Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Unnecessary Meddling
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Honestly, from the moment I healed her wounds, I'd braced myself for a beating.
Even if it was for treatment purposes, I'd seen her bare skin and her private parts that she never wanted exposed. Given her personality, I figured she wouldn't let that slide.
And yet.
"..."
She's letting it slide surprisingly quietly.
Elion socked me once and then silently dressed without another word.
Ignoring her worn-out gear entirely, she reached out into empty air.
Vmmm!
A portal the size of her palm ripped open.
After rummaging inside for a moment, she pulled out a fresh set of clothes.
Oh, right— at this point in the timeline, Elion already had one of those.
A subspace portal.
A skill obtained by consuming a golden flower that drops randomly from the box carried by Senlit, the golden-furred monkey monster, which appears at extremely rare rates in the upper layers.
It's a treasure so aptly named "what you call, you pay for." For someone like her who treats the upper layers like her backyard, it would've been weirder if she didn't have one.
"Warning you now—if you look this way, I'll kill you."
"Understood."
At her vicious warning, I turned my head without hesitation.
Well, whatever. I'd already seen everything worth seeing anyway.
"All done."
A moment later, when I turned back, Elion was already changed into new clothes.
A simple t-shirt and long pants that wouldn't hinder movement, her hair neatly tied back with a rubber band to keep it from getting in the way.
Her casual outfit. I'd seen it plenty back in my regression days when we spent time together.
"The new clothes suit you well."
I deliberately flashed a big grin.
But Elion showed no reaction.
A deep shadow hung over her weary expression.
"You saved me, right?"
"That's the gist of it, yeah."
"I see."
With that, Elion unclasped the necklace from around her neck and tossed it to me.
I picked it up off the ground where it had rolled.
"Take that to the Black Claw Guild, and you'll get a reward for saving me."
A necklace adorned with a black claw ornament. The surface of the claw was engraved with the name Elion Fleur.
It was her guild insignia—her ID that proved her identity.
"Are you going off to die?"
"..."
Elion didn't answer.
She ignored me and trudged away with heavy steps.
I followed after her, continuing.
"I know this is a guild insignia you gave me. It's not something you hand over lightly to just anyone."
Depending on the guild, but anyone affiliated had to carry one.
Like Aren’s Golden Wing badge or Elion’s Black Claw necklace.
Handing it over in the Labyrinth was as good as filing a death notice.
Just like a soldier handing their dog tags to a comrade before facing death.
"Why throw away a precious life like that?"
I'd saved Elion, but her affinity hadn't gone up.
Maybe because she wasn't a heroine?
No, she didn't have the luxury to feel grateful to anyone right now.
Her dazed expression said it all—she'd already half let go of the thread of life.
"That injury hasn't fully healed. If you go like that, you'll definitely become monster bait and die."
Elion was a mid-tier explorer with exceptional skill.
Thanks to my cheat regression, I'd rushed into the upper layers early, but she'd reached them in just a few months through pure talent.
She had to know her own condition better than anyone.
Even so, she screamed in a voice thick with fury.
"Just go away!"
Her face was steeped in gloom, as if nothing mattered anymore.
"What do you care what I do?!"
"Life is precious. Who in the world wouldn't try to stop someone jumping into a pit of fire?"
I'm meddling plenty, you idiot.
If you die here, I'll have to regress again!
And then.
—Come on, Leon. With us, we'll definitely reach the end of this Labyrinth.
—Don't drag your sister down. Just behave yourself.
Past voices whispered in my ear.
How could I just leave you behind?
Elion and Elia were special bonds I'd forged in Labyrinth City.
If I didn't know, maybe I could've ignored it, but now that I did, even my tiny shred of conscience wouldn't allow it.
"At least tell me what happened. Even briefly. I might be able to help."
"I told you it's my business. Butt out, outsider."
She wasn't going to open up easily.
Push too hard, and my neck might be the first to roll.
Still, no choice.
I wouldn't get the answer I wanted right away, so I decided to coax it out forcibly.
"Did something happen to your sister, by any chance?"
"..."
"I saw the name on the necklace. The famous Eli sisters of the Black Claw Guild—I never expected to run into you here."
Elion remained silent.
But I could see her clenched fists trembling like aspen leaves.
"From what I know, your sister made it all the way to the mid-layer entrance. Someone like that wouldn't fall easily in a place like this."
Who the hell put these twin sisters in danger?
I could guess the culprit easily enough.
The timing lined up perfectly with when that upper-layer resident woke from its slumber.
With conviction, I said,
"Your sister is still alive."
Whoosh!
A gust of wind kicked up, and suddenly Elion's fingers were at my throat.
"How the hell would you know that?"
It looked like anger at a glance, but I could see it.
A faint glimmer of hope beneath.
She knew it too.
False hope only brought pain.
The Labyrinth was a place where death could come at any moment.
"If" was a possibility that didn't exist.
Normally, she wouldn't buy such words, but her desperation made her ask me anyway.
I decided to live up to that expectation.
"A flower bloomed on your sister's body, right?"
"!"
Her eyes went wide. That expression confirmed I was right.
"I knew from the look on your face just now. Your sister is safe—for the time being."
"How do you know that?"
"Trust me. I'm a Labyrinth expert, even if I don't look it."
A hundred regressions, and I'd crossed the upper layers tens of thousands of times.
There was nothing about this Labyrinth I didn't know.
"So, explain what happened. I'll help you."
...
We settled near the lakeshore.
After a moment of silence, Elion finally spoke, recounting what she'd been through.
"It happened while we were exploring the Labyrinth."
According to her, the Eli sisters had been preparing to enter the mid-layers.
In the process, they'd been wandering the area as usual, gathering artifacts from the upper layers.
"Suddenly, the grass-filled surroundings turned into a flower field. Flowers bloomed on my sister's body too."
Plateria horde.
I muttered inwardly.
Plateria, the upper-layer boss.
Wherever it walked, flowers bloomed, rooting into the ground to suck up the Labyrinth's mana.
And if there were living creatures nearby, it rooted into their bodies as a parasite.
The rooted flowers plunged the host into deep slumber, halting bodily functions and inducing a comatose state.
It must've been sudden.
A natural disaster of a being, scattering ruin just by passing through. It brought the sisters unintentional doom.
"It happened so fast. My sister lost consciousness right after, and I tried to drag her out of the Labyrinth."
"But it wasn't easy. Monsters must've swarmed in suddenly."
"...You really know your stuff."
"Once the flowers take root, it was all predictable."
Plateria's flowers carried a potent fragrance.
Mixed with a mid-tier explorer's mana, it was a gourmet feast for the monsters.
"The other monsters were manageable, but those black wasps—the ones I'd never seen before—I couldn't beat them."
Ebon Wasp horde.
Beetle-like monsters that lived deep in the upper layers, feeding on Plateria's flower nectar.
They rarely showed themselves to humans, but they'd braved the risk for this special treat called Elia.
"They took my sister. I'm going to rescue her, no matter what. Even if it's just her body..."
Elion trailed off.
She'd skipped a lot, but I got the gist.
Listening, I realized there were quite a few hopeful aspects.
"Hearing that actually puts me at ease. The wasps definitely took Elia back to their nest."
"Their nest?"
"Yeah. The flower on her body—they'll protect her until it bears fruit. Should take about a week."
"Th-then... she'll be safe until then?"
"A dead host won't bear good fruit. They'll nurse her devotedly instead."
"..."
Elion's expression wavered.
She wanted to believe it, but couldn't quite grasp it yet.
To guide her, I stood up.
"Alright, let's go."
"Go? You know where the wasps are?"
"I have a rough idea of the location. No time to waste—let's hurry."
The estimate was a week, but it could be sooner.
The Ebon Wasps had managed countless hosts and knew how to speed up fruiting.
The moment the fruit formed, the host's life ended.
After that, there was no turning back.