Chapter 89: Someone Tell Me
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 89: Someone Tell Me
“Dahlia.”
“Dahlia.”
“Dahlia?”
“Why do you keep calling me, Senior?”
“Why are you so grumpy?”
“I’m not. I’m perfectly fine.”
Katrina approached Dahlia from behind while she was working and rested an arm on top of her head. For the past few days, Dahlia’s reactions to her teasing had been lackluster, robbing Katrina of one of the few joys of her life as a guild receptionist.
Ever since the incident where Yoo Eon was brought back to the surface unconscious by Arthur Dexter, and Katrina had handed him over to Sera at the treatment center, Dahlia had been like this.
According to the regulations established by the Guild Committee in Calax, the custody of an unconscious explorer could only be transferred to a relative within the eighth degree of kinship or another explorer who had been in a fixed party with them for over a year.
Simply having lived at the same inn for a long time was not a valid reason to hand over an unconscious explorer.
Of course, the regulation was antiquated and slightly detached from reality. Few explorers brought relatives within the eighth degree to settle down in the Labyrinth City. Nine times out of ten, they were people who had left home alone, clutching onto inflated expectations and ideals.
There were a few more explorers who met the criteria of being in a fixed party for over a year, but a year was a very long time. During that period of consistent labyrinth diving, some would die.
Others would leave the party after obtaining a good skill, or become unable to enter the labyrinth altogether after being struck by a curse skill.
Usually, if there was some level of acquaintance, the guild would hand over the unconscious explorer. From the guild's perspective, keeping many patients in the treatment center cost a lot of money.
Naturally, they could collect the fees once the explorer woke up, but they had lost far too much money on those who never did. Since the higher-ups didn't particularly want to do their jobs, these flawed regulations remained in place.
“We’ve always done it that way. I’ve even handed people over to those they only partied with once, so what’s the big deal?”
“I’m not particularly angry about that.”
“So you are angry about something.”
“...Senior, you’re interfering with my work, so please stop talking to me.”
Katrina had been using the crown of Dahlia’s head as a convenient armrest, but Dahlia suddenly jerked her head away, causing Katrina to stumble. Katrina was dying from the lack of a fun reaction.
“Dahlia, how many years has it been since you started working here?”
At Katrina’s question, Dahlia snapped back.
“Even if you are a grand senior with five times my years of service, Katrina, that doesn't give you the right to interfere with my work.”
“It’s not like that, I’m just curious.”
“...It’s my third year.”
Katrina tapped her index finger in the air as if counting, then nodded.
“Then you wouldn't have seen her.”
“Seen who?”
“The girl who came to pick up Yoo Eon.”
“There were two of them. One was a face I’d seen before.”
“The tall one. The one with brown hair.”
Dahlia turned her head slightly to look at Katrina. Her brow furrowed with a look of disbelief, while Katrina raised an eyebrow as if asking what was wrong.
“Don't tell me... you let him go just because you were friends with her?”
“No, it wasn't exactly like that. She probably doesn't even remember me.”
“Then when did you see her?”
“Has it been about five years now?”
The quill in Dahlia’s right hand stopped moving. She wasn't in the mood to entertain Katrina’s stories, but this one piqued her interest.
“What happened?”
“It was similar to four days ago. A panicked face, clothes thrown on haphazardly. A little girl burst through the guild lobby doors and...”
Katrina retraced her memories, thinking back to that day five years ago.
“She was tiny, but she had a loud voice. She asked where her brother was.”
“...I suppose she had a brother who was an explorer.”
“That’s right.”
“And? Did you do the same thing you did four days ago?”
“No.”
Dahlia tilted her head as she listened.
“Was he not her biological brother?”
“He was. But he was dead. His body had been recovered, so it was a bit different from four days ago.”
“Ah... that’s...”
Dahlia let out a short sigh and fell silent, eventually lowering her head.
“How tragic...”
* * *
“Urgh, this is so delicious, Sera.”
“Pfft. Really?”
“I mean, you could open a restaurant with this.”
“I already have a restaurant, though...”
“Ah, that’s true.”
His first meal after waking up from a coma was Sera’s special cube steak salad. If his arm had been broken, Sera might have fed him herself. But that would have been a bit shameless of him.
“Is it okay to eat like this right after waking up? Shouldn't you be having porridge or something...?”
“I’m sturdy, so it doesn't really matter. I just woke up, so I need to eat something like this.”
“Are you sure you’re sturdy? You came back so badly injured.”
Sera puffed out her cheeks and pouted. Wasn't this level of cuteness cheating?
It was true he had returned injured, but he figured he had survived an impact that would have killed anyone else dozens of times over. That crazy Human Hunter was truly strong. His claim that he could even kill a Cobalt-grade explorer hadn't been a lie.
“Well... yeah. It won't happen again.”
“Yes. Really.”
Still, this time it was his mistake. To be honest, he didn't even know where to start now. Though he wasn't deeply involved, the matter concerned the Mayerbridge Union. Since a key talent like Rubia had almost been lost, it might be more serious than he thought.
In the first place, the Mayerbridge Union and the Antonio Brotherhood were bitter enemies. Of course, the reason this incident became linked to Rubia was because of him. The people he had partied with were put in danger because of those who were hunting him.
I should go apologize later. I also need to show my face to Delbaheim at the Mayerbridge Union. Though the direct apology should go to the three I partied with.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“About this whole thing. People almost got hurt because of me... well, actually, people did get hurt.”
“Ah, speaking of which...”
Sera clapped her hands as if remembering something and ran off somewhere. A moment later, she returned with two letters. Even from a glance, their origins were obvious.
“These letters are for you, Yoo Eon. What on earth do you do outside that you get mail from places like these...?”
One was a personal letter from Theodora of the Golden Glove Syndicate, using her name, and the other was an official letter from the Mayerbridge Union requesting a consultation regarding the incident.
“Haha... well, it’s, you know. How should I put it? Things happen.”
“Hmm... Yoo Eon, are you actually a noble from somewhere? Something like that?”
“Oh, definitely not. I’m just a penniless beggar with nothing to my name. If I were a rich noble, I would have immediately... well, not this bed, but I would have treated you, Sera, and everyone at the Mounted Goat Inn to a massive feast.”
It was a shame he had no money. Even if people said this and that about the Mounted Goat Inn, by the standards of this world, it provided excellent service. However, perhaps because he was a modern person, there were parts that didn't quite satisfy him.
If he could, he wanted to replace all the beds here with those high-end ones from the Labyrinth Treatment Center. After idling for a while and slowly finishing his meal, Tresha and Walter, who had gone to learn magic from Iris, returned.
“O-Oppa?!! You’re awake?!”
“Yeah. I think I woke up about an hour ago.”
“Thank goodness...! Oppa, I really thought I’d never see you again!”
Walter, whose wingspan was now larger than Tresha’s height, seemed to sense his master’s excitement. He flapped his wings and let out the characteristic coo-coo of an owl. Just how big was that bird going to get? Sera’s room was going to get cramped.
“Ah, and... this! Master told me to give this to you when you woke up, and you just happened to be awake!”
“Huh? What’s this?”
It was a letter, but it was folded into a paper airplane. Iris certainly had a unique way of sending mail.
“Alright, I got it. I’ll check it later.”
“Hmph, really! You have to make sure this never happens again, okay?! Do you know how much Sera-unnie cried—”
“Kyaaa!! W-What are you talking about, Tresha?! Go wash your hands, quickly! Unnie will make dinner...!”
Sera suddenly lunged forward and scrambled to cover Tresha’s mouth. She then looked at him and gave an awkward, smiling eye-roll.
“Ahaha...”
“T-Then I’ll be going, Unnie...!”
After Tresha went into her room, a slightly awkward atmosphere settled over the first floor.
“Um... Sera.”
“Y-Yes?!”
“I heard you stayed by my side for four days...”
“W-W-W-Who said that?!”
“Ah. Your father did—”
“Dad, seriously?!”
Was it really that embarrassing of a thing to say?
“So... I’m sorry. I won't let it happen again.”
“No. That’s wrong, Yoo Eon.”
“Pardon?”
Sera extended her index finger and poked the tip of his nose.
“Don't say ‘I’m sorry.’ Say ‘Thank you.’”
“Aha...”
Sera stood with her hands on her hips and a bright smile, as if waiting for him to say it. How could such a confident expression look so innocent?
“Thank you, Sera. I lived thanks to you.”
“O-Of course...”
Hearing it directly seemed to make her shy, as she lowered her head and began to avoid his gaze, which was rare for her.
“But you know, Yoo Eon!”
“Yes?”
“G-Gratitude... you know it’s not fully conveyed just by saying it, right?!”
“Ah, um... I know. Of course I know.”
It seemed Sera wanted something.
“Is there something you need, Sera?”
“S-Something I need...?”
“Yes. Or maybe something you want to eat? There’s a good dessert shop in the northwest.”
“Hmm...”
Sera stroked her chin and pondered for a long time before finally speaking.
“That dessert shop. Let’s go there together.”
“Is that necessary? It would be faster if I just went and came back alone.”
“No, I mean... are you an i-idiot...?”
“Eh?”
“Sigh. Yoo Eon...? It’s right for us to go together, isn't it?”
No, it was definitely true that it would be much faster if he went. Was Sera good at running too? It seemed he had to go along with her words for now.
“Ah, um... I guess so?”
“Whew, fine.”
Then, without another word, Sera began to clear the dishes from the meal. It seemed he was misunderstanding something.
“Ah, Sera. Should we go right now then?”
“...Truly an idiot.”
This was hard.
Someone, please tell me the answer.