The morning after the rounds of greetings, Dill-san arrived at the inn early.
"I heard the message. You’re heading back to your country?"
"Yes, that’s right... but first, please come in."
I guided Dill-san, eager to get to the point immediately, into the lounge.
"So, when are you leaving?"
"On the morning ship the day after tomorrow."
When I left the message, the decision to revisit hadn’t been made yet. So, of course, I hadn’t informed Dill-san—or Chris-san, for that matter.
"We decided after leaving the message. The kids said they want to challenge the Dungeon of Precious Stones again."
"Huh? Lose? To what?"
"… To the top party currently tackling the dungeon."
Dill-san was so shocked that he froze completely.
"… Wait, you mean ‘Thunder Spear’ and ‘Iron Hammer’?"
Dill-san, regaining his composure, quickly figured out who we were talking about.
"Ah, they’re famous enough for their names to come up that quickly, huh?"
"Yeah, they’re well-known in this town. When they’re around, the whole place gets caught up in a frenzy."
If the town gets that excited whenever they return to rest or after conquering a floor, doesn’t it disrupt their break?
Am I the only one who thinks it might feel burdensome rather than supportive?
"We didn’t run into one of those frenzies, but… does it happen every time?"
"I get what you’re saying. I’d never want to be part of one of those scenes myself."
It seemed Dill-san shared my sentiments.
Even though it’s none of my business, I hope the cooperative party members involved enjoy the celebratory fuss. That way, it’s not a nuisance but encouragement to keep conquering the labyrinth.
"“Hey, hey, Dill-san!”"
While Dill-san and I exchanged somewhat dubious looks, the kids called out to him.
"What have you been up to lately?"
"Elena and Allen have been…—"
"Wait! Don’t say it! I don’t want to hear it!"
Dill-san hastily cut off the kids, who were about to report their progress after asking about his.
"Just because! It’s bound to be some outrageous report. So don’t say it!"
"I’ve been stuck collecting branch fragments from the first floor."
"I heard you only got one fragment the first time, but how’s it been since?"
"I can gather a few each time now. So I’ve been making a living, though it’s getting a bit dull." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel⸺fire.net
It seemed Dill-san had been steadily harvesting branch fragments.
"You’re still the one doing it, Dill-san? I thought others would’ve been assigned by now…"
"They were. Both the Dungeon Management office and the Adventurers’ Guild sent people."
"They assigned others? But you’re not relieved of duty?"
"… They couldn’t collect anything."
"Huh? Nothing? Not a single one besides you?"
"Yeah, total failure."
Even though Dill-san wasn’t doing anything particularly special, no one else could collect fragments. How odd.
"Perhaps the others are being too greedy?"
"Dill, where do you target when collecting fragments?"
"The thinner, more tapered branches. Ideally where there’s a narrowing."
Kaiser seemed to have figured out why no one else could collect fragments. However, Dill-san and I were still in the dark.
"Dill isn’t greedy and targets reliable spots for fragments. But the others might be aiming for slightly larger pieces out of greed."
Now I understood Kaiser’s point. Dill-san faithfully targeted tiny fragments, whereas others likely went for thicker branches or less optimal spots out of greed.
"… That seems to be the cause. I’ll report it to the higher-ups."
"Are you sure? You’ve been making a good living, right?"
"I’ve earned enough. Besides, I can’t keep doing that task forever."
Yeah, repeatedly visiting the first floor just to collect fragments would get tiresome.
"“Hey, hey, Dill-san!”"
At the moment the issue was resolved, the kids called out to Dill-san again.
"Mm? I don’t have any plans in particular."
"“Come shopping with us!”"
The kids invited Dill-san along for shopping.
Today was the final outing to pick up the ordered brooch and cloak.
Patrick-san had already confirmed their completion.
If they weren’t ready, we couldn’t have set the departure date.
"Sure, I don’t mind tagging along for the day."
"Come to the dungeon~"
"Yeah, sur… no, wait, I won’t! That’s a no!"
"No, I didn’t! I barely stopped myself!"
Allen and Elena were trying to coax a promise from Dill-san to join them in the dungeon again. He caught himself mid-sentence and hurriedly denied it, but… in my judgment, he had pretty much agreed.
Maybe Allen and Elena find Dill-san amusing because he reacts similarly to Wald-san?
"Allen, Elena, don’t push Dill-san to decide now. Let him think about it until our next visit."
"“Okay~ but he said yes~”"
"I didn’t. And I won’t go. I can’t keep up with you kids at my level!"
"Well, the kids are eager, so take your time considering it. Maybe you’ll feel differently by next year."
For now, I left Dill-san’s response ambiguous. He might change his mind by the time we return next year.
"Alright, let’s head out shopping now~"
"“Oh no, we will be late!”"
"Takumi, Takumi. Mind if I pick up more food and drinks again?"
We decided to leave promptly, planning to visit various stores.
Having Dill-san along meant more time to talk as we walked.
"Allen wants a Glass Shell!"
"Elena too, Elena too! Wanna eat that!"
After picking up the ordered items, we shopped for groceries and indulged in street food.
Dill-san gave me a disapproving look for the lavish spending.
Lastly, we stopped by the temple to say farewell to Syl, then parted ways with Dill-san, promising to meet again.