Chapter 59 – v2c20

The day after I was unfairly penalized by the guild, I went to visit Zieg-san’s party’s house.

「Sorry for the sudden visit.」

「No need to worry. What happened?」

In the party house, Zieg-san was alone, polishing his magic sword, despite me visiting suddenly, he welcomed me into his house.
However, his mood only stayed good at the beginning.

「…Actually, I’m currently prohibited to enter and leave the labyrinth.」

「…Huh?」

And then, after hearing what I said, Zieg-san was lost for words.
I would like to talk with Zieg-san about what happened so far, how Narsena was currently going to check to the guild, and what could I do to get rid of this prohibition.

「…What do these guys in the guild think?」

After I finished telling everything, Zieg-san who was feeling discomposure before, was now feeling angry instead.
In his hand was the magic sword that he had maintained up until now, I could feel his irritation, it felt like he would charge into the guild just like this.

「……Shit!」

Though, he never ended up going, after cursing a bit, Zieg-san put down his magic sword.
No matter how bad the guild was, raiding it wouldn’t solve the problem.
On the contrary, it could worsen the situation.
No matter how much he lost his calm, he didn’t make the wrong choice.

The current situation is not something that can be resolved with force anymore.

That was why I came to consult with Zieg-san.
As a guild agent, he had considerable authority.
If it was Zieg-san, then, maybe, he could revert the decision of our party’s unjust penalty.

「Raust, I’m indebted to your party with the matter of Armia and the phoenix too. That’s why, this time, I will help as much as possible…… but, I can’t do anything about the labyrinth access prohibition.」

「……Eh?」

……But my hope was scattered with his next words.

「…My authority is no use in this case.」

Zieg-san words contained a feeling of guilt towards me.
And that was proof that he wasn’t lying.
Understanding that Zieg-san couldn’t do anything, I unconsciously bit my lips.
Zieg-san continued to speak while making his distress shown on his face.

「The labyrinth access prohibition is the authority the guild branch manager has. Setting aside the other guilds, with my authority, I can’t overturn the decision of this labyrinth city guild’s branch manager.」

「Wha-!? The branch manager?!」

The word “branch manager” came out from Zieg-san’s mouth.
And hearing that, I couldn’t hide my unrest.

If I remember correctly, I should never have any business with the branch manager of this labyrinth, so there should not be any resentment between us.
And this case is due to the War God’s Greatsword and the dispute with our party.
It’s obviously strange that the branch manager would be involved in such a trivial matter.

How come the branch manager has their eyes set on us? Looking for the answer to this question, I turned to Zieg-san.
However, my gesture bore no fruit.

「…I’m sorry. I don’t know either.」

The dubious look on his face told me that he truly didn’t know the answer either.
In other words, this branch manager’s unjust penalty was done for a reason that even Zieg-san didn’t understand.
That fact made me feel a mysterious fright that made my faces stiffened.

Why, what is the reason the branch manager suddenly set their eyes on me? Various imaginations and speculations were dominating my mind.

「If there is something I can understand, it’s you should leave the labyrinth city as soon as possible.」

The next moment, I was brought back to reality by Zieg-san’s advice that he said with a serious tone.

「I don’t know why, but the branch manager of this labyrinth city is clearly plotting something for you guys. If that’s the case, then you should leave the labyrinth city promptly. If it’s the royal capital, with connection with me, you can easily make a name for yourself.」

His suggestion was the best way.
The advice is sounds, and it also includes his concerns for me.
There was no doubt he cared for me and thought seriously about this.

「…Thank you for your concern, but I still want to stay in this labyrinth city.」

And yet, I couldn’t accept his advice.
Perhaps, he didn’t expect his advice to be refused, he was wide-eyed with surprise.
I felt guilty looking at his reaction, but that was not something I could agree to.

「I absolutely can’t leave Labyrinth City right now. At least not until another adventurer who can wholesale materials from labyrinth’s lower layer appears.」

While saying that, what came to my mind was the faces of the city folks who I had become closer with over the past month.
For me, Labyrinth City wasn’t a place I could say I like.
Despite that feeling, I ended up getting attached to this city from who knows when.

Nevertheless, I believed that the presence of the people in this city was what caused me to become attached to this city.
Certainly, my happiness right now is because I met Narsena, Narsena will always be special for me.

But, it’s also true the existence of the people in this city has added more color to my life.

「I don’t want to destroy that part of Labyrinth City. I really appreciate your suggestion, Zieg-san, but I still can’t leave this place yet.」

That was why I couldn’t agree to leave Labyrinth City as Zieg-san suggested.
I knew leaving Labyrinth City was synonymous with abandoning that part of the city.
At the very least, I wanted to stay in this Labyrinth City until another adventurer appeared that could replace us, and they could stand up by themselves even if I was gone.

That was not the only reason I wanted to stay in Labyrinth City.

「In addition……」

I wanted to talk about the other reason, but I hesitated for a moment.
It was too personal, I didn’t want to actively talk about it.
However, remembering how I told Zieg-san about my feeling for Narsena, I felt it was too late to think about that, I chuckled a little and then opened my mouth.

「The other reason, is about Narsena. It’s something I want to do in this Labyrinth City.」

「About Narsena?」

Hearing my words, a question mark was floating on his face.

「Yes. About Narsena’s blood.」

However, when I said that, Zieg-san lost his composure a little.
Seeing his reaction, I realized that Zieg-san knew about Narsena’s blood.

「Narsena seemed to think that she hides it well. But I know that she’s part of nobility……… And she’s in discord with her family.」

「That far…」

While Zieg-san was surprised by my words, it wasn’t a difficult thing for me to figure out considering her blood.
If a noble’s son or daughter tried to become an adventurer, it was easy to imagine the parents would oppose to it, especially after seeing Narsena’s opposition to going to the capital yesterday.

「Maybe Narsena’s parents would never allow me to exist. For an adventurer like me who is on her side instead of resplendent adventurers from the capital.」

And that wasn’t the only thing I could imagine.
I remembered overhearing other adventurers grumbling about nobles, that cemented my belief that I would never be accepted by nobles.
No, there is still a possibility I will be accepted by nobles.
It was not conceit but grounded in fact.
Even so, the nobles will never allow my marriage with Narsena as it is right now.

「That’s why, I want an achievement that can even silence the nobles.」

Precisely because I understood that, I made a decision.
An achievement that was unthinkable for me who was previously known as a defect healer.
However, my heart surprisingly didn’t waver.
As if it considered that as a trivial matter.

With the changes I never thought would happen to me, I opened my mouth while thinking about the girl who caused such changes.

「I’m going to be a world-class adventurer in this labyrinth city.」