The Hidden Letter of the Childish Traitors
I finished my second watch and traded places with Hena before slipping back into sleep.
But then, at some point, the sword spirits shook me awake in a hurry.
I had been on edge, so my mind snapped to attention almost at once.
Just as they’d told me, I kept my eyes shut and asked inwardly, What is it?
My heart lurched.
It was still Hena’s turn, so she couldn’t have been asleep for long.
My hand tightened around my sword.
I didn’t open my eyes, because I might give myself away.
Instead, I let the sword spirits watch through the sword’s field of vision and report back to me.
I cracked my eyes open a hair.
Hena came into view, seated and guarding the torch.
Hena rose carefully to her feet.
Every movement was cautious, as though she were trying not to make a sound.
I kept up the act, pretending to sleep so she wouldn’t notice.
Nierel, oblivious to everything, was fast asleep for real.
If Hena came this way, I would draw my blade at once.
I tensed, waiting, but Hena headed toward Kane’s spot instead.
What is she doing now?
From my narrow view, I couldn’t make out much of what was happening near Kane.
But the sword spirits told me exactly what Hena was doing.
That meant Kane, during the first watch, had left Hena some kind of message.
At that point, I could no longer suppress my suspicion.
The three childhood friends really were plotting something.
Hena had read Kane’s note.
She added something to it, then passed it on to Dogo.
Dogo would probably check it once his watch came around.
Should I get up and ask what they wrote on that note?
But if they meant to attack me, wouldn’t they have done it already?
After some speculation with the sword spirits, we concluded that the childhood friends didn’t seem likely to attack me or Nierel right away.
There was still a long way to go before escaping the labyrinth.
They needed us if they wanted to reach the teleport stone safely.
That was why betrayal was most common on the last day.
Once everyone had reached the teleport stone, they would kill off their party members, pocket all the rewards, and escape alone.
Then what’s their goal?
After moving the note, Hena stood her watch as though nothing had happened.
Nierel was still asleep, knowing nothing.
So were the other two childhood friends.
And in the middle of it all, I was the only one sweating bullets with tension.
It’s Nierel’s turn next. What if I ask her to help me check what the note is about?
Secretly peeking at the note would not be easy.
And if I spoke to Nierel, the cave was quiet enough that everyone would hear us.
If I wanted to uncover the truth behind that note, it meant I would have to clash with the childhood friends.
There might be fighting within the party.
Even if Nierel sided with me, that would still be a three-on-two battle.
It was hard to predict the outcome of a fight.
The situation was full of variables.
There was even the opinion that, since I was a one-star Stigma, I might be able to take all three of them alone if things went well.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
We were still nowhere near the teleport stone.
If I fought the party now, there was a chance I wouldn’t make it back alive.
In the end, there was nothing I could do right away.
I had to stay vigilant and keep moving with them for now.
Once I realized the childhood friends were plotting something, sleep no longer came easily.
The sword spirits dismissed it as nothing unusual for a labyrinth.
But this was my first time experiencing something like it.
It drove home just how dangerous the labyrinth could be.
So even those innocent-looking country boys and girls could be hiding something black inside.
After that, I spent the rest of the night more or less awake.
Hena’s and Nierel’s watches passed, and then Dogo’s turn came around.
Dogo checked the note and burned it in the torch flame.
But that was all.
There was no further sign of aggression.
Before long, the night ended.
Dogo woke everyone up.
“Haaah… the fourth watch really is rough…”
“Good morning, everyone. Well, it’s morning, anyway, even if there’s no sun.”
“Good morning.”
Kane and Hena greeted the day as though nothing had happened.
Nierel, still oblivious, blankly folded her blanket.
Looking at them again, they didn’t seem like people who would betray us.
Other than the secret note exchange at night, they were just ordinary, decent party members.
And because I knew that, I felt even more confused.
Still, once I knew there was something to watch for, I had to be careful.
We finished a simple breakfast and set out again.
“It’s a relief there were no monsters last night~”
“Yeah. And we still haven’t run into any other parties.”
“Th-that’s probably because, on the first day, we started pretty far out.”
Now that they’d gotten through the night safely, the party’s tension had eased even more.
We chatted here and there as we moved.
Meanwhile, I was the only one still wound tight.
Every nerve in me was sharpened, split between fighting monsters and watching the party.
“You’re better than me now, Ivan.”
After another round of fighting goblins, Nierel said that while I was collecting magic stones.
“It’s thanks to your guidance, Nierel. More than that, I was impressed by your archery.”
I praised her right back.
Once I’d realized the childhood friends were scheming something, I found myself feeling even closer to Nierel.
“Oh, it’s nothing. They’re just goblins, after all. I only ever make mistakes when it really matters.”
“But you’ve been fine so far. I’m sure you’ll keep doing well in any situation.”
“Hehe. Thank you. You always say such nice things, Ivan.”
Of course, I’d been praising Nierel since the very first day.
Not so much praise as encouragement.
I kept telling her she could do it.
“You really will do well.”
I encouraged Nierel again and again.
She only gave an embarrassed little laugh.
Soon after, we finished collecting the magic stones and moved on.
Then, after walking for quite a while, Dogo flinched at the sound of footsteps and said, “Five ahead. Humans.”
Meeting another party in the labyrinth was perfectly normal.
Sometimes you simply passed by one another, but at other times it was dangerous.
It was especially dangerous when you ran into raiders.
Raiders were climbers who attacked other parties and stole their belongings.
There were quite a lot of them on the first floor.
The weaker the rookie climber, the easier it was to strip them bare.
I couldn’t afford to lose the magic stones we’d worked so hard to gather.
We tensed up and shifted into combat formation.
A moment later, lights from the other party emerged out of the darkness.
“Woah, easy there, friends. We’re just passing through.”
The party on the other side consisted of five human men.
They walked toward us with both hands raised, as if they had no intention of fighting.
“We’re just a party that safely gathers goblin magic stones on the first floor. Don’t make faces like you’ve run into raiders.”
The snake-faced man at the front said it with a sly grin.
Judging from their gear and bearing, they looked like a party with more experience than ours.
Their oddly friendly explanation only made them seem more suspicious, but in the end they really did pass us without attacking and disappear into the opposite corridor.
“Wow, they’re completely gone.”
Dogo and the Invisible Sword both confirmed that they’d gone far enough away.
But nothing could be certain.
We quickly left the area.
“Those guys scared me for no reason! They looked so creepy!”
“Me too. And the way they talked…”
Only after we’d put enough distance between us did Nierel and Hena chatter in relief.
Fighting goblins and fighting raiders were entirely different things.
By then we were far enough away that we probably wouldn’t run into them again in this maze of a labyrinth.
“Six goblins ahead.”
What came after that was much the same as before.
We fought goblins, collected magic stones.
Then we moved on and fought goblins again.
All the while, I was even more exhausted from constantly staying on guard against my own party members.
“You worked hard again today.”
Another day passed that way.
And it was time to spend another night.
We found a suitable spot and settled in to rest.
“With Nierel and Ivan here, this really does feel reassuring. I never thought we’d get this far without taking any losses.”
Kane said while chewing on some dried rations.
His face, damp with sweat, was bright with relief.
I wanted to say, I’m tense every second because I don’t know when you’re going to betray us.
But I held it back and only nodded.
After resting a little longer, it was time to sleep.
This time, I was scheduled for the fourth watch.
But tonight, the childhood friends didn’t exchange any notes.
All three of them slept peacefully as though nothing had happened.
Nierel, as usual, slept just fine.
In the end, I was the only one left tense and unable to sleep.
Even the sword spirits were baffled.
I couldn’t figure out what the childhood friends were up to.
The next day, we advanced through the labyrinth in the same way and hunted goblins.
We spent the entire day hunting goblins, and then the day was over again.
Then I kept watch through another night, slept, and the next day began as we walked once more.
If we escaped like this, that would be a good thing.
But I still thought the childhood friends were suspicious.
What on earth had that note been about?
While I kept walking, suspecting them all the while, Dogo suddenly stopped.
“Five humans ahead. Looks like another party.”
It wasn’t goblins this time, but another party.
We’d run into several parties so far, but there had been no fighting.
I hoped we’d pass through safely again. But then—
“Woah, easy there, friends. We’re…”
It was the same suspicious party we’d met two days ago.
Again, there were five human men, with the snake-faced one at the front.
They must have recognized us too, because they wore amused expressions.
“We meet again, huh? Two days, was it? Don’t worry, don’t worry. We’re just quietly hunting goblins until we leave, okay? Heh-heh.”
This time too, they simply passed us by.
Still, their laughter was somehow even more unpleasant this time.
It was strange to run into the same party twice.
I looked over the party while thinking that.
“To meet the same party again, that’s odd—”
Then, when I glanced back without thinking, Nierel’s expression looked strange.
The Nierel who always smiled and laughed so brightly suddenly had a rigid expression I could hardly recognize.
At the very same time, I heard the sword spirits’ voices.
Why are you reacting like that? What happened?