The Fat Aristocrat Waltz in the Labyrinth - Chapter 62
Chapter 62: The fat aristocrat has no regrets
After finishing his meal, the two of them passed through the labyrinthine city. They were neither prepared nor equipped with enough information to explore the 11th floor. They had accomplished their goal of obtaining the “wing emblem,” so they agreed to turn back to the surface.
However, there was another reason they wanted to reach the 11th floor.
The Great Elevator
When they asked the smoking guard, they were told that the Great Elevator was located beyond the city. It was secured and considered safe to travel there, so they decided to visit it as part of their sightseeing.
As they passed through the streets, they approached a wooden gatehouse that looked like a fortress, set against a rough-hewn wall. The gate was open, but two guards stood watch. It seemed like they were checking everyone who passed through, regardless of whether they were coming or going.
Mitrof and Canule stood at the back of a line of adventurers. The inspection was not so strict, and the line moved quickly.
“Two of you?—Show me your cards.”
The middle-aged guard spoke.
When Mitrof presented his card, the guard glanced briefly at it.
Mitrof returned the card he received with a lazy gesture to his pocket before opening his mouth.
“Why is there a checkpoint here?”
“Ah?…Oh, I see, it’s your first time passing through here.”
The middle-aged guard clicked his teeth through the gap. He did not seem to be overly eager to perform his job, and his way of speaking and standing lacked strength. It seemed to be just a habit.
“There is the great elevator ahead—some people come up from there, and some people leave—we need to check, just in case.”
“Is it necessary?”
“What do you mean, is it necessary?—How should I know?”
The teeth clicked again.
“I’ll do what I’m told to do—that’s my job—as long as I get paid, nobody cares whether it’s necessary or not, right?”
“Go ahead,” he said, waving his hand to shoo them away. Mitrof and Canule left the gate.
“Nobody cares, huh.”
Mitrof stroked his chin fat. ‘If people were paid, would they not even consider the meaning of their actions?—Was that what it meant to live… to exist?’ Mitrof did not know.
Once you pass through the gate, you enter a circular plaza. The area is also filled with a crimson light, and there are places where the color of the sky changes abnormally when you look up, as if there’s a ceiling there.
Straight ahead from the gate is a vertical wall with a hole in it. It’s about as high and wide as three carriages could pass through, and there are rails on the ground with a movable iron fence that is now firmly closed.
About 10 people stood in a line facing the guards. Most of them were adventurers, but there were also a couple of merchants who had set aside their large packages.
“… Why are the packages so big?”
Canule suddenly spoke up.
Not understanding the intention behind the question, Mitrof tilted his head.
“No, I’m sorry—it’s just a trivial question, but… I understand why adventurers would return with a lot of baggage—but for merchants, they should bring their goods from the surface to sell here.”
“If they’re merchants, it would be unnatural for them to come back from the labyrinth with more baggage,” Canule added.
“Yes—there may be a reason, but it just occurred to me,” Mitrof agreed.
Canule had a valid point, and Mitrof couldn’t help but feel bothered when he looked around. One of the merchants had a backpack that was bulging from all the items inside.
What were the merchants bringing back from the labyrinth?
They thought about it, but couldn’t find an answer to the riddle. Mitrof was about to ask when suddenly, a dull golden bell attached to the wall began to ring.
——Tring, Tring, Tring, Tring, Tring…
The two of them looked around as the sound repeated at a regular rhythm. They were the only ones who seemed to be alarmed.
Then, a deep rumble gradually grew louder in the distance.
“Oh…”
Mitrof let out an exclamation as a gigantic box descended from the hole in the wall with a deafening roar. As soon as it had passed by, wind blew out of the hole, blowing the adventurers’ hair in a row.
“That is the Great Elevator… It’s amazing—is that what connects the underground and the surface?”
Mitrof murmured in amazement, and Canule nodded in agreement.
Several thick iron chains are currently hanging and moving in the hole. Mitrof guessed that those chains are in charge of running the Great Elevator.
However, Mitrof had no idea how it was being moved. Were there dozens of horses on the top floor?
Or was it magic? Or perhaps this was the mysterious technology called “labyrinth’s relic” that the genius inventor had created in a small room on the tenth floor.
Regardless of which one is true, Mitrof was thrilled to the point of numbness in his back.
Mitrof had never seen such a large and elaborate contraption before. He saw how the box descended earlier as if it were floating and how people and luggage were placed inside to move seamlessly to the next location.
No need to spend hours battling monsters to get here, no need to worry about safety on the way back, and no need to worry about carrying back goods.
It’s a magic vehicle that can efficiently explore the labyrinth in every way.
“——I want to ride it.”
The boyish curiosity in Mitrof’s heart is greatly stimulated. The giant structure alone is fascinating. He wants to experience what it feels like inside that box and how it feels to return to the surface in an instant through a hole.
He wants to find out…
Mitrof glanced around and blushed with his plump, round cheeks. There was a cabin at the edge of the square. The signboard displayed an illustration resembling a ticket.
“Mitrof-sama?!”
Leaving Canule behind, Mitrof rushed forward. Gasping for air, he jumped into the cabin, and a middle-aged woman was sitting alone at a small counter with a bored expression.
“How much does the Great Elevator cost?!”
The woman was surprised by Mitrof’s energy and backed away a little.
“Going down or up?—You can’t get it without the ‘mark’ to go down.”
“How much does it cost to return to the surface?”
Mitrof took a deep breath to calm himself.
“It depends on the number of people and the amount of luggage——.”
The proposed amount made Mitrof’s face turn difficult.
“I see… Thank you.”
He left the cabin with his arms crossed, groaning, and Canule was waiting for him there.
“How was it?”
“…It’s expensive.”
From Mitrof’s tone, Canule roughly understood the situation.
“That’s unfortunate.”
“I could ride it, but if I did, my earnings would turn into a loss, and I would have to dip into my unstable savings.”
He did have a desire to ride the great elevator. However, there was no reason to spend a day’s worth of earnings and further deplete his already precarious savings to do so.
Before, Mitrof would have impulsively bought the ticket, driven by his great curiosity.
However, he was now responsible for his own income and expenses. Keeping records and doing bookkeeping had caused the word “asset management,” which he had never even considered before, to take root in his mind.
The other day, he had cleaned his sword and purchased a new small shield. Both were necessary expenses, but not cheap. Money had to be spent wisely.
Now, was it really necessary to take the great elevator?
“…Canule, it’s regrettable, but let’s walk home—it’s really unfortunate.”
Mitrof walked off, looking visibly dejected. Canule smiled and suppressed a laugh, covering her mouth as she followed his hunched back.
“Walking is good exercise, Mitrof-sama.”
She called out to him and followed him closely.
He had bravely fought trolls, presented a magic book found in the labyrinth to Grace, and even abandoned opportunities to return home just to save money and take the great elevator, despite being a noble.
Canule was surprised but also fond of Mitrof’s character.
If she never became like this, she probably would never have visited the labyrinth or met Mitrof. She had jumped into an adventurer’s life without a clear future and without anyone to rely on, meeting Mitrof was simply fortunate.
Canule wished to keep this moment, that scenery, and his back in her memory forever.
If she did, she could continue to live with warm memories even if she returned home.