Chapter 72

After leaving the labyrinth, I was so exhausted that I fell asleep without even having dinner. I must have gone to bed too early, as I woke up before the sun had risen. Well, I have a lot to do today, so it’s not a problem that I woke up early.

"Yuta, are you awake?"

"Yeah, good morning, Sylph. I went to bed too early yesterday, so I woke up."

"Good morning. The sun hasn’t risen yet. What are you going to do?"

"Hmm, I was thinking. I’ve been causing a lot of trouble for this inn, so I thought I’d give them some recipes from my hometown to make up for it. I’ll think about it and prepare them by breakfast time."

"Oh, that’s true. There are quite a few vacant rooms. It might be a good idea to apologize just in case you’ve caused any trouble."

*Ouf.* I can’t say for sure that the vacant rooms are my fault, but it’s highly likely that I’ve caused some trouble. It would be too hard on me if I didn’t apologize. I need to think of a menu that will attract customers.

Torque seems to like cooking a lot, so something versatile would be good. Something that can be easily imitated, like charcoal...

Something that’s versatile and can attract customers. It should also be something that doesn’t take too much time to prepare. I’ll write the recipes on the paper and pen I bought from the stationery shop. The stationery is a bit difficult to use. The paper is rough, and the pen is hard to handle.

Well, I can’t help it. I’ll do my best to write the recipes. After confirming with Sylph that there’s no ketchup or anything like that, I decided to go with some simple tomato-based dishes.

First, ketchup and its derivative, pizza sauce. I’ll write down the recipes for pizza toast, spaghetti Napolitano, and meat sauce. These are flavors that aren’t found around here, so if they’re accepted, they should attract customers. If not, I’ll have to come up with something else.

I worked hard on the recipes, making corrections and rewriting them multiple times, and before I knew it, it was breakfast time. It was quite difficult because I didn’t remember the exact measurements.

"This should help me repay them a little. Sylph, let’s go to breakfast."

"Hehe, I’m really looking forward to seeing what dishes you’ve come up with. If the menu you taught becomes popular, let us have some too, okay?"

"Probably, it should be fine. If it goes well, I’ll ask Torque to make a lot and bring it back with me, so you can wait for that."

"Yes, that’s enough. Let’s go, then."

We left the room and headed to the dining hall. It’s important how I present the recipes. If I say something weird, they might not accept them.

"Good morning, customers. By the way, you’re checking out at noon today. Do you want to extend your stay?"

Ah, right. It would be too sudden to give the recipes and ask for a lot to be made tonight. Maybe it’s best for me to leave, but honestly, I want the tomato sauce too. It might be a bother, but I’ll ask for a one-night extension.

"Ah, Martha. I have a request for Torque, so can I extend my stay for one more night?"

"Sure. I’ll take care of the procedures at the counter later. So, what’s the request?"

She accepted the extension without hesitation. If I’ve caused a decrease in customers, she would probably refuse, but she doesn’t even hint at it. Maybe I’m just imagining that I’ve caused more vacant rooms.

"Actually, there are a few dishes from my hometown that I want to eat. I’m planning to leave the labyrinth city for a short while starting tomorrow, so I’d like to have them made and take them with me. Can you help me with that?"

"Teaching us new dishes would be a great welcome. Should I call Torque?"

"No, this is the recipe. I’m not a professional cook, so I’d appreciate it if you could experiment with the measurements. By noon tomorrow, if you could make a lot of ketchup, pizza sauce, and meat sauce for me to take with me, that would be great."

There’s almost no time, so it’s a bit of a request, but the purpose is to give the recipe, so it’s fine. Torque seems like the type who will focus on the recipe once he gets it, so it should work out.

"Wow, that sounds interesting. I’ll give it to Torque after breakfast. If I give it to him now, he’ll drop everything to start cooking."

That’s how it is, right?

"Hehe, that would be a problem since we’re having breakfast now."

"Maybe you could have had a taste of my cooking. What a shame."

Why do I get such a response to what I said? The context doesn’t match at all. Did she not listen to me? Hmm, what should I say in response?

"…That’s…a shame."

The conversation ended normally. What was the right response? I pondered while having breakfast. Today’s breakfast had a chunk of orc meat and two skewers of rough bird. The volume is as usual.

I stuffed myself with meat in the morning and returned to my room. What’s up with the eggs? Even if Japanese cuisine is out of the question, I’d be fine with scrambled eggs or an omelet for breakfast.

"Well, it’s still early in the morning. Where should we start?"

"Yuta, what about the orphans?"

"You’ve already found them?"

While petting the Bell who greeted me enthusiastically, I listened to Sylph.

"Yes, I found two. There were others with talent, but their behavior was a bit off, so I excluded them. These two should be able to contract with a floating spirit immediately. One of them has a younger sister, though."

If I take care of them, that would be three people. I can’t tell the sister to be left behind, can I?

"This sister also has the potential to be a spirit mage. Her magic power is a bit low right now, but once her level goes up, it shouldn’t be a problem. I think it’s fine to raise her together…"

If that’s the case, there’s no problem. If we power-level them, they should be able to contract soon.

"What are they like?"

"Hmm, a boy around ten years old and a girl around eight, and a girl around twelve."

They’re all elementary school age. Well, they’re orphans, so that’s about right. Their behavior doesn’t seem bad, so it should be fine.

"In that case, let’s go and scout them."

I wonder if it’s okay to get involved in people’s lives so easily, but I think it’s better than living in the slums, so it should be fine, right?

Before leaving the inn, I told Martha that the number of people might increase and extended my stay. Sylph led me to the slums… It’s really scary. The houses become more and more dilapidated, like ruins. Can children really live in such a place?

"Hey, kid. What are you doing in a place like this? If you want to get out of here safely, leave all your money. And your equipment and clothes too. I’ll let you keep your underwear, though."

Sure enough, these kinds of people show up. Smirking men appeared and surrounded me. I’ve become quite a high level, but I’m still being targeted. Does the aura that makes people stay away not come with a higher level?

"Say something. Huh!"

Suddenly, one of them attacked me with a sword, which was deflected by a wind barrier. No time for talk, huh?

"This guy’s a mage. Don’t let him cast spells!"

The men around me panicked and tried to close the distance, but they were deflected by the wind barrier. Didn’t they see the first guy?

"Why can you cast spells in succession? You’re not even chanting!"

Ah, they thought the wind barrier was a one-shot spell.

"Hey, you guys can’t break this barrier, so it’s better to give up. I don’t want to fight, and I’ll leave as soon as I’m done with my business."

"Hmph. What business does a great mage have in a slum like this?"

He looks really unhappy. Well, from his perspective, I’m just intruding on his territory and causing trouble, so it’s understandable.

"I’m here to take on apprentices."

*Ouf.* The men who attacked me started arguing about who would become my apprentice. I’m not taking on the men who suddenly attacked me. Besides, I’m not even a mage.

"Wait a minute. I’ve already decided who I’m taking as an apprentice. It would be better if you just let me through. You don’t want to get hurt, do you?"

"I want to be your apprentice," "I’ll definitely follow you," they said and followed me. Mages are quite popular, I see. If I said I was a spirit mage, what would happen? It would be unpleasant if they all left, but it would also be a problem if they all stuck to me.

(Sylph, can you hold them off?)

"Sure. I’ll keep them surrounded with wind, so it’s fine."

"Ignore the voices saying, 'Don’t move,' and 'Damn, wait for us,' and keep moving forward." I ignored the voices and continued. I was targeted twice more, but Sylph used wind to hold them off without any discussion. Sylph approached a dilapidated house made of boards in one of the worst parts of the slums.

"Here it is. The siblings are inside."

The house is even more dilapidated than I imagined. I nodded to Sylph and knocked on what looked like a door. A boy peeked out from a gap and quickly hid.

"Ah, I understand your caution, but I don’t have any bad intentions. Can you at least hear me out?"

Even as I said it, it sounded suspicious. What should I do?

"Talk from there. Don’t come any closer."

He’s on high alert.

"Okay, I’ll talk from here. I’m a spirit mage, but when I came to the labyrinth city, I was looked down upon. I want to raise spirit mages to show them. I asked the spirits I have contracted to find children who can become spirit mages, and one of them is you. Would you like to become a spirit mage?"

………A long silence followed. Did it not work?

"Can I really become a spirit mage? Can I make a living with it?"

He’s being realistic. In this environment, he has to be.

"Yes. Even if you’re disliked by others, I’ll take care of you until you can stand on your own, so you don’t have to worry."

Sylph told me that if they can communicate properly, they can become proficient quite quickly, so it should be fine.

"………"

Is he thinking about it? Should I give him a little push?

"You might feel anxious about being disliked, but I think it will be fine if you show your strength. At the very least, I can promise you a better life than here."

…Huh? Is the Dead Land better than here? If you can eat your fill, it’s better, right? Probably.

I waited patiently for the long silence. What should I do if everyone refuses?

"Can you prove that you’re safe?"

That’s a tough question. I have no intention of doing anything bad, but it’s hard to prove.

Thank you for reading.