Chapter 12
"That person?"
"Yes."
The receptionist's face looked a bit reluctant.
As I watched that expression, I realized why the receptionist was reacting that way.
These ruthless bastards.
Are they asking for an express fee for this too?
Do you have any idea how much I've paid until now?
If you add up everything I've paid so far, doesn't it come to over ten silver coins?
I was curling my lip at their unimaginable greed and preparing some coins, but then the receptionist spoke.
Whether they guessed my thoughts or were just going to say it anyway, it was the opposite of what I had assumed.
"Hmm... For starters, we don't have his contact information on our end."
"Oh, is that so?"
I had misunderstood. My apologies.
Even so, it wasn't a world where they'd charge money for something like this. What a relief.
...Wait, if they *did* have his contact info, they might have charged me for it, right?
"It might be possible to contact the Guard, but that's not our job, so..."
"Ah, right."
I nodded at the receptionist's follow-up.
Then again, this isn't a hotel concierge; it's an agency that opens employment doors for Restoration School mages.
It's definitely not a place where you can crack the whip and say, "I paid you, so work hard!"
They might make an exception for matters within the Restoration School, but it's true that anything outside of that is none of their business.
"Do you happen to know that person's name?"
"His name, hmm."
But surely they'd know at least this much?
The receptionist seemed to think for a long while before speaking.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure either. But Erain... I think it was a name similar to that. To the best of my memory."
"What about his surname?"
"He didn't have one."
Hmm. Truly valuable information.
Anyway, I didn't get a harvest, but since I'd gone through the interview, I still had to pay the fee.
Everything costs money, that's just how it is.
I took out two silver coins, and the receptionist bowed their head in greeting.
As I stepped outside and stretched, the stench of dirty capitalism wafted through this city.
"Let's go get some lunch."
"How about we eat something delicious?"
"Sure. You pay."
I've been bled dry of money today, so my wallet isn't in good shape.
Therefore, it's only natural. Right?
The law stating that someone else should pay in such cases is written even in the Kojiki.
* * *
As you've seen by now.
Hera is the type who subtly avoids spending money.
I have never seen money come out of this kid's wallet.
Of course, our party's loot distribution is set up so that I take a bit more. Around 6:4?
And I manage all the party funds.
But even so, it's a fact that she's revolutionary in how little she spends. Even though she was the one who suggested we eat something delicious for lunch today, when I told her to pay, we ended up just eating soup and bread at the market.
Well, lunch is usually something you just patch together like that anyway.
She isn't exactly greedy for money, so why does she never spend it?
"Should we go to the Guard?"
"You said he was a freelancer. I don't think he'd be there."
Hera's reply.
True, this world isn't like the 21st-century South Korean government where everything is integrated into a single computer system.
If you go to a Guard branch and ask, "Who is that Mr. Lee guy, is there anyone like that?", unless it's someone they know, the only response you'll get is, "Who the hell is that, you nerd?"
It's an era without the internet, so how would you know who works at the neighboring branch or who is working as a freelancer?
It's only natural not to know.
While I was following that train of thought, Hera asked.
"More importantly, are you really going to go with that person?"
"Hm?"
"Like, um... he didn't seem, like, super amazing or anything."
"What do you mean by 'that'?"
"I don't think he has any skill or anything."
Hmm.
That part is true.
The very fact that he works as a freelance healer for the Guard tells you roughly how skilled he is.
If he were a skilled person, he wouldn't be working as a Guard freelancer; he would have easily made money elsewhere.
Besides, the agency isn't the only place to find people.
Arcanum doesn't have an Explorer guild, but institutions that do similar work do exist.
They're like the adventurer guilds you often see in games.
Hera was likely keeping that in mind when she said that.
"But I did see some potential."
"Really?"
Generally, while there are many healers who are good at healing, there aren't many who have the kind of concept I'm looking for.
If they do exist, it's usually because they've spent years working in the field and learned it through experience.
It's rare for such a healer to take on Labyrinth raids unless they were originally a Labyrinth raider.
In such a situation, finding a guy who has that concept ingrained in him—naturally, I was tempted.
"Since he seems decent, I'm just going to talk to him once."
But there's no need to get too carried away.
In this world, there are many times when something seems like a once-in-a-lifetime, irreplaceable opportunity, but turns out to be nothing special in hindsight.
Hera nodded at my words, which were spoken with that thought in mind.
Then, the problem now is...
"How do we find him?"
"I thought of a good way."
"What is it?"
"We start a fight like yesterday. Wouldn't he come looking for us then?"
Oh... that's logical.
Recreating the same situation.
But that plan has other problems.
"What if they lock us up?"
"We could just... go easy so that doesn't happen..."
"A High-level Explorer would get an aggravated sentence for beating someone up. Especially since this isn't our home turf."
With great power comes... whatever, whatever.
As I stood on the side of the road, pondering what to do.
Perhaps a fight had broken out somewhere else, as Guards in gray uniforms ran past in an orderly fashion.
"Everyone, please slow down!"
Someone trailing behind them.
A man who was panting as if his stamina was weak, yet was somehow keeping up.
The exact Young Healer we were looking for.
"Hey, there he is."
"Let's follow him!"
We immediately followed right behind them.
* * *
What happened was similar to what we saw yesterday.
"I've treated you, so the treatment fee is 2 silver coins. It's prepaid, and you absolutely must pay."
"Why is it so expensive!"
"Then get your assets seized."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the Arcanum Guards approached the brawlers, pressuring them.
Gritting their teeth, some paid, and some didn't. The difference between those who paid and those who didn't was that the ones who paid walked away, and the ones who didn't were dragged off.
And just as the Guards turned to leave the scene, I slipped in between and blocked their path.
"Excuse me, just a moment..."
"Just a moment."
The Young Healer and the Guards, who had reflexively opened their mouths to speak upon seeing me block the way, stared at me. I raised both hands as if to say I meant no harm, but I still spoke.
"If it's alright, could you spare a moment of your time?"
"Ahem, *ahem*. We are currently on official business, so..."
"I heard that this person isn't affiliated with the Guard. Is that right?"
Surprised by those words, the Guards took a step back.
The Young Healer's eyes widened as he looked at me, then at the Guards behind him.
I cut off his gaze as it darted back and forth and said,
"It's nothing major, so please spare just a little time."
"Ah, ahaha. My apologies, but Lady..."
"You only need to spare this person's time."
"Understood."
"Huh? No, sirs."
Even though they looked troubled, as soon as I said I only needed the healer, they immediately said they understood and vanished.
While he looked forlornly at the empty space behind them, I chuckled.
"Let's go."
"Ah, um... Yes. Well, alright then..."
The young man followed behind me, looking as miserable as if he were being dragged to a slaughterhouse.
I know why he's like that, but well. I have no intention of clearing up that misunderstanding right away.
We walked a bit further and entered a decent cafe (don't ask why it exists. It's a game, after all.), and the Young Healer spoke with an incredibly pitiful expression.
"Sirs, I don't know where you came from, but..."
"We aren't from anywhere."
"Pardon?"
"We're just Labyrinth Explorers."
Upon hearing that, the young man made a face that showed he was truly conflicted. His expression went from relaxed to twisted, back and forth, and after letting out a sigh that reached the ends of the earth, he dropped the attitude he'd had until just now and spoke with a slightly more liberated feeling.
"No, well, ha... Then what did you want to talk to me for?"
"Don't talk like that. I can immediately guess what kind of work you were doing with the Guards, you know?"
"Yes. My apologies."
Cured instantly.
Hmm, good attitude. I like it.
In the meantime, the server brought the coffee.
It was a coffee with no distinguishing features. That fact was even stranger.
"I don't intend to report you for that, but..."
"Thank you!"
"Forget it. The reason I came looking for you is, um. By any chance, would you be interested in joining a Labyrinth raid?"
"A Labyrinth raid?"
He looked like he'd never heard of it in his life.
"Yes. A Labyrinth raid. We're looking for a healer."
"I'm sorry, but why are you telling me that..."
"It's complicated to explain at length, but regardless, you have the conditions we need. So the important thing is whether you'll do it or not."
"Uh, it's so sudden, so..."
"Do you have any interest in it at all?"
Hera's words.
As we waited, the Young Healer displayed various expressions. It was a face that looked a bit too complex to call simple.
"Well... it's so out of the blue. Honestly, I don't even know what kind of work it is."
"It's long to explain, but you can just think of it as catching monsters and earning money. But it's done indoors."
"Is it dangerous?"
"Obviously."
His expression seemed to turn slightly serious.
Hera added to my words and continued the conversation.
"We are High-level Explorers. If you want to know what a High-level Explorer is, you could see it as a high-ranking mage in the Magic Tower. Forming a party with people like that is obviously going to be dangerous, right?"
"No, then I'm even more curious why it's me."
"I already told you. You fit the conditions we need. So, are you going to do it, or not?"
"Well, it's so out of the blue..."
"It's fine if you refuse. It doesn't matter."
Seeing her talk like that, it seems Hera doesn't really like this guy.
Well, that's that, and Hera was right.
He did fit the conditions well, but if you asked if he was someone we needed to cling to, that wasn't the case.
The question the young man asked after much deliberation was a little different from what I expected.
"What about the money?"
"Money? You could say it pays well... How much was it, the income from the Deep Layer?"
"Well. That was the market rate from a few years ago, but... I think it was around twenty gold coins a month."
It fluctuated, but I think we earned about that much.
Of course, that was the party's total revenue, and after splitting it among party members and deducting costs for consumables, equipment, and so on, the remaining money was much less.
For reference, twenty gold coins is enough money to buy a house in a decent city.
"Twenty coins??"
"Yeah. Obviously, it's that much of a difficult job."
"Uh, um, yes."
The Young Healer's eyes rolled back in his head, then he quieted down quickly at Hera's words.
I shrugged my shoulders and continued.
"Of course, just because you join doesn't mean you'll immediately earn twenty coins. The distribution won't be like that, either. If you join, we'll inevitably start from the lower floors and work our way up slowly."
"I see."
"So think about it and give us an answer. We're staying at the 「Blue Steam Pipe」, so you can come find us there. Of course, we won't be waiting for your contact, and if we find a party member, we'll head back to the Labyrinth City without any further word."
I stood up after saying that much.
It felt like this much talk was enough.
But the young man seemed to have more questions, as he stood up with me and opened his mouth.
"If I were to do it... when would it start?"
"Well..."
I pictured the dates in my head.
If he were to accept, well.
If we went straight back to the Labyrinth City and prepared...
"If you accept, we'll go straight to the Labyrinth City, and then it starts immediately. Including travel time, we'll be entering the Labyrinth within 10 days."
"Ah, yes. Understood."
"Then let us know."
Leaving behind a face that made it impossible to tell what he was thinking, we left the cafe.
Hera followed behind me and said.
"I don't think he's going to come."
"Why?"
"For one, he's a bit, how should I put it..."
"Isn't that just your personal grudge talking?"
"It is not. He just looked a bit scared."
Scared, huh.
That was the vibe, alright.
Seeing how his eyes suddenly widened at the money, then he went quiet so quickly when I mentioned there might be danger.
There might be some story behind it, but honestly speaking, it was none of my business.
'If he does it, he does it. If not, oh well.'
I'm too busy to devote any part of my brain to that.
In the afternoon, I have to go to the adventurer guild, and I also need to find ways to get other party members.
Therefore, after thinking about that young man just that much, I shook my head to forget about it.
If it works out, great; if not, oh well. That was about it.
* * *
Unexpectedly, the young man came to find us the next day.
"I've thought about it, and I really want to take the opportunity you've given me!"
His tone was considerably more cheerful than yesterday.
I suspect it's because he realized we didn't report him for skimming money under the guise of treatment fees while he was working with the Guards.
Anyway, the young man came to find us in the morning with a grin.
I was still slightly groggy, eating a fried egg, as I listened to the young man's story.
"If you really want to take it, well, then we can just go together."
"Ah, but I'm sorry, but..."
"What is there to be sorry about?"
"There's one unresolved matter I have... It's a problem that could be an issue, but if you could help me resolve this, I think I could go with you..."
While I was working hard with my fork to cut off the burnt edge of the egg, the young man said that.
Before I could even say anything, Hera frowned and spat out.
"You little shit."
"That's what I thought... Huh?"
"What do you think we are, a private detective agency? To handle your requests? You should be taking care of that stuff yourself, so why are you telling us about it?"