Chapter 75: Jonah Is No Longer A Baby (3)

“Unfortunately, Inquisitor Karen, we must part ways here for a moment.”

“Since we entered separately, exiting differently will avoid any suspicion.”

“It was my idea to hide, so if anything happens, please tell me right away.”

“There shouldn’t be any trouble that would bother Sir Jonah.”

“That doesn’t mean you should suffer any losses alone. I might not have much…but I’ve recently found someone I can rely on.”

Now that it’s time to slowly ascend to the surface, I hold back my tears, as I climb off Ellie’s back. Ellie, who had been puffing on a Magic Herb cigarette and sighing beside her, tilted her head and asked,

“Are you talking about me? Even if my arm was fine, taking on the entire Temple would be madness…”

“What? No, well, Ellie is Ellie, but I was talking about someone else.”

I said that and then subtly pointed upwards. It’s obvious, but when you look up at the sky from the first floor, all you see are dense branches and the sky peeking through them.

However, the meaning becomes clear when you add the actions I have shown so far.

“Are you really a saint, Jonah? I can’t believe it.”

“Of course, since I’m not actually a saint.”

“Are you really not?”

“Um. If being a saint means being an agent of the Goddess recognized by the Temple, then I’m definitely not. However, it is true that the Goddess takes an interest in me and watches over me.”

“…Isn’t that what a saint is?”

Ellie tilts her head in confusion. Next to her, Karen, having listened to the conversation, makes the sign of the cross and speaks with a reverent attitude.

“That’s the standard for saints you’d find in fairy tales before the War of the Fallen Gods. Currently, the only deity that remains is the Goddess of Love, and the Goddess is focusing on managing the Labyrinth. In other words, it’s no longer possible for deities to roam the earth as in the mythic era.”

“Oh…”

“And even in this era, Sir Jonah managed to establish a small sanctuary without divine power.”

“Oh…?”

That was possible thanks to the fully upgraded Goddess statue; it wasn’t due to any skill of mine.

Was it a problem that I secretly activated the sanctuary without taking out what might be mistaken for a suspicious toy?

Karen, thinking that the Goddess opened the sanctuary simply because I was struggling, continued with a look of near-blind faith.

“No matter how close this Labyrinth is to the Goddess, a sanctuary originally requires years of preparation to be established. Even if it’s on a small scale, it’s not something that can be easily seen.”

“Ah, um. About that…”

“I’m not trying to deny what Sir Jonah thinks. It might be burdensome, you might really think that way, and there might be reasons why you have to say no. But I just want to let you know. The favor Sir Jonah receives is extraordinary. And Sir Jonah certainly deserves such favor.”

“……”

Having said that, Karen wore a tired face with a faint smile.

“Now that I’ve said everything, I’ll be going first. To the people who had become hostages…”

“Ah, I’ll talk to Lemon and Apple.”

“Then I will trust Sir Jonah and go ahead first. I will testify as we agreed beforehand, so please be assured.”

“Ah. I don’t really mind such things. You’ve worked hard today, and if there’s another matter to see each other about, we’ll meet then. …No, that would seem like I’m hoping for problems. Even if there’s no business, come visit the Fairy and Silver Coin when you’re bored!”

“Thank you. Then, I’ll take leave now.”

Karen bowed her head and was the first to touch the tombstone and ascend to the surface.

When we entered the Labyrinth, Karen had inconveniently waited and then came around, so this time, it was our turn to leave later.

We still have about 30 minutes to kill…

“Ellie. Miss Lydia. When we go up to the surface, may I stop by somewhere before going straight home?”

“Are you going to be alright? Even if your body has recovered, your mind must be tired.”

“Jonah. Are you planning to stop by Eden?”

“That’s right.”

Lydia, who had once saved Lemon and Apple and gone to Eden with me, immediately caught on to my intention.

Ellie, who had been tilting her head alone, suddenly perked up her ears and tail as if she remembered something.

“Ah! Eden, that place that sells cheap but oddly defective magical tools, right? Is it still not out of business? I was terrified when I stopped by a few times just as I was passing the second floor.”

“You, that’s too mean! Are you saying our Boss looks like she could go bankrupt at any moment?!”

“Still, last time, she made a portable Safe Zone Kit that can be installed anytime, anywhere!”

“Oh. That’s kind of interesting. The Safe Zone Kit is something the Mage Tower and the Workshop Union only started making not long ago. It must not have been easy to make it to a usable level, considering the price too.”

“Indeed. But the Boss managed it. The price is less than half! Portability and secrecy. And it doesn’t lag far behind in durability either!”

“Except for the minor flaws like breaking out in unexplained hives all over your body when you go inside, and the astronomical amount of magical energy needed for maintenance, it’s perfect!”

“…Then it’s trash.”

“Is it really?”

“The Boss who insisted on this despite my objections is the one at fault.”

Lemon and Apple quickly changed their stance after initially reacting defensively to Ellie’s indifferent response.

It’s not that they were intimidated by seeing Ellie fight. It’s just that it really is trash….

In the Labyrinth, even breathing must be done with caution.

It might be okay in the already mapped upper levels, but in the middle levels where the maps are incomplete, there are many times when one must physically confront challenges.

You might become poisoned without realizing it, or there might be monsters that rush towards the sound of your breathing, or perhaps there are bizarre spaces where trying to breathe only stops your breath.

The Labyrinth is a place where you never know what will happen next, so you must always be on alert.

The only place where you can relax is a Safe Zone created around a small tombstone.

But what if that Safe Zone is too far away? Or what if you’re unlucky and can’t find a Safe Zone for a long time?

Then, you have no choice but to forcefully camp out, which is even more dangerous.

Thus, the concept of a portable Safe Zone was devised.

To put it simply, artisans design the blueprints for prefabricated houses, then mages program each material with magic to assemble in a specific form, and finally, use spatial magic to distort the size so it can be carried around compactly. This is precisely what a portable Safe Zone is.

A high grade comprehensive magical device that instantly erects a small but sturdy house on an empty land in an instant, and all around it, various types of concealment magic are cast to make it invisible.

These are the portable Safe Zones that have started to appear one by one recently.

The promotion is so aggressive that every time I visit the Guild to sell materials, they either demonstrate it directly or forcibly hand out flyers, making it impossible to forget.

It’s certainly an impressive feat to have made it alone. To put it in Earth terms, it’s as if the local hardware store owner saw the latest electric car, then went on to create a similar electric car himself.

However, I can’t purely admire it…aren’t the side effects too pernicious?

To be unable to rest properly in the suffocating Labyrinth, even in the safety zones set up for a breather due to hives, and the mana consumption is so severe that the party’s mage has to retire or use up all their mined Magic Stones?

This is just trash. No matter how much I cherish Eve, there’s no excuse.

I sighed deeply and patted Lemon and Apple on the shoulders.

“You’ve worked hard. But there are things I need to discuss with both of you…and especially, I owe Miss Eve from last time.”

“Ah.”

“An appraisal dagger.”

Instead of production costs, I had promised to use the power of the World Tree for Eve someday.

I never thought a power that aids growth would appear…but anyway, shouldn’t it still be possible for me to make plants grow even now?

First, I should hint at what the ability is and tell them to call me if they need anything.

As I nodded to myself, Lydia, who seemed bored, was fiddling with the dirt with her toes and then looked up.

“Jonah. If you’re hesitant to go alone, I’ll go with you.”

“It’s okay. I need to go and come back alone this time….”

Saying this, I shrugged, and for some reason, Ellie and Lydia looked uneased.

It seemed not so much that they were worrying about the fight I had just been risking my life in, but something else….

“Gasp! Ellie, Miss Lydia. Don’t worry! I’m just going to talk about work, I’m definitely not going off to cheat!”

“Who-who said anything?!”

“Uh-huh. I’m not worried about such things. …But if it’s about work, shouldn’t I or Senior Ellie be going with you?”

Ellie, as if stung by her own words, screams in denial. Lydia, finding Ellie’s voice too noisy, covers her ears and continues speaking.

Both of their reactions made me chuckle as I responded.

“It’s nothing big, so there’s really no need to go together. And since I’ll be going home early, Ellie, you can relax and get ready to grant my wish.”

“Ah.”

“…Was that for real?”

“I’ve always been serious.”

To the extent that I’ve even decided on a wish already.