Chapter 89: D-Rank Labyrinth – Cherry Cherry Orchard (1)
Chapter 89: D-Rank Labyrinth – Cherry Cherry Orchard (1)
In the middle of a colorful hill beneath a pink sky where a smiling sun shone brightly, the outlaws stood frozen in place.
“Damn it…”
Cold sweat ran down their backs.
Cherry Cherry Orchard was a labyrinth that became as dangerous as the upper tier of C-rank if one did not follow the guidance of the paper fairy.
Their situation was no different from being stranded in the middle of a lava lake.
“Do not panic. Stay calm.”
While everyone stood stiffly in silence, a hooded outlaw spoke quietly.
He was a beastman explorer who had organized this temporary expedition for the robbery.
His presence was so unusual that everyone had implicitly accepted him as the expedition leader.
“Our situation is certainly desperate, but it is not yet time to abandon hope. The condition for clearing the labyrinth is simply to defeat seven specific monsters.”
“…That’s true.”
“No matter what environment or creatures we encounter, if we remain calm we can handle them. That is the foundation of exploration. It may even be possible for all of us to pass through safely.”
“It won’t be easy, but we have no alternative.”
Marsent, the demon outlaw, slowly nodded.
“Fortunately, I am rather perceptive. From now on I will give instructions. You will follow them without argument.”
In a typical outlaw expedition someone would have mocked him for taking charge, but no one complained.
Picking a fight with a cold-faced explorer who constantly radiated killing intent and the smell of blood would have ensured they never survived this long.
“Understood. Let’s move carefully…”
Following the beastman explorer’s instructions, the outlaw expedition began advancing in the direction where the crow had flown.
— Grrk?
“Wait.”
A squirrel whose body was made of grapes appeared.
Without hesitation, the beastman explorer swung his hand axe and split its head in two.
The tail that had been stretching grotesquely toward them went limp.
“That one was dangerous. How did you know?”
“It was grapes.”
“…So?”
“I do not eat grapes. The seeds are annoying.”
“……”
The reasoning behind his judgment was difficult to understand, but thanks to the outlaw beastman’s cold insight, the expedition managed to survive.
They pushed forward while barely fending off attacks from suddenly violent snack animals.
Eventually, however, there was a casualty.
Splash!
“Aaaagh!”
At the end of the colorful hill, a scorching honey swamp appeared.
Suddenly a pancake crocodile burst from the swamp and bit the nearest outlaw, dragging him away.
“……”
The death of a companion was not tragic.
It merely meant losing a potential meat shield for emergencies.
Marsent frowned and casually turned his head.
Then he flinched.
…Why is he smiling? The situation has been disastrous from the start.
The beastman explorer’s mouth—barely visible beneath his hood—was curved into a bright smile.
It looked innocent.
Yet the feeling it gave Marsent was chilling enough to make him shudder.
Once this is over, I’m never associating with him again.
Even as a seasoned outlaw, this beastman was not someone he wanted to be close to.
Lucius was an ideal exploration companion.
“I have granted you the blessing Clear Perception. Your senses will be sharper now, so you will be able to follow Lord Kar’s instructions more quickly.”
He was the undisputed noble position in any expedition: a healer.
He could not only heal but also possessed various support Mysteries, making exploration far more comfortable.
“Sir Abel, there is a large stone beneath your feet… no, a cookie. Please watch your step.”
His polite attitude toward the siblings had already made Marlin’s eyes sparkle.
“He’s really competent!”
Bartimir, pleased with their new comrade who had once fought alongside them in Sanctuary of Restful Purification, slapped the priest’s shoulder enthusiastically.
“Our expedition really gained someone amazing!”
“Thank you. But please be a bit gentler…”
Thanks to Lucius’s blessing, it became even easier for us to follow the paper fairy’s guidance.
“Ah, there’s a bad child over there!”
The paper fairy flapped energetically and began circling in the air.
It was time to fight the first “bad child.”
— Kii-o-weee!
A bizarre cry that strangely delighted the ears.
Ahead of us, a red apple boar with around twenty human heads embedded throughout its body was devouring a bread-bodied squirrel.
《Multi-Headed Apple Boar (Level 4)》
《A monster apple boar whose body grows the heads of the people it devours. Aside from tasting slightly like spoiled apples if eaten, it has no special abilities. But its appearance is truly disgusting.》
“…Ugh.”
Even the Eye That Perceives Truth found it revolting.
Marlin shrieked and hid behind my back.
Honestly, it disgusted me too.
If it had only four heads, it might have looked rather cute.
“Sister.”
Rosalia dashed forward and decapitated the boar monster instantly.
— Grrraaagh!
The twenty human heads screamed simultaneously in their final moments.
Yet the ruthless assassin showed no concern.
She swung her dagger three more times to finish the job cleanly.
“Kar?”
Marlin tugged tightly at my clothes.
“Why did we come here for a picnic? The scenery is pretty, but…”
“It’s not a picnic yet. Right now it’s exploration.”
“Oh… okay.”
Rosalia returned after dissolving the corpse with acidic poison.
The paper fairy raised both arms and cheered.
“The bad child is gone! Thank you! Now please follow me again!”
The guidance resumed.
The exploration proceeded cheerfully thanks to the bright background music echoing everywhere.
Yet somehow the atmosphere gradually became subdued.
Why?
Surely it wasn’t that everyone disliked exploration.
Marlin, who had seemed reluctant before entering, was smiling brightly while observing the hills.
After examining the team members, I finally realized the problem.
“Marlin.”
“Yes?”
“Say something—anything—to liven up the atmosphere. No one else is suited for it.”
“…That’s true.”
Everyone who entered Cherry Cherry Orchard lacked sociability.
Abel, who was not very outgoing.
Rosalia, who was excessively quiet.
Bartimir, who showed interest only in her own topics.
Lucius, who was dignified and reserved.
Without Marlin and me, this group would have silently focused on exploration until the labyrinth was cleared.
“Wow, look at that strawberry flower field! It’s so pretty!”
Marlin tried to start lively conversation with exaggerated enthusiasm.
The results were minimal.
“It is.”
“……”
“The blooming petals are beautiful. The strawberry scent is pleasant.”
“Patron, I will collect some flowers. If you add them during the offering ritual later, the offerings will gain a refreshing fragrance.”
No one seemed willing to extend the conversation.
After chattering alone for a while, Marlin finally slumped her shoulders and whispered to me.
“Next time we explore, bring Pendrick with us…!”
“That seems necessary.”
Just one missing member had turned the Moon Expedition into a group of humorless honor-student explorers.
Pendrick, we miss you.
I hope you are well wherever you are.
“We’re here! This time it’s here!”
Because everyone was so focused on exploration, we reached the location of the third “bad child” before long.
A sweet candy beach.
A refreshing turquoise soda sea stretching endlessly.
The scent alone felt like enough sugar to ruin one’s health.
If not for the tree growing in the middle of the candy beach ruining the scenery, I might have admired the view longer.
《Hair Tree (Level 3)》
《A tree whose leaves are replaced by long strands of hair. It captures nearby creatures and drains their life force as nutrients.》
This time Rosalia did not need to act.
It was time to test the prosthetic arm.
The snake tattoo burrowed into the back of my hand and connected with the Spark of Glory within.
Fwoosh!
My left palm opened with a metallic click and flames burst forth, engulfing the plant monster entirely.
It burned well.
《Uncelebrated — [Sa · Yeom · Hwa] has reached Tier 3》
I had used it relentlessly since Sanctuary of Restful Purification.
Finally its tier increased.
Now it possessed a new effect.
“Good job!”
The paper fairy fluttered near my face and cheered.
“Friend, thank you for helping! You must be tired, right? Please rest today and help again tomorrow!”
“Of course!”
“See you tomorrow!”
The paper tapped my nose twice before flying away.
Today’s schedule ended there.
Cherry Cherry Orchard was a labyrinth that required two days of exploration.
“Thank you for your hard work today.”
When I turned around after watching the fairy leave, the expedition members were staring blankly at the soda sea.
It was a breathtaking view.
“Well, everyone?”
I placed my hand on Abel’s head and addressed them.
“This is the first vacation location of the Moon Expedition. Are you ready to enjoy it?”
“Kar…!”
Marlin looked up at me with bright eyes.
“So we really came here to relax? This isn’t just exploration disguised as a vacation?”
“Haven’t I always said it? I never lie about exploration.”
Cherry Cherry Orchard was the perfect labyrinth for resting a day.
We could not stay long due to the outlaw expedition, but it would still be meaningful.
“Let’s camp here and enjoy tonight.”
Even explorers sometimes needed rest.
“You are free to relax now. However, it is dangerous, so do not leave this beach.”
If Pendrick had been here, he would have laughed and led everyone straight into the sea.
But the members who entered this time were not used to ordinary vacations.
“…What exactly are we supposed to do here?”
Bartimir, who had grown up enduring experiments like torture as a test subject of the dark magic guild, had almost no experience resting freely.
“……”
Rosalia, whose life as a Brites family assassin consisted only of brutal training, found the concept of freedom unfamiliar.
“Abel, what do people usually do at the beach? Didn’t books mention it?”
“I’m not sure…”
For the siblings, who had struggled just to survive each day in the slums, the idea of a picnic was unfamiliar as well.
Lucius sighed quietly as he observed the hesitant group.
“O Protector of All, there are still so many in this world who live beyond your protection.”
Even Arteine could not solve a problem like this.
No matter how vast divine power was, intervening on earth simply to teach people how to have fun was impossible.
That responsibility belonged to those nearby.
Someone like me—the expedition leader.
“Attention, please.”
I clapped my hands to draw everyone’s attention.
“I brought you to Cherry Cherry Orchard to fill the gaps in your memories.”
The siblings were not the only ones with holes in their hearts.
The others were not very different.
I could not empathize with their emotional suffering, but as someone equally lacking something, I could help fill the void.
“The Young Master distrusts emotional bonds between people, but I do not wish to live that way. If shared memories accumulate, we will surely come to understand each other more deeply.”
Of course, that might not happen.
I had not reached this conclusion after deep contemplation.
Perhaps Odilon’s belief was correct—that deep relationships only produced tragedies where everyone died instead of sacrificing one person.
But what of it?
“I wish to become close with all of you. I want us to continue exploring as companions willing to risk our lives for each other.”
Friendship and camaraderie lasted longer once they left the realm of pure logic.
I still remembered the unwavering loyalty of the employees who refused to betray each other even when it would have freed them from their boss’s tyranny.
“Let’s begin with a simple game. Priest, do you happen to have a shovel?”
I asked just in case.
Lucius calmly pulled an exploration shovel from subspace.
After taking it, I plunged it into the candy beach and said,
“First, bury my body in the sand, leaving only my head exposed.”
“Why?”
“The person who becomes ‘it’ swings a club while blindfolded and tries to smash my head. It’s a common one-time game people play at the beach.”
“…You might survive it, Kar, but ordinary people would die.”
“That’s why it’s a one-time game.”
“……”
Marlin stared at me before smiling strangely.
“I think you should fill your own memories first, Kar.”
I could not argue with that.