Chapter 411: Dilemma (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 411: Dilemma (3)
When a hopeless situation arose, most people tried to think of the positives first. Do this, and do that, and if you handle this, then everything might work out. Overwhelmed by countless what-ifs, they became blinded by the slim possibility that things might be okay and missed the golden opportunity to improve their situation. From several years to even decades, all of us may have been working in the labyrinth for a long time, but the members of this expedition were only human.
"...We're leaving?"
As soon as my decision was announced to the crew, chaos descended.
"That's an impulsive decision!"
"Sh-shouldn't we wait here some more? It could turn out that something went wrong on the army's end and they're just a little late."
"That's right! There are enemies all over the place, how far could we possibly go?!"
Dissent spread quickly like an infectious disease. That was only natural because staying was the most hopeful of all our options. If the rescue team came, everyone would be able to return home alive. This nightmare would be over, and all that remained would be to return to the city and be happy. The hardships we experienced throughout this journey would be reduced to stories told over drinks.
That's a dangerous thought.
If there was one thing I knew, it was that the situation wasn't that hopeless yet. Real despair would come when that golden window of opportunity disappeared and even the slightest glimmer of hope was trampled underfoot. When that time came, we wouldn't be able to do anything even if we wanted to. That was why this was the only time to do it.
"What are you all saying? Do you all have brain damage or something?" I used strong wording that was sure to attract backlash. It was a method of shock therapy. "There was a rat in Ice Rock. When we arrived at Eye of the Sky, no matter how many times we tried, we couldn't get in touch with the royal army. And what about now? It's been three days with no news. 'A little late?' 'The rescue team is coming?' Don't make me laugh. If they were, there's no way this place would still be crawling with Noark soldiers. They would have been sent to the front line to stop the royal army a long time ago." I took a breath and continued. "Everyone, listen carefully. We were abandoned."
I didn't really think that was the case, but I knew that if I didn't say that, I wouldn't be able to destroy the vain hope they were harboring.
"W-Why would the palace abandon us?!"
I didn't know, either. Perhaps something dire did come up and they couldn't come. I actually thought that was far more likely than them leaving us here on purpose. But so what? Whatever their circumstances, that didn't change the situation we were in.
"If we weren't abandoned, why haven't they come yet?"
"That's..." The squad member gritted her teeth. "So you want us to go somewhere else?"
"Yes."
"When everyone is this exhausted? You think that will work? Everyone will—!"
"What difference would waiting here make?!" As our voices grew louder, the wizards used their little remaining mana to cast a team communication spell, so I shouted to my heart's content. "Open your eyes, everyone! Whatever the reason, that doesn't change the fact that they aren't coming to save us!"
The crew fell silent at my shout. They could argue if they wanted to, but deep down, everyone secretly felt that what I was saying could be true. If it weren't for those doubts, they wouldn't have been so anxious in the first place.
I opened my mouth and broke the silence. "I don't plan on dying here. Do you feel differently?"
It was one of Kaislan's teammates who answered that question. "...Who wants to die?"
"That's that, then. Follow me. Kill the enemy and protect your comrades. At least that's more worthwhile than waiting to die here." I looked around at the squadron as they sat there on the thick branches.
Judging by the looks on their faces, it didn't seem my speech had resonated with them much. Well, that made sense if you thought about it. Riehen Schuitz was a mysterious adventurer whose name and face had been unknown until he joined this expedition. Though I may have shown them various sides of myself throughout our quest, how trustworthy could I be in a situation like this? They naturally looked to their team leaders.
The first to step forward was Jun. He looked at me with such excessive respect that it seemed he was deliberately trying to help me out. "Let us head where the light leads. Team Four will walk the path of hardship you've chosen."
Next was Kaislan. "The kingdom of Rafdonia has appointed Riehen Schuitz as the leader of this expedition. Doubting his judgment and presenting differing opinions could be interpreted as treason against the king." Although it was lengthy, his speech could be summed up in one sentence. "Team Five will follow your orders." Was he trying to lend me credibility like Jun? Kaislan ceremoniously went down on one knee despite the uncomfortable branch he was on. This was kind of a surprise. He'd looked so disapproving during the leadership meeting earlier.
Just then, Akurava spoke up. "Team Two thinks differently. It's not because we have blind faith or because we're afraid of the kingdom's martial law. We just agree with his opinion. It seems difficult to believe the royal army will come to save us."
"So?"
Akurava laughed at my prodding. "Team Two will follow you too."
Okay, then just one team left: Team Three, led by James Calla, the vice captain of the Sawtooth Clan.
When all eyes turned to him, Calla looked flustered. "I..." It seemed the previous performances of the team leaders had set the bar a bit high, but I guessed he figured those things didn't suit him. "What they said. It's not like an objection from me will change anything. Ordinary people like me need to follow the trends." Although a bit boring, those words were very like him. The sincerity mixed into his joking tone seemed to have gotten through to the other crew members, too.
"...It's already set in stone, huh."
"Well, what do they want us to say when they've already decided?"
"Hahaha, I never liked the look of this from the start. This isn't the first time the palace hasn't done its job. We have to find a way to survive on our own."
"I will hold the palace firmly responsible for this matter. But for that to happen, we need to get back alive first."
I looked around at the muttering members of my squadron and clenched my fists.
Squeeze.
Okay, let's give it a try.
***
"The number of troops patrolling the area has increased. Looks like they've noticed we killed the others... What do we do?"
What else was there to do? The plan from here on out was simple. "We're going to use Mass Teleportation."
First, use a Mass Teleport spell to escape from the center of enemy territory. Well, this part of the plan wasn't without its issues, though.
"If we use a spell as large as that, the wizards will be out of mana for a while. And our location will also be discovered."
I opened my mouth and broke the silence. "I don't plan on dying here. Do you feel differently?"
It was one of Kaislan's teammates who answered that question. "...Who wants to die?"
"That's that, then. Follow me. Kill the enemy and protect your comrades. At least that's more worthwhile than waiting to die here." I looked around at the squadron as they sat there on the thick branches.
Judging by the looks on their faces, it didn't seem my speech had resonated with them much. Well, that made sense if you thought about it. Riehen Schuitz was a mysterious adventurer whose name and face had been unknown until he joined this expedition. Though I may have shown them various sides of myself throughout our quest, how trustworthy could I be in a situation like this? They naturally looked to their team leaders.
The first to step forward was Jun. He looked at me with such excessive respect that it seemed he was deliberately trying to help me out. "Let us head where the light leads. Team Four will walk the path of hardship you've chosen."
Next was Kaislan. "The kingdom of Rafdonia has appointed Riehen Schuitz as the leader of this expedition. Doubting his judgment and presenting differing opinions could be interpreted as treason against the king." Although it was lengthy, his speech could be summed up in one sentence. "Team Five will follow your orders." Was he trying to lend me credibility like Jun? Kaislan ceremoniously went down on one knee despite the uncomfortable branch he was on. This was kind of a surprise. He'd looked so disapproving during the leadership meeting earlier.
Just then, Akurava spoke up. "Team Two thinks differently. It's not because we have blind faith or because we're afraid of the kingdom's martial law. We just agree with his opinion. It seems difficult to believe the royal army will come to save us."
"So?"
Akurava laughed at my prodding. "Team Two will follow you too."
Okay, then just one team left: Team Three, led by James Calla, the vice captain of the Sawtooth Clan.
When all eyes turned to him, Calla looked flustered. "I..." It seemed the previous performances of the team leaders had set the bar a bit high, but I guessed he figured those things didn't suit him. "What they said. It's not like an objection from me will change anything. Ordinary people like me need to follow the trends." Although a bit boring, those words were very like him. The sincerity mixed into his joking tone seemed to have gotten through to the other crew members, too.
"...It's already set in stone, huh."
"Well, what do they want us to say when they've already decided?"
"Hahaha, I never liked the look of this from the start. This isn't the first time the palace hasn't done its job. We have to find a way to survive on our own."
"I will hold the palace firmly responsible for this matter. But for that to happen, we need to get back alive first."
I looked around at the muttering members of my squadron and clenched my fists.
Squeeze.
Okay, let's give it a try.
***
"The number of troops patrolling the area has increased. Looks like they've noticed we killed the others... What do we do?"
What else was there to do? The plan from here on out was simple. "We're going to use Mass Teleportation."
First, use a Mass Teleport spell to escape from the center of enemy territory. Well, this part of the plan wasn't without its issues, though.
"If we use a spell as large as that, the wizards will be out of mana for a while. And our location will also be discovered."
Noark's scouts would no doubt follow the traces of mana to track us down, but we had no other choice. "We have to take on that risk. Even if we try to move discreetly, there's no way we won't get caught by the enemy with this many people."
"That's true..."
"Now that the Eye of the Sky has been destroyed, they won't be able to communicate as well. It's best to widen the distance with Mass Teleportation."
The team leaders clearly had some concerns about my decision but they did not voice them.
Okay, that's settled.
"What happens next?"
The plan from here was also very simple. "Whether the people tracking us catch up or not, we'll go north." Our destination was the northern hemisphere of the Dark Continent.
"...Not the south, where our allies are?"
"Yes."
There was only one reason why I chose the north instead of the south. The scouts would only be able to track where we teleported to. They'd have no way of knowing where we went next.
"You're going to trick the enemy into thinking we went south. If they send their troops south, the north will be all the more empty."
"That's right. We're going to hide right under their noses until the day the labyrinth closes."
"Understood. Did your advisor come up with this too?"
Jeez, they don't believe I thought of it myself. Whatever, that doesn't matter.
"Tell everyone to get ready. Once we start casting the spell, Noark will be on us like a pack of bloodhounds."
"...Okay."
I shared the strategy with the team leaders and they delivered the instructions to their teams. With this, we were prepared to execute the plan.
Dash.
We came down from the tree we were hiding in since we wouldn't be able to hide ourselves while the Mass Teleportation spell was being cast, anyway.
"Stepping on land for the first time in three days." While the sensation felt strange, the squadron's five wizards immediately split up and began drawing magic circles on the floor.
Shaaaaaaaaa!
Two Mass Teleportation spells were required to transport twenty-eight people. As this required vast amounts of mana, someone with a decent ability to sense energy would soon notice something was out of the ordinary.
Hah, I just hope they notice a little late.
With our backs to the large tree, we fanned out in a protective semicircle to guard the wizards.
"Mister, someone's coming. Very quickly," Erwen, who had an acute energy sense herself, muttered in a low voice. After another moment, she added, "They spotted us and stopped. Now they're hurrying backward."
So, they're trying to call for backup.
Whiiiiiip!
Before I could even order her to, Erwen fired an arrow into the dark.
"Did you kill them?"
"No. It hit a tree."
"I see."
Well, even if she got them, it would only have bought us a little more time. I licked my lips and shouted, "Everyone, prepare for battle!" There was no need to keep our mouths shut when we were caught anyway, right? Noark would soon flock here in a frenzy, and we'd hold out somehow until the Mass Teleportation was complete.
Slide.
While I had some time, I did one final check. "Coordinates! The coordinates you've input are incorrect!"
"Ah, sorry. I'll fix it now!" Knowing the situation was more urgent than ever, the wizards drew the magic circles even faster. I was grateful for their hard work, but I'd be lying if I said I had no regrets.
...It would be so nice if that was a Portal spell.
Of course, I knew this couldn't be helped. In the game, only an archmage who had reached rank one could use a Portal spell, and the cost of doing so was the caster's life. Now, more than a hundred years later, the portals commonly used by wizards in the labyrinth were an improved version of the original. Or, to be more accurate, they were a downgraded version, an improved Portal that even rank-four wizards could use. Although this spell could only be used once in a lifetime, in exchange, you didn't have to sacrifice your life for it.
But it's impossible to use on the seventh floor or higher.
The improved portals had that huge drawback. That was why I was regretting something else.
I should've asked them to find a rank one wizard, whatever it took...
I did ask, actually, but I was rejected by the marquess. Rank-one wizards were very rare even in the Magic Tower, and there was only one affiliated with the palace. Even if the Eye of the Sky was destroyed and all members of our expedition returned alive, the loss of a rank-one wizard would be monumental. In their minds, it was better to abandon the entire rest of the expedition team.
Holy shit, is that it?
The thought came to mind, but I shook my head. The premise was faulty to begin with. Weighing our lives against that of a rank-one wizard was silly. In the end, the final plan they'd come up with was to send the main unit to rescue us. Of course, the rescue team would incur some losses in the process, but considering the reputation of each member of the expedition, the palace saw us as worth the sacrifice.
That's why there has to be another reason why... I should stop thinking about this.
Why didn't the rescue team come? It was a question I'd asked myself countless times over the past few days, but I decided not to worry about it anymore. We would find out if we got back alive, and if we didn't, it didn't matter anyway.
"They're coming!"
Boom, boom!
We felt a faint vibration through the ground.
"Woahhh!"
"Die!"
As soon as the enemy emerged from the darkness, I cleared my head.
[You have cast Giantization.]
[You have used a transformation-type special ability. Due to the effect of Primordial Cell, the amount of Soul Power consumed by the ability is reduced by half, and your highest stat increases by 1.5 times.]
Right now, I had just one thing to worry about: surviving.
Noark's scouts would no doubt follow the traces of mana to track us down, but we had no other choice. "We have to take on that risk. Even if we try to move discreetly, there's no way we won't get caught by the enemy with this many people."
"That's true..."
"Now that the Eye of the Sky has been destroyed, they won't be able to communicate as well. It's best to widen the distance with Mass Teleportation."
The team leaders clearly had some concerns about my decision but they did not voice them.
Okay, that's settled.
"What happens next?"
The plan from here was also very simple. "Whether the people tracking us catch up or not, we'll go north." Our destination was the northern hemisphere of the Dark Continent.
"...Not the south, where our allies are?"
"Yes."
There was only one reason why I chose the north instead of the south. The scouts would only be able to track where we teleported to. They'd have no way of knowing where we went next.
"You're going to trick the enemy into thinking we went south. If they send their troops south, the north will be all the more empty."
"That's right. We're going to hide right under their noses until the day the labyrinth closes."
"Understood. Did your advisor come up with this too?"
Jeez, they don't believe I thought of it myself. Whatever, that doesn't matter.
"Tell everyone to get ready. Once we start casting the spell, Noark will be on us like a pack of bloodhounds."
"...Okay."
I shared the strategy with the team leaders and they delivered the instructions to their teams. With this, we were prepared to execute the plan.
Dash.
We came down from the tree we were hiding in since we wouldn't be able to hide ourselves while the Mass Teleportation spell was being cast, anyway.
"Stepping on land for the first time in three days." While the sensation felt strange, the squadron's five wizards immediately split up and began drawing magic circles on the floor.
Shaaaaaaaaa!
Two Mass Teleportation spells were required to transport twenty-eight people. As this required vast amounts of mana, someone with a decent ability to sense energy would soon notice something was out of the ordinary.
Hah, I just hope they notice a little late.
With our backs to the large tree, we fanned out in a protective semicircle to guard the wizards.
"Mister, someone's coming. Very quickly," Erwen, who had an acute energy sense herself, muttered in a low voice. After another moment, she added, "They spotted us and stopped. Now they're hurrying backward."
So, they're trying to call for backup.
Whiiiiiip!
Before I could even order her to, Erwen fired an arrow into the dark.
"Did you kill them?"
"No. It hit a tree."
"I see."
Well, even if she got them, it would only have bought us a little more time. I licked my lips and shouted, "Everyone, prepare for battle!" There was no need to keep our mouths shut when we were caught anyway, right? Noark would soon flock here in a frenzy, and we'd hold out somehow until the Mass Teleportation was complete.
Slide.
While I had some time, I did one final check. "Coordinates! The coordinates you've input are incorrect!"
"Ah, sorry. I'll fix it now!" Knowing the situation was more urgent than ever, the wizards drew the magic circles even faster. I was grateful for their hard work, but I'd be lying if I said I had no regrets.
...It would be so nice if that was a Portal spell.
Of course, I knew this couldn't be helped. In the game, only an archmage who had reached rank one could use a Portal spell, and the cost of doing so was the caster's life. Now, more than a hundred years later, the portals commonly used by wizards in the labyrinth were an improved version of the original. Or, to be more accurate, they were a downgraded version, an improved Portal that even rank-four wizards could use. Although this spell could only be used once in a lifetime, in exchange, you didn't have to sacrifice your life for it.
But it's impossible to use on the seventh floor or higher.
The improved portals had that huge drawback. That was why I was regretting something else.
I should've asked them to find a rank one wizard, whatever it took...
I did ask, actually, but I was rejected by the marquess. Rank-one wizards were very rare even in the Magic Tower, and there was only one affiliated with the palace. Even if the Eye of the Sky was destroyed and all members of our expedition returned alive, the loss of a rank-one wizard would be monumental. In their minds, it was better to abandon the entire rest of the expedition team.
Holy shit, is that it?
The thought came to mind, but I shook my head. The premise was faulty to begin with. Weighing our lives against that of a rank-one wizard was silly. In the end, the final plan they'd come up with was to send the main unit to rescue us. Of course, the rescue team would incur some losses in the process, but considering the reputation of each member of the expedition, the palace saw us as worth the sacrifice.
That's why there has to be another reason why... I should stop thinking about this.
Why didn't the rescue team come? It was a question I'd asked myself countless times over the past few days, but I decided not to worry about it anymore. We would find out if we got back alive, and if we didn't, it didn't matter anyway.
"They're coming!"
Boom, boom!
We felt a faint vibration through the ground.
"Woahhh!"
"Die!"
As soon as the enemy emerged from the darkness, I cleared my head.
[You have cast Giantization.]
[You have used a transformation-type special ability. Due to the effect of Primordial Cell, the amount of Soul Power consumed by the ability is reduced by half, and your highest stat increases by 1.5 times.]
Right now, I had just one thing to worry about: surviving.