75. Plant Beans in the Labyrinth

After finishing the bath with Yuria, we drank together to celebrate.

It was only natural to drink since we had returned safely without dying, and the alcohol at home hit us faster than usual.

“Shion…”

“Yuria. You’re really drunk. Let’s go to bed now.”

“Ooonne mooore…”

“No. Stop drinking and sleep.”

“Ugh.”

Perhaps the alcohol had kicked in, but Yuria clung to me, whining, so I forcibly lifted her and dragged her to bed.

It seemed she had abstained during the search for the Transfer Stone, and once her limit was gone, she drank recklessly until she became completely wasted.

Only when she reached the point of drinking alcohol like water could she finally stop.

“Shion… don’t go…”

“Ugh! Yuria.”

I tried to lay her down on the bed and clear the drinking table, but Yuria wouldn’t let me go.

Instead, I was dragged into bed with her.

“Marin, clean up for me.”

“Yesss!”

With no choice, I left the cleanup to Marin and spent the night in Yuria’s embrace.

“Shioooon…”

“Ugh. You reek of alcohol.”

“Hehe…”

Yuria, sprawled out and fast asleep.

She didn’t have any body odor, but the smell of alcohol lingered.

She’s completely wasted. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this drunk before.

She must have been under a lot of stress during the expedition. After all, she went through hell just to survive while others died.

Honestly, it’s a miracle she doesn’t have PTSD.

The people in this world all have strangely high mental resilience.

They live with a ruggedness that’s on a whole different level from the fragile humans of modern Earth.

I guess this is what medieval sensibilities are like.

‘I should sleep too.’

Since Yuria had already passed out, it’d be best for me to turn in early as well.

Tomorrow, I planned to pick up the items I’d ordered and visit Rafnel to get the Ring of Spiritualization, so I needed to rest early.

‘In the evening, I’ll drop by Lady Moira’s place for dinner.’

The day after that, I had to meet with the young lady to receive my payment.

There’s so much to do.

---

Before I knew it, the sun had risen.

As I was preparing to head out, Yuria woke up groggily, her hair a mess.

“Ugh… Shion… water…”

“Here.”

“Thanks… my head hurts…”

“You should’ve drunk in moderation. You were going at it like there was no tomorrow.”

“But… days like this call for a toast.”

“Fair enough.”

“Hehe… ugh, my stomach hurts.”

“I’m heading out for a bit. Need to prepare for the labyrinth expedition.”

“Mmm… come back safe…”

“Oh, your mom said to come over for dinner tonight.”

“Really? Mom did? Hmm. Got it. I need to stop by the guild too. Just five more minutes… five more minutes of sleep.”

Yuria burrowed back under the covers.

In the labyrinth, she’s a reliable comrade, but at home, she’s the laziest woman alive.

Not that I minded. After all, she’d been through hell just yesterday. And Yuria is pretty even when she’s lazy.

‘Now, where to go first…’

I should stop by the grocery store and then head to the hole-in-the-wall shop.

Since I plan to be back before dinner, I’d better hurry.

–Ding-a-ling

After picking up the items I’d pre-ordered at the grocery store and storing them in my inventory, I arrived at Rafnel’s hole-in-the-wall shop.

Every time I come here, I’m struck by how eerie the atmosphere is.

“You’re here.”

“Yes. Good to see you.”

“Indeed, indeed. Come here.”

Rafnel seemed to be in a good mood.

Last time I visited, she was sulking. Did something good happen?

“You see, I’ve created something incredible.”

“Something incredible?”

“Yes, yes. Take a look at this.”

Rafnel pulled out a small pouch.

Inside the pouch, made of red thread, were several mysterious kidney beans.

“Do you know what these are?”

“No, not at all.”

“Hehehe. These, you see… well, what should I call them? A type of vine. They grow by consuming mana.”

“Oh. And?”

“Can you guess what will happen if you plant these in the labyrinth?”

“Uh, they grow by consuming mana?”

“Yes. They’ll grow. Big and strong.”

How big and strong, exactly?

Big and strong enough to engulf an entire floor of the labyrinth?

“Well. They might grow enough to swallow an entire floor. Or they might just dominate a small area. So, here’s the thing-will you plant them for me? I heard a plaza section has appeared in the underground city. That seems like a good spot.”

After suddenly showing me this new experimental item, Rafnel asked me to plant it in the labyrinth.

Is this old woman sane? Just casually asking me to do this? First, let’s address the item’s safety.

“That seems… kind of dangerous. Am I right?”

“W-well, yes. Of course, it could be dangerous depending on the user. If someone with ill intent uses it, the labyrinth could become an even more terrifying place. But! If used properly, you could create allies within the labyrinth. How about it? Sounds good, doesn’t it?”

Creating allies in the labyrinth? Allies would mean intelligent beings that could help me. Moreover, they’d be living in the labyrinth.

We call creatures that live in the labyrinth “monsters.” So, these kidney beans are essentially monsters.

“Wait, those beans… are they monsters?”

“Correct.”

This woman just proudly admitted to creating monsters? Has she finally lost it?

First complaining about no men, and now creating monsters instead?

“Hold on, you always complain about lacking men, and now you’ve created monsters instead? Is that it?”

“You brat! Men are a separate issue! This is innovation!”

“Innovation? It looks incredibly dangerous. Are you sure it won’t bring ruin instead?”

“No! If handled properly, it’ll be a huge help in labyrinth expeditions! The labyrinth’s difficulty is too high right now! My incredible labyrinth vine beans will definitely solve this problem…! Then I’ll gain fame in the city, and countless males will come courting… Ahh. Just imagining it makes my heart flutter. If labyrinth expeditions stop, the man who’ll become my husband might never come. So we must plant these…”

She’s definitely insane.

This woman is not in her right mind.

Consumed by her desire for marriage, she’s now trying to build her social standing.

To lure in a good mate…

Well, regardless of her motives, I now understood just how badly Rafnel wanted these beans planted.

Time for negotiations.

“But Rafnel-nim, you’re banned from entering the labyrinth, right?”

I vaguely recall hearing she was prohibited from labyrinth expeditions.

“Th-that’s… precisely why I’m asking you to plant them for me!”

“Wait, hold on. What exactly did you do to get banned from the labyrinth?”

“…I tried to create a sanctuary.”

“A sanctuary?”

“Yes. A nice place to rest. But it ended up becoming a nest for monsters…”

“Don’t tell me the sanctuary caused a sudden surge in monsters?”

“…Yes. It was a huge incident back then. They wiped everything out in an extermination campaign, but… I’ve been banned from the labyrinth ever since.”

“Ugh. Rafnel-nim! You caused trouble once and still haven’t learned your lesson?! Throw those beans in the trash right now. Don’t ask me to plant some weird stuff in the labyrinth.”

“N-no! This is a truly innovative item with guaranteed safety! Please, Porter. Believe me. Please…!”

“Ah, no way. How could I plant something like that? I’m not crazy. Not buying it, nope.”

“If you plant these… fine! I’ll give you the Ring of Spiritualization for free.”

“Huh?”

Hook, line, and sinker.

“I’ll give you the Ring of Spiritualization if you plant these vine beans and confirm whether they really help adventurers. Consider it a favor.”

“You’ll really give me the ring for free?”

“Yes. If you accept my request.”

“I was already here to buy the ring. I’m heading to the underground city soon. Give me the ring first, throw in some potions, and I’ll gladly plant those beans for you.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But you’re sure it’s properly tested, right?”

“Yes! If you feed it a drop of your blood before planting, the vine beans will recognize you as their master.”

Planting a few beans in exchange for a free Ring of Spiritualization and potions? That’s a steal.

Besides, even though I made a fuss about it being dangerous, I already know most of Rafnel’s items, while eccentric, aren’t the kind that outright kill people.

“But Rafnel-nim. If I become the master of these vine beans, can I give them commands?”

“You can set what they’re allowed to eat and what they must avoid.”

“So that means…”

“You can designate monsters as prey and humans as protected targets. See? Simple, right?”

“You mentioned earlier you’re not sure how far they’ll spread?”

“That’s right. But they probably won’t grow beyond one section. The farther they are from the core bean, the weaker the vine’s power becomes.”

If you wedge them between walls or rocks and water them, they’ll absorb mana and grow on their own.

“There are five in total. Planting one in each section will create safe zones in five sections of the underground city.”

“If it’s this impressive, shouldn’t you inform the Guild Leader too?”

“W-well… Moira and I have a bit of a strained relationship. It’s awkward facing her. And the Tower Master is tracking me too… I’d rather not get involved with the city’s higher-ups. If they find me… ugh. They’ll just lock me up and force me to research.”

“Wow.”

Rafnel shuddered.

“Those women are ruthless. They’d lock me up, milk me for ideas, and use them to gain popularity… Ugh, it’s maddening. Please understand.”

“Sounds like you’ve been through a lot.”

“Oh, dear. Don’t even get me started. The way they treated me during our labyrinth expeditions was downright cruel.”

“Wait, the three of you went into the labyrinth together?”

“Indeed. Moira, Mabel, and me. Ah, and two others.”

“Who were the other two?”

“Saintess Fria. And the other… died in the labyrinth.”

What kind of party was that?

The current Guild Leader and strongest in the labyrinth city, Moira, and the current Tower Master and authority in magic, Mabel.

Then there’s Rafnel, the hole-in-the-wall shop owner who’s over a thousand years old, and Saintess Fria, whose madness is infamous even outside the city.

Plus one mysterious person who died in the labyrinth.

“Seriously, that sounds like a hero’s party. Were you hunting a Demon King or something?”

“Not a Demon King. The 7th floor was causing trouble back then.”

“The 7th floor…”

Beyond the 5th-floor underground city, past the 6th-floor Crystal Cave, Ancient Mine, and Abandoned Workshop, lies the destination.

The 7th floor of the labyrinth-Utopia.

“A dragon once emerged from there. It tried to rise to the surface.”

“What, dragons appear in the labyrinth too? A dragon in that cramped labyrinth? Wow.”

Olivia only told me about up to the 5th and 6th floors.

Anything below that was irrelevant at the time.

“The 7th floor is where all sorts of bizarre things appear. And it’s not cramped. How should I explain it… Ah. Have you heard of the Hollow Continent Theory?”

“The Hollow Continent Theory?”

“Yes. The idea that beneath this continent lies a vast emptiness, and an unknown land we know nothing about exists there.”

“Ah, I think I get it.”

This is like the Hollow Earth theory on Earth.

The idea that the Earth is hollow, with a land inside resembling the surface, where extinct dinosaurs and other creatures still live.

“The 7th floor is like that. A place filled with the unknown, mystery, miracles, and monsters. Would you believe the labyrinth has no ceiling there?”

“Unless I see it myself, it’s hard to believe.”

“You’ll believe it once you see it. And you’ll understand why gold-rank adventurers aim for the 7th floor. Things you can never obtain on the surface are abundant there.”

So that’s why adventurers descend deeper.

The 7th floor-Utopia. A place brimming with dreams and hope.

“And despair and nightmares lurk there just as much. I’ve told you before-there are things trying to ascend.”

“Right.”

“The floor with the most ascending entities is the 7th floor.”

It’s far more dangerous than I thought.

And below that lies unexplored territory.

The labyrinth is estimated to have up to 10 floors.

What could possibly lie beyond the 7th floor-the 8th, 9th, and final 10th floors?

One thing’s for sure: I got the Ring of Spiritualization for free.

“These seeds… they’re definitely not dangerous, right?”

“Yes, trust me. And you must feed them a drop of your blood. Without it, they’ll be uncontrollable. Understood?”

“Understood. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good. Come back alive this time too. Oh, and how’s your Spirit Eye coming along?”

“Well…”

I explained everything about my Spirit Eye to Rafnel.

Including how I ultimately made a contract with the Three Witches of the Labyrinth.

“Ah… so even those women had their reasons.”

“Yes, it seems I’ll have to descend to the labyrinth’s depths no matter what.”

“Hmm. The labyrinth’s end, huh? When the time comes, I’ll help you.”

“Huh? Really?”

“I’m curious about the labyrinth’s depths too. If you’re going down anyway, let’s go together.”

“You make it sound like a picnic. We could die.”

“Bah. I’ve lived so long I have no regrets left. But dying a virgin would be embarrassing, so when we descend to the deepest part, you take responsibility for me. Got it?”

“…I’ll think about it.”

“You brat! Fine. Go on, then.”

“Yep. I’ll come back again.”

“Good. Take care.”

After saying goodbye to Rafnel, I left the shop.

She’ll accompany me to the deepest part?

That’ll be a huge help. Even if it’s just words, it feels reassuring.