127 - Crate the Blockhead
Early in the morning, despite it being my day off, I was entertaining a guest.
It was fine since I had designated today as a holiday, but I wondered what he would have done if I had been planning to challenge the labyrinth.
Sitting across from me at the table, Crate-san brought me a proposal with a smile on his face.
"Carrying luggage to the fifth basement floor? Us?"
Crate-san spoke while sipping the tea Monica had served, his hair slicked back perfectly since morning.
"That's right. Actually, it seems supplies are depleting faster than expected, and it's been decided that additional shipments are needed. That's why I came to ask for your cooperation, having heard you are close with Alette-dono. Oh, by the way, this is also an official guild request. My, this tea is delicious."
To Crate-san praising the tea, Monica didn't use her usual tone, but simply gave a slight, silent nod.
(She should just stay silent all the time. No, that would actually be scarier.)
While thinking that Monica was better off as she usually was, I felt a bit uneasy about cooperating to complete the request.
"Aren't you and your group going to complete the request on your own? Your reward will decrease, won't it?"
Crate-san crossed his arms and spoke with a troubled expression.
"Actually, it seems Marina-dono is running wild between the sixth and seventh basement floors. Albano has also just withdrawn and won't be challenging the labyrinth for a few days. He's the type of guy who wastes the money he earns on playing around and doesn't work when it's important!"
Crate-san slammed his fist onto the table, but if I may say so...
"No, I think vacations are necessary. Besides, what's the volume of the luggage? My party is..."
Inside the tent, besides Monica, Miranda was waiting to confirm the details of this request. She sat in a chair with a smile, but I couldn't tell what she was thinking internally.
Crate-san showed me the guild documents.
"By tomorrow, we need to take this many consumables. There's security along the way, but above all, Liel-kun and your group have Porters, so it'll be fine!"
He said it'll be fine with a smile, but even though he called them Porters, from our perspective, they were the degraded versions—Mini-Porters.
Though I had added improvements, they couldn't carry that massive amount of luggage.
(A round trip to the fifth basement floor as luggage carriers. And with this request fee... cooperating would put us in the red.)
The reward was certainly satisfying in terms of amount.
Thinking of it as carrying luggage to the fifth basement floor, I felt that receiving this much would make it worth doing. However, it wasn't a request for us to take.
With a large volume of luggage and few support members, it was an unsuitable request for us.
"If it were for escorting, maybe, but it's impossible for us. We could somehow manage escorting along the way."
When I said that, Crate-san stood up.
"What are you saying! A party led by me, Crate, needs no escort! Just carry the luggage with peace of mind."
No, that's why it's unsuitable for us...
While dealing with the overbearing Crate-san, who wouldn't listen to what people had to say, I extracted information.
As for why he was requesting us—
"—In other words, you won't accept anyone other than the officially requested parties. No, there are plenty of parties who would take a request like this. Or rather, why did you bring the posted request form?"
The voice of The Sixth echoed from within the jewel. He sounded exasperated and, at the same time, irritated.
'Hey, this guy is one of those. The hopeless type.'
Rather than the hopeless type, he just seemed to be spinning his wheels.
(Come to think of it, Alette-san also mentioned he had strong quirks.)
I felt like the narrow-eyed man had said something similar; he was a troublesome existence in a different sense compared to Albano-san and the others.
The voice of The Third spoke.
'If he gets a place to work, he seems like he'd work diligently... but bringing the request form, frankly, what's with that?'
However, The Seventh chimed in here.
'...Liel, try taking this request with a few people. It's just right. You can see up close how other parties operate in the labyrinth. Moreover, it's a party recognized by the guild. It'll be a learning experience to watch them. If they're a hopeless party, you can use them as a negative example.'
I almost let out a sigh, but it was true that we'd be luggage carriers with an escort.
Even with a small number, it should be no problem.
(For carrying luggage, Clara would be the one, but I want her to rest, so that's a no. Eva and Mei are only thinking about playing once they get back... if I'm taking people, it'll be Aria and Miranda.)
The next time I set foot in the labyrinth, I intended to earn seriously on the seventh basement floor. I had preparations for that, so I had been taking a long vacation.
(I have to challenge it prepared to get wet, so I can't proceed until the equipment is ready.)
If I didn't wear a water-repellent suit, I felt like I'd get soaked and catch a cold.
(I'm free until the equipment is ready, so I might as well check out other parties while I'm at it.)
I decided to accept Crate-san's request.
"I understand. However, I have plans as well, so it's impossible for everyone to participate. Three of us, including myself, will carry the luggage."
Hearing that, Crate-san made a troubled expression.
"Th-three? Could you at least put out six? The amount of luggage will be quite a lot."
I rejected Crate-san's proposal, saying I wanted my companions to rest.
"We have our own circumstances, but we'll take the luggage for the request. How about meeting at the labyrinth entrance tomorrow morning?"
"Understood. I'm the one asking. I shall endure it."
Hearing that, The Fourth sounded irritated for some reason.
'Endure it? Hey, what is this guy saying? The ones enduring it are us! Liel, reject a request like this immediately!'
But here, the opinions of the successive heads diverged.
The Sixth also spoke.
'Reject it. There's no point in helping a guy like this.'
However, The Fifth's opinion was different.
'No, participate. Since it's open up to the fifth basement floor, the number of monsters is small. Even if something happens, Liel can pull through. That knight called Alette was said to have some issues, so it wouldn't be bad to confirm that.'
The Third also agreed with The Fifth.
'That's true. We'll be belonging to the same guild in the future, so it's not bad to know what's wrong. Also, I'm curious why the guild recognized them.'
The Seventh, unusually, brought the opinions together.
'Then, it is passed by majority vote.'
The Fourth and The Sixth let out frustrated voices.
'...Just don't get involved with him anymore.'
'There are absolutely problems, I'm telling you...'
While listening to the voices from the jewel, I carried out the detailed arrangements with Crate-san.
After Crate-san left my tent.
I called out to Miranda and Aria.
I told them I had accepted a sudden request and asked them to participate, stating that I would provide additional rewards.
Of course, if they refused, I intended to participate alone.
Aria looked overtly displeased, but for some reason, she seemed a little happy.
"Eh~, I really don't want to... but if I'm asked, it can't be helped, right?"
Miranda, having heard the story, shrugged her shoulders as if giving up.
"I don't mind. My body's starting to feel sluggish from the long break anyway."
Meanwhile.
Monica took a tool from her skirt and was assembling another Mini-Porter.
While grumbling under her breath.
"...Me not participating... when I've only participated once... I can't test the repertoire I thought up for the labyrinth... damn it, that slicked-back bastard..."
Seeing Monica assemble the second Mini-Porter driven by anger, I said...
"We'll be back in one day anyway. Until then, assemble the parts for the Mini-Porter's modification. I'm counting on you, Monica."
When I praised her obviously, Monica looked at me with a mocking face.
"Hah, the high-performance Monica isn't so cheap as to be fooled by such transparent praise. Couldn't you give a reward like, 'come crawl into my bed once in a while'?"
As she said that, Monica assembled the Mini-Porter at a faster pace than before.
Seeing that, Aria muttered.
"...No, she's totally fooled. Cheapskate."
But Miranda pointed at Aria with a smile.
"Look in a mirror, Aria," she laughed.
Having left the preparation for the modifications and the additional Mini-Porter to Monica, I walked through the town.
The town had developed considerably, with organized districts and large roads created within the town.
The successive heads saw this.
'You should observe this technology up close. Forget about the crepes.'
The Fourth's complaining had been terrible for a while now.
(It's not crepes, it's Crate-san... well, whatever.)
As I walked, I saw a group I had never seen before working near the town entrance.
(What's that?)
Approaching, I saw several mages, guild staff, and a man who looked like a craftsman discussing something.
The guild staff member said...
"Then, place this facility here. We'll also prepare a watchtower, so please proceed with the work with that in mind."
The mage said...
"We'll handle a certain amount here. Let's leave the detailed work and the final fine-tuning to the slaves."
Hearing the word slave, I looked at the people working.
The craftsman-like man's voice rang out.
"Leave it to me. I've brought plenty of lively ones."
The slaves I imagined were figures in tattered clothes, emaciated and forced to work.
Having heard that slaves were sold in Beim, I wondered if this was the reality...
The voice of The Third came from the jewel.
'Well, this is just how reality is.'
While listening to them mutter as if disappointed, I called out to the guild staff member who had finished talking and was coming this way.
"E-excuse me."
"Yes?"
"Um, these people are slaves, right?"
Then, the staff member put a hand to their chin, looked at me... and laughed.
"Ah~, is that it? No, my apologies. People who ask that don't really exist in Beim. Yes, they are indeed slaves."
The staff member looked at the slaves.
I also turned my gaze toward the slaves.
There—
"Hey, I wonder what's for lunch here?"
"Still, it's only during winter, but the earnings are good this time, so it's a help."
"I want to go out and play, but I've got no money..."
To the slaves working while grumbling, the craftsman-like man shouted.
"You lot! Get to work! I want to go play too! I'll treat the one who works the hardest to drinks at the pub. Work hard!"
But the slaves responded...
"Drinks, huh..."
"I'd prefer a woman."
"This current site foreman is a bit stingy."
I looked at the slaves.
(What is this?)
That was my honest impression. In stories, there are slaves who are treated cruelly, and the protagonist of the story saves such slaves.
But the scene before my eyes was different.
Ordinary men were just wearing ordinary clothes and doing ordinary work.
The guild staff member explained while laughing.
"Well, in a sense, they're the same as adventurers. Though what they provide is labor and time. Farmers during this season have low earnings, so some people become slaves in order to work. They go back before spring, though."
The Third said...
'Isn't that just seasonal migrant work?'
"Why are they slaves?"
When I said that, the guild staff member scratched their cheek with a fingertip and said...
"Well, there's a strict screening process to buy slaves. The biggest reason is that people who handle slaves ensure food, clothing, and shelter more reliably and make sure payments are certain, compared to people who just haphazardly seek manpower. There are many cases where people who went bankrupt become slaves, but those with a trade are bought for high prices. It seems if you can read, write, and calculate, you can get plenty of work."
In other words, slave merchants who passed strict screenings or people who used slaves for work were more reliable than jobs that simply recruited people normally.
(...Well, thinking about it, providing food, clothing, and shelter is natural. They need them to work... but, something feels off...)
While I was perplexed, the guild staff member said with a laugh...
"Ah, perhaps you imagined cute slaves? Frankly, cute slaves are cheap. After all, everywhere seeks men as labor. Besides, if a beauty has become a slave, you actually have to be careful. It seems there are men who hired women who fell into slavery and had everything stolen from them."
The guild staff member said that if one simply wanted women, they should just visit a brothel, and then walked away.
I felt like I had heard slave affairs I didn't want to know about.
(Is there no story protagonist who saves pitiful slaves? I didn't want to know that...)
The next day.
Shocked by knowing the reality, I was carrying luggage accompanied by two Mini-Porters.
The luggage was forced into the Mini-Porters, but I was carrying the portion that didn't fit.
What I was carrying were precious medicine-related items.
And so, we were moving while being protected by Crate-san's party in the front and rear, but...
"Aren't we slow? I mean, we're slow, right?"
Both Aria and Miranda were exasperated by the progress, which was slower than imagined.
Miranda brushed back her hair.
"They're certainly strong, and it's reassuring... metal armaments, a full complement of personnel. But the movement speed is extremely slow. Liel, want to try using a skill?"
Being told that, I shook my head.
"No matter how I think about it, there's no point in telling them my skill, which would compensate for Crate-san's group's weaknesses. Rather than no point, it would be a pain if I told them."
However, while Crate-san's party was very slow, their equipment was complete, and looking only at the balance of party members, they were excellent.
The vanguard was heavily armed with large shields, spears, axes, and maces. The members waiting in the back were rotation personnel, one of whom was heavily armed.
And the rest carried bows and arrows, and another held a staff. For some reason, the archer's metal armaments stood out, and the mage also had heavy-looking equipment.
They were proceeding while protecting the support members, with three in front and three in back surrounding them.
The Fifth saw this and said...
'In a sense, isn't this the correct answer? Certainly, metal armor has great disadvantages, but they hardly ever get injured.'
In fact, when Crate-san's group encountered monsters, they mostly ignored the opponent's attacks and settled the fight with brute force.
They were a party that spent an extreme amount of money on equipment, specializing only in attack and defense power.
Aria muttered, looking at the equipment of Crate-san's party.
"Aren't most of these magic tools? Moreover, it feels like every single one has attack or defense skills attached."
Aria had her hands on her hips and was carrying her short spear, looking exasperated.
Miranda looked at the support members.
"They're faithful to the basics. But..."
Then, Crate-san's voice was heard.
Second basement floor.
Just as the room with the entrance to the third basement floor was almost before their eyes...
"Alright, it's time! Let's take a break in a nearby room!"
Lifting the mask part of his helmet, he gave that instruction to his companions with a smile.
The Sixth was exasperated.
'No, there's a wide room just a bit further, you know? Why can't you just endure a little longer and go there?'
The Seventh spoke boredly.
'There is a limit to how inflexible one can be.'
The Fourth said...
'...Liel, you shouldn't emulate this kind of thing.'
I spoke while looking at Aria and Miranda, who were equally exasperated.
"Let's follow the leader's instructions. Or rather, we're participating as luggage carriers... yeah, sorry about that."
Aria let out a sigh.
"It's fine. Today is that, huh. This is the first time I've thought it was a good thing that Liel is the leader."
Isn't this girl kind of mean? While I was thinking that, Miranda also said with a smile.
"Ah, I agree with that too."
I looked at the two of them laughing together.
(Eh, am I that bad?)
I thought I was more decent than Crate-san, but I had become very uneasy for some reason.