Chapter 265

Miss Amarilith came back after about ten minutes. She was holding some very expensive-looking cloth… It was a cape.

“Unfortunately, it’s not made of dragon materials.”

She said with a chuckle. We may have been in the Imperial Capital, but that didn’t mean they just had dragon capes lying around. Still, what she was holding looked pretty impressive. It was pure white.

“The fibers are beautiful. What is this made of?”

“It is made from the web of spiders that live in the snow fields.”

“Spiders?”

“Yes. The ‘Snow Arachne.’ They are half spider and half human.”

“I see…”

I always thought those demi-humans were cute. Not that I would tell Daniela. Besides, they tended to be rather vicious in this world. They were monsters, after all. Sometimes I wondered what would happen if it was possible to communicate. Still, that wasn’t realistic.

“Are they pretty?”

“Asagi?”

But I was curious. Even the promise of an angry glare from Daniela could not stop me.

“Hmm? Snow Arachnes are male.”

“…”

But I thought Arachnes were female!? Who named them!?

“Well, it is said that they are handsome. Perhaps you should be careful they don’t take Daniela.”

“I have no use for other men.”

Daniela said flatly. While those words made me happy, the stony look in her eye dampened the effect a little.

In any case, I picked up the cape and looked at it. It felt nice. So, this texture was the result of some handsome guy’s webs…

It was better to not think about it.

Regardless of its origins, it was a high-quality product.

“How is it in terms of protecting you from the cold and physical attacks?”

“It’s the best I have, currently. It should be warm and very durable. It is also waterproof and does not get dirty very easily.”

“I was never going to insist on a dragon cape, but there really are other good ones, huh?”

My first full set had been dragon, and it had helped me through many battles. So in a way, it had narrowed my idea of what was reliable. I would have to fix that. We were going dungeon crawling. We would have to use whatever we could, regardless of what it was made of if we wanted to survive.

“I’ll take it then.”

“Thank you. It is eighteen in gold.”

“That’s rather cheap.”

“No, it is just dragon that is expensive.”

I see. I see. There weren’t many people who could fight and win against those things. Not only that, but there weren’t even that many dragons out there. Most Adventurers would get by with equipment made by ordinary monsters. And eighteen in gold wasn’t actually cheap.

“Thank you!”

I took the money out of my wallet and handed it to her. Miss Amarilith counted it carefully and then offered me the cape with a big smile on her face.

“By the way, seeing as you needed this, are you leaving the city?”

“Yes. We’re going to investigate the town to the south. We’ll have to return once to make a report…but after that…we haven’t exactly decided.”

I looked over to Daniela and she nodded. We would figure that out once we were finished with the investigation.

“So, we may never see each other again.”

“Maybe. But we’re very thankful for everything that you’ve done.”

“Oh, drop it. It’s all just business for me!”

She said with an embarrassed laugh. I doubted anyone else would have been able to repair my equipment. And it was the same with this cape. In a way, I had her to thank for my position in the tournament.

“Thank you. We’ll try to come back if we can.”

“I see. Maybe business will be good enough that I’ll have a bigger store by then. You won’t have any trouble finding me then.”

She offered her hand and I shook it. The hands of crafters were always bigger than they seemed.

I then put on the cape and pulled my hood out from under it. Hmm, the color suited me well. Once I was finished, I looked to the side on saw Daniela saying her farewells to Miss Amarilith.

“Goodbye then.”

“Aye, be careful!”

We closed the door and left Solitude behind us. The best tailor in the capital. I would advise any new visitors to the city to give it a look. I’m sure they will find something that is perfect for them.

Now, we were fully prepared. Nothing was left undone. We bought what we needed.

We even had potions for dealing with potential threats.

“So, the last thing to do would be to go accept the quest at the guild.”

“Yes.”

Investigating the Reserentrible Labyrinth. We might not even be allowed to enter the town if we didn’t accept it. Security would be pretty tight there these days. The last thing they wanted was for merchants and travelers to wander in.

“I have not told you about this, Asagi, but I have encountered a similar situation once. These ‘labyrinth disasters.’”

“You have?”

Daniela told me as we walked to the guild. Apparently, they called this a labyrinth disaster. The dungeon cores that lay deep in the dungeons were set to react in certain ways. Once you touched it, the trap was activated. There were not enough case studies to be able to predict what would happen. But Daniela assured me that they would all be bad.

“This dungeon is especially close to the imperial capital. And so many merchants and Adventurers gathered in this town. That is why the damage is so immense.”

“So, we’ll have to help people while we investigate it then.”

“No, I do not think that is important.”

“Huh?”

But if the dungeon was encroaching on a town with a large population, then surely there would be people who are wounded if not worse.

“The residents are well aware of the dangers of living near a dungeon. They are not going to plead for help once the fangs turn towards them.”

“That might be true, but…”

“In fact, you are made to sign such an agreement before moving there.”

“I see…”

Danger and business were side by side. I guess it was true no matter where you were. Daniela chuckled and continued.

“Besides, the residents are likely tough. I am sure they are already trying to make a profit off of this.”

“Hehe. I suppose.”

Merchants never let an opportunity to make money slip passed them. Perhaps there was a lot of interesting stuff to discover there. I was feeling a mixture of excitement and apprehension.

“So, what was this ‘labyrinth disaster’ thing like when you encountered it?”

“Let me see…it was nearly thirty years ago. The town was also right above the dungeon. No one had ever conquered it, and it swallowed up many Adventurers for years. Those were the rumors that attracted me to it. The disaster happened just before I arrived.”

Thirty years ago… Daniela still looked young now. She would be close to thirty in human years. However, she looked closer to my own age.

“It was a normal town. There was a protective wall and houses within… And the dungeon was in the center. And then the dungeon suddenly shot towards the sky.”

“It what?”

“Yes. It became a gigantic tower.”

That was hard to imagine. The town became a tower? So many people must have died. All of those houses… You could open your door one day and find yourself suddenly facing a monster.

“What happened after that?”

“I and many other Adventurers entered the tower…but the monsters were too strong… And so I had to give up and retreat.”

“It’s important to know when to fall back.”

“It was not worth risking my life, yes. I have not heard any news about it since then, so it is probably still there. Unconquered.”

A town with a giant tower… It sounded kind of interesting. But, well, priorities. Maybe this tower would be something we could consider after gaining some experience.

As I listened to Daniela’s story, the guild came into view. Now we just had to accept the quest and leave the city.

“…Hmm?”

“Oh, hello.”

When I opened the door, Lemon and Manager were standing there.