Surviving in the Labyrinth City of the Reverse World

13 – Clearing the Garbage #3

I followed Berena into her shop. From the entrance, there were exquisite artifacts displayed.

“I get goods from skilled workshops, so we have a lot of good artifacts. Some items need to be reserved in advance to purchase.”

The confident attitude she showed earlier didn’t seem to be just a bluff. Berena’s Artifact Shop was bustling with adventurers who came to see.

“This way.”

Verena led us through the shopping customers and into the inner reception room.

“What kind of artifact are you looking for, sir? Offensive? Defensive? We have plenty of auxiliary artifacts as well.”

“I’d like to take my time and look around.”

“If you find an artifact you’d like to try out, feel free to call for assistance.”

One of the staff members approached an explorer who was browsing the artifacts. The explorer furrowed his eyebrows as if feeling burdened for no reason.

Even without Verena personally attending to it, the artifact shop was running smoothly. The staff members were selling items on their own.

The dream of every self-employed business owner. Automatic hunting.

“I envy them!”

It was a sight that could only make one feel envious as a human.

I wanted to be a cool boss doing something other than dangerous labyrinth explorations. Unfortunately, my reality was that I would have to venture into the labyrinth again in a week.

“Please come in and have a seat.”

The inner reception room of the artifact shop was also neatly organized. It made a more favorable impression compared to the messy appearance of the shop I visited earlier, owned by Abella.

Did Verena clean it herself? She didn’t seem like the type to sweep and wipe.

In a world where people struggle to make a living, a protruding belly is a symbol of wealth, but to my eyes, which have lived in modern society, it’s just evidence of laziness.

I believe that judging people solely by their appearance and wearing colored glasses is not right. But what should I do when someone doesn’t even look good on the surface?

First impressions hold stronger power than one might think.

“It’s all because of the Vanguard of Miracles.”

It’s not because I’m a trash covered in superficiality. My narrow-mindedness was shaped by the fact that I was hit hard in the back of my head in the labyrinth.

It’s instinctive to be on guard when looking at someone’s face.

Swu’s hostile attitude was also a problem.

With Suu, who has a sharper intuition than humans, looking at Berena negatively, a good child like me can’t help but be swayed by the adult’s reaction.

“It’s compared to Abella, too.”

I saw the merchant who handles the same goods earlier.

Since I haven’t used the artifacts separately, it’s impossible to evaluate their quality. I can only compare the two merchants based on their appearance and attitude that I saw and experienced.

From the perspective of a customer.

“What kind of tea would you like? Coffee? Black tea? Is milk good for our young explorer?”

“Coffee, please.”

I watched Berena closely as she brought me coffee. Calculations quickly took place in my head.

“No matter how much the conditions change… Abella wins.”

Abella, who looks like a woman in her mid-thirties, and Berena, who looks like a woman in her mid-forties. No matter how kind Berena is, I wanted to hold Abella’s hand.

“Suu went into Abella’s shop first, too.”

Suu felt the evil of the “Vanguard of Miracles” that I didn’t even know about in my dreams and defeated it.

There is a reason for Suu’s choice. Even Suu himself can’t explain it in words, but there must be a reason why he went into Abella’s artifact shop first.

Whether it’s intuition or animalistic instinct, it doesn’t matter.

I had no reluctance to follow Suu because there was a precedent of him saving me. If Suu says it’s a bit strange, then it must be.

“Should we have a conversation and leave?”

I was drawn here by a coincidence. I don’t even have money to buy artifacts.

Berena pushed the coffee cup in front of me. It was a cup with an elegant pattern engraved on it.

“Why did you go to Abella’s artifact shop?”

“…Just went to see, that’s all. It was too expensive, so I didn’t even dare to think about it.”

I sipped my coffee. Its unique bitterness struck my palate.

Unconsciously, I stuck out my tongue.

“It’s not just coffee.”

I had expected a modern society’s Americano, but I was hit with a shock. My body was weak against caffeine, and it was quite disappointing.

“Pfft… You asked for it even though you can’t drink it?”

“Just because.”

“Should I add milk?”

“It would mean having to do double the work. It’s okay. I’ll drink this.”

“You’re such a good kid. You even think about the adults.”

Verena smirked. The laughter of a middle-aged woman was not a pleasant sight.

“I didn’t go to the Abella Artifact Shop for a specific reason?”

“Why else would an adventurer go to the shop if not for artifacts?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Verena glanced at me, as if she understood that I was being sincere, and nodded her head.

“Lately, there have been a lot of guys eyeing what middle-aged women like me are after. I guess I was a bit too cautious.”

“Is that so?”

“You might not know, but the mermaid next to you is an adult. You never know, right?”

“……”

I had been with Su for a week. We hadn’t been apart for even a second, except for when I went to the bathroom.

When you’re that close, there are things you naturally come to know about the other person, even if you don’t want to.

“Soo isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.”

There were a lot of things she didn’t know. To be precise, most of her judgments relied on animal instincts.

From Verena’s perspective, there was no way for her to know that. So she seemed to speculate that Soo had a different purpose in accidentally witnessing her.

In fact, she had come to buy a real artifact. Just with a mere silver.

“This lady also judges based on appearances.”

I felt a twinge of guilt. Thanks to that, I was able to alleviate it a bit.

“The lady misunderstood. I’m sorry.”

Verena winked at me with a smirk. I suddenly felt anger rising, but managed to control it somehow.

“Our time as explorers is very precious… It’s a shame to waste it by tormenting an explorer who has just come out of the labyrinth. I made a mistake.”

“It’s okay.”

If you’re sorry, then let me go. I couldn’t say it out loud, so I demanded it with my eyes.

“Time is money for a merchant. Time is a gemstone for an explorer. It seems a little conscience-stricken to just apologize and move on to someone who is enjoying the fresh air with the gemstones earned by a young explorer.”

“……?”

“So here’s the thing. Can this lady give me a gift?”

“A gift?”

No one dislikes gifts. Especially if it’s a young explorer boy who would even believe in Santa Claus.

“Could it be that she’s giving me an artifact!”

My evaluation of Verena was raised by two levels. From a sinister middle-aged lady to a kind middle-aged lady.

“Follow me.”

Verena stood up from the sofa and led the way. She went into the inner storage and took out one artifact.

“This is…”

“If you have the ‘Blessing of the Divine Avatar,’ you can check the information. Do you want to see it?”

I received a bracelet-shaped artifact from Verena. As soon as I received it, I checked the information on the artifact.

[Theos’s Guardian Bracelet (E)]

A wooden bracelet made with a small amount of platinum and silver.

It is enchanted with magic.

Stored magic: ‘Barrier (F)’

Available uses: 2

What happens if I use up all the available uses?

“It transforms into an ordinary bracelet. But it allows you to use the F-rank barrier twice.”

“Ah…”

I felt a sense of what the artifact was referring to as an item.

“Even guys can use the skills stored in the artifact. That’s important. Do you understand why artifacts are expensive?”

“Yes. I understand now.”

Being a labyrinth explorer is a more dangerous profession than I thought. You never know when and where accidents can happen.

Even I almost got kidnapped in the labyrinth.

Human trafficking is not common, but it’s not zero either. From a guy’s perspective, you have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.

I can’t just live carelessly and end up dying in the labyrinth.

Artifacts are one of the means of resistance for guys. If you have the means, it’s essential to have them as necessary equipment.

“Are there any attack magic enchanted ones?”

“Of course. But we don’t have many items. They’re not selling.”

If the number of attempts is fixed, defense is more efficient than offense.

Merchants are people who chase money. Naturally, they prioritize producing things that sell well.

“Should we reduce the price with an attack spell?”

“…No, I think this is better.”

“Do you like it?”

“Yes.”

Who would dislike getting an artifact for free? I expressed my gratitude to Verena and left the artifact shop.

“If you ever want to buy an artifact, feel free to come.”

I bid farewell to Verena and left the commercial area.

“Do you really plan to go and see?”

“…We’ll see how it goes.”

“Ray might get hurt. You never know.”

Sue opposed me until the end. I firmly nodded my head.

“I dislike the women who tried to harm me as much as I like Sue, who saved me. I must see with my own eyes how the ‘Vanguard of Miracles’ is dismantled.”

“Ray….”

Without saying anything, I held Sue’s hand.

“If I’m struggling too much, then please hold me, Sue. As long as I think Sue is by my side, I have nothing to fear.”

“…Okay.”

With Sue, I headed towards the central square. The time for entering the labyrinth had long passed, and the portal was closed, but there were still many people in the square.

“I’m selling stones for one copper.”

Girls who filled baskets larger than themselves with small stones and wandered around the square selling them.

People naturally bought the stones and threw them one by one towards the women tied naked in the center of the square.

Thunk!

“These bastards!”

“Do you not know who made it possible for you to live safely all these years? You selfish b*tches!”

“You’re not even worth the air! Wasting the precious magic stones that the boys brought! Die, you b*tches!”

With a brutal sound, the head of the guild master of the “Vanguard of Miracles” was snapped. He was hit directly by a stone and died.

“….”

The atmosphere was no joke. The rabid citizens were genuinely angry.

The members of the “Vanguard of Miracles” were defenseless and exposed to the stone-selling.

Blood flowed profusely. It was a horrifying sight. But my mind was perfectly clear.

It felt different from when I fainted after seeing Chesil’s blood for the first time.

‘…Is it because I think of them as others?’

Even though someone had died, I felt nothing. I even thought it looked good.

To the point where I shivered when facing my inner thoughts, I was enjoying the current situation.

At that moment, Swoo suddenly reached under my armpit and lifted me up. Then she hugged me tightly.

“Ray, your wickedness is not a bad thing. They are the women who tried to harm you. It’s natural to feel that way.”

“…Swoo….”

“There’s no need to have sympathy for those kinds of women. You’re normal. Your emotions are perfectly normal.”

Soo patted my head and back to comfort me.

If someone saw us, they would think I had received a serious injury. In reality, I was perfectly fine.

But still, I felt good. It made me happy to know that someone was worried about me.

It wasn’t because I was relying on something soft and comforting.

“Should we go back?”

“…Let’s go back.”

I left the central square, still nestled in Soo’s embrace, like a baby sloth.

I escaped from the crowd and searched for an inn.

“Wait! You guys!”

I heard a familiar voice and turned around.

“…What did you talk about with Verena?”

It was Abella.