Chapter 251: Near Miss
「My bad! 」
「Sorry. 」
「Jean, I’m sorry. 」
Dean vigorously bowed toward me. Dinosso and Chris also looked apologetically at me.
Dean and Chris went to the Adventurer’s Guild to submit their application to enter the Labyrinth in order to advance to Gold rank. However, the guild required them to have a witness — which was actually unusual. Apparently, a fan of Wolf King Valmour pressured the guild into letting them join the group… Argh!!
Because of that witness thing, they had to remove me from the lineup of the people going to the Labyrinth and report that. The trio confirmed whether I wanted to go with them. If I would, they would report it to the witness that they’ll add me later.
Maybe it’s only to be expected in the event of the number of people with Gold and Silver ranks increasing, but I was still at Copper rank. Well, Khan was also a Copper just like me and yet he was participating, so I think it’s actually meaningless to change the plan according to the number of participants and their rank.
「You guys, it’s not your fault, you know. 」
We were gathered on one side of the two-person bedroom to discuss the matter. It’s crowded and cramped — Khan’s already taking up enough space for three.
「But weren’t you excited about this? 」
Dean seemed more dejected than me.
Yeah, I was looking forward to it, but it’s not the trio’s fault. My choice is to participate, but I have to behave myself inside the Labyrinth. Well, the choice was either to participate or to go solo.
「If you’re coming with us, then maybe it would be easier if you join as an outsider. We can gloss over it even if you make a blunder or something. 」
Retze said.
After discussing a lot of things, it was decided that I would pretend to coincidentally meet them within the labyrinth, then I’d go separate ways if things would seem troublesome. Kind of like a random or a chance meetup.
「Alright, I’ll wear a robe, a robe it is. By the way, what happened to that fake hero? 」
Right, I think I remember someone saying he’s hiding in the Labyrinth.
「He already returned from the Labyrinth and just entered the 『Supreme Bliss of Heaven 』today. 」
Butler nodded toward Retze.
Retze and Butler were traveling with us, so I wonder how they knew that? Ah, but I have a feeling their methods might differ…
「 『Supreme Bliss of Heaven』… I think I heard that name somewhere before. 」
「Chris patronizes it.. 」Dinosso replied to me.
「Ohh. 」
Dinosso’s words reminded me that it was the name of a brothel. Wait a sec, Dinosso, when did you discuss brothels with Chris? Was it a secret rendezvous from Shiva?
「Mm… 」
Ash looked a bit disappointed. Oy, Ash, it’s not like I went there, okay!?
「The nicest and most comfortable inns around here are either 『Supreme Bliss of Heaven』or 『Moon Pleasure House』, even without the ladies, you know. 」
The『Moon Pleasure House』was the brothel that Dean frequented.
「They pile up cushions and blankets filled with white geese feather and down, and on hot days like this, the person possessed by the rare ice spirit would even cool the room. They would even call a mage who can cast wind magic to summon zephyr! And the guest of the highest ranking Flower has the privilege of having everything in his entire room fresh and clean! 」
Chris explained ecstatically.
Well, all the beddings that changed will probably go to the other rooms, but it was amazing, nonetheless.
Yeah, I can see how it’s quite appealing to a Japanese person — you can enjoy a great night sleep without having to worry about rats, bugs, and never mind robbers. Oh well, I was teleported to a mountain and had to endure living outdoors for so long that I’ve been quite immune to it, though.
Actually, it’s already rare enough for an inn to have a bed in this world, and even if they did, it was just a simple frame. The tenant would have to prepare everything by himself. The rich folks even bring their own carpets and rugs to the inns. In a world where the majority of the farming families had to sleep on straw like animals, the brothels here must truly be a piece of heaven if what Chris and Dean said was true.
By the way, the 『Moon Pleasure House』 and the other famous luxury brothels in other cities were mostly modeled after the ones built by the hero of the previous generations. Ugh, Mr. Hero…!!!
「If he’s in a brothel then I probably won’t meet him. 」
I plan to activate【Cut Ties】the moment our eyes met, though.
「Wait, why is that? 」
Khan muttered under his breath, but I just ignored him!!
I won’t be able to direct 【Cut Ties】 to him unless we meet in person, but it hasn’t been long since my Changeling was created, so his presence in this world is still faint and difficult to track, so it’s hard capturing him. He supposedly had my face, though.
「Let us think of it as good news that the probability of running into him while in the Labyrinth has decreased significantly. 」
Butler commented. He must’ve taken my grumble the opposite way. If not for the sake of 【Cut Ties】 I don’t want to meet him ever, be it in the town or in the Labyrinth.
Ah, did the subtle influence of 【Cut Ties】on Sis and the others work on the Changeling too so we missed each other? It’d be nice if that was the case.
Starting tomorrow, we won’t be able to sleep with a proper roof above our heads, so we decided to disperse and call it a night earlier than we normally did. I felt uneasy in our room, so I set up the insect repellent made from a bundle of leaves again. Thin white smoke rose from it instead of blazing up when I lit it, and it has a nicer aroma than the one I put here earlier, much like an incense.
The two beds are for Ash and Butler. Khan wouldn’t fit anyway, he’s already occupied most of the floor after all.
「Please move a little bit to the right. 」
Khan was giving me a shoulder ride so I could hang a rope from the beam.
I was going to sleep on a hammock above Khan. I didn’t want to get bitten by fleas, ticks and mites even before stepping foot into the Labyrinth.
Notes
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T/N: Bundled DIY all natural insect repellents.
NEXT CHAPTER
RELEASE RATE
I Got Transferred in the Middle of a Mountain
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 80 hours
Thanks for the treat.