Clermont Town.

The closest town to the Lova Labyrinth.

Word had spread about the "Manuscript of the Great Sage Ewich," and quite a few nobles had publicly announced their willingness to pay handsomely for it.

With that kind of money on the table, nearly every adventurer of any renown in the region had come flooding in, packing this otherwise unremarkable little town to the seams.

Today was no different, except that among the crowd, a young man walked in at an unhurried pace, most of his face hidden beneath a hood, an enormous pack strapped to his back.

So many outsiders had passed through lately that the townsfolk barely looked up anymore.

What was strange, though, was that the young man did nothing. He simply walked down the street at an easy pace. And yet the crowd clogging the center of the road parted around him, unconsciously drifting to either side, as if divided by some invisible current.

Even the burliest mercenaries only realized after they'd already brushed past him. They'd look back, and find that they had stepped aside on their own.

Nobody could explain why.

It was just that when that figure in the dark coat passed by, their bodies moved before their minds did, the most honest reaction of all.

Before long, the young man stepped through the entrance of the town's largest building.

The Clermont Town Adventurers Guild.

Despite the flood of adventurers over the past few days, the hall was nearly empty at this hour. A handful of lone wolves drifted in front of the sparse quest board, picking through what little was left.

The young man walked straight up to the front desk.

"Hello, adventurer. How can I help you?" The receptionist offered a practiced smile.

"I need a map of the area around the Lova Labyrinth, and enough spare food to last a week." Banxia reached into his coat, pulled out a gold coin, and set it on the counter.

Small-town guilds like this one usually moonlighted as all-purpose errand agencies, just to keep the doors open. Adventurers who couldn't be bothered to run all over town gathering supplies could hand the whole task off to them. It cost a little more than haggling yourself, but it saved time and energy. Plenty of seasoned adventurers operated that way, and rural guilds were happy for the extra income.

"Of course, sir." The receptionist accepted the coin with a smile. She turned it over, then stopped.

"A gold coin from the southern Kingdom of Arabagia? I didn't expect you to have come from so far."

"Is there a problem?" Banxia caught the note in her voice.

"You might be visiting the Central Continent for the first time, so you may not know how things work here," the receptionist said, patient and unhurried. "In this area, the only accepted currency is gold issued by the Holy Capital of Stral. Foreign coins like this one have to be sent through a merchant guild to the Holy Capital for exchange — and there's a deduction in the process."

"That's fine. Just tell me the rate."

"One gold coin from the Kingdom of Arabagia converts to roughly seventy Holy Capital silver coins." Sensing he might not be pleased, she added, "That rate hasn't changed in years. If you'd prefer, you're welcome to check with the merchant guilds on the street yourself."

"Works for me. Go ahead and prepare the supplies." Banxia nodded.

"Understood. Everything should be ready by this afternoon." The receptionist tucked the coin away, and her smile turned a degree warmer. "Please come back then."

"Sure." Banxia swept a glance around the near-empty hall, then paused at the door. "Didn't they say a lot of outside adventurers had come through recently? Where is everyone?"

"About a week ago, they formed a raiding party under the call of the dragon-slaying hero Lord Griffin. They've already headed out for the Lova Labyrinth."

"Still a step too late." Banxia let out a small sigh.

He could only hope the monsters inside were tough enough to hold out until he got there.

Hang in there, monsters.

---

Banxia left the guild and ducked into a roadside tavern.

It was the middle of the day, but the place was dead. A few locals were scattered around, and that was it. Most of the adventurers had clearly followed the raiding party to the Lova Labyrinth.

He found a seat against the wall — and then stopped.

He hadn't expected to run into anyone here.

He hadn't planned to say anything, but she was already walking over.

"Hey. Long time no see." He tilted his head. "Miss Mabel, right?"

"...I knew I'd find you here." The blue-haired girl kept her head slightly lowered, her expression unreadable.

The Frozen Divine Sword, which had been completely locked in ice the last time he'd seen it, was now dragging behind her along the floor, its tip scratching faintly with every step.

"So why are you here?"

"I heard you were heading north — that you were planning to clear every Human Forbidden Area along the way. So I thought... if I came here, I might find you."

"...Who's been spreading that around?" Banxia said flatly.

People really loved putting words in his mouth. He did have that plan, yes, but he'd never said it out loud to anyone.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"Sit down first, then." He waved a hand.

She didn't sit. Instead, she raised her eyes, her expression unusually serious.

"I want to know how to become as strong as you." Her grip tightened on the Frozen Divine Sword. "You defeated a Great Demon and Xiaoyan on your own. How do you do it? How do you make yourself..." She hesitated. "Useful?"

"Hmm." Banxia thought about it for a moment. "Heaven Rewards Diligence, I'd say."

He paused, then added, "Plus a body that can actually survive a fight with monsters. That's about the whole of it."

"...I don't understand." Mabel tilted her face up. Her eyes were wide and a little lost, like a stray with nowhere to go.

"If you don't understand..." Banxia turned it over.

He wasn't running a counseling clinic. So he skipped straight to it. "Then let's back up. What does 'useful' even mean to you?"

Mabel was quiet for a moment.

"I don't know," she said softly.

"If you don't know, why come looking for me?" Banxia's exasperation edged up a notch. "I'm not a life coach."

"It's what the village chief and the others said..."

"What did they say?"

"That a descendant of the Ice Clan is completely useless. That I can't even measure up to a single drop of the Hero's mercy..."

"Wait."

That feeling hit him again. Déjà vu.

This time, though, Banxia's considerably fortified soul let him dig through his memories on his own, no magic needed. As long as something hadn't been wiped out entirely, it snapped back fast.

"So that's it..."

He finally understood where that feeling had been coming from.

It was from that anime. Uncle from Another World.

He'd probably arrived too early in the timeline, which would explain why he hadn't heard of any orc-looking human wandering around yet. Or maybe he simply hadn't crossed paths with one.

Either way, the blue-haired girl in front of him was far too young. Middle school age, at most.

It seemed that passing through when he did and handling Xiaoyan had put him years ahead of where the story was supposed to be.

➤ Next: The Weak? Who, Me?

Chapter 76 - The Weak? Who, Me?

"I think I have a pretty good sense of your situation."

Banxia took a sip of the barley tea the waitress had just brought over and spoke slowly:

"You don't have to care what others say. If you want to lie flat, just find a quiet place and live out your days in peace. As long as you're not bothering anyone else."

"...Lie flat?"

"Oh, you don't know the term." Banxia sighed and explained what "lying flat" meant to the girl one more time.

"Eh? But... everyone says I'm a descendant of the Ice Clan and that I have to inherit our ancestors' will..."

"Doesn't matter." Banxia waved a hand.

"If you ever run into monsters you genuinely can't handle, I'll step in. You don't need to worry about what people think. Just go live the life you actually want."

At those words, light finally kindled in Mabel's eyes.

Unlike the people back in her village who had nothing but contempt for her, Lord Hero was remarkably understanding.

Even so, to actually let go and do it...

"But..."

"No buts. If anyone questions you, just say I told you to. That work?"

"Is that... really okay?"

"Such a hassle... Why are you all so obsessed with what everyone else thinks? As long as you're not bothering anyone, live however you want. Understand? I need to eat now."

"Since Lord Hero says so... hehe..."

Mabel couldn't help the strange little smile that crept onto her face, as if she were already catching a glimpse of that blissful, do-nothing future waiting for her.

"Oh, right — please accept the Frozen Divine Sword, Lord Hero."

"For me?"

"I probably won't have any use for it from now on. I'll leave our ancestors' will in Lord Hero's hands."

"Fine. I won't take it for nothing." Banxia thought for a moment, then dug out every gold coin in his pack and produced a bulging, stuffed-full bag.

"Take this for travel expenses."

"Lord Hero, you're so kind..." Staring at the staggering pile of gold, Mabel was already projecting vivid visions of lavish food, fine clothes, and a future of thoroughly, completely lying flat.

Banxia took the Frozen Divine Sword from her and gave it a casual swing. "Why does this feel no different from an ordinary weapon? It's just got a layer of ice on it..."

He had figured that a so-called divine artifact would at least have something special about it.

The moment the words left his mouth, Mabel, who had already clutched the coin pouch and was angling for a clean getaway, suddenly went rigid.

She knew Lord Hero meant no harm. But having the treasure her clan had guarded for generations dismissed so carelessly left her with genuinely complicated feelings.

"It's cold... Did the ice just get thicker?" Banxia looked down. The layer of ice over the Frozen Divine Sword was visibly thickening, a bone-deep chill spilling outward in silence.

If an ordinary person were holding this blade right now, they'd already be a solid ice sculpture.

He turned to look at the silent blue-haired girl.

"I see. This thing recognizes bloodlines." Banxia swiftly reached back and grabbed the bag of gold coins off the table.

"Better return it to you then. It's useless in my hands."

"Is that so..."

Watching the gold drift away and her dream crumble with it, Mabel slowly lowered her head. The light in her eyes went out.

Meanwhile, the other patrons eating in the tavern:

"Why did the temperature suddenly drop?"

"The weather can't change this fast..."

"Hey — look over there — is the entrance blocked with ice?!"

"Monster attack?!"

...

That afternoon.

Banxia sent the descendant of the Ice Clan off with a single gold coin, shouldered the supplies he'd purchased from the guild, and set out for the Lova Labyrinth.

The labyrinth had only surfaced from underground the previous autumn. To this day, no one had cleared it.

When he'd left Alterna, word was that not even the first floor had been beaten.

Now that groups had actually assembled to attempt it, he wondered how far they'd gotten.

"Hope they're taking it slow. I've never challenged a labyrinth before." Banxia headed toward the Lova Labyrinth at a brisk pace, a flicker of anticipation in his chest.

He'd heard the monster density inside was staggering. One careless step on a trap and you'd be surrounded on all sides before you could blink.

Then again, traps could also just be ordinary pitfalls or magical mechanisms.

It was only in the highest-difficulty zones that the nastiest traps turned out to be those uncountable swarms of monsters.

Just thinking about running into that kind of trap, now that was exciting.

"I finally found you."

A familiar voice came from behind.

Banxia turned a deaf ear and kept walking.

"Wait! Don't ignore me!" A blonde, green-eyed elf sprinted around in front of him and threw both arms wide to block the path.

"Oh, isn't it Miss Elf? Long time no see."

"You deliberately pretended not to hear me just now."

"How could I? I'm not the type to shy away from trouble."

"...Fine." The elf sighed. "You left without a word last time. I can pretty much guess what you were thinking."

"Was it that obvious?"

"Of course, don't underestimate me." The blonde elf raised their chin proudly. "To a benefactor who saved my life, one must return an equal favor no matter what. That's the rule of my lineage."

"Didn't I tell you? I already received my reward."

"That line might work on someone else. Don't waste it on me."

"Hey, don't tell me you fell in love with me over that tired old hero-saves-the-beauty routine." Banxia let out a sigh, his voice carrying a distinct note of self-satisfaction.

"Truly, I have nowhere to put all this charm."

"Y-You, what are you even saying?!" The elf made a sound like a boiling kettle. "Don't get the wrong idea! I-I'm only here to repay you! It's n-not like I have any strange feelings about it!"

"Right." Banxia answered flatly, then shifted course. "Actually, how did you even find me?"

Mabel tracking him down was one thing, but even the elf had caught up without any trouble.

Since when were his whereabouts so easy to trace?

"...I just asked around along the way, if anyone had seen a very strong warrior. I didn't expect it to work out this smoothly either."

Banxia: "..."

"By the way, are you heading to the Lova Labyrinth?"

"Yeah."

"Then let's party up." The elf extended an open hand. "I've been wanting to check out this new labyrinth myself. There might even be undiscovered ancient magical artifacts inside."

"No."

"...May I ask why?"

"Having to look out for the weak while exploring a labyrinth gives even me a headache."

"The... weak..." The elf looked as if struck by the word, and immediately began pulling out a massive heap of ancient magical artifacts and strapping them on.

"The magical poison dragon incident last time clearly gave you the wrong impression. I simply wasn't prepared that day! In a proper fight, I could take down a monster of that caliber without breaking a sweat!"

The elf rattled on at length, but Banxia didn't absorb a single syllable.

His gaze had already drifted, mildly curious, toward a spatial pocket hanging open at the elf's midsection.

"Could you teach me that storage magic?"

➤ Next: With Martial Prowess This High, Yet Able to Use Magic Too—That's Completely U...