Goblin Slayer (5)
Sally hugged Hans, who didn't have a single bite mark on him, and sobbed uncontrollably. She fed the other dazed prisoner an antidote and the lowest-grade recovery potion. I wasn't sure if the antidote would work on aphrodisiac poisoning, but the potion definitely did its job—the bruises faded quickly.
In the meantime, we dismantled the hobgoblins we'd killed and gathered anything that could be sold. Each one was weaker than an Iron Wolf, so their byproducts weren't worth as much, but with this many, they'd still fetch a decent price.
...And the hobgoblins' loot wasn't limited to what came from their bodies.
"Rydia. This is adventurer equipment, right?"
"Yes. Goblins can work stone and wood, but not iron."
"Looks like more than a few died."
The adventurer gear we found in the building they'd used as a warehouse came to a full nine sets. Since parties were usually three or four people strong, that meant three adventurer parties—including Sally's—had been wiped out.
"...Are hobgoblins really that dangerous?"
"Not every adventurer is like you, Yona."
Fair point. I knew the hobgoblins' habits, understood the level of civilization and organization they lived with, and on top of that I had skills pulled from gacha plus decent equipment. That alone put me in the top ten percent of first-floor adventurers, and I even had Rydia to back me up in a pinch.
In other words, I could afford to dive in more boldly.
As I stared blankly at an ownerless helmet, Rydia gave my shoulder a couple of light pats.
"Don't dwell on it too much. In the Labyrinth, countless people die every single day. You just happened to see a few of them up close."
"I suppose that's true."
One of the Labyrinth's settings was that the first floor had the highest mortality rate. Other floors required clearing the previous ones or being guided by someone who had, but the first floor had no such restrictions—anyone could enter. Naturally, just as many people rushed in as died trying to leave.
It was also a place that felt like it had a deliberate 'purpose'—training adventurers in the common, essential skills they needed.
Against wandering goblins, you learned how to kill living creatures. Against horn rabbits, you learned party coordination. Iron Wolves taught you how to strategize against monsters. Hobgoblins taught you how to overcome vastly superior numbers. And though I hadn't encountered them yet, giant mantises would teach you how to defeat opponents stronger than you in every way... hammering the fundamentals of raiding into your body.
On top of that, you picked up the basic rules that applied everywhere in the Labyrinth, how to navigate, and countless other non-combat lessons. If you failed to learn them in time? Simple. You died right there.
Even the first floor was still the Labyrinth. It was no place to take lightly.
That was why reaching the second floor was enough to be recognized as a full-fledged adventurer. You had to master the basics before you could even clear the first.
It wasn't an idle comment when Rydia said she'd use me as a baggage carrier after I cleared the first floor.
So yes, I knew it in my head. The Labyrinth was a place where you bet your life for profit.
But seeing people who'd truly died and left only traces behind still made my chest feel heavy.
Up until now, I'd been conquering the Labyrinth so smoothly that I'd started thinking being an adventurer was the sweetest job in the world. Only now was I belatedly realizing it wasn't such a happy workplace after all.
I had no intention of stopping in fear, but my voice came out a little subdued.
"...What do we do in cases like this, Rydia?"
"The loot itself is ours by default. However, we must report it properly to the Guild. If there are items that could identify the owners, we need to show them."
"Aha? So they can verify whether we killed them or not?"
"Yes. It's not impossible that we entered together and witnessed another party get wiped out right in front of us, but most are found long after death. They simply cross-reference it against the Guild's missing persons list."
"Cross-reference... They're not seriously searching through every single list by hand, right? That would be insane...?"
Cross-referencing in a world without Ctrl+F. Just thinking about it made my head hurt.
But Rydia tilted her head as if she didn't understand what I was saying.
"Yona. Did you forget? The Guild is an institution run by the temple."
"Wait, what? Does that mean they have so many people they can just throw them at the problem until it works? And if someone collapses, they just heal them and keep going? Those vicious...!"
"No. It means they invested a huge sum to build a magic search system. There's even a rumor that the commission fee from that request raised the Magic Tower by thirty floors."
"...Ahem. As expected of the clergy. They're working hard to reduce the number of people dying unjust deaths, even if only by a little!"
"I'm starting to understand why you hate going to the temple so much, Yona."
Rydia narrowed her eyes like she'd seen something blasphemous. I carefully avoided her gaze as I finished collecting the last wiped-out party's legacy. The equipment was one thing, but we also found a pouch stuffed full of magic stones. That alone would be quite profitable.
There were no other monster byproducts visible—probably because the goblins had used them all. Just to be sure, I pressed down hard on the empty floor, checking for any hidden spaces.
Meanwhile, Rydia had shouldered a bag packed with all the heavy equipment.
"Thank you for carrying that, Rydia. If it was just me, I wouldn't have been able to take even half."
I planned to make Sally carry both Hans and the other nameless prisoner somehow, so we'd have to handle the items between ourselves.
To my thanks, Rydia tilted her head with her usual expressionless face.
"It's only natural. This is my money too."
"...Excuse me?"
"Yona. Accounts between adventurers must be exact. You assassinated half the hobgoblin village, but I killed the other half. Therefore, the rights to the loot are split evenly."
"Urk!"
It was frustrating, but she was right. I couldn't argue. Instead, I changed the subject.
"Rydia. Remember the first-floor Floor Guardian I mentioned before? I was thinking we should start preparing for it soon. Would you help?"
"???"
"The equipment I obtained this time turned out stronger than expected. At this level, I should be able to deal solid damage to the Floor Guardian, so I think it's worth attempting."
"...Wait. Wasn't that just some vague aspiration or distant goal?"
"No? I was completely serious. I already have a pretty good idea how to summon the Floor Guardian, too."
"...Normally I'd tell you to stop talking nonsense, but when you say it, Yona, it somehow sounds believable."
"Ehem!"
"That wasn't a compliment."
"Hehe. No need to be shy! I already know you'll help anyway!"
"Well. Even if the first-floor Floor Guardian really exists, if you can defeat it alone, then it doesn't matter."
A Floor Guardian was essentially a boss. Naturally much stronger than the other monsters on its floor, and often possessing tricky abilities. But given how the Labyrinth scaled enemy strength as you descended, it was roughly equivalent to monsters from two or three floors deeper—or a bit stronger.
In other words, the first-floor Floor Guardian was about the level of a third or fourth-floor monster. For a high-ranking adventurer like Rydia, it wouldn't be too difficult an opponent.
Just as I'd expected.
"So you'll help? Thank you! We'll talk details later. For now, let's head out."
"Yes."
There hadn't been any hidden spaces after all, so we left the warehouse with some regret.
Outside, Sally stood with an awkward expression, Hans on her back, while the other prisoner still hadn't regained his senses.
"Sally! Think you can carry that guy too?"
"...I'll do my best."
With a determined look, Sally gave a firm nod and adjusted Hans on her back. Her tendons had been cut, but her forearms and thighs were still fine, so she seemed to be managing somehow.
Hans carefully reached out and lifted the dazed man in a princess carry. I wasn't sure his arms would last all the way out of the Labyrinth... but it wasn't my problem, so he'd figure it out.
"Shall we head straight back, Rydia?"
"Lead the way."
"Got it."
We still had energy to spare, but with all this luggage and extra people, returning was the right call.
After walking for a bit, I asked Rydia in a low voice.
"So what happens to these people now?"
"First we report to the Guild. Sally and Hans may be injured, but their minds are intact, so they'll have to manage on their own. That man, however, is different."
"He seems completely broken. If we just leave him to fend for himself, it'll be a disaster."
"Yes. So he must be entrusted to the temple. Caring for those gravely injured in the Labyrinth is part of their role."
"...Do we really have to go?"
"We really have to go."
"Can't you go in my place, Rydia?"
"Didn't you say you didn't want to leave other men with me?"
"Then let's have Sally do it."
"Aren't you refusing to take ransom money?"
"Ugh...!"
If you rescued an injured person from the Labyrinth and hospitalized them at the temple, you could receive compensation. Of course, it wasn't anything like human trafficking. More like a service fee. The temple would pay upfront, then the recovered patient would work there to repay the debt.
A system like that was necessary so people wouldn't abandon injured baggage in the Labyrinth but instead bring them safely back to the surface.
Sometimes people died even after treatment, or survived with aftereffects so severe they couldn't repay. The temple accounted for that and still gave a fee to whoever brought them in.
Anyway, if someone could be saved, they should be. The followers of the Goddess of Love were overflowing with charity, after all.
"...Can't be helped. I'll go with you."
"Good. Wise decision."
An Inquisitor wasn't exactly a leisurely position, so the chances of running into her were low. Still, the mere possibility of encountering Karen made me sigh.
My gaze drifted to the group behind us. The nameless prisoner still showed no reaction, which was one thing, but Sally carrying Hans on her back looked far too dark for someone who'd barely survived.
Now that I thought about it, in her panic Sally had pointed to Hans as the one to be eaten instead of herself. How must it feel to watch the lover you'd sworn to protect get defiled by goblins? Even if it had been panic, what about the guilt of offering that same lover as a sacrifice in your place?
And for the lover, completely unaware of any of this, to be crying on your back, saying "thank you" and "I'm sorry"... what would that feel like?
Treating severed tendons would require high-grade potions or extended temple care. Either option would cost a fortune, and Sally didn't seem like she had the means to pay.
That meant she'd have to spend the rest of her life caring for a lover who couldn't move... Every time she faced her own sin, what must she feel? Could she still love him purely like before?
I didn't know the answer. I could only hope their future would be at least somewhat bearable.
"Ah."
It had been a while since I last felt like writing.