Currently holding 16 Transferable Return Tickets.
That’s enough to send all the Drifters I brought to the Hideout back to their original worlds and still have some left over.
Boglebogle – The Transferable Return Tickets can only be passed to Drifters, right? Can’t give them to Explorers?
Pururu – Yup, just for Drifters.
I pondered for a moment.
For now, I can’t make them Assistants. I don’t have a Mid-Level Invitation Ticket.
Giving them Return Tickets in exchange for helping me with my Labyrinth life like Merino is off the table.
They don’t seem like they’d be much help to me. No, they definitely wouldn’t help. They could even be more of a hindrance.
So if I want to give them Return Tickets, I need to ask for something useful they have…
‘…Except for Iara, they all seem like they don’t have anything.’
I sighed after briefly glancing at the Drifters’ appearances.
They looked so pitiful that asking for something felt almost wrong.
‘The clothes they’re wearing are pretty useless, too.’
Honestly, I don’t dress well either. Right now, I have to wear something in front of people, but I usually walk around with my shirt hanging off.
‘Should I just send them away for free? If I kick them out without giving them Return Tickets, it’s like telling them to go die.’
To be honest, I don’t have to ask for a favor in return for transferring the Return Tickets like I did with Rize.
I have coin refreshers available, and if I need anything, my Assistants usually support me.
Still, sending them away for free doesn’t sit well with me. I’m not a volunteer or anything, after all.
‘What a dilemma. What should I do?’
If they were good people, I would have just sent them off, but I have no idea if they are good or bad. Just because they’re weak doesn’t mean they’re good.
There are ways to check, but I’d rather not waste my time testing them.
‘How about asking for a small token of appreciation?’
Thinking that, I slowly examined their bodies again.
No one seemed displeased by my gaze. Since I had already explained the Transferable Return Tickets, it seemed they roughly understood why I was inspecting them.
The Drifters flinched and watched me, one by one starting to approach, offering what little they had.
“U-Um… I don’t have much right now, but how about this…”
A young man handed me a cigarette and a lighter.
“Big brother, I’ll give you this… It’s my treasured bunny doll. Please take care of it.”
A little girl handed me an stuffed animal she was hugging tightly.
“Please, take this. It’s a pretty expensive ring.”
“Not sure if something valuable like a ring or jewelry would come in handy in a place like this, but it’s all I can offer. Sorry.”
Parents of a girl handed me what seemed to be a wedding ring.
“This wig is like my soul. It smells a bit, but washing it will make it fine. Of course, Explorer, you have such thick hair that you won’t need it right away, but you never know when you might need one, so it’d be good to keep it…”
A bald man casually giving me his used wig while sneakily throwing a curse my way.
Hmmm. Should I leave him out when I send everyone back?
Anyway, besides that, other Drifters were frantically searching their bodies for something to offer me.
“It’s money from our world.”
“Shoes from a world-famous brand.”
“T-This is my prosthetic leg; it’s pretty sturdy, I think it could be used as a weapon.”
“I bought this diamond ring to propose to my girlfriend. I don’t need it anymore, so please take it without hesitation.”
…The offerings are pretty underwhelming.
I wanted to ask for something, but it feels like I’m robbing them.
Mysticism – 😶
Boglebogle – Hmmm…
Pururu – Whoa, they’re giving everything and anything.
Yumi – I think I would’ve been just as desperate if I were them. They need to return home first.
Pururu – At least no one is throwing a fit asking for a free return. They all seem to have their character in place.
Yumi – True, there’s nobody like someone such as you, Pururu.
Rize Nova – With scary monsters surrounding them, who would dare say something like that?
I sighed deeply again and told the Drifters from Normalia that I couldn’t accept everything they offered.
Some things felt too pitiful to accept. Most were things I had no need for anyway.
The people looked gloomy after being rejected, but then I said, “It’s fine. I’ll generously give you the Return Tickets for free.”
Hearing my conclusion, their faces lit up in joy like fireworks.
I don’t like becoming a volunteer, but just this once, I’ll be a softie.
*
“Thank you! Really, thank you!”
“I will never forget this kindness! I’ll remember it for life!”
“I love you, brother!”
“Mom, did that big brother say he’s a god?”
“Shh! He seems to want to keep his identity secret, so keep it down.”
“Okay, I’ll speak quietly. But why is that big brother a god?”
“Because he’s making a miracle happen by sending us back to our original world.”
“Ohhh!”
The Drifters from Normalia.
I physically handed over the Transferable Return Tickets to them.
The Drifters expressed their heartfelt gratitude to me, tore the tickets, and returned to their hometown.
Turns out I did something uncalculated and ended up being a fool.
While I sighed quietly watching the returning Drifters…
“You’ve sent 10 Drifters back.”
“The total number of Drifters sent back is now 13.”
“For achieving 10, a Vending Machine Tracking Ticket has been awarded.”
“Huh? What’s this?”
I received a Vending Machine Tracking Ticket out of nowhere.
It said I achieved sending back ten Drifters.
“Centauress. Just now, we received a reward for sending back ten Drifters. Did your mother ever get such a reward?”
[Achieving rewards? I’ve never heard of that. Besides, I don’t think my mother ever sent back ten Drifters at once.]
I was pleasantly surprised by this unexpected reward, but…
I didn’t understand.
What’s the benefit to the Ancient Labyrinth from sending Drifters back?
What does it gain from that?
This world is truly perplexing.
Well, a good thing is a good thing.
Pururu – Vending Machine Tracking Ticket is awesome!
Boglebogle – Things worked out well.
Mysticism – 😋
Yumi – Sometimes good deeds bring unexpected rewards.
Rize Nova – Perhaps the Ancient Labyrinth was moved by Gauntlet Ball’s charitable actions and gifted this out of gratitude.
Pururu – That’s not it. Don’t talk nonsense.
While I was checking that unexpectedly received Vending Machine Tracking Ticket…
“They’ve all left now.”
Iara approached me and spoke softly.
She had intentionally postponed her return.
She was waiting for all the Normalia people to leave.
The reason was simple.
Iara promised she’d give me a reward in exchange for sending her back.
But if she were the only one to give a reward, it might make the other people feel embarrassed, so she whispered about it right before everyone left.
In other words, she was being considerate of the Normalia people.
“This is a Magic Sword. The more skilled you are in magic, the stronger it becomes, and it changes shape to fit the user.”
Boglebogle – Oh. Looks like a decent sword, doesn’t it?
Iara held out the sword she was gripping.
“I originally planned to give it to you right away… I hesitated because I thought this might overshadow the gifts from the Normalia people. Honestly, this Magic Sword is on a completely different level from anything anyone else gave you.”
She continued explaining how incredible this Magic Sword was.
Yumi – Such a kind heart. Being considerate of others like that.
Mysticism – Definitely a hero. 😀
Rize Nova – If she handed over such an item first, it would’ve put the others on edge.
Pururu – Hey, give that to me. I want it.
Yumi – Don’t be a spoiled brat. What are you going to do with that since you can’t even use magic?
Pururu – 😭
I can’t use magic either.
It seems like an ordinary sword for those who aren’t magic users, but that’s fine.
I won’t be using it myself anyway.
I can just give it to a monster that uses magic.
Like the Jellyfish Princess, for example.
Yumi – However, you accepted that Magic Sword while rejecting the items from others.
Pururu – Good items should be kept.
Boglebogle – Can’t refuse that. Just looking at her, I can tell she’s the type who needs to repay a debt when help is offered. Even if I refuse, she’ll just stick around, so it’s easier to take it without fuss.
“And I’m sorry for this, but I shamelessly want to ask one more thing…”
Iara hesitated and then looked into my eyes carefully to make her request.
“Could you help me find my party members?”
“My party members?”
“…Yeah. Actually, there were six others who came here with me. If it’s too much of a burden, feel free to refuse. It’s just something I figured I’d ask.”
Does she think I wouldn’t help?
Iara shyly fiddled with her fingers and lowered her head.
If it were Normalia people asking for such help, I would have definitely turned them down.
But she was different.
A Magic Sword that was unique to the SageWorld.
A family heirloom passed down through the lineage of the Yoon tribe, a symbol of a hero.
Having received such a rare item, helping her with a request like that would be no trouble at all.
I could use either my Necro Puppetmaster’s Psychic Ability or the Drifter Tracker to find her group.
“I’ll help you.”
“R-Really? Thank you!”
“Before that, I just want to ask one thing.”
“Yes! Ask me anything!”
“Didn’t you say you were betrayed by your comrades?”
“Uh, yes? How did you know…?”
“I heard it from the other Drifters earlier.”
“…Ah. So someone saw that scene.”
Iara gave a bitter smile.
“Honestly, I was disappointed with them, and while I do have some resentment for not being a hero, I don’t dwell on it much now. After all, they didn’t stab me in the back.”
It didn’t seem like she was looking for revenge.
“If it’s too scary, you can run away. I don’t want to harbor contempt for those who fled just to survive. They probably would’ve fled at my command if they hadn’t, anyway.”
Pururu – So you want to find the party members who abandoned you? I don’t get it.
Mysticism – Definitely a hero. 🙂
Pururu – At this point, you’re only a fool.
She seemed to have already forgiven her party members who abandoned her, deep in her heart.
Well, that level of betrayal is nothing.
After all, it’s not like they stabbed their ally in the back to repay gambling debts or tried to sell them into slavery to fund a trip to a brothel.
Just for reference, that was a story from my past experience in Elemenzia. Damn it.
Anyway.
I promised to help Iara and checked the current number of Drifters wandering in the Labyrinth.
Before meeting Iara, the number I had checked was thirty.
When I rescued people, nine were fed to the Pig King so that left me with twenty-one.
Now, after sending the ten Normalia people back, that leaves eleven.
The numbers were just right.
When Iara was captured by the Pig King, all of her party members were still alive.
To summarize,
I have two Drifters with me.
Nine are separated.
Six of them are Iara’s party members.
“So, I’ll go look for them right away…”
“…Huh?”
Just as I was about to set off.
Suddenly, six people died at once.
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