Chapter 20
––Raust—
The day after I was unfairly penalized by the guild, I went to visit Zieg-san’s party’s house .
「Sorry for the sudden visit . 」
「No need to worry . What happened?」
In the party house, Zieg-san was alone, polishing his magic sword, despite me visiting suddenly, he welcomed me into his house .
However, his mood only stayed good at the beginning .
「…Actually, I’m currently prohibited to enter and leave the labyrinth . 」
「…Huh?」
And then, after hearing what I said, Zieg-san was lost for words .
I would like to talk with Zieg-san about what happened so far, how Narsena was currently going to check to the guild, and what could I do to get rid of this prohibition .
「…What do these guys in the guild think?」
After I finished telling everything, Zieg-san who was feeling discomposure before, was now feeling angry instead .
In his hand was the magic sword that he had maintained up until now, I could feel his irritation, it felt like he would charge into the guild just like this .
「……Shit!」
Though, he never ended up going, after cursing a bit, Zieg-san put down his magic sword .
No matter how bad the guild was, raiding it wouldn’t solve the problem .
On the contrary, it could worsen the situation .
No matter how much he lost his calm, he didn’t make the wrong choice .
The current situation is not something that can be resolved with force anymore .
That was why I came to consult with Zieg-san .
As a guild agent, he had considerable authority .
If it was Zieg-san, then, maybe, he could revert the decision of our party’s unjust penalty .
「Raust, I’m indebted to your party with the matter of Armia and the phoenix too . That’s why, this time, I will help as much as possible…… but, I can’t do anything about the labyrinth access prohibition . 」
「……Eh?」
……But my hope was scattered with his next words .
「…My authority is no use in this case . 」
Zieg-san words contained a feeling of guilt towards me .
And that was proof that he wasn’t lying .
Understanding that Zieg-san couldn’t do anything, I unconsciously bit my lips .
Zieg-san continued to speak while making his distress shown on his face .
「The labyrinth access prohibition is the authority the guild branch manager has . Setting aside the other guilds, with my authority, I can’t overturn the decision of this labyrinth city guild’s branch manager . 」
「Wh!? The branch manager?!」
The word “branch manager” came out from Zieg-san’s mouth .
And hearing that, I couldn’t hide my unrest .
If I remember correctly, I should never have any business with the branch manager of this labyrinth, so there should not be any resentment between us .
And this case is due to the War God’s Greatsword and the dispute with our party .
It’s obviously strange that the branch manager would be involved in such a trivial matter .
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How come the branch manager has their eyes set on us? Looking for the answer to this question, I turned to Zieg-san .
However, my gesture bore no fruit .
「…I’m sorry . I don’t know either . 」
The dubious look on his face told me that he truly didn’t know the answer either .
In other words, this branch manager’s unjust penalty was done for a reason that even Zieg-san didn’t understand .
That fact made me feel a mysterious fright that made my faces stiffened .
Why, what is the reason the branch manager suddenly set their eyes on me? Various imaginations and speculations were dominating my mind .
「If there is something I can understand, it’s you should leave the labyrinth city as soon as possible . 」
The next moment, I was brought back to reality by Zieg-san’s advice that he said with a serious tone .
「I don’t know why, but the branch manager of this labyrinth city is clearly plotting something for you guys . If that’s the case, then you should leave the labyrinth city promptly . If it’s the royal capital, with connection with me, you can easily make a name for yourself . 」
His suggestion was the best way .
The advice is sounds, and it also includes his concerns for me .
There was no doubt he cared for me and thought seriously about this .
「…Thank you for your concern, but I still want to stay in this labyrinth city . 」
And yet, I couldn’t accept his advice .
Perhaps, he didn’t expect his advice to be refused, he was wide-eyed with surprise .
I felt guilty looking at his reaction, but that was not something I could agree to .
「I absolutely can’t leave Labyrinth City right now . At least not until another adventurer who can wholesale materials from labyrinth’s lower layer appears . 」
While saying that, what came to my mind was the faces of the city folks who I had become closer with over the past month .
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For me, Labyrinth City wasn’t a place I could say I like .
Despite that feeling, I ended up getting attached to this city from who knows when .
Nevertheless, I believed that the presence of the people in this city was what caused me to become attached to this city .
Certainly, my happiness right now is because I met Narsena, Narsena will always be special for me .
But, it’s also true the existence of the people in this city has added more color to my life .
「I don’t want to destroy that part of Labyrinth City . I really appreciate your suggestion, Zieg-san, but I still can’t leave this place yet . 」
That was why I couldn’t agree to leave Labyrinth City as Zieg-san suggested .
I knew leaving Labyrinth City was synonymous with abandoning that part of the city .
At the very least, I wanted to stay in this Labyrinth City until another adventurer appeared that could replace us, and they could stand up by themselves even if I was gone .
That was not the only reason I wanted to stay in Labyrinth City .
「In addition……」
I wanted to talk about the other reason, but I hesitated for a moment .
It was too personal, I didn’t want to actively talk about it .
However, remembering how I told Zieg-san about my feeling for Narsena, I felt it was too late to think about that, I chuckled a little and then opened my mouth .
「The other reason, is about Narsena . It’s something I want to do in this Labyrinth City . 」
「About Narsena?」
Hearing my words, a question mark was floating on his face .
「Yes . About Narsena’s blood . 」
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However, when I said that, Zieg-san lost his composure a little .
Seeing his reaction, I realized that Zieg-san knew about Narsena’s blood .
「Narsena seemed to think that she hides it well . But I know that she’s part of nobility……… And she’s in discord with her family . 」
「That far…」
While Zieg-san was surprised by my words, it wasn’t a difficult thing for me to figure out considering her blood .
If a noble’s son or daughter tried to become an adventurer, it was easy to imagine the parents would oppose to it, especially after seeing Narsena’s opposition to going to the capital yesterday .
「Maybe Narsena’s parents would never allow me to exist . For an adventurer like me who is on her side instead of resplendent adventurers from the capital . 」
And that wasn’t the only thing I could imagine .
I remembered overhearing other adventurers grumbling about nobles, that cemented my belief that I would never be accepted by nobles .
No, there is still a possibility I will be accepted by nobles .
It was not conceit but grounded in fact .
Even so, the nobles will never allow my marriage with Narsena as it is right now .
「That’s why, I want an achievement that can even silence the nobles . 」
Precisely because I understood that, I made a decision .
An achievement that was unthinkable for me who was previously known as a defect healer .
However, my heart surprisingly didn’t waver .
As if it considered that as a trivial matter .
With the changes I never thought would happen to me, I opened my mouth while thinking about the girl who caused such changes .
「I’m going to be a world-class adventurer in this labyrinth city . 」