Labyrinth and the Wizard (8)
Flames swelled from my body, blazing toward the sky as if to touch the heavens. Whoosh. The wind whipped through them. Every burst of fire sent thick black smoke billowing upward, blanketing the sky. Even the blood-red moon glaring down from above lost its glow, overshadowed by the inferno's majesty. If hell manifested in the present world, would it look like this? It was too grand a spectacle to dismiss as mere curiosity-driven mischief.
"...What a sight."
They say that in the face of nature's grandeur, human power feels infinitely small. It was true. There was something heart-stirring about witnessing an uncontrollable disaster firsthand.
"A sight my ass! It's a goddamn disaster! Do you even have a brain in that head of yours!?"
Siegurd de Lavallier roared and jabbed a finger at me. Nothing new there. He was always the loud type.
"What? As long as no one's hurt, isn't that a blessing? Our party was at the front, after all."
"Front my ass! You lunatic bitch! All the valuable loot's about to go up in smoke—what's the point of being in front then, you moron!"
"Is money more important to you than human lives, Siegurd? I'm so disappointed."
At my words, Siegurd's face went blank for a moment, like he'd never expected that from me. But it was true. No excuses. I genuinely felt relieved that no one had gotten hurt.
To prove my sincerity, allow me to attach an anecdote from my past life. It was winter, back when I was in elementary school. My friends and I were playing with fire in a back alley, and it got out of hand once. My friends said, "Eek, let's run!" Fitting for back-alley firebugs—they were rotten to the core. But I blocked their escape and stepped forward decisively.
"If we run from here, what about everyone else!?"
I immediately stripped off the puffer jacket I was wearing. It was the expensive high-end one my mom had splurged on at the department store just two days ago. Cherished and babied, that pricey thing—I flung it wide without a second thought and hurled myself at the flames. Burns and holes in the jacket? Didn't matter. All I cared about was putting out the fire. In the end, I turned that fancy jacket into a rag but succeeded in extinguishing the blaze. I chose human life over money.
That's how deeply I harbored that noble humanitarian spirit, always prioritizing others' safety and lives.
But Siegurd de Lavallier? That guy had none of it. Zero humanity.
"What the hell did you say, you batshit crazy bitch!"
What? Batshit? Says the materialistic prick fretting over cash before lives. You're the one who started the fire, and now you're dumping the blame on me! You demonic bitch! Okay, sorry for starting it, but it was all with good intentions. Good intentions don't mean shit when the result's this! If you hadn't smashed the entire barrier... Shut up, you crazy bitch! Did you just call me a crazy bitch?
Beneath the burning plain, the bickering voices of a man and woman scattered into the wind.
"Hohoho... Calm down, both of you... What's done is done—we should focus on what to do next..."
Slipping smoothly between us came Doal, the kindly soul who loved all the world's children. I nodded. He was spot on, a hundred times over.
I turned to the clear path that had opened straight ahead. "Anyway, we'll hash out our differences later."
"It's not differences—it's you being dead wrong!"
Siegurd clutched his neck again, but I didn't bother arguing. Convincing someone with opposing values is that damn hard.
Fwoooosh! With the wind at our backs, the flames swept forward, stretching far into the distance. The obstructing underbrush vanished in the blaze, leaving a wide, open road.
"Path's clear now, so let's get moving."
We crossed the burning plain. With visibility wide open, no need to worry about ambushes like before. Hell, were there even any monsters left to ambush us after this firestorm? As long as they weren't all dead, that'd be a win. Profit might've taken a hit, but peace of mind? Way up.
Suddenly, Cassandra spoke up out of nowhere. "Whisper whisper...!"
"Huh?"
"The lady says..."
"Whis—whisper! Whisper!"
Before Heinrich could finish translating, she poured out words. "Whisper, whisper! Whisper whisper!"
Uncharacteristically excited, Cassandra grabbed both my hands. Through her opaque veil, her eyes seemed to sparkle. "She says she's deeply moved by your noble humanitarian spirit, Miss Iris—prioritizing lives over money."
"Whisper!"
"She wants to emulate that lofty worldview herself."
Ooh. I clasped her hands back with teary-eyed admiration. Finally, a true intellectual in this party who understood my profound intent. Touching.
"Also, both the lady and I were profoundly impressed by the purification magic you showed earlier."
Heinrich stepped forward too, gazing at me with moved eyes. "We both felt it... that warm imagery embracing and accepting all the world's discriminated and oppressed..."
"You saw through it. I'm against all discrimination and oppression. That's true humanity."
"Truly... what nobility... I hope to maintain a good relationship with you going forward, Miss Iris."
Heinrich bowed, and Cassandra's grip tightened. "Whisper..." She stroked my hands. Caressed, kneaded, massaged them. With a sigh of rapture. And then...
"..."
She stared. Intently. For a long while.
...Had some weird switch flipped? As I tilted my head...
"Party's running smoother than ever. You all collectively insane?"
Siegurd muttered in disbelief. "Whisper whisper!"
"What'd she say, you mute bitch!"
"Whisper!"
"Enough! Shut it!"
And just like that, a catfight erupted between Siegurd and Cassandra over my noble values. We ignored it with one ear and hurried on.
Crunch, crackle. Black ash crumbled lightly underfoot. The flames had receded out of sight.
"Iris, look at this!"
Along the way, Evel tugged my sleeve, proudly showing off her finds. Mana stones left by incinerated monsters. I praised her lavishly each time. Her gacha luck was solid today. Sometimes rotten roots or fully burned junk, but still.
Thanks to Evel's magnet-like pulls, the bag was filling up nicely. But not enough yet. Needed a big score.
I scanned around. Just vast open space—no specials in sight. Hope the whole cradle hadn't burned up. A little fire wouldn't raze an entire floor, but if it did, better move to the next fast.
"Doal, ready to roll?"
His turn again. We'd held back near the fire—low roll there could've been disastrous. But now, with flames gone? Perfect timing.
"Hohoho...! Finally time to throw...!"
Doal chuckled, rattling his dice. His fingers trembled—clear withdrawal symptoms. Real gambling addict, the Dice Emperor.
"Please, 12 this time!"
"Go, Doal! Hit the max score!"
"Whisper whisper!"
"Hohohoho!"
Buoyed by cheers, Doal flung the dice into the air. No bushes to snag them now.
Clack, clack, roll— Over the ash-waved wasteland, they tumbled. All eyes locked on.
And the result...
1, 1. Total 2.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Siiiiigh. A deep collective exhale. 12 my ass.
Dice Emperor's hands were cursed. "No way..."
He dropped to his knees like the world had ended, eyes quivering at the dice. "It was high-number turn for sure..."
There it was, the pattern. Classic gambler delusion. Anyone who's been near a casino knows: "It's due" or "Flow says high"—total bullshit. Dice have no memory. Past 1 doesn't boost next 6 odds.
"...Whatever, double down next time."
I swallowed rising irritation. Done was done. Big dreams dashed, but couldn't stop here. Still 2nd floor. Weird party aside, we were all 3rd-floor caliber. Stay sharp, we'd manage.
We crossed the ashen plain. No brush meant dry dust puffing with every step.
How long? Something appeared on the horizon.
"...What's that?"
Closer, the silhouette sharpened. Finally, we arrived.
"...A cradle."
Two massive iron pillars stabbed into the ground. Beyond, a weathered giant iron gate. Around it, broken swords and spears stuck like gravestones. Hummm. Scorched by fire, the metal scraps still wailed eerily in the wind.
Heinrich spoke up. "The Abandoned Knight's Tomb."
"...Hmm."
I paused, stroking my chin. Recalled Heinrich's intel on the way here. Unlike other cradles with tricky gimmicks, this was dead simple: Enter, knight inside. Beat the knight, rewards. That's it.
Sole issue: Knight's power dwarfed 2nd-floor average. But not for us. Our firepower was insane. Confident we'd take it easy.
What bugged me...
"...This from a dice roll of 2?"
Doal's Image Magic summoned fortune or calamity. Low number meant unavoidable "misfortune."
1st floor? Fine—gatekeeper was toughest anyway, so 2 spawning it made sense.
But here? Amid gimmick hell, we get a brute-force spot. Misfortune? Nah, luck.
I pondered deeply. A bad premonition flickered.
"...One of two things."
Lame rewards post-clear. Or this wasn't the real misfortune—something unexpected was.
We approached the gate warily.
Ash wind swirling before it. A group of figures stood there. Burly mercenaries in armor. Center: Loose-robed mage.
The woman from the 1st-floor red crystal.
"........."
In the still air, ash seemed frozen. From a distance, I eyed her steadily.
She noticed, turned. "Hi. Third time's the charm."
She waved. I waved back.
"Do I pay up?"
"No."
"Thanks."
Flat voice. But beaming smile. Somehow more unsettling than before.
"You got here first?"
"Yeah."
"We'll just keep going then. Cool?"
"Yeah. Bye."
"Everyone, let's go."
No hesitation—we turned and left the cradle. Pure instinct, no calculation. Didn't know the deal, but gut screamed: Don't engage.
Luckily, smooth exit. Once distanced, I glanced back.
She flashed a V at me.
"........."
No, not V. Three fingers.
Three. Third.
Up to her face. The smile gone, blank now.
But beside her—the doll-eyed mercenaries staring blankly—now all grinned at us.
...Fuck. Something's seriously wrong.