Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 7

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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 7: If It Must Grow, Let It Grow Beautifully
In a single day, I had left my homeland and begun living in a strange world.
As a clear victim of forced relocation, I had every right to rage and argue with the divine entity, but I decided against such an uncouth display.
In truth, rather than anger, only pity welled up within me.
What shortage of talent must there have been to bring an ordinary commoner from another world?
《You, who crave twisted truth, are watched over with gladness by the wise one. Speak freely of anything you desire!》
“Then can you measure my overall ability level in numbers, the way you showed my mental fortitude limit? Set 20 as the maximum achievable through ordinary training, and 30 as a Transcendent’s threshold, then calculate based on that. It would be even better if you sorted and displayed my possessed mysteries as well.”
It was a somewhat complex request, but the Eye of Truth promptly obliged.
《Soul Grade – Level 1》
《Strength – 2｜Vitality – 1｜Dexterity – 2｜Agility – 3｜Senses – 3｜Charm – 20｜Knowledge – ?? (Unmeasurable)｜Wisdom – ?? (Incomprehensible)｜Faith – ?? (Insufficient Grounds)》
《Possessed Mysteries – [☆Eye of Truth☆ (Tier 1+)], [Web of All Things (Tier 1)]》
“Why did you make it so inconvenient to read? What’s with all the crude question marks and stars?”
《>:(》
I found myself missing the clean Status Window from games.
Still, it was better than nothing.
“From now on, whenever I call out ‘Status Window!’, display it automatically. Make it clean and tidy, if you would. And spare me your opinions.”
As I was calmly examining my pathetic stat totals as a Heretic, another message appeared below.
《Wretches of your kind are not meant to enjoy the glory of worshipping the malevolent deity. The petty god of nature watches with wide eyes, and there is nothing to be done about it.》
《Yet you have chosen the path of hardship in serving the great one. A wise and sound judgment indeed, but regrettably, there is currently no way to prevent the curse that the god of nature casts upon a wretch who has turned away from it. Soon your strength and agility shall sink into the abyss….》
《:(》
“Why would you try to stop it? Just let it be.”
I immediately pulled up my shirt and examined my chest.
In the center of my lean upper body.
A small seed protruded as if breaking through the pit of my stomach.
《The Seed of the Curse ‘Seed of Manure Sprout’ bestowed by the god of nature》
《A cursed plant that grows using wretches who worship the malevolent deity as its host. Once it sprouts, it severely degrades the host’s physical abilities. Time remaining until germination – 3 days》
A vicious curse that would fix my Strength and Agility at 1.
If left alone, it would only function as a penalty, but through a specific procedure, I could make it produce effects the god of nature had never intended.
That would enrage the god further, but since even meek compliance wouldn’t earn forgiveness for the sin of worshipping the malevolent deity, there was little difference.
“If it must grow, let it grow beautifully.”
I caressed the seed with satisfaction, then surrendered to exhaustion and slipped beneath the covers, closing my eyes.
It was time to depart for the land of dreams.
《Special advice: After sleeping well and waking, your fatigue will be gone and your mood will be wonderfully refreshed!》
Unlike the comfortable bedding I had enjoyed as a modern person, the pillow and mattress were hard and uncomfortable, yet sleep overtook me quickly.
It was deep and restful.
***
A gentle warmth suffused the afternoon.
I only managed to open my eyes as noon approached.
Perhaps because I wore a borrowed body, the sharp circadian rhythm that had once snapped my eyes open at seven no longer functioned.
“You slept quite a while.”
As I stepped into the hallway in fresh, fluffy clothes, the sibling pair emerged as if they had been waiting.
More precisely, only Marlin stood on her own two feet, while Abel rode on his sister’s back.
《The boy Abel (Tiger Beastkin, age 12) whom you aided. He fled from ghouls in the Dungeon and twisted his ankle, yet has not shown the slightest sign of it. Spirited grit — I approve.》
“Abel, you’re hurt. Don’t hide it.”
“That’s just how he is,” Marlin said.
Marlin shot a sidelong glance at her sibling, who was awkwardly feigning indifference.
“Before, he even got caught trying to pickpocket an orc’s purse and got beaten so badly his ribs broke, yet he hid it the whole time. Said he didn’t want to worry me.”
Though the bond between the siblings was touching, the fact that the injury stemmed from petty thievery dampened the emotional weight somewhat.
“But you waited instead of leaving first.”
“You should say goodbye before parting ways.”
“Let’s go. Any longer and they’ll charge a surcharge.”
“Yes….”
I left the Tavern with Marlin.
Since the Tavern stood in the heart of the Market, the streets teemed with shoppers.
“Which direction are you two headed?”
“Where else would kids like us have to live in the 6th District?”
“Answering a question with a question is impolite.”
“…The Eastern Slums.”
“Let’s go. I’ll take you there.”
I began walking, and Marlin, who had been standing still for a moment, followed along behind me.
Even someone without the slightest intuition could have read her heart easily—her gait was too weary, too heavy with something unspoken.
“You don’t want to go home?”
“No.”
“Why?”
I already knew what was troubling her.
Marlin and Abel.
The tiger-kin siblings were the sort of children who would only suffer if they didn’t stay close to others.
Which meant I’d already thoroughly studied every method needed to recruit them as allies, and every advantage that could come from growing closer to them.
But troubles of the heart, as everyone knows, don’t become official shared knowledge unless the person themselves speaks them aloud.
Marlin drew a heavy sigh, hesitated for a long moment, and then spoke.
“We’re actually members of a thief guild.”
“I see.”
“You’re not surprised?”
“You children, members of a thief guild? My word, what a thought!”
“…that wasn’t what I meant by asking you to be surprised.”
“You really are a particular child, aren’t you.”
“Anyway… when we were even younger, the guildmaster of the Black Sword Guild noticed us and taught us to steal. We know it’s wrong, but we didn’t have a choice. Orphans with no parents—what other way is there to survive besides crime?”
As I fixed my gaze on Abel’s puffy left ankle, her soft voice continued.
“Fortunately, I had some talent for thieving, so we managed not to starve, somehow scraping by. But for the past few weeks, the guildmaster started calling only me in and making… unsavory requests.”
I exercised tact and deliberately didn’t probe into the true meaning hidden behind her vague words.
I only recalled that among the users, the Black Sword Guild’s guildmaster was known not by his name but by a fitting epithet: “the Revolting Scoundrel.”
“When I refused, he got angry and demanded that I pay all the protection fees he’d waived because of my youth—the whole amount, within a week.”
“How much are we talking about?”
“About 1,000 Gold.”
Since Nightmare Dungeon is an American game, 1 Silver is worth exactly one dollar.
With 100 Silver equaling 1 Gold, the tribute these young siblings owed amounted to roughly a hundred million won when converted to Korean currency.
An impossible sum for children barely into their teens.
And they’d just come out of the Dungeon having earned not even a single Silver, let alone any Gold.
“What… what do I do now?”
“Unless I’m mistaken…”
The situation was difficult, but the solution was surprisingly simple.
“Evil spirits generally prefer tributes given with malice. They have a taste for the pungent.”
Perhaps I should go ahead with the usual plan—capturing some fresh, live sacrifice.
A guildmaster like the one from the Black Sword Guild wouldn’t be common prey, but even demons with finicky palates would usually be pleased enough with such an offering.
“Wait.”
I grasped Marlin’s shoulder—she’d been walking with her gaze down—and turned her body slightly to the side.
“…Why?”
“Is there some reason you have to hurry back to the slums?”
“Not really. Actually, I’d rather go back as late as possible. Once I’m home, I’ll have to face the guildmaster….”
“Then come with me.”
I led the siblings toward the southern reaches of Pletica 6th District, which the Harmony Church administered.
As we drew closer to our destination, foot traffic thinned, and eventually the streets became utterly deserted.
Occasionally we’d pass someone, and each time Abel would whisper something quietly to his sister.
“Where are you taking us…?”
It was a question born of doubt about my intentions, but I could understand it.
Every person we encountered wore robes that draped in sinister folds, or their whole body wrapped in bandages, or their faces covered entirely in tattoos. How could they not be suspicious?
“We’re almost there.”
Just as Abel’s anxiety was reaching its tenth peak, we turned onto a street I recognized.
A neighborhood where all the houses and roads lining the streets were painted white.
At the boundary where the city’s palette shifted from gray to white, two Holy Knights of the Harmony Church greeted us with stern expressions.
The Heretic Isolation Zone of the 6th District.
A town of heretics established by the Harmony Church.
Every single evil spirit worshiper in Pletica had to live here without exception.
“…Oh.”
Marlin flinched upon catching sight of the Holy Knights.
“This is a heretic detention facility, isn’t it?”
“Detention? True, you can’t leave without permission, but it’s not a place of confinement.”
“That’s the same as locking us up!”
“Not at all. There’s no coercion involved—you move freely if you wish. Of course, if you’re caught sneaking out, execution awaits, so unauthorized leaving is generally discouraged. But whether you live here or not is your choice.”
…….
I showed my Identification Badge to the Holy Knight and stepped inside.
Marlin swept her gaze across the cityscape with quick, darting movements, her eyes widening in surprise.
“Somehow it doesn’t look that different from any other neighborhood?”
“What, did you expect tentacles sprouting from the sidewalks, buildings made of flesh, and purple air?”
“Honestly, I thought that might be the case.”
“Only sometimes. Most days it’s neat and tidy like this.”
……
I led the now-silent siblings toward the building I saw most often in the game.
A modest two-story house.
Its exterior was identical to the houses lined up on either side and across the street, but what set it apart was the nameplate beside the door, which boldly displayed my name: Kar.
《A residence allocated to you by the Harmony Church. It’s not as if they’re providing it for free anyway—they’ve set everything up as debt so meticulously while pretending to be gracious. Isn’t it utterly absurd?》
“This is our home.”
I gestured toward the house with an air of casual composure.
“Technically it’s not in my name—it’s registered under the Harmony Church—but that’s just how I’m phrasing it. There’s no rule against having roommates, so you’ll be free to live comfortably here.”
“…Kar, may I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.”
“Why did you bring us here? There’s no real reason for it, is there? We only just met in the Dungeon.”
Two different expressions appeared on the siblings’ similar faces.
Marlin looked bewildered.
Abel showed curiosity.
Kindness from a wicked Heretic seemed to have caught them off guard.
“Don’t get moved by it—this isn’t charity.”
Nothing in this world is free.
If someone offers material support without charge, they’re one of two things: a con artist or a saint.
I’m neither, which is why I intend to demand proper compensation.
“Marlin, Abel. You both have the talent of an explorer.”
I’d learned this through countless experiences.
These children possessed a talent too precious to waste on petty theft and shoplifting in the slums.
Both Marlin and Abel had the potential to become first-tier companions, given adequate support.
“I intend to become your patron. Let me be clear—this is not free. For now, you can simply accept the support. You can repay the debt later, bit by bit, at your own pace.”
……
The siblings stared at me with identical slack jaws and vacant expressions.
I understood their feelings.
Even though they should be pleased, their minds were surely in turmoil.
No adult they’d ever met in the slums had treated them as person to person.
“If you’re still uncomfortable with it, we can arrange it this way. In exchange for food and shelter, Abel, you’ll handle the housework for now. Cleaning and dishes. Cooking too, if you know how.”
“…Housework?”
“And Marlin. There’s something you’ll need to do as well.”
There was work more important than mere household chores.
“You’ll become my assistant for a while.”

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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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