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“I plan on keeping you two kidnapped and confined for the time being.”
Both of their eyes went wide.
“Wh-what!?”
“…What? Why?”
“Before that, I want to hear your opinion. How strong do you think I am?”
Timid fidgeted before answering.
“A-at the very least… Master-level.”
Then Sensible pointed toward the fading remnants of the spatial fracture and spoke.
“Rather than a Master, I think you’re a different kind of transcendent. You’re incredibly strong, and you use strange abilities like that, but it doesn’t seem like you can use aura. Personally, I think you might be some kind of high-ranked combat vocation.”
A quick note: “vocation” referred to special abilities tied to race, like Elf or Dwarf spirit-summoners, or Dragonkin dragon-shifters. Humans alone awakened them. I’d explain the details later.
“Hm… a vocation, huh. That could work as a cover story.”
“…What?”
“Nothing. Just talking to myself. Anyway, yeah. Something like that.”
“Ah…”
“Knew it…”
“Alright, next question. You see me walking around with a Bronze badge, right? That means I prefer to live quietly. Now, would a guy like me want rumors about his power spreading around, or hate it?”
It took them a moment to catch on. Then both panicked and waved their hands frantically.
“N-no! We won’t say a word!”
“Never! Absolutely not!”
“Sorry, but I don’t put my trust in people that easily. So until I’m sure about you two, you’ll have to stay where I can keep an eye on you.”
They exchanged looks, then let out sighs of resignation. Sensible spoke for them.
“So… we don’t get a choice, do we?”
“Nope.”
“Being confined means… you’ll at least spare our lives, right? And once you’re sure about us, you’ll let us go?”
“Of course.”
“…I see. Understood. We’ll comply. So… where exactly are we being confined?”
“My house.”
“…What? Oh, so you have a cell in your mansion or something?”
“No, not like that. You’re going to work at my place. Honestly, I’ve got a huge mansion with no staff at all, and it’s been a pain. You’ll get paid well. Better money than what you’d earn running dungeons.”
“…Excuse me? What?”
“Timid, you seemed decent at cooking, so you’ll be the chef. Sensible, you’ll be a maid. Do some cleaning, handle secretary work, documents, accounts—you’re a priest, you can do that, right?”
“W-wait. I don’t think I understand…”
“Don’t worry. As long as you do your jobs, the rest of the time is yours. Swim in the pool, relax on the private beach, go picnic in the mountains or valley—it’s all inside the estate. If you like fishing, take the boat.”
“…Sorry, but… isn’t that employment, not confinement? With those benefits, it sounds like we should be paying you instead of getting paid.”
“Call it whatever you like. Once I decide it, nobody escapes my grasp inside the estate. That’s confinement. Or would you rather I lock you in a cell and feed you nothing but black bread and water?”
Both shook their heads furiously.
“Thought so. And this is for your sake too.”
Timid tilted her head.
“…It is?”
“You two are witnesses now. That’s set in stone. Which means you’re on Baronet Aduhn’s hit list. You think you’ll be able to live peacefully back in Ferom with the lord gunning for you?”
“Ah…”
“…Right…”
“You’ll have to leave Ferom and find a new home anyway. In that sense, my place is a pretty good option. Food, pay, entertainment. Not bad, right?”
“…Th-there’s just one thing I’m worried about. My family still lives in Ferom…”
“What do they do?”
“My parents? Uh… my father’s a blacksmith, and my mother… she’s good at leather-tanning. And cooking too.”
“Perfect. Siblings?”
“Y-yes. Two younger sisters and two younger brothers.”
“The youngest?”
“E-eleven.”
“Old enough for simple chores. Bring them all. I need the help anyway.”
“I-I’ll do it! Absolutely, I will!!”
“Good. And you, Sensible? Anyone you want to bring?”
“No. I’m an orphan… though I worry the Earth Mother’s Church might get punished on my behalf.”
“Don’t worry about that. If anything, they’ll be treated with more care, not less. I guarantee it.”
“…If that’s the case, then fine.”
Good. Unexpected housemates, but not a bad deal. That oversized mansion needed staff, and this was better than hiring strangers.
As for wages? I had more money than I could ever spend anyway. Not that I intended to play the sucker—Timid’s siblings would get paid based on their performance. If they worked well, I’d match it. If not? Three meals a day, nothing more.
“Alright then, that’s settled. Now, let’s go catch Goldie. Where do you think he is?”
Sensible answered without hesitation.
“Still in the fifth-floor hallway.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. There are two types of return stones used on the upper floors. One takes you straight to the surface, and the other sends you back to the previous floor’s hallway town. The first kind costs more than three times as much. Scala probably carried one as an emergency item, but considering her budget, there’s no way she’d have bought something that expensive. She wouldn’t need to either.”
“I see. Which means the fifth-floor hallway, huh?”
“Exactly. Ninety-nine percent.”
“What if they already left for the surface?”
“Well… if it were me, I’d at least come back once to check the scene. Out of curiosity if nothing else. And to do that, they’d need to rest or recruit replacements. So, no—they wouldn’t have left yet.”
“Fair point. Alright, let’s head out.”
“W-wait a second.”
Timid timidly raised her hand.
“Hm? What is it?”
“W-we have to pick up the mana stones! You can’t just leave a jackpot like this behind, th-that’s insane…!”
And so, after a bit of side work, about an hour later—
We retraced our path without hesitation.
“Creeeak!”
“Out of the way.”
Thud!
“Kueeek!!”
“Get lost.”
Crunch!!
Of course, monsters popped up here and there to block our way, but with me around, none of them amounted to anything more than a nuisance.
And so, a trip that had taken seven hours the first time was cut down to just an hour and a half. When we finally arrived at the fifth-floor hallway…
“Stop there. Entrance fee—wait. You guys? I heard you were dead.”
I let out a dry laugh at the guard’s words.
“Who said that?”
The man, who looked like the most senior among the Batty Clan guards, scratched the back of his head.
“Your party members. They came back earlier with a return stone, faces long and miserable like the world was ending. We even gave them their entrance fee back out of pity. So what’s the deal? Why are you alive?”
“What else? They stabbed us in the back.”
“Ah… I see. Figures. Dirty tricks like that are usually pulled by seasoned bastards, not green kids. Tsk, tsk. The world’s going downhill.”
He didn’t seem particularly shocked. Which meant this wasn’t unheard of, even if it wasn’t common.
“Anyway. They’re still inside, right?”
The man nodded.
“Yeah. Probably resting at the inn. But listen—what are you planning? I get how you feel, but I’d appreciate it if you didn’t cause trouble in the hallway town. Bad for the clan’s reputation.”
“No need to worry. I’m dragging them back into the labyrinth. But in the process, there might be… a little commotion. I trust you’ll overlook that much. Here.”
Clink…!
I tossed him a gold coin.
He caught it smoothly, smirking as he nodded.
“I’ll pass the word along. Just don’t smash up the inn—that’ll cost extra. Ken, guide them to where those brats are staying.”
“Yes, sir.”
I left Sensible and Timid waiting outside and headed for the inn where the bastards were staying.
“This is the place.”
I glanced up at the sign that read Jane & Mars Inn, then tossed a silver coin to the guy named Ken who had guided me here.
He caught it smoothly, bowed his head, and grinned.
“Enjoy your time.”
Enjoy my time, huh… Oh, I would. I’ll make sure of it—for me, and for them.
The moment I stepped into Goldie’s room, fury welled up inside me.
There they were—two bodies tangled together on the bed, fast asleep.
Those little shits… they were dead.
In broad daylight, no less. Well, alright, it wasn’t like the labyrinth had day and night, but still—right after shoving their companions into a death trap, they had the nerve to screw around?
Forget me—what about Sensible and Timid, who had been with them for years? After throwing them to the wolves, this was what they chose to do?
“Wh-who’s there…?”
Thud.
“Mmh…”
I shoved Sparks back into unconsciousness before she could open her eyes, then raised my hand high and slapped Goldie across the face with everything I had.
SMACK!
“Gah!!”
His teeth scattered like popcorn as he tumbled out of bed. He scrambled, trying to rise, only for me to stomp his chest flat. A ragged gasp tore from his throat.
“Wh-who the hell are you!”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I held up a lamp and lit my face.
His eyes bulged. “H-how are you… still alive!?”
“Oh, my dear Goldie. You and I… we’ve got so much to talk about.”
“…!!!”
I grinned pure white as I pressed my heel harder into his chest. The ribs cracked with a sweet, satisfying crunch.
Crack!
“Ghhkk…!”
“Well then… this isn’t the best place for a chat. How about we move somewhere quieter?”
With Goldie and Sparks both knocked out, I tucked one under each arm and strode back outside.
Sensible and Timid brightened when they saw me.
The guard who’d taken my gold earlier let out a low whistle.
“That was quick. Though, if I remember right, wasn’t there supposed to be one more of them? What about that one?”
I tossed him another gold coin instead of answering.
Clink.
He caught it reflexively, then frowned when he understood.
“…Where’d you leave him?”
“Under the bed.”
“Any blood?”
“No. Neck snapped.”
“…That’s a relief. I’ll take care of it.”
“Thanks. We’ll be on our way then.”
With both traitors slung over my shoulders, I turned and led Sensible and Timid back toward the labyrinth.
Timid hurried to keep up, then asked hesitantly,
“D-did… Cheche… really die?”
“You think I’d let someone who tried to kill me walk away?”
“Ah…”
“I made it quick. No pain. Better than what these two are about to get. That’s me being merciful.”
“……”
I noticed Timid hanging her head gloomily and asked,
“You must’ve been close with that Cheche, huh?”
“N-no, not like that…”
“Oh? Then what?”
“He—he borrowed 2,500 sels from me and never paid it back. H-how am I supposed to get it now…?”
…Right. I couldn’t keep up with this girl’s priorities.
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