Chapter 78: Consequences

“I would like you to clear the dungeon in our mine,” Joseph asked me, voicing the request I already knew was coming.

This town had been left to its own fate. Neither the army nor the guilds wanted to deal with the situation, and little by little the citizens were abandoning the place. In such a desperate circumstance, it wasn’t surprising that they would ask the first adventurers who showed up for help.

In a situation like this, it wouldn’t be hard to feel compelled to help citizens in need. But the fact that no one had come to assist them was a clear sign that the risk simply wasn’t worth the effort.

Sarah, being an adventurer, had probably already grasped the seriousness of the situation. That was why she remained silent, her blue eyes fixed on the table. But the other two women in our party still hadn’t fully understood what this meant.

“Could you explain the situation with the dungeon in more detail? For example, what’s its Rank?” Diane asked Joseph. Even though she had helped them earlier, she still didn’t know how serious the situation truly was.

The mayor’s face lost the faint happiness it had carried moments before we brought up the subject. It darkened at the simple question.

“It’s at least a B-Rank dungeon.”

“B-Rank?!” Diane shot up from her chair in shock. A fair reaction. If a monster like the Wolf Lord was considered one of the strongest among C-Rank threats, then a B-Rank dungeon would be populated by C- and B-Rank creatures—and, if the adventurers were unlucky, possibly even an A-Rank monster.

And as if that weren’t enough, it was a dungeon filled with ghosts. Swordsmen, Knights, and other physical-damage classes were practically useless against them, since ghosts were immune to physical attacks.

It would be necessary to hire Mages and Priests. Those were the most common offensive and defensive magic classes, and both were quite effective against such enemies. But that created yet another problem: mana consumption. Of course, a good night’s sleep could restore an Awakened’s mana—but what if it ran out in the middle of the exploration? Or worse, in the middle of a fight?

Money, money, money. Every new obstacle that dungeon presented meant another expense added to the total.

’I think it’s naive to label that dungeon as merely B-Rank. It could easily be classified as A-Rank.’ I thought inwardly.

I could feel the tension spreading through the room as well. Seeing where our conversation was heading, many of the miners had already averted their eyes, their expressions filled with resignation. Most people would refuse to help in a situation like this—and it wouldn’t be their fault. It was simply asking too much.

Joseph looked down at the floor. He seemed fully aware of how absurd his request was, especially directed at mere travelers like us. Still, he raised his head and said to me, “I know it’s too much to ask, but we don’t have many options.”

In a case like that, the ideal course of action would be to hire a guild party composed of B-Rank adventurers, with at least two A-Rank members. It was a complicated—and extremely expensive—situation.

Imagine a pyramid: at the base would be the majority of the Awakened, those of F-Rank. As you moved upward, the numbers would shrink. A-Rank Awakened were already a minority, and S-Rank Awakened were the minority of that minority.

Because those high-ranking adventurers were so rare, they could set their own prices—prices that were steep, to say the least. And without meaning any offense, it didn’t look like the citizens of this town had the means to afford such a service.

’In other words, this dungeon mine mission was insane! How could we clear such a troublesome dungeon?! Is Freya trying to kill me?’ I asked myself, hoping that Brandish would answer, but the girl stayed quiet.

I sighed, trying not to show my nervousness. Entering a dungeon as a mission was still a job, and I was free to refuse if it didn’t seem worth it. We had our own priorities.

Obviously, I didn’t like the state the town was in, but exploring a dungeon required time and resources—and last but not least, I would be putting both my safety and my party members’ lives at risk. Even so, I felt like I was forgetting something. There was something about this whole situation that bothered me, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was.

My answer was already on the tip of my tongue, but Joseph insisted, lowering his head toward me. “There’s no one else we can ask. Please. With each passing day, more and more people leave the town… and as if that weren’t enough, the ghosts are starting to come out.”

“The ghosts are coming out of the dungeon?” Alicia asked, her voice tinged with fear.

“That’s right. The incident earlier today was part of that,” Joseph explained. “My son was near the mining area when one of the ghosts went after them.” His eyes shifted to the women beside me. “If it weren’t for Sarah and Diane, my son might have died.”

His wife, Ingrid, spoke to us next. “Words can’t describe how grateful I am that you saved my son. I’m deeply thankful to you. Offering you a warm bed and food at our inn is the very least we can do.”

Sarah leaned closer to my ear and whispered, “Diane didn’t want to stay the night, but after everyone insisted, she agreed.”

“I’m asking you again, Rick. Please help this town. I’m begging you—as its mayor,” Joseph insisted.

“Hmph. You haven’t even been mayor for that long, Dad,” Carl muttered rudely.

“Carl, don’t speak to your father like that,” Ingrid scolded him almost immediately.

“What happened to the previous mayor?” Alicia asked, looking at Joseph.

Joseph’s face showed anger for the first time that night. A few murmurs spread through the tavern until one of the miners spoke up.

“That bastard, the moment he realized this town wouldn’t make him any more money, he loaded up a wagon and disappeared—taking whatever he could from the town’s funds.”

“Poor people…” Alicia said softly, sympathy written all over her face.

I felt bad for them too, but I couldn’t let my emotions decide for me. The mayor and his wife were good people—generous to us, that much was undeniable. But the mission they were asking of us was madness.

Yes, I had leveled up. But I had prioritized my Strength stat. The only weapon I currently had against ghosts was Thunderblade—Sarah’s only magic-damage skill—and Alicia’s abilities, which consumed a considerable amount of mana.

I could turn Justine into a Valkyrie to help with the mission… but even then, this level of difficulty simply wasn’t worth it. Not even if I factored Freya’s reward into the equation.

I was about to say, “Thank you for everything you’ve done for us, but unfortunately, I won’t be able to help.” A simple, polite, and direct answer. Certainly better than saying, “If I were you, I’d leave this town as soon as possible.” I wasn’t heartless enough to say that.

But even the most reasonable response refused to leave my mouth. ’Why? Why do I feel responsible for those people? What is wrong with me?’

“There isn’t a single Awakened in our town. And even though we contacted the guilds with all the money we managed to gather, no one agreed to come. You’re among the few adventurers who’ve passed through here. You and…” The mayor trailed off mid-sentence.

“There was another Awakened who came through recently?” Diane asked. She was probably wondering if it had been someone from Silver Fang searching for Alicia—but the answer she received was nothing like what she expected.

“Yes. A young man traveling alone in a wagon passed by a few days ago. When he heard about the problem in our mine, he introduced himself as an adventurer. But once he learned about the conditions, he refused,” the mayor said, his tone heavy with disappointment.

“He told my father, ’If I were you, I’d leave this town as soon as possible.’ Can you believe that?” Carl added.

“Carl!” His mother scolded him once again.

Sarah’s eyes went wide at the innkeeper’s words. A young man traveling alone in a wagon, without a party—it matched someone we knew far too well. A part of me didn’t want to hear the answer, but Sarah pressed on.

“Did that young man happen to say his name?”

Joseph paused, searching his memory, then nodded. “If I’m not mistaken… his name was Leo.”

I froze when I heard the name of my old friend. Not just because he had passed through here a few days ago—but because he had done this before in SCRL.

’How could I have forgotten?’

In the original story of SCRL, at the very beginning of his journey with Sarah, Alicia, and Rick, Leo passed through Ironburgh Town. Thanks to his naturally divine powers and his blessing, his physical attacks could damage ghosts. In the end, he cleared the dungeon.

Of course I wanted to forget that. My mind had been protecting me from the truth. Leo never received his blessing in this timeline. He didn’t have his party. The town wasn’t saved.

And the one responsible for that was me.

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