Chapter 14: Purpose of the Map
"I apologize, Theodore-sama. Have I caused you discomfort?"
"――Huh?"
When I turned around, Grace had a slightly troubled expression on her face.
Upon hearing her words, I placed my hand on my face. Damn, did it show on my expression?
Well, I must have had a pretty terrible look on my face. I need to calm down a bit. I don't want to make Grace feel uneasy.
"No... I'm not angry at Grace. But there's no need to worry about being the wall role. I have my own plan this time."
"Understood."
Grace closed her eyes and bowed her head. ...The wall role, huh?
Because I couldn't do anything when it was my mother's turn. That's why I can't forgive myself, and I'm sure Grace feels the same.
That's why she's trying to protect me in any way she can.
Grace probably thinks that even if I get injured, it will heal quickly, so temporary pain is nothing to worry about.
So, even if I were in Grace's position, I would definitely take on the wall role. Taking emotions out of the equation, her suggestion is surely correct.
From her perspective, she must be confused since I suddenly became able to fight and participate in battles.
When it was the Killer Ants... I didn't feel like this even when Grace said she would fight.
What's different between the Killer Ants, Oslo, and the ants this time... If I had to say, it's probably because the Killer Ants were simply acting based on instincts and habits. On the other hand, being targeted with calculated malice... I can't tolerate that.
Yeah. I understand it logically, and I'm becoming more calm. My emotions can't catch up though.
I won't hesitate to eliminate them, but dealing with humans is a hassle because there are so many entanglements and it's annoying. Why can't they just leave me alone?
"Hey, Theodore-kun? You said you have a plan... but you were cautious of those guys from the beginning, right?"
"Well, yeah."
"I couldn't understand why someone who seemed so confident would buy the map cautiously... Could it be because of that?"
"That's part of it."
If everything goes smoothly, that's fine too. I can show Rosetta that I can skillfully conquer the labyrinth by looking at the map.
If those adventurers show any suspicious behavior, I can narrow down the ambush spots just by looking at the map.
"The places where they are likely to ambush are here and here. And also here."
I brought the Light Ball back to my hand and pointed to the map, showing it to Rosetta. I could tell that her expression was gradually clouding over.
"The main target is on the third underground floor. It should be this long corridor that intersects vertically with the passage leading to the stairs and the stone monument. This is the most suspicious place. We can take aim with a bow and have someone waiting in the small rooms ahead and behind the corridor. We can ambush them when they try to escape."
As I explained, pointing to the intersection, Rosetta's expression turned sullen for some reason.
"But that's not the point at all. Who taught you such things?"
"I never said I was the one who emphasized the basics, and it's troublesome when you sulk."
It was just a precautionary measure to observe the locations suitable for PK based on the structure of the labyrinth. It was nothing more than what Keiki had been doing as a normal play until now. With the know-how and theory, there was nothing difficult about it.
"Haa... I see. I thought I could act all cool and play the role of the guardian if there was a chance. There might be some strong thief adventurers, and the two of you are excellent, so many things didn't go as I expected."
"...Were you thinking about that?"
"I was thinking about it. ...So?"
Rosetta pouted her lips discontentedly. Like a child.
"So, what do you mean by that?"
"As Theodore, what do you intend to do with that ambush? How will you proceed?"
"Well... it will be quite a detour, but if we go around from this area... there you go. We can get behind the archers. They saw me holding the map near the square, you know. Considering that we're newcomers, they probably assume that we'll take the shortest route."
Rather than saying they saw, I showed it to them.
If they aim for newcomers, they won't suspect that the newcomers would move according to the theory. Let's give them a solid lesson that they'll suffer if they make a rash move.
"So, if there's an archer here, it's almost certain that it's an ambush. We'll launch a preemptive attack without giving them a chance to respond."
"...I'm starting to feel sorry for them."
Rosetta shook her head and sighed.
"Sigh. I've had enough. It's not about assessing their abilities or the situation. I'll move too. As an adventurer who moonlights as a thief, it would be a bad position if I let them slip away."
While saying that, Rosetta didn't make any move to draw her weapon. Tilting my head in confusion, she said,
"My weapons are martial arts and general healing magic. And also... the magic of the flip side. There's no need to worry."
"The Dark Side of Healing Magic... You really have quite a brutal hand. Choosing hand-to-hand combat due to understanding the structure of living beings, I suppose."
Seems like I don't have to worry about her... Let's continue exploring the labyrinth. First, let's take care of the goblins we defeated.
"Abstraction."
I shadowed my hand towards the bodies of the fallen goblins and activated the 6th level dark magic.
A red mist rose from the goblin's bodies and gathered in the palm of my hand. The mist solidified and became red crystals the size of rice grains.
As for the goblin corpses from which the magic stone components were extracted, they vanished as if melting into the floor of the labyrinth. Well... it's a familiar sight.
"...You can even use magic to extract magic stones."
"Yes. But it doesn't seem profitable at all when it comes to goblins."
Still, I used this magic mainly for confirmation. I wanted to experiment and verify how the behavior in this area manifested in reality. Unlike outside, there's no need to deal with corpses in the labyrinth.
When a monster dies, the magic stone components naturally separate, but the Termwills' Grand Labyrinth absorbs the corpses of such monsters.
So, if you extract them, you won't be able to strip the materials... but ordinary goblins aren't suitable materials to begin with.
However, it's not very rewarding to use this magic unless you use it on a large number of them. The goblins in the Grand Labyrinth, in particular, don't leave and don't even qualify as targets for the guild's subjugation since they don't cause any damage to livestock or crops. Their position is a bit different from elsewhere.
Therefore, it's not profitable to linger around here either. Let's continue forward while collecting the Translocation Stones scattered on the roadside.
Rosetta jumped right into the Kobold who swung a club at her and easily deflected the strike. She then pulled and threw the Kobold in a circular motion, stepping on its vital point as it rolled on the floor, finishing it off.
Her movements were seamless, devoid of hesitation. Like flowing water, her martial skills were graceful. Thanks to that, there was little bloodshed, and Grace remained relatively sober, and my staff was also intact. It's because we can manage with staff combat alone.
"So, this detour is this way?"
Rosetta asked, pointing to the path on the left.
"Yes, that's correct. When we approach that point, I'll turn off the light."
We had been progressing through the underground floors without much difficulty, defeating the sporadically appearing monsters. The fact that the monsters that emerged in the shallow levels were weak and their numbers were not significant contributed to the ease of our progress.
We ignored the small rooms by the side. Since the new moon was approaching, it meant a considerable amount of time had passed due to structural changes, and most of the treasures had probably already been collected.
"Theodore-sama, I found a dimensional stone."
Grace picked up a pea-sized dimensional stone that had fallen in the corner of the corridor. Even without entering the adjacent room, it was possible to collect dimensional stones just by walking along the corridor.
The dimensional stones that could be collected were mostly small, like the one Grace had just brought. To ensure successful teleportation and return, a certain amount was required, so it was necessary to continue collecting them while exploring the labyrinth. However, I believe we have gathered enough for the three of us to escape. If we find another dimensional stone, it would be fine to gradually teleport things like ant mandibles or kobold tails.
Determining the exact amount of dimensional stones needed for the return was somewhat difficult. When teleporting from a stone monument, the required amount of dimensional stones suddenly increased when there were seven or more people. Therefore, it was common for the labyrinth to be explored in groups of up to six people.
Gradually, the designated location drew near. We turned off the lights, cast the dark vision spell, and silently advanced along the corridor.
And then... we arrived at the spot. Peeking cautiously from the corner, we saw two men who covered themselves entirely with cloaks, even wrapping cloth around their faces, observing the depths of the corridor. One of them carried a bow while the other held a staff... a mage, I suppose. The one with the bow probably had the role of casting the dark vision spell on the archer.
There was only one reason to hide their clothing and faces like that: insurance in case they managed to escape. It was a way to create an opportunity for excuses. They seemed quite experienced at it.
Well then... since they clearly appear to be enemies dressed in black, I'll initiate the attack, but... it would be troublesome if it turned out to be a mistake. Let's start by testing their reaction with a non-lethal spell.
The magic I used was the fourth-grade wind magic, Air Burst. It involved launching a compressed mass of air created by magic, causing it to explode and scatter a powerful shockwave and a loud noise. It not only weakened the enemy's combat ability but also lured out those who were lying in ambush ahead in the corridor...
Perhaps due to their dark vision, they reacted to the faint light of the magic circle, but... it was already too late for everything.
"Get blown away."
Right in front of them, a shockwave and a deafening noise erupted.