Chapter 87: Consider Death
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 87: Consider Death
The Saintess was right.
The most rational and efficient method was to kill all twenty-one survivors, store them in my inventory, and then head back up.
I knew that, too. I knew it would be the most advantageous for our own survival. It was just bitter to think that we had to kill these people with our own hands after they had struggled so hard to stay alive.
“Shouldn't we at least ask for their opinion first? I agree that the third method is the most efficient, but... I think we still need to hear what they have to say.”
Seven of the twenty-one survivors were unconscious and couldn't give an opinion, but the remaining fourteen were still mobile, so it was only right to ask.
Even if they could be resurrected, there would surely be those who couldn't afford the cost. I had to hear them out first.
They weren't animals; slaughtering them like discarded livestock was out of the question.
“I suppose we can't exactly force death upon them. If I’m the one to ask, it’ll likely cause a backlash. You ask them, Mr. Porter.”
The Saintess’s reputation was abysmal, both inside and outside the city.
While she was hailed as a hero within the Church, everywhere else, she was treated as a lunatic. She was an object of dread and fear, her image as a "madwoman" far too ingrained.
If a woman like that said, ‘I need you all to die for a moment,’ she’d have a hard time convincing them.
And so, the Saintess delegated the task of persuasion to me.
From now on, I had to ask these people to die for the sake of convenience.
Sigh.
I thought I only had to recover corpses. The mission was becoming much tighter and more difficult than I’d anticipated.
I knew this would be a total shitshow, but there are way too many variables.
It wasn't like this was my first time getting screwed over by the Labyrinth’s whims. No matter how much one prepared, the Labyrinth was a place where people died; I had already sensed that an anomaly like this would occur.
So, instead of lamenting, I had to get to work.
As I approached the area where the adventurers were gathered, Rosier and Paramel were distributing warm oat porridge from a pot.
Before speaking with the Saintess, the adventurers had complained of extreme hunger and thirst, so we had shared some of our rations. One might ask what the point was in feeding people we were about to kill, but I dismissed that as an inhumane thought.
Even if they were people we’d have to kill to bring back, they were starving to death right now; the least we could do was feed them.
Especially as a former Korean, I tended to be uncompromising when it came to meals. These people had been dragged away by heretic bastards, had insects implanted in their brains, and had suffered every kind of humiliation. I wasn't so small-minded that I couldn't provide them with a single meal.
“Is your conversation with the Saintess finished?”
“Well, it doesn't seem like we reached a very pleasant conclusion.”
“Pardon? Why is that?”
“The circumstances aren't ideal. I’m thinking of adopting the most efficient and easiest method the Saintess suggested... but I’m having some second thoughts.”
“What kind of method is it?”
“It’s...”
I explained the three methods I had heard from the Saintess to Rosier.
“Ah... I see. The third method does indeed seem to be the most effective.”
“Right?”
“Yes. Since there is the Resurrection Spell... as long as you can make it out alive, Mr. Porter, they will surely all be brought back by the Church’s hands.”
“That’s true.”
“However, it is true that it feels unsettling. It’s a matter of conscience, I suppose. And above all, I wonder if they will even agree to it.”
“Exactly.”
The cost of resurrection was quite high.
There would certainly be those who would throw themselves into danger just to avoid paying it. Just because an adventurer had a high rank didn't mean they were wealthy.
There were many in the Labyrinth City who squandered their money on gambling, drinking, and women. After all, weren't they the type of people who lived as if there were no tomorrow, crawling into this gloomy Labyrinth just to make a living?
In any case, Rosier seemed to understand the Saintess’s reasoning. She agreed that this was the easiest and simplest way.
Hearing agreement from Rosier—who seemed the most mature and level-headed among the Inquisitors, rather than the Saintess who simply enjoyed slaughter—gave me a bit more confidence.
The fact was that the third method was ultimately the best solution available to us.
“Excuse me, adventurers. I have something to announce.”
At my words, the adventurers who had been shoveling down oat porridge all looked at me simultaneously.
“W-W-What is it you have to a-a-announce...?”
Perhaps due to brain damage, their speech had become incredibly slurred. They would likely remain in that state until they received proper healing. Seven of them were even in a semi-comatose state.
“The truth is, our current situation is extremely dire. Even the oat porridge we gave you was taken from our own rations.”
“S-So?”
“Until we deal with the heretics, we have to continue fighting while moving through the Underground City. We’ll likely have to stay here for over a week. But... you all will be a major hindrance to this mission.”
The gathered adventurers began to murmur at my words.
“So?! If we’re a hindrance... are you going to abandon us?”
“No. We’ve been looking for a way to avoid abandoning you.”
It was better not to explain the first method—protecting them while heading for the exit—or the second method—leaving them in the Central Section under guard. We had to guide them toward choosing the third option.
Resurrection cost money, and money sometimes clouded a person's judgment. Above all, the primal fear of death might trigger their hearts to reject the third choice.
Yes, the important thing here was to leave only the third option and force them into a binary choice: die or be abandoned.
I didn't feel good about it, and I knew it was a bad thing to do, but there was no other way.
The Labyrinth is cruel.
For our own smooth survival, we had to demand their deaths. We just had to package it in a way that made them feel as though they weren't being coerced. That was the best we could do.
“S-So... to go up... we have to die?”
“Taking your bodies up is the most effective and efficient way. Otherwise, will you join us in hunting the heretics? If you choose that path, however, we cannot guarantee your safety. Can you survive on your own while following us?”
If they didn't want to enter the Subspace Pocket, they would have to follow us. They would have to accept the penalty of potentially having their corpses mutilated to the point where resurrection would be impossible.
“W-Why do we have to follow you...?”
“Because if you don't, you'll just be captured by the heretics again. Then you'll have insects planted in your heads all over again.”
“Ah...”
If they didn't want to go into the Subspace Pocket, following us and helping with the heretic hunt was their safest bet. The moment they tried to escape on their own and search for a Transfer Stone, they would fall prey to the heretics once more. And this time, they probably wouldn't survive. They wouldn't even be able to be resurrected.
“By our judgment, the entire Underground City has already fallen into the hands of the heretics. As you saw earlier, they control the indigenous species at will and have made the entire city their territory. They’re lurking everywhere. We have to assume that every Transfer Stone in the Underground City is under their control.”
“Damn it... Damn it all...”
“I... I don't have any money... How am I supposed to afford the resurrection cost...?”
“With skills like yours, you should be able to join the Church and pay off the debt quickly. You won't be reduced to slaves... so please, consider death.”
“....”
“Fuck... This fucking Labyrinth... This goddamn...”
“Sob...”
Those who had enough money to cover the resurrection cost seriously considered death. However, those who couldn't afford it fell into despair, and some even burst into tears.
By joining the Church and working hard, they could pay off the debt without becoming slaves. However, until the debt was fully paid, they would have almost no personal freedom, and the Church would take all their earnings.
For someone with a family, this could mean being unable to send any money home for years. Someone supporting elderly, sick parents might fall into despair at the very prospect of life, crushed by the debt imposed by the Church.
Being brought back to life didn't necessarily guarantee happiness.
Of course, I personally thought that anything was better than staying dead, but a person's perspective varies wildly depending on their situation and circumstances.
“Please make your choice before you finish your meal.”
I turned away after saying those words. I wondered if it was something I should have said while they were eating, but it had to be done.
Time to plant some beans.
I informed the Saintess that I had delivered the message. Now, the choice was up to the adventurers. I had done my part, so now I needed to plant the Vine Beans in the Central Section.
“What are you doing?”
“Oh, I’m planting beans.”
Sasaro approached me while I was looking for a suitable spot to plant the Vine Beans.
“Beans?”
“Yes. They grow by consuming mana. Once they grow, they automatically intercept any monsters that enter a certain area.”
“There are beans like that?”
“I got them from an alchemist I know.”
“Hoh. How fascinating.”
Being an old man, Sasaro had a lot of interest in farming and crops.
“I’d like to retire soon and take up farming myself.”
“Retire, you say?”
“Yes. It doesn't feel right to be crawling in and out of the Labyrinth at my age. I felt it this time. My body isn't what it used to be. It’s about time I retired.”
“Uh...”
That line felt ominous.
It was a total death flag.
“Um, excuse me, Mr. Sasaro.”
“Yes?”
“...Never mind.”
Sasaro had already said, ‘I’m going to retire after this fight.’
I could only pray for his soul. If I tried to break the flag, I felt like I’d get caught up in it too.
Beans. Let’s just plant the beans.
I focused and began planting. First, I made a small cut on my fingertip and smeared some blood on the Vine Beans. Then, I made them recognize adventurers as non-targets.
The method wasn't difficult. I just had to inject the concept of an ‘adventurer’ into the Vine Beans along with my blood.
By doing this, they would automatically attack and absorb any beings they judged not to be adventurers—monsters. I only hoped that heretics would be included in the category of monsters.
After finishing the command input, I planted the beans beneath the stone floor of the Central Section.
They didn't grow at a breakthrough rate like the giant beanstalk in Jack and the Beanstalk. They would grow slowly as they sucked in the surrounding mana.
I planted one seed.
I had four seeds left.
If I went around to each section and planted them, I would fulfill Lafnel’s mission.
I wondered how many survivors would follow us on this arduous mission.
If more than half of those twenty-one people decided to follow us...
I’ll have to make them process monster meat.
Securing food would become crucial. We’d have to chew on tough wolf meat if we had to.
The delicious rabbit meat from the Breeding Grounds wasn't available here.