Reborn After A Death March #Chapter 79: Chapter 78 - Read Reborn After A Death March Chapter 79: Chapter 78 Online - All Page

Chapter 79: Chapter 78

"Okay, I'm going to make them attack now!" I call out from atop of a sand dune.

Currently, we are in the middle of the desert outside of the city for some training. Below me, I send ten golems towards my friends, who stand ready to meet them.

"They won't get past me, I declare,"

Nana is at the front of the group. Activating her 'Flexible Shield' skill, she quickly halts the golem's advance as multiple semi-transparent shields appear around her.

"They aren't a problem for me,"

Pearl swiftly leaps over Nana, her long rabbit ears flicking in the wind. With her sword infused with spellblade, she quickly removes three golem heads before jumping back behind Nana's protective shield.

"Be careful they are flanking,"

"Mm. Problem,"

Sara and Mia warn the others as I command the golems to bypass the floating shield wall. Those two have recently gotten a lot faster when casting spells. Sara quickly uses a recent spell she learned, 'Laser', to shoot a hole through one of the flanking golems. At the same time, Mia stops another two in their tracks by casting the 'Water Hold' spell. Pearl guickly takes care of those two as Nana takes out another golem at their front.

Now that there are only three golems… no two, Nana just claimed another one, I should unleash my surprise. Heading my command, a human-sized golem emerges from the sand behind them. It looks just like a human, only with a drill-like contraption on its head. I made it as part of an experiment. It wasn't designed for combat, leading to Sara swiftly taking it out, but it taught my friends to never let their guards down in a fight.

The fight ends with Mia and Nana taking out the last two golems. Maybe it's time I moved on to something tougher. When we first started using these golems for practice, only Pearl could take them down in a one-on-one fight, but now they could all easily manage that. I'll tinker with them tonight and make them tougher to beat for our next training session. It sounds wrong to say this, but it was hard to assess the performance of their new equipment now that they are easily winning.

Nana's armour has had a 'Fortress function' for withstanding attacks from extra-large monsters like areamasters installed. It used components from Space Magic spells like 'Dimension Pile' and 'Deracinator' to create a thirty-foot-tall, fifty-foot-wide transparent defence wall capable of stopping large-scale attacks regardless of the user's physical strength. However, because it couldn't be moved once it was placed, one had to choose carefully the timing and location to use it.

Mia has been wanting to practice her 'Spirit Summoning', so if I were to make new golems, they should be at least level fifty. The level forty golems we currently use are always swiftly destroyed whenever Mia summons a spirit.

It may be wrong to say this, but I haven't seen how effective Sara's new gear is. She is still wearing her persistent outfit, modified to make it more resistant to attacks. But now, on top of it, she has a chest plate with a magic circuit carefully carved into it. It may only work once, but the shield it creates should be able to withstand any attack. Mia also wears a similar vest, but I saw hers works fine after a mistake she made while practising her 'Spirit Summoning'.

On the other hand, Pearl has had plenty of chances to see her new equipment in action. Pearl's boots now create small footholds beneath them, allowing her to pull off unexpected moves in battle. They work similarly to the 'Cube' spell. She's also been given a ring I found in a treasure chest during a trip into the labyrinth that helps the wear recover their stamina faster. Everyone was upset when I put it on her finger for some reason.

"Good work, everyone," I say as I take out a table from storage and set out some light snacks and water for everyone.

We have been training hard in the desert and labyrinth for a while now. Fighting strong monsters and practising against golems nearly every day. All that hard work has paid off, though. Pearl is now at level sixty-four and can use her new boots like an expert. Nana is now at level fifty-one and got the timing nailed for using her 'Fortress function'. Sara is level fifty-three and has grown in confidence while engaged in battle. I don't think I have seen her flinch in fear or hesitate for a moment in a while.

"Kura," Mia came running up to me, nearly tripping over herself. "Fifty."

"Congratulations, Mia,"

And now Mia is at level fifty and can easily control her 'Spirit Summoning'. As for me, I'm happy to say that even I have gained a level. Just a single one, but I am now at level eighty-five. It really takes a lot of grinding for me to level up now.

Pulling out chairs and a tarp that Nana and Pearl quickly set up to protect us from the sun we all settle in to eat an early lunch. Before I came to this world, if someone had told me I would one day have a small buffet in the middle of the desert, I would have thought them crazy. But here I am. Laughing and picking out what I want to eat in the middle of a desert.

"Nana, you should try an eat some fruit, too,"

"But the tiny meat pieces are cute, I report,"

I shake my head and quickly cut up a pear for her. If I didn't, Nana would have only eaten the small cuts of meat.

"Mmm,"

On the other hand, Mia has the opposite problem, filling her plate with only nuts and fruits. It was only with encouragement from me that she tried some of the meat. It will be a long way into the future when Mia finally stops being a picky eater.

"I think I see something…"

It was a peaceful meal until Pearl spotted the first signs of trouble. Once she pointed it out to me, spotting it didn't take me long. In the distance, the sand was rippling as something was rushing towards us.

"It's probably a monster, so get ready,"

I gave the order and checked with Satou to see if he was testing something. He and his group were somewhere in the desert, so there was a chance this rippling was some kind of spell or equipment he was testing out. Unfortunately, it wasn't him.

"It's getting closer, I report," Nana said, stepping to the front of the group. "Permission to engage."

"Me," Mia stood before her and began a chant. It was a long one, but she made it in time. "…Create Sand Giant Suna Shouryou Souzou."

When Mia's spell was complete, the sand at her feet rose and formed a gigantic humanoid shape. The sand giant was level forty, but it was highly resistant to physical attacks, especially cutting and piercing attacks. Like Nana's Fortress, it was perfect for defending against giant monsters. As soon as Mia told it to attack, the sand giant rushed forward with surprising speed. Reaching into the desert sand, the giant pulls up a worm-like monster that is common to this desert and brutally tears it to pieces. It wasn't pretty, but it got the job done.

"I think there's a cave there,"

I see Sara squinting at something. A small hole appeared in the side of a dune thanks to Mia dawing the sand into her summon. It is small. When we got closer, and I used some 'Earth Magic' to make sure the sand didn't bury the entrance I found it was just big enough for someone to squeeze into. Despite Nana insisting she should go first, I took the lead and squeezed myself through the tight opening.

Casting the 'Practical Magic' spell 'Mana Light,' I illuminated my surroundings. Sand continued to cascade from the ceiling, pooling at the base of the cave like water. But I felt like I passed through something when I finally forced my way through the gap.

"Don't let your guard down," I call back as Nana follows me. "There's a barrier in here."

There must be an invisible barrier here. When I reached out to it, I felt something like a faint wall of air. It didn't stop me from passing through. Huh… it's so green… everything is so alive. Once I passed through the barrier, I found the hidden sand-filled cave transformed into a field with waist-high grass and even some trees.

I don't think I was teleported. Turning back, I can see my friends struggling to squeeze through the small hole. The barrier could be some kind of illusion. I can't think of any other way to explain what is happening.

"It's so pretty," Sara was the first to speak up.

"I can see flowers, I report," Nana says, bending down to pluck one.

"Lots of spirits," Mia nods.

She's right. When I checked for myself, I could see so many it was almost dazzling.

"What is this place master?" Pearl asks, stepping closer to me.

"I don't know," I shrug. "Let's look around. I think I see a building up ahead, but be careful."

It was a building and a large one at that. Three floors high and covered in ivory on the outside and a thick layer of dust inside. It is even worse than the manor we brought. At least there aren't that many cobwebs this time.

Everything inside has been trashed. No matter what room we enter, it is always the same, with every piece of funiture broken and dust covering everything. I hoped to find something, but there is absolutely nothing here.

We only found a hidden door in the basement because Nana tripped and fell against it. Behind it was a spiral staircase on the other side leading to a lower room. We headed down, and at the bottom of the staircase was a dome-shaped room about one hundred and fifty feet in diameter; a glowing, multifaceted, crystalline white object was floating above a slightly raised area in the centre. It looked just like the City Core I'd seen beneath Muno Castle.

There was a low staircase leading up to the core, surrounded by glowing stone canals, but the water seemed to be frozen. The City Core was flickering faintly, its light terribly weak. I walked up to the top of the stairs leading to the core, but it gave no reaction. In Muno Castle, the City Core had spoken to me…

"Master!"

I jumped back when I heard Pearl call out and ran over to her.

"What is it?"

"Something is happening to that wall,"

Pearl nodded to a wall that started glowing as she drew her sword. Magic circuits carved into the wall fill with magical power as the wall bulges. We all take a step back, expecting some kind of security system as activated to fight us, but instead, a woman who glows with a light green light and flickers as if she wasn't really there emerges. She was dressed like a noble and wasn't armed, but that doesn't mean she was harmless.

"… Up comlete…" It wasn't until I noticed I gained the 'Flue Empire language' skill and put some points into it that I could understand her. "Activation complete… personal systems 100% functional. Error… unable to obtain the data of Twilight systems… intruders you aid is required,"

I didn't think she noticed us until her head turned to face us.

"That depends on what you need," I reply, not ready to let my guard down.

"Twilight's City Core is on the verge of depletion. Manual override is required to solve the issue and I am unable to do so myself. Your aid is required,"

"And what will you do if I comply?"

"I will serve you," The woman answers without hesitation. "Twilight requires someone to operate its controls, and I am forbidden from doing so. No replacement operations have appeared in one thousand and one years. If this persists, Twilight will die. I can't let that happen as someone made to serve Twilight, so please lead your aid."

I peer at my friends, and each of them nods after I translate what the woman is saying to them. I hope this isn't a mistake.

"Okay," I relent, putting my sword away. "Tell me what I need to do."

"Please touch the City Core and feed it some magic to restart the system,"

I do as the woman says, and the City Core glows slightly brighter, and a voice speaks up.

"Welcome, O lord. Do you wish to register this land as yours?"

I take a deep breath.

"Yes,"

<Title Acquired: Ruler of Twilight.> Wait! What? How am I going to explain that? Will I get in trouble if I become queen of a nation while serving another? No, I'm overthinking things. I'll just write a letter to the king and explain things. I'm sure he will understand. "Please lift the isolation mode. Currently, we are being cut off from contact with the underground vein network If the mana source is cut off while we are not connected with the underground vein network, we will run out of the magic that was accumulated during rotation period seventy-two. Without a source of magic power, the City Core unit will disintegrate again," The City Core dimmed weakly. Arisa once noted that since the era of the Flue Empire, there had been no reports of any new City Cores being created. Seeing a valuable City Core fade away would be a great loss. "Okay," I nodded. "I'll lif the isolation mode." Radiance enveloped my head as a crown of blue crystals emerged. Through the City Core, I sensed the mana source of this land, re-establishing its connection with the underground veins. After being dormant for so long, the reconnection faced significant resistance. Overall, the experience felt quite surreal. "Thank you," The woman bowed as I stepped away from the city core. Surprisingly, she was now speaking in Japanese. "Elven?" "No, she is speaking Shiga, I report," Mia and Nana seem to be hearing different languages. When I asked Sara and Pearl they said they heard the woman speaking in Shiga. But I don't think Mia is wrong since I hear the woman speak in Japanese. As if sensing our confusion, the women clearfies. "Now that a connection has been restored with a mana source, I have been granted access to functions I was cut off from to save energy. My restored functions include an automatic translation function, Magic Power Manipulation function, Repair function and the Golem Control function. I have taken it upon myself to start waking up the golems responsible for cleaning and maintenance and ordering them to fix up the place. I apologise that you have to see Twilight in such a state," "Is Twilight the name of the city?" "No. Twilight is the name of the floating reconnaissance island," The woman corrected me. "Unfortunately, both the flight and stealth functions will be offline for the next ten days due to lower magical power. Defence systems also are down and won't be restored until three days from now. Golem production facilities will be restored in six days. Although the residential quarters and the bridge will be ready to use immediately. But the residential quarters appear to have been looted, so no funiture remains." So this is a flying island. I can't help but feel a little excited hearing about it. Once this place is fixed up, it could be a nice base to use. "Now let me introduce myself," The woman then kneeled in front of me. "I am referred to as Central. I was built to aid nobles in maintaining their territories. Still, unfortunately, the Demon Lord wiped out the Flue Empire before any more of my kind could be made. During the last days of the empire, I was transferred to Twilight to allow for a smaller crew. Still, the demon lord shot us down, and the damage was too much to repair, so I was abandoned here until now. O king. I pledge to serve you for as long as you require." "Okay, but you don't have to kneel. Please just treat me like an ordinary person, Central," It was a little awkward having someone kneeling down before me. "Understood… behaviour parameters have been updated," Central says as she stands up. "O king, reconnection with separate storage space has been completed. Do you wish to view a list of contents?" A semi-transparent board was displayed in front of the Central, and a golden door appeared behind it. "A door appeared, I report," "It's just a storage space," I saw some interesting items on the list at a glance, so I decided to check it out with everyone. The other side of the door was a literal treasure trove. "These are so beautiful…" Sara stares, mesmerised by the artwork. There are multiple paintings showing beautiful landscapes and portraits. All of them must have been made by master painters. "Cute," "Yes, Mia. The larval are very cute, I agree," Mia and Nana, were looking at statues of tiny animals made from rubies and emeralds and given a life-like appearance. They must be worth a fortune. "This place was designed to safeguard the treasures of the Flue Empire. During the final years, we knew defeat was intimate, so we took steps to ensure not everything was destroyed," Control explained. "The paintings and statues were all made by the empire's greatest artist. This was only a small amount compared to what we were ordered to obtain, but the Demon Lord shot us down right at the beginning of our mission." "You still managed to save quite a bit," There was a huge quantity of gems, gold coins, and the like, and even a small amount of bluecoins. We also found rare magic tools like transparency cloaks, a Wooden Pegasus, and magic devices that needed blue coins to power them. Unfortunately, there weren't any weapons or armour. The bookshelves were full of books, but most of them contained stories documenting the Flue Empire, so I didn't find as many spell books and magic-tool design specs. "Can we take this treasure with us?" "Certainly. As the rightful lord of this territory, it rightfully belongs to you," We only took the money and blue coins with us. If we are going to use this place as a base, it would be easier to leave everythign else here. Although Nana did take one of the small statues, she had taken a liking too. "Ahh!" Surprisingly, that scream came from Pearl. She was so quiet that we almost left without her. As we all turned, expecting some kind of monster has attack, we couldn't help but laugh. It looks like Pearl sat on one of the Wooden Pegasus's, not expecting it to move and fell of when it did. While she doesn't appear to have been hurt, at least even if she had an embarrassed look on her face for the next hour. <0> "This is the bridge, O king," Central says after leading us up a tower. The bridge is pretty small, with only a few consoles and a glass dome encasing it. I'm sure it would give a great view when the island flies, but right now, all I can see outside the window is the sand tightly packed against it. The golems Central mentioned before are hard at work cleaning up the place and making repairs. We had already seen them on our way here and they would be creepy to run into in the night. There isn't anything partially scary about them. Still, they look like manikins, and I have played too many horror games to have developed a healthy fear of them. The combat models look better like knights, only with their arms replaced by swords and a jetpack-like magical device on their backs, allowing them to fly. "I am detecting no problems in the magic circuits. Everything should be fully fictional once the City Core has regained enough power," Central says as she walks from console to console. "Cleaning is the only thing required in this… O king, I have just detected another City Core from a Flue Empire reactivating nearby. Do I have permission to respond?" "Where is it?" After glowing brighter for a moment, Central gave her answer. "It's in the desert, to the south, 2.3 kilometres away from our current position," That's roughly where Satou and his group are, so it's most likely his doing. Just to be sure, I contacted him and sure enough, Satou had found a City Core under the desert sand. "Yes, go ahead and respond," Since it was Satou, then there wasn't any harm in responding. And while they did that I brought Satou up to speed on what we've found. <0> We regrouped with Satou and his group just before sunset. It looks like Satou has had fun building a small base. Satou used 'Stone Object' to make a Shinto shrine-style torii gate and building. He even used spells like 'Air Curtain' and 'Air-Conditioning to adjust the temperature. "I just finished setting up the bath inside so you can all clean yourselves off," Satou said when he greeted us. With the amount of sand and sweat coating my body, I certainly didn't object to heading straight for the bath. Satou must have gotten carried away. The tub was really more like a pool with some partition screens around it. Pochi and Tama are already having fun swimming around with Liza struggling to control them. "Master should have… I missed my chance too… why didn't he come…" I slipped into the water close enough to Arisa to hear her muttering something. She was sulking the entire time we spent in the bath. But once she was out, Arisa cheered up when Satou asked what everyone wanted for dinner. "I want somen noodles! And then, for dessert, I'll have an entire half of a watermelon!" Arisa's request resembled the dream of a child's perfect summer getaway. "Meeeat?" "I want meat, too, sir," "Dry your hair off first, you two," Tama and Pochi dashed over, drenched from head to toe, prompting Liza to sprint after them and dry them off. She didn't even realise she wasn't wearing any clothes until Lulu put a towel around her. "Somen and meat, huh? Then how about char siu pork, omelettes, and some diced cucumbers and tomatoes?" "Now it sounds like your average chilled noodle dish," Chilled noodles might be nice, too. "Oh, I know! Let's have nagashi somen!" "Sure, why not? I have enough bamboo," "Bamboo?" Mia tilted her head, prompting me to gather the kids and explain the Japanese tradition of nagashi somen. This enjoyable noodle dish is served as it flows down a bamboo flume. While I was doing that, Satou produced some bamboo from storage, halved them vertically and trimmed the knots, then linked them together with Treespirit Pearls. "Water Spirit," Mia used the Spirit Magic spell Create Water Spirit to summon a water pseudo-spirit called an "undyne." It used its water manipulation abilities to control the flowing water for the nagashi somen. "Ooh, the water's looping around," When the water flowed to the bottom, it travelled through the air and returned to the top of the flume. This ensured that any noodles that hadn't been collected during the descent would also be transported back up. "That's quite remarkable," "Mm," Mia blushed and smiled as she nodded in response to my compliment. Lulu and Liza assisted Satou in boiling the noodles and preparing the toppings. Mia had a couple of additional requests, so I whipped up some delicious sweet-and-salty boiled monster mushrooms. They would have made a perfect topping for sushi rice. Somehow, we ended up with more types of char siu than we did noodles, but no one seemed to mind that at all. "All right, here goes," After finishing our preparations, we lined up along the bamboo flume and began to pour the noodles down, one portion at a time, from the top. If Satou didn't pour enough, the girls at the end of the flume wouldn't receive any. "Fancy," "This is truly elegant, I declare," Mia and Nana appeared to have a great time gathering the noodles. "It's too difficult!" "Mr. Noodle keeps slipping away, sir," Tama and Pochi were struggling with their chopsticks compared to the others, making it more challenging for them. "It's delightful! The texture of the char siu changes when paired with the cucumbers or omelette slices." "I want to try!" "Me too, sir!" After a few rounds of noodles, Liza promptly shifted her focus to the pork. Tama and Pochi quickly followed, heaping their plates with meat instead of noodles. "Ooh, I found some pink noodles!" Tama's ears perked up at Arisa's exclamation. "Yellow noodles." When Mia joined in, Pochi turned around as well. The beastfolk duo rushed over to check out the colourful noodles Arisa was eager to showcase. "Colorful noodles?" "Do they have different flavours as well, sir?" "They taste the same, but legend has it that eating coloured noodles brings good health." Arisa spun a fictional tale to spark Tama's and Pochi's curiosity even more. "I want to be blessed, too, sir." "I'll grab the next one?" Satou had added some colourful noodles just for fun, but it turned out they were a hit with the kids. Tama and Pochi stood ready with their chopsticks, so he sent a stream of coloured noodles their way. To help them catch the noodles more easily, Satou used 'Magic Hand' to slow them down as they floated by. "I'm so quick; it's like they're frozen in mid-air, sir!" "Did you get any?" "Hiyaaaa, sir!" The two dove in like birds of prey, eager to scoop up the now-still noodles. They had abandoned their chopsticks in favour of using their hands. "Slippery?" "This is so much fun, sir! I want to eat more!" "You shouldn't grab them with your bare hands. Here, use these instead," "Aye-aye," "I apologise, sir," Liza reprimanded the duo, confiscated their chopsticks, and handed them tongs instead. I figured I'd join in on the mischief as well. Most of the meals we consumed in the labyrinth were hearty and nutritious, so having a light and refreshing lunch was a pleasant change. The cool noodles felt wonderful as they glided down my throat. Noticing that the kids were growing tired of the standard noodle soup base, I suggested adding some sesame sauce. At the same time, I savoured my noodles with various condiments. <0> "Watermelon's the best dessert on a hot day," After wrapping up our nagashi somen dinner, we settled on the veranda to indulge in watermelons. Satou had distributed generous halves of watermelon to anyone interested, ready to be savoured with spoons. Of course, this was a special request from Arisa. "The char siu was tasty, but watermelon is yummy, too, sir," "Oui, oui..." Pochi and Tama piled their plates high with so much pork that the noodles beneath were completely hidden. However, their appetites were still in full swing, as they were now nearly burying their faces in the watermelons. "Be careful, you two! If you swallow watermelon seeds, they'll grow in your stomach!" "Mew!" "Oh no, sir!" Tama and Pochi stared at Arisa in shock, clearly unsettled by her joke. "Instead of swallowing the seeds, just spit them out like this! Pbbt!" Sara looked mortified by the idea of spitting out the seeds. While she was raised as a noble then by a temple, she was probably taught that such behaviour was unbecoming. Instead of spitting them out, Sara removed all the seeds with a toothpick before eating. Just then, Lulu came back from the kitchen prep area. "Master, I made fruit punch," "Mm, yummy," "The fruits floating in the sweet syrup are very cute, I report," Mia and Nana were delighted by the exquisite dessert Lulu had prepared. It featured vibrant chunks of pineapple and kiwi that seemed to dance within the creation, evoking a refreshing sensation just by gazing at it. The syrup's gentle sweetness complemented the natural flavours of the fruits perfectly, enhancing their taste without overwhelming them. "It's delicious, Lulu," When Satou praised her efforts, Lulu beamed at him with a bright smile. Recently, her smiles had become even more brilliant than before; perhaps her feelings of inadequacy were finally beginning to diminish. She had also gotten ready a large bowl filled with the fruits that Rei and Yuuneia had gifted us during our last trip to Paradise Island on our return from Bolenan Forest. "Bananas are yummy," "I like apples and pineapples, too, sir," "The kiwi is delicious with yoghurt, I report," All the fruits were fresh and delicious. We relaxed for a while and enjoyed the tropical fruit. <0> A few days after, we found the floating island. Satou and I went to see how things were going at the guild training grounds, where we offered classes for aspiring explorers. "Yes, indeed," The individual who guided us was a female guild clerk responsible for organising lecturers, recruiting students, and handling various other tasks for the class. Thanks to her efforts, our only responsibilities were to cover the operating expenses and assist in developing the initial lesson plans. "It helps that many kids are hoping to get rich quick by collecting crafting recipes these days, but I think a lot of them are after the food that's served following the lesson, too," There were a few adults among the students, but the overwhelming majority were middle schoolers. Many of them seemed genuinely enthusiastic about the food: as the savoury scent of soup drifted in from the guild's kitchen, they quickly grew restless with anticipation. "Looks like we'd better wrap it up," Once the instructors announced the end of the class, the children hurriedly rushed to the back wall, swiftly arranging themselves into three neat lines. "Are those the lines for receiving food?" "Yes, that's right. The children seem to be very good at forming orderly lines these days-perhaps thanks to your soup kitchens," It seems that our group's efforts to manage the kids when we initially launched the soup kitchen have truly borne fruit. "There's meat today!" "Gosh, what a feast," "I'm gonna get the question right and earn an extra helping for sure this time," "Me too! I've taken this lesson twice now," The children were excited as they observed the guild chefs serving up steaming pots of soup and grilled meat. "What's the one thing you should do when you use a flash bomb?" "Tell your comrades that you're gonna use it first!" "That's correct. I see you were paying attention. Here, have an extra piece of meat," "Yaaay!" If the children answered a question about the day's lesson correctly, they were rewarded with a bit more food. Since many of them often dozed off during class, Arisa suggested this strategy as a way to keep them engaged. "The instructors love it, too, since it means the kids listen carefully during class," "Are most of the instructors on the older side?" "Yes, we try to employ retired explorers who are good with children," "Then is the amount of money we budgeted for personnel enough?" We intended to hire younger explorers with at least two to three years of experience, which is why the funding we allocated to the guild for hiring wasn't substantial. "Oh, it's more than enough. We have so many applicants, it's been difficult to narrow down," The guild clerk glanced at the instructors, who were beaming as they enjoyed their meals amidst their students. Perhaps their joy came from sharing their knowledge with the younger generation. Pleased with our class observations, we returned to the main guild hall alongside the clerk. "Is it just me, or is it livelier than usual around here?" The guild hall was always crowded, but today, many of the explorers seemed to be in high spirits, especially the younger ones. "It's thanks to the veria potions," "You mean those recipe fragments that were found in the labyrinth?" "Yes, the explorers' guild and the alchemists' guild are both offering rewards for the fragments, so there are many explorers hoping to strike it rich, including some of the aspiring students from our classes," Part of the reason the guild was so lively was that people were exchanging information on areas they'd already explored and stuff. "Along with the recipes, real veria potions have also been found in treasure chests, so many young explorers are selling them to buy new equipment," As a result, commerce in the shopping districts was on the rise. Glancing around the guild, I noticed an influx of young people sporting newer equipment than before. Was that a flash of purple? A brief glimpse of violet caught my attention. For a moment, I thought it might be Arisa, but the face peering out from the hood appeared to belong to a dogfolk child. By the time I tried to point him out to Satou, the figure had already vanished into the crowd. It was strange. Satou couldn't locate him on his map, and no one else appeared to have seen him. Curious, I tried using Clairvoyance to search the guild and surrounding area but couldn't find the child again. "Is something the matter?" "No, I just thought I saw a dogfolk child with purple fur, which struck me as unusual..." "The cursed colour? Yes, that is quite rare," Judging by her tone, the clerk had never seen this person before, either. I asked that she inquire after the child's name if she saw them around. If Satou knew their name, he could search his map more easily and figure out if this was someone we needed to worry about. We parted with the clerk on the first floor and went to the guildmaster's office. "Hey there, Satou. I heard you beat an areamaster?" "Nothing gets past you," We had already defeated more than twenty areamasters, but we reported only one of them to the guild. "I should hope not! I am the guildmaster, y'know," It's hard to take her seriously when she's lounging on the sofa while her subordinates handle the work. The guildmaster's regular assistant, Ushana, is out on business. "Still, we haven't seen such a small party beat an areamaster since Miss Ringrande's heyday." With a hint of nostalgia, the guildmaster recounted tales from a bygone era. Miss Ringrande, famously known as the Witch of Heavenly Destruction, had an impressive past. Before aligning herself with Hayato the Hero, she had supposedly taken down an areamaster within her own group and, alongside a band of Holy Knights from the royal capital, triumphed over a floormaster. As I pondered this, I recalled hearing a similar story at Muno Castle from some knights of the Ougoch Duchy Temple. "She certainly never fell into a hole like you did," The guild master chuckles. "That was an accident," I laughed too but also thought it was good that Sara didn't come with us. She still hasn't forgiven herself for that incident. "But surely, you aren't planning to try to take down a floormaster with a single party, are you? I can talk to Zarigon or some other famous garnet parties for you if you want," "I appreciate your concern, but we won't be challenging a floormaster for a while yet, and I already have a party in mind to ask for help. There's no need to worry," "I see..." The guildmaster frowned, looking deep in thought. She wasn't prone to becoming upset over someone turning down a gesture of kindness, so it was likely not connected. "I don't want to steal the credit for any of your achievements. Keep that in mind and hear me out..." We nodded. "The guild would be willing to take on the classes you two have sponsored. I can use my discretionary power to get funding for the rest of the year, and after that, we'll have the kingdom pay for it." "That sounds wonderful," "Are you sure?" "Of course. It was a bit meddlesome on our part to start them in the first place," If the classes could operate independently, it would be ideal. Surely, it was advantageous for the kingdom to cultivate individuals who could produce valuable cores. As the guildmaster explained, they had previously tried to implement these classes. Unfortunately, they were halted to save expenses because they only led to a minimal rise in the number of explorers advancing from wooden to bronze badges. "We'll get the details squared away when Ushana comes back," the guildmaster said, ending that topic. She then redirected the discussion to a progress update on Jelil's ongoing efforts to confront the floormaster. It had been over a month since we last witnessed his party embarking on their journey into the labyrinth. Yet, reports indicated that they had yet to engage in battle with the floormaster. "They've been attempting to clean up the Room of Trials, and it seems their garrisons are attacked by wraiths and wights every night," The lack of sleep affected morale, leading to mistakes in battle and other issues that were heavily impeding their progress. "Fortunately, they requested aid from a wraith-extermination specialist in the royal capital. I'm told they've finally finished cleanup there," "I'm glad to hear it," "You look genuinely relieved about that... How very like you, Satou," The guildmaster shook her head, but she was smiling. "Most people would be happy to hear that their rivals have been slowed down, no?" "I'm not particularly trying to compete with them," Satou's group aimed to defeat a floormaster only because it was a good goal for his group's training. "I can't tell if you're unselfish or just unambi- tious... And yet, you're the most talented young explorer we've got. Go figure," The remark came off as an insult, but the guildmaster didn't appear to intend any offence, so Satou just smiled and nodded in response. "Oh, right. We've had some kids around, like the princess from that little country and the viceroy's third son, to ask when we plan to start classes for nobles or a young explorers' school." It seems that Princess Meetia of the Nolork Kingdom and Gerits, the third son of the viceroy, recently visited the west guild. They likely caught wind of whispers regarding the explorers' school during our time in the labyrinth. "I've been considering making a school to raise kids into explorers, but that's still in the idea phase -I haven't made any concrete plans just yet," "It'd basically be like the classes on a bigger scale, right? You should go for it. I'll grant you permission from the guild, and I'm sure you can get permission from the viceroy in no time flat, knowing you. I'll even look for teachers for you, hmm?" That was a pretty kind offer. "Why would you do all that?" "Cause I've got high hopes for you, kid," The guild master nodded. "Apart from Kura here, no one else has done more for this city than…." "This is awful, Guildmaster!" While we were speaking with the guildmaster, her typically composed secretary, Miss Ushana, suddenly rushed into the room. Given her usual demeanour, it was clear that something serious had occurred. "Take a deep breath and explain what's happening," "A demon lord!" Demon lord? Ignoring the guildmaster and Ushana, I turned to Satou and saw him shaking his head, having checked the situation out. My "Sense Danger" skill wasn't reacting, either, so it mustn't be an emergency. "That doesn't tell me anything. What, did a demon lord appear somewhere?" "No, it's a prophecy," The guildmaster had jumped to her feet, but now she settled back onto the sofa. "Just a prophecy? Didn't we already get one of those a while back?" Indeed, Labyrinth City Celivera had been mentioned among the prophesized demon-lord revivals I'd heard about at the Tenion Temple in the old capital. "This is a new prophecy," "Who's on duty this month?" "The Karion Temple," "Ah, the place with the newbie priestess?" Each month, one of the priestesses of the six temples (excluding the Zaicuon Temple) was to use the "Oracle" skill to receive a prophecy from their respective deities. "So what did it say?" "A mighty ruler shall appear who reigns over the sea of sand," Oh. That's probably about me? Or maybe Satou? He's been activating City Cores, too. He activated even more than me. "A king...? The 'sea of sand' must be the great desert to the west, right? Nobody would be crazy enough to try to settle such a barren land, and I doubt any kingdom would try to attack us from there. Which means..." "Yes, the head priestess of the Karion Temple suspects that it means a demon lord will be revived in Celivera Labyrinth since it extends beneath the great desert," "That does make sense..." "Are you scared, Lilian?" Without so much as a knock, the elf Sebelkeya, a counsellor to the guildmaster, strode into the room. Although she possessed youthful and graceful features, her words were sharp and cutting, as always. "I keep telling you not to call me that," "All right, Zona the Crimson Devil. What's the guild going to do?" "We'll have to smoke out the demons. They always start scheming behind the scenes before a demon lord is revived. Labyrinth City was even attacked by demons not long ago. To think they would flaunt their presence so boldly and still try to continue their plot... They'll regret underestimating me," They continued to believe that a demon lord was on the verge of revival. While it was true that the green greater demon had attempted to resurrect one in Labyrinth City, I had already thwarted that plan. The prophecy related to Satou and me most likely awakened the City Cores that had lain dormant beneath the vast desert. However, I couldn't simply disclose that information to them. So, what should I do now? "There are four demon lords who have appeared in Labyrinth City before..." "...Doghead, the Scorpion Lord, the Bug Lord, and the Tempestuous Lord," The guildmaster began talking, and Ushana continued the tale. "The oldest of all demon lords, also known as the Devil, is the Dogheaded Demon Lord. According to ancient records, even the Hero and the seven gods could not defeat him. He was driven away only by the Dragon God and the sky dragons." Hopefully, he won't appear. I would hate to have to fight someone only the Dragon God could beat. "Then there is the Scorpion Lord, who tormented the Orc Empire with endless armies; the Bug Lord, who wiped out several small nations with plague and famine and even halved the population of the Saga Empire; the Tempestuous Lord, who controlled tornadoes and destroyed many Shiga Kingdom cities. All horrible villains who caused great pain and difficulty for the Heroes of their times," As Ushana finished describing the demon lords, her face was pale and shaken. "Hmm? Hasn't Celivera Labyrinth had the Bone Lord, the Abyss Blood Lord, and the Steel Lord, too?" Sebelkeya asked. "Those are fictional demon lords. They're not recorded anywhere in history," "Well, if I see any demons, I'll be sure to let you know right away," I say, getting up. "Please do. And if any demon lords pop up, go ahead and defeat them for me," "Yes, of course," Sebelkeya appeared content, but I suspected this was a misunderstanding arising from my agreement with the City Cores, which likely meant she wouldn't experience the adventure she anticipated. Since the Oracle date had been publicly announced and attended by government officials and Labyrinth army officers, I felt there was no urgency to rush and notify anyone. For the moment, I would simply caution my comrades not to panic. <0> "Whaaat? So the demon-lord-revival rumours aren't real?" "Too baaad?" "Sir," "Mrrr," Upon our return to the mansion, we shared the Oracle's prophecy and my speculations with the others, but the younger girls appeared disheartened. Did they really have a desire to confront a demon lord? "Master, you received a delivery from Viscount Siemmen while you were out," "Thank you, Miteruna," Satou accepted the package. It was filled with scrolls Satou had commissioned. "Hmm? There are five in here." In addition to the spells he had requested, Satou came across the intermediate Water Magic spell Tidal Wave, the intermediate Ice Magic spell Ice Field, and the intermediate Lightning Magic spell Call Thunder. The accompanying letter explained that they had found some rare scrolls during their inventory check and sent them as a gift to express their gratitude for the original Light Magic spell Pixie Light, proving extremely popular among the nobles in the royal capital. "How did the class you attended with Master Satou go?" Liza asked me while Satou busied himself with the scrolls. "It's going really well," I replied. "The guildmaster even said they would take over the class for me and secure funding from the government." "Aww, but they'll keep all the profits!" Arisa exclaimed. "What's the issue with that? They're going to handle all the hard work, after all," Arisa appeared unimpressed as Satou added his thoughts. "Well, at least ensure they keep using the course's name," "Name?" "Sure, I registered it in the guild records as Pendragon Explorer Candidate Course," However, that phrasing gave the impression that we were trying to recruit the students to join Satou's house or party. "Is that really the name...?" "Pretty great, right?" Arisa grinned proudly. Satou reached over and mussed her hair. "Heeey, you're messing up my hair!" Despite her complaints, Arisa looked a little bit pleased. "Me too!" "Pet Pochi, too, sir!" Satou patted each of the younger kids on the head in turn as I relayed what the guildmaster had suggested about the explorer school. "Absolutely, why not? If they're so keen to assist, you should take advantage of it. Also, I thought you were having Kajirocchi train the Lovely Wings to prepare them for teaching at the explorers' school," I had arranged for the Lovely Wings duo to conduct the classes. Still, with the guildmaster providing instructors, they found themselves without any tasks. Not wanting them to simply sit around and get bored, I asked Mr Kajiro to teach them fundamental martial arts and anti-monster techniques while recovering from his recent leg injury. "We have plenty of room in our budget, and since the guildmaster is willing to assist with the hiring, you should definitely take her up on that offer," That was indeed the case. In terms of my personal finances, I was still in a good position. Still, with all the materials and cores we'd been selling to support the group's levelling up, our party had also accumulated a significant amount of wealth. "Sounds good. We shouldn't hoard all this wealth for ourselves, so perhaps we can use some of it to train future explorers," "That's the spirit!" Since no one raised objections, we agreed to dedicate our spare time to establishing the explorers' school.

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