Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 79

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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 79: Sanctuary of Purification — Final Confrontation (5)
The Holy Maiden charged toward the colossal golem without hesitation.
“Artein shall shield us!”
The captain of the Torch of Purification raised her sword and surged forward in the maiden’s wake, while the Holy Knights plunged headlong into the surging mass of enemies.
Not a soul wavered.
It was only natural.
Every last one of them was a stubborn fool who had cast aside worldly wealth and renown to care for the weak, traveled all the way to the Sanctuary of Purification, and feared not even death itself.
Thump!
Seraphina leaped high and struck the giant golem’s knee with a mighty swing of her buckler made of the holy artifact Clerisium.
A devastating blow that sent the massive frame visibly trembling.
She already possessed considerable physical strength, and with the Undefiled Earth blessing amplifying her further, she now unleashed power and speed nearly equal to that of the Holy Knights’ commander.
– So you actually dare attack us!
The flighty-voiced peacock golem fluttered its wings wildly and giggled.
《Peacock-Form Commander Golem (Level 6)》
《One of the individual entities commanding the non-organic legions pouring forth from the Dungeon Golemopia. Possesses transcendent intellect and should be eliminated with haste.》
Ordinarily, this strategy-specialized golem should not have appeared until the fourth day of the monster siege raid.
The premature emergence of the gigantic destruction golem was likely caused by this thing.
When we encountered unexpected resistance at the white temple—which we’d dismissed as a mere speed bump on the road to the densely populated Lyumess Kingdom—the higher-tier entities were probably hurried forward. That must be what happened.
– Just as I thought—how foolish these intelligent beings are, protected by mere bone! Let us slaughter them all!
The peacock-form golem soared high into the sky.
– Annihilate them all!
– Extermination commence!
The entire massive golem took position and roared.
Roooaaar—!
From its gaping maw—wide enough to swallow half the temple—a torrent of azure light erupted forth.
Transcendence-Mana Ray, a seventh-tier pure mana-type secret art.
“Artein steadies our backs!”
The pure white buckler was hurled into the air, and the beam that had shot forth in a straight line suddenly bent sharply, converging to a single point, and was completely deflected.
The peacock-form golem’s eyes widened in shock.
– …How can a mere human possess such high-performance sacred weapons! All units, deploy Light Bullets!
Following the commander’s orders, the massive golems drew forth hundreds of long cannons from their bodies.
Boom, boom-booom—!!
Again, deafening roars that shook heaven and earth alike.
Light Bullets, the superior evolution of Mana Bullets, poured down in a barrage that obliterated and scorched the temple grounds entirely.
When the thick dust settled, Holy Knights who had failed to withstand the bombardment lay scattered across the battlefield, their bodies reduced to less than half their original form.
Thousands of golems and constructs were incinerated, yet the enemy did not pause.
– Inferior creatures.
– Die, then.
– Kee, kee, keeee!
Non-organic monsters tore and trampled the corpses of the already-slain Holy Knights.
These beings transcended conventional limitations in intellect, yet their capacity for empathy and sensitivity toward living creatures had been deliberately severed.
They had been designed this way intentionally, for they were crafted by mages for combat.
“…O Artein!”
Pure white light flowed from the Holy Maiden’s body and spread across the entire battlefield.
The Hand of Artein, once used in the healing chamber.
A secret art that elevated her allies to their highest state, as far removed as possible from vitality loss and negative status abnormalities.
It was a last resort.
The consumption of Holy Power was staggering; she would have preferred to deploy it as late as possible. But if she did not activate it now, countless more would fall.
“I shall shield the weak!”
The Holy Maiden burst through the tempest of flame, ice, and lightning raining down from the massive golems, and pierced the gigantic golem’s groin with the holy spear Sigea.
Crack—!
The pure white spear, having driven itself into the enemy’s body, shot upward vertically and burst through its crown.
– Grrr, impossible—!
Because it was forged from metal harder than black iron, the gigantic destruction golem did not crumble.
The Holy Maiden was indeed among the strongest of the ninth-tier powers, but even so, she could not simply dispatch a foe of such colossal size.
Yet contrary to my memories, the golems’ offensive power proved far less formidable than expected.
‘They must have strained themselves making this hasty journey, deviating from the original schedule.’
The mana and fuel required to maintain that grotesquely massive frame exceeded all imagination.
High-speed movement would naturally deviate far from the designer’s original intent.
A golem meant to trudge slowly across enemy lines and wreak devastation had been forced into frantic motion, so multiple structural failures would inevitably result.
“Are you all prepared?”
Before the self-repair Secret Art could mend all the functional damage, I had to dispose of a single Gigantic Combat Golem in time.
If I failed, it would shatter the protective barrier and destroy the temple.
– Cease your futile resistance!
“That tone of voice really gets under my skin.”
Bartimir, who’d come to my side, furrowed his brow and presented his back.
I hopped onto him and surveyed the companions gathered around us.
“Captain, I’m ready!”
“We are prepared as well.”
Pendrick and Bartimir from the Moon Expedition Party, and Valentin, Lucius, and Ilia from the Harmony Religion.
Comrades who had come together to volunteer.
After sweeping my gaze across everyone’s faces, I looked forward and spoke.
“Let’s move out.”
“Forward!”
With Bartimir carrying me, we dashed out as one unit, sprinting diagonally toward the Gigantic Destruction Golem that jutted out on the far right.
Toward the massive golem positioned on the far right.
“From now on, we’ll be targeting that golem’s weak points!”
I spoke while scattering Black Lightning to assist the Torch of Purification paladins locked in fierce combat nearby.
“The location of the Gigantic Destruction Golem’s Mana Core is, in human terms, the heart! The only way to reach it is to enter through its mouth!”
Kuuuuh—!
Right then, the creature spewed a Mana Ray from its mouth, striking the temple’s protective Undefiled Sky.
Cracks were spreading across the pristine white barrier.
No matter how saintly she was, the priestess couldn’t pour Holy Power into both fighting the golem and shoring up that shield—she had at most five minutes before it gave way.
‘We complete the mission within that window.’
The path to the colossal golem wasn’t clear.
Swarms of non-organic forces writhed and rained every manner of attack upon us.
“We’ll carve a path! Ilia!”
The moment the order fell, Paladin Ilia struck up a hymn on her Holy instrument.
– The Guardian of All Mankind is beautiful, dazzling, luminous! La-la-la! La-la-la! La-la-la-la!
A children’s hymn penned by none other than Perys, the contemporary saint, echoed through the air.
Pure white light soon entwined around our legs.
A blessing that raised each member’s Agility by 2 for a brief moment.
“We shall protect all the innocent!”
Valentin whirled a sword wreathed in Holy Power, tearing through the enemies with savage fury.
Limbs of golems and constructs scattered in all directions like flower petals.
Heretic Crusher.
The brutal force on display explained how such an epithet, at odds with his neat smile, had ever come to exist.
“Hyaaah, here we go!”
Thanks to Valentin and Ilia’s prowess, we were closing the distance to where the gigantic golem stood in mere moments.
Bartimir charged forward, shattering enemies blocking our path with his petrified feet.
I scattered Black Lightning in all directions, striking at the weak points of the non-organic horde—their Mana Cores and Circuits.
Sporadic attacks came flying in, but I paid them no mind.
– O Star!
Astrímia kindled the fire of the third star, Phecda, to weave a protective barrier around my body, and I pressed forward toward the gigantic golem that continued its relentless bombardment of the temple.
The great golem merely fired volley after volley of Mana Bullets, utterly oblivious to our presence.
Its soul was far too lowly in rank compared to the priestess or the Torch of Purification’s commander.
An efficiently designed machine that ignored low-level enemies to conserve Mana and fuel—that would be its weakness.
“Everyone, be careful!”
I dismounted from Bartimir’s back and called out orders while barely dodging the golem’s barrage.
“Lucius! Please grant a Blessing of Strength Enhancement to the other two, excluding me!”
“Understood!”
While Lucius hastily placed his hands on the two members’ bodies and activated his Secret Art, I burned the bodies of approaching enemies with Black Lightning.
Crackle-crackle-crackle!
– How stinging.
– How futile.
– Hee-hee, hee, hee-hee-hee!
The number of enemies that remained largely unaffected even when struck head-on by the lightning was steadily growing.
From the moment they rolled off the assembly line, the latest-model combat golems came equipped with built-in Secret Arts defending against electricity, their weak point.
Intelligent as they were, they rushed forward with Lucius—who was casting the Blessing—as their priority target.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!
With my left hand, I conjured a wall of flame to divide my allies from the enemy.
Of course, I stood on the same side as the golems.
My role in our expedition was that of a tank—drawing aggro, absorbing damage.
– Suspicious behavior detected.
– What are you?
“A meat shield, what else?”
I summoned lightning down upon the golems’ heads without warning.
They shuddered for a moment, then launched a coordinated assault.
Swords, spears, arrows, mana.
Weapons of every kind tore and slashed at my body.
“…It’s useless.”
I gritted my teeth and endured.
At this point, I could withstand concentrated fire from a pack of level-6 or higher monsters.
The Holy Maiden’s Hand of Artein had nearly worn off, but that was fine.
《Multiple Secret Arts are taking effect, and your vitality is decreasing at an extremely slow rate!》
Wound Deferment Barrier.
Ghoul Mobility, linked with Rumbling Dark Cloud.
And Saeng-Yeok-Haeng, the cornerstone of the Immortal Religion build.
Its effect was conditional super-regeneration.
“There is no means by which you could kill me now.”
Activating Saeng-Yeok-Haeng caused my Stamina to surge dramatically for a time.
《Dark Solitude has enveloped you once!》
But with each use, a debuff called Dark Solitude accumulated, and when it stacked ten times, I would die and fall into an undead state, stripped of consciousness.
A classic high-risk, high-reward Secret Art.
For now, my Tier was low and I had many limitations, but once I mastered Secret Arts that addressed these drawbacks later, it would display formidable power.
– Biological yet does not die. Analysis required.
– Mana Bullet ineffective. Switching to close-range strategy.
– Disgusting! Emotional circuit removal recommended!
The murmuring non-organic force abandoned ranged fire and rushed forward as one.
A sharp spear pierced my heart, a mana blade severed my brain, a heavy club shattered my spine.
“Aha, aha ha ha!”
《Dark Solitude has enveloped you five times!》
《Five layers of Dark Solitude remain until death and undead transformation》
Still no problem.
I’d only just crossed the midpoint, so more than half the journey remained before I reached the finish line.
Truth be told, if eternal rest never came and I merely became undead, my comrades could continue our exploration with a leash around my neck, so it wasn’t quite the worst-case scenario.
“Kar, that’s enough!”
As I pushed back with lightning, the voice I’d been waiting for finally came.
I unleashed lightning compressed to maximum output like a wall, forcing the golems backward, and shouted my orders.
“Pendrick, carry me on your back, and Bartimir, throw Pendrick toward the head of the giant golem!”
“…What?”
“What…?”
The prodigy swordsman’s eyes widened and the demon hesitated, his shoulders twitching, but both came rushing toward me at once.
They weren’t the type to waste time questioning my orders when doing so would put not just us, but every patient and guardian in the temple at risk.
“To hell with it! Just do as I say!”
Bartimir seized one of Pendrick’s legs as the swordsman hoisted me onto his back.
Having absorbed so much of the negative concepts saturating the battlefield, he lifted the two grown men with remarkable ease.
“Hnnngh, haaaaah—!”
Pendrick, cradling me, soared up toward the giant golem’s waist.
The prodigy gripped one of the cannons jutting from its body with one hand, then steadied himself while clutching Astrímia with the other.
He climbed awkwardly to the very edge of the cannon.
“Commander, this will hurt a bit!”
Whoooosh!
A wave of starlight aura swept across me, driving upward with tremendous force.
My vision swam and lurched.
The aura’s wave flayed the skin from my entire body as if burning it away.
《Remaining vitality: 6/100》
《Remaining Mental Fortitude: 2/100》
My body and mind were utterly battered.
But somehow, I’d reached my destination.
…Hah, hah.
Atop the colossal Destruction Golem’s crown.
Having barely managed to land on solid ground, I lifted my reluctant right arm and conjured a small sphere of lightning, then swallowed it down.
A sharp headache surged through me.
《□□□ □□ □□□ □□ : 0/100》
《□ □□! □□□□!》
…What are these characters?
Where am I?
What am I doing right now?
I don’t know.
I can’t remember anything.
“You don’t understand why the Saint won’t abandon her patients and flee?”
Suddenly, a voice reaches me.
I turn my head slowly to the side, and a child with particularly beautiful eyes is speaking to me.
“Look, imagine I’m about to die. What would you do then?”
Ah, I remember now.
This is the Taeyang Orphanage.
That place of painful, bittersweet memories where you wasted away.
I’m sorry, Yoon Ji.
I’m sorry for turning away your heartfelt plea to stay beside you, telling myself I had to go to school instead.
I’m sorry for not understanding your heart, for worrying about not being able to afford cram school, for thinking I couldn’t afford to miss even one day of lessons.
“Of course I’d do everything I could to save you, right? Yes, that’s exactly it!”
Yoon Ji approached and looked down at me, smiling.
That warm, familiar smile — the only one in the orphanage who’d ever smile at me like that.
Her bright expression alone is enough to calm my heart, and now it’s right before my eyes.
“To protect people. Only for that reason. It’s not logical, but I think that’s enough.”
I want to save them.
I have to protect them.
But who?
Protect them from whom?
Crack!
Suddenly, violent and jagged lightning erupted from my collarbone, carrying with it an inexplicable will.
Then an intellectual voice resonated in my mind.
【Kar, my child. Come to your senses! Will you continue to squander your Faith like this?】
An intense voice that brings throbbing pain.
My head feels like it’s splitting.
A trickle of blood runs from the corner of my mouth.
And then.
The memories and sensations that had faded slowly return to life.
“…I was believing in you.”
I gaze at Yoon Ji’s fading eyes for a moment, then slowly stand.
“Now you understand why the Saint didn’t run away, don’t you? So hurry up and finish this conquest. I’m curious how the story unfolds!”
“…Right.”
I move my legs, already transformed by Sin: Gluttony, toward the Golem’s face where its mouth gapes open.
As I do, I glance back and force the corners of my lips upward.
“I love you. Maybe, just maybe, we’ll truly meet again soon.”
I have no desire to die in a B-grade or lower Dungeon.
And yet, I won’t refuse an operation that demands I stake my life.
“All Divine Beings who keep this frail Socialite Kar under watch and care.”
I am now foolishly risking my life for those who are trapped in the Dungeon, endlessly cycling between death and resurrection.
It is clearly irrational, a judgment born of emotion.
But what of it?
I lived my entire life by reason alone and failed to protect Yoon Ji, who suffered needlessly through no fault of her own. So from now on, I’ll simply live as my heart desires.
“Please illuminate the path that lies before me.”
I murmur softly and take a step forward.
Victory or death.
Time to wager my life.

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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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