Properly brewed tea and formal refreshnts.
An awkward silence hung in the air between us, with Auyen's ticulously prepared tea set on the table.
Misha was the first to speak.
“These…”
“Hmm?”
“These are Lubat Bakery’s cookies… They’re not bad, but Nielon Bakery’s are cheaper and more to your liking…”
Why was she talking about cookies all of a sudden?
I found it random, but I assud it was small talk to break the ice, so I just replied casually.
“Really? Auyen’s the one who buys the snacks, so I don’t really know. Speaking of Auyen—”
“I know. Auyen Lokrob, the navigator.”
“…You do?”
“…….”
The conversation died down.
‘This is awkward.’
It was better to get it over with quickly, like ripping off a band-aid.
“Misha, you’re here, so I assu you’ve made up your mind.”
“…Yes.”
“So what did you decide?”
I asked directly, and Misha hesitated for a long ti before answering.
“I’ll join your clan.”
“Really?”
“Yes…”
She nodded slightly, and I felt relieved.
She had been fidgeting, so I thought she was going to refuse.
“If… you and your teammates are okay with it…”
“Of course we are! Why wouldn’t we be? Ah, you said you didn’t get along with Erwen, right? Don’t worry, you two will be fine. She’s much better now.”
“Oh… really…?”
“Why don’t I call her now?”
“W-What…?”
“You two didn’t even get a chance to properly greet each other. You’ll be exploring the labyrinth together, so it’s a good opportunity…”
Misha looked flustered for a mont, but then she nodded.
I left her in the living room and went upstairs to get Alia and Erwen.
And…
“…….”
“…….”
As expected, a stifling silence filled the room.
After a while…
Alia sighed and spoke.
I had given her a look, urging her to do sothing about the awkward atmosphere, and she had reluctantly taken the initiative…
“Yandel, go upstairs.”
…What?
“If you want this to be resolved, just listen to . You’ll only make things worse by staying here.”
I was kicked out.
______________________
The conversation between Alia, Erwen, and Misha lasted for about an hour.
Alia knocked on the door, giving permission to co down, and I rushed downstairs.
The living room was a ss.
“…….”
“…….”
It wasn’t exactly a hostile atmosphere, but it wasn’t exactly friendly either. It looked like a typhoon had just passed through.
“Um… Emily? What happened here?”
I asked, dumbfounded, and Alia replied casually,
“We had a long talk, and we decided to get along.”
“Well, that’s good… but that’s not what I’m asking. There’s… a lot of broken furniture…”
“Ah, that? Don’t worry about it. We just got a little… carried away.”
How could they get ‘carried away’ and turn the living room into this state?
I looked around, and Erwen avoided my gaze.
“…Yes, we got carried away.”
Right, that’s how it was going to be.
I looked at Misha, but she also remained silent.
‘Well, at least no one’s injured…’
I decided not to pry any further.
I had so tact.
‘It seems like they worked things out, even though there was so friction.’
I guessed that Misha and Erwen had clashed, and Alia had diated.
“I… I’ll be going upstairs now.”
Erwen quickly left the room, and Misha stood up.
“Th-Then I… I should be going too…”
“Huh? Where are you going? Just stay here. We have plenty of rooms.”
“Well… I thought about it, and… I think it’s better if I stay sowhere else… It’ll be awkward… I heard Ainar is also staying at the sanctuary…”
Right, Ainar had been enjoying her life as the 1st Elder.
“So… will you let go of my hand now?”
I released her wrist.
She rubbed it gently, as if it had been hurting.
“Th-Then…”
She opened the door and left. I couldn't stop her.
“…What did you talk about?”
I asked Alia, but she just shrugged.
“It’s a secret. You wouldn’t understand.”
That made it even more confusing.
What had they talked about?
______________________
The day after Misha’s visit,
Another unexpected guest arrived early in the morning.
“…Raven?”
“Can I co in?”
“Of course.”
Raven, who had been busy with work after Erwen’s essence experint, had finally found ti to visit.
“Your new house is smaller than the previous one.”
“Ah, this is your first ti here, right?”
I gave her a brief tour of the house, and then we started our conversation over tea and snacks.
“You didn’t co here just because you were bored. What is it?”
“What do you an, ‘what is it’?!”
“It’s about the Mage Tower, isn’t it?”
“Haa…”
She sighed, but she didn't scold .
She knew the situation.
I had been a bit aggressive, but I had done what I had to do.
And the situation had been resolved peacefully.
So…
“How did you do it?”
That was the real reason for her visit.
“I don’t understand how the Tower Master could make such a concession. I honestly thought it was going to be a war…”
“So you ca here because you were curious?”
“…Among other things.”
I hesitated for a mont and then decided to tell her about the deal I had made with the Tower Master.
I wanted her opinion on this.
“Lurendel Galinbaret… you’re saying the Tower Master gave up so much to protect her?”
“Do you know anything about her?”
“…Not really. We’ve never interacted before. I haven’t been active in the Mage Tower since joining the military.”
“But you’re a mage. You must know more than I do. Tell anything you know.”
“Well…”
Raven hesitated for a mont and then spoke.
“She’s published the most research papers on barbarian hearts. And the Triten School is also very interested in that field of research.”
“Hmm, so that’s why she wanted my heart.”
“Maybe. She might have placed that request out of pure academic curiosity.”
“And the Tower Master is also interested in her research.”
“That’s probably it… Otherwise, he wouldn’t have made such a concession.”
“…Raven, can you investigate this for ?”
“Hmm… Sure. I’m also curious about this. I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
“Thank you.”
That concluded the topic.
I then asked her another question.
“Raven, have you ever… gained ‘knowledge’ in the labyrinth?”
“Knowledge…?”
“Yes, knowledge. Like suddenly being able to read and write ancient language, even though you couldn’t before—”
Raven slamd her hand on the table and stood up.
“Ancient language! You can read ancient language?!”
“Ah, no… that was just an example—”
“What example?! That’s exactly what I’m talking about!”
That’s why I liked perceptive people.
There was no point in making excuses.
“Yes, I can read ancient language now.”
“How well…?”
“Well… I haven’t really tested it yet…”
I trailed off, and Raven pulled out a book written in ancient language from her subspace pocket and handed it to .
But…
“’Mahniarsus pleaded for the return of his wife, but Kaprakadah refused, claiming he could love her more.’ Wait, what is this book about?”
“Just keep reading.”
“…’That was the reason. Mahniarsus drew his sword and stabbed Kaprakadah in the heart. Kaprakadah reached out, his hand covered in blood. That was all he could do…’”
Raven’s expression darkened as I continued reading.
“I-I can barely read this without a dictionary…”
Hmm, is that so…?
She was supposed to be one of the most knowledgeable mages when it ca to ancient languages.
“Muten Abiyur Bukrath.”
“…What did you just say?”
“I can also speak ancient language.”
I shrugged, and after a long pause, she replied,
“…Yandel… do you want to die?”
She raised her hand threateningly.
“Kiatto Kiki Keuek.”
“……?”
“Ah, I don’t want to be hit—”
“You idiot!!”
…I got punched.
Well, her hand was the one that was swollen.
“Seriously… why are you like this?”
“Sorry. Anyway, back to the topic. Have you ever heard of anything like this happening before?”
“…Not that I know of. But… how did this happen to you? Is it… the reward? The one from the Stone of Honor…?”
“Sort of.”
“…Can you tell about it?”
Raven asked cautiously, and I readily agreed.
She had helped , even though she knew I was an evil spirit.
And I needed her expertise as a mage.
“What you experienced wasn’t just a story… it must be based on real events! A clear causal relationship between the Floor Lord and the Witch…!”
Raven was excited after hearing my story.
“This is a huge discovery! It proves that the labyrinth isn’t just another dinsion! The dinsional coordinates of the labyrinth might be based on ti, not space!”
I wasn't as excited as she was.
I didn't really understand the difference between space and ti.
“Really?”
“What about Bersil Gowland? She’s a mage too! She must be researching this, right?”
“No, she doesn’t seem interested.”
“Whaaat?!”
Bersil was a player, after all.
She didn't seem to care much about history.
But Raven couldn't believe it.
“H-How… how can a mage not be interested in this?! If I were there…”
She suddenly stopped talking.
“If you were there?”
“…It’s nothing. It doesn’t matter.”
The atmosphere suddenly beca somber.
I decided to change the subject.
“Ah, right! I have another piece of good news for you.”
“…News?”
“Misha is back.”
I told her about my reunion with Misha and her decision to rejoin the clan.
But her reaction was unexpected.
“…Really? That’s good.”
“I’ll give you her address, so you can visit her. She’ll be happy to see—”
“Later.”
“…Huh?”
“I-I should be going now. I have work to do.”
Raven’s expression darkened, and she quickly left the house.
______________________
I was busy after Raven’s visit.
I visited the sanctuary to check on Lotmiller, the dwarf’s forge to check on the progress of the Mithril slting, and we had several clan etings to discuss our next expedition.
It was mostly routine work, but there were also special occasions.
Like today.
“Welco to House Gudriks, Baron Yandel.”
I had been invited to the Gudriks estate.
They were one of the thirty-two families that comprised lbeth, the demi-human noble alliance.
“Haha! Welco, Baron! I’m Viscount Gudriks. Thank you for accepting my invitation, even though you’re busy!”
Viscount Gudriks, a descendant of dwarves, was more straightforward than the other nobles.
But he was still a noble, so his introduction was lengthy. I had to give him a look before he finally got to the point.
“So why did you call ?”
“We have a request for you, on behalf of lbeth.”
It was my first lbeth quest.
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