Chapter 69: The Necessity of Training
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 69: The Necessity of Training
“A message from the Guild. Mr. Sion is safe and has returned home.”
A messenger from the Guild had come to find Leah.
Leah, who had been desperately waiting for news of Sion’s survival, finally let out a sigh of relief.
“My Lady. Do you intend to go see the porter right away?”
“No. Let’s let him rest today. Sion must be exhausted. It’ll be fine to see him tomorrow.”
At Leah’s words, Rika nodded and pulled off her boots.
Only after hearing that Sion had survived could the women finally put their minds at ease.
Leah stripped off her leather armor and washed her body.
Having been unable to wash for several days, her body gave off the concentrated scent of a young lady.
Perhaps Sion had smelled it too.
Earlier, in her drunken state, she had clung to his side and acted coquettishly.
She hadn't even properly realized that her body might have a scent.
I really am something else, Leah thought, mocking herself.
Without even checking her own condition, she had exposed her breasts to him, trying to seduce him.
What on earth must Sion have thought of her?
He might have thought she was an easy woman, like a common street prostitute.
Thinking that made Leah feel incredibly embarrassed about her past actions.
She wanted to know Sion’s true feelings.
He always had a tendency to evade her questions.
She wondered if he truly harbored romantic feelings for her, or if he was simply following her because she was a noble.
It would soon be a month since she met Sion.
The promise that they would date if she still loved him in six months—the time remaining for that promise was steadily shrinking.
Now, only five months were left.
In a few days, people from her family would likely arrive.
There was a high probability that her older brother would come as well.
What should I say to him?
Leah’s older brother was the type of person who hated any man approaching her.
There was a high chance he would pressure Sion to stop associating with her.
To ignore the pressure of a high noble, one needed to at least hold a Gold Badge.
Sion had to grow even more during the remaining five months.
Leah worried that she might be placing too heavy a burden on him.
Perhaps he didn't even like her.
The thought that she was forcing someone to become stronger just because she liked them made her feel a sense of self-loathing again.
Her heart grew complicated in many ways.
Furthermore, she missed Sion.
She didn't quite know why she had fallen so deeply for him.
However, the way he always found a solution regardless of the situation seemed so wonderful to her.
Even when they were caught in the Labyrinth Eruption, Sion had rescued Leah as if it were nothing.
Amidst the sudden monster wave, he had stood tall and protected the party members.
And when the monster from the Deep Layer attacked, he hadn't backed down and had rescued Leah.
It would be stranger not to fall for him.
He was a man who had risked his life to save her several times.
Even if he was just a porter.
In Leah’s eyes, Sion was more manly than anyone else.
The Sion who had said she wouldn't like him in six months seemed ridiculous now.
How could she not love him when he had made such a profound impact on her?
“I’m jealous of Yuria.”
The woman who had met him before her, built a bond with him, and boldly confessed to start living with him.
A beauty with red hair, the daughter of the Guild Master, and a veteran adventurer with a Gold Badge.
It always felt like Yuria was ahead of her.
Leah wanted to catch up, but the gap wouldn't narrow.
While Yuria was rolling through the Labyrinth, Leah was learning etiquette.
While Yuria was undergoing Mana Adaptation, Leah was moving through high society.
From her very upbringing, Leah was someone who didn't quite fit the Labyrinth.
She knew it would be difficult to catch up to Yuria, who had received early training, at this point.
“But...”
She couldn't give up.
She had already lost her heart to a man named Sion.
Through him, she had learned the emotion of love for the first time.
By holding his hand, she had truly come to understand the existence of a man.
If she were to have her first experience, she wanted it to be with Sion.
By the standards of this world, Leah was at an age where she should have long since lost her virginity, but because her family was strict, she was still a virgin.
While her friends in high society all bragged about their lovers, Leah had always wandered alone.
If she could officially date Sion...
Would the day come when she could brag about her boyfriend to her friends?
My boyfriend is an adventurer.
And an incredibly talented, cool one with a will that never gives up.
She wanted to brag that he was a very wonderful man.
Even if his relationships with women were a bit complicated.
Wasn't that just the fate of a popular and successful man?
“How embarrassing...”
“Hmm? What’s embarrassing?”
“Oh, it’s nothing!”
As she was drying her hair and feeling shy by herself, Erika, who had just finished washing, asked Leah, whose face was as red as a beet.
Naturally, she couldn't say she was embarrassed because she was imagining all sorts of things with Sion, so Leah quickly brushed it off.
Of course, Erika knew exactly why Leah was acting that way.
She must be thinking about the porter again. Hehe.
Erika, the pink-haired priestess, quietly made notes in her notebook whenever the Young Lady acted so girlishly while thinking of the porter.
[Year XXXX, Month X, Day X]
[-Today, the Young Lady was talking to herself and acting embarrassed again. Very cute.]
[-She talked about Sion again while eating lunch. As expected, cute.]
[-After returning from training, she said she wanted to protect Sion. Extremely cute.]
The priestess carefully noted down the Young Lady’s cute actions in her diary every time they occurred.
Another note would likely be added this time as well.
While Erika was carefully recording the Young Lady’s cute points, Rien, who was lying on the bed reading a book, asked Leah tentatively.
“But Leah... can we really make it down to the Deep Layers..?”
Leah, who had been dreaming of a future with Sion, was instantly brought back to reality.
The same went for Erika, who had been smiling at Leah, and Rika, who had been quietly meditating.
The Deep Layers of the Labyrinth. Since that was Leah’s goal, they had to reach those far depths.
They had felt it today.
The monsters of the Deep Layers were strong.
No, they were more than just strong; they were terrifying.
The monster of the 6th Floor Crystal Cave, the Watcher.
If that thing hadn't been lethally wounded by Guild Master Moira, they would have likely all been torn to pieces on the spot.
Because of Moira’s Demon Eye, the Watcher’s magic had been sealed.
As a result, it had been forced to attack Sion using its most deficient ability, its tentacle whips.
Since the Watcher was a monster that primarily used magic...
If its abilities hadn't been sealed and it hadn't been wounded, not only the people inside the tavern but the entire surrounding area would have been devastated.
Below the Underground City was a true realm of monsters.
It was an area where one could only operate after reaching at least the Gold Badge rank.
“We’ll be able to go down.”
They had to.
She had to find out what the entity that had been calling her since childhood was.
If she didn't resolve this issue, Leah would live her whole life feeling an inexplicable frustration.
“To go down past the Underground City... we won't make it as we are now...”
Rien was right.
With the skills of those struggling on the 1st floor, when on earth would they ever descend past the Underground City?
There was no telling how many years it would take.
“Rien is right. I felt it during this Labyrinth run. It’s important to gain experience by going into the Labyrinth right away, but we still need to learn more.”
Rika also agreed with Rien.
While undergoing Mana Adaptation and gaining Abilities through Labyrinth runs was important...
It was also true that their individual technical proficiency was lacking.
They were still women in their early twenties.
They couldn't handle their abilities at an expert level.
They simply weren't that experienced yet.
“I... want to seek more... learning at the Magic Tower in the Labyrinth City...”
Rien had discovered several secret books in the Labyrinth City’s Magic Tower that couldn't be found outside the city.
The level of magic in the Labyrinth City was a step above the academies outside, and she wanted to delve deeper into her studies here.
Furthermore, she wanted to properly check if she truly only had an aptitude for the fire attribute.
“I also felt my own shortcomings.”
Rika suddenly felt the urge to shut herself in a Martial Arts Hall and engage in fierce battles with the warriors there.
Even now, she was among the strongest in Leah’s party, but her swordsmanship was too aligned with the Kingdom’s formal styles.
She felt that a knight’s swordsmanship was not suitable for dealing with monsters.
“That barbarian named Gon who was teaching Sion. I think my ability to improvise would improve if I sought learning from him. That’s what I think. What about you, Erika?”
“I... well. I’d like to increase the variety of Sigil Magic I can use.”
As a follower of the Goddess Church, Erika also wanted to train at the temple in the Labyrinth City, which could be considered the main headquarters of her sect.
Since the number of Holy Incantations one could learn in the Kingdom, which suppressed the Goddess Church, was limited...
She had a strong desire to acquire more prayer techniques in the Labyrinth City, which presided over the Resurrection Spell.
Everyone wanted deeper learning.
Through this Labyrinth run, they had clearly recognized their own deficiencies.
Leah looked at her companions and nodded.
“So everyone was thinking the same thing. Fine. Let’s halt our Labyrinth runs entirely for the time being.”
Leah had also realized through this run that she was far too lacking.
She couldn't go on like this. She had to learn and polish her techniques more from her teacher.
“I want to properly learn how to handle Silver Threads from my teacher.”
Leah’s teacher was the woman known as the Spider of the Labyrinth City.
Leah wanted to begin learning how to handle threads in earnest from her.
If she could freely manipulate threads made of Silver Iron and eventually spin webs enough to blockade an entire area...
Then, she felt she could dream of the Deep Layers of the Labyrinth.
“Then it’s decided. Let’s tell Sion tomorrow. That we’ll be having individual training for the time being.”
They would likely have to focus solely on training for about three months.
Unlike adventurers who were desperate for money, they had enough financial leeway to obtain sufficient learning.
If they started their training, the time they could spend with Sion would likely decrease, but training was essential if they aimed for the deeper parts.
And Leah had no intention of stopping her growth.
If my family tries to interfere between me and Sion, then...
Then she would just have to become a Platinum Badge and ignore her family.
Yes, that was the biggest reason she was trying to become strong now.
To ask him to get a Gold Badge in six months... it was an impossible task.
Leah knew that too.
She felt she had placed too much of a burden on Sion.
Therefore, she made up her mind to become strong enough to overwhelm her family.
Leah had a strong proactive personality.
She enjoyed achieving things herself more than demanding them from others.
That was why she didn't intend to force Sion to become a Gold Badge from now on.
She would become a stronger Platinum Badge herself, protect Sion, and eventually have their relationship officially recognized by her family.
The appearance of the Watcher had given them a firm goal.
Beyond simply entering the Labyrinth, they had clearly realized the reason they had to become strong, and they could realistically feel how difficult it would be to survive in the Deep Layers.
The experience of facing the Watcher led them to strive for a higher level once more.