Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 86

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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 86: Thump-Thump Unboxing
We decided to leave for a vacation to the Dungeon in the 5th District the day after the prosthetic arm was finished.
Until then, each of us would have personal maintenance time to shore up our shortcomings as explorers.
“I’m heading to the Magic Tower for a bit! Now that my soul grade has risen, I need to learn some new dark magic.”
Bartimir headed back to the 2nd District for a time.
One of the seven million reasons Mages were a broken class was that the Magic Tower provided its affiliated Mages with foundational Secret Art Tomes at each level.
‘Now that I’m level three, I should be able to access the Calamity Vault as well.’
The dark magic tower had facilities for managing all manner of dangerous poisons, diseases, curses, and living creatures.
For a demon like Bartimir, it was practically a treasure house.
Once afflicted with the curse I specified there, he would gain destructive power exceeding that of a warrior of equal rank.
“Captain, what should I do?”
Pendrick, a prodigy wielding the 0-tier Trait “Master of Blades” but still inexperienced as a swordsman, sought my counsel.
As expedition leader, it wasn’t difficult to chart a path for his development.
“Your most pressing issue, Pendrick, is that you have almost no proper Secret Arts.”
Currently, Pendrick’s only sword technique Secret Art was one.
And even that was merely 1-tier Powerful Slash—nothing more than swinging a blade a bit harder than usual.
Our prodigy swordsman, in other words, was still unable to fully display his capabilities.
– Surely there’s a reason you haven’t sought out a sword Secret Art Tome for Pendrick until now?
“As expected, the refined intellect befitting Astrímia’s refined appearance leaves me speechless.”
– Ah-ha!
Astrímia gave a small shake of her sword body.
“Indeed. We could not have the future great swordsman learn some common, worthless Secret Art.”
I had taught Merlin the cheap Secret Arts of Basic Dagger Technique and Basic Throwing Technique.
For a Thief—a grabbing specialist class—learning as many Secret Arts as possible was ideal.
But Warriors were different.
“Pendrick is still raw material. Only through careful cultivation from the fundamentals will he become a gem that shines all the brighter, wouldn’t you say?”
– Mm, you have a point!
“Just a little longer. I shall enable you to learn martial Secret Arts.”
Martial Secret Arts.
Not techniques learned instantly from reading a tome, but skills obtained through repeated practice.
Secret Arts learned merely by reading have the limitation of accepting their drawbacks as a package, but techniques inherited across generations—layered with the souls and ideals of predecessors one by one—are complete in themselves.
The higher one’s proficiency, the clearer that difference became.
“Pendrick, you must first start with basic training as a warrior, not with swordcraft itself. Just as Merlin learned the fundamentals of a rogue, not merely hand techniques as a Thief.”
“You’re right! I’ve been making my own effort, but it’s starting to feel like too much to handle alone.”
“Conveniently, in this 5th District we’re visiting, there is the martial artist Hystis, who has become your sworn sibling of sorts.”
The dog beastman who suddenly appeared after the last exploration of the Nightmare Realm, only to be swept up in the assault of a charisma monster.
Hystis was a rather renowned explorer in the 5th District.
“First, seek out Hystis at the headquarters of the Interspecies Association, and say something like ‘I’m so frustrated by my own weakness I cannot bear it.’ Then he will surely help you enthusiastically.”
– That sounds like a good idea, but…
Astrímia paused for a moment, thinking something over before continuing.
– Wouldn’t the Interspecies Association reject Pendrick for being human?
“Just say you’re a half-elf.”
“Ah! Are you perhaps a genius?”
– …What kind of genius! If we get caught, I might be imprisoned!
“Then don’t get caught.”
“You’re a true genius!”
– You absolute fool!
After some minor commotion, the two lovers eventually set out for the 5th District.
– Still, thank you for looking out for us, Kar!
Astrímia, nestled in Pendrick’s arms, let out a delighted laugh—perhaps already aware of my true intentions.
I had my own matters to attend to.
“Welcome!”
Rachel, the faint-shadow operative who had taken a job as our housemaid, bowed with precise courtesy.
“Please, command me as you will. I shall handle all tasks swiftly!”
“Then could you handle the floor cleaning and the children’s laundry? Oh, and the dishes too.”
“Leave it to me!”
Until now, Abel had shouldered all the housework, but it was time to focus on exploration.
Rachel bowed once more at a perfect right angle, then immediately began sweeping the floor.
I liked how brisk and efficient her movements were.
With luck, a Thief doing housework might just pocketbook something—which would be a nice bonus.
“Sponsor, we’re almost finished.”
While I watched Rachel absorbed in her cleaning, Abel, seated at the living room table, looked up from the notebook he’d been scribbling in intently.
Merlin, munching on the flat, sugary confections I’d bought with the allowance I’d given her, nudged my ribs lightly.
“What are you working on?”
“Abel. Show me.”
Abel nodded and held up the notebook, revealing the title written in neat, precise letters on the cover.
[Offerings Recipe for the Calamities]
“…Oh, that was it?”
“Yes. I asked him to record the entire process for preparing offerings for all the offering rituals we’ve conducted so far. Now that Abel has become a proper Cook-class explorer, we need to begin organizing it systematically.”
“I may not know much, but preparing offerings has absolutely nothing to do with cooking….”
I stuffed another pastry into Merlin’s mouth to silence her.
“It’s finished.”
Abel handed me the notebook.
A quick glance left me genuinely astonished.
“You really do have considerable talent for cooking. I never would have thought of puncturing a small hole in the mana core and inserting flame to roast the insides evenly.”
“It’s nothing special.”
“I keep telling you—offerings and food have no connection….”
I silenced her persistent interjections by popping another pastry in her mouth, then placed my right hand on Abel’s shoulder.
“How would you like to work as my dedicated assistant going forward?”
“Of course, Sponsor.”
Abel had become my offering ritual assistant.
Naturally, I intended to handle the primary aspects myself.
The offerings had to reach the Calamities intact, and for that, I needed to lead the ritual.
But all the countless smaller tasks could certainly be delegated to him.
“Hmm?”
Rachel, who had been wiping dust from the windowsill with eager movements, straightened up like a soldier and announced:
“Socialite, someone’s arrived outside!”
“Is that so? Please open the door.”
“Yes! May Lid’s vast knowledge blanket the earth!”
The housemaid agent, slipping in a tailored compliment, promptly opened the door to greet the visitor.
“Good day.”
Lucius, a priest of the Illuminating Lamp.
The priest, whose face always seemed to carry a sleepy haze, stood in the doorway.
He clutched something bundled heavily in his arms.
“I’ve brought various gifts our Harmony Sect prepared for you, Kar.”
“Here, priest, let me take those!”
Rachel swiftly relieved the frail priest of his burden and arranged the items across the table.
There were quite a lot of them.
“For a moment I thought you were a peddler. Why did you bring so much?”
“Please understand it as proof of how precious a guest our Harmony Sect considers you to be.”
Lucius wore a warm, priestly smile.
“Since clearing the Sanctuary of Repose, Artea Monastery has been in constant festival mood. The brothers and sisters, stirred by emotion and excitement, entered the Dungeon as a group to pay their respects to the Saint.”
“Wait, doesn’t that mean someone has to provide care for five days first?”
“Indeed. They should all be tending to her diligently right now.”
Care was waived only for the expedition party that had entered with an explorer who’d fulfilled the hidden completion conditions.
“That’s why no commanding-rank Harmony Sect member came—I’m just a regular priest. The monastery is completely empty now.”
“…Shouldn’t some of them go in rotation, a few at a time?”
“Well, exactly….”
Lucius shrugged awkwardly and placed a hand over his chest.
“Still, I’ve certainly brought gifts for you, so please look forward to them.”
“I’m so excited. Merlin, put your hand on my heart. Isn’t it racing wildly?”
“It’s quite calm, actually…?”
“My heart is unexpectedly cold-blooded, so it already settled down before you even touched it. You’re too slow.”
“…Priest, why don’t you just introduce the gifts already!”
Lucius, whose mouth corners had begun to curve upward, promptly revealed the contents of a box with a striking black-and-white harmonious color scheme.
Inside lay a delicate prosthetic arm, pale white in color, arranged neatly.
“First, allow me to present the prosthetic arm.”
《Exquisite – Hand Grasping Flame》
《A prosthetic arm embedded with the Artifact Glory’s Ember. It can now emit flames with even greater firepower than before. The sensory connection appears to be established at a reasonably good level.》
《But they made a premium-grade item in just four days…? A skilled craftsman must have thrown themselves into its creation without proper sleep!》
To be honest, I didn’t expect to be offering Exquisite-grade items.
For rough use where you’d throw it away if it breaks, a common tool would actually be better—but the advantage of high-grade items was that your conscience starts gnawing at you if you treat them carelessly, like they were cheap goods.
“This prosthetic arm was created through a collaboration between our Harmony Sect’s master artisan and a sorcerer from the Magic Tower. Would you extend your left arm?”
The sleeve of the Sky Invader had already been tailored short.
As I raised my bare left arm, Lucius carefully brought the prosthetic forward.
Thunk.
Along with the pain of being pricked by thorns, sensation began spreading through my left arm—which had only harbored phantom pain until now.
It wasn’t simply a matter of the prosthetic connecting to my body.
It felt more like my arm had rapidly grown and regenerated all at once.
Click.
I flexed the hand slightly, and the fingers bent normally.
There was a slight delay in the process, but compared to my right hand, there was no significant difference.
“This is… impressive.”
“It feels like a real arm!”
While the siblings stood gaping in wonder, the serpent tattoo that had crept up to my shoulder began creeping downward.
Rather than crossing directly into the prosthetic’s domain, it curled its body and observed with anxious, wavering eyes before inching forward with deliberate caution.
Squirm.
The serpent tattoo suddenly raised its head and coiled into a loop on the back of my hand, flicking its tongue.
“It seems to like it…?”
“So it appears.”
Then Reria sent me her will.
‘My, my vessel has not been this delighted in nearly thousands of years… I too am moved…!’
“That is fortunate.”
I replied politely while flexing the prosthetic in various directions.
As I was adjusting to the sensation, which still felt somewhat unfamiliar, Lucius launched into his explanation.
“The Glory’s Ember is embedded in the back of that hand where the serpent tattoo resides. The flame discharge occurs when the palm opens. The method of use remains the same as before.”
Clatter.
I sent my will, and an opening appeared in my palm.
“That’s impressive.”
“Note that it’s been crafted from Snowfield Stone, a metal with extremely high flame resistance, so you need not worry about it burning.”
The next gift was information valued at 1,000 gold.
It was enough to make Merlin’s tail stand at attention—that money-loving youth loved coin above all.
Since it was a historically significant Dungeon belonging to the Harmony Sect, they had apparently put special care into it.
“This is an Identification Badge certifying your status as an Honorary Socialite of the Harmony Sect.”
We also received three bronze explorer identification badges with a shield emblem stamped on them.
Everything up to this point was something I’d mentioned beforehand, but the last one was a surprise gift.
A dagger with a blade curved slightly like a crescent moon.
It differed somewhat in purpose from the lethal weapons typically favored by thieves.
“This is a ceremonial dagger.”
《Artifact – Full Moon Reaper》
《When used during offering rituals, the probability of offerings satisfying great divine entities increases dramatically. Additionally, temporary altars can be established. The false priestess brought back something truly extraordinary!》
The Full Moon Reaper.
An artifact ranking among the finest in performance among ceremonial daggers.
Considering that the fastest legitimate way to obtain this would be through terrorism at Artea Monastery or mass murder in the slums, it was unquestionably the finest gift.
I couldn’t very well undertake such messy cleanup myself.
“It was once the possession of a particularly infamous socialite. The late pontiff of two generations ago left instructions that it should be bestowed upon any socialite who faithfully follows the Harmony Sect’s guidance.”
Lucius smiled gently.

“We are certain beyond doubt that Kar is the one most befitting his words.”
I gazed down at the Full Moon Reaper for a long moment, then bent deeply at the waist and spoke.
“I shall devote myself to the Harmony Sect with dog-like loyalty going forward. I could even crawl on all fours, barking and running about if you’d like to see it?”
“…That is entirely unnecessary.”
The unboxing, marked by an eager, thump-thump rhythm, concluded triumphantly in this warm atmosphere.
Though there remained one more gift.
“Kar.”
Lucius bowed his head to me and smiled softly.
“Through your recent conquest of the Sanctuary of Repose, you’ve stacked Trust Ore even higher on the Scales of Harmony.”
This meant that I had already become eligible for benefits of the next tier.
“You may now hire Paladins or Priests from our sect for your expedition.”
Recruiting fellow members of the Harmony Sect.
Once we form a proper team, we can bring in talent that easily handles one person’s share of work and can manage far more without strain.
In fact, he was already here.
“We will be bringing Lucius into the Moon Expedition Party.”
I met the gaze of Lucius, who nodded as if he’d expected nothing less.
“It must be the Saint’s will, wouldn’t you say?”
…….
The blue-haired priest’s eyes widened, then broke into a soft smile.
“It seems I cannot hide anything from you, Kar.”
“To be precise, it’s Redia who knows everything.”
“I see…? The contract term is one year total. I will do my best going forward.”
“We look forward to working with you.”
We exchanged the customary pleasantries and shook hands with our right hands.
Lucius of the Harmony Sect.
Joining the Moon Expedition Party.

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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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