Nozomanu Fushi no Boukensha

"... oh? Can I help you?

The little man in the black robe noticed me approaching him visibly. Yes, he asked.

It wouldn't be my fault that some interesting atmosphere intersects that voice color.

There are iron-class adventurers around who think they're taking the test just like us, but each one of them seems to have noticed the map trick, so they're trying to buy a map.

Nonetheless, we're the only ones trying to talk to this guy, so it's about letting him know how suspicious he's creating an atmosphere.

When I say people who sell maps, there are a lot of them near the entrance to the labyrinth, claiming how the map of my place is correct and other than that, deals are written, but there's no such thing as a man in front of me.

I'm just standing there blurry and fluffy.

You wouldn't even normally think he's selling maps.

"... Chizu, let's go"

When I say that, the man,

"Heh. You used to think I was a cartographer, didn't you? Nobody's coming near me."

"That's good. Chizu."

I know this guy well.

When someone he doesn't know talks to, he talks a lot and eventually winds up in smoke and disappears somewhere.

I don't know about that when you're selling maps, but it would be one option not to sell them except to someone you can trust.

There are adventurers out there who say they're just tyrannical people trying to take it away.

"... hehe, that's a map. Here. It'll be two silver coins."

That said, the man has been trying to give me rough paper that looks wide,

"... there you are. Yes, not just later, okay. And, hey. Please, sesame seeds, it should be possible."

When I said that without getting my hair in, he looked surprised and quickly took out the other maps and handed them to me.

Then,

"... you're going to take it... you two little bitches over there might as well obey this guy. Heh, with five copper coins."

Hand over the copper coin and receive the map.

Then the man immediately disappeared somewhere.

Rise and Laura, who were watching the whole thing,

"... is that map really correct...?

"I've never seen anyone so suspicious..."

I'm telling you, I'll just spread out the map and show it to both of you,

"... look, look, look, look, look."

With that said, the two of them took the map they had given me from the bag they were wearing and began to compare it to the one I had just purchased.

And

"... you're falling apart here. Is this... has the structure changed? Seriously......"

"Uh... there are a number of trap locations that say it's a map of a suspicious person... oh, the shortest distance goes first..."

Keep bumping that up, and at the end of the day,

"Lent, you do it. If it weren't for you, I'd have gone on such an incomplete map and been lost."

"Right! With this map, the exam is sure to be an easy win!

And he convinced me.

But it wouldn't be easy enough to pass just because you got the map.

You should only think about breaking through the first gate, about it.

"... well, yes, but because of it, it's bad. I don't know if there is anything in Meiku. Hike, Hike, Let's go."

That's what you told me, you two snorted at me.

As you can see, they have a pretty honest personality.

I feel comfortable as far as I'm concerned, but I was a little anxious about the future if I didn't get fooled one day.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

"No!

With a temperamental voice, a flash of Rise's sword strikes the boner Skeleton.

Not such a powerful blow, but the aim is certainly to beat and crush the skeleton's head.

However, I couldn't seem to defeat him with one shot, and he's still fluttering and moving.

I stepped out of the back of Rise for such a boner, Skeleton, and when I waved my sword, I smashed my body composed of only that bone.

"... Ha, ha"

Defeat Skeleton, the boner, and Rise is out of breath.

Even so, not only because we have dealt with it, but because we have met many times to get here.

Our formation decided to discuss Rise's avant-garde, my defense of Laura, and Rise's assistance, Laura's rear guard, and it's been going on in that state for a long time, but it might be time to get close to the limit.

I can afford it alone, but that's not why.

Only because we have to work together to get through this exam.

"... are you kidding?

"Worry, I just want to say I don't need... but that's just tough. In the first place, has there been so much demon around the Labyrinth of the Crescent Moon?

That's understandable what Rise said.

And strangely enough, a lot of demons just appeared.

The Labyrinth of the Crescent Moon is not less demonic, but it is too much nonetheless.

Perhaps, for some reason… or eighty-nine, the Adventurers' Union (Guild) is guiding the demons.

If you're going to be a copper, show that you have as much fighting power as you can get over it, I guess.

"... I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't, but I can... I guess that's what I'm going to do with one."

When I told the two of you that, Laura said,

"Here...? Oh, incense (like this)? There's a incense like this that can direct demons."

"To grab it, yes, but put it on, try to put it on, measly, some, some… put it on, you know."

When I say that to innocent Laura, her expression gets slightly darker,

"Is there such a person..."

and become stained with surprise and sorrow.

You don't want to believe there are such people.

But I'm sure he is.

Killing in the labyrinth is naturally a mistake, but even if I did, if I can't, I'm done talking there.

And even if you don't get your hands dirty, let the demons kill you.

There are those who use incense "like this" to guide demons.

On a larger scale, that brings us to stories such as the tragic place in the history of the country where we try to make villages and towns attack.

I'm talking about saying that it was originally built to make the crusade of demons easier, but that some people come up with bad things everywhere.

Yes, everywhere, there are bad guys.

"... stay together"

That's what I said to the two of you trying to move on, just plugged into a corner of the labyrinth.

They tilt their necks and look at me.

I whisper to both of you.

"There, let me, be there"

The two had a surprised look, but also a whisper,

"... but no sign of demons, eh?

"That's right... and I don't think that much intelligence was in the hierarchical demons around here"

That is certainly true.

You can say that there are no demons on this level of the Labyrinth of the Crescent Moon that appear only to the extent of the Bone Man Skeleton, Slime, or Goblin, even bothered to ambush them.

Sometimes it's just a matter of timing I happen to run into, so much so that I get ambushed.

But that's not what I'm saying.

"It's all over me, it's all over me. Not really."