Chapter 29

“I was told… I’m Level 7 now…”

“Yeah. Congratulations.”

After conducting numerous experiments and returning to the surface, the first thing we did was work on leveling up. Upon learning the results, Maria stared at her palms, her hands trembling uncontrollably. I offered a half-hearted word of praise while sipping on some thin soup.

We were currently sitting in a corner of the tavern, having a light meal. We had stopped by the church first, and the timing for lunch worked out perfectly.

“But… I didn’t actually do anything…?”

“I have a skill for that. It’s a skill that raises the level of the companions I have with me. That’s why I took you into the Labyrinth.”

Maria had been utterly exasperated by my actions until now, but this should help her understand the justification behind them.

“This is crazy! Even the adults in my village were only around Level 5! And yet, in just a single day, so easily! There’s no way I should have reached Level 7—!!”

Even after confirming the level increase herself, Maria couldn’t seem to believe the reality of it. She raised her voice and slammed her hands against the table.

“Keep it down. It’ll be a pain if people find out.”

I put an index finger to my lips. To be honest, this was a power I didn’t want anyone knowing about. If a high-ranking official or someone in power found out about this leveling ability, they would undoubtedly issue an order to detain me. However, even if that happened, I had no intention of being caught easily. My level had grown since the first day; I had become stronger by a literal order of magnitude.

“I-I’m sorry. I lost my composure, Master…”

Seeing my reaction, Maria immediately apologized and became submissive.

“I told you to stop with the ‘Master’ stuff… Anyway, now you see that by using my ability, you can handle Labyrinth exploration too. In just a few hours, you’ve become stronger than most adults out there.”

“It’s like cheating. That skill…”

Having quieted down, Maria muttered to herself as she began to eat.

Cheating.

Her innate skill, Keen Eye, had judged this to be an unfair advantage.

“I guess so. I agree.”

I continued eating while nodding along. With this party system, I calculated that I could essentially produce one veteran explorer every day. As my own level increased, I might eventually be able to churn out multiple extraordinary individuals in a single day.

I could safely call the experiment a success. By understanding this system, my range of options had expanded significantly.

I reaffirmed the importance of understanding the Display and the System. By piling up these small experiments, I wanted to exceed the expectations of whoever (the unknown entity) had set this all up. If I could do that, the time required to reach the Deepest Part of the Labyrinth would be drastically shortened.

“Welcome~!”

As Maria and I ate in silence, the energetic greeting of the waitress, Lynn, echoed through the tavern. The place was usually deserted during the day, but it seemed a rare customer had walked in. I turned to see who would come for a drink at this hour, and the moment I recognized them, my face contorted.

“—! Maria, look down. Don’t make it look obvious.”

“Huh? Oh, okay.”

I gave Maria instructions in a low voice. Though startled by the sudden command, she immediately lowered her head. I held my breath, hoping to let the newcomers pass by unnoticed.

Maria watched me with a puzzled expression while quietly sipping her soup. Then, her eyes moved, catching sight of something. Her gaze stopped right behind me.

“Hey there, Christ. What a coincidence.”

Despite my prayers, a voice calling out my alias came from behind.

“…”

“They’re calling you, you know?”

Maria nudged me to respond by waving the spoon in her hand. I really wanted to pretend I hadn’t noticed, but since Maria had already reacted, I couldn’t keep up the act. I had no choice but to turn around.

“Alti? What do you want?”

“How cold. Aren’t we partners who cooperate with each other? —Ah, sorry, pretty girl, but do you mind if we join you?”

Standing there was Alti, dressed in the uniform of Ertrallue Academy. (How on earth did she get her hands on that uniform…?) She wasn’t alone, either.

“Wait, is that…! Is it really you, Lord Christ?!”

It was Franleure.

“H-Hello again, Franleure…”

“I am simply moved! Alti said she would take me somewhere wonderful, but I never imagined! To think I could meet with Lord Christ again so soon!!”

Truly, “to think.” Why was this happening so fast? She was supposed to be at Ertrallue Academy in the northwest of the Allied Nations.

“Come on, move over, Christ.”

Alti spoke as if joining us was the most natural thing in the world. Reluctantly, I moved next to Maria to make space for the two of them. They sat down with great enthusiasm and began placing their orders with Lynn.

And so, I found myself stuck at a table with a group of four that offered absolutely no peace of mind.

I began to study the faces of the two who were ordering, plotting my escape.

While observing them, I noticed Alti seemed curious about Maria. Perhaps she was just waiting for the right moment to introduce herself to a new face. As for Franleure… well, it was clear Maria didn’t even register in her field of vision.

It seemed best to handle the introductions first.

“Ah, this is Maria. She’s joined me for Labyrinth exploration.”

“Nice to meet you. I am Maria.”

Maria gave a dignified bow, unfazed by the overwhelming presence of the two women.

“I’m Alti. Good to have you with us.”

“I am Franleure, the seventh daughter of the House of Helvilleshine.”

Alti offered a brief nod, while Franleure announced her name with her chest puffed out and a haughty air.

“So, Alti, what do you want? I’m actually quite busy.”

“Hehe, meeting here was pure coincidence.”

“There’s no way. Running into each other by chance during lunch is impossible, and I never told you about this tavern. You used some ability to track me down, didn’t you?”

Alti shouldn’t have known I was a staff member here. Even if she did, coming at this hour made no sense. This meant there was a high probability she had a skill to locate me. Based on how she spoke yesterday, she could likely expand her senses wherever there was fire.

“Correct as always. I can increase my perception range through flames. Though, to be honest, I was just lucky to catch your movement today. Yes, call it fate. And that ‘fate’ is exactly what brings me here. You understand, don’t you, Christ?”

Fate was her business. In other words, she had brought Franleure along to help her romantic pursuit succeed. I responded to Alti as coldly as possible; on this matter, I couldn’t afford to give her even a glimmer of hope.

“You said yourself that fate had no chance of blooming, didn’t you? Give it up and find someone else.”

“Hehe, even so, one can’t help but want to try.”

We spoke in abstractions about the “romance request.” Franleure and Maria both looked confused, unable to follow the subtext of our conversation.

“Alti, just wait patiently. I have my own things to do. Don’t rush me.”

“I suppose I have no choice. It isn’t my intention to get in your way. I’ll stay quiet for now.”

With that, Alti fell silent. This was the opening Franleure had been waiting for. She immediately leaned forward, launching into her interrogation.

“Lord Christ!! There are things I simply must ask!! Let’s see, first of all—”

Franleure began pouncing on me with incredible intensity—asking where I lived, where I ate, what my favorite spots were—trying to pin down my every move.

“Oh, I usually just stay wherever. My meals are pretty random, too…”

I told her a blatant lie about having no fixed residence. I answered her questions while being meticulous about not giving away any real information. As we talked, the conversation naturally drifted toward the Labyrinth. It helped that the Labyrinth was my only real interest, but Franleure didn’t seem to mind the topic either.

Trying to make the time somewhat productive, I gathered information while I finished my meal. At one point, Alti chimed in, sounding genuinely curious.

“—Wait, you ran? All the way to the fifth floor, while carrying Maria on your back?”

Alti questioned my exploration methods with a look of disbelief.

“Yeah. Is there something wrong with that?”

Since Alti had been staying out of the conversation until now, her sudden interjection caught my attention.

“No, it’s just unexpected. You’re a Dimension-attribute mage, aren’t you, Christ? Can’t you use spatial teleportation magic?”

“Wait a second. How do you know I’m a Dimension-attribute mage?”

There were other words she used that piqued my interest, but that was the most vital one. I had never mentioned it, and I had never actively used my Dimension magic in front of her.

“Oh, were you hiding it? My apologies then. I happen to know your fighting style and magic very well; you’re the spitting image of an old acquaintance. That person used to teleport… I’m sure of it… I think.”

Alti’s voice trailed off. It was as if she had said it but couldn’t quite believe her own words.

“What’s that supposed to mean? You’re being vague.”

“No, I just suddenly remembered something from a long time ago. I wonder why… Anyway, there are spells in Dimension magic that can shorten travel time in the Labyrinth. Right? Little Fran, top student in theory at Ertrallue?”

She tossed the question to Franleure. Alti likely meant to give her a chance to shine, but Franleure only looked troubled.

“Eh? D-Dimension magic…? I believe I recall there being such a minor attribute… but even I haven’t studied every single attribute that doesn’t appear on the exams…”

“Oh? Is Dimension magic really that minor in this era?”

“Yes, it’s at a level where you won’t find a single user in the entire Academy.”

“Wow… talk about a generation gap.”

Alti looked genuinely shocked, but I was more concerned by the fact that she had been casually using expressions like an old woman. From the way she spoke, it seemed she had already told Franleure that she wasn’t as young as she looked. I was curious about their relationship, but I didn’t want to get involved, so I stayed quiet.

Realizing Franleure didn’t know, Alti began to explain it herself.

“Since Little Fran doesn’t know, I’ll explain. The characteristic of Dimension magic lies in the mastery of space. It means understanding space, manipulating it, and connecting it. Ultimately, it involves creating space and even destroying it. Within that magic, there is a spell that connects one point in space to another. I believe it was called ‘Connection.’ If you use that, I don’t think you’ll have to run around with Maria on your back anymore.”

“Is something like that actually possible…?”

I was startled by the phrase “destroying space.” I knew magic would transform into something extraordinary as my level rose, but hearing about the destruction of space made my skin crawl.

“It’s possible, quite possible. Here, try to imagine the magic. Visualize a door connecting one space to another. Let’s try to ‘create’ the spell Connection. I’m sure you can do it, Christ. Because it’s you.”

Alti urged me to create magic with an excited look. Half-doubting, I began to construct the mental image as she instructed. However, seeing this, Franleure and Maria both cried out.

“Wait, Alti! You can’t just ‘create’ magic!”

“Th-That’s right! Creating magic is something that only happens in fairy tales!”

Startled by their voices, my mental image vanished into mist. Alti and I looked at each other.

“Wait, Christ. Can people not create magic in this era?”

Alti backed away from the two girls’ intensity and passed the metaphorical ball to me.

“Don’t ask me. I only knew enough to assume you just learned spells automatically as your level went up.”

“Actually, I felt the same way. I thought it was normal to devise magic through talent and inspiration.”

Alti and I had found common ground in the most unexpected place. Hearing our opinions, Maria was the first to snap back with an argument.

“That’s impossible. Basically, you can’t learn to use magic through self-study. As an exception, children of mage lineages might recall and use their ancestors’ magic, but that’s a far cry from ‘creating’ it. Magic can only be obtained by engraving the wisdom of predecessors into one’s blood. Magic does not come from nothing.”

Following Maria’s lead, Franleure continued.

“To be precise, one must swallow a magic stone engraved with a magic formula and let the blood circulating through the body learn it. Since it’s recorded in the blood, children capable of using magic from birth can appear in mage families. However, that’s only on the premise that a parent has swallowed a magic stone. In other words, there is no way to learn magic other than by consuming a stone. The kind of magic you two are thinking of does not exist.”

Franleure supplemented Maria’s explanation with technical terms she had likely learned at the academy. This was information I hadn’t heard even from the veterans’ conversations. Apparently, Maria and Franleure were both quite knowledgeable about magic.

I replied carefully, trying not to further irritate the two girls, who seemed a bit heated.

“I-I see… thank you for teaching me about magic. So, in short, swallowing a magic stone with a formula in it is the correct way to learn magic… is that right?”

“That is correct.”

“Yes, it is.”

Maria and Franleure nodded simultaneously. It seemed my answer was correct. Realizing I had a good opening, I continued the conversation about the stones.

“Well then, maybe I’ll go buy one of those magic stones today…?”

Confirming that Maria and I were finished eating, I began to craft an excuse to leave. Maria, perhaps also wanting to avoid dragging out a meal with strangers, agreed.

“That sounds like a good idea. I’m full, so shall we go?”

Maria and I made a move to stand up.

“I-In that case! Lord Christ, allow me to be your guide! I know a shop that carries the highest quality magic stones—”

“Now, now, Little Fran. You have business today, remember? We’re already cutting it close by stopping here. You should give up on that.”

“G-Gunuuu… You’re right… I have no choice but to give up this time…”

It seemed the two of them were short on time. Alti held back Franleure, who had tried to follow us.

“Then we’ll take our leave first. You two take your time with your food.”

To get away as quickly as possible, I paid Lynn and headed for the exit. Maria gave the two a bow and followed close behind.

“Until we meet again, Christ, Maria.”

“Lord Christ! If the opportunity arises, let us meet again!”

After the final farewells, Maria and I stepped out of the tavern. I began walking while searching my memory for shops related to magic. Maria caught up to me and spoke.

“Wait, are we actually going?”

It seemed Maria thought the magic stone talk was just a ruse to escape.

“For now, yeah. I’ve become interested.”

“It’s fine to be interested, but magic stones with spells engraved in them are expensive. For people attending the Academy, it’s just shopping, but for an ordinary person, the price is terrifying.”

“It’ll be fine. I have the money.”

Apparently, learning magic required a fortune. However, I still had plenty of funds left. Even after spending ten gold coins on the new house and four on Maria, I still had seven gold coins remaining. I also had the twenty gold coins that were Dia’s share; although I didn’t intend to touch them, it meant I wasn’t going to run out of money anytime soon. Since one gold coin was enough to live on for the foreseeable future, I had a budget of about six gold coins for learning magic.

“Let’s just go take a look. If possible, I want you to learn some magic, Maria.”

“Eh?”

My priority was Maria over myself. I was better off with a sword for raw power and utility anyway… and even if I learned new magic, most of my MP would probably go toward Dimension magic. I couldn’t imagine a normal spell surpassing the versatility of Dimension.

That was why I said I wanted Maria to learn magic. Maria, however, looked at me as if I were something unbelievable.

“Magic for me?”

“I’m planning to have you explore the Labyrinth with me. I’m willing to make that kind of investment.”

Since she had reached Level 7, I intended to have her help with basic combat. Looking at her status, Maria’s magic stat was exceptionally high. Once she learned magic, she would likely surpass the average explorer.

“Don’t you think that once I’ve learned magic, I might just run away?”

“…I don’t. Or rather, you don’t have anywhere to run to, right?”

Maria didn’t seem enthusiastic. If anything, she was suggesting that she might flee once she gained power. I dismissed the idea lightly.

“That only applies when I have no power. If my level has risen this much and I can use magic on top of that, it’s a different story. If I were to run away, sell information about your abilities, and try to stand on my own with that money… what would you do!?”

Maria raised her voice at my casual attitude. Certainly, she had a point. But even if that happened, it didn’t really matter to me.

“Running away is fine, but I’d hate for my information to leak… If that happens, could you just keep the info to yourself? Please.”

“…I-If I run away, you won’t have anything to do with me anymore, Master!?”

“I get the feeling you wouldn’t do something like that, Maria. …Probably.”

“…!!”

Maria was at a loss for words at my light tone. This was a difference in perspective. I felt that either way was fine—that no matter how things turned out, I could handle it. That was why I could be so casual. Maria, however, felt that a slave defying their master was a grave sin—and believed she naturally owed her master her loyalty. That was why she took it so seriously.

“…”

“…”

Maria continued to condemn me with her silence. I could have gone on another long speech about her freedom, but that would just be a repeat of yesterday. Besides, with her Keen Eye, Maria should have sensed what I wanted to say during this silence. So, I chose to say nothing.

“Sigh… Honestly… You could at least say it with some confidence…”

Maria was the first to break the silence. As expected, it seemed she had sensed my intent through Keen Eye. She was scolding me for the lack of confidence in my “probably.” Like me, she had decided that arguing about our differing perspectives was a waste of time.

“I don’t know you well enough to say it with absolute certainty. But I don’t think a girl who would even say such a thing would actually do it. …At least, I don’t think so.”

“What kind of logic is that? You’re far too soft.”

It was knowledge from movies and manga in my old world. In the theory of stories, that’s how things usually went.

“I know I’m soft. But I’m not changing my policy. We’re going to buy your magic stone now.”

“You’re soft… Truly soft…”

Maria began walking while continuing to mutter. She had plenty of complaints, but for now, she seemed willing to follow my lead. I surmised that things would be fine. But honestly, such a guess wasn’t reliable. After all, I didn’t have an eye for people.

For someone like me, who peeped at people’s statuses with Display and judged them only by numbers, a true judge of character was something I would never possess in this lifetime.

“Haha.”

Resenting my own nature, I offered Maria a smile, and the two of us began walking side by side toward the shop.