Chapter 71: My Ears Are a Bit Sensitive

As I came out of the Guild Master’s room and went down to the first floor of the guild, I saw Lady Lea and Erika nodding off.

“Young Lady?”

“Hm? Sion! You jerk! If you’re alive, you should report that you’re alive! Where have you been wandering around without even visiting! Come here!”

“Whoa! Uwah!”

The Young Lady ran over and jumped straight into my arms.

She dashed over nimbly like a cat, leaping in before I could even dodge.

She clings to me like a cicada and rubs her face against mine.

She’s gotten even faster after going through mana adaptation one more time. That’s a good phenomenon.

“Oof, Young Lady, you’re heavy. Ah, no I didn’t mean that.”

“What did you say? You just said I’m heavy, right? Right? You’ve gone crazy?”

“Ah! Ow! I didn’t mean it! Shit! Don’t bite my ear! It’s sensitive!”

“Your ear is sensitive..? Oh, um..”

What’s with her? Why is she getting embarrassed?

My ears can be a bit sensitive, what’s the big deal?

“So, are you okay now? No problems? You were badly hurt, weren’t you? Let me see your neck.”

“Oh my. I’m perfectly fine. The Saint herself healed me, you know. Look here. Not even a scar left.”

“Wow, it’s true. But the Saint? That Saint healed you..?”

“Yes. She healed me right away. Hm? Young Lady, your expression suddenly turned bad. What’s wrong?”

“Well, I guess Sion wouldn’t know.”

“Huh? Know what?”

“That woman.. Never mind. Sion doesn’t know anything, right? Then it’s fine. I don’t like gossip.”

“Huh? No, what’s this about? Geez, you make me curious and then avoid answering.”

“Well. What can you do if I don’t tell you?”

“I won’t prepare food for you next time we go to the labyrinth.”

“Ah! That’s unfair! Prepare it! Hey!”

“Ow!”

The Young Lady bit my ear again. This can’t become a habit.

As I floundered in pain, the Young Lady’s face looked slightly happy for some reason, which is scary.

But why won’t she tell me about the Saint? Does the Young Lady, who came from outside the city, know something different about the Saint?

“No, so what about the Saint? Are you really not going to tell me? Do you want to be punished?”

“What!? Pu-punished? Are you crazy!? This isn’t the labyrinth! You said you only treat me roughly in the labyrinth!”

“Ah, right. This isn’t the labyrinth. I forgot.”

“This guy..!”

The Young Lady immediately put me in a headlock as I joked around.

I had a strange feeling that she was excessively rubbing her chest against my face, but it must be my imagination.

“I surrender, I surrender!”

“Sion, you. Just because you’re a guide doesn’t mean you can act roughly even outside the labyrinth, okay? Got it?”

“Yes, yes.”

“Answer only once.”

“Yep.”

“Ugh. You’ve completely got me.”

At first I was scared because she’s a noble young lady, but now I’m not really scared.

I know what her personality is like. I know she’s not the type to get seriously angry over such jokes.

“So what’s the reason you came to find me? Did you just come to see my condition?”

“Yes. That too. And there’s one thing I want to tell you.”

The Young Lady said she won’t be entering the labyrinth for a while.

Saying they need more individual training.

“That’s good too. If you have enough time to prepare, it’s better to prepare as much as possible before going in.”

“Yes. We’re planning not to enter the labyrinth for at least a month. Everyone’s agreed, and I thought I should let Sion know.”

“I understand. Let’s plan to go in a month later.”

“Mm-hmm. And it seems people from my family will arrive in about three days. Let’s meet then, I’ll give you the rest of the reward I couldn’t give you before.”

“Alright. That’s good news. Then let’s meet at the guild at this time three days later.”

“Yes. Let’s do that. And I think I’ll register at the martial arts hall too. You have to exercise with me, okay? Got it?”

“Sure. By the way, did Rica recommend the martial arts hall?”

“Yes. She said it’s good to exercise in the morning?”

Rica, you vicious woman!

To think you’d drag the Young Lady into this hell.

As expected of a female knight with muscles even in her brain, are you planning to turn even your lord into a muscle monster?

Well, it’s not bad.

Pain becomes lighter when shared.

“Huhu.. That’s good. Very good. The martial arts hall is good. Yes. The Young Lady will probably be satisfied too. Huhuhu.”

“What’s with that lewd laugh? You and Rica, both of you are strange. Is there something at the martial arts hall?”

“No. It’s nothing. Just… You can exercise.”

You can exercise until you’re about to die.

How about the Young Lady receiving hell training with me?

She’d probably love it to death.

“Ah, by the way, I think I’ll be entering the labyrinth next week.”

“What? Again? It hasn’t been long since you came out. You, that’s labyrinth addiction.”

“Addiction? It sounds like I might get labyrinth assimilation. Why are you saying such scary things?”

“No, stop joking around. Why do you have to go in?”

“Well, you see. I have to go in for work. Young Lady, let’s go over there for now. There are a lot of people, so let’s talk in a corner.”

I took the Young Lady to a corner where there were no listening ears.

I also brought along Erika, who was dozing off.

“So what’s the work?”

“Well, you see, I think I’ll be going to catch some heretics with the Saint.”

“What? With that Saint? Why you?”

“Shh. Your voice is too loud.”

“Ah, sorry. So why are you going along? For supplies?”

“That too. They say I’m absolutely necessary.”

“What? But you’re weak!”

“I’m stronger than you, Young Lady!”

Has this Young Lady gone mad?

Even if I’m a bit weak for my level, I’m stronger than the Young Lady.

“No, that’s not important right now. Why does it have to be you going in? There are a lot of other people. I’m worried. Just in the guild alone there are a lot of strong people. Why is a porter who hasn’t even taken the Silver Badge test absolutely necessary?”

“Well. They say I must go in. There’s a reason. It’s confidential so I can’t really say more here. Anyway, there’s a reason.”

“You can’t not go? You absolutely have to go?”

“Yes, that’s right. I absolutely have to go. Maybe I might have an even more important role than the Saint… Ah, this is confidential too. You can’t tell anyone else.”

“Of course. Who do you take me for? I won’t tell anyone. I won’t answer even if Father and Brother ask.”

“That’s quite reassuring.”

It’s no good if my role becomes known.

If the plan to move the heretics’ corpses to the surface reaches the heretics’ ears, I would become the top priority target for elimination.

They would attempt assassination like mad. Even Olivia and Marine might be in danger.

This time, I need to hide the very fact that I’m entering the labyrinth with the Saint. I’ll probably enter with my face covered even on the day we go in.

“Then when will you come up after going in next week?”

“It seems it will take at least a week. We might come up once in the middle to replenish our strength.”

“You’re going in for over a week? Even three days was hard…”

“It’s okay because I’ll bring lots of washbasins and water. I plan to wash inside the labyrinth.”

“You’re going to take baths in the labyrinth?”

“If we can, we should. It would be a bit much to not bathe when we have spatial pockets, right?”

“That’s true. Spatial pockets are completely overpowered.”

The Young Lady laughed in disbelief at my words about bathing in the labyrinth.

For reference, as an additional note, while bathing is possible in the labyrinth, I absolutely do not bring chamber pots.

It’s a bit unpleasant to put a chamber pot full of other people’s excrement in my inventory.

“Well then, I’ll be going now. I have a lot of things to prepare.”

“Alright. It’s a shame. Thinking that I won’t see you for a while.”

“But we can meet in three days. Let’s go around together then. How about that?”

“Good. In three days… date…”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing! Alright. Prepare well. Let’s meet in three days.”

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

The Young Lady and Erika returned to their lodging.

By the way, Erika was in a daze the whole time. I wonder if she didn’t sleep well last night.

There must be a reason.

I turned my steps towards the market.

I have quite a lot of things to buy, so I need to go around diligently.

---

“Can you prepare 2 boxes of apples too?”

“Is it okay if I prepare them by tomorrow?”

“Yes. That would be good.”

“Alright. Come back tomorrow to pick up the goods.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

I bought items in bulk from the grocery store I frequently visit.

Now I feel a bit more at ease.

I was constantly uncomfortable with my spatial pocket being empty.

‘I can give the ledger to Edwin-ssi later. Now the place to go is.’

I’ve bought almost everything I can buy at the market.

I bought plenty of things like firewood, large washbasins, ingredients, and bandages.

“What’s left is…”

It seems I need to go to the magic tower to buy a few scrolls, and replenish potions at the general store.

“The magic tower, huh.”

I haven’t visited since the last time.

Since not just anyone can enter the magic tower, I should make good use of it while I have an entry pass.

‘I’ll buy scrolls and take a look at some accessories too.’

Items made at the magic tower are quite expensive, but their performance is much better than those sold in the market.

If an accessory shop sells a ring that increases maximum strength by 5 percent, the magic tower sells rings that increase it by 20 percent.

Because it’s difficult to enter unless you’re a magician, adventurers above Gold Badge sometimes complete special requests given by the magic tower to receive entry passes.

I’m a very lucky case. I have a free pass without any other process thanks to my spatial pocket.

“Entry pass confirmed. Could you please state your purpose of visit?”

“Purchasing scrolls.”

“Confirmed.”

I had my adventurer badge and ID checked at the entrance of the magic tower.

A bespectacled magician with a very tired face checked my entry pass and soon let me in.

This is my second entry to the magic tower of the Labyrinth City.

‘As I thought, it’s not an illusion that the inside is larger than the outside.’

Today I saw things I couldn’t see properly last time because I was in a daze.

There’s a saying that the magic tower is like one giant magical tool. They say the inside is larger than the outside because all kinds of magic are cast on the entire building, and it was true.

But where should I go to buy scrolls?

“Excuse me, perhaps.”

“Ah, I’m busy…”

“Um, could you tell me the way…”

“Eek..! An outsider..!”

“What the heck.”

Maybe because it’s a den of nerds, everyone flinches in surprise and avoids me when I try to talk to them.

These crazy guys. They really are people who just hole up and do research. Most of them seemed to have great difficulty with conversation or communication.

This is bad. Where am I supposed to go?

Shouldn’t they at least put up a map on the first floor out of courtesy?

“Oh? Sion-ssi? Wow. It’s been a while.”

“Ah, it’s been a while.”

As I was looking around trying to find the scroll shop, I ran into Male, who was carrying a pile of books that looked to be at least twenty volumes in both arms.

The bespectacled boy magician who is the magic tower master’s secretary and who warned me not to divulge the secrets of the research wing to outsiders.

But how did he recognize me when his view seems to be blocked by the books and he can’t see properly in front of him?

‘Ugh… His shadow was watching. That’s creepy.’

Male’s shadow was wriggling.

So he didn’t see with his eyes, but sensed with his shadow.

Although his appearance looks exactly like a little kid, in fact his age is unknown and he’s renowned for shadow magic, which is the exclusive domain of gloomy guys.

Maybe that’s why he’s a bit uncomfortable and scary.

“Did you come to see the magic tower master?”

“Ah, no. I came to look at some scrolls and accessories.”

“Aha. Then you can open that door over there. You’ll be transferred directly to the 3rd floor, and when you go up there will be a workshop.”

“Thank you for letting me know. Then I’ll be…”

“Ah, just a moment. Last time the magic tower master said he wanted to see you once. If you have time, it would be good to go down and at least show your face. I’m not forcing you though.”

“Oh, I understand for now.”

He says he’s not forcing me, but when you say it, I feel subtly pressured.

Your wriggling shadow is scary.

“Then have a good day!”

“Yes, you too Male-ssi.”

After awkwardly exchanging greetings, I headed in the direction Male told me.

When I really opened the door, my body floated and suddenly I was on the 3rd floor.

They said you never know what will happen inside the magic tower.

So this is how you can move between floors.

“The scroll shop is… Ah!”

I found the scroll shop after passing several stores.

When I entered a run-down shop that looked full of dust, an old magician greeted me.

But he looks familiar somehow.

“Oh? You’re..”

“Hmm? Ah. That test subject from back then.”

Rod, the old magician I briefly encountered during my last visit, was sitting at the counter of the scroll shop.