Chapter 109
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Body Adjustment (3)
"Hahaha!!"
"Drink up!!"
A drinking party had kicked off in broad daylight—they were pounding away at daytime booze, the kind that left them unrecognizable even to their own parents.
"Cain."
"Yeah?"
"Here, eat this. Ahh~"
These days, Sia occasionally fed me during meals or whenever we were eating.
It was a far cry from her old habit of stuffing her cheeks like a chipmunk out of sheer gluttony, cramming food in adorably until they puffed up.
"Ah... Oh? Tasty."
"Right?"
"Yeah, thanks, Sia. You eat some too."
Swipe swipe swipe—
"Hehehe. Nom!"
"Drink lightly today, got it?"
"Yeah..."
After getting seriously wrecked from overdoing it at the last two drinking sessions, Sia was sipping her beer timidly today.
Claude and old man Hawk—aside from their Pleasure House visits—often knocked back drinks together, so they were already rowdy and in high spirits.
Loren sat awkwardly between them and me, nursing his beer while stealing glances my way.
"Loren."
"Uh... yeah?"
"If you've got questions, ask old man Hawk anything. He might look rough, but he's survived in this Labyrinth City for fifteen years."
"R-Really?"
"Honestly, no matter how impressive they are, an explorer's life often ends in some pointless death. Just staying alive and active this long makes him incredible."
"O-Oh..."
"Kuhahat!!! Aren't you laying it on a bit thick with the praise, Cain?"
Old man Hawk, who'd been chatting away with Claude, turned at my words and let out a hearty laugh.
"Nah~, what I said is true, old man. You could stand a little more flattery."
"You think so?"
"Yeah, cheers!"
"Cheers!!!"
A bit tipsy now, Claude laughed boisterously as he clinked beer mugs with old man Hawk and chugged away.
Loren, gauging the lively mood, finally mustered the nerve to timidly speak to Hawk.
"H-Hawk...!"
"Hm? What's up, elf girl?"
"D-Do you... happen to know someone named Juri?"
Pffft!!!
"Kyaaah!!!!"
Hawk sprayed beer straight into Loren's face at the question, while Loren shrieked in response.
"H-How do you know that woman's name? No way..."
"A-Ah... D-Did Juri do something wrong to you...?"
"Ahem... Not exactly..."
Loren waved her hands frantically, looking troubled at Hawk's intense reaction—his beard was practically twitching.
"Then what?"
"And how do you know Juri? Even for fellow elves, I hear you don't mingle much individually."
"Well..."
I'd previously warned everyone not to spread it around, but since Hawk was close to our party and had been around the city for ages, Loren clearly wanted to hear more about her childhood friend.
The people who'd just heard that Juri was her one-and-only childhood friend...
"Whoa... You and that elf are childhood friends?"
"Th-Thirty years? Old man, what's this Juri elf like?"
"Claude, when I first came to Labyrinth City, that woman was already infamous..."
At Claude's question, old man Hawk's gaze drifted far off, as if reminiscing, and he began sharing old tales.
Stories unfolded from his lips about an elf with blonde short hair, tanned skin, red eyes, always stained with blood on her hands—earning her the moniker "Red Hand."
"When I first arrived in the city, she was already level 5? Maybe 6? Anyway, around there. She quit exploring after that and set up shop in the back alleys."
Oh? Level 5 in fifteen years? Not a bad growth rate.
"Whoa... What kind of abilities did she have, old man?"
"Hm... No idea."
"Huh?"
Everyone's heads practically sprouted question marks at Claude's dumbfounded reply.
"People still speculate to this day, but... Juri did handle spirits, sure—but that's just standard for elves. No one knew her actual blessings or main skills."
"Whoa..."
Usually, rising stars in Labyrinth City or explorer parties tackling mid-layers or deeper got nicknames along with rumors about their abilities and powers.
But zero info on any of that?
"Old man, so then..."
"Yeah, even 'Red Hand' came from brawling with back-alley folks. There wasn't a whisper about her explorer party or exploits."
"Loren?"
"Uh... yeah?"
Loren flinched at my question.
"If she's your childhood friend... no separate contact when you were both in Labyrinth City?"
"Ah... W-We... exchanged letters!"
"And those letters never mentioned her explorer life?"
"Hm... Come to think of it."
Loren pondered my question, then her eyes widened.
"R-Right! She did write about exploring, but it was all just chit-chat about the city this, that guy she met—nothing else."
"Thorough even with a childhood friend. Were you two not that close...?"
"N-No!!!"
Bam!!
Offended by my skeptical look, Loren slammed the table.
"O-Of course! Juri never really shared her whereabouts with me... B-But...!!"
"Calm down, Loren."
"Ah... S-Sorry, Cain."
Loren apologized after her brief flare-up at my words.
"Old man, you know it too. No one in this city is without a backstory."
"Hm... True enough."
"Maybe she had some circumstances?"
"Well... Aside from Pleasure House beef, she didn't pick fights with anyone else."
"Right?"
"Ah...! She did pull some petty thug stunts now and then."
Clap!
"...?"
Old man Hawk wore a thoughtful frown for a moment, then suddenly clapped as if struck by a memory, continuing the story.
"She took a direct commission from the Mage Tower's alchemy workshop, messed around with the gathered materials, and got permanently banned. Hahaha!!!"
"..."
I knew that story too—Loren had held back on sharing it to spare her feelings, but now it was out.
"Hm... Aside from stuff like that, nothing truly infamous."
"Right? Her bad rep in the city probably came from male explorers at the Pleasure House picking fights, leading to her 'vicious' label."
"Mm, yeah... Makes sense."
Old man Hawk nodded in agreement at my guess, and Loren's expression finally softened a bit.
I'd known Loren's backstory, and a sudden thought hit me as I looked at her.
"Oh, Loren, you said you ran away from home. What if Juri's here looking for you?"
"...!!!"
Loren jolted as if the idea had never crossed her mind.
"Think about it—it's been less than two months since you ran off to Labyrinth City. Your side's probably just now piecing together ways to track you."
"Ah..."
"If I were your parents, I'd convince your childhood friend Juri somehow to come find you."
"Eh...?"
"Right? An elf childhood friend who's spent thirty years in Labyrinth City, and poof—your daughter vanishes. Who'd they suspect and grill?"
"Huuuh!!!"
Loren gasped sharply at my deduction.
Her eyes widened, breath growing ragged—it was clearly a blind spot for her.
"See? You can't rule it out. Loren, I heard you're from high elf nobility last time. What about Juri's family?"
"N-Not particularly notable."
"There you go. Ever hear Juri say she wanted to come back to Labyrinth City after leaving?"
"No, she gritted her teeth and swore never to return."
"Doesn't matter—your elf side would still send Juri."
"Wh-Why, Cain?"
Loren looked flustered at my speculation. Well, fair enough.
Loren's mind was a flower field—not quite as much as Sia's, but still—so I explained patiently.
"Right now, Juri's the only elf with a name in Labyrinth City. If they were sending an elf here, she'd be perfect."
"R-Right...?"
"Yeah. I don't know elf politics well, but you're from some influential family, right?"
"Y-Yeah..."
"Say the heir runs away. They might not know exactly where, but your letters point to Labyrinth City. Who'd they send to drag you back?"
"...!!!!"
Loren's simple-as-her-body mind made her jolt hard.
"Old man Hawk."
"Hm..."
I'd initially called him for Loren's body adjustment and training, but piecing it together, his face hardened.
"Not quite my disciple after just one day... but we trained together. If something happens, I'll lend a hand."
"O..."
"Kuhum!!!"
As I eyed him in surprise, old man Hawk let out an awkward chuckle.
"What, you think I can't help out like a decent human?"
"Hm... Honestly, a bit unexpected. First time seeing you offer kindness like this."
"You think looking after your party wasn't kindness?!"
"That was the mentoring program—you got paid."
"Kuh!!"
With that, old man Hawk downed more beer without another word and headed back to his inn.