A Labyrinth After a Long While

After that, administrative work continued for a while.

I had to deal with Princess Tianis's unreasonable demands, and there was plenty else to do besides.

I even had Elza and Alexia help out when they had time.

It was helpful that the people I'd hired as clerks in Luido were starting to learn their jobs, so I no longer needed to check on them constantly.

I couldn't delegate intermediate and final checks to others, but I gave instructions through letters and had them work.

According to what I heard, things were progressing smoothly so far with no illnesses or other problems.

The rain was somewhat heavier than usual, but fewer seeds were rotting compared to normal.

Could this be the influence of the Earth Elemental Stone fragment?

I suppose I won't know its actual effects until after the harvest when comparisons can be made.

After being cooped up for several days and finally getting things in order, I decided to send Azu and the others on a longer expedition for the first time in a while.

Azu and the others hadn't been neglecting their daily training.

However, they mentioned that staying away from labyrinths for too long would dull their instincts, and they also wanted to improve their coordination as a four-person team. It seemed like a good opportunity.

Right now, with the agricultural management of Luido and the new inn, there's no such thing as having too much money.

Their destination this time was a labyrinth called the Crystal Village.

Magic stones resembling crystal can be found inside the labyrinth, and the monsters absorb them.

It's a strange place where the monsters' bodies become translucent and hard like crystal as a result.

Because of that, blunt weapons like maces are said to be more effective than bladed weapons like swords.

"Then it sounds like I'll be able to shine."

"I wonder if this axe will manage."

Perhaps because these conditions gave Elza a chance to excel, she seemed a bit excited.

Elza's strength could probably shatter most things.

Alexia's battle-axe also had good striking power and could be expected to perform well.

And she had magic, so there was no need to worry.

"I'll pass on combat this time."

"I-I'll do my best."

In Finn's case, daggers, needles, and other concealed weapons were her specialty, so the compatibility was poor.

As such, she would focus on the scout role.

Azu's sword couldn't be called effective either, but the Sealed Sword Grungaus's ability should work fine against enemies with crystal-like hardness.

I checked all four of their packs for anything forgotten.

"I'd heard about it, but you really are a worrywart. I've never heard of adventurers preparing this much."

"But it's saved us many times, hasn't it?"

"I bet. You could survive getting stranded with all this."

Finn said this with exasperation at Yohane while checking the contents of the bag, and Azu countered.

I was aware it was excessive preparation, but the bags were lightened by storage magic and could hold plenty.

And this much wasn't a significant expense or effort.

This kind of thing was an advantage over ordinary adventurer parties.

Yohane receives the profits in exchange for bearing all the expenses.

Normally, such items would be cut to increase even a small margin of profit.

But when push comes to shove, it's the bandages, extra water and food, and potions that prove useful.

"Well, whatever. Good treatment isn't a bad thing."

"I agree with that."

"I'm ready!"

"Then, we'll be going."

Each of them dressed in their adventuring gear and equipped their bags and tool pouches.

They're developing real presence, I thought.

Adding Finn improved their balance even further.

It should significantly help their survivability against unexpected accidents.

"The most dangerous time is when you've grown complacent. Be careful."

"Yes. I understand."

Hearing Azu's energetic reply, I saw them off.

Yohane's battles are fought at the desk. I can only leave the fighting to them.

Azu and the others traveled east through the kingdom via portal.

Exiting the nearest city, they spread out their map.

"Our destination is near the eastern edge. From here, we'll be on foot."

"How nostalgic. Isn't it pretty close to Spartia?"

"You're right. Looking at the map, they're not that far apart. It might work well as a base for conquering the Crystal Village."

"You participated in the martial arts tournament there, right? If I recall, Finn beat Azu in an instant."

Spartia. The warrior nation.

At Yohane's suggestion, they had participated in the annual martial arts tournament.

Everyone present had passed the preliminaries, but they couldn't win the main tournament due to compatibility issues and other factors.

"It won't go that way next time. Master believes in me too."

"Well, yeah. Even if I pinned you down like last time, you'd break free with brute force, so I'll go all out next time."

Finn said this while poking Azu's chest with her right index finger.

Azu grabbed Finn's right hand and stared into her eyes.

A faint rainbow shimmer floated in Azu's right eye.

"That's enough, you two."

Alexia grabbed both of them by the scruff of their necks and pulled them apart.

The two of them generally got along well day to day, but occasionally showed their competitive sides.

For Azu, losing to Finn was deeply etched in her memory.

After all, Yohane had asked Finn to go easy on her.

That was no small shock for Azu.

Yet that incident led to them working together like this. Life is unpredictable.

"Spartia would be a safe place to stay, wouldn't it? We've been given money for just that purpose."

Elza said this while raising a small pouch in her right hand, shaking it with a jingling sound.

Inside were royal gold coins.

"Sigh. You all are slaves, right?"

"Yes, that's right, but…"

The slave contracts were still in effect.

If asked whether they actually lived like slaves, the answer would be no.

"Gold coins for slaves to spend freely, expensive equipment and all. Something feels contradictory."

Finn said this while looking at her own equipment and that of Azu and the others.

For this expedition, Finn had also been provided with equipment.

She wore armor made of light yet durable materials, and her weapons were top-tier among commercially available ones.

In particular, Alexia's brooch and Azu's Sealed Sword were probably extremely valuable.

"Because Master is wonderful!"

"I'm used to it by now."

"It's not a bad thing."

"I guess there's no point saying anything to you carefree three…"

While having such conversations, they traveled and arrived at the entrance to the Crystal Village.

A crystal gate stood blocking their path.

Beyond it lay an incongruously magnificent crystal castle.

There were few other adventurers around.

Against crystallized monsters, compatibility was clearly important.

Since most adventurers primarily used swords, it wasn't popular despite being profitable.

Crystal magic stones had value as art objects and were also versatile as magic stones, fetching high prices.

The deeper you went, the more valuable the magic stones became.

"Ideally, let's go all the way to the depths and defeat the labyrinth's master. Apparently this labyrinth is fine even if you defeat its master."

"Right. Unlike you three, I'm paid on commission, so I'd like to earn as much as possible."

"Well, let's see how it looks inside first."

"Alexia-chan's right. Let's earn reasonably and return safely."

With that, their long-awaited labyrinth exploration began.