Chapter 25

After waiting for the gas to dissipate, the three of them had descended several more floors, but they had yet to find anything. Unlike before, they couldn’t head straight to the stairs. They must pretend to take the job seriously. Isak was there, so he might report to Ellie. They must keep up appearances.

That said, after a few floors, even Isak’s patience began running low. “There’s none here either… Is this some kind of joke?” he said while opening another chest.

“It must be,” Leyla said, standing beside him while holding a torch. It made their exploration much easier. “We have found no treasure at all.”

“That man…” Isak covered his face. “Just what do you know?”

For a split second, John could see a grin behind Isak’s face. Despite his lips turning upward, his eyes remained cold, gazing at a point in the rocky wall.

Is he angry?

That expression only remained for a short while, however. It disappeared not long after. He sighed and stood up, turning his attention away from the chest. He had taken over the lockpicking job from John, as he was much better at it.

“Let’s continue. We have a dungeon to complete.”

No wonder the first team gave up. Treasure hunting is a job, not a hobby. People need to find something if they want to keep themselves alive.

Despite his brief complaints, Isak led the team once more, heading even deeper into the already deep dungeon. Every floor, every single room, and every single chest within it contained nothing. After roughly six sleeps within the dungeon, they had descended to floor twenty-nine. It was a slow, painful process, and they would soon need to return to the surface to resupply.

“What are dungeons anyway?” John murmured as they walked around, looking for another chest. Everyone knew it was pointless. The next chest would be empty. Why bother opening it? But Ellie insists they check it out as thoroughly as possible.

“... No one knows,” Isak answered. “They’re just structures that exist before we know how to put words on paper.”

“... And they have all these treasures in them?”

John had yet to see a single treasure, though. He couldn’t differentiate which was valuable and which wasn’t.

“Oftentimes, yes. A lot of dungeons have empty chests as well, but more than half of them have something inside.”

This dungeon must fall into the category that had nothing.

“And what do you usually find inside?”

“... Stuff.”

“That’s not exactly helpful.”

To his surprise, Leyla was the one who answered his question properly.

“Usually ancient equipment. Old swords, armor, sometimes coins, and bowls. All sorts of stuff, really. You can make a lot of money by selling those.”

“Nobles like them,” Isak said, sounding a bit reluctant to continue on the topic. His reluctance only made John more suspicious of him. What could be the reason he wasn’t willing to share this with him? Maybe he wanted to keep all the money for himself? Was that why he got kicked out of the treasure hunters’ guild?

“Why?”

“When you have too much money, you'll eventually start fulfilling the things you need, so you buy things you don't need just because you can. Sometimes, they're not even things you want.”

There was a hint of resentment in his voice, but he quickly turned back to the dungeon. They had discovered yet another chest, but this one also lacked anything valuable.

“Another waste of time…”

“Is there no other way to get the chair?” Leyla whispered. At this point, buying the chair might really be quicker. But, how much would she ask for?

“Guess we'll ask once we return to the surface.”

They're running low on supplies, and the trip back to the surface would take a while.

“By the way, what do you think of the count?” Isak asked all of a sudden.

“... The count…?”

“You went to his mansion a few days ago, didn't you?”

John tried recalling when he had done such a thing. He didn't remember meeting any nobles. Did he walk by one without realizing it?

“How did you know?” Leyla asked. Since Leyla asked that, that meant she knew which event he was talking about.

Oh, does he mean the furnishing thing?

“I was returning from my business when I saw you two enter.”

They hadn't noticed anyone spying on them that day.

Is it another coincidence?

John's suspicion grew even more. Could they have that many accidental meetings?

Leyla didn't seem like she was trusting of him, either. John made up his mind. The second they got the chair, they would make a run for it. If Isak still ended up somewhere near them, that meant he was stalking them.

Can't believe Leyla's teleport got us into this trouble.

Had they done their restaurant work like regular people, they wouldn't be swamped by all the orders. Leyla would still be able to use magic as well. Things would be much easier. Most importantly, they wouldn’t need to be concerned about Isak.

“Is it a secret?” Isak asked again.

“We didn't even meet him.”

His maid was the one who came out to meet them. That girl made quite the impression. John recalled her flat face. It had been a while, but it felt like he had only seen her yesterday.

The three went deeper, avoiding monsters as much as they could. If a monster blocked their way, Isak would take care of it. Luckily, no other monsters created dangerous gas like the caterpillar.

“We’re finally here,” Isak said. They had finally reached floor thirty.

“... What’s that?” Leyla turned toward the point beyond the stoors. Unlike the other floors, the space beyond the stairs followed one straight line. There were no forks in the path. They couldn’t see any small rooms or chests, either. Just one straight, dark route. The three exchanged glances and followed the route straight to the end. At the end of the path was a large metal door. Leyla brought a torch up, letting the flame shine on the metal surface.

“What is this?” John asked.

“So we’ve reached the final floor…” Isak murmured. Leyla’s face lit up with excitement, while John let out a breath of relief.

“We’re finally here. Should we take it on now?”

Isak shook his head. “We’re all exhausted. Let’s take a day to rest. We won’t want to fall to the monster.”

“Alright.”

Leyla seemed miffed by this decision, but agreed anyway.