126 - Beim's Staff
The sixth basement floor.
Alette-san and her group defeated the floor boss during their exploration, so the seventh basement floor has been unlocked.
I am gazing at the yellowish-green gemstones in both my hands—peridots.
I've taken a break in a suitable room I found within the cave.
It is the second day of challenging the labyrinth, and I have gathered enough monster materials and magic stones.
In the end, I didn't open the first treasure chest I found.
"I wonder if it's a coincidence."
Looking at the two gemstones, their shapes were identical.
It seems they could be bought for a high price, but I feel a strange sense of incongruity that the contents of a treasure chest that suddenly appeared are the same as the gemstone I first found.
Around me, Aria, Eva, and Clara are also taking a break.
Lanterns brightly illuminated the dark room.
Novem and Mei are on lookout, so I put away the gemstones and sat down, resting my chin on my hand as I thought.
(The birthstone for August, related to bonds and things like that, right? According to Clara, I heard they are fragile...)
Perhaps because magic power had been stored within them, the gemstones had increased in hardness.
I'm hoping that if I have them appraised, they will fetch a price beyond my imagination.
I am hoping, but at the same time, I feel something.
Aria and Eva were taking a nap.
Clara was also asleep while sitting.
I touched the Jewel Orb and tried to hear the opinions of the successive heads of the house.
The voice I heard was the Sixth.
『It might be a coincidence. However, there's no point in thinking about it now. When you return, try asking that knight called Alette. Ask her if peridots are being discovered in large quantities.』
Thinking that I have no choice but to ask, I used the skills [Map] and [Search] to confirm Alette-san's location.
It seems that after defeating the boss of the sixth basement floor, she had returned to the base within the labyrinth.
(...It's a bit early, but I'll call it a day.)
The only ones who proceeded to the seventh basement floor were Albano-san's group and Marina-san. Other parties had not yet even set foot on the sixth basement floor.
(Well, asking her should make it clear.)
I leaned my back against the wall and closed my eyes.
After the break.
Having finished our meal, we returned to the fifth basement floor and spoke with Alette-san and her group.
When I mentioned returning to the surface...
"That's perfect then. Please deliver a letter to my subordinates on the surface."
That's what she told me.
It wasn't exactly small talk, but I asked about the treasure I had found.
While she wrote the letter to her subordinates, I spoke to Alette-san.
"Come to think of it, I discovered a treasure chest. I found some gemstones, but there's something that bothers me... Are most of the treasures in this labyrinth gemstone-related?"
Occasionally, such labyrinths exist.
When that's the case, an obligation to report to the guild arises.
Alette-san's pen stopped for just a moment, but it immediately started moving again.
"No, I haven't heard anything. It's better not to say such things to other parties."
Hearing that, I learned that the contents of the treasure chests weren't particularly biased.
"...I was just a bit curious. I discovered the same gemstone twice in a row."
Then, Alette-san finished writing the letter and waited for the ink to dry.
She confirmed the contents, nodded, and looked at me.
"Well, if you've been an adventurer for a long time, such luck happens. What is it? If you're giving them to me as a present, I'm always open to it."
As Alette-san laughed teasingly, and while I was troubled, the knight who served as her adjutant approached.
"Please stop it, because she'll misunderstand if she receives them. Despite this, the Captain is pure-hearted when it comes to relationships between men and women, so it's a pain."
Saying so with a smile, he handed Alette-san an empty envelope.
Alette-san took it as if snatching it, folded the letter inside, and sealed it.
Then, she handed it to me.
"Leave it alone! W-well, anyway. It's nothing to worry about. Rather than appraising them here, I recommend taking them to a guild-certified appraiser's shop. There are many fraudulent practices, so be careful."
Receiving the letter from a blushing Alette-san, I decided to just nod with a wry smile.
(Even if I sell them, it'll be after returning to Beim.)
I thought it would be a pain to return to the surface and have to worry about party formation and the distribution of this time's income and rewards again.
Just then, a blood-stained woman carrying a large load came up to the base on the fifth floor.
I was shaken, thinking she was an injured person, but Alette-san let out a sigh.
"Marina, buying and selling again? You could just go to the surface yourself."
Then, the blood-stained woman spoke.
"It's a pain. If I pay the commission to Alette and the others, that's the end of it, right? Even if it's overpriced, sell me some medicine and preserved food."
The woman, who placed the large load on the ground, had long, messy black hair flying wildly.
Blood splattered around.
She had red eyes, and when she placed the large load on the ground, it made a squelching sound.
Alette-san stood up from her chair and muttered.
"Honestly, you should at least pay some attention to your appearance. Someone, prepare some hot water. And some medicine and preserved food as well. Marina, how much do you need?"
Marina-san, while thanking the quick-to-understand Alette-san for her help, said.
"A full set of medicine. Food... for ten days? Also, Frogmen appeared from the seventh basement floor. They aren't much of a challenge, but there are many puddles. Those guys are quite energetic, taking advantage of the terrain. Also, I don't need hot water."
Alette-san put her left hand on her hip and pointed at Marina-san with her right hand.
"Go wash off the dirt. If it's unhygienic, there are times when injuries heal poorly. However, the information is appreciated. I'll make the buying price favorable."
As if uninterested, Marina-san waved one hand.
"It's a hindrance in the labyrinth if I carry too much. But I'll take a short rest. Prepare the amount after deducting the cost of medicine, food, and the handling fee."
Marina-san, who was tall and wearing a coat, was lightly equipped.
I felt terrified, wondering if she had fought monsters with her bare hands.
(Did she use magic? No, if so, she wouldn't be so blood-stained... besides, her aura is that of a warrior.)
While I was thinking that, Marina-san turned her gaze toward Mei, who was talking with Novem.
Alette-san made a displeased expression.
"Hey, don't start a fight here."
Marina-san scratched her head.
"It's not a fight. But there are plenty of strong-looking people here. It makes my spine tingle. Hey, Alette... who's the boy next to you?"
Glared at by those red eyes, I almost reflexively moved my hand to the hilt of my saber in an instant.
A voice came from the Jewel Orb.
The Third.
『Riel!』
It was a serious voice. Hearing that, I stopped moving my hand toward my weapon and steadied my breathing.
Looking at Marina-san, I said.
"Could you please stop emitting bloodlust?"
Then, she looked slightly surprised, but began to laugh.
"Not bad! Boy, tell me your name."
(Treated like a boy? Age-wise, it doesn't seem like we're that far apart.)
I introduced myself.
"I'm Riel. Riel Walt."
Hearing that, Marina-san entrusted her load to Alette-san's subordinates and headed toward a place partitioned by curtains.
"I'll remember that."
As she walked away looking amused, she didn't seem like a harmless person to me at all.
Then I turned back to Alette-san. However, Alette-san was looking at me with a serious expression.
"...Walt? There were nobles with that family name in Vanseim. Riel-kun, were you originally a noble?"
I pondered for a moment on how to respond, and replied to Alette-san with a smile.
"Asking so many probing questions is a breach of manners, Alette-san."
Alette-san shrugged her shoulders.
"That's true. My apologies. Now then, I'll leave the matter of the letter to you."
When we returned to the surface, it was around noon on the third day.
Having returned relatively quickly, we headed toward the location of the guild building with our luggage.
Seeing the loot packed into the mini-porter, the adventurers we passed looked at us sideways.
"Hey, is that the rumored porter?"
"Someone who can use it already exists?"
"I'm envious. If I had one of those, imagine how much I could load."
Rather than the earnings, they noticed the utility of the porter and looked envious.
As a developer, I'm quietly happy.
Clara spoke to me.
"Riel-san, the town has grown larger again."
After a short interval, the town's development seemed to have progressed even further.
I agreed with Clara.
"It has. But I wonder what they intend to do by making it this large."
Was it necessary to go this far? While thinking that, we headed toward the guild, and there, we would learn a surprising truth.
We headed toward the building where the guild's branch office was located.
Next to the building, in a place like a market, merchants were buying monster materials from adventurers.
The guild bought magic stones, and on a poorly made sign, the corrected rates were written.
The buying price had become slightly higher than before.
I spoke to the staff member handling the buying.
"It's higher than before."
"Yes, it seems there was a change in Beim. We have to align with that here as well. So, please don't complain if it goes down."
The staff member, who was smiling wryly, probably gets complained to when the buying price drops.
I started to feel sympathetic.
"Well, as long as it's a fair price, I have no complaints. Even so, it has developed quite a bit. Is it necessary to go this far?"
Then, the male staff member looked at me.
"Ah, haven't you been around lately? Actually, there's a river nearby, and it seems this area is suitable for cultivation. We're currently surveying the surroundings, but even after the labyrinth subjugation is over, we'll use this place as a base for cultivation. An order came by fast horse from Beim to proceed with that policy."
...It seems they intend to make it a real town, not just a temporary one.
Small villages can disappear at any time.
Therefore, if nothing is done, the harvest will only decrease. Besides, a population beyond what Beim can handle is gathering there.
Since there is excess manpower, they intend to cultivate the land.
The successive heads of the house let out exasperated voices.
Starting from the Third.
『It's staggering. The scale is different.』
『But it's surprisingly viable.』
『If they're going to build it anyway, they'll just reuse it, huh.』
『...And in the process, they'll have adventurers survey the surroundings to confirm safety.』
『Since there's already a labyrinth subjugation, it's certainly viable, if you put it that way.』
To me, who was surprised, the staff member said with a smile.
"Well, things like this don't happen often. Normally, they just set up a minimal, simplified form and use it as a base. Then they properly destroy it afterward so it's not used by bandits."
It would be terrible if the remains of a base were turned into a bandit stronghold.
Once finished, they probably clean it up before returning to Beim.
"...In that case, do such requests go out to adventurers in Beim too? Like surveying the surroundings?"
The staff member nodded to me while proceeding with the paperwork.
"There are many. Until the fifth basement floor is unlocked, many adventurers accept those requests as a way to bridge the gap."
And the money earned that way is spent in the town.
In reality, if they earn seriously here and return, how much savings do most adventurers actually have?
(From my perspective, it just looks like they're spending as much as they earn.)
That was my impression.
"If you're not challenging the labyrinth, would you like to try taking some requests? In a little while, people bringing slaves will gather in earnest and start the cultivation."
While thinking that they move quite fast, I—.
(Slaves? Are they bringing slaves to force them into labor?)
That's what I was thinking.
――The seventh basement floor.
Albano's group checked for traps as soon as they found a treasure chest.
Monster corpses were floating around, and Albano and the others were immersed in water up to their knees.
Frog-shaped humans wore breastplates and held spears and shields.
The Frogmen were floating, covered in wounds, staining the surroundings red with blood.
One of Albano's party members raised their voice.
"No traps! Also, this one's good. It's gemstone-related. I saw a bit of light. It's a considerable item, Boss!"
Albano looked with a bitter feeling at the party member who still called him "Boss."
"It's Leader. Next time you get it wrong, I'll reduce your reward. More importantly, a gemstone... finally a hit after all this."
The treasures so far had been rare metals—metals imbued with magic—but things like copper and iron.
They weren't cheap, but they couldn't be called exceptionally expensive either.
(To escape this kind of life, I absolutely need money. I want a real treasure, but...)
One of his companions dug out a treasure embedded in the wall.
But what was there was—.
"...Huh? Just iron? That can't be... Ow!"
Albano slapped the back of his companion's head and shouted.
"It's just iron! You got me expecting a gemstone. Dammit, we're calling it a day. We'll return to the fifth floor and borrow a place from Big Sister to sleep. We've already found the boss's room anyway. Let's go back up and play for a while."
Hearing that, the companions began to make a fuss.
"Now I can drink!"
"Hey, anyone want to go gambling together?"
"I'm going for women!"
Looking at his companions who were faithful to their instincts, Albano put on a smile, but internally he clicked his tongue and looked on with a bitter feeling.
(Dammit! Every single one of them is satisfied with the status quo... they've only just become bottom-tier adventurers from a rock-bottom life as a bandit gang, and they're already satisfied.)
Albano and the others had been bandits since birth. Children of bandits, they were taught how to pick locks and the techniques of theft rather than reading, writing, or calculation.
One of the companions was still tilting their head.
"But I definitely saw it. It was a yellowish-green light, so I was sure it was a peridot..."
Albano looked at the companion he had slapped, feeling exasperated.
"Come on, let's go back. If you keep dawdling, I really will reduce your reward."
"W-wait for me. I've got tabs to pay. I can't play if I don't pay them, so that's a problem, Albano."
Albano kicked his companion.
"Then hurry up!"
Internally.
(Every single one of them, alcohol, women, gambling... I will absolutely escape this bottom-tier life someday.)
Albano's wish to walk a proper path. Reconfirming that, Albano walked at the head of his companions, aiming for the fifth basement floor—.
――Riel's group returned to the base.
At night, Novem woke up alone and went outside.
Looking up at the moon, the breath she exhaled turned white.
The cold had intensified again, and she worried that it might even snow.
"We have to keep warm. We might need to buy some firewood as well."
Thinking it would be terrible if Riel caught a cold, Novem looked up at the moon.
Around her, adventurers were making a racket in the tavern and shouting loudly while gambling.
Rejoicing when they won, lamenting when they lost.
The voices of adventurers who had bought prostitutes could also be heard.
Novem didn't find that noisy.
Aria sometimes complained with a red face that she couldn't fall asleep. Clara also had times when she looked sleepy.
Shannon, told by Miranda, had gone to sleep early, so she looked puzzled.
Eva was talking with other elves of her own kind, and Mei was enjoying touring the food stalls.
Monica was the same as always, regardless of whether the surroundings were noisy.
It would be strange to call it smooth, but Novem still found the current state favorable.
Miranda seemed to be on guard, but if that was for Riel's sake, it was a happy thing for Novem as well.
However, what worried her was—.
(That peridot... Octo must be telling them that he is watching us, right?)