"Did everyone gear up?" I asked, looking around.
We were all gathered in the drawing room. The girls stood in front of me, each wearing their newly purchased equipment, while I sat back on the newly bought sofa set.
While the girls had been shopping for their gear, I had taken a short trip through the Imperial Capital to buy some missing beds and additional furniture for this otherwise empty house. Obviously, I couldn't bring everything back with me through the Warp, so most of it would be delivered in three to four days.
I had, however, brought this sofa set back personally. I couldn't stand how the drawing room had nowhere to sit at all. It was a far cry from the comfortable couches of the modern world, but it was still much better than sitting on hard wooden chairs.
"We are ready, Master," Roxanne said eagerly.
"I can't wait to give the labyrinth demons a taste of my hammer!" Shea said, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Thank you, Master, for giving us such expensive equipment," Viviana said, bowing deeply.
"Alright, alright," I said with a sigh. "You've all thanked me multiple times already. We'll be fighting in the labyrinth regularly from now on, so getting you proper gear is just my responsibility."
"But Master… this is all top-grade equipment," Remu said, her cat-like eyes fixed on me earnestly. "In my last party, we were all using copper swords, and many of us didn't even have armor. Everyone was so poor…"
She hesitated, then looked down. "Honestly, I-I don't think I deserve such good equipment."
That caught me off guard.
I hadn't known that Remu had been part of an independent labyrinth-going party before. She had mentioned reaching the seventh floor of Quratar's Labyrinth, but I had assumed that had been arranged by the slave merchant's party.
Now, it didn't seem that way at all.
She might actually be far more knowledgeable than the other girls when it came to how a normal labyrinth party operated. It would be good to ask her about it later—if only to compare the differences between our group and others.
And she might not be totally wrong about the equipment being over the top.
It wasn't like I didn't understand what she was saying. Right now, we were only clearing the lower floors. Even with all our advantages, we would barely earn a few silver coins if we spent an entire day inside the labyrinth. Meanwhile, the gear we were wearing had cost gold coins.
It was like wearing a full diamond set while mining copper in Minecraft. There wouldn't be any real net income for quite some time, not until we reached the higher floors.
Even Michio in the original story had only upgraded his party's gear when it became absolutely necessary.
That said, I firmly believed it was better to be overgeared than undergeared. I wasn't even averse to using my Durandal to clear out kobolds…
Okay, maybe that was a bit too extreme.
Still, Remu's words seemed to make the other girls—who had been largely ignorant of the true quality of their equipment—realize this as well.
"You don't have to worry about those things," I said, looking at her with a smile. "In my eyes, your safety is far more important than a few pieces of armor."
Remu stared at me, stunned, before looking down in embarrassment.
"Master, unlike this silly cat, I knew from the start that Master gave us such expensive equipment for our protection! It is Master's great love for us!" Shera declared, placing a hand on her chest as she proudly shoved past Remu.
"Stupid elf," Remu grumbled in annoyance.
"Kunou, Master is so good to us, isn't he?" Yasaka murmured with a gentle smile.
"Um," Kunou nodded, her tail swishing softly behind her.
Their reactions were… a little over the top.
Sherry, however, looked at me with an expression that practically screamed Everything already belongs to Master anyway, so what's there to be so happy about?
It was uncanny how easily I could read her thoughts just by looking at her.
She really did seem to be priming her butt for my hand—but I will let her be for now.
Besides, none of the girls seemed to realize the obvious truth: they were the real valuables here. Their own monetary worth far exceeded the value of their equipment, so protecting them mattered far more than protecting a few pieces of gear ever could.
"Alright, let's hold a quick strategy meeting before we head to the labyrinth," I said, clapping my hands once.
The girls quieted down and turned their attention to me. It would have been better if they had chairs to sit on, but that would have meant moving to the dining room. So for now, they would have to remain standing.
"We're going to the sixth floor of the Vale Labyrinth today," I announced seriously.
I had considered backtracking a few floors for the sake of the newer girls, but I ultimately decided against it. With their superior equipment and my multiple jobs boosting their stats, they shouldn't have much trouble on a new floor. This was also going to be a short run, so stamina-wise, everyone should manage just fine.
"The new demon on that floor is called Naive Olive," I continued. "It's the same demon you encounter on the second floor of the Quratar Labyrinth."
I glanced at Remu as I said that.
"Ah! So close," Shea muttered, clasping her hands in regret. "I missed it by just a bit since I've only been to the first floor of Quratar."
Ram and Rem both gave her strange looks.
I remembered that the twins had climbed up to the fifth floor before, though I wasn't sure which labyrinth it had been in. Still, they must have known how trivial the early floors of Quratar were—that probably explained their expressions.
"Sherry," I said, turning to her, "why don't you tell everyone about the demons we'll encounter on this floor and their characteristics?"
Because the Vale Labyrinth was new, there wasn't much widely available information on it. However, now that I had told her what the new floor demon was—thanks to my canon knowledge—she should understand exactly what kind of information I wanted her to share.
Sherry nodded and began her explanation.
She first covered Minos and Cheep Sheep, the demons from the previous two floors, before moving on to Naive Olives. She went into impressive detail, describing everything from their appearance and body structure to their behavioral patterns.
She even spent a full minute talking about kobolds—mostly about how utterly trash they were.
…Did she actually study all of this in the library?
Well, I supposed I could postpone her punishment for a few days.
"Good job, Sherry," I said with a smile. "Now, Roxanne, can you explain how we should respond when confronting these demons?"
"Sure, Master," Roxanne said, nodding happily as she began her explanation.
She called each girl forward one by one and, based on their chosen weapons, assigned them positions within the party along with clear instructions on what they were expected to do.
I wanted the newer girls to understand whose orders to follow after mine, which was why I had asked Roxanne and Sherry to handle the explanations. Also the girls should be able to communicate and question each other far more comfortably than they could with me.
"That was good, Roxanne," I said. "If anyone has doubts or questions, don't hesitate to ask. Now is the time—either ask me or them."
I waited a few moments, but everyone simply shook their heads.
Either they didn't want to ask questions in front of me, or they weren't even sure what they should be asking yet. Either way, it was fine. I would be keeping an eye on them, so there shouldn't be any major issues.
"Alright then," I continued, standing up. "I've decided to bring four teams into the labyrinth today. Since it's already quite late, none of the teams will get much time inside, but they'll all gain valuable experience for the future." I slowed my speech observing their reactions.
"I'll take each team in one by one. We'll clear some demons, explore a portion of the floor, then return. After that, I'll bring in the next team."
The girls nodded in understanding. Quite a few of them looked visibly excited to test out their new equipment inside the labyrinth.
"The first team will be Roxanne, Lillia, Setsuna, Viviana, and Erina," I said, meeting each of their gazes in turn.
Roxanne was the obvious choice. Without her, I would waste far too much time just searching for monsters. In fact, I planned to bring her along in most teams. If either I or the girls ever ended up in danger, she was easily the most reliable option to save us.
Lillia had already done a labyrinth run with us before, so she was a safe pick. I had seen Setsuna's performance during last night's raid—at the very least, she could handle a sword properly and wouldn't disobey my orders. Viviana had been training to become a knight, so she should be able to fight competently as well.
As for Erina, it was already quite late. The sooner I brought her back, the sooner she could start preparing dinner. On top of that, she had the highest level among the girls, which would be useful even if she wasn't particularly skilled in combat.
All things considered, since I hadn't personally experienced the sixth floor of Vale yet, I was playing it safe and bringing along only those who were reliable choices.
Roxanne stepped forward eagerly, clearly excited to enter the labyrinth. Lillia looked calm as well, while Setsuna seemed quietly pleased that I had chosen her for the first team. Viviana gave me a graceful bow, her posture composed and ready for battle. Erina was the only one who looked visibly nervous, though she kept her expression tightly controlled.
I added all of them to my party.
"While I'm inside the labyrinth, I want the rest of you to communicate and help each other," I said, turning to the girls staying behind. "Some of you are holding weapons for the first time. Correct each other's posture, discuss strategies, and be ready by the time we return."
"Yes, Master," Sherry responded first, with the others following soon after.
"Good. We'll see you soon," I said with a smile as I strapped on my Explorer's Backpack and opened a Warp to the sixth floor of the Vale Labyrinth.
The moment I stepped through, I emerged into the familiar dimly lit entrance chamber of a labyrinth floor. I hadn't gone in this morning, and to my surprise, I realized I had started to miss this place.
Once the girls arrived behind me, I closed the Warp.
"From here on out, stay sharp," I said, looking at each of them in turn. "Don't panic—and trust your party members."
My gaze lingered briefly on Erina, who was gripping her spear a little too tightly.
Her purple-pink eyes met mine, and after a moment, she gave a slow nod.
"We'll be using party chat from now on," I decided. "It's faster."
'Roxanne, let's start with a single demon—preferably a Naive Olive,' I instructed through the party chat.
'Yes, Master. There's one a short distance ahead,' she replied, nodding as she moved forward. We followed immediately.
Just as Roxanne had instructed, Setsuna and Viviana walked one step behind her, with Lillia and Erina two steps behind them. I took position at the rear.
One of the reasons I had chosen the Vale Labyrinth was the lack of traffic. There were few adventurers here, which meant I could use magic freely without worrying about witnesses. For their safety, I had already applied Plating to everyone, and each of them carried both a mana pouch and a health pouch.
Roxanne's stride was confident, almost relaxed, in stark contrast to Erina, who scanned every shadow with a tense expression. Lillia looked uneasy as well—probably because she understood that demons on this floor would be stronger than those below. Setsuna seemed restless, subtly adjusting her grip and moving her sword as if rehearsing slashes in her head.
Viviana, in contrast to the others, remained serene. Her eyes stayed focused forward as she walked in silence.
Just as I was observing them, Roxanne spoke up.
'The demon is right ahead.'
My appraisal confirmed her words.
[Naive Olive – Level 6]
The thin plant-like demon stood motionless before us, and the girls immediately took their battle stances.
'Alright, girls,' I said calmly through the party chat.
'Go finish off this naïve monster.'
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[Oleksandr has redeemed an Extra Chapter this week]
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