Chapter 7

The warrior’s guild at night was buzzing with activity as the guild members returned from the labyrinth.

Adventurers who returned safely alive would redeem their parts, which were proof that they had defeated a demon. As a rule, only guilds certified by the church are allowed to redeem them.

With the money they earn, they share their joy with their party members and go into town to buy women.

Those who can’t stand that much stay here to get drunk on the sweet wine of victory.

The Warrior’s Guild is a renovated tavern, so it’s hardly different from a normal tavern. The building it used to occupy was getting old, so it was moved here. The only difference is that there is a training facility at the back of the tavern.

They are only serving alcohol on the side. Even though it’s a side job, it’s a full-scale business that employs cooks and female waitresses.

Of course, they’re serious about their main job. If they don’t deliver a certain amount of demonic essence, the guild master will be replaced.

As for today’s main job, the gathering of demonic essence was reasonable , and Rob was in a good mood as he went about his work. He’s a tavern manager and guild master, so he’s very busy. He was secretly thinking that in another ten years, he would focus on just the side job.

The Warrior Guild is often referred to as a “trash can”, but because there are so many members it is natural that the amount of demonic essence gathered in the guild will be high. This was the result of accepting everyone that comes their way, and Rob’s reputation in the church was good.

On the other hand, the Swordsmen’s Guild is the one that picks and chooses people based on their class and background, and even imposes exams. They claim to be an elite few, but their earnings are not good. There is no doubt that the guild master will change sooner or later. Rob was secretly eager to swallow the entire underpopulated guild before he retires.

There are a lot of newcomers tonight, and they are getting some much appreciated advice and counsel from senior guild members.

Their words of the experienced who survived are invaluable and money and cannot be bought with money. The newcomers are intently listening to their words of advice.


“Hey, Rob. I see business is good again today. You can’t stop smiling.”

“Yeah, I don’t think the side job was going to be crowded, though.”

“That’s what I’m talking about!　I don’t even know which is your main job”

“I made the right decision when I relocated the guild to this tavern.”

“Your predecessor was a coward.”

“It’s original.”


He was serving drinks while chatting lightly with veteran guild members. Though it goes without saying that the main job is his priority.


“Whew. This drink brings me back to life? It’s a great way to celebrate your survival.”

“I do it every day.”

“I just can’t seem to settle down without doing this. If only we had more types of alcohol and more young women here, we’d be in for a treat.”


The veteran’s routine is to cash in at the guild and have a light drink on the spot, then go out into the entertainment district.

It’s a depraved life, but he doesn’t care about it at all. He thinks that he will live as he pleases and when his luck runs out, he will just die. It can be said that his skills are first-class, as he makes his money in the area around the 50th floor.

Up to the 50th floor is first-class. If you can get to the 70th floor, you’re among the best. After that it’s real monsters. They are insane people who fight while enduring the miasma. You can hunt for a bit, but the risk is too high. There are no other options, but it’s not very realistic.

The hundredth floor underground is currently considered the lowest level, but all of the suicide squads that have made it to that level have been killed by miasma poisoning. The only proof is the last will of the warriors who have returned to the ground.


“Ha-ha!　If I could get all those young girls, I’d make the tavern my main job.”

“Well, if you do, be sure to let me know. I’ll be one of your best patrons.”

“Maybe when I lose my job. Unfortunately, that won’t happen for a while longer. I’ve been able to provide enough demonic essence to not catch the church’s attention. We’re going to need you guys to do more to increase the variety of drinks here.”


The old veteran laughs boldly as Rob offers him a new drink.


“Haha, then you should put some effort into training the rookies. Sometimes the master himself should do it. Jabba was complaining about it. Don’t make me do everything for you.”

“I’m paying him for that. He should be more excited about this. Maybe there’s some gems lying around that I’d be willing to work on.”


As Rob joked, he remembered a certain girl. He wasn’t sure if she was a gem, but he was sure she was someone to watch out for.

And Matari. That girl will become a great success once she gains actual battle experience. She has the potential to do so. That’s why Rob trained her in person.


“Heh, it’s a tall order. It’s no joke to lose your life because of some fool. I heard that those noblemen whom Jabba led ran away crying. They lack the guts.”


The aristocratic youths who were acting bossy while being rookies, have all just completed the withdrawal procedure. They will never be issued a search permit again. That is the rule.

However, leaving the warrior guild on the same day they join was pretty common in the warrior guild. The shortest was the person Rob had punched to force him to quit.

The equipment was fine, but this is what happens when you don’t have any ability at all. In the first place, they wanted to enter the Swordsmen’s Guild and came to the Warrior’s Guild after failing the exam. It’s not much of a problem if they’re gone.

“My guild is a gathering of people with no magical talent. There will inevitably be a lot of those types. It’s my job to improve the quality, though.”

Rob blurts out, shaking his head in frustration.


“It’s a different thing to be able to ‘use’ a sword and ‘fight’ with a sword. Understanding that is the first step in graduating from being a rookie.”

“That’s the hardest part of all. You’ll be gone to the other side before your head and body can understand it.”


When joining a guild, those with magical talents will certainly want to join the ‘Mage’ or ‘Clergy’ guild.

It is impossible to acquire magical talent. You must have a “magical vessel” to belong to the guild. They check your talent for free when you ask the church to issue a letter of introduction. It’s more like a school than a guild, as it teaches you magic and how to handle it.

Next, the ill-bred and the quirky ones, are introduced to the ‘ranger’ guild. They will teach you about lock-picking, trap handling, swordsmanship, and archery.

Since many of them have already been involved in such rough stuff, their skills are high. The only requirement for membership is that they must be recognized by the guild master. That’s all there is to it.

Other guilds include the ‘Swordsmen’ mentioned earlier and the ‘Academic’ guild, whose primary focus is research and studying about demons and the labyrinth.

And those who have no magical talent and are not fit to be rangers. In other words, those in the warrior’s guild fight with their own bodies and swords.

There are no special requirements for membership. This place basically accepts everyone.

Rob will not refuse to accept them unless they are too foolish.

He will teach swordsmanship, how to fight as a warrior, and coordination if you ask him to, but otherwise, he won’t do anything. They’re going to be replaced by dozens of people every month. He doesn’t have the time to be bothered with each and every one of them.

This is because the ‘warrior’ guild has the largest number of people who drop out. There is also a huge disparity between the top-tier and the dropouts.

Those who can’t team up with sorcerers, clerics and rangers can only team up with other outcasts. If that happens, all you can do is hang around in the upper layers, and eventually you will despair because of your ability.

If you try to force yourself to go underground, you’ll end up a corpse. The labyrinth is not so lenient.

— Rob thinks as he rubs his chin.


(That girl claiming to be a hero. I wonder which one she’s going to be. I can’t imagine her becoming something top-notch.)


As Rob imagines the little girl grieving over the reality of her situation, the door to the guild is opened.

The one who enters is a girl wearing a white robe distributed by the church. It is the return of a self-proclaimed hero.


“Oh, look, Master. It’s the return of a newcomer. Looking at that face, she earned a lot of money, didn’t she?　I’m really curious to see how much the lovely little girl has achieved.”


A seasoned warrior with a red face and a bold smile on his face says with a guffaw. He doesn’t seem to have any particular thoughts about her, as he hasn’t seen the dispute with Jabba.

That girl has a seemingly pretty face, so he’s probably just curious to see how many parts she part back.

If he’s fooled by that, though, he’ll be end up the same as Jabba.


“…yeah, sure.”


Seeing a glimpse of the girl’s abilities, Rob replied with one word.


“What’s with that lukewarm reply. Aren’t you interested?”

“No, sort of. Of course I’m interested.”

“Hey, hey, here she is, back from her first job as a rookie. If you’re a leader, you need to be more energetic. Rookies need to be encouraged to develop their skills. Isn’t that right?”

“Oh, hey. What are you doing?”
“Hey, bastards, it’s a triumphant return for our new girl!　Let’s give it up for her!”


When Rob yells that, one of the old-timers raises his voice, and the others, who have been drinking, raise theirs as well.

Teasingly, they shouted applause and praise, and the place went wild.


“Oh, the return of the girl warrior!　Here’s to the triumph of our hero!”

“Hahaha, did you become a master rat hunter?”

“You don’t suppose it’s just one tail, do you? Gahahahaha!”

“No, no, I’m sure there are ten of them. That’s truly an amazing feat of valor!”

“All right, here’s to the War Maiden!”

“Cheers.”


The girl scowls grandly at the noisy place. Rob also involuntarily covers his face at the noise. The drunks are out of control.

The girl is carrying a rather full leather bag on her back and looks really grumpy.

Left with no other choice, Rob calls out to her.


“Hey, over here. I’m the one who redeems the demon’s parts for cash. I want to get this job done as quickly as possible. Come on.”


When prompted, the girl nods lightly and comes to the counter.

Underneath her white robe, she seems to be wearing blood-stained clothes, and the faint metallic smell of iron begins to waft through the air.

An old veteran, who was sipping his drink at the counter, cheerfully calls out to her.


“Yo, how was your first time in the labyrinth? You must have been a bit too excited?　Or are you being kind to me? After all, it was your first time, right?　– or something like that, haha!”
“…Shut up. Go away, I’m tired.”

“Wahahaha, you’re not very nice, little girl. You’ll never find a mate like that. Women need to be discreet. Women need to be modest, both in life and in bed.”

He laughs dismissively and starts tapping the girl on the shoulder with a pat. Rob had a bad feeling that there was going to be another ruckus, but the girl didn’t seem to be particularly bothered by it. He was worried that if he had patted her around, he would probably end up the same way as Jabba.


“Do something about this drunk. He makes me want to punch his face.”

“Hahaha, so feisty!　That’s the spirit!”


The girl sighs as the old man leaves in a good mood.


“What about Matari? I thought you were with her?”


Rob asks frankly, wondering if the girl is alone. It’s unlikely that anything happened, but it’s just a confirmation.

He has a stronger attachment to Matari than the other newcomers. He’s eager to see where she goes.


“Right now she’s sleeping in her bedroom in the Paradise Pavilion. I got caught in a trap and got slight injured. But she’s fine, she’s perfectly healthy. She’ll be fine soon.”

“…right. That’s good, then.”


Rob let out a sigh of relief. He was the one who decided that she would be okay with taking on the labyrinth already.

If she died on her first day he would feel bad, even if it was her own fault


“Yes, here. These are the parts of the demons we retrieved this time. You can cash them all in. I’m tired, so please be quick about it.”


Yuusha places the leather bag on the table with great force. As she said, she seems to be very fatigued and her face is pale.


“What happened to you on your first day?　You don’t look so good.”

“It’s a long story. So, can you just get it over with?”

“Okay. Let’s see what we can do.”


Deciding to make it quick, Rob opened the mouth of the leather bag.

The inside was a packed full of tails. Even Rob frowned at the stench of decay in the air.

The smell of blood and gore mixed together is horrendous. He pulls back his face and lays down the leather bag before taking out the contents.

It’s rare for someone to get this many tails the first time. Most of the time, they come back once they’ve collected about ten.


“I always thought the smell of rats was irresistible. It gives me a tingling sensation in my head.”

“I heard that smell is unbearable for some people. But if you cross the line, you get addicted to it. The other day I saw a guy with a grilled tail in his mouth eating it like it was delicious.”

“I’m not sure if I want to be friends with that guy. Well, let’s bundle these up.”


When his drink turned sour, Rob shrugged his shoulders and then put the tails together by the dozen.


“But this isn’t that bad. Rats are still a nuisance, you know. This is not bad your first day. I’ve improved my opinion of you, girl.”

“That’s for sure. This is a promising rookie, isn’t it, Rob?”

“Well, yeah.”


The old man stroked his chin while making an admiring noise. The same goes for the guild members who were making noise just moments ago.

Even with a light glance, there are at least a hundred of them. It’s a good result, no doubt. Rob agrees.

“It’s no big deal. It was a bit heavy, though.”

“Yeah, the weight of it is a issue. Sooner or later, when you kill them you won’t even stop to cut off their tails. You will realize that two coppers are not worth it. When that happens, you’ll stop being a rookie. Good luck with that, little girl.”


The old man offers his advice. As a senior, he seems to at least have the desire to watch over her.

When Rob finishes counting the tails, he records it on the guild’s achievement list.


“This time there are a hundred and ten rat tails. I take it that this is a joint accomplishment with the Matari?”

“Yeah, it’s not a problem.”

“Good. I have recorded it. This is your reward. Make sure it’s all accounted for. …not bad for a first time. I expect you to continue to be diligent and contribute to the guild.”


The parts of the demons collected in this way will be extracted by the hired appraiser.

Delivering the extracted demonic essence to the church is the duty that each guild is tasked with. There are other tasks that are valued, but the warrior’s guild members can’t be expected to do that much. Few people can wrap their heads around it.

If the amount extracted continues to fall below the church’s expectations, he will be branded incompetent and dismissed as guild master.

Therefore, the Guild master must also make an effort to educate the guild members.

In exchange, the rewards are great. Rob receives a large amount of money and a mansion in the City of Art.

Rob used to be a mercenary, but now he’s got a mansion as big as an aristocrat. That’s how he got a mansion as big as a nobleman’s. He has risen through the ranks of the Warrior Guild.


“Thank you very much—is what I’d like to say, but I have one more thing to say. You’ve missed one thing.”

“Yeah? It doesn’t look like you have any more tails.”

“Here it is.”


Rob gives her a dubious look, and Yuusha unceremoniously flips over the leather bag.

Dried blood goo, mud, and finally a dusky, discolored object appears on the counter.

It’s a cut off human wrist.


“Oh come on, that’s not nice. Who does this belong to?”

“Apparently he’s from the Ranger Guild. You shouldn’t do that kind of thing to dead bodies.”


The old man warns in an accusing tone. He suspects that she had cut it from a body as a prank.

He knows it’s from the Ranger Guild because it has a key and knife job engraving on his wrist.

This engraving is for the Ranger Guild, a mark of the thief.


“I heard there’s a bounty on his head. Aren’t you surprised. I think his name was Salmata. I don’t remember it well, but it sounds like it.”

“…… There’s no bounty target by that name. If you’re trying to trick me, you’d better stop. We can find out instantly once we appraise it.”


Rob warns, keeping his voice low.

Lying about a bounty target is a serious offense. It’s a breach of trust between the guilds and will result in immediate expulsion.

If the girl with a provisional permit is expelled, she will never be allowed to enter the labyrinth again. It’s because she doesn’t have a job engraving, so she won’t be able to pass through the wards.


“I’m not lying. It’s something the pink woman told me. She had a outfit you didn’t want to remember . That wasn’t easy on the eyes.”

“Pink woman?”

“Yeah. I said it was Pinky the Perverted Sorceress.”


There’s only one person Rob reminds me of when he hears the word “pink woman”. A crazy sorceress, Edelweiss.

It’s not entirely wrong to call her a perverted sorceress either. A woman who has managed to stay one step away from being a bounty target.

She has been manipulating corpses and conducting searches up to the middle layers on her own.

Robb admits that she’s capable, but he wishes her dead sooner rather than later. If he saw her in the maze, he’d want to kill him immediately.

The thought of being manipulated is truly disgusting and repulsive.


“I have an idea about who that woman is. Well, I’ll appraise it just in case. Even if you’re wrong this time, you won’t be charged with a crime. I’ll say that you were tricked by that pink woman.”

“Haha, what’s going on, Rob. You’re being very nice to her. Don’t tell me you enjoy girls younger than you are?　I’m gonna tell your wife.”


When the old man teased him, Rob swept his hand away with a scowl on his face.


“Shut up. If you do that, I’ll dilute your drinks twice as much.”


Rob’s wife is so mistrustful that it would end in a real fight, and Rob would be blamed for it one way or the other. It would take a week for him to get back in her good graces.


“Please don’t do that. But Rob’s kindness is really getting to me.

“You can flatter me now, but I won’t give you anything. Hey, why don’t you check out the right hand?”

Rob asks a thin man who has been standing by silently for some time now to evaluate his right hand.

This man is a member of the Mages Guild, and has been hired for the “appraisal” required for guild work. He is also the one who extracts the demonic essence, and he is a skilled sorcerer. Unfortunately, he couldn’t become an adventurer because he lacked the stamina to endure a labyrinth exploration.

But if you have a talent for magic, you can use it in many ways like this.


“…….Yes. Now if you’ll excuse me.”

“That’s the hand right there. It’s not a pleasant thing to look at, so make it quick.”

“Yes, sir.”


The appraiser responds in a hushed manner and approaches the counter.

He said that by holding it up in his hand and focusing his attention, he would obtain detailed information about the object. It was an application of a basic magic, he said.

Rob wasn’t interested in it at all, so I was reasonably convinced that’s what it was. It doesn’t matter if you know if it’s authentic.

When the work is finished, the appraiser reports only the results of the evaluation without any emotion.

“….It belongs to a bounty target. It’s definitely the right hand of Salvadore the Trapper.”


At the appraiser’s words, the place goes quiet for a moment. Rob asks again to confirm.


“What was that?”

“…the right hand of Salvadore the Trapper. This is an accurate appraisal of the results, as derived from the job engraving. I hereby declare that the bounty target is defeated.”

“Ha, ha, ha, there must some mistake. Salvadore can’t be beaten by a rookie. He’s a crazy bastard, but he never lets his guard down.”


The man denies it with a dry laugh. The people who have been listening around him agree.


“You’re right. That bastard, with his tricky traps . He’s a shitty guy, but there’s no mistaking his ability.”

“Why don’t you re-evaluate?　Those must be the hand of some dead guy lying around!”


Rob couldn’t not at their words.

Appraisal magic accurately determines the identities from the job engraving.

And appraisers never lie in their appraisal work. To lie is to stain their pride.

Furthermore, a false testimony of an appraiser is a sin. In the worst case, he will be branded a heretic by the church. If you are designated a heretic, the Inquisition will follow you to the end of the world. Then you can say farewell to your life.

There’s no need for an appraiser to take such a risk and tell a lie.

In other words, this right hand is definitely that of Salvadore the Trapper.


“Appraisers don’t lie about their findings. You know that, don’t you? There’s no reason to do that in exchange for your life.”

“……Of course. We appraisers take pride in our work. I’d rather die than give a false appraisal.”

“No, no. She couldn’t have killed Salvadore, you know that!　A little girl like this!”


The old man slams his hands roughly on the counter. His face is completely sober.


“So, will you give me the bounty? I’m really tired and I just want to get the hell out of here.”


As she ruffles her hair, Yuusha, who has been silent since earlier, asks with a tired look on her face.

Rob doesn’t answer it, but instead asks a question.


“….Well how did you do it?　This is not someone who can be killed by a newbie like you. Moreover, he’s acting in a group. How many of our own people have been killed in the past?”

“I killed them all. The entire party was killed.”

“You killed them all?”

“Yeah. I blew his head off. He was just a quick small fry. Aah, but I’m sure there were some interesting traps in there. They weren’t that bad.”


Without changing her expression, Yuusha replies.


“Sa- you call Salvadore a small fry!”

“Y you really expect me to believe that?”

“If you’re so doubtful, why don’t you go see for yourself?　There’s a deadly trap in the cellar four floors down. But you’ll probably never be able to identify the bodies. Because they died in a way that’s worth of trash.”


Yuusha’s mouth contorts into a ferocious smile, and the people around her gasp.

Rob considers what to do, despite the pressure. Either way, he should check it out. But there’s a risk that there could still be an active trap. If we notify the Ranger Guild, which is skilled in trap disarming, they should do the rest on their own.

It was the Ranger Guild that posted the bounty on Salvadore’s head in the first place.

The betrayal of trust and his handling of people made him a target of a terrible amount of hatred.


“Go report to the Ranger’s Guild. Tell them that our men took out Salvadore on the fourth floor. I’ve got proof, and if they want the details, they should come to me.”

“Okay, I understand.”


Rob ordered, and one of the guild members agreed and hobbled off.

Soon enough, the guys from the Ranger’s Guild would be barging in. They’ve been outdone by the warrior’s guild who they ridiculed as having only numbers.


“–Then. Let’s get this done quickly. I hereby verify that you have taken out Salvadore, the bounty target, without a doubt. His bounty is ten gold pieces. Well done.”

“I don’t believe it.”


Rob puts the gold coins in a small bag and hands it to Yuusha.

The Warrior’s Guild is completely silent and everyone stares at it in amazement.

Only the appraiser goes back to the back with a bunch of tails in his arms. They start work on the extraction.

What’s important to him is to appraise correctly and to extract the demonic essence from the parts. That’s all there is to it.


“I wonder if this is enough to buy new equipment. My clothes are reaching their limit. Oh, and I’ll have to buy Matari some armor as well.”


Yuusha jingles the bag. He frowns at the sight of her bloody clothes peeking out from under her white robe.


”……….”

“I’ll take my leave now. Don’t worry , I’ll give Matari her share as well. We’ll split the reward between us.”


Yuusha greeted said so and waved lightly, then turned away.

Rob couldn’t help but let the words slip out. Words that were not appropriate for a guild master.


“……..Who the hell are you? Really, unbelievable.”


Hearing this, Yuusha turns around with a smile.


“I am a hero. I exist to exterminate demons. You don’t have to believe me. No matter what people say, I am still a hero. I chose to stay a hero, and I’ve continued to fight. That’s why I’m the hero. I’m the hero.”

“What are you–“

“I’m just talking to myself. Phew, don’t worry about it.”


Rob saw Yuusha’s smile, and he couldn’t continue with his words.

There’s no way she’s just a staring out. — this is a monster that has gone through hell many times. There is no hope or despair in the eyes of that monster. A human eye that realized something and then broke. A cold sweat runs down Rob’s back.

His instincts warn him not to get involved with these kinds of people. They’re either broken or crazy – or already dead.

Robb has seen these kinds of eyes before. Those of the madmen who have been challenging the lower levels of the labyrinth filled with miasma.

A suicide squad that repeatedly explores the maze even though they already have money, fame and power. Despite suffering from an addiction to miasma, they take large doses of antidotes and go deeper and deeper into the labyrinth.

One of them was Rob’s senior. Rob was desperate to stop him. If he went any further, he was sure he would die, and that he had done enough. But he couldn’t stop him. As if possessed by something, he shook off the restraints.

When they reached the the hundredth floor, which is said to be the lowest level, the miasma completely covered their bodies.

The end his humanity. Despite the horrible situation, he returned to the surface using the transference stone.

Then he said the lowest level of the underground labyrinth was the hundredth floor, and he died. What is there and what did he see? He died without giving the answers to these questions.

His face was flushed with a smile. Heartfelt and satisfied. And in his eyes.


”……..”

“Hey, what’s up?　You don’t look so good, do you?”


Yuusha approaches Rob’s face. As if he knows this, he approaches at point blank range.

A shiver runs down Rob’s spine as her moist, warm breath touches him. He hadn’t expected to see the same eyes as theirs, here.

Eyes of the dead. You mustn’t look into those eyes. Don’t look into them. His instincts scream that if he doesn’t want to die, he shouldn’t get involved.


“……………….”


Yuusha silently turns away from Rob and starts walking away from him again.

Everyone in the guild looks down and tries to avoid eye contact. They don’t want to make a sound.

As she left, Rob could only stand still and watch her back as she left.

When the door eventually closes, they all let out a sigh of relief. The tension relaxes.


“……..There’s no way she’s just starting out. That eye is dangerous. Rob, you remember that, too. Something in her is broken. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had those eyes. Just like those guys. Hey, you feel the same way, don’t you?”


The old man is reeled in at once to shake off the fear that clings to him.

This man was one of those who watched the man change from up close. He knew the fear I had at that time.

“…don’t ask me.”


Those were the words that came from Rob’s heart.