Chapter 183: It Was a Peaceful Meadow
Around the time Ryu was sent to the white world, Estelle and the others were steadily making their way through the labyrinth.
At the front were Lily, Subordinate-chan, and Louise. The three heroes formed the rear guard.
Between them were Lena and Estelle riding atop Axel, alongside Stingray and Alice. Homura was cradled in Lena’s arms, while Daifuku-kun rested comfortably in Estelle’s embrace.
“Whoa!! Now poison arrows are shooting out of the walls?! Seriously, this is getting ridiculous…”
Lily plucked one of the arrows mid-flight, casually pinching its feathered end between her fingers as she let out an exasperated sigh, lazily swinging it back and forth.
“The one who designed this labyrinth must have quite the rotten personality,” Estelle muttered.
“It’s obviously the dungeon master, right?! That creepy little black guy!” Lily snapped.
“He’s capable of casting spatial magic that teleports all of us at once. No doubt he’s watching us from somewhere far away, grinning to himself,” Estelle replied, her tone calm but edged with irritation.
“Grrr!! When I see him next, I’m definitely giving him a piece of my mind!!”
At that moment, Lena spoke up, her expression tinged with concern.
“The real issue is that my brother and Ryoma were sent to different locations from us. I just hope they’re not isolated…”
“Those two will be fine even if they are,” Estelle said without hesitation.
“Yeah. Like I said before, I think Ryu-sensei and Ryoma-sama are far more worried about us than we are about them,” Alice added softly.
For a brief moment, Estelle furrowed her brows.
(We were transported here by a trap-type spatial spell. That means the program was set in advance to send those two somewhere else entirely. In other words, the dungeon master has the ability to discern their true strength… No—Ryu and Ryoma have trained to suppress their mana to below that of ordinary people. And yet, instead of focusing on the flashy mana of the heroes or Lily, he targeted only those two. Perhaps… from the very beginning, he was after dragons alone. This gives me a very bad feeling…)
“And a dungeon master who can identify dragons… would also be a being from that side…” she muttered under her breath.
“Hm? Did you say something, Estelle?” Lily asked, tilting her head.
“It’s nothing,” Estelle replied quickly.
(That was close… just how sharp are her ears?)
Unlike most, Lily possessed overwhelmingly enhanced physical abilities and senses in exchange for her inability to use magic or weapons. Alice had once described Ryu as a physical monster, but if anything, the term suited Lily even more.
(Dungeon masters truly are troublesome beings… Now then… what will become of us, I wonder…)
If the dungeon master truly only cared about dragons, then the lives of Estelle and the others likely meant nothing to him. The fact that both S-rank monsters and humanity’s finest heroes had been casually thrown together into the same labyrinth was proof enough. There was no sign of the dungeon master appearing himself.
(Well… as long as Ryu is around, everything will be fine.)
Even if the worst were to happen—if Ryoma were to fall—Estelle believed, without a shadow of doubt, that Ryu would overcome anything.
(Don’t underestimate my Ryu. If you think he’s just an ordinary dragon, you couldn’t be more wrong.)
“Storm Bees incoming!! Your turn, Subordinate-chan, Louise!”
“Leave it to us!”
“Guess it’s time we show what we can do for once.”
“I’ll apply attack and defense buffs!”
“I’ll provide support with my divine bow!”
“Then I’ll watch the rear!”
As it turned out, clearing the labyrinth itself might not be too difficult.
After all, they had the heroes—and Lily.
The real problem… would come after they escaped.
◇◇◇
Meanwhile, in another labyrinth—
“GRAAAAH!!”
“Know your place, inferior creature. Do not touch me.”
Splat.
Ryoma crushed the head of a B-rank sand crocodile with brutal force.
He was known as the most gentle and composed among Ryu’s companions. The very same Ryoma who held Ryu’s utmost trust.
And yet, the words and actions he displayed now were nothing like him.
His beloved blade, Futsunomitama, dragged along the ground. Thick, pitch-black mana seeped from his body. His eyes burned crimson, his expression twisted with fury.
Anyone who saw him now would mistake him for an entirely different person.
This was the result of the dungeon master’s ultimate mental interference spell—perfected over tens of thousands of years.
According to the dungeon master, Ryoma was a dragon on the level of the Five Heavenly Dragons beneath the Dragon King.
And yet—even he had fallen into darkness.
The extent of that power was immeasurable.
“………………”
A magic circle appeared beneath Ryoma’s feet.
Without hesitation, he stepped onto it.
◇◇◇
After nearly an hour of exploration, Estelle and the others finally reached the end of the labyrinth.
“If we step on this magic circle, we should be able to get out!”
“It feels suspicious, but it’s a dead end… we have no choice,” Estelle said.
Though unease lingered, they chose to trust it—hoping to reunite with Ryu and Ryoma.
The circle glowed.
And in an instant, they were teleported once more.
…They arrived in a vast, peaceful grassland.
It was as if the world itself was celebrating their victory over the dungeon. Gentle winds swayed the grass and flowers, and the sky stretched wide and blue above them.
“It’s… beautiful…”
“Yes… truly a breathtaking place…”
For a moment, they allowed themselves to be swept away by the tranquility.
—but then.
A monstrous presence descended from the heavens.
A jade-green wind dragon, cloaked in raging storms.
It slowly beat its wings as it descended before them.
“…………”
A suffocating pressure crushed down upon them.
Only Estelle realized the truth.
(That’s… Ryoma…?)
Even from a distance, the sheer force of its mana felt overwhelming—like being pressed into the ground itself. No one could move. No one could speak.
Their bodies trembled uncontrollably. Even Lily—
—could not take a fighting stance.
The gentle breeze turned into violent gusts. The clear blue sky darkened into storm-filled blackness.
If one had to describe this moment in a single word—
Death.
Then, in the next instant, the wind dragon moved.
“GROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!”
With a deafening roar, it surged forward, intent on crushing them.
There was nothing they could do.
And yet, in their hearts, their voices became one.
(…Oni-sama… please save us…)
(Ryu-sama…!!)
(Ryu-kun… please…!!)
Summoning the last of her strength, Estelle cried out.
“RYUUUUUUU!!!!!!”
In that very instant—
From the distant right sky, a presence appeared.
A power so overwhelming it could be mistaken for a god.
A silver dragon.
Beautiful. Majestic. Radiant beyond compare.
It tore through the sky at impossible speed, split the air itself, and seized the wind dragon’s head in its claws—
—before slamming it violently into the grasslands below.
“Yo, Ryoma… what do you think you’re doing to my family?”