Chapter 218: Go Back Quietly
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 218: Go Back Quietly
“I’m sorry.”
“No.”
“I’m really sorry!”
“...Still no.”
It had been a very long time since I last saw Theodora. I remembered seeing Sera a few times when she stopped by the inn to rest, but I hadn't had a single moment to see Theodora’s face for three whole weeks.
It made sense, though. Theodora was so busy that you couldn't see her without coordinating schedules in advance, and since she was stationed quite far away, opportunities were scarce.
“How could you do this? Is it because we’re married now? Is the passion gone already?”
“I-it’s not like that...”
“Forget it. I hate you, Aven.”
“Haha... What can I do to make it up to you...?”
Theodora stood before me, looking incredibly, deeply pouted. Her estimated combat power was roughly equivalent to a 7th Stratum Boss entity; as I was now, she was a difficult boss to clear.
“Oh? You cut your hair? It looks great on you.”
“It’s because of the pain of a broken heart.”
“...I’m sorry.”
That didn't work.
“Your clothes are beautiful, though they can’t possibly match the beauty of their owner.”
“I have to live on my own now, so I’m trying to get stronger. This is a specially made Battle Attire.”
That didn't work either!
“Just hit me. Give me your worst.”
“Don't worry, I plan to.”
“Oh boy...!”
In the end, I had no way to breach the iron fortress of Theodora’s sulking. Father, who had been watching from the side, crawled up my body and whispered something in my ear.
“I know the strategy...!”
“W-what should I do...?”
“Just go over there, give her a kiss, and hold her tight. That’ll end it...!”
“...I’ll give it a try.”
After Father hopped off my back with a whoosh, I pried apart Theodora’s tightly crossed arms and forced my way into her space.
“W-what are you doing?! Wait—”
I gave her a kiss filled with all the affection I hadn't been able to show during our time apart. Theodora remained still for a moment, doing nothing, before her arms slowly reached out to wrap around my waist.
“Phew...! D-don't think for a second that this fixes everything!”
“Of course not.”
“Ugh...!!”
Theodora wiped the saliva from her lips, wearing a frustrated expression. Still, it wasn't long before the corners of her mouth began to twitch upward. It seemed to be working.
‘Father is quite wise.’
He had spent over twenty years with Auntie Marta, who boasted a fortress-like difficulty level even when she wasn't pouting, so it made sense. Though, I had a feeling this wouldn't work on Auntie...
“What on earth have you been doing that you only show up now?!”
“Ahaha... A lot has happened. I don't even know where to start explaining.”
“I really missed you, you know?! Are you really going to just wander around and leave your wife behind?!”
“I... I’m really sorry. But how did you know I was here? You were already in the Labyrinth, weren't you?”
“Huh?! Oh, uh...! T-that... it was just a hunch! A wife’s intuition!”
Of course it wasn't. Back when the expansion work was being done through Theodora’s connections, they had ripped up the entire floor and replaced it with high-quality new wood.
‘I-if I tell him there’s a bug, he’ll be mad, right?! I’ll have to come back later and remove it secretly...!’
“I see. As expected of my wife.”
“Wahaha! Having two wives must be tough on you!”
“...I’m enjoying myself.”
Starting with Father’s mood-spoiling laughter, our previous conversation resumed.
“So, what have you been doing that kept you from showing your face? It’s hard having such an expensive husband, you know?”
“Don't be surprised, Theodora. You too, Father. I’ll give you a brief summary of what I was just saying.”
I quickly summarized the conversation I’d been having with Father. There wasn't much progress to report, other than the fact that I’d been to the Labyrinth Opening and such.
“The conclusion is... in three weeks, I’m going to wipe out the Southeast.”
“W-wait...! What?!”
“Exactly what I said. We need to get most of the people out of the Southeast, including the Antonio Brotherhood.”
“This is bigger than I thought.”
“It can’t be helped.”
“No, I mean... do we really have to go that far...?”
Theodora hesitated for a moment, as if she wanted to say something but stopped. I understood. She had likely encountered Mystery Antoinette’s true body before.
“Wait a second.”
“Hmm? Oh, okay.”
I spread my wings for a moment to hide a corner of the room and spat out Iris.
—Thud
“That hurt.”
“Hurry up and put some clothes on.”
“Why.”
“What do you mean 'why'? People wear clothes.”
“I’m just going back in soon anyway.”
“...Because there are other people here.”
Lately, I’d been keeping Iris inside most of the time. I knew that time wasn't supposed to pass while she was stored, but every time she came out, she complained about being bored. Could it be that Iris could move even within the subspace?
“This is Iris Albresto. Um... she’s the owner of the magic item shop I frequent.”
“Oh, the young lady from before.”
“It’s the little dad with the big-chested daughter.”
“My name is Roland!”
“I know.”
“Um... Aven? Who is this...?”
Theodora asked, staring blankly at Iris. Was this their first meeting? I didn't think they had met before, but to have their first meeting inside the Labyrinth...
“Should I call her an assistant who helps with my training?”
“An assistant...? Hmm.... No, wait, where did she just come from? Are you perhaps...?”
“N-no. There’s a story behind that...”
Theodora glared at me with narrowed, blade-like eyes. She seemed to be seriously misunderstanding something.
‘Female!! Rival!!’
Theodora was unable to control her pheromones and was radiating anger from her entire body.
“There’s a reason for it. A really big, important reason.”
“...I believe you.”
“Of course.”
After that, Iris and Theodora, meeting for the first time, exchanged greetings.
“Hello, Beastkin.”
“I’m Theodora.”
Theodora, who tended to be quite overbearing and strong-willed with strangers, met Iris, who was just... a strange person. I wondered if Iris, who was the polar opposite of the universally kind Sera, would get along with Dora.
“You have an excellent bloodline.”
“Oh, you can tell just by looking?”
“Yes.”
“Well... I suppose you have some talent, then.”
Surprisingly, Iris was the first to offer a compliment—of sorts—and succeeded in gaining Theodora’s favor.
‘That’s really unexpected.’
“Anyway, Iris. Theodora has that on her right now.”
“Okay.”
“Please do something about it.”
“That? What is it?”
“Dora. Just close your eyes and stay still for a moment.”
“Uh, okay.”
Theodora closed her eyes. Iris stepped up to her and placed the tip of her index finger on Theodora’s forehead. Before long, Theodora’s expression began to shift rapidly.
“Done.”
“Dora? How is it? Are you okay?”
“W-what happened...?”
At first, she seemed surprised, but the expression that followed was pure rage.
“No, how could they make such a trashy contract?! Argh! No, Mom!!”
Theodora scratched her head frantically and stomped on the Labyrinth floor. It seemed that due to Mystery Antoinette’s brainwashing magic, the contract between the Lymain family and the Antonio Brotherhood had been incredibly lopsided.
“H-how...! When?! I’ve been getting mental purification magic every week before the contracts are finalized...?!!”
“It’s Mystery Antoinette’s ability.”
“Impressive. How did she do it?”
Father, who had been watching from the side, looked back and forth between me and Iris with curiosity. He was already aware that there were many people within the Antonio Brotherhood who possessed illegal brainwashing skills.
Originally, skills that forced the actions of others, including brainwashing, were classified as ‘Forbidden Skills’ by the Page of Arcana and the Guild Headquarters. Upon acquisition, they had to be reported to the authorities, and financial support was provided for their deletion.
But the Southeast was a place where eighty percent of existence was illegal. Such regulations couldn't be properly enforced, and such skills were being used almost openly.
“The fox girl is a rich man’s daughter. To think there’s a skill that even a high-level mage’s mental purification magic can’t break?”
“I really can’t believe it...! Why...?! Those bastards who take dozens of gold pieces every session...!!”
Theodora wailed about the money wasted on mental purification magic. Still, I suppose it was a necessary expense.
“Mystery Antoinette is a monster that came to the surface through a Labyrinth Opening.”
“What...?!”
“Is that true?”
I told Theodora and Father the truth: that Mystery Antoinette was actually a Succubus. And not just any Succubus, but the Succubus Queen.
I added that this information must not leak to anyone else, and through Father’s ability, I perfectly blocked any possibility of our conversation being bugged or overheard.
“Unbelievable... How is that even possible...?”
“Because she’s a powerful monster. She’s hiding her identity with sophisticated magic that the Human Species can’t detect.”
“Hmm.... And what is the source of this information?”
“Ah, um.”
I turned to look at Iris, but she looked as thoughtless as ever. Business as usual.
“My assistant, Iris, told me.”
“And what is this young lady’s source?”
“I found out.”
“Based on what?”
“I just know.”
“Huh?”
Iris, a monster of anti-sociality, didn't really know how to carry on a conversation with others. To provide clear evidence, I would eventually have to reveal Iris’s true identity...
But I felt it was still a bit too early for that. Let’s keep Iris’s identity a secret for now.
“Father, you haven't met her yet, have you?”
“No, not yet.”
“That’s a relief.”
With this, Theodora was also freed from the brainwashing. Once Mystery Antoinette was dead, everyone’s brainwashing would be lifted simultaneously. Should I meet Dora’s mother before then?
‘Let’s think about that later.’
“So... I’m going to flatten the entire Southeast.”
“...Is that even possible?”
“Yes. I can do it. Once I’m a little more prepared.”
“Prepared...?”
I looked back and forth between Father and Iris.
“We were on our way to the 50th floor.”
“Why the 50th floor?”
“To eat Horus.”
“Horus, eh....”
“H-Horus...!”
As soon as I mentioned Horus’s name, gravity seemed to pull down on Father and Theodora’s faces.
“What’s with those looks?”
“Horus will be difficult.”
“Are you going to be okay...?”
“I mean, it’s just the 50th floor, right? I even caught the Irregular Megido Serpent.”
The Megido Serpent was considered beyond the 3rd Stratum even under normal circumstances, and I had taken down an Irregular entity. Father had helped, of course, but it wasn't like I’d just been sitting around.
“Horus is much more powerful than the other bosses on the same floor.”
“That guy... no matter how you look at it, he doesn't belong on the 50th floor....”
“Is that true, Iris?”
“No, he’s weak.”
“Hmm.”
Well, I suppose from Iris’s perspective, that would be true.
“Young lady, are you really that strong?”
“Seeing as she broke the brainwashing magic, she certainly seems capable, but...”
As Theodora and Father looked at Iris with slightly suspicious expressions, Iris spoke up.
“I am strong. Because I’m from the 9th Stratum.”
“Huh?”
“...What does that mean?”
‘Oh boy. This airhead.’
“She means she’s strong enough to go to the 90th floor! Haha, she’s very confident, this one.”
“What are you talking about? I—”
“Iris, go back in now.”
“No. It’s boring in there—”
—Gulp
“Let’s head out. Regardless, we have to go to the 50th floor.”
“O-okay....”
“Dora, it’s dangerous, so go back up to the surface.”
“No, I’m coming too.”
Theodora blocked my path with her arms spread wide as I tried to pass. This wasn't good; we were losing time.
“Sorry, Dora. It’s too dangerous. You can’t come.”
“Do you want to test me?”
“Test you?”
—Swish!!!
Boom—!!
The rare metal claws on Theodora’s hands flew toward my face at high speed before being blocked. It was a heavier attack than I expected. The Theodora I knew... shouldn't have been this strong.
“That’s....”
“I succeeded. How is it?”
Her eyes, which were normally a bright gold, were now tinged with a reddish hue. Furthermore, the mana surging through her claws was almost like...
‘Is that her mother’s power?’
It was a power that only beastkin of excellent bloodlines could use.
“Still, no.”
“Why?! Father is going too!”
“If you can beat Father, I’ll allow it.”
“Huh? Why me?”
* * *
“Go back to the surface quietly.”
“Yeah... okay....”
“Don't be too sad. Don't contact Mystery Antoinette after this. And don't tell anyone what happened in the Labyrinth.”
“I said I got it....”
As expected, she still couldn't beat Father.