A crustacean the size of a bear comes at me with the speed of a wolf.
　The crayfish-shaped red monster swings its scissor-shaped hand at me.

　I flicked it with my sword and tried to slash its joints.

　--but it misses.

　The enemy twisted his body just in time, and I was caught in the hard part.

''Tch--!

　I cluck my tongue at the amount of bad conditions at the battle site.
　It's muddy underfoot, which makes it uncomfortable to do anything. In contrast, the crayfish monster ignores the muddy conditions and moves with great agility, so it's not worth it.
　I thought I was lacking in a decisive move and was about to choose a retreat, when Maria's voice rang out.

''-- 《Firefly》!

　A thin film of fire clung to the monster's head.
　Against the blindness of the flames, the monster involuntarily brings both hands to its face.

　It's not me who misses that opening.
　I close in on the monster, succeeding in my joint aim that I failed to do earlier, and slash off both of its arms.
　It was easy to aim at the confused monster's joints.

　The monster screams as it loses both arms.
　I then attack the monster's kryptonite, a vital point, with my sword. Other joints, thin parts of the limbs, sensory organs, I don't know the clear weaknesses, so I crush all of them.

''--Gyaaaaaaaaaaaa!

　At last, the monster becomes light with the demise of the dead.

　I look away from the disappearing monster and laugh with a sense of accomplishment as I breathe on my shoulder.


[I've acquired the title 'The One Lurking in the Swamp'
　Magical power is corrected by +0.05


'...... was a pain in the ass.'
Congratulations to you, Master.
So don't be a master: ......

　Maria, who had been assisting us in the distance, blessed us as she approached us.

　Having learned magic, we had been re-entering the labyrinth since then.
　Since Maria's level has risen, we are in the middle of advancing deeper and deeper without any worries, and since we are planning to try setting up the Connection at the 10th level, the 10th level is our target for now.

　And right now, I've just defeated the 8th level boss with Maria.

　As I picked up the monster's drop items, I accused Maria of calling me master. However, Maria doesn't care and continues to talk.

'It was quite a hassle, though. What's going on?
'No, I didn't think it would be so hard to get a foothold. So that was a big help. Good timing.
'No, no, I've heard that I'm only that useful in boss fights.

　Saying that, Maria shows a sulking gesture.
　She wasn't happy that I instructed her to stay in the rear to provide cover right before this fight.

　It seems that Maria has had her dagger defeating the miscellaneous monsters until she reached the 8th level, so she has gained extra confidence. I'm sure she thinks that she could be of help even against this boss monster.

　After all, a sudden level up seems to rob any human being of his or her normalcy.
　Even Maria, who has a thoughtful personality, feels excited and ungrounded. Gaining more than double the muscle strength and stamina within a few hours seems to come with a lot of problems.

　I'm worried about letting such a Maria participate in a battle against a higher-ranked opponent. Even though I'm using my magic "Dimension" to watch the monster's every move, there's a possibility that I won't be able to protect Maria from her first-look special ability.

''No, the boss right now could have done it with Maria. But you never know what the boss will do to you. It's better to wait for him to level up a bit more.
Isn't that the time to make me an expendable slave, like this?
I'm not a slave. And I don't like that.

　I treat Maria like a friend, but inevitably she treats herself as a slave.

　She doesn't understand that if I do what Maria says and she dies like a discarded slave, I will die of self-hatred.

　...... No, no.
　Maybe you know, and you're saying .......

'Huh, you're still sweet.'
'I'm not naive. I'm just trying to get the right people in the right places, and I'm just trying to get Maria to work elsewhere more.
'All lies. You're just being overprotective.

　As she says this, Maria plays with the knife in her hand.
　She spins it around in her hand and throws it around like a juggling act.

　Her skills must have increased since she reached level 7. In order to feel that increased ability, Maria started moving her body impatiently from a while ago.

　Not being able to see Maria's attitude, I try to nail her.

It's not overprotective. It's simply that Maria seems to me to be lacking in composure at the moment. If you ask her to die easily, it will be my loss. It's a good idea to have a good workout for at least four gold coins.
That's exactly what you're doing. You say so many things that you don't think you can say. You used to say it was okay to run away.
............

　Come to think of it, I think I said something like that: .......
　I have an idea, so I can't argue with you.

　Thus, while exploring the labyrinth, I talk to Maria to a reasonable degree, but I've never won an argument.

　It's partly because Maria is the glib one and I'm the poor talker, but more than anything else it's the skill 'penetrating eyes' that's the problem. She makes so many sharp points that I think she can hear my heart.

　When I'm depressed after losing an argument, she senses the monster with her magic 《Dimension》 search.

''Ah, there's a monster in the right bend ahead. Would this one work with Maria?
You're here. I'll take care of it.

　It's a common beast-type monster that walks on four legs.
　Knowing that an 8th layer beast type monster doesn't have any special abilities, I assigned it to Maria's training partner.

　A rank 8 monster, a bound dog.
　A level 7 explorer would have to surround it with a few people to defeat it, a monster that would be difficult to defeat.

''I'm going--!

　In contrast, Maria attacks with one dagger and one body.
　In order to follow it, I follow from behind.

　The bound dog reacts agilely to the human who has taken me by surprise from the corner. With a movement characteristic of the beast, it retreats significantly and dodges Maria's initial attack.

　Then, it absorbs the momentum of the retreat with its four legs and tries to charge at Maria's empty body.
　I observe this without being in a hurry.

　Maria, too (・・・・), understands that Bound Dog's rush is in sight.

　Maria jumps against Bound Dog as he rushes at her.
　She puts her hands on Bound Dog's back and jumps over it. She even slashes at his back as he leaps over.

　Bound Dog is not me, who is keeping his distance, but the enemy (Maria) who is nearby, and he repeatedly lunges at me.
　It's a speedy rush that an ordinary human would not be able to catch. Of course, it's definitely faster than Maria's current speed.

　But even so, he still couldn't catch Maria.
　Maria's physical ability is only average or below level 7. Even so, the reason why she was able to counter this bound dog's speed was due to her skills.

　The skill 'Penetrating Eyes' can see through Bound Dog's mind and does not miss its behavior.
　The "Hunt" skill guides you to an efficient way to carry your body and attack.
　The two skills combined to accurately strike the monster's weak points.

　By the end of several thrusts, Bound Dog's body was in tatters.
　Its vaunted speed had fallen to the ground in the face of Maria's fighting style, which was aimed only at the tendons of its precious muscles.

　In the end, Maria burned him with fire magic, severing his tendons, crushing his eyes, and stabbing him in the heart as he died.

　Maria was strong for her status.
　It would be pitiful to compare her to me and Dia, but she seemed to be far better than the average explorer.

　Without my help, Maria is able to defeat the monsters on the 8th layer without me having to deal with them.

''...... hahaha. Sorry, I was fiddly.
No, this is great for the first day.
''No, I'm good at dealing with these kinds of beasts. However, we only had to deal with small animals in the village. ......
Oh, yeah. No wonder.

　No wonder you have 'hunting' in your skills.

'In the past, you could see it, but your body couldn't keep up with it. But now it's different. I feel lighter and more powerful. It's amazing. I can fight even against such a fearsome beast.

　Maria happily wields her bloody dagger, dropping blood.
　She seems to feel a sense of accomplishment in defeating monsters.

　I guess she was originally suited to the act of 'hunting'. With the benefit of level 7, and having obtained a body that can move as it wishes, that talent seems to be blossoming.

　After that, leaving the exploration to Maria didn't cause any problems either.

　Even if you are dealing with special enemies where physical attacks don't work, there is no problem as she uses the skill 'penetrating eyes' to assess them before attacking them with magic. Rather, the more special the enemy, the more Maria's ability is demonstrated. The way she uses her insight to select an effective attack is similar to my tactics.

　This is how our new party gets past the 8th layer and reaches the 9th layer.
　However, when it comes to the monsters of the 9th layer, there are more and more enemies that Maria can't deal with.

　If the attacks themselves can't get through, Maria, who has only good eyesight, can't do anything about it. In such a case, I would have Maria cover her with Firefly and I would fight her.

　I hunt monsters at random, make sure that Maria's support is working, and proceed to the 10th layer.

　The layer that Arti is protecting.
　It's a room of blazing fire.
　Making sure there is no one around, I approach the flames for an experiment.

"Arti, do you read me? Alty, do you read me?

　I talk to the flames as if I were on the phone.
　I feel Maria looking at me like I'm looking at a crazy person, but I don't care.

'Hey, Arti. Really hear me--
'Yeah, I can hear you. It's my house, you know.

　The fire that spoke to me takes the form of a mouth and responds.
　I can see Maria behind me, surprised, "What?

'I was skeptical, but you really do respond.'
"Yeah, but I'm a little busy with the body. But I'm a little busy with the body. I'm sorry, but make it quick, please.
Okay. I'm going to put my magic in here, if you don't mind.
'It's the dimensional magic we were talking about just now. 'No problem. We'll set up a place for you.

　As Arti says this, one of the flames disappears and a path is created.

'I've created a flame-free space beyond that, try it.'
I'll try.

　I walk down the open road and cast a spell in the fire-free space.

...the magic connection.

　Image. A mass of purple magic power, the construction of a magical doorway.
　The magical power that leaked out of my palm gathered and mimicked its shape as a door - not fixed, but disappeared.
　Simply, I can't keep the magic in place.

''Kucha....... Arti, the magic power in the room is too strong to create a door.''

　The 《Connection》 is also too fragile.
　Because of this, on the "Righteous Path", it can't hold the door by being acted upon by the wards. Otherwise, it will be destroyed by monsters. That's why I aimed at the 10th layer, where there was a realm where neither wards nor monsters existed, but ...... my expectations were disappointed.

''Mmmm. I've been trying to avoid the magic from earlier too, but it's not working. This room is proof of my very survival, you know. Aside from the flames, it seems to be difficult to make a hole in the magic power.
'Can't you do something?　There's a big difference between being able to put this here and not being able to put this here.

　For me, the labyrinth up to the 10th level is becoming less and less valuable.
　Although I used it this time because Maria was there, I probably won't need it next time. I want to reduce the travel time to this point as much as possible.

''Mmm. ....... Sorry, I don't think that's going to be possible. That would be like asking me to hold my breath.
Well: ......

　Arti apologetically told me that it was impossible.
　Then he presents me with his next idea.

'But I think Tida's room might work. After all, there is no master in there anymore. There's a good chance the room has lost its magic.
'Tida ......?　So that would be 20 layers. That's a bit far: ......
'Wouldn't Christ be 20 layers away?　You should go and try it out for a minute.
'Don't make it easy for me. In the first place, we have Maria now, and time is tight.
Hmm. Okay.
But I'll try later. Thanks for the day. I just wanted to say thanks.
No, no, no need to thank me. It's only natural that we help each other. You can count on me again, you know, to help you out.

　With that, the Mouth of Fire lost its shape and returned to just a flame.
　I knew that I couldn't use the Connection at the 10th layer. The next target is the 20th layer.

''Are you done?　Master.

　Maria, who had been quiet behind me, calls out to me.

'Yeah, it's over. For now, we've done what we can do today.'
Is that Alty the Nooner?

　Even though I'm speaking from the mouth of the flame, the tone of my voice is the same as the main body. As long as I was calling his name, there would be no way to deceive him that the Lord of the Flame was Alti.

'Ah, it's Arti. I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this. He can do this sort of thing.
'I'm sorry I'm not a specialist, this ....... What the hell is she, she .......
I don't know much about it. I don't know much about him, but he does have some knowledge. He's the only one who knows more about the labyrinth than anyone else, and that's why he's the best choice for a consultant like me.

　I decided to keep quiet about Arti being a monster.
　Since we are supposed to be cooperating with each other in a crooked way, I want to refrain from spreading information that could cause harm. Above all, I am afraid of the consequences if I am found out.

'Heh, ......, the consultant ......'

　Maria could see that Alty was withholding information from her, and she only gave a short ministerial response.
　If Maria is fine with that, I won't explain further either.

　I do a quick status check and decide to round up my search based on my remaining MP.

''Then let's head back home.
Hey, are you going back already?
Yeah. My MP is running low.
I see. Well then, let me take care of the monsters on the way home.

　It seems that Maria still has plenty of power left over.
　The skills 'Penetrating Eyes' and 'Hunting' are constant (passive) skills that don't use MP, so it's no wonder. Considering that my magic 《Dimension》 always consumes MP, I'm very jealous.

　--and on the way back, as declared, Maria took on most of the monsters.

　There were a few dangerous moments, but with me following up, we made it to the ground without getting seriously injured.
　Immediately, we head out to redeem today's found items.

　Maria was astonished when she saw the money we exchanged for it. It's not just a matter of how much money you earn, it's also a matter of how much money you earn.

''-- Wow. I knew that the magic stones in the labyrinth were expensive, but I didn't expect it to go this far: ....... So this is the reality of a highly paid and rumored searcher-sama: ......

　Maria muttered as she looked at the bag of redeemed money in her hand.

'I know. It's funny how easy it is to make money like this: ......'

　When I heard Maria's words, I realized that I was earning money that I shouldn't be.
　And since I'm going to be here, I wanted to share that feeling with Maria.

'I'll take half of it as Maria's,'
What?
Since you helped me, I'm going to split it in half: ......
No, no, no!　That's not right!　Because of the master, of all things!　That's because you had a master!

　Maria shakes her head and thrusts the bag of money back at me.

　But this level of small money doesn't appeal to me.
　The money I got from hunting the boss, the money I got from defeating Tida - my financial sense seems to have gone haywire after all of that.
　I think it would be better to take the opinion of Maria, a small citizen, rather than myself here.

'Is half of the quarrel strange? How much is better then, Maria?'
'No, I'm your master's, so I don't have a salary or anything ....... All you have to do is put it here .......

　Maria says she doesn't need the money, as she should.
　She still refuses to break her stance that she is my slave. I was joking this morning, but I don't want her to be this stubborn.

　I don't have any choice but to tell him what I'm feeling.

That's what I don't want to do. Maria would know that already, wouldn't she?　I'm not a big enough vessel to surround myself with slaves. So I need a more casual relationship with you.
...... That's not true. Your master is a big vessel. It's not normal.

　I'm honestly pleading with her, but Maria won't accept it.
　I'm not convinced that I'm a big person. If that were the case, Maria wouldn't be here.

　But I also have a feeling that if I argue with her, she will be the one to beat me back.
　It was a disastrous result in the labyrinth.

I understand. Then let's take a pause. Then I'll take a pause.
Pause.
'Maria risked her life to help me. I don't want to go without pay.
'Certainly ....... That one in the morning was especially bad.
'Right?　So I'm not going to say 50 percent, so I hope you'll take some of that.
...... Okay, I understand. If you're going to go that far, we'll take some of it.

　Maria willfully agrees to accept the paycheck.
　Then, having made up her mind, Maria takes a deep breath and, trying to be as irreverent as possible, offers the amount.

'Well then, ....... Give me five or so coppers, please.

　Five coppers.
　That's enough for one meal.
　This guy doesn't know anything about .......

　Maria replied to my silent objection with a smirk.
　I'm sure she knows what she's saying.

　I cower my shoulders and enter into the negotiations that she wants to have - a banter.

No, no, no coppers, a few silver coins are appropriate. A few pieces of silver are appropriate.
What nobleman? It's impossible. If it were possible, it wouldn't be more than ten coppers.
Then a silver coin. That's a minimum, I'd say.
That's 11 coppers.
'You've only got one piece up ....... Get more between you and me: ......
Hmm. Then fifteen.
"Take at least 80 coppers. Don't forget that your life is at stake.
That's right. I'm risking my life, so I'll give you fifteen.
'No, you've got to up the ante a bit there. You're talking about pausing like this: ......
It's no use. Now, twenty--
You're finally starting to get off your ass. So...

　The half-joking negotiations went on for a long time.
　Maria, perhaps enjoying this kind of talk, persisted to the limit until we reached home.

　In the end, she accepted a copper coin from me with a dumbfounded look on her face, and I was reassured that she could now do her own shopping.

　And as it was, I was going to leave Maria at home.

　Just before that, Maria asks me where I'm going. And when I replied that I was working in a bar as a servant, she gave me the biggest look of the day.

'You make so much money, why are you making a small fortune doing chores ......?'

　It's a good argument.
　But somehow - I didn't want to admit that it was a good argument.

　I preached to Maria about the importance of gathering information at the bar and headed to work.
　By the end of seeing me off, Maria was in a daze.