Chapter 68: Destined to Enter the Labyrinth
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 68: Destined to Enter the Labyrinth
When I came to, I was in the Guild Master’s private room.
I had survived the tentacles of the 6th-floor Watcher.
So, the sight of Moira’s back as she saved me hadn't been a dream after all.
“Are you awake?”
“Guild Master? And the person next to you is...”
“This is Saintess Freya. Greet her.”
“Hello there, Mr. Porter for the Guild Master.”
“Ah... nice to meet you. I’m Sion.”
“Hehe. I know.”
Her eyes weren't smiling.
She seemed like someone who was slightly twisted deep down.
How should I put it? It felt like she lived in a completely different world from mine.
I could tell the moment I saw her—she gave off an incredibly dangerous vibe.
“Why are you here...?”
“We rescued you from the Watcher summoned by the heretics and brought you here,” Moira answered.
“Ah... thank you. You saved my life.”
“No. It’s thanks to you holding that thing off alone that more people were able to survive. I offer you my thanks on behalf of the city.”
The Guild Master gave me a stiff bow.
To be honest, I hadn't been thinking about protecting the citizens at all. I had simply jumped in to protect Leah.
“The city will provide a modest reward. Also, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
“Something you’d like to discuss?”
“Yes. It’s not finalized yet, so just listen for now.”
“Understood.”
What could she possibly want to talk to me about? Was it about Yuria?
“I want you to enter the Underground City.”
“Pardon...?”
She wanted me to go into the Underground City? So suddenly?
I was a bit taken aback. Wasn't the subjugation campaign for the Underground City supposed to happen in about three weeks, with all the adventurers entering together?
Seeing my bewildered expression, Moira asked the Saintess to explain.
“Freya, would you mind explaining the Church’s plan?”
“Of course. First, I should catch you up on the current situation.”
“Please do...”
“Two parties containing Gold Badges and four parties made of Silver Badges have gone missing in the Underground City.”
Freya’s words were quite a shock. Adventurers as high-ranked as Gold Badges, along with numerous Silver Badges, hadn't just died—they had vanished.
“No matter how hard we searched, we couldn't find them,” Moira added. “Everything below the Layer Division has become twisted like a complete maze. And the heretics... no matter how many we kill, they just keep popping back up.”
“They’ve also committed several murders targeting citizens within the city,” Freya noted.
“Furthermore, a few hours ago, they performed a ritual sacrifice in the plaza to summon a monster from the 6th floor. That Watcher you saw was that very creature.”
“Ah. I ran into them on the 1st floor as well. They were pretending to be wounded to lure in and kill adventurers.”
“I’ve already received several reports on that. Yes, they are everywhere now. They aren't even trying to hide anymore.”
“What’s even more serious is that they are kidnapping adventurers or taking severed heads into the Labyrinth,” Freya said.
“Why on earth would they do that...?”
“We believe they are performing a ritual.”
“A ritual?”
An unholy ritual.
Deep below the Layer Division of the 5th-floor Underground City, the heretics were apparently doing something with the adventurers they kidnapped and the heads they hunted from the city.
‘This is information Olivia didn't give me.’
Olivia had told me the heretics would be active and what types of enemies they were, but she hadn't known about these specific events happening in the city.
“We judge that they are sacrificing adventurers to pull up monsters from the Deep Layers. The strangely frequent monster raids and group activities in the Upper Levels are likely because they’re up to something.”
“What’s worse is that they’ve mastered something similar to a Resurrection Spell.”
“What? Wait, what does that even mean...?”
“They are using the captured adventurers to bring dead heretics back to life. Do you know what the absolute worst part is?”
“N-no. There’s something worse than that?”
“When a heretic is resurrected, the Ability of the sacrificed adventurer is transferred to them.”
“....”
The heretic warriors with multiple Abilities that Olivia mentioned must belong to this group. So that was how those enemies, who wielded an unnaturally high number of Abilities, were created.
“Just hearing about it is terrifying. What is the current state of the Underground City?”
“Most of the Raid Force returned the day before yesterday. They decided they couldn't continue the conquest due to the heretics' attacks.”
The Raid Force had declared the mission impossible. Unless a Platinum Badge went in to tear things up, the heretics' interference was too intense to make any progress.
“I see... So, what is it you want me to do?”
“I want you to retrieve the corpses of the heretics.”
“The heretics' corpses...?”
“Yes. Now that they can use something akin to a Resurrection Spell within the Labyrinth, we can't leave their bodies there.”
“Can't you just kill them and burn them?”
“It seems they must be killed and then brought outside the Labyrinth,” Freya explained, briefly outlining the nature of their technique.
“Then...”
“Yes. Every corpse killed inside the Labyrinth must be hauled out and burned. Otherwise, they will likely just resurrect again in a few decades.”
“....”
In the past, there had been a campaign to purge the heretics within the Labyrinth. The ones killed back then were the ones resurrecting now, wielding even greater Authority.
Therefore, the goal of this operation was to pull every single corpse out of the Labyrinth and burn them to ashes.
“We need your help to retrieve the bodies.”
“B-but there are two others with subspace pockets besides me...”
“Master Campbell of the Golden Fragrance is far too old; he doesn't have the stamina to enter the Labyrinth anymore.”
“And Lucan the Collector hasn't surfaced in six months. He likely entered the 7th floor. He’s either dead or no longer human due to Labyrinth Assimilation. One of the two is highly probable.”
“Then...”
“It’s only you, Mr. Sion. Practically speaking, you are now the only subspace pocket holder the Guild can utilize. Congratulations on becoming the Guild’s unofficial sole subspace pocket holder. Hehehe.”
Freya smiled and clapped her hands.
I wasn't sure what was supposed to be funny, but I could tell her laughter wasn't coming from a place of genuine joy.
“I... I understand for now. Guild Master Moira, I have a few questions.”
“Go ahead.”
“Yuria. Where exactly did Yuria go?”
“...Yuria went to the Kingdom’s territory.”
“When is she coming back? It’s been two weeks, and I haven't been able to reach her at all.”
“She should be back soon. Are you curious why she left?”
“Yes. I am.”
“There was a faction outside that made contact with the heretics in the Labyrinth. They were supplying people to the 5th floor through a different route.”
“What...? A different route?”
“Moira, is it okay to talk about that?” Freya asked.
“Since we’ve told him this much, it’s easier to just tell him everything. Besides, this man is tighter-lipped than he looks.”
“So, what is this other route? Is that why Yuria went to the Kingdom?”
“Sigh. To put it simply, a new entrance leading into the Labyrinth has appeared outside the Labyrinth City.”
My mind went blank at Moira’s shocking revelation.
There were four entrances to the Labyrinth, one in each cardinal direction of the city. Until now, no other entrances had ever existed.
“Did the heretics dig that out too?”
“No. They don't have that kind of power. It seems to be a phenomenon caused by the Labyrinth Eruption.”
“Then... into the Labyrinth...”
“Outside forces can now enter. The location is presumed to be a forest in the southern part of the Keislan Kingdom. Yuria is currently searching for the entrance that connected to the 5th floor. I’ve ordered her to destroy the Transfer Stone if she finds it. If she fails due to interference from the Kingdom, she’s to just confirm the location and return.”
A Labyrinth entrance had appeared in the Kingdom. And it was a unique route that bypassed the Upper Levels and connected directly to the 5th floor.
If it was caused by the Labyrinth Eruption, it was possible that other Transfer Stones had appeared in other locations as well.
This was getting way out of hand.
“Honestly, it’s a miracle the city is even functioning right now.”
“We’re working on it.”
“Working very hard behind the scenes,” Freya added.
Just what was happening in this city? What kind of battles were being fought in places I couldn't see?
“Anyway, until we deal with the heretics, the subjugation campaign—which is essentially a festival—is impossible.”
“So, do I have to go into the Underground City right now?”
“No, not immediately. I’ll contact you separately in a few days. You don't need to lead the charge. You just need to start the corpse retrieval in earnest from then on.”
“I just have to bring the bodies out, right?”
“For now. But once the heretic hunt moves below the Layer Division, you might have to head down there too.”
First, the Inquisitors and the Saintess would enter the Underground City to sweep the heretics from the upper part of the Layer Division. Then, I would follow to retrieve the cleared corpses and bring them back to the city. That was the general outline of the operation.
“The number of heretics will be far greater than you expect. It might be a long job.”
“But I have my own work to do... I can't just live in the Labyrinth.”
“I suppose asking you to do it alongside your current work wouldn't go over well?”
“Sigh. I’ll do my best.”
I had to help the Young Lady’s party grow. I had to go down to the Underground City for corpse retrieval. I had my own training, and I had to go to the Magic Tower to research my Ability.
It looked like I was going to be very busy.
After agreeing to participate in the heretic hunt, I returned home.
I had asked the Guild Master to let the Young Lady know I was safe, so she would take care of that.
I was so exhausted today that I couldn't do anything else. Going to report to the Young Lady in person was out of the question. I’d just sleep for now and see her tomorrow.
By the way, how many days had it been since I was last home?
It wasn't even my house, but it felt like I was returning to my own place. It would have been even better if Yuria were here.
“Oh! Master...!”
When I opened the front door and stepped inside, two people greeted me.
“You’re alive...! Thank goodness...”
I hugged Olivia as she ran toward me with teary eyes. She felt like a daughter, even though we were probably around the same age.
“Um, your neck... there’s blood.”
Marin noticed the wound on my neck and was about to mention it in surprise, but I quickly shook my head to silence her.
Olivia was blind, so she couldn't see the wound anyway. I didn't want to worry her unnecessarily.
“Everything okay, Marin?”
“Uh... yes! Nothing happened!”
“That’s good. Hey, could you draw a bath for me? I’m not hungry. I think I just need to wash up and sleep.”
“Yes! Leave it to me!”
Marin hurried into the bathroom to prepare the water.
In the meantime, Olivia softly told me about what had happened while she was attending the Druid Club.
“It sounds like Tiny is a good teacher.”
“Yes... she’s kinder than I expected... I think I’ll be able to play at least one song soon...”
“When you can play it, let me be the first to hear.”
“Yes...! I’ll definitely... definitely play it for you...”
Music from Earth. I was really looking forward to that.
“But... Master...”
“Yeah?”
“Did something bad happen...?”
“Not exactly bad, but I think I’m going to be very busy from now on.”
“I see...”
“I hope Yuria comes back soon.”
I missed Yuria. I missed her blunt attitude and her smirking face.
“Um... Master...”
“Yeah?”
“You’re... sleeping with me today too, right...?”
“We don't necessarily have to sleep together anymore. It’s still early evening. I’m going to sleep first.”
“N-no...! L-let’s... let’s sleep together.”
“Really? Okay then.”
Before I had officially formed contracts with the villainesses, I used to sleep while holding Olivia. It seemed that memory had remained a very fond one for her.
“The bath is ready!”
“Okay. Thanks.”
As I soaked my body in the steaming water, extreme fatigue washed over me.
I had survived once again.
Even I had to admit, I had a stubbornly persistent life.
Would I be able to survive next time too?
I was already worried about having to enter the Underground City.