Chapter 52
I went to Boron’s smithy.
“I’m here.”
Boron was staring blankly into space.
Jeong Yushin waved a hand in front of Boron’s face.
“What’s wrong?”
“···Oh. You’re here?”
“Why are you staring so blankly?”
Bang!! Clang!! Bang!!
The sound of hammering came from beyond the wooden door in the corner of the smithy.
Jeong Yushin smiled warmly.
“Working that hard... You really found yourself a fine assistant.”
“Hahahaha.”
Boron suddenly laughed.
‘Is he that happy?’
Jeong Yushin laughed along.
“Kugh!”
Boron choked up. Thick tears welled up from his eyes.
???
“What’s wrong?”
Boron rose without answering and entered the room where the hammering was coming from.
Jeong Yushin followed him inside. A wave of intense heat washed over him. Ainhofer was hammering a red-hot sword.
He looked a little thinner, but not enough to be worrisome.
Bang!! Clang!! Ting!!!
The sword crumpled.
“Whoops. My hand slipped.”
Boron quickly lowered his head.
Crash!!!
The hammer flew into a pile of weapons and armor stacked in the corner, creating all kinds of noise.
“Stop it already!”
“Master, I think I’ll reach it if I just do a little more.”
Ainhofer replied.
“We’re going bankrupt! Look at those piles of junk! When are you going to make any money?!”
Boron shouted.
“I’m almost there.”
“Gasp!”
At Ainhofer’s reply, Boron clutched the back of his neck.
“Ainhofer.”
Jeong Yushin greeted him.
“You’re here.”
Ainhofer accepted the greeting with a smile.
His face and body were drenched in sweat, but his eyes sparkled like stars.
It was a beautiful sight: someone working hard.
“I’ll be cheering you on.”
“Thank you.”
Jeong Yushin pulled Boron, who had slumped to the floor, out of the room.
Boron looked much older in the meantime.
Jeong Yushin pulled out some money and pressed it into his hand. It was payment for the longsword he had taken on credit last time.
“I’d like to buy a set of hard leather armor.”
“···You’re not planning to repair the light armor?”
“I did bring it along.”
“Show me.”
He took the tattered light armor out of his backpack and showed it to Boron.
Boron clicked his tongue.
“This is completely beyond repair. Have a new one made.”
“I don’t have the money.”
“Why not?”
“I spent most of it running the inn.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
Jeong Yushin briefly explained what had happened last time.
“···Even so. You entrusted an inn to a Barbaroi.”
“Let’s drop it. I’m sick to death of hearing things like ‘letting a cat guard a fish shop’ and so on.”
“I didn’t say anything. I was just thinking you’d built a fish farm, that’s all. You know, one where you take out a fish and gobble it down whenever you’re bored.”
Boron scratched his head as he answered.
‘That’s the same thing, you bastard.’
Jeong Yushin’s expression crumpled like one of Ainhofer’s failed creations.
“Do you not want my business?”
“All right, all right. Why won’t you let me say anything? Tsk.”
Boron clicked his tongue and brought over a set of leather armor from the corner.
It was a simple set of leather armor that covered only the shoulders and torso.
“Whew, thirty silver coins.”
“Huh.”
His money was draining away.
“Here, you’ll need a helmet too.”
Boron naturally brought over an iron helmet as well.
Jeong Yushin examined the helmet from every angle, then asked,
“What’s this little pot?”
“It’s a helmet.”
It was a helmet similar to a kettle helm.
“It just looks like an iron hat.”
“It’s a useful piece. It gives you a wide field of vision. There’s a leather strap inside that you can tighten under your chin. It stays in place and is comfortable. Give me just ten silver coins.”
Isn’t he just dumping his rejects on me?
Jeong Yushin sighed, pulled out some silver coins, and handed them over.
“Bring some liquor next time you come.”
“Did you leave liquor with me or something?”
“...”
Boron glared at Jeong Yushin.
“Just kidding. I’ll bring you a good bottle later.”
“You’d better.”
Jeong Yushin put on the leather armor and kettle helm, then left the smithy.
Unlike the barbuta, the kettle helm’s pot-lid shape gave him a wide-open field of vision. It was also easier to breathe in.
* * *
The next evening.
Jeong Yushin checked his equipment and went down to the inn hall on the first floor.
Tarman approached him.
“Are you leaving?”
“Yeah. Don’t leave dinner out for me. I have to stand watch in front of the labyrinth until dawn.”
“Understood. Please wait just a moment.”
Tarman hurried into the kitchen, then returned carrying a cloth-wrapped bundle.
“I prepared this in case you got hungry tonight.”
A packed meal?
“Thanks. Contact me right away if anything happens.”
“Understood. Have a safe trip.”
Jeong Yushin accepted Tarman’s farewell and left the inn.
It was a summer evening, with the sun beginning to set.
He walked through the streets in the cooling breeze.
He headed toward the labyrinth entrance against the flow of people returning to the city after finishing their adventures.
“Ska, mixed-blood Barbaroi. Confirmed.”
The guard captain returned Jeong Yushin’s pass as he spoke.
When he arrived at the guard post by the labyrinth entrance, the guard captain was sitting at a desk.
“Nothing special. Just keep your eyes open, stand watch, and check that nothing seems wrong with the people entering and leaving the labyrinth.”
The guard captain was a human man in his forties with a sparse beard.
The guard captain scratched his greasy hair.
“Have we met somewhere before?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Really? You seem strangely familiar. You’re well equipped, too. Leather armor and a kettle helm. You know your stuff. It’s comfortable to wear in summer.”
“I see.”
“Did you bring anything else?”
“I brought a packed meal.”
“I’ll take a quick look. A few of the applicants have been caught drinking, you see.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
Jeong Yushin placed the bundle on the table.
The guard captain cleared his throat and opened the bundle.
“···You’re clearly loved by your wife.”
The guard captain looked at the contents of the wooden lunchbox and remarked,
The wooden lunchbox contained steak sandwiches cut into easy-to-eat pieces.
Jeong Yushin scratched the back of his head.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?”
“I’ve never been married.”
The guard captain’s eyes widened.
“···Then what? Don’t tell me it’s a married woman? You crazy Barbaroi bastard.”
Why did a married woman suddenly enter the conversation?
“You’ve got the wrong idea. A friend who works at the inn packed it for me.”
“Your friend is devoted. A childhood friend of yours?”
“No.”
“I see. Speaking of childhood friends, I once, back in the countryside...”
The guard captain began rambling about his memories as he gazed wistfully into space.
Jeong Yushin propped his chin on his hand and let the guard captain’s story go in one ear and out the other. Whenever he gave an appropriate response or interjection, the guard captain grew excited and talked even more.
“···So I told that childhood friend of mine.”
Clatter!!!
“Captain.”
A mole beastman opened the guard post door and entered.
“What is it? I’m at the important part.”
“I’m here because one of today’s guards is absent.”
“He’s right here.”
The guard captain pointed at Jeong Yushin.
“A mixed-blood Barbaroi? Follow me.”
“Put him somewhere tough. He’s an obnoxious bastard who lives leisurely, sleeping soundly with a married childhood friend.”
Jeong Yushin turned and stared blankly at the guard captain.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Just kidding. Take this packed meal with you too.”
‘What a weird guy.’
Jeong Yushin clicked his tongue inwardly, slung the bundle over his shoulder, and followed the mole beastman out.
“You know the labyrinth’s transfer array has an entrance and an exit, right?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll watch the exit. I’ll show you where to stand.”
Jeong Yushin followed the mole beastman, then looked up at the labyrinth.
A black monolith.
It was so tall and massive that it put most buildings to shame.
The moonlight made it look even more imposing.
The entrance was in a place illuminated by moonlight.
The exit was in the shadow of the monolith, where not a single ray of light reached.
Dozens of torches had been placed some distance from the exit magic circle.
And as if that weren’t enough, there were crystal balls emitting bright light as well.
Guards in plate armor and people equipped with weapons of their own stood around the torches.
There were about forty of them.
The mole beastman led Jeong Yushin directly in front of the exit magic circle.
“We’re in groups of four.”
The mole beastman continued,
“You may sit on the ground, but don’t lie down. Obviously, don’t sleep either. You may eat, but no cooking. And of course, no mating.”
“Understood.”
The mole beastman left and returned to the guard post.
Jeong Yushin surveyed the people gathered around the torches.
A frog beastman wearing a robe.
A man in an iron mask with a greatsword resting on the ground.
And.
“An ogre?”
He had seen one once at the monster disassembly center. He remembered how tough its hide had been and how difficult it was to skin. This one was smaller than the ogre he had seen at the disassembly center.
“I’m a half-ogre, Barbaroi.”
The ogre, who was wearing a scrap of cloth embroidered with the guard insignia, spoke.
So that’s why he was smaller.
Still.
“Your mother must have had a hard time.”
“Rude bastard. My father was human.”
“Your father had unusual tastes. I’ll give him that.”
“I’m joking. Actually, both my parents were human. I was changed like this after receiving an Ogre Imprint. Call me Stone Fist.”
“Ska.”
“Were you that butcher Ska? The guy who entered the Eastern District and slaughtered all those slave hunters?”
“···Butcher?”
“···You butchered them so brutally, and now you’re tilting your head? The underlings nearly sweated themselves dry cleaning up the dismembered, mangled corpses. That’s how you got the name.”
Jeong Yushin frowned at the ominous epithet he had acquired.
“They deserved killing. And judging by how you talk, are you one of the underworld guys too?”
“That’s right. There isn’t anyone in the Eastern District who isn’t involved with the underworld.”
“That’s not true.”
The frog beastman suddenly interrupted.
Jeong Yushin had expected him to croak, but his voice was surprisingly deep and dignified.
“Kroak. I’m a mid-level priest who serves the Water Spirit God. To return to the topic, there are people in the Eastern District who live without belonging to a clan. People like me, for example.”
“Is there a temple serving the Water Spirit God in the Eastern District?”
“There is. More precisely, it’s underground in the Eastern District.”
That was another fact he hadn’t known.
There was an underground beneath the Eastern District.
“Why is there an underground in the Eastern District?”
“Some people who received Monster Imprints were vulnerable to winter and sunlight. That’s why it was built.”
I see.
He nodded instinctively as new information about the labyrinth was revealed one piece at a time.
Then someone’s sarcastic voice came from far away.
“The monsters are having a grand old time together.”
When he turned his head, a bull beastman was standing there. Various others surrounded him, including dog, rabbit, and rat beastmen.
“···Just ignore him.”
The half-ogre Stone Fist spoke.
“Why should I get angry? You’re the one with the Monster Imprint.”
“...”
Then the bull beastman opened his mouth again.
“That includes you, Barbaroi. You crazy dick-monster.”
“Why are you picking a fight all of a sudden? You should quietly eat your feed. Moo-o-o. Get lost. Kch, spit!”
The bull beastman stared blankly at Jeong Yushin in response to the sudden profanity.
A vein bulged on the bull beastman’s forehead.
“···Have you lost your mind, you little mixed-blood? Get up. Let’s talk with our horns.”
The bull beastman sprang to his feet as he spoke.
“Moo. No. Moo.”
“···You lunatic!”
“Enough!”
One of the guards intervened and shouted.
“That’s enough. You’re not stationed here to fight.”
“Yes.”
“Snort!”
The bull beastman snorted and turned away.
“···You’ve got a spicy tongue, friend.”
When Jeong Yushin sat back down, the half-ogre Stone Fist spoke.
“You’re a man who speaks frankly. You’re different from when we first met.”
The iron-masked man spoke in a voice tinged with laughter.
“If we’ve met twice, even by chance, it’s fate. Call me Iron Mask. May I call you Ska?”
“Yes. Call me whatever you like.”
He was a man Jeong Yushin had already seen before. He looked little different from when Jeong Yushin had first seen him.
Four men of different races sat around the torch.
A lukewarm summer-night breeze swept past, making the torches flicker.
“Let’s get back to the massacre at the tavern.”
Wasn’t that settled?
This half-ogre was really persistent.
“He kidnapped and killed children. That was the price he paid.”
“He deserved to die.”
Iron Mask nodded.
“Really? Tsk. They were pathetic bastards.”
The half-ogre Stone Fist folded his arms and nodded.
Unable to hold it in any longer, Jeong Yushin blurted out,
“I’m Labyrinth City’s righteous man—the conscience that takes action. That’s what I’m saying.”
“...”
“...”
An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment.
The frog beastman’s eyes darted around. The half-ogre suddenly fixed his gaze on the magic circle, while Iron Mask stroked his greatsword.
As the atmosphere grew strange, Jeong Yushin looked around.
Some people were chewing jerky, while others were discussing which smithy’s weapons were worth using.
Most of them had brought folding chairs and were sitting comfortably.
After looking around, Jeong Yushin spoke.
“···But, you know. There seem to be rather a lot of people for a guard detail.”
“W-well, the reason is simple. It’s because people who receive strange Imprints sometimes appear. We stand guard like this to prevent accidents before they happen.”
The frog beastman answered Jeong Yushin’s question.
“What are strange Imprints?”
“For example, a Monster Imprint. There are many others besides that.”
“A Monster Imprint? Even if someone turned into a monster, I don’t think the guards would suddenly rush over and kill them.”
“It depends on the circumstances. Turning into a monster creates one problem.”
The frog beastman glanced at the half-ogre as he spoke.
“···When you turn into a monster, you develop a monstrous nature. Some people can withstand it, while others are consumed by it.”
The half-ogre answered instead.
“Can they come back if the Imprint is erased?”
Stone Fist held his chin, thought for a moment, then opened his mouth.
“Some return, and some don’t. If I had to establish a rule, the more magic-power adaptation they’ve undergone and the lower the rank of the monster they transform into, the greater the chance they’ll return with their minds intact.”
Magic-power adaptation?
Does that mean leveling up?
To sum it up.
“You’re saying that if they level up a lot and transform into an insignificant monster, they can retain their sanity?”
“That’s right. But it isn’t certain. Once the monstrous nature consumes you, it’s difficult to return to your senses even if the Imprint is erased.”
The frog beastman Kroak nodded as he answered.
Jeong Yushin looked at the half-ogre Stone Fist.
“Barbaroi, my mind is perfectly sound, so don’t worry.”
“I wasn’t worried.”
“...”
Another awkward silence drifted around the torches.
With nothing else to talk about, Jeong Yushin lost himself in thought.
Shiver.
A cold chill suddenly ran down his spine.
Whoosh!
Jeong Yushin rose and looked around. A sword was already in his hand.
Only then did several people recognize Jeong Yushin and begin murmuring.
“···A Barbaroi?”
“He’s still young.”
“He’s a mixed-blood.”
“What is it, Barbaroi? Are you in heat or something?”
The bull beastman taunted him again.
“...”
Jeong Yushin ignored the bull beastman’s words.
The lackeys gathered around the bull beastman laughed and continued talking, but he let their words pass in one ear and out the other.
The murderous gaze vanished like the wind.
‘Who the hell is it?’
Jeong Yushin widened his field of vision and looked farther away. He could see the relief station and the guild exchange office. A small light leaked from the relief station, but that was all.
Several guards were staring intently at him.
Jeong Yushin reluctantly sat back down and looked at the magic circle again.
The half-ogre Stone Fist looked down at Jeong Yushin with an uneasy expression.
“Barbaroi, I suppose you should worry about your sanity first.”
“It does go back and forth a little.”
At Jeong Yushin’s answer, the three men subtly moved backward.
“But I did feel something like killing intent. That part is true.”
“I-is that so.”
The frog beastman Kroak stammered in reply.
Jeong Yushin’s gaze remained fixed on the labyrinth’s exit magic circle, but his thoughts were tangled together.
What kind of bastard could it be?
Kain?
No. If he were a knight commander, he would have come himself and cut off Jeong Yushin’s head.
The underworld guys from the Eastern District?
Would they be the kind of people to boldly spread killing intent here?
Jeong Yushin reserved judgment.
He had exchanged a few words with the half-ogre Stone Fist, and the man did not seem particularly bad. It might have been Jeong Yushin’s misconception, but Stone Fist seemed like the sort of man who knew where to draw the line.
Jeong Yushin stroked his chin, considering and discarding various possibilities.
‘This really is a difficult city.’
Jeong Yushin’s eyes darkened.
The darkness of night deepened as well.