The Labyrinth Conquest Tour Decided to Be Short on Money
“Grilled chicken with butter, chicken and leek skewers, meat and vegetable pot-au-feu, sweet-and-sour pork, grilled river fish with salt, hash browns, and then…”
Fuuka recited the names of the dishes one after another as if she were chanting some sort of spell.
“Uh… um…”
When Fuuka finally finished her incantation-like order, the waiter looked at us, visibly perplexed. Though he said nothing, it was clear from his expression that he was wondering, Are you really going to eat all that?
From beside me, Haruto-san, with a look of mild exasperation, turned to the waiter and spoke up.
“You probably think she’s joking, but we’ll eat everything we’ve ordered, don’t worry. We’ll pay for it all, too, so you don’t have to be concerned about that.”
“I-I see. In that case, we’ll bring each dish out as soon as it’s ready.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
The waiter left to relay our order to the kitchen.
We were currently in a town called Keglis, within the Kingdom of Nohitant. Recently, Princess Lucila of this kingdom had tasked me, Fuuka, and Haruto-san with a mission: to conquer several labyrinths within the kingdom.
One of those labyrinths happened to be near this town, so we were staying here for the night before setting out to tackle it first thing tomorrow.
“I’ve heard that Fuuka has a healthy appetite, but does she always eat this much?” I asked.
For adventurers like us, who relied on our physical stamina, eating was important. However, if she planned to finish all the dishes she had just ordered, it seemed like a bit much. Normally, eating that much would likely cause problems during the labyrinth raid tomorrow, but since Haruto-san didn’t seem concerned, it was probably safe to assume Fuuka could handle it.
“Yeah, this is pretty typical for her. Thanks to that, though, the Copper Sunset House is always running on empty.”
Haruto-san answered my question, his tone half-joking as he grumbled. It didn’t sound like he was seriously blaming her, though, more like he was just making light of the situation.
“I earn more than enough to make up for it,” Fuuka responded to his complaint.
As usual, her expression barely changed, but I could sense she was somewhat miffed by Haruto-san’s comment.
“Well now, it’s rare for you to jump into the conversation. Could it be you don’t want Orn to get the wrong idea about you?”
“...That’s not it. You said we were broke because of me, so I’m just correcting you.”
Fuuka turned her face away as she spoke, almost like a child making excuses after getting caught doing something wrong.
Judging by the way Haruto-san smiled, as if watching something endearing, it seemed he was thinking the same thing.
"That look on your face is really annoying. You’re both definitely thinking something rude. Can I cut you?"
Fuuka shot us both a cold glare, making a rather dangerous suggestion.
“If we keep teasing her, she really might draw her sword. Besides, the food’s here. Let’s eat.”
Just as Haruto-san finished speaking, the waiter arrived with our dishes.
Haruto-san possessed an ability called Bird’s Eye View. This power allowed him to shift his vision to any location he wished, effectively eliminating any blind spots. It was an incredibly useful skill. He must have been monitoring the kitchen or the surrounding area, which was why he knew the food was coming before it even arrived.
The moment the dishes were laid out, Fuuka’s previous irritation melted away, and her eyes sparkled at the sight of the food.
She then turned her gaze toward me and asked, “Can I start eating?”
I wasn’t sure why she felt the need to ask me for permission, but I didn’t think much of it and simply nodded.
“Well then, let’s dig in.”
After hearing my words, both Fuuka and Haruto-san said, “Let’s eat,” and began to help themselves. Fuuka’s expression remained as stoic as ever, even while eating, but there was a distinct aura of contentment about her.
After some time had passed since the first dish was served, the table was now littered with empty plates. Both Haruto-san and I had eaten our fill and stopped long ago, but Fuuka was still happily working through the remaining food in front of her.
Despite the sheer quantity she consumed, her eating habits weren’t rushed or greedy; in fact, her movements were graceful, almost elegant. Watching her was oddly captivating, and since she seemed satisfied, there was no issue there.
But there was another, more pressing issue that couldn’t be ignored.
“Um, Haruto-san…”
“What’s up?”
“At this rate, we’re going to run out of funds before we even reach Dal Ane.”
Although this labyrinth expedition was technically commissioned by Princess Lucilla, it was essentially a job from the kingdom itself. As a result, they’d provided us with a considerable sum of money for our expenses. However, if this level of dining continued, no matter how I calculated it, we’d run out of funds long before we finished conquering all the labyrinths and reached our final destination: Dal Ane, Sophie’s homeland.
“Haha… yeah, you’re probably right…”
Haruto-san averted his gaze, laughing dryly, as if trying to avoid facing reality.
“I highly doubt the kingdom would believe us if we told them we spent the equivalent of a battalion’s food budget between the three of us.”
“Exactly. If I were in the kingdom’s shoes, I’d assume we were just greedy adventurers trying to swindle more money. And with the war on the horizon, they’ll be funneling enormous amounts of resources into that, so there’s no way they’ll give us any more.”
“Well, I do have some personal savings, so I don’t think we’ll run out of money entirely, but…”
“No way! You don’t need to dip into your own savings! I’ve already planned for this and allocated some funds from Copper Sunset to cover any shortfall. After all, the reason for this situation is our princess here,” Haruto-san interrupted, clearly flustered by my suggestion.
“Oh, I see… Thank you. But…”
“I get what you’re trying to say, Orn. Like I said earlier, we’re not exactly rolling in money. That’s why I was thinking we could make some detours during the labyrinth expeditions to gather materials and magic stones. Does that sound okay to you?”
“Yes, that’s no problem at all. In fact, I’d love to see both of you in action as much as possible.”
“Thanks. But honestly, I don’t think you’ll get much out of watching my combat style compared to Fuuka’s.”
“That’s not true. I’d really like to see how you control your Ki. Last year, you taught me a lot about it, but I have a feeling what you showed me back then isn’t everything, right?”
“…What makes you think that?”
Haruto-san’s gaze shifted, as if he was suddenly intrigued by what I had to say.
“If that weren’t the case, then it wouldn’t explain how you managed to destroy your opponents’ weapons in two consecutive matches during last year’s martial arts tournament, where magic was strictly forbidden.”
As I mentioned earlier, Haruto-san’s ability is Bird’s Eye View, and no matter how far you stretch its interpretation, it’s hard to imagine it would allow him to destroy weapons.
Moreover, when Oliver and I fought that massive skeleton the other day, Oliver replicated the same effect, breaking the skeleton’s arm just like Haruto-san had shattered those weapons.
This meant that the ability to destroy objects was a repeatable, learnable technique. It only made sense to assume that Haruto-san was using Ki manipulation to achieve that.
Haruto-san closed his eyes as if deep in thought after hearing my reasoning, and from the corner of my eye, I noticed Fuuka nodding slightly.
When he opened his eyes again, Haruto-san wore a sly grin.
“You’ve got it right. What I taught you last year was just the basics of Ki manipulation. Just like any other ability, Ki control can be applied in many ways. I’ll teach you more about its advanced applications during our labyrinth expedition.”
“Thank you. I’ll be counting on you.”
With Haruto-san promising to teach me more about Ki manipulation, and Fuuka having finished all her food, we decided to head back to the inn for an early rest to prepare for tomorrow’s challenge.
◇ ◇ ◇
My name is Dustin, and I'm the leader of an adventurer party that operates out of this town, Keglis. We’re what you’d call "adventurers under the lord’s patronage." By specializing in the labyrinth near this town, we get treated better than most other adventurers.
“Alright, everyone, good work this week! Tomorrow’s a rest day, so eat and drink your fill tonight!”
At my shout, my companions eagerly began to indulge. Once again, we’d made it through another week with no one missing from our ranks. Even though we know the labyrinth like the back of our hands, a single moment of carelessness could lead to disaster. Still, we’ve kept the risks low and maintained the lord’s trust. Honestly, being under the lord’s protection has its perks.
There’s talk that the kingdom and the empire will go to war soon, but we’re far from the border here, so it’s unlikely we’ll see any fighting. Our peace won’t be shattered by a war with the empire. In fact, if the demand for magic stones and labyrinth materials rises, we might even be able to make more money than ever. With that, I could afford to give my wife and kids even better meals.
“Hey, Dustin! It’s bad!”
Just as I was enjoying myself with my companions, Eric—another adventurer leader under the lord’s patronage—came running over with a panicked look on his face.
“What’s wrong, Eric? Don’t tell me you’re here to complain again because we earned more than you? If that’s the case—”
“This is no time for jokes!” Eric interrupted, cutting off my teasing.
“I just came back from giving the lord our regular report, and he told me! He’s terminating our contract!”
“…That’s tough, man. But hey, it’s not the end of the world. You guys will win back his trust soon enough. Our lord isn’t like those other nobles who don’t care about their people.”
“Were you even listening!? I said our contracts! That means your party too!”
“What!?”
There are only two adventurer parties under the lord’s patronage: mine and Eric’s. And he’s cutting both of us? What’s the lord thinking!?
“That’s why I said it’s bad! I don’t know all the details, but apparently, the labyrinth is going to be conquered soon.”
“Conquered? That labyrinth is the only one in this territory! Without it, where’s the territory going to get its magic stones?”
“How should I know!? All I know is that some adventurers have been tasked with conquering it, and they’re coming here from Tutril soon.”
From Tutril!?
What are those reckless lunatics doing coming to a backwater town like this!? They should just stick to chasing impossible dreams like conquering the great labyrinths and die while they're at it!
“…I won’t allow it. There's no way I’m letting them conquer that labyrinth!”
I don’t care what right they think they have to throw this town, this territory, into chaos, but I won’t let a bunch of outsiders trample all over the place we’ve called home!
That’s right, I have to protect the people living here in this territory. Even if it means getting my hands dirty, I’ll be executing justice.
Heh… heh heh… It’s not uncommon for adventurers to die while exploring a labyrinth, right?
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