The Labyrinth (3)
"Hup, hup, hup, hup."
The narrow cell was filled only with the chilling, rhythmic sounds of Sisyphus training. 'What is this man?' Theseus watched him for a long time. The way he repeated the same motion without a single error was like a work of art. '...I feel dizzy.' It almost felt like being hypnotized. 'Right, this isn't the time to just sit here.' He had heard the word "fitness" for the first time, but it seemed that was the name of Sisyphus's training method. In fact, the magic circle had been inscribed with the words: [Room you can only leave by doing X-rated acts]. Sisyphus was currently devising his own means of escape.
Theseus decided to look for a route out as well. He tried shooting arrows at the wall he had entered through, destroying the iron bars, or searching for gaps. But his attempts quickly came to nothing.
"An order of absolute indestructibility? A strange magic has been cast upon this."
It was a high-grade magic to be used on a mere prison. He realized once again how twisted a place this labyrinth was. Eventually, Theseus sat down in the corner like a prisoner.
"Hup, hup, hup."
Sisyphus was pushing his body to the limit in an even stranger posture. Beads of sweat sparkled on his latissimus dorsi. Was he training back when he visited the inn, too? Come to think of it, his head had felt quite clear when they talked back then. 'The great hero Sisyphus. Perhaps being trapped in a solitary cell with him is fate.' His mind had been cluttered with distracting thoughts anyway. He decided to ask him for advice.
"Hey, Sisyphus. Would you mind if I consulted you on something?"
"Are your pectorals not growing?"
"...What?"
"It's a common worry among women. If you lose weight, the chest you had shrinks, and even if you work out, the pectorals don't develop well. A vicious cycle repeats."
"What are you talking about..."
Theseus instinctively looked down at her chest. She had intended to look at her chest, but her gaze dropped too low, and her thighs greeted her instead.
"People ask friends with big chests for the secret, but there isn't one. It's a strange phenomenon where you work out harder than anyone else, but your body just keeps turning into a log. You give your lover a pitiful look, asking to be praised for working out, but the expression of the person cheering you on gets worse by the day. Eventually, you lose that lover, too."
"No, I've never thought having a small chest was bad. It's comfortable when fighting."
"Is that so? My apologies. For reference, the solution is that you have to be 'born with it.' The mage in our party is the type who was born with it. She could build a great body with just a little training, but she's wasting her talent."
"Are you saying I wasn't born with it?"
Swish. Sisyphus's gaze scanned Theseus's body from top to bottom. She could feel the look of pity. This stings a bit. Theseus scraped her fingernails against her palm.
"Forget about the body talk. That's not what I wanted to consult you about."
"It wasn't?"
Wasn't your biggest worry those flat-chested problems? You lack a sense of crisis. Of course, Sisyphus didn't say it like that, but for some reason, she felt stung on her own.
"It's about the fate of a hero."
She finally brought up the subject. Hero. It was the word that made Theseus's mind the most complicated right now.
"?"
But the great hero, for some reason, had an even more bewildered expression. It was the same reaction as, 'Why are you asking me such a question?' Theseus continued her story regardless.
"Before, I was curious about how one could become a great hero like you. But now, I have a different question. In other words... am I, Theseia, truly someone born with the fate of a hero?"
Ariadne floated into her mind. She was a great person who had the firm purpose of becoming a king who cares for the city, despite her position as a princess.
"Perhaps I am only using 'hero' as a means to avoid the responsibilities I should bear. Moving beyond Beta to Alpha, reaching Sigma... will my task be completed once I reach a level where I can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the great hero Penthesilea? Is that the fate inscribed in my soul?"
Theseus dropped her head.
"If not... I don't know what the meaning is in coming to this far-off land and subjugating magic beasts. At first, I might have just wanted to prove that lineage didn't matter. But since becoming an enemy of Olympus, I've thrown away my honor, so I have no choice but to be a half-baked hero."
Theseus let out a deep sigh.
"Sisyphus, what do you think?"
Theseus asked cautiously. Sisyphus, who had been listening with his arms crossed, jumped to his feet.
"Hey, stop being noisy and do your lower body."
"What."
Theseus was dumbfounded. She had requested a consultation with such sincerity, only to be brushed off with a single word about being noisy.
"I said do your lower body. Take this."
"Ugh."
Theseus tried to lift the dumbbell Sisyphus tossed to her. Her arm almost popped out of its socket. It was an immense weight, far heavier than it looked, as if a weight-increasing spell had been cast on it.
"If it's heavy, just lift one. Put it over your head. Spread your legs. Lower your waist slowly while exhaling."
"What are you making me do right now..."
"Hey, don't talk while exercising."
"Hnnngh."
Theseus broke into a sweat from the sudden, torture-like activity.
"Look at your legs shaking. They'd break if I tapped them. You're nothing but chopsticks."
"I'm, stronger, than I look...!"
"I said don't talk. Pull your shoulder blades back. You'll ruin your spine."
Squeeze. The grip strength pressing down on her shoulder blades was incredibly powerful. Theseus ended up repeating squats as Sisyphus commanded.
"Huuuuh."
Strength flowed into her thighs and calves. It looked easy when she was watching, but was it such a painful movement? As if I'd let you think I can't do it. I'll do it out of spite.
"You do well when you try. You are Beta-class, after all."
"...Ha, this much is nothing."
Bam! She stood up, putting strength into her glutes. She was slowly getting used to the immense load on her body. But strangely enough.
'...Hmm? What was I worrying about?'
As she focused on crushing her lower body as Sisyphus said, her mind, which had been complicated just a moment ago, felt refreshed. It was as if someone had swept all her countless thoughts into a trash can with a roller. Every time she lifted her hips, only a strange sense of accomplishment remained.
"Five sets, finished."
"Hoo, hoo."
Drenched in sweat, Theseus collapsed onto the bed. She realized it while watching Sisyphus's back as he organized the dumbbells and wrapped bandages around his arms.
'I see.'
Words are not needed for enlightenment. He had taught her that moving the body first is enough.
"You did well for your first time, Theseus."
"...Hmph, of course. You must have forgotten who I am. I am Theseus, the hero of Beta."
The corners of her mouth rose without her realizing it. How long had it been since she was praised like a child by someone? It was quite pleasant.
It was when Theseus was enjoying the satisfaction.
"Sisyphus! Why are you still not out, what are you doing?!"
A frantic voice was heard from outside the iron bars. It was Cassandra. She was dragging Clea by the wrist.
"I'm trying to get out."
"Trying, you say? No way...?"
Theseus, drenched in sweat and collapsed on the bed. And Sisyphus, who had his upper body exposed. Cassandra had a serious expression for a moment upon seeing the two, but she soon muttered to herself, 'No way that could be,' and sighed.
"Were you doing lower body exercises to get out of prison?"
"Yeah."
"You must have misunderstood the spell."
"This isn't it?"
"It was a malicious trap. Goodness, I wonder what kind of trashy mind came up with this."
Clea, who had been dragged along, had no focus in her eyes. She muttered in a fading voice.
"I wanted to give my first kiss to Sisyphus... Why, why in a place like this... No, it's same-sex, so it doesn't count. Yeah, nothing happened..."
"Stop whining. I was a first-timer too. Why are you making such a fuss over just touching lips?"
"Huh? Wait a minute. Why is she in there?"
Bang! Clea clung to the iron bars and glared at Theseus with a murderous face.
"Cassandra, don't tell me Sisyphus also has to do that... that thing we did to get out?"
"What did you two do?"
"We didn't do anything!"
While Sisyphus furrowed his brow, Theseus realized what had happened. What, is that really the only way? You can't get out forever unless you do that... with Sisyphus? Ever since she decided to live as a hero, Theseus had never thought of herself as a woman. But perhaps because Sisyphus had talked about chests earlier, it started to bother her strangely.
'I'm sweating so much right now.'
She was someone who usually maintained a haughty attitude without a single flaw, but now she had too many openings. She hated it to death in this state. But...
'...Really?'
Should she prepare her heart? But the mistress inside was glaring at her as if to kill her. She had a gut feeling that even if she got out of here, her life would be in danger.
"Theseus, you're safe!"
At that moment, thankfully, a relief pitcher appeared. Her party members had arrived.
"Pio."
"You were trapped in a prison. I thought that might be the case."
"We were also trapped while looking for Theseus-nim."
"What? Then how did you get out?"
"Well, we used Dispel to get out. It was at most a 3rd-rank spell."
The mage answered simply. Only then did Cassandra slap her forehead in realization.
"Hey!!!"
Clea rushed at Cassandra and choked her as if to kill her.
"I didn't know either! Who knew someone would do that on purpose... Ack, ack. Let's talk after letting go. Haaah."
Leaving Cassandra behind, trembling and foaming at the mouth, Sisyphus examined the prison's magic circle.
"So you're saying I can just use Dispel."
"You, you knew how to use magic too?"
"No."
Bang! Sisyphus struck his fist down, and the magic circle vanished without a trace. Once he finished Dispel (Physical), the prison's indestructible effect disappeared. Sisyphus easily bent the iron bars and stepped outside.
"I was worried for nothing because they said it was magic."
If it's magic, you just have to tear the circle apart. Sisyphus had learned a lesson.
"Let's chase after that Daedalus guy. Clea, follow me."
"Ah, okay."
Sisyphus ran through the labyrinth corridor without a moment's rest. Theseus watched his back and asked the healer.
"Do you happen to have any water?"
"Yes. How much do you need?"
"A lot. It's a bit hot."
She fanned herself repeatedly.