"Kyu-kyu, kyu!"
A small dragon, barely twenty centimeters long. At first glance, the tiny black creature looked more like a plushie than a living beast. It flitted happily around Rei, Seto, and its own master, Elena, as they made their way through the City of Exil.
"Oh, Iero-chan. You're in high spirits today, aren't you?"
"Kyu!"
A stall owner, selling basic magic items like rings that could spark embers, called out to the dragonet. Iero gave a cheerful chirp and drifted toward her.
The middle-aged woman, who looked to be in her forties, smiled and gently stroked Iero's scales.
While Rei and the others had been challenging the desert floor, Iero had stayed behind at the inn. The intense sunlight was too much for a hatchling, and they had decided that such harsh conditions would be bad for its development. Of course, Rei and Elena—and Seto, who acted as a sort of guardian for the little one—always returned at night, but Iero had spent the daylight hours quite bored.
To kill time, Iero would often go out to play. A creature that looked so inherently cuddly and defenseless naturally became a neighborhood favorite. Because it only ever wandered the immediate vicinity of the inn, its fame hadn't spread as explosively as Seto's, but it still enjoyed a very dedicated following among the locals.
"It seems our Iero has been quite a handful for you," Elena said to the shopkeeper.
The woman's eyes widened slightly before she broke into a smile. Since she did business near their lodgings, she was well aware of the more conspicuous guests. That was especially true for an adventurer like Rei, who led a gryphon, or someone as remarkably beautiful as Elena.
Unlike the passing men who were staring at Elena as if their souls had been snatched away, the merchant regained her composure quickly. Perhaps doing business near a luxury inn had accustomed her to seeing refined features.
"O-oh, not at all. Looking at Iero-chan always warms my heart."
"I see. I am glad to hear it has been of some use. ...As a token of my gratitude for watching over Iero, I'll take this."
Elena picked up a Ring of Embers and handed two silver coins to the owner.
The woman’s eyes went wider than they had when she first saw Elena. Even with magic stones in short supply in Exil, a ring like that was only worth several copper coins. It certainly wasn't worth a silver coin, let alone two.
"Wait! This is far too much!"
"Think nothing of it. It covers the price of the item and the favor of looking after Iero. Please, take it."
"But..."
"Until next time. Starting today, Iero will be venturing into the dungeon with me again, but I'm sure it will come by to play once more. Please keep it company when it does."
Elena intentionally cut short the woman's protests and caught up with Rei, who was waiting a short distance ahead. Iero was now perched on Elena's right shoulder, looking back and chirping as if to say goodbye.
"Alright, Seto. Keep an eye on Iero for a bit."
"Guruuu."
"Iero, stay quiet and wait with Seto. We'll be right back."
"Kyu!"
Seto and Iero chirped their acknowledgments, and the two humans stepped inside the guild. The two companions watched them go before settling down in the tamed monster space. Their "guru-guru" and "kyu-kyu" conversations drew the attention of everyone nearby, creating a peaceful, healing atmosphere as onlookers offered them snacks or gentle pets.
Inside the guild hall, the gazes of the adventurers near the entrance gathered on Rei and Elena, only to quickly look away. The duo was used to it; they walked toward the counter without a second thought.
"About the material stripping request," Rei said, "I could have just posted it after we returned and sold our loot."
"If we're going to put out a call for help, isn't it better to do it early?" Elena countered. "If we do it now, the adventurers might already be gathered by the time we climb back out. If we wait until we're back, the actual work won't happen until the day after tomorrow."
"Fair point," Rei agreed. He reached the counter and called out to the receptionist.
"I'd like to post a request. The job is material stripping. We'll have Kobolds, Desert Lizardmen, Earth Crabs, Bloody Diles, and Spiral Rabbits—about fifty monsters in total. We're heading in now, so that number might go up a bit. I'll leave the rank requirements to you, but I want a maximum of ten people. Have them gather in front of the Main Gate of Exil at nine AM tomorrow. As for the reward..."
He paused, thinking it over. He wanted the backlog cleared tomorrow if possible, which meant the pay had to be enticing.
Back then, Culotte and her group split a gold coin, he mused. I should probably offer a bit more.
He quickly organized his thoughts and looked back at the receptionist.
"Five silver coins per person. If the work is finished within the day, I'll add an extra silver coin as a bonus. Also, I'll be supervising the work personally. Make sure the request form states that any attempts to pocket materials will be met with appropriate measures."
"Y-yes, sir!" the receptionist stammered. Sensing the underlying threat in his words, she nodded vigorously.
"Decide on whatever rank you think is appropriate. Just get it on the request board quickly. We'd like the work done tomorrow. Here is the payment."
He pulled five gold coins and an additional ten silver coins from a bag taken out of the Misty Ring and laid them on the counter.
"I'll pay the processing fee once we're back and the rank is finalized. Anything else?"
"No, nothing for now. We might need to adjust things later, but..."
"We can handle that when I return. That's all for now."
"Understood. Please, take this."
Rei filled out the details on the provided documents and handed them back. He and Elena then made their exit.
Several adventurers looking for lucrative work had overheard the conversation and were already loitering near the board. It would take about an hour for the receptionist to get her supervisor's approval and post the form, but the word was out. Five silver coins for a day's work—with a potential six—was a fantastic deal. A minor scuffle broke out as people fought for the limited ten slots.
"Sorry," Rei said once they were back outside. "We're running a bit late because of my errand."
"It took less than thirty minutes. It's hardly any different from our usual routine."
"Guruuu..."
"Kyu!"
Seto and Iero, who was riding on the gryphon's back, chirped in agreement with Elena.
"I hope so. This will be our first time on the undead floor in this dungeon. Luckily, unlike the desert, it doesn't span several levels, but it seems like it'll be a nuisance in other ways. At least it'll be cool."
Except for the part where our sense of smell goes numb, he added mentally.
Elena, who had briefly glimpsed B16F the day before, frowned in disgust. Seto instinctively covered its nose with a paw.
"Kyu?"
Only Iero, excited to be in a dungeon after so long, was oblivious. Elena had intended to warn it about the stench of rot, but seeing the little dragon so happy made her feel too guilty to ruin the mood.
"...Experience is the best teacher, after all," she muttered to herself.
They stopped for grilled skewers at their usual stall, showed their dungeon cards to the gatekeeper, and entered the plaza in front of the dungeon. The place was teeming with life. In fact, the vitality that had dipped during the House Rebisole incident seemed to have returned in full force.
"We've got three warriors and an archer! Anyone got a thief? We're paying well! Ninth floor exploration!"
"Looking for a spear-user!"
"Four archers here! We need two vanguards!"
"Mage! Is there a mage?! We need someone who can use purification magic or flame-type magic!"
Rei frowned as the shouts reached him.
"What is it?" Elena asked. Rei shook his head.
Purification or flame magic, he thought. That group is definitely heading for the undead floor. Even if B16F isn't the only level with undead, I'd rather not have to deal with more competition than necessary.
Bumping into rivals made it harder to harvest materials and magic stones. It also complicated Seto's combat style. Since they were still hiding Seto's unique nature, they couldn't exactly use flashy skills like Fire Breath in front of strangers.
Well, I can still fight using Magic Eye of Shock, Poison Claw, or King's Intimidation. Those aren't too conspicuous. I wonder if I can hide Size Change? ...No, it's probably impossible to explain why he suddenly shrank to half his size.
As he stroked Seto’s head, Iero became jealous. It took flight with a flap of its tiny wings and landed on Rei’s right shoulder.
"Kyu!"
"So cute..." a voice whispered.
The comment was soft and quickly lost in the din of the plaza, but Rei didn't miss it. He wasn't about to act on it, but he knew a baby dragon was an exceptionally rare sight—especially one as undeniably adorable as Iero.
In fact, most of the female adventurers in the plaza, and even many of the men, were casting furtive glances at the dragonet. Some had a different light in their eyes—one of greed. Neither Rei, Elena, nor Seto missed those looks. They memorized the faces of those watching with malice, ready to react the moment someone tried anything.
The group ignored the hubbub and moved toward the teleportation device. Most locals knew they were a fixed party and didn't bother trying to recruit them, but there were always those who couldn't read the room or had arrived in Exil too recently to know better.
"Yo! You two with the gryphon and the dragon. Want to join our party? From here, it looks like you're a warrior and a mage. We've got a spearman, an archer, and a thief. What do you say?"
The speaker was a robust man in his mid-twenties. He had a friendly smile, though his eyes suggested he was more interested in getting to know Elena than in her combat prowess. He had clearly judged her to be the leader of the group.
Neither Rei nor Elena took offense, mostly because the man didn't seem vulgar.
"My apologies, but our party is full," Elena replied. "You should look elsewhere."
"Is that so? Well, can't be helped."
The man didn't push. He simply waved a hand and walked away.
"I wish they were all like him," Rei muttered.
"Indeed."
They shared a brief look before stepping toward the teleportation device, ready to descend into the depths.