Chapter 130, Request and Command

Translator: Barnnn

 

“You sure took your time.”

“Ah… déjà vu,” Hal murmured.

“What was that?”

“Oh, nothing.”

 

Earlier, the trio had spent the afternoon wandering through the food stalls lining the main street, savoring skewers of Dungeon-sourced meat.

Tragically, Speraniessa had no Milk Toad. The sheer despair nearly brought tears to their eyes.

But just as all hope seemed lost, they stumbled upon a stand selling skewers of Silk Toad… or it was supposed to. They were already sold out for the day.

Still, its popularity among the locals promised greatness; a dish that sold out every day had to be worth chasing. Even if she hadn’t tasted it yet, Ize silently vowed that one day, she would eat her fill of Silk Toad skewers.

 

On their way back, they picked up a few more supplies before returning to the inn… only to find a familiar-looking horsebus waiting out front. A familiar-looking messenger stepped out and led them to a familiar-looking room. And as if following a script, a familiar voice greeted them with a line they had definitely heard before.

 

“Good afternoon, my Lord,” Hal said with a casual wave.

“It is afternoon, yes,” the Lord replied.

 

All the servants in the room, save for Shezel, exited at the silent command of the waving hand.

 

“Now listen up, you three,” Shezel began, flopping heavily onto a sofa, “Could you PLEASE consider how we feel on this side for once?”

“Do you have any idea what you just did?” the Lord asked.

“What are you referring to, exactly?” Hal asked.

“You healed Loudipa. Why?”

Hal shrugged. “He looked like he could be healed. So we tried, and it worked.”

“You didn’t have my permission!” the Lord snapped, his voice rising with contained fury.

“True,” Hal agreed. “But we can’t exactly undo it either. So if you’d like to punish us for healing him without authorization, go ahead.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Of course I’m not going to punish you!”

“Then what is it you want?” Hal asked calmly.

 

The Lord clenched his fists and fell silent, frustration flashing across his face.

 

“I WAS planning to make a formal request,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Were you now? I didn’t know that,” Hal replied blandly.

“…Didn’t Rossa say anything?”

“Nothing in particular. We asked what had caused the quarrel between you two, and she guided us to the patient. That’s all.”

“Is that REALLY all?”

“Yes. I observed him with my Appraisal skill and realized he could be healed, so we did it. I had no idea who he exactly was or what political ripples it might cause, and we’re not going to accept any flak for it.”

“…What about a word of thanks?” Shezel asked.

“Not necessary,” Hal replied curtly.

 

The Lord let out a long breath, then tried a different angle.

 

“You’re not asking for compensation?”

“We don’t need any. We weren’t doing it for anyone’s sake.”

“I see,” the Lord said quietly. “Then I’ll make it an order: You three will stay at my estate for the duration of your time in this city.”

“What!?”

“Ugh, that sucks!” Ize groaned.

“Ize,” Fieda sighed, clearly exasperated.

“I can’t afford to have you stirring up trouble all over the place,” the Lord said. “I need you somewhere I can keep an eye on.”

“Sounds about right,” Shezel added lazily. “You already caused something in Jasted, didn’t you? And in Fuyuya, too? Don’t know the details, but I bet you did. Based on the long, chaotic history of otherworlders — citizens of Earth, I believe you’re called — it’s just safer to keep you where we can see you.”

“Oh c’mon, we’re not THAT bad!” Hal protested.

“Yeah, that’s right!” Ize said. “Hal’s the only one who causes trouble!”

“Dammit, Ize!”

“You too, shorty,” Shezel said, giving Ize a knowing look. “Rossalie told me all about you. Don’t go blaming everything on the pretty boy.”

“Ugh… Miss Rossalie, you traitor…” Ize slumped in defeat, unable to deny it or complain.

“Now for the formal request,” the Lord said, shifting to a more official tone. “You will live at the estate until the patient is fully recovered. During that time, you’ll assist the healer, Rossalie, in his care. This is a critical matter for the future of Speraniessa. Understood?”

“…Can we still continue our work as adventurers?” Hal asked.

“Yes.”

“And while we’re exploring the Dungeon, Miss Rossalie handles the patient?”

“She will.”

“She’ll be staying at the estate too, then?”

 

The Lord paused… just for a second, despite having been answering Hal’s barrage of questions without pause so far.

His eyes shifted, and a faint blush crept onto his face.

 

“…Yes, she will.”

 

Hal blinked and muttered under his breath, “Subtle as a wrecking ball, this guy.”

 

The deal was sealed. For the rest of the winter, they would receive free room and board at the Lord’s estate.

 

“JUST SO WE’RE CLEAR, I DON’T WANT THIS!” Ize wailed.

 

Her cry echoed off the walls and vanished into the ceiling, unacknowledged by anyone but the silence itself.

 

◆

 

Two days later, when Hal stepped into the dining hall — a space far too grand and expansive to be called a mere “hall” — he found Ize already there, waiting.

 

“Morning, Ize. You’re up early,” he said.

“Good morning, Hal. I couldn’t really settle down, so I ended up waking early,” Ize replied with a sheepish smile.

“Didn’t sleep well?”

“I had a hard time falling asleep.”

“I get that. I’m still a little groggy myself.”

 

Waving off the attendant who moved to pull out a chair for him, Hal seated himself and reached over to gently ruffle Ize’s hair as she sat beside him.

It had been just yesterday that the three of them, with Hiro and Take in tow, had grudingly relocated to the Lord’s estate. They’d been shown to a guest wing, each assigned their own lavish room, complete with a private bath, a proper toilet, and a luxurious bed. Maids would even arrive at a call.

But no matter how extravagant the space, it couldn’t offer the warmth of watching Sato bask in the sun, or the idle chatter the three of them used to share fresh from a bath. Though technically perfect in every way, Ize felt it was all unnecessary.

 

“Let’s hit the Dungeon as soon as we can,” Hal said suddenly.

“Huh?” Ize blinked, still gazing dully at the polished white table in front of her.

“I’m saying, what we need right now is some action. The fancy toilets, baths, and beds… all this luxury is just too much. I can’t relax.”

“Same here,” Fieda chimed in as he entered, led by one of the servants.

“Good morning, Fieda,” Ize said.

“Mm-hmm. I swear, I slept like a log, but it feels like I haven’t slept at all,” he muttered, plopping into the chair across from Hal. “What IS with the rooms here? I couldn’t rest for a second.”

 

He leaned back, resting his head on the chair’s backrest, and let out a loud yawn toward the ceiling.

 

“I’d rather sleep in the container house,” Ize murmured.

“Me too,” Hal said.

“Same,” Fieda echoed.

 

Their voices, layered with dry humor and fatigue, drew a chuckle from Ize.

With all three present, their breakfast was served. On the white porcelain plates arranged neatly before them, vibrant vegetables were artfully sliced and arrayed with care.

 

“Been a while since I’ve seen vegetables peeled and cut to uniform size,” Hal said, admiring the presentation.

“This is my first time,” Fieda muttered. “Can something this thin even have flavor?”

“It tastes the same,” Ize said, examining a slice. “But this definitely took effort. It’s a world apart from what a cheap place serves.”

 

In common inns and eateries, vegetables were often hacked into large, uneven chunks — “rough cut” at best, “sloppy” at worst. These vegetables, shredded thin or sliced nearly transparent, testified to the kind of place they were in now.

 

“This was standard back home, though,” Hal whispered as he struggled to scoop up a strand of carrot too fine for his fork.

“You guys just eat fancy stuff all the time?” Fieda asked skeptically.

“Nope. We had tools that could slice stuff like this in bulk. Even a ten-year-old could prep vegetables like this.”

“Doesn’t that put chefs out of work?”

“Not really. The tools saved time, and people got more creative with flavor and technique.”

 

With a resigned sigh, Hal gave up and pinched a strip of carrot between his fingers, popping it into his mouth with a satisfied nod.

 

“So, when are we going Dungeon crawling?” Ize asked, surprising even herself with how eager she sounded. Normally, food came first.

“Not today,” Hal replied. “We need to stop by the Guild and check the latest reports. The Mystic Beasts’ distribution, any hazards we should look out for, that kind of stuff.”

“Tomorrow, then?”

“Well, Miss Rossalie’s moving into the estate this afternoon. We should talk with her about the patient before we head out.”

“Oh, yeah… I almost forgot.”

“On the way back from the Guild, let’s check out some shops and buy food supplies we can bring into the Dungeon,” Hal said. “We’ll test them out while we’re down there.”

“A gourmet survival tournament?”

“Exactly. Anything delicious that survives to the top of the rankings, we’ll stock up on before we leave this town.”

 

Hal grinned wickedly, and Ize flashed a matching smile.

They used to talk like this every night, lying side by side. It had only been one night without it, but the silence had been unbearable.

Even now, as Ize bit into a perfectly cooked omelet, something bitter seemed to slip down her throat along with it.

 

◆

 

Later that afternoon, after returning from the Guild, the three of them gathered in Fieda’s room to plan their Dungeon run.

The table was strewn not only with charts and notes, but also an inexplicable assortment of sweets and Mystic Beast-shaped toys.

 

“Hey, move this stuff. It’s in the way,” Fieda grumbled.

“Ah, Brother Goblin fell over,” Hal said, adjusting one of the figures.

“But Grandpa Orc’s still standing strong,” Ize pointed out.

“Kekyo!” Sato chirped, folding down one of its leaves.

“Sato,” Hal said, “You’re hiding something, aren’t you?”

“Kekyokyokyo!”

“I think it’s the Girl Goblin,” Ize chuckled. “I mean, that one’s fine, but Sister Arachne is off-limits, all right?”

“Kekyo.”

“Yup, definitely the Girl Goblin,” Hal said. “Sister Arachne’s a little too mature for Sato.”

“I don’t follow, Hal.” Ize tilted her head.

“Let’s just get started,” Fieda said, brushing the subject aside.

“”Yes, sir,”” Ize and Hal replied in unison.

“Kekkyo!”

 

After they’d had breakfast, they’d negotiated with Shezel to secure some private time without servants interrupting. Shezel had made the case that adventurer parties often guarded their skills and tactics, and thus preferred privacy when planning. The servants had been dismissed, and Ize had cloaked the room in a veil of Stealth magic for good measure.

Sato, now free to roam, was happily perched on Ize’s lap, cradling the “Girl Goblin” figure and swaying with glee.

 

The Mystic Beast figures, though vaguely unsettling with their exaggerated features, had once surged in popularity after the Deluge several years ago. While cute enough for children, they also taught both young and old the characteristics and dangers of Mystic Beasts. Apparently, they’d been a joint effort between the local Lord, adventurers, and townsfolk to ensure the catastrophe was never forgotten.

 

“The Lord is surprisingly capable,” Hal remarked, waving the Komodo Dragon figure — which he had nicknamed Li’l Komodo — in Sato’s direction.

 

Sato responded by launching the Girl Goblin into a dramatic aerial spin, initiating an elaborate mid-air battle.

 

“Despite being only a stand-in, he’s got real talent for running this place,” Fieda added, scribbling notes as he spoke.

“You think we can hit the thirtieth floor in one go?” Ize asked.

“Definitely within eight days,” Fieda said. “Let’s plan for ten, just in case.” He cross-referenced the Guild’s Dungeon guidebook with the records they’d borrowed from the Lord through Shezel. “If we keep up a rhythm of ten to fifteen days per run, we should reach the B-rank floors without pushing too hard.”

“So we’ll slow things down at B-rank?”

“That’s the plan. There are only three of us; rushing would just increase risk.”

“Fair enough. I mean, Dungeon diving is fun, but it’s not like we’re aiming for front-line fame,” Ize said.

“What if we find some really tasty meat down there?”

“Then we hunt every last one of them,” she declared, eyes sparkling.

 

Hal laughed deep in his throat and made Li’l Komodo throw up a pose of surrender.

Above his arm, Sato had Girl Goblin break into a triumphant, and vaguely strange, victory dance.

 

“By the way,” Ize said, “I saw Miss Rossalie’s things being moved into the estate earlier.”

“She’s in the main building now, right? Technically for the Lord’s brother’s care, but… It almost looks like she’s already part of the family,” Hal said, grinning.

 

Fieda rolled his eyes at their smirking faces and closed the report he’d been reading with a thump.

 

“You gave her the nutrient extract yesterday, right?”

“Yeah. She said she’d try mixing it into a soup. So… what floors have the best chance of finding Mandragoras?”

“Seventy-two, seventy-five, and seventy-eight all had confirmed sightings,” Fieda replied.

“Okay. If we find any on those floors, we’ll check with the Lord and contact Miss Sharoella about next steps.”

“Sounds good.”

“Let’s hope you find your friends, Sato.”

 

At Ize’s gentle words, Sato pressed a leaf to its chest and quivered with joy, its whole body trembling like a wind-stirred sprout.