Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 71

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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 71: C-Rank Dungeon – Sanctuary of Rest (4)
《Please, hold on!》
《Time remaining until clear condition is met – finally one day》
Fourth day of service.
By now everyone walked about with vacant eyes, moving like zombies in slow motion.
I’d managed reasonably well by using Ghoul Mobility intermittently to sustain my Stamina, but the other volunteers hadn’t fared so kindly.
“…….”
Elion, who brought the meals, quietly set down a basket of bread twice daily and left.
Our eyes had met a few times, and each time he’d averted his gaze while biting his lip.
He seemed troubled.
Well, it was hardly surprising that a priest who’d foregone even the rank of bishop to serve the saint in the Sanctuary of Rest would feel guilt watching the volunteers waste away.
《We’re really almost there!》
《Time remaining until clear condition is met – twelve hours!》
Everyone had reached the brink of collapse, so there was no conversation among us.
Tottering, stumbling.
Despite being in the temple of the holy god, we’d all become like the undead.
Even the incurable optimist Pendrick, and Bartimir—a demon who fed on negative emotions and could turn any ward into a feast—both wore grim expressions.
《It’s almost here…!》
《Time remaining until clear condition is met – ten minutes!》
Now truly very little time remained.
“…Just a little bit longer, everyone.”
At my words, the Moon Expedition Party members and the Harmony Church devotees gave faint nods.
Their complexions were nearly that of someone about to pass out, yet somehow they continued moving.
All of us had pressed forward in silence, giving our utmost to the very end in tending to the patients, when it happened.
Whoooosh!
There was light.
A burst of pure white radiance suddenly spread throughout the entire Healing Ward.
《Ugh! I wish I could shield my eyes!》
Writhe!
The Eye That Pierces Truth and the serpent tattoo on my left arm reacted violently.
Such sanctified energy flowed forth that even the demon’s terminal howled in revulsion—yet it gently soothed our exhausted bodies and spirits.
My legs nearly buckled from the force of it, and I had to lean against the wall to stay standing when a priest from the Guardian Church, radiating tremendous presence, walked into the Healing Ward.
“…Thank you for your hard work.”
The vestments they wore flowed with a holiness that put our own clothes to shame.
A pristine white Buckler held in their left hand.
A being of heaven.
For a moment I was struck by that illusion—such was the nobility of this priest.
“Greetings to you all.”
The priest who had entered the ward bowed solemnly, hand placed over heart.
“I am Seraphina, the white shield of Artein.”
《The Guardian Church’s final saint, Seraphina (human, thirty-four years old). A powerful priest cherished by the hypocrite goddess. Honestly, even I acknowledge Seraphina.》
A sublime delegate chosen directly by the One who shelters all.
Her deeds in life have been passed down through biographies, fairy tales, and theatrical works—the greatest priest in history.
The proprietor of the free healing clinic had arrived.
“We are honored to receive the saint who has touched Artein’s glorious hand!”
Valentin and the other Harmony Church devotees quickly dropped to one knee in reverence.
I hurried over to the dazed Bartimir and knelt beside him as well.
“I’d like to speak with you all for a moment, if you don’t mind?”
No one present possessed the audacity to refuse such an offer from the saint.
“Please, say whatever you wish!”
When one zealous holy knight answered on our behalf with a booming voice, Seraphina clasped her hands together before her and fiddled with them nervously, then bowed deeply at the waist.
As the startled Valentin and Lucius exchanged glances, the saint finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Thank you. And I’m sorry. I fear I’ve burdened you all far too greatly.”
“Not at all, Saint! Service at the Sanctuary of Rest is nothing but our honor!”
“…….”
Saint Seraphina bit her lip as she gazed at me and the members of the Moon Expedition Party.
Though within the Sanctuary of Rest everyone was nominally a lay member of the Guardian Church due to the rules that governed the place, she was looking directly and precisely at the three of us who didn’t actually serve Artein.
“Especially to you, I owe the deepest apology.”
Her voice—soft and trembling slightly—lingered in my ears.
“Thank you truly from the bottom of my heart for all your effort. Explorers.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
Valentin, who had been looking down, suddenly lifted his head and blinked rapidly.
For a Holy Knight, it was quite a composed reaction.
“H-how is it that Your Holiness knows the term ‘Explorer’…?”
During the age of the Grand Cathedral, the profession of “Explorer” did not exist.
***
The term used to describe those who entered the Dungeon has changed with the flow of time.
It was because the understanding of exploration differed subtly across eras.
In ancient times: Adventurer.
Now: Explorer.
Looking at the characters alone, there is little difference, but in terms of purpose, they are clearly distinct.
Adventurers value the experience itself, while Explorers focus solely on seeking Secret Art Tomes and precious treasures.
‘If I’m being honest, I’m closer to an Adventurer.’
In the modern age, where in-depth research has advanced, the Dungeon is merely an object of exploration.
But thousands of years ago, in the age of the Grand Cathedral, the Dungeon was simply an exciting place for adventure.
In other words, for the Saint to refer to us as “Explorers” would normally be impossible.
“I apologize that the Temple’s circumstances prevent us from offering a reward commensurate with your efforts.”
The Saint, who had apologized to us once more with utmost courtesy, gazed at the Holy Knight whose pupils trembled without cease.
Her kind smile suggested she would answer all our doubts.
Valentin, who had hesitated for a moment, carefully opened his mouth.
“Did you know that we came from the future…?”
“Yes. I have known for seven years now.”
“…By Artein’s grace.”
“I fear I have startled you greatly. My apologies once more.”
The Saint bowed deeply from the waist.
To priests and Holy Knights whose rank far exceeded hers, and to Explorers who were mere laypeople within this Dungeon alone.
Valentin fluttered his hands in distress.
“N-no, surely you mustn’t apologize to common servants like us!”
“On the contrary. You came willingly from the future to care for our patients—how could I hold myself upright without bowing to you? My gratitude far exceeds what such a gesture can convey.”
Remaining bowed, her gaze fixed upon the floor, Seraphina continued her thanks.
“Father Elion told me that you tended to patients who were mere Dungeon Wanderers with genuine compassion.”
Dungeon Wanderer.
This era’s term for what we would call “wraiths.”
While the modern term reflects a sentiment that denies their equality, this phrasing was notably gentler in its nuance.
Yet from the Saint’s words, one could infer that even in this age, those trapped in the Dungeon were regarded as golems—creatures beneath contempt.
“We merely did our best in the role we were given.”
Her gaze, which seemed to paint my mind white, turned toward me, so I answered with respectful formality.
“If we were to neglect even acts of goodwill toward the patients, would Artein not grieve?”
“…….”
The Saint regarded me with curious eyes.
It was disrespectful to meet the gaze of a high-ranking priest directly, so I lowered my head slightly.
“Does this mean that in the future, even if a Socialite praises a righteous god, the evil god will not grow angry?”
《That’s ridiculous! >:(》
“Yes, they do not grow angry at all.”
I answered with ease, and a violent spark erupted from the lightning sigil on my collarbone.
The serpent sigil on my left hand also flicked its long tongue in protest.
Thanks to the trait [Zealot], the evil gods will never rebuke me as long as I refrain from outright heretical declarations.
“…Your Holiness?”
Pendrick, who had been observing the Saint’s expression with his mouth closed, seized an opening and spoke carefully.
“If I may ask, how did you discover our true identities? To be frank, we are rather bewildered.”
A wraith, whose thoughts and conduct are governed by the Dungeon’s independent laws, had seen through the identities of Explorers.
It was not a normal situation by any measure.
It was as if a wingless race had risen against gravity and soared into the sky without the aid of Secret Arts.
Even Bartimir, Vice-Captain of the Order’s Spear, could not hide his confusion.
“I merely made an educated guess.”
The Saint answered with a hint of amusement in her voice.
“Places of historical or geographical significance tend to be recreated as Dungeons with great likelihood. So I have always wondered whether this Healing Ward I oversee—which requires ‘genuine hardship’—might one day become a Dungeon’s stage. That is why I was quick to notice.”
Because one wished to fly through the sky, one could fly.
The logic was so thin it approached such empty rhetoric, and Bartimir’s eyebrow twitched noticeably.
“…That alone does not provide a sufficient explanation, does it?”
He barely managed to squeeze out a “yes” at the end, pinching his waist midway through the word.
“Is that so?”
Seraphina straightened the disheveled blanket of the patient who had thrashed in pain, offering a subtle smile.
“In fact, this entire Temple lies within the effective range of Heaven’s Ear—a Secret Art that allows us to listen in on all sounds carried from the surrounding area.”
……
In other words, she had been eavesdropping.
“Ah, so you possessed such a Secret Art as well.”
Valentin finally let out a hollow laugh at the deflating truth, his head nodding slightly with resignation.
No matter how historically significant a person might be, the full composition of their Secret Arts was rarely revealed.
It held far more critical weight than trivial personal information like an identification number.
“There is not much time left until the ‘Clear Condition’ is fulfilled. Rest until then. With my Secret Art, I can ensure the patients maintain stability for approximately ten minutes.”
The holy woman walked to the center of the ward, sat down, and closed her eyes as if she would brook no refusal.
Whoosh.
A pure white aura flowed from the body of the powerful priest, enveloping the entire critical care ward.
Artein’s Touch.
A ninth-tier Secret Art that fixed the health of all allies within range at maximum and blocked the effects of negative status conditions.
A ninth-tier Secret Art that prevented diminishment and blocked the effects of negative status conditions.
Though she would consume an enormous amount of holy power and could not maintain it indefinitely, she could easily sustain it for roughly ten minutes, as she had said.
“Now I can actually breathe.”
Bartimir, who quickly stretched out his legs and collapsed onto the bed, murmured in a weak, trembling voice.
Valentin, who had been fidgeting anxiously and standing about awkwardly, approached me and whispered.
“It was already known information that the holy woman visits on the final day if none of the volunteers who entered with us die. But I never imagined she would know that we came from the future….”
Valentin’s face glistened with perspiration, so taken aback was he.
“Is this situation, by any chance, connected to the Hidden Piece of the Sanctuary of Rest that you know of, Kar?”
I lay down beside Bartimir and answered.
“No.”
“…No?”
That the holy woman knew the volunteers came from the future was unrelated to any Hidden Piece.
During the game, she had treated the player as merely a layperson of Artein all the way through, and had never revealed that she possessed Heaven’s Ear.
‘It’s twisted again.’
New content.
Such a superficial term could not encompass what was happening.
The attitude displayed by the holy woman must be disconnected from the hidden architect’s intent or design—the force behind the Dungeon’s transformation.
“She simply acted on a sudden impulse and disclosed the fact she had been concealing.”
A spontaneous confession that defied all logic and rationale.
“…It was because of what you said, Kar.”
Lucius spoke carefully, breaking the silence.
The holy woman smiled softly, her eyes still closed.
“A rational person who weighs profit and loss could never engage in such grueling volunteer work. That is what I heard you say.”
The sacred aura flowing from the body of the powerful priest grew even more intense.
“Indeed it is true. I am an irrational fool who operates a healing sanctuary without charge. Father Elion is likewise foolish, abandoning the rank of bishop to suffer in a place like this.”
Everyone gathered at the Sanctuary of Rest is a fool.
Irrational simpletons who willingly embrace hardship they need not endure.
“But if there were no foolish people like us, the patients would continue to suffer and ultimately pass away in loneliness. So we shall continue to play the fool. In this manner, until Artein guides our dim souls to your side.”
……
Neither the Moon Expedition Party nor the members of the Harmony Church spoke a word.
Only silence.
They merely accepted the brief respite given to them.
Zing.
As quiet stillness settled in, a crimson gateway materialized in the center of the Healing Ward.
《Congratulations: Five full days have finally passed!》
C-rank Dungeon.
Sanctuary of Rest.
Clear condition achieved.
“Thank you all for your efforts.”
The holy woman opened her eyes, rose to her feet, and walked toward us.
“I shall bestow a blessing as your reward. I sincerely apologize that I can only offer you something so meager.”
Seraphina placed her hand on each of our heads in turn, invoking her blessing Secret Art.
Cozy Rest—a Secret Art that maintained a refreshed and energized state of mind, as though one had slept soundly for several days.
Valentin, who had been standing in a reverent posture with his hands clasped together, carefully spoke up.
“Saint, we shall withdraw now.”
“You have labored well.”
“May you remain in good health until we meet again.”
Valentin bowed with formal courtesy to the saint and stepped toward the gate.
“Wait, please.”
I raised my arm to stop the paladin’s footsteps.
“The exploration is not yet complete.”
This Dungeon had not been cleared in the “proper way” yet.
“This expedition must continue.”
The first step toward fulfilling the Hidden Clear Condition of the Sanctuary of Rest.
Remaining within the Dungeon instead of departing after meeting the clear condition.
“…You mean to stay in this Dungeon indefinitely?”
“Yes.”
Remaining in the Dungeon after the exploration is complete, refusing to leave—it was an act of pure foolishness.
Which is precisely what made it meaningful.
“I will continue to share the saint’s fate.”
For explorers are fools who stake their lives on the values they hold most dear.

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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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