Chapter 23: Trade City Heizen (1) – Uncle’s Hideout
We’d been walking for quite a while since then.
But I wasn’t bored.
Walking wasn’t tiring either, since everyone was chatting noisily the whole way.
Right now, we were climbing a pretty steep staircase.
Only Mineha-san was riding on my shoulder. So unfair.
“Speaking of which, I just remembered. That waitress from earlier—the one at the diner. She’s Rell’s little sister.”
Hoss-san suddenly said.
“Eh!?”
“Ha!?”
“For real!?”
The three of us froze in place.
“She’s the younger sister of Dova-sama and Sheshu-sama!?”
“…!”
“My, my, so that’s why she looked familiar.”
I had felt like I’d seen her somewhere.
Ah, so she was Rell’s sister. That made sense.
“So that means she’s Juicy’s older sister?”
“Yeah, that’s why she recognized my name. Rell always mentions ‘The Lightning Fang’ in his letters, so she remembered.”
“Rell’s little sister… so she’s a Tasan, right? A marquis’ daughter working at a common diner?”
“It’s kinda late to say it, but the Tasan family really does whatever they want.”
Bid-san gave a wry smile. Seriously, it really is too late to act surprised.
“So, so, what’s her name?”
“You asked her, right?”
“Samaniya Tasan.”
Samaniya, huh. She wore glasses like Rell.
Those silver frames made her look smart—just like him.
After we finally reached the top of the steep stairs, the view suddenly opened up.
I could hear the sound of waves. Along the main street were buildings facing Lake Reeve’s shoreline.
At the very end toward the lake,
there was a blue square building and a black square building, left and right.
Between them stood a long, narrow, three-story white building.
It had three floors of windows.
Ah, that one. No mistake.
That long, narrow building is Uncle’s hideout.
“That one, right? The white three-story building?”
“Looks like it.”
Mineha seemed to have figured it out too.
Hoss checked the map and nodded.
“Yep. You two recognized it pretty well.”
“How’d you figure it out?”
“Because they look similar.”
“It looks like Hydrangea’s house. Buildings on both sides, with an entrance in the middle. Exactly the same design.”
Now that she mentioned it… the buildings on each side were suspicious.
“Well then, let’s go in. Wof, you have the key, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
I stood in front of the entrance.
It was the door to the tall, narrow white building.
I inserted the key that had been sent with the letter. It fit perfectly.
I slowly turned it—click.
I put my hand on the knob and pushed.
The door opened with a heavy sound.
A dusty smell drifted out immediately.
“Ugh!”
“No one’s used this place in years.”
Right in front of us was a staircase.
The stairs going up were built around a tall open space—there was no room on the second floor.
Instead, on the second floor, hallways stretched to the left and right, each ending in a door.
From there the stairs doubled back and continued upward to the third floor.
The rooms were probably on the third floor.
The doors to the left and right were built right against the walls—meaning the buildings on both sides were connected, making them all parts of the hideout.
“Knew it.”
“If this white building were the only part, it’d be too cramped to stay in. But since the side buildings are included, we can live here. And there’s plenty to clean!”
“……………”
Shaldina and Anna Kreutzen were clearly fired up in full maid-mode.
“Let’s explore!”
“Agreed. Let’s split up, then meet back here.”
So we decided to explore the hideout.
“Hmmm, this building has several rooms.”
The witch entered the black building on the right.
Hoss headed up to the third floor.
Mineha and Bid entered the blue building on the left.
Mineha grew to her normal size—saying it’d be inconvenient to stay small.
As for me… what should I do?
While I lingered on the first floor, my knife-belt shook.
“Na?”
Dagaa, who’d been sleeping in knife form, woke up.
She transformed and fluttered down onto a shelf, still sleepy.
The first floor had a small white shelf, and behind the white stairs was a wooden crate.
“Na!”
Dagaa noticed a letter on the shelf.
I grabbed it—and froze.
It was addressed to me, sealed with wax.
I broke the seal.
“To Wof. If you’re reading this, I guess you arrived safely. This hideout is a property I won from little Seiran-san of the Zenzera family back when I was young. I own the land around it too, so relax. Now, this hideout contains not something of mine, but a tremendous secret of Trade City Heizen. If you want to know the secret, go underground. Behind the staircase, inside the wooden crate, there’s an entrance to the basement. It’s locked, but the same key opens it.
Before that—Heizen doesn’t call people ‘explorers’. They’re called ‘slayers’. Do you know why? If not, keep reading. Heizen doesn’t have dungeons like Hydrangea or the other cities do—neither in town nor nearby. What it does have is the massive forest stretching in front of it.
Heizen Great Forest is a treasure trove of dungeon monsters located on the west side, across the Heizen Plains. All types and attributes of dungeon monsters hide there in huge numbers.
People hunt them, so explorers are called ‘slayers’ in Heizen. Now you might be thinking:
‘Doesn’t that mean the Great Forest itself is a dungeon? Like that other forest where the dungeon surfaced?’ Exactly. And deeper inside the forest, there’s a dungeon entrance.
But the farther you go, the stronger the monsters get, and the thicker the fog becomes.
Most people get lost. The lord of the deepest part is the greatest obstacle.
You’ll need to reach at least Rank I if you want to challenge it. Anyway—go underground.
What you do after learning the secret is up to you. Enjoy the hideout and Heizen —Your Uncle.”
“…The secret of Heizen?”
Can he maybe not casually drop bombshells in letters?
Oh, there was a second page. Let’s see…
“P.S. Give the second page to little Seiran-san of the Zenzera family. You can read it, but if you do, take responsibility —Uncle.”
“……”
Zenzera—the Zenzera family, one of Heizen’s Three Great Houses.
Seiran-san… ugh, this smells like trouble.
Also, no way I’m reading it.
I put the letter in my pouch.
“Na!”
Dagaa tapped the wooden crate behind the stairs.
Right, that must be it.
Judging from the hollow sound, it was empty.
“Let’s go below once everyone comes back.”
“Na!”
We rummaged around the shelves, but nothing turned up.
Eventually everyone regrouped.
I briefly explained the letter.
“So, the basement?”
“My, my. A secret of Heizen—now that’s dramatic.”
“What is your uncle, seriously…”
“This is the entrance?”
We’d already moved the crate aside.
In the floor was a round manhole-like lid with a handle and a keyhole beside it.
I inserted the key.
Turned it. Clack.
Pulled the handle—
The lid swung upward.
It wasn’t removable—thick metal hinges held it like a submarine hatch.
We climbed down the fixed ladder into a brick room.
Not much stood out.
In one corner, swords and axes were tossed into a box.
A spiral staircase led further down.
“Feels like we went down three floors.”
“What is this place?”
We reached a stone corridor.
Something glowing was embedded between the stones, making it strangely bright.
“Hmmm. An old passageway… but this is… fascinating.”
“What is it?”
“No doubt about it. These are dungeon walls.”
Hoss touched the wall.
Everyone froze.
“But Heizen has no dungeons, right?”
“That’s what we heard!”
“If this is real… that’s insane!”
“…………”
“This is definitely Heizen’s big secret!”
“If… if this is true…”
“Hm.”
I groaned. Mineha muttered: If this is true…
“Well, well, let’s save conclusions for later and move on.”
“Yeah. Let’s go.”
The surprisingly calm witch and Hoss guided us forward.
The corridor ended, turning right.
“…?”
Suddenly, I felt a weird déjà vu.
This right turn… somewhere… no way.
Before I knew it, I was running.
“Wof!?”
“H-hey, what’s wrong!?”
“What is it?”
“My, my, Wof?”
“Wof, it’s dangerous!”
Another dead end, then a left turn… and then the space opened—
Ah. So that’s what this was.
“So that’s how it is.”
We’d reached it.
No question—this was the major secret of Trade City Heizen.
“No wonder they can’t tell anyone about this.”
A wide space filled with towering piles of garbage.
Broken swords, spears, and axes.
Shattered shields.
Destroyed armor.
Jewelry—rings and necklaces—were scattered throughout.
These must be the belongings left behind by Heizen’s slayers.
In other words—
This place is Heizen’s dump.