Chapter 2

“Huh.” “Those who have a choice are good people. Like a mother who brings her baby to the nearby park for a walk, a couple who stops by on a date, or a person taking a shortcut on the way to the station. It’s people who don’t have a choice who are trouble.” “How so?” “The latter category consists of thieves, people buying and selling prohibited goods, and even pimps. You know the Adventurers Guild nearby? It’s dangerous here at night because of the losers who can’t even make it as adventurers and have nowhere else to go,” Nick spat, hinting that she should leave immediately. The insinuation was that he was one of those losers. “U-um…” The girl hesitated. “What?” Nick asked. “Please don’t get mad at me for asking this…,” she began timidly. She probably thought Nick was a failed adventurer trying to make a living with some shady business. He really didn’t care what she thought; he just wished she would leave him alone. “What is it? If you’re planning on lecturing me—” “Why are pimps called pimps?” Nick was astonished by her absurd question. “How should I know? It doesn’t matter what they’re called. Just know you should stay away from them.” “Actually, I’m not really sure what pimp means.” “You should’ve said that first!” Nick yelled, resisting the urge to put his face in his hands. Totally unbothered by his reaction, the girl asked the question again. “Sorry. So what does it mean?” Nick had no idea what to say. He could have told her straight that they were people who hooked others up with prostitutes for a share of the earnings…but he was too embarrassed to say that, so he dodged the question. “A-all you need to know is that they’re bad people.” “Huh… Gotcha.” “Good.” “So are you a bad person, too?” Nick fell silent once again. He should’ve been able to deny it. But he had no idea what tomorrow or the next day would bring. He still had the skills he had cultivated. He had been totally played by his ex-girlfriend, but it probably wouldn’t be too hard for him to become a swindler and deceive naive adventurers like himself. He knew how to assess the quality and value of labyrinth treasures. He was literate and could do math. He could keep an account book. He could negotiate with merchants. Putting all that together, it would be a cinch for Nick to fool ignorant adventurers from the countryside who couldn’t even do simple math. “Yeah, I am… So you should stay away from me. Go home before you catch a cold,” he answered with an awkward expression, standing up. “Hey, wait!” the girl said. “What is it now?” Nick snapped. “Take this,” she said, handing him a slip of paper. “…Is this a concert ticket?” Nick read the words on the slip of paper. It said JEWELRY PRODUCTION’S LABYRINTH CITY THANKSGIVING CONCERT TICKET. “That was originally for my family, but I had too many,” the girl explained. “Sorry, I don’t know what this is,” Nick said. “I-I’m…an idol.” “An idol? What’s that?” he asked, perplexed. “Huh? You don’t know what an idol is?!” “Not a clue.” The girl seemed irritated by his ignorance. “You act like you know everything, but you don’t even know what an idol is?!” she exclaimed. “What does it matter? I’ve never heard the damn word. I don’t need this,” Nick said. He tried to return the ticket, but the girl backed away. “No, I want you to take it.” Nick sighed in response. “Do you not understand what I’m tellin’ you? You should stay away from dangerous people like me!” “Dangerous people don’t call themselves dangerous! That means you’re probably good! Just take the ticket!” Realizing this was a losing battle, Nick did as he was told and withdrew his hand. But holding on to the ticket didn’t make him feel anything in particular. It could have been any scrap of paper. Nick’s attitude only further annoyed the girl. Anger entered her voice. “Listen up!” she said. “Wh-what is it?” Nick replied. “I am an idol!” “You said that already.” “Believe it or not, I’m pretty popular!” “Are you, now?” “Idols make people happy and give them courage! You’re looking at me like a sad stray dog on the verge of death, and I don’t like it!” “…Sorry, I’m not following this.” “You don’t have to understand. But…” “But?” “Please come to the concert. It’s tomorrow at the town hall by the south gate!” “Wh-why?” “Just come, okay? See you later!” Taken aback by the girl’s pushy attitude, he could do nothing but watch her back as she stormed off. The next day, Nick went to the town hall as he was told. He could’ve just thrown away the ticket, but for some reason, he couldn’t make himself do it. He felt like that was the first conversation he’d had in a while with a person who had no ulterior motive or ill will toward him. If he threw away the ticket and broke his promise, he’d be throwing away that good-natured sentiment as well. He was bewildered by what he saw when he arrived. “What’s with this crowd?” The town hall was a place where merchants could set up shop with permission from the city, and it was usually peaceful and clean. Now, however, it was packed with a jostling crowd of filthy men. Not even festivals or flea markets got this congested. “What the hell is going on here…? I should leave,” Nick said, sighing with exhaustion. He didn’t have the energy to stick around this kind of crowd. Just when he was about to leave, a wide-eyed man asked him a question. “What’s your deal? Do you not know what this event is?” “G-got a problem with that?” “Of course I do. Now, listen up, this is a—” He was interrupted when the lights in the town hall abruptly went out. “Wh-what the heck?” Nick shouted, confused. “Shh, it’s starting!” the man whispered. All the other spectators stopped talking as well. There wasn’t even the faintest buzz in the now dead silent town hall. “Hello, everyone! Thank you for coming today!” A girl’s voice echoed suddenly and loudly, and lights bright enough to radiate heat illuminated the town hall’s stage. The lights revealed the figures of five girls. “YEEEAAAAHHH!” The men in the audience roared at the sight of them; they might as well have been charging into battle. The girls were wearing dazzling outfits and waving their hands. “Today is Jewelry Production’s Labyrinth City Thanksgiving Concert!” “We’re going to sing our hearts out for our fans in Labyrinth City!” “We have a new song for you, too! You guys are the lucky fans who get to see its debut!” “Let’s all let loose and have a great time!” The five girls took turns speaking to the crowd. Then Nick noticed. “That girl…” One of them was the girl with navy blue hair who gave him the ticket. “Agate! I love you!” The blue-haired girl—whose name was apparently Agate—waved in response to the cheers from the men. He heard a number of men call her Aggie as well. “All right, all five of us are going to sing the first song! You all know it, right? It’s called…” The idol deliberately trailed off for the audience to finish her sentence. There was no way the spectators could have practiced for this, but they all answered simultaneously. “‘The Goddess’s Fight Song’!” “That’s right! Let’s get started!” An explosive cheer from the audience shook the venue, and the magically amplified singing and instruments assaulted Nick’s ears. “Th-this is amazing…!” Nick was sucked in by the booming sound, the crowd’s feverish excitement, and the passion of the idols. It was overpowering. His eyes sparkled like a child’s as he watched the girls dance. “Aa-aah, flash the banner for the goddess, and she’ll clear away the darkness!” “YEAAAHHH!” So this was an idol concert. Agate and the other girls were dancing their hearts out. The first song was bright and positive with a cheerful melody—perfectly suited for the opener. The five girls each got their own part to sing and dance, and their excellent teamwork was clear to see. The next five songs gave each girl an opportunity to take center stage and sing individually. They each had their own image and color, and the stage lights and the magic glow sticks the audience members held changed color with each song. The theme and melody of those five songs differed as well. One song had lyrics about a joyful farming community set to a nostalgic tune, and another song was about a passionate, transitory love. Unexpectedly, Agate’s song was about a broken heart—about saying good-bye to a partner who no longer loved you and embarking on a trip to recover from the sadness. It was rich with the pain and loneliness of adulthood. Agate looked nothing like the naive girl who spoke to Nick the previous day; instead, she looked like an elegant, mature woman who had been through real heartbreak. Nick could feel himself being won over. Hope was the theme of the closing number. The opener had been about cheering someone on who was embarking on a journey, and this one was about reaching out a hand to a person who had failed at their dream and been crushed by the harshness of reality. The lyrics were brimming with kindness. The final song was a chorus from all the girls just like the first one, and Nick found the performance bewitching and divine. He was especially taken by Agate’s beauty as she gave her all to the performance. Her words from the previous day repeated in Nick’s head. Idols make people happy and give them courage! What he had written off as a naive idealism was the unmistaken truth. The idols were touching the hearts of every man in this venue. The one who spoke to Nick before the show was waving his magic glow stick and clapping his hands to the rhythm, clearly having the time of his life. Everyone was receiving the hope to keep on living. Nick set himself free and joined in their unadulterated joy and passion. Before he knew it, Nick had become a huge idol fan. “Whoo-hoo! Are you all excited?!” “I LOVE YOU, AGGIE! YOU’RE THE BEST!” He went to every concert and bought all of Agate’s navy-blue merchandise, including a jacket and a magic glow stick. He spent his savings without a care and forgot himself as he cheered on the singing idols. The old Nick never would have let himself develop a fixation like this. But he had just experienced real hardship in his life that flipped his world upside down, which gave him a chance to face his true self and find enlightenment. Or at least, a reckless obsession that he mistook for enlightenment. The truth Nick realized from his enlightenment was that he had been a fool to devote his love to a relationship so worldly as a “girlfriend.” No, there was a higher being more deserving. He poured his money into Agate and cheered as hard as he could at her concerts to demonstrate his affections. Nick had found it. A being worth devoting his life to. But that slovenly lifestyle couldn’t continue forever. By the time he finally regained his composure, he had spent almost all of his life savings. He had never had enough money to indulge himself to this extent in the first place. By his calculations, he only had enough money left to eat and sleep at the very worst of inns for a few days. “…I need to start working again.” Nick finally got down to moving on with his life. Immersing himself in idol concerts had given him the willpower to keep living. He hadn’t been back to that park since the day Agate approached him. Before he met her, he had lost all hope for his future, assuming it wouldn’t be long before he became another failed adventurer who joined some underground gang. Now, however, those negative feelings had vanished. He would live honestly no matter what painful experiences he went through. Then he would take his hard-earned money and use it to attend idol concerts. That was the lifestyle Nick was going to pride himself on as an idol devotee. The first place Nick went to after deciding to regain a decent life for himself was the Newbies Adventurers Guild, a branch of the Adventurers Guild where many beginner adventurers gathered. This city forbade people from venturing into labyrinths on their own. Not even pairs received permission to enter a labyrinth unless both were advanced adventurers or possessed equivalent strength. Parties of three could enter a labyrinth but only if all members were experienced, and parties with at least one newcomer were required to have four people or more. Newbies recruited new adventurers who couldn’t find a party, and it also served as a place for new adventurers to be discovered and recruited elsewhere. Nick decided he was going to approach someone in that guild. Combat Masters was renowned for its strength, and he was certain there would be parties willing to bring in an ex-member. But when he entered the guild, he was unable to get himself to approach anyone. He was scared. The words of his father figure when he said he didn’t need him anymore still pierced his heart like thorns. The idol concerts had helped him gain a new determination to live a decent life, but that didn’t mean the wounds of betrayal from his fellow adventurers had completely healed. Nick was never shy about cheering on the idols at their concerts. There was a line that couldn’t be crossed between the stage and the audience, and the hardworking girls on the stage were practically targets of worship for him. He was able to show them his love without a care. Relationships with one’s party members were considerably more complex. They weren’t just coworkers—they were people you trusted your back to in dangerous labyrinths. Trusting other adventurers felt extremely difficult for him at the moment. In the end, Nick just wandered aimlessly around without being able to approach anyone and had to leave when the guild closed. “Haah…,” he sighed before entering a neighboring bar. This bar catered to new adventurers and sold only the worst food and alcohol. Groups of adventurers who had just formed parties were enjoying themselves at the nearby tables. Nick tried to sit at the counter, but all the seats were taken. “You alone? Sit at that empty table,” an employee directed. The employee, seemingly annoyed, led Nick to the table. He sat down and ordered barley porridge and ale diluted with water. The porridge here contained barely any salt; no one would accuse it of tasting good. Despite the quality of the food, the rookie adventurers at a nearby table scarfed it down as if it were the greatest feast they’d ever had. “Cheers to our new party!” “I can’t wait to work with you guys! Leave the vanguard to me!” “Counting on you! I’m still an apprentice as a priestess, but I was deemed worthy to go on a training pilgrimage. I’m good at healing magic!” The sight of the merry, carefree adventurers was more than Nick could handle right now. He tried his best to think of nothing as he waited for his food and drink to arrive. An employee walked up to him. The food’s finally here, Nick thought with relief, but then he saw that the employee was empty-handed. “Sorry, but you’re gonna have to share the table. The counter’s full.” They were apparently using Nick’s table as a place to shove all the solo customers who had nowhere else to sit. Customers were led to his table in quick succession until the four-seat table was filled. You’ve gotta have problems to come to a restaurant like this alone… Though, I guess that applies to me, too. Nick studied the newly arrived customers surreptitiously. They all looked like strange people. The first person was an elegant blond mage. She was wearing a stylish purple robe and hat, and she had a staff with a clear-blue jewel. Her equipment didn’t just look nice, it was also evidently of high quality. Only a person of true skill could manage to dress like her. Her hands poking out of the ends of her sleeves were small and delicate, but Nick was sure she was a talented mage. She may have been beautiful and capable, but there was one thing that spoiled any charm she could have had—the dangerous gleam in her eyes. She would have been a woman of unrivaled beauty if she had just smiled. Instead, she looked menacing enough to stab someone to death with a knife. Sensing danger, the surrounding customers made no attempt to talk to her. The second person was a tall, handsome man who looked like a priest. There was something off about him, too. He had a holy book used for chanting healing magic, and he was wearing a long-sleeved black cassock—all the typical items and clothing for a priest. But what he didn’t have was a pendant around his neck. Priests usually wore a metal pendant representing something that their sect valued—a book to symbolize wisdom, for example, or an ear of rice to symbolize food—that served as important identification to show their affiliation at a glance. That he didn’t have one likely meant that he had been excommunicated. Nick guessed that his pendant had been confiscated when he was discharged as a priest. Supporting that theory, the man smelled of cosmetics and alcohol, and there was despair visible in his eyes. He was probably on his way back from a brothel or a hostess club. As far as Nick knew, there were no sanctuaries that allowed its members to visit brothels. Despite the popularity of priests, the surrounding customers made no attempt to talk to him. They must have sensed his strangeness as well. The third person at the table was a red-haired dragonian woman. She had two horns and a long tail, and her arms were covered in scales. These were all characteristics of the dragonian race. A glimpse of worn armor was visible under her beat-up leather jacket. She was probably a warrior who fought enemies in close combat; her beauty was both wild and feminine. Her chest was large, and she had supple arms and legs. Any man would only need a glance to be enticed. A strong and beautiful dragonian like her should have been popular among a group of adventurers, but no one tried to talk to her as well. She didn’t have the wrathful anger of the mage or the despondency of the priest. Instead, she had the aura of a wounded beast living in an eat-or-be-eaten world. Just looking at her made him feel he was in a labyrinth full of monsters or a battlefield full of enemy soldiers. The surrounding customers didn’t just avoid talking to her; they acted as if there was no one there at all. Everyone was too afraid of attracting the attention of her golden eyes. The corners of Nick’s mouth curled upward in self-derision. He figured he was just as unapproachable as they were. After a long wait, an employee finally brought the food and drinks to the silent table. “Please enjoy,” they said in a contrived voice, and no one responded. This is all so stupid. I don’t want anything to do with adventurers anyway. All these rookies having a fun night out can go to hell, and that goes for the miserable idiots at this table, too. Companions always betray you in the end anyway. Mutual trust is just a damn pipe dream. Argus was right—I’m not cut out for being an adventurer, Nick thought mockingly. He chugged his tepid ale, and the feelings he had been bottling up inside tumbled from his mouth in a spontaneous shout. ““““I’ll never trust anyone again!”””” …Huh? Did we all just say the same thing?