41. Shadows of the Labyrinth City
-------------------------------------
Translator: JayM
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Shadows of the Labyrinth City
-------------------------------------
Jeong Yoo-shin returned to the inn and immediately spoke to Dalmong.
“What?!”
Dalmong exclaimed in shock.
“I’m not entirely sure.”
“The ‘darkness’ that governs the lower levels of the labyrinth drives people mad. Didn’t you see what happened to that boy, Dean, from Karl’s party? Why didn’t you say anything?”
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his head at Dalmong’s serious tone.
“I didn’t realize it was that serious. Since I hadn’t gone insane, I thought Karin-nim was mistaken.”
“Sigh.”
“Don’t worry too much. I think Ashur-nim went to the Magic Tower to inquire about my condition.”
“I see. Ashur-nim is a long-lived Sword Master. His judgment is among the sharpest in the city, so he’ll be able to assess your condition accurately. Do as he says.”
“Alright.”
Despite Dalmong’s concern, he wasn’t too worried.
Karin had given him a pouch containing five gold coins and fifty silver coins for the last expedition.
And he still had his savings of twenty-six silver coins.
He had amassed a small fortune: five gold coins and seventy-six silver coins.
He had spent one gold coin on the imprint suppression ring and thirty silver coins on the Swordsman’s Guild tuition, but he still had four gold coins and forty-six silver coins left.
Of course, he still had to pay for rent, food expenses, and the orphanage academy’s tuition, but those weren’t significant amounts.
Ashur had told him not to enter the labyrinth for a while, so he planned to focus on training at the Swordsman’s Guild and learning literacy at the temple.
Despite the lurking madness inside him, he felt at peace.
He had plenty of money and good people around him.
He had obtained a terrible imprint, but he had also received a good one and had leveled up at the same time.
All things considered, his life in the Labyrinth City wasn’t so bad.
As he was thinking this…
Clatter!
A cat beast-person entered the inn.
“Dalmong! A letter.”
The cat beast-person took a rolled-up parchment from his bag and handed it to Dalmong.
Dalmong stood up and took the letter.
“Who’s it from?”
“Your wife.”
Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes widened.
“You have a wife?!”
“Yes. And a daughter.”
“Huh.”
So he was married.
And he had a daughter.
He wanted to meet them someday.
Dalmong grinned and broke the seal.
As he read the letter, his smile vanished, and his jaw dropped.
His lips trembled, and his eyes widened.
His hand shook as he dropped the letter.
“W-What…?”
“What’s wrong?”
“My… my wife is pregnant.”
“You’re having a second child? That’s wonderful news. Congratulations.”
“What are you talking about?! I’ve been here the whole time!!”
Dalmong yelled.
???
‘Infidelity.’
This word immediately came to mind.
He stared blankly at Dalmong.
Dalmong paced back and forth anxiously, then he suddenly rushed into the kitchen.
Crash!!
Bang!
He heard the sound of dishes crashing and breaking.
Less than a minute later, Dalmong returned while holding a two-meter-long iron rod.
It was the perfect length for him.
Clatter!
The inn door opened.
“Dalmong, I’m back.”
Karin entered.
“Karin-nim, I apologize, but I don’t have time to talk right now.”
Dalmong said urgently.
Karin looked at him, puzzled.
“Why?”
“My wife… Ugh!”
Dalmong’s face contorted in pain.
“Your wife what?”
Karin asked.
“She cheated on him.”
Jeong Yoo-shin answered for him.
“Gah!”
Dalmong doubled over, clutching his stomach.
“Really? Are you going back home? What about the inn?”
Dalmong, his face a mask of anguish, looked at Jeong Yoo-shin.
“Skar, can I leave the inn to you? It’s fine even if you run a deficit, just don’t burn it down.”
“Sure, leave it to me. I’ll take care of it. And I’ll send you a letter if I have any questions or need advice.”
“Alright. Karin-nim, I’ll be going now.”
Dalmong bowed his head to Karin and rushed out of the inn.
Whoosh!!
“Aaaaagh!”
“Whoa! Get out of the way!”
He ran so fast that a gust of wind followed him, and cries of alarm echoed from the street.
Karin looked outside, then came back inside.
“Hmm. Dalmong’s village is far away. It’ll take him about three months to get there and back.”
She crossed her arms.
“It’s that far? Why would he leave his family so far away?”
“I heard that the Labyrinth City wasn’t a good place to raise children.”
“Well, it’s not just an… ordinary city.”
With all the barbarians here, it certainly wasn’t a good environment for children.
“There’s a lot of… strange people in this city.”
“What should I do now, Karin-nim?”
“Why? You were so confident earlier, and now you’re scared?”
Karin giggled.
“Karin-nim.”
Randolph entered the inn.
Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes met Randolph’s.
It was the beast-person who had shoved his face into the dirt when he first arrived in this world.
“What is it?”
Karin asked, crossing her arms.
“Ingrid-nim requests your presence.”
Karin’s expression hardened.
“My mother? Why?”
“I don’t know. She said it’s urgent, so you have to come immediately.”
Karin frowned. She glanced at Jeong Yoo-shin and said,
“I’ll be back. Stay here. Our tribe is closer than Dalmong’s village. It’ll take about two months for me to get there and come back. Silva, stay here and help Skar.”
A white-furred wolf beast-person named Silva quietly entered the inn and bowed his head.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Karin and Randolph left the inn.
Dalmong was gone, and now Karin was gone too.
He was dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events.
He was also worried about them.
But he had a job to do.
He shook his head, clearing his thoughts.
‘Just focus on the task at hand.’
He extended his hand to Silva.
“Things seem to be a bit chaotic. I’m Skar. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m Silva. Karin-nim told me a lot about you. Nice to meet you too.”
Silva smiled and shook his hand.
They worked together to clean the inn.
They washed the dishes, tidied the kitchen, and checked the inventory in the storage room.
Jeong Yoo-shin had no experience in running an inn, so Silva took charge.
He was impressed by Silva’s efficiency and calm demeanor.
He already liked this beast-person despite having just met him.
Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the inn was empty as most explorers had returned to the labyrinth after its reopening.
He sat on a stool behind the counter during his break, and looked out at the street.
Ashur had advised him to avoid the labyrinth, and focus on his training and studies for now, but the situation had changed.
Dalmong had told him it was fine even if he ran a deficit, but he didn’t want to do that.
Dalmong had trusted him with the inn.
He wanted to repay that trust, even though Dalmong didn't really have the time to ask anyone else.
He could postpone his training and studies for a while.
He stood up. He still had a lot to do.
As evening approached, explorers began to return to the inn.
Silva managed the kitchen while he served the food.
Silva’s cooking was excellent.
The patrons seemed to notice Dalmong’s absence, but they didn’t ask any questions.
A regular customer, whose face he recognized, joked with him as he served the food.
“Is it the end of the world? A barbarian serving food?”
“Hey, barbarian, did you put something in the food? Be honest.”
“Just eat. I didn’t cook it. It’s Karin-nim’s subordinate’s cooking.”
“Karin-nim? The daughter of the Beast-person Alliance representative? Where’s Dalmong?”
“He’s away on urgent business.”
He replied while wiping down a table.
He couldn’t tell them that Dalmong’s wife had cheated on him and was now pregnant, so he kept it vague.
“Is that so? It must be serious then. But if the chef is Karin-nim’s subordinate, then the food should be good. Be careful though. My eyes are faster than your hands, so don’t try anything funny.”
“Just drink your liquor and boost our sales.”
“You’re completely devoted to Dalmong. Alright.”
Seeing the regular customer chatting casually with a barbarian, the other patrons relaxed, and ordered food and drinks.
Perhaps their curiosity outweighed their fear.
Many patrons asked him questions, but he answered them politely and sensibly.
“…Are barbarians really obsessed with… holes? That’s not true.”
“…Do I like rubbing my face against children’s bellies? You’re drunk. Please leave.”
“…How big is my penis? Why would you want to know that? Get out.”
As the night deepened, the drunken patrons stumbled out of the inn.
It had been a surprisingly smooth closing.
He helped Silva clean the kitchen after the last customer left.
“Thank you for your hard work, Skar-nim.”
Silva said, wiping his face with a towel.
“No problem. You worked harder than me, Silva. Thank you.”
“I’m glad I could be of help. See you tomorrow.”
Silva smiled and went upstairs.
The inn felt empty without Dalmong.
He felt a strange sense of loneliness as he sat alone in the quiet inn.
He went for a walk to clear his head.
He strolled through the park and sat down on an empty bench.
The cool early summer breeze brushed against his forehead.
As he sat there, looking at the fountain…
He heard a rustling sound behind him.
He turned his head.
“Die, barbarian!!”
A small child jumped out of the bushes, swinging a knife.
Grab!
He quickly caught the child’s wrist and twisted it.
“Agh!!”
The boy’s face contorted in pain as his wrist was immobilized.
“Who are you?”
“I’m here to avenge my father!! Barbarian!!”
“Who’s your father?”
“Ditto Piglick!”
He looked closely at the boy’s face and saw a resemblance to Ditto. He felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
“Your father tried to kill me. For money.”
He took the dagger from the boy and examined it closely.
It was engraved with the slave hunters’ symbol.
Damn it.
“Agh!!”
The boy was still in pain, so he released his grip on his wrist.
“Where did you get this?”
The boy didn’t answer.
He grabbed the boy by the scruff of his neck.
“I asked you a question!”
He yelled, and the boy froze.
He glared at the silent boy.
“Are you deaf? Let me repeat myself. Your father tried to kill me. The people who gave you this dagger paid him to kill me. You idiot. Trying to kill someone for a few coins?!”
“What do you know?!”
The boy glared at him defiantly.
“Do you know what it’s like to starve? To have your stomach gnawing at your back?!”
The boy continued,
“After my father died… m-my mother collapsed. My siblings are crying from hunger. What am I supposed to do?!”
“So you resort to murder? You pathetic fool. How much did they pay you?”
The boy clammed up again.
Was he afraid of having his money taken away?
He asked again,
“How much?”
“F-Fifty copper coins.”
“Shit.”
He released the boy.
He was so small that his face could be covered with one hand.
He thought of the children at the orphanage.
He couldn’t kill him.
“Come with me.”
“Why should I?”
“I’ll give you some bread.”
“Don’t make me laugh! Do you think I’ll fall for that?!”
“Suit yourself.”
He turned around and walked back to the inn.
The boy followed him at a distance.
How desperate must he be to follow the person who killed his father?
He clenched his teeth.
‘Those bastards.’
The slave hunters had wasted no time in making their move after Dalmong and Karin left.
But sending a child? They were truly despicable.
He entered the inn.
The boy didn’t follow him inside.
He went into the kitchen, found a leather pouch, and filled it with bread, a bottle of wine, and some cheese.
It wasn’t enough.
He went upstairs, took twenty silver coins from his stash, and put them in the pouch.
He went back downstairs and opened the inn door. The boy was standing there.
“Here.”
The boy took the heavy pouch, his body swaying slightly.
“W-What’s this?”
“Money and food. Come back if you need more.”
“I’m not going to thank you.”
“Come back if you need more.”
He repeated.
The boy turned around and ran off without another word.
“Ha…”
He sighed and went upstairs.
He threw himself onto the bed and closed his eyes, but he couldn’t sleep.
His stomach churned.
The dark shadows of the Labyrinth City were slowly revealing themselves to him.
-------------------------------------
T/N - To those who think the MC handled this naively, well… just wait for the next chapter. Fair warning though: it gets pretty dark.