Chapter 131 - Team Play (1)

Ten days had passed since our visit to the Karlstein household.

On the first day, I worried that Misha might have told her father everything...

["Whaaat? Are you crazy, nyah! You stupid barbarian! How could you say that, nyah!!"]

["Then what did you go back there for?"]

["That's...! You don't need to know, nyah!!"]

It was a needless worry. I didn't know why she was keeping it secret, but I could tell for certain that nothing of the sort had happened.

I decided to focus on the problems that needed immediate attention. There were no fewer than two ticking time bombs on the team.

["Dwalki, let's talk."]

The day after returning from the Karlstein household, I met with Dwalki right away. Over drinks, I broached the subject indirectly.

["What? Is that true? Miss Misha likes fat men?"]

["Yes. That's definitely what she said last time."]

["I-I see. Thank you for telling me. I-I nearly made a mistake by rushing things."]

For the record, after that conversation, Dwalki ordered a mountain of food to go with his drinks and stuffed himself until his stomach bulged.

That took care of one problem.

'He won't confess until he's put on some weight.'

It was safe to say I'd bought at least a month or two. With his personality, Dwalki wouldn't find the courage until he'd filled out considerably. By then, it would be about time for Misha and me to leave the team.

'This makes me feel like a real piece of shit...’

Still, it couldn't be helped. It might have been different if he were mentally resilient, but what if he confessed to Misha and got rejected? He wouldn't be able to keep his head straight even in the Labyrinth. That could put the team in danger.

'Wait, why am I so sure she'll reject him?'

The question suddenly occurred to me, but I didn't dwell on it. Sometimes, the information accumulated in your subconscious made more accurate predictions than anything else.

Anyway, Rotmiller was next.

["Be careful. Father must have tried something with that man, Rotmiller."]

Julie Urbans, the district manager's daughter.

If Rotmiller had met with the district manager as she'd said, there was a good chance their conversation had been something unsavory. The district manager and I had bad blood, after all. Though I did wonder why he was only making his move now, months later.

'Whatever the case, I can't let him see that I suspect him.'

Unlike with Dwalki, I took my time approaching the matter with Rotmiller. The man scared me. I'd never seen him angry, but...

No, that made him even scarier. Once things went sour with this type, they tended to see it through to the bitter end.

["Then on the first floor, we'll head for whichever destination is closest to our starting point."]

["Haha, marriage? What an odd question. I don't intend to start a family until I can truly take responsibility for someone."]

["Take the inside seat. You're so big you'll keep bumping into people if you sit by the aisle."]

I kept observing Rotmiller, both at our regular meetings and when we went drinking just to socialize. There was no significant change from before. He was quiet and serious as always, and just as considerate of others in most situations.

'Ha, this is a real headache.'

Even after Julie's warning, it was hard to imagine Rotmiller stabbing me in the back. In fact, suspecting him made me feel guilty. We'd shared good times and bad for months, after all. Yet I was letting a single remark from an outsider shake my trust in him?

'I couldn't be more of a hypocrite.'

The more I thought about it, the more ironic the situation became. But that only convinced me that I needed to clear this up properly.

Just what had Rotmiller discussed with the district manager at the Explorer Guild that day?

'If he'd told me about it himself, I could have put my suspicions to rest without another thought.'

But he hadn't mentioned it at all. So today, I'd invited him out for a private conversation. We really were running out of time now.

The Labyrinth opened tomorrow.

And so, after clinking glasses, I downed my drink in one go and got straight to the point.

"Rotmiller. What did you go to the Explorer Guild for the other day?"

He looked a little surprised by my blunt question. But perhaps he, too, had some idea what this was about?

So something really had happened.

"I know someone at the guild."

After that brief answer, I pressed him to answer my original question. Rotmiller sighed.

"... I was summoned, and when I went, the seventh district manager was in the room. He offered me a reward to betray you."

"And?"

"I told him I'd pretend I hadn't heard that and left. Well? Does that answer your question?"

He seemed to be trying to hide it, but my questions had clearly upset him. Still, I accepted that and asked again.

"Then why haven't you told me until now?"

"I just told you. I said I'd pretend I hadn't heard it. Besides, I thought telling you would only make things awkward."

"I see. Thank you for answering."

That ended the conversation. Pressing him any further would only amount to saying I didn't believe him. Whatever his true intentions, I judged that unwise.

'It wouldn't change anything anyway.'

We couldn't enter the Labyrinth without a Scout. Find someone new? That carried risks of its own. It was hard to find a skilled Scout without going through the guild. In other words, it would give the district manager the perfect opportunity to plant someone shady on our team. I wasn't even sure the dwarf or Dwalki would agree in the first place.

'Most importantly, I don't think Rotmiller was lying when he said he turned down the offer.'

At last, I made my final decision.

"Sorry for bothering you tonight. Get some rest, and I'll see you at the meeting place tomorrow."

Nothing would change.

Rotmiller would be joining us on this expedition.

* * *

The next afternoon, with about seven hours left until the Labyrinth opened...

"Mister, I'll come visit when I get back! Make sure you come back safe and sound!"

"All right. You work hard too."

Erwin left after spending the whole day chatting at my lodgings since linking up with her sister through Unity magic that morning. Just then, Misha arrived.

"What? Why's she coming out of here, nyah?"

"She said she stopped by to say goodbye. Apparently, she had nothing else to do after getting Unity magic cast on her."

"Hmm..."

"Anyway, you're right on time. Let's go in and get some sleep."

I set the timer on the alarm clock I'd bought recently, then slept alongside Misha to make sure we were well rested.

How much time had passed?

"Bjorn, wake up, nyah."

We had a quick meal, picked up our already-packed bags, and headed out. Perhaps because we were a little early, no one was at the meeting place yet.

"Hmm, are those two not here yet?"

As always, Rotmiller arrived right on time.

"Nope. Looks like Dwalki and Hikurod are running late, nyah."

"... Nothing new there."

Those two were always either early or late, so we kept waiting.

That was when it happened.

"Oh, Bjorn! Look over there!"

Following Misha's pointing finger, I saw a group of young warriors who had just completed their coming-of-age ceremony. I quickly approached them. By now, I'd feel disappointed if I left without meeting them.

"Are you lost? If so, just follow those people who look like explorers."

"Who are you, telling us something so obvious?"

"... Bjorn, son of Jandel."

"What! Little Valcan! It's an honor to meet you!"

Having introduced myself, I asked a question.

"What do you mean, obvious? Don't tell me you're not lost?"

"Of course not! We just have to follow the explorers like we learned at the sanctuary. Why would we get lost?"

"They taught you that at the sanctuary? Instead of showing you that weird map and telling you to memorize it?"

"Map? We can't read maps!"

The young warrior's answer left me dumbfounded. What was going on? Had their teaching methods changed in the meantime?

Well, I had no complaints. It was far more sensible than telling them to memorize a map and find their way.

Still...

"There's still time, so listen to what I have to say before you go."

"What you have to say?"

"Yes. Some things that'll help you."

I gave them the same advice I'd given the previous groups.

But now what was this?

"Be careful of humans? Of course. We have to protect our own hearts."

This bunch of baby barbarians was clearly different from the others. Every time I said something, they reacted as though wondering why I'd bother telling them something so obvious.

"Wow... Barbarians have evolved, nyah."

Judging by Misha's reaction, I wasn't the only one who found it strange. So what had brought about this change?

"Who taught you that at the sanctuary?"

I asked on the off chance, and the answer left me stunned.

"Karon, son of Tarson!"

Without my knowing it, a wind of change had begun blowing from below.

"We'll be going now! Bjorn, son of Jandel, it was an honor to meet you!"

I wanted to ask more, but the baby barbarians left, saying they couldn't wait to enter the Labyrinth. No sooner had they disappeared than the pair we'd been waiting for arrived.

"Ah, sorry we're late! Have you been waiting long?"

"Hahaha! Forgive us. Our friend Dwalki here had an upset stomach!"

"W-w-why would you say that!"

"Oh, come now. What's there to be embarrassed about? It's just us."

"Enough. Let's get going."

The pair had arrived a full twenty minutes late, so we hurried to the Dimensional Plaza. The portal was already open.

"All right, then! Let's go!"

Once Dwalki had cast Unity magic on us, we entered the Labyrinth.

* * *

「You have entered the first floor: Crystal Cave.」

* * *

The Crystal Cave shimmered with radiant light. Since we'd skipped it using a bug last month, it had been quite a while since I'd seen this sight. But there was no time to leisurely look around.

This time, we'd decided to try speedrunning.

At Rotmiller's request.

["If you're all willing, I'd like to give it a proper try. We probably won't earn any merit score, but I want to see how much I can accomplish."]

Since he rarely insisted on having his way when it came to planning expeditions, everyone unanimously agreed.

"Then let's set off right away."

As soon as he opened his eyes, he felt along the walls and ground to determine our location, then immediately began finding our route. And then he started jogging.

'Actually doing this is pretty fun.'

Rotmiller led the way, finding our route, while Misha cleared out the trash mobs right behind him. A formation designed solely for travel was refreshing in itself, and running in earnest from the very start let us see things we'd never seen before.

"Wow, they're running too, nyah!"

Other explorers were racing through the cave in search of a portal, just like us. It was a sight we'd rarely even glimpsed when moving at a leisurely pace.

'Now I see why it's hard to cut your time on the first floor.'

I was learning new things, too. The first-floor caves had plenty of sharp turns, making it difficult to run at full speed. In other words, beyond a certain level, all explorers traveled at roughly the same speed. That made the Scout's abilities all the more important.

Well, that or the team's stamina.

"Huff, huff..."

Our stamina far surpassed that of ordinary people, but even so, jogging for hours on end left us sweating buckets. Perhaps that was why conversation naturally died out among the group.

"Hikurod, are you all right?"

"I'm fine."

The dwarf, whose Agility and Endurance were lacking, looked close to his limit, but he didn't complain. Then again, how could he with Rotmiller like that?

"This way."

Apparently, he'd meant it when he said he wanted to test his limits. For hours, Rotmiller kept finding our way without losing focus. At best, you could call it passion. At worst, his zeal bordered on madness.

'Was he always this fired up?'

Marveling at this side of him I'd never seen before, I kept moving my feet.

How much time had passed?

[06 : 12]

We reached the portal in just six hours. Unfortunately, someone else had already opened it.

"Wow, I didn't know we could get here this quickly, nyah."

Misha voiced her amazement, but the dwarf and I first checked Rotmiller's expression.

"Damn it! Why can't I...!!"

I'd never seen that expression on his face before.