I Became the Guardian of Big Shots in the Game

The labyrinth Storygia.
Strictly speaking, this is territory of the Etrion Kingdom, but no officials are dispatched here.
Explorers disliked control, and the central government neglected the ominous labyrinth, so their interests aligned.
Instead, they took the form of entrusting proxy governance to the Explorer’s Guild.
Thanks to this, the Explorer’s Guild of Storygia has not only police authority in the labyrinth, but even light judicial powers.
Even so.
They’re always short-staffed, so arresting criminals is done through bounties.
Another peaceful day at the guild counter.
An employee tightened his collar, displeased by the subtle chill flowing out of the labyrinth.
“Hey Clan. Are you feeling cold again?”
“Yes, my body feels a bit chilly today.”
The boss’s expression darkened somewhat.
“Whenever you feel cold, something always seems to happen.”
“Oh come on, that’s just a coincidence!”
Two weeks ago once.
And about a month ago once.
For some reason, work always piled up on days he felt chilly.
“A coincidence, you say?”
The boss laughed dejectedly and pointed at the main entrance.
“Um…”
The scene they faced was quite rare.
Dozens of looters designated as wanted criminals came in supporting explorers who had been missing, and.
“We’re turning ourselves in!!!”
They surrendered en masse.
The boss, who had worked at the Explorer’s Guild for 15 years, interrogated them about what happened and.
“A demon worshipper was involved? And just five people, no, a party including three children took care of it?”
He couldn’t stop the burst of laughter that poured out.

The next day.
Most of the rescued explorers had regained consciousness.
The Douglan exploration team was the same.
“Thank you.”
As soon as they got up, they bowed deeply to Ethan and his group to express their gratitude.
“No, please raise your heads.”
“We must do at least this much for doing what no one else could.”
The Explorer’s Guild is always short-staffed.
There are a few skilled individuals, but it’s practically impossible to round up large-scale looters.
They sincerely thanked Ethan for doing that.
“I wasn’t fully conscious, but I caught glimpses of you fighting. It was impressive.”
“Especially the beastkin miss was quite brave, wasn’t she?”
“Yes, Ponya! Won’t you come over to this uncle for a moment?”
Ponya turned her head to Ethan, and.
Ethan slowly nodded.
Ponya ran over like a puppy rushing to an owner who took out treats, and sat in front of Dusty.
“Do you know the names Levin and Dolty by any chance?”
“Huh?”
Ponya’s two eyes wavered greatly.
“…Do you know my mom and dad?”
“Of course! Levin and Dolty were proud members of the Douglan exploration team.”
Dusty’s old tale began.
From when swordsman Levin and scout Dolty first entered the labyrinth.
The story of blessing and sending them off when they left the labyrinth after marriage and.
The circumstances that forced them to return to the labyrinth.
Ponya’s eyes naturally became moist.
“T-Then, I…”
“You weren’t abandoned.”
She had believed that her whole life.
‘I am an abandoned child.’
But in a corner of her heart, she had buried hope.
She wanted to meet her mom and dad someday and confirm she wasn’t abandoned.
And.
When faced with the truth she had half given up on finding.
Tears burst out.
“Waaaaaah!!”
Ponya hugged Dusty and cried for a long time.

Ethan stepped aside for a moment.
Slan and Osten likewise followed him out to the hospital corridor.
As their eyes met briefly, Slan spoke.
“It was that bastard.”
“Pardon?”
“On the day we were luckily returning after collecting some valuable cores, we encountered him on the 100th floor.”
“…Erihazad.”
Osten flinched at hearing the ominous name.
Slan’s hand gripped Ethan’s shoulder.
There was considerable strength in it.
“It may not matter much here, but inside the labyrinth, you must never, ever call that name. If he hears it, he will surely come.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
Only after receiving confirmation several times.
Slan continued.
“We got caught by him that day. The bastard suddenly twisted the labyrinth’s structure this way and that, causing us to get separated from Levin and Dolty.”
Ethan knew the rest of the story to some extent.
The separated Levin and Dolty struggled to return to the surface, but.
Falling for the demon’s tricks, they couldn’t find the crystal sphere and gradually became exhausted.
Finally, the cave they entered to rest for a moment happened to be a trap set by the demon.
“We went up and down the labyrinth for years trying to at least recover their remains. But we just couldn’t find them.”
“As a last resort, we tried to take in Ponya. But the neighbor couple we left her with had abandoned the child. We couldn’t find her whereabouts at all.”
Osten added, ‘Dusty gave those bastards a good revenge.’
“It’s all thanks to you. Now that we know Ponya is safe, we can search for traces of Levin and Dolty with peace of mind.”
“We’re truly grateful.”
Just then, Ponya came out to the corridor with puffy eyes.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, Ethan-nim.”
Ponya hugged Ethan and slowly rubbed her face against him.
“Thank you.”
That question she had asked Ethan at the mansion.
Ponya thought Ethan had brought her to the labyrinth to answer that question.
As a result, he had let her find out about her parents’ whereabouts.
And meet old comrades who remembered her parents.
Unlike what she heard every day in the arena.
He had let her know she wasn’t an abandoned child.
She was grateful for all of it.
So Ethan pondered.
‘Is it okay to tell her this?’
The whereabouts of Levin and Dolty that he had glimpsed through character stories.
He had planned to let Ponya find her parents herself after she grew up sufficiently, but.
Seeing the Douglan exploration team and Ponya, it was hard to hold back.
Ethan opened his mouth.
“Ponya.”
“Yes!”
“If you want, and if the Douglan exploration team members are okay with it. I’d like you to stay active in Storygia for a while. What do you think?”
“R-Really?!”
Judging by her tone, expression, and wagging tail, Ponya seemed delighted.
However, Slan and Osten were a bit different.
“We don’t have the right to take care of Ponya.”
“That’s not true. Where else in the world is there an exploration team besides Douglan that has explored the labyrinth for years to save lost comrades? There can’t be anyone else with as strong a sense of responsibility as you.”
Ponya also nodded her head vigorously.
“Thank you for the high praise, young man.”
Dusty, limping out of the hospital room, grinned.
“But the labyrinth depths are too dangerous. It would be a very grueling schedule for a child to go… No, Ponya should be fine.”
After Ponya demonstrated freely using , Dusty laughed heartily and gave permission.
“Take your time and gain experience in the labyrinth.”
“Really? Really?”
Her tail wagged even more intensely.
“Of course, really. And I have something to tell the Douglan members.”
“What is it?”
“Ponya’s parents, Levin and Dolty, are still alive.”
In an instant, Ponya’s tail stood straight up.

Dusty leaned against the window with his arms folded.
Moonlight was already shining down from the darkened sky.
‘You really do live and learn.’
He still couldn’t quite believe the conversation they had in the morning.
-Levin and Dolty’s location is the 100th underground floor, inside the trap area. They’re exposed to a petrification curse, so if we can break the curse, we can save them.
Saying that, Ethan took out two vials from his backpack.
-This is a panacea.
-H-How did you get such a precious thing…
-Please… don’t ask about the source.
Of course, he had no intention of asking.
Certainly he was curious, but how many mages have had their brains fried trying to uncover unknown existences?
Dusty is a rational mage who values his life more than curiosity.
‘He said to drop by Serdin after finishing the mission.’
Ethan, the assistant to the mayor of a wealthy city.
And Ponya, living vibrantly by his side.
Recalling the two of them again, Dusty smiled faintly.
“He was a good person. What a relief.”
Children are quickly influenced by anything.
Ponya’s state was clearly good to anyone who saw.
Dusty lay back down on the bed.
Starting tomorrow, a new comrade would be joining the search operation.
He couldn’t show a fatigued appearance to them.

“Stay strong and take care. Got it?”
“Yes! I’ll come straight home as soon as I meet mom and dad!”
Ponya rubbed her face against Ethan’s cheek as a sign of affection.
After sending off the Douglan exploration team heading to the labyrinth.
Ethan decided to return to Serdin a few days earlier than planned.
This was because a mana messenger ball had flown in from the mansion.
The letter was from Teacher Yuria.
[Ethan-ssi. Albert-ssi has returned to the mansion with four children. I’m writing to let you know.]
The first page was a simple note that the children had arrived.
‘He’s already gathered all four. As expected, he’s quick with his work.’
He really is a future great merchant, Ethan thought.
Turning to the second page.
First impressions of the children were written.
[They all have high class participation. Especially the child named Borka has an excellent aptitude for magic. Kenny is a bit mischievous, but not out of malice. Greg… well. He’s taciturn, so I’m not sure yet.]
The long-awaited last page.
[It’s terrible! Please come back as soon as you receive this letter!]
“?”
Wondering what on earth they had done to warrant this, he returned as quickly as possible and.
“Ethan-ssi, welcome back!”
“Y-Yuria-seonsaengnim? What in the world is…”
“Isn’t it amazing?”
A giant stone golem was standing in the mansion courtyard.
-Kuoooooo!!!
And it was ferocious to boot.