Chapter 191: Bifron (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 191: Bifron (1)
At 7 a.m. on our eleventh day of traversing the labyrinth, after sending the other three out of the rift, we returned to the forest.
"Umm, why don't we eat something firrrst?"
"That would be best."
Finally noticing how hungry we were, we gathered and cooked a meal. And of course, it was human nature to feel drowsy when you had a full stomach.
"...Let's sleep for today and do the rest tomorrow."
Fatigued, we set up camp and all fell asleep. We hadn't just stayed up the entirety of last night—we had played a game of mafia in the third stage which had wasted our energy, and had even participated in a PK. Not to mention the ensuing Doppelganger boss battle.
Hooonnnk!
Sleep came as soon as I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, a whole day had passed. Even though I fell asleep at 8 a.m., when I checked the time, the hand had moved back an hour to 7 a.m. again. That meant I had slept almost twenty-four hours.
"Oh, are you awake?"
"...Why didn't you wake me up?"
"We just woke up too."
So you weren't being considerate, I see.
Quickly washing my face with some bottled water, I caught the scent of something delicious nearby.
"If you're awake, grrrab a plate and sit. Oh, wake Ainar before that. She'll listen to you, at least."
After waking Ainar and eating together, we wandered the brush and picked up what we needed, a wild herb that grew exclusively in Doppelganger Forest. "Don't just follow me and check the ground as you go. These are ten thousand stones per root."
Along with that...
"Mr. Yandel."
Kwaaang!
Crushing the Seal Stones, which were now useless, now had a certain probability of dropping Fragments of Sealed Evil.
"How much do these cost?"
"Around one million stones each."
"I see. I'll buy five of them when they appear."
I took five of the seven total fragments, because the effects were null after that.
[You have taken a Fragment of Sealed Evil. Your Mana Resistance permanently increases by +1.]
For reference, Missha bought the remaining two pieces. "Eh? Me?"
"You made a lot of money anyway. Don't hoard it."
"I'm not, but..." Missha eyed Ainar with an apologetic look. She should really be more selfish, like a real adventurer. Ainar would eventually be consuming an essence with plenty of additional Mana Resistance, so it made more sense for Missha to eat this. It wasn't like she wasn't paying for it.
"Whew, looks like that thing's not showing up."
"We can spare one day. Let's keep looking."
Although there were no monsters, it took an entire day to search this vast forest. However, we invested even the day after to search the entirety of the forest one more time, at which point we finally found what we were looking for—a mandragora root, an ingredient that went in an elixir.
"Everyone, cover your ea—no. Just stand far back. I'll take this one out." Once Raven shielded herself with magic and pulled it from the ground, all our tasks in the Doppelganger Forest were complete. However, she asked, "I'm really sorry, but could you give me a little more time? I want to see more of this place."
"Why?"
"It's purely personal curiosity."
At Raven's request, we decided to stay here longer. Surprisingly, no one objected.
"Right, the Complete Book of Rifts. The perrrson who wrote that can't know everything about this place!"
"If we're lucky, we might discover something."
The prospect made everyone's eyes light up. Well, I thought the possibility that we'd find a hidden feature that I was unaware of was close to zero, but at least she'd asked. When we first met in the Bloody Citadel, she hadn't bothered with requests. Raven used the dwarf and me as her servants and made us help her with her research.
"Then where are you going to look first?"
"The cave at the very start."
Starting from Shadow Cave in the first stage, we moved to the doppelganger's hideout and searched meticulously. Well, to be more accurate, we smashed anything that seemed suspicious as we searched. As expected, there were no hidden rooms or items. However, numerous questions cropped up along the way.
"Why did it have to be a steel cage?" Raven said.
"Isn't it because we had to wait for the other teams to enter?"
"Then it would make more sense to just make it a timed entry. Just like when we enter and exit the labyrinth."
Why was it that Doppelganger Forest began with us imprisoned behind bars? What was the Memoir of the Sacrifice we had obtained from the altar, and why was it described as a sacrifice? Why did the clones turn into imperial soldiers after the third stage? No, what even was the Empire they mentioned?
"Now that I think about it, it's a pity. Although it was inarticulate, it could still speak. We might have learned something if we captured one..."
We discussed the topics Raven raised as a team, but couldn't come up with any answers. And so, our rift expedition ended there.
"I'm sorry, everyone. We wasted two days for nothing because of me."
"Don't apologize. You are the team's wizard. It was a fair request. We're the ones who agreed to the search."
"He's rrright. And it was fun, I felt like a real adventurerrr. Right, Ainar?"
"Huh? I thought it was boring."
"Please, take a hint. Hmm?" Ainar followed Missha like an older sister these days, so when she scolded her, Ainar turned sullen.
Raven smiled at the sight. "Thank you, everyone. But now that I think about it, I don't think there was anything to be sorry about. Even if we sell just one mandragora root, that'll balance out a few days of hunting, right?"
"It seems our wizard has returned to normal."
"Normal? Mr. Urikfried, what do you mean by that?"
Mr. Bear just shrugged his shoulders and avoided answering. Raven eyed him suspiciously but did not press further.
[You have entered the Tower of Heavens on the fourth floor.]
On the afternoon of the fourteenth day, after returning to the labyrinth through the portal in the boss room, we continued our quest. It took about six days to reach the fifth floor. After that, we took the Hellfire Gorge route as planned and pretended to be focused on hunting while we actually looked for a Mila Roden. Oh, for reference, once you found the black moss, everything after that was a breeze. I didn't even have to cue Raven to use detection magic. Having enjoyed our previous expedition into the mirror, Raven cast a detection spell every five minutes.
"Why?"
"It's purely personal curiosity."
At Raven's request, we decided to stay here longer. Surprisingly, no one objected.
"Right, the Complete Book of Rifts. The perrrson who wrote that can't know everything about this place!"
"If we're lucky, we might discover something."
The prospect made everyone's eyes light up. Well, I thought the possibility that we'd find a hidden feature that I was unaware of was close to zero, but at least she'd asked. When we first met in the Bloody Citadel, she hadn't bothered with requests. Raven used the dwarf and me as her servants and made us help her with her research.
"Then where are you going to look first?"
"The cave at the very start."
Starting from Shadow Cave in the first stage, we moved to the doppelganger's hideout and searched meticulously. Well, to be more accurate, we smashed anything that seemed suspicious as we searched. As expected, there were no hidden rooms or items. However, numerous questions cropped up along the way.
"Why did it have to be a steel cage?" Raven said.
"Isn't it because we had to wait for the other teams to enter?"
"Then it would make more sense to just make it a timed entry. Just like when we enter and exit the labyrinth."
Why was it that Doppelganger Forest began with us imprisoned behind bars? What was the Memoir of the Sacrifice we had obtained from the altar, and why was it described as a sacrifice? Why did the clones turn into imperial soldiers after the third stage? No, what even was the Empire they mentioned?
"Now that I think about it, it's a pity. Although it was inarticulate, it could still speak. We might have learned something if we captured one..."
We discussed the topics Raven raised as a team, but couldn't come up with any answers. And so, our rift expedition ended there.
"I'm sorry, everyone. We wasted two days for nothing because of me."
"Don't apologize. You are the team's wizard. It was a fair request. We're the ones who agreed to the search."
"He's rrright. And it was fun, I felt like a real adventurerrr. Right, Ainar?"
"Huh? I thought it was boring."
"Please, take a hint. Hmm?" Ainar followed Missha like an older sister these days, so when she scolded her, Ainar turned sullen.
Raven smiled at the sight. "Thank you, everyone. But now that I think about it, I don't think there was anything to be sorry about. Even if we sell just one mandragora root, that'll balance out a few days of hunting, right?"
"It seems our wizard has returned to normal."
"Normal? Mr. Urikfried, what do you mean by that?"
Mr. Bear just shrugged his shoulders and avoided answering. Raven eyed him suspiciously but did not press further.
[You have entered the Tower of Heavens on the fourth floor.]
On the afternoon of the fourteenth day, after returning to the labyrinth through the portal in the boss room, we continued our quest. It took about six days to reach the fifth floor. After that, we took the Hellfire Gorge route as planned and pretended to be focused on hunting while we actually looked for a Mila Roden. Oh, for reference, once you found the black moss, everything after that was a breeze. I didn't even have to cue Raven to use detection magic. Having enjoyed our previous expedition into the mirror, Raven cast a detection spell every five minutes.
"...It didn't stay again."
As a result, we were able to hunt a total of three Mila Roden, but none of them had been winning tickets. Actually, this was the norm. The possibility of the distortion spell succeeding and Mila Roden's corpse remaining intact was 20 percent.
That's out the window this time.
Since there were only five days left until the labyrinth closed, we didn't bother looking for any more Mila Roden. Even if we got into the Mirror of Fire, we wouldn't have time to do anything. That was too bad, though, because I had planned on using the Orb of Fire to try out a new area.
[You have defeated a Stoneburn. EXP +4]
[You have defeated a Fire Zombie. EXP+2]
[You have defeated a Red Mud. EXP +3]
[You have defeated a Hell Flame. EXP +5]
Still, the hunt itself wasn't bad. This was the only bright side of the failed attempt to conquer Noark. With more than 90 percent of the clans occupying the map now gone, the entire fifth floor was overrun with monsters. Of course, this situation wouldn't last long. In a few months, clans who had recovered would return, and a lot of clans likely hadn't entered this time around in the first place because the situation was unstable.
More time passed like that, and the day of our return soon dawned.
[You have been transported to Rafdonia.]
***
Warm sunlight blanketed my skin. As always, I stood there absently enjoying the warmth for a while. Looking around, I could see some other adventurers doing the same.
Okay, let's go.
When I headed to the checkpoint for our rank, I could see my teammates had arrived before me, all except one person. "I see Abman is not here yet."
"Oh, there he is now. With someone else. Again."
It was a strange sight every time. No matter how large the plaza was, how could he get lost there?
"Haha, the line isn't too long this time," Abman said.
"Not because you managed to get here any faster. I think it's because the number of adventurers who entered the labyrinth this time was smaller than usual," Raven said.
"Ahem, I didn't say otherwise."
Anyway, as we waited in line together, our turn soon came. Our mana stone income was much lower than before.
"7.08 million stones."
Divided in five, that was about 1.41 million per person, almost four times less than last time. But that was unavoidable. Not only had we been unable to enter the mirror world, but it was difficult to get mana stones in Doppelganger Forest, where we had invested a lot of our time.
"Is that all?"
"Yes, congratulations on your earnings." Since it wasn't an outrageous amount of money, the employee didn't send us suspicious looks. However, as we were about to leave the checkpoint, the employee urgently stopped us. "Oh, please wait!"
"...Is something wrong?"
"Team Apple Narak, and team leader Bjorn Yandel," he said quickly. "Is that right?"
"Yes, and?"
"...You'll have to wait here for a moment. That includes your team members."
A security guard hadn't come to seize me like in the past, but the request was enough for me to realize something was wrong. It was the same for our team's wizard. "Excuse me, shouldn't you explain what's going on first?" Raven spoke aggressively on my behalf as I was on the verge of having my PTSD triggered.
"...It didn't stay again."
As a result, we were able to hunt a total of three Mila Roden, but none of them had been winning tickets. Actually, this was the norm. The possibility of the distortion spell succeeding and Mila Roden's corpse remaining intact was 20 percent.
That's out the window this time.
Since there were only five days left until the labyrinth closed, we didn't bother looking for any more Mila Roden. Even if we got into the Mirror of Fire, we wouldn't have time to do anything. That was too bad, though, because I had planned on using the Orb of Fire to try out a new area.
[You have defeated a Stoneburn. EXP +4]
[You have defeated a Fire Zombie. EXP+2]
[You have defeated a Red Mud. EXP +3]
[You have defeated a Hell Flame. EXP +5]
Still, the hunt itself wasn't bad. This was the only bright side of the failed attempt to conquer Noark. With more than 90 percent of the clans occupying the map now gone, the entire fifth floor was overrun with monsters. Of course, this situation wouldn't last long. In a few months, clans who had recovered would return, and a lot of clans likely hadn't entered this time around in the first place because the situation was unstable.
More time passed like that, and the day of our return soon dawned.
[You have been transported to Rafdonia.]
***
Warm sunlight blanketed my skin. As always, I stood there absently enjoying the warmth for a while. Looking around, I could see some other adventurers doing the same.
Okay, let's go.
When I headed to the checkpoint for our rank, I could see my teammates had arrived before me, all except one person. "I see Abman is not here yet."
"Oh, there he is now. With someone else. Again."
It was a strange sight every time. No matter how large the plaza was, how could he get lost there?
"Haha, the line isn't too long this time," Abman said.
"Not because you managed to get here any faster. I think it's because the number of adventurers who entered the labyrinth this time was smaller than usual," Raven said.
"Ahem, I didn't say otherwise."
Anyway, as we waited in line together, our turn soon came. Our mana stone income was much lower than before.
"7.08 million stones."
Divided in five, that was about 1.41 million per person, almost four times less than last time. But that was unavoidable. Not only had we been unable to enter the mirror world, but it was difficult to get mana stones in Doppelganger Forest, where we had invested a lot of our time.
"Is that all?"
"Yes, congratulations on your earnings." Since it wasn't an outrageous amount of money, the employee didn't send us suspicious looks. However, as we were about to leave the checkpoint, the employee urgently stopped us. "Oh, please wait!"
"...Is something wrong?"
"Team Apple Narak, and team leader Bjorn Yandel," he said quickly. "Is that right?"
"Yes, and?"
"...You'll have to wait here for a moment. That includes your team members."
A security guard hadn't come to seize me like in the past, but the request was enough for me to realize something was wrong. It was the same for our team's wizard. "Excuse me, shouldn't you explain what's going on first?" Raven spoke aggressively on my behalf as I was on the verge of having my PTSD triggered.
"Inspector, is this them?"
"Ah, yes, yes! That's correct!"
Then a knight entered the checkpoint. Raven's expression darkened. "Why is Mozlan...?"
Mozlan: an executive body made up exclusively of knights with noble backgrounds, and an organization with an infamous reputation.
"Bjorn." Missha, who had seen Dwalkie get arrested right in front of her, shuddered.
However, the knight was surprisingly kind, at least more so than those high-handed bastards from back then. "Nice to meet you. I'm Elmeras from Mozlan's executive board." Although even his casual speech was that of a lord, that was to be expected of a nobleman. That wasn't the main issue here anyway. The most important thing was that he was offering a handshake. For now, this man wasn't being all that hostile toward us.
"...Bjorn, son of Yandel." Inwardly, I sighed in relief and reciprocated the handshake. However, my anxiety wasn't fully gone. Why had the inspector stopped us and for what reason had Mozlan come to find us?
"Hello."
"Hmm, and you are, young lady?"
"I'm Arua Raven from the School of Altemion. I want to hear why you came to see us, Sir Elmeras."
The knight answered Raven's question with a laugh. "There is only one reason why the inspector would detain you. Someone has put an arrest order on your team."
It was truly out of left field. "Sorry? What do you—"
"Don't be too alarmed. Judging by the details of the order, it doesn't seem to be very serious."
"But what are we being arrested for?"
The knight grinned and replied, "The activation of a special ability within city limits, and entering the labyrinth without permission against the instructions of the guards."
Oh, that...
Everyone, including Raven, shut up. After everything we went through in the labyrinth, we had completely forgotten about that. We thought that would end with just a fine in the first place.
"I don't understand. Isn't the standard punishment a fine?" I couldn't help but ask in an argumentative tone. No matter how I looked at it, there was no reason for an arrest order to get dropped on us, nor for Mozlan to get involved. So, how did this happen?
"We have to look at what you did in context. Rather than committing a simple misdemeanor, it could be argued that you have all violated royal orders."
So, that was it. The situation pretty much made sense now.
It seemed Raven had figured it out, too. "...You're saying they're making efforts to rein the adventurers in."
"I can't hide anything from a wizard. It's just as you say. Although only a day has passed, news of your team is already spreading among the adventurers."
"News of us?"
"They're all calling themselves stupid for following orders instead of running blindly into the labyrinth. The higher-ups have determined that a similar event will occur again if this ends with a simple fine."
Put simply, they were using us to set an example, punishing one person to instill alarm in the minds of a hundred.
"If control over the city's adventurers loosens now, it might lead to bigger issues. I hope you understand."
I could see why they chose me. As I had some previous fame and had become a hot topic due to our unauthorized entry into the labyrinth, they probably figured that news would spread fast.
"So, what happens to us now?"
When I cut straight to the point of this conversation, the knight clarified one thing before answering. "To be more precise, it's what happens to you, not them."
The only one who would be punished was me. The rest would end up with fines. Apparently, it seemed from an outsider's perspective like the rest of them had just been dragged into the situation because of me, and since this punishment was just meant to make a statement, we didn't all have to suffer.
"Oh, that's reasonable! Yes, that makes sense!" Seeing Ainar delight in that hurt my feelings.
Raven didn't step forward and call it unfair, either. Mr. Bear was just relieved that he had managed to avoid a beating from his wife. Was I the only one who would stand up for myself?
Just as I started to feel a lack of trust toward my teammates, Missha asked, "Umm, Mr. Knight? If it's just for show anyway, can I rrreceive the punishment instead?"
Correction: Missha was the only one who stood up for me.
"What are you saying, Missha?" I chuckled and nudged her away. I was grateful, but it was unlikely that it would work. If you wanted to get nitpicky, I was the culprit behind this incident anyway. Besides, it sounded like the punishment wouldn't be too severe from the way he was talking. "It's fine. I will take responsibility. So tell me. What will become of me now?"
The knight's response was utterly nonchalant. "Go live in Bifron for twenty days."
In other words, I was being temporarily exiled.
"Inspector, is this them?"
"Ah, yes, yes! That's correct!"
Then a knight entered the checkpoint. Raven's expression darkened. "Why is Mozlan...?"
Mozlan: an executive body made up exclusively of knights with noble backgrounds, and an organization with an infamous reputation.
"Bjorn." Missha, who had seen Dwalkie get arrested right in front of her, shuddered.
However, the knight was surprisingly kind, at least more so than those high-handed bastards from back then. "Nice to meet you. I'm Elmeras from Mozlan's executive board." Although even his casual speech was that of a lord, that was to be expected of a nobleman. That wasn't the main issue here anyway. The most important thing was that he was offering a handshake. For now, this man wasn't being all that hostile toward us.
"...Bjorn, son of Yandel." Inwardly, I sighed in relief and reciprocated the handshake. However, my anxiety wasn't fully gone. Why had the inspector stopped us and for what reason had Mozlan come to find us?
"Hello."
"Hmm, and you are, young lady?"
"I'm Arua Raven from the School of Altemion. I want to hear why you came to see us, Sir Elmeras."
The knight answered Raven's question with a laugh. "There is only one reason why the inspector would detain you. Someone has put an arrest order on your team."
It was truly out of left field. "Sorry? What do you—"
"Don't be too alarmed. Judging by the details of the order, it doesn't seem to be very serious."
"But what are we being arrested for?"
The knight grinned and replied, "The activation of a special ability within city limits, and entering the labyrinth without permission against the instructions of the guards."
Oh, that...
Everyone, including Raven, shut up. After everything we went through in the labyrinth, we had completely forgotten about that. We thought that would end with just a fine in the first place.
"I don't understand. Isn't the standard punishment a fine?" I couldn't help but ask in an argumentative tone. No matter how I looked at it, there was no reason for an arrest order to get dropped on us, nor for Mozlan to get involved. So, how did this happen?
"We have to look at what you did in context. Rather than committing a simple misdemeanor, it could be argued that you have all violated royal orders."
So, that was it. The situation pretty much made sense now.
It seemed Raven had figured it out, too. "...You're saying they're making efforts to rein the adventurers in."
"I can't hide anything from a wizard. It's just as you say. Although only a day has passed, news of your team is already spreading among the adventurers."
"News of us?"
"They're all calling themselves stupid for following orders instead of running blindly into the labyrinth. The higher-ups have determined that a similar event will occur again if this ends with a simple fine."
Put simply, they were using us to set an example, punishing one person to instill alarm in the minds of a hundred.
"If control over the city's adventurers loosens now, it might lead to bigger issues. I hope you understand."
I could see why they chose me. As I had some previous fame and had become a hot topic due to our unauthorized entry into the labyrinth, they probably figured that news would spread fast.
"So, what happens to us now?"
When I cut straight to the point of this conversation, the knight clarified one thing before answering. "To be more precise, it's what happens to you, not them."
The only one who would be punished was me. The rest would end up with fines. Apparently, it seemed from an outsider's perspective like the rest of them had just been dragged into the situation because of me, and since this punishment was just meant to make a statement, we didn't all have to suffer.
"Oh, that's reasonable! Yes, that makes sense!" Seeing Ainar delight in that hurt my feelings.
Raven didn't step forward and call it unfair, either. Mr. Bear was just relieved that he had managed to avoid a beating from his wife. Was I the only one who would stand up for myself?
Just as I started to feel a lack of trust toward my teammates, Missha asked, "Umm, Mr. Knight? If it's just for show anyway, can I rrreceive the punishment instead?"
Correction: Missha was the only one who stood up for me.
"What are you saying, Missha?" I chuckled and nudged her away. I was grateful, but it was unlikely that it would work. If you wanted to get nitpicky, I was the culprit behind this incident anyway. Besides, it sounded like the punishment wouldn't be too severe from the way he was talking. "It's fine. I will take responsibility. So tell me. What will become of me now?"
The knight's response was utterly nonchalant. "Go live in Bifron for twenty days."
In other words, I was being temporarily exiled.