Oh.
Apparently, while I had been busy fighting, Roxanne had managed to evade a monster’s attack.
Well, that was only to be expected. This was Roxanne, after all.
"You can tell what the monster is going to do just by watching them. When their head moves with a twitch, you just have to pull your body back with a whoosh to match it."
Roxanne was currently giving Sherry a lecture on evasive maneuvers.
It made absolutely no sense. But again—it was Roxanne.
If anyone could actually learn how to do it from an explanation like that, they wouldn't have to struggle in the first place. The only people who could understand Roxanne’s instructions were the ones who could already do it.
Sherry looked at me with a slightly troubled expression.
Don’t look at me like that. I mean, I understood her pain, but still.
"Which way next?" I asked.
"Ah. Yes. This way."
I had no choice but to throw her a lifeline and cut the conversation short.
Judging by Sherry’s reaction, Roxanne really was an anomaly. I had harbored a small suspicion that perhaps everyone in this world possessed that level of combat prowess, but apparently, that wasn't the case. That was a relief.
Sherry was a person of common sense. An ordinary person. A comrade.
I exchanged a silent look with her.
I've been entering the Labyrinth with a partner like this until now.
That sounds incredibly difficult.
No words were spoken, yet I was certain that was the exact conversation we just had. It was what people called communicating with the eyes. In that moment, Sherry’s heart and mine were one.
After that, we hunted a few more monsters to recover my MP. This much should be sufficient.
"Shall we head back, then?"
I focused on the word Warp and we returned home.
"Can the magic called Warp also be used to travel within the Labyrinth?"
The moment we were back, Sherry pressed me for an answer.
Crap. Here was another person who wouldn't just let things slide. Her eyes were sparkling. However, because she was so short, she wasn't particularly intimidating—if anything, she was just cute. If I taught her how to look up at me like that on purpose, she would be invincible.
"That's right," I replied.
"And... is there no incantation?"
"I wonder. I suppose there is one."
Come to think of it, I had only ever used Warp via Chant Omission. Whenever I used it at the Adventurer Guild, I just vaguely recited a snippet of the Field Walk chant I’d overheard to fake it. If I removed the Chant Omission skill, there would probably be a formal incantation.
"It appeared as though you didn't recite anything just now."
"Master can use magic even without a chant," Roxanne interjected.
"Is that so?"
"It is."
With Roxanne’s help, I managed to convince her.
"Why is such a thing possible...? No, I suppose asking the person themselves wouldn't yield an answer."
"I don't know the reason myself," I added.
I was quite satisfied that she understood I wouldn't have the answer even if she asked. Sherry really was intelligent. In truth, even I didn't know why it worked. If someone asked why you could breathe, or why your limbs moved, a person who wasn't a biologist could only answer that it’s just the way things are.
If you asked a fish why it didn't drown in the sea, it would be at a loss. Fish swim because they swim, and birds fly because they fly.
Sherry murmured "But why?" under her breath, but as long as she was just puzzling it out on her own, it didn't matter to me.
"Come to think of it, you were defeating everything in a single blow. You're very strong, aren't you?"
"Well, about that much, yes."
Even though I’d gone to the trouble of showing off, she didn't seem particularly moved. Based on her muttering things like, "Well, he is rich enough to buy two slaves," she likely understood that strength was a prerequisite for earning money in the Labyrinth. Being smart could be a double-edged sword.
"May I ask what your level is?"
"As an Explorer, it's Level 33."
I wondered if the pace of my leveling had settled down a bit. As the level increased, the grind certainly seemed to get harder.
"Eh?"
When I answered, Roxanne let out a stupefied cry from the side.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Wasn't Master Level 20?"
"Ah. Back then, yeah."
Come to think of it, when Roxanne had asked and I'd answered, I might have been around Level 20.
"What do you mean 'back then'?"
"I-I'm growing every day."
"Growing...?"
If I recalled correctly, I'd given that answer to Roxanne about twenty days ago. It couldn't be helped, considering I accumulated experience points a hundred times faster than a normal person. Roxanne herself had gained more than ten levels since then.
"Even so, can an Explorer Level 33 slaughter monsters in a single blow? No, is it the attack power of the sword? It’s true I’ve heard rumors that incredible weapons exist in this world..."
It seemed Sherry was seeing through everything. She was glaring at Durandal as if it were her sworn enemy.
"Keep both the level and this sword a secret, alright?"
Time to retreat to the bath. After seeing Sherry nod with a complicated expression, I made my escape.
"Master, may we have some kindling?"
A short while later, the two of them came to the bathroom carrying tree branches. It seemed the interrogation I had feared wasn't coming. Even if they did press me, the facts were the facts, and I had no way to explain them.
"By the way, Sherry, have you ever started a fire before?"
Since the topic of fire had come up, I decided to ask. Normally, Smithing involved fire. Master Smith was a job closely related to heat. In this world without matches or lighters, starting a fire would be difficult without magic. There was a chance that one could obtain the Master Smith job simply by starting a fire.
"Yes, I have," she answered simply.
Apparently, that wasn't the trigger. Maybe it required melting metal instead.
Wait.
Roxanne was looking at me with a subtle, wounded expression. Was she wondering why I had asked Sherry and not her? No, that wasn't it, Roxanne. It was a misunderstanding.
"If you ever need fire, Roxanne, I'll light it for you anytime."
I lit the branch with a Fireball and handed it to her.
"Yes, Master."
Roxanne nodded with a smile. I wasn't quite sure what kind of follow-up that was supposed to be, but it worked. This was exhausting.
"Y-You really can use attack magic, after all. And without a chant, no less."
At least I could find some solace in Sherry’s amazement.
To fill the bath, I entered the Labyrinth several more times after that. Partway through, Sherry said she would keep watch over the fire, so Roxanne and I hunted together on the Quratar Labyrinth 7th Floor. At that depth, the Quratar Labyrinth posed no real threat.
"Why do you keep returning to the Labyrinth?" Sherry asked during one of our trips.
"Since filling the bath is quite a task, perhaps it's for stress relief?" Roxanne offered a strange answer.
I wondered how I appeared in Roxanne’s eyes. It might have been my fault for not explaining things properly.
"I used magic, so it's to recover my MP," I clarified.
"Does that sword even have an MP recovery skill?"
"No. Well, it's MP Absorption."
"MP Absorption..."
Sherry stared intently at Durandal, which I still had drawn.
"Do you know the MP Absorption skill?"
"Yes. If you fuse a Skill Crystal dropped by a Kobold and a Skill Crystal from a Scissor-type Insectivorous Plant into a weapon together, it becomes MP Absorption. It is a rare and valuable skill."
As expected of a Dwarf. She was very well-informed about things related to Master Smiths.
"Do you know what a rabbit's Skill Crystal becomes?"
"That would be Chant Delay. It is fused into weapons."
"Oh. You really do know a lot. That'll be useful."
This was a huge help. I couldn't exactly go around haphazardly using rare drops just to test their effects. This saved me the trouble of experimentation.
"Yes. Thank you very much."
"By the way, is Chant Delay a different skill from Chant Interruption?"
Durandal had Chant Interruption. Not Chant Delay.
"Chant Interruption is a skill that forces the target to abandon an incantation midway. Chant Delay merely slows the completion of the chant. If you fuse a Kobold’s Skill Crystal and a rabbit’s Skill Crystal at the same time, it becomes Chant Interruption."
"So Chant Delay just slows it down, while Chant Interruption is a forced cancellation?"
I didn't quite see the practical difference.
"Would Chant Interruption be the superior skill?" Roxanne asked, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
I didn't really know either.
"Generally, yes," Sherry explained. "However, if every party member held a weapon with Chant Delay and surrounded a single monster, they could likely defeat it before the chant ever finished."
If you applied more Chant Delay than the monster's chanting speed, the incantation would never be completed, no matter how much time passed. It was a kind of saturation attack. Even if the damage dealt by each individual blow was small, you would eventually win.
"Monsters can't perform other actions while chanting, right?" I asked.
"Wait. Then wouldn't Chant Delay be better?"
Taking Roxanne’s point into account, that made sense. If a monster didn't perform any other attacks while chanting, letting it continue chanting indefinitely would be effective. You could fight in total safety. With Chant Interruption, the spell would be canceled, so there was no guarantee the monster would try to chant again. A normal attack might follow instead.
With Chant Delay, the monster remained in the chanting state, so it wouldn't switch to attacking immediately. If you kept delaying it indefinitely, you would never take a hit.
Was Chant Delay actually the strongest skill?
"The opponent isn't always alone," Sherry cautioned, "and monsters can sometimes stop chanting on their own. Also, it's difficult to have every party member carry a weapon with the Chant Delay skill. It would narrow your tactical options. It's an effective strategy for low-floor bosses that appear alone, but as you move to higher floors, Chant Interruption—which can reliably cancel powerful techniques—is more advantageous."
"I see. Then Chant Interruption must be the better skill after all," Roxanne said, nodding.
It seemed there was no such thing as a perfect exploit. And the "bosses appearing alone" thing was only for the shallow floors.
"So having a Kobold Skill Crystal makes the skill power up?"
"Yes. Kobold Skill Crystals are a bit special; they function to enhance a skill when fused together with other Skill Crystals."
"So to get the Chant Interruption skill, a rabbit's Skill Crystal alone isn't enough?"
"A Kobold's Skill Crystal is required."
I’d thought they were just annoying pest monsters with cheap drops, but Kobolds had their uses after all.
"So even for Chant Interruption, a Kobold's Skill Crystal is necessary. Hunting Kobolds is quite a chore, then."
"By any chance, do you already possess a rabbit's Skill Crystal?"
"Yeah. I have one."
"The one from this morning, right?" Roxanne clarified.
I exchanged a glance with her and nodded.
"The Quratar Merchant Guild holds auctions for Skill Crystals and weapons with skills attached. You can sell Skill Crystals there. As I'm sure you already know."
It was, of course, the first I'd heard of it.
"...Roxanne, did you know?"
"Umm. I had heard some rumors that something like that existed somewhere..."
It seemed Roxanne didn't know much about it either. In that case, there was no way I would have known. Sherry looked at us both with a somewhat disappointed gaze.
"I-I'm from a remote country area," I stammered. "It would be a great help if you could teach me about these things."
"Understood."
My likability rating definitely just took a hit. But I couldn't help what I didn't know.
"Is it also possible to buy Kobold Skill Crystals at the auction?"
"It is. But... do you have a connection with a Master Smith?"
Sherry was that connection. I decided to keep quiet about that for now.
"I see. I understood your explanation perfectly, Sherry. You're very knowledgeable and helpful."
"No, not at all."
"I'm counting on you from now on."
"A-Ah, thank you very much. I look forward to working with you."
After praising Sherry, we headed back into the Labyrinth. While there, I didn't forget to praise Roxanne when she found a monster, saying, "As expected, Roxanne is helpful." I had to be careful with my words. Having two partners was more social labor than I'd anticipated.
After returning from the Labyrinth and accumulating enough hot water, the bath was finally ready. I floated some lemons in it and stepped outside.
"Good work today."
Roxanne handed me a hand towel. I wiped away the sweat.
"Thanks."
"Not at all. Dinner is also ready."
"Let's eat, then."
When we went to the dining area, the food was already laid out on the table. Judging by the placement of the plates, Sherry was to sit next to Roxanne.
"I made a traditional Dwarf dish called Borscht," Sherry greeted us.
I thought to myself that it looked exactly like Borscht, but perhaps it was just the translation effect at work. It was likely a dish similar to or equivalent to Borscht.
"It looks delicious."
"I hope it's to your taste."
A red soup sat in the center of the table. In this world, it was apparently a staple Dwarf dish. When I sat down, Roxanne took the seat directly across from me. Now that Sherry had joined, I thought we could afford to spread out a bit more.
"Is it alright for you to sit there?" I asked.
"Because I am the first," Roxanne replied firmly.
Did she mean that because she was the First Slave, she had to sit directly in front of her Master? I didn't quite get the logic.
"Sherry, you sit too."
"Umm. Is it truly alright for me to sit at the table?"
"Are you going to eat standing up?"
"Is it truly alright for me to eat... at all?"
What was she talking about?
"Master prefers to eat together. Sherry, it is very rare for a slave to share the same meal as their owner," Roxanne explained as she ushered Sherry into a chair.
Did she not expect us to eat together? It wasn't really a matter of preference for me; it just felt normal.
Well, without complaining, I ladled some Borscht from the central pot into a plate. Roxanne had coached me on this—apparently, portioning out the soup was the Master’s duty. I didn't really understand why, but when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
I placed the first plate, filled generously, in front of myself. According to Roxanne, that’s how it was done. The next plate was for Sherry—or so I thought, but I felt a sharp gaze from across the table, so I placed it in front of Roxanne instead.
"H-Here."
"Thank you very much, Master."
Since it was a Dwarf dish, Sherry was probably the one who wanted to eat it most, but I saved her for last. Apparently, we were free to help ourselves to the bread and the meat-and-vegetable stir-fry Roxanne had likely made. The rules were confusing.
"Well then, let's eat."
First, the Borscht.
Mmm.
It had a rugged, unrefined flavor, but it was good. The ingredients were cut into quite large chunks, giving it a rustic country feel. I thought it might be nice to cut them smaller and make it more like a minestrone next time.
"It's delicious."
"Thank you very much."
Once I started eating, Roxanne and Sherry joined in.
"It really is good. Come to think of it, the Wolf-kin have the Beast Fighter job, and Dwarves have Master Smith. Does the Human race have a race-specific job?" I asked, trying to strike up a conversation.
Since Sherry was so knowledgeable, I figured I should pick her brain. The man at the inn in Vale had a job called Lodge Keeper, which was specific to his race. It felt unnatural for only humans to lack one. Perhaps "Hero" was the human-specific job? No, that seemed too over-powered.
"Umm..."
"A-About that..."
Both of them had a strange reaction. Had I asked something taboo?
"I-I think as long as I can be cherished by Master, that is enough," Roxanne said.
"I am also prepared," Sherry added.
What were the two of them talking about? We were discussing jobs.
"What do you mean?"
"The Human race is said to be a race whose desires can become extremely bloated," Sherry explained.
I felt like I’d heard a theory like that before. Animals might engage in homosexuality, rape, non-reproductive sex, or kin-killing, but humans were the only ones who did it all. Some argued that humans performed these vices because their instincts didn't provide enough of a brake. Humans evolved to use their brains to judge things rather than relying solely on instinct, which made them flexible, but also meant their desires could spiral out of control.
Perhaps the humans of this world were also prone to excess?
"I see."
"Because they are that kind of race, it is said that when their desires bloat, they can take on the job of 'Sex Fiend.' That is the race-specific job for the Human race."
Sex Fiend is a job?
So the "bloating of desires" was limited specifically to the carnal kind?
Oh, humanity.