Published: September 9, 2025
Satou here. In the classic labyrinth exploration games, you gather companions at the tavern, get resurrected or have curses lifted at the temple, and get ripped off at the shops.
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I told Arisa and the others waiting downstairs what had happened and handed over the Iron Badge.
“Yahoo! Promotion certified by the guild master!”
“Got a boss now~?”
“Your eyes are scary!”
Arisa exaggerated her joy, raising one arm to the sky as she jumped.
Tama, that’s a bit off. Pochi still fears that if he has a fish head attached, it’ll stare right at him. They both copied Arisa’s jump and nearly bumped their heads on the ceiling. You need to know your own physical limits; it’s dangerous otherwise.
The other members seemed more reserved but still pleased.
“Tch, since when did the Explorer’s Guild become a playground for kids?”
Was it a bit too noisy?
I turned to apologize but quickly lost the mood.
A man’s foot was kicking away children gathered near the guild entrance. Apparently, his complaint was not about us but the carrier children blocking the entrance. I recognized him—the leader of the explorer party who ran from the ants.
The kicked kids weren’t seriously injured but were curled up against the guild wall, unable to move. Just like the previous tiger tribe incident—adults kicking children around like that.
“Violence against larval forms is forbidden. Verbal warnings are recommended.”
“Who the hell are you? Oh, quite the beauty. Wrong job, huh? Prostitutes make more than explorers.”
The man carelessly reached out to Nana.
Nana’s usual armor is lined with Kingfisher Silk inside, uses whale skin as the insole, and the surface is made of Armor Guard Leather. It looks like soft leather armor and is indeed soft, but when magic power flows through it, the Armor Guard Leather hardens.
It’s leather from monsters so tough it even deflects ordinary swords and spears.
What happens if someone carelessly tries to grab her chest?
The answer was demonstrated by this man’s own body.
“M-my finger, my finger!”
He screamed in horror and crouched on the floor.
“You bastard! What are you doing to Besso?”
“Revenge for Besso!”
“Negative. Reporting that he only brought this on himself.”
The men seemed to be the crouching man’s companions. Both had red faces, probably from drinking since morning.
Shockingly, those two drew their swords—inside the guild hall, no less.
Better capture them before anyone gets hurt.
Before I could step forward, Liza struck from the side with her lance against the man’s ribs. Not with the tip but lightly with the butt.
Liza seemed to think it was a light jab, but the armor made of monster carapace cracked with a light poke, and the man’s side was heavily struck. He writhed in pain, and his companion nearby lost balance and tumbled to the ground.
“Hey, weren’t they wearing ant carapace cuirasses?”
“Yeah, can’t believe they broke so easily…”
The onlookers murmured, but compared to the chest plate made for Kon’s group, this was much more fragile, so it was understandable.
Besso, nursing a bruised finger, grabbed a sword from the ground with his free hand and lunged at Lulu.
I slid forward to intercept, but it was pointless. Lulu easily dodged Besso’s sword and pinned him to the ground. The double-level difference and self-defense skills made Besso’s struggles ineffective.
“Maid-san’s strong!”
“Did you see that move?”
“Didn’t Besso and his crew once fight three times their number in prefect soldiers at the tavern and win?”
“If maid-san is that strong, maybe those little brats are too…”
One last man was crawling on the ground, defeated by bare-handed Pochi and Tama.
“Those little ones are too strong, right?”
“Could these be the beastmen children who easily opened the fabled labyrinth gate?”
“So, does that mean those delicate kids over there are strong too?”
“Could be…”
The crowd was noisy.
“Hey! If you make too much noise in the hall, I’ll throw you down in the guild’s dungeon!”