yellow powder scattered over the siblings’ heads.
…….
Rosalia, blooming red flowers across her body, stepped quietly into view.
“…Abel, run!”
As Abel bolted forward on all fours with the book in hand, Merlin stood before the red-haired assassin.
It was not a confident confrontation.
“Surely… you wouldn’t actually swing a dagger, would you…?”
…….
If they fought directly, both siblings’ necks would be severed within three seconds—but this was a friendly match.
For an assassin whose every technique and skill was honed for killing, these were decidedly restrictive conditions.
Rosalia paused for just a moment, contemplating how to subdue the novice thief before her.
In that instant—
“Sister-!!”
Merlin moved first, wrapping her arms around the assassin without hesitation.
Rosalia’s hand had reflexively reached out when she met the clear eyes of the tiger-kin embracing her.
She halted her fingers mid-strike toward the vital point.
“Hehe, will you hold me?”
Merlin hadn’t understood at first, so taciturn was Rosalia—but she knew now.
This seemingly cold assassin actually harbored far more affection than one might think.
“Sister? You can use all your strength to pry me off if you like. Though I might sulk for several days afterward, just so you know!”
…….
The red-haired elf squeezed her eyes shut.
Rosalia was an exceptional assassin.
When unforeseen circumstances threatened a mission, she devised and executed entirely different strategies with flawless precision.
The fruit of grueling training since childhood.
Though her single-minded devotion to assassination had left her useless in virtually any other field, she had never once been bested in her specialty.
“……!”
Stunned and hesitating, Rosalia suddenly embraced Merlin and lifted her from the ground.
Subduing an opponent without lethal force and bringing them away was itself one of the traditional skills in an assassin’s repertoire.
She had faced such situations—an enemy clinging close enough to neutralize—dozens of times before.
“Ugh, sister!”
…….
With the struggling Merlin slung over her shoulder, Rosalia moved swiftly.
Even as a long tail blinded her vision, the red-haired elf closed the distance to Abel in an instant.
“Just a bit faster-!”
Abel’s stamina was already completely spent; he hadn’t slept and had been moving continuously.
His breath came in ragged gasps, his legs trembling beneath him, yet he refused to yield—squeezing out one final burst of speed and dashing forward.
The bookshelf was right there, almost within reach.
‘We won!’
Abel dropped to his knees without thinking, pulling out the book that perfectly suited his master’s taste.
The moment he moved to slip it into the empty slot—
“Hm…?”
Rosalia closed the distance in a heartbeat, seized Abel’s sleeve, and hurled him backward.
Despite her blindfolded eyes, her movements were utterly precise.
“…Sorry.”
Feeling oddly guilty for going all-out against a child.
Rosalia offered a brief apology and reached for the book to slot it home.
Or rather, she tried to.
—Caw-caw-caw!
The blind raven’s cry pierced the air once more.
As Rosalia flinched, Abel crept closer in the shadows and stretched out his arm with practiced stealth.
—Caw-caw-caw!
He struck the incoming raven with the back of his hand, subdued it, and slid the book into the vacant space.
An instant later, Rosalia flicked her tail to clear her field of vision and opened her eyes wide.
“Ehehehet!”
Abel’s hand was gripping the lower edge of the book Rosalia had just inserted.
“The blindfold was all to set this up!”
“I did it, sister.”
“Well done!”
……
Rosalia squeezed her eyes shut once more.
“So… what happens now?”
Merlin soon received the answer to his own question.
Tick-tick-tick.
Two sheets of paper tumbled down from the air, fluttering as they fell.
[Sharing Points : ■■■]
– We offer special rewards to those who have donated three books!
“Both sides succeeded…?”
The bookshelf beneath their feet rose with a grinding sound, transforming into a doorway.
[Rare Books Archive]
At first glance, it was a weathered, humble door—bearing the weight and patina of countless years.

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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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