118. Office Workers Have No Summer Vacation (2)
118. Office Workers Have No Summer Vacation (2)
[I'm not a dog...]
"Hehe, let's go for a walk together~"
Millia fastened a leash to Rue with practiced hands and tied it tightly. Rue thrashed in terror at the prospect of another walk, but she was only a helpless tentacle that could not cast a single spell. Bound by the cord, Rue raised herself with the eyes of someone who had given up on everything.
"Don't go too far!"
"Okaaay~!"
"I-is it r-really all right to h-handle a G-Grimoire like th-that...?"
"Why wouldn't it be."
As far as I was concerned, Millia enjoyed it, so I had no reason to stop her. Despite all her complaints, Rue didn't seem to hate it completely either.
"I-I don't think anyone b-but Yohan would t-treat a G-Grimoire like that..."
"A first, then."
There were few phrases that resonated so deeply in a gamer's heart. Though this wasn't a game, so no achievement was going to pop up. I tidied the dishes neatly, then turned my head fully to look at Elisa, who was fidgeting with her hands.
"Probably...?"
"So, why did you come? I have to head out soon—things to do."
"Uh, well..."
At my question, Elisa began twisting awkwardly and stealing glances at me. What was she trying to say, acting like that? I waited for her answer, slightly tense. Nearly three minutes passed before Elisa, the most timid person in Dawn Hall, finally responded.
"Um, th-the black market opens in a f-few days... w-would you maybe... go together...?"
"Are you asking me to go to the black market with you? Why?"
"W-Well, that's..."
Elisa stammered through a long-winded explanation. It was frustratingly slow and complicated, but its meaning was simple once condensed.
"You want to go to the black market because there's something you want to buy, but you're afraid to go alone, so you're asking me to come with you?"
"Y-yes..."
"All right. I was planning to go anyway, so I'll come with you."
I'd already intended to check whether there were any usable magical tools or materials anyway.
"R-really?"
Elisa seemed taken aback that I'd accepted so readily; she looked up at me with wide, round eyes. I answered once more, confirming, and then rose from my seat. I had a mountain of things to do today and needed to move without a moment's rest.
"Then we'll leave immediately after dinner three days from now."
"Y-yes! Thank you!"
"Yohan."
I turned my head toward the beautiful voice that had abruptly called my name and looked at Karina. She had a faintly worried look as she asked me:
"Won't the black market be dangerous?"
"As long as you don't stray far from me, you'll be fine."
"Should we bring Reni along, just in case?"
"Reni has to protect you. I understand that you're worried, but being overprotective is not a good habit either. More than just the two of us will be going, so don't worry too much."
"...Even so, please be careful."
She looked so cute being concerned that I let out a chuckle and replied.
"I'm the one obsessed with safety. I can't claim much else, but when it comes to safety, I'm confident. So don't worry."
"...Alright."
"I-it wasn't going to be j-just the two of us...?"
At the disappointed voice beside me, I turned back toward Elisa. She looked at me gloomily while fidgeting even faster. Had she wanted it to be just the two of us that badly?
"There are others coming with us."
"I seeee... Okay..."
Elisa left the dining hall with her shoulders drooping. I watched her retreat for a moment, then said my goodbyes to Karina and exited the dining hall.
-------------------------
"Phew, it's hot... get me an orange juice over here!"
Sif sat down after placing her breezy order and dropped a thick stack of documents in front of me, as though showing off how hard she'd worked. I chuckled at the gesture and spoke.
"That's quite a lot."
"I worked incredibly hard scraping all that together. Cost me a lot of money too..."
Sif looked up at me meaningfully. Her expression plainly said, 'I worked hard, so give me a bonus.' I obediently pulled five gold coins from my pocket and handed them over.
"Oooh, a whole five gold coins? Thanks!"
"If you're grateful, work even harder."
"You'll give me a bigger bonus too, right?"
"Depending on the results."
"What, did you pick up a new patron or something?"
"Yes."
At my answer, Sif's eyes sparkled. Apparently she was under the impression that this new patron was something like her own patron. Since Sif currently occupied a position akin to a subcontractor's subcontractor, it wasn't exactly wrong.
"Oooh, so they must be loaded?"
"I'm not sure about that."
I didn't know how large Principal Merlin's personal fortune was. Given his age, he had probably accumulated considerable wealth, but perhaps not enough to shower me with money. He must have earned plenty through various ventures, yet he'd also have spent a substantial amount on his research.
"Well, if you're calling them a patron, they must be rich... ugh, I'm exhausted."
At her words, I looked beneath her eyes and noticed faint dark circles. Come to think of it, she was wearing more makeup than usual. The color of her face differed subtly from her neck. Now that she'd earned some money, was she taking better care of her appearance? I had some money to spare too, so perhaps I should buy cosmetics for the kids. I knew nothing about choosing them, though, so I'd need Sif's help.
...First, I decided to finish the work.
If I let myself become sidetracked, there would be no end to it.
I spread the papers Sif had gathered across the table in a long row. They contained information on dungeons throughout the continent—roughly thirty of them. To make productive use of summer vacation, I'd ordered Sif to gather only information on unexplored dungeons.
There was no need to visit dungeons whose rewards had already been confirmed.
In the first place, most of the dungeons already discovered here were places I'd cleared at least once back when I'd played the game. Even if my memory was hazy, seeing the names would usually trigger something. And those places, for the most part, had absolutely paltry rewards.
If I wanted to find an item capable of lifting Karina's curse, it was better to search hidden dungeons or sections that had been discovered but remained unexplored for various reasons. Being able to monopolize the rewards was another major advantage. Besides...
[New Mission]
-Clear 5 unexplored dungeons.
Reward: 3 Trait Points
...A mission had appeared, as if it had blatantly caught on to my plans.
Since it was offering Trait Points, there was no reason to refuse.
"Yohan, about the dungeon—are we going just the two of us?"
"I'm thinking of recruiting a few people and going."
"A few people?"
"Remember the students who escaped the Rift with us back then?"
"Them? They were strong for their age, but do we really need them?"
Sif, looking unenthused, sucked orange juice from a giant cup through a straw.
That thing was ridiculously huge. Who filled a damn beer mug with orange juice?
Maybe I should order one too.
I called over a server, ordered an orange juice, and resumed the conversation.
"They're useful. Once they graduate, I'll be able to put them to good use."
Naturally, that was a pretext. It was just about raising the protagonist + heroine pairing so they'd grow strong enough to face the events to come. Even if only one more person was added to the roster of those who could fight, the breadth of available tactics would increase too.
There was also the fact that I didn't want to suffer through everything alone. The girl sitting before me wasn't very useful in combat, after all. She was merely a porter, personal shopper, and information gatherer who handled minor tasks... No, the tasks were not minor. In any case, she was a model worker who faithfully handled support duties.
If I treated her poorly, she might stab me in the back, so I had to treat her well.
"Hmm~ So you're gonna raise up talents and use 'em, is that it?"
"Correct."
"Then will my job disappear later...?"
A faint trace of anxiety flickered across Sif's face. Was she thinking she might get fired someday? To dispel her worries, I spoke up.
"Don't worry too much. I think highly of your abilities."
"Hmph, finding a talent like me isn't an easy thing, you know?"
The way her flattened ears sprang upright at a single compliment was adorable. I couldn't say that aloud, so I contentedly drank the orange juice the server had placed before me through a straw. Its sharp tartness mixed pleasantly with the sweetness as it flowed across my tongue and down my throat. It was a little syrupy, but not bad.
Bringing Elisa to the black market did not seem like a bad idea. She always wore such a gloomy expression, so I ought to give her at least one reason to brighten up. Perhaps I should buy something for the kids too.
...The more people I became involved with, the more people I had to look after.
Come to think of it, I was already involved with more than ten people.
Karina, Reni, Millia, Elisa, Sif, Lewis and Shuri, Laperinne, Rue, and Principal Merlin.
I'd end up getting tangled up with even more people down the line.
To reach the True Ending, which I knew almost nothing about, I'd inevitably have to broaden my network.
My goal was to build a network capable of responding to any situation.
"Yohan, what are you spacing out for all of a sudden?"
"...I've got a lot to think about."
"Because all that dungeon stuff made your head spin?"
"...Sure, let's go with that."
My troubles weren't something I could tell anyone.
Because no one would ever understand that this world had been a game.
I sorted through the spread-out papers, selected a few sheets, and pushed the rest aside.
"Sif, find out more about these dungeons. I'll pay one gold coin for every useful piece of information you bring me."
"For real?!"
At my words, Sif slapped the table and sprang to her feet. Apparently moved by my generous offer, she thrust her face toward me with her tail and ears standing straight up. I chuckled at the sight.
She really was simple.
"Yes. Scrape together every last bit you can until the next black market opens."
"Got it! Leave it to me! I'll scrape together every scrap of intel, stuff I know and stuff I don't, and bring it all to you!"
I drank the remaining half of my orange juice while listening to Sif's supremely confident declaration.