CH 24

Chapter 24: Otherworldly Villa

After reaching the surface, Alty immediately said, “I might be patient, but I’ll look for a candidate seriously. I’ll be sure to thank you later,” then left. It seemed that her destination was the Eltheaulieux Academy, where Franrühle would be.

I thought that her wish would be fulfilled on its own if she stayed in an academy, a place with a lot of students, but then she emphasized on giving those parting words.

“Phew…”

I watched Alty walk off, then I sighed.

The air on the surface sure was dangerous. There were none of the dangers of the Labyrinth there, and a sense of security enveloped me comfortably. However, just as the sun was setting, my feelings were also declining.

“Aah…”

I had planned to challenge the Labyrinth solo whilst looking for Dia’s severed arm, and yet I was met with one unexpected event after another.

I walked to the hospital where Dia would be. Either way, I had made it to the 5th floor of the Labyrinth all by myself, so I thought I would report at least that.

The moment I reached the hospital, I made a beeline to the room where Dia was supposed to be sleeping in.

The room was filled with magical light, the same pale light bubbles that I had seen during the battle with Tida.

“…Dia? What are you doing?”

“What else? Rehab.”

Dia sat cross-legged on the bed, emitting light from both of his arms.

“Why, you. The doctor told you to rest, didn’t he?”

“He did. But, I wanted to get back on track as soon as possible. Arguably, this week is like a rehabilitation time for me…”

“Just… take your time, all right?”

With that, I placed the palm of my hand on Dia’s head. He looked at my arm for a long time, then nodded.

“I understood. If that’s what you say, Christ, then I’ll do it.”

“Do that. You don’t want your stay in the hospital to get prolonged, do you?”

“Ha-ha, dang right.”

Dia laughed joyfully—and after the magic light fizzled out, he asked me how my progress was.

“So, Christ. Have you been to the Labyrinth since then?”

“I have. I made it to the 5th floor all by myself, no problem. I honestly think I could go further.”

I didn’t want to tell him everything.

I wanted to keep quiet, especially about Alty. Partly because I didn’t want to worry Dia, he was not in good shape as it was, but also partly because I felt like I could solve that Guardian problem on my own.

Whether I fulfilled that thing’s wish or defeated it, I could do it by myself. No, I must do it myself. That’s what I told myself.

“Haha, see, I told you. You’re fine on your own, Christ. You don’t need me to be with you. You should be more confident about yourself.”

“Thank you. You were right, Dia. But, having you with me would have—”

I learned that there was a lot I could do alone.

But at the same time, I was also certain that I would feel safer if I had someone else with me. I was about to tell him that having him with me would have made me feel much safer, but he interrupted me before I could finish my words.

“—no, I can’t stay the way I was. Just wait, Christ. I will return to a person worthy to stand beside you.”

“…Y-yeah. Okay.”

I was caught off-guard, thinking that Dia had returned to his usual self, but I was suddenly overwhelmed by those eyes of his that showed firm convictions.

“My discharge is, hm…in six days, right? If I’m correct, that’s the day of the Holy Birthday. Right in the middle of the festival.”

“Festival?”

Dia suddenly spoke as if he had just remembered something. Apparently, there was a festival in the Allied Nations around the time of his discharge.

“Yeah. There will be a festival to celebrate the holy birthday of the heroes who founded the allied nations, centered on Whoseyards. The country will hold a festival a few days before the Holy Birthday, and on the day, a grand ceremony is held in the cathedral.”

The vocabulary ‘festival’ sounded strange to me, and Dia explained it to me.

“I see. I’m from a faraway country, so I didn’t know that. But that’s quite good timing. Once you’re discharged, let’s partake in the festival to celebrate it.”

“I like the sound of that. All right. That means I need to recover ASAP.”

The topic changed to the festival, and the air in the room became cheerful.

—And then, as Dia told me what the Holy Birthday was all about, time passed.

Meanwhile, I had one question I wanted to ask Dia. It was a tug on my heart… About the incident on the 9th floor. Regarding the treatment of the slaves at that time. Just, what kind of answer would Dia give me… I was dying to know.

However, I didn’t want to ruin that cheerful atmosphere. I didn’t end up asking it, maybe because I was afraid that Dia might turn out the same as Franrühle.

Thus, my visiting hours to Dia ended with emotions swirling in my chest.

***

I walked downtown all alone.

I finished my exploration, and I had visited Dia, leaving me with nothing to do in particular. I thought about going back into the Labyrinth, but since my reason to leave the Labyrinth was that I ran out of MP, I didn’t want to do anything that would make Alty aware of my presence.

I tried to assemble a plan as I walked. Thanks to the money I got from selling Tida’s magic stone, the options I had were limitless.

However, I had already provided myself with daily necessities, and I also had stocked up on all the things I needed for the Labyrinth exploration.

All the stuff I had brought that the manager of a tool shop had told me to buy was still in my ‘Item List’. Things such as the file, cutlery, needles, thread, saucepan, and leather bags remain untouched.

In hindsight, those might not have been necessary. Thanks to my Item system, I could bring as many tools as I wanted. Therefore, I could overlook the various problems other explorers were facing, such as repairing my armor and tools and securing water and food. I could bring dozens of swords with me and stock up on many years' worth of consumables as well.

In other words, Kanami Aikawa the explorer must not buy the same thing as many other explorers.

As long as I had the ‘Map’, I didn’t need any other maps. As long as I had the ‘Item List’, I didn’t need a bag. What I needed to bring was not a means of repair but a whole lot of spares.

I thought about it as I took the bag of gold coins out of my ‘Item List’. I jingled the bag and thought back to the time when I acquired that large amount of gold.

Tida’s magic stone in itself was worth 40 gold coins. The value of that magic stone was enough to buy a house, which showed just how valuable the guardian’s magic stone was. It was so expensive that I wondered if it was an event item or a rare item, but… since I still had to pay for Dia’s hospital expenses, I couldn’t turn my back on the offer.

Of course, those important country officials had asked me where I got that magic stone. They even told me that the one magic stone would bring about years of progress in the Magic Stone Technology and, consequently, the Line, and thus I was held up for a long time.

In the end, I just blurted out that I had defeated a strong-looking boss monster. They asked for more details, but I told them I was in a daze when that happened and pretended I didn’t remember much and finally forced myself to leave by saying that my partner was gravely injured.

Looking back, I acted quite suspiciously. I was in a hurry, so I had no choice, but that might end up biting me on the back later…

As I continued walking, absorbed in my thoughts, I ended up in a residential area away from the Labyrinth. Rugged wooden houses lined the streets, completely out of proportion compared to the houses near the streets with those magical gems. All around me, people were scurrying home, knowing that the sun was setting.

Children tired of playing. A weary-looking old woman carrying her luggage around her. A swordsman, probably on his way home from the Labyrinth, limping as he walked. A woman, probably doing housework, taking the clothes that had been hung outside to dry back inside.

I had been living only around the Labyrinth up until then, so it was the first time for me to see such a scene.

Then it occurred to me.

“Enough to buy a house…right?”

I strengthened my grip on the bag.

I was given a corner space in the tavern, so I wasn’t exactly in need of a place to live. However, I couldn’t take advantage of the manager’s kindness forever. It was the way of the explorers to take up lodging with one’s own income.

What I had was gold coins, a representation of my income. Enough of them not to just rent a room for a day or two but to buy a whole house.

I restarted my walk. Not as aimlessly as before, as now I walked with a purpose.

***

—And then, a few hours later.

A wooden house which was a bit too big for one person to live in. A four-bedroom house, or so it would be called in my world. Inside the house, in one of the rooms that had been well-cleaned, the woman and I were facing each other.

“—So to make sure, you will sign a one-year lease for this property?”

“Yes, please.”

Since I had memorized most of the stores in Varte in my head, I soon arrived at a store that dealt with housing. When I presented the money I had in my possession, I was welcomed with open arms, and the conversation proceeded with aplomb.

However, buying both the land and the house would have been too expensive, so  I settled on a lease contract. I didn’t intend to stay in this otherworld forever in the first place. I was living in the hope that I would return home in one year’s time, so I chose to sign a contract to rent a house for only one year.

“If so, I will bring you the detailed contract later. You may start living here right away if you want.”

The sales representative replied with a beaming smile. That salesman’s smile was impeccable. As someone who also worked in customer service, I would have liked to learn from her.

“Eh, really…?”

“It has been paid, and the contract has been written. There is nothing to worry about. All that is left are a few minor options that come with it.”

“I see.”

“Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

Leaving those words behind, the real estate agent left.

I was then left alone to double-check the state of the house.

It was a single-family house property, and a first-class one at that, the kind that a single explorer wouldn’t normally be able to contract. The house was said to have excellent resistance to earthquakes and heat.

In addition, the Line was drawn to the inside of the house, and the house was equipped with magic devices that enabled flushing, boiling water, and igniting a fire using the magical power shared by the country. All of those items were expensive and were said to be special-order items ordered from Whoseyards.

I tried out those magic devices in a kitchen that was much more luxurious than the one in the tavern I worked at. I lightly passed magic power through the gem-embedded artifact, and a fire was lit.

Next was the lock. I went outside the house to check the high-class lock made of magic stone and iron. As a modern person, I was alert to locking up doors, so I was particularly concerned about the perfection of the lock.

I opened and closed it again and again with the key made of magic stone. The thing itself was an ancient-looking, large padlock, but it closed the house securely.

That was worth all the crazy requests I made at the real estate agency. I was able to get a property as similar to my original house as possible.

The contract price was 10 gold coins. That didn’t include maintenance or wear and tear costs. If I were to cause any property damage, I would have to pay more money, a considerably high amount at that.

Nevertheless, I went through a series of detailed requests to make the private space as close to one I used to have in my original world as possible.

I believed that this would, in turn, alleviate stress in the long run and make rest a quality experience. Most importantly, it would help with my mental stability.

“Haha, hahahaha.”

It was fun. I had time to examine various items. Time to think about what I needed. Time to talk about what I wanted. All those opportunities gave me a most supreme pleasure.

“Haha, ha, ha… haah…”

Then, after a quick laugh, I let out a loud sigh.

An overwhelming sense of weakness took me over, and all of it transformed into a feeling of regret.

Simply put, I went too far. I was caught up in the moment. I realized that I was much more abnormal than I had thought.

It must be because I had been working my nerves off trying not to use the «???» Skill since I had used that Skill too much in the battle against Tida. It seemed like I suppressed too much of my emotions.

This was the result of keeping a lid on the bad feelings that kept pouring into me.

My stress level must have exceeded what I could tolerate before I knew it, and that was my body trying to relieve itself on its own.

“I went too far… All I needed was a roof over my head and a place to sleep… the money should have been used to explore the Labyrinth…”

I could have kept eating at the tavern. There was no point in cooking at home.

I didn’t even need to boil water. If I wanted to take a bath, it was more time-efficient to go to a bathing facility just for that day.

The lock was the best example of it. What was I even protecting in that house? I could put everything I wanted into the ‘Item List;, I had nothing to put in the house. It’s a wooden house to begin with. Someone could just break the door open to intrude.

I locked the house again and then looked where the agent left off to.

“She’s something else… She made me buy something I didn’t even need so easily…”

When I thought about it, that was a wonderful art of conversation. The reason she treated me so well in the store was probably because I looked like a kid with too much money for my stature.

I sat down and stared at the road in front of my house.

The house was perched on top of a windy hill, overlooking the residential area. It was a wonderful location. It had good access to sunlight and was close to the Labyrinth. However, the proximity to the Labyrinth was a negative factor for the general public, which was why the property remained.

The sun had completely set. The activity in the town gradually lessened.

“Ha ha ha, I screwed up big time…”

As I was reflecting on that on my lonesome ass—

“…hm?”

From the depths of the darkness, I heard the sound of an animal running. I listened closer and realized that it was the sound of something like a horse’s hooves against the road.

“—Magic, «Dimension».”

For no particular reason, I decided I’d probe around with magic. I sensed that the carriage was speeding, and I could even tell that it resembled the one that used to carry the slaves.

—Slaves again, huh?

I remembered the bloodied slave who was made to fight against monsters in the Labyrinth. He was definitely one of the factors that made me go on that spending spree.

To be honest, it was probably a problem I couldn’t handle on my own. As long as it had taken root in the culture of this world, it was futile for me to fret over it, even if it would be advantageous for me to.

The head that been cooled down by that spending spree, was once again tightened when I thought of how to deal with slavery in the future.

Right. There was no point, even if I helped him. Saving just one slave was hypocrisy. A deed of self-satisfaction. If I really was concerned about the existence of slaves, I should fundamentally unroot the problem from the country and the culture.

If you asked me if I had the guts to do that, my answer was a big no.

Make no mistake. I didn’t have the luxury of worrying about such things. If anything, what I had to do was use the slaves to help conquer the Labyrinth.

“Ha ha ha.”

I recreated the bitter laugh I made for Franrühle. 

Then, my logical part of the brain dug up a plan, one that I had conceived a few days prior.

What a lousy plan it was, trying to find a talented slave. Replace the word slave with the word less-fortunate. In the end, it was about finding someone to do my biddings and using them as pawns.

However, lousy as it was, it was still an efficient one.

Then what differentiated me from others at spending my money? The ‘Display’ system, that was what. The ‘Display’ allowed me to see the details of things and people. It was a lead that even the most seasoned merchant couldn’t get.

It was easy to find a hidden talent. That was true for those who were leaders of some sort or those who had achieved status or prestige. However, to obtain the cooperation of such people, a large price was required. Getting them to help was harder than catching a fleeting dream.

However, if the one I was dealing with was someone who wasn’t utilizing their talent, then it would be much easier to take the initiative. They might have the talent but not the ability, or they lacked the confidence to use them. To put it bluntly, I meant people like Dia.

Slaves could easily fulfill that requirement.

I confirmed my remaining funds and finalized my plans. I put the key to the house in my ‘Item List’, got up, eager to make my next purchase a useful one, and walked toward the sound of the carriage that was carrying the slaves.

I had spent a lot of money on the house. 

I admitted it. However, I would use the rest of the money for the Labyrinth. My plan was foolproof. I might regret choosing stuff that didn’t have a status like a house, but there’s no way I could make a mistake on something that did.

However, that meant it was inevitable for me to go to the less secure areas of Varte. That wasn’t much of a problem, though. My and Dia’s levels had risen thanks to the battle against Tida, and I had enough HP and MP that came with it. If I ever got into trouble, I’d be able to handle it.

As I walked, I produced a large piece of cloth from my ‘Item List’ and wrapped it around me like a scarf. I hid my face as much as possible as I followed the carriage. 

And then, as the city fell deeper into the night and the darkness faded into midnight—I arrived at a different place from the slave market I had visited before.

It was a different establishment, but the main layout was similar. It had to be another place where slaves were bought and sold. I blended in, basing my conduct on the information I had obtained.