Did something happen? But it didn’t take me long to see what he was talking about.
“H-Hey! You’re the one who decapitated Cerberus, aren’t you?!”
“Yes, I am.”
He was pointing at Cerberus’s severed head. I wasn’t too interested in the logistics of Divine Beast summoning, so it hadn’t occurred to me that it wouldn’t simply return to the Underworld with the rest of the body. Even if I had been curious about it, I hadn’t exactly had the luxury of thinking about anything less immediate than my own survival.
The members of the dungeon staff were still chattering excitedly around me.
“That’s amazing! I can’t believe we have the opportunity to bring back a Divine Beast’s head!”
“How much gold will it net us if we sell it?!”
“Think bigger, man. If we get it stuffed, I bet there are tons of nobles out there who’d want it mounted in their mansions. We should auction it off! I can’t even begin to imagine how much the price will go up!”
Are you sure we can treat a Divine Beast’s head like this? I was a little worried, but if this really broke some moral code, an announcement would ring out. Actually, wait a second. The announcer was the one who declared a Deus Discipline on the 20th Level, so it might not be a stickler for details. I was still pondering this when the higher-ranking dungeon staffer spoke to me.
“Eugene, that head is your trophy. You can bring it back with you if you wish, but if you let us handle it, we’ll exchange it for as much gold as we can on your behalf. Of course, there’ll be a handling fee. I assure you we have the resources and connections to negotiate a far better deal than you can on your own, considering you’re a student.”
He looked serious. It must have been very important to him that the dungeon staff be put in charge of dealing with the head; his boss might have ordered him to secure this deal.
“I’m a total amateur when it comes to business, so I’ll leave it in your hands,” I replied.
He immediately grinned. “That’s great to hear! Thank you, Eugene!” He turned to the staff members still hovering around Cerberus’s head and yelled, “The explorer gave us permission! Place it in storage and take it to the union’s warehouse at once! Got it?!”
“Yessir!”
In the blink of an eye, the Cerberus head was carted away. That was when a thought hit me.
“Excuse me, there’s something I’d like to request,” I said to the staff member.
“What is it, Eugene? We’ll accommodate you the best we can.”
“Could you subtract the fee for the Ambrosia Tears from whatever money you receive for the Cerberus head?”
“Oh? If I remember correctly, you aren’t an official member of their party, yes?”
“It’s fine. They asked me to help them, but I couldn’t protect a single club member.”
“I see. Understood. I’m sure that even after paying off the Ambrosia Tears, you’ll have plenty of money left over. I will inform you of the details at a later date.”
“That sounds good. Thank you.”
Our voices must have reached the girls as well, because they hurried over.
“E-Eugene?! W-Wait a sec!” Leona looked panicked.
“Eugene!” In contrast, Sumire had a wide smile on her face.
“I can’t have you doing that much for us!” Leona exclaimed.
“But, as the accompanying Barrier Master, my job was to serve as a shield for the Martial Arts Club. Just consider this me making up for my failure.”
“You didn’t mess up so bad that I would’ve taken fifty million gold from you!”
“If you really can’t let this go, you can pay me back at your own pace. There’s no interest, no collateral, and no time limit. I won’t bother you when I know you have money either.”
“E-Eugene...” Leona’s expression softened, though I couldn’t read the exact emotion.
“Eugene, don’t you think you’re being too casual about this?” the middle-aged dungeon staff member asked in an exasperated tone.
“It’s fine,” I assured him. “I wouldn’t know what to do with all that money, anyway.”
“Eugene, you’re wonderful!” Sumire threw her arms around me in a tight embrace. She was always straightforward and bold when expressing her emotions.
“All right, have it your way. I have to get back to work.” The middle-aged man joined up with the other members of the dungeon staff. They had to comb the 20th Level for other bodies.
Sumire was holding on to me, but I looked over to Leona, who was still staring off into space, and said, “Seriously, don’t worry about the money. You still have a lot of work to do as the captain of your team, right? Take it easy and rest up.”
Leona sighed. “Thank goodness you’re around, Sumire—otherwise I would’ve fallen for Eugene myself! I swear, I’ll make this up to you one day, and I will be paying back the money!” After she said her piece, Leona hurried off in the same direction as the dungeon staff. She still had to make sure all the club members were brought back to life.
“All right, we should head back,” I told Sumire, patting her head a few times.
“Okaaay!” Sumire drew back, albeit reluctantly.
When we made our way to the Dungeon Elevator, I heaved a mental sigh. Finally, we can head home. This had been Sumire’s debut as an explorer. In retrospect, it had made for a crazy first experience. But we learned a lot in the process. I glanced over at her and found myself meeting her doe-like eyes. She was staring straight at me, and my heart skipped a beat.
When she noticed we were looking into each other’s eyes, she giggled. Seeing the open humor on her face, I felt a wave of affection wash over me. For a moment, I wanted to hug her, but I shook off the intrusive thought.
“I look forward to being your partner, Sumire,” I said.
“Yeah, same, Eugene!”
We smiled at each other and walked into the Dungeon Elevator. And thus began our attempt to scale the Last Dungeon, Babel.