We finally located the boss room on the thirteenth floor of the Halber Labyrinth. We were exploring with Miria, who had just returned from her mandatory neighborhood cleanup duty, when we stumbled upon the small chamber.
Since the room only had two doors—one in the front and one in the back—I knew immediately that we had reached the waiting room.
"Is the boss through there?" I asked.
"The boss of the Pig Hoggs is known as the Pick Hogg," Sherry explained. "It’s a formidable opponent that attacks by slamming its front hooves down. I’m sure Roxanne-san will be fine, but please, stay alert."
Once Sherry finished her briefing, the heavy inner doors swung open. I drew Durandal and charged inside.
"You three focus on the Pick Hogg. I'll take the Grass Bee."
"Understood!"
The minion was a Grass Bee, which I dispatched in short order before joining the others in their circle. The Pick Hogg was a boar-type monster, a full size larger than the standard Pig Hoggs of the thirteenth floor. Its front hooves were as sharp as awls. It reared up on its hind legs, bringing those pointed hooves crashing down toward Roxanne. It was impressive that a creature with such short legs could be so mobile.
At least it didn't seem to have a thrusting attack... or so I thought, until it lowered its head and charged. Roxanne dodged it with effortless grace. If that had been me, I would have been flattened. Even though I was in the rear, I couldn't assume I was safe. I stayed cautious, chipping away at its health with Durandal. Since its only real threat came from those hooves, it wasn't overly dangerous. We brought it down without anyone taking a hit.
We’d already cleared up to the fifteenth-floor boss in Quratar, so the thirteenth floor here wasn't much of a challenge.
"Sherry, what’s on the fourteenth floor of Halber?"
"Sarracenias, Master."
Insectivorous plants. Their weakness was fire. Roxanne led the way, and we made quick work of our first encounter. I incinerated the Sarracenia with a Fire Storm and finished the Pig Hogg with a Water Ball.
Soon, we encountered a mixed group of three different monsters. I wiped out the two Sarracenias with an all-target fire spell, knocked the Grass Bee out of the air with a Breeze Storm, and finished the Pig Hogg with Water Ball.
"Hmm. It’s a bit of a hassle since they each have different elemental weaknesses, but it’s manageable," I noted. "The extra combat time is negligible. Roxanne, keep guiding us toward these mixed groups."
"Understood."
Even if I couldn't kill everything with a single spell, Roxanne could easily lock down whatever remained. As long as we focused on the most numerous enemies and the poisonous Grass Bees first, we’d be fine.
Later that afternoon, we stopped by the Bode Labyrinth. I made it a point to check the progress in Tale and Bode every so often; I was hoping to find a floor as easy to grind as Quratar’s sixteenth.
"How far along is the exploration here?" I asked the explorer at the entrance.
"The eleventh floor," he replied.
Progress in Tale and Bode was slower than in Vale. Having three labyrinths in one territory probably spread the Knight Order's resources too thin. Gosler had his work cut out for him; I wished him the best. As for Duke Harz, I couldn't care less.
Then again, maybe the knights were focusing exclusively on Halber. I’d seen the Duke, Cassia, and Gosler’s parties there recently. A group of Gosler’s caliber could probably blitz through Bode’s eleventh floor in an afternoon, but sending high-level knights there would be a waste of resources. It was more logical to clear the labyrinths one by one.
Technically, I hadn't directly contributed to the exploration progress, but since just entering the labyrinth was considered a contribution, I figured I was doing my part. Plus, I’d taken out Heinz and his gang. The knights probably appreciated having fewer bandits to worry about on patrol.
"Let's stop by the furniture shop on the way back," I said once we reached the first floor of Bode. I tried to sound casual, masking my internal anxiety. Whenever I thought about adding more members to the harem, I got nervous. I was always afraid one of the girls might object.
I wasn't buying a new slave just yet, but this was the first step—preparation. And preparing meant I was definitely going to do it.
"The bed is getting a bit cramped," I continued. "We can’t keep things as they are forever."
"That’s true," Roxanne agreed. "It would be good to have more space. Thank you for thinking of us."
I felt a twinge of guilt; it was mostly for my sake, after all. We traveled to the Quratar Merchant Guild and visited a furniture store.
"They don’t have anything in a larger size," I noted, browsing the selection. "What if we buy another bed identical to our current one and line them up side-by-side?"
Our current bed was quite long. If we turned them sideways and pushed them together, we’d have enough room for two or three more people. Simply pushing them together lengthwise would create a gap in the middle, and since I usually slept in the center, I wanted to avoid that. If we turned them, the seam would be well below our hips.
"It might be a bit too big," Sherry said.
"We’ll be expanding the party eventually," I said firmly. It was better to be upfront about it so there wouldn't be any surprises later. "Besides, it would be a waste to throw away the bed we already have."
My frantic attempt to justify it was a bit pathetic.
"I understand," Roxanne said. "Let’s do that."
"We should get a new shelf as well."
This was partly to take advantage of my thirty-percent discount on the merchant shopkeeper. As the party grew, so would our luggage. I probably should have started with the shelf and mentioned the bed as an afterthought, but a man should be direct. A frontal assault is always better than a sneaky approach from the back—metaphorically speaking, of course. Anything else would be cowardly.
I left the actual selection to the girls. They’d be the ones using the furniture the most, anyway. Roxanne, Sherry, and Miria spent a long time chatting and debating over the options. I stayed out of it and just watched. Once the purchase was made, we headed home.
"Stay here and wait for the delivery," I told them. "We’re done with the labyrinth for today. I’ll go to Vale while you handle dinner."
"Are you going to the trading house?" Roxanne asked.
"Yes. I'm not bringing anyone home today, but I need to gather some information. I also want to thank Alan for the introduction to the merchant in the Imperial Capital."
"Understood."
Roxanne accepted it easily. In the labyrinth, more members meant a clear advantage. Neither she nor Sherry seemed to mind the idea of expanding the group. However, Sherry hadn't been with us very long, and finding a girl as beautiful as her or Roxanne wasn't an everyday occurrence. I needed to be selective. My party limit was six, so I couldn't just add people at random. If I went back to the Imperial Capital, I'd probably just see that unmotivated merchant again. Alan might have better leads or know other traders.
I arrived at Alan’s trading house in Vale. Nothing had changed in the familiar streets. I was shown to the usual waiting room and then to the back office when Alan arrived.
"Welcome back," he said warmly.
"I visited the merchant in the Imperial Capital," I told him. "Thank you for the recommendation. It was a good shop."
"I’ve heard. They were quite pleased with the business you conducted."
I wondered if they were actually pleased after the discount I’d forced on them, but Alan seemed sincere.
"I'm planning to expand the party again soon," I said.
"I'm glad to hear your exploration is going so well." Alan had seen me go from struggling to afford one slave to looking for a fourth. "But remember," he advised, "quality over quantity. In the higher floors, you need powerful combat slaves. If you want the best, you should look into the auctions."
"The auctions?"
"They’re held four times a year at the Quratar Merchant Guild during the seasonal holidays. Since regular trade pauses on holidays, they rent out the space. You'll find plenty of high-tier combat slaves there. There is a one-thousand Nahl entry fee per person, though. It keeps out the looky-loos. If you win a bid, the fee is credited toward the price."
It was a clever system. Charging for entry ensured that everyone inside was serious, and people would bid more aggressively just to "get their money's worth" from the entry fee. Alan caught my knowing look and chuckled.
"If you already see through the trick, you won't be easily swayed."
"Will you be participating?"
"Of course. It’s a major event for us. Sadly, the girl I had hoped would be my star attraction had to be sold privately due to certain circumstances, so she’s already in your care."
He was talking about Roxanne. I didn't ask about the "circumstances"; if it mattered, Roxanne would tell me. But it did mean my discount wouldn't work at an auction. Still, with less than a month until the holiday, most traders would be saving their best stock for the event. If I wanted the best, I had to be willing to pay. I was past the point of pinching pennies, anyway.
I returned home and shared the news.
"There’s an auction during the upcoming holiday. I think we’ll look for our next member there."
"Understood," Roxanne said.
"An auction sounds like a good place to find someone capable," Sherry added.
"Miria is a big sister now!" Miria chimed in.
Sherry clearly knew how the auctions worked. And while I didn't know if the new girl would be younger than Miria, Miria was certainly the senior member.
"I'm counting on you to be a good big sister," I said.
"Yes, desu!"
That night, we tested out the new bed arrangement.
"Please love us plenty before the new girl arrives," Roxanne whispered.
I had no intention of stopping, even after the party grew. The next day, we returned to the grind on the fourteenth floor of the Halber Labyrinth. The floor was in an awkward spot—not easy enough to breeze through, but not hard enough to keep me on my toes. It was the kind of environment where it was easy to get overconfident and make a fatal mistake.
"Miria," I called out as we moved through the corridors.
"Yes, desu!"