Wish Enforcement (3)
“I’ll get you a cool new arm, Elly.”
“……Huh?”
Elly blinked her yellow eyes. It was as if she’d never even considered the idea.
“Y-you’re going to get me an arm? What do you mean by that, Yona…?”
“Exactly what I said. I’m going to find you a new arm.”
“If you’re talking about reattaching the old one, that’s impossible. My right arm was completely obliterated by that breath attack. Even if some trace had remained, without special treatment it would have rotted away by now.”
“I wasn’t talking about digging up your old arm and sticking it back on.”
“Then are you planning to make it grow back? I’ve heard that a few races with exceptional regenerative abilities can do it with the help of high-ranking priests and the right conditions, but that doesn’t apply to a wolf beastman like me. I’ve already received healing from the archbishop before.”
“Even if the Pope himself stepped in, I doubt he could regenerate your arm, Elly. The Goddess of Love’s healing authority is ultimately just a symbol of benevolence. It doesn’t touch the essence of life, does it?”
“……The archbishop said something similar once. What does that even mean?”
“It means that unless the long-dead God of Life comes back to life, healing your arm will be nearly impossible. Oh! If the Goddess of Love personally bestows a miracle on you, it might work! But even that would require reaching the very bottom of the labyrinth.”
“…….”
I let out a small chuckle at Elly’s suspicious expression.
“Elly. There are actually quite a few ways to fix your arm. The problem is that every single one is dangerous and takes a ridiculous amount of time.”
For example, the Elixir that the Alchemists’ Union—the Truth Society—was probably brewing right about now. It was one of the three great pinnacles of alchemy alongside homunculi and the Philosopher’s Stone. An Elixir could bring the dead back to life, so what was a severed arm in comparison? Well… as I knew from the setting, the Truth Society’s Elixir would end up triggering all sorts of incidents and accidents… but the important thing was that it existed.
It might even be on the gacha list. Whether I could actually pull it was another question….
Besides that, there were other methods—like obtaining the Origin of Savagery, the power left behind by the Beast God on the sixth floor, or using the occasional spacetime distortions that occurred despite the Goddess of Love’s adjustments to bring back an arm from a past version of Elly. The minor issues were that reaching the sixth floor was required for the Origin of Savagery, and spacetime rifts were pure coincidences beyond even the Goddess of Love’s control….
Anyway, the methods existed. They were just realistically difficult or took far too long. In that case, what about the magitech prosthetic arm available on the third floor? Since it was ultimately just an object, it wouldn’t grow alongside Elly like real flesh… but it would still be incredibly useful.
After all, it was over-technology from the Age of the War Against the Gods. It would more than suffice until I could obtain an Elixir or the Origin of Savagery. Most of all, it was the fastest option among the alternatives I’d considered.
There were two conditions for clearing each floor of the labyrinth. The first was to grow strong enough to surpass the average strength of the monsters on that floor. The second was to achieve a great feat on that floor. A great feat meant uncovering an enormous secret, defeating the floor’s guardian, or something of that magnitude.
In other words, I had already cleared the first floor. The next time I entered the labyrinth, the path to the second floor would be open to me.
“It took me about a month to clear the first floor, even with Lady Rydia’s help. The second floor shouldn’t take that long either. The upper floors have been completely conquered, so maps and strategies are everywhere, right?”
“That’s… true.”
Elly, who had been pondering for a moment, tried to glare at me fiercely… but failed and simply pouted her lips instead.
“You know it well too, Yona. With the skills you showed today, reaching the third floor shouldn’t be too difficult. But….”
The second floor was still considered part of the upper levels, and the guild publicly released all information related to the labyrinth. That was why so many people died on the first floor when they first started adventuring, and it took time to learn the ropes… but on the flip side, that was exactly why the second floor could be cleared much faster than the first.
Of course, the moment you stepped onto the third floor—where even the maps were incomplete—you’d be back to risking your life, advancing one careful step at a time. That was why it was called the start of the middle layers for a reason.
“But it’s dangerous, right? I know that.”
“Then…!”
“But you know, Elly.”
I paused for dramatic effect, then grabbed the empty sleeve of her missing arm and flashed her a bright smile.
“Living as an adventurer is dangerous in itself. You know that better than anyone—that’s why you kept trying to stop me until I got kidnapped by the Twin Dagger Clan, right?”
“…….”
Elly was at a loss for words. I continued, counting on my fingers one by one.
“On top of that, picking a fight with the Pope is dangerous, stopping the Workshop Union’s ambitions is dangerous, blocking that insane emperor’s insane plan to invade from outside Pangrave is dangerous, and conquering every single floor of the labyrinth is dangerous too!”
“W-wait a second. The Pope and conquering the entire labyrinth I can understand, but what the hell are the Workshop Union and the Empire?!”
“Is that really what’s important right now? The important part is that if I put off going to the third floor just because it’s dangerous, things could get even more dangerous!”
“It is important! That’s not something you can handle alone!”
“Aww, it’ll be fine. It’s just a possibility, not something that’s guaranteed to happen.”
“Isn’t that basically saying you received a divine hint, if not a full revelation?! That’s way too ominous…!”
Elly shivered. Looking over, Rydia wasn’t much different. Everyone’s faith was seriously lacking.
“I don’t get why you’re all so worried. I’m going to stop everything anyway.”
“……What?”
“Is that even possible?”
“You’re mistaken, Lady Rydia. I’m going to make it possible. With the Goddess’s help, anything can happen!”
That’s right. As long as I had the Goddess of Love’s help (gacha)…!
Maybe it was because of the desire for 5-stars sparkling in my eyes. Elly stared at me blankly for a moment before letting out a deep sigh.
“I was just planning to raise you up to the second floor so you wouldn’t go around getting beaten up everywhere…”
But she soon nodded, as if she had made up her mind.
“Fine. Then I guess I’ll have to return to active duty.”
“What? What are you talking about? You need to keep running The Elf and the Silver Coin like usual, Elly.”
“You expect me to just sit back and watch? You’ve seen it yourself, Yona. Even with one arm missing, I’m still strong.”
“I’m not saying you’re weak. I’m saying we’re probably being watched. You know why we had to move separately from Inquisitor Karen today.”
“……The temple.”
The Pope—and the temple that moved at her command—was by no means incompetent. If they had been, they couldn’t have ruled as the de facto masters of Pangrave all this time. They might not be certain of our relationship with Karen yet, but they would at least be suspicious. They were probably just observing for now, wary of the backlash that would come from oppressing two renowned high-ranking adventurers without clear evidence.
“So nothing can change suddenly. Not until I bring back your arm. Once I do, you’ll have a proper reason to return, right?”
“It pisses me off, but you’re right.”
Elly’s shoulders slumped as the strength left her body. But what could I do? This was only the beginning.
“Alright, let’s wrap up that conversation… Shall we move on to the main topic?”
“The main topic?”
“Yes. Elly. Lady Rydia. You both remember the bet we made, right? That if I defeated the first floor’s guardian, you’d each grant me one wish.”
“Ah.”
“……Ah.”
Not only did Elly freeze up like a dried squid, but Rydia—who had been secretly taking a sip of expensive liquor from behind the counter while Elly wasn’t looking—flinched as well. I savored their gazes and gave a light shrug.
“Now, how should I use these wish tickets…?”
“D-don’t we have more important things to talk about right now?”
“Senior Elly is right. There must be something else.”
“Nope. I’ve taken care of all the urgent matters among the complicated ones today. What’s left are things that might happen far in the future—or might not—so for now, I just need to build up my strength. Wasn’t that what we were just talking about?”
“Ugh…”
“Eep.”
They both swallowed their groans and reluctantly nodded. Realizing there was no justification left to stop the wish enforcement, they started proposing conditions instead.
“Yona. You know, right? Nothing too excessive, okay? Yeah?”
“Y-yeah. Yona’s idea of excessive is different from ours. Let’s clearly draw a line here. If you make me drink a glass of beer, I’ll stand guard while you do whatever you want to Senior Elly.”
“Rydia! You traitor…!”
Elly ground her teeth while Rydia desperately pretended not to notice her glare. I burst out laughing at their harmonious little act and shook my head.
“No way. Did you really think I’d make some weird wish? Your trust in me is lacking. I’ll keep it to something that can pass as a normal joke, so relax.”
“……You promise?”
“Phew.”
Elly’s face brightened while Rydia let out a sigh of relief. I nodded vigorously, then pointed my index finger straight at Elly.
“Elly. From now on, no matter what I do, you are not allowed to take a single step for ten minutes.”
“……As long as I don’t move my feet, right?”
“Yes. You can use your hands however you want.”
Next, I pointed my finger at Rydia.
“Lady Rydia.”
“Yeah. I just have to stay still too?”
“No? I want you to let me touch your breasts.”
“……?”
Rydia tilted her head as if she couldn’t quite process what she’d just heard. I repeated it slowly and clearly for her sake.
“I’m saying I want you to press your chest against me while Elly stands there unable to move.”
“……!”
Rydia’s red eyes widened in shock. Reflected in those crimson pupils was Elly, wearing an expression like the world was collapsing around her.