Durandal punched through the chainmail, sinking deep into the thief’s torso.
It wasn't quite a direct hit to the heart, but I’d certainly dealt a fatal blow to the immediate area. Confirming there was no counterattack, I twisted the blade, rotating it as much as I could before pulling it out slowly at an angle to widen the wound.
The thief collapsed. Perhaps the Holy Sword had snagged on something as he fell, because he toppled toward me and landed facedown. There wasn't a hint of movement. It must have been instantly fatal.
"It looks like that's the last of them," I said.
"Yes. As expected of you, Master," Roxanne replied. She was already busy moving around, doing something with a frantic rustle.
When I looked back, I saw her cutting the wrist off the fallen thief. Good grief, Roxanne, what are you doing?
"Is... is everyone okay? No injuries?"
"None at all."
"Thanks for drawing their attention. You really helped me out."
"Of course."
Even Sherry was busy using her spear to hack through the wrist of the Level 40 thief. What was with these two? Roxanne was even going so far as to strip the man of his clothes. This was more thorough than your average mugging. All my efforts to keep their hands clean of the gore had clearly gone to waste.
"Sherry, the wrist as well," Roxanne directed.
"Yes, Roxanne-san."
They were gathering the severed hands into a bundle made from the thief's discarded clothes. I’d wondered what they were up to, but of course, it was for the Intelligence Cards. The cards emerged from the wrists after death. If there was a bounty on a thief, you needed that card to claim it.
As if confirming the finality of the act, the thief’s body vanished. Then the other one followed. Leaving only their equipment behind, the corpses were drawn into the labyrinth as if being sucked away. Whether they were sinking, being pulled, or simply consumed, the thieves’ remains vanished into the floor in the blink of an eye.
So this was how the labyrinth "digested" people. When I’d seen that party wiped out during a boss battle before, their gear had remained, but their Intelligence Cards had been gone. If you didn't secure the wrists quickly, the cards must get swallowed up by the labyrinth along with the bodies.
"You're waiting for the Intelligence Cards, then?"
"Yes. If we keep them like this for a short while, they should appear."
"Should?" I asked. I’d assumed they were experts at this, but it seemed they hadn't actually done it themselves before. It was likely just common knowledge in this world. Either way, I was glad I hadn't been the one to do the butchering.
"I’ll take the next monster with my sword, but I’ll switch to magic after that. I can carry the bundle then."
"Yes. Thank you, Master."
My MP hadn't fully recovered yet, so I wanted to keep using Durandal for a bit longer to top it off. I’d try the magic after that. I’d originally come here to test the feel of the Rod of Himorogi, not to play executioner to a band of thieves. Once I switched to my Mage role, holding a bundle of wrists wouldn't interfere with my combat.
"We should find a spot with fewer monsters for the test. Should we head back and go straight at that last junction?"
"No. There are too many monsters that way. This way is better."
As expected, Roxanne’s default setting was to lead us straight into the thick of things. I couldn't let my guard down for a second; her battle-hunger was almost troublesome.
I tossed the pathetic gear and Magic Crystals the thieves had left behind into my Item Box and we moved on. Even scraps like these would fetch a few coins. Judging by the quality of their equipment, they had been a bottom-tier brigade. I shouldn't get my hopes up for a high bounty.
After I made a blood sacrifice of a lone Love Shrub using Durandal, we encountered a group consisting of two Love Shrubs and a Pig Hogg. This time, I finished them with magic. It definitely took longer to clear the room. Using Fire Storm to target the fire-weak Love Shrubs meant it took a while to whittle down the water-weak Pig Hogg.
The thirteenth floor was proving to be a genuine step up in difficulty. Of course, Roxanne was still dodging everything with the casual grace of someone doing light morning stretches. It was business as usual for her.
"The battles are starting to drag a bit, aren't they?" I noted.
"You thin the numbers by half with your magic before we even start, so it’s no trouble at all," Roxanne insisted. "Your spells are a godsend, Master. If we were fighting the whole group at once, it might be different, but if there's only one left, I could dodge it with my eyes closed."
"Um... she's right," Sherry added. "Parties without a Mage would be fighting these groups for much longer. This is perfectly normal."
Apparently, I was worrying over nothing. If even Sherry agreed, it had to be true.
"Is that so?"
"Master, I think the Intelligence Cards should be ready now," Sherry said.
I checked the bundle. Three cards were sitting there. They must have emerged while we were occupied with the monsters.
"Oh, there they are. What do we do with the leftover wrists?"
"You can just toss them aside with the scraps of cloth. The labyrinth will digest them soon enough."
Sherry pointed out a spot to dump them. So we were just feeding the labyrinth? I suppose that was fine. I wondered if giving it "food" was a good idea, but then I remembered hearing that if the labyrinth wasn't fed, monsters would start wandering out into the world. Maybe a steady diet of thief wrists kept it from getting too cranky.
"Fair enough. Let's do that."
"Yes."
It was a relief that I could just throw the whole mess away. Come to think of it, the thieves’ clothes had been digested as well. Perhaps equipment and Magic Crystals were rejected as foreign objects because they possessed their own mana, while everything else was fair game. This place was the type to eat the parsley garnish right along with the sandwich. Then again, I wasn't exactly mourning the fact that the labyrinth didn't leave behind some dead guy’s underwear.
"The issue now is the Intelligence Cards. Where do we take these?"
I’d just remembered a potential problem. When I’d collected the bounty in Vale, the knights had definitely checked my own Intelligence Card. If I turned these in, the same thing would happen.
"You mentioned that Tale is a labyrinth under Duke Harz’s jurisdiction," Sherry said. "In that case, it would be standard to take them to the Harz Knight Order."
Sherry didn't seem to sense the danger. She might not realize that turning in a bounty required a card check. To the Duke and Knight Captain Gosler, I was supposed to be a high-level Adventurer. If they checked my card and saw I was only an Explorer, the lie would fall apart. Then I’d have to explain how I was using Field Walk and how I’d reached Bode. I couldn't count on them skipping the formalities just because we were acquaintances.
"Could we take them to the Quratar Knight Order instead?"
"I suppose you could, though it isn't common practice."
She didn't sound enthusiastic. If word reached the Duke or Gosler that we had defeated thieves in their territory but taken the cards elsewhere, it might invite even more suspicion. If the Harz Knight Order was the standard, that’s where we should go. Handing them to Gosler would prove I was helping clear his labyrinths as promised. Dealing with thieves would also put him in my debt.
It was a valuable connection, and I didn't want to jeopardize it. On the other hand, being too useful meant risking being exploited. It was a difficult balance to strike, but exterminating a few bandits seemed safe enough. I decided to wait until I actually became an Adventurer before turning them in. Since that required reaching Level 50 as an Explorer, it was going to be a while.
"Sherry, do you know if a card shows the exact date of death?"
"I haven't heard of such a thing. However, an Intelligence Card displays the 'age at death.' There is a chance it could be used to narrow down the timeframe."
So they could calculate it from that? If I was unlucky enough to have killed a thief whose birthday was tomorrow, it would be obvious he’d died before today. Then again, it was unlikely a common thief's exact birthday was on record anywhere, unless he was of noble birth. Even if his age was known, a discrepancy of a year probably wouldn't raise any eyebrows.
"I think we'll be okay."
"I'm not entirely sure, but I imagine so. Age only increments by season here, after all."
Wait, really? That was news to me. So it was like the old traditional age system? That meant as long as it was still spring, the exact date wouldn't be discernable from the age on the card. I’d keep the cards in storage for now. If I still wasn't an Adventurer by the time the seasons changed, I’d reconsider my options. It wasn't like I was hurting for cash; I was still selling a mirror to the Duke every day for a gold coin.
Despite the excitement in the Tale Labyrinth, the next morning we successfully cleared the eleventh floor of the Quratar Labyrinth. The floor boss, a White Caterpillar, was another easy win. Roxanne held the front, letting its physical attacks slide off her, while I used Durandal to cancel its skills. It was a complete shutout.
"The monsters on the twelfth floor of Quratar are Sarracenia," Sherry briefed us as we descended. "They use a special attack that sprays digestive fluid. They can also poison you if they ram into you, though the fluid itself isn't poisonous. They have no elemental resistances and are weak to fire."
Digestive fluid, huh? Sounded like a lovely creature.
"Well, let's go see for ourselves."
If it was just the twelfth floor, I’d stick to fire magic. Using fire against them would be no different than using wind magic on Grass Bees. It shouldn't be much of a threat.
"The twelfth and thirteenth floors of Quratar are quite profitable for a party like ours," Sherry noted. "If we weren't obligated to the Harz Duchy, I’d want to make this our primary hunting ground."
"Oh? Why’s that?"
"Um... Sarracenia drop aconite. It’s a primary ingredient for Nourishing Pills. I believe you would be able to process it, Master."
Sherry explained the situation with a slight blush. So I could make Nourishing Pills? I supposed that would fall under my Herbalist's Crude Drug Synthesis skill. It was always more profitable to sell the finished medicine than the raw materials—just like making Antidote Pills from leaves. If the raw aconite were worth more than the pills, no one would bother making them.
"I see. Lead the way then, Roxanne."
We followed Roxanne deeper into the floor. Eventually, a grass-like monster appeared. It had two green leaves that functioned as arms and a bulbous green head. It was about as tall as Sherry. It was large for a plant, but not much bigger than some of the tall weeds I’d seen back home. Its brown roots writhed unnervingly as it skittered toward us.
I blasted it with a Fireball. The flames licked across its leafy surface for a second. I let fly a second shot. An orange magic circle manifested at the Sarracenia's base.
"It's coming!"
I’d already seen it since I was firing from the flank, so I immediately dove behind Roxanne. A bit pathetic, maybe, but effective.
The Sarracenia lowered its head—it looked less like a face and more like a hollowed-out tulip or a pitcher plant. A carnivorous plant, then. That explained the digestive fluid. A stream of liquid erupted from the monster's head, which Roxanne caught squarely on her wooden shield. I sent a Fireball back in response.
Roxanne and Sherry closed the distance and began hacking at the stalk. The Sarracenia lashed out with its leaves, but Roxanne danced out of range. Meanwhile, I calmly pelted it with Fireballs until the monster collapsed into a charred heap.
"Is your shield okay? Did the fluid do anything?"
"It seems to dry very quickly," Roxanne reported. "It didn't melt the wood."
So it wasn't a potent acid. Fighting the Sarracenia didn't feel much different from fighting a Grass Bee; it was well within our capabilities.
"The physical attacks are actually more concerning than the fluid," Roxanne added. "The swings are very wide, and because the leaves are flexible, the trajectory is erratic. If I don't block them perfectly, they might just whip around the shield and hit me."
I spoke too soon. It seemed we’d finally found an enemy that gave even Roxanne pause. Since the "arms" were just leaves, it made sense that they would be unpredictable. If she tried to parry them halfway, the tips could easily bend and strike her anyway.
"That sounds tricky."
"Well, as long as I watch its movements and time my blocks precisely, it won't be an issue."
Apparently, even that didn't actually bother her. I shrugged at Sherry, who ignored me to go collect the aconite.
I swapped my Monk job for Herbalist. I placed the aconite in my palm and focused on Crude Drug Synthesis. The material vanished, replaced by three small pills. Unlike Antidote Pills, which came in larger batches, it seemed aconite only yielded three Nourishing Pills at a time.
"Alright, the synthesis works perfectly."
The Sarracenia proved to be manageable. Sherry was holding her own as well. The only real risk was when I stepped up to the front to recover MP with Durandal, but even then, I could afford to take a few hits.
When I actually tried melee combat against one, it was a breeze. Since it was essentially just a bunch of leaves, its attack power wasn't very high. I was just starting to think it was a pushover when the thing suddenly tilted its pitcher-head and dumped fluid directly onto me from above.
"Whoa! Too close!" I yelled, jumping back just in time.
"Oh, it has an attack pattern like that as well?" Roxanne noted conversationally, while I was fighting for my life. I hammered the plant with Durandal until I finally slaughtered it.
I couldn't afford to be complacent. After confirming we could handle both Halber and the twelfth floor of Quratar, we continued our exploration with renewed caution.
A few days later, as my mirror deliveries were winding down, I visited the Kohaku Merchant’s office. I only had one more batch of mirrors to buy before I reached the fourteen I’d promised Gosler. Before that final transaction, however, I wanted to pick up the necklace for the master’s wife in Pelmask.
I warped from the Halber Labyrinth to Bode.
"I can currently only spare a single piece of raw kohaku," the cat-eared merchant informed me. "The price is eight hundred Nahl, the same as before. It is a small amount, but will you take it?"
"I'm here for a finished necklace as well, so I'll take the raw piece with it."
Only one raw stone left? I’d basically cleaned out his inventory last time, so it couldn't be helped. He probably had more, but a merchant has to keep some stock for other customers. Trading in kohaku was proving to be a slow game. Still, one piece was enough to act as the sacrificial lamb for my thirty-percent discount.
I told him I wanted a necklace and let Roxanne and Sherry pick it out. Their taste was bound to be better than mine.
"Also, here are the Taluem boxes," the merchant said, presenting a small container. It was beautiful—a pale, polished wood with vibrant, light-brown grain.
The marketing idea I’d given him, then. I’d suggested that high-end jewelry deserved a proper presentation box.
"This is it? It looks excellent."
"It is still a prototype, but since you provided the inspiration, I will give you boxes for your previous purchases as well."
"Much appreciated. I’ll take them."
I accepted two boxes—one for each of the necklaces I’d already bought for Roxanne and Sherry. They were surprisingly heavy, with a solid, high-quality feel that contradicted their delicate appearance. The pale color wasn't paint; it was the natural hue of the timber. It was exactly what I’d hoped for—weight adds a sense of luxury.
"I think this one or that one would be best," Roxanne said.
"I agree," Sherry replied.
"So, which of the two?" I asked.
"This is the superior piece," Sherry decided, pointing to one.
In the end, she narrowed it down to a single necklace. If I remembered correctly, it was the one they’d shown me when I first visited—the one priced at fifty-five thousand Nahl. It made sense; if the shop led with it, it was likely their best item. I wouldn't know the difference, but if the merchant and Sherry both agreed on it, that was good enough for me. Sherry’s grandfather had apparently been wealthy enough to afford books, so she likely had a better eye for quality than most. Besides, she was the one who had the rapport with the buyer.
"Alright, I'll take the raw kohaku and this necklace."
"Thank you. Since you come with a recommendation from the Duke, I shall give you a special price of thirty-nine thousand and sixty Nahl."
I didn't like how he made it sound like the Duke's letter was doing the work, when it was actually just my discount skill. I paid the sum: three gold coins, ninety silver coins, and sixty copper coins. Counting it all out was a bit of a chore.
"That should be the correct amount."
"Indeed. I will also include a Taluem box for this necklace as a special service. I intend to sell these boxes for two hundred Nahl to other customers, but in exchange for your idea, I shall never charge you for them."
The merchant tucked the necklace—wrapped in a silk pouch—into the box and handed it over. So I’d get free boxes for life? Personally, I’d prefer he charged me so the discount would apply to the total, but I wasn't going to complain about free stuff.
I went home to grab the girls' necklaces, then headed for Pelmask. We stopped in the Zabil Labyrinth first so they could put the jewelry on, and I handed them the silver coins for the entry tax.
"Are you sure you won't come with us?" Sherry asked, her voice tinged with worry.
She was clearly feeling the pressure. We were selling this necklace for twenty-five gold coins—more than Sherry herself had cost. Entrusting her with something more valuable than her own life was clearly weighing on her. With the jewelry she was already wearing, she was carrying a small fortune. If she ran away now, she could live comfortably for years.
"It’s fine, Sherry. Master trusts us," Roxanne said, her voice calm.
Roxanne either understood me perfectly or was just naturally carefree. I gave Sherry a reassuring nod and warped them to the Pelmask Adventurer Guild. I watched them go. Once they returned with the last of the mirrors, the count would reach fourteen. I’d be done with my business with Gosler for the foreseeable future.
I wouldn't have to worry about the commute between Pelmask and home much longer. The thought made my heart feel lighter. I was practically giddy as I waited. Perhaps it was just my imagination, but the atmosphere inside the guild seemed unusually restless.