Meikyuu Toshi no Antique Shop

"Hey, kid."

It's Fujiwara.

It was only after noon that a familiar customer came to the store.

Fujiwara, who was sitting at the counter drinking coffee and spreading her books, returns her usual reply without raising her face.

This man who will be a long relationship - this interaction was now a greeting because Tristan won't keep calling me 'boy' about Fujiwara no matter how much he corrected it.

"What happened to the shopkeeper?

"Master's out buying up to the west labyrinth city."

"You're in a traveling position. I'm still in a recession."

"Even I'm a good nuisance for that guy to push me through all my work. I'd love to do an appraisal, but eat shit out of books like this."

Don't be mad at me.

Tristan is an old, unsupported, but active seeker.

Most of the reason he visited the store was to appraise the rare items he had found in the dungeons.

But he seems handy today.

What exactly is it for?

Fujiwara pours coffee there when she brings a cup (missing edge but this is the only one) that is too bad for customers from the backyard.

"Dilute me with goat's milk"

"There is no such superior thing here. I'm not free enough to go to the market, and I'm rude to coffee, so please keep drinking."

"Oh, boy. I hope you care a little about the health of the old man."

"Then you just have to refrain from going to the tavern."

"Yeah, that's it."

Tristan said, squeaking his fingers properly like he remembered something.

"Hey kid, you know what the example is?

"What?

"It's the only one in the Dinobot Pavilion that looks up to the sun."

"I have no idea."

The "Soil Dragon Looking Up at the Sun" pavilion is one of the many taverns in this labyrinth city where explorers often wander.

It was also a destination store for Fujiwara, but only for the purpose of shopping for coffee and take-home snacks, which are primarily a source of nutrition for the mind.

I neglected the information that was out there because I would just have a two-word or three-word conversation with the store owner at the counter.

"Talk to someone other than a customer once in a while... I'll teach you with special services. It's been a long time since I've broken the tenth floor alone."

"Heh, that's a feat. Where is it?

"What a rush that is."

Breaking the tenth floor alone means that, as the word goes, the Seeker has reached the tenth floor of the dungeon alone.

In the first place, the challenge of 'how far can you dive into a dangerous dungeon' was also seen as a kind of competition across the realm of brainstorming among the Seekers.

Of course, the condition of up to ten tiers is not as difficult or topical as it would have been if we had partied with those who stood up quite well.

But it's hard to get there alone.

If you give me a reason, I have no reason. It's impossible to sleep because there are no watchmen to march on for days first, and if you get injured and can't move, they will almost certainly feed the monsters.

Speaking of advantages, I got that honor | being able to keep the loot to myself, but that's all, chipping is too high-risk high-return gambling in life.

"That's a decade-long delicacy. When I saw you in the dungeon, you just smashed an orga torso in the Great Sword."

"Did you track him down?

"Oh, my God, I just happened to see you."

Tristan will always say so, but it is something that is doubtful whether it is true or not. Fujiwara knows that this old man occasionally makes a hell of a joke out of his interest.

By the way, the pursuit of other seekers has been made so much a violation of manners that you can't complain about it even if it's in return as a robbery or chase.

"So. I got two names."

The two names are like street names that can be given to explorers who have become somewhat famous, and it's not the first thing they can do to run away, regardless of whether they're well-known, well-armed veterans. treatment of breakthroughs, but given the track record, it may be natural

"What is it?

"The Footsteps of Death."

"Footsteps?"

"He's wearing a full body armor. Every time you walk, you squeak."

……

"Hihihihihi. That's funny."

"Are you insane, it"

Fujiwara doubted her ears unexpectedly.

Tristan must also know it's not a joke. Mr. "Footsteps of Death" 's behavior only seemed to be the work of a suicide applicant if he was really out of his mind.

Dungeons are nests of cannibal monsters. They are constantly starving, searching for food and even react sensitively to faint chatter and distant shoe sounds. So you should pay close attention to the sound of things on anything. The more careful adventurers you become, the more ingenuity you sometimes have in wrapping cloth around the soles of your shoes.

Wearing a full body armor (as its name suggests, armor that can cover the entire body without gaps) without any countermeasures was an outrageous act. It is no substitute for provoking and walking in front of the beasts, for example, beating up chunks of iron and spreading loud noise.

Exactly that's a fatal little leap that amateurs make.

"So, after him, the monster's body is rolling."

……

He snapped down a monster from one end attacking him with a grudge. Should it be called terrible strength and strength? But it would only be a miracle to be able to survive without dying.

"What is Mr. Footsteps of Death like?

"That's the problem."

Tristan squeaks his fingers properly and pokes his index finger at him.

"Except he's so strong as a monster, he doesn't know who he is."

"Is it a name, a race?

"I don't even know my face because I don't take a full helm. Besides, love sucks, and no matter how much I say hello, I don't give a damn."

"I see."

Fujiwara nodded and finally thought of it.

for the reason that the old Seeker in front of him visited here.

He's not the type of person who likes to talk but wastes his time for no purpose. There's got to be some more reason than to keep talking without the store owner you're looking for.

"So by now, you're in a tavern and you're the target of a bet, right?

"Ouch. The most popular is the furry dwarf. The second is the earner Lizardman. Dark Horse is a half elf good man."

"Is the torso Mr. Tristan?

"Sort of."

This finally clarified his purpose.

I mean, he visited the store this time to solicit bets.

This is how he occasionally starts making crappy bets involving the people in the tavern and the destination shops.

That would be my belly to clear up my worries in the main business this time.

Since one of those "expedition cases," none of the Seekers and he are all in a recession.

It's scary to get caught up in a pandemonium, because everyone can only dive into a relatively shallow hierarchy even when in a dungeon.

So many of them can't make a decent living because they don't get a lot of harvest.

And that was also connected to the recession in labyrinth cities.

Neither the market nor the shops can sell without materials from the Seeker's drop items or the Wondering Monster.

I guess it's only about every little bet that heals the blocked feelings of the Seekers.

"So, how about a sip for you, too?

"... I forbid it"

Fujiwara politely declined his invitation.

Of course, only a small wage is given by the rowing master instead of being made to work like a carriage horse, because losing and not being able to pay for coffee is troublesome.

◆

Tristan spoke for a moment and then said, "Speak up whenever you feel like betting," and left.

Fujiwara clears the books all at once when she finishes her coffee, which was somehow marginal.

Then I decided to start cleaning the store because there were no customers either. As a fujiwara, I didn't mean it, but I didn't like the fact that it was dirty to you, and I had to do it once a day because I have a nasty master who complains about the nectar.

"... ugh"

When I finish sweeping the store, I leave the store with a cup of cake.

It's still bright and sunny outside and it's a great day to walk.

I wanted to go out with a store holiday tag at the store door on a day like this, but in case the master wants to come back, I'll stop because I don't know what kind of cage I'm going to take.

When I try to start cleaning properly, I find something at the edge of my sight. There's a big chunk rolling down the end of the house.

It doesn't even look like a lying shadow.

……

Fujiwara closed her eyes and thought about it in a way that allowed her to suffer a headache.

The shop is located off the city centre with a dungeon entrance and exit (entrance hall) nearby.

So it is often the searchers who have managed to return to the earth but have done their best to do so have gone and fallen.

- But.

I'm sure what I just saw isn't a person. It's up to something luggage someone forgot about. I'm sure it is. Must be. Let's just say that.

No, rather, I haven't seen anything. I just changed my mood and quickly rescheduled to sort out my backyard inventory.

Fujiwara turns around and tries to get back to the store, but stops.

……

Speaking of which, I feel like my master would have told me to actively help if I had a falling Explorer.

Not for the sake of the world, of course. "I'm sure he'll be grateful and regular. You might even get a thank you. Ha ha," though it was from her shallow idea.

Fujiwara thinks as she rubs her eyebrows again.

In case you find out you left it unattended while you were aware, you must be preached to Netineti again. That's very troublesome, and I don't think I want that guy to get mad at me for 'what's important as a person' or anything like that.

"... could really be a person."

Either way, I remember I wasn't in the mood to ignore it.

Fujiwara sighed and decided to stand on the wall with the bamboo in her hand before approaching her.

The armor was lying.

A helmet and a set of armor, covered by thick steel armor almost without gaps from the ceiling of the head to the toe.

It is called full-body armor (full armor).

The possibility that it was just a protective gear that someone somewhere threw away crushed it from a breath that sounded slight.

Unfortunately, there seems to be someone inside.

We often see armed figures in this city, but it was rare that we were completely defensive so far. It's like going to battlefield.

Probably the rumored rush (Rookie) Mr. "Footsteps of Death".

"Ugh..."

I heard a groan that looked painful.

What the hell is causing you to fall here?

I'll see if you're injured, but no part of the armor seems abnormal. Light dents and scratches were there, but no signs of damage were seen anywhere.

Maybe he's hungry.

It's a common story that food goes to the bottom in a dungeon.

I just bent over and put my face close, and something smelled.

Something smelly is leaking from the gap in the helmet (full helm).

I coughed up trying to ascertain the smell.

"... so poisonous"

It looks like the sealed whole body armor is full of poison fog (poison gas). Guess from the circumstances, he wandered through a space filled with poison fog for a while on a trap in the dungeon.

Fujiwara quickly tackles her embrace as she covers her nose and mouth with cuffs.

I couldn't take it off, no matter how much I pulled, but when I found a clasp around the throat of my armor and took it off, I could easily get my helmet off.

But there's something about it that doesn't fall on your heart.

It is about why this person is still wearing armor. If you have enough room to come out on the ground, shouldn't you take off your armor first and get rid of the poison that builds up inside?

……

Unexpectedly breathe.

What emerged from the inside of the helmet was golden short hair/ceramic smooth skin/rich eyelashes and long cut eyelids/rosy red lips.

Surprisingly, 'Footsteps of Death' seems to have been a girl. It's also a beauty owner that won't hurt to watch for a while.

But things don't seem to hold up.

The symptoms are severe even at first glance.

I'm losing my blood from her complexion.

He is also breathing shallow and the sound of wind coming through his throat is leaking.

I guess I'm in a coma when I see my eyelids cramping.

I should have taken you to the infirmary immediately, but I need to give you first aid alone before I do.

I can't hold her to the impotent Fujiwara, so I decided to bring the trolley from the store for now and roll it around and carry it.