Boundary Labyrinth and the Foreign Magician Chapter 12

Since the procedure for leasing was completed after signing the contract, we went to collect the carriage that was stored at the stable near the gate. When we returned to the house, we transferred our luggage from the carriage into the house.
Speaking of the luggage, it consisted of things like clothing, cookware and dining ware wrapped in cloth, as well as the foodstuffs we had brought but did not consume during the trip.

This would be all of our supplies for the next few days, and we could probably stay here with the minimum amount of cooking supplies.
In regards to important furniture like beds, desks, and sofas, those will be addressed at another time. It will be fine if Grace and I slowly explore the town and go shopping.

As to why we were going around town with Rossetta today, it was because we had already tidied up our business from before.
After that, the next thing to do would be to head over to Perezford School and take care of the procedures for enrollment? With Grace acting as the carriage driver, we rode from the house to the nearby school.
The school was a historical building. It was surrounded by a tall fence entangled with ivy and was still in good condition, giving off an old-fas.h.i.+oned feeling.
Although there were several buildings built within the grounds, the one we were heading to this time was just the administrative office.

“Can I help you?”

“I’d like help with the enrollment procedures, please. This is my letter of introduction.”

After submitting the introduction letter written by Dad, the staff member nodded and examined the sealed letter.

“Will you fill in the necessary information on this doc.u.ment, please?”

Following the staff member’s guidance, which was given in a businesslike tone, I submitted the doc.u.ment after filling in the necessary information. The staff member looked it over and inclined their head.

“Do you not wish to enter the dorm?”

“It isn’t necessary because I have a house within the city. That doesn’t mean I’ll receive a n.o.ble’s education though.”

“Is that so?”

Whether or not the staff member had asked merely to confirm, they did not inquire further. The enrollment fee to attend Perezford came out to be 500 Kilig.

The process was rather simple. It’s not like I was looking forward to filling out paperwork though. The procedures today were sufficient. It was fine to leave other matters aside for another day.

“What should we do next?”

“Go to the Guild, right? We have to return the horses to the Count and submit this request to him.”

We headed towards our next destination as I replied to Rossetta, who had been waiting inside the carriage.
The reason we were heading towards the Guild was not only to submit the request, but to handle various affairs like the introduction of the alchemist and the procurement of magic stones to use in the house’s bathroom as well.

“You will also obtain permission to dive down into the labyrinth, right?”

“Well…that’s right.”

Although Rossetta wasn’t talking about how to handle the house’s maintenance fees, since she didn’t know my personal budget, my actions seemed to be within the extent of her expectations.

“Even if it’s just a little bit, would it be okay for you to show me how you fight?”

“…Only if you will agree to let me do this.”

“It will be fine if you agree, provided that you’re able to talk with me.”

“That’s why you must agree.”

Rossetta closed her eyes after I immediately answered.
Consent? What must we agree on? Was I able to interact with her in a reasonable manner because I was a child?
Although it was probably fine if I was a normal child, I was no longer normal.
It didn’t mean I was too conceited. I was seeking power because I believed that I didn’t have enough of it after all.

Although I didn’t have plans to dive into the labyrinth for the moment…Well, that’s fine, I guess?
Grace’s axe was stored in the carriage as well, and it was troublesome to allow Rossetta to accompany me again for a chat on another day.

Even if there was unease in the upper levels, there weren’t any problems.

“Rather than that, what does Rossetta normally do?”

“Ah, me? As Risa’s child, what do you think I do?”

At that, Rossetta smiled and placed her hand on her cheek. I wonder why she seems happy?
Well, she dove into the labyrinth with Mom when they were cla.s.smates and could afford to do that with their flexible schedules.
Dad had a lot of influence over various things regarding her, and it was expected that she would ask me for a favor.
I wonder? If I spoke about having great success as an Adventurer, I knew it would be more than just having the time and money to do it.
As for the possibilities, she could be a government official, a staff member for the Adventurer’s Guild, a teacher at Perezford…or–

“A leader of the Thieves Guild, right?”

“Why would that be true…”

“Well, you seem to be well-connected.”

It seems that she wasn’t aiming to land a jackpot.
(TL: by establis.h.i.+ng a connection with Theo)

“Geez. I’m teaching at Perezford, you know. I’m in charge of Healing Magic.”

“So it was like that?”

Although she pouted in dissatisfaction, she neither appeared too dignified nor powerful…I felt that she had become widely known as a Priest while she was active within the labyrinth, then settled down in Perezford as a teacher, and was currently training her juniors.

The affluence of becoming widely known was something to be satisfied with. The skills of a Priest were specialized and did not rely on the quality of Mana upon activation, so skilled Priests were quite rare.

By the way, since a Battlemage’s Circulation Refinement was something like a bonus, its healing effects were extremely outcla.s.sed by an expert Priest. Although I was also capable of using beginner healing magic, mine was only useful as emergency or temporary treatment.

While we were talking about such things, we arrived at our destination.
Since the carriage had stopped, we got out of it and saw a plaza with the Guild and the shrine. Grace smiled at me.

“Theodore-sama, we have arrived.”

“Mm. Thanks.”

The plaza was crowded with various races. The ones that stood out were the lightly-equipped warriors and magicians, elves with bows on their backs, and Adventurers with spears called hawkmen. There were a lot of people who came to place a request with the Guild and send prayers to the shrine’s G.o.ddess…Well, anyways, it was a place where people gathered. They permitted us to leave our carriage at the stable, and we headed inside the Guild, which was next to the shrine.

“Welcome. What can the guild do for you today?”

A smiling, young female receptionist greeted us.

“Various things. The first thing is related to a request.”

“Let’s hear it then.”

After sharing the details of the request and the person to contact, the receptionist lady gathered the doc.u.ments with the necessary information.
By the way, paper was relatively common in certain parts of the city.

Although the paper was not necessarily pure white and soft, wide-scale magic formations and magic stones were necessary for skilled Magic Craftsmen to produce it. The paper was compounded from Wood Magic, Water Magic, and Earth Magic, since it was created from plants, and the production method had been established as a skill.

From Kagehisa’s knowledge, until papermaking progressed and it became possible to produce large quant.i.ties of paper, it had been a high cla.s.s good on Earth. It appeared that this world’s magic civilization’s skill level was quite advanced.

“By the way, did the Adventurers calling themselves Forest Bird leave a message for Theodore Gartner?”

“Aah, those guys, huh? They said that they would come by once the day is over.”

We would head towards the Labyrinth during the early mid-afternoon, was it? Rather than their usual selves, Forest Bird’s laxness seemed more like that of an Adventurer’s.

“Understood. Although they have left a message, would you please tell them that I was here earlier, if they return?”

“Is it a designated request?”

“No, it’s something more personal. I have a letter of introduction from a person called Beline.”

“–Beline?”

The woman’s hand, which had been moving her quill without pausing, suddenly stopped.

“…Do you know her?”

“Y-yeah, I do.”

…The receptionist lady smiled as I handed her the letter of introduction, though I got the feeling that she was twitching slightly…Well, let’s stop asking for details.

As she looked over it, the receptionist lady nodded.

“…An alchemist, huh? Understood. I’ll try to look up the information we have here.”

“Before that, please give us the registration doc.u.ments for Adventurers. For me and her.”

“The two of you? Is it true that the two of you defeated a swarm of ants?”

“Yes.”

I had the body of a child after all, and even though that wasn’t rare, I couldn’t see Adventurers taking the trouble to party with children. I understood that it seemed suspicious…

As I had thought, would it have been better to go shopping for a Magician’s robe, a staff, and the like? Even so, the receptionist lady surely wouldn’t refuse us for that reason, so we continued to register without delay. The receptionist lady nodded as she confirmed the doc.u.ments.

“Understood. Please fill in this form over here. Please tell me if you require someone to write for you.”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s fine for me as well.”

The two of us filled in the necessary information on the form.
Even if I said it was important information, it wasn’t actually anything important enough to hear about. Your name, what you excel in, and your current lodgings. These things were enough. If they asked for too many details, the Adventurer’s original purpose would be left out.
As for us, I excelled in Magic and Grace excelled in close combat. About this much information was fine.
It also said that, if I so desired, I could be introduced to an Adventurer’s party or I could post a request for specialized Adventurers. Information was necessary for things like that after all.

“I have confirmed it. I will now move onto the explanation of things you need to be aware of.”

Adventurers have a guaranteed status in a country. The worthy actions of their predecessor’s achievements was something to bear in mind. In regards to the guild’s honor, there were cases where they submitted requests to capture or subjugate those who dishonored its dignity and credibility, etc.
Although there wasn’t a fixed quota, it was recommended to visit if one had too much free time on their hands. There were various things that were a.s.sessed by the Guild, such as the kinds of achievements left on someone’s records and what kind of work they were suitable for.

Although there weren’t any clear rankings, if one became distinguished, then they would become a topic of gossip. If you had achievements, the Guild would also write a letter of introduction for you…which the Guild used to provide services and accommodate you on various things. That’s why, in order to become acknowledged, you had to handle the jobs in earnest.
However, in the case of Boundary City’s Adventurers, they had the right amount of information necessary to indicate their true strength. Right? How deep into the labyrinth would they get?
The further down you went, into the lower levels, the higher likelihood that Adventurers with skills surpa.s.sing yours would appear.

“The information from the previous doc.u.ments will be copied onto this magic slate.”

The thing the receptionist lady brought out from under the desk was a metal slate embedded with small magic stones. It had the same purpose as a name tag in the military. It was an Adventurer’s proof of ident.i.ty.
The main point of filling it with magic was to embed it with information, such as one’s name and what they specialize in, via the magic stones.

“This magic slate will have your name embedded into it. Be careful not to lose it, since it will become your proof of identification as an Adventurer. If, by chance, you notice that you’ve dropped it within the labyrinth, please recover it, as long as you are capable of doing so.

“Understood.”

The two of us nodded. It was still ignorant to express that you had managed to lose it though.
If it was required, it was easy to look up the ident.i.ty of those who died. You identified them by using the slate.

“Well, with this, the two of you are now Adventurers…and it’s required to take a few short lessons in order to get permission to enter the large labyrinth. Please handle those procedures with the person at the window over there. Regarding the contents of Beline’s letter, she can pa.s.s the information over to the two of you when those lessons end.”

It meant that we would finally be able to dive into the Labyrinth once those lessons ended.
It was something I cared deeply about.
I lifted my head up from the metal slate and saw a group of young, male Adventurers that were doing something. Although they noticed that I seemed to be evaluating them, they headed off in the direction away from me. With their appearance, I thought that they would be easy to deal with…it should be fine if it doesn’t become troublesome.