Chapter 76
Chapter 76
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 76
Chapter Title: Crystal Tablet (2)
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“You mean I can see Alice?”
Color flooded back into the voice of the lord, who had sounded on the verge of death.
Maybe I should have waited until I was sure…
“As I said before, it's not a guarantee.”
“No, but it still means there’s a way, right?”
“That’s true. May I take out one of my pieces of equipment?”
“Equipment? Go ahead.”
I took a small dagger out of my inventory.
[Doppelganger's Dagger (Rare)
A dagger imbued with the power of a doppelganger, a demon capable of transforming into anything.
Attack Power 24, Magic Power +10.
Special Effect
Attribute Infusion
(Attribute Infusion: Randomly changes the attribute of the target hit. Cooldown: 10 minutes.)]
It was an item I found while organizing my inventory to trade with the Golden Lion Guild.
It didn't seem particularly useful, so I gave it to Goldie, but thankfully, he didn't eat it.
“Isn't that a Doppelganger's Dagger? What does that have to do with seeing Alice again…?”
Oh, you know about the Doppelganger's Dagger. That makes this easier to explain.
“I recently acquired a new trait.”
A dagger is a secondary weapon, usually used alongside a primary weapon that has bonus damage against a specific attribute, but with my trait, I can use it a bit differently.
“What kind of trait?”
“It's called 'Lord of the Desert.' It allows me to subdue earth-attribute monsters and make them my subordinates.”
“So you're saying you'll make Alice your subordinate and bring her here?”
I nodded cautiously and explained the risks.
There are two points of concern.
First.
I've never tried it before, so I'm not sure if I can summon a subordinate outside the labyrinth.
“Ah, but it's still worth a try, right?”
“Yes. Seeing as my other traits work fine outside the labyrinth, this one probably will too.”
“Then there's no problem, is there?”
The real concern is the second issue.
“If Lady Alice becomes my subordinate, her emotions or memories might change.”
A subordinate is like family, a member of a house ruled by a single head.
In games, when you use skills like subjugation to tame monsters, they often become loyal to their master.
Of course, I have no intention of overworking the Harpy Queen or treating her poorly.
But in some games, there are settings where they even fall in love with their master…
If it works similarly to how my companions all feel goodwill toward me, it could put me in an awkward position.
Because things like NTR are an absolute no-go for me.
“…That's possible, I suppose. But I don't care. As long as I can see Alice again.”
“Lady Alice's will is also important.”
“Alice will feel the same way.”
I suppose she would.
I've never peeked at the contents of the letters or the video recording crystal, but I've seen her reactions plenty of times.
“Understood. Then next time I enter the labyrinth, I will speak with Lady Alice and, if she consents, I will give it a try.”
“Thank you… truly.”
The eyes of the lord, who always had a friendly demeanor and a ready smile, were welling up with tears.
“Don't mention it. It's not a difficult task.”
The attempt itself isn't that hard.
“If you really bring Alice back, I will be sure to repay you.”
“Understood. Now, if you have nothing more to say…”
“Are you in a hurry?”
“My companions are waiting for me at the inn…”
“This won't take long. Do you still have that seed I gave you?”
Seed?
Ah, you mean the seed for the martial arts tournament.
I'd completely forgotten.
“Yes, I do.”
“We plan to hold the preliminary rounds for the martial arts tournament during the next long rest period.”
A long rest period refers to a ten-day break like this one.
“Weren't I supposed to participate in Kramis with my seed?”
I wondered if my seed had been invalidated, but thankfully, that wasn't the case.
“A special envoy came by recently with a direct order from the emperor. He said that in addition to the seed holders, we are to select and send one more person.”
Does he think regional administrators like Lord Almondeu are just giving seeds to their friends?
In any case, it doesn't really affect me.
If anything, this is a good thing.
If the preliminaries are held without me, it's highly likely one of the Golden Lion Guild's officers will advance.
“Understood. Then, if I may really be excused…”
“Don't you have any questions? Ah, what floor are you on now?”
Come to think of it, I can just ask the lord.
“I just reached the 65th floor.”
“Already? It wasn't that long ago that you reached the 51st floor…”
The lord looked completely astonished.
“Haha… I suppose it's thanks to working hard.”
“That's faster than I could have imagined. I don't think even the Pioneer in my time was as fast as you…”
“The 65th floor seems like it'll take some time. The environment is very different, so I was wondering if…”
The lord suddenly glanced around before releasing a surge of magic power.
“My lord?”
I could feel a massive flow of magic power toward the office walls.
“I've put up a magic barrier. We don't have much time because of the angels' eyes, so I'll be quick. Which faction did you choose?”
“Faction?”
“Have you not received the quest yet? On the 65th floor, you have to choose one of three powers…”
“Ah, I received the quest. But as for the faction…”
“Killing either the Martial Alliance Leader or the Heavenly Demon is the fastest way. I killed the Heavenly Demon. They aren't easy, but you must never make an enemy of the Emperor.”
The lord's expression as he warned me was more serious and grave than ever before.
“Is the Emperor that dangerous? I'd imagine security at the Imperial Palace is tight, but it seems like it would be easier than taking on skilled fighters like the Martial Alliance Leader or the Heavenly Demon…”
“Many summoners thought the same as you. Tsk, there's not much time left. Not a single summoner who chose the Emperor ever made it to the next floor.”
As he finished speaking, the magic power shimmering in the air vanished, as if the lord had withdrawn it.
“I'm glad you like the tea. I'll pack some for you next time you visit.”
He was suddenly spouting nonsense, likely because of the angels' prying eyes.
“Ah, yes, thank you. I'll see you next time, then.”
I said my goodbyes and left the lord's castle.
Is the Emperor really that strong?
The Cult Leader didn't seem like a pushover, either…
Lost in thought, I stopped by the Magic Tower.
Unfortunately, there weren't many Orbs of Traits or consumables in stock, but they had received quite a lot of equipment this time.
“I'll take all the Rare-grade equipment and above.”
“Pardon?”
“From here to there, I said I'll buy all the equipment that's Rare grade or higher.”
The mage on duty today was new to me, and he seemed a bit clueless.
I bought all the Rare and higher equipment with the intention of giving it to Goldie and returned to Kabisa.
“Hyeon-ung!”
“Mister!”
Seeing my companions greet me with bright smiles the moment I arrived lifted my spirits.
“Yeah. Sorry I'm a little late.”
“You are. You said you'd be back by lunch, but it took a while, didn't it?”
“Ah, the conversation went on for a bit. And I stopped by the Magic Tower.”
First, I took out the equipment I'd bought from the Magic Tower and fed it to Goldie.
As expected, he went for the Unique items first, gulping them down.
But he seemed to dislike some of the Rare items, pushing them away with his foot.
“Kkyuing!”
“Alpen, that little rascal Goldie has developed a refined palate, hasn't he?”
“I don't think so. Maybe it's because they don't match the items he'll give as a reward?”
Alpen was defending Goldie, but hmm, I didn't think that was it.
Last time, he ate everything from Mythic items to all sorts of weird cursed ones and brought back Orbs of Wishes, not equipment.
Still, it's a relief that only about seven pieces were left.
I can stop by the Golden Lion Guild later and get rid of... no, I mean, trade these.
They've probably collected a lot of Blessed Armor Enhancement Scrolls by now, so I can just trade for those.
“Mister, it's raining hard outside. Are you okay?”
“My raincoat is a good one, so I'm fine. Let's go shopping.”
On the way here, I stopped by Arnold's General Store and bought raincoats for my companions too.
“Hyeon-ung, what about lunch…”
“Are you eating again, sis?”
Rina teased Hanna, and come to think of it, it was about lunchtime.
“Let's eat out. There's a place with delicious seafood near the clothing store.”
I saw it on the map Luke gave me earlier.
It would be great if they sold something like a hot seafood stew…
“Seafood? I prefer meat over fish.”
“They probably sell meat too.”
I left Kabisa with my companions.
It was still raining heavily, but at least it was lighter than in the morning.
“Mister, are we there yet?”
“Just a little further.”
Rina was grumbling that her legs hurt, but huh?
Hanna was chuckling.
She was smiling in the rain, which seemed a little strange.
“Hanna, what's wrong? See something funny?”
“Ah, it's just that with all of us wearing the same raincoats, I thought others might see us as a family.”
It's true, a stranger might mistake Hanna and me for a married couple, and Alpen and Rina for our children…
Hanna has a quirky side I hadn't seen before.
“I'm a little disappointed.”
“Huh? About what? Did I say something wrong…?”
“Because I already think of us as a family.”
“Oh, Hyeon-ung…”
“There he goes again, making a move on my sister… Sis, I told you not to fall for it!”
“Why? It's nice. Don't you like it, Rina?”
As they bickered, we arrived at Boutique Repellia, the shop where I'd gone shopping with my companions last time.
“This is the place?”
“Yup.”
“Oh my! Welcome back, custom—”
The owner, who had been greeting us, recognized me and offered a warm welcome before hesitating slightly.
It was probably because I had different people with me.
“Are you open?”
“Of course. Thank you for visiting despite the heavy rain. Please, come in.”
As we stepped inside, all my companions looked surprised.
“Wow! Mister, there are so many clothes here!”
“Our Repellia is the finest clothing store in all of Kramis.”
“Hyeon-ung, this place looks a bit expensive…”
“Don't worry about that and just pick what you like. Could you help them out like last time?”
“Of course. Elsa, Marie, please help our customers choose some clothes.”
I was about to go rest on the sofa where I'd sat last time, but then I opened my inventory.
I took out a video recording crystal and walked around, filming my companions as they chose their clothes.
First up was Alpen.
“Hyeon-ung, you really don't have to buy so much for me…”
“You're my companion too, Alpen. Don't feel burdened and just choose.”
The shop owner seemed taken with Alpen's cute appearance and was personally leading him around, helping him pick out clothes.
He occasionally sent me looks that screamed 'save me,' but I casually ignored them.
“Hyeon-ung, what do you think of this dress?”
Hanna, wearing a red dress, asked with a bright smile. With her height and great figure, it suited her perfectly.
“It's gorgeous. The lines are nice, and the color matches your hair, so it looks great.”
“Is it okay? The neckline feels a little too low, so it's a bit uncomfortable…”
No, that's what makes it good…
“I pick this one! How do I look?”
It was Rina in a yellow two-piece. She didn't have Hanna's curves, but it had a bright and cheerful feel that accentuated her cuteness.
“It's great. It suits you perfectly.”
“Your daughter is so beautiful, she looks good in anything she wears.”
…Daughter?
“I'm not his daughter!”
“Ah, my apologies.”
…She was probably just trying to make a sale with a compliment, but she stepped on a landmine.
“It just means you're that cute. Don't be mad.”
After soothing Rina, I filmed for about twenty more minutes before deciding it was enough and returning to the sofa.
Goldie and Nyx were already on the sofa, dozing off together.
They'd been up early playing around, so both of them must have been tired.
I checked if the recording was saved properly and rested a bit, occasionally giving my opinion on the clothes my companions brought over.
Their laughter never ceased, and I leaned back on the sofa, thinking that there really is no woman who dislikes shopping.
Ah, Alpen still looked miserable, but he seemed to have adjusted a bit better than before.
I should use this downtime to organize my inventory.
I kept the important items at the bottom and the equipment I was going to sell or trade soon at the top… huh?
Two of the items I had organized at the bottom were glowing with a golden light.
One was the Crystal Tablet fragment I had received from the lord earlier, and the other was a black, palm-sized box.
The gift box from the previous Pioneer.