YMDR 16

Chapter 16 …

A Common Dream for the Future

“What a trivial request.”

Odilon muttered indifferently as he stroked his chin.

“If you’re referring to the leader of the Black Sword Guild, then you mean that insignificant thief who gathers the homeless poor in the eastern slums and squeezes tribute money out of them?”

“That’s right. He’s been exploiting the children I intend to support wholeheartedly as adventurers. If I leave him alone, I believe he’ll eventually become a threat to us, so I’d like to remove him before that happens.”

It wasn’t a prediction.

It was a judgment based on experience.

If left alone, he’d constantly interfere with labyrinth expeditions through a combination of petty schemes, sowing discord, and dirty tricks.

That’s why, during my playthroughs, I usually kept him alive on purpose to increase the game’s difficulty.

But now that this was reality, where death didn’t come with a restart button, dangerous variables had to be eliminated as quickly as possible.

“Only after eliminating every source of uncertainty can one finally draw the ideal future.”

“I understand.”

Odilon nodded absentmindedly before giving a glance toward the silently standing Rosalia.

“When would you like him delivered?”

“The sooner, the better.”

“I’ll have him placed in front of your house by tomorrow.”

“My thanks.”

“Then I should be going.”

“We’ll meet again.”

With a casual wave of his hand, Odilon left the library without hesitation.

Rosalia followed after him, transformed into his shadow once more.

“…Sponsor.”

Abel, who had remained stiff ever since Rosalia appeared, suddenly tugged at my sleeve.

“What is it?”

“Are you planning to eliminate the guild leader… for our sake?”

“I am.”

“…You can’t.”

Abel shook his head vigorously and looked straight up at me with trembling eyes.

“That man has connections with underworld guilds operating throughout Pletica, not just District Six. If their guild leader suddenly disappears, they’ll investigate no matter what and retaliate once they find the culprit.”

Honestly…

I was impressed.

To know that much about the secretly maintained “Alliance of Silence.”

That level of insight couldn’t have come without paying close attention in everyday life.

“You’re right. But don’t worry too much.”

“How can I not worry…?”

“Are you daring to ignore your sponsor’s orders?”

I thoroughly ruffled Abel’s hair.

Only then did the unusually serious expression on the boy’s face soften somewhat.

“The situation you’re worried about won’t happen. So just put your mind at ease and focus on your studies.”

“Studies?”

“If you’re going to become an adventurer, shouldn’t you first learn the basic knowledge?”

“Does that mean… I’ll be entering labyrinths too?”

“You don’t want to?”

“Of course I do. I’m actually looking forward to it.”

His eyes, normally so dry and emotionless, gained the slightest trace of moisture.

Perhaps he wasn’t merely flattering his patron after all.

“I never even told my sister this… But becoming an adventurer was actually my dream.”

“A rather common dream.”

In the labyrinth city of Pletica, were there any children who didn’t dream of exploring labyrinths?

Adventurers were celebrities and public idols who earned enormous fortunes.

Everyone admired them.

At the same time, they were also incredibly dangerous professions, making them parents’ number one least-desired career for their children.

“But until now… I’d more or less given up. There were countless days when we couldn’t even eat properly. How could I possibly have studied labyrinth exploration under those circumstances?”

“So you never told Marlin either.”

“Yes. If she knew, she’d probably overwork herself trying to scrape together enough money so that at least I could chase my dream.”

The bond between the siblings really was exceptional.

As long as one boldly ignored the inconvenient truth that Marlin earned money by robbing empty houses, it was genuinely touching.

“Since we’re already at the library… We should borrow some books covering the basic knowledge every adventurer needs. Come, I’ll pick out a few books for you.”

I brought Abel downstairs to the first floor.

The librarian still wasn’t anywhere to be seen.

She was probably sprawled out somewhere sunny, fast asleep.

“But the librarian isn’t here. Can we even borrow books?”

“Just quietly take them and return them after you’re done.”

“Isn’t that theft?”

“How can you use such a dreadful criminal term?”

“It’s merely the temporary unauthorized acquisition and transfer of ownership of personal property.”

“I understand.”

Once again, Abel’s reaction was far too subdued compared to his sister’s.

He accepted it so obediently that I missed the timing to reveal it had been a joke.

“This library has always operated that way. Visitors simply take books and return them once they’ve finished reading.”

“But wouldn’t shameless people just keep them?”

“A fair point.”

“Though it’s rather rich coming from a child who makes a living through theft.”

“…That’s true.”

“Don’t worry. The books are protected by anti-theft Mysteries. If someone fails to return one within a month, a spirit bursts out of the book and destroys that person’s mind. So if you want to keep reading, make sure to visit the library regularly.”

As we headed toward the Labyrinth Studies section located in the most prominent part of the library, I casually asked Abel,

“Abel, how did you feel when that bright red-haired elf appeared earlier?”

“…I was afraid. If she’d wanted to, that elf could’ve killed all of us in just a few seconds, couldn’t she?”

“She could.”

At present, Rosalia was Level 5.

A low-level cultist and a tiger beastkin would go down if she merely poked them a few times with her little finger.

“Even the Hidden Ghoul labyrinth that gave us so much trouble… She could clear it alone without difficulty. If someone like that joins your expedition party, Sponsor… That’s certainly reassuring.”

“Reassuring, huh…”

“Isn’t it?”

“She is a highly capable assassin. But she’s not someone you can rely on completely. She’s simply too good at assassinating people.”

Abel tilted his head, unable to understand.

“Since I know almost nothing about labyrinths… I’m not sure what you mean.”

“You’ll understand eventually. Anyway… Even if there were twenty of you, you still couldn’t beat that elf.”

“If there were twenty of me… Surely we’d manage to win at least once?”

“To be honest, it’d still be difficult with over fifty. I deliberately lowered the number so your feelings wouldn’t get hurt.”

“……”

Despite my considerate attempt, Abel still looked slightly offended.

Ignoring that, I continued speaking as we stopped in front of the Labyrinth Studies bookshelf.

“And the moment that elf appeared… You immediately realized that attacking her meant certain death. Didn’t you?”

“I did.”

“And yet you still tried to fight.”

“My body moved on its own. I thought she was targeting you, Sponsor… Did I make a mistake?”

The tiger beastkin boy’s tail drooped.

“I wasn’t trying to scold you. Quite the opposite. I wanted to praise you. You faced someone overwhelmingly stronger than yourself… And instead of shrinking back, you still fought.”

I pulled a book from the shelf and placed it into Abel’s hands.

[You Can Do It Too! Everything About Labyrinth Exploration]

“Abel. You have the makings of an excellent adventurer.”

[Your ward Abel (Tiger Beastkin, 12). Unlike his older sister, he has yet to choose a class. As you believe, it would be best for him to temper both body and mind as an adventurer.]

His sister had already started down the path of becoming a jack-of-all-trades.

But his future was still undecided.

Among the many choices available, he could still select the class best suited to him.

“Starting today… Train your body every day according to what’s written in that book. If you repeatedly train or work hard enough, you may occasionally acquire Mysteries. So do your best.”

“……”

Abel stared blankly at the cover depicting a clenched fist before answering energetically.

“Yes!”

It was the most childlike expression he’d shown so far.

***

“This is boring…”

Marlin, sprawled across the sofa like dried squid while reading a book titled Introduction to Labyrinth Studies, wore a miserable expression.

“Why do I have to read? If I get curious about something, can’t I just ask you, Kar? You’ll explain everything anyway.”

“You hate reading that much?”

“Yes.”

“Then every night I’ll give you a quiz on labyrinth knowledge. If you fail, I’ll punish you. That should motivate you to study.”

“…Not at all.”

Marlin glared at her savior with utter disgust.

I nudged her legs aside and sat down on the sofa.

“As punishment… I’ll make you eat the pork we bought at the market.”

“How is that a punishment?”

“Do you really want to know why?”

“No…”

As we continued our pointless banter, Abel approached carrying two steaming cups.

“I brewed some tea myself.”

“Please try it.”

“Oh?”

I accepted the cup and took a sip.

My eyes widened before I realized it.

The fragrance was remarkable.

It felt as though an entire flower garden had been compressed into a single cup of tea.

“Blech! Ptoo! Ptooey!”

One tiger beastkin girl with absolutely no appreciation for refinement scrunched up her face in disgust.

I, on the other hand, liked it.

“What kind of tea is this? It tastes wonderful.”

“It doesn’t really have a name. I made it myself.”

“You did?”

“It’s Abel’s specialty!”

Marlin proudly grinned while pouring her own tea into my cup.

“Since we went hungry so often, whenever we somehow got ingredients, Abel always tried to make them taste better. He kept inventing his own recipes! Isn’t he amazing? Abel, show him your notebook too!”

“…Sis. Stop making such a fuss.”

Even though he acted embarrassed, Abel secretly wanted to show it off.

He sheepishly pulled a notebook from his clothes and handed it to me.

I thought I’d simply pretend to be impressed.

Instead… I genuinely was.

“This is incredible.”

Methods for bringing out the full flavor of ingredients.

Which seasonings paired best with specific dishes?

Even recommendations for desserts to enjoy afterward.

The contents were far richer than I’d imagined.

To reach this level of cooking skill through nothing but self-study…

‘As expected… that class really suits him better.’

I’d been debating between two classes that suited Abel.

Now my heart had finally settled on one.

Still, his own wishes mattered most.

I’d leave the decision to him.

“You’re incredibly talented.”

I patted Abel on the shoulder.

“Reading your recipes just gave me an excellent idea.”

“What idea?”

“Well…”

Knock. Knock.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the front door.

“Who is i–WAAAH!”

Marlin hurried over, opened the door…and immediately stumbled backward in horror.

“K-Kar!”

“Calm down.”

I placed my teacup into the panicking Marlin’s hands before greeting our unexpected visitor.

“Good afternoon.”

“Mmph… Mmmph…!”

Lying on the ground before the entrance was a man whose entire body, from head to toe, was covered in bruises from a severe beating.

He was tightly bound from head to foot.

[Black Sword Guild Leader Maken (Human, 27). The one responsible for exploiting your tiger beastkin wards. He was beaten by the assassin Rosalia before being brought here. Measures have even been taken to prevent him from using Mysteries, making him the perfect offering.]

That delivery had arrived at rocket speed.