Episode 43

After returning to the surface, I exhaled deeply, leaving the guild building behind.

“Haah… I can see why porters are needed.”

“If you’ve realized that, Jonah, you’re a proper adventurer now.”

Lydia nodded with a pleased smile. But on my end, I felt like I was going to die of frustration.

Excluding the piece of leather I kept for myself, the amount I received was 2 silver and 73 copper. But they said the cost to make a leather chestplate was 3 silver.

This left me with a deficit of 27 copper. Of course, the end result would be a good piece of armor. However…

“I would have made a profit if I had just caught a few more.”

I never imagined we’d end up in the red.

I was almost about to die of frustration. I was just getting the hang of it, and I was confident that I could easily take them down if only I had mana.

Considering the rate of my mana recovery, if we had spent the usual amount of time in the labyrinth, I could have caught three or four more.

But we had given up and left just because the load was too heavy to carry.

“Miss Lydia… Should I go back once more now?”

“Just rest today and come back well-prepared tomorrow. That’s more efficient.”

“Ugh… Still, I’m regretting it a little. Look! The sun is still high in the sky!”

It must have just passed lunchtime. Compared to the usual time when we emerged at dusk, it was much too early.

Lydia smirked at me as I glared at the sky.

“There’s a high-grade artifact at the tower for people like you, Jonah. Do you know about the subspace backpack?”

“I’ve heard of it. Isn’t it really expensive?”

“Yes. But you can put a lot inside it.”

“…I’ve always wondered. Then what happens to the weight? Even if it expands the space to fit more, the weight should remain the same.”

“The cheap ones weigh the same. The expensive ones are enchanted with space expansion and weight reduction magic. My backpack is that kind.”

“…Bringing that up at this timing means you’re going to lend it to me, right? What’s your objective this time?!”

“No. I was just bragging.”

“…….”

When I looked up at her with a bewildered gaze, Lydia snickered mischievously.

So she was getting revenge for what I did to her. If that was really her intention, she succeeded. It actually irritated me a little!

Seeing Lydia looking pleased, I vented my frustration by kicking the pebbles on the ground.

“…Well, it’s fine. Anyway, it doesn’t change the fact that I gained a lot today.”

Though I ended up spending 27 coppers, when I remembered that I was making Iron Wolf armor with only that much expenditure, it was a huge gain.

It’s not that there weren’t any ready-made items, but since they didn’t quite fit my frame, custom orders were essential.

Additionally, I practiced using the pathfinding skill directly in the labyrinth and got a rough idea of how far I could apply the Weak Flame skill.

Lastly, as soon as I exited the labyrinth, I found that hunting the Iron Wolves with magic led to a significant growth in my maximum mana.

The absolute increase wasn’t that impressive… but since I had so little mana to start with, it felt like a huge growth.

The reason I was exploring the labyrinth was partly to earn money… but right now, becoming stronger was more important.

One reason was that I would be raking in money anyway once I became a high-ranking adventurer, and another was because I was worried about Eve’s corruption arc, which I didn’t know when it would happen.

For those reasons, today was not a day to feel regretful but instead to be happy….

“…but still, being in the negatives does tick me off. Maybe I should do a light round of the back alleys nearby.”

“No dangerous activities.”

Lydia shook her head sternly at the words I had unintentionally blurted out.

She started walking down the street while holding my hand tightly as if to prevent me from going astray.

“Let’s go straight to Senior Ellie.”

“Umm… Can’t we just go around once? I’ll just quietly snatch the wallets instead of aiming for world domination or anything like last time.”

“Pickpocketing is a crime.”

“Even against thugs?”

“Even if it’s against petty criminals, a crime is a crime. The exception starts with felons.”

“Tch.”

Surprisingly, in the Pan Continent, felons were not protected by law. It wasn’t because they were so bad they deserved to die!

It was an exception born out of the inadequate awareness of human rights and from the concept of survival of the fittest, where serious criminals who had survived in the labyrinth city had to be strong.

Clicking my tongue, I shoved the hand that wasn’t grabbed by Lydia into my pocket and spoke.

“I get it. Then please accept this, Miss Lydia.”

“…What is it?”

Lydia stopped, but still looked suspicious. To her, I took my hand out of my pocket and made the gesture of lifting my thumb.

“You helped me with skinning the monsters today, right? This is your compensation!”

“……”

Lydia, looking at my thumb with a subtle expression, must not have disliked it, as she soon cracked a smile.

“Yeah. That’s not bad.”

We repeated this process a few times, smiling at one another while walking, and before we knew it, we had arrived at the Fairy and Silver Coin.

…But the sign indicating the business was closed was already hung up.

I knew it was still daytime and there wouldn’t be many customers, but that didn’t mean the shop would be closed.

I tried opening the door just in case, but only heard the clanking sound of the firmly locked doors.

Thud thud!

“Ellie? Ellie, are you there?”

Even when I knocked lightly on the door and called out her name, there was no response.

“Maybe she stepped out for a bit?”

“That could be it. Since the main business hours are in the evening, it makes sense to run errands now if she had any.”

It was a bit disappointing not being able to see Ellie right away upon opening the door, but there was nothing I could do about it. I never received a spare key, so I guess I just had to kill some time nearby and come back later.

“This actually works out. It’s a bit late, but we could have lunch and then come…huh?”

I felt a stirring sensation beyond the door. Familiar footsteps approached us, soon followed by a bright metallic sound.

Clank.

The lock opened. Slowly opening the door, Ellie greeted us.

“…You’re here.”

For some reason, the atmosphere was darker than usual. With a stiff expression, Ellie shook her head as she spoke.

“Sorry, but I have some important guests right now. Can you come back later?”

“Ah, um, okay. Should I come back around dinner time?”

“Thanks. See you then.”

Only then did Ellie’s expression soften as she nodded. Though I don’t know what, it must be something important.

Just as Lydia and I were about to leave, an unfamiliar voice came from inside the shop.

“It’s okay. We will be leaving now since we’ve spoken about everything we needed to.”

“Ah! Ma’am, wait for me!”

It was a duo composed of a tired woman with dark circles under her eyes and a man who couldn’t stop smiling, as if everything pleased him.

Both were apparently from the clergy, as they were clad in priestly robes, but the robes were a bit unusual.

Normally, priests serving the Goddess of Love wore voluminous robes with a white base adorned with gold and pink patterns.

However, the robes worn by the two in front of us were different in that everything was the same, except the base color was black instead of white.

Moreover, their voluminous robes seemed overly puffed up, as if they were hiding something.

At first, I was surprised by their unfamiliar appearance, but soon, I could recall what their attire signified.

Those who serve the goddess not in the light, but in the shadows.

Inquisitors.

Each one possessed skills comparable to high-ranking adventurers, but that didn’t mean you needed to be too scared.

Inquisitors were appointed only to those whose origin and faith had been proven, and they never wielded weapons for personal reasons.

The only ones they opposed were those who desecrated the name of the Goddess. For example, the One Who Devours the Twilight.

For someone who has lived as virtuously as I have, the Inquisitors were more trustworthy than anyone else. …Although their appearances were a bit intimidating.

However, since they didn’t know this, Ellie and Lydia’s eyes hardened. The atmosphere turned awkward and even slightly chilly.

Perhaps the Inquisitors noticed this as well. The woman spoke with tired-looking eyes, and the man with a discomfited expression.

“It seems there might be some misunderstanding.”

“We just came here to ask some questions, not to interrogate Miss Ellie. Isn’t that right, Miss Ellie?”

I didn’t want to cause trouble, but their reactions seemed like they were familiar with these situations.

I wasn’t sure why Ellie and Lydia were suddenly acting so sensitive…but getting on the bad side of the Inquisitors was never good.

Maybe it’s time for me, the one with a friendly disposition, to step forward. I took a step forward and made the sign of the cross.

“May the goddess smile upon those who do not lose love even in the darkest hours. Don’t worry too much! It’s just that Ellie and Miss Lydia just like me so much that they can’t stand to see me talk with other women!”

“Um.”

“Oh dear. It seems you’ve been caught by women heavy with love, dear follower!”

The woman nodded awkwardly, while the man, who appeared to be the junior, smiled broadly and teased me.

I, too, forced the kindest smile I could manage and shrugged my shoulders.

“It’s okay! I think that heaviness is actually a charming point! It feels like proof that they care about me that much, doesn’t it? You’re a man, Mr. Inquisitor, so you get what I’m saying, right?”

“I understand, but… that’s not exactly my taste. If you ask me which I prefer, I like being the one who clings.”

“My goodness. So you’re a bit of the nuisance type, I see.”

“I do hear that a lot. Specifically, from my senior over here.”

Exchanging business smiles, the guy and I conversed. However, this did not last long.

“By the way, dear follower, are you perhaps interested in joining the clergy? Your sign of the cross earlier and even your greetings were exemplary. I’d like to show them to our apprentice priests if possible.”

“Kut!”
“……!”

Ellie and Lydia reacted seriously to what was supposed to be a mere pleasantry.

What is it? Why are they acting like that?

Just when the mood was finally getting better, it turned cold again….