Chapter 167: Request for Support
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 167: Request for Support
“Lafnel, are you awake?”
“Oh dear... Waking up here must mean... I ended up dying after all.”
“Yes. Unfortunately so.”
“Th-This place is...!”
“It’s the relief station, President.”
“Dammit. I didn't want to die!”
“Heh heh. Old man, your days of trekking through the Labyrinth are over. If I recall, isn't this your fifth death? Any more and you won't even be able to resurrect, will you?”
“Blast it... Stop teasing me. You’re driving a stake through an old man’s heart...”
As the Tower Lord teased him, the Druid Club President’s face crumpled into a deep scowl.
Currently, Lafnel, the Druid President, and the Tower Lord were all admitted to the same hospital room.
It had been decided that keeping the three of them in the same location was best for security reasons.
“So, what happened? I died so quickly I didn't get a proper grasp of the situation.”
“To put it simply, a Demon King appeared. And the Saintess sent him back down where he came from.”
“I see. She’s quite the remarkable woman.”
“Well, she’s dead now, though.”
“What!!!?”
“Are you saying the Saintess is dead?”
“Yeah. She sent the Demon King back and died right along with him. She used up all her lifespan... It seems she can't be resurrected, either.”
“Oh, no...”
“A great star of the Labyrinth City has fallen.”
At the Tower Lord’s words, Lafnel and the Druid President wore somber expressions.
No matter how much of a troublemaker the Saintess was, she had been one of the great pillars of the Labyrinth City.
Hearing that such a giant had fallen, both offered their silent tributes.
“Um, sorry to interrupt your mourning, but the Saintess is still alive.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
The Tower Lord, who had witnessed the Saintess’s death with her own eyes, shot back a look that asked what kind of nonsense I was spouting.
“The souls of the faithful are supposed to go straight to the Goddess upon death, aren't they? Don't tell me you... forced the Saintess, who was trying to pass on...”
“No, I didn't catch her by force. Don't look at me like that.”
“Wait, what’s going on? Could someone explain this so I can understand too?”
When the Druid President couldn't follow the conversation between me and the Tower Lord, Lafnel, who had been listening quietly, turned to him.
“President, how much do you know? About Sion, I mean.”
“Let’s see, what was it... Ah, right. I know he can see and handle souls.”
Since I had shown him the Dragon that Helena had entered, the President obviously knew. In fact, he was the one who had given me the Ice Snow Bird that now housed the Saintess’s soul.
“Wait, don't tell me. You caught the Saintess’s soul? You’re insane! Who else knows about this? I don't want to be an accomplice!!!”
“No, the Pope knows as well.”
“What? Oh, well then. Haha. I thought I was about to become an enemy of the Church.”
“I’ll let you know in advance that this was done with the Saintess’s consent, so there was no coercion involved.”
“What about the Saintess’s new body? Should we prepare a Golem?”
“No. The Saintess has entered the body of a Spirit Beast.”
“A Spirit Beast?”
“Yes. She entered the body of the Ice Snow Bird. From now on, she’ll be active as a Messenger of God. This is classified information for now, so please keep it between the three of you.”
“Understood. But is that Ice Snow Bird the one I gave you?”
“That’s the one. It’s that very bird.”
“Since you put the Saintess’s soul in it... I suppose it’s become an Ice Snow Bird that can use healing magic.”
“Exactly.”
From a Dragon containing the former Tower Lord to an Ice Snow Bird containing the former Saintess.
Looking at my summon lineup alone, I seemed more capable than most Druids. And I had the Hypercube on top of that.
“But you didn't come here just to say hello. What did you come for?”
As the conversation dragged on, the Tower Lord urged me to get to the point.
“I do have a request for each of the three of you.”
“Go ahead and speak.”
“First, President. Can you properly teach me the Monster Evolution Art?”
“Where did you hear about that?”
The President’s expression shifted instantly.
The man who had been full of playfulness until now suddenly frowned and questioned the source of my information.
“It’s a technique I heard about from a woman named Zelia.”
“Zelia?”
“Yes. She told me that in the past, Druids tamed the monsters of the Labyrinth and used them in battle.”
“Do you know how far in the past that was?”
“I know it was quite a long time ago.”
“Do you also know that evolved monsters eventually devour their masters?”
“I have a solution for that part.”
“You intend to put human souls into them.”
“It’s as the Tower Lord says.”
“You could end up creating a Demon King with your own hands. It’s dangerous.”
“Is there anything in this world that isn't dangerous?”
“Sigh... It’s a forbidden art...”
“You used a forbidden art when you summoned the Hypercube, didn't you?”
“This is madness. First, I’ll have to look for the relevant books. It’s not a technique I’ve perfectly mastered myself, either. There’s a clear reason why the sages forbade it.”
“Yes. But I’m asking you anyway. Now that the Underground City is in human hands, it’s a technique we must know.”
“Fine. Haaa...”
Training monsters born in the Labyrinth to be familiars is inherently dangerous.
This is because a monster’s soul is fundamentally designed to kill humans. No matter how many safety measures are put in place, the monster’s soul will eventually run wild in its drive to kill.
Furthermore, the Monster Evolution Art is a technique that takes such monsters as familiars and gradually evolves and strengthens them, making the risk of them running wild astronomically high.
For example, if you tame a Hobgoblin and keep evolving it, it might become as strong as an Underground City boss monster, but it becomes that much harder to control.
That’s why the technique disappeared hundreds of years ago. If it hadn't been for Zelia, a being from the very distant past, I wouldn't have known about it.
“By the way, that Zelia you just mentioned... Surely it’s not the Zelia I’m thinking of?”
“It’s probably the Zelia you’re thinking of, Lafnel.”
“Good grief. The maverick of the clan has returned to life.”
“A maverick?”
“That’s right. You could say Zelia is an outlier like me. She was also the last successor of Gem Smithing. Unless a branch of her lineage has survived, she’s likely the only Gem Smith in existence.”
“Gem Smithing? If that’s true... the performance of Golems will increase sevenfold.”
“Is it just Golems? If she’s the real deal, the danger of the Monster Evolution Art will also decrease.”
Zelia’s value was skyrocketing. Gem Smithing was practically all-purpose, wasn't it?
To think Zelia, who possessed such incredible skills, died just because she wandered into the Labyrinth...
‘I should tell Zelia to train some successors.’
What would happen if I handed Gem Smithing over to the Magic Tower?
Monopolizing the technology is important, but so is training the next generation. It would be a massive loss for all of humanity if a technique like Zelia’s, passed down to only one person, were to die out with her.
Above all, mass production would be crucial from now on. Raising skilled technicians was a vital task.
“Anyway, my next request.”
“I suppose it’s my turn to be asked for something.”
“Yes. Tower Lord, how many Golems can you produce at most?”
“Currently? About 200 units. We don't have enough resources for more. Unless we conquer the 6th Floor, that is.”
“Aha. That’s actually plenty.”
“Don't tell me you have 200 souls on hand?”
“To be precise, I have about 250. Seven of them are Platinum Badges.”
“Seven Platinum Badges?”
“Yes. And about the death row inmates I was supposed to be provided with... when can I expect them? I feel like I should at least give the seven Platinum Badges human bodies.”
“That would certainly make them more useful. I’ll try to procure them as quickly as possible. I’ll have to make the Golems as mass-production models, then.”
“Yes. Please do.”
With this, I could provide bodies for the souls I currently held.
It wasn't like there were that many death row inmates, anyway. For now, I’d have to put them into Golem bodies.
“Finally, Lafnel.”
“Hmm? What is it? What do you want to ask of me?”
“I need Elves.”
“Huh? Elves?”
“Yes. For the conquest of the 7th Floor. I understand that the Elves are searching for the physical body of the Spirit God.”
“Are you saying it’s on the 7th Floor?”
“Worse, the Demon Kings are using it for their own ends.”
“What? What did you just say? What did you say?”
“I said the Demon Kings are messing around with the Spirit God’s body however the hell they want. Does that even make sense? It’s absurd! The Spirit God is being violated by the Demon Kings.”
“.....”
Lafnel’s expression turned grave.
“For one, I don't particularly believe in the Spirit God, and I’m an Elf who doesn't follow the ideology of World Tree worship.”
“I see.”
“However, seeing the great tree that can be called the root of us Elves being used by Demon Kings of all things... that is something I cannot simply overlook.”
“The World Tree... or more accurately, the Spirit God who uses the World Tree as a vessel, is a vital existence for Druids as well. Especially since many among the Beastmen still worship the Spirit God. Good heavens.”
Even the Druid President reacted strongly to the fact that the World Tree, the vessel of the Spirit God, was being toyed with by the Demon Kings.
“Isn't the World Tree just a big tree?”
“It is not!”
“I don't think it’s just a big tree, either.”
“Really? Hmm. Is that so? The things called World Trees just seemed like really big trees to me.”
“The World Trees remaining in this era are all individuals whose growth has stopped.”
“And while it’s true the World Tree is a large tree, the important thing is that it serves as a vessel for the Spirit God. Since the World Trees of this age have stopped growing and cannot serve as vessels, the World Tree on the 7th Floor is likely the only one that can be used as such.”
“Fine, I get it. So what kind of god is this Spirit God anyway?”
“If we restore the World Tree, the vessel of the Spirit God, we can make the 7th Floor belong to humanity, just like the Underground City.”
“What!?”
The Tower Lord looked so shocked her eyes nearly popped out.
“So, you’re saying if we restore the World Tree on the 7th Floor... we can make Utopia ours?”
“Yes. It should be possible.”
“...Alright. What can I do to help?”
The Tower Lord was now eager to assist.
The Druid President naturally wanted to help because he was a believer in the Spirit God, and Lafnel had no choice but to help because the culture she once belonged to worshipped the Spirit God and the World Tree.
In contrast, the Tower Lord, who had zero interest in the World Tree, seemed to have completely flipped a switch at the fact that the 7th Floor could be occupied.
The Tower Lord was truly serious about Labyrinth conquest.
“First, I’ll contact the people I know.”
“I should do the same.”
The Druid President’s acquaintances would likely be Beastmen.
And Lafnel might call upon the Elves.
Beastmen and Elves were races rarely seen in the Labyrinth City.
Actually, they were rarely seen in any nation or city where the Human race was dominant.
Just as Beastmen like Horaru rarely left the vicinity of the Druid Club building, even if they were in the city, it was hard to see them in daily life.
Since they were different species, discrimination naturally existed, and as a result, it felt like they didn't mix well.
“Great. I don't care who they are, just call them all. To break through the 6th Floor and go further down, we need as many people as possible. Above all, they’ll be able to systematically adapt to Mana on the 5th Floor.”
I knew Elves were excellent at Mana adaptation. They should be able to descend quickly. As for the Beastmen, they were a naturally strong race, so I had faith in them.
‘Now then...’
After leaving the hospital room, I headed home.
Since I’d have to enter the Labyrinth again soon, I needed a bit of rest myself.