Chapter 159: Return

Leave a Comment / Spirits' paradise and ideal life in another world / By IX

After defeating the subspecies of the boss Sea Serpent on the 70th floor, I decided it was time to leave the labyrinth. I’m sure everything will be fine, but I can’t help but worry about Sara and the others. If I fly through the sky, I can return home in a few hours. Let’s hurry back.

“Yuta, those adventurers are over there. Should we just pass by?” Silphy asked.

As we were flying on the 56th floor, Silphy spotted the Labyrinth’s Wing and Muscle Star mercilessly slaughtering a group of goblins. Well, I could have ignored it if I hadn’t noticed, but it’s polite to at least greet them since I saw them, right? I think everything will be okay, but if something happened that prevented them from going home, it would be a problem.

Well, it seems fine, though. The Labyrinth’s Wing seems to be fighting with ease, coordinating their moves, and Muscle Star is… well, it’s hard to believe they’re spellcasters and monks, fighting in close combat with those large staves and maces. But I guess with that much muscle, such a choice is possible. Muscle Star, thrashing around and splattering monster blood and organs, looks more like an Ogre. It’s a good thing I didn’t bring Sara and the others; it wouldn’t be a good sight for their education.

Bell seems interested in observing them… I guess there’s no use telling her not to look now. She doesn’t seem scared, and unless she starts talking about building muscles, I’ll just watch her for a while. I wonder if spirits even have muscles?

“After those adventurers finish subjugating the goblins in the area, I’ll go and greet them. Let’s wait here for a moment,” I said.

“Alright,” Silphy replied.

While playing around with Bell and the others, I observed the battles of the A-ranked adventurers. The Labyrinth’s Wing seemed to be holding back in their fight against the goblins, opting for smooth and efficient movements. Are those the moves of properly trained individuals?

“Yuta, some goblin reinforcements are coming. What should we do?” Silphy asked.

“Hmm, they’re slaughtering and smashing the goblins with such force, I don’t think they need any help. Let’s watch a bit longer,” I replied.

Besides, I want to see a bit more of their fighting style. If I can understand how they act as a party, I might be able to give some advice to Sara and the others.

————-

The Labyrinth’s Wing and Muscle Star effortlessly slaughtered all the goblin reinforcements that arrived, and then they swiftly started moving again. They must have been wary of attracting more monsters due to the commotion. They didn’t even bother taking the goblin magic stones. Well, they are A-ranked adventurers, so maybe they don’t need them.

Following them from above, I noticed that they decided to take a rest in the shadow of some rocks. Now is a good time to approach. I descended from the sky and waved at them, and after a moment of wariness, they relaxed their stance.

“Is there something you need, Yuta-san?” Alec asked as soon as my feet touched the ground. Perhaps he thought something had happened for me to come all the way down to them.

“Oh, nothing’s wrong. On my way back, I saw all of you, so I thought I’d say hello. Besides, there’s a possibility that if you don’t return to the adventurer’s guild, I won’t fulfill the promise, so how are you all doing?” I explained.

“I see. This floor is more challenging than we thought. It’s not a problem to defeat the monsters, but there are so many of them, and we also face nighttime attacks. If not for cooperating with Muscle Star, we would have spent all our time just battling monsters,” Alec replied.

Indeed, if they battled for too long, more reinforcements would likely arrive. They have to either swiftly eliminate the monsters and move on or avoid being detected in the first place.

“I understand. We also have our limits when it comes to endurance. It was troublesome when we were fighting against a group of goblins and were suddenly attacked by a large army of orcs,” Muscle commented, as if reminded of a past incident.

“Yes, using powerful skills can scatter them, but it consumes both stamina and magic power, and it also attracts more monsters when they hear the sound. It’s really troublesome,” Alec added, sounding a bit frustrated.

The members of the Labyrinth’s Wing and Muscle Star seemed exasperated. It must be quite a hassle.

“It sounds tough. Needless to say, make sure you return safely to the adventurer’s guild without overdoing it. Well, I’ll be heading back now,” I said, bowing to bid them farewell.

However, just as I was about to leave, Alec called out to me.

“We’re also planning to wrap things up soon. Can I ask you to deliver a message to the Adventurer’s Guild for us, saying we’ll be back in about ten days?” Alec asked, requesting me to convey a message.

“I don’t have any plans to visit the Adventurer’s Guild, so I can’t guarantee anything, but if I happen to go there, I’ll deliver the message,” I replied.

Although I have no intention of going to the Adventurer’s Guild, relaying a simple message wouldn’t be a problem.

“Wait a moment. Yuta, don’t you plan to report that we cleared the 50th floor with you to the Adventurer’s Guild?” Alec asked, seeming a bit surprised.

Hmm, do I have to report it? As an ordinary person, it would be natural to report such achievements, but I don’t really want to get too involved with the Adventurer’s Guild. I kind of want to position myself as a pseudo-adventurer who just has the Adventurer’s Guild card.

Considering rank-up and forced requests, it’s a dilemma, and it seems unlikely that I’ll visit the Adventurer’s Guild. Marie will take care of the materials, and I want the Adventurer’s Guild to focus on their role as a wall against recruitment.

“Well, if you bring back the Magic Grass and Universal Herb, that should prove I fulfilled the request. I’ll leave the reporting to you. Well then, take care,” I said, bowing and pretending to be about to start casting a spell, while giving Silphy a meaningful look. He still seemed like he wanted to ask something, but I pretended not to notice and took off, knowing that if they could safely return to the Adventurer’s Guild, there wouldn’t be any issues.

——–

When I exited the labyrinth, it was pitch-dark. Well, it’s already past midnight, so it’s natural for it to be dark. Sara and the others are probably already asleep. But come to think of it, will I be able to enter the mansion at this time? Well, even if I can’t, it’s not a big deal. Let’s hurry back, though. I quickened my pace toward the mansion.

“Please go ahead.”

The gatekeeper opened the gate for me. As expected of a wealthy household, they have gatekeepers working around the clock. After passing through the gate, I found Sebas standing in front of the mansion’s entrance. I wonder how he knew I had returned?

Sebas welcomed me with a graceful bow. He’s composed even at night. He let me into the mansion and told me about Sara and the others. Apparently, they had already gone to sleep, but they behaved very well. I feel genuinely happy when Sara and the others receive praise.

Also, Sebas informed me that Marie would be coming in the morning. As soon as I returned, he was supposed to inform her. The dismantling site is already prepared and ready. It’s better than her showing up in the middle of the night. I bid farewell to Sebas and returned to my room.

“Welcome back, Yuta-san,” Dolly greeted me with a smile. It made me feel a little happy.

“Dolly, I’m back. Has anything unusual happened?”

“No, Sara-chan and the others were well-behaved. Some people tried to approach you to establish contact, but they seemed to have calmed down after the Guild issued a proclamation. However, there are still people watching the mansion.”

Watching? I wonder if it’s dangerous. Will Sara and the others be targeted?

“That should be fine. The Adventurer’s Guild has sent people to eliminate suspicious individuals. They seem very eager not to offend you, Yuta-san.”

I see… Well, that’s to be expected, right? If the proclamation of the Adventurer’s Guild meant nothing, it would hurt their reputation. As long as no one stronger than Adventurer’s Guild personnel shows up, it should be fine.

If the Adventurer’s Guild has sent people, they might have also noticed my return. Should I pass on Alec’s message to their escorts or the people watching the mansion? They seem to be hiding their presence, so maybe it’s best not to interfere. If they need something, they’ll probably approach me.

“I understand. Thanks, Dolly. Since everyone worked hard, I’ll treat you all to some drinks tonight. I’ll summon Nomos too, so let’s all have a drink together,” I said.

Silphy and Dyne had helped me in the labyrinth, Dolly was Sara’s escort, and Nomos was managing the Spring House, so it wouldn’t be fair not to treat them to a drink. I set up three barrels of alcohol in front of the excited Silphy and summoned Nomos.

“Oh, alcohol!” Nomos exclaimed, not even bothering to look at me.

“No, Nomos, let’s talk first before you dive into the alcohol. Has anything changed at the Spring House? Are the animals okay?” I asked.

“Oh, Yuta. Don’t worry. Nothing troublesome has happened. The animals occasionally come out of their burrows, so everything should be fine,” Nomos replied.

The animals occasionally come out of their burrows, huh? I called Nomos here, so the Spring House is completely defenseless now. Are the animals okay?… But with the barrels of alcohol before us, it would be awkward and scary to send back one of the great spirits just because I’m worried about the animals. Should I ask Bell and the others?

Though I feel guilty about making the young spirits work at night, it’s better than having something happen to the animals if Rayce or someone else attacked. I’ll ask them to help out for a bit.

“Bell, Rain, Turu, Tamamo, can I ask you something?” I said.

“What is it?” “Kyu?” “Helping?” “Kuu?”

“Yeah, since no one is at the Spring House right now, I’m worried about the animals. Can you protect them until tomorrow morning when I send you back to the Spring House?”

“Sure!” “Kyu!” “Mofu mofu, protect!” “Kuu!”

They responded with energy and enthusiasm. Normally, they would ask if it’s a mission, but they seemed to forget about it and were eager to help. It seems they liked the idea of protecting the animals.

“Thank you, everyone. I’m counting on you,” I said.

I sent Bell and the others back to the Spring House. I’m a bit worried, but I trust that they can handle it. Now, I should quickly check on the spirits. They’ve probably already finished all the alcohol they can drink, so it should be fine. I’ll go to sleep now.

———

“Welcome back, Master.” “Welcome back, Master.” “Welcome back.”

In the morning, when I got up and left my room, Sara and the others gathered to welcome me back. “Good morning” should be the proper greeting, but being welcomed back like this is also nice.

“I’m back, everyone,” I replied, patting each of their heads and listening to their stories. They seem to be doing well, but they also mentioned that they got a little bored since they didn’t go outside. I told them it’s fine to take a walk outside, especially with Dolly around, but it seems they chose to stay indoors voluntarily, probably because they thought there might be unnecessary trouble if they went outside.

While I think kids would typically get bored and go outside to play, they must have judged that it’s better not to cause any trouble in the current situation. It’s impressive that they can take actions to prevent conflicts. It’s a bit embarrassing for someone like me who used to stir up trouble in the guild.

As I listened to Sara and the others, it seemed to be about time for breakfast to be served. I’ll have to send back Dyne and the others and summon Bell and the rest.