My Room Has Become a Dungeon's Rest Area (LN) - Book 3: Chapter 1: (5)

For some reason, Miri looked at me and smiled before she spoke.

「The thing is, the Thieves’ Guild is a bit old-fashioned, and we’re not very good at trade. We’d struggle to support the orphanage.」

「As I suspected. I hear that you’ve been under pressure from the Merchants’ Guild and the Bodyguards’ Guild recently.」

「But it’s all right, because Thor has lots of good ideas about trading. I think we’ll be able to support the orphanage before long. I know you want to bring the children up in the light of the sun.」

「Huh? M-me?」

I’d suddenly been brought into the conversation.

「Yes. You told me about redevelopment, remember? If that succeeds, we’ll make a lot of money.」

「I d-did, but I was just thinking aloud. I don’t know whether it will actually work……」

As I was arguing with Miri, Director Ryze said, 「If we don’t find someone to support us, Ria will have to work as an adventurer all the time. They say that half of all adventurers who explore the dungeon die within three years.」

Miri nodded enthusiastically.

「And they say all adventurers die within ten years.」

Deet’s been at it for more than a hundred years, but both of them were close to death when I first met them. There’s no doubt that it’s dangerous.

If I wanted to help Ria and Miri and the children, it might be time for me to use the knowledge I’d gained from living in Japan.

♦︎ ♦︎ ♦︎

We travelled in a cart on the way back from Sebirida, where the orphanage was, to Yomi Town, where the dungeon was.

As we bumped along in the cart, my brain was working at full power.

I was thinking about how to restore the Thieves’ Guild – which was on the ropes – to its former influence and to solve the orphanage’s financial difficulties.

Because it’s for the sake of Ria and Miri and the children, I want to do something.

The easiest way would probably be to sell Japanese goods, which seem to have mysterious powers in this other world. That might do for now.

If I did that, though, the secret of my apartment being connected to the dungeon would probably come out sooner or later, and if I became unable to use the door I’d immediately find myself in a sticky situation.

Using my knowledge from Japan is all very well, but if I can, I think it would be better to make money using things I can acquire in this world.

「Sir Thor, Sir Thor!」

「Huh?」

「Oh, come on! Anyone home?」

Ria had been speaking to me.

「I was just lost in my thoughts.」

「I see. I’m sorry.」

「No, it’s all right. What’s up?」

「The scenery around Sebirida gets really pretty here.」

Ｉ looked out of the cart. There were green hills as far as the eye could see, with cows dotted here and there.

The natural surroundings of the other world really were beautiful.

「By the way, why are we hurrying back in a cart?」

Director Ryze had offered to let us stay overnight at the orphanage and return on the following day.

Deet probably wanted to spend some more time with Mary.

「If we’d walked, we wouldn’t get back to the dungeon today.」

「We’re not going to stay in Yomi Town, we’re heading straight back down into the dungeon?!」

「Yep.」

「Huh? But it’ll be night-time soon! I don’t want to stay in some dubious underground inn or camp out in the dungeon!」

Looking bored, Miri suggested, 「Then why don’t you stay at my house? It’s on the first level.」

「Is that all right with you?」

「Yeah, it’s fine. I’ll be able to fit the four of us in.」

「In that case, shall we stay over at yours?」

Deet didn’t seem to think it would be too bad staying at Miri’s.

She’s probably thinking about all the money we’re saving by not paying for a room.

「That’s not it. I’m thinking about being able to get back to your apartment soon.」

Ria and Deet leant forward suddenly in excitement. Only Miri looked confused.

「I’m sick of bathing with a washbowl. Don’t you want to submerge yourself in the bathtub, and use the shower?」

「Y-yeah. I want to use shampoo and conditioner and shower gel……」

「I wanna drink an ice-cold beer when I’ve just got out of the bath.」

From the way the lady knight and the sorceress were talking, you wouldn’t think that they were from the other world.

「But we can’t go straight to the fifth level of the dungeon.」

「No. It’s dangerous to go too quickly.」

Ria and Deet were right. It had taken us almost two whole days to get through the dungeon on our way here.

「Huh? I don’t understand what you’re talking about.」

The girl with cat eyes looked round at us all.

Ria and Deet wore expressions that said, 「Come to think of it, should we have told her?」

Before I could explain things to Miri, I had to make Ria and Deet understand.

「Here’s the thing. Remember when I was hiding in that room with the iron door on the first level? Before you two turned up, I was checking whether or not there was a door to my apartment block.」

「You were?」

「And Miri said I could investigate the other rooms with iron doors.」

「So we might be able to get back to your apartment today after all?」

As we were talking about that hope, the cat-eyed girl got up and started to stamp her feet in the middle of the cart.

「I have no idea what you’re on about!」

「I’m sorry. If we find what we’re looking for, I’ll explain. I’ll have to discuss it with the boss.」

Ria and Deet both agreed with me.

If we don’t find anything, we can brush it off. But if we do find a door to my apartment block, then whatever we do – whether we rent the room with the iron door, or tell her the truth – we’ll have to get the boss to work with us.

Deet whispered in my ear,「But should you really tell your secret to the boss of the Thieves’ Guild? In the end, it’s your secret, Thor, so Ria and I can’t really say anything.」

「I think it’ll be okay. The truth is, the boss has reservations of her own.」

「Reservations? What do you mean?」

I pointed to Miri, who was sitting with her back to us, sulking.

「What’s up with Miri?」

Deet tilted her head. I smiled meaningfully at her.

♦︎ ♦︎ ♦︎

With Miri guiding us, we investigated the iron-doored rooms that were under the control of the Thieves’ Guild.

We were on our fifth one already.

「Hey, what the heck are you looking for? I’m exhausted. Let’s call it a day and start again tomorrow.」

Miri didn’t understand what we were doing, and kept complaining.

But she’s right, if we were on the surface, it would be night-time.

Time in the other world and time in Japan were mysteriously linked.

I was tired, and I was sure that Ria and Deet were, too.

But even Deet, who was a bit of a quitter, kept on searching in silence for a door that would lead us back to Japan. That’s just how attractive the Japanese lifestyle is.

However, we couldn’t find one.

Just when I was thinking that my apartment must only be linked to that room on the fifth level after all, Ria’s voice rang out with joy.

「Found one! I’ve found one!」

「You really found one?」

「Did you really? This means I’ll be able to have that ice-cold beer straight after my bath!」

「Wh-what? What’s going on?」

Everyone gathered around at the sound of Ria’s voice.

「It really is! It’s the door to my apartment block!」

「Tee hee hee. I moved those packages out of the way – that’s where I found it.」

I see. This was a storage room for the Thieves’ Guild.

The door was behind some wooden boxes.

I had already checked this place out, but Ria had found the door because she was able to move the boxes easily.

「What are you guys talking about? It’s just a stone wall.」

Miri belongs to the other world, and she doesn’t have a key, so she must think I’ve gone mad.

Ria and Deet looked awkward.

I confidently inserted the key into the lock.

「Are you sure it’s all right to do that in front of Miri?」

「Since she’s standing around here, there’s nothing much I can do about it. And you want to have a Japanese-style bath, don’t you, Ria?」

「W-well, I do, but…」

「So let’s go!」

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