Volume 6 - prologue

"Come on, today's the day we're going on an adventure!'

Serina said cheerfully in front of my bed. She's standing wearing a new silver breastplate.

"You should also pay back your debts."

"Tsk, I know."

Ione was still asleep in my arms, but I let her gently slip out of my arms and got out of bed.

I had played five rounds with Serina yesterday, and she and I were both in a good mood.

But there was one serious, or rather trivial, problem that I had misunderstood was discovered.

That's why I have no money at the moment.

On the contrary, I am in debt.

...........Even after deducting the 250,000 gold for the slaves that I paid to Janatha, I still had 170,000 gold in my possession, but Serina demanded a share of the party yesterday.

I've been managing all the rare items like jewels, but yeah, I totally thought they were mine.

Serina had also kept a detailed ledger, which she showed me, but we had to divide it among the six of us in the party, and each of us had to share 100,000 gold.

The five of us, Meena, Serina, Ione, Lily, and Nene, had a total of 500,000 gold.

Except for Jouga, Fianna and Letty.

They had already been paid for their work in Janatha's store, and Letty had been promised 10,000 gold up front to act as Nene's mentor.

In other words, they are mercenaries by contract, not a companions.

I can't afford to have my debts increase, so I'll just leave it at that.

Meena and Nene said they didn't want the money, but that's not allowed by Serina, and I don't want to give it to them either.

So, the 330,000 gold was my debt.

A party is a joint effort, and it is my right to split the reward among my friends.

In order to avoid any trouble, both parties must be aware of this and make a promise beforehand, and it is not good if one party unfairly cheapens the other party.

I'm still trying to figure out where the line is between slave, mercenary, and comrade, but I'm not going to be like Janatha and say that all the rare items are mine.

That's what equality means to me.

After breakfast, I put on my armor.

Just as I was about to go out, a crutch-wearing Jouga came in front of me in his armor.

It's a good thing he's so motivated.

"Then, let's go, Alec! To the Labyrinth of no Return!"

Jouga smiled innocently, and Serina and the others looked at me with troubled eyes.

"Okay, but can you wield a sword with that?"

"Of course I can, watch this! The secret technique of one-legged sword fighting!"

He threw away one of his crutches and pulled out the sword at his waist.

It's fortunate that the cut is on the left side of the leg, so Jouga can still do that much.

It looks like he's had some practice.

"All right, then, let's see what you can do. Come on."

I said, drawing my sword.

"Mmm, okay."

Jouga, using his decent right leg and the crutches on his left, comes toward me at a reasonable speed.

But as I turned around, he couldn't turn around quickly enough.

"Damn it, Alec, get your ass over here!"

Jouga said irritably.

"If I were a archer, I'd shoot you down before you got too close."

I say quietly.

"You coward!"

"No, it's a tactic. Besides, when you're dealing with monsters, calling them cowards won't make them come any closer."

"Damn it, what do you want me to do?"

Juga bit his lip as the reality hit him.

"We need to be creative. Jouga, let's go to the tool shop."

"Ahh?"

Fianna picked up one of the crutches that had thrown on the ground and we took Jouga to the tool shop.

"I guess a tube and a belt will do."

Serina seemed to already know what I was going to buy.

"What are you going to do with those?"

"It's for Prosthesis legs."

"Prosthetic leg?"

Fianna and the others tilted their heads to see if it was not common in this world.

"Instead of those crutches, we can put them in your feet and let them take the place of your lost legs."

"Oh, I could go for a pair of shoes with raised soles!"

Jouga's eyes lit up as he understood how it worked.

"But since you can't move your ankles, You can't stand on your feet and it's hard to keep your balance. It's not going to be exactly the same as before."

I'm not going to let you down by getting your hopes up too high, so I'll just give you a heads up.

"It doesn't matter. Anyway, Old man, do you have any shoes that could fit my feet?"

"Even you told me that ......"

The toolmaker's Old man also looked at Juga's leg, put his hand on his chin and pondered.

"I'm begging you. I'll get you the money, so please do something about it."

"All right, all right, let's see if I can find something we can use."

The shopkeeper and I looked around, but we couldn't find anything that looked like it would work.

Jouga forced himself to stand in the boots, but he screamed in pain and fell down.

It's impossible as it is.

"We're going to the woodworker's. I'll have it custom made."

I say.

"Oh, that's a good idea!"

The toolmaker introduced us to a craftsman and we went to the workshop.

"Hmm, this............we should make it look like a tube or a bowl, right?"

The master woodworker listened to my explanation and indicated the shape with hand gestures. I nodded.

"That's right. The tube needs to be long enough to reach the knees so that it can handle combat. It's no good if it comes right off."

"Then why don't you belt the braces? It's easier to do."

The master said.

"No, that would loosen the form and cause pain. You have to make sure that the support touches the whole surface of the foot. The fulcrum should be distributed."

"Oh, I see."

"How long does it take?"

"Well, if you're going to do it by carving, it's going to take a lot of time and it's not going to do any good unless it's the shape of the person's foot, right? If so, I'll be stuck with it for two weeks, because I'd have other work to do. ......"

The woodworker looks reluctant, but he doesn't seem to be very motivated.

"Serina, give him the gold."

"Yes, I'll take give this in advance, please."

"Mmm, ten thousand!? This guy is crazy. No, no, I'll take a silver coin. That is indeed too much. That's fine. I'll make it in two weeks, no, ten days. This guy looks like he's ready for an adventure."

"Oh! Thank you, old man!"

"Well, it's a rare thing that I've never made before, and it might be useful for other people in need, so it could be good for business."

As expected of a master craftsman, you are quick to calculate needs.

"Now, I'm going to take your measurements, so sit down in that chair."

"All right!"

"Well, Jouga, you're going to help the master there today. That way you'll be able to start your adventure sooner, and if the prosthesis doesn't work, you might want to consider becoming a woodworker."

I say.

"Don't be kidding. I'm clumsy. I'm not good at sitting still and making things."

Well, something like that.

"It's your choice. Do what you want. However, since you're working for me, at least for today, you should do as I say and observe. In any case, if you don't show him the shape of your foot, they won't make it for you."

"All right. All right, Old man, let's get on with it."

"Jouga, call me Master."

I was concerned about his attitude, so I warned him.

"What?"

"You don't have to be a woodworker to customize your own prosthesis, it will be more useful in combat. For that, you need to have the skill to make your own prosthetic leg. You should seriously think about how to continue being an adventurer instead of making excuses for your clumsiness."

"How to continue being an adventurer, ...... I understand."

I don't think it's going to be possible for Jouga to do that right now. But if he follow me to the dungeon with just his feelings, he'll be slowing me down. To put it bluntly.

What's impossible is impossible, and that's where the line should be drawn.

We'll talk about this after the prosthetic leg is finished and properly prepared.

Leaving the quiet Jouga in the workshop, we headed to the dungeon.