「Ugh... My head hurts...」Grey

It was still early in the morning, but I felt like going to sleep once again. And I don't know if it was because of not getting any sleep, but my head sure was hurting a lot.

I guess even S-rankers can't escape suffering from a headache. Thankfully, I know how to use recovery magi, and so, I wouldn't need to suffer a headache throughout the whole day.

「《Cure》.」Grey

Ahh... That's much better.

Come to think of it, this was all Kris-san's fault. If he didn't force me to try confessing, that embarrassing moment wouldn't have happened. And thanks to my『Memory』, I'm sure I would remember that moment for the rest of my life.

Luckily, Rhodes-san didn't ask me to help him out in the kitchen today. He said he wanted to try new things out with the tomato sauce I taught him.

I was about to lie down in bed and laze around, when suddenly, I remembered something very important.

Isn't today the labyrinth's opening day...? Crap! Today's the labyrinth's opening!!

Realizing what day it was, I quickly got out of the bed and prepared myself for the labyrinth's opening.

Although I knew full well that I wouldn't be able to conquer any of the 8 labyrinths until I reach Calamity Class, it wouldn't hurt to try. But when I get strong enough, I'll make sure to fulfill the task God has given to me.

After making sure that everything was set, I headed to the bath and cleaned myself. I then headed to the dining room to have breakfast. But when I arrived there, the food wasn't served yet. However, there, I met Gustav-san and Yuna who will also participate in the labyrinth's opening.

「Oh, Grey-sama, good morning. Are you excited for the labyrinth's opening?」Gustav

While Yuna still tried to avoid my eyes, Gustav-san greeted me with a face full of energy. Liz really resembles him in terms of being energetic.

「Too much for excitement. I almost forgot that today was that day.」Grey

「Hahaha, with everything that happened yesterday, I can't really blame you. I'm just glad that Algerio and Gabal won't be bothering us anymore.」Gustav

「Ah, right. What happened to those two.」Grey

「Well, because of that incident that happened yesterday, they were locked up in the deepest part of the prison. With that there's no way they can ever escape again. But one thing's been bothering me...」Gustav

Something bothering Gustav-san? Don't tell me...

「When Gabal was placed in prison yesterday, he didn't say anything, no, more like he couldn't say anything. Strange, don't you think?」Gustav

Ah... That's because I casted《Silence》on him...

I was worried for a moment about what was bothering Gustav-san, turns out it was just that. I want to tell him about what I did, but I have the feeling it will result in Gustav-san asking me questions, so I just kept it to myself.

「Anyway, Grey-sama, that pis... pista... piー」Gustav

「Pizza?」Grey

「Ah, yes, pizza. Can you please teach me how to make it?」Gustav

「Sure, why not.」Grey

When I agreed to what Gustav-san asked of me, he heaved a sigh of relief and for some reason, he murmured something like「I'm saved!」.

Hm? I feel like something's off here.

「Gustav-san, why do you want to learn making it though?」Grey

「Ah, that's because...」Gustav

Apparently, every time Gustav-san comes back from an expedition, Vanessa-neesan always forces him to tell every single detail. And everytime there is food involved, she would ask Gustav-san to make it for her.

And as her subordinate, Gustav-san can't do anything about it. He tried to refuse one time but the outcome wasn't pretty. He was made to run a hundred laps on the soldier's training grounds with him only wearing his underwear.

After hearing that story, I felt pity for Gustav-san. I didn't know that behind that smile of his, is hidden a painful and shameful experience.

And seriously, just what the heck is Vanessa-neesan doing!? Isn't this an abuse of authority!? Someone should scold herー

No, wait. Can someone even win against Vanessa-neesan? In her own way, Vanessa-neesan can be scarier than a dragon. Neither Yuna and I can even win against her.

Gustav-san, even though I want to help you, I don't want to get dragged into this mess. But don't worry, I'll make sure to teach you how to make pizza with the best of my ability!

Without wasting anymore time, I taught Gustav-san everything he needed to know in order to make pizza. Although it was only an oral lesson, Gustav-san should be able to understand it after some trial and error.

「That should be it. Any questions?」Grey

「No, this is more than enough. I'll be forever in your debt, Grey-sama.」Gustav

「Don't worry about it. Just make sure that you show Vanessa-neー I mean Vanessa-sama just how capable you are.」Grey

「Yes!」Gustav

To show his gratefulness, Gustav-san bowed his head to me, and saluted me like how a knight does to their superiors.

Just as Gustav-san and I finished our teaching lesson about pizza, Rhodes-san and the other chefs went inside the dining room and served the food. But amongst all the foods served, one of them caught my attention.

「Rhodes-san, is this perhaps...」Rhodes

「Oh, yes, I created that dish while using the tomato sauce you taught me.」Rhodes

「Heh～.」Grey

Rhodes-san is amazing, he already created a dish just a day after learning a new ingredient. As expected of a noble family's head chef.

The dish he made was a meat-based stew, it was reddish-brown and it resembles curry, just that it has a less thicker consistency.

「And I call it, the Grey-sama special pork stew!」Rhodes

Yeah, no. I would rather die than have that name circulate outside the mansion. And what's with that satisfied smile, Rhodes-san?

With all my might, I tried to convince Rhodes-san to change the stew's name. And just about time I did, Fritz and the others came inside to have breakfast.

After having our breakfast, me, Yuna, Fritz, and Gustav-san, along with the knights, headed to the labyrinth's entrance which was located just a few hundred meters outside of town.

Strangely, while we were traveling, Yuna stopped avoiding my eyes and acted like usual. It made me think that what I've been seeing was just all in my head. But was it really?

Come to think of it, since we have been guarding Liz since our second day in town, Yuna and I haven't really seen the labyrinth up close. I wonder what it looks like.

Just as we walked outside the western gate, we noticed a lot of people gathering by the labyrinth. The labyrinth was like a concert venue on the day of the concert, and the participants are the fans eagerly waiting to see their idols.

When we arrived at the location, Fritz and Gustav-san separated with us. Fritz headed to the labyrinths's entrance, while Gustav-san prepared the knights to head inside the labyrinth.

As for us, we headed to the front, just like Kris-san and Aria-san said. And I don't know if it was because of what I did on our first day inside the Moterno's guild, but no one bothered us when we headed there. In fact, they even gave way for us.

「Oh, Grey-kun, Yuna-chan, you're here!」Althea

When we arrived at the front, the first one to greet us was the Adventurer Guild's guildmaster, Althea-san, and behind her were Kris-san, Aria-san, and three other people. When I appraised them, they turned out to be B-rankers, though their combat powers are all below 1,600.

「All right, I'll introduce everyone to you. Starting from the right, it's Kris-sama, Aria-sama, Hela-sama, Grucius-sama, and Jiro-sama. Everyone, this is Grey-kun and Yuna-chan. Although they are young, please don't underestimate them.」Althea

「I am Hela, leader of the B-rank party "Green Blaze". Nice to meet you.」Hela

-----------------------------------

【〔Anthronoid〕】

【Name】Hela

【Race】Human

【Sex】Female

【Age】36

【Status】Healthy

【Mana Capacity】1,132 【Mana Quality】C

【Combat Power】1,264 【Threat Level】B

【Attribute】Fire 【Spell Proficiency】53%

【Class】Archer 【Art Proficiency】52%

【Physical Enhancement】56%

【Ability】...

-----------------------------------

Despite her age, Hela-san looked much closer to a 25-year-old lady. Behind her are her four party members, all of which are women.

「Call me Grucius, B-rank party "Scarred Wolves"' leader.」Grucius

-----------------------------------

【〔Anthronoid〕】

【Name】Grucius

【Race】Beastkin (Wolf)

【Sex】Male

【Age】46

【Status】Healthy

【Mana Capacity】1,439 【Mana Quality】C

【Combat Power】1,566 【Threat Level】B

【Attribute】Null

【Class】Brawler 【Art Proficiency】76%

【Physical Enhancement】81%

【Ability】...

-----------------------------------

Grucius-san was the stereotypical example of an adventurer of the novels and mangas back on Earth. He was tough looking, has a deep voice, a wild appearance, heck he even got a scar on his left eye. That must be where the party name originated from.

Behind Grucius-san were three other wolf beastkins, two men and one woman. They all bear resemblance to Grucius-san, so I thought they must be his younger siblings.

「And I'm Jiro. The leader of "Silent Thunder". A pleasure to meet you!」Jiro

-----------------------------------

【〔Anthronoid〕】

【Name】Jiro

【Race】Human

【Sex】Male

【Age】34

【Status】Healthy

【Mana Capacity】1,187 【Mana Quality】C

【Combat Power】1,341 【Threat Level】B

【Attribute】Lightning 【Spell Proficiency】53%

【Class】Assassin 【Art Proficiency】53%

【Physical Enhancement】57%

【Ability】...

-----------------------------------

Lastly, there was Jiro-san. He was that one dude in anime or manga whose eyes are always closed. Behind him are three beautiful women, and I don't know if it was because of that, but many male adventurers are glaring daggers at him.

It is also worth noting that Jiro-san, like Hela-san, looks nothing like how their age would suggest. I don't know if it was something only normal to this world, but it got me mystified for some time.

「I'm Grey of the B-rank party "Blizzard". It's also a pleasure to meet you.」Grey

「I'm Yuna of the same party. It's also a pleasure.」Yuna

After Althea-san's introduction, each of us gave our greetings to each other. Surprisingly, none of the other B-rankers tried to question our legitimacy.

Well, I'm thankful that we were able to avoid trouble.

「All right, then Yuna-chan, Grey-kun, please ready your position.」Althea

「Sure.」Grey

「Un.」Yuna

Just like how Kris-san said it would be, us high-rankers we're placed in the front, with Kris-san in the lead, followed by us, then the C-rankers, then the D-rankers and the knights, and finally every other participant.

A few moments later, Fritz walked in front of us and announced the rules that should be followed while inside the labyrinth. The rules are as follows:

First, no stealing of loot from other participants. Second, only the participants that found the treasure room and their companions can enter the said room. Third, no fighting amongst the participants. Fourth, participants should not meddle in the problems of other participants, unless asked for. And lastly, participants should not put the other participants in danger. Anyone caught breaking these rules will be kicked out and forbidden to enter the labyrinth for the year.

The first three rules are self-explanatory. The fourth one is created so that no one complains when their loot is stolen. This is because some participants use the premise of "helping out others" in order to steal their loot.

Lastly, the most important rule, the fifth one. This is because there are cases where participants who can't beat their opponents, in order to escape, push it to other participants. This usually leads to the other party getting hurt, and in the worst case, death. If proven that a participant did this, they will be subjected to prison and will never be allowed in the labyrinth ever again.

「Now, without further ado, I declare the Labyrinth of Gale's official opening!」Fritz

As Fritz gave the signal, the crowd of participants cheered in excitement, and not wasting any time, the ones in the front dashed their way inside the labyrinth.

Just like in the special dungeon, when we entered the labyrinth, torchstones started illuminating the path, and the labyrinth which once looked like the abyss, became a well-lighted tunnel which can give fortunes to the ones who challenge it.

On our way, we met different types of monsters, there were slimes, goblins, kobolds, and many more. Although it was called the Labyrinth of Gale, it doesn't mean that only wind-attribute monsters will spawn. Rather, monsters who are of the wind-attribute will get their strength boosted. It is also the same case for people who are wielding the wind attribute.

Inside the labyrinths, there are 10 floors, with each floor a rank stronger than the previous one. In order to conquer the labyrinth, one must defeat the boss on the lowest floor, which is of course at Calamity Class. Since we are in the front, it is our duty to eliminate any monsters that are too strong for the floor they are in.

We have run hundreds of meters, and after each fork road, less and less of us stayed in one group. After some time, Yuna and I were left traveling together with Jiro-san and his party.

「3 Orcs just about 200 meters ahead.」Yuna

Just like Yuna warned us, after about 200 meters, 3 orcs appeared out of nowhere... But with relative ease, us high-rankers took them down in an instant. It can't even be considered a fight.

「Woah～ There really were 3 orcs. Was that your ability, ojou-chan?」Jiro

「Un.」Yuna

「Co～ol. I wish I had one too.」Jiro

Even though we just met, Jiro-san was already acting friendly to Yuna. For some reason, during their conversation, Yuna's eyes shifted to Jiro-san's party members behind him, and then looked at Jiro-san with disgusted eyes.

Wait. I have a feeling about this...

「Hm? Did I do something wrong?」Jiro

「Womanizer.」Yuna

I knew it!

Before I could stop her, Yuna's sharp tongue struck again. Because she has given sharp remarks more and more rarely, I have forgotten that Yuna has that kind of trait. I should have taught her more when I had the chance to.

「Pfft! Haven't heard that in a long time.」Jiro

Huh?

I was despairing over my mistake, but it was all for naught. Jiro-san wasn't insulted by Yuna's remark at all. Instead, he found it funny.

「So you really are a womanizer.」Yuna

「Hey, Yuna, you should apologizー」Grey

「No, no, it's alright. I get that from time to time. But you see, those three behind me are my little sisters. Although we don't go adventuring that often anymore, we go together every time there's a big event like this one. Also, I already have a family of my own.」Jiro

Eh? Little sisters?

Not believing Jiro-san's words, I looked at the three women and Jiro-san multiple times but I just can't see any resemblance other than the hair color.

「I'm not lying. They really are my sisters. They just inherited our mother's while I inherited our father's.」Jiro

After Jiro-san explained it, everything made a lot more sense. But still, I really didn't see that coming.

After clearing that little misunderstanding, all of us chatted for a bit. Because of it, we got to know more about each other.

「Well, it's another fork road. I guess this is where we part ways. Make sure to greet us the next time we meet.」Jiro

「Yeah.」Grey

「Un.」Yuna

Having said their goodbyes, Jiro-san and his little sisters parted ways with us and headed to the left route, leaving only me and Yuna alone with each other. Needless to say, it became much quieter with less people around.

「Hey, Yuna, are you ready to go all out?」Grey

「Sure.」Yuna

「Well then, in three, two, one, go!」Grey

Since there were no other people around to hold us back, Yuna and I sped up and finished the monsters we met on our way.

Now, this is more like it.

「Yuna, let's see how far we can go!」Grey

「Un!」Yuna

CHAPTER 44 END