“While there are no rewards for your bravery alone, there is a reward of three hundred gold pieces for anyone who locates the Dragon-Eye Cup, long lost somewhere deep within these ruins!”
That got the mercenaries going.
“Oh man, the bounty on that thing’s getting higher and higher!”
“I guess he wants to see it in his lifetime.”
“Three hundred gold pieces! Wow…”
I guess that’s a lot of money.
One of the Baron’s guards unfurled a roll of parchment and showed us a picture of the cup. The Baron explained that it had been lost for centuries.
Not magical though, huh? Just a really old cup.
“My dream is to drink from it! Surely whoever sips from that cup will feel they have conquered the ages!”
Laughter rippled through the audience, most of it good-natured. All right, get on with it, won’t you? it seemed to say. The Baron chuckled to himself and motioned to his guards to begin the proceedings. The guards moved quickly, taking down names in their registers. After giving my name, all that remained was the bag check at the entrance of the ruins.
They’re really adamant that nobody steal any of these treasures…but all I want are my ingredients.
After registering, I was given directions to the ruins, which lay down a narrow path just off the busy square itself. I decided to double back to town to prepare to enter the ruins. On my way, I noticed a girl walking in front of me.
Mist Balukas.
I was gaining on her. As I passed, I saw her glance at me, but I chose to walk on in silence.
“Excuse me,” came a voice.
Well, I can hardly ignore her, can I? I have something to ask her too, I suppose.
“So you were headed to Mils too, huh?” I asked, playing it off like I’d only just noticed she was there.
“You’re visiting Mils for the ruins clearing as well, I take it?” she responded.
“Yeah…that guy gave you some trouble, earlier, huh?”
“He was no real problem.”
“Even so, I’d watch out if I were you.”
“Why do you say so?”
“His face was bright red, and if looks could kill…”
The girl looked troubled.
“I sometimes have that effect on people. I always try to resolve matters peacefully, but…it rarely works out that way. I frankly find it easier to be hated and spurned than to be loved and constantly approached by men like that.”
“Maybe it’s a whole love-hate thing?”
She gave a small, dry laugh.
“Perhaps. I really must be going.”
“It’s obvious you’re trying to avoid everyone, you know.”
She stopped and turned to look back at me, a thoughtful look in her eyes.
“I could say the same thing about you.”
“Well, as one loner to another, I have a favor to ask,” I said.
“A favor? What would you ask of me?”
“I need supplies and tools to enter the Mils ruins, but to be honest, I’m completely new at this.”
“I see. You weren’t aware of the price of bread, either, if I recall correctly. You need advice so that the merchants can’t take advantage of you, I assume?”
She’s quick on the uptake.
“That’s about the shape of it. I’ll pay you for your time.”
I don’t want to waste time arguing with shopkeepers. It’ll be much easier to have somebody who knows their way around the merchandise. I think I can trust this girl, at least for the time being. If she’s lying, well, I can cross that bridge when I come to it.
I looked at the girl, waiting for an answer. She was silent for a long moment.
“So what do you say?” I finally asked.
“I’m only here because I need funds to continue my journey. In light of that, I’d like to take you up on your offer.”
“Then I believe we have a deal.”
“So it seems. Please, leave the haggling to me. It will surely be simpler for you to make one deal with me than trying to make a deal in each shop.”
“Sounds good, thanks. Let’s get going, then.”
I stopped. The girl was holding out her hand.
“Mist Balukas.”
“…Hati Skoll,” I answered, taking her hand. Her long, thin fingers were white and smooth.
Do these hands really hold weapons? I expected her skin to be rough and coarse, but… Hm? She’s making a weird face. Oh, I get it. She can tell when someone’s lying, huh.
“It’s not my real name.”
“Sorry?”
“You noticed, didn’t you? I have my reasons, same as you. I’m going by this name at the inn, too. It’s not important for us to share our real names, wouldn’t you agree?”
She smiled.
“Of course.”
Deal made, Mist and I walked back to the main street together in silence.
It’s for the best. I’m not looking to make friends; I’m just hiring her to help me as a one-time deal. She gets that, right?
…or so I thought.
“Where are you staying, Sir Hati?”
She’s trying to start a conversation… No reason I can’t just tell her the truth, I suppose. I told her.
“Oh, we’re staying at the same inn.”
I didn’t see her yesterday…we must’ve missed each other.
“If you need money so badly, why didn’t you stay somewhere cheaper?”
“I can’t get a good night’s sleep unless I have my own room.”
“Really?”
She laughed ruefully.
“Oh, I’ve been that way since I was a child.”
That answer seemed a little too quick…she must have another reason for needing privacy. Just like me hiding Piggymaru.
She motioned toward an equipment store.
“That’s a good place to buy tools for exploring ruins and general travel.”
I started to head toward it, but Mist didn’t move at all. She looked deep in thought.
“Excuse me, would you mind waiting here for a moment? I have something I’d like to check,” she said, before disappearing into the alleyway behind the store. After a few minutes, she came back around the corner toward me.
“Apologies for keeping you waiting.”
“What did you go to check?”
“Perhaps the term double-check would be more accurate. I’m reluctant to even do this, as it’s rather too underhanded for my tastes, yet…I’m afraid it is part of my role as your dealmaker, Sir Hati.”
Sensible and serious, through and through… She seems pretty hard on herself, though.
“Let’s go inside.”
Inside, the store felt like an outdoor sporting goods store, with the same distinctive smell of wood and sawdust. Mist crouched down to check a price tag.
“The goods here are quite overpriced.”
The shopkeeper approached.
“I don’t know where you’re from, but we’ve got stock troubles like you wouldn’t believe! This ain’t the capital, you know. There are some things we just can’t make here in Mils, and with all those mercenaries in for the clearing, things have been flying off the shelves,” he protested.
“You must’ve anticipated the demand and prepared your stock, surely?”
The shopkeeper hung his head.
“Please. I’m a professional! I’m desperately trying to get more stock in, but it takes time for merchandise to get all the way to Mils. Wouldn’t expect a pretty face like you to understand. Look at my shelves, won’t you? We’re practically out of everything!”
“On my way to the shop, I passed through the alley, where there seemed to be a number of well-stocked crates. They seemed to contain all kinds of things,” Mist said.
“Th-those are empty!”
“Are they indeed? They were rather heavy for empty crates.”
“Wh-what were you doing touching my merchandise?!”
“My sincerest apo
logies. They were somewhat blocking my path through the alleyway, you see, so I took the liberty of clearing the way a little.”
“Grr…”
“Incidentally…” Mist looked innocently at the shopkeeper. “Did you just accuse me of touching your ‘merchandise’? I thought they were merely empty crates.”
The shopkeeper was speechless as he realized his mistake. He sighed.
“Why do I get the feeling this isn’t your first time haggling?”
Mist smiled, her expression softening.
“Traveling the road, you have to save money wherever you can.”
“Right, right.”
The shopkeeper thought for a moment. Mist glanced over at me.
“We need to buy enough supplies for the both of us. I think this could prove a moderately profitable transaction for all parties, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Tch, fine… I’ll give you a bulk discount. Good enough? I’ve got one condition though.”
“Go ahead, state your terms.”
“Don’t tell the other mercenaries about those crates. If they find out I’ve been cheating them, I’m finished. I’ve gotta make my money where I can. You want a discount, you keep my secret.”
“We won’t say a word.”
“Then you’ve got yourself a deal.”
The shopkeeper grumbled his way back to his counter and sat down.
“Shoulda just carried the crates inside the store! I’ve been getting lazy with all the business lately, huh…”
It’s lucky that Mist and I are the only ones in here.
We each took a turn buying equipment for the journey—at about a third of the list price.
Wow, this guy was really trying to scam us…
As we left, I looked back to see him hurriedly rearranging his stock and rewriting price tags—he probably realized that his hard-sell tactics had been too obvious. When we reached the door, it suddenly opened to admit a crowd of mercenaries. The shopkeeper gave Mist a meaningful nod, which she returned.
After leaving the equipment store, we repeated the exercise at several other stores around town.
This should be everything I need for the ruins.
A change of clothes, a belt…a shortsword in a leather scabbard. Some small tools for gathering materials from the monsters I kill, peeling their hides, and crushing their bones. A sleeping bag and a backpack, and a little food, too, though I always have my leather pouch for food and water, just in case.
I organized the space in my backpack into two main areas—one for equipment and food, and one for the ingredients I hoped to pick up.
Still more than enough space left, but it’s better to travel light. I spent all my time wandering around in the Ruins of Disposal with just a single bag. Food, water, bedding… That’s all I need to survive. Speaking from experience.
“Here’s your payment. Thanks for the help,” I said, handing Mist three silver pieces.
Her eyes opened wide as she accepted them with cupped hands.
“Three silver pieces?” she asked, looking up at me in astonishment.
“I’ve saved more than three silver pieces today, especially at that first store.”
Mist clenched the silver pieces to her chest, looking uneasy.
“Th-thank you for your kindness. I’m a little taken aback by the amount; I never expected so much…”
She’s just like my foster mother—honest to a fault.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Most of my money was taken from those four in the forest, anyway. Still got the pouch full of gemstones, too.
“Well then, I’ll be going… Wh—?”
Mist stumbled forward, looking faint. I caught her in my arms as she fell.
She’s so light. She should be as heavy as anybody else, but…she feels so small.
I looked down into her eyes, which were hazy and unfocused.
“Uhh…”
“Are you okay?”
She looked up at me.
“Ah—”
Her face was close to mine. Up close, it was easy to see the dark circles under her eyes.
“Oh!”
She quickly pushed herself away from me.
Just like she did with that angry guy in the square. She shut him down hard, too… Is there some reason she doesn’t want anybody touching her?
Mist rearranged her hair in a hurry and let out a short sigh.
“Are you okay?” I asked again.
“—Eh?”
“You look exhausted. Are you getting enough sleep?”
“N-not really… I haven’t slept well in days.”
Didn’t she say she couldn’t get a good night’s sleep unless she had her own room? She isn’t even sleeping well in that private room, huh? Is it insomnia, or something else?
“A-anyway, I’m fine. I’m just tired, that’s all. I apologize for worrying you. I really must be going… I’m glad I could be of some assistance.”
She turned and walked away as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
Like she’s trying to avoid pulling me in.
As she disappeared into the crowd, Piggymaru gave a squeak.
“You wonder what we’re going to do next?”
“Squee!”
I started walking.
“We’re going into the Mils ruins, of course. No time to waste.”
I wonder if most ruins are walled off and managed like this.
The ruins were surrounded by a big fence. There was a building nearby, like a small fortress, with a stream of official-looking well-armed types walking in and out.
Do they stop the monsters from escaping up onto the surface?
When I stopped at the bag check before entering the ruins, I tried asking one of the inspectors.
“Why doesn’t the Baron have his own soldiers explore the ruins?”
“Baron Hurkley does have a number of mercenaries as part of his personal guard, but this new level could be really dangerous. He probably doesn’t want to lose good men down there.”
I have to give it to the Baron—mercenaries are disposable.
“I guess the visiting mercenaries see it as a path to promotion—a way to show their worth to the Baron, you know?” he said.
From wandering mercenary to a nobleman’s personal guard… Who wouldn’t take their chances in the ruins?
“You seem to know a lot about this kind of stuff.”
“Ha. You think so?” responded the inspector, unable to repress a smile.
Compliments usually work, huh? Like when the Goddess complimented Oyamada to win him over.
The inspector glanced around and lowered his voice to a whisper.
“I’ll let you in on a secret. Mapping out the new floor down there—even just where the monsters live and the general layout—could be really profitable for you. The early bird gets the worm, you know what I mean?”
So that’s how this works… I think I’m starting to get it. The first group goes down and gets information on the new level, then the stronger mercenaries come in and deal with the monsters. Once he knows most of the monsters are gone, the Baron will use his own personal guard to explore. Eventually they discover a new floor, and the cycle repeats. Brilliant.
“Hey, what’s this?”
He removed Piggymaru’s “crystal ball” from my bag.
“That’s a tool of my trade. Well, okay, I’m still just an apprentice,” I admitted, blushing for effect.
“A fortune-teller, eh? Good luck. I think you might have a knack for it.”
“Thank you.”
All right. Piggymaru’s through the bag check.
I passed the body check without any incident too.
My inspector finished making his notes.
“Be careful down there.”
“Thanks. I appreciate all the advice.”
During the check, I’d asked him all kinds of things about the ruins and gotten plenty of answers. The mercenaries were usually too arrogant and self-impor
tant to talk to the inspectors—but a little politeness won them over almost instantly.
I touched the walls of the ruins as I walked inside for the first time.
“Doesn’t seem like I’ll need the light from my pouch.” There were faintly glowing stones set into the rock around me, jutting out at strange angles, stretching out in a line down the ruins wall.
Underground pyroxene—dig it out of the walls and it loses its light. The inspector told me that it’s pretty common in the ruins, but it doesn’t grow everywhere. I’ll need to be able to provide my own light in some places.
“Grraaah!”
A monster’s roar echoed through the ruins, and two mercenaries ran down the hall, practically shoving me aside to get past.
“Aaah! A minotaur! Nobody told me there’d be minotaurs! It musta come up from the new floor!”
“We shouldn’t be here. It’s too dangerous!”
“Run!”
A moment later, a minotaur appeared in the shadowy hall, lumbering after them in pursuit.
It looks like a smaller version of the ones I saw in the Ruins of Disposal… Golden eyes, but none of the terrifying presence of the larger ones. This is nothing compared to the things I’ve already faced.
“Graah—Hff… Grrh?”
It emerged from the dark, shambling toward me.
Target locked, huh?
“Hff! Hff—! Grraahhh!”
A tentacle emerged from my robes.
“Squee!”
Here it comes, Piggymaru seemed to say.
“Yeah. I see it.”
Piggymaru’s in top form today. Perfect.
“Graaaaah—!”
The beast charged. I held my ground and extended my hand toward it.
“Paralyze.”
It froze.
“Hf—, Gr?! G… Gr…?”
“Poison.”
Paralysis and Poison applied.
I removed my shortsword from its scabbard and drove it into the minotaur’s flesh. The blade sank easily into the beast’s shoulder.
“Figures. The monsters from the Ruins of Disposal must be abnormally thick-skinned.”
I should be able to skin the monsters down here for leather.
I waited for the monster to die, wondering the whole time if the mercenaries that had been running away from it would return, but the hall remained empty. Eventually it breathed its last.
No level up. Not much EXP to be had, as expected.
Failure Frame: I Became the Strongest and Annihilated Everything With Low-Level Spells (Light Novel) Vol. 2 Page 3
