Chapter 71

Bell and Rain came over in great excitement to tell me about their discovery. Led by Bell and Rain, I arrived at a spot where there was a gorgeous, golden treasure chest hidden in a tree hollow.

"Bell, Rain, I'm about to open the treasure chest. Come back, okay?"

I called out to Bell and Rain, who were flying around in high spirits after being praised. They must have remembered the treasure chest they found, as they flew back quickly.

"So, Sylph, is this treasure chest a trap?"

In the labyrinth, treasure chests are usually traps. Since I don't have any trap-related skills, it would be a problem if there were any.

"Hmm, it's sealed, so I can't tell. The keyhole is separate, so I can't peek inside."

"That's right. Tulu, can you tell anything?"

"I think I can."

"Great. Then take a look."

Tulu nodded and touched the treasure chest, closing her eyes. Can she sense metal even if it's processed?

"It doesn't seem to be a trap. The lock can be opened."

"Tulu, thank you. Can you open the lock for me?"

Tulu nodded again and touched the treasure chest, closing her eyes. If Tulu, an earth spirit who can interfere with metal, can open most metal locks...

Most people wouldn't notice her presence, and she can open locks freely. She has the makings of a great thief... Oh, but it would be difficult to carry things out. I felt both relieved and disappointed. For a moment, I thought about her cleaning out the guild master's wealth... No, I can't let the spirits do that. The Spirit King would be furious.

"It's open."

"Thank you, Tulu."

I thanked her and patted her head. Tulu smiled happily, her eyes narrowing. Hmm, my petting technique still doesn't make Tulu swoon. Tulu's expression shines the most when she's petting Tamamo.

Alright, it's time to open the treasure chest. I put my hand on the lid, feeling my heart race. Sylph, Bell, Rain, and Tulu were all eagerly watching. ...Wait a moment. It seems unfair that Tamamo isn't here. Since it's the first treasure chest, I want everyone to open it together.

"Everyone, wait a moment. Sylph, do you know where Tamamo is? I want everyone to open the treasure chest together."

"Hehe, that's a good point. Let me check... Hmm, she seems to be working hard on gathering something."

"In that case, summoning her would be bad, right? Sylph, can you go get her?"

It would be painful to summon her and leave all the things she gathered behind.

"Yes, I'll be right back."

I saw Sylph off and sat on a tree branch, chatting with Bell and the others while waiting for her to return.

"Hey, Bell, Rain, how did you find the treasure chest in such a place?"

"We searched a lot."

...I see. They searched a lot. They didn't use any special methods. It's impressive that they found a treasure chest in such a place.

While talking with Bell and the others, Sylph and Tamamo returned. Tamamo flew over, cooing and rubbing against me. She's so cute.

"Tamamo was gathering something, right? Did you get anything good?"

"Coo, coo, coo."

Tamamo excitedly tried to tell me something, but I couldn't understand.

"Hehe, Tamamo worked hard and gathered a lot of herbs. They're excellent, as befits a forest spirit."

"Is that so? Thank you, Tamamo."

When I petted Tamamo as much as I could, a pile of leaves appeared in front of me.

"Are these the herbs Tamamo gathered?"

Tamamo nodded and wagged her tail. Suppressing the urge to pet her again, I checked the herbs. ...I don't know the types of herbs.

"These are magic herbs with condensed magic power in the leaves. This is a universal herb, the raw material for the best all-purpose medicine. Hehe, the labyrinth is truly a place of wonders. These are very rare on the surface."

"Wow, Tamamo gathered a lot of great herbs. Thank you."

I released my pent-up desire and praised Tamamo while petting her. This should be allowed. Tulu was waiting in line behind her.

***

"...Alright, let's open the treasure chest."

I got carried away and played with Bell and the others, who had intruded.

"It's fine, but not noticing approaching monsters is a problem, don't you think?"

Well, I was brought back to my senses by the sound of Sylph defeating a goblin, or rather, it couldn't be helped.

"I'm sorry."

I should apologize first.

"Be careful. Also, goblins might gather, so let's open the treasure chest quickly."

"Right. Let's open it."

We should open the treasure chest already. It probably didn't expect to be left alone for so long after being found. Facing the treasure chest again, it's incredibly gorgeous.

When I touched the treasure chest, Tamamo joined in, and everyone peered inside. I opened the treasure chest with a racing heart, and inside was a leather bag... Huh? No gold or silver treasure?

"Oh, it's a magic bag. That's a good find."

Ah, it's a magic bag.

"I already have a magic bag, so it's a bit disappointing."

"Oh, is that so? Yuta's magic bag is hard to use, so I think this one is just right. You can put items for exchange in this magic bag to avoid suspicion. If you exchanged them directly, you would be suspected."

That's true. If I took them out normally, it would be during a time stop, so I would be taking out freshly dead corpses. I was thinking of renting a warehouse to store the corpses of monsters, but if that's not necessary, it will be very useful.

"I see. Thinking about it that way, this is a great find. What functions does this bag have?"

"Should we have it appraised or test it ourselves? I don't think it has time-related functions, but if it's good, it could cause a commotion, so it's better to test it ourselves."

This magic bag could cause a commotion. It came from a golden, gorgeous treasure chest hidden in such an obscure place, so its performance should be high.

"Right. I'll experiment with it before bed. For now, let's gather a bit more. Everyone, let's do our best."

Yuta and Tulu will mine mithril. Sylph will guard me. Bell and Rain will search for treasure. Tamamo will gather herbs, and we'll split up in the mountainous area.

***

"Wow!"

The labyrinth is vast and has nature, but it feels different when you're outside. After gathering from the 56th to the 59th floor, we came out of the labyrinth.

We gathered a lot of valuable herbs and exhausted the mithril veins. Bell and the others found a treasure chest on each floor and got the gold and silver treasure they had been hoping for. I think it was a great success.

The gold and silver treasure was in a regular treasure chest, so the golden, gorgeous treasure chest must be rare. It might be like a gacha system. If we go deeper into the labyrinth, we might find rainbow treasure chests.

The magic bag turned out to be quite good after the experiment. It didn't have time-related functions, but it could store the equivalent of four assault dragons.

Four assault dragons, each as big as a three-story building... It's a considerable storage capacity, and apparently, it's a feature that merchants drool over. It's rare enough that only high-level merchants might have one, and it seems to be very user-friendly.

As I stretched comfortably after coming out of the labyrinth, I received a contemptuous look. I'm still disliked, it seems. It's only been ten days, so my reputation couldn't have changed that much. I can hear things like "He's still alive," but I'm not going to pay attention now. I'll make them cry later, as I've memorized their faces.

"Yuta, what are you going to do now?"

(I'm pretty tired, so I'll rest at the inn today. Tomorrow, I have to pick up the bed, go to the general store, and visit the surrounding villages. Oh, and I'll buy a lot of alcohol, so don't worry.)

Sylph's face lit up with a smile. That was close. I had completely forgotten. I need to stock up on alcohol.

"That's great. By the way, what do you plan to do about training spirit mages?"

Oh, right, that's another thing.

(I'll think about it properly at the inn.)

"Alright."

I headed to the inn, receiving contemptuous looks from the occasional adventurer. It's so bad that it actually motivates me.

"You're alive!"

When I entered the inn, Martha patted my back hard. It still hurts even though my level has increased. Maybe she has a skill that ignores defense.

"Of course, I'm alive. I did tell you I wouldn't be back for a few days, right?"

"Yeah, I heard. But some people came to tell me you were dead. I was worried."

So, the petty harassment has reached this place.

"I'm sorry for the trouble. Did you suffer any damage?"

"Hehe, no damage at all. There aren't many people who would challenge Torque's strength. Don't worry, just live your life normally."

"Thank you."

Martha is a good person. I want to repay her somehow. Maybe I can release cooking knowledge in this inn. I'll think of something.

"So, what about dinner?"

"I'm pretty tired, so I'll go to bed. I'm looking forward to breakfast tomorrow."

"Alright, have a good rest."

After parting ways with Martha, I returned to my room and lay on the bed. A sand bed is not really a bed.

"Phew. What should I do from tomorrow? I was planning to return to the Land of Death after picking up the bed, but I have a lot more to do now."

"That's right. You need to buy alcohol. You also need to train spirit mages and sell the materials you obtained. Don't forget to gather earth in the forest."

The fact that alcohol is the first thing mentioned shows the clear priority. I would be hated if I forgot. I'm glad I remembered.

"Other than that, the biggest challenge is training spirit mages. Adults will probably refuse, so it might be safer to take in orphans. Sylph, are there slums in the Labyrinth City?"

"Yes, there are. Are you going to take in children there?"

"Yes. Normal people won't be willing to deal with spirit mages. Sylph, can you find children who can immediately contract with lower spirits? Two would be enough."

It might sound unorthodox, but orphans will benefit too, so I'll ask them to bear with it.

"Hmm, I can find them, but it's better to stop at lower spirits for children. It's safer to contract with floating spirits with clear consciousness and raise them together."

I thought having more power would be better, but Bell and the others are already quite strong. I remember they said they had the attack power of first-class mages. If children have that much power, it's scary they might go out of control.

"Right. Let's go that way. Then, how do we raise them? In the Labyrinth City, they might be bullied, so it might be better to train them at the base in the Land of Death until they are strong enough?"

"Are you going to take them there? Is that okay?"

"Well, it depends on the orphans, but I don't think anyone will believe them even if they tell them. That the depths of the Land of Death are being developed. Also, Sylph, can you fly to the Land of Death even if the number of people increases?"

"Indeed, no one would believe the words of orphans. Flying isn't a problem. It will just take a bit longer with a few more people. But if that happens..."

Sylph seemed to agree, but she muttered something about hurrying. What's the rush?

"Alright, I'll look for orphans, and Yuta, go to bed. Your eyelids are drooping."

"Hmm, right. Good night, everyone."

I heard Bell and the others' voices faintly and fell asleep without changing clothes. I'm quite tired.

Thank you for reading.