Chapter 232: Secrets Are Hard to Keep
“A labyrinth, huh? I want to check it out, but…”
It’s quite a distance from Kanum, and we’d have to go through the Fortress City.
“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask, you really hate the Fortress City, don’t you?”
Retze’s tone was more of a confirmation than a question. How did he find out!
“Well, I haven’t heard anything about you going to the Fortress City, but did something bad happen?”
Dean looked at me in surprise.
“The food here is way better than in Kanum. Why is that?”
Chris, don’t judge my standards based on food!
“I won’t drag you to a brothel or anything, don’t worry.”
Dean said.
I have no intention of going to a brothel, but I won’t stop anyone else. If they don’t make a profit, they won’t be able to leave their contracts, and they’ll just get sold off to worse places.
Seeing the Slave Market makes me think it’s better than that. Even at the relatively decent Slave Market in Naruadeid, I couldn’t handle it. Especially since the Slave Market for meat slaves isn’t around here thanks to the Demon Forest, but just knowing it exists is tough.
I don’t plan to get involved, so I won’t say anything against it either.
“Since we need to stock up on supplies, skipping it would be tough. Oh, count me in. I want to scout the place before taking the kids.”
Dinoss said while drinking beer and flipping over an onion.
“Awesome!”
“Thanks!”
Dean and Chris beamed at Dinoss’s declaration of participation.
“Wait. Is it okay to go with strong people?”
Is that allowed? Rich folks can just rank up without any real skill.
“Connections are part of strength, so it’s fine.”
Dean said, pouring himself another beer.
“The designated target floor changes depending on the number of participants and their ranks.”
“Got it.”
I nodded at Chris’s explanation.
“Even so, if we end up meeting in the labyrinth, the Guild won’t be able to verify who helped whom, so it’s pretty loose.”
“Is that really okay for the Adventurer’s Guild?”
Dean’s words made me doubt it again.
“Adventurers just need to fulfill their requests and return safely.”
He’s starting to say some extreme stuff!? He must be getting tipsy.
When Dean starts drinking, his behavior becomes amusing and light-hearted. He gets drunk quickly, but it takes a while for him to completely pass out. Chris is the type to sip on stronger drinks, so he stays sober longer, but he usually ends up drunk around the same time as Dean.
Dinoss is strong with alcohol and rarely gets completely wasted, just cheerful. Retze often gets drunk when he’s with Dean and Chris, but he controls his intake when he has requests the next day, choosing the time and place to get drunk.
“How about we go to a different labyrinth? Should we separate for Gene?”
“Hmm. I’ll go with you.”
I answered Retze, who was checking in.
We decided on a departure date and continued our meal. The thick meat was finally cooked, and Dean started slicing it. Here, meat is usually over two centimeters thick. Mixing in Japanese styles, the thin cuts don’t get too greasy and cook quickly, which is nice.
As the meat was served, corn was added as a dessert.
“This corn has kernels all over it.”
Retze observed it closely.
He usually doesn’t examine things that are obviously different from what he’s used to, but he takes his time with things that look similar yet different. Maybe he’s just waiting for it to cook.
I moved some shishito peppers onto Dean’s plate. Eat some vegetables instead of just meat and carbs, come on!
“Thinking about how we might not eat for a while in the labyrinth makes this vegetable taste even better.”
Dean said, biting into the shishito I added to his plate.
“I wonder if Ash and Karn will join us?”
Karn seems like he’d be interested in moving around the city or traveling. He said it was his first time riding a horse since coming here.
…I can already imagine someone saying they have camels.
“I plan to ask, but what about Karn’s husband?”
Dean tilted his head.
“I know he’s strong enough to handle the labyrinth, but he seems more interested in city life than fighting Demon Beasts. I feel like he’d decline if invited.”
Chris shrugged.
“Yeah, being over a thousand years old, the city must seem pretty fascinating to him.”
“Over a thousand years?”
“When you say it, it sounds like a joke.”
But it’s true!
“Well, you know, every time we talk about this, it feels like I’m looking at a version of myself from a while ago.”
“Yeah. Totally.”
Dinoss and Retze exchanged words, observing the two.
“Wait a second, that reaction…”
Dean caught on, looking a bit displeased.
“Give it up.”
Retze said, averting his gaze from Dean and Chris.
It’s not my fault that Karn is over a thousand years old! By the time I found him, he had already lived for over a millennium!