Manuke FPS

Chapter 70

This day was when the Emerald Demon Labyrinth was predicted to close. Yesterday, I had bought excavation tools and participated in the labyrinth explorati non-attribute magic stone mining. These were magical stones that held no elemental properties. If one gave them a good look, theyd be able to see something like a black vortex or black hole.

The morning wasnt hot.

I thought to put the excavated stones into my pouch and continue digging. I had spent the entire day just like that.

The ceremony would begin shortly. A crowd had already gathered at the venue, at the front of the labyrinths entrance. An impromptu stage with a podium had already been prepared. The stage itself had been decorated with a crest, an eagle and a sword. Was it Duke Bargas crest?

The first to appear was the Western Barga Knights, signaling the official start of the ceremony. Three knights appeared this time. At the front, was their vice-leader, Viscount Butler Keymand. I saw the two other knights behind him before at the Labyrinths entrance. They were probably squad leaders, but I didnt know their names. The crowd cheering grew louder, the next ones up were the Sasanqua members. Lapitirica wasnt with them. Only Frau-san, Mitche-san, Malinda-san, and Ruu-san in their knight-like yellow uniforms; most likely their clans uniform.

The two groups took positions on the left and right sides of the stage. Whod make the next appearance? The surrounding people also stared in anticipation at the side of the stage.

So there you are, Schwartz-kun.

Someone behind me called out to me. When I turned to see, I saw Barold-san, an officer from the General Guild, standing there. 

Barold-san, long time no see. What brings you here?

True, you havent visited the guild even once recently. Not to mention, youre hard to contact. Could I have some of your time? I have something urgent that I need to confirm.

Yes, of course. I dont mind.

Well then, follow me.

I actually wanted to watch the ceremony, but I couldnt just refuse Barold-san said it was something urgent. I followed him to the General Guilds tent, built behind the ceremonys stage. The tent was empty, which made me wonder what Barold-san wanted to confirm. I was told to sit at the table and Barold-san sat opposite to me.

Schwartz-kun, do you know how long its been since a Labyrinth was subjugated in the Barga region?

I heard its the first in only a few years.

4 years to be exact. The previous labyrinth was a bit south of here. A harvest festival was held then also. The lord of the territory, Duke Barga, was pleased with the labyrinths subjugation this time.

Why of course. One of his three daughters, Lapitilica-sama participated in the subjugation. She would be finishing her training period with Sasanqua soon. She would then join the circle of nobility, and be married off to another powerful noble house. I dont know the marriage age here, but Im quite sure that she had to be young to be married off. Furthering the bloodline and bestowing the houses knowledge on magic, would undoubtedly, take a long time.

Thats why the Duke wishes to invite all who participated in the subjugation to a dinner party.

I see, but Ill have to decline the invitation.

I thought youd say so but we couldnt just report back without hearing it. So I had to confirm your rejection. 

Sorry for the trouble.

No its alright, subjugating a labyrinth wouldnt have been possible without your help. Even if it were, it would have taken much longer.

I merely drew some maps, though.

That was certainly a great help. Records of the labyrinth would never last long. Labyrinths expand the more adventurers tried to explore it. That said, very little is known about your contribution. We just wanted to make sure you got the well-deserved reputation for your work.

No, its not a problem, really. I was enlisted for a request, and I simply did my job accordingly. Thats is. If anything, I dont want my reputation to hinder me when I want to do something freely.

Very well, well add you to the absentee list.

List? Does the duke know about me?

No. We only have the name of the participants. We didnt list what they were responsible for. Many of the guilds employees were also invited. So, its like a job in a way some also arent able to attend, so Ill add your name on the same list.

I see. Thanks then.

If I was on the Dukes watch list, the subjugation of the Wolves Labyrinth would be delayed further. Since were making money on the magic water, itll be best if I remained unnoticed. I dont want to be the center of attention here. I just dont like it. 

Afterward, I caught up with Barold-san. I could hear the cheers of the crowd outside, followed by a speech. This voice belonged to Duke Barga himself. The speechs held praises for the Barga Knights, Sasanqua, and most importantly, his daughter Laptilica-sama.

More cheers followed afterward.

Its closing?

Barold-san muttered.

I couldnt witness the moment myself, but one labyrinth had finally closed. Not only did the cheering not stop, but it also got louder. How do the people in this world feel about it? I thought as I listened.

The Kurtmerga Kingdom was in the middle of celebrating the new year now. People here didnt know what New Year was, but they had the custom to celebrate the coming of the new year. now that I mentioned it, they also didnt have Christmas, or New Years Eve either. 

I was in the Marida Companys Reception room in the Fort City of Barga. It was January 14th, and up until yesterday, Ive been exploring the Wolves Labyrinth. To be more precise, I took a break on the 3rd because it was New Years holiday. During it, I went out with Ashley-san to eat. I also checked on the sales of the magic water. To be honest, it was a busy day.

Inside the Wolves Labyrinth, I drove the M978 around. As I mapped the floor, I was collecting the water in the process. The magic water was being sold to the Magician and Alchemist Guilds ended up at 20% less than the price of a regular magic recovery potion. Malta-san appeared to know ahead of time, but it was still a rip-off 

Furthermore, we apparently brought too much. The Guilds couldnt buy it all at once, for the time being; we had to content ourselves with signing a contract to split the purchase. The share between Malta-san and I was set at a 6:4 ratio

Not many adventurers could get their hands on a platinum coin (10,000,000 ol) in their lifetime.. 

Malta-san joked.

Since the value of things was different compared to my world,m I had to estimate 1 ol was equal to 1 yen. Our supply would increase after this trip as well. Weve also decided to take small orders to avoid tanking the price. Also, Id only the water to the Marida Company.

Schwartz-san, sorry to call you all of a sudden.

No, its okay. Is it an urgent matter?

Yes, its the Rot Poison Dagger. Ive found a buyer.

Ah, thats good, but why is it urgent?

No, thats not the only thing. Apart from the dagger, have you heard about the cases of the ambushes around the Capital? The buyer also wanted to make a short term escort request and specifically asked for Shaft-sama.

So thats why.

After I registered myself as Shaft at the Mercenary Guild, Ive been in and out of Barga. However, if someone checked with the guild, they may have found that Malta-san was my last employer. Thus, they decided to contact him on my whereabouts.

Ive heard that you received a recommendation to raise to C-Rank recently; is there a similar system in the Mercenary Guild?

No, only the General Guild uses that rank system. The Mercenary Guild merely acts as a middle-man to hire their members.

Mercenary, simply put, was a sub-profession. While guilds, like General Guild and Blacksmiths guild, could be considered as a main-profession. The Mercenary and Research Guilds were sub-professions. Production-based guilds are different from an adventurer in terms of their ranking. Their ranks were grades, divided by their specialty, such as Black Smith rank-3, or Leather Craftsman rank, etc.

Shouldnt they hire an adventurer with a higher rank than Shaft instead?

Normally, itd be sensible to do so. Any adventurer can receive a request to escort a merchant without being affiliated with the Mercenary Guild. But they wont be allowed to access special places without being a member of said guild.

What do you mean by special places?

Banquet held within a nobles mansion or the Royal Palace.

As if I wanted to go there.

Who is the client anyways? 

His Excellency, Duke Franklin Barga.

So hes the client I couldnt help but feel that this was a bad idea.