The Fat Aristocrat Waltz in the Labyrinth - Chapter 69
Chapter 69: The fat aristocrat finds merchant
The tunnel is narrow and winding. If they stood side by side, their shoulders would touch. It was a suffocating feeling in the darkness, but thanks to the light moss of the labyrinth, the view is clear.
As they continued to walk through the narrow, crimson hollow, their senses began to shift. Their sense of distance became vague, and they lost track of how far they had gone.
Once they entered this side passage, Mitrof could finally hear a voice that sounded like Apélie Tiff’s. It echoed on this narrow path and sounded distant.
They could also hear a man’s voice. They couldn’t waste any more time and quickened their pace.
As they approached, the voice became clearer, and Mitrof realized that the man was not shouting in anger but rather pleading for something. It was a strange feeling.
Soon, they reached an open space at the end of the narrow path, and they quickly found Apélie Tiff.
“…What is it?”
They hurried to Apélie Tiff, thinking that she was in danger, but the scene they encountered was different from what they had imagined.
The man knelt before Apélie Tiff, pleading with his hands clasped together.
“I understand your circumstances!—But please try to do something about it.”
Apélie Tiff had already noticed Mitrof and the others. Since she had previously found Mitrof by scent, she quickly realized they were approaching.
“…Mitrof.”
“Hey, Apélie Tiff.”
Even though he didn’t understand the situation, it seemed like there was no immediate danger.
“You can’t come in here…you’ll get in trouble.”
“I know that—I just heard Apélie Tiff’s voice and thought maybe I could help.”
“What are you guys doing here?—This is a ‘special zone’.”
The man spoke with a sharp gaze and a stern voice as he glared at Mitrof. However, he still maintained a posture of praying to Apélie Tiff, and his intimidating presence was non-existent.
Knowing it was off-limits, yet still entering, Mitrof was at a loss for how to behave, even though he understood he was in the wrong.
“… special zone?”
“What are you, an amateur?—Get out of here, it has nothing to do with a fat kid like you.”
The man suddenly lost interest and shooed Mitrof away with a swishing motion of his hand.
He was probably in his mid-twenties. There was a sloppiness that could be seen in his face, with a scruffy beard and dull blonde hair that touched his shoulders. His aura and voice were still youthful.
The man switched his focus as if he had not seen Mitrof and put his hands together again for Apélie Tiff.
“Just a little more!—I want one bag, or even just one piece, right now! I’m being pestered by my regular customers; I’m at my limit!”
“… If the ‘chief’ doesn’t allow it, there’s nothing I can do; I can’t say anything.”
“I want you to somehow get Missy to talk for me. She’s the one who found the ‘amber,’ right!”
Mitrof couldn’t miss the word that the man said.
“Do you know what “amber” is?”
When Mitrof interjected, the man narrowed his eyes, seeming annoyed.
“What’s the matter? It’s something you don’t need to know.”
And with that, the man spoke rapidly. However, he took a moment to scan Mitrof from head to toe, and his eyebrows furrowed in surprise.
“… Wait a minute, you… Oh, no, I apologize.”
Instantly, the man’s face lit up with a smile.
“I didn’t realize it was you in that state. Please forgive my rudeness… I never expected someone of your status to be in the labyrinth.”
The man quickly changed the direction of his knees. He lowered his head and rubbed his hands together, looking up at Mitrof with a smile that seemed to trust anyone.
Mitrof recognized that appearance, expression, and manner of speaking; he had been familiar with them since childhood.
“A merchant, I presume.”
“Hahaha, I’m just sitting here in the corner. If you have anything you’d like to purchase, I would be happy to prepare it for you. Please let me know if you need anything.”
The polite attitude seemed to be because the man had recognized Mitrof as a nobleman.
Mitrof had not yet shed his noble demeanor, so the man likely saw Mitrof as a nobleman’s son.
while impressed by the man’s insightful observation.
“I am indeed a nobleman—however, I am neither in a position to inherit the family nor am I currently welcome at home.”
“What the hell man, you could have said that sooner!—You wasted my time!”
The man suddenly changed his attitude again. He lazily stood up, sighed, and slapped the dirt off his knees.
Mitrof couldn’t help but chuckle at the man’s candid and swift change in demeanor, which gave him a good impression.”
“Are you here looking for ‘amber’?”
“…Wait, were you really a nobleman?—You don’t know what ‘amber’ is?”
“Yeah, I don’t know.”
Mitrof nodded, and the merchant sighed in exasperation.
“Well, then you must be really at the end of the line—eventually, you’ll know the name of ‘amber’, but it may be out of your reach.”
The man picked up his luggage beside him, seemingly uninterested in Mitrof, and turned back to Apélie Tiff.
“Anyway, when you sell ‘amber,’ give me a call—I’ll pay more than anyone else.”
“I have no right to decide.”
“All right,” the merchant said, raising both hands.
“The `chief` will decide everything—then please convey my regards to that `chief`. My name is Poisson. I won’t cause any losses.”
Poisson gave a splendid bow, even in Mitrof’s eyes, and went back down the narrow path.
“…I don’t think you’re close enough to know each other.
Mitrof said to Apélie Tiff. Her beast ears twitched a bit before she turned her gaze towards Mitrof.
“Various people come here—people who claim to be merchants… they all want `amber`.”
“Do you know what `amber` is?”
Apélie Tiff shook her head.
“I don’t know—but “chief” says it’s valuable—that’s why we were asked to find it and sell it to obtain money for our livelihood.”
“I see.”
Mitrof nodded in confusion.
If Apélie Tiff didn’t know about it either, the mystery of the ‘amber’ would only deepen.
It was a gem-like lump found in the labyrinth. Merchants were willing to pay high prices for it. From the conversation with the merchant named Poisson earlier, it seemed that only a limited number of people knew about it.
And it seemed that the ‘people of the labyrinth’ made their living from it.
“Mitrof, do you want more ‘amber’?”
Apélie Tiff asked, and Mitrof honestly nodded.
“I do—it seems like it could fetch a good price.”
Merchants are the most adept at seeking profit. If they are willing to enter the labyrinth, even on forbidden paths, just to buy from the “people of the labyrinth,” then the goods must be exceptional. Poisson said he would buy them at high prices as well.
It would surely be more efficient with better returns to deal with them, rather than risking their lives to defeat monsters in the labyrinth for meager profits…
“I understand. I will ask the ‘chief’ and try to find more.”
Apelie Tiff said it so easily that Mitrof was perplexed.
“Didn’t you say you couldn’t sell the goods to the merchant earlier?”
“Mitrof is different—he saved my life. Apelie Tiff still needs to show her gratitude.”
Mitrof admired Apelie Tiff’s sincerity, knowing that the beastmen were a species with a strong sense of gratitude and obligation.
“Also…”
Apelie Tiff hesitated to continue.
Lowering her gaze slightly, she gently touched her thigh and stroked it. There must still be unhealed scars there.
“Chief wants to meet with you.”
“Why me?”
He was interested in the lifestyle of “people of the labyrinth.” However, he was a mere adventurer, and the chief wanted to meet him, which was more suspicious than curious.
“I don’t know—but, she said it’s okay if Mitrof refuses.”
It seems that Apélie Tiff was not informed of the circumstances, and the decision is left to Mitrof.
Mitrof fell silent with a sullen expression and twisted his head.
“Canule, what do you think?”
“Whatever pleases you, Mitrof-sama, I will protect you no matter what.”
Canule replied in an unwavering tone. She seemed to have changed her mood after being protected earlier. She stood behind Mitrof like a knight.
Feeling uneasy but making the decision first, Mitrof said, “Alright, let’s meet—what should I do?”
“…Wait here—I’ll get the chief.”
Mitrof called out to Apélie Tiff, who had turned her body towards the narrow path leading further inside.
“What kind of person is the ‘chief’?”
Apélie Tiff tilted her head.
“What kind of person…?”
After pondering the question, she suddenly shook her shoulders. The fur on her tail and ears stood up on end and clung to her body tightly.
“…A very reliable…and scary person.”