Chapter 424

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Town of Gista

When we arrived in the town of Gista, we headed straight to the Adventurers’ Guild.

“Hey, Tak.u.mi, we meet again!”

“Oh, Sieg-san!”

Then, luckily enough, we encountered Sieg-san whom we had met right in front of the Dungeon of Scorching Heat as soon as we entered the guild.

“What, could it be that you are just returning from the dungeon? I thought if it was you, Tak.u.mi, you would have finished conquering at least the first floor and come to the town sooner… Perhaps, have you even gone partway through the second floor already?”

“……”

If it’s just conquering the first floor, it would probably take around two or three days, even if you take your time. That’s just my a.s.sumption, though.

However, we met at the dungeon… I’m not exactly sure, but it was probably about six days ago. So, I think Sieg-san was surprised that it took a little longer, and he probably guessed that we had gone through part of the second floor as well.

Given the context of this conversation, is it acceptable to say that we’ve conquered up to the fifth floor… I wonder?

“”No, that’s not it!””

“Ah!”

I hurriedly covered Allen’s and Elena’s mouths. They were definitely about to say that we had finished up to the fifth floor.

“… Alright, Tak.u.mi, do you have time? It’s lunchtime, let’s go to the dining hall together. Of course, somewhere with private rooms. We can have a thorough conversation there! What do you say?”

“Hahaha~…”

Sieg-san seemed to have sensed something was up and was guiding us towards a private room where our conversation wouldn’t be overheard by others.

“Just so you know, I did say we’ll have a thorough conversation, but if you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to. Of course, I’ll listen carefully if you’re willing to tell me, though~”

“Well, it’s not like it’s a secret or anything… but I think you might be surprised. So, if you can mentally prepare yourself, I’ll tell you.”

Even if we try to keep it a secret, it seems like it might get out eventually, and we probably won’t be able to keep it confidential among ourselves. So, I feel like it would be easier to just talk about somewhere else without any fuss, right~

“Oh, really? Well then, I’ll prepare myself mentally. Go ahead and tell me!”

“Is it okay if it’s just you, Sieg-san? What about the other members?”

“Oh, about them, I already sent someone to call them, and I have arranged to meet them at the restaurant.”

“Wow, everyone’s here already…”

Somewhere along the line, arrangements had been made for the other members of the ‘Ice Blade’ to gather.

“Here we are.”

“”Here?””

“Sieg-san, over here!”

“Uwah, everyone’s already here!”

As we entered the restaurant, there were already four members of the ‘Ice Blade’ gathered there, and Oscar-san noticed us and waved.

“This is odd, isn’t it? Why is everyone already here? Didn’t Sieg-san just send the message a little while ago?”

“I was surprised by that too. Since this is the inn we’re staying at, I thought one or two people would join quickly, but it seems like everyone stayed at the inn instead of going out.”

“That’s right. Warren-san and Nick were reading in their room, and Valda and I were drinking.”

“Heh~”

It seemed like two of them had been drinking since before noon.

“For everyone except me to not have gone out, that’s unexpected! They really are a bunch of recluses.”

Even Sieg-san seemed to be looking at his party members with a mix of exasperation and amus.e.m.e.nt.

“Recluses! Allen is one too~!”

“Elena’s too~!”

“Nono, would you really call what you two do ‘reclusiveness’?”

“”Is that so?””

“I mean, not leaving the room at all for the whole day… Have you two ever done that~?”

“”Huh~?””

“Didn’t you go out to the garden or wander around the mansion?”

“”We did~””

Staying within the Ruven estate’s grounds without going outside is something that’s happened a few times, but rarely would they not leave their own rooms. At most, they’d laze around on the bed in the morning… that’s about it. The rest of the time, they’re reasonably active. Well, you could say they’re staying indoors, but considering the size of the estate, it’s a bit different from being a recluse in my opinion.

“We weren’t recluses!”

“Not at all~”

“Oh, I, I see…”

The kids were quick to correct themselves to Sieg-san, leaving him a bit bewildered in response.

“Um, is this place both an inn and a restaurant?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Who’s in charge here? Do you know if there are any rooms available?”

Since it’s an inn, I thought I’d secure lodging for tonight.

“Niichan, we do have rooms available, but… I’m afraid there are only single rooms left.”

“That’s not a problem. We’ll take a single room then. One adult and two children.”

The apologetic look from the staff was probably because, even though they’re kids, we’re a group of three and there’s only single rooms available. However, my kids are still too young to be using separate rooms.

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“”Sleeping together~””

Even on a single bed, we can still manage to squeeze together, and if it’s cramped, I can temporarily store the built-in bed in the Infinite Storage and use the larger bed I have… However, it might be a good idea to start getting them used to sleeping separately. Well, I’ll think about that later.

“Now that we’ve secured a room, shall we have a meal?”

“”Food, food~””

“I heard that you preferred a private room. One is available.”

“Thank you. Oh, right. Could you use this for the meal you prepare for us?”

I suddenly took out a pink rock salt from the Infinite Storage, which I had obtained from the Dungeon of Scorching Heat

I had the idea of trying the taste of the food others make with it.

“Wow! Isn’t that the Scorching Pink Rock Salt? You found one!”

“……”

… Huh? Is this level of surprise an indication that it’s unexpectedly rare?

“Alright, we’ve got more reasons for a private room now!”

“… Ehhh~”

“Come on, let’s go.”

“Hey! Wait! Salt! I don’t mind you using it, so please don’t hold back!”

We were about to be led to a private room by Sieg-san and the others, so I managed to hand the salt to the restaurant staff before moving.

“Now then, Tak.u.mi. Let me confirm first. When you guys first met us, it was also the first time you delved into the Scorching Heat, correct?”

“Oh, um, yes, that’s right?”

Once we settled into our seats, the question time from Sieg-san and the others began.

“Wow! So does that mean you can find this rock salt even on the first floor!?”

“Oscar, we don’t know that yet.—Tak.u.mi, you said we could ask if we wanted to know earlier. How many floors did you go through?”

“Um…”

“”Five floors!””

“””””What!?”””””

Sieg-san was asking us about the floors we conquered this time. I did say we’d tell if they wanted to know, but I hesitated for a moment, so the kids easily answered. Upon hearing their response, Sieg-san and the others had their eyes widen, taking in a sharp breath.

“What!? You went all the way to the fifth floor in one go!?”

“”Yeah, we did~””

“No way!”

“”It’s not a lie~””

“Wait, so, roughly one floor per day?”

“”That’s right~””

Sieg-san’s words sounded more like exclamations than questions, and the kids were casually responding with nods. It was interesting to watch.

“Oh man… I thought I was mentally prepared, but I’m still surprised.”

“Hahaha~”

Seems like his mental preparation was in vain. Sieg-san looked a bit tired.

“Oh well~ You guys are amazing. Even though they’re lower floors, to conquer five floors in one go~”

“In our party, we have members with good instincts, a keen sense of smell, the ability to scout from high places, and good mobility. So, we have advantages when it comes to conquering.”

“I see, that’s envy-worthy.”

After hearing my words, Sieg-san seemed to remember Joule and the others. He nodded as if he understood. Thanks to everyone’s abilities, the progress of the conquest was going smoothly, especially timewise~

“Speaking of which, is that halite really that amazing? I was quite surprised…”

Since I didn’t have a grasp of the market value of rock salt, I decided to ask honestly.

“That rock of salt is mined beyond the tenth floor, so it’s not that common. That’s why it commands quite a high price. If it’s found on the lower floors, I can imagine adventurers in this town rus.h.i.+ng to get it.”

“I see.”

So, halite is quite valuable after all.

“To be honest, I’m curious where you found it… Oh, but if you want to keep it a secret, you don’t have to tell me.”

“No, it’s not that I want to keep it a secret… oh, wait, we found it on the second floor?”

“”We found a lot~””

“Second floor!? And there were a lot of them!?”

“Yeah, well…”

It’s something that supposedly can’t be mined in large quant.i.ties, but we managed to find quite a lot. As expected of Allen and Elena, I guess?

“Hey there, we’re serving! The food’s ready~”

“”Food time!””

The conversation was interrupted as the food was brought to us.