Chapter 28

The meat had a slightly unique, milky smell, but it was incredibly tender and seasoned with a wild, primal flavor. I devoured five bone-in steaks, then downed a fizzy, spicy, and slightly bitter drink — not alcoholic, but still satisfying.

After devouring that well-matched combination, I followed it up with three sandwiches.

Damn, I’m such a big eater. Not just my appetite, but my stomach capacity is absurd.

So yeah, this is me — eating like royalty in a dungeon. Name’s Silent.

For some reason, I feel like the persona of “Silent” really meshes well with me. I wonder why that is.

Well, it’s not like I’m actually imprisoned in the dungeon anyway.

“…Silent-sama, would you like a refill on your drink?”

“Yes, please. Sorry to trouble you with the service, Remiya.”

That assassin-looking woman was now unmasked and wearing the guild uniform as she tended to me.

Apparently, she was an elf — her ears had that distinct bamboo-leaf shape.

Hmm… with her dark skin, I guess she’s what you’d call a dark elf?

Or maybe in this world, they’re all just categorized under ‘elf’?

“I’m glad to see you enjoyed it. We’ve been instructed to treat Silent-sama with special care.”

“Well, after all, when an unknown man accomplishes something noteworthy, you can’t exactly brush him off. I’ll gratefully enjoy the free meal. …But, the attack will likely happen tonight. Give the others something that can act as a sleep-aid countermeasure, or an antidote for poison or paralysis. I’ve got my own supply.”

“…I’m relieved to see you’re not letting your guard down. I’ll go fetch your drink now.”

Silent’s thoughts and senses flowed into me.

No, actually — this might be me making predictions based on Silent’s experience.

So far, the likely mastermind is either “foreign agents” or “domestic insurgents.”

And… I, or rather Silent, judged that the latter is more probable.

“…The gate on the border with Golda is strictly controlled. There’s only so much you can sneak through the dungeon… It’d be hard for foreigners to secretly transport the materials to build that fortress near Caldera Lake. Then the logical conclusion is that someone in this country — someone with the power to erase purchase records for construction materials — is behind it.”

I muttered that theory out loud, intending for it to be overheard by guild staff who were likely monitoring me.

“Even if they gathered the materials locally, they’d still need tools to process the wood and specialists to do the work. The guild wouldn’t overlook such craftsmen coming and going. That leaves one more plausible option: a noble planning to rebuild a mansion or villa diverted the materials for another purpose.”

That was the extent of the theory I could piece together.

There are more speculative possibilities, but those fall under the category of “information Silent shouldn’t know.”

For example: “The desperate neighboring country, Golda, summoned a large number of people from another world, and they might be secretly preparing for war, collaborating with certain nobles in this country.”

That’s a deduction only I could make — because I was summoned in Golda.

“…Well, anything beyond this isn’t my job.”

“You’re truly remarkable. If Silent-sama swore loyalty to the guild or the nation, I believe you’d easily be made a state-appointed warrior or guest general.”

“If you’re going to eavesdrop, you might as well see it through to the end.”

“Weren’t you saying it loud enough for me to hear?”

“Heh… maybe I was.”

I took the drink from her. I didn’t even consider the possibility that it was drugged.

Not like it’d work on me anyway.

Thanks to the gear Silent’s wearing — specifically, a bracelet — I’m immune to paralysis, poison, sleep, and instant death.

It became essential equipment for frontline fighters after the developers kept adding monsters that inflicted unfair status effects.

It’s practically “mandatory gear” now. Some players even said, “Don’t even think of joining a party if you don’t have it.”

Well, some classes or equipment sets do have innate status resistances too.

“Phew… this is pretty good. Is it medicinal?”

“It can be used that way, but it’s mainly served to people who can’t drink alcohol — a staple in taverns. It’s called ‘Spice Ale.’ It’s available in Golda too, just so you know.”

“I see. So you just tricked me into admitting I’m not from Golda.”

“Maybe. Or maybe my first question was a bluff.”

We both knew we were joking — at least half-joking.

It was… strangely pleasant.

“If the antidotes are ready, I’ll head to my post. Make sure no non-combatants approach the courtyard. Worst case, they might blow up the whole area.”

“…That’s possible. It’s far more certain than assassination. Silent-sama, will you be alright?”

“A little bomb isn’t enough to kill me.”

“…You’re truly terrifying. I’m glad we’re not enemies — at least for now.”

I watched Remiya walk off with a wry smile, then took my position in front of the door.

Alright… it’d be great if the assassin comes at me directly. Just in case, I’ll drink a potion that enables automatic recovery in case of an explosion.

Meanwhile…

“We made it! This is ‘Jangari-an’! Ooh… it smells like freshly baked bread!”

“Yup! That’s the scent of pies! Let’s see… ‘Autumn Special: Hearty Mushroom Pie’ it says!”

“Ooh, that sounds good. I’ll have that one.”

“I’m going with the meat pie! Gotta get the Horned Rabbit meat pie!”

“Alright, let’s go in. It’s probably gonna get crowded soon.”

Melt’s group had arrived at their chosen restaurant. They scanned the menu displayed outside, dreaming about tonight’s meal.

Inside, it seemed the interior was designed with a female clientele in mind — not fully private rooms, but all box seats with doors. Melt and the others were shown to one.

“Hmm, what should I get… The pies are sized for one per person. But the dessert pies are big and served in slices, so getting both a meal pie and dessert might be too much.”

“Then let’s order a whole pie and share it. Ours are whole too, even if they’re small — we can share ours with you too.”

“Good idea. What about you, Melt?”

“Hmm… I don’t know what the dishes are like, so I’ll use your opinions as reference! This ‘Mini Fried Pie Set’ sounds interesting! It’s mini… but a set? What does that mean?”

“Huh? Maybe it’s a set of lots of small pies?”

“Ohh… sounds easy to share! I’ll get that! I need to pick the fillings too…”

Apparently, the ordering system was more complex than expected, and Melt turned to Rikka for help.

“Looks like you pick from this list. The ones we aren’t getting are… ‘Potato’ and ‘Cheese.’ You can choose two, so why not go with those?”

“Got it! Hehe, I’m excited — I wonder what the pies will be like!”

Like a child, she smiled cheerfully in anticipation of the food, and despite being of the same age, her innocent excitement stirred the protective instincts of the other three.

Before long, perhaps thanks to the manageable size of the pies, the dishes were served faster than expected and laid out across the table.

Rikka had ordered a large apple pie, easily around 20 centimeters in diameter, just as she had declared.

The pies Kash and Grant ordered were smaller, around 15 centimeters in diameter. Though intended for individual portions, they were neatly sliced for easy sharing.

As for Melt’s order—the so-called “fried pie”—it was made up of triangular, simply folded pies roughly the size of “nama yatsuhashi” (a traditional Japanese sweet), deep-fried to a golden crisp and neatly stacked on a plate. They looked like the perfect companion for a drink.

“Wow! It’s totally different from everyone else’s, but it looks so good! It smells kind of toasty! This must be what they call ‘fried food’!”

“Damn, that looks tasty too! Alright, I’ll slice up my meat pie.”

“Mine as well. Hmm… it looks like mushrooms and onions are packed in and bound together with something.”

“Probably quiche crust? This place serves quiche too. I’ll cut up the apple pie as well.”

Before they knew it, savory pies and dessert pies were arrayed before each of them, and the fried pies were shared among the four.

And when Melt finally took her first bite of a pie—

“S-So delicious…! It’s crispy and crunchy and gooey all at the same time… I’ve never had anything like this before… A dish where you can enjoy so many textures all at once…”

“Yeah, these fried pies are amazing! The cheese one is the best! I’m totally ordering it next time too!”

“Indeed. I’ll refrain today, but I bet they go well with wine.”

“I can’t really handle alcohol…”

As they all happily ate their pies, time flowed gently, wrapped in a warm sense of contentment.

Sharing a meal with comrades after taking on a job together—a post-mission gathering.

For Melt, experiencing this for the first time, she was beginning to understand what the “joy of labor” truly meant.

To her, the conclusion was: “Food after a hard task tastes incredibly good. Therefore, labor is a ritual to make meals taste better.”

Of course, the joy of earning money was a welcome bonus too.

“Ahhh… I’m so happy… I’ve barely ever had real food, so I’m super excited thinking about what kinds of dishes I’ll get to try from now on.”

“Wait—what? You’ve never really eaten actual food…?”

For a moment, Melt’s face read “Oops.”

She instinctively lied, thinking it might cause trouble for Same if too much about her past was revealed—or worse, expose her true race.

“U-Um… I mean, I’ve only ever had meals like just roasting ingredients over a fire, you know? It’s only since I started traveling that I’ve gotten to eat real cooked food.”

“I… I see. That sounds like a pretty harsh environment you came from.”

“H-Hey, Melt… Are you okay now? Like… you’re not being chased or watched by someone, are you…?”

Due to previously hearing that Melt was the partner of a highly skilled adventurer, the three began to suspect the truth was the opposite—that she was actually a person who had endured a harsh life, perhaps forced into menial work like a slave.

And in truth, considering she had been trapped in a dungeon, it wasn’t wrong to say she came from a harsh background.

But due to her sharp skills as an adventurer, her unusual rank of Emerald from the start, and other bits of her behavior, the three were beginning to think of her as “a girl who had been held captive somewhere.”

“Ahh… that was delicious… I want Same to try this too.”

“Same? Someone who takes care of you?”

“Yeah. Um… He’s the one who found me and took me in, made me part of his caravan.”

Melt carefully offered only fragmented details to avoid giving too much away.

However, that single word—”caravan”—in conjunction with their suspicions, led the three to an unflattering conclusion.

They began to believe: “Melt must have escaped from somewhere, was picked up by someone, and is now unknowingly being exploited by a shady merchant. She doesn’t even realize she’s been bought, and is innocently working to repay a debt.”

“H-Hey… is this…”

“…It’s possible. We should probably meet this ‘Same’ guy and have a chat.”

“Yeah, definitely. Hey, Melt, if it’s okay with you, would you consider forming a party with us starting tomorrow? I’d really love for you to become a full member of our group.”

It was a genuine offer, born from kindness. But from Melt’s perspective, it was only a temporary arrangement until Same returned.

So she answered, a little apologetically—

“Hmm… I’m sorry? I think it’ll only be until my partner—the person who’s taking care of me—comes back. I’m not sure when that’ll be, but I think it’ll be soon. Is that okay?”

“…Got it. That’s fine for now. But when this Same person returns, could you introduce us to him at least once?”

“Okay, sure!”

And so, the group’s misunderstanding continued to grow.

Hang in there, Same—for now, your reputation is basically “a shady human trafficker.”

———————————-

“Vekshi! Tch, it’s kind of dusty in here.”

It was nearing midnight. While the General guild technically operated 24 hours a day, there were still times when hardly anyone came by.

This was one of those times. Once the clock passed midnight, it was generally accepted that only people with urgent business would show up at the guild.

So logically, it wouldn’t be strange if a royal knight showed up tonight. But judging from the situation, it seemed safe to assume none would be coming.

“Hey, you can rest in that room over there. Just make sure you keep the key with you.”

“Huh? Is that really okay? I mean… technically, as a staff member, I shouldn’t leave my post.”

“I see. Well, I guess I haven’t fully earned your trust yet. Got it. In that case, we should start being on guard—”

At that moment, a thunderous explosion shook the underground chamber, nearly bursting his eardrums and briefly throwing off his sense of balance.

“Hey, are you alright!?”

The guild staff member he’d been speaking with just moments earlier was now lying on the floor, blood streaming from his ears.

What was that—some kind of stun grenade? Or did someone actually detonate a bomb with the intent of collapsing the entire underground area!?

He quickly checked the door—no signs of forced entry.

But he could still hear groaning from the man they had locked inside.

Good—he was still alive.

But even from behind a door, the blast had been strong enough to cause damage.

The staff member looked to have taken serious injuries. The fact that he was still unharmed was probably due to his status.

“…I want to go out and confront whoever did this, but what should I do?”

No, I should stay here. It doesn’t look like the underground area is going to collapse.

If that’s the case, then the explosion was likely meant to incapacitate people—just like it did to this fallen staff member.

In that case… the course of action I should take is…

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