210 - - 二百八話 ギルマスとのお話

We stocked up on kegs of liquor throughout the labyrinthine city, bought curtains and beds for Gina and Mel, and arrived at the Adventurers' Guild. I confirm once again that the first squire is annoying, and continue the story.

"So, what happened to the appeal from the Adventurers' Guild to the state if Viscount Galli is missing?"

"The Grand Master sent in his protest before he went missing, so the country has received it. But since the incident happened before the government took action, the case is floating around."

Hmmm, would it have been better to leave it alone after the punishment from the government?　No, it would have been better to move immediately, since he might have done something unnecessary if we had given him more time.

The secretary brings me a cup of tea, so I take a break and sip it. Well, a maid like Marie's is nice, but a secretary is also nice. I wonder under what circumstances I can hire a maid or a secretary?

I'd have to start by finding someone at ...... who is trustworthy and willing to work in the land of the dead. If you buy a house in a city, it's a different story, but in a labyrinth city, you won't even want to leave Toruku's inn. I guess I'll have to wait until I find someplace to live.

"Is something wrong, Mr. Yuta?"

No, it's nothing. But is the punishment from the state still floating around? What about the search for the Viscount and the Marquis?

"The search is being led by members of the Galli family and those of the Marquis Galli's faction. However, there seems to be a struggle for the successor behind the scenes."

I was wondering if it might be possible, but now there's a succession battle. Will he be able to come back before the successor is decided?　Is it a question of whether he is still alive in the first place? Well, honestly, I don't care. The guards are not going to touch me, and if there's a family feud going on, the Gulli family won't have time to mess with me. The first squire is annoying me, but I guess I can leave him alone.

I understand, thank you very much. And how is the escort to your apprentice's parents' house that you requested?

"Rumors are spreading that Yuta has kidnapped the diner's daughter or married her off. This has attracted some attention, but since the Marquis has disappeared, there has been no action taken.

Well, the rumors are spreading fast. But the disappearance of the Marquis is a deterrent, and it's having a positive effect in a way I didn't expect.

"I understand. Please continue to escort us until things settle down."

"Yes."

Thank you very much. Now, if you'll excuse me.

Guillmas seems to be trying to tell us something, but we've heard what we wanted to hear, so let's go home now.

Yuta, please wait a minute. I still have something to tell you.

Guillmuth hurriedly stops him. Is there something going on?

"I have an agreement with the Grand Master that I will only hear about a request once a year, if it is a request at all, is that it?"

"............ No, no, it's not a request. I just wanted to know what Yuta's plans are for the future.

Obviously, he changed the subject. I guess he was originally going to ask me for some kind of request. But I don't see any advantage or disadvantage in telling the Adventurers' Guild about our future plans.

Oh, maybe we should tell them about Gina and the others. They might be under surveillance, but we can do better if we can get the Great Spirits to be aware of that. It's easy enough to pretend to chant.

A party of only spiritists and three out of five of them are children. That alone is enough to make us stand out, and with our current abilities, we should be able to make it to the 40th level if we take our time. If we talk to Guilmouth first, we can reduce the commotion a little and avoid any trouble.

If I had my way, Gina and the others would be active right out of the gate!　The Adventurers' Guild is surprised!　I prefer But Gina and Mel are children, Sarah and the others are children, so the less depressing interference, the better.

"I'm going to explore the labyrinth as usual, but from this time on, I'm going to have the disciples go through the labyrinth separately.

"...... Does that include those kids?"

Yes.

"When you say 'disciples', do you mean they are all spiritists?"

"Yes."

Are you sure about your abilities?

"Yes, when I was with him, he defeated demons up to the 30th layer normally, so I think his ability is perfect.

With the addition of Gina and Shiva, we have more offensive power, and with Mel and Meral, we should have no problem against the assault dragons. However, the environment in the volcanic area is very severe, and Fuk-chan and the others are not strong enough to sustain a comfortable environment.

Sylphy did it easily, but it's a big deal. I finally realized it when I heard the story, and I am saddened by my own dullness.

"I see. ...... Can your disciples take requests at the Adventurers' Guild?"

Yes, I'm going to let him take it as it will be a good social learning experience. But I'm sorry, but I've told them to raise their rank only up to D because of my relationship with them.

If you get a rank of C, you will be able to make a mandatory request. If things get tight, some of them will think of throwing Sara and the others into danger and make me help them. Well, they'd have to be really stupid to do such a thing.

"So you mean to say that Yuta-dono's disciples will always be D-ranked?"

No, they are free to go their own way once they are on their own. However, since they know about the feud between me and the former Guilmouth, they have already agreed to stop at the rank of D. Now, if we can build a relationship of trust, the disciples will accept the increase in rank, don't you think?"

As you can imagine, they can't do something as heavy-handed as they did with me, like eliminating the mandatory requests. Guilmouth has his head in the sand. I feel a little sorry for him because he has not done anything to me, but I can't give in because if I give in even a little, his demands will become excessive.

"But please rest assured that I am not trying to make waves in the Adventurers' Guild. The purpose is for me to learn about society, so when I get close to being promoted to C rank, I will not accept any requests, but only deliver demons. And since I won't be in the labyrinth city all the time, I'm sure I'll stand out, but I don't think it will be a problem like it was for me.

I should have wholesaled the demons to the Pollius Trading Company, but at about the same time I'm going to be wholesaling materials too. I've got my hands full with just my materials, and if I add Gina and the others' materials to the mix, I'll be flat broke.

"I see. ...... Thank you for your concern.　I'm sure the Adventurers Guild will be ready for you."

The questioning shows Gilmas's feelings. Maybe in his heart, he is thinking that if we obeyed him honestly, he would not have to go through the trouble. But we won't.

"Speaking of which, how are the Wings of the Labyrinth and Muscle Star doing?"

Let's change the subject. I should have just left. Well, I'm a little curious, so let's finish this conversation and then go home.

"Ah, Wings of the Labyrinth and Muscle Star are now jointly investigating the distribution of demons in the fifty-six to fifty-nine layers. After searching for areas where the demons are thin, we'll prepare ourselves to challenge the 60th layer.

I see, since we can't fly, we're bound to run into the forces of the demons if we proceed carelessly. The boss of the 60th layer is a group battle, so you want to try to minimize the consumption of energy as much as possible. Even though there are so many of them, they can manage if they are well-prepared.

"I see. So you're in the labyrinth now. I'll be in the labyrinth tomorrow, so I'll say hello when I see you inside.

"Yes, yes, ......."

Guilmouth has a very subtle expression on his face. Well, I guess it's not good if he says he'll say hello. Okay, let's go home.

"Well, I'd better be off."

I leave Gilmas's room with a delicate air. The secretary who opened the door and led me to the lobby also has a subtle expression on her face. I am glad that only Sylphy is smiling at me in a funny way. Even if she laughed at me instead of making me laugh, it's still better than a subtle expression. ...... maybe. ...... Let's go back to the inn now.

I returned to my room at the inn at a slightly faster pace. Hmmm, no one is here. The sandwiches are gone and Bell and the others seem to have eaten their lunch. Well, they will be back before dinner. I'm feeling a little tired, so I'm going to relax and talk with Sylphy.

**　

"Master, are you okay now?"

While I was lying on the bed talking with Sylphy, Gina knocked on the door and called out to me. She must have come back.

You can come in."

I gave my permission and Gina and Dolly came into the room.

"Welcome back, everyone. Did you do your shopping and discuss everything properly?"

"Yes, Mel will be joining us, and Eunice told us what to bring and what to expect in the labyrinth."

If Mel can join us, it will be a considerable boost. If he had gotten Yunis' advice, he might have taught me some basics of being an adventurer that I didn't know. I'm not going to take a beginner's class now, but maybe I can get Gina and the others to take a beginner's class.

I'm afraid they'll try to gather some kind of weird information, and even if my current relationship with Guilmouth is not so bad, it's still not so good.

"Didn't Eunice say she would follow us?"

"He said he would follow me. But Mel talked me out of it, so it was okay, even though it looked like a bit of a challenge. ......"

I can imagine how difficult it must have been. But a little bit doesn't mean that he didn't get into trouble like I did. Maybe they trust him a little.

"I learned a lot." "The story of the labyrinth was interesting!" I played with Mel!"

Kikka is a little different, but it seems that both Sarah and Marco learned a lot.

"Well, Meral-san was very enthusiastic."

Dolly adds. Meral's been on a bender. It's hard to train Gina and the others when Meral's too excited. Meral's level needs to be raised, too, and I'll tell her to take out the demons one by one as much as possible when we meet tomorrow.

We listen to what Gina and the others have to say, check our tools, and decide on our plans for tomorrow. Since we will be entering the labyrinth for the first time as a group, we will check our coordination in the meadow on the first day. On the second day, we will challenge trolls while defeating goblins and orcs in the forest.

The rest of the day was to depend on the battle, and we decided whether to go on or repeat the battle with the trolls. I am a little relieved to see that they are not forcing themselves to move on. I feel he is not young enough, but I admire him for being able to manage the crisis without thinking of relying on the Great Spirit.

Oh, I should have put the bed I bought in the mobile base for Gina and the others in a normal magic bag. The backyard of the inn is too small. Maybe I could ask Sylphy to go outside the labyrinth city in the middle of the night and swap the beds.

It would be easier if we went up to the sixth level of the labyrinth together and swapped in the meadow, but tomorrow would be the first time for Gina and the others to explore the labyrinth alone, so let's not act in a way that would make them feel uncomfortable.