Chapter 97

After finishing the conversation with Martha, I headed towards where Sara and the others were.

"Everyone, I'm going to the Adventurer's Guild with Sylph, so please stay here for a bit. When I come back, we'll probably go to the dungeon, so get ready."

"Is Bell going too?"

Bell, who had floated over, tilted her head and asked. I had just told them to stay here, but was she asking if she could go to the dungeon with us?

"I'll take you to the dungeon, but I'm going to the Adventurer's Guild now, so please stay here for a bit."

"Bell can work too!"

...Huh? Work?

"Hehe. Bell says she wants to help Yuta. She's been staying here a lot lately, so she wants to be useful."

Sylph, gently stroking Bell's head, explained to me, who didn't understand. The fact that Bell and the others were here was already a huge help, but I guess I hadn't given them much to do lately...

"Quack, quack, quack," "Turu wants to help too," "Cuckoo, cuckoo."

"Oh, Rain, Turu, and Tamamo also want to help Yuta. What should we do?"

Wow. I'm getting really emotional. I might even cry. But taking them to the Adventurer's Guild wouldn't be good for their education, so I can't take them.

"Thank you, everyone. But this time, please stay here. We'll have plenty of opportunities for Bell and the others to help in the dungeon, so please stay here for now."

I patted each of their heads with heartfelt affection. I'm really happy to have made a contract with these kids.

"Bell, we'll do our best in the dungeon," "Quack, quack, quack," "I'll protect," "Cuckoo, cuckoo."

Bell and the others raised their right hands, fins, and front paws high, ready to take on the task. They seem so determined, I'm a bit worried about the dungeon's monsters.

"Okay, I'm counting on you. I'm going to the Adventurer's Guild, so please stay here and take care."

I left the inn and headed to the Adventurer's Guild. I'm feeling really emotional this morning, and it seems like it's going to be a good day. Well, my mood might drop at the Adventurer's Guild, so it'll probably be a normal day.

***

(Sylph, if you hear anything about me, can you let me know? And if there's any talk about the materials I've sold, please let me know.)

"Sure."

When I entered the Adventurer's Guild, at first nothing happened, but gradually, people started to look at me and murmur. It seems they hadn't forgotten about me.

"Everyone seems surprised that Yuta is still in the Labyrinth City. They thought you had already fled."

...I see. Now that you mention it, I had been back in the Land of Death and hadn't visited the Adventurer's Guild in a while. It's not worth worrying about, so I'll just pick a quest quickly.

I looked at the board where quests were posted. There were hardly any adventurers checking the board. Maybe it's not a busy time?

There were a lot of quests for the magic herbs and all-purpose herbs I had sold to Marie. It seems the information has spread, and a lot of quests have come in. The guild master must be busy... I chuckled. Feeling even better, I decided to pick a quest quickly.

Since Sara and the others are with me, I'll choose a quest that's not too difficult. After checking the board, the quests that seemed doable in a day were: gathering herbs and meat from the sixth layer's grassland, securing orc meat and herbs from the sixteenth layer's forest, and collecting edible mushrooms. Adventurers usually gather these, so they need to be ripe. That's what I learned from light novels.

There were also quests outside the Labyrinth City, but I'd probably be turned down as a bodyguard, and they don't really interest me.

I could complete the quests quickly by selling the over-harvested Rafbird and orc meat in my magic bag, but that wouldn't help Sara and the others train. They need to gain experience and rank, so I'll take the time to gather the materials properly.

The quests I chose are standing quests, and the guild will buy them when I bring them in. Hmm? The Rafbird and orc have specific parts listed. I remember that it's best to reduce the load and bring back only the valuable parts. Do I need to disassemble them before bringing them in? I'll ask.

"Erthina, hello. I have a question, is it okay?"

"...What is it?"

Yeah, she's still as expressionless as ever. It's a shame that the carnivorous vibe she had when we first met is completely gone.

"I want to take a quest, but can I bring in the Rafbird and orc whole? The parts are specified, but would it be a waste to bring in anything else?"

"There is a fee, but the Adventurer's Guild can disassemble them. Parts that have a use will be bought, but considering the effort, it might not be worth it. Also, I should mention that there won't be any porters to help you."

She answers my questions properly. Without a magic bag, bringing in a whole orc or Rafbird would be inefficient. But I have a magic bag, so I can bring them in whole without a porter. Another thing I want to ask... I learned about herbs in the beginner's class, but not about mushrooms.

"I don't need a porter, so that's fine. What do edible mushrooms look like?"

"There's a reference room over there. You can check it out yourself. And, are the children safe? Even if those children want to be with you, using children is not acceptable."

There's a reference room? I wish someone had told me about it earlier. I was suddenly confronted and focused on the spirit mage thing.

"I'm not using them, and the children are fine. I won't bring them to the Adventurer's Guild unless it's necessary, as I don't know what might happen."

A hint of suspicion appeared in Erthina's emotionless eyes. I knew she didn't trust me, but it's really bad. She probably thinks I'm mistreating the children. I did have a conflict with the guild master, but I don't think I've caused any other problems.

I left the counter, went to the reference room to check on mushrooms, and then left the Adventurer's Guild. I want to check other things, but the others are waiting, so I'll come back at night.

"They're desperately gathering information on people who have cleared the fiftieth floor, but they haven't thought of Yuta at all. Also, Karl is still spreading rumors about Yuta."

They don't have a clue. I wish they had at least some information. If this continues, I might have to spread information myself, which would be a bit embarrassing. That would be really sad.

And Karl is still spreading rumors about me... Karl? ...Oh, the guy who confronted me at the Adventurer's Guild. After I forgave him with all my money, it's pretty bad that he's still spreading rumors.

Well, even without the rumors, my reputation was already bad, so it doesn't matter. If I get the chance, I'll just make a snide comment and let it go. I did make a profit thanks to Karl.

(Thanks. What's the guild master's status?)

"He's out and not in the Adventurer's Guild."

(Then, next time.)

If I ask her to find something, she'll probably find it quickly, but if I rely on her too much, I might become dependent. It's hard to find the right balance between relying and not relying.

***

"Okay, everyone, we're going into the dungeon now, so stay alert. Inside the cave, Sara and the others will take the lead and defeat the enemies. We'll ask Uri and Fuko and Mame to find the stairs leading down. Bell and the others, please guard Sara and the others."

While Bell and the others responded enthusiastically, Sara asked anxiously.

"Master, it's our first time encountering monsters, and we might get lost... Will we be okay?"

"Ah, don't worry. Even if we get lost, Sylph knows the layout, and with Fuko and Mame, you can handle the new monsters. Just communicate well with Fuko and Mame. Bell and the others will protect you if it gets dangerous, but be careful yourselves too."

After confirming that the three of them nodded, we entered the dungeon. It was sad to be stopped again by the gatekeeper who had stopped me before. Maybe because I had the children with me, he was more persistent than when I tried to enter solo.

After explaining that I wouldn't overexert myself and that the children could fight, I managed to get in. It's understandable that they would stop beginners from bringing children into the dungeon, but it's tiring to be stopped before entering. I guess I'll have to endure until I can enter without being stopped after a few more visits.

"Okay, let's do our best."

When I encouraged Sara and the others, they nodded and formed a line after discussing. Marco was at the front, Kika in the middle, and Sara at the back.

"Uri, please scout for monsters. You can defeat them if you can. We'll keep going until we reach a fork, so Kika and Sara, please create wind barriers and scout the surroundings."

Following Marco's instructions, they asked their spirits and cautiously moved forward. After a while, they reached a fork.

I was on edge, watching to see what they would do. It seemed they were going to secure their defense with Uri and send Fuko and Mame ahead to scout.

They were asked to return if they found stairs, a dead end, or a treasure chest. I'm not sure if there are any treasure chests left on the first floor, but it's a good plan.

The floating spirits don't have the ability to search the entire first floor at once, so they were taking their time to search carefully.

...After a while, Fuko returned.

"Fuko, if you find stairs, go right. If it's a dead end, go left. If it's a treasure chest, stay still."

Fuko floated to Sara's right hand.

"You found stairs. Kika, summon Mame."

"Okay."

Kika summoned Mame and brought her back. Guided by Fuko, they all moved forward cautiously. It's a well-thought-out plan, and I can watch with peace of mind. At this rate, Sara and the others' dungeon exploration will go smoothly.

Thank you for reading.