Miss Amarilith came back after about ten minutes . She was holding some very expensive-looking cloth… It was a cape .
“Unfortunately, it’s not made of dragon materials . ”
She said with a chuckle . We may have been in the Imperial Capital, but that didn’t mean they just had dragon capes lying around . Still, what she was holding looked pretty impressive . It was pure white .
“The fibers are beautiful . What is this made of?”
“It is made from the web of spiders that live in the snow fields . ”
“Spiders?”
“Yes . The ‘Snow Arachne . ’ They are half spider and half human . ”
“I see…”
I always thought those demi-humans were cute . Not that I would tell Daniela . Besides, they tended to be rather vicious in this world . They were monsters, after all . Sometimes I wondered what would happen if it was possible to communicate . Still, that wasn’t realistic .
“Are they pretty?”
“Asagi?”
But I was curious . Even the promise of an angry glare from Daniela could not stop me .
“Hmm? Snow Arachnes are male . ”
“…”
But I thought Arachnes were female!? Who named them!?
“Well, it is said that they are handsome . Perhaps you should be careful they don’t take Daniela . ”
“I have no use for other men . ”
Daniela said flatly . While those words made me happy, the stony look in her eye dampened the effect a little .
In any case, I picked up the cape and looked at it . It felt nice . So, this texture was the result of some handsome guy’s webs…
It was better to not think about it .
Regardless of its origins, it was a high-quality product .
“How is it in terms of protecting you from the cold and physical attacks?”
“It’s the best I have, currently . It should be warm and very durable . It is also waterproof and does not get dirty very easily . ”
“I was never going to insist on a dragon cape, but there really are other good ones, huh?”
My first full set had been dragon, and it had helped me through many battles . So in a way, it had narrowed my idea of what was reliable . I would have to fix that . We were going dungeon crawling . We would have to use whatever we could, regardless of what it was made of if we wanted to survive .
“I’ll take it then . ”
“Thank you . It is eighteen in gold . ”
“That’s rather cheap . ”
“No, it is just dragon that is expensive . ”
I see . I see . There weren’t many people who could fight and win against those things . Not only that, but there weren’t even that many dragons out there . Most Adventurers would get by with equipment made by ordinary monsters . And eighteen in gold wasn’t actually cheap .
“Thank you!”
I took the money out of my wallet and handed it to her . Miss Amarilith counted it carefully and then offered me the cape with a big smile on her face .
“By the way, seeing as you needed this, are you leaving the city?”
“Yes . We’re going to investigate the town to the south . We’ll have to return once to make a report…but after that…we haven’t exactly decided . ”
I looked over to Daniela and she nodded . We would figure that out once we were finished with the investigation .
“So, we may never see each other again . ”
“Maybe . But we’re very thankful for everything that you’ve done . ”
“Oh, drop it . It’s all just business for me!”
She said with an embarrassed laugh . I doubted anyone else would have been able to repair my equipment . And it was the same with this cape . In a way, I had her to thank for my position in the tournament .
“Thank you . We’ll try to come back if we can . ”
“I see . Maybe business will be good enough that I’ll have a bigger store by then . You won’t have any trouble finding me then . ”
She offered her hand and I shook it . The hands of crafters were always bigger than they seemed .
I then put on the cape and pulled my hood out from under it . Hmm, the color suited me well . Once I was finished, I looked to the side on saw Daniela saying her farewells to Miss Amarilith .
“Goodbye then . ”
“Aye, be careful!”
We closed the door and left Solitude behind us . The best tailor in the capital . I would advise any new visitors to the city to give it a look . I’m sure they will find something that is perfect for them .
Now, we were fully prepared . Nothing was left undone . We bought what we needed .
We even had potions for dealing with potential threats .
“So, the last thing to do would be to go accept the quest at the guild . ”
“Yes . ”
Investigating the Reserentrible Labyrinth . We might not even be allowed to enter the town if we didn’t accept it . Security would be pretty tight there these days . The last thing they wanted was for merchants and travelers to wander in .
“I have not told you about this, Asagi, but I have encountered a similar situation once . These ‘labyrinth disasters . ’”
“You have?”
Daniela told me as we walked to the guild . Apparently, they called this a labyrinth disaster . The dungeon cores that lay deep in the dungeons were set to react in certain ways . Once you touched it, the trap was activated . There were not enough case studies to be able to predict what would happen . But Daniela assured me that they would all be bad .
“This dungeon is especially close to the imperial capital . And so many merchants and Adventurers gathered in this town . That is why the damage is so immense . ”
“So, we’ll have to help people while we investigate it then . ”
“No, I do not think that is important . ”
“Huh?”
But if the dungeon was encroaching on a town with a large population, then surely there would be people who are wounded if not worse .
“The residents are well aware of the dangers of living near a dungeon . They are not going to plead for help once the fangs turn towards them . ”
“That might be true, but…”
“In fact, you are made to sign such an agreement before moving there . ”
“I see…”
Danger and business were side by side . I guess it was true no matter where you were . Daniela chuckled and continued .
“Besides, the residents are likely tough . I am sure they are already trying to make a profit off of this . ”
“Hehe . I suppose . ”
Merchants never let an opportunity to make money slip passed them . Perhaps there was a lot of interesting stuff to discover there . I was feeling a mixture of excitement and apprehension .
“So, what was this ‘labyrinth disaster’ thing like when you encountered it?”
“Let me see…it was nearly thirty years ago . The town was also right above the dungeon . No one had ever conquered it, and it swallowed up many Adventurers for years . Those were the rumors that attracted me to it . The disaster happened just before I arrived . ”
Thirty years ago… Daniela still looked young now . She would be close to thirty in human years . However, she looked closer to my own age .
“It was a normal town . There was a protective wall and houses within… And the dungeon was in the center . And then the dungeon suddenly shot towards the sky . ”
“It what?”
“Yes . It became a gigantic tower . ”
That was hard to imagine . The town became a tower? So many people must have died . All of those houses… You could open your door one day and find yourself suddenly facing a monster .
“What happened after that?”
“I and many other Adventurers entered the tower…but the monsters were too strong… And so I had to give up and retreat . ”
“It’s important to know when to fall back . ”
“It was not worth risking my life, yes . I have not heard any news about it since then, so it is probably still there . Unconquered . ”
A town with a giant tower… It sounded kind of interesting . But, well, priorities . Maybe this tower would be something we could consider after gaining some experience .
As I listened to Daniela’s story, the guild came into view . Now we just had to accept the quest and leave the city .
“…Hmm?”
“Oh, hello . ”
When I opened the door, Lemon and Manager were standing there .