ALL NOVEL Chapter 63: Back at Moterno
"W-Who goes there?!" ［Soldier 1］
A loud shout echoed throughout the labyrinth and the sky as the soldier, along with his colleagues raised their guards and pointed their weapons towards the labyrinth's entrance as they heard the subtle sound of footsteps echoing in the air.
After a day of traversing the labyrinth, Yuna and Grey were finally out of the labyrinth. It was late afternoon, but the first thing that greeted them wasn't the gentle sunlight nor the rustling of the leaves, rather, they were sharp iron swords pointed towards them by the soldiers.
The labyrinth was already dark after a day of inactivation. It was only normal for the soldiers to be alerted because as far as they knew, all participants had already gone out. After all, even before the labyrinth became inactive, it was officially closed from entry about two days ago.
"Sorry for startling you. We're just adventurers who happened to get lost while heading out of the labyrinth." ［Grey］
Of course, that was a lie, but Grey would rather say that than tell them the truth. It would be troublesome if they found out that the reason why Grey and Yuna came out late was because we came all the way from the 9th floor.
Hearing Grey's reasoning, the soldiers quickly relaxed and retracted their spears. Well, they were relaxed until one of them figured out the identities of the two young folks before them.
"On the behalf of the soldiers, I apologize for our rude conduct, Your Excellencies! Please forgive our insolence!" ［Soldier 2］
Seeing their colleague bow his head, the remaining soldiers followed suit. The first one to bow down was one of Eliza's escorts who was present when Grey and Yuna saved her.
It has been more than a month since Grey and Yuna heard such lines, but both of them didn't miss them at all. All they could remember was how annoying it was to deal with the formalities.
"Please raise your heads, we don't really mind it. Rather, it's good to see that you are doing your jobs well." ［Grey］
"W-We don't deserve such praise. Like Your Excellency said, we were just doing our jobs so it's really nothing special." ［Soldier］
"Then keep up the good work. We'll be heading out now." ［Grey］
"Bye～." ［Yuna］
After the soldiers did a final bow, Yuna and Grey headed back to Moterno. Anticipation was welling up in their hearts as it has been a while. In particular, they were looking forward to how much Eliza has grown.
But on the way there, Grey couldn't help glancing at Yuna from time to time. He was a little intrigued that Yuna had returned to her usual character before they started dating. He couldn't help but feel a little downhearted.
"Is there something wrong, Grey?" ［Yuna］
"Not really... I'm just a little sad that you aren't holding my hand anymore." ［Grey］
Grey said teasingly as he glanced at Yuna, but the latter took it a little seriously. Yuna suddenly halted her steps, making Grey stop too.
Grey was about to become worried that his joke was a little too much, but out of nowhere, Yuna hugged him tightly, burying her face on Grey's chest. Rather than flustered, Grey felt more confused to say the least.
"Umm... Yunaー" ［Grey］
"Dummy. That's because it's embarrassing to do it in public. Also... you're the only one I want to see that side of me..." ［Yuna］
It was only at that moment that Grey's heart started to pound like mad. He wanted to kiss his adorable girlfriend so badly, but held himself back as they were still in broad daylight. He restricted himself to only patting Yuna's head gently.
With both of them super embarrassed, Grey and Yuna continued traveling to the town. The first acquaintances to greet their return were Hal and Gil who were stationed on the western gate.
They first headed to the Adventurers' Guild to report their return to the Guildmaster. Next, they headed to the marketplace to buy a lot of ingredients and condiments. Finally, they headed to the Landevar mansion to see Eliza
"What arー Oh, Lord Grey, Lady Yuna, welcome back!" ［Marcus］
When the two of them arrived at the gates, the first one to greet Grey and Yuna was Marcus. He was the head of the guards who escorted Elia when they first met her at the alleyways.
"Good to see you too, Mister Marcus. Is Fritz busy right now?" ［Grey］
"Ah, yes. His Lordship is currently dealing with some paperwork. But he ordered us when the two of you arrive, to let you in immediately." ［Marcus］
Grey was about to ask Fritz for permission first, but it was not needed. Fritz had already given an order to the guards to treat Grey and Yuna respectfully and let them inside once they arrived.
"I'm sure Lady Eliza will be delighted." ［Marcus］
"Liz? Did something happen to her?" ［Yuna］
"No, well... Lady Eliza has been pretty worried when she heard that the two of you still haven't exited the labyrinth. So I'm sure she'll be extremely delighted to see you two safe." ［Marcus］
Marcus' words were familiar to Grey and Yuna. They still remembered the time the prison break occurred. Eliza was bawling her eyes out of worry for the two of them. They hoped that wouldn't be the case this time.
Wanting to see the Lanvedar household's young lady once again, Grey and Yuna headed to where she was. Apparently, she was at the training grounds, practicing and honing her skills every time she could.
When they arrived there, Eliza was brandishing her sword against a practice dummy. Unlike a month ago where Eliza had just learned the basics, her movements have become more refined and had less gaps in them.
Eliza swung left and right, up and down, and diagonally, with all blows hitting the target. She then backed away from the dummy, and when she was some distance away, she fired a spell towards it.
⟨⟨Geyser!⟩⟩ ［Eliza］
Water quickly surged from Eliza's palm like a surging current. It fired off towards the practice dummy like a powerful cannon, destroying the already tattered dummy into smithereens.
Eliza was now able to use low-level magic. It was apparent that she wasn't just slacking in the past month. Her efforts showed the moment the practice dummy was completely destroyed.
⟨⟨Appraisal⟩⟩ ［Grey］
-----------------------------------
[Salferine]
[Name] Eliza von Landevar
[Race] Human
[Sex] Female
[Age] 10
[Status] Healthy
[Mana Capacity] 332 [Mana Quality] G
[Combat Power] 40 [Threat Level] G
[Attribute] Water [Magic Proficiency] Low (11%)
[Class] Swordsman [Weapon Proficiency] Low (12%)
[Physical Enhancement] 12%
[Ability] 『Sharp Mind (2☆)』
-----------------------------------
Eliza had reached G-rank. With her current strength, she has already become more powerful than your average adventurer. She is even better than the elites the Royal Academy has to offer.
"Li～z!" ［Yuna］
When Eliza finished her training, Yuna immediately called out to her while waving her hand enthusiastically. Seeing Grey and Yuna, Eliza unconsciously dropped her sword and then ran towards them.
"Uuu... Elder Sister Yuna... Elder Brother Grey..." ［Eliza］
Tears started trickling down Eliza's face as she tightly embraced Yuna. Even when she tried to control herself, it only did the opposite and made her cry even more. She was now bawling in an unrestrained manner.
"I... hic... I... hic..." ［Eliza］
"We know, we know... You were worried, right? It's fine now..." ［Yuna］
Like a gentle mother consoling her child, Yuna gently caressed Eliza's head as she gently embraced her small figure. Eliza didn't utter any more words and just continued to hug Yuna.
On the sidelines, Grey just watched the two of them with warm eyes. It was hard to butt in with the current atmosphere. Well, Grey also enjoyed observing such a motherly side to Yuna.
Eliza's bawling continued for more than ten minutes, and when she finally calmed down, she let go of Yuna and then hugged Grey thereafter. Of course, Grey also consoled her just like Yuna did, but needless to say, he didn't do as well as Yuna did.
"Are you okay now, Liz?" ［Grey］
"Un... But I'm still mad..." ［Eliza］
"Then what can we do so that you can forgive us?" ［Grey］
"... Pizza... I want to eat one..." ［Eliza］
A smile formed on Grey's face as he heard Eliza's response. While it may be coincidental, it made it seem like Eliza and Yuna were peas of the same pod. Even their requests were the same.
Grey was a little concerned about eating pizza for dinner, thinking whether it was a healthy thing to do or not, but he eventually abandoned the thought. What was important was Yuna and Eliza's happiness.
There aren't any rules saying pizza could not be eaten during dinner, and even if there were, Grey was no longer on Earth, making it invalid. One could eat pizza wherever and whenever.
"Then what meat topping do you two want?" ［Grey］
"Umm... I... I can't decide..." ［Eliza］
"For me, I'll have Bulldeer." ［Yuna］
"Ah! Then I'll have the same as Elder Sister Yuna." ［Eliza］
"Alright, Bulldeer it is." ［Grey］
After deciding on what meat to use in the pizza, Eliza grabbed her sword, sheathed it, and the three of them headed back to the mansion. They were chatting happily as they tried to catch up on the things they had missed.
Their first destination the moment they arrived inside the mansion was the kitchen. There, with the help of excited Rhodes, Grey cooked the pizza that both Yuna and Eliza were craving for.
With the chefs bringing the dishes, everyone headed to the dining room after the pizza was finished cooking. There, Grey and Yuna met Fritz and Sebastian again after a month, but sadly, Gustav wasn't there.
"Looks like the two of you are safe. The labyrinth closed about two days ago, where have you two been?" ［Fritz］
"Ah, sorry... We were training so we didn't notice the labyrinth closing." ［Grey］
"Training, huh...? Well, I suppose you would lose track of time if you were focused on your training." ［Fritz］
While they weren't lying, a few details have been left out for the sake of everyone. After all, Grey and Yuna couldn't just outright say that they were on the 9th floor, risking their lives to get stronger.
As Grey answered Fritz's question, Yuna on the other hand was happily eating the pizza she was craving for along with Eliza. They were making very happy faces as if they had won the lottery.
"Welcome back, Your Excellencies." ［Sebastian］
"Ah, thank you. It's good to see you as well, Mister Sebastian." ［Grey］
"Un... I feel the same..." ［Yuna］
Hurriedly, Yuna finished what she was chewing so that she could reply to Sebastian's words. While she didn't really need to, she felt the need to reply politely to such sincere greetings.
"By the way... I don't see Sir Gustav. Did he leave already?" ［Grey］
"They always depart right after the Labyrinth of Death's closing. It's so that they could arrive at the capital early as scheduled. They have traveled a couple hundred kilometers by now." ［Fritz］
"Did they get a lot of treasures?" ［Grey］
"Well... Including the drops and mana crystals they got, they should earn a little more than a billion kiels." ［Fritz］
To the amount Fritz mentioned, Grey was amazed yet not amazed at the same time. Of course, it was a very large amount already, it's just that Grey and Yuna managed to accumulate much more than that.
If it were only the money alone, they already have more than 3 billion kiels. If the treasure items, mana crystals, and monster drops are included, it would make a total of about 70 billion. They were pretty much loaded.
Well, there was no need to divulge such facts. It will only cause trouble and there are no advantages to it. Grey decided to keep his mouth shut on the matter and just acted normal.
"That's a lot of money..." ［Grey］
"It is. Already enough to run the royal capital for a whole year... But enough about this and that. Why are Eliza and Yuna eating pizza? Is pizza something you can eat for dinner?" ［Fritz］
Fritz asked as his eyes swam towards the direction of Yuna and Eliza who were savoring their pizza as if there was tomorrow. Fritz had noticed them long ago, but he could no longer hold back his curiosity.
Frankly, Grey didn't know the answer to his question. Grey never had pizza before for dinner, but he knew that a lot of people one Earth did that, especially those from the western countries. He thought that there was no issue doing so.
"Well, I promised Yuna to make her one the moment we are out of the labyrinth. As for Liz, I made one for her as a token of apology for coming back late." ［Grey］
"I see... She was really worried about you two after all... Oh, speaking of pizza, the tomato sauce you made for it was really amazing! Rhodes has made a lot of dishes using it." ［Fritz］
"Yeah, he told me a lot about them." ［Grey］
Over the course of one month, Rhodes had utilized Grey's teachings and tips as he cooked meals for the household. He had also experimented a lot with the ingredients Grey introduced to him, thus creating a multitude of new dishes.
While Grey was the one who introduced the tomato sauce to him, Rhodes' genius mind was the one responsible for the birth of new dishes in a field he had no prior knowledge of.
The only problem with Rhodes was that the moment he starts talking about cooking, it's impossible to stop him. Grey, who was already tired from continuously running inside the labyrinth for a whole day, had become more exhausted after dealing with the overly excited Rhodes.
"By any chance, would it be alright to sell them on the market? I'm sure a lot of people would enjoy using it." ［Fritz］
"Introducing it to the market, huh... While I'd love it if more people get to use it, I'm not really capable of running a business." ［Grey］
"If that's what's stopping you, you don't have to worry about that. If you want, I could request the Merchants' Guild to handle it for you. Of course, it would be patented under your name and you'll have a cut of the profit. What do you say, Grey?" ［Fritz］
After jumping from topic to topic, Grey and Fritz's conversation was now focused on a business-related one as they enjoyed their dinner. Fritz's eyes were now in business mode as he discussed things with Grey.
With a few minutes of negotiation and formulation of terms, Grey and Fritz were finally able to arrive at a conclusion. The tomato sauce would be introduced into the market with the Landevar family's endorsement and the Merchants' Guild would handle all transactions.
All Grey needed to do was sit back and relax as the money rolls in. Grey felt a little guilty about it, but Fritz was pretty adamant that he takes it. Now, although unplanned, Grey had gotten a source of passive income.
After talking about tomato sauce, Grey and Fritz talked some more about some things. Fritz also offered for them to stay in the mansion for the night, just like before which the two gladly accepted.
Grey initially thought that he'll be sleeping in the same room as Yuna, like how they usually do in the labyrinth, but...
"Sorry, Grey. Liz really wants to sleep together tonight, so I'll be staying over in her room." ［Yuna］
... Yuna had already made prior arrangements with Eliza. While Grey was a little disappointed, he didn't mind it too much.
"Sure. But you don't have to ask for my permission, you know." ［Grey］
"I know that... I just wanted to let you know... Also..." ［Yuna］
Before Grey realized, Yuna did yet another surprise attack. She ran up to him and when she was close enough, she stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheeks, taking Grey by surprise.
"Good night." ［Yuna］
Shyly, Yuna quickly ran away from Grey while hiding her embarrassed face. As for Grey, he was standing in a daze, still recovering from her surprise attack and just as red as Yuna was.
"Seriously, that girl..." ［Grey］
After that, Grey went inside his room and prepared the bed. It has been a while since he slept alone, so in order to get sleepy, he busied himself with organizing the items they acquired from the Labyrinth of Death.
Grey first sorted the the crystals and coins they acquired, and after which, he retrieved the items they gathered, filling the room full, even when he had only retrieved about 5% of them.
"Looks like it's going to be a long night..." ［Grey］
One by one, Grey appraised the items they collected, and one by one he organized them painstakingly. After that, he organized the monster drops and mana crystals from the monsters they defeated.
It took Grey more than 5 hours, but with perseverance and effort, he finally finished organizing all of them. His eyes were spinning from appraising thousands upon thousands of items that he just wanted to head to bed already.
Grey was about to lie down on bed because of tiredness and have his well-deserved rest when he noticed an deep emerald-green gemstone sparkling by the corner of the room.
'Hm? Did I miss it?' ［Grey］
Whilst asking himself that question, Grey walked over to the said corner of the room and picked up the gemstone. When he took a closer look at it, he was immediately captured by its beauty.
It was the "Seed of Vitality" which Grey had promised to give to Yuna once they exited the Labyrinth of Death. It was a very valuable item which could be incorporated into equipment and accessories.
'Hm... Speaking of accessories, what would look good on Yuna?' ［Grey］
Of course, Grey had settled on making an accessory out of it. They already had the best equipment and as Yuna's boyfriend, it would only be natural that he picks a suitable gift for his girlfriend.
Of course, as it would be his first gift to her as her boyfriend, Grey wanted it to be special. After all, just like how special he wanted his gift to be, he also wanted Yuna to realize how special she was to him.
Earings, bracelets, rings, necklaces... Grey thought long and hard about what accessory he should make, and after a process of elimination, he settled on giving her a necklace.
Giving it his all, Grey utilized his "Sanctuary" where he went inside and installed his forge. He poured all his might and decided to use the best of materials. It took him a long time but he was able to finish it.
"It's done! Finally!" ［Grey］
Grey was celebrating happily when he completed his gift, but just as he was doing so, he remembered something he totally forgot to consider. It was already past 5 o'clock and the sun was about to rise.
"Ah..." ［Grey］
CHAPTER 63 END