After a while, I borrowed Amelia's dagger and cut open the Dragonslayer's stomach.
Slice.
The cut opened up as if it had been sliced with a surgical scalpel.
I then reached inside and pulled out his heart without hesitation.
It was still fresh, thanks to the freezing temperatures.
"Dragon hearts are different from human hearts."
It looked like a tropical fruit with a bumpy surface.
There were also strange chain-like marks on it.
I stared at it curiously, and Raviyen, who had been watching me, spoke up.
"The chain marks are probably from Penny's curse."Oh, really?
Then the bumpy surface is normal?
"Gowland, cast Preservation and Distortion on it."
I then placed the heart in a box and stored it in my subspace pocket after casting Distortion magic on it. Raviyen seemed to want to keep it herself, but...
"I'll hold onto this for now."
"...Why?"
"It's a bargaining chip."
"You're not going to give it to them right away?"
"No. I'll wait until things calm down and then meet with the current Ancient Dragon. We'll make a deal and then I'll give it back. It'll be troublesome if word gets out about this heart." ᚱᴀΝÖＢÊṦ
I was a bit worried, but Raviyen surprisingly agreed.
"...You're right. It's better if you give it back. We'll get a better deal that way. I feel bad for Penny, but she won't have to wait long..."
"Thank you for understanding."
Okay, that settles that.
After securing the heart, we held a funeral.
There was no priest left to officiate, but we cremated the fallen explorers and held a silent memorial, just like we had done for Naria.
And then...
Clatter.
We collected their bones in a box.
After the funeral, we started looting the bodies.
The Rose Knights and Noark's elite.
And the equipment of our fallen comrades...
"We'll take all the equipment from our team. We can't use our subspace pockets, so stuff everything into your backpacks."
We collected all the equipment from our fallen teammates.
"We don't have enough space, so just take the valuable stuff from Noark."
We decided to be selective with the loot from Noark.
We had already killed a lot of them before reaching the Eye of the Glacier, and their equipment was stored in our subspace pockets. No one would be able to tell the difference.
But the Rose Knights' equipment was different.
"Gather the Rose Knights' stuff separately. We have to be careful with those."
Their equipment and consumables were mostly military supplies.
So selling them or using them was restricted.
If those items appeared on the market, the royal family would find out.
'No, they'll probably search our pockets as soon as we get back, as part of the loot distribution process.'
It wasn't a 100% guarantee, but there was a risk.
"Well, at least we have enough money for now..."
Kaislan, the soldier, seemed satisfied with the increased budget.
He was happy that we had enough money to operate as a clan.
He would occasionally shed a tear, remembering his fallen comrades, but...
It was a bit funny.
He was like a person with bipolar disorder.
"Yandel, don't worry too much. We just have to fulfill their wishes."
"What are you talking about? I just have a cold."
Phew, I need to focus on something else...
I walked towards the pile of Rose Knights' equipment and started searching through it.
I wanted to see if there was anything we could use.
'Wow, their daggers are all made of Mithril. And their leather armor is all Ogre leather...'
It was painful to leave them behind.
Couldn't we hide them and take them with us? We could melt them down or cut them up and make new equipment.
That thought crossed my mind.
But...
"Let's give up on this."
We couldn't afford to take even a 1% risk.
We could make up an excuse for the Dragonslayer's heart, saying we found it while fighting them in the Eye of the Glacier...
But we couldn't do that with the Rose Knights' equipment.
"...Huh?"
I was searching through the bodies when I noticed something strange.
'What are these rings?'
All the Rose Knights had the same ring on their middle finger.
'Did they always wear rings?'
I tried to remember, but I couldn't recall seeing them during the battle.
'...What is this?'
I immediately took the rings from the bodies.
They weren't Numbered Items.
Then were they magic tools?
"Marone, Gowland."
I asked the mages to identify them.
It didn't take long.
"It's a Bonding magic tool. It binds to your soul as soon as you put it on."
"A Bonding magic tool?"
"You know, the Summoning Engraving you use to summon your ship on the 6th floor. That's a typical Bonding magic tool."
"Then... this ring is..."
"Yes. It's a subspace ring. And it's much more advanced than anything we have."
That explained why none of them had subspace rings or bracelets.
"Normally, Bonding magic tools leave a mark on your body, like a tattoo, but this one doesn't. It also has a detection nullification circuit."
"That means the royal family doesn't know about this subspace pocket?"
"Yes, probably."
We had hit the jackpot.
______________________
I didn't know what was inside this subspace pocket.
But one thing was certain.
It was a jackpot, even if it was empty.
With this ring, we could take all the Rose Knights' equipment with us.
"Take them all!"
We gathered all the equipment and stuffed it into our backpacks.
We could transfer it to our subspace pockets later, once we were back in the city.
'The problem is that we only have seven subspace pockets...'
We currently had ten members.
Three of us wouldn't be able to have one.
But surprisingly, the distribution process was peaceful.
"...This is too valuable for someone like me who couldn't even contribute to the battle."
James Kala, who had been blinded by the penalty, was the first to decline.
"I'll also pass. I already have a Bonding subspace pocket."
"Me too."
Akuraba and Raviyen, who already had similar items, also gave up their claims.
And so the owners were decided.
「Character has equipped the Liar's Rose Ring.」
「The Liar's Rose Ring has been bound to the character.」
The ring glowed briefly and then disappeared, binding to the wearer's soul.
"How do I open it?"
"It's brainwave recognition. Just think about opening it, and it'll open."
Wow, is this the royal family's latest technology?
It's going to be incredibly useful.
"Alright, then that settles it."
We finished collecting the loot and cremating the bodies.
And then...
「The frozen wall melts away.」
As soon as the trap room's effect ended, we left the battlefield.
We had found some food rations in the Rose Knights' backpacks, but it wasn't enough for ten people.
「Bersil Gowland casts the 6th-grade space-time magic [Greater Distortion].」
「Liris Marone casts the 6th-grade space-time magic [Greater Distortion].」
We hunted monsters and used Distortion magic to preserve their meat.
And then we headed back to the Eye of the Glacier.
But...
"It's a shame. If we could take all this with us, we could buy a mansion in the Imperial City."
We had to give up on the loot that was buried deep within the Eye of the Glacier.
The Elder Lich was blocking the entrance.
There were countless valuable items buried there... but they would disappear when the labyrinth closed.
"Let's rest here for today."
We set up camp and rested.
We couldn't push ourselves any further.
"Kaislan, are you alright?"
"I'm fine, don't worry. We'll be able to reach the top."
We had no priest and only four potions left.
We had all survived, but some of us were severely injured.
Erwen had depleted her MP and natural energy, rendering her skills useless.
And there weren't many who could fight properly.
"But... after all that... I don't feel tired at all..."
"I agree. It's strange."
"I thought I had experienced everything life had to offer, but I guess I was wrong."
We chatted idly during the break, but our main topic was the future.
"Are you going to create the clan right away?"
"Probably. But it'll take some time for everyone to join."
"That's true. Kaislan is from the military, so it'll be difficult for him to leave."
"Even if he could, it would be suspicious if we all suddenly joined forces. We need to wait. They'll eventually kick us out, and then we can form our own clan."
"...I have some ideas for the clan emblem."
"Wow, Marone, you're talented."
We discussed the future of our clan.
And the past as well.
We had to get our stories straight.
We discussed the timeline, and if anything felt off or suspicious, we would brainstorm together and come up with a plausible explanation.
"Yandel, there's something I'm worried about."
"What is it?"
"Even if we get our stories straight, will the royal family really believe us?"
"...?"
"We've all confirmed that we're immune to verification magic, but there are other ways to find out the truth."
I had thought about that too.
What if they didn't believe us?
What if they decided to investigate further?
"As I said before, they won't go that far. They don't want to create a bigger problem."
"...That's true, usually. But what if they decide to take the risk?"
"Even if they do, it doesn't matter. Our plan wasn't to deceive them perfectly."
Plan A was the best option, but Plan B wasn't a complete failure.
"What do you mean?"
"The fact that we're all keeping silent and sticking to our story is a message in itself. It's like a plea from the weak."
The Prime Minister, Duke Keallunus, the coalition of minor nobles, the Alminus Trading Company, and the Explorer's Guild.
They were all involved in this.
They wouldn't investigate further, even if they suspected us.
They wouldn't risk making a bigger problem.
They would just turn a blind eye, just like they did when they gave me my noble title without any verification.
That's how the royal family operates.
"So we have to use that time to become stronger. We have to make them think that it's better to ignore us than to confront us."
"But won't that make us even more dangerous? The stronger we become, the more they'll fear us."
"No, I don't think so."
"Why not?"
"Because no matter how strong we become, we're still just a small flame compared to the royal family."
The royal family was a giant.
No one in their right mind would dare challenge them.
"They'll just see us as a nuisance, not a threat. They won't believe that we're actually planning to overthrow them."
We were just a group of explorers who had been abandoned.
Who would believe that we were actually plotting a rebellion?
Sadness and anger are fleeting emotions.
Most people would just be grateful to be alive and make a rational decision.
But...
"But what if...?"
Akuraba, even after accepting my explanation, brought up the worst-case scenario.
"What if they decide to eliminate us? Because they see us as a threat?"
The answer was simple.
What else could we do?
We would have to go with Plan C.
______________________
75th day of the expedition.
To be more precise...
[22:10]
Less than four hours remained until the labyrinth closed.
"What is it?"
Bersil Gowland sat down next to me and asked abruptly.
"Yandel, do you think Naria was an evil spirit?"
"It's highly likely, isn't it?"
"Right... I thought so..."
Bersil mumbled, and I just remained silent. She spoke again after a moment of silence.
"Yandel, how do you feel about Naria?"
There was a hint of caution in her voice.
"I think she was a good comrade. But what are you trying to ask?"
"Let me rephrase that. If she had survived, would you still consider her a comrade?"
I could sense her intention, but I answered honestly.
"Of course."
"...Even if she was an evil spirit?"
"We're already enemies with the royal family. Why would I care about that? Evil spirit or not, it doesn't matter. The important thing is whether I can trust them."
"...I see."
Bersil nodded with a strange expression and then left after a few more words.
Hmm, what was her purpose?
Was she just curious about me?
'Wait a minute... Could it be that Goblin's secret has been exposed? And she's trying to find out what I'll do with him?'
It seemed plausible.
At least until Amelia called for me two hours later.
"Yandel, can we talk for a moment?"
"Did something happen?"
"It's about the task you gave me."
I tilted my head in confusion.
"The task I gave you?"
"You asked me to investigate Sven Parab, didn't you?"
Ah, that.
I had asked her to do that.
I couldn't trust him after his reckless behavior at the Round Table. I wanted to keep an eye on him and control him.
But...
"That was for when we got back to the city... And I didn't even use the word 'investigate'."
I had just asked her to keep an eye on him.
"Then you should be grateful that I misunderstood."
Amelia smirked and shrugged.
It seemed like she had something good.
I suddenly felt a surge of anticipation.
"Did you find something?"
"...You'll see."
Amelia unbuckled her belt.
I was surprised by her sudden action, but then she pulled out a small crystal ball from it.
"What's this?"
"A recording crystal ball."
I know what it is, but... I didn't know she had one hidden in her belt.
'...Should I tease her about being a voyeur?'
I swallowed that thought and activated the crystal ball.
[...Chomp, chomp, chomp.]
The video started with Sven Parab sneaking a piece of jerky from his pocket and eating it.
I felt a wave of betrayal.
"That bastard, he told me he didn't have any jerky left—"
"Be quiet and watch. You'll see soon enough."
"...."
Amelia's stern voice silenced me, and then the video changed.
[Sven Parab.]
A woman approached him from behind and called his name.
[Eek!]
He was startled, caught in the act of eating his secret stash.
[Can I talk to you for a moment?]
The woman was Bersil Gowland. Sven Parab looked around nervously, but didn't answer.
[I'm not going to tell anyone about the jerky, so don't worry. I just want to talk.]
[...Can't we talk later?]
[You don't want to talk to me?]
[No, it's not that, but... I have a bad feeling about this...]
[What are you talking about?]
Bersil tilted her head, confused, but I was impressed.
'Could he have sensed that Amelia was watching him?'
It was a mystery, but the video continued.
[Anyway, I'll get straight to the point.]
[Yes? Oh, yes... Please speak. I'm listening.]
[I know you're an evil spirit.]
One sentence.
"...What?"
[...What?]
Both me and Sven Parab in the video were dumbfounded.
And then...
[...Cough! Cough, cough!]
[Shh! Be quiet. Someone might hear us.]
[B-b-but what are you talking about?! I'm an e-e-evil spirit?!]
The bombshell didn't stop there.
[Don't try to run away. I'm an evil spirit too.]
What? She's coming out here?
[...What? Y-you... you're an evil spirit...?]
Sven Parab was speechless.
Bersil calmly continued.
[I'm telling you this because I'm worried you might say something you shouldn't. You know what I mean?]
[Uh, uh...]
[Don't say a word about this expedition. I'll be watching you. In the community, at the Round Table, everywhere.]
Boom!
There was no sound effect, but both me and Sven Parab in the video could hear it.
[W-wait, the Round Table? How did you even get into that... place?]
[Well, I'm a member there, so of course I know. How else would I have known that you're an evil spirit?]
[Wait a minute... there's a woman there... Q-Queen? No, she wasn't like that...]
Sven Parab was rambling, trying to make sense of the situation, and then he pointed his finger at her.
[W-wait... You... you're... Fox...?!]
That was the last scene of the video.
'Bersil Gowland was Fox...?'
Another unexpected gain from this expedition.
______________________
「The labyrinth is closed.」
「Character is being transferred to Lafdonia.」
______________________
Warm sunlight streamed through the window.
The Marquis put down his pen and picked up his teacup. The tea had steeped perfectly, its aroma filling the air.
He took a sip and checked the time.
'It's almost time.'
Five minutes until noon.
The labyrinth would soon close, and the empty Dimension Plaza would be filled with explorers returning from their expeditions.
It was a familiar scene, but it felt different today.
"I hope they succeeded."
The thirty explorers who had been sent to destroy Noark's Sky Eye.
"Well, even if they failed, it doesn't matter."
He had already prepared two sets of documents.
One for if the mission was successful but the expedition force didn't return.
And the other for if both the mission and the expedition force failed.
There was no document for if they returned alive.
He was a cautious man, but he didn't waste his time on pointless endeavors.
"It feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders."
The Marquis chuckled and put down his teacup.
He picked up his pen and resumed his work.
Ten minutes passed.
Buzz.
The message stone on his desk vibrated.
It was from the checkpoint, which was connected to his mansion.
"What is it?"
He answered the call, and his expression changed instantly.
[...I apologize for interrupting you. A group claiming to be a royal special forces unit has appeared.]
"...A special forces unit?"
[Yes, sir... Do you know anything about this? I apologize. They seem to be important people...]
"I see..."
[Yes, sir. The leader is demanding to speak with you. What should I do?]
"I'll send someone over soon. Hold them there for now. Oh, and how many are there?"
[Ten... exactly ten.]
"I see. Alright."
The Marquis ended the call with a pleasant smile.
And then...
Rip, rip.
He tore up the two documents on his desk and tossed them into the fireplace.
"Ten survivors..."
He didn't know how they had managed to survive.
"This is getting interesting."
Those who were supposed to be dead had returned.
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