Chapter 251: So When Are We Going Down the Labyrinth? (2)
Chapter 251: So When Are We Going Down the Labyrinth? (2)
Traffic in the Infinite Labyrinth usually peaked during the week and thinned out over the weekend.
Since adventuring had become a reliable source of regular income, many treated the profession like a typical civil service job. Furthermore, considering that the miners—who belonged to various unions to excavate magic stones—and the porters who worked inside the labyrinth all took their physical rest on the weekends, the relative quiet was only natural.
Until now, that is.
"We’re gonna bag us a Succubus!"
"Shh! If the Fermaton people hear you, you're dead! Be careful!"
"We’re going fishing for Sirens!"
"I told you, the Fermaton people are listening!"
The Infinite Labyrinth was teeming with men who were suspiciously high-spirited for a weekend. Moreover, they showed absolutely no interest in monsters like Goblins or Orcs; their eyes were fixed solely on Succubi and Sirens.
As a result, the beasts of the Infinite Labyrinth began to move strategically against this sudden surge of "predators."
—I heard the monsters are actually coordinating with each other!
—Goblins set up traps near where the naked Succubi were spotted!
The most common sight was the synergy between Succubi and other monsters.
Succubi would use their sex magic to brainwash and control Orcs, using them as meat shields against humans. In other cases, they teamed up with Goblins to capture men; the Succubi would feast on the men's essence, while the Goblins disposed of the remains.
No matter how deeply the Succubi outside Fermaton Castle had integrated into daily life, they were ultimately "controlled monsters." The Succubi within the Infinite Labyrinth, however, were entities on an entirely different level of lethality.
Everyone had forgotten.
They had forgotten that the Succubi they could violate to their heart's content for a mere 5 Ruji Coins were, beneath the labyrinth, vicious and terrifying monsters.
The moment the adventurers realized these monsters were evolving their own defense systems to counter human abduction and capture, they couldn't help but resent Fermaton.
—Look, I get that we can have cheap sex with Succubi thanks to Ruji Fermaton.
—But the Infinite Labyrinth has become so dangerous because of it. Farming magic stones is a nightmare now.
—And while this is happening, Ruji Fermaton is probably just thinking about which woman he’s going to bed next. It’s so frustrating I’m speechless. Phew.
"The Infinite Labyrinth got harder because of Ruji Fermaton!"
The adventurers' simmering resentment eventually turned toward the Guild Leader. As the head of the Adventurer's Guild, the Guild Leader was expected to work for the safety and welfare of his members.
And yet.
"Hey, did you hear the rumor? They say the Guild Leader is stepping down."
"Guild Leader Bernhard? No way, why?"
Bernhard, the man who should have been standing tall with his bow slung over his shoulder, demanding a solution from Ruji Fermaton, was reportedly quitting the guild.
Rumors were rampant, the man himself was nowhere to be seen, Succubi were becoming harder to catch by the day, and the death toll at their hands was rising.
"Seriously, what the hell is going on?"
None of the adventurers knew.
They didn't realize this was the prelude to a massive act of vengeance orchestrated by Ruji Fermaton—retribution for the way the adventurers had stood idly by atop the walls, watching the war with the Sirjosia County like it was someone else's problem.
The dissolution of the Adventurer's Guild.
And the emergence of a new adventurer union—no, a "Knight Order"—operated directly by the Fermaton County.
No one knew that Bernhard had already been tapped as the commander of that order. Aside from the parties involved, only two people within Fermaton Castle were privy to the plan.
* * *
"I’ve decided to dissolve the Adventurer's Guild."
I arranged a private meeting with Guild Leader Bernhard in my office, which was secured with soundproof barriers. Only Laura stood in attendance.
"Is your mind made up?"
Bernhard, the white-haired veteran dressed in typical adventurer gear with a pugilist’s coat draped over his shoulders, eyes gleaming as he took a sip of the wine placed before him.
"Is Fermaton finally taking its first step toward a grander stage?"
"It started the moment I cut my hair and adopted a new mindset. Though, this is the first time I’m officially purging the rot within Fermaton."
"Where did you find the conviction? The mass production of Succubi?"
"The moment I realized that Sir Bernhard was the only adventurer who stepped forward to help me during the war."
Even a common mage could have volunteered to provide fire support from the rear, yet Bernhard was the only one among the adventurers who acted as a volunteer soldier.
"To an adventurer, nothing is more important than their own safety and assets. They became adventurers and challenged the Infinite Labyrinth because they could enjoy wealth by taking only a slight risk."
Because it was profitable.
As long as one had safe equipment and mastered skills, an adventurer in the Infinite Labyrinth could secure a significant, regular income.
The romance of being with comrades?
Helping someone in distress?
Friendship and love blossoming between adventurers?
It was all nonsense. Adventurers were selfish beings who cared for no one but themselves.
"Until now, adventurers have regularly raided the Fermaton Infinite Labyrinth to 'farm' magic stones and monster remains. Their efforts were certainly impressive, and I acknowledge that reaching the 50th floor was thanks to their hard work. I'll give them that."
I wouldn't forget their achievements.
"But it’s time they faced an uncomfortable truth."
"And what truth is that, Count?"
"That the word 'Fermaton' comes before 'Infinite Labyrinth.'"
Its official name was the Fermaton Infinite Labyrinth; there was even a time it was called the Old Fermaton Castle Dungeon.
"Until now, we’ve collected taxes in the form of commission fees after adventurers returned from the labyrinth. But from now on, I intend to operate the Infinite Labyrinth in an entirely different manner."
"And that blueprint is the 'Knight-ification' of the adventurers?"
"Exactly."
I pulled out the illustrated materials I had prepared in advance.
"Fermaton currently has two knight orders. One is Lambert’s 'Spear Knight Order.' They are the elite, filtered from those who have served Fermaton for a long time, and they follow Sir Lambert as their leader."
"That... isn't that the order made up entirely of men?"
"That's right. It is."
"Usually, there's at least one female knight."
"Well, it is Lambert’s order."
It wasn't that the territory lacked female knights. For some reason, the order Lambert commanded consisted only of men.
"Their skills are reliable, as you’ve seen."
"I don't doubt Sir Lambert's skill. It's his... other qualities that concern me."
"I have an agreement with Sir Lambert, so rest easy."
If he ever pointed his spear at me, the Spear Knight Order would be erased from Fermaton's existence immediately.
"I have spent my time filling Fermaton with my own people. Not just within the castle. I’ve changed the people inside the territory and won over the citizens outside. If there is one group within this community that I find most distasteful, it is undoubtedly the adventurers."
"What do you plan to do with them? Cast them all out?"
"Turning the entire adventurer population into enemies would be foolish. Especially since I’ve successfully recruited their Guild Leader."
"Rather than saying you 'recruited' me, let's say I made the most appropriate choice for the rights and lives of the adventurers."
"Same thing."
Bernhard had read my intentions for the guild and came to me. He did it to minimize the damage to the guild as a whole. He became one of my people to protect the rights of as many adventurers as possible.
As for what I was planning that drove this man to me...
It was similar to a "conglomerate entering the used car market."
"Fermaton will directly employ adventurers to conquer the Infinite Labyrinth."
This had never been done before.
"Based on the know-how my personal knight order has gained while clearing the labyrinth from the first floor, I will provide the Fermaton Knight Order with manuals on how to defeat the monsters within. We will divide them into area assault teams and provide manuals tailored to each zone."
"This is more detailed than I expected. How long have you been preparing this?"
"From the very beginning."
From the moment I first stepped into the Adventurer's Guild, I intended to create an assault team that belonged only to Fermaton—one that would faithfully execute only my orders. Laura’s knights would fight on the front lines, and Fermaton would directly employ adventurers to hunt the monsters that spawned in the wake of their progress.
"In the past, the carrots I could offer adventurers were meager. But now, there are factors that will make them prefer being directly employed by Fermaton. There will certainly be those tempted to jump ship."
I stood up and pointed to the three suits of armor standing behind me.
"This is the armor that will be issued to adventurers according to their rank. It is a very special suit that proves they are people of Fermaton."
"Is that... the one you used back when you were the Young Lord...?"
"Yes. The Avantgarde. And this one over here..."
Paladin Sonata was dead, but his soul lived on in the successor unit—no, the successor armor.
"The Dark Grainger."
A full-body light armor set in black, overall light and sophisticated, yet with impressively sharp lines.
"The White Tuscan."
A white heavy armor set, bulkier than the Grainger.
"These aren't just ordinary suits of armor."
I tapped the large, circular magic stone embedded in the chest of the three suits.
"These are pieces packed with massive amounts of magic stones refined from Succubus Mana Milk."
Whirrr.
As soon as the magic stone flickered to life, a barrier made of mana deployed from the spot I had tapped.
"This is a lifeline that will drastically increase the survival rate of the adventurers."
"And you're giving these out... for a pittance?"
"A pittance?"
I lightly patted the three suits of armor.
"This is the uniform for my people. How could I possibly ask them to pay for it?"