After catching a few more Gear Soldiers at the bottom of the moat, I returned to the surface through the nearest Safe Zone.
The fog wasn’t unnecessarily thick, visibility was decent, there weren’t any rotting smells, and the annoying gear noises had finally stopped; the ground was solid and not sticky at all.
This simple fact started to feel unbelievably beautiful.
I had admired the scenery that perfectly reflected what I had imagined during my time in the labyrinth.
Maybe because it was so well realized, stress had unknowingly built up. Well, it wasn’t exactly the best environment down there.
“Who knew an ordinary world could be this nice…?”
“Yeah. Everyone says that after visiting the Third Floor for the first time.”
“Hehe. Up until now, the environment of the labyrinth itself hasn’t been too rough, right? You can start looking forward to things now.”
Lydia and Benny nodded knowingly, and we exchanged our loot at the Guild.
The magic stones were much more expensive than those from the Second Floor, and the other loot sold pretty decently too, but since I hadn’t been able to catch many monsters, the earnings felt a bit disappointing.
Calculating the cost of potions and special arrows used today, I felt like I’d only managed to avoid losses?
I let out a long sigh and looked over at Lydia, who was munching on a skewered monster meat that I didn’t recognize, while Benny was trying to keep a Shadow from wriggling out of his grasp.
“Lydia, Benny. We finished earlier than expected. What do you want to do now?”
“True. It’s still daytime. We have plenty of time left.”
“Normally, we’d be holed up in the labyrinth until dusk… but there’s nothing we can do today.”
Lydia and Benny exchanged glances and nodded before they spoke up.
“When it gets dark, let’s go back to Ellie’s place like usual. But now it’s lunchtime.”
“Shall we go out for a meal just the three of us? We can catch up on today’s labyrinth talk too.”
“I don’t mind, but… why are we making such a big deal over just having a meal? Anyone would think we’re up to no good.”
“…misunderstandings can be troublesome.”
“W-What do you mean by ‘up to no good’?! We’re just eating and having secret discussions in a quiet place, that’s all?!”
“Wow.”
Saying it that way made it sound really shady.
I mean, it was Lydia and Benny, so I didn’t think anything actually inappropriate would happen, but…
I looked back and forth between them with a suspicious gaze and slowly nodded.
“Okay. So where are we going?”
“To a room that’s quiet.”
“Oh, so we’re going there?”
Exchanging silent nods like they had a plan, Lydia and Benny were up to something.
What on earth were they thinking?
I couldn’t exactly tell Ellie they were taking me somewhere, but a quiet place with a room seemed to be the kind of establishment I didn’t want to say out loud…
“Gasp!”
Could it be a slightly risqué place?!
It’s common knowledge that taverns of a certain size in this world also dabble in prostitution. It’s not illegal, so naturally, such establishments have sprung up.
Ellie herself didn’t start out like that either, right? She’s changed quite a bit into a themed bar of sorts now.
Well, since they were taking me, I figured it wouldn’t be some fully-fledged place like that.
But the chance of a somewhat risqué establishment couldn’t be completely ruled out.
I do love the reverse gender world, but if there’s one thing I genuinely hate, it’s seeing half-naked men in those sketchy spots.
The staff at Ellie’s place are fine since I’m somewhat familiar with them… but I get repulsed by strange men working at other places.
Am I really going to have to see that again…? But wait, why would Lydia and Benny want to go to such a place with me around?
In a moment of panic, I tightened my grip on Lydia and Benny’s hands and exclaimed,
“Let’s just go somewhere else! There’s no need for you two to go to places like that with me around, right?!”
“???”
“???”
Lydia and Benny tilted their heads, as if they’d never exchanged smirky smiles with each other.
*
“Hahaha! Jonah, did you really think we’d take you to such a place?!”
“So disappointing. I can let Benny slide, but you looked at me that way.”
“Wait! Lydia! What do you mean by ‘letting it slide’?!”
“Benny, you’re more open than you think. I know everything.”
“No… I’m just average! The real weirdo is Ellie! And you seem too indifferent to it to be normal!”
“Normal people don’t have to declare they’re normal.”
“What even is that…?”
Lydia and Benny argued back and forth. I just sat there in silence, burying my face in my hands.
That’s because the place they brought me to…
Was a tavern that was wholesome to the point of being trendy.
Ellie’s Fairy and Silver Coin is indeed a tavern, but the emphasis is also quite high on meals. If I had to put it, it feels like a traditional fantasy inn, minus the lodging part.
On the other hand, this place called Moonlight and Glass is almost strictly for drinking, being a place to simply enjoy alcohol.
Most of the seating stretches out in front of the counter… but if you pay a little extra, you can rent a room inside, and that’s exactly where we were right now.
The tables were lined with pricey drinks and simple snacks that looked so indulgent, Benny lounged on a couch right by my side, munching on snacks.
With a jelly-like texture and strangely cheesy taste, Benny was shoveling them in while wiggling his little feet.
“Ugh ugh.”
He had already kicked off his shoes and socks, and while I wanted to squish those small, soft feet, if he poked me with them, that would be a different story.
Slap!
I playfully smacked his white foot and shot him a mock stern look. Of course, it had no effect; Benny just giggled and took another sip of his golden drink.
“Gah! Why are you so stiff, Jonah? It’s not alcohol, but the juice is delicious, so drink as much as you want. After all, me and Lydia are paying.”
“Yeah, well. You gotta eat free food when you can.”
Nodding weakly, I took a sip of the sparkling mint-choco pineapple juice.
The complex flavors that defy description almost calmed my whirling thoughts for a moment when…
“Jonah, what made you think that way?”
“Pfft!”
At Lydia’s comment, I spat out everything I had in my mouth. It wasn’t because it tasted bad.
In the empty room, Shadow, which had been wandering freely after slinking out, caught the droplets I ejected and almost immediately twisted its body, spewing out something shiny and silver that then was absorbed back in— but anyway, it didn’t taste bad.
It was sparkling mint-choco with pineapple. How could that possibly taste bad with three delicious things combined?
I shook my head, acknowledging the truth: the person most lewdly affected among us was actually me…!
“No, it’s just that you both are sneaking me off to a quiet place with a room during daylight; I thought it might be something dodgy.”
“Eek. Considering that, yeah, the situation does lend itself to misunderstandings.”
Lydia briefly looked startled but quickly shook her head and continued.
“Jonah knows firsthand that it’s not that kind of place.”
“It doesn’t seem odd. There are a bunch of absurdly expensive drinks that look refined and have great scents… but why is it a secret from Ellie?”
“How do we tell Ellie that we didn’t find any good drinks in Fairy and Silver Coin and came all the way out to another tavern?”
“Uh, well… that does make sense.”
No matter how much money Ellie earned back in her day, and despite her work being more of a hobby now…
She is still the owner of Fairy and Silver Coin. Bringing up other taverns in front of her is sure to earn some scolding.
“So, you have to keep it a secret that you came here today, Jonah. Got it?”
“Okay. I promise.”
Nodding, I took one of the snacks Benny was about to eat without any remorse and opened my mouth.
“It seems like everyone has ordered a drink they like, so maybe we should get to the main topic?”
“Yeah. But honestly, the main topic will just be how the hunting today didn’t go well.”
“Exactly. The mechanized monsters of the Third Floor are all tough, and with my fighting style, handling them all at once is too difficult.”
“First of all, just to clarify, it’s strange to take out monsters all at once like that. I also partied with others when I went up to the Third Floor.”
“Then, does that mean Lydia and Benny will help me out?”
“No. I considered that, but thinking about why we have been sticking so closely to you in the labyrinth, it might be better to let you fight on your own instead.”
“Ugh. When facing tricky opponents, my skills are bound to improve no matter what.”
“Exactly. Until now, you’ve had good luck, good weapons, and good talent, so you’ve never really struggled. But monster hunting generally requires more effort and thought.”
“Are you saying I should think a lot and try hard during this opportunity?”
“That’s exactly it. Of course, if things get dangerous, we’ll help you out, and if you need anything, we can provide some support—like teaching you how to use that Greatsword we made for you.”
“Oh.”
I never formally learned weapon techniques, but my Unicorn Dagger and Wrist Crossbow had ample practice time, and I’d used them in actual combat more than once.
However, the Greatsword was newly made, and this was my first theatrics in an actual battle scenario.
There was bound to be an issue due to my inexperience. That’s what Lydia was willing to help me with.
Considering the sturdiness of the Third Floor monsters, it would be best to learn how to wield the Greatsword like a blunt weapon using its weight.
Nodding internally for a moment, I caught Benny, who was busy chatting with Shadow while Lydia and I were discussing something important.
How annoying…
Even knowing it was childish, I suddenly felt the urge to make things awkward for Benny.
“Oops.”
“…Huh?”
I plopped down right onto Benny’s back as he lounged on the couch.
In that position, with one leg crossed over the other, I rested my chin in my hand and tilted my head to ask,
“What’s up? Do you have something to tell me, Benny?”
His eyes flickered and then started scanning my face up and down, awkwardly sweeping over me. Quite the brazen little scan.
After taking his sweet time, Benny finally opened his mouth.
“Ah, uh, not really? There’s no problem, so you can keep sitting like that.”
Though he said that, was his body honest? I could feel Benny’s lower back twitching and quivering.
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