Chapter 6

Having successfully earned the money and entered the Sealed City, we decided to have a meal and entered a tavern.

"Then, let's split the money we just earned. Amazing, isn't it? As expected of the Sealed City. There are so many rich people. Just the tips amounted to 250,000 bal♪"

Kuna, in high spirits, divided the wads of bills and coins into two parts. One was 25,000 bal, and the other was 125,000 bal.

"This is Soji's share."

She then handed me the 125,000 bal. Probably, the 100,000 bal she paid for the entrance fee was deducted from her share.

"No, it's fine. I just helped out, and besides, it was compensation for hindering Kuna."

"That's irrelevant. We earned the money together, so we should split it."

"I heard Kuna's song from the best seat, and that alone was worth the money. Kuna, you're probably broke now, so keep it safe."

"But..."

"I played to hear Kuna's song. Plus, I even got to see the cute dance. I can't take the money."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Kuna's song and dance were worth it."

"Soji is a good person. I thought everyone outside Elsie was scary, but I'm glad to know that's not true. Thank you, Soji."

Kuna took my hand and expressed her gratitude. She must have felt embarrassed, as she quickly let go and put some distance between us.

"Anyway, hmm, hmm, hmm, it's been a while since I've had a feast♪"

She started eating the mountain of dishes, whistling to hide her embarrassment. If I had taken the money, it would have been enough to pay for all the food we were about to eat.

"Kuna, you're really going overboard."

"It's fine. It's a rare treat. For a month after I ran away, I only ate this kind of food."

Kuna took out some hard-dried meat from her bag.

"Surely, you didn't live on just the preserved food you brought from home since you ran away?"

"Of course not. I went into the mountains, hunted, bled the prey, and dried it with fire magic. I also ate this."

She then spread out some mountain vegetables. There were various types, all safe to eat, some fresh, some dried.

"Kuna, you're a lady, yet you have quite a knack for survival."

"My father taught me survival skills. He's a real tough guy! When I was nine, I was taken to a snow mountain I had never seen while I was sleeping, and when I woke up, he said, 'I'll come back in a month. If what I taught you has stuck, you should be able to survive.' I was left there. I was prepared to die a hundred times that time."

"...He's ruthless. Kuna's father."

Kuna, who must be quite angry about that time, leaned forward and spoke loudly. However, her voice sounded somewhat cheerful.

"There are many other terrible stories. He poisons my food every day to build up my resistance, and the combat training is abusive, and the magic training is torture!"

Despite her complaints, a feeling of love for her father strangely came through, making me smile. I listened to Kuna's stories about her father, nodding occasionally.

"Huff, huff, huff, so he's a terrible person. Hey, Soji, you called me a lady earlier, right? Did I say that?"

"Yeah, before we came to the tavern."

Oops. This is a story Kuna hasn't heard before.

"Was that so? Well, it's fine. Even without saying it, my refined demeanor would have conveyed it."

"I think Kuna has a friendly aura."

"Is that so? Well, it doesn't matter."

As she said this, the lady with a refined demeanor didn't use a knife and fork to take apart the fish on the skewer but instead bit into it by holding both ends of the skewer.

"By the way, you hide your ears, don't you?"

After parting ways with the merchants, Kuna hid her ears with a hat and tucked her tail into her skirt before performing her song.

"Fire foxes are valuable. If you don't hide them when there's no need to show them, you won't live long. Even if you die, you're still valuable. Especially in this city, where there are many monsters I can't defeat, I have to be careful."

"True, this is a city where the strongest people in the world gather."

Sealed City Erin. Its structure is abnormal. The walls are too sturdy, and it can be made so that it cannot be opened from the inside. This is to contain the monsters in the city.

The purpose of this city is to gather all the monsters that appear in the world into this city and contain them. The underground labyrinth was created for this purpose, and it is designed to prevent monsters from escaping to the outside if they leak out from the labyrinth.

"I came here for the underground labyrinth. Why did Kuna come here?"

"Together. I also came for the underground labyrinth. The only way to earn money peacefully through combat is here. Unlike my siblings, I have no other strengths except for combat and singing."

Kuna made a fist and muttered softly.

"Kuna has siblings?"

"Yes, I'm often mistaken for my sister, but I'm actually the youngest of five siblings. I was born over ten years after the others, so I was pampered a lot by my older siblings."

"You love your siblings."

"Yes, I love my brother and three sisters. But I hate my father."

"If you were trained so strictly, it's understandable to hate him."

"That's fine. I understood that it was necessary for my position, and my siblings all followed the same path. But what I can't forgive is that he arranged a fiancé for me without my consent. And it's someone from another country. He even told me to leave Elsie and marry into that country!"

"Maybe Kuna's father was thinking about Kuna's happiness in his own way?"

...Ah, Kuna's father knew about the danger Kuna was facing. But because Kuna ran away, things got complicated. Some of the tragic questions about Kuna's past are now a bit clearer.

"That might be true, but I didn't like it. I felt like I was being used as a tool. So, I ran away. If they wanted me to leave so badly, I would leave. But I wouldn't be a tool for my father. I decided to become someone so amazing that my father would beg me to come back."

"That's why you're here. The only city in the world where you can fight a large number of monsters."

"Yes. I will defeat monsters and get magic stones to become even stronger here!"

"Sounds like we have the same goal. But do you know why monsters only appear in this city?"

"Of course, I know. It's because of the Elna Accumulation Device in the underground labyrinth, right?"

"Yes, it's a century's invention by the great mage Cyril."

Monsters exist only in this city in the world. They are located in the underground labyrinth at the center of the city. Monsters are the negative energy, known as Elna, produced as a reaction to magic, which is given direction by human emotions and fears and materialized.

Monsters can appear anywhere there is Elna. In fact, until thirty years ago, they appeared everywhere. It was even possible for a monster to suddenly appear in your home one day.

However, thirty years ago, the elf great mage Cyril invented a magic device that could gather Elna in one place. By gathering the Elna that was overflowing in the world, monsters stopped appearing outside the area where the device was installed.

...Occasionally, there are cases where Elna that couldn't be gathered turns into a monster somewhere.

The device is installed in eight places around the world, with this city's being the largest, and the remaining seven being secondary.

"Cyril isn't that great."

"He is. The underground labyrinth was created by him, wasn't it?"

The device that continuously gathers Elna, in the area around it, monsters continue to appear at a terrifying rate. Moreover, they are powerful monsters.

Therefore, the underground labyrinth was created to contain them. It is a living labyrinth, a miraculous technique that, although partially, made the use of Elna possible, which was considered impossible. The labyrinth becomes more complex as it consumes Elna and adds more floors underground. The labyrinth not only becomes a comfortable place for monsters to live but also has a complex structure that makes it difficult for them to escape to the outside.

"I know about Cyril, the Elna Accumulation Device, and the labyrinth. I know so much that it makes me sick."

"Is that so? You're quite knowledgeable. Do you know this? It's said that the deepest level of the underground labyrinth is now the 60th floor."

The good thing about the underground labyrinth is that the closer you are to the Elna Accumulation Device, the higher the concentration of Elna, and the stronger the monsters. Conversely, the higher floors have a lower concentration of Elna and weaker monsters.

Weak monsters are the perfect prey for people to obtain magic stones, and hunting them reduces the total amount of Elna. It's a two-for-one structure.

"But there are problems. No matter how hard the people gathered in this Sealed City try to hunt the weak monsters on the upper floors, the increase in Elna cannot be matched, and it keeps accumulating. In the lower floors, there are monsters so strong that no one can defeat them."

"That's true. That's why the country is now desperately gathering dungeon explorers."

As Kuna said, the saturation of the underground labyrinth is becoming visible. More monsters are escaping from the labyrinth and coming out, and there are cases where powerful monsters that should be in the lower floors are appearing on the upper floors.

Instead of gradually defeating the weak monsters on the upper floors, it is necessary to defeat the powerful monsters on the lower floors. The underground labyrinth is approaching its limit.

"That's why it's profitable. Even though I don't feel like it, we have to keep defeating monsters to prevent them from overflowing into the world. Excellent people like me have to challenge the dungeon. That's why the country is supporting us."

"That's right. But you might not know, but to enter the underground labyrinth, you need a license."

"What!?"

Kuna leaned forward in surprise. She's a bit disappointing. She didn't do enough research.

"How do I get that license!?"

"Normally, with the current surge in applications, you'd be lucky to take the exam next year if you wait your turn."

"That's impossible. I can't wait a year."

Kuna's shoulders slumped. Her fox ears, hidden by her hat, must be drooping.

"Don't give up yet. I said 'normally.'"

"Is there an unconventional way!?"

"Of course, but only those who meet the conditions of being 16 years old or younger and Rank 1 or lower will have a chance in three days."

"I meet all the conditions. Please, tell me!"

"Sure, that's why I came to this city. In three days, there will be an entrance exam for the Velgrande Knight School in this city. The school aims to train strong knights, and all students receive the qualification to enter the underground labyrinth. Until recently, only nobles could enter, but now there are general admission slots."

"That's amazing! But I don't have the money to attend school..."

"Don't worry about that. The city is supporting the discovery of talented young people to defeat as many monsters as possible. The top three students in the general admission category receive full scholarships, free meals, and free lodging."

"What a VIP treatment!"

"Don't get too excited yet. If you reach Rank 3 by graduation, you can become a noble."

That's my goal. Being a noble is convenient in many ways. As a noble of honor, you don't need to govern a territory, and you have fewer obligations, which is a significant point.

However, reaching Rank 3 by graduation is quite a high hurdle. I hear that only one student every five years can use this system.

"Amazing! I'll take the exam. I definitely will."

"That's good, but there's more than just practical skills. Are you okay with the academic part?"

"Academic part!?"

"It's quite specialized. I don't know the education level of the country Kuna is from, but you'll need to study specifically for it."

Kuna collapsed again. But she stood up after a few seconds.

She then reached into her wallet and handed me all her money.

"Kuna, I refused the share from the performance."

"No, this is different money. I'll use all my money to hire you as my tutor for three days."

"What can be done in three days?"

"Three days is enough for me."

Kuna answered immediately. Indeed, if it's her, three days should be enough. If it's the Kuna I know, three days should be sufficient.

"Alright, I'll take the job. I'll take the money."

"Thank you."

I shook hands with Kuna.

"By the way, Kuna."

"Yes, what is it?"

"You said we'd split the bill when we entered the store. But Kuna, who paid all her money to me, is now broke."

"Well, if you could lend me some money, I'd be grateful..."

"I'll treat you. This way, you owe me one. I'll add interest, so be prepared to pay it back."

The moment I said that, Kuna blushed, hugged herself, and put some distance between us.

"Y-You don't mean to pay with my body!?"

"Who said that!"

"Y-You're not?"

"No. I can't do that to a future classmate! First, let's get a room. We'll be up all night until the exam, so one room for both of us will be fine."

"Actually, as a girl, I'd prefer separate rooms."

"Kuna, you're broke and have no time to earn money. I'll pay for your room, but are you really asking for a more expensive separate room?"

"...I'm sorry. One room is fine. But, just one thing. Even if you can control my body, don't think you can control my heart."

"If you keep teasing me, I might take you seriously."

I chuckled. Kuna must have realized I wouldn't do such a thing and was teasing me.

This way, at least for a while, I can act with Kuna. If everything goes well, we can build a relationship where we challenge the dungeon together after entering the school.