Heaven's Labyrinth (6)

Leon was able to meet up with Jerry right away.

“You’re safe.”

“Barely.”

Fortunately, Muran, Chris, and Noa were all unharmed. Jerry gave a brief explanation of what had happened in the meantime.

“The moment you and Ruina were hit, we fled immediately. Luckily, the priest of the Evil God must have expended a great deal of power too, because he didn’t pursue us.”

“And after that, did you hear anything about Ruina?”

“No word at all. Actually, I was about to ask you the same thing. What exactly happened?”

At Jerry’s question, Leon summarized everything that had taken place so far. Jerry frowned deeply.

“Exiled into the Labyrinth of Greed… That’s an incredibly dangerous trap you’ve fallen into.”

“Isn’t it just another dimension? Is it really that bad?”

Chris, who knew next to nothing about magic, still couldn’t grasp the severity even after hearing the explanation. Jerry elaborated further.

“What do you think constitutes a person?”

“The body? The mind?”

“Memories,” Jerry said. “Take a simple example. If Chris lost every memory up to this point, would that person still be the same Chris standing here now?”

“Probably not.”

Memory was the core that formed personality. Humans moved according to the experiences they had accumulated throughout life, and those experiences became the very traits that defined each individual. Of course, Ruina hadn’t actually lost her memories, but the situation she faced was essentially the same.

“From what Leon has experienced, anyone trapped in the Labyrinth of Greed doesn’t even realize they’re trapped. They simply wander inside it forever, never noticing that the world feels wrong. Escaping on their own in that state… honestly, it’s extremely difficult.”

“Is that so?”

“Leon managed to escape, but that’s only because he wasn’t the primary target of the holy law. Since Ruina was the actual target, the effect would have been several times stronger. It’s far too optimistic to assume her situation is the same as yours.”

Jerry finished speaking with absolute certainty. Leon had to agree. Even he, who had only been caught in the aftershock of the holy law, had suffered that much. It was hard to imagine what Ruina, the true target, was going through.

“Then what do we do?” Chris’s voice grew dark. The thought that Ruina was in danger had clearly deepened her worry, but the answer itself was surprisingly simple despite the dire circumstances.

Jerry opened his mouth. “Whether they offered sacrifices to borrow the Evil God’s power or gathered the strength of countless priests, the one who activated the holy law is ultimately Bais. Therefore, if we eliminate Bais himself, the holy law should be dispelled.”

Killing Bais would save Ruina. The objective had become remarkably clear. Whether they could actually accomplish it was another matter entirely.

Leon asked, “Have you located Bais?”

“That’s actually what I wanted to discuss with you.”

“Is the conversation finally over?”

At the sudden voice, Leon turned his head. The man who had interrupted their discussion was someone Leon hadn’t expected to see. His face showed clear surprise.

“Sir Hyble, is that you?”

“It’s been a while.”

Hyble was an official paladin of the Holy Kingdom and an acquaintance of Leon’s. Once Leon acknowledged him, Jerry visibly relaxed his guard. It seemed he had been wary of any unknown paladin appearing in connection with Bais.

“What brings you here, Sir Hyble?”

“I was tracking the Evil God’s cult. That’s how I ended up here.”

The mission Hyble had received was straightforward: investigate the Evil God’s cult, with special focus on the priests of Greed. He had pursued them for a long time, and thanks to the recent chaos they had caused, he finally managed to catch their tail. After all the commotion they raised just to seal away a single mage, it would have been stranger if they hadn’t left any clues.

Hyble shook his head with a sigh and continued.

“It was a massive wave of power that could be felt even from far away. Thanks to that, we were able to join up quickly, but losing the Holy Grail is still a bitter blow.”

“What are they doing now?”

“They’ve gone to an abandoned holy fortress.”

“What in the world would they be doing there…?”

Unable to understand, Leon muttered to himself. Hyble’s eyes darkened.

“I don’t know exactly what they’re planning, but the fortress’s defenses are extremely tight. They must have been preparing this for a very long time.”

“Which means…”

“Leaving them alone would be dangerous.”

There were reasons the Evil God’s cult was universally reviled. While the most recent near-apocalypse, the Great Invasion, had little to do with them, many other crises throughout history were deeply connected to the cult. Not all of them, but a significant number. They were the kind of people who had to be stopped no matter what.

“I’ve requested reinforcements, but this place is so remote that it will take time for people ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to gather.”

“That’s not good.”

A choice had presented itself. Wait for reinforcements to arrive, or move to stop the priests of the Evil God beforehand. Those were the two options.

Leon asked calmly, “What do you plan to do, Sir Hyble?”

“I intend to make the right choice, as much as possible.”

“And what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would that right choice be, in your opinion?”

“To stop the Evil God’s cult without fail. In my judgment, leaving them unchecked for too long will not end well. We strike immediately.”

Eliminate the priests of Greed before they could pull off whatever scheme they were planning. That was Hyble’s intention.

“Leon. What about you?”

Leon glanced around. Hyble wasn’t operating alone. Given the importance of his mission, he had quite a few priests and paladins under his command. Even so, when it came to pure numbers, they were still far short of the enemy. Facing priests of Greed who had finished all their preparations with this small force was obviously incredibly dangerous, yet—

“I will follow you.”

Leon made the decision without hesitation. Jerry seemed to share the same thought; he stood with his arms crossed, silently nodding in agreement.

The reason Leon had chosen this path was similar to Hyble’s. He couldn’t leave those people alone. And more than that—

Ruina was in danger.

That alone was more than enough reason to move.

“Then it’s decided.”

Hyble rose from his seat. Leon stood as well. Gripping his sword tightly, he spoke in a resolute voice.

“Let’s depart at once.”

“Ruina. You received full marks on this test as well.”

I turned my gaze toward the middle-aged woman speaking to me in a kind voice. The head nun looked at me with a gentle expression. I smiled back and replied.

“To return someone like me… My previous adoptive parents really must be searching for an extraordinarily talented child. I wonder just how perfect they expect them to be.”

“Ruina. Please only say such things in front of me. Other people won’t realize you’re joking.”

“That’s exactly why I like you, Head Nun.”

The previous remark had been a genuine attempt at humor. I didn’t particularly resent my former adoptive parents. If anything, I felt a little sorry for them. After all, my outer packaging had been so outstanding that I had unintentionally deceived them.

How high must their expectations have been when they decided to adopt a child? After making such a big decision, they had discovered a child with striking appearance and sky-high grades. It was only natural for them to imagine a happy future. They must have expected a polite, calm, well-behaved child.

But the contents turned out to be me. So… my deepest condolences, former parents. Of course, the fact that they cried about not knowing I would be like this did sting a little, but since I had deceived them too, let’s just shake hands and make peace. Thank you.

The head nun stroked my head. Then she spoke again.

“You may not get hurt, Ruina, but remember this. Even if you’re fine, the people around you might not be.”

“In other words, if I don’t make any connections, I’m the strongest, right?”

“You could say that.”

“I’m excited.”

From now on, I was invincible.

Humming a tune, I left the head nun’s office. It was raining. I walked through the orphanage courtyard, letting the pouring droplets soak me. Feeling nature with my entire body stirred up a single desire.

I wanted to use magic.

Honestly, nature was just an excuse. Because I always wanted to use magic.

I let out a deep sigh and looked up at the sky. There was no magic in this world. Or to be precise, the probability of it existing was extremely low. I still believed magic existed somewhere, but belief and reality were two different things. It was safer to assume that magic did not exist here.

A world without magic. For someone who had dreamed of magic since childhood, it was an incredibly cruel world.

Even before I could properly perceive the world around me, I had craved magic. Like a newborn baby instinctively seeking milk, I had instinctively sought out magic. I didn’t know why. I just… liked it.

The heavens really were heartless. To give me such a desire but not give me the magic itself? How cruel. How very cruel.

I shook my head and picked up an umbrella. I was going to the library to borrow some books related to magic, but suddenly I stopped in my tracks. I couldn’t help it. Because—

A man was doing something strange.

Leaning against the orphanage entrance, a sphere of light rose from the man’s hand. At that alien sight that clearly did not belong in reality, I unconsciously shouted.

“It’s a mage!”

Bais had become aware of Ruina quite a long time ago. It had been since she made a name for herself in the imperial capital—several months at least. He had quickly realized she was chasing the Holy Grail. She hadn’t tried to hide it, and hiding it would have been nearly impossible anyway.

The moment he learned that, Bais began making preparations. Believing that Ruina would come for the Holy Grail, he started setting up various plans.

Bais was certain Ruina would find the Holy Grail. After all, she was the user of Balance. It would have been stranger if she couldn’t find it.

And just as expected, Ruina located the Holy Grail. Although an unexpected event occurred where she obtained the Greed element, it didn’t matter much. No matter what Ruina did, he could simply exile her into the Labyrinth of Greed and be done with it.

To drive Ruina into the Labyrinth of Greed, a thousand humans had been turned into pools of blood. Most of the sacrificed humans had been priests of the Evil God, so the loss was significant, but it was acceptable. In exchange, they had obtained the Holy Grail—even if it was a fake.

Any sacrifice was worth the gain.

Bais placed the Holy Grail upon the altar. On it were piled countless life-related treasures that the Sect of Samsara had painstakingly gathered over the years: Star Silver, phoenix feathers, essence of the moon, heart of the earth, fruits of the World Tree, and many more. Bais stroked the Holy Grail and let out an excited breath.

With this…

All preparations were complete.