Around the time Hajime was turning the peaceful rabbitmen into ruthless killers,
Kouki's party was taking a short break on their journey through the Great Orcus
Labyrinth and resting in Horaud.
Their training had taken them all the way to the seventieth floor of the labyrinth, and
both the strength and numbers of the monsters they now faced had gone up
considerably. In order to regroup, the party had decided to temporarily head back to
town and rest up.
They also needed time to mentally prepare themselves, as they'd finally reached a
point where Captain Meld and the other knights would no longer be able to follow
them. The reason they'd chosen the seventieth floor specifically was because they'd
found a magic circle there that could teleport them back to the thirtieth floor. Since
they had found a way back, Meld had taken the opportunity to recommend they all
head back for a break.
And so, they'd decided to take a few days to relax in Horaud. Everyone was spending
their break however they saw fit.
On the outskirts of town was one such student. She was panting heavily from exertion.
"Haaah Haah… Sacred stigmata of light, descend from the heavens and seal mine
foes— Binding Blades of Light!" She braced her knees to keep herself from toppling
over, then swung down her pure white staff. This girl was the healer of the hero's party,
the Priestess, Kaori Shirasaki.
What sprung forth from the healer's staff was not restoration magic, but a flurry of
crosses that resembled swords composed of light. Such was the nature of her spell,
Binding Blades of Light.
A pack of wolf-shaped monsters, Deloses, howled, as the barrage of light crosses bore
down on them. But the nimble beasts swiftly dodged out of the way and began rushing
at Kaori.
"Divine Shackles!" She instantly let loose a follow-up spell. Normally, a spell cast
without an incantation would be quite weak, but Kaori had packed the incantation for
Divine Shackles into the chant she'd said for Binding Blades of Light. This was an
original multicasting technique that she had developed on her own. Thus, this second
spell was just as strong as the first.
Chains of light erupted from the ground, entwining themselves around the legs of the
Deloses. The strength of the Deloses' charge was nowhere near enough to break the
fetters, so they got stuck in place rather quickly.
Two of them had just narrowly avoided being bound, however, and they now moved
to pincer Kaori. Despite the fact that she should have been a backline fighter, and a
healer at that, Kaori didn't seem fazed at all by them managing to close in.
"Perish!" At her shout, a deluge of light crosses rained from the sky, skewering the two
Deloses mid-leap. Binding Blades of Light was fundamentally a restraining skill
however, and while the crosses succeeded in pinning the Deloses to the ground, they
delivered no fatal wounds. Like their counterparts that had been bound by Divine
Shackles, they were pinned in place but otherwise unharmed. After ascertaining the
effectiveness of these spells, Kaori moved on to another incantation.
"Holy light of judgment, bring retribution upon the wicked and crush those restrained
by justice." Suddenly, the light spells that should have possessed no destructive power
made the Deloses start howling in pain. The Divine Shackles began tightening around
their prisoners, while the Binding Blades of Light pushed deeper into the ground.
Though they could not directly pierce skin, Kaori's spells could still harm her foes
indirectly. Though, as this was not the intended usage for the spell, it required an
enormous amount of concentration and re-imaging of the spell's nature, along with a
skillfully arranged magic circle.
That was why Kaori had come here. The monsters around the town were far weaker
than those they had encountered in the labyrinth, so even someone unsuited for
combat like her could stand up to them. She had wanted to practice turning her
restraining skills into offensive ones, so weak enemies like them were perfect for it.
She'd been here practicing alone for hours now, and both her body and mind were
nearing their limits. Her supply of mana had been nearly exhausted, and her vision
was blurry. She couldn't keep going much longer. And yet, the blazing will shining in
Kaori's eyes had never once faltered. It had been burning ever since the day she'd
learned the boy she loved had vanished, the day she'd resolved to find the truth
herself. A desire so strong that it had melted the ice around her despairing heart would
not burn out so easily. There was no time to waste on rest. Her resolve would not allow
it.
And so—
"Press down, O voluminous light, for as long as my resolve stays true— Heaven
Crusher!" Even if more enemies showed up, she would never back down. Even if it was
reckless, even if it was pure folly, she would never stop. If she even thought of giving
up, something deep inside would whisper "Is that all? You're going to break another
promise?" and that stubborn side would force her another step forward.
From the sky came a new wave of monsters. Bahals, raven-shaped creatures with
wings as black as the dead of night. They weren't especially powerful, but most
adventurers hated them. Namely because of their feathers, a barrage of which was
headed right toward Kaori.
They attacked in flocks, never neared the ground, and assaulted hapless adventurers
by raining razor sharp feathers down on them.
Kaori blocked their assault by creating a number of small, palm-sized barriers around
her. I need to make the image clearer, and get them out faster. I can't make huge barriers
like Suzu-chan, but I can make up for that with numbers and skill! Pale-faced, Kaori
successfully managed to fend off the Bahals' first wave. Still, despite her
accomplishment, she wasn't satisfied. Next, even though creating barriers was outside
of her job's abilities, she created dozens of shields, angling them to redirect blows
rather than stop them directly.
Had the class' Barrier Master, Suzu Taniguchi, seen Kaori's makeshift shield, she would
have been amazed. Even she wouldn't be able to make such a perfect defense without
considerable effort. Though both barriers and healing fell under the domain of light
magic, it was nigh impossible for a Priestess, who specialized in healing, to match the
defensive powers of a Barrier Master, who specialized in defense.
"Haah, Haaah…" But even after accomplishing such a herculean feat, Kaori didn't smile.
While she had fended off the Bahals' attack, she'd expended too much of her mana and
had to bite her lips hard just to keep herself conscious. She leaned on her artifact to
keep herself upright, stubbornly refusing to fall.
As the Bahals used part of their bodies to attack, they couldn't attack consecutively, as
they had to wait for their feathers to regrow. Taking advantage of that, Kaori quickly
fired off another Binding Blades of Light up at the flock, then deployed her Heaven
Crusher to keep them held down. Like the Deloses, the Bahals were brought to the
verge of death with her spells' crushing power alone. But then, as she was about to
start her next incantation—
"Ah…" Her body finally gave out, and she slumped to the ground. Unable to keep her
magic up any longer, the Deloses were released from their bindings. Most of them had
already lost consciousness, but a few of them had managed to stay awake. They
coughed violently as they got up, their scarlet eyes glaring at Kaori.
Her mind was screaming at her to run, but Kaori's body would no longer listen. The
few Deloses that remained charged at her. Drool dripped from their maws as they
howled triumphantly. Kaori got to one knee, using her staff for support. Panting, she
started the chant for a binding spell, but… there was no way for her to make it in time.
An instant before their monstrous fangs devoured Kaori, someone intervened.
"Kaori!" It was a voice Kaori knew all too well. Within seconds, the Deloses had been
chopped to pieces.
"Shizuku-chan?"
"That's right. It's me, your best friend. Your best friend who's currently furious at you.
Your best friend who wants to slap you silly for being so stupid."
"U-Umm… Ahaha… Sorry."
Kaori let herself slide down to the ground as she apologized, meeting the angry glare
of her best friend, Shizuku Yaegashi. She knew if she said anything foolish like "Why
are you so angry?" Shizuku really would slap her silly. Besides, she had already
guessed why Shizuku was so mad.
"Unbelievable. I won't tell you not to push yourself too hard. But at the very least,
promise you'll take me with you! Even these weak monsters could kill you if you slip
up, you know!? I thought you wanted to find Nagumo-kun!? How are you going to find
him if you're dead!? You're a moron! A stubborn, stupid moron!"
"I-I'm sorry, Shizuku-chan…"
"Oh no, I'm not forgiving you that easy. I know you'll just run off again if I take my eyes
off you. Quit trying to take Ryutarou's place, you thick-skulled idiot! I know you've
been trying out a bunch of things, but you're still part of the rearguard. You're at your
strongest when you've got someone to protect you while you charge your spells. You'll
be able to train more efficiently if I'm around to back you up, and that way you won't
have to worry about getting killed! All you had to do was ask me to come along and I
would've joined! Why can't you even trust me with that!? Hey, are you listening to me,
Kaori!?"
"I-I'm listening… Really, I'm sorry."
"Nope, I don't believe you! Sit up straight! You're going to listen to me this time
whether you like it or not!" Shizuku plopped herself down in front of Kaori. What
followed was a long and very spirited lecture by Shizuku.
Umm, Shizuku-chan. I think I'm losing consciousness, so I really can't tell what you're
saying, sorry. Though the specific words didn't get through to Kaori, she could tell just
how worried Shizuku must have been about her, as well as just how desperately she
wanted Kaori to rely on her. And so, despite being inches away from passing out, she
dutifully sat there and listened to Shizuku's lecture.
Halfway through her lecture the other Deloses woke up, and the Bahals came back
with a new coat of feathers, but Shizuku annihilated them all without batting an eye
and returned to her lecture. Finally, around the time the whites of Kaori's eyes were
beginning to show, Shizuku was interrupted.
"Oh no, it looks like Kaorin's in really bad shape!"
"Sh-Shizuku… I know you want to lecture her, but don't you think you should let Kaorichan recover some of her mana first?"
Suzu and Eri appeared. They had actually been searching for Kaori together, but
Shizuku had dashed off when her built-in Kaori sensor had started tingling.
Their arrival finally got Shizuku to stop her lecture. She took a proper look at Kaori,
and saw that she was tottering on the edge of unconsciousness. Grumbling to herself,
Shizuku took out a mana potion and dumped its contents down Kaori's half-open
mouth.
Kaori gagged in surprise, but Shizuku mercilessly ordered her to gulp it all down.
Shizuku gently propped Kaori up as she drank, and when she was finished she wiped
away the drops of liquid that had spilled from her lips.
"ShizuShizu, you look just like her mo—"
"Suzu, if you don't want her to kill you, I think you should just stop." Eri hurriedly
stopped her friend from signing her own death sentence.
Around the time Kaori was regaining the ability to think clearly, the four girls heard
someone calling out to them. It appeared Kouki and the others had arrived.
"Kaori, thank goodness you're safe."
"Man, it's not like you to be this crazy. I know we came back here to rest, but you
could've still asked us to help you out with your training. We won't get mad, you
know?"
Kouki sat down next to Kaori and smiled reassuringly as he placed a hand on her
shoulder. Ryutarou said his piece and scoffed. In their own way, they'd both been
worried about her too.
"I'm sorry for making you all worry about me. I thought I'd be able to handle the
monsters around the town on my own at least… but I guess I went on for too long. I'm
really sorry." She bowed her head, feeling guilty about making everyone worry
because of her recklessness. Shizuku finally stopped fretting over Kaori like a mother
hen, and a pleasant mood settled over the students.
Kouki proposed they all return to town, to which everyone else nodded in agreement.
But when Kaori tried to stand up, she stumbled unsteadily. While she was no longer
manaless and groggy, her physical exhaustion remained.
Kouki hurriedly extended a hand to support her, but…
"You okay, Kaori?"
"Shizuku-chan… Thanks. Sorry, looks like I can't walk very well." Shizuku quickly
materialized at Kaori's side, and Kouki's helping hand had nowhere to go. His
eyebrows drooped sadly, but like a true hero he refused to let that deter him.
Undaunted, he tried to offer to carry Kaori, since she couldn't walk. Naturally, he was
going to princess carry her back. However…
"Sheesh, you're hopeless. Learn from your mistakes and stop running off on your own,
okay?"
"W-Wait, Shizuku-chan. This is embarrassing."
"Fufu, it's your punishment for leaving me behind."
A girl strong enough to go toe-to-toe with monsters in the lower floors of the abyss
could easily carry a single person on her own. And so, it was Shizuku who took on the
duty of carrying Kaori back. Kaori blushed in embarrassment as Shizuku carried her
like a princess back to town. Shizuku cut a gallant figure, with her cool demeanor and
the imposing sword strapped to her waist. She looked just like a prince from a
fairytale, complete with a princess to save.
"Oh my god, ShizuShizu… you're so cool."
"Ahaha… it really feels like you two are a couple."
Suzu was blushing a little, and Eri was smiling awkwardly. Kouki was standing behind
them, his hand still outstretched. It was a testament to his fortitude as a hero that his
smile never crumbled. His best friend gently patted his shoulder in sympathy.
"Even in another world, Kaori's knight will always be Shizuku… Good luck, Kouki."
"It's fine Ryutarou, it doesn't bother me at all. Nope, not at all. Really, it doesn't."
"I see. Let's just forget about this and get something to eat."
"…Yeah."
It was rare for the muscle-brained Ryutarou to show compassion.
Some time later, the group met up with Captain Meld, along with Nagayama's and
Hiyama's teams, and they set off to explore the uncharted seventieth floor. No one
realized that one among them had brought a bomb along with them. Or that a
dangerous shadow had begun creeping up on the group. But that was a tale for
another time…
Mountains of corpses lay scattered all around. Deep at the bottom of the Reisen Gorge,
a hellish spectacle spread out in every direction. Some monsters had their heads caved
in, others had their heads blown clean off, and yet others had been charred into
shapeless black lumps. They had died in various ways, but they'd all died instantly.
There was, of course, only one group that could enter the gorge, the ravine feared by
all as a hellish execution ground, and leave such carnage behind.
"There goes another one!" Boom!
"Out of the way." Fwoosh!
"Fuck off." Bang! Hajime, Yue, and Shea.
After Hajime and the others had left Brooke, they'd rode Steiff all the way to the
entrance of Reisen Gorge. They had then made steady progress after entering the
ravine, and were already two days out from the hidden cavern that housed the
teleportation circle to Orcus' house.
The monsters of the gorge seemed incapable of learning from their mistakes, as they
once again attacked Hajime's party in droves.
Each swing of Shea's war hammer was a literal deathblow, shattering skulls with every
strike. None of the monsters could afford to even get close. They were all ground to a
pulp.
The few that did manage to get past the mochi-pounding bunny of death were burned
to a crisp by Yue's magic. Though it took more mana than usual to activate her spells,
her enormous mana pool combined with the mana she'd stored into her accessories
meant she never ran out. The gorge's mana dispersing abilities lowered her range, but
also decreased her cast time, so she was able to throw out blazing fireballs almost
instantly.
Hajime's techniques were no joke either. Even while driving Steiff, he never missed a
single shot with Donner. Despite powering Steiff and his Lightning Field
simultaneously in the gorge, he didn't seem to be running out of mana at all.
The ferocious beasts that prowled this harsh land were nothing but fodder for the
group. They slaughtered armies of monsters over the course of their hunt for an
entrance to the labyrinth. In the few days they'd spent there, they'd already filled the
ravine with corpses.
"Haah. Knowing the entrance is somewhere in Reisen is just too vague a lead." They'd
thoroughly examined every cavern they'd passed, but they still hadn't found anything
resembling an entrance. Hajime was starting to grow impatient.
"Well, we're just checking this place out on our way to the volcano anyway, so finding
something is just a bonus. And who knows, we might find some more clues after we
clear the volcano."
"Guess you've got a point."
"Yeah… but these monsters are starting to get on my nerves."
"Same here. I guess you'd really hate this place, Yue-san."
Even as they complained, the trio pressed onward. And so, another three days passed.
They hadn't found anything that day either, and as the moon's light began to illuminate
the ravine, Hajime decided to make camp. They set up their tent and began preparing
dinner. Ingredients were brought out, seasonings measured, and dishes set.
Everything from the tent to the tableware had been crafted by Hajime, so they were
all of artifact quality.
The tent was augmented with heatstone and coldstone, which regulated the
temperature inside. Thanks to the properties of coldstone, Hajime had been able to
craft a refrigerator and freezer as well. The metal frames of the tent had stones
interspersed within them too. These stones had been imbued with the "Hide
Presence" skill, making it difficult for monsters to locate their camp.
The pots and pans all heated up in proportion to the mana poured into them, removing
any need to start a fire. Even the knives had been enchanted with Gale Claw, making
them razor sharp. He'd also made a makeshift steam cleaner. They were all beloved
creations that made his travels more comfortable. And because they were only useful
to people who could control mana directly, no one would want to steal them.
"Ancient magic from the Age of the Gods sure is handy." Those had been Hajime's exact
words when he'd created all these Artifacts. Any present-day practitioner of magic
would have fainted upon hearing the relatively pointless things Hajime used his
abilities to make.
Tonight's dinner was Kululu meat boiled in tomato soup. Kululus were basically
chickens that could fly. Their meat tasted identical to that of regular chicken. Kululu
dishes were apparently very popular in Tortus. They'd already marinated and cut the
Kululu meat, so they just boiled it together with some vegetables in a tomato-based
broth.
The Kululu's flavor was further enhanced by the butter smeared over it and the tangy
hint of tomato that had soaked into the meat. The other vegetables, all of which
resembled one kind of earth vegetable or another, and the soup itself were also
exquisite. Even the bread they'd brought to dunk into the soup tasted amazing.
After they finished their dinner, Hajime and the others settled down to chat for a while,
as they did every night. Thanks to the stealthstone in the tent, they didn't have to
worry about monster attacks. The few that wandered nearby by accident were
summarily dealt with by Hajime. He'd just stick his hand out of the window designed
for the purpose, then shoot them down. When it was time for bed, the three of them
would rotate the watch until morning.
Tonight, it was Hajime's turn to be on first watch. Yue and Shea prepared for bed while
he got ready. The tent was furnished with soft futons as well, so they could sleep well
even out in the wild. Right before they fell asleep, Shea walked out of the tent.
Hajime gave her a questioning look, and she replied casually.
"Just going to pick some flowers."
"There's no flowers down here."
"Ha-ji-me-san!" Her nonchalant facade crumbled and she glared reproachfully at
Hajime.
"My bad," he said without remorse, realizing what she actually meant.
Shea pouted angrily as she stepped out of their camp and trotted off. A few minutes
later…
"H-Hajime-san! Yue-san! I found something! Come over here!" She had forgot that
monsters still swarmed the ravine outside of their camp and screamed for help.
Hajime and Yue exchanged glances before running out of the tent.
Shea's voice was coming from where one of the boulders had fallen against the ravine
wall, creating a small gap. She was waving her arms wildly right in front of it, her face
filled with excitement.
"Over here! Look at what I found!"
"Alright, alright, stop pulling me. Your body strengthening's on full blast. Just calm
down."
"…So annoying."
Shea grabbed both of their hands and pulled them deeper into the crevice. Hajime
tried to calm her down, while Yue just showed her frustration on her face. As she led
them inside, Hajime saw that the wall had been hollowed out on one side, making for
a surprisingly spacious room. Shea puffed out her chest proudly and pointed to a
section of the wall that was halfway between the entrance and the back.
Hajime and Yue looked at what she was pointing at and blinked in confusion. A
rectangular signboard was carved directly into the stone wall. Written on it, in cute
cursive letters, was this:
—Welcome everyone! Welcome to Miledi Reisen's heart-pounding dungeon~
The exclamation marks and tildes only served to exacerbate the reader.
"The hell is this?"
"…What?"
Hajime and Yue spoke simultaneously. It looked as if they couldn't believe their own
eyes. That cutesy handwriting was completely out of place in the desolate gorge.
"What's that supposed to mean? This is the entrance, obviously! When I was going to
the bath… I mean, when I was looking for flowers, I found it here by accident. To think
Reisen Gorge really was the entrance to another one of the labyrinths." Hajime and
Yue finally recovered from their shock enough to stare at each other in disbelief.
"Yue. You think this is really it?"
"...…Yeah."
"That was a long pause. What makes you think so?"
"…Miledi."
"Makes sense…"
Oscar's notes had informed them that Reisen's first name had indeed been Miledi. The
name Reisen was famous, but most people hadn't known her first name. And so, the
fact that it was written on the board made it highly likely that it was the entrance to
the labyrinth proper. The only reason they were doubtful at all was because…
"What's with this stupidly cutesy writing?" Hajime thought back to the numerous life
and death struggles he faced in the Great Orcus Labyrinth. If this labyrinth was
anything like it, he'd be in for a tough fight. And yet, the entrance was marked with
this utterly incongruous lighthearted sign. Yue, too, had felt firsthand just how harsh
a labyrinth could be, so she couldn't help but wonder if this wasn't just someone's idea
of a prank.
"But there's nothing that looks like an entrance here. The cave just leads to a dead end
further up…" Oblivious to their inner turmoil, Shea glanced around the cave and
tapped the walls, searching for an opening.
"Hey, Shea. Don't…" Clunk!
"Fugyah!?"
"Don't touch things carelessly like that" was what Hajime had been trying to say, but
before he could, the wall Shea had tapped suddenly flipped around, dragging Shea
toward whatever was on the other side. It was just like one of those trick doors you'd
see in a ninja hideout.
"...…" As Shea had just found a secret entrance, the words carved in the stone
suddenly seemed more believable. So the entrance to Reisen's labyrinth really is here.
Hajime was already starting to miss the more serious atmosphere of Orcus' labyrinth.
This seemed more like an amusement park than a dungeon. He located the revolving
door that Shea had disappeared through, exchanged a sigh with Yue, and pushed
forward.
Whatever mechanism operated the door activated, pushing Hajime and Yue to the
other side of the wall. Darkness greeted them on the other side. The door finished its
revolution, eventually coming to a stop in its original position.
An instant later there was an odd whirling noise, as a bunch of somethings flew
straight for Hajime. Upon activating Night Vision, Hajime was able to see what was
coming at him. Arrows. They were painted jet-black to make sure not even a sliver of
light reflected off them.
Hajime pulled out Donner and shot most of them down. The rest he blocked with his
prosthetic limb. Clanging noises filled the room as metal impacted on metal.
There had been around twenty arrows. The arrows were made entirely of metal, as if
they had been carved into that shape. After the last one hit the ground, silence
returned to the room.
Faint light started permeating the room around the same time. They were in a room
about ten meters wide on all sides, with a hallway extending out of the far end. There
was a stone slab in the center of the room, with a message carved into it in the same
cutesy handwriting as before.
—Hey, did I surprise you? Well, did I? I bet you peed your pants, didn't you? Hahaha.
Any of you get hurt? Maybe someone in your party died? Fufu~—
"..." Hajime and Yue were in complete sync as they read the message.
"Annoying bitch."
Only the laughter in the message was carved deeper into the stone to emphasize its
presence. She was being purposely irritating. Had someone wandered in and actually
lost a member of their party due to that trap, they would surely have been furious.
As it was, Hajime and Yue were still quite angry, but Yue's anger suddenly faded away
as she realized something.
"…Where's Shea?"
"Ah."
Remembering the remaining member of their party, Hajime quickly turned back to the
revolving door. Since the door did a half-revolution with each activation, it was
possible Shea had been sent back outside when they'd come in. What worried Hajime
was that she hadn't tried to come back in even though a good minute or two must have
passed. And so, he hurriedly activated the door again.
As the door turned around once more he saw… Shea. Stuck to the door.
"Uuuu… Hic… Hajime-saaan… don't look at meeee. But please take these off. Let me
down, but don't look at me. Pleaseee." The poor little bunny girl. Shea must have been
greeted by the hail of arrows too. Though she couldn't see in the dark, her sharp senses
must have allowed her to dodge. But it had been a near miss, so the arrows had
skewered her clothes, pinning her to the wall in a comedic pose reminiscent of those
emergency exit signs.
Her rabbit ears were twisted in a weird zig-zag pattern, so it was clear that it had taken
everything she'd had to dodge. The reason she was crying wasn't because she'd nearly
died, though. The puddle at her feet was the cause of her distress.
"Oh yeah, you were in the middle of your 'flower picking,' weren't you…? Well,
whatever. Happens all the time."
"No it doesn't! Uuu, why didn't I just finish my business before calling you guys over!"
Shea wept uncontrollably. Not only had she wet herself, but she'd done it in front of
the man she loved. Her rabbit ears twitched again. Though, considering how pathetic
she'd looked when she'd first met Hajime, this was basically a drop in the bucket. That
was why Hajime was more annoyed than disgusted as he gazed up at Shea. However,
his look only served to hurt her feelings more.
"Don't move." As a fellow girl, Yue did feel a little sympathy for her, so she quickly
removed the arrows pinning Shea to the door.
"You should be able to handle threats of this level… Amateur."
"I'm sorry, I'll work harder from now on… Hic…"
"Hajime, we need a change of clothes."
"You got it." He pulled a spare set of Shea's clothes from the Treasure Trove and handed
them over. Red faced with embarrassment, Shea quickly changed.
Once she was ready, Shea spiritedly ran forward, only to stop when she saw the stone
tablet in the center of the room.
Her bangs covered her expression as she read the inscription. After a few seconds of
silence, she suddenly drew Drucken and swung it down with all her might. With a
thunderous roar, the tablet shattered into a thousand pieces. That tablet must have
been the last straw, as Shea continued to slam down her hammer on the already
shattered stone over and over.
But once it was pulverized, new words carved themselves into the pieces of stone.
Now it read: —Too bad~ After a little while the stone regenerates~ Kukukuku—
"Graaaaaah!" Overcome with rage, Shea mindlessly swung Drucken down again. The
entire room shook as if it were in an earthquake, and a massive shockwave spread out
from the point of impact.
Ignoring Shea, Hajime started talking to Yue.
"Miledi Reisen might have been the only Liberator that really was an enemy of
humanity."
"Agreed."
The Great Reisen Labyrinth was surely not going to be anything like the Great Orcus
Labyrinth, but not quite for the reasons they were expecting.
A few hours after Shea's crazed outburst, Hajime had discovered that the dungeon had
far outstripped even his pessimistic estimations of how it would turn out.
First, they couldn't use magic properly inside. Whatever it was that dissipated the
mana in the gorge was far more powerful down in the depths. Yue was hit especially
hard by that. She couldn't even form her higher level spells, and her more intermediate
ones were extremely limited in range. Five meters was often the upper limit. It was
still serviceable enough to use in fights, but she could no longer blow monsters away
with a single attack.
Even the reserves she'd stored in her magic stone accessories were drained at an
alarming rate, so she had to be careful. That was how much mana it took to do
anything. A normal person wouldn't have been able to cast anything at all in this
dungeon.
Hajime was adversely affected as well. Both Aerodynamic and Gale Claw required
maintaining magical energy outside of one's body, so he couldn't use them very
effectively, and even his Lightning Field was crippled. Donner and Schlag operated at
less than half of their usual power, and even Schlagen could only fire with as much
force as Donner normally did.
Hence, body strengthening was essential to clearing this dungeon. Shea's area of
expertise. As such, the reliable rabbit of Hajime's party was…
"I'm gonna murder you… Once I find your hideout, I'm going to tear you limb from
screaming limb!" Shea was screaming as she hunted her prey, a dangerous gleam in
her eyes. She'd completely, utterly, totally, lost it. Even the way she talked sounded
more feral. Miledi Reisen's love of teasing others seemed to have gotten to Shea.
Hajime and Yue completely understood the feeling, so they didn't say anything. And as
long as Shea stayed comically enraged, they'd be able to maintain some semblance of
composure by looking at her. It said something about how much their mental state
had deteriorated that they needed Shea to keep them sane. They'd made decent
progress since entering, but they'd already run into a number of frustrating traps and
annoying inscriptions. Without Shea's anger to calm them, Hajime and Yue would
probably have lost it long ago.
Shea had already devolved into a madly cackling mess, but everyone still kept a sharp
eye out for traps as they valiantly pressed forward.
Finally, they found themselves in a strange room. The stairs, connecting passageways,
and even the layout of the room was completely haphazard. It looked like a three year
old had just randomly assembled a bunch of lego blocks. The staircase leading up to
the third floor then connected to a sloping path that led back down to the passage
leading out of the first floor, while the staircase on the second floor seemed to just end
at a wall.
"Well, I guess this place is a labyrinth."
"…Yeah. Looks easy to get lost in."
"Hmph, I should have expected this from that rotten bitch. This twisted room is a
reflection of her terrible personality!"
"Believe me, I understand how you're feeling, but I think you need to calm down."
Shea's rage still hadn't cooled. Hajime gave her a look that was half-exasperation, halfpity and posed a question.
"So, which way do we go now?"
"Hajime. There's no point thinking about it."
"Hmm, guess you're right. We'll just have to mark and map the place ourselves as we
explore."
"Yeah…" Yue nodded in agreement. Mapmaking was a fundamental skill needed to
explore dungeons. However, with how winding the labyrinth's construction was,
Hajime wasn't sure how accurate his maps would be. He frowned, clearly unhappy.
The marking he had been referring to was another one of his special magic skills,
Tracking. This spell let Hajime mark certain locations with mana. He could then find
those marked locations no matter where he was. If he marked a living creature, he
could track its location. He was going to use it in the labyrinth to mark where they'd
been, so he could map out their location. He could also make his marks visible, so Yue
and Shea could see them too. As the mana was attached to an object, it wasn't
dissipated like the other spells they cast.
Hajime decided to start with the passage on the right-hand side, and marked it before
going in.
The passageway was around two meters wide, made out of brick. And like the Great
Orcus Labyrinth, the walls glowed faintly. They weren't illuminated by green
glowstone, though. The light in this dungeon was a pale blue.
When he checked what it was with Ore Appraisal, he discovered it was called linrock.
It glowed upon coming in contact with air. The first room they'd been in must have
been enchanted somehow to not glow until someone stepped inside. The passageway
resembled the mine in Laputa, actually. The one where they met the old guy who could
talk to rocks. It seemed that linrock never stopped glowing after coming into contact
with air even once.
Hajime reminisced about an anime from his homeland as he headed down the long
hallway. Clunk. One of the tiles on the floor sunk a little as Hajime stepped on it. That
was the first time the floor had done that. He looked down at his foot in confusion.
Then, suddenly— Fssssssh! The sound of something slicing through the air suddenly
filled the hallway as two circular saws appeared from either side of the wall. The one
on the right was about neck height, while the one on the left was waist height. The two
blades sped toward the party.
"Everyone, dodge!" Hajime instantly matrix dove backward, narrowly dodging both
blades. With how short Yue was, all she had to do was crouch to avoid both of them.
Shea managed to weasel out of danger as well. They could hear Shea crying out in
surprise as the blades sped past her. Since her cries didn't sound pained, Hajime
assumed she was safe.
Shea had actually only just barely managed to dodge, and some of the fur on her rabbit
ears had been shaved off… but it was no big deal.
After the blades had passed Hajime and the others, they vanished into the walls as if
they'd never existed. For a while, Hajime just stood there, warily waiting for a second
wave. But none came. He let out a relieved sigh, then turned back to the others. As he
did so, chills ran down his spine.
Following his instincts, he grabbed Yue and Shea, then threw himself forward. Not
even a second later, guillotine blades slammed into the floor where they'd been
standing. They vibrated as they came down, slicing through the floor like it was butter.
Sweating profusely, he stared at the blade that had fallen inches from his feet. Yue and
Shea stiffened in fear as well.
"They're all physical traps. That's why my Demon Eye can't sense them." He'd been so
focused on magical traps that he'd failed to take into account the possibility of physical
ones. Because the traps he'd encountered in his labyrinth excursions so far had all
been magical, his eye could easily spot those. But relying too much on his eye was what
had led him to lowering his guard. He'd put too much faith in his abilities.
"Haah. I-I thought we were done for there. Wait, Hajime-san! Why didn't you just stop
them? You've got a metal arm!"
"Those things are pretty sharp, you know? Even if it wouldn't cut right through, I'm
pretty sure they'd have damaged it pretty bad. I can't use Diamond Skin here,
remember?"
"D-Damaged…? What's more important to you, your equipment or my life?"
"I mean, you got out alright, didn't you? What's the problem?"
"Hey, don't avoid the question! You wouldn't really leave me to die, right? I'm more
important, right? Right?" Shea clung to Hajime as she stubbornly pressed him for an
answer. But Yue was the one who answered.
"…Runny Rabbit. The only reason you almost died is because you lack training."
"R-Runny— You take that back, Yue-san! That's too much, even for me!" And thus,
another moniker was added to the "something something rabbit" series. Despite
nearly dying twice in the few hours they'd been exploring, Shea was still quite lively.
Her true strength was how sturdy she was. Though she'd probably complain if anyone
told her that.
Still, what Shea had said was true. Though he had chosen to dodge, Hajime could just
as easily have blocked with his arm and gun. His coat was made of monster leather, so
it would have served well in defending him. And if the blades pierced through all of
that, he had metal plates protecting his vitals. Traps like this wouldn't kill him easily.
Even so, those blades had clearly been overkill for regular humans. Normal armor
would have been cut clean in two with how fast they'd been vibrating. Unless it was
something on the level of the armor Hajime had made with the ore he'd found in the
abyss, any would-be explorer would have had to dodge.
"Well, if this is as bad as it gets, then I should be alright." Hajime ignored Shea and
Yue's usual arguing and muttered that to himself. No matter how strong the traps
were, he was fine as long as they weren't augmented by magic. And Yue had her
automatic regeneration. So even if she got caught in one, she'd survive. Which meant…
Shea was the only one whose life was in any serious danger. Whether she realized that
or not, it was clear she was the most stressed out of everyone present.
"Huh? Hajime-san, why are you giving me that pitying look?"
"Hang in there, Shea…"
"U-Uh, what? Where'd that come from? And why do I have such a bad feeling about
this…" Shea rubbed her arms gingerly, clearly put off by Hajime's uncharacteristic
display of kindness. She kept a constant lookout for any more unpleasant surprises as
they headed further down the passage.
So far, they hadn't encountered any monsters. It was possible there weren't any in this
labyrinth, but unfounded optimism usually led to an early grave. Chances were they'd
jump out of nowhere, just like the traps.
After a few more minutes, the path opened up into another room. This one had three
different corridors leading out of it. After marking their location, Hajime picked the
leftmost path, a staircase leading down.
"Uuuu, I've got a bad feeling about this. Something bad always happens when my ears
get all twitchy." They were halfway down the staircase when Shea said that. Just as
she'd said, her ears were standing on end and twitching slightly.
"Hey, don't jinx it. Someone always ends up stepping on a trap right after someone
says that… See, look."
"I-It's not my fault!"
"Jinxer rabbit."