Survival Strategies of a Struggling Aristocrat

On that particular day, the lord of Barras territory, which was located on the eastern side of the Yusla River, paid a visit to Beneshof town in the company of three of his subordinates. This unexpected guest piqued Dennis’s curiosity.

Lord Victor of the Barras territory was a man with a round face and a big nose. He was in his forties and had a solid physique.

Egmont respectfully greeted them and guided them to the reception room, and even though they were fellow baronets, Egmont displayed deference by bowing his head. 

“Why is it that I have to remind you about the interest payment each time?”

Lord Victor of the Barras territory exclaimed in an irritated voice.

The Beneshof territory had borrowed money from neighboring lords, and this debt was creating immense pressure on the territory’s management, causing hardship for Egmont. 

Egmont remained expressionless as he lowered his head.

“I apologize. I have been delayed with the paperwork.”

Victor snorted disapprovingly, his expression sour.

“So, have you gathered enough funds to repay the interest?” Victor inquired.

“Well, you see, we’ve only managed to gather fifteen gold coins. Could you please give us a little more time?” 

Egmont lowered his head once again.

Looking him down, Victor responded, 

“Just fifteen gold coins? That’s troublesome indeed. Contracts must be upheld… In that case, I’ll take your study’s collection of books as a substitute.”

Egmont let out a growl, knowing well that there was nothing else of value to offer.

“It cannot be helped,” 

Victor instructed his subordinates to transport the books. The subordinates searched through the mansion, eventually locating the study. Inside, Dennis was engrossed in reading a book.

After exploring the labyrinth for three consecutive days, Dennis decided to take a day off.

“Who might you be?” 

“You are Sir Dennis, right? We are under the command of Baronet Victor. Our orders are to seize items of value,” The subordinates replied.

Hearing the term “seize,” Dennis frowned.

“Are you planning to seize the books here?” 

“It seems that books are the only noteworthy items,”

Dennis had thoroughly read through the books in the study, and there were some valuable ones he held dear.

“So, how much do you need?” 

“We require twenty gold coins for the interest, and Sir Egmont seems to be short of five gold coins,”

Those words were laced with barbs. It was an insult, implying that the lord himself couldn’t produce a mere twenty gold coins, and questioning whether five gold coins could be produced by someone like Dennis, who was a young man.

Dennis felt his face flush with embarrassment. Alongside the shame, he gained a new realization of just how dire the situation of the Briones family was.

Considering the conversion of a single gold coin’s value to Japanese yen, it would amount to somewhere between two to three hundred thousand yen. However, with the low prices of food and land, it seemed to resemble the economic conditions of a developing country.

Taking that into account, five gold coins were a significant sum. Calculating the value of a single gold coin as three hundred thousand yen, it would total one million five hundred thousand yen. It was an amount that a young man under the age of twenty couldn’t readily come up with.

However, there were exceptions. Those known as labyrinth explorers. They had the potential to amass great wealth by risking their lives. And Dennis, despite being a novice, was one such labyrinth explorer.

“Which books from the collection are you taking?” 

“All of them,” 

In this world, books were considered valuable treasures. The entire collection in this study alone should be worth well over a hundred gold coins.

“It seems that Sir Victor likes to engage in despicable business,” Dennis remarked.

Following his words, the three subordinates’ expressions changed immediately.

“Are you insulting our master?” 

Dennis calmed them down, and together they made their way to the reception room.

“What’s the matter, all of you? Have you already relocated the books?” Victor inquired.

“No, we encountered Sir Dennis in the study, and it appears that he wanted to have a word with you, Sir Victor.”

Victor turned his gaze toward Dennis.

“Oh, really? What is it about?”

“I will provide you the lacking amount,” Dennis responded.

Right then, Egmont looked at Dennis.

“Hold on, the lacking amount is five gold coins,” 

It appeared that both baronets harbored doubts about Dennis possessing the necessary funds. Nonetheless, Dennis reached for a pouch dangling around his neck and retrieved five gold coins from within.

Dennis lined up the gold coins on the table.

“This should be sufficient,” 

Victor briefly wore a frustrated expression before collecting the coins and placing them into his own pouch. The remaining fifteen coins had been received from Egmont.

“We’ll come back in six months,” 

Victor declared, leaving behind a parting remark. With that, he and his subordinates departed.

Egmont summoned Dennis to his study.

“What is it?” 

“Where did that money come from?” Egmont inquired.

“As my father is well aware, it was earned by delving into the labyrinth,” Dennis replied.

Egmont weakly shook his head, harboring anger at himself for not realizing that the labyrinth could serve as a great source of funds.

“How far along is the exploration?” Egmont asked.

“I’ve descended to the third floor,” Dennis answered.

“The level where graphite can be mined. Not a place of great value,” Egmont remarked.

There were differing opinions regarding that viewpoint because they knew that graphite was a valuable material.

“Do you think you can descend to the fourth floor?” Egmont asked.

“I’m having a tough time with the Red-Eyed Wolves on the third floor, but I’ve heard there are Iron deposits on the fourth floor, so I’m determined to keep going,” Dennis replied.

The blacksmiths in Beneshof purchased iron from other towns and used their workshop’s furnace to heat it and create products. They couldn’t sell their iron goods for more than those made in other towns, so the blacksmiths didn’t make much profit.

From the next day onwards, Dennis resumed his labyrinth exploration. Even with the use of the Quaking Blade, the Red-Eyed Wolves proved to be formidable foes. However, despite facing numerous dangers, he continued to explore the labyrinth and brought back the mineral known as graphite.

However, the graphite didn’t sell well, so it was stored in the territory’s barn.

On the seventh day of exploring the third floor, after defeating the fifty-seventh Red-Eyed Wolf, Dennis obtained a new True Name. It was “Sense of Smell.”

This True Name granted him a sense of smell on par with that of a dog. However, its use consumed True Power. Normally, True Power was converted and supplied from the “magic energy” within the body.

However, in Dennis’s case, the conversion from “magic essence” to True Power took place. This had a significant drawback. In areas where the magic essence concentration was thin, it became difficult to activate Mana Art, and even if activated, they couldn’t unleash their full potential.

Compared to those who possessed the True Name “Magic Energy,” who could activate Mana Arts at any time using the accumulated magic energy within their bodies, Dennis was at a disadvantage.

By the time he acquired the True Name “Sense of Smell”, his Miyasaka-style swordsmanship had greatly improved. The method of learning through practical combat proved to be efficient. The knowledge was also shared with Masaya, resulting in the latter’s own swordsmanship advancing as well.

Not only swordsmanship but also the most significant progress was seen in the control of magic essence. Even in consecutive battles, Dennis no longer lost control of the Quaking Blade, and he could annihilate a group of Red-Eyed Wolves within the small dome space by strategically positioning himself at the entrance, engaging in one-on-one fights as much as possible.

Yet, unbeknownst to Dennis, defeating a group of Red-Eyed Wolves was considered a milestone for labyrinth explorers.

Finally, Dennis located the entrance to descend to the fourth floor and eagerly went down with enthusiasm. The creatures encountered on the fourth floor were Armored Lizards.

These bipedal lizards were as big as large dogs. They were covered from head to tail in armor-like scales, making them formidable creatures to defeat.

For such a small labyrinth, they were remarkably powerful monsters. However, even the Armored Lizards had their weaknesses. Their throats were not covered by armor.

“If I can strike their throats with the Quaking Blade, I might be able to take them down,” 

Dennis thought to himself, at the same time recalling the phrase, “Easier said than done,” which came from Masaya’s knowledge.

The sharp claws on the Armored Lizards’ forelimbs proved to be troublesome. The staff Dennis was using as a substitute for a sword was not as long as a spear. If he were to thrust, there was a risk of being counterattacked.

“Should I prepare a spear… But within the labyrinth, there are narrow passages to consider. I need to come up with something,”