"Alright. I'll agree to the conditions you've set."
"It's a promise."
"Alright, alright, I get it."
I nodded, dipping bread into my soup at a modest restaurant.
My conditions for the Young Lady were simple enough.
Only enter the Labyrinth when I say so.
Follow my instructions within the Labyrinth, as much as possible.
Under no circumstances was she to get romantically involved with an adventurer.
And so on.
The 'no romance with adventurers' rule was, in fact, to protect the Young Lady's mental state. Adventurers never knew when they might die. If she poured her affection into someone only for them to perish, her mind would shatter.
"Now that I think about it, I have a question."
"Yes. Ask away."
"You said earlier you were going to buy a slave."
"Yes. And?"
"Are you… planning to use them for that?"
The Young Lady asked cautiously, as if embarrassed. By 'that,' she probably meant something… lewd, didn't she?
"Well, I do need someone to help manage my household. So, I was considering it for that purpose, among others."
"I see…"
Why the sudden slump? What exactly was the Young Lady trying to imply? I couldn't quite grasp her true feelings.
"Alright, I understand. And thank you for your hard work. Everyone was able to make it out alive thanks to you."
"You flatter me. I just did what I was paid for."
"So modest. But where and when should we meet tomorrow?"
"I have things to do tomorrow. For now, please gather your companions and discuss our future plans. There might be some who don't want to enter the Labyrinth again."
"I will. We're going back into the Labyrinth the day after tomorrow, right?"
"That's right."
At my nonchalant reply, the Young Lady lightly tugged at my sleeve. Anyone watching would think she was trying to hold onto a departing boyfriend.
"Porter. Promise you'll come say goodbye before you go in, okay?"
"Sure. If I have time tomorrow evening, I'll stop by."
"Okay. It's a promise."
She even held out her pinky finger, calling it a promise. It seems in this world, just like on Earth, people make promises by linking pinky fingers.
"Why do we need to link fingers for a promise?"
"Because I'm afraid you'll just disappear on me. Don't you want to link fingers with me?"
"No, it's not that at all."
I linked pinky fingers with the Young Lady. Her finger was much smaller than I'd expected. The Young Lady smiled, her face slightly flushed. At this point, even I, dense as I was, should probably have caught on.
Surely, this Young Lady… she can't be in love with me, can she?
Nah. What would a noble Young Lady possibly lack that she'd develop feelings for an adventurer from the Labyrinth City, a mere porter at that? Thinking she likes me is just excessive self-consciousness.
"Well then, let's head back. I should probably get some rest myself."
"Alright, alright, let's go. The evening air is chilly, you know. Could you hold my hand?"
"Are your hands cold? Should I get you some gloves?"
"No, not gloves. I want you to hold my hand."
If her hands are cold, she should just wear gloves. I don't understand why she wants me to hold her hand. But since she asked, I suppose I'll hold it.
"Oh, for goodness sake. Alright. But won't your other hand still be cold?"
"No. Just one hand being warm is enough for me."
"Well, if you're satisfied."
I held the Young Lady's hand and escorted her back to her lodging. Only then could I finally head to my own inn.
'My legs ache.'
My steps grew heavier. Tomorrow, I had to prepare to enter the Underground City. And the day after tomorrow, I had to go straight into the Underground City.
'I wonder what state it'll be in now.'
The Underground City, true to its name, was an incredibly vast place. In fact, the 5th-floor Underground City was larger and more expansive than all the upper floors, from the 1st to the 4th, combined.
'A massive space, inexplicably filled with abandoned buildings.'
There were plazas, and special facilities like towers. I'd have to navigate through buildings tangled like a maze, fighting monsters that suddenly sprang out. Not just undead and beast-type monsters. The Labyrinth's 'Demi-humans' would also start crawling out.
'Intelligent indigenous species of the Labyrinth.'
High Orcs, Hobgoblins, Dungeon Trolls, and Werewolves, rarely seen in nature, would also emerge. The worst among them, of course, was the Minotaur. It was considered one of the Underground City's owner-class monsters. The worst kind of existence, one that even Gold-plated adventurers struggled against. A type of monster commonly known as an 'adventurer hunter.' For some reason, I had a strong premonition I'd encounter that monster on this expedition.
"Haa."
Even if I was scared, I couldn't run away. I had already made a promise with Rohan. If I didn't go down and retrieve his companions, Rohan would hold a grudge against me. There's no telling what he might do if I didn't. Besides, I also wanted to repay him for his loyalty. Because Rohan and Hachi had truly fought with their lives on the line to save Rika and Erika. If I betrayed people like that, I'd have no one to blame if I ended up stabbed in the back.
'Judging by my physical condition, I should rest for at least a week.'
If I had my way, I'd just rest for a month. Get new equipment, enroll in a Martial Arts Hall or something to learn how to fight. I also wanted to properly research the Underground City. But there was no time. Rohan's companions were probably still rotting somewhere in the Underground City.
'The biggest problem, of course, was the unknown: how had the Underground City changed after the Great Upheaval?'
Even in the upper floors, the 4th floor had undergone a Floor Division, and the monster spawn rate had increased exponentially. If the upper floors, a beginner's area, were in such a mess, what would the Underground City be like? Ugh, let's stop thinking about it. Worrying wouldn't solve anything. For now, I just wanted to sleep peacefully tonight. Because mental health management was important.
"I'm back."
"You're alive, then."
"Yes. As you can see, I'm perfectly fine."
It was the innkeeper, an older man named Corner. I'd known him for about three months; he was said to be a former adventurer.
"You've gotten stronger."
"I went through Mana Adaptation one more time."
"I see. Did you eat?"
"I ate outside before coming in."
"Alright. Wash up and rest."
"Yes."
He was a man of few words, taciturn as ever. And contrary to his appearance, he was quite a good cook.
"Haa."
I washed myself at the well behind the inn. I scrubbed off the blood, sweat, ash, and dust. As the cold water hit my body, my muscles felt tight and knotted. After days of ceaseless wandering through the Labyrinth, my arms and legs felt like they were about to fall off.
'I'll need to buy new equipment too.'
It seems I'll have to buy a whole new set of equipment with the money I received from the Young Lady. My shoes were tattered. The leather armor I was wearing was also beyond use. I needed to replenish my weapons. On this trip to the Labyrinth, I had lost three swords, one axe, a javelin, and a kitchen knife. Some had broken during combat, and others I'd had no time to retrieve, so I'd abandoned them. It's been a while, but I'll have to visit the weaponsmith and the general store.
"Ugh… I'm stiff."
Entering my room, I collapsed onto the worn-out bed, and every joint in my body ached. Only now did it feel like I had truly returned home. I pulled the blanket up to my neck and closed my eyes. Sleep immediately washed over me.
"Ugh."
The morning sunlight disturbed my eyes. Morning already? I wanted to sleep more, but I had to get up. There was a lot to prepare before entering the Labyrinth. If I didn't start the day early, I'd end up working late again.
"Ugh. My shoulders."
As I forced myself upright, my joints cracked loudly. My muscles trembled slightly; if I didn't stretch, I felt like they'd cramp.
"Shit…"
I wanted to rest, but there was no time for it. Dressed in my everyday clothes, I pulled out a sandwich from my Aether Pocket and chewed on it as I headed for the Adventurer's Guild.
'Ugh, the crowd.'
The Adventurer's Guild was still bustling with people. It felt like the crowds drawn by the Great Upheaval still hadn't thinned out. Inside, it was much noisier than usual, and people recruiting party members were swarming everywhere. I pushed through the throng and finally reached the counter lady I knew well.
"Oh! Sion! You're safe!"
"Yes. I made it out alive."
Edwin, the counter lady at the Adventurer's Guild, her eyes widened as soon as she saw me, and she grabbed my hand. She probably thought I was dead since she hadn't heard from me.
"That's a relief. You didn't come back. I thought something might have happened to you."
"I barely made it out alive, but I successfully escorted the noble party."
Come to think of it, I'd gone into the Labyrinth with the Young Lady's party on Edwin's recommendation. That was over two days ago now.
"Oh! Did all the members of that noble party make it out alive? The Guild's been so chaotic, I haven't been able to keep up with all the detailed news."
Edwin seemed apologetic for not being able to properly check on us after sending us into the Labyrinth, given the Great Upheaval. I didn't particularly care. She wasn't my exclusive counter girl. It was understandable if she couldn't pay much attention.
"You must be busy. I understand. To report, one team member died, but the Marquis's Young Lady is safe and sound."
"As expected, parties with Sion have an incredibly high survival rate! Truly a top-tier porter!"
Edwin clapped her hands, delighted. I then informed her that a Floor Division had occurred on the 4th floor, and the Labyrinth's monster spawn rate was excessively high.
"A Floor Division on the 4th floor and an increase in monster population. Everyone's reporting similar things. It definitely means an abnormal phenomenon has occurred. Thank you for the report, Sion."
So other adventurers had already reported it. Well, it happened in the upper floors, so the report would have gone up quickly.
"Then, to celebrate your safe return, I'll give you your reward."
She soon took out the agreed-upon reward from behind the counter and handed it to me. Since I'd agreed from the start to receive payment for guiding the Young Lady's party, now that they'd returned safely, it was time to collect.
"It's 3 gold and a Medium Healing Potion. And your Reputation will go up quite a bit too."
"Whoa! 3 gold!"
I never imagined they'd give me 3 gold just for guiding a beginner party. If it hadn't been for the Great Upheaval, this would have been a job that earned 3 gold in a single day. This was pretty good. And I was very pleased with the Medium Healing Potion too. Bought with money, it would cost between 1 and 2 gold. It was practically like earning 5 gold. Indeed, taking care of a noble's child brought immense rewards.
"Are you going into the Labyrinth today too? If you're looking for a party, over there…"
"No. I already have party members. Today, I came to prepare and post a recruitment notice for an expedition."
"A recruitment notice for an expedition? Surely not…"
"I'm planning to descend into the Underground City. There are a few adventurers I need to recover."
"The Underground City… Sion. Have you undergone Mana Adaptation six times?"
"Yes. I'm now able to descend into the Underground City."
"Understood. I'll inform the Guild Master."
Edwin stepped out from behind the counter and went up to the Guild's second floor.
Forming an expedition. By custom, only Gold-plated adventurers or higher could apply to the Guild for such a thing. But my situation was a little different. I received various special privileges from the Guild. Because I was the owner of an Aether Pocket.
'As far as was known in the Labyrinth City, there were only three Aether Pocket owners, myself included.'
One of the three was the owner of a large merchant guild, so they rarely entered the Labyrinth. Of the remaining two, one was a Platinum-plated adventurer who rarely emerged from the Labyrinth. There was a high probability they'd descended to the Labyrinth's depths and completely assimilated with it, since they hadn't surfaced in months. Therefore, I was practically the only Aether Pocket owner available to the Guild. Privileges were a given, and it made sense they'd go to great lengths to try and make me a Guild member.
Of course, I refused. Becoming a Guild member would grant more privileges, but it would also obligate me to handle tasks assigned by the Guild. There's no such thing as a free lunch. Ultimately, they only wanted to exploit me. It was only because the Labyrinth City had a culture of respecting adventurers' individual circumstances as much as possible that they didn't push me further. If this weren't the Labyrinth City, wouldn't I have been kidnapped long ago and used as a pack mule? This was precisely why I didn't want to leave the Labyrinth City. Because without power, there's no telling when or where someone might try to violate your rights. That's why I had to grow stronger.
"Sion. The Guild Master is calling for you."
"Understood."
It was bound to happen. I followed Edwin up to the second floor.