episode_0043

“…”

I lay quietly in the red lake leader Gelli’s bed at the Adventurer Guild’s emergency hospital.

I found Gelli around 1 p.m.

It’s now 3 p.m.

I’ve been by his side for two hours.

During that time, there was no conversation between us.

“Excuse me.”

A boy working at the emergency hospital entered.

“The guild executives will be here soon. And the remaining family of the Red Lake…”

“Survivors.”

I interrupted the boy.

“E-Excuse me?”

“That’s when you call them survivors.”

“Oh, yes… The message about what happened to the remaining survivors of the Red Lake team has been delivered.”

“…I see.”

Gelli spoke for the first time.

“T-Then I’ll be going…”

The boy left again.

“Well, I’ll wait outside.”

The executive who is coming soon will probably want to hear Gelli’s account.

It’s only natural since a Oriharukon-class team suddenly disintegrated.

The reason it took two hours is probably because he couldn’t immediately disclose this fact.

But rumors must have already spread.

Everyone must have seen me rescuing Gelli.

Anyway, the reason I waited was not only to watch over Gelli, who miraculously survived but also to testify to the executives about what happened there.

It’s probably better to wait outside, give a brief explanation, and then leave.

“Just a moment…”

Gelli called me for the first time.

“Why?”

“…I-I’m sorry…”

“No. Don’t apologize.”

“…”

“The person you should apologize to first is not me but the families of your teammates.”

“…Yes.”

With that, I left the room.

After a short wait, a middle-aged man, a senior member of the Adventurer Guild, arrived with Misty.

“Mr. Lashwood.”

The middle-aged man, Verche, said.

“Oh, hello.”

I greeted him while casting a glance at Misty.

She looked somewhat stiff.

“You’ve done a great thing. Just by saving Gelli from the Red Lake, it’s really…”

“Enough of that. Since I don’t really know anything, I’ll just briefly explain the situation.”

I didn’t ask how Gelli ended up like this or who the opponent was.

Imagine how painful it would be for the leader of the wiped-out team to talk about it.

It’s not good to make them go through that pain twice.

I can ask the Guild later.

“Yes, please.”

“I heard this morning that the Red Lake was targeting the 40th floor. I tried to stop them but didn’t listen. I had some business, so I went into the labyrinth around lunchtime and felt something was off.”

“Something off?”

“Yeah. I don’t exactly know what it was. From around the 20th to 30th floors, the atmosphere in the labyrinth was strange. Thinking about the Red Lake in the morning, I rushed up to the 40th floor. Luckily, I found Gelli on the 39th floor. He must have barely escaped from below. After giving him the highest-grade potion remaining, I brought him here. That’s the end of it.”

“Strange atmosphere, huh…”

“Mr. Lashwood.”

Misty said.

“Why?”

“Was that strange atmosphere perhaps… similar to the deep atmosphere?”

“…Maybe. As I said before, I’m not sure. The air or the atmosphere gave off that feeling.”

“And yet you ran down?”

“That’s right.”

“…”

“Don’t look at me like that. Of course, it might be the doing of Lindberg on the 51st floor. But even so, we can’t ignore the safety of Oriharukon-class adventurer teams, right?”

“Misty, I believe Mr. Lashwood’s actions were correct this time…”

“…Understood.”

Misty stepped back.

“Anyway, that’s all I know. I couldn’t take care of or even see any of the other members’ belongings or anything like that. Can I leave now?”

“Yes… Once again, thank you for your swift judgment and actions.”

Verche nodded slightly.

I roughly waved goodbye to them and left the emergency hospital.

As I stepped outside, a few people were gathered, murmuring among themselves.

The news of the Red Lake must have already spread.

They are one of the pillars of the city.

A group of young and promising adventurers vanished in an instant.

Retributors are rising…

Of course, they were older than the Red Lake, but retirement wasn’t something they had in mind.

“…”

Retributors.

Red Lake.

It’s not uncommon for talented and seemingly bright adventurers to die young.

Most of them were acquaintances of mine.

…Feeling disgusted.

Maybe I shouldn’t go to the Labyrinth today.

Deciding so, I headed back home this afternoon.

Although it’s a bit early, no one would question me leaving work early.

I could see several pairs of shoes at the entrance.

I understand Gryam and Lamy, but there are others as well.

“I’m back.”

I said as I entered, and Rinde came out of the living room.

“You’re back early?”

“Well, something came up. But we have a guest?”

“Yes. They are waiting in the reception room.”

“Who is it?”

“The eldest son of the Kapsella family…”

“Oh?”

Did Pestor manage to come after all?

Lianne must have strongly objected.

Anyway, since he’s already here, there’s nothing we can do.

“Got it. Let me change clothes and go right away.”

“Sure. But Krista is currently entertaining them, so there’s no need to rush.”

“Huh? Who?”

Krista?

Rinde went back into the living room, and I went to my room to change out of my armor into casual clothes.

Then, I knocked on the door of the reception room.

“Yes… Oh.”

After a moment, the door opened, and Lianne peeked out.

She looked at me with a puzzled expression.

“What’s with the ‘oh’? This is my house, you know?”

“Uh, yes, sorry.”

“Are you Mr. Rashwood by any chance?”

Pestor’s voice came from inside.

I passed Lianne and entered the reception room.

“Yeah, it’s me. But…”

Pestor, sitting across from Krista, stood up when he saw me.

“Why did you come today? As an adventurer? Or as a noble?”

“I continue to be an adventurer in this city.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“Welcome. You came really quickly, huh?”

Krista shook my hand casually, looking quite tired.

Was it tough entertaining Pestor?

“I had some things to take care of. Anyway, thank you for your hard work.”

“Sure…”

Krista stood up.

“Goodbye then.”

She shook hands with Pestor.

“Yes! See you next time for sure!”

Pestor nodded with a smile.

Lianne watched from behind with a displeased expression but didn’t say anything.

Nobles shouldn’t bow so easily, but well, adventurers… can do anything, right?

Most noble-born adventurers don’t easily bow their heads, though.

In the first place, it’s quite rare to be both a noble and an adventurer.

“Hello, Mr. Rashwood. It’s truly an honor to have Dragon Slayer Krista here!”

“Am I lying?”

“Oh, no, not at all…”

“Just kidding.”

I ruffled Pestor’s head.

He’s cute like a puppy.

“Ahem, ahem.”

Lianne coughed lightly, giving me a warning.

Oh, right.

I might have crossed a line there.

Pestor is undoubtedly the eldest son of a prestigious family in a kingdom.

Come to think of it, what was the rank of the Kapsella family?

“The reason I’ve come today is that Pestor wanted to express his gratitude in his own way.”

“Gratitude? If you saved his life, the family would reward you, wouldn’t they?”

“Yes. However, that’s merely the compensation from the family. Lord Phesto expressed a desire to offer a personal reward.”

“Is that so?”

I turned my head towards Phesto.

“Yes. That’s why I mentioned coming today not as a noble but as an adventurer. As a noble, my father would provide compensation, but that wouldn’t be the reward I offered.”

“Well, well. Quite a noble gesture.”

Today, for the first time, I smiled sincerely.

On a day like today, gestures like this felt even more significant.

“Well, then…”

I took a seat.

“What kind of reward do you wish to give?”

“To be honest, that…”

Phesto sat beside me.

Wait, isn’t it usual to sit across from someone?

“I couldn’t quite figure it out myself, so I came to ask about it.”

“Hah! Impressive, truly impressive.”

“…Was it a bother?”

“No, quite the opposite. I’m really grateful that you came. Sincerely.”

“Well, I’m glad then.”

“Hmm, hmm. Young master.”

Lianne cleared his throat again.

No matter what, as a noble, one shouldn’t be too formal; that must be the appeal.

You’ve been through a lot.

Being a noble and staying on the third floor of the Golden Shield Inn instead of the second floor already shows a lack of authoritarianism.

One could say he’s pure.

Perhaps his father, Brasica, didn’t raise him too strictly.

“Anyway, so, you want to know what I personally desire?”

“Directly speaking, yes.”

“Hmm… Honestly, I’m fine with just money…”

“Ah, I heard about that from Lady Krisha earlier. You’re conducting research to save a friend. The people in the living room earlier seemed quite extraordinary.”

Still, you didn’t disclose all the facts.

Well, you probably have some sense.

“Oh. It’s like that. 100 days… No, about 97 days left now? It needs to be resolved within that time.”

“Oh dear… Time is running short.”

“It truly is. If I fail, I’ll have to pay the price.”

“The price…?”

“Initially, we agreed on 100 days. If I don’t succeed within that time, well… I’ve decided to serve around 10 years in labor as a consequence.”

Well, this much should be fine to mention.

“What?! 10 years of labor?!”

“…?!”

Both Phesto and Lianne were taken aback.

“That, that’s right! Why on earth…”

“It’s part of the agreement. Don’t be so surprised. It’s just 10 years anyway.”

“Just 10 years… ah…”

“You know, I’m from the Evonijak tribe. 10 years will pass by quickly.”

Not really, though.

“It was such an urgent matter… Do you need money?”

“Well, normally I’d refuse, but I’m really in a hurry now. If you give, I’ll gratefully accept it, but if not, it’s not a big deal. Your father will surely provide enough.”

“No. You saved my life, didn’t you? As Kappasella’s eldest son, I can’t ignore the difficulties of a benefactor!”

Phesto stood up abruptly.

“Just a moment, young master…?”

Lianne called out to him anxiously.

“Just to be sure, how much are you planning to give?”

“Well… I’m not exactly sure.”

“You’re not sure?”

“Yeah. How much of the security deposit can you get back if you remove a room during a contract?”

“…?”

“…?”