Chapter 20

Chapter 020

That day, as soon as I returned to the temple, I collapsed into sleep.

After a week of forced marching and even meeting Persica on top of that, I was so exhausted I felt as though I might die.

“Lord Isran? You have returned─”

“I am sleepy.......”

That was the last thing I remembered.

Before I could even finish listening to Priest Robin, I fell asleep at the entrance of the temple.

When I woke up after a full day had passed, I was in some unfamiliar room.

“What is this place?”

I had no memory of falling asleep in a place like this, so I sprang upright, and there was a note beside me.

─You seemed very tired, so we moved you to your lodging. This is the space you will be using from now on, so I sincerely hope it is to your liking.

......Apparently, Robin had moved me while I was asleep.

There was also a mug filled with tea on the table, and judging by the fact that it was still warm, he seemed to have cast the Blessing of Warmth on it.

As I drank the sweet-tasting tea, I looked around the room.

“So this is my lodging.”

An adventurer with a Platinum Token was provided a separate lodging by the temple.

But this was incredible in its own way, because the furnishings in the lodging were quite good.

It was spacious enough to run around in, and all the furniture was high-quality.

The note even said that they would clean the room while I was away, or if I requested it.

“This is practically a hotel.”

Since it was a temple, I had only imagined something modest, but perhaps that was not the case.

Even in the game, I had obtained the Platinum Token a few times, but I did not think the lodging had ever been this nice.

In a way, it seemed better than Persica’s room.

That place had been so large and splendid that it actually felt burdensome.

“The time is...... already noon.”

Perhaps I had been tired, or perhaps I simply slept late in the morning, but I had slept until noon.

The fact that it was hard to guess the time because of the cloudy sky throughout the year also played a part.

I hurriedly finished getting ready and left the temple.

I was supposed to meet Persica at the dungeon tomorrow, so today, I was planning to go to the commercial district in the south.

Since I had earned money, I thought it would be best to prepare new equipment, however modest it might be.

‘What I have now is a little unreliable too.’

What I was wearing now was the armor I had obtained at the Selection Grounds.

It was not bad for the early stage, but it was still somewhat lacking for upper species or boss battles.

More than anything, this was cold-weather gear, so it was incredibly hot.

When I wore it in the dungeon, I sweated like mad.

“Let me see...... Transfer to the tram here and go this far.......”

I had brought a map of Ebla from the temple, but the city itself was so large that understanding it was rather difficult.

The one fortunate thing was that there was public transportation.

I did not know the principle behind it, but in any case, something like a tram was running, and thanks to that, I was spared the trouble of walking around all day.

“Wow.......”

Once I arrived properly at the commercial district, I was met with one surprise after another.

This was the place with the highest floating population in all of Ebla, and among them, the Main Street, which could be called the busiest area, was packed so full of people there was no room to step.

The cries of merchants calling out to customers, people of all kinds coming and going, and every kind of shop densely lining the streets in every direction.

Everywhere I looked, there were only new things.

After wandering around like some country bumpkin, I finally managed to reach my target shop after another two hours had passed.

“A leather armor upper and lower set, wrist guards...... gloves and boots as well...... Is there anything else?”

“Please give me a robe too. In black.”

“One black robe added...... Hmm. Altogether, that will be 61,500 Rune.”

Defense was important, but more than that, I chose leather equipment with good mobility.

I also bought a pair of sturdy boots, and prepared good-quality wrist guards.

On top of that, once I wore a robe, even if it was somewhat on the cheaper side, I looked quite like an adventurer.

‘As for a weapon...... there is no need to change it right now.’

Now that I knew weapon replacement was no longer an absolute impossibility, it would certainly be possible to use a different weapon if I wanted.

Considering future efficiency, it would be better to use Ishara as a secondary weapon and obtain a separate main weapon, but for now, I decided to put the weapon aside.

Not only could I not obtain a good one with my current funds, even if I forced myself to buy one, I would have to change it again once I reached the second floor.

Since I intended to pass through the first floor as quickly as possible, it would be better to keep using the Starting Weapon for the time being.

‘In any case, for first-floor difficulty, a Starting Weapon is enough.’

Once I gave up on buying a weapon, I had some budget left.

While I was wondering what to buy, I suddenly thought of Ishara, who was still wrapped in cloth, and spoke.

“Could I perhaps look at scabbards too?”

“Wait a moment.”

And so I bought a scabbard as well. I could not go around with my sword wrapped in cloth forever.

“How much is this one?”

“That one is made of ebony, so it will be expensive.”

Perhaps because the scabbard was fairly high-end, it easily exceeded 20,000 Rune.

It was the most expensive item among the things I bought this time, but I wanted to use as good a scabbard as possible.

I made up for the lacking budget by selling the equipment I was wearing now.

Since I would not be able to use it from the second floor onward anyway, it was not very necessary to me, so this worked out well.

As I was sheathing Ishara in the scabbard I had bought like that, the shopkeeper spoke in a tone that suggested he had seen something utterly strange.

“To think you would buy something that expensive just to put a mere Starting Weapon in it...... Is your tendency to waste money not a little severe?”

“A mere......? Waste......?”

“Ah, no. I misspoke.”

At my glaring gaze, the shopkeeper tucked his tail between his legs.

Did he know whose scabbard this was?

I did not care about anything else, but the scabbard absolutely had to be high-quality.

No matter what happened, I had to use a good one.

‘It would be nice to have something like a subspace bag too.......’

An ordinary backpack had a limit to its capacity, so my interest could not help leaning toward something like a subspace bag.

But this was Magic Equipment, so its price was truly outrageous.

Even the cheapest one exceeded 5 million Rune, and anything above that was not even sold. Apparently, I had to go to the royal capital if I wanted to find one.

‘Well, I suppose it is enough that I have at least gotten the basics together.’

Since this was early-stage equipment, it was rather shabby, but this much was the limit with the money I had brought.

Even this had only been possible because it was leather. If even a little metal had been mixed into it, I would not have been able to buy the full set.

It made me think anew that it was fortunate I was not in a tank class.

“I earned that much, but I am already broke.”

The money I earned from my first dungeon trip was 80,000 Rune.

Excluding the 10,000 Rune I set aside as emergency money, 70,000 Rune disappeared in an instant.

I knew that an adventurer was a profession where money flowed out like water, but since it was money I had earned through my own hardship, I could not help feeling bitter.

‘Even this was only because things went about half well.’

Mana Stones were affected by market prices.

Since there was supply and demand, that was only natural, but when I settled mine, the market price had happened to be fairly high.

If I had sold them when the price was low...... to put it a little harshly, I might not have recovered even half of this income.

The apprentices who had been disappointed that their earnings were low back then would not have been disappointed but sobbing outright if the market price had truly been low.

“I really need to get to the third floor quickly.......”

Income began to increase in earnest from the third floor onward.

There, one could obtain magic-related materials, and as was the case with anything that had “magic” attached to it, every one of them was quite expensive.

Back in the game, I would first break through to the third floor without thinking too much, then consider my progression afterward.

‘First, the equipment is finished...... Is the remaining problem skills?’

There were two ways to learn skills.

Either find a master and receive lessons, or obtain a secret manual.

Each had its own advantages and disadvantages, but in the end, whether it was luck or money, one needed a lot of something.

It was not something I could do right away.

‘As for my Unique Ability...... let us set it aside for now.’

I did not think it had disappeared, but I had no idea what the awakening conditions were.

I had tried all kinds of things, but since it was an element that had not existed in the game, I still could not get a grasp on it.

Since I could not devote my remaining strength to a method that was not yet certain, I placed my Unique Ability out of priority for now.

“Let us think slowly.”

There was still plenty of time.

Let us not rush.

Right now, it was time to focus on the situation before my eyes.

***

The next day, as soon as dawn broke, I headed toward the dungeon entrance.

Because I slept late in the morning, I had asked Robin to wake me up, but when I would not get up, he flipped the bed over.

He did not seem like it, but in this area, he was a strict person.

“She said it was a cafe near the plaza.......”

She had only said “cafe” and had not actually told me the name, so I was at a loss as to where I should go.

I had not looked carefully last time, so I had not known, but there were more than one or two cafes here.

While I was wondering how I should find it, I arrived at the plaza.

“.......”

And as soon as I arrived, I could tell which cafe it was.

In the best location in the plaza.

At a cafe that looked quite high-class, a swarm of knights had gathered and formed a line.

“What is that over there? Did the owner do something wrong?”

“They say some noble lady rented the whole place.”

“That is Ortanis, is it not? What are those heavenly people doing here instead of staying in the royal capital?”

All those knights were members of the White Night Knights, Ortanis’s elite unit.

Beyond the escort that looked so tight not even water could leak through, I could see someone leisurely drinking tea through a gap.

It was Persica.

‘I do not want to go.......’

Every bit of attention in the plaza had already gathered there. If I approached, I would definitely receive attention.

This environment was too harsh for a shut-in INFP like me.

While I was caught in a fierce internal conflict over whether I should run away even now, Persica turned her head and our eyes met.

“Ah, you are here.”

In that instant, every gaze in the plaza followed Persica and turned toward me.

I was not joking. It felt as though my breath had stopped.

“.......”

It was too late to ignore her now.

With a sigh, I walked over.

The knights blocking the way split to the left and right, revealing Persica with a frown on her face.

“Why are you so late? I waited for five whole minutes.”

“I arrived at the appointed time.”

“From now on, move thirty minutes early. That is the basics for an apprentice.”

“You are an apprentice too, though.”

“Before that, I am an Ortanis. Nobles do not wait for those beneath them.”

Her tone made me want to flick her forehead a hundred times, but I endured with extreme patience.

Instead, I decided to look at her with the most pathetic expression in the world.

“So the rumors were true. That apprentice...... he really was an acquaintance of Persica Ortanis.”

“Is he a noble? Who is he? Does anyone know?”

“People in high places truly are different from their apprentice days.”

I was done for. I had already drawn attention properly.

I pressed my hood even deeper so my face would not be seen.

“The rest of you, return. From here on, I will move separately.”

“As you command.”

At her shooing gesture, the knights saluted with discipline and withdrew.

The two of us climbed onto the Lift Platform.

It was a different Lift Platform from the one I had ridden last time, one closer to the outskirts.

“Ugh! Why are there so many people? There was nothing like this when I rode it from the royal capital.”

“This is usually how it is.”

“It feels unpleasant and disgusting. How do you ride something like this?”

“I told you, this is normal.”

There really were not many people on the royal capital side. The Lift Platforms there were much larger than this, and they were always operated only when fully reserved.

It seemed our noble young lady was unfamiliar with the Lift Platforms used by the common people.

Was this like rich heirs not knowing bus fares?

No, to begin with, there were not even that many people here.

Even then, because they were afraid of Persica, they were pressed against the wall and trembling.

Do you not even feel sorry for those people?

“By the way, is it all right for just the two of us to go?”

“.......”

I meant that I was fine, but was she all right without an escort? At those words, Persica glared at me.

“Our party should be waiting below.”

“Hm?”

In the meantime, the Lift Platform arrived on the first floor.

As soon as we got off, groans came from inside, so it seemed they had been enduring the side effects all along.

“Ugh.......”

“Side effects?”

“Hah...... Do not ask when you already know.”

Persica was not free from the side effects either.

The symptoms were only mild, but for a short while, her face twisted in pain from dizziness.

“You are completely fine?”

“I am fine.”

After all, from the moment I finished the Selection Grounds, I had already graduated from first-floor specs.

A faint emotion resembling envy flashed in Persica’s eyes.

It seemed she was jealous.

“You have come down, both of you.”

Someone approached from one side of the Lift Platform.

He was a man with a cold yet fairly stubborn-looking appearance.

It was the knight named Gordon, who had come to pick me up last time.

“It is good to see you again, Lord Isran.”

“Captain Gordon?”

“You remembered me.”

I had not expected the captain of the knights himself to come.

Was this what it meant to be the precious child of a noble family?

The level of people moving around her was splendid.

“Gordon is my swordsmanship master and escort. This time, he will also serve as our guide.”

“I look forward to working with you.”

“Hmph...... I am enough on my own.”

“I can assure you that if you had come down alone, my lady, you would have returned crying before two days had passed.”

“I-It would not have been that bad!”

Seeing them speak so unreservedly, they seemed to be quite close.

She had said he was her master, but unexpectedly, their teacher-disciple relationship did not seem that rigid.

“Starting today, I intend to help the two of you complete your growth in a short period. I hope you will follow along well.”

Gordon’s preliminary explanation continued.

As one could tell from the way he spoke, the place and schedule had already been decided.

This was why I hated team play. I had no right to make decisions.

From the position of someone who already had a whole build planned, an environment where I could not move as I pleased was nothing but frustrating.

“......Therefore, the place we will be going from now on is Arachne’s Nest. It is the final first-floor course of ‘Enlil’s Pilgrimage Route.’”

Enlil’s...... what?

I knew Arachne’s Nest, but this was the first time I had heard that term.

I had never heard of something like that on the first floor─

“By Pilgrimage Route, you mean the route that the Possessor Enlil traveled?”

?

“Yes. As we go, I will also tell you the history of the Possessors. As you descend below, that knowledge will become necessary.”

“Will it be all right? I heard the difficulty is quite high.”

“It would have been dangerous if you were alone, my lady, but fortunately, I am here, so it will be fine.”

“Did you have to say that?”

Gordon’s words circled in my head.

The path traveled by a Possessor.

The history of the Possessors.

And he would even explain it on his own.

“.......”

I really did like team play after all.