The Fat Aristocrat Waltz in the Labyrinth - Chapter 27
Chapter 27: The fat aristocrat talks to his peers
The fourth level was progressing smoothly. Kobolds were indeed powerful monsters, but Mitrof and Grace gained experience fighting them and devising countermeasures.
During their meal break, they had several meetings to discuss their concerns and suggestions for improvement, which resulted in better coordination.
Although they have not achieved their long-awaited “sublimation,” they could handle kobolds and fangs without any anxiety. The three of them aimed for the stairs to the fifth floor.
As they headed towards the stairs, Mitrof recalled his conversation with Grace from the night before.
She spoke of reaching the fifth floor to obtain a cure for the Divine Tree’s disease. Finally entering her target level, her goal will soon be achieved.
‘If that happens… Wait a minute?’
Mitrof widened his eyes in surprise.
Grace has come to the labyrinth seeking a cure. If she can get it, there will be no reason for her to delve deeper into the labyrinth. So, would this mean that the party will disband?
It seemed like an entirely natural thing to Mitrof.
For some reason, Mitrof felt like this new daily routine would continue for a long time.
He wanted to fight more monsters. He wanted to explore the deeper floors. He wanted to feel the sensation of being alive while struggling through the labyrinth.
His thoughts and Grace’s thoughts were different. Their positions, goals, and what they sought from the labyrinth were all different. That’s why, when their differences became decisive, they’d ultimately have to go their separate ways.
Realizing this, Mitrof was hit with a sense of emptiness, like peering into a gaping hole. So, he was the last to notice the adventurer party that was at the end of the hallway.
There were about four men and four women in front of the room that led to the stairs to the fifth level.
“Hey, you guys, you got a minute?”
The one who called out was a brown-haired boy. He wore leather armor and carried a large sword on his back. He must have been around the same age as Mitrof, but he had an adventurer’s dignity that even made Mitrof step back.
“Hey, is something wrong?”
Grace responded to him, seemingly cheerful, but Mitrof noticed that she was somewhat cautious.
The guild’s rules forbid fighting between adventurers in the labyrinth. If they were to unsheathe their swords and fight, both parties would be expelled from the guild.
However, there are no guild guards inside the labyrinth. Many adventurers are also ruffians, so it is not necessary to be too cautious.
The other party seems to understand this as well.
With both hands raised, he made it clear that he had no intention of hostility and kept a certain distance.
“We are the Wolves Wind Party. Haven’t you heard about the sighting of a ‘stray troll’ on this floor? We have taken on the task of searching and subduing it.”
“Oh, is that so?—That’s reliable of you.”
Grace nodded, and Mitrof looked at the party before him with a somewhat complicated emotion. He felt ashamed that he and his comrades had found and fought against the troll and let it escape. It was the first time Mitrof had ever experienced this feeling. There were several words for it, such as pride or self-esteem, but it was difficult to express it accurately.
Mitrof realized that he didn’t want to lose to the boy carrying a great sword that made him look like a skilled adventurer. Behind the boy, there were three other party members.
A dwarf carrying a shield as tall as himself, a woman in a gray robe holding a mace, and another person who was shorter and concealed her body with a scarlet robe, holding a staff longer than her height.
“Have you seen any trolls or signs of them on the way here?”
“Well, I think we’ve searched the area, but we found nothing.”
“Really?”
The boy suddenly raised his voice.
“There’s a broken hole, so it’s true that a troll was there, but it’s not there anymore—I think it escaped underground from that side hole—there’s no evidence that it escaped, and I’m struggling to report it to the guild.”
The boy clasped his hands behind his head and clicked his tongue in annoyance.
“If we encountered it, we wouldn’t have let it get away.”
He said it in a single sentence.
Mitrof was overwhelmed with emotions in his chest.
Grace glanced at Mitrof out of the corner of her eye and spoke to the boy as if nothing had happened.
“Well, I guess it’s time to go—we want to go down to the 5th floor today.”
“Oh, sorry. Is it your first time going to the 5th floor? Be careful of the guardian, ‘scarlet bear”—you can’t get down without fighting, so don’t push yourself.”
It was undoubtedly a consideration for Mitrof and the others. However, Mitrof did not feel good, as if their abilities were being underestimated.
However, at the same time, he understood that these boys possessed such power. “Sublimation” had a mystery that could greatly change a person, and how many times had they experienced it? At least, more than him, who had experienced it only once; the difference being that they had widened this gap.