Chapter 138: Miscellaneous

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Translator: Soafp

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Now I stood in front of the study where my grandpa and father should be.

I planned to discuss the business idea I had mentioned earlier to El, Ashera, and Marl, though it would just be a summary for now.

After organizing my thoughts, I knocked on the door.

“It’s Aldo. I've come to discuss something with you.”

After a brief pause, my grandfather’s voice came through.

“Enter…”

“Excuse me.”

I said as I stepped inside.

Grandfather and Father looked at me with serious expressions.

“Aldo, what do you need?”

“Yes, it might take a bit of time, but may I?”

“Speak…”

“Yes, actually…”

I explained that even if we became independent and established our own currency, we would still need a substantial amount of capital to operate and maintain autonomy in the meantime.

“And how do you plan to manage that?”

“I intend to make magical tools…”

I explained my idea to create and sell magical tools. While we could sell them outside, I wanted the Blue Ring family to be involved in the production to secure a stable source of income post-independence.

“Producing magical tools, huh?”

“Yes. I've already asked Rosa to prototype a few.”

“It might be good initially, but won't others soon copy your designs?”

“I plan to black-box the magic circles.”

“Black-box?”

“Yes, we'll seal the magic circles inside containers so they can't be seen or tampered with.”

“They could still break them open.”

“If broken, the magic circles will be designed to automatically erase themselves.”

“Is such a thing even possible?”

“It’s not perfect, but we’ve already prototyped a solution.”

“……”

“……”

“Haa, alright. I’ll assign Seria to assist you… discuss the details with him.”

“Thank you.”

“Just don't overdo it. The secret about the Apostles must never get out.”

“I understand. We'll start small and discreetly within the estate.”

“I'm counting on you…”

Grandpa spoke with a tone that suggested skepticism rather than trust.

After leaving Grandfather's study, I headed to Rosa's room. Somehow, Ashera had quietly followed me, a bit of a cute touch.

“Rosa, it's Aldo. May I come in?”

I knocked and called out to Rosa's room.

“Yes, please wait a moment.”

Her voice came through as the door opened.

Rosa’s legs had healed up to her heels, allowing her to walk slowly but without significant issues.

Ashera and I entered the room and sat down on chairs.

“How's your leg?”

“It's fine. After the heel was repaired, walking became much easier.”

Rosa seemed genuinely pleased. She stroked her leg briefly and smiled brightly.

“I'm glad to hear that.”

“Yes, thank you.”

After the usual pleasantries, I broached the topic of the magical tools.

“I came today to discuss a few things. First, I plan to start selling the magical water heater.”

“Do you think it will sell?”

“When we sell it, it will likely be packaged with a bath setup. We’ll start with Chancellor Dunhill’s estate and Count Sandra’s estate.”

“Packaged with a bath…”

“We need to build a proper bath in the Blue Ring estate as a model first.”

“A model room…?”

“Yes, so this won't be immediate. I need you to prepare for when we fully launch into magical tool production.”

“Understood.”

“Also, I will make sure your leg is fully healed by then.”

“Thank you.”

“I'll check back later. For now, focus on refining the black-boxing and finishing the water heater.”

“Understood.”

With the necessary instructions given, I left Rosa’s room.

Next up is Mother. I've been back in the capital for two days, and I need to find out when the labyrinth exploration will begin.

As usual, Mother was in the living room, enjoying tea with Clara, Faristea, Yuri, and Anna-sensei.

“Mother, may I have a word with you?”

“What is it?”

“Yes, about the labyrinth exploration. When do we plan to start?”

“How would I know that?”

“Eh? But…”

“I'm the ‘supervisor,' remember? You said the leader would handle the details, didn't you?”

I did say that… Indeed, I did. If I could time-travel, I'd go back and punch my past self.

“I’ve changed the goal of our labyrinth exploration to ‘conquest.’ You'll need to coordinate the rest with Naga.”

“I understand…”

Feeling quite unsettled, I took my leave from Mother.

I need to discuss this with Naga and Joe…

Having spent the morning on a date with Ashera and then making various arrangements, it was now evening.

I hesitated whether to do it tomorrow but knowing that delaying things never improved the situation, I grudgingly decided to head to the Adventurers’ Guild.

To get there as quickly as possible, I ran along the wall and climbed onto the roof. From there, I sprinted straight toward the Adventurers’ Guild. Ashera kept pace beside me.

Running through the air, we reached the Adventurers’ Guild in half the usual time.

Inside the guild, adventurers glanced at us as we entered.

Usually, my entrance would silence the room, but the guild remained noisy with its usual hustle and bustle.

Puzzled, I realized that both Ashera and I were dressed like commoners today.

Deciding to head to the reception where Naga was, I almost tripped over a man's outstretched foot…

When I tried to go around, another man stuck out his foot…

These guys have no learning capacity. I glared at them with a killing intent in my eyes, and they must have recognized me. They fell off their chairs and scrambled backward on the ground.

Noticing the odd behavior, a few others stared at me, murmuring, “It's Shura…” under their breath.

Ignoring the familiar scene, I walked straight to Naga.

“Aldo, Ashera, you're safe! Welcome back.”

“We're back, Naga.”

“Can we talk for a moment?”

“A personal matter?”

“Yes…”

“All right. Let's use the meeting room.”

With that, we moved to a meeting room at the back with Naga.

“What happened at Blue Ring?”

Naga asked, and I told her everything honestly except for the part about the Apostles.

“So, that's what happened…”

“Yes. And because of this, we need to obtain some Miasma stone.”

“……”

“……”

“You're really determined to conquer it, aren't you?”

“Yes. That's the one thing that won't change.”

“Haa, fine. I'll join.”

“You don't have to force yourself…”

“I'm already on board. Don't worry about it.”

“Thank you.”

“Will you check with Joeguna as well?”

“I plan to visit him now and confirm.”

“If he's not at the Blue Ring estate, he might be at the ‘Great Eagle's Roost Tavern.'”

“The Great Eagle's Roost Tavern or the estate… he’s definitely been chasing Noel lately. Thank you.”

Ashera and I headed to the “Great Eagle’s Roost Tavern.” It was fairly well-known, and we found it easily by asking passersby. Inside, Joe was having a meal with a woman.

That guy, hitting on Noel and now this… but as I rounded to Joe’s side, I realized the woman was Noel herself.

“Noel, ah, sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt.”

“Hm? Aldo and Ashera-sama. Would you like to join us?”

Noel, as usual, invited us to join them for a meal.

“Well then… let’s join them, Ashera.”

“Yeah, I’m hungry.”

Ashera and I ordered some food and fruit water. Ashera and Noel seemed to get along better than I thought. I remembered they mentioned training in martial arts together a while back.

Turning to Joe, I started explaining the recent events at Blue Ring and our plan to conquer the Claw Fang Labyrinth.

The explanation was the same as what I had given to Naga earlier. However, unlike Naga, Joe showed reluctance about conquering the Claw Fang Labyrinth.

“… So, we need the Miasma Stone at all costs. We plan to conquer the Claw Fang Labyrinth.”

“……”

“…”

“… What about the Earth Dragon?”

“We haven’t decided yet. It's not like we can reach the lowest level right away.”

“That's true, but…”

Joe downed his mug of ale in one gulp and ordered another from the waitress.

“I…”

“…”

“…”

“You don't have to join if you don't want to. It's okay if you sit this one out, Joe.”

“……”

“Don't worry about it. Participating or not is a freedom we adventurers have, right?”

“… Sorry…”

Joe clenched his fists and hung his head. Seeing him so burdened made me feel guilty. We then tried to keep the conversation light, and gradually, Joe began to smile again.

After finishing our meal, we excused ourselves. It looked like Noel would stay and continue drinking with Joe. Maybe she liked him more than I thought.

On the way back, I got Aoh's report: “No issues today.”

So, in the end, the team for the Claw Fang Labyrinth exploration would be me, El, Ashera, my mother, and Naga. Joe was out, and El would take his place.

El would be on the left with his shield, so I'd be on the right. That should be the only adjustment needed.

Tomorrow, I'll teach Ashera about the verniers and the magic shield, then consult with Naga at the adventurer's guild. I couldn’t help but smile wryly at the busy days ahead.