Chapter 196: They Say Being a Widow Is Harder Than You Think
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 196: They Say Being a Widow Is Harder Than You Think
“You’re working hard.”
“Oh? Ah, no, it’s nothing. Haha.”
After Auntie Marta woke up, Father took a hit to the crown of his head with a metal ladle and was currently sprawled out on the floor. The highlight of the scene was Tresha, who stepped over him as if it were a daily occurrence.
Auntie Marta offered a word of sympathy to Theodora as she served the food. I wasn't quite sure in what sense she meant she was 'working hard,' though.
“So, where did you sleep?”
“With Sera. I told the kids to sleep on the second floor.”
“The kids?”
“Ravi and... was it Tresha? And Tresha’s friends were over.”
“Ah, right. They were.”
That was a story from quite a while ago. Tresha had a history of working in the Labyrinth with dreams of becoming an explorer, and if I recall correctly, the Tresha I met back then was on her very first trip into the Labyrinth.
“Tresha, are they still sleeping?”
“Ah, Brother. I think they’re still asleep. We stayed up really late playing yesterday.”
“What were their names again?”
“Ant and Rufina.”
“Right, right. I think I remember. Didn't you say Ant was really sick? It looks like he recovered well.”
Apparently, the three of them had entered the Labyrinth together after meeting me, but both of the others got hurt, and the boy had collapsed. I remembered giving them some money and sending them back to town.
“I’ll go wake them up and bring them down! Come to think of it, I haven't even had them thank you properly yet!”
“No, really, you don’t have to go that far.”
Before I could even finish my sentence, Tresha dashed upstairs and returned shortly after, dragging her friends awake. Forcing sleeping kids out of bed just to receive a thank-you—there’s a limit to how much one should fish for gratitude.
“What’s this about?”
“Back when I was a Brass-grade explorer, I met Tresha’s friends in the Labyrinth.”
“Aha... So it’s those kids.”
Sera seemed to remember, as she had heard some of the story regarding Tresha’s hiring.
“You were going around doing good deeds like that?”
“Well, I only did it because I had the means to.”
A few minutes later, Tresha came down, literally dragging her friends. They were still in their pajamas, barely able to keep their eyes open. I wondered if they even recognized me.
“You remember him, right? Ant, you might not since you were unconscious.”
“That explorer from back then...!”
“I-I’ve heard the stories, so I know...”
Tresha’s friends stood there hesitating for a moment before bowing 90 degrees to express their gratitude.
“Thank you so much for helping us!”
“T-thank you, sir...”
“Sure. What have you two been up to lately?”
“Rufina and Ant want to enter the Explorer Academy.”
“There’s such a thing?”
When I turned to Theodora and asked, she gave a kind explanation.
“In Tailvin, was it? There should be one. I’m not particularly interested in that field, so I’m not sure exactly what they teach, though.”
“An Explorer Academy. Sounds interesting. Work hard at it.”
It’s best for kids to study without worries. They should study using the money adults earn for them.
“By the way, what’s the monster being transported this time?”
“They’re inducing a Labyrinth Opening near the center of the continent. It seems to be quite large, and they’ve already pre-purchased the boss entity on the 20th floor.”
“How can they just snap it up without even knowing what it is?”
“From what I’ve heard from the scholars, it supposedly has a cooling organ. The cost of replacing the Frost Cores every three months is insane, you see.”
“A Frost Core... Ah, is it that thing you won at the auction back then?”
I think it was the 6th Stratum of Hechituk. They said there were sandworms that traveled beneath the ground in the volcanic region. They could survive because they had incredibly cold mana cores in their bodies, which people used like industrial cooling units.
It seemed they needed to buy them periodically for the factory and were looking for a permanent alternative.
“Also, the Frost Core we bought previously is about to stop functioning. If you need it... do you want to take it?”
“The Frost Core?”
“Yeah. I saw that you restored the Dragon Heart with mana, so I thought maybe you could do something with a Frost Core too.”
“What do you mean, restored a Dragon Heart?”
“Ah, that... the Dragon Heart. I bought one that was being used for research very cheaply.”
“About 200 gold coins... Ah, right. That is cheap.”
Anyway, it seemed there was a Frost Core that was about to reach its limit and lose its effectiveness. A cooling unit for the body—honestly, I wasn't sure if I’d have much use for it.
‘Wait, come to think of it, I might.’
If I eventually go to the 90th Floor and it turns out to be a sweltering hellscape, I might need a Frost Core. Even right now, I was having issues with my body temperature rising because the total volume of organs I was using had increased.
“When is it available?”
“Do you have about two hours? The replacement at the factory is finished, and they’ve already pulled the old one out, so we just need to go there.”
“I see.”
If I recalled correctly, the summons from the Guild Headquarters was for tomorrow. So I had time today.
“Sounds good. Let’s get ready and head out.”
“Where are you going, Yoo Eon?”
“It’ll only be for a moment. I’m just going to pick something up.”
“Okay, I understand.”
And so, the next item on the agenda was to receive the discarded Frost Core from the Golden Glove Syndicate’s factory.
* * *
“Tresha. Make sure to see your friends off properly.”
“Yes! Understood!”
After getting ready to leave, we stood at the inn entrance. Since Tresha’s friends had come to enjoy the festival, they had to return to their village soon.
“U-um, sir. Are you still working as an explorer...?”
“Me? Well, yeah.”
Tresha’s friend, Rufina, asked the question. It had been about half a year since we first met, and she was asking if I was still an explorer.
“Has your grade gone up a lot too?”
“A little.”
“I see...”
I wasn't sure why she looked so disappointed, but her emotions were plain on her face. Since she had a history of breaking her leg while being an explorer, her impression of the profession probably wasn't great.
“P-please stay safe...!”
“Right, thanks.”
“Hey, Ant. You should say goodbye too.”
“Sir, um... thank you.”
“Sure. Come find me if you become explorers later.”
Ravi was still asleep, but Sera saw us off. The Lymain carriage that Theodora had called arrived shortly after, and we headed straight for the Teleportation Gateway.
“Where is the location?”
“A place called Sandereil. It’s close to Hechituk.”
“Close to Hechituk? Why?”
“Because the Volcanus Deathworms that have the Frost Cores come from Hechituk’s Great Labyrinth. Wouldn't it be efficient to build a factory that needs Frost Cores nearby? Most of the factory products made that way aren't affected by travel time anyway.”
“Hmm, I see.”
It was my first time going there. I remembered the south being a region with a Middle Eastern feel, so it might be hot.
—My Lady! We have arrived!
“Let’s get out. Looks like we’re here.”
“Right.”
And so, we arrived at the southern city of Sandereil via the gateway. As expected, it was a dry, hot place with sandstorms blowing. Since it was located on a vertical line from Calax, there didn't seem to be much of a time difference.
Roanmarie had about a three-hour difference from Calax.
“My Lady, you’ve come.”
“Yeah, it’s been a while, Tir. We’re heading to the factory. Is the carriage here?”
“Yes, it is. But this person is...”
“Meet my boyfriend.”
“I didn't recognize you. My apologies, Young Master.”
“Ah, no. It’s fine. I’m Aven.”
When we stepped out of the gateway, a canine beastkin woman, who gave off a similar vibe to Ms. Alfi, was waiting. She had mottled dark brown and ochre fur, and her name was Tir.
“A hyena?”
“I am a jackal.”
“Aha.”
Missed again. The name 'jackal' was unfamiliar, but I felt like I’d heard it somewhere before. Anyway, we followed the guidance of the jackal beastkin, Tir, to the carriage.
“I will take you straight to the factory.”
“Yes, please.”
This wasn't exactly a factory owned by the Lymain family; it was a place shared and managed by the Golden Glove Syndicate. Regardless, the Lymain family held a lot of sway within the Golden Glove Syndicate, so Theodora, as a lady of the house, was able to enter the factory without any trouble.
“Lady Lobirat is currently here.”
“Ugh, why is she here?”
“I’m not sure of the reason either... My apologies.”
“No, it’s fine. Knowing her personality, it’s not like she’d explain it kindly anyway.”
Lobirat was definitely a name I remembered.
‘Ah, was it that grandfather I met when I went to Roanmarie?’
The Lymain family wasn't the only one in the Golden Glove Syndicate. There were many other beastkin families, and that was likely the name of the mouse beastkin grandfather.
“You two don’t get along?”
“There’s no reason to, and I have no desire to. She’s too prideful and has a foul mouth.”
“Hmm.”
It reminded me of Theodora when I first met her. It was probably best not to say anything.
“We have arrived, My Lady.”
“Right, thanks.”
The place we arrived at was a textile processing factory of the Golden Glove Syndicate. It wasn't just ordinary fiber; it was a special fiber from a moth monster found in the small and medium labyrinths nearby.
“They call it the Obsidian Silkworm. The fiber is incredibly tough and heat-resistant.”
“I see.”
It was a place that processed the silk of tough, expensive, pitch-black silkworm moths. The fences were set up similarly to the monster disassembly center in northwest Calax, and once inside, the factory buildings and grounds came into view. Here, too, beastkin and monsterkin made up the majority of the workforce.
“The Frost Core scheduled for disposal—show us to it.”
“Yes, understood.”
An internal manager guided us to an open space located behind the factory. The replacement with the newly brought-in Frost Core was finished, and it seemed they were waiting for the old one’s mana to completely run out before discarding it.
“Why not use it until it’s completely dead?”
“Output issues. The power drops, and if the Frost Core dies while the factory is in full swing, it’s a catastrophe. It’s better to just replace it on a factory holiday.”
“Makes sense.”
In any case, even if the output had dropped a bit, it was a very precious mana core dropped by the boss of the 6th Stratum of Hechituk’s Great Labyrinth. Usually, while it’s easy for temperature to rise, it’s incredibly difficult to make it drop.
“It’s already cool.”
Even from about 30 meters away from the Frost Core, I could feel the air getting chilly. It looked like a sphere about the size of a human torso, a plain-looking object with a white light leaking out.
“Ugh... why is she still over there?”
“Who? Ah, that person?”
The Lobirats were a mouse beastkin family. That lady over there, with large ears perked up on her head, was clearly the one.
“Oh my? Well, well? Look who it is. Isn't it Theodora?”
“How can you be so loud just saying hello? Could you be a little quieter, Mina?”
It was the lady of the Lobirat family, Mina Lobirat. She had short, dull gray hair and was slightly shorter than Theodora—though that was including the large ears on top of her head. If you started from the crown of her head, she was quite petite.
“What are you doing here? Don’t you have anything better to do?”
“I came to take the Frost Core scheduled for disposal.”
It seemed Mina also needed the Frost Core. This was a problem; our interests were overlapping.
“What? Why you?”
“I’m taking it because I found a use for it. Don't you ever think?”
“This little mouse...?!”
It was obvious she and Theodora were on great terms. Man, this was awkward for me to jump into.
“Oh, but who might this human male be?”
“Ah, um. I’m dating Theodora.”
“Hmph, I see. Heeeh?”
She was a squat mouse beastkin, and her large ears flapped every time she moved, which was actually quite cute. She reminded me of a certain mouse character with very strict copyright management.
“A-hem! No matter how beautiful I am, you shouldn't have such thoughts so carelessly.”
“Pardon? What... no. Theodora, it’s not like that.”
“...Manage your pheromones well.”
“I-I should.”
I felt a chill of killing intent.
“Anyway, it’s a shame, but I’m taking the Frost Core. No complaints, right, Mina?”
“No complaints? Are you sick? Do I need to take you to a hospital?”
“Phew, this dwarf is grating on my nerves again. What are you going to do about it?”
Mina looked back and forth between me and Theodora for a moment, then pulled a fan out of her pocket to cover her mouth as she spoke.
“As it happens, my fiancé is also here. You there, sir? Are you confident enough to brave danger for your wife?”
“Well, what kind of danger are we talking about?”
“Ohoho! My fiancé is a knight, you see! The legitimate son of a skilled martial family!”
“Hmm.”
I glanced at Theodora, and she just shrugged with a look of utter contempt.
“What, you want to pit our boyfriends against each other?”
“Oh, are you not confident? Isn't it romantic? A knight fighting for his beloved’s goals?”
Theodora looked at me for a moment. I think I knew what that expression meant.
“Mina, they say being a widow is harder than you think.”
“Huh? What kind of nonsense are you talking all of a sudden?”
“Bring him out, your fiancé. Is that okay, Aven?”
“Well... I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
It was a Pokémon battle.