"Let me summarize it for you," Berko said as he tapped his finger on the paper. "Payment is due upon your safe arrival at the capital. However, there may be consequences if you fail to pay or try to escape without fulfilling the contract."

"Consequences?" Celia's voice trembled with uncertainty.

"Yes, consequences," he responded solemnly. "If you violate the contract, a magical seal will be activated. It will prevent you from using magic, rendering you powerless until the debt is settled."

“I see,” Seth replied in understanding. ‘I should be safe once I arrive in the capital. No one would dare rashly pick a fight with a Marquess's son. That’s why the Birds of a Feather brought me into a dungeon first since I had no protection.’

"It's simply a measure to ensure that our customers keep their end of the bargain. I've met numerous travelers who agreed to pay but then disappeared without a trace. This magical seal serves as my insurance," continued Berko.

Orion bobbed his head, the hat on his head almost falling.

Berko leaned back in his chair, his expression nonchalant. "If you’re picking the three artifacts, then I’ll give a discount of twenty to seventeen gold coins. You're free to decline, of course. But you won't find a better deal in these lands. My potion of vitality is a rare and powerful concoction, and I guarantee it will be worth the price."

“But it’s so expensive…” Celia mumbled.

When she departed from home, she only had fifteen gold coins to survive for a year.

"I'm sure the amount is not a lot for a noble."

'So he knew my identity. It's no wonder he believed that I would be able to pay him back.’ Seth thought.

"Of course, take all the time you need. But remember, this offer won't last forever. I have other customers interested, and I can't guarantee the artifacts will still be available after a few days." The old merchant was trying so hard to persuade him that he got slightly annoyed.

"Come on. Buy from us, meow!"

"Alright, we'll take them." Seth finally relented.

As the transaction was completed, they bid Berko and Orion farewell and left the inn.

Seth sighed. ‘What a weird duo.’

…

The next morning, Seth woke up with aching muscles and joints throughout his body after he slept on the hard floor. It was cold the whole night, with only a thin blanket covering me, he couldn't stop shivering.

There was also Jake, who rolled on the bed and then fell on top of him. His breath was knocked out of his lungs as Seth shoved him away.

The suffering he endured only fueled his desire to get back to the capital as soon as possible.

As Celia and Seth ventured into the mountains, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease about meeting Isaac again.

"Come on, Celia. I know this place."

"I didn't know that there's a labyrinth here." Celia curiously looked at the huge stone door of the labyrinth, where moss and ivy clung to its surface.

‘Neither did I. It was Isaac who discovered it.’ Seth thought.

The early morning air was cool and refreshing. As the sun shed its first golden rays over the horizon, they entered the labyrinth.

The labyrinth was a maze of stone walls with uneven surfaces. A faint flicker of torchlight illuminated the path ahead of them as their footsteps echoed off the walls. The air was cold, and the faint sound of water dripping provided an eerie ambiance to the surroundings.

They pushed themselves forward through the winding corridors.

Twenty minutes later...

Celia took a deep breath and asked in distress. "Seth, do you really know your way around this labyrinth?!"

"Hah, hehe... All I know is that this place exists." Seth panted as he leaned against the wall for support.

After he stepped onto an uneven surface earlier, they heard a rumbling sound from the dark corridor ahead of them. Then they successfully avoided a massive boulder that rolled towards them in the corridor.

"If that rock had crushed us, we would have died. My healing would be of no use."

Seth was embarrassed. “I didn't tell you because I knew you wouldn't allow me to enter the labyrinth if I said I knew nothing about the insides. But hey, at least we're still alive, right?”

At practically every turn, traps awaited them—mechanisms designed to stop any intruders who entered the labyrinth. There were multiple instances when they came dangerously close to dying while dodging the traps. Miraculously, they managed to escape unscathed.

Celia gave Seth a deathly glare that made him tremble.

He quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, okay? I won't do it again."

“You should have told me sooner. I could have at least prepared myself both mentally and physically," she sighed.

‘I strongly disagree. You'd probably try to force me to hunt monsters instead because it's safer.’ Seth didn't dare say it out loud.

"I suppose we'll have to be a little more cautious from now on. We're already well inside the labyrinth, so going back is pointless. Let’s go." Celia sighed as Seth led the way.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

They stumbled upon a hidden chamber as they rounded a particularly sharp bend. The walls seemed to part like a curtain, revealing a space that was hidden.

In the center of the chamber, there was a brown chest with intricate carvings on a platform. It had a light falling on it that gave the impression that it was on show.

Both of their eyes widened in amazement as they approached the chest with caution.

Seth was in thought. ‘Is this the treasure that the minotaur was guarding?’

With bated breath, they opened the chest, their hands brushing the cool metal of the lid. A variety of jewelry, artifacts, and old scrolls were within.

"Woah!" Celia shouted, her eyes beaming with joy.

"See? Coming here is worthwhile." Seth said proudly. ‘Selling all of this stuff will undoubtedly make both of us rich.’

"This is the last time. If you want to do something risky in the future, you must notify me first." Celia reprimanded him.

‘Next time? I don't want to risk my life at any time in the future.’ Seth thought.

It took only thirty minutes for their trip.

"It's strange that no one is aware of the labyrinth and the treasure. If anyone knew, a lot of people would try to get it. It will make anyone wealthy." Celia pointed at the chest that they were both carrying. "There are no monsters, either."

‘Hehe. Maybe the monsters were already killed by Isaac?’ Seth replied in his mind. "I guess we are just lucky."

When they exited the labyrinth, to his surprise, there was someone familiar outside. His eyes fell on the heavy chest Celia and Seth were holding, and for a moment, there was silence between them.

‘Speak of the devil.’

Isaac's expression was unreadable as he spoke, "I see you've found something valuable."

"I can explain. It's not what you think," Seth hastily responded, his words stumbling over each other.

Isaac narrowed his silver eyes, and his face remained stoic. "I'm curious to hear your explanation."

Celia stared at Seth, then at Isaac, perplexed.

"Sir Isaac, why are you here?"

"I'm here to claim a treasure."

She blinked in confusion. "A treasure, you say?"

Isaac's voice cut through the air, his words like a sudden chill. “Yes, shouldn't that chest belong to me? Since I was the one who killed the minotaur guarding the entrance of the labyrinth yesterday.”

‘Why do you need this chest anyway? I'm sure you're only interested in resurrecting your sweetheart, or whoever it is. Oh, wait, is he trying to use this chest to buy the resources required for the resurrection? Unfortunately, Isaac, you failed so you won't need this treasure.’ Seth stopped his dramatic imagination after seeing the two of them waiting for his response.

"I wouldn't say that the treasure belongs to you alone since Celia and I worked hard to get it. We risked our lives by avoiding the traps. Besides, we were also curious as to who killed the monsters inside, and we were planning to share the treasures with the adventurer." Seth made up an excuse as she put down the chest.

‘Did we plan that?’ Celia looked at him suspiciously for a brief moment before she agreed with him. "That's true…"

"Yeah, that's why-"

"I see… then we should split the treasures in the chest into two," Isaac replied calmly.

‘Eh? I thought he would insist that the treasure belongs to him alone since the gloomy look on his face gave me the impression that he would be chilly. But on the other hand, it’s mostly related to the person he wanted to revive. So if the topic isn't related to that person, Isaac isn't as cold as I imagined.’ Seth nodded, delighted.

"So, that settles it. You'll get half of it since you did most of the work. Celia and I will divide the other half. Are you okay with that, Celia?” Seth turned to face Celia, who had spider webs in her hair and a dusty face. She got it earlier from the corridor.

"Yeah, I'm fine with that." Celia showed an ‘OK’ sign with her finger.

Seth removed the cobwebs from her hair before dividing the treasures between the three of them.

Seth couldn't resist asking Isaac. "What do you even need the chest for?"

"It has nothing to do with you."

His attitude was both hot and cold.

"OK."

"Farewell, then."

"Goodbye," Seth said, his tone laced with a touch of jest.

"Thank you, Sir Isaac, and have a safe trip."

Isaac gave them a final nod before turning and vanishing into the woods, leaving Celia and Seth in front of the labyrinth.

‘I feel like I'll meet him again someday.’ He suddenly received a side-eye from Celia.

"If Isaac hadn't come here, were you planning to hoard the treasure alone?"

‘Haha, you got me.’ He couldn't let his golden thigh lose her trust in him, so he had to come up with a lie. "No way. Since he had already taken care of the monsters, I took it upon myself to get the treasure. I was planning to split it equally with him."

"Are you sure?" Celia showed a skeptical face.

"Of course. I'm hurt if you don't trust me, Celia. You said that we should trust each other yesterday."

Seth feigned a sad face, and Celia sighed in return.

"Hm, alright. I trust you."

The morning sky was a calm expanse of blue and white, and the sun's gentle rays painted the scene, while soft clouds drifted on the breeze.

They went back to the inn. As they walked in, the innkeeper smiled at them from behind the counter.

"Welcome back," she said.

"Hello, did you manage to find any mercenaries for us?"

The innkeeper sighed and shook her head. "Unfortunately, we couldn't find any available mercenaries."

"Eh?" Celia and Seth both showed the same shocked expression.

“The trustworthy mercenaries that I know of are mostly dispatched to hunt the demons because there have been many recent demon activities lately. Other mercenaries are available, but I can't suggest them to you because I am not familiar with them.”

Celia's brow furrowed with concern. "I see. It's a shame."

‘Besides the bandits, we also had to be cautious of demons. If I continued to hire the other mercenaries, I would be betting our lives on their dependability. It was unclear if they were capable enough to defend us or not from those two.’ Seth sighed. "Then I guess we can wait for them to come back."

The innkeeper spoke up. "Sure, if you're not in desperate need. But it could take weeks or months for them to return."

"I can't wait that long. I have something to do in the capital." Celia replied.

Seth couldn't stay in this village either because his death flag was still rising. If the news that he was still alive reached the Birds of a Feather, they would come back to silence him.

Seth suggested. “We'll just go with the two merchants.”

"Berko and Orion have never been attacked by bandits or any other monsters, so you should both be safe with them." The innkeeper agreed with a nod. "Safety should be the top priority."

"Alright, thank you."

In the end, they met the two merchants again the next day.