71 - Episode 69 Treasure Box

Belle and Rain were very excited to tell us of their discovery. Belle and Rain took me to the destination, where I found a gorgeous golden treasure chest hidden in a wooden cave.

"Belle. Belle Raine. It's time to open the chest. Come back!"

I call Belle and Rain back, who had been flying around in high spirits after I praised them all over again. They flew back to the treasure chest they had found.

"So, Sylphy. Is there any trap in this treasure chest?"

Treasure chests in the labyrinth are basically traps. I don't have any skills related to traps, so I would be in trouble if there were traps.

"Hmmm. "Hmm. I don't know. The keyhole is also independent, so we can't look inside."

"I see. You don't know what a tulu is?"

"I think I know."

"Oh. Well, let's check it out."

Tulu nodded, touched the treasure chest and closed his eyes. Can you tell if the metal has been processed?

"There doesn't seem to be a trap. I can remove the lock."

"Tulu. Thank you. Now open the key.

Tulu nodded his head and touched the treasure chest again. A spirit of the earth who can interfere with metal can open most locks made of metal. .......

Almost no one can detect his presence, and he can open locks at will. He has the qualities of a great thief. ...... It's not so easy to take things out of the house. I'm both relieved and disappointed. For a moment, I thought I was going to uproot Gilmas's property ....... No. We can't let the spirits do anything bad. The king of spirits or something would be really pissed off.

Aha.

"Thank you, Tulu."

I thank him and pat his head. Tulu's eyes narrow and she smiles a little happily. Hmm. My petting technique still doesn't seem to be enough to make Tulu go wild. Tulu's face shines brightest when he's smooching Tamamo.

Okay... Time to open the treasure chest. I put my hand on the lid of the treasure chest. Sylphy, Belle, Rain, and Tulu are all looking at it with great interest. ...... Wait a minute. I feel sorry that Tamamo is not here. It's our first treasure chest and we all want to open it together.

"Wait a minute, everyone. Sylphie. Do you know where Tamamo is?　We all want to open the treasure chest anyway."

"Hmm. That's true. I'll take a look. ...... hmm. Looks like they're doing a good job of collecting.

"Then it's not a good idea to summon them. Sylphy. Can you pick me up?"

It's heartbreaking to be summoned to leave all the things you worked so hard to collect.

"Yes. I'm going to go now."

He sees Sylphy off and sits in a tree branch until he returns to talk with Belle and the others.

"Hey, Belle. Rain. How did you find the treasure chest in a place like this?"

"I searched a lot!"

...... Okay. You searched a lot. He didn't use any special method. How could you find a treasure chest in a place like this?

While I was talking with Belle and the others, Sylphy and Tamamo came back. Tamamo jumped on them and started cooing and slurping at them. So cute.

Tamamo was picking something, wasn't she? Did you get a good one?"

"Coo-coo."

The tamamo is excited by my words, and it's trying to tell me something. I'm sorry, but I have no idea.

"Hmm. Tamamo was working hard, gathering herbs. "There are so many good herbs, you are a true spirit of the forest.

"I see. Thank you, Tamamo."

I muffled the tamamo as much as I could. A handful of leaves floated in front of me.

"Is this the herb that Tamamo got?"

The tamamo nodded its head and buzzed its tail. I suppress the urge to mooch one more time and check the herbs. ......I don't know what kind of medicinal herbs they are.

It's a herb with condensed magic power in its leaves. It's a panacea herb that is used to make the best elixirs. Hmm. This is the labyrinth. It's very rare on earth.

"Oh. Tamamo got a lot of great herbs. Thank you."

I release the desire I've been holding back, and I fluff Tamamo around while praising her. This much will be forgiven. Before I know it, Tulu is standing in line behind me. They must be waiting for their turn.

****

"...... Well. Let's open the treasure chest."

I got carried away and played with them, including Belle and the others who had just barged in.

"I don't mind if you don't notice the approaching monster, do you?

Well, the sound of Sylphy defeating the goblin brought me back to my senses, or maybe I couldn't help it.

I'm sorry.

Let's just say I'm sorry.

"Be careful. And there's a possibility that goblins will gather here, so let's open the treasure chest as soon as possible.

"Right. Then let's open the chest.

Come on, we have to open the chest. I bet the treasure chest didn't expect to be left so long after it was found. I face the chest again. ...... It's gorgeous.

As I touch the box, Tamamo joins me and we all look into the box. I open the chest and find a leather bag inside. ......　Where's the gold and silver treasure?

"Oh, no. It's a magic bag. You've found something good."

Oh, it's a magic bag.

"I already have a magic bag, so I'm a little disappointed."

"Oh, yeah?　Yuta's magic bag is hard to use, so I think it's just right. You can disguise your cash by putting it in this magic bag. If I had just cashed it in, he would have been suspicious."

That's true, too. If we take it out normally, it'll stop time, so we'll be taking out a freshly dead corpse. I was thinking of renting a warehouse to put the demon carcass to sleep, but if I don't have to do that, it would be very useful.

"I see. I see... You've got a pretty good deal here, then. What do you think of the function of this bag?"

"Maybe I'll have it appraised, or maybe I'll see for myself. I don't think it's going to stop time, but if it works, it could cause a lot of trouble, so you might as well see for yourself."

Could this magic bag cause a commotion? It seems to be a very capable bag, coming out of such a shiny and gorgeous treasure chest, hidden in such a hard to find place.

"Yes, it is. I'll try the experiment before I go to bed. I'll try to collect some more samples until then. Thanks for your help."

Me and Tulu are mithril miners. Sylphy, you're my bodyguard. Belle and Rain, treasure hunters. Tamamo packs herbs and scatters to the mountains.

**

"Wow!"

The labyrinth is spacious and natural, but I feel different when I go outside. I came out of the labyrinth after collecting from the 56th to the 59th layers.

I got a lot of precious medicinal herbs and dug up a vein of mithril. Belle and her friends found one treasure chest on each floor after that, and got the gold and silver treasures they had longed for. It was quite an accomplishment.

The gold and silver treasures were in ordinary treasure chests, so the gorgeous treasure chest in the magic bag must be rare. Maybe it is some kind of gacha system. If we go deeper into the labyrinth, we may find rainbow-colored treasure chests.

The magic bag turned out to be quite a good one as a result of our experiments. It didn't have any time-related functions, but it could hold four assault dragons.

Four assault dragons as big as a three-story building ...... can be stored in the bag, and it is said to be a coveted feature for merchants. They are so rare that some big merchants have them, and they seem to be very useful.

As I stand tall in the labyrinth, I am met with a contemptuous look. It seems they still hate me. How can my reputation change so much after less than ten days? I can hear them whispering that I'm still alive, but I don't care now. I've memorized his face so I'll make him cry later.

Yuta. What are you going to do now?"

（I'm tired, so I'm going to rest at the inn. (I'm too tired, so I'm going to rest at the inn. Tomorrow I have a lot of things to do, like picking up the beds, going to the general store, and touring around the surrounding villages. Oh, and don't worry, I'll buy plenty of alcohol.)

A smile appears on Sylphy's face. Oh, shit. I completely forgot. We need to stock up on booze.

"Yes, I'm looking forward to it. Speaking of which, what are you going to do about training a genie?"

Oh, I remember that one.

（I'll think it over at the inn.)

"Okay."

I head for the inn, receiving contemptuous glances from the adventurers I meet. Such a bad impression motivates me.

"You're alive!

When I entered the inn, Martha slapped me on the back. It hurts even though my level is up. Why?　Maybe he has some kind of skill, like ignoring defense.

"Of course I'm alive. I told you I wouldn't be back for a few days, didn't I?"

"Yeah, I heard you. But some people came all the way out here to tell me you were dead. They were worried about you."

Is this the same kind of harassment that's going on in this store?

"We are sorry for the trouble we have caused you. Have you been harmed in any way?

"Ha-ha-ha. There's no such thing as damage. Not many people would pick a fight with the mighty Torque. You just go on with your life.

"Thank you."

You're a good man, Martha. I want to repay this inn somehow. It might be a good idea to open up my culinary knowledge here. I'll think of something.

So what about dinner?

"I'm tired, so I'm going to bed. I'm looking forward to breakfast tomorrow.

"Yes. Have a good night.

I leave Martha and return to my room to lie down on my bed. A bed of sand is not a bed after all.

"Whew. Now what shall we do tomorrow? My plan was to return to the land of the dead after receiving the bed, but now I have a lot of things to do.

"Yes, it is. We'll have to buy alcohol. We have to educate the necromancer, and we have to distribute the materials we've acquired this time, don't we?　And we mustn't forget to collect soil in the forest."

When alcohol comes first, the priorities are clear. If I forget, I'll get a grudge. I'm glad I remembered.

"Aside from the others, I think the most difficult task is to raise a genie magician. Adults won't like it, and it's not fair, but I think it's safer to pick up orphans and raise them. Sylphy. Are there slums in the labyrinth city?"

"Yes, there is. Do you pick up kids there?"

"Yes. No one in their right mind would be in the mood for a necromancer. Sylphie. Can you find a child who can make a contract with a lower level spirit right away?　I hope there are at least two of them."

I think what you are saying is outrageous, but the orphans have their own merits, so we'll just have to put up with it.

"Hmmm. There's nothing wrong with searching for them, but it's better not to use a lower class of spirits when they are children. It would be safer to make a contract with a floating spirit who has a somewhat clear consciousness, and raise them together.

I think it would be better to have more power, but even Belle and her friends are quite strong. I remember you said that even the Bells have the offensive power of a first-rate sorcerer. If a child has that much power, I'm afraid he'll go berserk.

I see. Then that's the way to go. Now we just need to figure out how to raise them. Should we have them train at the base in the land of the dead until they gain strength?

"You're taking me there?　Do you think they'll be okay?"

"Well, it's up to the orphan, but I don't think anyone would believe me if I told them. No one would believe that the deepest parts of the dead lands are being explored. Sylphie, can you fly to the land of the dead even if there are more people?

"Surely the word of an orphan is not to be believed. And flying is not a problem. A few people will only add a little more time to the journey. But then you'd have to go to ......."

Sylphy seemed to be convinced, but she wondered if she should hurry up at the end.　He was mumbling. What's the hurry?

"Well, I'll look for the orphans, Yuta, go to bed. Your eyelids are falling.

"Hmm. I guess so. Good night, everyone.

I fall asleep without changing my clothes, listening to the faint voices of the belles. I'm pretty tired.