Chapter 155: Chapter 155 Lion (1)

Lion (1)

Lion (1)

I’m drinking something that resembles green tea.

The location is a tea house near the administrative office.

I’m here with Shabin, a 7th-grade secretary at the administrative office, and her best friend, Ragna.

For reference, it’s not our first gathering…

After getting acquainted through the sewer request, we’ve met a few times to eat and drink tea, usually initiated by Shabin.

About once a month.

“Oh, right! Please share these with your companions when you get back. They’re from a new cookie shop that opened near our administrative office, they’re very popular these days.”

“…Alright. Thanks for the treat.”

Although most of our conversations are just idle chatter, there’s a simple reason why I consistently attend these gatherings.

Sometimes, useful things come up.

“Ah, right! Did I tell you about this? It seems like the magic stone exchange fee reduction based on years of experience will be abolished.”

“How certain is that?”

“Our manager seems to think it will almost definitely pass.”

Damn it.

It’s practically a bolt from the blue for me, who hasn’t even been an explorer for a year yet.

“When do you think it will be implemented?”

“Hmm, maybe next year at the earliest, or the year after at the latest.”

“That’s a relief.”

As always, after the useful information, everyday conversation resumes, and without fail, just when I start to feel bored, Shabin brings up another piece of useful information.

I realized it wasn’t a coincidence during our second meeting.

‘It’s like I’m being trained.’

Shabin definitely knows.

That there’s no reason for me to attend these boring gatherings without some kind of incentive.

‘…The reason she’s going to such lengths is probably because of her.’

“How are you, Ragna? Anything new these days?”

Ragna Ritaniyel Peprok, the librarian.

I didn’t know at first, but she’s practically a social recluse. Maybe that’s why Shabin wants me to become good friends with her.

Geez, does she think she’s our mother?

“Nothing special.”

“I see. Anything you want to say to Bjorn? You’ve been so quiet.”

“Something to say… maybe there is.”

“Oh, really? Then just say it. You two are friends, aren’t you?”

Sharon looks at me, and I nod with a silent sigh.

“Yeah, we’re friends, aren’t we?”

The promise we made to be friends during our first meeting, shaking hands.

Honestly, I don’t even know what that means…

But what can I do?

Shabin, who works at the administrative office, has a lot of information that could be helpful to me.

And she even occasionally gives me easy requests besides the sewer one, so I have no choice but to play along.

“Friends…”

Did my words give her courage?

Ragna, who had been silent throughout the conversation, looks at me with her usual expressionless face.

And she mutters as if reprimanding me,

“Bjo, Bjorn Yandel. You shouldn’t neglect reading books.”

“Ah, I’ve been busy lately.”

It’s not an excuse, it’s the truth.

I haven’t had a proper day of rest since returning from the labyrinth.

“Then… are you coming tomorrow?”

“If I finish everything today.”

Although I still have Dragonslayer, there’s nothing to do with it until Krovitz arranges a meeting.

Once the mage recruitment is finished, I can finally rest for a while.

In that sense…

“Ragna Ritaniyel Peprok.”

…it’s time to bring up the main topic.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that I came to this gathering for this reason.

“If you have something to say, just say it. Be honest. We’re fr, friends, aren’t we?”

“Of, of course!”

Shabin smiles happily and agrees as Ragna is the first to mention the word ‘friends’.

Okay, the stage is set.

“Have you ever thought about becoming an explorer?”

“…It’s the same offer as before.”

“Yes.”

Although I made the same offer before, the situation is a bit different now. Our team is much more well-rounded, and now we’re ‘friends’—

“Ah, no! What are you talking about?!”

Shabin shouts as if she’s having a seizure, interrupting my attempt to hear Ragna’s answer.

It’s an unexpected situation.

“Ragna? You’re going to refuse, right? Of course you should. Do you know what kind of place the labyrinth is?!”

It was a miscalculation.

I thought Shabin would help me, saying that even being an explorer is a social experience. She seems to know dozens of explorers.

I judged that she wouldn’t be averse to exploring.

That’s why I brought it up when the three of us were together.

But for her to interrupt first…

“…Shabin, don’t be so scared. I’m not going anywhere.”

Ragna gently takes Shabin’s hand.

Shabin, as if regaining her composure, sits back down with an embarrassed expression.

I click my tongue bitterly.

“So you’re refusing my offer.”

“Yes. I like working at the library.”

She likes working at the library…

It’s hard to believe, considering how she looked at me with a distant gaze, asking ‘who would even care about this place?’

It’s more sensible to accept that she can’t leave for some reason.

‘So, she’s a failure.’

I’m secretly disappointed.

After meeting her a few times, I found out that her mage rank is very high.

She’s at least a 5th-grade mage.

And she’s young, so she has room for growth?

‘Well, the fact that someone like that is working as a librarian means there’s a reason.’

I cleanly let go of any lingering thoughts.

She’s a talented individual, but there’s nothing I can do for now. With our current level of friendship, she wouldn’t answer honestly even if I asked her what happened.

“Uh, but didn’t your team have a mage? That administrative mage…”

Shabin, who’s back to normal, asks, and I answer briefly,

“He’s dead.”

“Ah…”

That’s the end of today’s gathering.

__________________

After the ‘friend gathering’, I head to the Magic Tower.

It’s my first visit in about two months.

Wow, it’s already been that long since the research collaboration ended.

“Huh? Mr. Yandel?”

“It’s been a while. Can I come in?”

“Sure, come in.”

Raven’s personal research lab is the same as before.

A mountain of documents and various magic materials scattered haphazardly.

I wonder if she could at least clean up a bit…

“Don’t just put it anywhere, give it to me. I can’t forget where I put things.”

Hmm, so she doesn’t have to organize because she remembers where everything is?

Maybe it’s rational in its own way.

“So what brings you here? You haven’t shown your face for two months.”

That’s the question I’m met with as soon as I hand Raven the document that was on the chair and sit down.

She used to at least bring me water in a flask.

Is it because we’re not in a business relationship anymore?

Well, I welcome the short introduction.

No matter how much I try to butter her up, she’s not the type to be swayed by flattery.

If the outcome is already decided, I should at least save time.

“I have a proposal for you.”

“Tell me.”

“There’s an open spot for a mage on the new team I’m forming.”

“So, you’re offering me a position again?”

Raven chuckles.

It’s a completely different attitude from before, when she flatly refused as soon as I brought it up. Well, back then, I hadn’t even earned the title of Little Balkan yet.

“Mr. Yandel, do you remember what I said back then?”

“You said you wanted all the members to be 6th-grade or higher, and that it would be good to have a priest.”

“So? What happened?”

I honestly introduce the members.

Starting with the fact that there’s no priest, the first member is Misha, a 7th-grade melee damage dealer.

“Hmm, 7th-grade?”

“She’ll be promoted to 6th-grade within this month, so don’t worry about that.”

I tell her the ranks of Misha’s essences since she seems unconvinced, and she relaxes her expression.

“If that’s the case, then…”

Next is Ainar.

There’s no need for a long explanation since we cleared the Crimson Fortress together.

“You said it so confidently, and she’s 9th-grade? No, wait, why is she still 9th-grade? She absorbed the Bone Knight’s essence back then, didn’t she?”

“It’s the same as Misha Kaltstein. There wasn’t time to apply for a promotion.”

It’s not an excuse, it’s the truth.

Those two, who had a big fight yesterday, should be visiting the Explorer’s Guild to apply for a promotion right now.

They’ll at least reach 7th grade.

She has one 7th-grade essence and a whopping 4th-grade essence.

“She inherited a 4th-grade essence… Then that changes things.”

“She’s practically a 6th-grade explorer even though she’s officially 7th-grade. I judged it myself after fighting her, so you don’t have to doubt it.”

“I’ll judge that myself. So what about the last member?”

“Avman Urikfrit. A 5th-grade explorer from the Black Bear tribe. He uses a large crossbow as his weapon.”

Raven’s expression changes slightly as I also tell her about the tank summon.

“He sounds like someone who would be welcomed anywhere, how did he end up joining your team, Mr. Yandel?”

“We have a connection. He said he wouldn’t backstab his companions.”

“Indeed… he’s reliable in that aspect.”

Raven accepts it surprisingly easily.

But did she have this question after hearing about the team composition?

“What about a scout?”

The question I’ve been waiting for has finally arrived.

People perceive information differently depending on how it’s presented.

I say casually as if I just remembered,

“Ah, I didn’t tell you. Urikfrit is a Guide.”

“…Really?”

“Do you need me to swear?”

“No, that’s not it…”

I chuckle and confidently puff out my chest.

And I throw away the slight pang of guilt.

‘Right, I didn’t lie.’

The bear-like man is a Guide.

He just has a terrible sense of direction.

Anyway, things go smoothly after I reveal that the bear-like man is a Guide. She pretends to contemplate as if wanting to maintain her pride, but…

“It will be a good opportunity for you too. Didn’t you always complain about not having enough money? Our goal is to reach the 6th floor, so you won’t be short on money once the exploration begins in earnest.”

“Hmm.”

“You can tell from the team composition, but we can’t just have any mage. We need a skilled mage like you.”

“Hmm?”

“Ah, and one more thing. Since we have a Guide, we’ll be entering rifts and finding hidden spaces in the labyrinth. A proper mage like you wouldn’t underestimate the value of that, right?”

“Hmmmmmm.”

Raven nods as I take a more persuasive approach.

It was a somewhat expected outcome.

After all, she didn’t reject outright as soon as she heard my offer.

If she hadn’t even considered exploring, she wouldn’t have listened to me this much.

“But I have one condition.”

“…Tell me.”

“Exploration will always be my second priority. My magic research will be my first.”

“In short.”

“If I find something to research, I might take a break for a month or two. Or I might even leave the team altogether. I hope you understand that, Mr. Yandel.”

Although I was secretly nervous, it wasn’t an unreasonable demand.

It’s not like we’re a regular clan.

Sudden vacancies are common in this industry. Especially for arrogant mages.

Right, this is as good as it gets.

“Alright. But tell me beforehand. If you’re leaving the team, we need to find a new mage. If it’s just for a month or two, we can just hire a mercenary.”

“Okay. Then that’s settled.”

And so, the last member is decided.

Arrua Raven.

A 6th-grade traditional mage from the Artemion school.

“So we’re really companions now?”

“I look forward to working with you.”

Recruitment successful.

_______________________

We chat briefly afterwards.

The foundation for the team has been laid, but it’s not officially formed yet.

“We’re planning to meet and register the team at the guild and discuss the loot distribution. When would be a good time?”

I want to meet as soon as possible since it’s not uncommon for teams to fall apart during the meeting stage.

I judged that we’re short on time to recruit new members.

However, unfortunately, the final meeting is delayed for over a week.

“I’m in the final stages of writing a paper on the Vampire Guardian. It should be all finished by next week, so I’d like to meet then.”

I decide to think positively.

If it were going to be finished next month, she wouldn’t have even considered my offer.

The timing is good in many ways.

Honestly, with her specs, she could easily find a better team than ours.

“Then let’s meet on the 17th. I’ll discuss the location and time with the others and send you a letter.”

“Thank you.”

I leave the Magic Tower after that conversation and meet with Misha and the bear-like man in order. And after deciding on the location and time, I return to the inn and rest.

I visit the library the next day, and then ordinary days pass without any major incidents.

“Wow! I’ve never seen such a huge mace!!”

I practice (True) Gigantification Mode while sparring with Ainar.

“You’re buying me this too after buying me cotton candy? Bjorn, are you some kind of shaman’s jar?”

“It’s not buying, it’s an investment… no, I’m lending it to you. You have to pay me back when you earn money.”

The three of us visit Commelby and upgrade Ainar’s equipment.

“What about your old accommodation? There aren’t many places that allow cooking.”

“It’s fine. I’m going to eat out from now on. You always steal my food anyway!!”

Misha moves into the room next door, which just became vacant.

“You lied to me, entering the labyrinth alone all this time?”

“Ho, honey, I’m, I’m sorry. Please spare me…! Think of our unborn child!”

Misha blurts out something insensitive while we’re visiting the bear-like man’s shop, and he almost dies.

Peaceful days filled with such trivial events pass by.

And…

[23:59]

…it’s one minute to midnight on the 15th.

I lie down comfortably on the bed.

「The character’s soul resonates and is drawn to a specific world.」

It’s that time again.