Chapter 61: MissedDay 72
“We’ll probably finish the 35th floor before lunch so I’ll go visit Baron Esther today. When I return, we could do a little in Nordselm’s or Vale’s, depending on how te he keeps me. Since I won’t know in advance, probably best to drop you off at home.”
Working this floor, Theo ended up gathering quite a few packets of palm oil as monster drops. The two bosses were of course tree-based, this time called a Canary Camellia. We got some camellia oil packets, not that I know what that’s good for. [1] Not really sure what to do with all this stuff. I don’t mind keeping the olive oil from the lower monsters but I should sell the others. I’m not looking forward to having to start doing all this inventory control myself soon. Maybe we’ll need a custodian rather than a housekeeper.
I dropped the party at home, changed into commoner clothes and made my way to the baron’s estate. I walked up to the gate, which had two guards stationed. Before I could introduce myself, one spoke to me in a rather harsh tone.
“Stop. State your business.”
“I’m here to visit Baron Esther.”
“Alright. Show me your letter.”
“I have none. I was asked to come.”
“No commoner will be admitted without a letter.”
“Understood, but I am expected. My name is David Moreau.”
“If you are a noble, show me your seal.”
“I have none, for I am not a noble.”
“Leave before I have you removed.”
“Well, it’s the baron’s loss.”
The guard yelled something, but I had already turned away. How rude of the baron to waste my time like this. Why couldn’t he have at least left my name with the guards? Well, being denied entry was probably the best possible outcome for me. Even if the guard doesn’t record my name, I can truthfully say that I tried.
Crap, now it sounds like the guards are looking for me. Well, no one can see me here so it’s time to warp.
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Just so the trip wouldn’t be a total loss, I decided to talk to the innkeeper back in Vale. I warped to the alley near the first inn I had stayed at. The innkeeper was at the counter. I pced a couple of silver coins down in front of him.
The innkeeper greeted me in a rexed manner, “Hello, Sir. Room for one?”
“Actually, no. I’m here for a little information. I’ve heard that your people travel around a lot.”
“Yes, we do. Why do you ask?”
“I’d like to know if you recognize the following phrase: ?Vous me comprenez maintenant??”
“It’s an unusual accent, but understandable.”
“Do you know where people who speak this nguage live?”
“Not exactly. Try checking the towns north of here.”
I thanked him and gave him a couple more coins before heading out to my usual departure point.
“Hello, Tavi!”
“Huh? Tuuli? Is that you?”
“Yes, Tavi. Do you still live here?”
“No, just visiting.”
“Tavi, this is my husband, Kari.”
Wow, he looks young. Right, this must be the one Tuuli snagged. Kari greeted me in an overly formal manner.
“It’s a great honor to meet you, Lord Tavi. I heard how you saved Tuuli’s vilge.”
Tuuli tensely nodded her head behind Kari.
“Um, yes. Good to meet you, Kari. I’m gd she’s found a good husband.”
“Thank you, Lord Tavi. I am pleased to get your approval.”
“Kari, dear, we should go soon. I’ll wait here with the cart while you get the st bags.”
Kari left and Tuuli’s smile quickly broke.
“Tavi, I’m pregnant.”
“Congratutions, Tuuli. I presume this is good news for you.”
“Yes, though it was a great surprise. I never imagined you were actually human.”
“Huh? The baby is ours?”
“Not exactly. The baby was yours when I was your sve. After you released me, the baby became mine.”
“Tuuli, we didn’t sleep together before you were released.”
“Yes, Tavi, I am so sorry for revealing that to Tessa. You almost died because I betrayed your trust.”
“That’s not what I meant and Tessa wasn’t your fault.”
“Well, I was very careful not to repeat that mistake. The story I told everyone was real, just on a different night.”
“What does this mean for your marriage?”
“Raising the child of the hero of our vilge is a great honor. Thank you.”
“I don’t quite understand.”
“Tavi, could you please agree that we only did it when I belonged to you? This is very important to me.”
“Alright, Tuuli, I will respect your wishes.”
“Thank you, Tavi. That’s very generous. Please come visit us after my child is born.”
I said my goodbyes to the happy couple and went back home.
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“Hello, I’m back.”
Marcus greeted me. “Hi, Boss. Did it go well?”
“Yes, better than expected. Please tell everyone to prepare for the byrinth.”
I got ready and the others assembled in the living room soon after.
“We’re going to Nordselm’s Labyrinth. The 21st floor is up next. Sherry?”
“The main opponents are Pig Hogs, which use earth magic and are sensitive to water magic. The secondary monsters are Fly Traps and Sarracenia, both sensitive to fire, but Fly Traps resist water magic.”
“Thanks, Sherry. Let’s go.”
Roxanne and Alina zipped around in their speed-enhanced boots to frequently Stun or occasionally Petrify their prey. Marcus and Sherry also used Stun while Theo managed to interrupt most of the magic circles. I mainly bsted the monsters with Fire Storm with a few water spells and melee hits in between. This really should have been a nice rest for us but we instead bsted through at high speed and ended up more tired than usual.
After a short break, we fought the pig boss and went home for a somewhat beted dinner — pork, of course. That was good. I think everyone liked this as a change of pace. Well, time for my usual duty of exposition.
“When I went to the baron’s mansion, a rude guard turned me away as unworthy. It was wonderful, couldn’t have asked for a better outcome. Next time I’m called to a noble, I should show up in torn rags and maybe a yer of mud. I only wish I’d thought of this earlier.”
Alina cautioned, “If you do manage to get let in, that noble will likely be insulted.”
“Sounds even better, though there’s probably some hidden downside and it’s too te to use that on the duke. Anyway, I also met an old friend so we talked a while.”
Alina asked softly, “David, was it Tully?”
“Tuuli, but not sure how you guessed that. Before I first came to Vale, I passed through a vilge and helped them defeat some brigands. I still hadn’t accepted the idea of svery back then so I asked for a volunteer to come with me as a helper. The deal would be for a widow to help me get started and I’d make sure she learned Brahim before she returned.”
“So, Marcus and Theo weren’t your first sves?”
“I only expected Tuuli to be a temporary helper. I never imagined that she would become my sve.”
“David, why were you so surprised when the same thing happened with me?”
“Svery is really foreign and confusing. I still have trouble sometimes. Anyway, after I got attacked by a second sve, Tuuli went back to her vilge.”
“What?! Seems like you skipped something there.”
“Nah, she was just crazy. Anyway, I kept visiting Tuuli for a while and she ended up getting pregnant.”
“Is Tuuli a human?”
“Yes, so I guess I am too. Anyway, she only found out about the pregnancy ter. She’s married now and they want to raise the child together.”
“Oh. David, how do you feel about all this?”
“Tuuli and I weren’t serious. We were careless because I didn’t know she thought I wasn’t human. Anyway, her husband knows and accepts the situation, due to some traditional reasons I don’t understand. So, it’s actually alright.”
“That’s good, David.”
“The secret part is that she wants me to pretend that we slept together when she was still my sve.”
“Oh, no wonder she tried to kill you.”
“No, that was the crazy one. That doesn’t matter now. I just thought you should know. OK, end of the story.”
Thankfully, no one pushed for more details.
That night, Sherry enchanted Marcus’ heavy armor with our new Golem crystal to create a Steel Hauberk of Might. If this works like speed enhancement, it should be more effective for stronger users. If Sherry had equipment with an open slot, I would have offered it to her. [2]
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Day 73
Roxanne asked to join the morning runs I sometimes have with Alina. Alina still had her initial burst speed over me and Roxanne. I could pull ahead of Roxanne at the start, but she’d soon catch up. At a moderate distance, Alina would fall far behind us. I’m not sure if Roxanne could manage long distance, not that it matters.
As before, Sherry avoided the topic of running. She’s unlikely to ever be fast, though it could be good for her to at least jog. Too bad bicycles aren’t around. I should talk to her about possible solutions. Of more immediate concern, is how Roxanne runs — braless.
“Roxanne, that looks uncomfortable.”
“What do you mean, Master?”
“Never mind. Let’s go inside for breakfast.”
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“We’re going to the 36th floor of Curatar’s Labyrinth today. What will we face, Sherry?”
“The new monster is the Spy Spider, [3] which resists earth magic and is sensitive to water. It can also attack with poison. The other monsters are Palm Baum and Kobold Kampfer.”
“That’s convenient since the other two don’t resist water, or actually any magic. Unless something unexpected happens, we should be able to complete most or all of it today. Roxanne, would you like to join me for lunch?”
“Yes, Master, I would love to.”
As hoped, Water Storm spells were quite effective. We just had to be careful with our footing since the water doesn’t go away like fire or breeze spells. With so many of our weapons producing status effects, magic wasn’t actually needed, but the combination made this floor almost trivial in comparison to the 33rd. I even had to request that a few be allowed to pass for me to regain MP.
I took us out to central Curatar for the others to rest while I took Roxanne on a little date.
“So, Roxanne, I would like to take you shopping. Not sure if the stores here have what I’m looking for but may as well check.”
A deep voice rang out behind us, “Ah, Lord Moreau. Good that I found you. Let’s sit down for a chat.”
“Sorry, Baron Esther, but I’m busy at the moment.”
“Lord Moreau, you promised to come by to talk. Let’s go do that now.”
“I went to your estate and asked to see you. I was denied entry and ordered to leave. I made an honest effort to fulfill your request. Goodbye.”
“Lord Moreau…”
“Baron Esther, tell me honestly. Who do you think I’d rather talk to right now: you or this lovely woman?”
It didn’t seem that the baron had actually noticed Roxanne before this because once he turned her direction, he seemed to lose his train of thought. We took off before he could recover. After slipping around a corner, I opened a portal to the capital.
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Hesitantly, Roxanne asked, “Master, was that really alright? It sounded like you pced me above a noble.”
“Yes, Roxanne, I did because I very much prefer your company to his. Don’t worry about it. We’re here.”
“Where?”
“I noticed while we were running that your clothing doesn’t appear to offer enough support.” [4]
“Um, do you mean?”
“It’s not good to have your chest bounce like that.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Master. I’ll be careful to hide them.”
“No, Roxanne, that’s not it at all. I feel that I haven’t provided you with the proper equipment needed for the byrinth. Your casual clothing is none of my business and I certainly won’t ask you to cover up at home.”
“Alright, if you say so.”
Picking out her undergarments feels a bit creepy, at least it’s for practical reasons. Besides, just asking is she needs anything will just become ‘I’m fine’, even if she really isn’t.
“Hello, Sir. How may I help you?”
“This young woman is a very active and agile fighter. We’re looking for something to properly support her ample bosom. It should be practical and comfortable rather than simply fashionable.”
Like a true professional, the clerk responded smoothly.
“Understood, Sir. We have a variety of support garments in stock, though not in the young woman’s size. Fortunately, we offer custom orders.”
“Alright, let’s see what you have for reference.”
“Certainly, Sir. Most of our support garments are used by Knights, but we can certainly make one to accommodate greater mobility.”
Roxanne went back for measurements, while I pretended to know what I was talking about with the clerk. He suggested whale-bone inserts and other rather restrictive enhancements. Considering how Roxanne’s been rather free-floating, we compromised on a moderate solution that emphasized comfort. Sort of weird that Roxanne stayed out of the discussion. Even after she returned, Roxanne seemed more than happy to leave the details to me.
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“Did all that make you uncomfortable, Roxanne?”
“Not at all, Master. I’m happy to wear whatever you wish.”
That was more enthusiastic than expected, and not just a little suggestive. Well, at least she isn’t angry. We walked around a little more before rejoining the party.
We continued where we left off and reached the boss room before evening. The two Spike Spiders we encountered were defeated with ease and then we went home.
While waiting for dinner, Sherry and I discussed pns for the next floor. Since we’ll be facing monsters with a sleep skill, Sherry will prepare some countermeasures. I also asked her to enchant my hardened-leather cap with a Sheep crystal — can’t have the captain fall asleep at the wheel.
After dinner, I prepared the baths. I made sure to reassure Roxanne that I appreciate her figure.
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[1] The LN mentions some specific uses for camellia oil (v10 c5).[2] Less than half of the 33 basic skill crystals have been described in the LN/WN. Sherry says that Golem boosts STR (personal communication).[3] In the LN, the MC expected a spy reted drop (v3 c3). Therefore, Spy beats Spice for the name of the mid-level spider.[4] In the LN, Roxanne doesn’t seem to wrap her chest for combat. Seems odd for someone so athletic, though it might just be for the MC’s sake.
