The Second Labyrinth (4)
The smallest member of our team had gone into the monsters' nest. It was risky since the place had already collapsed once, but her greed for loot made her insist on going herself. No one could stop her. And her hunch that there would be something inside the nest turned out to be spot on.
“I found it!”
The team member who had crawled into the precarious, half-collapsed pit emerged with two massive horns clutched in her hands.
“There’s a treasure hoard in there! These things have a whole stash!”
“Whoa!”
If we hadn’t discovered the loot, we might have given up due to the high risk. But once treasure was confirmed, the situation changed completely. When the value of an investment is proven, all that’s left is to act on it.
“I’ll give you ten percent of the value of everything that comes out of there. Special offer.”
“Thank you!”
Since the brave one who stepped forward was a commoner, Princess Raciel made the promise without hesitation. Some might say ten percent was too stingy for someone who risked their life to locate the hoard, but the truth was this person couldn’t have cleared the massive monster swarm alone, nor could she haul everything out just by finding the hole. So she gladly accepted the ten percent incentive with genuine delight.
When courageous action brought a proper reward, the rest of the team’s mood shifted to one of eager motivation. There were teams that rewarded success according to their leader’s character, and teams that didn’t. Now that we knew we’d be treated according to our results, there was no way we wouldn’t be motivated.
“Which way do we go?”
“Here, I’ll explain. Only people with small builds can go inside. There are crushed corpses of these things scattered throughout, so you have to avoid them.”
“Sounds insanely dangerous.”
“From what I saw, if too many people go in at once it might collapse. The best way is to station people at intervals and pass the bags of loot back like a relay.”
“That’s a good plan.”
There was no reason to make an already unstable mole tunnel even more precarious by having people going in and out unnecessarily.
“Since I’ve been in once, I’ll head to the deepest part. Everyone with a small build, come over here!”
“What did she see inside that mole tunnel to make her so enthusiastic?”
“Whatever you imagine, it’ll be more than that. Just look forward to it. There are monster corpses piled up in there.”
Monster byproducts could sometimes be worth more than jewels. One by one, the items pulled from the mole tunnel began to pile up neatly.
“These things are more impressive than I thought. They really killed all those monsters themselves.”
Byproducts from monsters several times larger than themselves kept appearing. As I marveled, Melody’s older sister answered my curious remark.
“They probably fought by having a large number of monsters attack a smaller number simultaneously. They collapsed the ground to create a battlefield advantageous to themselves.”
She added that size didn’t matter much to them. If something was big? Just bring more allies and attack together. Their hunting method was so efficient that it sent chills down my spine. If Melody’s sister hadn’t quickly figured out the mole monsters’ tendencies and turned the ground into scorched earth, our bones would likely be stored among those very byproducts.
“The labyrinth really is a terrifying place.”
One small mistake could cost you your life.
“As long as I am here, you need not be afraid. I can protect you.”
To me, who had expressed fear, Melody’s older sister offered comfort with words more reassuring and dependable than anyone else’s.
Thump. Thump.
Her words made my heart beat that loudly.
She really is… cool.
Being protected by someone. It might not be such a bad thing after all.
Thanks to filling both our stomachs and our pockets, everyone was in high spirits as we began moving again. Since the battle had drained a lot of our stamina, we weren’t planning to walk far. We were simply looking for a suitable spot to set up a base camp.
“We’re stopping here? Isn’t this too close?”
After we had traveled some distance, I asked curiously when our leader stopped the group sooner than expected. Melody’s older sister kindly explained.
“The presence of a large-scale monster swarm means there’s a high chance no other monsters live nearby.”
“Ah, I see.”
The fact that she answered my questions immediately made me realize how close we had become. She used to reply to me in short, curt answers, but now she gave kind, detailed explanations.
“I’ll do it. Leave it to me.”
“I can do it too! I learned last time.”
Setting up a tent was a task that took over an hour if you weren’t an expert. Last time, when I tried to help pitch the tents, everyone stopped me, saying they would handle it themselves. But we wouldn’t be in the labyrinth for just a day or two. It didn’t seem right to live without even knowing how to make a place to sleep. So even though it would be troublesome, I asked to be taught, and they gladly agreed. That’s how I learned how to pitch a tent.
“How is it? It’s a bit clumsy, but I did pretty well, right?”
“Yes. I’m surprised you thought to learn something like this.”
“Since we’ll keep going in and out of the labyrinth, I figured I should at least know how to make my own sleeping spot.”
“Most people don’t even think of doing it themselves… You really are unique.”
“I do have some peculiar sides, I suppose.”
I couldn’t argue with being called unique. Even I thought most priests wouldn’t bother wanting to learn how to pitch tents. Still, wasn’t this all part of gaining experience? There might come a day when I’d have to set up my own tent.
“I think learning anything will help later. I try to actively learn whatever I can.”
“That’s an excellent attitude. I’m sure you won’t regret it.”
Melody’s older sister’s praise lifted my mood even more. She wasn’t an unfriendly person. She simply kept her distance from others.
It must be because of her job. She has to be cautious.
Now that we had built this rapport, she was showing conversational skills not much different from ordinary people. If even building friendships required such caution for a heretic inquisitor, I could understand why my master had been so eager to retire and feel free. The longer I spent living with Melody’s older sister, the more deeply I realized why heretic inquisitors deserved respect. The things they had to give up to do their job were exactly what ordinary ‘humans’ treasured most.
“Have you finished setting up your tent, Sister?”
“No. Not yet.”
Now that I looked, her hair was damp. She must have been washing the blood off her body and hadn’t gotten around to her tent yet.
“I’ll help you.”
Her tent was supposed to be pitched right next to mine for my protection.
“I can do it alone.”
“It’ll be faster if we do it together, and we can rest sooner too. You worked hard today.”
If Melody’s older sister hadn’t collapsed the ground for us, who knows what would have happened? It was an achievement everyone acknowledged. Some passing team members even gave her a thumbs-up.
Once all the tents were set up, we went inside to rest. The soft fur blocked the cold air rising from the ground.
It’s only the beginning…
We had encountered minor monsters while moving, but today was the first time we properly hunted a large monster swarm. Going deeper from here would truly mark the start of a proper labyrinth subjugation.
Feeling like I wouldn’t be able to sleep like this, I abruptly got up and stepped out of the tent.
“Oh? What are you doing out here?”
“I was just sitting.”
Surely she hadn’t been sitting in front of my tent to guard me. The small campfire in front of her flickered precariously. The snow had stopped and the wind was dying down little by little, so the cold was easing slightly. Of course, finding any real warmth in this completely frozen place was never going to be easy.
“I wondered what that smell was. You’re grilling ham.”
“Would you like some?”
“If you’re offering, I’d gladly accept.”
I plopped down beside her. The pitiful campfire, still burning unsteadily, somehow filled the air with a subtle sense of romance.
“Can’t sleep?”
“Sleeping in the labyrinth isn’t exactly easy. My body is exhausted and screaming for rest, but my mind just can’t shake off the tension, you know?”
That had been my pattern in the first labyrinth—tossing and turning for a long time before finally falling asleep. I had been far more nervous then, so it was incredibly difficult. This being the second subjugation, I seemed to be adapting much faster.
“It also helps that you’re by my side.”
“Me?”
“You’re protecting me. I’m not used to being protected by someone, so it feels awkward, but honestly, it’s reassuring. You were really cool today.”
“……”
Melody’s older sister must have been embarrassed by the praise. She said nothing and simply poked at the poor campfire.
“Please take good care of me from now on too.”
With those words, I held out my hand. It was meant as a handshake. After a moment of hesitation, she took it. I gripped her hand firmly and said,
“By the way, why didn’t you come to get healed?”
“I have no injuries.”
“You have minor wounds, don’t you?”
“These will heal on their own.”
“We might have to fight again tomorrow. We can’t just leave them. Please stay still.”
She wouldn’t twist my wrist and refuse, would she? Holding her wrist, I drew up my divine power and channeled it into her body.
She flinched slightly, but thankfully did not reject the holy energy I sent into her.