Chapter 22

Another mistake on my part. In j.a.panese, the weapons from the Minotaur Labyrinth are called mauls. I couldn't find out because with katakana, I kept reading it as mall, so I a.s.sumed I was stupid and it was supposed to be mace. I now know that a maul is a medieval warhammer after a buddy of mine gave me an hour lecture about its history. So the mace will be a maul. Sorry for the confusion.

Warren's Jewelry Box

After returning home from shopping, everyone ate dinner and took a bath before confirming their equipment one more time.

It had also become time for Ellis to explain about her ability to Katie.

So far Ellis and Frau had been observing Katie's situation, and they had not found anything suspicious. What they had come to understand from living with Katie was that her mind was a flower garden. In short she is simple. So they decided it would be fine to explain it to her.

First of all, they made sure she understood the severity of the situation. "Never tell anyone about this. Not even the thief guild master."

They threatened Katie and told her that if she ever told anyone, they would hang her the same way as all the peepers. Watching them go this far, Katie squatted down and hugged her tail to her chest in fear.

They explained to her the usual things about the Bag of Gluttony and Ellis's ability, but Katie's response was rather slow. Compared to Frau and Claire's response, it would be closer to Reeve's?

"So what's the big deal?"

"Aren't you surprised?"

Katie didn't know what to say, so she just shrugged.

Ellis felt like she tasted something bitter. It's not good to get full of yourself. She decided to remind Katie one more time.

"Just don't tell anyone else. Especially the thieve's guild master."

"Should I just not talk about it?"

"That's right."

"Then I've already forgotten about it."

Simple people are a convenient thing.

Ellis then took out some accessories from her shoulder bag and prepared the general magic tools that everyone carries for Claire and Katie. She also made sure to back up the Shadow and Guidance abilities from the two outfits that they had bought today.

Next were everyone's weapons. The weapons everyone is currently carrying is as follows:

Ellis: Berserker's estoc and a Flying Swallow/Inhalation dagger.

Reeve: Flying Swallow/Inhalation shamshir

Frau: Flying Swallow/Inhalation morning star + Kite shield

Claire: None

Katie: Claw gauntlets and Claw shin guards

Since everyone would need a new set of weapons to deal with undead enemies, Ellis took out some general weapons that they had acc.u.mulated from past explorations and set them out in front of everyone.

"Choose a second weapon."

Frau moved first and picked up the Stupor Minotaur maul. It was a silver two handed hammer with cow horns replicated on the head of the hammer. It looked very painful.

"Well, do you need Stupor?"

"I don't need it."

To Ellis's question, Frau answered while holding up the maul in both her hands, dazzled by its beauty. Scary.

Stupor is an ability that has a 50% chance of restricting the opponent's movement, but if it's a maul like this, the damage would probably leave the enemy unable to move anyway. It's better to have the damage be multiplied with Flying Swallow instead to just further ensure a kill.

"Once you put Purification on this, I'll smash those skeletons and zombies into a bunch of tiny bits!"

By the way, Inhalation doesn't work on undead. Because they don't have any life to suck out in the first place, so it's not a pity to drop the Inhalation for Purification.

In other words, the weapons for dealing with undead will have the Flying Swallow, and Purification abilities.

Stupor had a great compatibility with Reeve's knew throwing daggers that can attack from distance, and it also would go well with Katie's claws.

Reeve picks up a slim b.a.s.t.a.r.d from among the lined up weapons and checked the balance while performing a few basic swings both one handed and two.

"This is good."

"What should I do? I've never held a sword or anything like that before."

As Claire was making a troubled face looking at all the lined up weapons, Frau picked up a small two-handed mace.

"Couldn't you use this like one of your construction hammers?"

Claire took the mace from Frau and started swinging it like she was pounding in nails. "This is nice! Frau, thank you."

Good.

Katie decided to keep the claws she had originally brought with her. Between those and the set she bought today, she was good to go.

When everyone had picked out their weapons, Ellis started shifting abilities around. What was completed went as follows:

Ellis–Berserker/Purification estoc. Flying Swallow/Inhalation dagger.

Reeve–Flying Swallow/Purification b.a.s.t.a.r.d sword + Stupor/Purification Throwing daggers. Flying Swallow/Inhalation shamshir + Stupor/Purification throwing daggers.

Frau–Flying Swallow/Purification minotaur maul. Flying Swallow/Inhalation morning star +kite shield.

Claire–Stupor/Purification mace. Stupor/Inhalation mace.

Katie–Stupor/Purification Claw gauntlets and leg guards. Stupor/Inhalation Claw gauntlets and leg guards.

Ellis handed back everyone's weapons and told them to make sure that the abilities would activate. It could be fatal if she had made a mistake.

Once everyone had confirmed that their weapons were good to go, Ellis was finally satisfied.

"Let's go to bed early today. Tomorrow we will head out to the labyrinth."

After everyone returned to their rooms, the usual night activities began. Ellis wondered who to bully tonight.

Ellis decided to start with Kathie tonight.

"Ellis, please don't bully me."

Such a line only served to sparkle Ellis's fire to bully the cat even more.

"Kaite, I will warn you again, but you can't talk about today to anyone."

Katie nodded with absolute confirmation. "Keep it a secret. Keep it a secret. Kee…"

But Katie could no finish her reply to the end. Her words got caught in her throat when Ellis suddenly started petting her. Ellis came close and whispered into her ears, "I can't trust you."

"Please forgive me. I want you to forgive me."

*Purr*

Next was Claire's room.

"Ellis, I'm a little scared after all."

Ellis wanted to tease Claire, but she decided to be honest for the sake of the exploration tomorrow.

"Well, are you going alone tomorrow, Claire?"

"No, I will go with you!"

Ellis pulled her in and embraced her. Claire was just too adorable and irresistible.

"I'll protect you, Claire."

Ah….

Next is Frau.

As Ellis crawled into Frau's bed, Ellis showed an upset expression that Frau had not seen all day.

"You. You grabbed the maul first!"

Frau shrunk back more than Ellis had expected.

"Was it no good? Ellis."

"I was going to use that weapon, Frau."

Frau was surprised from the bottom of her heart. A little girl like Ellis using such a large two-handed weapon, she had never imagined it. She was overwhelmed by her fatal mistake.

"Sorry! I'm sorry Ellis…"

Then came the final blow. "I won't forgive you, you pig woman."

Ah ahh…..

Today Reeve was last.

Ellis, who thought about having another bath, came to Reeve and said, "Carry me to the bath."

Reeve was lost for a moment in Ellis's expression. "As a girl, or as a mistress?"

"What the h.e.l.l are you talking about? Stupid toy."

"I'm sorry, mistress."

And Reeve was forced to repent for her mistake through bullying for the rest of the evening.

Uuh….

So the next morning, everyone woke up fresh and ready to tackle the new morning.

Frau woke up early and started working in the kitchen. Ellis, who notice the sound, popped her head into the kitchen, and Frau greeted her with a smile.

"Good morning Ellis. Did I wake you up?"

"It's okay. What are you doing?"

"Making boxed lunches. It's boring to just always have those portable meals from the adventurer guild."

Yes, today they were going to try an advanced labyrinth.

It seems that upper level labyrinths consist of at least fifty rooms, so depending on the party composition and strength of the enemies it can take days to explore. Perhaps Frau was preparing some long lasting food to keep everyone from getting sick of the portable meals. With that, they could relax a little during dinner time.

There was one more important thing that Ellis had been putting off though. "I have to buy a magic tool for recovery."

In the labyrinth so far, all of Frau and Reeve's small injuries were healed through Inhalation, and Ellis barely partic.i.p.ated in fights in the first place. However, in advance dungeons, priority has to be given to Purification against the undead. With that, maintenance of physical fitness will become inevitable, so a recovery tool is essential.

"Frau, I'm going to the magic tool store for a moment."

Frau smiled and grabbed Ellis's hand before she could rush out of the house.

"It is not open this early in the morning, and it's not necessary for you to go anyway." As she says that, Frau pulls out a ring from the pocket of her ap.r.o.n.

Full Recovery ring–Restores the physical strength of the subject. Required MP: 7. Command word: {Work}.

What a cheat recovery ability. If this was a video game, it's the type of item that would appear right before the final boss. Frau explains to Ellis while she is still surprised by the appraisal.

"This ring is like an amulet for my house. Because the required MP is quite unreasonable…it's a good luck charm for us." Then Frau gave her a wink. "But it's not a problem for Ellis, right?"

"Is it really okay?"

"Yes. I don't mind if it's you."

"Thank you!"

As expected of Frau. Ellis was already starting to feel an itch this early in the morning.

After everyone enjoyed the breakfast made by Frau, the five activated their Magical horses and rode them to the edge of the city. They made the rest of the way to the adventurer guild on foot. Frau made a suggestion on the way there.

"By the way, should we decide a name for our party soon?"

Registering the party name and members in the adventurer guild makes it easier to process search orders, and it allows rewards to be automatically sorted into each party member's account.

Ellis decided to listen to everyone's opinion. "What kind of name is good?"

"How about the b.l.o.o.d.y Crusaders?"

Scary, Reeve.

"How about A Heavy Fighter, Swordsman, Thief, Magician, and Cat Warrior Party?"

Claire's name is more of an explanation.

"Nya, Nyaa."

Katie isn't paying attention and is instead just trying to catch some dragonflies.

"Yuri Explorers. How about that?"

Oh! Frau came up with something decent.

"Is Frau's name okay with everyone then?"

Reeve and Claire didn't look satisfied, but Frau's name was decided through majority vote.

In the meantime, the five arrived at the adventurer guild. In the guild's hall, various other adventurers and uncles welcomed them.

"Good morning, ladies!"

"Looking good today!"

"You caught him again?"

Most of the members of the adventurer guild were familiar with Ellis's work from the Lily Garden's first stop, so they were quickly shaping up to be celebrities.

On behalf of everyone, Frau headed to the reception counter and greeted the receptionist.

"Today we will be challenging an advanced dungeon."

The receptionist was caught off guard and started yelling in their surprise. "Milady! Don't you know that normal attacks don't work on undead!?"

Naturally the other guild receptionists who overheard started getting worried as well, but Frau just kept smiling and calmed them down. "It's okay. We have already taken countermeasures."

The female receptionists were relieved to hear Frau's words while the other male receptionists became interested with the different meanings of "measures." If you've taken measures against an advanced level labyrinth, that means you've prepared yourselves for dealing with undead. However, since one of the members of the party saying such was the daughter of the adventurer guild master, it wouldn't be that far of a stretch to think that they had gotten some sort of under the table backing. As a matter of fact, this was most likely the case.

That's why many receptionists began playing the, "Guess what the doting master gave to his daughter" guessing game.

The receptionist talking to Frau was meanwhile looking through the list of advanced labyrinths. "A good one should be the Wight Labyrinth. It is the easiest advanced labyrinth around."

"Okay."

"What kind of place is it?" Ellis asked Frau.

"The number of rooms is small, but it is large and has many enemies. It has mostly skeletons and zombies, but you will find some demonic ghouls mixed in as well. The final monster is a wight which no one has defeated yet."

Actually, it's not that uncommon for the bosses of advanced labyrinths to have never been killed. By the time a party makes it to the boss, their packs will already be stuffed with loot, so there isn't much merit in further risking their lives. That's why most parties just go home with the Ring of Return.

"Let's do it." Ellis looks back at everyone for agreement. Frau and Reeve look excited and are ready to go. Claire is a little nervous, but she looks prepared. Katie has just been nodding the entire time, so she's probably okay?

"Well then can we register our party's name now?"

The receptionist gave Frau a funny look. She suddenly started to look really uncomfortable and then began to speak slowly.

"You've already registered."

"What?"

The receptionist took a deep breath before switching on a business-like smile and bowing to the five.

"Warren's Jewelry Box. It's a pleasure to meet you."

What's up with that party name!?

n.o.body has ever heard of such a thing, and no one here has any remembrance of registering already.

"It was the guild master who registered."

The word's hadn't left the receptionist's lips before Frau rushed into the back of the guild, her face as red as her hair.

"Oh, you all look like you're doing well." The guild master, Theseus, came out of his office and greeted them with a smile. Frau was standing behind him. It was unclear if the red on her face was from anger or embarra.s.sment.

"By the way, the four of us already decided your party's name, but are there any complaints?"

The four….

Theseus's smile suddenly resembled a demon's to Ellis and the other's, and they could imagine that smile being worn by three other people as well.

"….There are none."

"Honestly, you girls are lucky. The presence of, 'five pretty young girls' has been spread to not just Warren, but to neighboring towns as well. Everyone loves the Scarlet Laundry. So we decided to allow you girls to use Warren's name for your party. You should be grateful."

The five were directed to the Wight Labyrinth with a guide riding on a Magical horse provided by Theseus after great care. He stated he was also working on their party flag, so they had that to look forward to as well.

"Well then, shall we take a moment?"

Everyone gathered around Ellis, and they started talking about strategies.

Ellis would search for traps and release any locks. Reeve had done it so far, but this time, Frau would open the doors. The instant that she does, Claire will drive her magic {Fire Bullets} into the room. In that gap, Ellis, Reeve, and Katie would jump into the room and take the initiative on the enemy. This was the basic strategy.

When Ellis entered the labyrinth, she moved carefully examining everything.

As expected of an advanced labyrinth.

There were traps all over in an area that was just an ordinary pa.s.sageway. Ellis relied on the light from Reeve's torch and disarmed every trap she came across.

Following Ellis and Reeve was Claire and Katie with Frau taking up the rear.

After Ellis had released 3 traps, they had finally reached the first door. Ellis carefully investigated and found a trap she had never seen before. It was an electric shock set to the door k.n.o.b. Once you touch it, it would mean instant death.

Ellis released this first trap slowly and surely while looking over the mechanism to ensure that there were no mistakes.

*Click*

Good.

Once the trap was taken care of, Ellis took a deep breath to calm herself and tried to sense the presences behind the door. An unusual negative aura flushed over her.

"Big catch."

Responding to Ellis's claims, the four got ready. Reeve placed the torch on the door and then stepped away. Frau took her place in front of the door while Ellis, Katie, and Reeve lined up behind her. In the meantime, Claire had already loaded a {Flame Bullet} into her Guidance dress. Frau put her hand on the doork.n.o.b and waited until everyone's breaths were brought together.

Go!

The next moment, Frau threw open the door!