The day after my [Status] update, we set out for the dungeon early in the morning. Lili told us she wanted to sign a contract without any fixed time limit... I guess I was a bit too pushy before.
"Bell-sama, Toki-sama, thank you again for hiring me. I'll work hard so you won't ever want to abandon me."
"Abandon you? We would never do that. We don't have any other supporters besides you, right, Toki?"
"I never planned to let you go anyway. …Though, I admit I was a bit forceful yesterday. Sorry about that."
I lowered my head. I guess I got carried away when I tried to intervene with Bell earlier.
"Consider the money from yesterday as an apology and keep it."
"Understood. And I also realize I was a bit pushy yesterday, so please, don't be so hard on yourself."
"Alright."
Well, after yesterday, Bell seemed at least somewhat cautious, so as long as I stay alert, it should be fine.
"So, what are your plans for today?"
"Um, I'm thinking we'll go back to the 7th floor and stick around until evening. Lili, Toki, is that okay with you?"
"No problem on my end."
When we go into the dungeon, Bell usually sets the schedule since she has more experience than me. That's why we go at her pace... though, about a week ago, that led to us being chased by a Minotaur.
"If you two have decided, I'll follow along. But are you sure? I'm just a supporter, as you see, so I can't really help much in battle. You'll be fighting nonstop."
"That's okay. We've been fighting together all along, and besides, I had my [Status] updated by the gods today."
"Funny you say that, I also got my [Status] updated yesterday."
"Oh really? How much did it go up?"
"I can't say exactly, but it was a big increase."
"Me too, actually!"
When this guy says"big." he really means it, so I can't let my guard down.
"Still, Lili, won't this put a lot of strain on you? You're carrying twice the load, and if we get a lot of drop items in a row, the inventory's gonna be a mess…"
True, Lili is reliable and smart enough not to steal or anything like that, but she's from the Canine humanoid race, and still a kid. Probably has more stamina than a human, but with that small body, it doesn't look like she has much endurance.
"No need to worry, Bell-sama. I have 'Divine Blessing, Falna,' so I won't get worn out just because my inventory is full."
"I heard from other Familia members that some skills activate when your equipment load reaches a certain level. Could it be that you have that skill, Lili?"
"Yes, exactly. I have that skill."
"Whoa! Lili, you actually have an active skill!?"
Bell's face clearly showed envy.
Lili gave a wry smile and shook her head at Bell's reaction.
"It's more of a pathetic skill that's just better than nothing. It's not the kind of 'blessing' you're imagining, Bell-sama."
"That's fine. I don't have any skills yet… And Toki, who became an adventurer at the same time as me, already has one…"
"Well, from what I hear, you were a farmer for a long time, right? It's just a matter of experience. I've been dragged around the world by Hermes-sama, so I've had lots of it."
Granted, Bell's growth speed is abnormal, so it's possible he's developed some skills that Hestia-sama hasn't told him about yet... but that's none of my business.
"I'm really jealous. Skills and magic aren't something you get very often, right? I don't even have any magic… Hey, Lili, do you have magic?"
"...Unfortunately, no. I've heard many people never get to see their own magic in their lifetime, and I guess I'm one of them."
That was a lie. Her voice slightly trembled and dropped in tone. But of course, it's natural to keep your [Status] secret.
"Hey, Bell, it's rude to pry too much into someone's [Status]. Didn't Eina-san teach you that?"
"Oh, sorry, Lili. I just forgot and asked as if I was talking to Toki."
"It's okay. I kind of guessed what you're like since yesterday anyway."
"Also, are you really okay with the contract money and advance payment? Well, I'm not the one to decide that."
"Yeah, just tell me the amount you want, and Bell and I will discuss and pay it, as long as it's not outrageous."
That was what Lili said during the contract ritual today. She said she only wanted a share of the dungeon income as payment. I argued that no matter how suspicious, that shouldn't be the case, but in the end, I gave in. Turns out Lili can be surprisingly stubborn.
"That's fine. Since Toki is managing things properly, I'm sure the distribution will be fair. …Besides, "
"Besides?"
"...Besides, that's probably better for you two, isn't it?"
"Huh?"
Her cheerful attitude from earlier shifted to a voice laced with mockery and self-deprecation. We both felt a little unsettled by her sudden tone.
"Let's go. As long as you two keep working hard to increase Lili's income, there won't be any problems!"
"Y-yeah…"
"...Got it."
That attitude just now...
"Bell."
I whispered quietly to Bell so Lili wouldn't hear.
"Y-yeah?"
"I think what she just said is probably her true feelings."
You're just like any other adventurer.
That's how I heard it.
"Lili's problems might be deeper than we thought."
"Y-yeah. But…"
Bell looked at Lili with determined eyes, very different from before.
"If that's the case, I want to be even more helpful to her."
Yeah, this guy's a good person.
…..
"Haah!!"
"Sei!!"
We took down the monsters charging at us. This was the last wave for now.
"Hey, we're doing pretty well, right?"
"Yeah, things are going smoothly."
While Lili gathered magic stones, Bell and I chatted about how things were going.
"...Hey, Toki."
Suddenly, Bell lowered his voice. This tone meant he was about to ask something important.
"Wanna try going up to the 8th floor?"
"Huh?"
"Look, maybe it's because both Toki and I have leveled up our status, but we're handling this floor pretty comfortably, right? So, why don't we try heading up to the 8th floor today?"
"Are you kidding? Don't you remember what happened just over a week ago when we got chased by that Minotaur? We only just reached the 7th floor three days ago."
"B-but..."
Hey, don't get teary-eyed. It looks like you're being bullied.
"Sigh... alright, fine. Lili, can I ask you something?"
"Yes! What is it?"
Lili stops what she's doing and turns toward us.
"Sorry to interrupt your work, but how far have you made it in the dungeon so far?"
"Um... up to the 11th floor."
"Then, from your perspective, do you think we can manage on the 8th floor?"
"Well... yes, I think you'll be fine."
"Alright! Let's go, Bell!"
"Huh!? Why do you hesitate when it's me, but when it's Lili, you just agree!?"
"Idiot. You're a novice, Lili's a senior. You don't even need to think about whose advice to trust."
"Grr, I guess that makes sense..."
"Um, excuse me..."
Ignoring Bell's dissatisfaction, I turn to Lili, who looks surprised.
"Do you really trust Lili's words?"
"Of course. She has no reason to lie here, does she?"
"Well... that's true..."
Besides, this was a sudden suggestion from Bell. It's unlikely Lili's setting a trap.
"Alright then, let's head to the 8th floor!"
"Um, I still have some work to finish..."
"...Sorry."
Guess I got a bit too excited.
…..
Lili's presence as a supporter truly made a huge difference.
For one, since she carries the backpack, Bell and I no longer had to stop to sell off all the loot to the guild. The distance from the dungeon floors to the surface was quite far, and the exchange office in Babel was always crowded, so we usually had to trek to the guild. (Well, I could've stored the magic stones in my shadow, but for some reason, magic stones don't fit in there, so it didn't help much.) Today, that hassle was gone, and we stayed underground longer.
Also, since we didn't have to carry the backpack, both Bell and I could focus better on combat.
Bell and I swiftly defeated monsters while Lili collected magic stones and occasional dropped items.
As a result, today's earnings from the guild's exchange office were...
"..."
The three of us gathered, heads close, peering into the open bag. It was packed with gold coins. I've seen a big pile before, but somehow this looked even more dazzling.
"53,000 Varis..."
Bell and Lili whispered simultaneously, then all three of us looked up. At that moment,
"Yesss!!"
"Alright!!"
We shouted with joy, literally jumping up.
"This is amazing! We got a decent amount of drop items, but you two earned over 50,000 Varis just by yourselves!"
"W-wow, w-wow! This can't be a dream, right? It's real, isn't it!? To get this much money in just one day... and it's all thanks to Lili!"
"Exactly! Thanks, Lili!"
"Don't be silly, both of you. It depends on the monsters and the drops, but a party of five level-1 adventurers would only earn about 25,000 Varis in a whole day. So, you two worked twice as hard!"
"Well, you know what they say, if you flatter a rabbit, it climbs a tree! That's it! Right, Toki?"
"I don't understand what you just said, but I'm going to ride this wave! Yeah, Bell's right!"
"Then I'll join in too! You guys are awesome! There's still room to grow!!"
"You're overpraising us, Lili!"
Ignoring everyone else, the three of us whooped and high-fived wildly.
"...Now, can we get our shares, please?"
"Yeah, here!"
Bell shoved the bag toward Lili, and inside was 18,000 Varis.
"...Huh?"
"Oh, this is from me."
I took 1,000 Varis from my own share and handed it over. That made the final split: Bell 17,000, me 17,000, and Lili 19,000 Varis.
"Hey, wait a minute!"
"Ahh, with this I can finally treat the gods to something tasty...!"
"Maybe Hermes-sama this time... or perhaps Asfi-san, since she must be tired...?"
Since we earned this much, instead of saving it, I want to give a small gift to those who always help us out.
"Wh-what's this, both of you...?"
"It's your share, of course!"
"I added a little extra since it's the first day. Plus, you didn't pay a contract fee, so this is fair, right?"
"Oh! Since we're at it, how about we all go to a tavern? I know a great place!"
"Sounds good! Let's split Lili's share between us and celebrate both today's earnings and our contract with Lili!"
"Alright, let's go, Lili!"
"B-both of you!"
Just as we hurriedly packed up, Lili shouted.
"Hm? What is it? Just so you know, I'm not splitting any more!"
"N-no, it's not that... Do you two not think about... hogging all the money for yourselves?"
"Huh? We couldn't have earned this much without you. You were with us, right?"
"Fair pay for fair work. It's only natural as humans before adventurers."
"That's why, thank you. And we're counting on you from now on (okay)!"
We said this cheerfully.
"I'm really glad we met you, Lili."
Bell added.
"Oh come on, Bell. Is that a confession? Are you hitting on her?"
"N-no, I'm not!"
And that's how excited we were.
"...Weird."
Which was why I completely missed that comment.
------------
Note: If you guys want to read up to 20+ chapters in advance of the current story, you can support me on Patreon. You can read up to chapter 42 there! Patreon.com/Veltoria