52. Calamity Star
52. Calamity Star
A blink.
The instant she blinked.
Everything changed.
Eurasia's blue eyes swept the surroundings.
A dim interior. Walls oozing sticky fluid and giving off a rank stench. A floor faintly squirming. Alien air.
And Demonic Energy.
"...This is."
A Labyrinth.
A place that had been a museum mere seconds ago had become a Labyrinth in the time it took to blink once.
There was no time to be surprised. No need to agonize.
She had already grasped the situation. Rather than thinking about what had happened, she needed to think only about what came next.
'Demonic Energy is dissolved throughout the Labyrinth.'
She recalled what Stella had said with a triumphant expression.
'So if you get trapped in a Labyrinth, you have to immediately wrap yourself in Mana to block the Demonic Energy from seeping in. That's the very first thing you have to do.'
Blue Mana burst from Eurasia's body. It then wrapped around her in a thin layer, blocking the Demonic Energy that was burrowing into her.
Right after, she tied up the hair hanging down her back and drew the sword at her waist.
A pitch-black blade. A keen edge that looked as though it might cut even its wielder if she made a mistake.
It was the black iron sword Eliarnes had given her.
If anything could be called fortunate, this was it.
Personal equipment couldn't be worn inside the academy, but outside, it posed no problem at all.
Of course, the other students hadn't brought their equipment. Eurasia, on the other hand, had brought hers out of habit.
She hadn't brought all of her dozen-plus daggers and short blades, but she had brought the most important of her cherished weapons.
Even without water, without food, without auxiliary equipment, a single sword was enough.
Gripping the sword with both hands, Eurasia set aside her tangled thoughts. She calmed her emotions and steadied her breathing.
There was no trace of laughter. Her usual light expression was gone, replaced by a sharp look. Her blue eyes blazed with a piercing light.
And so she sought out the first thing she had to do.
It didn't take long. There was only one thing to do as a knight.
And there was only one path before her eyes.
There was no need to think further.
She would end all of this and return to her lady's side.
That was the one duty she had to uphold as a knight serving her lady.
Step— Her stride carried her forward without hesitation.
Because there was no hesitation, there was no obstruction. Because her goal was clear, she did not waver. A stride aimed straight ahead.
Then her sharp eyes turned forward.
She looked at the dozens of Monsters swarming ahead.
At the same time.
Shing—!
A single sharp sound.
Following that sound, dozens of strands of blue Sword Energy surged upward. And where the Sword Energy passed, the corpses of Monsters lay scattered in a mess.
Because they hadn't even registered their own deaths, their arms and legs still twitched. Their thrashing tails and innards made for a revolting sight.
Eurasia paid it no mind. Exhaling a second breath, she swung her sword again.
Crash—!
A deeper blue Sword Energy than before tore through every Monster in the room.
*****
"...Your Highness. This is..."
"A Labyrinth."
Silina had been briefly startled by the scenery changing in an instant, but she quickly assessed the situation and looked around.
A room walled in on all sides by sticky walls.
Two doors, one ahead and one behind.
And people in confusion.
She could see several students in academy uniforms, but they too were caught up in the chaos and couldn't collect themselves.
There was no way to know why a Labyrinth had suddenly appeared. Trying to grasp the logic of someone who had accepted Demonic Energy was itself absurd.
Letting out a small sigh, Silina composed herself.
She didn't want to show herself panicking here and give others a weakness to exploit.
And so, wearing her usual mask, Silina spoke to the escort knight who had been guarding her side ever since they left the academy.
"Give me the axes."
"...Pardon?"
"Didn't you hear me? I said give me the axes."
"No, I'll step forward and—"
"Do you intend to make me say it a third time?"
"...My apologies."
At Silina's sharp voice, the knight called Untra handed her the two axes hanging at his waist.
That left only two short swords at Untra's waist, but Silina paid that no mind and moved.
She had spent seventeen years in the blood-soaked imperial court.
A span that could be called short or long.
In that time, Silina had seen, heard, and felt countless deaths.
And so, in a place like this—walled in on all sides, where anything could happen—she knew the only one she could trust was herself.
The fact that her escort knight used axes was proof of that.
Because she never knew what might happen when or where, she had selected an escort knight who used the axes she herself could handle best and kept him at her side.
So that she could use her escort knight's weapon at any time.
That didn't mean she intended to casually discard and sacrifice her escort knight.
She couldn't trust him after less than a year, but she knew he wasn't the kind of knight to lose his life easily just because he lacked his axes. That was all.
Better to die by her own choice than to be betrayed and killed by someone she couldn't trust.
That was Silina's thought, and her decision.
At last, Silina stood in the center of the chaotic room and—clang!—slammed the axes in her hands together with all her strength, drawing every gaze.
"We are currently trapped in a Labyrinth. To escape a Labyrinth, we must find its core. And to do that, we must move forward."
No introduction was needed. Her platinum-blonde hair and eyes spoke for her status.
"And I intend to protect all of you. Those who wish to follow me, come along. Those who do not may remain here."
So she got straight to the point.
"However, if you remain here, I cannot guarantee what will happen. So choose carefully."
That said, she didn't drone on about the dangers of the Labyrinth. Anyone who knew already knew, and anyone who didn't didn't need the details.
It would only add to the confusion.
"We don't have much time. Three minutes. Those who will follow me, make your decision within that time and come this way."
Silina checked the pocket watch she took from inside her coat, finished speaking, and moved toward a door—whether front or back, she couldn't tell.
One minute later.
Thirteen people in total. Everyone gathered in the room came forward to Silina.
"We're departing."
And so fifteen people, including Silina and her escort knight, moved as one.
*****
After parting with Stella, I arrived at my private training hall and began my workout as usual, loosening up lightly.
The Footwork I learned from Leona.
The upper-body movements that flowed from that Footwork.
Flow, breathing, Fist Art, Kicking Art.
I still couldn't use the Claw Art, Palm Art, and Finger Art that Arisa had used. I didn't even understand the principle by which she produced such power in the first place.
So I began training with a focus on the Fist Art and Kicking Art I could do now.
A clear rule within irregularity.
Movements slow but strong, fast but weak.
Breaths cut short and exhaled in bursts. The movements and the amount of Mana woven in between.
I still hadn't fully grasped the subtle principle within it. But that didn't matter much.
If I lacked something, I just had to fill it. If it fell short, I just had to add more.
I had more than enough experience, memory, and sensation for that.
One hour passed like that.
I moved without rest, recalling Leona's movements.
Two hours.
I roughly gathered and tied up my hair, then peeled off my sweat-soaked bra and training clothes and tossed them aside.
My outfit was far lighter than before.
Wearing only a thin sleeveless top and shorts, I continued training.
By the time three hours had passed.
Tap— Tap-tap—
A small sound came from the training hall window.
Tap— Tap— Tap-tap—
A sound like pebbles striking.
No, lighter than that—like a bird's beak tapping.
The sound drew my gaze.
"...A crow?"
Outside the window, a crow was flapping its wings and busily working its beak.
It wasn't an ordinary crow.
I could feel an unholy presence.
Faint though it was, Demonic Energy was leaking from it.
Black Magic.
A Black Wizard's familiar.
"...Adelia Baros?"
-Caw! Caw!!
As if to say that was correct, the crow began cawing happily. Then it pressed the scrap of cloth tied to its ankle against the window.
[Please open the window.]
"No thanks."
-Caaaaaw! Caw!
As if it had expected that, the crow cawed noisily, then showed the scrap of cloth tied to its other leg.
[Miss Eurasia is in danger.]
Eurasia was in danger.
The moment I read that sentence, I tossed aside all the petty calculations in my head and immediately opened the window.
The crow flew into the training hall, looked me up and down, and opened its beak wide.
"What do you mean Eurasia's in danger—"
[A Labyrinth has appeared.]
"...A Labyrinth?"
[The location is the Arant Weapons Museum.]
The Arant Weapons Museum.
That was definitely where Eurasia had headed.
I turned my head and checked the clock.
10 o'clock.
Eurasia had said she'd come at nine.
At the same time.
The Device I'd tossed behind me began blaring. Not the usual quiet notification, but an alarm that sounded desperately urgent.
Once. Twice. Three times.
It kept ringing without stopping.
There was no time to get properly dressed.
I roughly pulled on the training clothes that had fallen to the floor.
[Listen while you go.]
I zipped up firmly and immediately started moving.
[The academy faculty are trapped.]
"What do you mean?"
[The research building where the faculty stay has been cut off from the outside. Remember when you stopped by my lab and the door was locked? The space has been sealed shut with the exact same magic as then.]
"So they can't get out?"
[...Yes. It seems it'll be difficult for now. The Magic Department professors are trying to do something, but it looks like it'll take at least an hour.]
Bam—!
I kicked open the door of the private training hall and stepped outside.
I could see students hurrying back to the dormitory. The opposite direction from me. My steps didn't stop.
I moved past them.
[Do you know why Labyrinths are created?]
When Labyrinth herself appeared.
If not that.
"A sacrifice."
They split open the sacrifice's belly, pulled out the innards, and spread them into the shape of a Labyrinth. Then they drove long iron spikes through the limbs and flayed the skin. That skin also became the shape of the Labyrinth. With the bones and blood, they drew a Magic Circle.
The brain became the Labyrinth Core.
The Realm the sacrifice reached became the Labyrinth's difficulty.
And that.
It was done while the sacrifice's consciousness remained awake.
Unable to die, unable to lose consciousness, they felt that pain with a fully lucid mind.
And when the Labyrinth Core was destroyed, the sacrifice died immediately.
No matter what you did, they couldn't be saved.
That was the most fucked-up thing about Labyrinths.
[...I didn't think you'd actually know. That's right. A sacrifice. This Labyrinth's sacrifice is a Tier 6 swordsman.]
At last, I came out of the Signia building.
Acrid smoke was visible at the edge of the Imperial Capital.
An air that had once been familiar, but was now foreign, enveloped me.
Demonic Energy.
Faint Demonic Energy was dissolved in the air.
[Its grade is Special-class. This isn't a Labyrinth you can handle alone, Miss Eliarnes.]
There was no need to listen, so I ignored it and kept walking.
"E-Eliarnes!"
Then, at a voice from behind, I turned my head.
Stella.
Stella in a hood, and Pina, pale and clutching her tail, stood there.
The clothes visible through Stella's hood caught my eye.
The adventurer's outfit I'd seen at the Entrance Exam.
What hung jangling at her wrists were Artifacts, and the clinking glass vials were Potions.
She looked as though she'd learned Eurasia hadn't returned and had finished preparing to head out.
Admirable.
I immediately turned and approached Stella.
"E-Eurasia still hasn't come back—"
"Cast Silence on me."
"...What?"
"There's no time. Hurry."
"...Okay. Got it."
Violet Mana flickered at the tips of Stella's fingers as she nodded.
"Next, Oculus."
The moment my words ended, violet Mana flickered again and wrapped around my body.
"D-Done."
"Now take it off."
"...Huh?"