"A plant soul artifact? So rare, what grade is it?"
The young man's eyes widened at the sight as Bossac grabbed his hand and have the vine climb up his arm as well.
"Soothing ivy. It is very rare as this type of plant soul artifact is usually only poisonous. It is middle grade though because its abilities are very mediocre amongst the healing soul artifacts. Stand still for a moment."
"Oh, that's right, I almost forgot that you are a healer..."
The guard explained in a serious voice while apparently using one of the skills of his artifact, to which Viria, feeling his tiredness disappearing and his strength returning, smiled after being reminded.
"You really are at the very bottom of low-low levels of cultivation... how is that possible...?"
Even after the soothing ivy retracted after getting Viria back into top shape and Bossac made it disappear, the guard still had a hard time accepting the situation, very obviously glancing towards the piles behind the young man.
"You know how my weapon is such trash that it cannot be restored with just my spiritual energy, but it requires actual materials to get restored? Having it like this means that I don't spend nearly as much spiritual energy on maintaining it. Once I managed to kill one through the hatch, I was golden~"
Viria breathed out, and with the mind refreshed thanks to the wonderous abilities of the soothing ivy that was supposed to be only mediocre, he could think of a reasonable excuse that would not immediately out his lie about the grade of his soul artifact and its properties...
"Was it like that...? But I'm pretty sure that yesterday..."
"Eh...?! You figured out our secret way of hunting mole-rabbits?!"
"...?"
Bossac furrowed his brows and looked to the side, trying to recall the time that he did see the young man recovering his soul weapon using only his spiritual energy, but right then one of the kids, the only girl in the group, gasped in honest shock, clenching her fists and stepping forward as if she wanted to lodge a formal complaint about industrial espionage, which took his attention away from the troublesome subject.
"The secret way of hunting mole rabbits...? You mean... the hatch is supposed to be a secret...?"
"Shhh... just let them have it."
Viria asked in a confused voice, looking over at Bossac who put his finger to his lips and mouthed a plea while winking.
"W-well... we have n-never seen the adults hunting that way..."
But even so, the little girl seemed brighter than the guard took her for because she blushed from embarrassment and grumbled in response to Viria's comment.
"Because all in all, it is still dangerous, and I'm pretty sure that you three have been told that you are too young to hunt monsters in the first place."
"...!"
Bossac pointed out, making not only the girl, but the two of her friends flinch too.
"B-but, Boss...!"
A timid-looking boy with a long fringe covering his eyes cried out and tugged on Bossac's clothes.
The very same child was the one who originally clung to the guard too.
"How are we supposed to earn money?!"
"Yeah! How?!"
The young girl stomped her foot and complained to the helpful man and the other child echoed her, feeling more confident that way.
"...yeah, that's a fair point..."
Viria made an understanding expression and nodded his head, thinking that children wanting to help out with the house finances was admirable β especially in the reality that they were all living in.
All in all, that was a prison dungeon, and Bossac already explained to him that the money the prisoners earn here was everything, as it gave the inmates power to live semi-normal lives in often better conditions than anywhere outside.
"I believe that it was already explained to you, that as juvenile criminals, you are staying here on completely different rules until you will become adults."
"Tsk...!"
But then Bossac frowned and put one hand on his hip looking down on all three kids, making the two boys lower their heads while the resolute little girl clicked her tongue.
"..."
For just a second Viria's brain refused to take in what he heard and he just stared into the distance...
"..."
As the young man started to realize what was said, he looked blankly at the guard, and then at the three children standing next to him.
"Those kids aren't the children of prisoners that got taken in after their parents talked with the warden...?"
Viria ended up asking, slowly raising his finger and pointing at the trio.
"No. They are prisoners, just like you."
"Not just like him! We can't get bills for our work because apparently, we are too young to be useful!"
The guard shook his head and explained, but the resolute girl stomped her foot again and pointed it out after beginning to recognize Viria as a potential ally, or at least a non-threatening person.
"That's why we try to hunt monsters! If you are selling monsters, no one is asking questions!"
The girl turned to Viria and explained, shaking her fists in an attempt to make herself look more serious.
"...I... see..."
The young man nodded his head β he almost asked Bossac how he will be treated, considering that he was seventeen, but he managed to bite his tongue in time. He remembered that in his current world people were considered adults after turning sixteen years old.
"Just in case. What crimes did they commit... or did not commit considering that they are here, on the first floor...?"
"!!!!"
"...!"
"...!"
After taking a deep breath Viria asked Bossac, thinking that having a common subject of being unjustly sentenced to complain about would clear the mood a bit...
...but having the three kids all flinch and lower their heads β even the resolute girl β reminded him that not everyone shares his sense of humor...
"Those three seriously wounded one of their owner's guards while trying to escape. Though as you can see, they didn't manage to go far."
Bossac revealed, causing the children to clench their fists and bit their lips remembering the painful past.
"Ah... I see. I see. Well as for me it was... hold on. They did WHAT?!"
Viria nodded his head, fully prepare to reveal his circumstances, before he straightened his back and gasped in a loud voice, making the children flinch and lower their heads even more.