The Strongest Onmyoji and the Shikigami With AI are Unparalleled in Another World ~ A Second Life Properly Enjoyed Using Artificial Intelligence ~ - Chapter 224

“Yuuma, are you really taking Tama-chan with you?”

Natalia asked.

“She said she wants to come. Besides, she’s technically a shikigami, not just an ordinary kitten—might as well give her a shot.”

She probably insisted because she’s confident.

“Then, how about tomorrow?”

“Yeah, maybe… think we can go?”

“Sure. We didn’t really do much today anyway.”

Looks like we can manage.

Though we’ll probably take the day off the day after tomorrow.

“Alright then, let’s take Tama-chan and head back into the labyrinth tomorrow. Pamela, I’ll be borrowing Tama-chan.”

“Of course. She’s your cat to begin with, Yuuma-san.”

A shikigami, technically.

“You working tomorrow?”

“‘Working’ might be a stretch. I’ll be at the front desk, chatting with the person next to me.”

It’s winter, and most of the adventurers are off in the northern Tretta region anyway.

She’s probably got nothing to do.

“Then could I ask you to exchange these magic stones?”

“Sure, I’ll take care of it. I’ll even mark them up a bit—magic stones are valuable right now.”

I see, I see.

What a considerate receptionist.

Gina’s words from earlier briefly crossed my mind, but I’m not going to die or anything, so Pamela won’t be heartbroken. No problem.

Once we settled our plans for tomorrow, we spent the rest of the day relaxing, letting our bodies and minds rest.

Then the next morning, after breakfast, we began preparing.

“Yuuma-sama, I have work in the royal capital again today, so I’ll return after dropping you off at Lian’s inn. If you could summon the bee…”

“Right, good point.”

I tossed a charm, and the tiny bee appeared.

It zipped around the room before landing on Leanne.

“Ah, Leanne-sama, I have work too—could you give me a ride as well?”

Pamela asked Leanne with a hopeful look.

“Got it.”

“Thank you… And Tama-chan, no doing anything reckless, okay?”

“Nya!”

When Pamela gently coaxed her, Tama-chan jumped up onto AI-chan’s head.

“She says, ‘No problem, nya.’”

“I kinda got that too.”

Yeah, even I understood that one.

“Alright, let’s get going. Pamela, I’m counting on you with the magic stones.”

“Got it. Be careful, okay?”

“I will. Leanne, I’m ready.”

“Understood.”

We placed our hands on Leanne and teleported to Lian’s inn.

As soon as we arrived, Leanne promptly returned, so we stepped out of the room and headed downstairs.

“Oh, were you staying here yesterday? It was unusually quiet…”

The girl at the inn’s front desk asked.

“I cast a soundproofing spell. I like things quiet.”

“Soundproofing… Oh, I see… yeah…”

Her face turned red.

She’s definitely misunderstanding something.

“Anyway, I’ll be staying another night.”

“If you’re planning to stay longer, we’ve got a discount plan, you know?”

A discount plan?

“What’s that?”

“It’s a plan you renew every ten days. You pay upfront, but instead of 30 gold coins, it’s just 27!”

Ten percent off, huh…

“Guess you’re making a tidy profit off people who die in the labyrinth and never come back.”

“Yup. If I’m being honest, that’s exactly what the plan’s based on.”

Death really is too close in this town.

Even a girl like that didn’t seem fazed by it in the slightest.

“That’s how it should be.”

Saying that, AI-chan placed 27 gold coins on the counter.

“Thanks for your business! Good luck out there! If you die today, you’ll be losing big time!”

With the girl cheerfully seeing us off, we left the inn and headed toward Labyrinth 5-1.

“…Honestly, this town gives me kind of a bad feeling.”

“……I mean, that girl was what—thirteen, maybe fourteen?”

Natalia and Alice exchanged uneasy glances.

“That’s what Gina was talking about yesterday, right? People here don’t dwell on things. It’s all about emotional detachment.”

Even so, for a kid only a little older than AI-chan to have that kind of mindset…

Well, it is an inn, so it’s easy to imagine how many guests have never made it back.

“…I don’t think I could be that detached.”

“……Yuuma, the labyrinth is profitable, sure—but maybe we should think twice. This doesn’t feel like a place we should stay long.”

They’re kind-hearted—of course it would weigh on them.

“I know. We’re only here to make money during the winter. I’m not planning to stay long. And besides, there are things more important than gold. Lily, Annie—that alright with you two?”

I checked in with the two of them, just in case.

“I like Celia better. It’s got a forest, and everyone there’s warm and kind.”

“I didn’t want to leave in the first place. I’m only here because I’m humoring you.”

Yep, that’s about what I expected from these two.

“Master, let’s earn what we need quickly and fund our plans. We’re going to enjoy this life, remember?”

“Nya nya nya!”

Looks like the shikigami are on board too.

“By the way, what did she say just now?”

“Hmm, I can’t really repeat it… but let’s just say, in general, she’s advocating for an easy-going life.”

What did that cat say?

I was a bit curious, but not enough to bother using telepathy to ask. So I just kept walking.

Eventually, we reached the plaza where the labyrinth was located.

“Master, I’ll explain the labyrinth data I installed as we go.”

“Please do.”

“Yes. To begin with, labyrinths are generally divided into three types: beginner-level, intermediate, and advanced. It’s said that the earnings differ by a factor of ten between each level.”

Ten times, huh…

“That’s quite a leap.”

“Indeed. Of course, the difficulty scales just as much. Adventurers who dive into these are called labyrinth adventurers. The usual practice seems to be starting from beginner-level labyrinths and finding one that matches your ability.”

Annie mentioned something like that before.

Climbing step by step.

“What about people like us?”

“A textbook example of a foolish party that jumps straight in and gets wiped out. And the reason no one tries to stop us is because the valuable items we’re carrying will become the next loot drop.”

I see…

“Not that we’re carrying anything all that valuable.”

Most of our money ends up being blown by a certain someone, so we mostly keep it stored at home.

“My staff’s worth maybe… ten gold coins?”

“………Mine’s five.”

“My bow was made by my dad, so it was free!”

“Mine’s worth twenty… Wait, Alice, aren’t you underselling yourself? You’re B-rank, right?”

Hard to say what the proper value is, but yeah, that does seem low.

Well, in Lily’s case, it makes sense.

Actually, considering it’s an elven bow, it might be worth quite a bit.

“………This was something my parents bought for me when I decided to become an adventurer. They weren’t well-off, not at all. But they bought it for me anyway. That’s why I’ve been using it carefully.”

That’s… a touching story.

“I wouldn’t have minded buying you one, but if that’s the case, then keep using it.”

“………If Yuuma buys me a staff as a gift, then I’ll toss this one.”

Hey…

“I will buy you one, but don’t toss that one. Keep it safe.”

“………Okay.”

As Alice gave a small nod, we finally arrived at the entrance to the labyrinth.