Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Black Market (1)
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Guard Captain Den guided me to the eastern outskirts of the city.
"The priestess is planning to head to the kingdom for arm regeneration, but she heard you had something to say and is waiting at the hospital."
"I see."
It felt a bit apologetic knowing she was waiting because of me.
Death is irreversible, but there are a few who can regenerate arms or legs.
She must be going to meet one of them in the kingdom.
How long had we walked like that?
"Here we are."
The destination was in front of a large three-story hospital with a church across from it.
The church was probably there because most healing was done by priests.
The hospital seemed to serve as a space for the injured to rest and recover.
Still, the interior was spacious, divided into sections quite properly.
With three floors above, there didn't seem to be any shortage of patient rooms.
"This way."
I followed Guard Captain Den to a corner room on the first floor.
There lay the four-person party I'd seen before, neatly arranged on beds.
A woman was tending to them.
As the priestess on the bed noticed us, the woman turned around, confirmed who we were, and offered her thanks.
"I'm Falling Blossom Guildmaster Sara. First off, thank you so much for saving my guild members."
I gave a light nod in return and approached the awakened priestess.
She tried to sit up, so I raised my hand to stop her.
"No need to get up."
The other three, excluding the priestess, still hadn't woken.
I pondered what to say, the words "Are you okay?" circling in my mind, but I didn't voice them.
There was no way the sight of a priestess with both arms severed could be okay.
"I'll head back first. I have duty tomorrow."
While I hesitated, Guard Captain Den left.
I chose my words carefully and spoke to the priestess.
"It's good to see you're awake."
"It's all thanks to you, sir knight. Thank you so much."
"I'm not a knight."
"...Pardon?"
Guildmaster Sara, sitting beside her, reacted even more strongly to my words.
...Is it that surprising?
Before the conversation could derail, I quickly got to the point.
"I have something to ask briefly. That..."
"Oh, I'm Airan."
The priestess promptly gave her name.
But... I'd prefer to talk with just the two of us.
I shot a glance at Guildmaster Sara standing nearby, and she seemed to understand, quietly stepping aside.
"I'll be outside the hospital."
With her gone, I dove straight in with Airan.
"Miss Airan. Do you remember how you ended up there?"
"Ah, that..."
Airan calmly explained how they'd entered the labyrinth's hidden side on the fourth floor.
Roughly, they'd been praying in front of the fourth-floor graveyard when a massive creature devoured them, and they woke up inside the hidden labyrinth.
[What bad luck.]
It seemed like a coincidence, just as I'd first suspected.
"Can you keep this story a secret?"
"...Pardon? B-but..."
Airan hesitated as if she had more to say.
She was probably worried someone else might stumble in like they did.
"Yes, I understand."
"Thank you."
"N-no... After you saved us, this much is only natural."
In the end, she nodded in agreement.
The boss's hidden location on the fourth floor.
She knew well enough the value of that information.
"Then I'll be going."
Wrapping up the conversation, I left the hospital.
"Ah, are you done?"
"Yes."
As I stepped out front, Guildmaster Sara approached.
"Here..."
She pulled a pouch of platinum coins from her subspatial pocket and handed it to me.
"Thank you so much. I wanted to give it to you right after the rescue, but heard you were busy... Please don't refuse."
I accepted the pouch obediently.
It was quite heavy—around a thousand coins, by the feel.
"That's too much for a reward."
"No. If anything, it's not enough... As an explorer myself, I know how hard it is to rescue people from a dungeon. If it were me in a similar situation, I wonder if I could've helped others... You're amazing, Mr. Rain."
"Not at all."
We all help each other out.
No reason to refuse, so I stowed the pouch in my inventory.
"I'll be off then."
"Yes. Thank you again."
Guildmaster Sara bowed deeply once more.
I gave a light nod in return.
"By the way... you're really not a knight?"
---
Thud—
Throwing myself onto the bed made a loud noise.
It definitely wasn't like this when I first came here.
Probably because my body had grown, putting strain on the bed.
"Hoo."
I opened my skill list.
『3rd Circle: Mana Body+』
【Rank: Legendary+】
—Infuses the body with mana, boosting strength, vitality, and agility proportional to remaining mana in the body.
Even when mana is consumed, the boost does not drop below half.
Mana Body.
A legendary-grade spell that raises other stats proportional to mana power and quantity.
Thanks to it, my stats rose evenly, making combat very convenient.
However, as stats grew, so did my body, leading to unnecessary misunderstandings.
Was it inconvenient? Not really, to that extent.
But since people kept bringing it up, it seemed exploitable elsewhere.
Learning swordsmanship as a sub-skill or dressing like a knight could work fine.
People judge by appearances most of the time anyway.
Not just people—dungeon monsters followed suit.
If they let their guard down assuming I was a knight, hitting them with magic would give me the edge in ambushes.
"Should I get a sword?"
They already think I'm a knight; strapping one to my side would make me look the part perfectly.
"For now, sleep."
I surrendered to the encroaching fatigue.
---
The next day.
I arrived at black market merchant Beth's place.
Creak—
"Hm?"
As I opened the door, Beth, who had come right up to it, tilted her head.
"Hey, you... you're even bigger than last time?"
"Growth spurt."
"That's more than a spurt."
Beth placed her hand on her forehead, then flicked it up to compare our heights.
"Weren't you shorter than me?"
"Growth spurt."
"Heh."
Beth let out a disbelieving chuckle but didn't seem too bothered.
She stepped aside from the entrance.
Of course.
"...Tight fit."
"Looks like it."
My larger frame couldn't pass, so we entered side by side.
She sat me on one end of the sofa and took the head seat.
"So, what's up today?"
"I came to sell artifacts."
I pulled two from my inventory and showed her.
—Deprives all who hear the bell's toll of their hearing. Lost hearing does not return until the bell rings again.
【Usable 1 time per day】
—Activates stealth status on wearer upon use.
【Remaining uses: 3】
The Bell of Silence was new from the treasure chest.
The Shadowveil Necklace was the first artifact I got entering the dungeon.
But I had no use for it, so better to sell.
"Bell of Silence... and this is a stealth necklace?"
"Yes. Not buying?"
"Of course I am. But listen."
Beth's face twisted into a sly grin.
...This feels ominous.
"You... this is the third time bringing artifacts to me, right?"
"Yes."
"We met about a month ago... and you've traded three times in that short span?"
Beth tapped the table, her face full of amusement.
"I have a nose for money. You keep coming back, so I must be doing something right?"
"Something like that."
"Nah. I didn't even charge commission. Remember?"
"I do."
"Right? Anyway... you're lucky. Finding four artifacts in a month. Amazing."
Beth's demeanor shifted.
Wiping the smile, she continued.
"I usually don't ask about origins... but you're pushing it."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly that. You killing people for these?"
"No."
"So... these aren't stripped from corpses?"
Beth tapped the artifacts.
As if expecting an answer... her reaction was odd.
She usually cut ties ruthlessly if displeased, but now she seemed open to explanations.
Then, an important event flashed in my mind.
...Could this be?
Completing three trades with Beth unlocks the black market.
But that only grants entry; no real connection with Beth.
On the other hand... raising Beth's favor unlocks a trial.
Blood Oath.
Ways to raise her favor were limited.
Clearing sporadic temporary quests.
Or selling her tons of items.
Both time- and money-intensive... but somehow, she already favored me.
Not missing the opportunity, I replied with feigned indignation, careful not to overplay.
If she meant the Blood Oath, it was too valuable to lose.
"No."
"Yeah, figured. I wouldn't sell out for a measly thousand platinum... but sometimes there are crazies who don't care about eyes on them."
Beth rose slowly.
"Can't have my head flying for pocket change. Even I'm scared of the Labyrinth Lords."
She stared at me standing.
Like saying pack up and leave now, or never.
Suppressing a laugh, I replied to her gaze.
"How do I prove it then?"
"Prove?"
"I need money. Lots of things to buy."
My boldness drew a laugh from her.
"So, not from actual murders?"
"Yes."
"Not stolen?"
"Yes."
"Purely yours, no strings attached?"
"How many times do I have to say it."
"Fine."
Beth nodded as if satisfied.
She drew a dark red dagger from her bosom and placed it before me.
"Then... shall we check? You know what happens if you're lying. Can't do this multiple times."
She eyed me like now or never if I wanted to bolt.
"When?"
I replied calmly.
Amused by my composure, she chuckled hollowly.
"You trust me?"
"Does it matter?"
"Just answer."
"I do. You pay properly."
"Fine."
A brief exchange.
Then.
"Hope your words are true."
Composing herself, she gripped the dagger on the table.
"What? Hand out."
"......"
I placed my hand on the table as told.
Without hesitation—
Stab—!
She plunged the dark red dagger into my hand.
My brain registered the piercing instantly—
But I suppressed the emotion calmly.
Because...
"...It's real, huh?"
Beth murmured, surprised.
Looking at my hand again, the dagger's blade had bent sideways upon touching my skin, failing to pierce.
...Good.
The Blood Oath is an artifact dagger that inflicts fatal damage if lies are spoken during a set conversation window.
The window is short, so intimate talk must precede use.
If it pierces on a lie, reusable; otherwise...
"Can't use this anymore."
Like now, blade bent, irreparable.
"Satisfied?"
"Y-yeah. It's real."
Beth, face complex, tossed me a pouch of platinum.
"Two thousand. Generous price."
"......"
...That's a lot.
Expected thousand for the Bell, five hundred for the necklace.
Before she changed her mind, I snatched the pouch and used a return scroll.
"Ah, come again sometime."
Watching me, Beth added one last line.