Ch.3131. That’s a Relief

Chloe glanced at Elin with a peculiar look.

A mage who had suddenly been brought to the party yesterday, led by Rex’s hand.

Her face wasn’t clearly visible due to the pitch-black robe she wore.

Though they had only known each other for a day, Elin’s personality was truly unusual.

An attitude of complete indifference. Even so, by mage standards, she could be considered quite a decent person.

The strange thing was that her personality completely changed only when dealing with Rex.

Look at her now. After staying quiet without saying a word the whole time, she promptly answered the moment Rex opened his mouth.

‘Wait. Why am I bothered by this?’

Chloe irritably scratched the back of her head at the tickling feeling in her chest. For some reason, her nerves were on edge. It was incomprehensible.

Perhaps she felt aversion to the fact that Elin was a mage.

No, that was definitely it. All the mages she had encountered so far were, without exception, insufferable. That’s why Elin was catching the fallout.

Having rationalized her feelings, Chloe turned her head. Rex was staring at her with a puzzled expression.

His golden hair, warm like sunlight, caught her eye. Those pure blue eyes made him look like a member of noble lineage.

Knowing he came from a distant rural village, his appearance was still hard to believe…

“Why is everyone suddenly so quiet?”

His questioning voice snapped her back to reality. Chloe deliberately feigned nonchalance and changed the subject.

“No, it just looks a bit big on you.”

“It does seem a bit loose.”

The old man who had been wiping the items on display with a cloth responded.

“I deliberately gave you roomier ones.”

“Pardon?”

“You’re in your growth phase, aren’t you? If I fitted them exactly to your size, they might be comfortable now but you’d outgrow them quickly. At your age, limbs grow noticeably day by day. If you want them to last, it’s better to buy slightly larger sizes.”

Rex nodded obediently. The explanation made perfect sense. He hadn’t considered his body’s growth at all.

Indeed, this was an armory worthy of Chloe’s recommendation.

“That’ll be 1 gold and 20 silver in total.”

“What?”

It must have been a misunderstanding. Rex felt dizzy at the outrageous price. He barely suppressed the urge to run out of the shop.

The word “1 gold” had a magical power that could strip a person’s soul bare.

The old man clicked his tongue and grumbled in a curt tone.

“I’ve already given you a big discount. If you weren’t Chloe’s guest, I would have charged at least 30 more silver. Is your budget insufficient?”

“…Yes.”

“How much do you have?”

Rex took out his coin purse from his pocket and counted his money.

Excluding the small copper coins, he had about 30 silver pieces left.

Just yesterday, the weight of the silver coins jingling in his pocket had felt so reassuring, but now it seemed pathetically meager.

“The chain mail you’re wearing alone is worth over 50 silver. Now I see I’ve been robbed. How did you expect to get any equipment with such a pittance?”

The old man shook his head with an exasperated expression.

As Rex slumped his shoulders and was about to take off the armor, Chloe spoke up.

“Why are you giving up already?”

“I don’t have enough money. Can’t be helped. I’ll have to get cheaper equipment.”

Rex looked down at himself with eyes dripping with regret. He seemed to have taken quite a liking to the armor.

Chloe spoke while trying to suppress a grin.

“You have that gold ring, don’t you?”

“Ah!”

At those words, he suddenly remembered the gold ring he had completely forgotten about. Rex immediately showed the ring to the old man.

“I’m not a jeweler, but…”

The old man grumbled yet examined the ring carefully. A flash of surprise crossed his otherwise indifferent eyes.

“Did you get this from a dungeon?”

“Yes.”

Rex unconsciously gulped.

The old man seemed to ponder for a moment before curling up the corners of his mouth.

“It’s a high-quality item. You’re lucky, lad.”

“So…”

“Let’s do this. I’ll take this ring and 30 silver in exchange for those pieces of equipment. I’m still at a slight loss here. What do you say?”

Rex hesitated, unable to answer.

It seemed unlikely that someone Chloe trusted would lie. If he was offering to discount 90 silver in exchange for the ring, it would obviously be right to accept.

The problem was that if he handed over the ring and silver to the old man here, Rex would be left penniless.

While he could earn more money in the dungeon later, he had no living expenses to use until then. His entire remaining fortune amounted to just a few copper coins, and he wasn’t sure if that would be enough to get by.

When he explained his predicament, Elin spoke up in a detached voice.

“I’ll buy you meals.”

“Me too!”

Chloe jumped into the conversation, not to be outdone.

“Really? Elin, you don’t need to go out of your way for me. Are you sure?”

Both girls nodded without a moment’s hesitation.

The old man urged with an indifferent face.

“So, are you buying or not?”

“I’ll buy.”

His circumstances weren’t comfortable enough to refuse their kindness. For the time being, he would have to rely on their help, shameless as it might be.

The old man received the silver coins and waved his hand without even counting them.

“You know how to wear them, and there’s nothing to adjust, so you can go as is. If there’s any problem later, come back.”

“Understood.”

At this clear dismissal, Rex left the armory.

Despite a brief crisis, he had managed to acquire excellent equipment.

Every time he moved, the metal rings of the chain mail clinked against each other.

Feeling like the knight he had dreamed of becoming as a child, Rex smiled faintly.

“Thank you. All of you.”

All of this was thanks to Chloe and Elin’s ready help.

Though he had resolved to repay them several times over later, expressing gratitude was still the proper thing to do.

“It’s nothing. No big deal.”

Chloe averted her gaze, seemingly embarrassed. Elin just stared at Rex silently. She seemed to have something to say, but ultimately didn’t open her mouth.

Rex looked up at the sky. More time had passed at the armory than expected. They would need to move quickly to reach the Adventurer’s Guild by noon.

And so the boy and girls set off into the streets.

***

The Adventurer’s Guild was bustling with people, just like yesterday.

Rex looked around inside. He spotted his party occupying a table, eating light snacks.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“No. We just got here too. Oh? You look quite presentable now.”

Harald admired Rex’s equipment, looking him up and down. Then he offered a wooden cup filled with beer.

“Care for a drink?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

Rex sat down with a wry smile. He wasn’t much of a drinker to begin with, and it was still the middle of the day.

He couldn’t understand why all these hairy older men were so obsessed with alcohol.

The small talk was brief. Once Elin and Chloe had also taken their seats, Harald cleared his throat and got to the point.

“There are two purposes for gathering the party today. One is to distribute the spoils from yesterday’s dungeon, and the other is to plan our next dungeon exploration… Let’s divide the money first.”

Harald distributed silver coins to everyone. Rex had naturally assumed he wouldn’t receive any money.

“Rex. This is your share.”

But contrary to his expectations, Harald handed silver coins to Rex as well. When Rex gave him a puzzled look, Harald laughed heartily and continued.

“Take it. We can’t treat our party’s benefactor who brought us the mage poorly.”

“…Thank you.”

Of course, it was less than what the others received. 3 silver. Still, it was enough to get by for about two weeks. He’d have to eat hard bread and watery stew, but what of it?

Now he wouldn’t have to hold his hand out to Elin and Chloe.

Rex smiled at the girls.

“That’s a relief.”

However, their reactions were quite subtle.

Chloe’s eyebrows were slightly furrowed, as if displeased about something. Elin’s face wasn’t visible, but the faint shadow seemed even colder than before.

Harald tilted his head, puzzled by the gazes directed at him.

“Hmm? Is there something on my face? I don’t think so… Anyway, now that the distribution is done, let’s move on to the next matter.”

To summarize what followed:

Dungeon entry would be in two days. The goal was to reach at least the 9th floor.

At this, Chloe spoke in a somewhat worried tone.

“Isn’t that too rushed?”

The others also seemed to inwardly agree with Chloe’s concern.

Nevertheless, Harald firmly pushed his opinion.

“No. This is the conclusion I’ve reached after careful consideration. It’s possible.”

Harald’s argument was that with Rex, who had reached the stage of Holy Flame, and Elin, a mage, newly joining the party, they might even aim higher.

“Let’s give it a try. If it seems too much, we can always turn back.”

In the end, the group accepted Harald’s persuasion.

Though initially reluctant about suddenly heading to the deeper levels, upon reflection, it didn’t seem impossible.

The party’s best record was the 10th floor. They had barely crossed that threshold once, with good luck.

Harald concluded with a satisfied expression.

“Then let’s disband for today and regroup in front of the temple in two days. I’ll prepare the food, but if there’s anything else you need, prepare it yourselves.”

***

Back in his room, Rex sat heavily on the bed and placed the greatsword across his knees.

When he removed it from its scabbard, a piercingly sharp blade was revealed.

Rex wiped the blade with a cloth over and over.

‘The 9th floor, huh.’

Considering that the level of monsters increased exponentially the deeper one went into the dungeon, it clearly wouldn’t be easy. They would face enemies far more powerful than goblins or gnolls.

His feelings were mixed.

Expectation of further growth mingled with anxiety about risking his life again.

He caressed the blade to clear his mind of the swirling thoughts.

The cold steel seemed to speak to him, telling him to put aside useless thoughts. Didn’t he have something he needed to do right now?

‘That’s right.’

What he needed to do was obvious.

Rex took his greatsword and went downstairs. Wolfram spoke to him.

“What is it?”

“May I use the yard?”

“Do as you please. Just don’t touch the well. Make sure to ask if you need anything.”

“Thank you.”

Rex went out to the yard and slowly raised his greatsword.

Under his half-closed eyelids, his calm gaze reflected the past.

A wall he had not yet completely overcome appeared before him like a vision.

Darbein.

He was Rex’s enemy and simultaneously his best practice opponent.

Rex swung his sword.

The boy’s training continued until the gradually setting sun disappeared and the world was immersed in deep darkness.

Two days passed like that.