Let’s Visit A Dungeon (1)

After hearing from Alvin that there was a dungeon nearby, I found myself wanting to visit it.

Alvin had declared that he’d go with me, but who knew when someone as busy as him would ever find the time?

I certainly had no intention of waiting around for that.

Alvin himself had said it wasn’t a particularly dangerous dungeon.

I might have lost much of my strength, but I was still a former knight. Surely I’d manage somehow.

With that in mind, I decided to visit the dungeon on my own.

It was located in the mountains about half a day’s journey from here, so considering the time I’d need to explore the dungeon itself, a day trip would be difficult.

When I informed the humans and fairies who would be looking after things in my absence that I was going to a dungeon,

“Lydia-san, I want to go too!”

Noah volunteered to accompany me.

Cassie readily gave her permission, saying, “Oh, that sounds wonderful. Have a good time!” So I decided that Noah and I would visit the dungeon together.

Now that we’d made our decision, we needed to prepare.

Feeling slightly nervous, I pushed open the swinging doors of the Adventurers’ Guild in Fus.

Noah, who had accompanied me, looked even more nervous than I was.

I’d brought him along because I thought it would be good for him to become accustomed to places like this.

The atmosphere inside the Adventurers’ Guild was rather like a knights’ barracks, only considerably rougher.

There was a waiting area in one corner where groups of men were hanging around. I couldn’t tell whether they were clients or adventurers.

Their curious gazes immediately converged on Noah and me, but it was an atmosphere I’d once been thoroughly accustomed to.

I headed toward the reception desk without paying them much attention, and the receptionist greeted me before I could say anything.

“Oh, Lydia-san! What brings you here?”

The receptionist at the Adventurers’ Guild was one of my regular customers. She visited my inn two or three times a month to enjoy sweets with a date.

She was a pretty, romantically adventurous young lady who brought a different man with her every time.

“Hello. I’d like to post a request. I’m looking for someone who can guide us to the Mushroom Dungeon.”

The dungeon, commonly known as the Mushroom Dungeon, was located deep in the mountains, where anyone unfamiliar with the local terrain could easily get lost. That was why I’d intended to hire a guide.

Apparently, if you visited a village near the dungeon and paid one of the villagers for their trouble, they’d show you the way. However, the Adventurers’ Guild in town, which oversaw the surrounding area, also arranged such services.

Unfortunately, the receptionist frowned and hummed thoughtfully.

“That might be a little difficult.”

She sounded apologetic.

“Difficult?”

“Yes. It’s the busy farming season right now, so every village is swamped with work. They might not be accepting any requests for guides. In cases like that, we usually recommend hiring an adventurer who’s already completed the dungeon. Unfortunately, most of our guild members are out on assignments at the moment…”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. We’ve been receiving a lot of requests lately. The number of registered adventurers has been increasing too, so our senior members are busy training the newcomers.”

“Ah, because Goran’s economy is doing so well.”

Provincial Adventurers’ Guilds also served as employment agencies.

They weren’t just for adventurers. Ordinary people looking for employment generally visited the Adventurers’ Guild first.

Newcomer training was something everyone had to undergo when they first joined the Adventurers’ Guild. Their physical abilities and other special skills were assessed, and after being assigned a rank, they officially became adventurers.

Even those who weren’t suited to becoming adventurers could be introduced to other jobs that matched their abilities.

Because the Mushroom Dungeon was relatively safe, the fee for guiding someone there wasn’t particularly high. From an adventurer’s perspective, it was hardly an attractive assignment.

“I see. Thank you. In that case, I suppose I’ll have to give up on posting the request.”

After hearing her explanation, I decided not to proceed with the request.

I could follow the concentration of magical energy to reach the dungeon. Surely I’d manage even without a guide.

“Yes, I’m terribly sorry!”

“No, I’m sorry for taking up your time. Please come by the inn again whenever you like.”

“Of course! I’d love to!”

After ending my conversation with the receptionist on a pleasant note, I was about to leave when someone called out to me.

“Excuse me, may I have a moment?”

When I turned around, I found myself facing an extraordinarily handsome young man.

He was wearing the uniform of the Goran Knight Order.

It was unthinkable in the royal capital, but in the provinces, knight orders and Adventurers’ Guilds maintained close relationships.

Apparently, they even fought alongside one another on occasion.

Under the jealous gazes of all the women in the Adventurers’ Guild, I answered the newcomer.

“Yes?”

“Are you looking for someone to guide you to the Mushroom Dungeon?”

The moment I heard the voice, I realized something.

This person was a woman.

However, she didn’t look like a woman at all.

Even I, a former knight who was somewhat taller and more heavily built than the average woman, had to look up at her.

She was shorter than Alvin but taller than Dennis.

She stood taller than most men and possessed a slender yet thoroughly muscular physique. Combined with her unusual red eyes, this gave her a distinctly wild appearance.

Looking more closely, I noticed that she’d grown her chestnut-brown hair long.

Even so, she looked like nothing more than a handsome young man with long hair. It was completely useless as an indication of her sex.

Her voice was unusually husky for a woman, too. Unless you listened very carefully, you’d never notice.

I estimated that she was somewhere in her mid-twenties.

“Yes, I was looking for someone, but I’ve decided not to post the request.”

“Well, would you consider hiring me as your guide? Oh, I’m not anyone suspicious, I assure you. My name is Refa Laurier, and I’m a knight of the Goran Knight Order. Despite my appearance, I’m a woman.”

Since she’d introduced herself, I returned the courtesy.

“My name is Lydia. I run an inn on the outskirts of town. However, Dame Laurier, I’ve heard this dungeon isn’t dangerous enough to warrant the services of an accomplished knight like yourself. I think I’ll try going without a guide.”

The reason I’d immediately declined her offer was that I suspected she might have been sent by Alvin, the commander of the Goran Knight Order.

My relationship with Alvin wasn’t widely known, partly because we hadn’t made it public.

However, the Knight Order was Alvin’s own organization.

It was entirely possible that he’d assigned someone to keep an eye on me and prevent me from doing anything dangerous, given my close relationship with him.

Incidentally, the Goran Knight Order permitted its members to take on certain kinds of secondary employment. There was nothing wrong with accepting adventuring assignments on their days off.

Refa flashed a dazzling smile that was captivating even though I knew she was a woman.

High-pitched squeals erupted somewhere in the distance.

“Please, just call me Refa. The area around that dungeon has become a little dangerous recently. It wouldn’t be safe for a woman to go there alone.”

“Refa-san, I appreciate your warning, but I’m reasonably confident in my abilities. I’ll manage somehow, so please don’t worry.”

“If you’re concerned about the fee, I don’t mind doing it for free. It would be one thing if you were going alone, but I assume the boy beside you will be accompanying you as well. Please allow me to accompany you, just to be safe.”

“…………”

Bringing up Noah was a particularly effective argument. I fell silent.

I was confident I could manage on my own, but I wasn’t sure whether I could protect Noah while fighting if something went wrong.

And I was beginning to have some doubts about Refa.

Perhaps she hadn’t been sent by Alvin after all. If she really were one of his subordinates acting on his orders, all she’d need to do was withdraw and report the situation to him.

Besides…

I discreetly glanced around.

She attracted far too much attention to be suited to covert operations.

She had some other reason for wanting to accompany us.

Whether her objective involved us personally or the Mushroom Dungeon itself, I couldn’t yet determine…

Seeing that I’d fallen silent, Refa pressed her case.

“As it happens, I was just thinking of visiting the Mushroom Dungeon myself to hunt some magic pigs. Since I’m going there anyway, why don’t we go together?”

To be perfectly honest, I’d been thinking of nothing but how to turn down her offer. However, those words immediately changed my mind.

“Magic pigs?”

The piglike monsters known as magic pigs were the very reason I wanted to visit the dungeon in the first place.

“Yes. Magic pigs are absolutely delicious, so I find myself craving them regularly. I’ve hunted them many times before. Let’s go!”

In the end, I decided to visit the dungeon with Refa.

However, since I’d be relying on her assistance, I felt uncomfortable accepting her services without compensation.

We agreed that if we found any magic pigs, I’d treat her to a meal made from their meat. If we failed to find any, I’d pay her two silver coins instead.

As its name suggested, the Mushroom Dungeon was an excellent place to gather mushrooms, so if we failed to find any magic pigs, I planned to bring back plenty of mushrooms instead.

I’d originally intended to close the inn for the day, but Cassie and the brownies insisted on keeping it open.

“I won’t be able to serve the same meals you usually make, Lydia-san, but if the guests don’t mind something simple, I’ll offer them a slightly reduced rate for their stay.”

Cassie was positively enthusiastic.

“So you’re going hunting for magic pigs and mushrooms, huh?”

The brownies were equally eager to help, although they were clearly motivated by the prospect of receiving a share of the spoils.

I decided to let them operate the inn with a limited menu.

We would travel to the dungeon on horseback.

Since Noah was still a child, he could ride with me. The two of us mounted my beloved horse, Olivia, and waited for Refa at the entrance to town.

Refa arrived right on time, and we immediately set off.