Afterword, or rather — once we returned to the surface, there was a bit of an uproar.
The teleportation destination was the church in that abandoned village in the forest.
There, we found ourselves alongside the surviving Kuun Hunt delvers.
And there were quite a few delvers who had intruded illegally.
A scuffle broke out with them, and well, Agaro handled most of it.
They fully intended to kill us. So there was no need to hold back.
Those who begged for mercy were knocked unconscious and tied up with rope.
We'd hand them over to the guards later.
A few of Kuun Hunt's hired hands were still alive too.
They were completely terrified and didn't resist at all.
We didn't bother tying them up, at least.
I happened to notice a boy and a girl slipping away, trying to stay hidden.
Unlike the ragged hired hands, they looked well put-together.
They probably had nothing to do with Kuun Hunt.
We handed everyone over to the guards that day.
After that, I reported to the Guild, everyone dispersed, I went home, and collapsed into bed, sleeping like the dead.
I didn't wake up until noon the next day. I ate something and went back to sleep.
And when I woke up the day after that, Mineha was standing with her hands on her hips, right on top of my stomach.
She fixed me with a sharp stare and started peppering me with complaints.
I'd overslept, that was for sure. I got up and ate with her.
Dagaa was back to full health, too.
After we finished eating, I took care of my knives.
One by one, carefully — oil them, wipe them down, polish, sharpen.
Last was the wooden-handled knife I'd gotten in the deepest part of the Grave of Death.
Thick blade. I'd gotten it in the deepest part, but it was a perfectly ordinary knife.
The cheapest blade of the bunch. But I was quite fond of it.
"Now that I think about it, there was a folding version of this kind."
Like, for survival use or something.
So then, what should I do today?
The witch was busy clearing through a backlog of work, so she'd be tied up for a while.
Maybe I'd head to the Junkyard for the first time in ages.
Yeah. That's it. Head to the Junkyard and stop by Arifa's place.
Then eat at the Cider Inn. Maybe hit the butcher's on the way home. That was the plan.
I stood up, got ready, and left our den.
On the way to the Junkyard, I spotted a familiar figure from behind.
"Riv?"
"Mmn... hey, kid..."
She turned around and gave a casual wave.
Shimmering white-peach hair. Red eyes. Pale skin. A beautiful face.
Black jacket draped over a sleek white bodysuit.
At her hip was a single-piece molded blade. Still so fantasy it was unreal.
"It's been a while."
"Mm... you've been... well...?"
"Yeah. More or less."
"Mm... good... you free... now?"
"Well, I don't really have any particular plans."
"Mm... then there's... somewhere I want you... to come."
"Sure."
Where could that be?
Riv started walking.
She was heading northeast of Hydrangea.
That area had a small forest park, some woods, and vacation homes, if I recalled correctly.
"How've you... been lately... boy...?"
"Ah, well, a lot has happened. What about you, Riv?"
"Mm. Riv has also... had various things happen..."
A lot has happened, huh. Wait — northeast Hydrangea district?
That was what Pakira had mentioned, wasn't it.
"By any chance... the place we're heading..."
"Mm... you remembered... boy... thanks..."
"What's the sudden question about?"
"...money... Pakira's... big money... the boys' help... heard about it..."
"A-ah, I'm glad we were able to buy the base."
"Mm... but... is it okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"...such a huge sum... just handed over like that... mm. Riv... surprised..."
"Ah... well, part of it was that the amount was so large it didn't really sink in, and besides I have this, so I don't really regret it or anything."
"...that gauntlet... mm... it's somehow incredible..."
Riv stared fixedly at my [Gauntlet of the Quiet Saint].
Riv's red eyes. They're beautiful.
"Is it really that impressive?"
"Mm... about the same... as Riv's Maximilian AMD suit..."
That space-themed suit. So it was called the Maximilian AMD suit.
AMD... what did that abbreviation stand for? Well, either way, being praised felt nice.
"That's... well, an honor."
"Mm... that a witch made it... Pakira... told me... the witch... remarkable skill..."
Coming from Riv, somehow it felt like it carried a different weight.
As we chatted like that, we arrived in the northeastern district.
This was a villa area where forest stretched out in every direction.
Villas and mansions belonging to nobles, merchants, and famous delvers dotted the area.
Near the forest park, there was a statue of a hero, and another one right in the middle of the road.
In the far northeast, there were mountains, and a famous waterfall.
The name was... something like... "of"... what was it again?
"Mm... we're here."
"This is the place?"
"...Riv's new base..."
It was a three-story mansion.
The most distinctive feature was a square protrusion on the left end, with four prominent windows that looked like they connected the second and third floors.
In my past-life memories, this kind of architecture was called an overhang.
This mansion was overhang architecture.
But four windows arranged in a cross pattern, huh... It was kind of reminiscent of Saturnus.
Even so, the exterior was all white on the first floor, with brick patterns on the second and third floors.
What a peculiar mansion.
"...This is it."
"Mm... let me... show you inside..."
"Um, is that alright?"
"Mm... come on."
The main entrance had double doors.
Wait, seriously?... Both doors had lion-head door knockers installed.
This is the kind of thing you only see in games, manga, anime, or movies.
Lion-head door knockers. So they really do exist.
"Oh."
"Hmm... what's wrong... let's go inside..."
Riv pushed the door open, and we stepped into the mansion.
There were stairs to the second floor and corridors branching off in various directions, but how should I put it...
The entrance hall was surprisingly cozy.
The residence where Viscount Tasan's family was staying had a grand, spacious entrance hall.
But I think I actually prefer this kind of thing.
Riv was walking, so I followed along.
We went up to the second floor, turned a corner, and ran into someone I knew.
"Wof?"
"Pakira. Hey there."
"Why art thou here?"
Pakira was in casual clothes with a book in hand.
She casually brushed her hair back. Riv explained.
"Mm... by chance... ran into him... brought him... here."
"That's the gist of it."
"...Riv. You..."
"Mm... while we're here... where's Lupinus...?"
What? Pakira let out a sigh.
"Her? She's in her room."
"Mm... let's go."
"Y-yes."
Without further ado, we parted ways with Pakira and headed down to the room at the far end of the second floor.
Riv knocked on the door.
"What is it?"
"Mm... a visitor... brought them here."
"I don't recall having any visitors scheduled. Come in."
"Pardon the intrusion."
Still not really understanding what was going on, I stepped inside.
Lupinus rose from an elegant tea table with a startled look on her face.
As expected, she was in casual clothes.
But since it was my first time seeing her like that, it felt oddly fresh.
"Wh-why are you..."
"H-hello."
Lupinus stared at me, still wearing that stunned expression, then glared at Riv.
"Mm... we just happened to... run into each other... so... I brought them here."
"...I see. Child. No. Wof."
"Y-yes."
"This isn't really a proper place, so let's move."
"Y-y-yes."
What's going on? Something's felt off since a while ago.
I follow after Lupinus and the others.
And then I run into Pakira again.
"What is it?"
"Pakira. You're coming too."
"Hm?"
And just like that, Pakira joins the group. Full Torquetam assembly.
Lupinus, huh. I know she's not a bad person, but she's the type I find hard to deal with.
In awkward silence, we enter the first-floor living room.
In front of a large fireplace sat two white sofas and a white table.
Bookshelves and a china cabinet. In the back, I could see the kitchen.
It had this showroom-like cleanliness to it.
"Please, sit down."
"Y-yes."
Urged by Lupinus, I sit down on the white sofa.
Then, across the table, the three of them take their seats with Lupinus in the middle.
"........."
So this is it — face to face with Torquetam, the powerhouse Rank III delver party.
All three of them are stunningly beautiful in a rare sort of way, and when they're all gathered together like this, there's a strangely overwhelming air to it.
No, no, no — how did things end up like this?
Lupinus is staring right at me.
"Well, first of all. Um, Wof."
"Y-yes?"
"Thank you for saving us with that elixir."
Lupinus politely placed her hands together and bowed her head.
Ah, right. So it's finally come to this.