The Fat Aristocrat Waltz in the Labyrinth - Chapter 112
Chapter 112: The fat aristocrat starts again (Last Chapter)
The guild in the morning was filled with energy and exhaustion.
There were adventurers dressed in pristine equipment, ready to challenge the labyrinth.
There were adventurers covered in dirt, fatigue, and injuries, yet they still wore satisfied expressions.
And there were adventurers who had lost something, gritting their teeth and shouldering invisible burdens as they walked.
While passing by several people, Mitrof and his companions headed towards the reception counter. The receptionist, who had already become a familiar face, smiled and pushed up her round glasses.
“Looks like you three are together again.”
“Yeah, it’s the three of us starting today.”
Mitrof turned to the two people behind him.
One was an elven hunter, a master of the bow, possessing exceptional judgment and composure. With the enhancement of her muscle strength, she could control a fatal shot and move as swiftly as the silver wind.
The other was a knightess with a sturdy build. She could handle a round shield with ease, possessing unparalleled endurance and an unwavering mental fortitude in battle. She was blessed with unprecedented brute strength due to the curse of the labyrinth, and her defense was as tough as iron.
“It seems that the three of you will officially become a party—oh, and here, I’m supposed to give you two cards.”
The receptionist looked over the documents in front of her and withdrew the cards from a drawer. Mitrof accepted the card that was handed to him.
One was an adventurer card with Canule’s name engraved on it. He handed it to Canule.
Canule reached out to take it but hesitated for a moment before touching it. Her gaze was directed up toward Mitrof, who nodded back at her from under her hood.
“Now Canule is an official adventurer.”
Grace’s laughter echoed loudly.
Canule nodded and held the card close to her chest, as if protecting something precious.
The remaining card in Mitrof’s hand was one size larger than a regular adventurer’s individual card. The silver border was lined with gold metalwork, and in the center, three names were engraved.
It seems that the staff member, Hashasume, handled the procedure without any mistakes. When Mitrof looked at the back of the card, he saw the wing emblem that had been stamped there.
Mitrof tilted his head in confusion.
When Mitrof reached the third floor, a wing emblem was stamped on his card. This emblem served as a permit for using the great elevator, which transported people between the vertical holes of the labyrinth. Although the emblem was an unsophisticated design, it had two golden wings engraved on Mitrof’s card.
“This serves as your permit for using the great elevator—by presenting this, you can use it for free.”
“For free?!”
Mitrof had always longed to use the great elevator, but the expensive fee prevented him from doing so. However, now that he had acquired a sense of being a commoner, he understood the magnificence of the word “free.”
“Is it okay for me to ride it, even though it’s free?”
“Yes, of course—please feel free to use it as much as you want.”
Mitrof squeezed the Party card tightly to his chest, gazing at it as if he had received a splendid gift. It seemed to be an “extra” added to the “greetings” from Hashasume.
“There’s also the registration of a party name; what will you do?”
“Oh.”
The receptionist’s voice snapped Mitrof back to reality. He had completely forgotten about naming his party. Mitrof turned around and asked what he should do.
“You’re the leader—do as you please, Mitrof.”
“Whatever pleases Mitrof-sama.”
Given free rein, Mitrof agonized over the decision.
He could have taken the aristocratic approach of taking it home for later consideration, but in front of the two women, he wanted to show his decisiveness.
He searched for words in his mind, suggesting names with pleasant sounding archaic language and names of legendary swords mentioned in myths, but Mitrof barely withheld himself.
He closed his eyes for a while to find something that would fit them better, and suddenly, a word came to mind. It was still related to food.
“——How about ‘Amuse’?”
“Oh, what does it mean?”
“It’s the first dish of a course meal… it’s the ‘important beginning.'”
Grace and Canule looked at each other and nodded.
“That’s good.”
“It’s a good name.”
“Alright.”
With their approval, Mitrof returned the party card to the receptionist and gave the name.
The receptionist put the card into the printing press. Inside an old and worn-out box on the shelf, a small rod was lined up full of letter molds. She quickly picked up the letters one by one and arranged them in the printing press. With the sound of a light metallic stamping, she pressed the lever down.
When the card was returned, the name “Amuse” was engraved at the top.
Even though it was just one word, it warmed their hearts. They were bonded together again, and the adventure would begin from here.
Mitrof turned around and handed the party card to the two of them.
“I promise you both, you won’t regret this.”
Grace gently smiled at Mitrof, who seemed fired up.
“Listen, Mitrof. Adventurers help each other. You don’t have to shoulder everything alone. Canule and I also want to help you. We want to protect you. Don’t you feel the same way? With three such people together, there’s nothing to fear, is there?”
Grace’s words gently untied the knot that Mitrof had unconsciously started to create in his heart.
Something he had been overly ambitious about fell away. Certainly, Mitrof thought to himself.
What he could do alone was probably very limited. The monsters that nested in the labyrinth were all tough opponents. There were terrifying beings known as “demons” too. In such a place, how much could he fight by himself with just his sword?
But, with three people together, they could go even to places where he couldn’t go alone. ’With the three of us…’
Mitrof laughed.
Both Grace and Canule saw Mitrof smile for the first time. It was a boyish smile with a childlike innocence, typical of Mitrof at his age.
“Yes, I won’t hesitate to rely on both of you—please do count on me too,” Mitrof said, his voice rising with amusement or perhaps excitement, as he nodded.
“I was having a hard time finding herbs, and I’m sure Grace will find them quickly.”
‘Today, we will search for herbs—or should we slowly explore the second level so that Grace can get used to it?’
‘Thanks to the money from the guild, the debt to the clinic could finally be paid off—maybe we could go weapon shopping for Canule on the way back today…’ Just thinking about the future, Mitrof’s heart grew excited.
A few months ago, Mitrof could not have imagined such days. ‘Is life really this colorful?’ Mitrof suddenly felt something welling up inside him, causing his heart to dance.
“We have plenty of time—today has just begun.”
Mitrof smiled while choking up.
“Then, shall we go?”
Mitrof said. Grace and Canule nodded, and the three of them headed towards the labyrinth together.
—The End—