Kays Translations

Chapter 50: Labyrinth

Inside the labyrinth, it was lukewarm.

Compared to the harsh winter outside, you wouldn't even need a jacket.

The walls and floors, slightly uneven, were made of smooth black stone.

They did not appear to be natural formations but clearly artificial.

"It's brighter than I expected."

Despite no one carrying any illumination, visibility was preserved.

"Yes, that's due to the magic stones."

"Magic stones? From magical creatures?"

"That's right. I don't understand the rationale, but the magic stones from dead magical creatures gather in the labyrinth. These stones emit a faint light."

Looking closely, indeed, many magic stones were embedded in the walls, softly illuminating the surroundings.

A further sense of unease emerged.

—Magic power is... flowing?

I noticed the high density of magical energy the moment I entered, but it seems that's not all. I could sense a stream of magic power flowing through the passage.

—What a strange space.

Observing my surroundings, I continued along the passage.

After walking for a while and rounding a bend, suddenly a winged lion came into view.

I instinctively reached for the hilt of my sword.

Joseph restrained me with a hand.

"It's alright. It's already dead."

Looking closely, the winged lion was almost entirely embedded in the wall, petrified like a fossil.

"Why a magical creature..."

"That's not well understood either. Like the magic stones, it seems dead magical creatures are also absorbed by the labyrinth. However, it seems the creatures are in a sort of suspended animation."

"Suspended animation?"

"Apparently they're barely alive... Near-death higher-ranked magical creatures are said to die quietly with the labyrinth."

"That's indeed strange."

Based on the conversation, perhaps Chi You, who Lucius had contracted, was also excavated from this labyrinth.

"Since it was created in the Azure Era, nothing that happens here would be strange."

"The era when humans descended from the sky?"

"That's right. But I'm just parroting what the scholars say. However, the fact remains that relics from the Azure Era can be found here. That's why the knights are dispatched."

The knights don't come to the labyrinth out of pure curiosity.

The practical benefit of excavating relics is the reason they risk delving into this dangerous place.

"Even though it's so old, new things are still being found?"

"In most cases, like the Honogira domain, the labyrinth was concealed by the ruling house and reported later. It's unlikely there are many labyrinths left undiscovered."

Lucius recalled the many relics scattered inside the mausoleum.

—Were those excavated here?

"It was hidden?"

"Yes. If a labyrinth is discovered within a domain, the lord is expected to bear the costs of investigation. Many pretend not to know."

"That's quite a pragmatic reason."

"Most things are like that. But, Lucius, be careful."

"Of course, I understand that the dungeon is dangerous."

"It's not just that. This place is particularly strange."

The knights other than Joseph showed tense faces.

"Strange?"

"Every day, several people are injured or killed. But even more people don't come back at all."

The excitement at the entrance was indeed abnormal.

"Are they lost?"

"We don't know. Normally, even in a labyrinth, there aren't this many missing people."

"Something is here."

"That's highly likely. More importantly, the relics in the house of Count Omari, who hid this place, are too numerous."

"Too many?"

"Yes. The number of relics seized from the mausoleum, we can't believe they were all excavated by the knights stationed in the Honogira domain."

"Indeed. Here we are with a full division..."

Just as Lucius was about to respond, something appeared up ahead.

"――A Slime?"

A blue gel with no arms, legs, eyes, or mouth, was trembling even in the absence of wind.

Inside its transparent body, something like a round nucleus floated.

"So it has appeared quickly. A false core, it is."

"……Huh!?"

It felt like I'd heard some ridiculous words.

"A false core, you mean that!?"

"Eh, yes? That's the false core that can only be found in the labyrinth."

――In no way is it a cute-looking slime.

"Wait a minute. How do we use it to increase our magic power?"

"It's the belly button."

"The be……lly button?"

"Yes. When you touch it to your belly button, it enters your body and increases your magic power."

"I'm kind of lost?"

"It's simple. Once it settles inside your body, it starts to produce magic power like a magic core. It's a pity, but you can only incorporate one per person."

"But, isn't that harmful to the body? It's completely parasitic, isn't it?"

"There's no problem at all. Even people who are not knights often desire it."

At first, I thought it was a joke, but all the knights were now looking at Lucius with a "why now?" kind of expression.

It seemed to be the truth.

――This is physically tough.

I could faintly sense the magic power from the slime in front of me.

But it was a weak magic power.

"This slime…… The false core doesn't seem to be a first-class one."

"Ah, this one is sixth-class. It's everywhere."

"Can you tell just by looking?"

"It's the color. The color changes depending on the rank, maybe due to the influence of magic power. By the way, a first-class false core is either black or white. I've been a knight for a long time, but I've only seen it once."

Thinking about a black, murky gel mass entering my body, my stomach started to itch.

――I absolutely don't want to let it into my body.

"……I see."

The knights walked past the blue slime, or rather, the false core.

"Don't you catch it?"

"Eh, for some reason, false cores die quickly outside the labyrinth. So, when you want a false core, you need to incorporate it into your body inside the labyrinth. That's what makes it difficult to catch a higher-ranked false core."

"I see."

If they could exist in the outside world, they would definitely become someone's family treasure.

But the need to encounter them inside the labyrinth might be the reason why even the royal family or the four great nobles do not possess them.

When we started walking again, something else appeared.

It flew over our heads.

――Is it a bat this time?

There was something the size of a palm in the color of soil flying. Apart from having a single eye, it looked like a bat.

"We've found it! It's a scout golem."

One of the knights stabbed the bat with a spear he held.

"It's here already."

Joseph was astonished.

――What's that?

In front of the passage, there were several large, writhing creatures.

They were earthenware as tall as a person.

On top of spider-like legs, there was a humanoid upper body.

And four unusually thick arms.

"That's……"

Joseph answered, manifesting a spell from his left hand.

"Golems. They are the guardians of the labyrinth."

A bull-like spell emerged from Joseph's left hand.

It was a bull, its head hanging low because of its too-large horns.

It was the same creature that the escort knight, who came to Silverwood with Olivia before, had contracted.

From the eyes of the bull spell, invisible magical power was released, striking one of the golems.

Immediately, the golem stopped.

"It's stopped……"

"The evil eye of the Catoblepas can forcibly stop the movements of those below its rank."

――That seems quite a useful spell.

The remaining two earth golems passed by the stopped individual.

Their round hands transformed into something like hooked swords.

As Lucius also tried to engage by filling his hand with magic power, several members of the squad moved forward.

――They're implying that I don't need to get involved?

Like the people of the North, they mounted creatures like horses and leopards manifested from their spells and attacked the golems with sabers and bows.

A knight, skillfully riding in the narrow passage, released an arrow.

With the golem distracted by the arrows, another knight decapitated it with a saber and a spell.

At once, the golem crumbled and returned to being an earthen mass.

It was just an ordinary mound of dirt.

――It's just soil, isn't it?

"Well done, everyone. It seems there are no more golems. Let's move on."

As Joseph was resetting the formation, he called out.

I'd heard rumors.

The guardian of the labyrinth, a golem.

It's the greatest obstacle in the exploration.

But from what I've seen of its strength just now, it doesn't seem to be all that formidable.

If it were a monster, it would be about 4th class, at best.

"By the way, that one was a low-class earth golem."

"Earth?"

"Yes. The strength of a golem varies greatly depending on what it's made of. Golems made from rocks or metals can become troublesome."

"Then, I'll help next time."

"I appreciate that. However, the worst one is made of a metal called 'Mysteel'. If you see it, run away immediately. Most spells don't work on it."

"Understood."

Afterwards, they continued to move forward while keeping an eye on their surroundings.

Here and there, they saw green and yellow slimes, or rather fake nuclei, but overwhelmingly, there were more of the blue 6th-class ones.

Every few minutes of walking, they encountered forks in the path or side roads.

Each time one appeared, the surveyor of the squad would map it onto a chart. Several others would then immediately replicate the chart, repeating the process.

---If we lose the map, we might not be able to get out

The squad seemed to be divided into combat members and support teams, responsible for surveying and transporting supplies.

"Captain Joseph, the measurement is complete."

"Thank you, Hemiya."

"Not at all."

Apparently, the girl with the bob cut named Hemiya was coordinating the support team and combat team.

"Now, this is the unexplored territory."

"A territory you've never been to before?"

"No, we've been in here a few times. But we still don't understand most of the pathways. Also, this is an area where Iron Golems appear."

"Iron Golems?"

"Above earth and rock, if it were a monster, it'd be about 2nd class. We lost one person just yesterday."

The knights all looked somber.

Joseph raised his voice cheerfully, as if to encourage them.

"But we all want to make things easier for our families back home. And since Shaulia became the head of the brigade, the people from the north have been getting a lot more consideration. Usually, just because we're from the north, we're treated like expendable items on the battlefield."

"It's heartbreaking. Even though we're all from the same country."

It was as he'd heard.

Military service was just one example.

Politically weak, the North has been continuously disadvantaged in various ways.

It felt as if the various burdens of the country were accumulating in the North.

"Complaining won't help."

Joseph laughed, as if it was nothing.

Then, he called out to the group.

"Alright, let's move on."

Lucius advanced slowly into the unknown territory with the northern knights.

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