Chapter 66
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
About letting Iris into the “Silver Orchid” base in the dungeon, Nina, an employee of the “Silver Orchid Inn,” was chosen as a watcher to assess my abilities.
”Me?”
”Yes. Please accompany them to the 4th District base, and if there are no issues with Mr. Mose’s abilities, I want you to handle Ms. Iris’s acceptance procedures.”
”That’s…”
She was using her own body to reduce my chances of getting close to Iris, but… when it came to passing through the dangerous 3rd District of the dungeon, she showed a reluctant expression.
”…”
Nina understood this, and Ms. Shirley gestured for her to come closer, whispering something in her ear.
”…I understand. Then I’ll prepare.”
I didn’t know what was said, but it seemed Nina decided to accept this task from Ms. Shirley.
Since going deeper into the dungeon required careful preparation, she was about to start getting ready right away, but Ms. Shirley stopped her.
”I’ll prepare what’s necessary here. First, let’s decide on the schedule.”
Saying this, she turned to me and asked,
”Mr. Mose, what’s your schedule?”
’There’s another Cleric who will be accompanying us, so I’d like to handle her dispatch procedures if possible.’
”Is the Cleric also a woman? Well, that’s fine. Please inform Nina once the schedule is set. I’ll prepare anything that can be ready in the meantime.”
Food items with expiration dates are usually prepared after plans are set.
”Okay, I understand.”
When I nodded, Ms. Shirley stood up.
”Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
As she said this and tried to leave the room… she glanced back at us.
”…”
She probably looked at Iris, but I couldn’t be sure because of the helmet covering her head. She quickly turned back and left the room with her 2 attendants.
”Is something wrong?”
Iris had a puzzled expression at that, but for now, she decided to continue the discussion with Nina, who remained in the room.
’Who knows. Anyway, putting that aside… Nina, can you get everything ready as soon as the plans are set?’
”Yes. I already have some supplies secured, and if you need more, we can just buy enough for one person at the store, so I think it will be fine.”
’Right. So, once the plans are set, can I have Iris inform me?’
”Understood.”
Since Nina works at the “Silver Orchid Inn” where Iris is staying, I suggested that we would definitely have a chance to meet and then decided to leave the “Silver Orchid” office.
Iris and I returned to the square in front of the dungeon and looked towards the first aid tent near the dungeon entrance.
Of course, we were looking for Seria, but…
”She’s not here. If she can get that much reward, she said it would be better not to take other requests, so maybe she’s waiting at the dorm to avoid being chosen?”
I didn’t really think that deeply about splitting the profits, but it seems Seria decided not to take other requests because of the income we split.
The other day, after I broke up with her, Iris didn’t think it was strange that Seria wasn’t in the medical tent.
I was almost convinced by that, but the chances of Seria being chosen for anything were pretty low because of her “Minor Recovery” title, and it seemed a bit wasteful for her not to be here where she could get paid just for waiting.
Well, it’s not like there’s no chance she could be chosen, so maybe she’s trying to avoid that by eliminating her own chances.
Either way, we need to meet to discuss the dungeon progress, so I decided to ask about Seria’s whereabouts at the medical tent.
”Seria? I haven’t seen her since she went back to her house 2 days ago.”
When I asked the woman at the medical tent about Seria, she tilted her head and replied like that.
Seria has a room in the church dormitory, but her family home is in the city, and she goes back there every other day.
It seems that some clerics go home every day, so it’s not that strange.
However, if that’s the case, she should be here today…
If she was taking a request from me, she would have to come here, and even if there was a request, she could just say she had a prior engagement, so it’s odd that she isn’t here.
When I brought this question up to Iris, she tilted her head cutely.
”I see, she should come here to take a request from Mose. If she’s not in the church dormitory, she must be at her family home, but I don’t know the exact location.”
It seems that all she knows is that Seria’s family home is somewhere in the northeast part of this city.
So, I asked the woman at the first aid tent for the exact address, but… she didn’t know the details either, and even if she did, she couldn’t tell us because she didn’t know our relationship with Seria.
That makes sense.
However, she mentioned that if there were good reports about my work and my past performance, we might be able to get information at the church, so we quickly headed there.
…
……
………
”Please wait a moment. Um… ah, it says here that from now on, your requests will be prioritized. It also mentions that you have stable and high skills… is that all?”
When I asked at the reception about Seria’s house while applying for a Cleric, the woman checking her report looked at us… or rather, at me with a suspicious gaze.
She probably thinks I’m trying to deceive Seria.
The report mentioned she was treated well, and given her low recovery ability, it’s strange for her to receive such high treatment… so it’s natural for her to think that the good treatment is because of her looks, and that I’m after her body.
In reality, I’m the one being targeted, so I had to explain the situation about needing to meet Seria to clear up the misunderstanding.
”A meeting, huh… but still, it’s a bit of a problem to give out someone’s personal address.”
Iris asked in response.
”Then, how do you usually get in touch?”
”Normally, you would go through the church. Even if her recovery ability is low, she is still a valuable Cleric, and if something were to happen, it would damage the church’s reputation.”
If something happened to the Cleric, people from the outside would think the church’s influence was declining, which would lower the church’s overall evaluation.
As I was trying to contact through the church, I heard Seria’s voice from outside my view.
”Uh, good morning…”
When we responded to her awkward greeting, she led us to the annex where we had previously discussed things, still looking uncomfortable.
”Did you come late today because of your family?”
”Well, that’s part of it, but something unexpected happened…”
While moving, I explained about my voice, and we entered the room we were aiming for.
To avoid leaking our conversation to outsiders, we were seated in the back.
”What do you mean by unexpected?”
I asked, returning to my “Koji” appearance and voice, and Seria answered hesitantly.
”If I’m going to accompany you, I think the time spent in the dungeon will increase. I wanted to inform the person taking care of my mother while I’m away to increase my working hours, but… that means, of course, I need to raise the payment.”
”Well, that makes sense. But since you already have the previous payment, and I plan to give the same or more in the future, I don’t think it’s a problem, right?”
”Ah, yes. I thought so too, and we agreed on raising the payment, but… the problem came after that.”
”What happened?”
In response to Iris’s question, Seria looked troubled.
”Yes. The person is an elderly woman, and I asked her to keep my mother a secret. It seems her family became suspicious about how she earns her income.”
Although that elderly woman wasn’t living extravagantly, she still had to spend money here and there, and gradually, they started to worry about where it was coming from.
”And then?”
”That person’s family followed them all the way to my house. They said it would be tough for just that person, so the family wanted to help out, but… we couldn’t agree to that, and we ended up in a bit of a standoff. For now, I decided to keep asking that person to take care of my mother as usual.”
So, I guess that’s why she left the house late this morning.
But…
”Why are you keeping it a secret? It’s not surprising that people would be suspicious. If you’re asking an elderly woman for help, wouldn’t it be better to share the burden with her family?”
”Well, that’s…”
Seria hesitated at my question, but then she gathered her courage and spoke up.
Because of that, Iris and I exchanged glances.
”Um… my mother’s condition is that her arms and legs turn to stone.”
””Wh-what!?””
Seeing our shocked expressions, Seria hurriedly continued.
”Ah, of course, it’s not contagious! Remember, I showed you my body the other day, and there was nothing like that, right?”
As she said this, Seria rolled up her sleeves and showed off her white skin.
Iris then asked Seria.
”So, that means… it’s not a disease, but a curse, right?”
”…probably.”
”…”
Iris looked uncomfortable at that answer.
It seems that if we got a magic item to break the curse, Iris would be the one to bring it back.
From what I heard, Seria’s mother isn’t a noble, so it wouldn’t be a problem if people knew she bought that magic item.
However, even if it was for sale, it probably wouldn’t be cheap, so Seria would have to go through a lot of trouble to buy it.
Iris’s attitude seems to be influenced by that.
Even if she get Iris’s share, she’s still entering the dungeon to earn magic stones. After Iris leaves this city, I could have Seria continue the magic stone collection to keep earning, but… without knowing the target amount, I can’t adjust the reward properly, and I also need to check if there’s even stock available in the first place.
The reason for secretly trying to obtain the magic item for breaking curses is to hide the fact that “a noble was targeted and cursed by someone,” so it might be okay to investigate after Iris leaves.
But still, the curse that the noble woman Iris wants to break is the same one.
Being cursed means someone was targeting her, right?
If others find out, they might distance themselves due to various speculations, so that’s probably why it was kept a secret.
Still… could there really be such a coincidence?
Curious, I ask Seria.
”Seria, when did that happen?”
”!?”
Iris gasped, realizing the intent behind my question.
If it’s the same curse, there’s a good chance the culprit is the same.
If it was the same person’s doing… one could be a test, and the other could be the real deal.
It’s not impossible that both were the real deal, but even setting that aside, if there are clues that lead to the culprit, we should be able to prevent future crimes.
Even if Iris can break the curse for the woman she aims to help, there’s still a chance she could be targeted by the same culprit again.
”Wh-what about it? When?”
Iris asked a bit anxiously, and Seria closed her eyes, tilting her head as if trying to remember.
”Um… it was about 3 or 4 months ago, before it got hot.”
”Ah!”
Hearing that, Iris’s eyes sharpened.
This means… Iris was later.
If that’s the case, if it was the same culprit, then Iris’s situation is the main issue, and Seria’s mother was likely caught up as a test subject.
”Eh? Um… what do you mean by when?”
”No, I just found it a bit concerning because I’ve heard a similar story before.”
”I-I see…”
Seeing Seria’s confusion, Iris softened her sharp gaze and looked apologetic, but she kept the connection to her own situation a secret.
When Iris fell silent, I decided to indirectly ask about the magic item for breaking curses.
If Iris’s goal of finding the magic item became known… it could lead to various problems.
”Seria, didn’t you look for a way to break the curse?”
”Of course I did, but I thought the culprit had already left the city, even if I reported it to the guard…”
Well, if Seria’s mother was a test subject, she would probably leave as soon as the results were known.
Even without that knowledge, it seems unlikely that someone who committed a serious crime would stay long in the area where they committed it.
”Also, I didn’t want to reveal that my mother was cursed because of her reputation, so I secretly looked for the magic item to break the curse. But…”
”So far, you haven’t found it. So you decided to rely on your healing magic?”
”Yes…”
As I continued her words, Seria nodded, changed her sitting position from the chair to the floor, and apologetically said something like this.
”Um, about the other day, I only brought a little of the magic catalyst because I was trying to forcefully increase the chances of accompanying you by making a contract of subservience as punishment… I’m really sorry about that.”
”Oh?”
I asked for more details about that.
If she simply reduces the number of catalysts she brings, next time I’ll just tell her to bring everything, and if she doesn’t, I might give up on her, and the discussion of accompanying us to the dungeon could very well end there.
If that happens, the only way to get the opportunity to grow her abilities would be to entrust herself to a large company, which would mean dealing with many men──a prospect her mother had warned her against.
Even though she’s a Cleric, who, thanks to the church’s influence, isn’t easily approached, if she were to seek it out herself for a purpose… well, considering the situation, many men would no doubt hope to have her as a *partner*.
So, the idea was to submit to me, and to do so, she purposely brought only a small amount of magic catalysts.
She had seen that I had earned a sufficient amount of magic stones alone on the first day, and thought that if only one partner was enough, then that would be ideal.
Purposely making a mistake to forge a stronger bond, huh.
There was a higher chance of severing the relationship, but… if things went well, it would result in a deeper connection than just being companions, and perhaps she gambled on that possibility.
Given that I didn’t need a Cleric, she probably thought this method would be more successful.
I completely fell into the trap, so I’ll have to be more careful in the future.
”Umm, I really will be there for you anytime, so please, if nothing else, spare me from canceling the contract…”
Seria, who seemed uneasy as I fell silent, said this as she sidled up to me and placed her hand on my knee.
I could guess what she was about to do from the look in her eyes, but regardless of whether I respond, there’s something I need to confirm first.
”Why confess at this stage? Wouldn’t your chances of being *cut off* have been smaller if you’d waited until after we’d done the deed?”
After we became physically involved, I would have developed some feelings, even if just a little.
In response to that question, Seria answered with a hint of self-mockery.
”Well… I know it sounds strange to say this after everything I’ve done, but I feel guilty about cutting off all chances. I mean, it’s really just to make myself feel better, and if things go really bad, I can always keep it a secret from my mom and get involved with a big company.”
I can’t help but think that trying to leave some room to refuse is similar to Iris.
Well, Iris seemed like she could still refuse even after everything.
Anyway, the question now is what to do about Seria… I’ll let her know my decision.
”Well, I guess it’s fine. Just like I showed in the dungeon, adding one more person isn’t a big deal.”
She’s not a bad person at heart, and if she’s going to be with Iris, the burden of protection shouldn’t increase too much.
The amount of magic power used will go up, but I can just earn more to cover that.
As for the catalysts, it seems she intended to bring everything, even if little by little.
Seria bows her head at my decision.
”…Thank you.”
”Oh, and don’t bring in anyone else with a similar situation, okay? That goes for Iris too.”
”Sure.”
”Yes.”
I don’t think they’ll add more people, but there might be similar cases that could come up.
If that happens, I might end up increasing the number of people, so I wanted to mention it.
Both of them agreed to my advice at the same time, and since this matter is settled for now… I started talking about the main topic, which is having them stay at the “Silver Orchid” base.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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