Chapter 23

They still needed to wait before the gas in the dungeon cleared, so they decided to spend this day looking for a side job. A quick work they could do to get a bit more money. Ellie was already helping them a lot by allowing them to stay at the guild, but a bit more money wouldn’t hurt.

“Quicker jobs? Not really… yawn…” Ellie stretched her limbs, looking tired like usual.

“If you want a quick job… I don’t know where to find one.”

“How about the other guilds?”

Ellie shrugged. “I work here, in the treasure hunters’ guild.”

“I guess so…”

She would have no reason to help their rivals, although she wasn’t the type to care about rivalries in the first place. If helping them could get her some kind of benefit, she would probably do it. Suggesting a quest gets her nothing, however.

They left the guild. There was no guild street, and the guilds were more spread out compared to the shops. Visiting every one of them would take a while.

“We can’t really rule out the possibility of any of the guilds having a kind of delivery quest,” John said. The bakers’ guild, for example, wasn't the kind of guild they would normally visit. There was a chance that they had something needing transporting, thus the possibility of a quest.

“... Are we really that desperate?”

“I mean, no, but…” John trailed off. He wanted as much money as he could get.

“Where’s Isak, anyway?”

“Oh, he has some business to tend to.”

Originally, they were meant to practice more magic today, but a sudden business forced him to be away. He did promise to be back by the time they returned to the dungeon. That made him remember just how far away they were from their goals. Surely this dungeon goes deep.

“Aren’t you suspicious of him?”

John looked around before answering, “A bit.”

He wasn't sure if he could trust Isak. There were simply too many coincidences. It felt like he followed them here. John didn't have that one thing that would confirm he's a spy, but at the same time, he also didn't have anything that would say otherwise.

“But we don't really have any options, do we?”

They couldn't get another magic teacher. They couldn't get a different person to accompany them on their trip into the dungeon. Isak was their only hope.

Couldn't believe we're going this far for chairs.

John understood the strength of those chairs and how dangerous they were. At the same time, why chairs? Wouldn't it be cooler if they were looking for magical swords instead?

“Besides, if Isak turns out to be our enemy, what would you do?”

Leyla scoffed. “I wouldn’t be buddying up with him, for one.”

“Do you really think I have an option?”

He was the only one who offered to teach him magic and go into the dungeons with them. He appeared in this place after John and Leyla. John didn’t even know him in the first place. It was impossible for them to be the ones following after Isak.

“Since you really like criticizing me, then why don’t you figure this out? Say you don’t need help, then deal with the dungeon without him.”

“I was sent here to help you?”

“Then how about you shut up?”

The two exchanged glares.

Just then, John noticed a shop in the corner of his eye. It was a regular shop, with some of its wares out on display. There were a ridiculous number of chairs in front of the shop. A piece of paper had been attached to the front of a shop.

“... ‘help wanted’?”

“... More chairs?”

Neither of them was particularly interested in dealing with more chairs. This could mean some extra money, though, something John wanted. After weighing his options, John decided to approach the store.

“Hello…? Anyone there?”

A shopkeeper came from inside the shop.

“Welcome, are you looking for some furniture?”

John shook his head while Leyla pointed toward the paper near the entrance.

“Oh, that. Yes, that.”

“We’re looking for work,” John said. “Anything we can do?”

“Yes, yes. There's a mix-up in furniture deliveries, so some furniture is sent to the wrong destination.”

“You want us to retrieve them?”

“Oh no, no. I just need someone to go around listing all the mixed-up deliveries, then give me the report.”

That sounded like something they could do.

“Usually, I'll have my workers look for it. But unfortunately, they're out on a different business. It'll be a while before they return, and I'm already receiving numerous complaints.”

“We don't mind doing that,” Leyla said.

“How much for the reward?”

The number he gave them was enough for two days, assuming they didn't buy anything expensive.

“Sure, we'll do it.”

“Yes, yes. Good. Wait a moment.”

The man went inside, then brought out a piece of paper.

“These are the places you'll need to go.”