Chapter 25

CHAPTER 3 The Labyrinth Strikes Back Part I: Brand-New Equipment / Beach of the Setting Sun, First Floor We entered the workshop, and the rest of the party went into the women’s fitting room. I was glad coed parties were accounted for in this workshop. I could hear the girls’ happy chatter from the fitting room while I put on my Hardened Ox Leather Armor +3 and Elluminate Mountaineering Boots +3, both strengthened with the materials we’d found. They now possessed medium darkness resistance and Darkness Status Resistance 1, but those attributes would only be useful against certain enemies. “How is the fit on the equipment, Mr. Atobe?” “It’s really nice. Fits perfectly, unlike before… Thank you so much for finishing these in one night. You need to make sure you rest plenty today, too, Steiner.” “I am but a simple suit of armor. Going one night without rest does not bother me.” “What are you talking about? You were half-asleep earlier, but you didn’t wake me up. Really, I can’t take my eyes off an assistant like you.” Ceres grimaced, still clad in her pajamas. Melissa came out around the same time. I would’ve thought she’d have spent the night dissecting, but she didn’t seem tired at all. “…Morning. I had breakfast with Dad and walked him to the Guild teleportation door. Arihito, is my equipment done, too?” “Yeah, everyone’s getting changed now. You can go join them.” Right as she turned to leave, Theresia came out of the fitting room before the rest of the girls. Her equipment didn’t look all that different, but her bodysuit was different from what she had before. ♦Hide and Seek +3♦ > Leather bodysuit made of materials from DEATH FROM ABOVE. > LIGHT-SHIELDING BODYSUIT +2 used as materials to strengthen. > CAMOUFLAGE STONE allows wearer to use ACTIVE CAMOUFLAGE. > Wearer can become undetectable for a set period of time, even during battle as long as wearer is not targeted by an enemy. > Increases ease of movement. > Slightly increases resistance to Light attribute. > Slightly increases resistance to reductions in defense. Its abilities were so far beyond Theresia’s previous leather bodysuit. On top of that, it was made from monster materials but had a on it. Silvanus’s Flute was the same, which made it seem that equipment made from materials received from Named Monsters were likely to get the star. That meant it was possible that any starred equipment we found in the labyrinth was made from materials someone got when they defeated a Named Monster. “We made this with both Melissa’s and Rikerton’s assistance. I am the only one who has skills that can bring together two pieces of equipment. Master and I spent the night sewing in the lining.” “You did all that and more in one night… I’m sorry to make you do such taxing work, but thank you again for it.” I bowed my head once more, and Steiner put their hand to their helmet in embarrassment while Ceres puffed out her pajamaed chest in pride. “A good craftsperson always meets the delivery dates they give their clients,” she said. “Master, you’ve used quite a lot of magic. You need to keep resting.” “You’re the one barely able to move your armor.” “I’m sorry to bring this up again while you’re both so tired, but…I wanted to readdress you entering a special contract with us,” I said, and Ceres and Steiner exchanged a glance. They both looked at me and nodded in unison. I couldn’t help smiling at how perfectly in sync they were. “From this day forward, I, Ceres Mistral, and my assistant, Chiara Steinweg, will provide for all your workshop needs…” “…Uh, huh? Umm, Master?” “Chiara… Is that Steiner’s real name?” I asked. “I couldn’t let you keep going without knowing Chiara’s real name despite entering a contract with us. Chiara’s not the same race as me but is from this side of things.” Steiner was shocked that their real name had been revealed. Their large armored body was shaking. “Uh… It’s not what you think. It’s not like I absolutely didn’t want you to know my real name; it’s just that…” “I informed you of their name to show our sincerity in entering a contract with you, but could you continue to use the name Steiner? I apologize for asking,” said Ceres. “I know how uncomfortable you can feel if someone calls you something you don’t want to be called. I look forward to working with you, Steiner,” I said. “Y-yeah… Thank you, Mr. Atobe.” I shook hands with Steiner’s simple suit of armor, as they called it. Next, I shook hands with Ceres. A contract could be verbal here. It would display on your license as long as both parties had confirmed that they accepted the contract. “Hmph, we did a good job. I am very satisfied… Yaaawn. Indeed, I have become quite tired now that I am certain things have turned out so well,” said Ceres. “You sound a bit like a happy king when you get that satisfied… Oh, I still feel as if my heart will burst from my chest. Anyway, Mr. Atobe, I hope you don’t mind if we excuse ourselves for another rest. We’ll be spending the rest of our time here with Madoka, until we return to District Eight.” “Right, thanks for looking after Madoka and Melissa.” Ceres and Steiner went back to the sleeping area of the workshop. The girls seemed to need a little longer to get changed; perhaps it was going to take longer because Melissa had arrived. “……” “Theresia, you’ll definitely put your new equipment to good use.” I was trying to say that I trusted her, but she just tilted her head to the side a little. In the moment I spent trying to figure out what that gesture meant, I saw her body suddenly melt into thin air. “Ah…T-Theresia, what are you…? Aah!” It was so fast that I could have missed it had I blinked, but there was a brief moment that Theresia’s bodysuit literally turned invisible. I saw the Light-Shielding Bodysuit for a brief moment before she turned completely invisible. The whole process lasted less than a second. “It works…really well, doesn’t it? But…” It wasn’t like the heat stone, which confused the enemy’s sight. This actually made her blend in perfectly with the scenery. I had no clue where she was no matter how hard I looked. This was the power of the camouflage stone. It could bring out more of a Rogue’s potential for spy work. “……” “Um…Theresia? Where are you…?” I sort of had the feeling that she’d moved. I called to her, but I had absolutely no idea where she was. The invisibility was so perfect that I was starting to get worried she’d never come back. Active camouflage was a really cool idea, but I was starting to see a scarier side to it. It was right then that I felt a tug on the sleeve of my jacket near my right elbow. I looked back to see Theresia coming out of her invisibility. Perhaps she decided to come out of it because it used magic. “Oh, you scared me… With that suit and your chameleon boots, you’re completely invisible. I wouldn’t be able to find you if you went far away while using it.” “……” Theresia shook her head and took my jacket sleeve in her hands. “Right… I was being a worrywart again. I guess that’s a bad habit of mine…” “……” This time she neither nodded nor shook her head. I smiled a little, thinking that she meant she couldn’t deny the fact that I worried too much. “Arihito, sorry we took so looong! My new equipment feels soooo good!” Misaki was excited as she bounced out of the fitting room, followed by each of the others. There didn’t appear to be any issues in size. They all seemed a bit self-conscious but showed off their new equipment to me. The Beach of the Setting Sun was a labyrinth located in the northeasternmost corner of District Seven. When we approached the square in front of the entrance, we saw a large number of people who looked like the Alliance entering the labyrinth. There weren’t many other people; I wondered if other Seekers avoided showing up around the Alliance. I was thinking about it while I checked our surroundings and noticed Seraphina and another woman in the square. Based on her appearance, I guessed the other woman was a Guild Savior like Seraphina.