—Laila—
「… It’s not much this time.」
「Well, it can’t be helped.」
A few days after failing the hydra subjugation, I and Armia were talking in the meadow.
As we talked, around us was a large number of magic stones, material from goblins, and plants that can be sold from the meadow.
It was the spoils I and Armia hunted and collected in this meadow.
…… Seeing the huge mass of loot we got, I leaked out a sigh.
「… Even when we try our best, it doesn’t reach the reward from lower-layer.」
The reason was because, no matter how many goblins we killed, the reward per goblin was plain bad.
I and Armia came deep into the meadow to earn money by hunting group of goblins using Armia’s large scale magic.
Using that way, we have gained many goblin materials, however, selling these wouldn’t give that much income.
Honestly, at that price, considering the process of dismantling the goblins and so forth, it wasn’t worth it.
「Wait, are they still holed-up?」
「I-I’m sorry…」
…Even so, we still used this bad place as hunting ground because we were missing our two vanguards.
That’s right, Margulus and Sarveria were both holed-up in the Sword of Lightning’s joint residence and hadn’t been participate in the quest since then.
The reason for that was because of what happened two days after the failed hydra subjugation quest.
On that day, despite the fact that Armia still wasn’t fully recovered, Margulus and Sarveria took me and Armia to the lower-layer of the labyrinth to hunt, saying that we would be fine.
And then, after calling us incompetent, that the hydra subjugation quest failed because of us, he jumped straight to the lower-layer monsters while saying that he would show us an example.
… A few minutes later, unable to handle the opponents, they came to us, crying and screaming for help.
In the end, we survived without any problem because Armia’s magic killed all those monsters, however, if I would be honest, never did I feel so much regret from entering this party until I saw Margulus and Sarveria’s appearance……
In addition, after Armia helped them, they complained that Armia was too slow to help.
In regard to me who was spontaneously trying to escape, they yelled about how they were going to make a complain, that I was a coward, that I was violating the terms from the receptionist lady, anything that made them as a victim instead.
…… And then after saying all that to me, the next day, they lied saying their wounds still hurting and refused to go to the labyrinth and holed-up in the joint residence since then.
If they went that far, they already surpassed my surprise to the point of admiration.
As an adventurer, they were about at the level of second-rate adventurers, however, when they played the victim or hurting from nonexistent wounds, their acting was very convincing.
I thought it would be good if Margulus and Sarveria became a scammer instead.
……… Seriously, how many times have I thought about leaving Sword of Lightning, ignoring the words of Margulus, Sarveria, and the receptionist lady?
「Sigh…」
Or so I thought as I let out a sigh.
However, I still couldn’t leave Sword of Lightning.
First of all, I couldn’t find another party I could enter.
I was looking for a party I could enter after I left Sword of Lightning, using my connection as best as I could, but alas, I couldn’t find any.
…… Most adventurer parties in this labyrinth city were lowbred.
No matter which party, they would welcome me to enter, but their vile desires were apparent on their face.
If I entered that kind of party, there was no need to imagine what would happen afterward.
Still, even if I find a good one, I don’t think I can just enter their party like that.
The other reason was I couldn’t leave the last member of Sword of Lightning like this.
「Sorry, Laila-san…」
「Don’t worry. It’s not your fault.」
Armia responding to my sigh with an apology, seeing her apologetic appearance, my belief that I couldn’t leave Sword of Lightning yet strengthened.
As a matter of fact, the one that struggled the most with this goblin hunting life was not me.
While the earning gotten from goblin hunting was lower than usual earning of hunting in the lower-layer, with how we destroyed several flocks in a day, our earning was equivalent to the average second-rate adventurer active in the middle-layer of the labyrinth.
And since I received half of the earning, in reality, I got more than enough money for myself.
… But Armia was different.
Armia divided her income into three equal parts for Margulus and Sarveria.
No, since Margulus and Sarveria were doing nothing and only wasting money, it was safe to assume that Armia’s share was lower than a third.
However, even though I was worried about Armia, when I tried to talk to Margulus and Sarveria about their behavior, Armia said that it was fine if it stayed as it was.
…… She said it was a punishment for Sword of Lightning for driving the former healer, Raust, away.
I had heard everything about that ingenious healer from Armia.
Like what kind of thing he did, or how he was banished.
When I heard that, I was at loss for word for a while.
Sword of lightning had treated Raust so badly.
And Armia, who had also done the same, couldn’t forgive herself.
But Armia was too young to say that she couldn’t repent.
Besides, I had never seen how Armia was when she was together with Raust, but I still thought that she had changed.
When the receptionist lady, Margulus, and Sarveria were yelling at me about violating the terms without any basis whatsoever, only Armia helped me out.
That was not all.
When I thought I would escape from Sword of Lightning, Armia introduced me to her acquaintance party and giving me support so it would be easier for me to escape.
Despite the fact that it would put herself in a bind.
Precisely because of that, I wanted to leave Sword of Lightning together with Armia.
「Tomorrow for sure, I will persuade them to hunt in the middle-layer!」
On the way back to the guild, Armia strongly insisted that to me several times.
Armia said that she would convince Margulus and Sarveria to hunt in the middle-layer, but I was confident to say that they would never do so.
Margulus and Sarveria were not strong enough to go to the lower-layer, but they were by no means weak.
They probably had enough ability to go to the middle-layer.
But, they were still clinging to the past and never wanted to go to the middle-layer while saying that they were a first-class party.
They were afraid that If their center of activity was in the middle-layer, they wouldn’t be regarded as a first-class party anymore.
…… They were still clinging to the name of first-class party even though they let go the reason they became one in the first place.
However, even in that state, Armia would never leave Sword of Lightning.
Even though the one who received the most damage from Margulus and Sarveria’s attachment was Armia who had the best ability among them.
「If only there is an impetus…」
I muttered that as I thought about the current situation.
Armia would never leave Sword of Lightning as it was.
That was why I was looking for a chance to change the situation.
「Ohh, aren’t you late!」
「Really, why don’t you guys come back earlier!」
「Hmm? Leader?」
…… And that chance came earlier than I thought.
When we returned to the guild, Margulus and Sarveria were standing by waiting for us.
Armia was surprised from the two’s behavior, I, on the other hand, was angry.
「What are both of you trying to do…」
After all, Margulus and Sarveria who had been lazy until now suddenly appeared and taking a high-handed attitude.
I couldn’t help but felt frustrated.
「Huh?」
However, the moment I noticed the man standing next to Margulus, I lost my words.
With how I suddenly fell silent, Margulus opened his mouth with a boasting smile.
「I hired a new capable warrior. We’re going to the lower-layer now!」
From that moment, the situation started to move at breakneck speed……
—Laila—
「… It’s not much this time.」
「Well, it can’t be helped.」
A few days after failing the hydra subjugation, I and Armia were talking in the meadow.
As we talked, around us was a large number of magic stones, material from goblins, and plants that can be sold from the meadow.
It was the spoils I and Armia hunted and collected in this meadow.
…… Seeing the huge mass of loot we got, I leaked out a sigh.
「… Even when we try our best, it doesn’t reach the reward from lower-layer.」
The reason was because, no matter how many goblins we killed, the reward per goblin was plain bad.
I and Armia came deep into the meadow to earn money by hunting group of goblins using Armia’s large scale magic.
Using that way, we have gained many goblin materials, however, selling these wouldn’t give that much income.
Honestly, at that price, considering the process of dismantling the goblins and so forth, it wasn’t worth it.
「Wait, are they still holed-up?」
「I-I’m sorry…」
…Even so, we still used this bad place as hunting ground because we were missing our two vanguards.
That’s right, Margulus and Sarveria were both holed-up in the Sword of Lightning’s joint residence and hadn’t been participate in the quest since then.
The reason for that was because of what happened two days after the failed hydra subjugation quest.
On that day, despite the fact that Armia still wasn’t fully recovered, Margulus and Sarveria took me and Armia to the lower-layer of the labyrinth to hunt, saying that we would be fine.
And then, after calling us incompetent, that the hydra subjugation quest failed because of us, he jumped straight to the lower-layer monsters while saying that he would show us an example.
… A few minutes later, unable to handle the opponents, they came to us, crying and screaming for help.
In the end, we survived without any problem because Armia’s magic killed all those monsters, however, if I would be honest, never did I feel so much regret from entering this party until I saw Margulus and Sarveria’s appearance……
In addition, after Armia helped them, they complained that Armia was too slow to help.
In regard to me who was spontaneously trying to escape, they yelled about how they were going to make a complain, that I was a coward, that I was violating the terms from the receptionist lady, anything that made them as a victim instead.
…… And then after saying all that to me, the next day, they lied saying their wounds still hurting and refused to go to the labyrinth and holed-up in the joint residence since then.
If they went that far, they already surpassed my surprise to the point of admiration.
As an adventurer, they were about at the level of second-rate adventurers, however, when they played the victim or hurting from nonexistent wounds, their acting was very convincing.
I thought it would be good if Margulus and Sarveria became a scammer instead.
……… Seriously, how many times have I thought about leaving Sword of Lightning, ignoring the words of Margulus, Sarveria, and the receptionist lady?
「Sigh…」
Or so I thought as I let out a sigh.
However, I still couldn’t leave Sword of Lightning.
First of all, I couldn’t find another party I could enter.
I was looking for a party I could enter after I left Sword of Lightning, using my connection as best as I could, but alas, I couldn’t find any.
…… Most adventurer parties in this labyrinth city were lowbred.
No matter which party, they would welcome me to enter, but their vile desires were apparent on their face.
If I entered that kind of party, there was no need to imagine what would happen afterward.
Still, even if I find a good one, I don’t think I can just enter their party like that.
The other reason was I couldn’t leave the last member of Sword of Lightning like this.
「Sorry, Laila-san…」
「Don’t worry. It’s not your fault.」
Armia responding to my sigh with an apology, seeing her apologetic appearance, my belief that I couldn’t leave Sword of Lightning yet strengthened.
As a matter of fact, the one that struggled the most with this goblin hunting life was not me.
While the earning gotten from goblin hunting was lower than usual earning of hunting in the lower-layer, with how we destroyed several flocks in a day, our earning was equivalent to the average second-rate adventurer active in the middle-layer of the labyrinth.
And since I received half of the earning, in reality, I got more than enough money for myself.
… But Armia was different.
Armia divided her income into three equal parts for Margulus and Sarveria.
No, since Margulus and Sarveria were doing nothing and only wasting money, it was safe to assume that Armia’s share was lower than a third.
However, even though I was worried about Armia, when I tried to talk to Margulus and Sarveria about their behavior, Armia said that it was fine if it stayed as it was.
…… She said it was a punishment for Sword of Lightning for driving the former healer, Raust, away.
I had heard everything about that ingenious healer from Armia.
Like what kind of thing he did, or how he was banished.
When I heard that, I was at loss for word for a while.
Sword of lightning had treated Raust so badly.
And Armia, who had also done the same, couldn’t forgive herself.
But Armia was too young to say that she couldn’t repent.
Besides, I had never seen how Armia was when she was together with Raust, but I still thought that she had changed.
When the receptionist lady, Margulus, and Sarveria were yelling at me about violating the terms without any basis whatsoever, only Armia helped me out.
That was not all.
When I thought I would escape from Sword of Lightning, Armia introduced me to her acquaintance party and giving me support so it would be easier for me to escape.
Despite the fact that it would put herself in a bind.
Precisely because of that, I wanted to leave Sword of Lightning together with Armia.
「Tomorrow for sure, I will persuade them to hunt in the middle-layer!」
On the way back to the guild, Armia strongly insisted that to me several times.
Armia said that she would convince Margulus and Sarveria to hunt in the middle-layer, but I was confident to say that they would never do so.
Margulus and Sarveria were not strong enough to go to the lower-layer, but they were by no means weak.
They probably had enough ability to go to the middle-layer.
But, they were still clinging to the past and never wanted to go to the middle-layer while saying that they were a first-class party.
They were afraid that If their center of activity was in the middle-layer, they wouldn’t be regarded as a first-class party anymore.
…… They were still clinging to the name of first-class party even though they let go the reason they became one in the first place.
However, even in that state, Armia would never leave Sword of Lightning.
Even though the one who received the most damage from Margulus and Sarveria’s attachment was Armia who had the best ability among them.
「If only there is an impetus…」
I muttered that as I thought about the current situation.
Armia would never leave Sword of Lightning as it was.
That was why I was looking for a chance to change the situation.
「Ohh, aren’t you late!」
「Really, why don’t you guys come back earlier!」
「Hmm? Leader?」
…… And that chance came earlier than I thought.
When we returned to the guild, Margulus and Sarveria were standing by waiting for us.
Armia was surprised from the two’s behavior, I, on the other hand, was angry.
「What are both of you trying to do…」
After all, Margulus and Sarveria who had been lazy until now suddenly appeared and taking a high-handed attitude.
I couldn’t help but felt frustrated.
「Huh?」
However, the moment I noticed the man standing next to Margulus, I lost my words.
With how I suddenly fell silent, Margulus opened his mouth with a boasting smile.
「I hired a new capable warrior. We’re going to the lower-layer now!」
From that moment, the situation started to move at breakneck speed……
