Chapter 16 — A Common Dream for the Future
Chapter 16 — A Common Dream for the Future
“That is a trivial request.”
Odilon muttered indifferently while stroking his chin.
“You mean the Black Sword Guild leader—the petty thief who gathers homeless beggars in the eastern slums and extorts tribute from them?”
“That’s correct. He exploited the children I intend to sponsor as explorers. If I leave him alone, he will eventually cause us trouble, so I want him removed in advance.”
This was not a prediction but a judgment based on experience.
If left alone, he would constantly interfere with labyrinth expeditions through petty tricks, manipulation, and schemes.
In the game, I had deliberately kept him alive to increase the difficulty.
But this was no longer a world where death meant restarting.
Dangerous variables needed to be removed quickly.
“To create an ideal future, every unstable factor must be eliminated. Understood.”
Odilon nodded calmly and signaled to Rosalia, who had been standing silently.
“When would you like him delivered?”
“The sooner the better.”
“Then he will be placed in front of your house tomorrow.”
“Thank you.”
“Then I will take my leave. Until next time.”
Odilon casually waved his hand and left the library without hesitation, Rosalia following him as a shadow at his feet.
“…Patron.”
Abel, who had been stiff ever since Rosalia appeared, suddenly grabbed my sleeve.
“What is it?”
“Are you trying to eliminate the guild leader for our sake?”
“Yes.”
“…You mustn’t.”
Abel shook his head violently and looked at me with trembling eyes.
“That man has connections with underground guilds operating throughout Pletika, not just in District Six. If he suddenly disappears, they will certainly find the culprit and take revenge.”
Honestly, I was surprised.
He knew about the secret “silent alliance” between those guilds.
Such sharp insight could only come from careful observation.
“You’re right. But there’s no need to worry too much.”
“How can I not worry…?”
“Are you daring to ignore your patron’s orders?”
I ruffled Abel’s hair.
Only then did the overly serious expression on the boy’s face soften.
“The situation you fear will not occur. Just focus on studying.”
“Studying?”
“If you want to become an explorer, you must learn basic knowledge.”
“Do I have to enter labyrinths as well…?”
“Do you dislike that?”
“Of course not. I look forward to it.”
A faint spark appeared in the boy’s normally dull eyes.
“I never told my sister, but becoming an explorer was actually my dream.”
“A rather common dream.”
In the labyrinth city of Pletika, who did not dream of exploring labyrinths?
Explorers were celebrities who earned enormous wealth and admiration.
Naturally, they were also the profession parents most feared for their children.
“But until now, I had half given up. Sometimes we could barely afford food. How could I study exploration under those circumstances?”
“That’s why you never told Marlin.”
“Yes. If she knew, she would have forced herself to earn money so I could pursue the dream.”
The siblings truly cared for each other.
If one ignored the inconvenient truth that Marlin earned money by robbing abandoned houses, the story was almost touching.
“Since we’re already at the library, we should borrow some books about the basics of exploration. Come—I’ll choose some for you.”
I led Abel downstairs.
The librarian was still nowhere to be seen.
He was probably sleeping somewhere in the sunlight.
“But if the librarian isn’t here, how can we borrow books?”
“We just take them and return them later.”
“Isn’t that theft?”
“What a harsh word. It’s merely temporary acquisition without permission.”
“…Understood.”
Abel really reacted far too calmly compared to his sister.
He accepted the explanation so easily that I missed the chance to say it was a joke.
“This library operates on trust. Readers simply take books and return them after finishing.”
“Then some people might never return them.”
“That may be true, but it’s amusing hearing that from someone who survives by stealing.”
“…That’s true.”
“There’s a theft-prevention Mystery placed on the books. If they aren’t returned within a month, a spirit emerges from the book and destroys the borrower’s mind.”
As we walked toward the Labyrinth Studies section, I asked casually,
“Abel, how did you feel when that red-haired elf appeared earlier?”
“…I was afraid. If she wished, she could have killed all of us within seconds.”
“That’s correct.”
At present Rosalia’s level was five.
A low-level cultist and a tiger beastman child would be nothing to her.
“The labyrinth that troubled us so much—the Sneaking Ghoul Nest—she could clear alone.”
“If someone like that becomes your expedition companion, that is reassuring.”
“Reassuring…?”
“Isn’t it?”
“She’s skilled and capable. But she’s difficult to rely on. She’s too good at assassination.”
Abel tilted his head.
“I don’t understand.”
“You will eventually.”
I stopped in front of a shelf.
“And even if there were twenty of you, you couldn’t defeat her.”
“If there were twenty of me, perhaps we might win once.”
“To be honest, even fifty would struggle. I only said twenty to spare your pride.”
Abel glared at me.
Ignoring the look, I continued.
“When she appeared, you realized immediately that fighting meant death. Correct?”
“Yes.”
“And yet you still tried to fight.”
“My body moved before I could think. I believed she intended to attack you. Was that a mistake?”
The boy’s tiger tail drooped.
“I’m not scolding you. I want to praise you. You showed fighting spirit even before someone overwhelmingly stronger.”
I pulled a book from the shelf and placed it in his hands.
Anyone Can Do It! The Complete Guide to Labyrinth Exploration.
“Abel, you have the potential to become an excellent explorer.”
《Your ward Abel (Tiger Beastman, 12). Unlike his sister, he has not yet chosen a class. Training as an explorer would be an appropriate path.》
Marlin had already drifted toward a miscellaneous class path.
But Abel’s future remained open.
He could choose the class best suited to him.
“From today onward, train your body according to the methods in that book. If you repeat training or tasks long enough, you might eventually awaken a Mystery.”
“….”
Abel stared blankly at the fist printed on the cover.
Then he answered loudly.
“Yes!”
It was the most childlike expression he had shown so far.
“This is boring…”
Marlin lay sprawled across the sofa like a dried squid while reading Introduction to Labyrinth Studies.
“Why do I have to read? If I’m curious about something, I can just ask you, Kar.”
“You hate reading that much?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll give daily quizzes. If you fail, I’ll punish you.”
“That won’t motivate me at all.”
I sat beside her after pushing her legs aside.
“As punishment, I’ll make you eat the pork I bought.”
“Why is that punishment?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“…No.”
As we chatted idly, Abel entered carrying two steaming cups.
“I brewed some tea. Please try it.”
“Oh?”
I took a sip and widened my eyes.
The aroma was like a flower garden condensed into a cup.
“Ugh! Ptooey!”
Marlin spat it out immediately.
But I liked it.
“What kind of tea is this?”
“It doesn’t have a name. I created it.”
“You made it?”
“That’s Abel’s specialty!”
Marlin proudly poured her tea into my cup.
“We starve a lot, so whenever we get ingredients Abel experiments to make them taste better. Show him your notebook!”
“…Sister, stop exaggerating.”
Embarrassed yet slightly proud, Abel handed me a notebook.
I expected to pretend to be impressed.
But the contents truly surprised me.
“Impressive.”
It contained recipes that maximized ingredient flavor, recommended seasonings, and even suitable desserts.
The contents were far more thorough than expected.
He had achieved this level purely through self-study.
Perhaps that class suits him better.
I had been considering two possible classes for Abel.
Now my decision leaned strongly toward one.
Still, the choice belonged to him.
“You have remarkable talent.”
I patted his shoulder.
“Reading these recipes gave me an idea.”
“What idea?”
“Well…”
Knock knock.
A sudden knock interrupted us.
“Who is— AAH!”
Marlin opened the door and immediately stumbled backward.
“Ka—Kar!”
“Calm down.”
I placed my teacup into her trembling hands and greeted the unexpected guest.
“Good evening.”
“Mmgh… mmm…”
A man lay bound on the ground.
His entire body was bruised.
《Black Sword Guild Leader Maken (Human, 27). The man who exploited your tiger beastman wards. He was beaten and delivered here by Assassin Rosalia. His Mysteries have been sealed, leaving him in perfect condition to be offered as a sacrifice.》
That delivery had arrived with rocket-like speed.