I tried to answer their questions with a detailed explanation.
But since the witch said she'd only give a condensed version, I left out a lot of details.
The three of them accepted this.
"Huh. So there's a clue to Hiyarn's legacy hidden in a place like that."
"Hiyarn. How surprising. So she actually existed."
"She existed?"
Shiro nodded.
"Back in Shiro's homeland, she's a character from fairy tales. Wof, do you know about 'The Three Eggs'?"
"No... I don't."
"My, my, how nostalgic."
"The witch knows about it too?"
"Huh. I've never heard that story from Atashi's people."
Alance didn't know about it, then.
Shiro looked mildly surprised before she began to speak—or rather, began to sing.
"Hiyarn the alchemist~~ The dreaming alchemist no one knows~♪ Hiyarn has three eggs~♪♪ Mysterious, mysterious, mysterious~ eggs~♪ The sacred egg that heals every living thing and repels evil~♪ The egg of life that lets every living thing live forever~♪ The egg of the soul that brings every living thing back to life~♪ Hiyarn the alchemist~~ The dreaming alchemist no one knows~♪ Hiyarn has three eggs~♪♪ Mysterious, mysterious, mysterious~ eggs. Where are the three eggs now~~♪ When will the three eggs return~~♪"
Her voice was sweet, clear, and quite lovely. We couldn't help but applaud.
Ahem—Shiro cleared her throat, looking embarrassed.
"My, my, you sing well."
"Mm mm. That was a wonderful singing voice."
"It was lovely."
"I'm flattered."
Shiro turned her face away with a huff. Still, that children's song had caught my attention.
The sacred egg that heals every living thing and repels evil—that's the Sacred Egg of the Elixir, isn't it?
I never expected the Sacred Egg of the Elixir to come up in a place like this.
What about the other two? Eternal life and resurrection? Surely not.
And an alchemist. An alchemist, huh?
I was a little surprised by this unexpected connection when I remembered.
The Sacred Tree. The words carved on the front of the wooden box that had contained the Sacred Egg of the Elixir.
"Well, well—whether Hiyarn really existed or not, things have gotten interesting."
The witch was having fun. Alance wore a somewhat complicated expression.
"Huh. That means I need to prepare a Class V tag on short notice now."
"I'm sorry about that."
"That's not something you need to apologize for. Tags can be made quickly, so just wait a moment, will you?"
She winked at me. Ha ha ha.
Alance gave instructions to her staff. I made tea for Shiro and the witch.
"It's delicious."
"Thank you."
"Mm mm. You've gotten better again."
"Thank you."
I'd only ever made tea in crescent-moon-shaped cups before. I hadn't given up on potion-making, but tea-making was enjoyable.
And I had a feeling it might help with potion-making too.
"My, my. What a lovely aroma."
"Please, help yourself."
I made tea for Alance as well.
"Mmm, that's good... Oh, right. You're welcome to take on requests, but there's a condition."
"A condition?"
"You need to form a party. It doesn't have to be an official one. Let's see—at minimum, four people. You already have three others besides yourself."
"Three..."
"Wof boy, Wof boy. Kon can't join this time."
"Really?"
"But but, she really wants to participate—she's just swamped with work. Seriously, it's a mess."
"Th-that's... just how it is. I understand."
The witch was out, then. My eyes met Shiro's.
"I hate to say it, but Shiro can't either. She has duties involving correspondence and message delivery."
"Y-yes. It can't be helped."
I hadn't said anything, but... r-right. Shiro was out too.
For members, I'd try inviting Thunder Fang.
Also, I should report to Mineha and Pakira.
"Oh my. I almost forgot something important."
Alance pulled a document from her desk and showed it to me.
What was it?
"A reward receipt. Please hand it in at counter five."
I'd completely forgotten.
No good, no good. Forgetting your reward was grounds for being disqualified as a delver.
"Y-yes. Understood."
"It includes the reward from the last dungeon anomaly subjugation as well."
"Ah, yes. Thank you very much."
"Well then, it seems Shiro's business here is concluded."
With that, Shiro retrieved her crystal ball and folded up the white tea table and chairs.
The chairs snapped neatly into the underside of the table. Something about it jogged a memory from my past life.
Next, she secured the white tea table with a belt and buckled it. What was all this?
Then, with a heave, she hoisted the white tea table onto her small back. Hm?
"Hm hm?"
"Well then, everyone. Take care."
"W-wait—"
"What is it?"
"Um, couldn't you store it in your pouch?"
"Shiro finds the idea of pulling this tea table out of a pouch physically repulsive."
"I-I see."
The answer came instantly, and her words carried genuine revulsion.
She really hated it that much. I couldn't relate at all, but...
"Then let's meet again when the opportunity arises, Wof."
"Y-yes."
Carrying the white tea table, she departed with graceful elegance.
Click—the door shut.
"Ugh, I really wish she'd stop doing that. She once walked right into a wall and scraped it."
After Shiro had gone, Alance muttered under her breath. Ah—I could see how that could happen.
Without thinking, I said:
"There really are all kinds of people."
"Well, well. That's certainly true."
"Class I delvers are like a showcase of eccentrics, oddballs, and weirdos."
"But not everyone in that class is like that, right?"
Alance let out a soft laugh and gestured toward the witch with her eyes.
I went "ahh..." and understood.
Then, after waiting for several dozen minutes, I received my Class V delver tag.
The tag was made from specially processed metal.
My name and class were engraved on the front. The date of manufacture was etched on the back.
"Now then, let me explain various things."
"Um, umm, could I ask one thing?"
"Oh my. What is it?"
"Well... I am a delver now, right?"
"You are. You became one through a special exception. What about it?"
I said it clearly.
"From that point on, I haven't heard a single thing."
"What did you say?"
Alance glared at the witch.
The witch averted her gaze. Alance sighed.
"To begin with, I was told there's an exam for becoming a delver through a special exception."
"That's right."
"But I haven't taken any exam."
"My, my. You really haven't been told anything, have you?"
"Not a single thing."
Alance glared at the witch again.
The witch averted her gaze once more. She let out a deep sigh.
"Haah. First, let me explain what a special exception is. The conditions are quite strict. You don't need to meet every single one of them, but there are various requirements. Money, for one. Becoming a delver through a special exception costs more than double the usual fee. All the other conditions are difficult too. Doesn't that seem strange to you? For adults, becoming a delver is easy. But for a child, the bar is set absurdly high."
"That's true..."
I didn't know the specifics, but becoming a registered delver was easy enough once you were an adult.
The fact that it was this strict simply because someone wasn't an adult was, frankly, bizarre.
"It's not bizarre at all. It's to secure top talent. That's why delvers who enter through a special exception start at Class III."
"Right from the start?"
"That's right. Which is exactly why the conditions and exams are so demanding."
I see. So that's why Mineha was Class III. Wait, but—
"I started at Class VI, though."
"Ah, yes. That was because Kon requested it."
"The witch?"
"First of all, first of all—keeping quiet about everything was wrong of me. I wanted to surprise you, that's all."
I knew it.
How very witch-like of her.
"That's all fine. But why did I start at Class VI?"
"Mm mm. Because I thought Wof boy wouldn't accept being placed at Class III. Besides, as Kon, she hasn't formally taken you on as a disciple as a delver, so skipping grades seemed like too much."
"I see."
Even if someone told me I was a Class III delver out of the blue, I'd just be confused—not happy about it.
I knew nothing about delvers and had no experience; being given a high rank wouldn't sit right with me.
And there was also the matter of standing out. Without even realizing it, I was already known as the witch's disciple.
I didn't need any more reasons to draw attention.
"But I haven't taken any exam."
"Oh, but you have."
"Huh?"
"That investigation of the forest—the recent one."
"That was it?"
"And there was also the matter of waiving all of the witch's contributions this time in exchange."
"Huh? Witch, is that true?"
Waiving contributions meant no reward. No matter how you looked at it, that was absurd.
The witch smiled.
"It's nothing, it's nothing. If it becomes nourishment for my disciple's growth, that's fine by me."
"...Alance. Is the witch's reward really zero?"
"My, my. Truly zero wouldn't be possible, of course. The payment went toward covering the cost of the special exception. The remainder was donated to the Relic Royal Capital Research Institute, just as she said."
So that essentially meant zero reward. And on top of that—
"The special exception fee was for me?"
"Mm mm. Think of it as forgiveness for keeping quiet."
"Of course I forgive you. Thank you. But—"
"Mm mm. The Hiyarn expedition. Do your best."
"Y-yes..."
I'd racked up yet another debt. What a pain. I hadn't repaid a single favor yet.
After that, I received a brief explanation about the delver system.
Because I'd jumped straight from Class VI to Class V, I didn't have to take the basic requests required at Class VI.
Basic requests were mandatory tasks you had to accept upon becoming a Class VI delver.
You could choose one from three categories: "Gathering," "Subjugation," or "Exploration."
I also quickly learned why Alhazard-Abramilin had made me Class V.
Hydrangea was bound by ancient laws that prevented Class VI delvers from exploring below the tenth floor of the city's dungeon.
So she'd made me Class V. What a strange restriction.
After that, I parted ways with the witch, who had finished her work, collected my reward at the reception desk, and was stunned.
Wait, what's this amount...? 1.6 million?!
No, that's a bit much—uh, what should I—
"Um, if you're a delver, you can deposit it with the Guild."
"Really?"
"Yes. A bank account is created the moment your tag is made and registered."
"Then please do that."
"Would you like to deposit the full amount?"
"Yes. Ah, no... I'll keep 150,000 oro on hand."
"Understood. Depositing 1,450,000 oro."
I put just 150,000 in my pouch.
Phew. Starting today, I was a Class V delver.