Section 3

I had brought our new member, Vesta, along into the labyrinth.

Vesta was the woman I had successfully won at the auction after a series of aggressive bids. So far, she was moving exactly as she was supposed to. There didn't seem to be any issues.

Well, even if I say there were no issues, she was currently just participating in the encirclement of monsters, bashing them from the sides or the rear. It wasn't the kind of situation where problems were likely to occur in the first place.

Even so, she wasn't shrinking back or failing to swing her weapon, nor was she too terrified to attack. That was more than enough.

Actually, she might have been even more impressive than I’d expected. In terms of raw attack count, Vesta likely had the highest output in the party.

Roxanne always stood directly in front of the monsters and had to prioritize evasion, so it couldn't be helped. Sherry, who carried a spear that was difficult to maneuver in the narrow labyrinth, was a special case as well. But other than them, Vesta’s frequency seemed higher than mine, or even Miria’s when she wasn't the primary target.

Despite wielding a two-handed sword, Vesta swung it with ease, slashing away at the monsters with heavy, rhythmic blows. Of course, she couldn't cut them in half with a single strike, but she was hammering her iron sword into the enemies with satisfying force.

Even an iron sword should have had considerable weight, yet she handled it like it was nothing.

Watching her relentless onslaught, a doubt began to creep in: wouldn't it be more logical to give Durandal to Vesta?

Since I was currently participating in the encirclement with Durandal without using magic, I was probably dealing the highest total damage. If Vesta had a higher attack frequency than me, then overall efficiency would increase if I handed the legendary blade over to her.

In truth, it would be even more efficient to reallocate the points I’d spent on Durandal into the XP Bonus instead. But no one other than me knew that.

There was also the fact that I wanted to use Durandal’s MP Absorption so I could keep fighting with magic. Besides, wasn't it only natural for the finest sword to be reserved for me, the master?

I didn't think Roxanne or Miria would object, but I wasn't so sure about Vesta, who specialized in two-handed swords. Sherry probably wouldn't complain either, but I couldn't be certain of her inner thoughts.

At the very least, I felt I should show that I could match Vesta’s pace.

I swung Durandal with all my might. That said, I didn't just flail it around; I aimed for light, precise hits to rack up my attack count.

Like this? Is this it? Is this enough?

The monster collapsed. It felt surprisingly easy. This seemed to be the right way to do it. Or perhaps it just felt easy because the monster was already weakened? I couldn't tell. Since I couldn't be sure, I decided to just accept it as progress.

"Roxanne, if possible, guide us to a spot with three monsters. From what I've seen, it looks like Vesta can handle herself."

"Yes, I understand."

So, even in Roxanne’s eyes, Vesta looked capable.

"Vesta, when three of them appear, try fighting one from the front. Roxanne will take the center, with you and Miria on the front line."

"Yes, sir," Vesta replied.

"I believe it will be fine," Roxanne added.

The Alchemist’s plating had been applied to our gear, and I had the Monk job equipped, so even if something went wrong, we wouldn't have any real problems.

Should I put Durandal away and try equipping Mage? No, it was better to have Durandal ready just in case. If Vesta suffered a major injury, I could hand her the sword for its recovery properties and use a Double recovery alongside my Monk skills.

I decided to at least equip Warrior for now.

"They are here."

While I was weighing my options, Roxanne led us to where the monsters had appeared. The three women ran forward and took their positions. Sherry and I followed close behind. Sherry used her spear from the rear, but I pushed my way into the formation beside the other three. I took the spot right next to Vesta.

We attacked the monsters side-by-side. Standing next to her, I was struck once again by how large Vesta was. She had quite a presence. Even the monsters seemed to be focusing on her. Being so tall and conspicuous, she naturally drew their attention.

Perhaps because of that, Vesta became more cautious, and her attack frequency dropped. Or maybe it was just because the space was cramped; with me squeezing in, she might have been worried about hitting me or Roxanne if she swung too wide.

However, now that she was standing at the front and drawing the monster’s focus, she needed to judge its movements accurately. She couldn't afford to be focused only on offense.

In this situation, my attack frequency was definitely higher. Furthermore, since I had equipped Warrior, I could use Rush. The power of a single strike was on a different level.

Yes. I felt vindicated in keeping Durandal for myself.

After using a rapid succession of Rush attacks to quickly defeat the monster in front of Vesta, I could take the rest at a slower pace. Roxanne was a pro, of course, and even Miria could endure well enough.

It was no big deal if Vesta’s attack frequency was a little higher than mine when we were both slashing from the side. That was definitely it. It was no big deal. There had been no problem from the very beginning.

"Alright. Vesta, you should have at least gotten a feel for the labyrinth. This is how we work."

"Yes."

"As you've seen, it's not impossibly harsh, and you’re fighting well. However, negligence is forbidden. If you let your guard down, death awaits you everywhere. That is the nature of the labyrinth. From tomorrow onwards, stay focused just like you were today."

"I understand. Thank you very much."

Since everything had gone smoothly, I decided to give a little final lecture. I had to at least act the part of a master.

"Roxanne, do you have anything to add?"

"No. I think her performance on her first day was more than sufficient. As expected of someone Master hand-picked himself."

"O-Oh. Well then, shall we head back?"

It was time to go home. I had achieved the goal of showing Vesta the ropes. Since Roxanne didn't have any critiques, I opened a Warp and we returned to the house.

"I shall begin preparing dinner," Roxanne said.

"Right. Let's have that fried dish I made before."

Since we’d been in the labyrinth, there wasn't time for anything too complex, but I didn't want to serve a meager meal on Vesta’s first day. Tempura seemed like the perfect middle ground.

"That sounds wonderful. I’ll prepare a simple vegetable soup to go with it."

"Miria, can you prep the fish so it’s ready to fry?"

"Fish, yes," Miria replied.

I wasn't quite sure if that was a yes or just a statement, but she started working on it immediately, so I took it as a yes. That settled things for Roxanne and Miria.

"Sherry, Vesta, help them out."

"Understood."

"Yes."

"I’m going to go get the bath ready. I’ll leave the rest to you."

After giving out the assignments, I headed toward the bathroom. To my surprise, Roxanne and Vesta followed me almost immediately.

"Master, do you have a moment?"

"What is it?"

"Vesta mentioned she has never seen a bath before."

I see. She wanted to watch. Well, that was fine.

"You don't know what a bath is?"

"My apologies. I have never seen one."

"This is it," I said, gesturing to the tub.

"We fill that tub with hot water and soak in it. I hear it’s a luxury enjoyed by royalty and nobility," Roxanne explained.

If it was a noble luxury, it made sense that she didn't know about it. Naturally, she was curious.

"Is that so?" Vesta asked.

"It will be a bit cramped with you in there as well, but we'll manage," I said.

Vesta froze. "Eh?"

I wondered if she was going to refuse. "Is there some reason you can't go in?"

"Bathing is for nobles, isn't it?"

"It’s fine. In this house, everyone goes in."

"It is quite alright. Because he is Master," Roxanne added. I wasn't sure if that was actually an explanation, but it seemed to work.

"Is it really permissible?"

"There’s no problem. We all go in together, though it’s a bit of a tight fit."

"I see. Then I believe it will be fine."

Excellent. It looked like Vesta would be joining us in the bath after all. I wasn't sure if it was Roxanne’s logic or the idea of doing it "together" that convinced her, but the latter was the important part. If we were all going in together, that meant I’d be in there with them.

Wonderful. I could hardly wait. It was actually frustrating that we couldn't go in right this second.

"Well, I’m going to fill it now, so stay and watch."

I decided to show her how I prepared the bath. I focused my mind and cast Water Wall. Sheets of water appeared over the jars lined up in the tub.

"Wah!" Vesta cried out in surprise.

"How’s that?"

I felt incredibly cool in that moment. Surely Vesta was looking at me with newfound respect. I truly was the Chunibyo King.

"It is amazing," Vesta whispered.

"Isn't it?"

"Because he is Master," Roxanne chimed in.

"It is my first time seeing this. I didn't know there were races that could produce water."

Wait, her logic was going in a weird direction. "A race?"

"Is it not a racial trait?"

"No, this is magic."

"But Master is an Explorer, not a Mage... Ah. Is it because of the 'Master' job?"

That was the nonsense Roxanne had fed her earlier. I had no idea what she thought the Master job actually entailed, but I decided to roll with it.

"Yes. Because he is Master," Roxanne affirmed before I could even open my mouth.

"I see! That is incredible."

"Wait, are there actually races that can produce water?" I asked. I wondered if mermen or something similar existed. In this world, it wasn't impossible. Monsters attacked with water, after all.

"I don't know of any race that produces water, but Dragon-kin can produce fire."

"Wait, really?"

"Yes."

As expected of people who radiated that cool "fantasy" vibe. Since she was a Dragon-kin, she had a breath attack. That sounded way more impressive than my magic.

Compared to her, my level of "cool" was like a middle schooler on the first day of summer vacation—full of hollow, self-important resolve to change his life. Her "cool" was the real deal. My own status felt more like the opening ceremony of the first semester; barely a second-year student, looking down on the freshmen. I was losing track of my own metaphors.

"Could you show me?"

"Of course. It isn't particularly grand, though."

"Could you use your fire to heat the water in the jars?" I asked, pointing to the tub. If she could, it would make prepping the bath a lot easier.

"I don't think I can make it hot enough for that."

"Is that so?"

"I will give it a try, at least."

Apparently, her fire wasn't quite a furnace. Vesta stepped into the bathroom and stood before the water jars. She leaned over, bringing her face close to the jars, and breathed fire from her mouth.