Week 3 (1)
Week 3 (1)
In the dead center of R'lyeh Territory sits the Lord's manor like a massive gem, and in the open space of its backyard lies a gigantic Magic Circle.
No need to say more, but it's engraved there with a transfer spell that connects straight to the Labyrinth rooted deep underground in the territory.
Man, if you think about it... it kinda feels like one of those webnovels titled something like 'A Labyrinth Opened in My Backyard.'
Ray, who had finished preparations early and was sitting there meditating with her eyes closed, spoke up.
"Master, you said we plan to face the Floor Boss today, right?"
"If things go well."
Nothing about the Labyrinth can be stated with certainty.
Everything that happens inside it, from one to ten, is decided by the whims of probability.
No matter how skilled a player I am, I can't escape that fundamental premise.
All a player can do is set up the optimal conditions.
No matter how 'right' the judgments I make or how hard I try to respond to the variables at hand, one flick of the dice can turn it all into meaningless bullshit in an instant—and that happens all the time.
Back when Tombstone was just a game, I even loved that uncertainty, but now that it's reality, I could never get used to this crushing weight on my shoulders.
To be honest, there were times I felt like my decisions were overly timid.
"I can't say for sure, but if possible, I'd like to wrap it up today."
"Yeah, don't worry too much."
Whether she was trying to comfort me in her own way or not, Ray stood up from the rock she'd been lounging on, her expression as blank as ever.
"She's here."
"Yep."
The two who came trudging into the open space were Valerie and Kali.
Valerie gave a casual nod in response to Ray's glance.
Kali, following behind, brushed her bangs back smoothly and greeted us.
"Master-ssi, hi. Sleep well last night?"
"Of course. You all got some good rest too, right?"
"Well, a new family member showed up out of nowhere, so it was kinda on my mind."
Valerie grumbled half-heartedly. It was obvious who she meant by 'new family member.'
The Demidius priestess, Basiliki Theodora.
I'd holed up in my office wrestling with all sorts of worries before heading straight to my room to rest, so I had no idea what happened after the butler took her off yesterday saying he'd show her around.
"Basiliki's not here yet?"
Ray muttered. Had she already dropped the formal speech? Come to think of it, this woman had been pretty casual with people's titles from the first time we met. With me and Kali too.
"Well, it's probably that thing again, that thing."
Valerie snickered. It was crystal clear what she meant.
Hearing that, Kali sidled up next to me like she'd just remembered something and lightly poked my arm.
"...This time too, please."
And then, once again, she handed over the Restraints.
So it ends up like this after all... I took a deep breath and accepted the bundle of straps from her.
"If you do it just like last time, yeah... I think it'll, work."
Of course, if she were out of her mind, that'd be one thing, but she's making this request in her right state like this.
A faint blush of embarrassment colored Kali's cheeks.
If I got embarrassed too here, it'd just be cruel to her—this is unavoidable, some kind of 'physiological phenomenon' caused by the Madness of the Labyrinth, after all.
Trying my best not to think about it consciously, I wrapped the straps around Kali's body as she stretched out her arms toward me.
"Oh, she's here."
Just as I finished the job, Valerie piped up in a playful tone.
Honestly, it was a bit of a tense moment.
I couldn't help wondering what ridiculous getup that noble Demidius would show up in this time.
Crisp footsteps approached from the entrance of the open space.
"Everyone's gathered already. Sorry I'm late."
Basiliki, wearing a serene smile, gave a slight bow toward us.
Reflexively, I scanned her up and down.
...Not out of any lewd intent, but just to figure out what insane restriction had hit her this time.
And it wasn't just me— the group simultaneously eyed her from head to toe, too stunned to even return her polite greeting.
Even she probably hadn't expected such enthusiastic stares, tilting her head slightly as she asked,
"Hm, did I... make some big mistake? Sorry, there are still so many Non-Spirit customs I don't know..."
"Ah, no, no. Basiliki-ssi, how was your night?"
Huh, nothing there?
A little flustered, I greeted her with pleasantries first.
With a fresh smile, she replied,
"Oh yes, it was a valuable experience. Do Homo folks usually live in facilities like this?"
"Uh, umm... well, the Barracks are a bit old, but... the facilities are decent enough, right?"
Valerie answered in a slightly dubious tone.
She seemed unsure how to take someone calling their daily life a 'valuable experience.'
"I see, truly a worthwhile austerity. Frugality is a priestess's virtue, after all. Hehe."
"...Uhh, yeah."
Valerie's sunny smile left her speechless in an instant, her face turning vague as she scratched the back of her head.
She phrased it nicely, but wasn't that basically 'You guys live like total paupers^^'?
Now even I'm starting to suspect if I'm getting paranoid...
"Basiliki, were there any inconveniences during prep? Like gear that wouldn't equip, or some inexplicable stuffiness..."
Fed up, Ray asked point-blank.
Sure, Basiliki looked perfectly fine on the surface... but like Kali just before, she might have some bizarre restriction.
At Ray's question, Basiliki pondered for a moment before answering.
"No, nothing particularly bothersome."
Huh. There wasn't even a hint of her hiding anything from Basiliki as she said it.
Watching her calm demeanor actually made me reflexively self-reflect.
An awkward silence fell, and Ray subtly clutched her cloak tight.
She'd forgotten about it for a while, but suddenly felt embarrassed about her own getup.
"W-well then, shall we get going?"
Breaking the sudden quiet, I picked up the torch I'd set aside.
Hey, no anomalies is a good thing. That's how I decided to think of it.
We gathered here to conquer the Labyrinth, after all.
The three who'd unintentionally gotten some self-reflection time snapped to attention at my words and busied themselves with final preps.
Ray patted the surface of her greatsword, Valerie drew her pistol from its holster and spun it coolly for a check, and Kali jabbed a syringe into her own tongue by herself.
To prevent another incident like last time, she'd deliberately timed the injection with some leeway.
I still got dizzy just thinking about that moment.
It wasn't like we were out of the drug anyway, so I'd made sure to tell her to carry the stabilizer with plenty of margin.
Even in the worst case, her mind wouldn't go off the rails.
I double-checked the supplies in my backpack one by one before slinging it over my back again.
"Yes, then pour the Liquefied Energy into the Magic Circle─"
─Please.
I'd been about to say that when a soft sensation from the side blocked me.
Huh, what the—.
Reflexively turning my head, the first thing that jumped into my view was a woman with stunningly refreshing blue eyes and a smile to match.
"Preparations are all done."
"...?"
I could feel all eyes snapping toward us in an instant.
Someone let out an "Eh?"
What the heck? Why is this woman clinging to my arm like that?
Before I could even process it, the overwhelming squishiness pressing against my arm made me lose all higher brain function in a flash. Hehe, feels good.
"Uh, um, Basiliki-ssi? What are you..."
Kali was the first to snap out of it amid the confusion.
She asked with eyes stuffed full of bewilderment, but the culprit herself blinked wide-eyed as if puzzled by the question.
"Huh? Well, as you can see... I'm protecting Master-nim."
"Uh, umm. Look, priestess...? Master-nim isn't some frail weakling who can't fend for himself, so you don't need to stick that close."
Valerie, recovering from her stun, chimed in next.
She had a point. In the Labyrinth, aggro always pulls to the mercenaries first anyway, and I basically don't get hit by AoE attacks.
So there was no need for her to bodyguard me by plastering herself to me... not that I could deny it felt nice.
Despite their protests, Basiliki replied with the same puzzled look.
"Hmm, I don't quite... get what you mean. For a fragile Non-Spirit male like this, isn't it 'common sense' for a Demidius like me to serve him?"
...At that mind-melting line, we all realized it simultaneously, no one first or last.
Ah, so that's her 'restriction.'
But we'd never seen anything like this before. Ray and Valerie just had clothing restrictions, and Kali was fully aware she was making an embarrassing request.
But Basiliki, still glued to my side with no sign of letting go, showed zero such awareness.
"No, I, uh... tch."
Valerie, lost for words, roughly ruffled her hair, grumbled something, and turned away.
By then, Kali had already gotten the full picture, giving an awkward smile with her still-tired eyes.
Meanwhile, Ray stepped forward and said,
"That won't work. It'll interfere with combat."
"It's fine. I'll fulfill my role without issue."
"...That's not the problem. In the Labyrinth, sticking to a guy like that─"
Ray tried to explain further, looking a bit urgent for some reason, but Valerie cut her off.
"Drop it, knight lady. You know it doesn't work just telling 'em off."
"That's true, but..."
Convinced by Valerie, Ray turned away with a complicated expression.
Ugh, now even I was getting a little embarrassed.
Just a slight turn of my head, and Basiliki's amazing curves kept stealing my gaze from every angle.
Plus, having this beautiful woman smiling up at me from so close was making my heart race on its own.
"Uh... well... l-let's head out first."
"...Should I pour the Liquefied Mana?"
Even amid the chaos, Kali—who'd finished her steady prep—asked for final permission, looking my way.
I nodded.
If this is her restriction, well... it's awkward, but no helping it.
I'd just have to control myself as best I could.
...Honestly, I wasn't too confident.