The Fat Aristocrat Waltz in the Labyrinth - Chapter 82
Chapter 82: The fat aristocrat buys rumors from informants
Although they were both eager to explore, they understood that rushing would be of little benefit.
In the labyrinth, how one conserves their physical and mental strength directly affects the exploration time.
In the rest areas, which are the safe zones of the labyrinth, adventurers can be categorized into those who maintain good manners and those who are sloppy and relaxed. This division is usually between beginners and experienced adventurers.
Although the sloppy adventurers may seem like careless slackers, in reality, they are the ones who truly understand how to explore the labyrinth.
When there is a chance to rest, they rest as much as they want. They recover their mind and body and try again, minimizing injuries and achieving better results. Mitrof gained this knowledge through observation.
That is why he enjoyed Canule’s large dish of food to his heart’s content in the plaza before the stairs to the 14th floor.
It is not because of his own gluttony.
Without making any excuses or addressing anyone in particular, Mitrof finished eating the last piece of meat and carefully wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“It was delicious—the fig sauce was fantastic.”
“Yes, I saw some early-picked figs at the market—they still seemed too hard, so I used them for the sauce.”
“Oh, is it already fig season?”
Canule’s large bag was filled with portable cooking utensils and ingredients.
Normally, these items would be left out due to their weight, but Canule loved cooking and Mitrof loved eating.
As a result of their shared passion, every break, Canule would set up her cooking equipment, and Mitrof would tuck a napkin into his collar, creating a restaurant-like scene within the labyrinth.
New adventurers who saw them for the first time would be amazed, but many others who were used to them would remain unfazed. Although they may have never spoken, they would still recognize each other’s faces, becoming familiar with one another over time.
Many adventurers have their own personal difficulties. As an occupation, it is not considered very respectable. They may have been expelled from society due to their inability to adapt to rules, becoming a refuge for outlaws. However, even these individuals naturally begin to follow rules as they delve deeper into the labyrinth. They don’t despise rules; rather, they detest having to follow others’ rules.
Adventurers each establish their own rules that they then follow.
Perhaps it is for this reason that they have an atmosphere of inviolability toward others.
Everyone values their own rules. Therefore, adventurers seem to have a consciousness of respecting the rules held by others.
Canule spread out tools and ingredients from her large bag and began to cook, while Mitrof elegantly devoured it with his knife and fork. The adventurers were indifferent and went about maintaining their own rules. Mitrof began to think that this thoughtfulness and indifference towards others was what made adventurers so special.
Dirty dishes were wrapped in cloth and divided into small bags. Canule poured tea into the teacup after the meal. When Mitrof received it, a man approached.
“Hey there, you guys—oops, I’m not a suspicious person—I’m an information broker—how about it, do you need any information?”
With a cup in his hand, Mitrof looked up to see a man with a friendly smile on his face.
With a face that seemed to be sitting between a young person and an adult, pencils behind his ears, and his strong chestnut hair tied up in a single knot. He had no weapons or armor, and his atmosphere did not suit the image of an adventurer.
“An information broker?—Are you selling information here?”
“Tsk tsk tsk—we gather the freshest and most delicious information within the labyrinth—both information and food are best when freshly made, don’t you think, Mitrof-kun?”
With his name called so casually, Mitrof frowned.
“…Where is my name being sold?”
“We have clients all over the place, selling and buying—but don’t worry, even though it’s called information, I specialize in rumors, providing a service to entertain bored adventurers during their breaks.”
“So you’re like a jester in the labyrinth?”
“As expected of a noble, straight to the point—’Labyrinth’s Jester’ has a nice ring to it, thanks.”
The man took his pencil from behind his ear and made notes in his notebook.
Mitrof squinted his eyes, realizing that his background was also known.
The job of a jester working in the royal palace was to entertain bored people in power. They sometimes performed tricks and told funny jokes, collecting exciting stories from the streets and whispering them into their ears.
“Okay, this is good… Now, Mitrof-kun, do you want fun information from me?”
“This tea has a fresh aroma.”
Mitrof said, enjoying the scent of the tea with his eyes closed without looking at the man.
“It appears to be the trendy tea among the people.”
“Oh, this type of tea is popular in the town?”
Mitrof sipped his tea and then put down the cup.
“… Hmm, the serenity is impressive—is this what a noble’s manners are like?”
“For example, how would they entertain someone?”
The standard response of a noble is to show no interest in the person trying to sell them something, calmly enjoy a cup of tea, and then continue the conversation with complete indifference.
The man chuckled at Mitrof’s calm demeanor, flipping through his notebook.
“As for the latest recommendations… the guild receptionist’s popularity ranking… oh, no good?—Then how about the 13th floor’s female ghost… that’s not it either? How about the continuous record-breaking failures of the battle axe wielder Rosso’s party interview? We’re a little tight on information, aren’t we? No, no, there’s more… What about the rumors surrounding the magic sword… Oh, it seems like you’re interested.”
Mitrof tried to maintain his composure, but it seemed like the man had seen through him. In truth, Mitrof was a little intrigued. Since he had been found out, there was no point in pretending anymore.
“… How much does that information cost?”
“It’s a special price for the first rumor, I’ll make it cheap for you.”
The given price was certainly low. Well, it was just pocket change anyway, so Mitrof untied his purse strings.
After confirming the copper coin, the man pocketed it and flipped through his notebook.
“Now then… just to make sure, do you know what the magic sword is?”
“Is this a ‘Labyrinth’s Relic’ shaped like a sword?”
“That’s a precise description—it’s a mysterious sword imbued with magical power made by the ancients, and the method of creation and material used remain unknown to this day—even the dwarves have no idea, leaving everyone stumped.”
“…It’s been reported that five magic swords have been found so far.”
Canule tells Mitrof, capturing his attention.
“Very well informed—to be exact, there have been reports of five magic swords—three of them are managed by their respective countries and one is in the tower of magicians, and one is in the temple of the Church.”
“Does that mean the sixth magic sword is found here?”
“There’s such a story going around.”
The man squats down and looks Mitrof in the eye, lowering his voice suddenly. It’s an incredibly confidential conversation that’s not meant to be heard by anyone around…or so it seems.
“That adventurer was on the 14th floor of the labyrinth…Yes, a crystal lizard that appeared from a side passage suddenly attacked him while he was exploring this floor. This is a formidable monster that typically inhabits a deep floor. Somehow, it had gotten lost and made its way up through the ‘back road.’ As its name suggests, its body is covered in crystal, making it completely impervious to slashing attacks—for the purpose of defeating it, adventurers bring along a mace.”
The man looked at Mitrof to gauge his interest. Mitrof was listening, albeit only slightly.
“The adventurer was alone and armed only with a sword—even though he knew he had to flee, he was injured in the leg during the attack. When he tried to fight back, his sword was deflected, and he lost hope.”
“…What happened then?”
Mitrof couldn’t help but ask when the man paused.
“——The adventurer was blinded by the setting sun.”
“The setting sun?”
Mitrof narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“It seemed like a reddish light, just like the evening sun, caught his eyes—the next time he opened his eyes, the ‘crystal lizard’ was cut in half. The crystal that shouldn’t have been able to be cut was cut.”
“Oh really?”
“You doubt me? Well, at least listen to the whole story. The adventurer said he couldn’t see well because of the bright light, but there was definitely someone standing there—he had a sword in hand.”
“And that was a magic sword?”
“With blinding light and cut crystal, it can only be a magic sword, right?”
As the man spoke, his eyes sparkled with excitement.
Mitrof was a bit skeptical.
“Couldn’t it have been done with magic?”
“Are you talking about a magic sword? That’s when you imbue magic into a sword—only a few knights who have trained enough can do that.”
At the mention of knights, Mitrof glanced at Canule. She remained unresponsive, her hood still covering her face.
“That adventurer believes that person is definitely a ‘magic sword user.’ Someone has found a new magic sword and is keeping it secret.”
“…Indeed, an interesting story.”
Magic sword.
For some reason, those words tickled the hearts of men. Those who wield swords as adventurers can understand the desire for a sword that holds great power.
“But it’s just a rumor—it’s not like magic swords are easily found.”
There are labyrinths of various sizes throughout the continent. For decades, adventurers have been delving into the labyrinths, and only five have been found.
With a suspicious gaze, Mitrof watched as the man leaned in and put his hand into his pocket, apparently alert to his surroundings.
“…This is something I obtained for my personal pleasure.”
What he took out was the crushed crystal of a crystal lizard’s corpse.
“I thought no one would believe my story without evidence.”
It was a deep blue crystal, composed of a cut surface that was so beautiful that it didn’t look like a natural object at all. However, only one face showed an unnaturally wide surface. The cut surface was oblique, and there were unnatural marks as if it had melted.
“This is the evidence of a magic sword’s cut.”
It captured Mitrof’s attention. Of course, there was a technique to process crystals. They were cut, split, and polished to create decorations.
However, the cut of the crystal in front of him was different from what could be achieved by processing… He knew it for some reason. The impact of the cut made it seem like it was “slashed.” The remnants of an extraordinary power seemed to linger there.
“Try thinking about it. Even if you report that you found a magic sword, the church or the tower of the magicians will forcefully take it away from you. It’s better to keep it a secret…Everyone would think that way, right? There have been stories of many magic swords found that were never reported. Such tales have been around for ages.”
The man returned the crystal to his pocket and left with a smile. Mitrof followed him with his eyes and saw that he was talking to another adventurer, showing the crystal in a crouched position.
Mitrof was curious about whether he was really selling information or just eagerly wanting to share it with someone.
“…A magic sword, huh? It sounds like something out of a story—if the rumors are true, I would like to see it for myself.”
But rumors are not always trustworthy. Canule chuckled at Mitrof, who was sipping his tea, thinking it was just suspicious talk.
“If it’s real, I would like to see it too—however, many people may not want to get involved.”
There is one very famous rumor about the magic sword that even that man didn’t need to speak of.
“The magic sword brings ‘death and misfortune,’ doesn’t it? It’s probably just curiosity that makes people interested in it—It might be better not to stick your nose where it doesn’t belong…”
Mitrof thought hypothetically.
Suppose the rumored magic sword really existed. Then someone must already be using it. If the owner was a good person, then it would not be so bad. But if the owner was a wicked person, then it would be a dangerous situation.
“…Is it true that the common belief is that the magic sword takes over a person’s personality?”
“I don’t know; there are always fanciful rumors associated with the magic sword story.”
Legends of wielding magic swords still exist, but they all seem to have major flaws. Nowadays, the magic swords are carefully hidden and stored for decades, kept and displayed like divine objects.
Perhaps those who are dissatisfied with their dull lives are spreading the rumor that magic swords have incredible power.
Mitrof drank his now lukewarm tea.
Slowly, Mitrof took out a notebook from his pocket, flipped through the pages, and wrote down some numbers with a small pencil.
“Mitrof-sama, what is that for…?”
“I spent some money, so I need to keep track of it—let’s use ‘information fee’ as the accounting item.”
After writing it down in elegant handwriting, he folded the notebook with the pencil still in it and put it back in his pocket.
“Indeed, a magic sword is really attractive—but a single silver coin moves a person’s heart more than fantasy—let’s go look for some herbs.”
Canule smiled slightly at Mitrof, who had become accustomed to the common people’s ways in a slightly unusual direction.