episode_0004

“We are adventurers from the Kingdom of Brigal. Do you happen to know where the way down is?”

A plate mail made by combining chains and steel plates.

It’s an armor style that’s hard to come by in this country.

The weapon wasn’t a sword but a war hammer, with intricate lion-shaped engravings and decorations instead of solid iron chunks.

With a full beard on his face, strength emanated from his bright brown eyes.

Even the faces of his companions seen over his shoulders seemed out of the ordinary.

Without a doubt, they must be somewhat renowned individuals even in the Kingdom of Brigal.

“Kingdom of Brigal? You’ve come from far away.”

I welcomed the stranger while trying not to pay attention to Rinde behind me.

Judging by their hidden aura upon seeing them, they were probably famous or influential.

“The entrance down is exactly opposite to where we came from. Since all paths eventually lead to one place, it doesn’t matter which way you go. Unless you’re terribly directionally challenged, anyone can find it.”

“I see. The monsters here are too weak; I want to get down quickly. Thanks for guiding me. I’m Horanse.”

The man introduced himself as Horanse reached out his hand.

“Rashwood.”

I shook the hand he extended.

A handshake is universal across worlds.

“But…”

As I was thinking that, Horanse didn’t release my hand after shaking it firmly.

Although there was no pain due to both of us wearing gauntlets, you could sense the hostility the other person held.

“Is that woman behind you… a witch?”

“Eek…!!”

Rinde shuddered more, trembling visibly as if struck by a gust of wind.

“What about it?”

I, too, exerted pressure through my gauntlet.

Unpleasant scraping sounds echoed as metal met metal.

“Are you a lackey of the witch?”

The grip of the held hand tightened.

“In our kingdom, there’s a well-known tale. A wicked and cunning witch who stole the honor of a dragon hunter and escaped.”

“Ah, oh…!”

Even the faint sound of teeth clattering from behind could be heard.

Backpedaling, her robe rustled.

Normally timid to the point of being pitiful, Rinde was now beyond timid, bordering on fear and quivering.

“A trash tarnishing the name of the great hero Krisha. Are you in your right mind to be with that witch?”

“Hoo…”

I let out a small sigh and applied more pressure to the hand I held.

“W-what…!?”

In an instant, Horanse’s gauntlet buckled, and he made a gasping sound.

“That’s why outsiders aren’t welcome.”

I knelt him down, holding onto his now tattered gauntlet tightly, applying more force.

“W-wait!”

“If you come to the Labyrinth City, you should abide by its rules, right? This place doesn’t care about witches or whatever.”

“Ugh!”

Sensing the tense atmosphere, Horanse’s companions rushed over urgently.

I released his gauntlet without hesitation.

Though the gauntlet crumpled in the shape I grasped, the hand inside wasn’t severely injured, and there was no blood.

Naturally, I had no intention of coming to blows with them, so I adjusted my strength appropriately.

“Hmm… the hand seems fine.”

A man who appeared to be a priest examined Horanse’s gauntlet and spoke.

“Haah, haah…”

While still catching his breath, Horanse looked at me with a different gaze than before, indicating he had calmed down.

“Remarkable strength… Why would a warrior of your caliber be associating with a witch?”

“Are you deaf? This city doesn’t care about witches. Even if you don’t know how it was in the Kingdom of Brigal, this isn’t where you used to live. Show some respect for this country, this city.”

“Hmm.”

Horanse sighed softly as he looked down at his crumpled gauntlet.

“So there are tough guys in this city too. I underestimated the monsters’ weakness. My apologies.”

“Accept it. And if you’re going to delve deep, equip yourself with all magical items for weapons and armor. Ordinary iron won’t last long.”

Horanse’s gauntlets are undoubtedly high-quality, but they are not enchanted.

On the contrary, all of my equipment, from head to toe, is made up of magical items.

You might manage somehow with ordinary iron up to the 10th floor underground, but beyond that, magical items or equipment made of rare metals are essential.

Like mithril or oriharcon.

Of course, even with those, your life is not guaranteed.

“I appreciate the advice… However, I can’t help but say this even more. Beware of witches. They are calamities. They may not seem like it now, but they will undoubtedly come for your neck in the future.”

I tried to retort that it was nonsense, but the sincerity in his eyes made it hard to easily dismiss his words.

“…”

In the end, I said nothing and turned away.

Linde remained hunched over, still trembling.

I placed my hand on her shoulder.

“…!”

Linde jumped in surprise, trembling once again.

Since it was difficult to stay here any longer, I took her to another room.

Once we reached a place where our voices wouldn’t carry back, I spoke again.

“Just as I told those guys just now…”

“Haah…”

Linde let out a deep sigh and sat down hesitantly.

“I-I-I was scared…”

“Do you know those guys?”

“Yes… They were people I briefly worked with before…”

“Together?”

“N-no, not me, I was with Krisha…”

“Well, I don’t need to know about the past. Get up quickly. We haven’t finished our work properly yet.”

I grabbed Linde’s limp hand.

“Oops…!”

Linde was startled once again.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-nothing, it’s just, um…”

She stammered with her head bowed.

“Am I too cool?”

“Uh…”

“Haha.”

I chuckled and properly lifted Linde up by holding her hand.

Her face turned incredibly red at the sight.

If Linde fell for me, that would be fine too.

Women in love are blind.

She would probably agree to unreasonable requests.

We shouldn’t have to go to the black market for a while…

Wait a minute, wasn’t this guy aiming for pregnancy?

Isn’t that now becoming risky?

“…”

Linde kept stealing glances at me.

Her eyes were brighter and more moist than ever before.

…Things don’t seem to be going as smoothly as I thought.

“Anyway, let’s go find some monsters again.”

I deliberately spoke a little louder to lighten the mood as I walked away.

“Oh, okay!”

Linde seemed to have regained some composure and followed along in a hurry.

As I mentioned to Horanse earlier, no matter how many twists and turns there are in the labyrinth, they all eventually lead to the entrance and exit.

Even after turning several corners, as long as you remember which direction you came from, you can always return to the entrance.

Of course, that doesn’t mean there’s no risk of getting lost in the maze.

Even if you know the way, there could be powerful monsters at intersections or situations where you can’t move due to injuries.

Furthermore, the labyrinth expands immensely every 5 floors, and the monsters become stronger.

That’s why the magical lighting is only available up to the exit of the 5th underground floor.

“Where are the monsters… Ah, there it is.”

The monster I discovered this time was a cave rat.

Unlike regular rats, these are almost the size of cats, and their front teeth can gnaw through steel armor.

While monsters outside the labyrinth act in groups, most of the cave rats here roam alone.

“Is there a mana stone over there?”

“I’ll check.”

Just like she did with the slime, Linde reached out her hand and activated a spell.

A magic circle appeared in her hand but disappeared immediately.

“It’s there. Even though it’s very small…”

“Really?”

I hesitated, then threw the throwing dagger.

Of course, whether it’s a slime or a cave rat, any monster could have mana stones.

The specific criteria for whether an entity has a mana stone or not remain unclear.

It’s not always that strong monsters have them and weak ones don’t.

It is certain, however, that stronger monsters leave behind purer and larger mana stones.

“Kkiik…!”

The dagger flew straight into the center of the cave rat’s body.

Blood spurted from where the blade pierced and the rat’s mouth.

Shortly after, the cave rat’s body turned into smoke-like mist and vanished, leaving no trace of bloodstains.

In its place remained a small, sparkling stone the size of a fingertip and the dagger I had thrown.

“Oh…”

I retrieved the dagger and picked up the glittering stone on the ground to examine it under the light.

“It really is a mana stone?”

Though low-grade, it was undoubtedly a mana stone.

A resource widely used in various fields such as catalysts, magical item crafting, or special rituals.

With the discovery of dungeons increasing the supply, its value has decreased compared to ancient times, but the demand remains insatiable.

I put it in my pocket and smiled contentedly.

“Well done. You did great.”

“Hehe…”

I ruffled Linde’s hair.

I continued to verify her abilities several times afterward, and the results were consistent.

If she said it wasn’t there, it wasn’t, and if she said it was, it was.

Mana detection magic is real.

Thanks to that, I collected three low-grade mana stones in just a couple of hours.

Considering it took me all day to find the four mana stones I gave to Misty yesterday, it was quite fast.

“Alright, very good. Let’s combine our living expenses for now.”

Linde’s ability is something any adventurer in the Labyrinth City would covet.

No, it’s not just coveting; it could escalate into a major issue requiring the intervention of the city’s mayor or guild.

It’s not an exaggeration.

Even the most remarkable adventurers sometimes make mistakes in the labyrinth, and the results are often not worth the effort, time, and money invested.

So, to quietly monopolize Linde’s ability, we have no choice but to live together.

“Is that really true!?”

Linde beamed.

“Of course. But promise me one thing.”

“A promise?”

“Don’t tell anyone about that magic, or rather, that spell, and work only with me.”

Members of the adventurer guild, including Misty, already know about Linde’s ability.

After all, it was Misty who introduced Linde to me in the first place.

There might be other guild members who would talk about Linde to people they personally know.

Or, there might be someone else out there.

I just happened to be lucky enough to claim Linde first.

I should probably show my gratitude to Misty later.

“If, if I do that… we’ll live together, right?”

Linde asked cautiously.

Of course, what she means by living together is clearly more than just cohabitation.

Since I hadn’t given her a definite answer, she must have been anxious.

I don’t know why she’s so insistent on reviving the tribe, but it’s not an issue that can be easily decided.

“…Yes.”

But there’s no better opportunity for a windfall in this Labyrinth City.

Of course, I know how much responsibility having a child entails, but letting go of such an opportunity would be foolish.

The issue of pregnancy can be considered a bit later.

It’s not like we have to raise a child immediately.

Let’s focus on the windfall for now.

If things get out of hand later, I can leave some money behind and run away.