(...odd...)


　Today, as usual, Garum was pensive as he finished his morning workout and sipped his breakfast with the clan members.


''Tutum, get the sauce over there!
Daryl, spin it.
Yes, sir.
(I don't think Tsutomu would even care about that one... but I get the feeling that he's crossed the line somehow. What do you mean?)


　If Tsutomu was returning Amy's favor, then he would have to be persuaded to take into account his temporary hesitation. But Garum can't imagine him making such a mistake, and it doesn't seem to be that simple. Apparently, it's not possible to express well in words how different they are, but from Garum's point of view, something is certainly different.


''..........''
..........


　Diniel, who had known Amy for a long time, seemed to have noticed the discomfort, and the two of them looked at each other during breakfast to make sure something was wrong. But the other Clan members didn't seem to notice anything in particular, and Daryl and Hannah were drinking and sharing their salads with each other. Leleia is staring at Amira's red shedding hair at one point, while Corina is engrossed in her meal.

　They left there in a silent communication while everyone else finished their breakfast and put the dishes away in the sink in such a manner. Then Garum spoke to them as they went upstairs.


'Do you know what it is?'
'I don't know. It's just that Amy isn't always the same. And Tsutomu?
Oh. Something is different than usual. And I wasn't really into my morning workout, and the way I was moving my skills around was lighter than usual.
''Well Amy's mood itself seems to be good, so it's not a bad way to go. But if the relationship had developed, she'd be bragging to me about it. So maybe something else. But what else is there?
..........


　They were talking to each other with a straight face, and they couldn't find an answer that felt right, and they puzzled over each other. However, Diniel couldn't talk about this for too long, as she was heading to attack the hundredth level today as well.

　After that, the two of them continued to exchange opinions in her room as they made preparations, such as checking the status of arrows and sorting them, but they couldn't come up with a satisfactory answer.


''I'm curious about the story of that Tsutomu skipping skill practice. Maybe he got burned out of his mind after attacking a hundred levels. I've seen a few elves like that.
''Well I don't think that's the case with Tsutomu. I've also made plans to go see the God's Table today.
'Even if I retire from being an explorer, I'll still look at God's table. Maybe I'm going to live in hiding.


　Garum cringed at Diniel's words as he sat down and fine-tuned the arrow's three wings. But he gave a swipe of his indigo tail as if to deny that it would be such a thing.


''Today, keep an eye out for every move. I'll quickly attack this one too and catch up with you.''
I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do that.
We can't let him burn out until he withdraws his second-rate words.


　Diniel muttered with a hunter's eye as she picked up each arrow and meditated on one eye, making sure the quality was intact. Garum wondered if the target of the hunt he was aiming at was not the wrong one, but he left her room without mentioning it.


(...Tutum quits as a searcher, huh? I wonder what I will do if that happens.)


　In terms of his past as a seeker, Tsutomu is a rather shallow acquaintance, but he is a benefactor who paved the way for him to become a seeker, a companion who has fought with him in the dungeon, and a friend who slept and ate with him. However, he is the person who helped me become an explorer, a friend who has fought in dungeons with me, and a friend with whom I have shared food and sleep.

　What will you do if he quits being an explorer? Would he stop it or would he quit too? Garum had no idea.


　oo


　The day after Tsutomu and the others broke through the hundred levels, the labyrinth city was in an unprecedentedly bizarre commotion. The fact that the Divine Dungeon would not end at the hundredth level gave hope to the searchers who were mainly in mid-level positions, and many of them were united to take this opportunity to change their minds and strive for the front line again.

　Even those working in relation to the Divine Dungeon were relieved at the prospect that the market did not seem to be shrinking yet.

　Even if they were terminated at the hundredth level, they wouldn't have trouble working for a while as they still hadn't even grasped the resources of the Snowfield Hierarchy. However, if the end point was still in sight, the demand related to dungeons would definitely be shrinking, so they would be competing with each other for existing profits. If that had happened, the large companies that were currently the most developed and well-funded would have had an advantage, and the developing trading companies and workshops might have been in danger of losing their business.

　However, from the video footage I saw in Shentai, there seemed to be no need to worry about that, so they seemed relieved and were working even harder today. The enthusiasm enveloped the Shentai market, and it had become like a festival since this morning. Consumed by this upbeat atmosphere, the people were also loosening their purse strings and market transactions were becoming more active.


''Good morning, Mr. Kirk,''
Oh, Oli. Good morning.


　In the midst of all this, Oli, who had been entrusted by Tsutomu to manage the Clan House, was shopping for foodstuffs while making her way through the crowd. While exchanging greetings with the owner of the butcher's shop, who was always there for her, she looked at the back of the shop.


''Do you have any chunks of Irland beef?''
It just came in.
That's good to hear. If it's fresh, can I get the offal too?
Just give me half a liver. It's my family's favorite food now.
I'm going to try out a new liver dish next time, so I'll let you know if I can make it simple again.
He'd be happy to hear that.


　As he said that, Oli smiled at him and ordered some other meats as well. He then paid for them after weighing them out.

　It has already been a year since Oli began to purchase ingredients from the market to make food for the more than ten people who live in the Clan House. She was able to intervene even in the midst of the strong relationship between wholesalers and chefs, partly because she had been going to the market for a year and buying ingredients on a steady basis, but mainly because she had developed recipes for repurposing ingredients that would otherwise be discarded due to lack of demand and generously shared them with her business partners.

　Today, there are few people in Kamdae Market who don't know Oli's face, and she has established relationships with vendors who are willing to save the ingredients she needs.

　After buying ten people's worth of foodstuffs, Oli bought a magic bag of foodstuffs from one trusted vendor after another, and then watched from a distance as the vendors of magic tools were still selling in the market.

　You will find that there is always a constant stream of customers at these stores, which are filled with a wide variety of magical tools, from those used by explorers to those that are useful in their daily lives. While looking at Tsutomu, who seemed to have been placed in unwavering trust among them, Oli narrowed his eyes as if to think.


(The stores Tsutomu personally funded have been doing well one by one, and many of them have been saved by their funds. ) The foresight to identify the magic tools sought by the searchers and where to invest the profits earned from them isn't bad either. ........But the allocation of those funds is like a nobleman with an incurable disease. There shouldn't be any problems with your health, and there should be no reason for you to retire as an explorer. (Then why.........?


　Oli is only involved in the management of the Clan House, and I did not hear directly from Tsutomu. But if you look at the address of the letter to Tsutomu, you can imagine what kind of assets he has invested in without looking at its contents.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find out what kind of asset is being formed by the inheritance of Tsutomu, but she is the only one who guessed and guessed. It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're going to do with it.


　(I'd like to refrain from doing anything too out of the ordinary, but in case you're thinking of retiring, we'll have to talk to you about future clan management...)


　The infinite circle that was once intended to be a stepping stone to soar back to the Babenberg family. But now that I no longer exist as such due to the results of our discussions, I'm doing my job with the same mindset as when I worked there before. That's why I wanted to be prepared for any eventuality.


(I hope it's unfounded...)


　With that in mind, Oli finished his purchases and headed back to the Clan House.