Labyrinth Renovation – 042 | Sousaku – 創作

Episode 42: The Otherworldly People Can See Magic Power!

Early the next morning.

It was still before sunrise, but we decided to head for the Labyrinth City of Merry Jane, where the auction was to be held.

The item I was planning to bring was a particularly large red dragon magic stone, but we decided that a water dragon's stone would be sufficient to repay the debt, so we decided to keep the red dragon's stone for later.

Apparently, since auction prices are determined by the financial power of the bidders, the Red Dragon's magic stone will probably be sold for much less than its true value.
Well, I understand the point.
I'm not sure how valuable magic stones are in this world, but……

"Then, Seir, if you please."
『If I please? 』
"Just a quick hop to Merry Jane"
『I can't go to places I've never been to.』
"What……!? In the dungeon, you jumped straight to the first floor, didn't you?"
『That was just me following up on the connection with you, Lady Maho.』
"ＯＨ……"

Suddenly, my guess turned out to be wrong.
I'm screwed.

『However, I can move to places that are visible.』
"Really? Okay, let's do this! You can fly, right, Seir? "
『Not me, but this child.』

Saying that, he strokes the neck of the winged white horse.

"Well, it's easy then."

The horse that Seir always rides is a pegasus, a flying horse.
If you trace a straight line from the sky, the destination can be reached in a few teleports.
In fact, distance is irrelevant. Seir is way too convenient.

"Then, Fiona. Go ride with Seir and go to Merry Jane."
"Eh? What? J-Just me?"
"Mm-hmm. "Please show Seir around."
"W-Why!? What about you? "
"I'll go later…… Don't make that face."

Fiona was so distressed at being told to go with Seir that she was on the verge of tears.
Evans-san, who is accompanying us, also looks worried.

"Seir, you said you could teleport to places you've been before, right? So, first, Fiona will guide you to Merry Jane, and then you can teleport back here and pick up me and Evans-san, along with our luggage. Only Fiona has been to Merry Jane."
"Oh, I see……"

Did she really think I was going to ask her to go to the auction with Seir?
No matter how short-handed we are, I'm not that cruel. Or rather, I want to participate in the otherworldly auction too!

◇◆◆◆◇

And so, we successfully arrived at the Labyrinth City of Merry Jane.
This instant teleportation cheat is amazing……!

We transferred to a secluded spot outside the city, but when we came out onto the main street, a smell like a mixture of various foods tickled my nostrils.
There are food stalls selling bite-sized snacks, bars, shops selling weapons and exploration equipment, and cheap lodgings lined up side by side in the narrow streets.

There's also a large crowd of people.
A group of explorers making a clattering sound as their armor rubbed together. An apprentice at a merchant's shop. A red-haired man rushing somewhere. An older woman leisurely placing an order at a food stall. A woman casting sidelong glances at men passing by. People of all ages, sizes, and hair colors. A melting pot of ethnicities.

I see, I totally understand why the Dharma territory is in decline.
It's as lively as any Japanese city.

I have all my belongings in my magic bag, so I'm practically hands-free. This magic bag is actually cheating. Maybe I should just put this bag up for auction. When I said that, Fiona got angry again, so this topic is now off limits.
Well, magic stones are just pretty rocks to me, but a magic bag is irreplaceable. I understand Fiona's point of view.
I too agree that it would be preferable to find a way to resolve this without selling it. It's just that I tend to choose the most surefire option because of my personality……

Fiona-san and Evans-san took care of all the arrangements for participating in the auction, so I just followed along, checking out the town and taking notes.
Seir, who got off the Pegasus, is also accompanying us, but he stands out so much that I had no choice but to dress him in a hooded jumper (sold in the farming section of the hardware store for 3,980 yen).
Well, even so, people were staring at him with looks of horror, so maybe handsome guys have a different aura about them.

"I knew it would be busy, but it's really crowded! Uh? What's that? "

……A cat……A cat-eared girl walking on two feet……
At first glance, she looks human, but she's about the size of an upper elementary school student, equipped with a small leather armor and carrying a weapon on her back……!

"It's a cat beastfolk (Lynx). Lynxes are suited to being explorers, but there are hardly any in our town."
"Cu……Cute……"

This is the second most fantastical thing I've seen in this world (the first was when I saw a dragon)……!
As I was impressed and following the cat beastfolk (apparently called “Lynx”) with my eyes, Fiona spoke with a look of exasperation.

"Aren't there demi-humans at your place too, Maho? "
"Nope! "
"Is that so……? There are so many different kinds of body washes, so I thought......"

What do you mean by “so I thought”? Sure, Fiona was freaked out by all the shampoo bottles, but those are all for humans, and there are separate ones for pets, but those are strictly for pets——dogs and cats, to be precise.

"Hmm, there sure are a lot of different kinds of people here……"
"It's Labyrinth City, after all. When the dungeon was first discovered, our place was also quite intense, you know? But once they realized it was no good, they left quickly."
"So, there are a lot of professional explorers among the demihumans?"

If that's the case, then there's a high possibility that we can attract them to our place.
Beastfolk are welcome. I even wash them thoroughly with cat shampoo. No, maybe cats dislike it.

"But it's more of a racially diverse country than I thought it would be. Compared to this, Seir looks cute. Maybe even the Pegasus is okay."
"E-Ehhh? Maho. That person is sort of…… no, quite different, isn't he……? I don't understand why he looks like that to you."
"What? Why do you say that? Then, how do I appear to you? "
"Maho is Maho, but that person is, how should I put it…… dark and thorny, right? "

Dark and thorny……? Rather, he even seems a little absent-minded at times……

"Hmm. I guess it means that you can see magical things with your eyes. I don't know anything about magic power."

I thought there were a lot of people glancing at Seir, but it seems it's not because he's handsome. Or rather, if you can visually perceive magical powers, then a demon would certainly look dangerous. It seems like it might work as a deterrent, so I guess it's okay.

While walking, Fiona explained about demihumans to me.
Some tribes have their own countries, while others live together in small settlements. Of course, there are also those who live among humans, becoming explorers or running shops.
So, since this country is ruled by a human king, the proportion of humans is inevitably high, but apparently things are different in other places.

Well, it's kind of like fantasy.
Incidentally, there is still a little bit of discrimination.

"On the contrary, isn't it surprising that discrimination is only considered “a little” here? "
"It's just the appearance that's different. On the other hand, although Seir-san looks similar to us, he is different, so he stands out. "
"Hmmmm. Is it because of his appearance and magical powers?"
"I can see it…… but that might not be the best word to describe it."

Maybe it's because I don't have magical abilities, or maybe it's just because I'm from another world, but I can't understand that feeling of discomfort she describes.
To use an analogy of humans on Earth, it's like someone who looks the same but has blue blood. Sort of?

"Then, should I keep Seir out of sight? "
"Yeah……If you could. It seems like it might cause trouble."

Was he really that out of place?
I thought Fiona was just scared of Seir because he's handsome, but it was something completely different.

So, I sent Seir back to the hardware store (apparently, if I call out to him strongly, he will come back), and Fiona, Evans-san, and I headed to the auction hall with Ricardo-san, our escort knight.

Ricardo-san, a knight, has been serving Fiona's family for a long time, and Fiona thinks of him as an uncle.
Before entering the dungeon, he was the one who taught her how to use a sword.