Death March to the Parallel World Rhapsody

Satou here. I think the most enjoyable time is when you’re experimenting and figuring things out.

Trial and error can be discouraging if there are too many errors, though...

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"Don’t come crying to me if you die before leveling up."

"It’s okay, I’ll make sure to keep a safe margin," Arisa said, clearly eager to go. I tuned out the rest of the speech and asked Liza’s opinion.

"Liza, do you want to visit the Labyrinth City?"

"Wherever Master goes is where I belong."

"I appreciate your loyalty, but I want to hear your honest opinion. I’ll make the final call, so feel free to speak your mind."

I never want to be the kind of boss who asks for opinions from subordinates and then blames them when things go wrong. I’ve made up my mind about that whenever I manage people. Though I do assign unreasonable quotas!

"If I’m allowed, I’d like to visit the Labyrinth City."

"Hey, come on, that was a nice line! Listen to her!"

"I’ll listen later."

"Tsk, Liza gets treated differently~"

I ignored the slightly sulking Arisa.

The benefits of going to the Labyrinth City are giving Liza and the others a place to shine, reducing discrimination (though probably not eliminating it entirely), and allowing Arisa and the others to level up.

The downside... is there any? Well, parting with Zena, Nadi, and the people we met in this city. I feel ungrateful thinking about leaving after all the worry they gave me.

"Well, I don’t plan to settle in the Labyrinth City permanently, but visiting as tourists might be nice."

"Tourists...? This isn’t your original world, you know."

Why not? Otherworldly sightseeing sounds fun.

"By the way, where exactly is the Labyrinth City?"

"I don’t know."

Hey, Princess.

"Hey, don’t look at me like that. I know it’s in the Shiga Kingdom, but I don’t know the exact location."

Maybe I can buy a simple map at a bookstore? My current map only shows the initial wilderness and Count Seryu’s territory. I don’t have proof, but I’m guessing places I’ve visited become visible on the map by territory.

"You don’t have a horse or carriage, right, Master?"

"No."

"Where do you think they sell those?"

There’s a big stable near the gate square, so I’ll ask there. Normally I’d ask Nadi, but since I just gave her a job, she probably won’t be around.

"If you have enough money to buy a house, you can buy a horse and carriage too. But to travel comfortably, let’s look for some bargain treasures to make some spending money!"

Arisa pointed at the flea market. This girl has a heart of steel. No matter how much I ignored her, she didn’t lose spirit.

The flea market is held in the largest square in East Street, where the slave market was last night.

The slave traders’ carriages and tents remain, but the stalls selling alcohol and food during the night are gone. Instead, dozens—maybe over a hundred—of merchants have set up small tables full of various junk, or rather, merchandise.

"Master, before we charge ahead, I have a favor to ask."

"Go ahead, what is it?"

"I want permission to use two kinds of magic: Magic Wave Perception 《Sense Magic Wave》 and Malice Perception (Sense Evil)."

After having her explain their effects, I granted permission. The first lets you somehow detect magical items, and the second detects people approaching with ill intent.

Since they seemed harmless, I approved. Of course, even if I hadn’t, I could detect those things myself, but I don’t like banning everything outright.

"This! This is definitely a bargain!"

Arisa proudly pointed at a magical item. It was definitely magical, but the appraisal showed it as a broken magical tool. The name was "Lure of the Dream Moths on a Moonlit Night," and the appraisal’s description was some cryptic phrase: "▲▲▲ plays ●■■ to make ■□■ magical tool."

The explanations for magical tools in this world always seem deliberately vague or teasing. Judging by its shape, it looks like a musical instrument or music box, but since the decoration is somewhat lewd, it might be an aphrodisiac tool.