70. We Need a Balance Patch

Being able to soak in warm water is a blessing.

If I hadn’t started living with Yuria, I’d still be miserably washing myself with cold water by the well in the lodging’s backyard, wouldn’t I?

It made me realize anew just how fortunate I was to have a home.

‘Going in and out of the underground city would level me up quickly, but… I can’t even begin to imagine how grueling it’ll be.’

I’d be entering the underground city with the heretic hunting team to recover corpses, and assisting in the hunt would give me experience. That part was good.

The problem was figuring out how to survive amidst the heretics crawling out from every direction.

‘Can six people really pull off a heretic massacre?’

The party heading down for the heretic hunt this time consists of six people, including the Saintess and me.

One might argue that’s too few, but since each Inquisitor is said to be on par with Gold Badge adventurers, it shouldn’t be an issue.

The Saintess apparently suggested that sending in mediocre adventurers would just end up feeding the heretics, so it’d be better to sweep through with a small elite force. It still made me uneasy.

It didn’t seem like it was just for the sake of protecting adventurers, either. I had a feeling the Saintess proposed a small elite team because she was afraid of others stealing her prey.

That woman-her eyes were tinged with madness.

I had no idea how someone like her held the title of Saintess, but she did seem incredibly strong.

Probably powerful enough that even Moira wouldn’t dare mess with her.

Well, they’d handle the fighting.

I should just focus on doing my job properly.

My job was to quickly recover corpses and ensure the party wasn’t inconvenienced by properly preparing supplies.

Since I barely had any supplies left, I’d need to restock my inventory first.

‘The Watcher looted everything I had, after all.’

I’d opened my inventory to distract the Watcher, and as a result, all my belongings were taken.

At least I got compensation from the guild for helping take down the Watcher, but it was barely enough to break even. My heart ached.

“Ugh.”

All the dungeon-crawling supplies I’d painstakingly prepared over time vanished overnight, leaving me feeling hollow.

Many of them had been used so long they’d grown familiar, but now they were all scrap, probably dumped in a landfill.

Still, I had some spare funds left, so I’d prepare new supplies with a fresh mindset.

I’d stop by the hole-in-the-wall shop to stock up on potions and try selling the Ring of Etherealization, too.

They said they’d improved its side effects and effectiveness, so I was looking forward to it.

‘Come to think of it, I’ll need to prepare rations for six people, too.’

The guild would cover the costs, so I just had to submit the expenses. Since I didn’t know how long we’d be down there, I’d buy enough food for six adult men and women to last two months.

I’d have to visit the grocery stores and restaurants I frequented tomorrow.

Sandwiches would be good. I should probably buy a whole pot of soup, too-or maybe buy ingredients and ask Marin to cook? That sounded like a good idea.

Now that I had a housemaid who could cook, and Marin was skilled at it, there was no need to buy food from restaurants anymore.

“Busy, busy.”

I sank deeper into the bathtub.

I wouldn’t die this time, right?

Unease kept bubbling up in my chest.

******

I stepped outside as soon as the sun rose.

There was a lot to do.

I had to visit the guild, discuss future plans with the young lady, and place advance orders for various relief supplies.

Especially for ingredients-it was better to order in bulk ahead of time.

Anything bought last-minute tended to be harder to get.

Each of these preparations would increase my party’s survival rate.

“You’re here!”

“Long time no see, Edwin-nim.”

“The Guild Leader said to send you up right away.”

“Right now?”

“Yes. She said to bring you in as soon as you arrived. Seems like she has something to tell you.”

Following Edwin-nim’s words, I headed straight to the Guild Leader’s office.

After knocking and opening the door, I found Moira buried under stacks of documents, dark circles under her eyes as she read some indecipherable report.

“You’re here.”

“Yes, I heard you called for me.”

“Right. Pria said she wants to enter the dungeon next week.”

Next week? That wasn’t many days away.

Seemed like I’d have to move faster than I thought.

“Understood. Do you happen to know who I’ll be going with?”

“The Saintess is definitely going. Probably four Inquisitors under her command will follow. I don’t know the details, but they’re at least Gold Badge level. And this is just my personal opinion-”

“Yes?”

“Inquisitors aren’t normal people.”

“Uh… Is that so?”

I’d expected as much, but hearing them outright called abnormal was terrifying.

“I’m deeply, terribly worried you might get corrupted by them. Sending you into the underground city surrounded by lunatics… It doesn’t sit right with me.”

“Is it that bad?”

“Yes. That bad. You might even have to rein them in.”

“What? They’re the Church’s monsters. And you’re telling me to rein them in? Just going into a heretic-infested area is insane enough. Now I have to do that too?”

“No choice. If you don’t rein them in, you’ll die.”

“I’ll die?”

“Think about it. The Inquisitors are all warriors who can use Divine Blessings. You know that, right?”

“Yeah?”

“That means they’re entering an unlimited hunting ground with the ability to heal themselves. They’ll patch themselves up with holy power and go berserk. If you get dragged along, you’ll die. The heretics aren’t the problem-they are. They could go a week without sleep, just hunting heretics. Can you handle that?”

“…”

“Now you get it, right? If you want to survive, you have to rein in the Inquisitors.”

“So, I probably won’t die by the heretics’ hands. But to survive, I’ll need to manage the Inquisitors’ pacing.”

“Exactly. No matter how many heretics crawl out, you and the Inquisitors won’t die by their hands. They’re professionals at hunting heretics. They’re the kind of monsters who could slaughter demons and crawl out of hell unscathed. But you’re not like that. You’ll tear yourself apart trying to keep up with them.”

If I didn’t rein in the Inquisitors and stop them from going berserk, I’d die from overexertion.

“Ah, damn it. I have no idea how to rein them in. Help me out here. No-come with me. Moira-mama, help me.”

“Ma-mama… Ahem. Sorry. I can’t go with you. I’d love to help, but… There are circumstances. Please understand.”

Magic Eyes, Demon Swords, and Dungeon Assimilation.

Those three reasons were probably part of her “circumstances.”

I knew that, but I was scared, so I ended up whining.

Moira-mama, help me.

“I was so worried about you that I ordered a custom armor set. At least wear that. It cost a fair bit, so it should be light and sturdy. I even had two magic engravings embedded.”

Armor with magic engravings?

No way, she prepared all this for me…!

As expected of Moira-mama.

She really had a big heart, just like the person who’d seduced me.

“Mama…! Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. No need for thanks. If anything, I’m grateful. Thank you for working for the city. I’m sorry for putting you through something so difficult.”

Moira hugged me tightly.

Burying my face in her chest made me feel a little more at ease.

Ah, so this was the comfort a pair of breasts could bring.

“Now, chin up. And if you need anything listed in this document, just submit the budget. Edwin will handle it.”

“Got it. I’ll get going, then.”

“Ah, right. Yuria should be arriving soon. She’ll probably be here tomorrow or the day after.”

“Really?!”

“Yeah. We got word that they’ve located the Teleportation Stone. The problem is…”

“What’s the problem now?”

“The Keslan Kingdom had already set up camp in front of the stone. Things have gotten complicated.”

After executing all the traitors who’d conspired with the heretics, the kingdom’s forces had stationed themselves in front of the entrance connected to the dungeon’s 5th floor.

Yuria and the Teleportation Stone search team were outmatched, so they were forced to retreat without even getting close to the stone, given the sheer number of troops the kingdom had brought.

“It’s giving me a headache, too. There’s a chance Keslan Kingdom soldiers might already be inside the dungeon, separate from the heretics. They might’ve been dragged in as sacrifices. The underground city is at capacity right now.”

“Wait, now we have to deal with kingdom troops, too? The difficulty keeps spiking!”

Fucking trash game.

We need a balance patch.

“No, probably not. Most of those bugs can’t adapt to maso, so they’d die within hours of entering. So you likely won’t have to fight them.”

“That’s a relief, at least.”

“Still, be careful. The Keslan Kingdom has veterans from the dungeon city, too. No telling what tricks they might pull. Best to avoid them altogether.”

“I really hope we don’t run into them. Sigh…”

“You’ve got it rough. Go and prepare, then. Ah, if Yuria returns, stop by the house with her. Rin’s cooking will lift your spirits.”

“Oh, yeah. Rin-nim’s cooking is great.”

“Right. She’s prepared traditional Eastern dishes tailored to your tastes. You can look forward to it.”

A chance to eat proper Eastern cuisine after so long.

I’d have to visit when Yuria returned.

The food made by Rin-nim, the Guild Leader’s personal slave and maid, was incredibly delicious.

“Then I’ll really get going now.”

“Alright. I’ll have the armor delivered to Yuria’s place.”

“Yep. Thank you. You’re the best, Guild Leader-nim.”

“Huh? The best? Hehehe.”

Leaving behind the Guild Leader’s lewd chuckle, I headed back downstairs.

Free armor? Hell yeah. Jackpot.