Labyrinth Renovation – 050 | Sousaku – 創作

Episode 50: An Audience!?

Looking at Ziga-kun and the others, it seemed like he was trying very hard to persuade them.

Well, it's going to be difficult. Ziga-kun hasn't seen anything except the lowest layer of the dungeon, so he has no idea what Melquodia is really like.
Even if he says they can make money, it's not that easy to change one's current lifestyle. We're on the nobility side, so I guess if we hire someone, it might be the equivalent to them becoming a civil servant back in Japan? Assuming that's the case, and if they see value in it, there might be a chance. That's about it.

"Thank you for waiting! Mega shrimp grilled with herbs for two! "
"Oh～～～～! Big and fancy! It looks super delicious! "
"T-Then, I'll have some too."

The mega shrimp was huge. Huge. Super huge. Is this for real?
If you were to order this in Japan, it would cost 10,000 yen…… no, 20,000 yen…… maybe even 30,000 yen. After all, two servings come with two huge shrimps. Lobster-like shrimps split down the back and grilled with herbs and salt.

The aroma is also pleasant. Is it rosemary? It's probably not the exact same herb, but it's a little surprising that beastfolk like herbs. To be honest, the quality is on par with Fiona's house cooking. It's not just for show that they are running a restaurant in this major city.

To be honest, if you include food stalls, there must be a lot of competing stores, but the fact that it is well-liked by top-level explorer parties means that it is definitely a good place to eat.

"Oh, this is delicious. I've never really eaten mega shrimp before."
"Yeah, yeah. It is delicious. I also love shrimp."

When I asked the price, it was also cheap. Surprisingly cheap. The price for a single serving is on the order of 2,000 yen or so. That means the cost of a shrimp is less than 1,000 yen. For such a big shrimp! Isn't this pretty good news for a Japanese person? Shrimp gratin, shrimp spaghetti, fried shrimp, shrimp tempura, shrimp chili, shrimp mayo, shrimp sashimi, shrimp rice balls, grilled shrimp with herbs are all good, there's also grilled shrimp with cheese. You can come up with endless dishes using just shrimp!

"What's wrong, Maho? You suddenly look distracted……"
"My dreams are expanding……"
"Maho got weird after eating shrimp! Well, it's business as usual. Ah, can I have another one, please?"

Fiona gulped down her beer.
As expected of someone who has been an explorer, she's got quite the throat. One more for me too!

Just as I finished eating the shrimp, Ziga-kun came to report the results.

"Master. I managed to convince them, but there were more people than I expected who said that they wouldn't believe it until they saw it for themselves……"
"Hmm. That's natural. Well, there is no need to decide right away. They can take some time to look around and then decide."
"No, they should understand once they see it."
"I guess so. Is that how it works for dungeons? "
"No, not the dungeon— they humbly request an audience with Pochi-sama, Tama-sama, and Kaiser-sama."
"An audience?"

So…… to the beastfolk, those kids appear like royalty?

"Well, that's fine. But it's getting late today, so let's do it tomorrow. Fiona's like this, too."
"Wha～～～～t do you mea～n by that? Maho. Let's drink more."
"I never imagined Fiona would be this weak…… I wonder if this kid was okay back in her explorer days."
"Whehehehe. They said to tone it do～wn all the time. That I get dru～nk really easily. But there's no～～ wa～y I'd get drunk at all, right? Nyahaha."

Fiona laughed gleefully as she pulled out a cigarette and lit it.
The waitress hurriedly brought over an ashtray.

She's really a lousy kind of drunk……
You really need to know your own limits when it comes to drinking.
Dad. You were right……

◇◆◆◆◇

The next day, near the Labyrinth of Melquodia.
Using Seir's teleportation, I summoned Ziga-kun's party members to an empty field.

Fiona is placed on home standby. She's got a hangover.
I should stop letting that kid drink.
Ziga-kun's former party had a total of eleven members.
Two cat-beastfolk scouts, with the rest being warriors.

Three were beastfolk of the wolf type, the same as Ziga-kun. Two lizard-like beastfolk. Two bear-like beastfolk. One raccoon-like beastfolk. One fox-like beastfolk.
Well, everyone looks strong.
Their ranks are slightly lower than Ziga-kun's, but apparently all of them exceed level 10.
Some of them look quite a bit older, while others seem younger than Ziga-kun. It seems the party was formed by his childhood friends and some beastfolk he met over here.

"Master. Thank you for your kind cooperation."

Ziga-kun said it casually, but somehow, the party members seem pretty suspicious of me.
Well, from their perspective, I mean, I'm the one who bought their leader as a slave, and besides, they must think he's been brainwashed or something. That's kind of the feeling, right?
Will they really be satisfied just by seeing Pochi, Tama, and Kaiser?
I don't really get the beastfolk community.

Anyway, seeing is believing, so I asked Seir to bring Pochi, Tama, and Kaiser over.
I'd really like to show them Arrow, the giant arowana, but he can't get out of the water, so it can't be helped. Someday, if there's an ocean or a big lake, I'll let him swim.

"It's outside, woof! Master～! Can I go for a run? "
"I'll bask in the sun, nyan."
"Gaah."

It's still too early to unveil them, so I haven't let them out freely yet. That's probably why they get so excited whenever I take them outside like this—they're just dogs, cats, and lizards, after all.
Pochi wants to run around, Tama wants to lie in the sun, and Kaiser wants to sunbathe.

"Hang on a second, hold your horses. There are people who want to see you. Friends of Ziga-kun whom you met yesterday"
"That's right, woof. It smells the same, woof."

Turning to Ziga-kun's friends, they're all standing stiffly, reacting just like Ziga-kun did.
When I looked closely, everyone was trembling violently.
Are they touched? Are they impressed?
Only Ziga-kun has a smug look on his face.

"Hey, Pochi, Tama, Kaiser. Go say hello to them."

I tried to encourage them.
The three of them rushed over to the eleven explorers. If I hadn't known the circumstances, I might have thought they might be genuinely scared…… but their reactions were different than I expected.
For some reason, everyone ended up kneeling.
Pochi and Tama sniffed them, but they just let them do what they wanted.
Just what's going on, huh?

"So, what exactly is going on here? "
"Of course the audience was a success. Just look at that divine figure of Pochi-sama, even more majestic under the sun…… The thought that I too might one day become like that makes my heart swell."
"Like that…… Yeah, I wonder if that’s even possible……"

I feel like there's a big difference between Pochi and the others in their full beast forms and them as beastfolk (who are quite human-like), but for some reason, it seems like they end up looking like that when they grow up. ……Or maybe not. It might not be a matter of physical appearance. After all, it's a world where magic can be seen. Something I cannot see must be making them feel that way.

After the audience—or rather, the sniffing session—ended, a man who seemed to be the representative of the eleven individuals moved.
One of the wolf beastfolk, like Ziga-kun, came to see me.

"Maho-sama. When I heard the story from Ziga, I was honestly skeptical. But after actually seeing them in person like this…… I was truly moved. The pinnacle of beastfolk. To have three such divinely gifted individuals under your command. Ziga was truly blessed with good fortune. I was worried because he wasn't exactly the luckiest person…… But this seems to be a wonderful connection for us as well."

He bowed his head as he said that; apparently, he's Banut-san, Ziga-kun's best friend. Banut-san, a childhood friend from his home village, is the son of the village chief's right-hand man. Apparently, he's even four years older than Ziga-kun.
The other members also joined at different times, but it seems quite a while has passed since the current lineup was formed.
They're the comrades who shared life-or-death adventures with one another. That's nice.

Then once again, Ziga-kun brought everyone along and knelt on one knee before me.

"We, the Thunderclap Fangs. We will work under Maho-sama."
"I know you've probably heard from Ziga-kun about some risks and downsides, but I will not make you do anything bad. At least you won't have trouble putting food on the table. Nice to meet you."
"I look forward to working with you! ……So I have a favor to ask, and that is……"

After saying hello, everyone starts fidgeting.
Is it a difficult request to make?

"What's wrong? Go ahead, say what you want. If it's impossible, I'll say it's impossible."
"Uhmm……May we play with Pochi-sama, Tama-sama, and Kaiser-sama……?"
"You want to play? "

I was a bit surprised that a seasoned explorer would use such a word.
Well, they may have seen many battles, but at the same time, they are still children. After all, Ziga-kun is only thirteen. I heard he's been an explorer since he was eight.
By the way, Pochi is already running around at an incredible speed, Tama is climbing up and down trees, and Kaiser is enjoying a nap under the sun with his eyes closed.
Well, I don't know what kind of game it is, but it's perfectly fine.

"Do you need anything to play? Should I go get a ball or something?"
"Are you sure⁉ Absolutely! "

It wasn't quite what I expected, but when I brought over some stuff from the Hardware Store—like a balance ball and a rope—that looked like it could be fun to play with, they started playing to their heart's content.
After that, they just cuddle up with Pochi and Tama and enjoy the fluffy fun.
The two Lizardmen went to Kaiser's spot together and are enjoying sunbathing together. Quiet and subdued.

"……Well, this should help alleviate the labor shortage somewhat. Still, why are Pochi and the others so favored by beastfolk? It's not just about being big and cute, right? "

I casually spoke to Seir, who was sitting next to me.
Seir is an eccentric who goes beyond being taciturn—he never speaks a word and communicates using a flip-board —but that doesn't mean he has any difficulty communicating. Rather, I get the feeling he's the talkative type when he does speak, so there must be some reason he keeps quiet. Since there is no need to force the issue, I leave it as it is.
If necessary, he will tell me himself.

『I heard those beasts are from the same hometown as Lady Maho, right? 』
"That's right. We're all in the same boat, having come here with the Hardware Store."
『They are half-spiritified. One could even call them demigods.』
"Hmm…… ehh? What? What's that?"
『You mentioned that they ate a magic stone, but normally, even if a magic stone is placed inside the body, it does not react. However, by not defeating monsters and instead exposing their fragile bodies to the high-purity magic at the lowest layer, and then placing the highest-purity magic stone inside, they were forcibly ranked up to a higher existence.』
"Is that really possible……? So, since I'm in a similar situation, does that mean I can rank up too? "
『Lady Maho has already defeated monsters, so it might be difficult.』
"Of course～. Well, I wasn't planning on doing it anyway. I hate the idea of giving up on being human."
『That should be fine.』

Even so, demigods?
I was thinking of putting them out front as dungeon mascots, but honestly, just by themselves, Pochi and the gang might be able to pull in a ton of customers.