Chapter 65
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
When I met up with Iris outside the inn, she guided me to the “Silver Orchid” office.
It seems the destination is a little west of the square in front of the dungeon, and we passed through there as the morning crowd had cleared up.
”By the way… Mose, have you had breakfast?”
”Yeah, I already ate. How about you?”
”I’ve eaten too. Then we don’t need to stop by the food stall.”
Even if I wanted to buy something here, I can’t eat in public because of my situation.
While having that exchange, we arrived at the “Silver Orchid” office, which was a 4-story building with white walls. According to Iris, the building itself is owned by “Silver Orchid.”
Next to the double doors, there was a sign that said:
”Applications for membership are only possible for women.”
”Men are generally not allowed to enter.”
I already knew about the first part, and the second part makes sense if you consider the first.
However, the word “generally” suggests that men visiting for some business might be allowed in.
But right now, I’m neither of those, so I asked Iris, who should have known since she’s been here before.
”It looks like men can’t enter?”
”It says ‘generally,’ right? Since I brought you here for a reason, they might let you in if I explain the situation. Just wait a bit.”
With that, Iris went inside the building.
As I waited by the entrance, a woman called out to me from behind in less than 5 minutes.
”…What are you doing here?”
When I turned around, the one who spoke suspiciously was that woman from the “Silver Orchid Inn.”
She is an employee connected to “Silver Orchid,” so it’s not strange for her to have a reason to be here… but to run into her in this situation?
No, she might have followed Iris after she left the inn.
It would be troublesome if she suspected I was “waiting” for a woman, so before any misunderstandings arise, I tried to explain my situation… but she spoke first.
”…Hah. Not just Ms. Iris, but you’re also trying to get involved with the members here?”
*Grab! Pull!*
She said that with a sigh and tried to pull me into the alley next to the “Silver Orchid” building by grabbing my arm.
From what has happened so far, it’s easy to guess what this woman is trying to do.
However, since Iris’s business inside is likely to end soon and she would come out, and I have no intention of doing anything in the middle of the city, I resisted.
Then… the woman looked at me suspiciously and said,
”…Do you prefer to do it in public?”
It seems she suspects I have a thing for exposure.
I quickly denied that.
’That’s not it. I was just brought here because of Iris’s business.’
”!?!”
She was surprised by my words.
It seemed it wasn’t the content of what I said, but rather that I spoke at all.
”…You could talk?”
’To be precise, my throat got better, and now I can speak.’
”You hurt your throat?”
’Yeah, it was a bit of an injury. Someone I know helped me find a person who could heal it.’
”I see.”
When I explained it that way, she easily accepted it, knowing I had just come to the city/street recently.
”You’re here in this city to heal your throat?”
’That’s not the only reason, though.’
She tightened her gaze again after I replied like that.
”So, does that mean you’ll be staying in this city for a while longer?”
’Yeah. I have Iris’s request too.’
”…Hah. I guess I have no choice but to deal with it.”
She pulled my arm again.
To discourage her enthusiasm, I resisted and said,
’I’m the kind of person who can do it as much as I want. I don’t plan to get involved with anyone here, and it would only be a loss for me, so you should stop.’
Of course, this is all based on the assumption that I’m taking that super effective nutrient supplement.
Hearing that, she loosened her grip on my arm and gave me an unexpected response.
”I don’t think it’s a loss at all.”
’…What do you mean?’
”You seem to care about your partner, and I don’t feel bad about it either.”
Maybe it was because I made her feel good while trying to get free.
I don’t remember treating her with that much care… What kind of men has she dealt with before?
It feels wrong to ask about what might be a painful past, so I decided to explain the situation here and change the subject while getting my arm released.
’For now, let go of my arm. Like I said earlier, I was brought here by Iris, and she should be coming out soon.’
”Ah, I see… What does she need?”
’Well, that’s…’
I explained to her that I came to negotiate about having Iris stay at the “Silver Orchid” base inside the dungeon.
”Already at the 4th District? That’s…”
As she was about to say something to me after hearing that explanation, the entrance of the building opened, and Iris peeked out.
”Mose, it seems we need to talk to you too… Oh? Ms. Nina, what are you doing here?”
”I’m here to make a little report since I’ve finished my morning duties.”
From that exchange, I learned that this woman’s name is Nina and that she has come to make some kind of report.
Whether that’s true or just a lie to cover up her tailing me is unclear at this point.
It seems like my involvement might affect the conversation later, but… I didn’t plan on that, and if I poke too much and it turns into “Well, let’s report about you too,” that would be a hassle.
So, I decided to set aside thoughts about Nina and shift the topic to Iris.
”So, Iris, I’m allowed to go in too, right?”
”Ah, yeah. But they said to leave weapons at the reception… is that okay?”
”I don’t mind that, but what about my armor?”
”That’s fine. As long as they can tell you mean no harm.”
”I see.”
Since I have no problem letting go of the one-handed axe I’m holding, I agree and say, “Then let’s go,” following Iris as she leads the way inside.
”I’ll come too.”
Nina says, but since she mentioned she had business here, I decide not to worry about it.
…
……
………
Once we enter the “Silver Orchid” building, there stood a fully armored and armed person right in front of us.
On either side of them were 2 armed women, all of them on guard, especially watching me.
In the midst of that, the person in front spoke to me.
”Welcome to ‘Silver Orchid.’ I’ve heard about your situation, but first, I need to take your weapons.”
I couldn’t see her face because she was fully armored, but I guessed from her body shape and stance that the person in front of me was also a woman.
In response to her words, I pulled out the one-handed axe I had stored behind my shield. The woman to her left quickly approached and took the axe from me.
”Hey…”
’No, it’s fine.’
Iris tried to protest against that response, but this was someone we were about to ask for permission to use the base.
Since she understood the situation, she wasn’t offended by the attitude, and I calmed her down.
”Ugh…”
”…Well then, this way please.”
Once the exchange settled with Iris’s dissatisfied expression, the armored woman started leading us to another room, making clanking sounds with her armor.
We followed her, and 2 armed people followed us.
Nina had started talking to the two at the reception, so it seemed she was reporting about our reason for coming here.
Was it true that she came to report?
*Clank.*
”Please, go ahead.”
While that was happening, I was prompted to enter a nearby room, and I stepped in without hesitation.
Inside the 6-tatami mat room, there was a long table and a set of chairs that divided the room in half, along with some decorations to maintain the appearance of a reception room.
The window looked like glass, but it was blocked from the outside by what seemed to be iron bars, so it couldn’t be opened.
Because of that, there was a small wooden window for ventilation placed high up.
”Is it alright if you sit at the back?”
’Yes, that’s fine.’
It seemed she wanted to secure the only entrance, likely out of caution for any trouble.
I couldn’t be held back, so it was necessary to either retreat or confine me to a room.
Since I had no intention of causing trouble, I sat in the back seat, and Iris sat next to me, while a woman in full armor took a seat across from us.
When the other 2 stood behind her, the seated woman opened her mouth.
”Well then… let’s introduce ourselves. My name is Shirley.”
’I am…’
”I’ve heard from Ms. Iris. You are Mr. Mose, right?”
’Yes.’
After I confirmed, Shirley nodded and got to the main topic.
I wondered if the reason no one commented on her hiding her face was that she was also hiding hers.
”Now, regarding Ms. Iris coming to this base in the 4th District… We can permit that.”
’When you say you can permit it, does that mean there’s a problem?’
I felt relieved that they seemed willing to accept Iris at the base, but I questioned her wording, thinking there might be some issue.
Shirley paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully to avoid any trouble.
”Our base also serves as a facility to protect women with certain circumstances, and in case anything happens, our representative Ferris will deal with the offender.”
So that’s what the facility was for.
No wonder they wouldn’t want men getting close, and anyone who could turn invisible would quickly come to investigate.
Putting it inside a dungeon was probably because, outside, legal issues would make it hard to deal with offenders right away.
Inside the dungeon, you could claim you were attacked by a monster, regardless of evidence or circumstances.
If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to create a city or street just for women somewhere outside the dungeon? But… there probably aren’t many places that aren’t claimed by any country where people can live, and if the land is owned by a country, there would definitely be legal issues that make it hard to just get rid of it.
I encourage the conversation to continue.
’So?’
”The reason we don’t even allow men to approach is that there were people who tried to invade by using women before. There was a woman who claimed she was being s*xually abused and sought protection, but she tried to pull in men as informants.”
’Is that so… But why would that woman cooperate with such a thing?’
”She was said to have had her sister taken hostage. In the end, it failed, and afterward, her sister went missing.”
’I see… Well, I understand why they can’t get close to the base. I never intended to get close anyway.’
In response to my reply, Ms. Shirley asks with a suspicious look.
”Well, about that… before getting close to the base, did you really go all the way to the 4th District?”
’Huh, well…’
”I heard from Ms. Iris that you went alone. The only person who does that in this city is Ferris, right? Are you saying you have the same power as Ferris?”
Huh, is that really the case?
I thought there were really strong people out there with titles and skills, just casually existing and aiming for treasures in the dungeon.
’Even if you say that, I don’t know Ms. Ferris… So, what exactly are you worried about?’
At that question, Ms. Shirley gave off a tense atmosphere.
”That’s because I suspect you don’t have the strength to reach the 4th District, and you’re planning to dispose of Ms. Iris since you can’t fulfill the contract with her.”
”Um…”
Iris seemed like she was about to argue, but I stopped her with my hand.
’That’s not my intention, but if that’s the case, I could just abandon her and run away, so there wouldn’t be a need to dispose of her, right?’
”There is a possibility that someone will be sent after her using some connections, and if that happens, she’ll have to live her life doubting everyone who approaches her. She won’t have a moment to relax, and even if someone she want to start a family with appears, she’ll have to think about the possibility of them being an enemy, so she can’t act on it. You wouldn’t want a life like that, would you?”
’In that case, disposing of me would remove that worry afterward, right? It makes sense in the flow of the conversation, but you’re assuming I can’t go to the 4th District from the start. I do have some evidence I got from the Gatekeeper, though…’
”Just having that doesn’t prove you defeated it.”
From her words, I sensed her intention.
’So, you want me to show my strength, right?’
”To put it simply, yes. Of course, it has to be inside the dungeon.”
’That makes sense… What about meeting someone in the 4th District and getting them to sign something?’
”The only ones who can confirm they are there are those who belong to our group, and only the representatives can leave the base, you know? If you approach carelessly… you’ll be attacked with enough power to easily break the outer wall of this city.”
’Wait, that’s…’
This is bad.
Regardless of that power, I don’t want to get too close to Ferris and the others.
They might realize I’m “Koji.”
Ugh, this has turned into a troublesome situation again.
With a companion from ‘Silver Orchid,’ I can’t fully use my power, and that makes it harder to deal with monsters while protecting Iris and Seria.
But even if I cancel the base plan here, it seems like she’s already suspicious about Iris from the way she talks…
Considering Iris’s goals, relying on just one woman’s body for the contract is way too risky, so they probably think I have no intention of fulfilling the contract.
Then… maybe I can use the skill ‘expand the shield’ like I did with Seria to cover this up.
There are magic wolves that spread electric shocks, so if I go ahead a bit, I could use magic threads to restrain them to some extent.
Thinking this, I decide to go along with Shirley’s suggestion.
’I understand. Let me show you my power to reach the 4th District.’
”…Is that really okay?”
My response seemed unexpected, as she probably thought I would quietly step back from Iris.
’Yes. However, I will be going ahead a bit. So, those who accompany me need to be able to fight reasonably well in the 3rd District.’
”That’s… true.”
Shirley looked a bit troubled.
If she’s worried here, it probably means there aren’t enough fighting forces left to safely pass through the 3rd District.
Could it be that only Ferris and the others are the only decent fighting force?
While I was thinking this, she suggested something.
”They may not be a fighting force, but… how about we assign one person as a watcher instead?”
’Just one person?’”
”Well, if you were planning to go to the 4th District while protecting Ms. Iris, wouldn’t it be fine to add one more person?”
’I was planning to bring one Cleric along, but…’
”Yes, I’ve heard that. So I thought you might not intend to dispose of Ms. Iris, but I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility of collusion…”
So, they had heard about Seria too.
It seems they considered that since Seria’s healing magic is not very strong, it might be possible that she was involved in a plan that led to Iris’s unavoidable death.
’In that case, there should be a reason for that Cleric to cooperate with me.’
”Not everything leaves behind evidence, you know?”
It seems they are implying that there might be some romantic involvement as well.
Well, there are people in the world who do all sorts of things just based on their feelings for someone…
As I recall some news from my past life, Ms. Shirley brings the conversation back to the main topic.
”So, that means there will be 3 companions. If it were a larger group, it might be different, but how about this number?”
It does seem a bit strange to say that I can protect 2 people but not 3.
With more people, the monsters’ attention would be spread out, and if we have them defend back-to-back, the danger for each person could be reduced.
Of course, that depends on the strength of the monsters, but I thought that even if it was tough, I should be able to handle a small number of them.
After all, I’m insisting that I can go to the 4th District alone.
Hmm… If there’s only one guard, it should be easier to trick their eyes, and I might get more chances to use the magic thread, so the danger level goes down.
So, I decided to accept Shirley’s suggestion.
’I understand, that sounds good. So, who will be the guard?’
”Well, then…”
Just as she was about to say something, there was a knock on the door.
*Knock, knock.*
”Excuse me, I brought the tea…”
”Oh, perfect timing. Please come in.”
At those words, one of the women waiting outside opened the door, and Shirley pointed to her.
*Creak, squeak.*
”Her.”
”Huh?”
The voice that spoke up was… Nina, the one who brought the tea.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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