Chapter 207 - An Instant (3)

Most taverns in this city also offer lodging. Which meant that...

"Want to come upstairs for a moment, just to see my Ability?"

...she was offering to get a room and demonstrate her Ability. Something like this had happened before, so it wasn't particularly strange.

But...

"I don't think I can."

"... What?"

Looking at the flustered Erwin, I made my refusal firm.

"It's late. I need to get home."

There's a cat waiting for me, you see.

"Show me another time, when we get the chance."

"Oh... Okay!"

I knew myself well. As a gamer more fascinated by this world than anyone, if I saw that Ability, I'd inevitably spend the entire night experimenting with it until morning.

"Oh, you're back, nyah?"

After parting ways with Erwin, I arrived home to find Misha reading a cookbook in the living room. She came over and sniffed at me.

"Looks like you didn't drink as much as I expected, nyah?"

"I didn't really feel like it."

"Hmm, really, nyah?"

I hadn't done anything wrong, but for some reason, I found it hard to meet her eyes. Was it because I hadn't told her I was meeting Erwin?

Yeah, that seemed to be it. But she probably would've hated it if I'd told her, so what could I do?

I smoothly changed the subject.

"By the way, where's Aynar?"

"Asleep in her room, nyah."

"... I see. You should get to bed too."

Our brief conversation over, I was about to head upstairs when Misha called me back.

"Wait, go sit over there, nyah."

Had she found me out?

"It's good for you to settle your stomach before bed, nyah. Nothing fancy—I'll just make you a quick stew, nyah."

"Oh... Thanks."

For now, I did as I was told and sat at the kitchen table. Misha put on an apron and started cooking, while I silently watched her back.

"..."

Her tail was moving, swishing gently from side to side, as though something had upset her.

I didn't deliberate long.

"I met Erwin today."

I confessed honestly before I missed my window.

"... Really, nyah?"

Her answer came a little late, but she didn't sound surprised.

"... Are you angry, by any chance?"

Misha gave a faint laugh at my question.

"... Angry? Please, she'd have to be some kind of competition first, nyah."

As she said this, she dumped a pot full of stew into the trash.

Her actions weren't exactly matching her words.

"Why did you...?"

"Oh, the seasoning was off, nyah."

"I-is that so?"

"Wait here, I'll make another batch, nyah."

Misha soon cooked up a fresh stew and served it at the table. Then, saying she was a little tired, she went upstairs to her room ahead of me.

'... What was that just now?'

Though something felt off, I ate the stew in my bowl. As always, it was made exactly to my taste, and I polished it off easily without needing anything on the side.

And Misha had supposedly gotten the seasoning wrong?

'No way.'

Once I finished eating, I roughly cleared away the dishes and opened the trash can.

And...

"..."

I froze, dumbfounded, still holding the lid.

'... Good thing I told the truth.'

The stew in the trash was full of carrots.

She'd known all along. From the moment she'd come over and sniffed me, she'd known everything, right down to who I'd met today.

* * *

Time is like flowing water. You can't reach out and stop it, nor can you bring back what has already flowed past.

That leaves us with only one choice: to board the little boat called life and somehow keep rowing toward our goal.

'All right, let's get started again today.'

After getting out of bed, I spent a moment looking in the mirror and motivating myself. A trick I'd picked up as a gamer. You had to do something like this to keep from getting sick of repeatable quests.

"Bjorn... Oh, you're up, nyah? Then wake Aynar for me, nyah."

"All right."

My daily routine had been identical enough to deserve the name of a repeatable quest. Wake up at seven, get ready to go out, and eat the breakfast Misha made with Aynar.

"Library again today, nyah?"

"Why? Want to come?"

"No, never mind, nyah. I'm going to take Aynar to the training center later, nyah."

After breakfast, Misha and Aynar would go work out at the training center where they'd bought monthly passes, while I headed straight to the library.

"Are you here to read that book again today?"

"Yeah. It's more entertaining than I expected."

"Hehe, you should be grateful. I thought you might, so I set it aside for you."

Lately, I'd been reading an exceptionally long novel series. Lagna had recommended it, and it was much more entertaining than I'd expected. Maybe because it was set in the Labyrinth, it had plenty of substance too.

'Well, all the characters are so nice that it isn't very realistic.'

Still, if I kept in mind that it was fiction, it wasn't unbearable. Honestly, wasn't this pretty decent entertainment?

The problem with this world was that there were too few enjoyable hobbies besides drinking and partying.

"Well, keep up the good work."

As usual, around one, I'd close my book, leave the library, and have lunch. On the menu: the meaty, meaty lunchbox Misha had packed me.

By the time I'd sat by the fountain and wolfed it down, it would be time to meet Rotmiller.

"You're late today. By about thirty seconds."

"..."

"To become a fine navigator, you must understand the weight of time. Since you're late, we'll start the lesson immediately."

I was already in my seventh month of Scout lessons with Rotmiller. Honestly, I'd thought I'd be done in a month or two. But his knowledge was like an ocean; no matter how much I learned, more things I didn't know kept emerging.

"You seem to have mastered the fundamentals now, so let's start moving on to the advanced material."

"Before that, what about what I said yesterday?"

"You mean your suggestion that I open a school?"

"Yes."

Rotmiller had been the first to mention a school. But the more lessons I took from him, the more I felt that opening one would be a huge success.

Navigation techniques you could learn without an elf's keen ears, a Therianthrope's keen nose, or an inborn Guide ability. The distilled expertise Rotmiller had earned through hard work.

That alone was appealing, but perhaps because he'd started from the very bottom, his teaching skills were first-rate too.

'But he has no idea what he's worth.'

Honestly, I wondered why he still hadn't done it. Unlike the dwarf's smithy, it barely required any starting capital.

"Give it some serious thought. You've been doing nothing for months since then."

"I haven't been doing nothing. I've been taking the time to cultivate myself, something I couldn't do before."

"Then isn't that even more reason to do it? Sometimes you learn by teaching."

"That... is difficult to deny. I've learned quite a few new things myself while teaching you."

"So what's your answer?"

"I'm not inclined to do it yet."

I discreetly smacked my lips in disappointment. It seemed Rotmiller wasn't happy about retiring from active exploring...

"Really? Tell me when you decide. I'll help."

"Well, I appreciate the offer, at least."

"It's not an empty offer. I mean it."

In fact, I'd already drawn up a rough plan. First, rent a training center to use as a school and market it to human children hoping to become explorers. Once it was somewhat established, advertise at the Explorer Guild and run separate classes specifically for explorers.

That would bring in more money, after all. Of course, getting established would take quite some time...

'But Rotmiller is human.'

Humans paid low taxes. Once the business was established, even a modest steady income should keep him fed for the rest of his life.

'Though none of that matters if he says no.'

If capital was the problem, I was willing to invest some money myself. The concept of shares was still unfamiliar here, but it wasn't entirely unheard of.

It would be a perfect investment too...

"That covers everything for today."

Anyway, after several more hours of instruction, the day's lesson ended. It was around eight. Was it because we'd moved on to the advanced material? The explanations had been longer than usual, so we'd finished about an hour late.

"Then, tomorrow... No, I won't be able to come tomorrow."

"Let's allow some leeway and meet in three days."

"Very well. Take care out there this time too."

Anyway, that was the end of my scheduled daily routine.

In the evenings, I often drank with the dwarf or explorers Mister Bear had introduced me to and heard about developments in the business, or got together with the whole team to socialize...

But today, I had no plans. I'd already completed my own special routine that came at midnight on the fifteenth, so the rest of my schedule was completely empty.

Time to myself, for the first time in ages.

'Should I go back to the library? Or get some exercise at the training center?'

I deliberated for a bit, then went into a random tavern I spotted on the way home and ordered a drink by myself. Yeah, you needed days like this sometimes.

"Ahh."

Drinking lukewarm beer, I sorted through the thoughts drifting around my head.

'There's really been nothing noteworthy lately.'

My repetitive daily life wasn't boring. Honestly, it was comfortable and enjoyable. But on the other hand, my unease kept growing.

Because I knew these dreamlike days couldn't last forever.

'... Still, maybe we're safe for now? Nothing much came up at the Round Table either.'

The Round Table gathering I'd attended two weeks ago had gone much like the previous ones. I put on my usual air of gravitas and shared information, everyone oohed and aahed and looked at me in awe, and I listened carefully to their information while pretending to be bored.

That was all that had happened that day. No one had brought any interesting information that caught my attention, and the gathering itself had ended after just two rounds.

'Oh. I guess it wasn't entirely without anything strange?'

If I had to pick out one unusual thing about this gathering, there was one.

Clown.

["Then I'll see you next month. Heeheehee."]

For the first time, Clown had said goodbye at the end of the gathering. Not to me, but to the other members. In a tone that sounded a little meaningful.

'Does he mean something interesting will happen by the next time we meet?'

Who knew? No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't tell. It might have been a simple whim. Clown was that sort of character to begin with, and it wasn't as if I was a prophet or a mind reader.

'Time to get going.'

After sitting alone in the tavern brooding for about an hour, I got up and headed home. When I arrived, the melee sisters were already back from the training center and bickering.

Well, more accurately, it was a one-sided scolding.

"Aynar! Didn't I tell you to put all your laundry in one place, nyah? Do you really think you can become a great warrior like this, nyah?"

"Well... I was going to do it later! I really wasn't going to leave it undone! And it definitely wasn't because I couldn't be bothered!"

"This is your last warning, nyah. If you do it again, you'll be doing your own... Oh, Bjorn. You're back, nyah? Have you eaten dinner, nyah?"

"Not yet."

I'd had a drink, but I'd deliberately avoided ordering any food.

"Really? I'll have it ready soon, so go wash up first, nyah. Hey! Aynar! Where do you think you're going, nyah? I'm not done talking to you, nyah!"

"Tch! Caught me!"

Leaving Aynar to the rest of Misha's scolding, I went to the bathroom to wash up. When I came out, a lavish meal had been laid out.

Apparently, she'd put in more effort than usual since we wouldn't be able to eat like this tomorrow.

"Thanks for everything, Misha."

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden, nyah...?"

After dinner, we played a card game Misha had bought at the market, passing the time until the early hours of the morning.

After all, it was better to go to bed late today anyway.

"The sun's starting to rise."

"Next time, we should invite Eggfried and Aruru to play too!"

"Are you going to keep talking nonsense, nyah? Aruru's one thing, but Avman should be at home, nyah. He has a wife, nyah."

"Then can't we invite his wife too?"

What was she even saying?

Since leaving them alone seemed likely to start a pointless argument, I stepped in to wrap things up.

"Enough. Let's go to bed. Sleep in as late as you can."

Tomorrow night, the Labyrinth would open.

* * *

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

* * *

Darkness so thick we could barely see in front of us. Given that we'd only just entered the Labyrinth, it was clearly an anomaly, but no one panicked. We'd experienced this several times since that first occasion.

"Riate."

A softly glowing orb floated overhead, lighting our surroundings. The first thing it revealed was a floor monument against the wall at a dead end.

"We've arrived at the right place again. At this point, we might as well call it a rule rather than a special phenomenon."

The dimensional instability bug, boasting a glorious one-hundred-percent success rate.

As always, Raven approached first and placed her hand on the monument. Apparently, the structure of the mana flow when the portal formed was so unusual that seeing it once or twice wasn't enough to grasp it.

Of course, I had no idea what she'd use that knowledge for. Was it even useful?

「You have opened a portal for the first time. EXP +2」

Anyway, when we stepped through the portal, the familiar dreary air and ground greeted us.

Damn it.

「You have entered the second floor: Beasts' Lair.」

Of all the places we could end up, why here?

"Mr. Jandel, what are we going to do?"

"... Go back down."

Even after more than half a year of lessons from Rotmiller, I still couldn't handle this place. There were far too many forks, and the rules were complicated. Even Rotmiller had navigated this floor using his Smell stat, and he'd told me I was better off giving up on it.

"Goblin Forest again, then?"

Did she even need to ask?

We went back down to the first floor and headed for Goblin Forest, our most frequently used route. Navigating the Land of the Dead or the Stone Desert wasn't particularly difficult either...

But this route was still the fastest.

"We might be able to get merit score for opening that portal too. We'll be moving fast, so keep up."

I took out my compass and got down to navigating. We left the Dark Region without getting lost once, then followed the shortest route, weaving across the boundary between the Dark Region and the ordinary area.

I didn't even ask Mister Bear which direction the portal was in. I'd mastered Crystal Cave now.

TAP.

A little over two hours had passed since we'd entered the Labyrinth.

"Mr. Jandel."

Raven, riding on Aynar, stopped me.

"S-something's wrong."

"... Wrong how?"

"Mana is raging in the center. As though dozens of people are casting joint magic..."

Joint magic meant a method in which mages linked their individual mana to cast high-level magic or amplify the power of a particular spell. For reference, it was frequently used in large-scale raids.

But not only was it being used on the first floor...

"... Dark magic. I can feel the presence of cursed mana too."

...they were even using dark magic.

This was serious.

"... It must be Noark, right?"

"Yes. It's common knowledge that a considerable number of dark mages have sided with Noark."

"Just when I thought they'd gone quiet. This is a headache."

"W-what are you going to do?"

Perhaps frightened by the situation, Raven was visibly shaken, unlike her usual self.

Right. All the more reason for me to keep my head.

"Nothing changes. We'll pick up the pace from here. We get off the first floor as fast as possible."

I quickly issued orders and immediately resumed our movement.

Had about five minutes passed?

"Something's coming from behind us!"

The instant Raven suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs—

WHOOSH!

A wave of red light swept past us from the passage behind and vanished down the tunnel ahead.

There hadn't even been time to dodge.

"... What the hell was that?"

"I-I don't know. It did seem like mana, but..."

The ominous feeling was driving me crazy. A kind of magic even Raven didn't recognize.

"Hey, Bjorn... Shouldn't we keep moving for now, nyah?"

Following Misha's advice, I took the lead again and forged a path forward, trying to analyze the situation.

I couldn't come up with any answers. Perhaps that was why.

"We're... going to be okay, right?"

Even knowing what a leader's role was at a time like this, I couldn't answer that question.

"..."

Amid all the uncertainty, one thing was painfully clear.

Those peaceful days, which had felt like a blessing—and all the more fleeting for it—had come to an end today.