Chapter 3: 2

A Surprise Attack Is A Representative of Battle

The free day we gave ourselves ended with ups and downs, and we headed to the labyrinth the next day. But as it looks like, Garnet reworded her weapon a bit.

“Indeed. My father listened to my request and made this for me,” Garnet said as she showed off the nata, the sturdy broad-bladed knife, handing down her sash.

At a closer look, the blade of it was periodically jagged, looking more like a saw than anything else.

“If the blunt impact alone isn’t enough, I can have these bite into the monster and rip it apart. It feels like I’ve started working as a carpenter, but it can’t be helped,” she said and put the saw nata away.

It’s probably experimental equipment for today. I’ll just make sure to take care of the plants that are hard to deal with using a mace. And with that decided, I glanced over at Rufa. She told me a bit yesterday, but I wonder what new magic she learned.

“Since the monsters on the 2nd floor are weak against fire, I learned Fire Wall, as well as others. And additionally—”

“Additionally?”

“No, don’t mind me. It’s not going to be relevant in battle, anyway. It’s more necessary as preparational magic,” Rufa said and tried to cut off the conversation.

What was that about? Maybe it’s a type of magic she’d rather not talk about?

“Gotta be breast enlargement magic,” Garnet cut in with a cold gaze.

“If that existed, I wouldn’t be struggling this much!” Rufa covered her chest as tears built up in her eyes.

I don’t really think chest size matters all too much. Gramps also said “Diving into a woman’s bosom is a wonderful thing, but seeing a girl flustered about her small chest is quite divine, too” all the time.

“No girl will be happy to hear that, fool.” Garnet read my thoughts again as she sent me a sharp glare.

She’s probably concerned with her own size…And as I was lost in thought about that, Rufa gave me a saddened gaze.

“Alba-sama, do you also prefer bigger breasts?”

…Crap. If I answer wrong here, I’ll be in for a lot of pain. Think about this carefully, Alba…If I say I like big ones, then I’m a pervert and I get labeled a deviant. If I say I prefer smaller ones, I’m a lolicon and a deviant…So, both choices result in bad ends, no?! At times like these, I need to heed Gramps’ advice, and take the third choice—

“I don’t have a preference. I like you for who you are,” I said and gently caressed her radiating golden hair.

In response, a gush of steam rose from Rufa’s head as her face turned beet red.

“D-Don’t think you can play me this easily, okay?!” She said, but her cheeks formed a blissful smile, as she played with the hair I just touched.

All right, Gramps’ advice of “Just praise the girl if you’re lost for an answer” worked just fine!

“A natural-born playboy…Don’t blame me if you get strangled in your sleep.” Garnet’s gaze grew even more severe, so I forcefully cut this conversation shut and entered the labyrinth.

After defeating around twenty monsters we encountered, we spotted a human shadow collapsed on the ground. They might just be taking an afternoon nap—No, of course not! I rushed over in a hurry to find four adventurers all dead.

“They got decimated,” Garnet spoke with a painful expression.

Since we’ve been entering the labyrinth always early in the morning since we formed a group, this was the first time we encountered a party that got decimated like this.

“…”

Rufa went silent. With these cold bodies in front of her, she probably realized yet again that we were inside the labyrinth. I also raised my own focus and observed the corpses. Their faces were congested with blood, and red marks showed on their necks as well as limbs. They were probably strangled to death. Right as I figured this out, a shiver ran down my spine.

“Run!” I screamed toward Rufa and Garnet, but it was too late.

Vines emerged from the ground, lifting up our bodies.

“It was hiding underground?!”

Surprised at this unpredictable surprise attack, Garnet reached for the saw nata at her waist. Just like with the Catapult Plants before, they were using strategies unforeseen of any plans. However, showing admiration for this wasn’t the top priority right now.

“O Flame, roam fr—Ugh!”

Rufa tried to fire off magic to defend herself, but the vine tightly wrapped itself around her throat. Her expression, distorted in pain, overlapped with the faces of the dead lying beneath us, as a roar escaped my mouth.

“Raaaaaaah!”

I emitted a dark aura from my entire body to create a blade, and sliced away at the vines holding onto me. I then proceeded to cut all the vines asphyxiating Rufa and Garnet with my greatsword.

“Gah…”

The vine around her neck finally let go, as she frantically coughed to get her breathing under control. I took that moment of reprieve to stab my greatsword into the ground. I could probably slice away at the vines above ground until I was tired of it, but that wouldn’t stop the assault. Even at this moment, tens of new vines appeared. What needed to be defeated was the larger body underground, so I sent a wave of aura in all directions.

Kurokage Style Sword Technique – Explosive Needles

Normally, this technique was supposed to pierce the enemy with blades of aura shaping like a chestnut in its burr and utterly destroy their innards, but you can even use it like this. I couldn’t obviously see inside the ground, but thanks to the aura I sent off, I could feel the monster has been turned into cheese. The vines above ground also turned into particles of light and dispersed. Good, that’s one thing taken care of. I sighed in relief when I realized another problem.

“I can’t grab the magic stones.”

Because I defeated the monster while it was underground, the magic stones also manifested inside the ground, buried and unreachable. Damn it! From a surprise attack to not leaving behind any reward…What a despicable monster!

“I understand how you feel, but calm down.” Garnet stretched her back and slapped me on the shoulder as I was quivering in anger.

Yeah, you’re right. I’m just glad everyone is safe. That’s what I thought when I glanced at Rufa, looking at her reddened throat. That thankfully was the only injury she suffered.

“Without Alba-sama, we would have been decimated. That’s the second time now,” Rufa said and thanked me.

It’s okay. We’re teammates, so there’s no need to thank me. I’m just glad she’s not hurt too bad.

“…So you’re not worried about me?”

“…Huh?”

“What do we do about these four?”

I heard Garnet mumble something, but she immediately pointed down at the four corpses.

“We can’t leave them here, that’s for sure. We should carry them back to the surface.”

Just as Rufa stated, letting them rot here was not an option. Since monsters are lumps of mana, they don’t feel any hunger like living beings, but leaving them here isn’t much better. Surely, their clan might come down here to collect their bodies before it could reach the point the resurrection magic won’t work anymore, but as fellow adventurers, I can’t bring myself to let that go down to chance.

“There may be others who would use this chance to steal their belongings, too,” Garnet brought up a terrifying but valid point, so I moved over to try and grab them.

However, Rufa grabbed my shoulder and stopped me.

“Please wait, Alba-sama. That isn’t a good idea.”

Huh? Why?

“With both your eyes busy carrying them, you won’t be able to fight when we get ambushed again, remember?” Garnet equally reprimanded me.

Yeah, she’s got a point. But, how else am I supposed to carry them?

“Like this.”

Garnet looked through the bags of the corpses, finding a straw rope.

“One member of the party always keeps this one them in the event that their party members die while facing a monster,” she said and put the rope around the corpses. “Now you can carry them with one hand, right?” Garnet smiled and handed me the rope.

Hold on, I’m supposed to drag them along?

“That’s your best bet. It’d be quite ironic to end up as a corpse while you’re playing rescuer.”

“I understand how you feel, Alba-sama, but there is no guarantee we won’t run into any monsters on our way back.” Rufa seemed sorry about this, as she apologized.

I’m sure this is just common sense amongst adventurers, but even so…Garnet looked at me hesitating and sighed.

“And you wouldn’t want your newly-cleaned armor, you’re so proud of being dirty with blood and the stench of death this quickly, right?”

I knew that nodding along would make me a terrible person, but even so, my soul asked for it. Gramps also said that “When in the capital, do as the adventurers do,” so if this is their culture, then I have no right to refuse. That’s the excuse I told myself at least, as I dragged the four corpses along behind us with the help of Garnet.

*

After leaving the labyrinth, we switched up our work and began carrying the bodies for real as we headed to the residential street in the 7th district. The newbie guard at the entrance of the labyrinth asked if he should help, but I didn’t want to get in the way of his work, so I said we’d be fine just carrying them over. After reaching the 7th district and passing through the gate, there was the cathedral right to the side of it, which allowed adventurers to be healed and resurrected.

This is as impressive as always.

It was built with snow-white marble, engraved with golden marks, and the windows were stained glass, too. Not to mention the sheer size of it was impressive enough to make me feel dizzy and admire it each time I see it. Since I never had any business here up to this point, I would just pass by it, but can some country pumpkin like me even enter?

“Stop standing around and get in there already.” Garnet slammed me on my butt, forcing me to step inside the luxurious cathedral as the inside of my armor vibrated.

Right after entering, a male priest of sorts came to greet us with a smile.

“Welcome, children of God. Do these lost souls require salvation?”

Huh? I didn’t actually come here for life advice, though…

“Moron. He’s asking if we came here for the resurrection magic.”

Oh, I see. He didn’t have to make it this complicated, though. I nodded along with Garnet’s explanation and put down the bodies I was carrying. In return, the priest looked at the white medal around one of the corpses’ necks.

“2nd-floor rankers, I see. That will make 200 gold coins for one person. 800 coins for all of them.”

Huh?! It’s that expensive?! My eyes opened wide underneath my mask. A monster on the first floor gives you one gold coin, and the ones on the second floor around four. If even one person from the party were to die, you’d have to put all your money together and defeat tens of monsters. The priest must have realized my confusion, as he calmly exclaimed.

“If you don’t have the necessary funds available, maybe you could stop at the Imperial Bank?”

So basically, he’s telling us to leave if we don’t have the money? That doesn’t sound like something a priest would say. That’s when Rufa whispered into my ear.

“They don’t call this the ‘Rip-Off Cathedral’ for nothing, after all.”

I see. That does add up. I hear that the imperial capital thrives through the work of the adventurers, and yet they’re ripping them off at every corner. I was filled with disgruntlement when Rufa continued with a troubled smile.

“By asking for these fees, the Empire can obtain money for their own projects, and if people only pay in magic stones, the Empire will eventually go bankrupt.”

Ah, I didn’t even think about that. Adventurers earn a ridiculous amount of money. I heard that the monthly salary of an average guard is around ten gold coins, but even an average adventurer can earn that in a day. I can earn 500 coins with ease, and I bet 6th-floor rankers can get ten times the amount of that. And yet, there isn’t really much you would use it on.

“Eating delicious food and buying expensive prostitutes can cost you a hundred gold coins a day at ease, you know?” Garnet retorted with a stern face.

I mean, I get it, but that’s not what I was referring to…

“You mean that it’s hard to buy armor and equipment useful for our adventure, yes?”

“Yeah.”

The one to deliver a helping hand was Rufa, and I nodded. When I went shopping with these two in the fifth district, I didn’t find any equipment that could even rival my jet-black armor or my greatsword.

“You can get regular iron equipment or magic charms at those shops, but genuine magic items are rare. Nobody would so easily give that away after working hard for that.”

Yeah. The only reason I would put away tools that protect my life is when I’m being approached by debt collectors or something like that.

“Even if you obtain something rare, the general principle is to keep it for yourself, keep it stored away, or offer it to the younger clan members, which is why you don’t see any high-quality equipment around the market,” Rufa added some extra explanation, to which I nodded.

I see. There are a lot more merits to joining a clan than just being saved when losing your life in the labyrinth…This Demon Eater sword and my black armor Providence Guard have me plenty satisfied in terms of gear, but will Garnet be struggling as we proceed further? I sent her a worried gaze, but she just grinned and flashed her mace.

“It’s not a magic tool, but I’ve got my father’s talents with me. Rest assured.”

Yeah, the tools a blacksmith like her father could produce must be a cut above the rest. Magic tools might not be much, but they’ll definitely improve Garnet’s strength.

“You don’t have to praise my family this much,” Garnet spoke happily as her cheeks turned red.

Unlike Rufa’s family, she’s pretty close with her family, eh? But anyway, back to the topic at hand. What I’m trying to say is that there might not be too many uses for your money despite the amount you can technically earn. That’s probably why a lot of people are saving up like me. You can’t exactly continue this job forever, either. But if that’s the case, the money should really get circulating. I read in one of Grandma’s books that if there’s not enough of that, it’ll negatively impact the economy. It’s not good if adventurers hog all the money to themselves.

“I can’t tell if you’re clever or a plain moron.” Garnet gave me a dubious look as I was lost in thought.

That’s just cruel. Because Grandma taught me, I was seen as the 5th most clever person in my hometown.

“That’s an odd ranking to brag about.”

Also, my childhood friend always insulted me, calling me an idiot and dense.

“Anyway, the reason the cost for resurrection magic is so high is to ensure some of the money the adventurers hold makes its way back into the economy.”

Though the rich baldy at the top might just want to fill his private stomach a bit more—Rufa added after her initial comment. Meanwhile, the priest had waited for our conversation to end and continued with a smile.

“If you’d simply like to have us watch over the corpses, it will cost a gold coin a day, you know?”

Yikes, that’s even more expensive than staying at the Eternal Maiden. What a rip-off, truly.

“They are putting preservation magic on that, which is why…” Rufa tried to argue, but it didn’t hold much power.

This really is a rip-off cathedral.

“Also, we’re not even their teammates, just to let you know.” Garnet pointed at the corpses as if she wanted to say that we held no duty to pay them.

Hearing that, the priest looked at the corpses and reached for one of their chest pockets.

“A blue start…They must belong to the Shooting Star Alliance clan.”

Holy smokes, that name sounds hella cool! Garnet saw me getting excited, as she gave me an exhausted sideways glance and turned toward the priest.

“If they are part of the clan, they will handle the fees for the resurrection magic, right?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Then we’ll just leave that to the Shooting Star Alliance and—”

“No, we should put them into the care of the cathedral.”

Rufa interrupted Garnet’s words, sounding oddly forceful while doing so. I was wondering what happened, but she just continued with a smile.

“Please let the people from the Shooting Star Alliance know that the Dark Knight Alba-sama saved these people. The rest I will leave to them.”

“I understand. I shall handle that.” The priest seemed oddly excited as he called a few more people that would handle carrying the corpses.

Rufa seemed about done with that and turned her back toward the priest, leaving the cathedral. Garnet and I hurriedly followed after.

“Was that good enough?” Garnet seemed dissatisfied. “I don’t plan on showering them with money, but it’s better than giving that fishy baldy more money.”

Um, what’s going on? I was completely lost when Rufa turned around and abruptly lowered her head.

“I’m sorry for acting out of line and without asking for your permission. But to let you know, if you deliver a decimated party to the cathedral, you receive a reward.”

Oh, really?

“Wasn’t the amount like a tenth or twentieth of the resurrection fee?”

“Yes. Which would be roughly 80 to 160 coins this time.”

That…is hefty. The resurrection fee alone is pretty expensive, but if we added that reward, the people from that Shooting Star Alliance would end up with empty pockets.

“And on top of that, they’d probably want to be the ones to save their allies.”

That makes sense. They could avoid the reward money through that. In that way, there are really a lot of merits when joining a clan.

“Well, even if a different clan saves you, it’d usually just end with one side treating the other to some food and being ready to help out in a time of need.”

That I agreed with. If you acted like a greedy bastard and wanted more and more money, there’s no guarantee that the other party will be nearly as nice if you end up in a bind. Also, it may be my dream to build my own home, but I don’t want to suck the money out of people in need. That’s why I think Rufa did the right thing when declining the reward.

“I’m happy you feel that way.” Rufa flashed a happy smile as I gave her a thumbs-up.

But, why would Garnet be bothered by that?

“Like I said. I don’t enjoy the idea of that greedy priest filling his pockets.”

Why is that priest popping up again? I looked at Rufa in confusion, who narrowed her eyes like she was looking at the dazzling sun.

“You truly are a kind-spirited person, Alba-sama. I feel nothing but shame that I got the wrong idea about you.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t mind me.”

She just waved her hand with a smile, telling me not to mind it.

“Anyway, that is the reason I declined the reward.”

Makes sense.

“However, that priest will basically tell them ‘I shall give them their reward money’.”

…Does it make sense?

“And then, he will receive the money from the Shooting Star Alliance and keep it for himself.”

Wait, wait, wait! That’s a crime, isn’t it?! I panicked when Garnet spoke with a cold tone.

“It is, but there is no proof. Even if that were to be prosecuted, it’ll be an endless dispute between us and that priest.”

For real? I mean, there are no documents involved, but still…

“As the cathedral holds might over life and death, a power different from the adventurers and imperial family, they can make their own rules. And even if I, a princess, were to bring this to court, there is a good chance I might lose.”

Rufa’s words had me going pale. Is the church really that terrifying of an organization? The cathedral looked so clean and proper, and yet it was even nastier than the bottomless labyrinth.

“I might be exaggerating a bit, but it’s important that you don’t make them your enemy. In return, good will happen if you find them as your allies.”

“That’s why you rejected the reward, I see. I don’t like the idea of that, but I get it.” Garnet showed a sour expression but nodded.

I see. So that’s what she meant by leaving everything to them. She calculated that all in an instant…

“You’re pretty wise, Rufa.” I gave her my genuine praise, to which she showed another bashful smile.

“Thank you very much, Alba-sama.”

“It’s probably thanks to her studies as a princess, nah?” Garnet threw in a sarcastic comment, but she seemed genuine with her praise.

It must be hard being royalty and friends. I thought I studied these things properly, but I see no way of catching up to them. I bet Rufa’s future husband will be some kind of genius, otherwise her talent would be wasted. I do feel bad for him, though. That’s a lot to live up to.

“Don’t cry, Rufa.”

“I-I’m not crying!”

I looked around, seeing Rufa trying to suppress her tears, with Garnet cheering her up. I was bothered by that, but the Eternal Maiden appeared in the distance, so I said goodbye to those two.

“See you.”

“Indeed, We should leave it at this for today.”

“Then let us meet again tomorrow.”

With that, I set foot inside the Eternal Maiden.

‘By the way, that monster…’

‘It seems we should reconsider our field guide…’

I heard Rufa and Garnet’s conversation from behind me, which filled me with a terrifying premonition, but I didn’t want to ask so I just headed to my room. Can’t forget my meeting with Chidori-san after this, too.

*

I finished eating and took a quick rest before I grabbed my wooden sword and headed to the 8th district. By the way, I took off my armor again. It’d be weird if I went in fully equipped while Chidori-san isn’t wearing any proper armor. Not to mention that I find myself growing more careless because I feel safer with my armor on. And to sharpen my skills, armor isn’t necessary…although I regret not being able to brag about it.

“So you’ve come.”

“Yes.”

Chidori-san had arrived before me, and after a short greeting, we both readied our swords. And then, we continued to fight until the sun began to set.

“Thank you for your precious time.”

“Likewise,” I responded with a smile, as Chidori-san wiped her sweat and showed a polite bow.

“By the way, is there anything about me that caught your attention?” She asked, so I reflected on our previous sparring match.

Her attacks and movement were sharp to the point a single misstep could have sent my head flying if this was a real battle. But when it comes to genuine swordsmanship—the type that exists to cut down others, I spotted a small discrepancy. Especially when using a weapon like a tachi, used to “cut down” people, your skill depends on speed rather than strength. As people can die from blood loss and having their arteries cut, you don’t have to dig as deep to get to the bones. And you don’t need to increase your raw speed for that, either.

What’s most important is to possess the skill to read the opponent’s movement, and attack rapidly to not allow them a moment or reprise or an opening to counterattack—that’s what my master taught me.

Though he also told me that it’s pointless against monsters.

Going through the labyrinth, I realized. Even today, my techniques used against humans don’t work against monsters. That’s probably why Chidori-san sacrificed this speed to obtain greater force against the monster dwelling in the labyrinth.

Then again, she probably knows that more than anyone, so there’s no point in having me point that out.

With that thought, I looked at Chidori-san directly, who seemed to be expecting something as she put her hands together. Welp, I’m dead if I don’t find what she wants to hear. I once again observed her from head to toe, pointing out the one thing that was different from yesterday.

“That red ribbon.”

That’s right, the ribbon she used to tie her hair up was white yesterday, and today it’s a crimson-red one.

“It’s cute.”

“Wh-What are you saying?! Someone as unfeminine as me can’t be cute…”

Chidori-san seemed flustered, but her cheeks turned red in happiness. Phew, it seems like I hit the mark. My childhood friend would always ask me these questions when she changed her hairstyle or clothes, so I had a hunch that it might be that. However, Chidori-san’s case was a lot more similar, as she didn’t possess a body that was one-fourth of mine. And each time I got it wrong, she’d fire a shooting star kick right at my face. It’s only been a month since I left my hometown, but I’m starting to feel nostalgic now.

“After this, how about we eat dinner together?”

“Sounds good.” I returned immediately.

Since my only plans after this were to eat dinner and go to sleep, I had no reason to decline.

“Very well, then let us depart.”

Chidori-san seemed relieved for some reason as we headed for the inn district. This almost looks like…she has no friends to eat dinner with?! Until I met Rufa and Garnet, I was a solo guy here in the Imperial capital, so I understand how it feels to eat lunch all by myself. But…didn’t she have a party of her own? Maybe they’re not getting along too well? Either way, I can’t just leave her alone while she’s feeling lonely. I wanted to show her that I’d stay by her side, so I took her hand.

“…?!”

In return, Chidori-san jumped in shock. Ah, crap. Maybe that was too much? I apologized for my actions, and she responded with a faint voice.

“…There is no joy to be had at holding my unrefined hand.”

Ah, that’s what she was bothered by? Yeah, compared to Rufa’s slender hand, she’s definitely got a bit rougher skin with more muscles. However, that’s proof of her rigorous training. It’s something she should be proud of. To convey that, I gently caressed her hand.

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“They’re beautiful.”

“Wh-What are you saying? Such an unfeminine hand isn’t—”

“They’re breathtaking.”

“~~~?!” Chidori-san suddenly averted her face. “I…I don’t understand your tastes.”

How cruel…I thought I knew what was alluring and charming, at least. I felt a bit dejected, so I just walked the way back to the inn district while holding her hand, and we headed to the Eternal Maiden. Arriving there, Chidori-san seemed a bit bewildered.

“Are we going to eat here?”

Huh? I mean, I first met her at the Eternal Maiden, so I thought she liked this place, but maybe not so much? I looked at her in worry, but she immediately shook her head.

“No, I do enjoy the food here. Let’s get a table.”

That’s good. In fact, I didn’t know any other places around here, so I wouldn’t know what to do if she declined.

“That makes sense…I wouldn’t want him to drag me around in some bar, so I’m fine with this place.” Chidori-san seemed disturbed by something but pulled my hand inside the Eternal Maiden.

Immediately after, the gazes of all the customers present focussed on us instantly.

“Hey, who’s that guy with Chidori?”

“Haven’t seen him before, so maybe he’s a new member at the White Wings?”

“A man…is holding hands with Chidori-sama?!”

“Unforgivable! Kill him!”

I wonder…the women are giving me real death stares for some reason. And while I was terrified, Chidori-san nonchalantly sat down at a table in the corner. I sat down on the opposite side to face her when she spoke up with a somewhat apologetic expression.

“Apologies for bringing this up now, but do you mind telling me your name?”

Ah, I never introduced myself? How rude of me.

“It’s Alba.”

“Alba-dono, I see…Hm?”

Chidori-san seemed a bit surprised, like something popped up in her head, but she quickly shook her head when she saw my confused gaze.

“Anyway, I’m the oldest daughter of the Kazama family who practices the Hakuyou Style, Chidori.”

“Nice to meet you.” I greeted her politely.

“Now then, there is one more thing I wanted to ask—”

“What would you like to order?”

Right as Chidori-san spoke up, an employee came over and talked to us.

“…The same as always.” Chidori-san seemed a bit bothered at this interruption, as she answered without looking at the menu.

S-So cool! I wanna try that, too!

“I’ll take the same.”

““Huh?!””

Hearing my order, both Chidori-san and the employee let out a flustered response at the same time. I was just trying to sound cool, there’s no need to be this shocked…I felt a bit depressed when the employee carefully asked me.

“The same would mean that you request eastern food with rice as its main focus…Are you sure about that?”

Ah, she was surprised about my order and not that some country pumpkin like me was acting cool? I sighed in relief and nodded.

“I don’t mind.”

“…Understood.”

The employee seemed a bit worried but still returned to the kitchen with no further words. I was wondering what that was about, to which Chidori-san looked at me with wide-open eyes.

“You can eat our food?”

“Of course.” I nodded, and she explained the reason why she and the employee were so shocked.

I see, so the people of the Empire here can’t really eat this eastern food. Since the origin of it was so far away, they probably never get the chance to, either. In that sense, I’m the irregularity, as I enjoy the taste despite being from the west.

“Which food have you tasted before?” Chidori-san asked, and I responded earnestly since I had no reason to hide it.

“In my hometown. My master would grow rice plants and soybeans.”

“The same master who taught you the sword?”

It seems like my answer was quite unexpected because Chidori-san’s eyes opened wide yet again. Well, growing that on I Rapsel was practically unheard of. But my master simply wanted to enjoy the nostalgic taste of his hometown, and Grandpa brought rice plants and soybeans with him from his trip east, but my master didn’t want to buy them from him all the time, so he instead grew it himself. And of course, Grandpa went off cheating with a black-haired beauty while he was in the east, which earned him another hellish interrogation from Grandma. That’s what I told Chidori-san, while keeping the details about I-Rapsel out, of course.

“So the master who taught you the sword went that far for his own food…”

Is it really such a weird thing? I regularly helped in his field, and I don’t think fairies are much different compared to humans when they have to work for their food.

“Actually, a master of the sword wouldn’t live like regular citizens, and he’d use his talents to choose his way that way.”

She must have felt my doubts, as Chidori-san explained. That is true, but there’s a reason that Master couldn’t leave I-Rapsel. But since I didn’t know how to explain that, I was a bit lost. Luckily, the employee brought our food over at that moment.

“Apologies for the delay,” the employee said as she placed tofu miso soup together with sliced fish on the table.

This red meat means that it’s fish from the ocean, right? There are only rivers here in the capital, and we’re pretty far from the open sea, so it’s a rarity to see fish like this. They probably got it here with preservation magic, but it should cost half a fortune. I couldn’t help but admire this fact when Chidori-san’s eyes shot open for the third time.

“Wait, this isn’t the usual menu.”

“Well, the manager said ‘We don’t have any red rice, so take this,’ as she pushed this onto me…” The employee spoke with a troubled expression, as she placed a drink inside a porcelain bowl, as well as two sake cups.

“N-Nobody asked her to do that!”

Chidori-san blushed for some reason. Maybe she’s excited because she hasn’t had sashimi in a while? If so, we should hurry and eat. I clapped my hands together, offering my gratitude for this meal.

“Time to dig in.”

“I’ve got my complaints, but I don’t want this food to waste.” Chidori-san sighed and reached for the chopsticks added to the menu.

As expected, the inside of the sashimi was spongy and pleasant to eat. The rice was a bit sweetened, making it obvious they were using high-quality ingredients. The manager is really good at this, huh? As it’s been a while since I last had eastern food like this, I was getting really into it. The other adventurers around were looking at us in shock, sending us gazes along the lines of “Why are they eating raw fish?!” Maybe they’re worried about us getting food poisoning? Then again, there’s no problem if you remove the innards and keep it preserved, really. All I really cared about was that it tasted good and that Chidori-san was smiling.

“As I thought, getting to enjoy the same food together is important.”

She’s probably enjoying the fact that she’s not eating food together. If so, I should probably invite Rufa and Garnet too once I get the chance!

“I just felt an unpleasant presence…Maybe it was just my imagination.”

For a brief moment, Chidori-san placed her chopsticks on the desk and looked at me.

“To continue from before. Would you mind telling me about your master?”

“Hm?”

“Someone as talented with the sword as them must be a well-known swordsman. I’d love to hear his name.”

I see. But, as a matter of fact—

“I don’t know his name.”

“…Huh?” Chidori-san let out a voice in shock.

I do feel bad, but it’s a fact. Master came ashore at I Rapsel by sheer accident, and from the resulting shock, he lost his memories and forgot his own name. However, the techniques engraved in his body he couldn’t forget, so he taught me and I just called him Master. After a while, he regained his memories, but he said ‘The old me has died. I don’t require a name,’ so it’s been master since. The other inhabitants of the island did the same, so nobody knows his real name.

“Did he commit a crime too severe to have his name revealed? However, I haven’t heard any news of such a villain reaching the mainland…”

“Chidori-san?” I called out to her, as she raised her head in shock.

“Apologies. I don’t think I can say much in regard to that. Then, would it be fine if I asked about you, Alba-dono?”

“Me?”

What should I even tell her…If I’m not careful, she might find out I’m from I-Rapsel or that I’m a hybrid…I ended up lost in thought, so Chidori-san spoke up.

“It doesn’t have to be anything complicated. Just tell me about your hobbies.”

Ah, okay. I can do that.

“Practice and reading, I guess?”

…Now that I answered that question, I realized that there’s not much interesting about me to tell. Maybe I should have said something cool, instead. Then again, what’s popular in the big city? Bird hunting? I looked at Chidori-san, who smiled at me.

“Training yourself while building up knowledge…Indeed, a true man.”

That raised her affection for me a lot more than I thought, which had me return the question.

“What interests do you have, Chidori-san?”

“M-Me?! Well, um…training and reading, I dare say.”

She hesitated for a moment and then responded with a bashful tone.

“Same as me, then.”

Feeling relief at finding someone who shared the same interests as me, I couldn’t hold back a smile. In response, her face turned red as she poured some of the sake inside the bottle into her cup and gulped it down at once.

“I say, sewing and playing the koto is what is expected of a woman!” She suddenly roared in anger, as she slammed the cup down on the table.

Her eyes suddenly looked a bit drowsy, and her breath reeked of alcohol. Was that such strong alcohol? I took a sip from my own cup, and—Gah, hot! It’s cool sake, and yet it made the tip of my tongue burn. I think this might be too strong on the alcohol. I gulped down a cup of water, but Chidori-san just finished her second cup.

“Swinging one’s sword and indulging in texts of martial arts is what a man would do! However, I was the only one to inherit the techniques of the Kazama Family and the Hakuyou style, so I had no option but to oblige!”

Her face turned even redder as she went for a third cup. I…really think she should keep it at that.

“And it’s the fault of all these other disciples! Losing against a young girl of ten, praising me that I took after my father, who is retarded as the strongest in the east! Won’t you feel a bit of shame first before praising others?!”

“R-Right.” I nodded.

Whenever Gramps would come back after cheating, Grandma would get drunk and complain all night. I’ve learned first-hand that it’s best to just nod in silence.

“I have no regrets about following the path of the sword. However…if there had been one disciple stronger than me, I may have been allowed to tread the path of a normal girl!” She pushed her upper body onto the table, looking up at me. “If only you had been a fellow disciple, Alba-dono…”

“My apologies.” I apologized and gently placed my hand on hers, right as she attempted to gulp down another cup.

In doing so, she blushed slightly, as she put her left hand on the whole bottle, gulping it down.

“Pwah! You’re a respectable man, Alba-dono!”

She’s probably losing her self-restraint when drunk, as her voice sounded higher than usual, grabbing my hand.

“Surely, you must dislike an overbearing woman like me.”

“Not at all.”

I shook my head without hesitation. Even if I knew better than to agree now, I genuinely didn’t feel that way at all.

“You are a wonderful woman.”

“What part of me?”

“How devoted and earnest you are.”

Having trained with her four others on no end, I knew that better than anyone. She always attacks with all her might, always head-on. She must have poured more than half her life or more into obtaining such sharp and clean attacks. Normal girls use that time to learn housework or other jobs, possibly fooling around with friends. Even if she felt jealous towards such a life, she didn’t regret the way she had taken, which I think is pretty damn cool.

“And, you’re adorable.”

Whether it was during our first meeting or when we sparred, she would sometimes jump the gun and assume things without listening to others. It’s the same right now as she’s drunk, but she’s got these dunce moments despite being a samurai, which makes her look clumsy. However, that is what makes her more approachable—and cute, even. When I gave her my genuine feelings, she stared at me in a daze, her eyes drowsy.

“…Only my mother has ever called me cute.” She flashed a happy but sleepy smile, which was undoubtedly cute.

If she’d show this kind of expression on the regular, everybody would agree with me here.

“Hey, Alba-sama…” Chidori-san called my name and slowly pushed up her body.

“I…I’ve always waited for a prince to sweep me off my feet.”

Her tone changed, so she’s probably telling of her feelings before she became a samurai. I, however, grew worried that she had too much to drink, so I stood up and gently rubbed her back. While doing so, she turned around towards me and spoke with dampened lips.

“Alba-sama, won’t you be my pr—Uegh!”

She threw up without a second of hesitation. Yeah, she’s diligent, but equally clumsy…Wait, this isn’t the time to be turning my eyes from reality! Wh-What do I do about this?!

“My goodness. Here I was, thinking she could celebrate the arrival of her youth, so I opened up some of my killer sake, and yet, she’s wasting it all.”

I grew flustered and absolutely lost, when the manager appeared next to me with a dust cloth, not making a single sound.

“I’ll handle this, you get her to bed.”

“Sorry, and thank you.” I gave my thanks to the manager and carried the passed-out Chidori-san up to the second floor.

“So even Divine-Speed Chidori can get durn…?”

“More importantly, isn’t that guy gonna use this situation to his advantage?”

“I’m so jeal—Wait, no, how despicable!”

I heard ominous mutters when I went up the stairs. Aw, man…More weird rumors about me.

*

While that chaos was unfolding at the Eternal Maiden, Rufa sat in her room and looked through a certain book.

“…Not here.”

She had the ‘Monster Field Guide’ open, which, as the name suggests, has entries for every possible monster you could encounter in the labyrinth, as well as viable attack methods and weaknesses. Amassing this lasted more than a thousand years, obtained by the heroes of the adventurers, and reading any of these entries should allow the person to come out on top against any monster. As she planned to become an adventurer, Rufa had memorized all of these monsters, and there was no reason to reread it again. However, the fact that something was ‘Not here’ was the problem.

“That monster that attacked us today…I will call it a Hidden Plant, it’s not anywhere in here.”

Any unmarked entries in this field guide should be reserved for monsters possibly encountered on the 7th floor, and yet no matter how much she looked, she found no information on the Hidden Plant they encountered on the 2nd floor.

“Garnet, did you find anything?”

Rufa closed the book and turned towards Garnet, who was searching through a different field guide. However, she slowly shook her head.

“No can do. It’s not in newer publications, either.”

It was said that the type of monsters did not change from when the first adventurer and first Emperor adventured down into the labyrinth. However, newer publications have been released by researchers to add additional information. For example, the Catapult Plant had a different variation that looked similar but exclusively aimed at vital parts, called the Sniper Plant. However, there have been no exclusively new entries for the past thousand years. The book Garnet read through they just bought today, but it didn’t mention anything about a Hidden Plant.

“Is that so…Then it must be a new type of monster.” Rufa deducted, as her expression grew grim.

The arrival of a new monster after such a long time could not mean anything favorable. Even more so since it held strength on a different level from regular 2nd-floor monsters.

“Garnet, do you think regular 2nd-floor adventurers will be able to defeat that Hidden Plant?”

“I wonder. I’m sure it won’t be as easy as Alba made it look.” Garnet responded with a dull expression.

Regular 2nd-floor adventurers won’t be able to send raw blades of aura underground. It was only possible because Alba had the strength of a 6th-floor adventurer.

“If you cut all the tentacles that emerged above ground, the real body might show itself, but that sounds rough on regular adventurers of that level.”

“That makes sense. They’ll probably be slaughtered by a surprise attack as have those four we found.” Rufa remembered the adventurers they delivered to the cathedral.

They probably were overwhelmed by this monster that was mismatched for the level it was in. And they got decimated without any chance of reprisal.

“The strength of the Hidden Plant is definitely not normal. I can’t believe that to be a monster fit for the second floor.” Rufa remembered how her neck was strangled, a cold sweat building on her forehead.

“The monsters appearing in the labyrinth exist almost as if they were meant to be defeated by adventurers.”

The first floor was a good example. Most monsters you encounter range from kobolts to trolls. All of these were beatable by adventurers of that floor level. And excluding the Dark Knight on the 6th floor, even the guardians were designed so that they could be defeated by bringing a group of people. And yet, a monster now appeared that defined these previously established rules.

“Am I interpreting too much into this…if I say this could be seen as an omen of the Evil God of Demise’s resurrection?”

“No, you must be right.” Garnet nodded.

There’s only about one year left until his resurrection, and it was good luck on their side that the signs of this only showed now.

“What frustrates me the most is that my shitty parents don’t bother too much to take this new evidence seriously.”

“Can’t expect much without any definitive results to show.” Garnet had to speak reason as Rufa was furious.

If they would change their viewpoint this quickly, then they wouldn’t have sent an assassin after Alba and tried to separate them.

“However, the adventurers might hold a greater sense of danger in this peculiar situation.” Rufa held her anticipation, but she also felt frustrated that she couldn’t reveal everything.

In one year, the Evil God of Demise, slumbering down in the labyrinth, will revive. Rufa considered revealing this fact to the entirety of all adventurers. However, she gave up on that thought. Rather than being laughed at, the possibility of them believing her was much more terrifying. After all, a convenient development of all adventurers fighting together for the sake of the world definitely won’t happen. The greater majority would surely run away in hopes of surviving the cataclysm. And once the ones lurking in the darkness knew that the Empire was in danger, they would surely move more openly.

“As much as it pains me to admit it, that shitty old man of mine isn’t entirely in the wrong.”

However, Rufa just chose the third option and worked to gather allies who trusted her, as she would work her way through the labyrinth. The Emperor does hold enough influence to change the situation, but Rufa couldn’t expect any help, as he wished to preserve their rule more than anything.

“Judging from Sir Ox and the other’s actions, they’ve probably been actively working against us, too.”

“Most likely.” Garnet could easily imagine that and sighed. “If you become a 6th-floor hero, the Empire would attempt to bribe you rather than directly remove you.”

“The prostitute that destroyed that clan may have been an assassin hired by the Empire, too.”

It was a group of 6th-floor adventurers that held the possible strength to defeat the Dark Knight, which fell apart because of the poison of beauty. Such an assassin (either male or female) seemed to have existed.

“Those Eclair people clearly seemed the type to use women as weapons.”

“If they don’t correct their ways the next time I see them, I’ll send them to the depths of hell.”

Rufa remembered the faces of the three girls who betrayed Alba’s feelings and flashed a devious smile.

“It’s their fault that Alba-sama suffered such a grave misunderstanding!”

“I believe you caused that yourself.” Garnet threw in a cold remark as Rufa was fuming with rage.

Thanks to those girls, Alba now thinks that city girls could never develop feelings for a country pumpkin like him, and that has led him to become dense toward Rufa’s romantic feelings and approaches.

“W-Well, more importantly.”

“Changing the topic, eh?”

“With the appearance of a new monster, some of the adventurers might catch on to the looming danger and possibly join our cause.”

She couldn’t reveal the true reason for this incident, but by feeding them a bit of information along those lines, some adventurers should join their group at some point.

“I have absolute faith in Alba-sama’s strength, but I don’t see just us three reaching the 7th floor.”

The absolute god of death roaming the labyrinth, the Dark Knight, has slaughtered countless heroes so far. Rufa wasn’t as naive as to believe that the three of them could just defeat that monster all by themselves.

“We need at least three more people.”

That’d make it six people. Even so, their chances at victory were low, but having these many trustworthy people at the 6th-floor level would probably be the maximum to get.

“The more 6th-floor adventurers you get, the more trouble you get on your hands, after all.”

“Agreed,” Garnet nodded.

When Rufa and Garnet just slipped out of the castle, they called out to three parties consisting of 6th-floor adventurers, and the pain from back then made them both sigh.

“I knew that you can’t reach the depths of the labyrinth with any proper personality, but even so…”

As an adventurer, being on the first or even second floor was enough to get you through the day as long as you didn’t die, and you could save up good money after your retirement. When dealing with adventurers on the 3rd and 4th floor, they possess wealth to rival talented businessmen, and they usually obtain higher ranks like knights or barons. Usually, that is where most people would stop. After all, the 5th and 6th floor is where you encounter monsters like dragons or archdemons, whose attacks can be so decimating that your entire body may end up burned to a crisp or ripped to shreds to the point you may end up a Lost.

Nobody could blame those who shed blood and tears to fear that all their efforts would be for naught and decide against going deeper. And yet, 5th-floor and 6th-floor adventurers went past that fear to continue to fight. That alone shows they all have a screw loose.

“Leaving aside the biased ‘Plunderers’ and the aggressive ‘Holy Maiden Chivalric Order,’ I’d hoped that the White Wings at least would hear us out, but…”

Out of all the 6th-floor adventurers, the White Wings seemed to be the ones easiest to reason with. That’s why Rufa went there with a bit of hope, but…

“Who could have expected that Kanaria would start casting Death just because I smiled at their leader Leon…”

“I knew that your face would get in the way at some point, but even I was sweating buckets back then.”

The female magician was burning in jealousy and fear as she saw the risk of some thieving cat stealing away her beloved man, which does make sense, but readying a death spell right away may have been a bit much. And that Holy Knight probably had enough trouble to worry about, which had Garnet’s sympathy.

“Either way, we need more people. Just as you said, we might need to assemble people who’ve caught on to this danger.”

It was most likely a wish in vain, but it was better than nothing.

“I swear, can’t there be a useful pawn I can use at my disposal?” Rufa sighed.

“You saying stuff like this is what’ll get us into trouble.”

Garnet remembered the time Eclair and the others joined them. However, Rufa stood up, unperturbed, and put the monster guide on the shelf.

“Let’s leave that problem for another time. We should report this to Alba-sama.”

“That’s right. And we may very well eat dinner together.”

Because they were so busy with their research, they both forgot to even eat properly. And then they headed to the Eternal Maiden, asking the cleaning manager where Alba was, when—

“Ah, that boy took little Chidori to his room a while ago.”

“…What?”

“See, this is what I was talking about, you fool.”

Rufa froze up in shock, as Garnet just shook her head because the one she’d warned Alba about finally happened.

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