A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation

After Studd suggested he rank up, some time passed before Lizel finally made it to rank c.

At the same time, Eleven rose to rank b. There had been a bit of an uproar over Studd’s bland, “Isn’t that fine, whatever,” but up to rank b promotions could be done at the discretion of the guild staff, and since all the paperwork was in order, it was a proper rank-up all the same.

With that, their party rank also went from c to b, which meant they could now accept requests up to rank a.

That day, Lizel and the others celebrated with Studd and Judge at their usual bar.

And now, on Eleven’s request, they had immediately taken an a-rank request and were delving in a labyrinth.

The request had already been fulfilled. They were on their way back when they happened to spot it—pure good luck, perhaps.

“I think it’s about time you answered my feelings.”

Lizel was staring at the treasure chest before him with an unusually serious gaze.

This was what you would call a treasure chest, the classic kind one imagined. Perhaps that was because this labyrinth itself resembled an ancient, old-fashioned castle.

He knelt and put his hand on the lid. Because treasure chests in labyrinths could have monsters inside them or launch attacks, Gill and Eleven waited behind him, ready to move at any moment—and grinning from ear to ear.

“Gill got a high-purity mithril crystal, and Eleven got a shield with mana reflection.”

He recalled the loot they’d obtained when he’d let the other two open the treasure chests the last two times.

Since those had appeared in the deep layers of the labyrinth, the quality was naturally high—treasures an adventurer could proudly bring back to town. Sold, they fetched gold coins; used, they were high-performance equipment. Opportunities to see that kind of chest content were rare.

Praying that he would follow in their footsteps, Lizel slowly lifted the lid.

“They both burst out laughing in unison—don’t you think that’s awful?”

“I–I think it’s fine… really. I mean, ‘tea leaves from the White Blossom Tree that sprouts only once every fifty years.’ Um, even the can they’re in looks expensive enough to have value…!”

Lizel accepted the tea can Judge had appraised, and opened the lid.

It certainly smelled wonderful. He could probably brew a very tasty tea from it, and it would bring a fair price if sold.

But was it really right for an adventurer to dive into a labyrinth and come back with… tea leaves? Somehow, it didn’t sit right.

He smiled at Judge, who was trying desperately to comfort him, thinking what a good kid he was. Quite different from those two, who had laughed openly at him and then, while barely holding back more laughter, tossed in nonsensical “It suits you, it suits you” comments as a follow-up.

“Maybe this isn’t about my luck. Maybe the labyrinth itself just doesn’t like me.”

“No, if anything I’d say the labyrinth’s… reading the room for you in its own way…”

That was a pretty unpleasant way to “read the room.”

“I’m not giving any to Gill and the others. Judge-kun, why don’t we have tea together with this?”

“You mean it…?! Then, let’s—right this way, please.”

Not every treasure chest in a labyrinth contained dungeon items that could only be obtained inside.

As long as the item matched the floor’s difficulty, it could be something normally circulated in the outside world, something you could just go out and buy.

These tea leaves weren’t unique. They were available at certain shops if you had the money. It wasn’t something he needed to cling to.

Lizel was led through a door behind the shop counter into a room. Judging from its location, it was probably a room used for meeting with business partners and the like. He sat down in the chair Judge indicated and watched his back as the boy prepared a kettle.

“Are we getting in the way of your shop?”

“Not at all. There are hardly any customers around this time, and I can tell right away if someone comes in, so it’s fine.”