Seventh volume 3, p.13
Seventh: Volume 3, page 13
“You know, it’s a bit odd to hear that you’re willing to part with money,” the seventh head commented.
The fourth head didn’t tolerate this statement for even a second—he immediately jumped in with a rebuttal. “Such a statement makes it quite evident that you’ve got a warped view of my character,” he replied haughtily. “Let me clear one thing up for you—when I see a good opportunity, I will not spare any expense. You must take a gamble at some point if you want to make it big, after all. Possessing the confidence to be bold with your funds is as important as knowing when to save them. Though to be clear, Lyle, what you’ll be making in this dungeon is a pittance compared to what we made as lords.”
The fifth head glanced at me, then leaned over and whispered, “No matter what that guy says, Lyle, his favorite hobby was still counting the gold coins in our treasury one by one. The blasted miser wouldn’t have parted with a single one of them if my mama hadn’t been around.”
I wonder what sort of woman the fifth head’s “mama” was? I thought. I mean, there’s no way the fifth head would call his mother that unless he was forced to, and for her to have such power over the fourth head... For a moment, I dwelled upon the idea that the fourth head’s wife might be the kind young girl from Eva’s story, but the timeline didn’t make any sense. If anything, she’d have been married to one of his forefathers.
“Enough!” the fourth head yelled, pointing a finger at all of us. “Quit your yapping!” Silence fell, and he took a deep breath before continuing. “Now then. We should begin deciding how we’d like to prepare, keeping our available funds in mind. Food should be our first priority.”
“Sweets would be nice,” the third head commented, a slight smile on his lips. “It would be popular with the women and the children.”
“Ale!” the sixth head cried with gusto. “By the barrel full.”
“We should save at least some of the funds to hire elves,” the fifth head stated calmly.
The seventh head folded his arms and leaned back in his seat. “Let’s get the courtesans in on it too.” He grinned. “Ale, women, and food—that’s the gold standard, all right. Hmm...we should invite the ones running the food stalls to join us too—they’ll feel out of the loop if you start making money before you get them involved. You don’t want that to backfire on you and make them hate your guts.” With this said, the seventh head’s eyes darted back to me. “Looks like you’ll want to split your meeting with Hawkins into two parts, Lyle.”
I stared back at him, feeling very, very lost.
They’re saying so many things, and I don’t understand a single word of it! I thought in despair.
This thought spiral was stopped, however, by the second head’s hand plopping onto my shoulder. “Come with me, Lyle,” he said. “I’m going to go ahead and teach you the second stage of my Art. Oh, and you’ll be taking a considerable break from going into the dungeon—you won’t be going back in until two days from now.”
I stared at him, dumbfounded. “Is that...really all right?”
The dungeon’s supposed to be my first priority! I thought. How can I take three whole days off? What if this whole thing turns out to be a mistake...?
“Feeling anxious?” the second head said, giving me an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry. Everything will turn out just fine.”
Huh, I thought as he walked away, heading toward his room of memories. The second head seems awfully cheerful lately.
The third head glanced over, noticing how I was just standing there when his father had already walked through the doorway to his room. “Well?” he demanded. “What are you waiting for, Lyle? Get in there! Can’t you see the second head is concerned about you? He’s been forcing himself to be cheerful ever since the founder disappeared, trying to egg you on.”
That’s right, I realized. When we first met, the second head didn’t speak much.
He’d been a laconic huntsman in life, after all—it was no wonder I’d thought it strange he’d been so talkative.
With this in mind, I hurried off toward the second head’s room.
***
The village that existed inside the second head’s room of memories was quite similar to the founder’s, with several exceptions. The main difference was that the second head’s village was no longer built alongside a nonsensical jumble of fields—everything was far more orderly than back in the founder’s time.
I walked around, taking in the sights as I looked for the second head. Before long, I found myself in the town square, where several archery targets had been placed. They looked like they all saw regular use. The second head was standing among them—he waved a hand, beckoning me closer.
Once I got close enough, he began, “Now then, about my Art. Generally speaking, its effect is to allow me to use any of the Arts I possess on other people. To be honest with you, I’d say the side effect is more useful than its intended purpose, but the main effect isn’t too shabby either.”
I nodded.
The second head’s Art, All, was relatively plain at heart, but it did have an incredible side effect—while it was active, you could accurately gauge the distance between yourself and any applicable target within range. When I’d used it before, it had felt like a sphere had spread out around me, and I’d had perfect spatial awareness of everything within that sphere. Even when I’d closed my eyes, I’d been able to perceive everything that existed within my general vicinity. It was like having eyes in the back of my head, but way more intense.
“An Art’s effects are supposed to become more powerful once they reach the second stage, aren’t they?” I asked.
The second head sent me a conflicted look. “Well, most of the time,” he admitted. “You might find mine a bit lacking compared to your Art, though.”
Right...my Art...
The name of my Art had come to me after I’d gone through my first period of Growth. It was called Experience, and apparently allowed me to gain experience at a higher rate while it was active. What exactly that meant, I wasn’t entirely sure. It was possible it would allow me to pick up skills faster, but I had no clue how effective it was or how easily applicable it would be.
In any case, it appears to be perpetually active, and it seems to have an effect on my surroundings as well as me...
I sighed. At least I knew the name and effect now, but I still had no substantive indication that my Art was doing something or not. My ancestors had just told me it was an “Art formed by the intense desire to improve oneself.”
“I know you called my Art extraordinary, but I still don’t know how effective it is,” I reminded the second head. “And regardless, I’m still curious about the second stage of your Art.”
The second scratched his cheek with a finger. He looked a bit embarrassed, or perhaps bashful. “Well, in my case, my Art doesn’t change much between its first and second stages. Basically, once you progress to the second stage, the area you can perceive grows larger, and you can apply your Arts to groups rather than individuals. Oh, and you also kinda get a vague sense of the condition of enemies and allies within your space.”
“Kinda? That’s a bit ambiguous.”
“Well, it’s better experienced than explained. You can use it in much the same way as you use my first stage, so all you have to do is imagine your field of view widening, and...” The second head stopped and shook his head. “Sorry, that’s too complicated. Just use the first stage of my Art and try to expand it to grasp a larger area. My second stage is called Field.”
I closed my eyes, activating All as he’d instructed. From there, I tried to expand my senses further, to push beyond the bounds of the sphere All granted me. And as I pushed, I murmured his Art’s name.
“Field.”
Immediately, I could feel the sphere expanding. It spread and spread, enveloping the town square the two of us were standing in. The area around us was so completely silent that I could hear the beating of my own heart.
When I saw the second head through the lens of the second stage of his Art, I froze. It was like looking at a lump of pure mana—it was abundantly clear that he was not human.
“That’s the spirit, Lyle,” the second head said. Though my eyes were still closed, I could sense that he was smiling. “You picked it up quite easily. Hopefully you’re able to understand what I meant a bit better now.” His smile grew a bit wider. “My old man already said it, but Lyle...you’re amazing.”
When I opened my eyes, he was smiling, just as I had perceived him. I felt strangely embarrassed. “You...really think so?” I asked him, flushing. “I can’t tell myself.”
He gave me a look that was troubled, yet happy all the same. “You could stand to have some more confidence in yourself, Lyle,” he urged me. “Now, let’s continue. You should know that I’m teaching you my second stage for a reason—the same reason that you’ll be taking two days off from the dungeon.”
I strained my ears; I wasn’t about to let a single word slip by. What reason could there be for taking two whole days off?
“Our reasoning is simple,” he continued. “You’ll use the first day to learn how to apply the fourth head’s Art, Speed, to all eight members of your party. Once you’re able to do that, your party will be able to blitz the entire dungeon and make it to the center before anyone can stop you. That’s where you guys’ll make it big.”
I cocked my head in thought.
As the subjugation team was now, there were no parties skilled enough to clear the dungeon in one go. The dungeon spanned a considerable distance, despite its small scale, and on top of that, the innermost chamber had yet to be found. Thus, the parties tackling the dungeon focused on making progress in small increments, never spending a night within the dungeon’s walls.
With these thoughts in mind, I focused back on the second head. “Umm, okay. So that’s one day—what about the other one?”
He scoffed. “Well, that’s obvious. The second day will be spent enacting a plan to sway all the leaders of the logistics team to your side. Our instructions may sound complicated at first, but really all you have to do is procure food and gather some additional help.”
I sighed.
“What? You have something against that?”
“No, that’s not it,” I assured him. “It’s just, the Guild brought us all together so we could work as a team to clear the dungeon. It feels...well, it feels wrong that we’re trying to drag each other down.”
Clearing the dungeon should have been impossible for a party to do alone, so the Guild had put in the effort to gather a large force to work together and accomplish the task. And yet, everyone was only in it for themselves.
If I went through with my ancestors’ plan, I’d be acting just like those other adventurers. It was something I struggled to accept on an emotional level.
I gave the second head a troubled look. “I know it’s not realistic to ask everyone to get along, but if they could all just follow the rules...”
The second head stared at me for a long moment, then turned to gaze out over the tranquil village. Sadness came over his face. “Lyle...” he said softly, “it doesn’t matter when, where, with whom, or under what circumstances—humans will always find a reason to fight amongst each other. That’s just a fundamental aspect of our species.”
“That’s...a bit sad,” I told him honestly.
The second head let out a light chuckle. “Yeah, it is. But that’s also what makes it so precious when we humans are able to accomplish something as a group. You should hold on to that.” Abruptly, a deep flush came over his face. “Forget that I said that. It doesn’t suit me.”
He turned around, quickly ushering me back out of his room of memories.
***
It was evening when I woke up. Aria’s team had already returned by then, while Rondo’s party was busy making a fire before night fell.
“It’s precious when we can accomplish something as a group, huh?” I muttered thoughtfully.
The sound of someone stirring came from next to me.
“Hmm...? What?” a voice mumbled sleepily.
I turned, blinking at the sight of a drowsy Eva clutching a pillow to her chest. I could only come to the conclusion that she’d laid down at my side and joined me in my afternoon nap.
I don’t really know what to say... I thought awkwardly. I froze up and just stared at her as she wiped a sleeve over her mouth. Was she...drooling...?
I shook myself, casting off my confusion. “It was nothing, Eva; I was just talking to myself. I’m guessing you’re planning on staying with us again tonight? Are you going to be joining us for dinner as well?”
She smiled at me, her hair still slightly disheveled. It wasn’t the seductive smile she’d sent me on the day we’d met, but something softer and more innocent, like the expression of a child. “I’d love to join you again. But, well...not for free. I’ll sing for you again, and I have loads of stories—”
“I’ll count on it,” I told her. Her insistence on paying me back made me feel comfortable in making a request of my own. “Actually, I have a bit of a larger job I’d like you to do as well. If you agree, I’ll pay you for your time.”
The moment she heard the word “pay,” Eva’s eyes widened, her smile spreading into a grin. She clapped her hands together in front of her face. “Well, let’s hear it!” she cried excitedly.
She really wears her heart on her sleeve, I thought, amused. Her expressions change like the weather.
I sent Eva a wry smile, then called Novem out from her place inside our tent.
***
By the time I’d explained the plan, night had fallen. The camp was deadly silent now that I’d made my case.
I glanced at the rest of my crew, who were sitting around the bonfire we’d set near our tent. Rachel was shuffling around in a panic, trying to clean up the tea she’d spilled in her shock, while Ralph still sat frozen with his mouth hanging open. Zelphy had covered half her face with a hand, while Eva looked at me with intent, enthralled eyes.
The only ones who seemed close to their typical selves were Aria and Sophia, who had merely exchanged looks, and Novem, who just nodded at me in agreement, as if what I’d said was entirely normal.
Rondo straightened in his seat, clearly intending to speak for everyone. “So, uh, to summarize...” he began, “our party won’t be entering the dungeon for a while. We’ll be launching a plan to curry favor with the logistics team instead.”
“Yes,” I said, nodding.
The group just continued to stare at me. Maybe I should use the ancestors’ words as justification, I thought desperately.
I cleared my throat. “If we just sit back and keep going at this rate, we won’t be able to make money no matter what we do. That being the case, I think it’s time we change the terms of this competition. I won’t let our party leave this subjugation with nothing to show for our hard work.”
“I-I’ll admit it’d be amazing if you could do that,” Ralph stammered, climbing from his seat. “Really, it would be. But...where would our party get the coin? From you...? Maybe I’m too dumb to fully understand what’s going on, but it seems like you guys would be the only ones losing out here. I mean, far as I can tell, there’s no guarantee that we’ll be able to rake in a large sum by the end of all this...”
Ralph wasn’t wrong to be concerned for our party—we could probably achieve the same results with a smaller team, depending on how we went about it. It was too late for such thoughts now though—my mind was made up. Plus, my ancestors in the Jewel had already put their minds together to formulate our plan, and they were not going to back down.
“That guy with the mohawk is a good kid,” the third head said. “He might look like a delinquent, but he’s got a good heart.”
Yeah, I agreed internally. Ralph might look scary sometimes, but he’s got a gentle side too.
I glanced over at Novem, giving her a quiet signal. She produced a few leather sacks and placed them on the nearby table. Each one bulged with gold coins.
“Those sacks contain the reward we received from completing Lord Bentler’s request,” I told the group. “They should provide us with enough funds to get the logistics team on our side.”
They all gave me dubious looks.
I leaned forward. “Don’t worry. If my hunch is right, we can make every cent back in this dungeon, plus more.” I said every word with confidence, hoping I could trick even myself into thinking this could work. “We can’t let this chance slip by. I’d rather us try and fail than just give up and have all our time be wasted! So, how about it? Will you join me on this operation?”
Suddenly, Rondo burst out laughing. Everyone jumped in their seats, turning to give him startled looks.
“Uh, Rondo?” Ralph asked, voice wary. “Did you lose your mind or something?”
“No, no, I’m sane,” he said, grinning. “Though Lyle drove me a little crazy despite that, just now.” He turned his laughing gaze to me. “You’re an interesting kid, you know that?” When I didn’t respond, he just relaxed back into his seat with a smile. “You can count me in. If we return empty-handed, then what was the point of joining the expedition at all? Plus, I seriously want to teach those folks who’re breaking dungeon rules a lesson. Them and everyone else who thinks they can get in our way.”
I blinked at Rondo. He might be wearing his normal affable expression, but he seemed to be in quite a daring mood. Ralph still seemed dubious about the whole thing, but he started nodding the moment revenge was brought into the conversation. As for Rachel, I couldn’t quite tell what she was thinking, but I could see Rondo’s new attitude had brought a flush to her cheeks.
I couldn’t help it—I laughed too. “I like the sound of that,” I told Rondo. “If we’re all in agreement, let’s get started.”
“Hold on, Lyle,” Zelphy barked, unable to hold herself back anymore. “That’s a helluva lot of money you’re putting down, and I don’t see that you have any prospects of getting it back—”
