A Quest From the Guild

"… For now, I'll fix the needle trap, okay? It'll cost a little DP."

"Yeah, please do."

I left Rokuko to handle the trap repairs while I immersed myself in thought.

… Most likely, it broke during that first strike. The Golem Blade broke, becoming just an ordinary iron sword and rendering it useless as the room's key. With no way to escape, the dungeon's mysterious power stopped working and the needle trap's durability plummeted all at once, turning it into a destructible object.

Then they tried to forcefully break the iron needles with that iron sword, and the sword itself cracked. That's probably what happened.

"… I more or less understand what happened, but this is going to be a pain to deal with."

"Hmm, what is?"

"Well, the Golem Blade was supposed to be our star product, but can it really be used as a magic sword? Its performance is looking questionable."

When I think about it carefully, using a Golem Blade to defend against attacks is, from the opponent's perspective, the same as them attacking a sword-shaped golem.

And if the golem part gets destroyed, what's left is nothing more than an ordinary iron sword. Even in the middle of combat.

… So this is the Golem Blade's weakness that had been nagging at me all along.

It's fine for me since I can repair them immediately, but Niku and Ichika can't do that. And since they're the ones serving as vanguards in combat, they're also the ones most likely to have their Golem Blades break.

… Looks like I'll need to make some improvements. I'll think about it.

Oh, and if Uzoh-Muzoh returns the broken magic sword to the pedestal, I'll need to manually release the blockade for them.

 

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The next day, Uzoh-Muzoh still hadn't escaped from the test room. Their DP is delicious.

Then, checking the map, I saw someone approaching. A new guest, maybe?

"Owneeer! We've got a customer!"

"Hmm? Not for the inn, but for Rokuko… I see."

"Eh, ah, r-right, I'm the owner! … I-I'll g-go see them!"

"Wait, you're going out there like that? … Haah, can't be helped."

She was obviously stiff with nerves, so I decided to tag along.

Actually, I had Rokuko temporarily restore my command authority over her and issued these orders: "Calm down," "Stand next to me and smile," "If I ask 'What do you think, Owner?' then nod," "If I ask 'What should we do, Owner?' then shake your head," and "For anything else I bring up, just respond with 'Yes.'"

… It was to keep up appearances. Can't be helped. The fact that I can forcibly calm her down even in situations like this really shows how overpowered the command authority is.

When Ichika called us and we went to see, the usual receptionist from the guild was there… with a massive rucksack on her back.

Was there some trick to it, or was she actually quite capable? She was carrying it like it weighed nothing.

… Checking her daily DP acquisition, it showed "80." What the heck, this person is incredible. Looks like the latter.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Owner-sama… Why is Kehma-sama here?"

"Well, I'm employed here along with my party. Think of me as something like a secretary."

"I see… I would like to have a word with Owner-sama, if I may."

"What do you think, Owner?"

Rokuko nodded as commanded. Good, she's doing fine.

So, let me summarize the receptionist's story:

• She was sent here to build a guild branch office! The area in front of the inn is open, so she'll build it there!

• But for now it'll just be a temporary tent, so please let her use the toilet and such! And food too!

• Oh, the guild will pay! The same rates as regular lodging is fine!

That's roughly what it came down to.

There was absolutely no problem with her staying at the inn. If there was a problem, it was that the branch office would be built across from the inn with the cave entrance between them, but I couldn't really refuse that either… This land doesn't belong to anyone yet, after all.

"I'm glad you're willing to cooperate… By the way, how much does lodging cost?"

"… Fifty copper per night, and meals are separate, ranging from one copper to one gold coin. We don't have extended stay discounts at the moment, but what should we do, Owner? … Ah, that won't work. We haven't finalized the pricing for that yet."

Since we have the chance, let's go with the stance of getting as much as we can.

"One gold coin? What kind of meal would that be?"

"It would be a meal worthy of entertaining an A-Rank adventurer. Is there a problem? Ah, the details are on this price list here."

"… And one copper for a G-Rank meal?"

"Since you typically need to be at least E-Rank to enter a normal dungeon, that tier is intended for slaves. It's just black bread… One tier up, F-Rank, is the beginner option: two white bread rolls. E-Rank is a bit of a novelty bread, an original creation of our inn. It changes daily… D-Rank is aimed at adventurers who've earned a bit of coin, and comes as a white bread and side dish set. Dessert is included too."

I explained along as her gaze followed the price list… I don't think she needs the C-Rank explanation.

The receptionist closed her eyes briefly before answering.

"Then I would like the E-Rank meal, please."

"Understood. Feel free to let us know if you'd like to change it."

"Fifty copper coins… that's quite a lot."

"Well, we're deep in the mountains so transportation costs really add up… Isn't that right, Owner?"

"Yes."

"… Well, I suppose it can't be helped. We're deep in the mountains and there's no proper road leading here."

Alright, that's one silver coin per day.

"Ah, also, I would like to issue a nominated quest from the guild for Kehma-sama. Would you be willing to hear me out?"

"Hmm, I'm employed here right now though… What do you think, Owner?"

Might as well hear what it's about.

"The other day, the guild issued an investigation quest for this dungeon… A new name is still being considered, so we'll refer to it as the [Ordinary Cave] for now. We issued an investigation quest for the [Ordinary Cave], and… the adventurer hasn't returned."

Ah, Uzoh-Muzoh. They're sleeping in a huff in the test room right now.

"They were C-Rank, experienced dungeon explorers who knew when to pull back… For them to go missing suggests the dungeon is estimated to be quite high difficulty."

"… I see, and then?"

"We would like to issue an investigation quest to Kehma-sama, who has experience returning alive from this dungeon… And if the missing adventurers are still alive, we would appreciate it if you could rescue them… Well, the chances of them being alive are slim."

They're very much alive! But I can't exactly say that right now.

"If you accept this quest… the Guild Head has given permission to recognize you as C-Rank equivalent when exploring this [Ordinary Cave]."

"Oh, just for accepting?"

Of course they can't just let E-Ranks waltz in when even C-Ranks haven't come back. If I have a track record of surviving, it makes sense to grant conditional C-Rank recognition.

There's no reason not to accept at this point… Or rather, if I don't accept, we E-Ranks won't even be allowed into the dungeon. I have no choice but to accept.

"… What's the reward?"

"Five silver coins for the investigation quest, with additional rewards for useful information. As for anything obtained in the dungeon, you're free to keep it after showing it to us once. If you successfully rescue them, there will be an additional five silver coins from the guild, and you can negotiate the rest directly with the individuals themselves."

I have to accept anyway, but it looks like I can expect a decent reward. Uzoh and Muzoh are still alive, after all.

I don't want the dungeon's difficulty to be rated too high and attract only strong adventurers… Besides, having the inn's very first guests go missing would be a bad omen.

"… I'd like to accept, but it's up to the inn's decision. What do you think, Owner?"

I decided to accept the quest.