95. Labyrinth
95. Labyrinth
I left Stella's room and immediately knocked on Pina's door. I even considered tearing the door off, but there was no need.
I couldn't sense any presence.
Not in the training hall, not in the Mana Cultivation room, not in the training room. Pina was nowhere to be found.
I checked the lecture halls and our class too, but Pina wasn't there either.
All lectures had ended over an hour ago.
And yet I couldn't reach Pina.
I couldn't find Pina anywhere.
I asked passing students, but no one knew where she was.
And the decisive factor.
Phaid Haveron.
That bastard was nowhere to be found either.
That settled it.
Pina had been kidnapped.
You could say I'd let my guard down. But I hadn't expected them to pull something this suddenly.
Still, this was the Academy.
Even Sedil alone was a powerhouse who could hold his own anywhere.
And that's not all.
The professors in my lectures—Wivir Arkand, for example. That woman alone was strong enough to wipe out most Black Wizards without breaking a sweat.
I never imagined anyone would attempt a kidnapping so brazenly in a place where such powerhouses gather.
And I never imagined it would succeed.
Even by my standards, the Academy's security was thorough.
Starting with barriers that detected Demonic Energy, there were plenty of people there who could sense it.
And yet... to be kidnapped so easily.
Do they have a way to conceal Demonic Energy?
That possibility was certainly high.
Just from what Stella told me, a flame made of Demonic Energy burned the note.
Which meant they had a way to bypass the Academy's barriers.
Or else... someone who could use Demonic Energy from inside the Academy in the first place.
Still, the fortunate part was that they wouldn't kill Pina right away.
I didn't know exactly what that door was, but given that they had kidnapped Pina, I could assume the spirit's power was absolutely necessary.
If so, they had to keep Pina alive.
Because if Pina died, they wouldn't be able to summon the spirit.
...They might torture her, but for the time being, they would keep her alive.
Then what about Nameless? Did they enter the Labyrinth?
That was probably the case.
They might have moved up their plan because they had detected Nameless's presence.
Anyway.
Given how boldly they pulled this off, they must have prepared a sure escape route.
And that was probably the Labyrinth's "back door."
The Labyrinth—the back door that bitch kept using to flee.
They clearly had that Authority too.
"Hey! You told me to talk casually to you and then you go all grim and serious!! What's wrong with you all of a sudden?!"
Stella, who had followed me all the way to my room, was chirping shrilly and shaking her legs.
"I'm asking what's wrong! Did something happen? Why are you looking for Pina so desperately?"
Ignoring her, I pulled out the documents I'd received from Ophelia and read through them at high speed.
The geography of Mirinae.
The location of the entrance to the underground waterway there.
A rough map of the Labyrinth once you enter.
The map wasn't confirmed information, but it was still a huge help for getting my bearings early on.
In my Past Life, I would've charged straight in without even looking at this stuff. Not a chance now.
Whatever I did, I had to prepare thoroughly.
Because I could end up in a real shitty situation—going to rescue her and getting taken down myself.
Five minutes of that.
After memorizing every bit of Ophelia's documents, I immediately started changing clothes.
"Huh? Huhh?? Hey! Hey!! Why are you suddenly, your clothes... are you crazy...!! No, but your skin is really white..."
"Stop making a racket and get the hell back to your room."
"What?! I followed you because I was worried about you, why are you talking to me like that?!"
"You're not feeling well either. So just go back."
Stella tilted her head.
"Me? Why?"
"You're on the same... time of the month as me."
"...I am?"
One of Stella's eyebrows went up.
"I'm not, though?"
I was pulling on my pants when I froze mid-motion.
"...You're not?"
"Yeah. Mine already ended last week."
Come to think of it, Stella had said she barely got menstrual cramps.
So... had I just been misunderstanding?
Was she just sleep-deprived and sensitive from organizing that information?
No...? Yesterday, that look was definitely... not that kind of fatigue.
Tch, what does it matter right now.
"Anyway, go back to your room. Go back and..."
Should I add the rest?
Wouldn't it just make her worry for nothing?
I don't know.
"Go back and?"
"Go... take a shower or something. You stink."
Stella's face turned bright red.
"Wh, wha, whawha... what did you say?! My... mymy stink?! Hey! I showered this morning, ah...? Last night? Uh, uhh... yesterday morning...? When did I—no! Anyway, I showered! I don't stink! I didn't even sweat! A... and I'm the type who naturally doesn't smell, okay?!"
Gwaaaah! She screamed, but even so, she was subtly sniff-sniffing her own body.
"...You didn't wash yesterday either?"
"I... I did wash!"
"Ugh, gross."
Of course, she didn't stink.
If anything, for someone who hadn't washed the day before, she seemed to smell pretty good.
"Anyway, go back. It's nothing serious."
"Don't lie."
"When an adult tells you something, listen."
"What adult. My birthday's earlier than yours."
"How do you know my birthday now? You're not even trying to hide it anymore."
"...Anyway, what's going on? Did something happen to Pina?"
"You don't need to know."
I finished getting dressed and pulled my hood down over my head.
Just in case, I packed three or four bottles of various Potions.
And... bandages.
I grabbed the bandages I'd taken from the imperial Treasury.
Honestly... I probably won't need them.
But Arisa always used to say something.
'What?! It's not for looks! You wrap it like this, like this, tight, so it reduces the risk of injuring your wrist! When you throw a punch, your wrist stays locked in place and it's more stable!'
If the strongest chimpanzee I know says so, then it must be true. And since Luna's Holy Power is imbued in them too... they'll help somewhere.
I folded the bandages up and stuffed them into my pocket.
Fortunately, I knew how to tie them tightly around my hands.
I'd tied Arisa's bandages for her a few times.
"...Are you going to fight?"
Through all this, Stella kept firing questions at me.
Should I tie her up in the room again?
No... not today.
In a situation where I couldn't guarantee a 100% return, I needed someone who could report my situation in my place.
Silina could do it, but she stood out too much. And if she was seen sending word to the Eustetia Duchy, it could cause unnecessary misunderstandings.
Yeah... it would probably be better to tell her.
"Hey."
"Yeah?"
"If I don't come back to the Academy by the end of the weekend, contact the Eustetia Duchy for me."
"...What?"
Who could send word directly to the Eustetia Duchy?
Sedil Mershdoff.
"Go to the Dean and tell him I asked you to. He'll connect you to the Eustetia Duchy. Then hand over this information. And tell him I haven't come back for two days."
"Wh, what are you even talking about right now? Where are you going? Huh? Where are you going that you'd say something like that?!"
Stella, pale as a sheet, shrieked.
"Do me a favor."
Stella's eyes went wide at the word "favor," but it was no use.
"No. I won't. I'm going with you. Something happened to Pina. I'm going too. And you don't need to ask a favor—you can just do this with a scheduled message."
"You're way too fucking weak to come along."
"Ha, ha! Hmph... I am not. I'm 4th Circle. The scale of magic I can use has changed. I can definitely... definitely help. Like during the Entrance Exam, I can help you conserve stamina."
"You might die if you come. You probably will die."
"...Then just protect me like you did during the Entrance Exam."
"You're pretty shameless, aren't you?"
"Ugh... fine. You don't have to protect me. I can handle myself now."
Stella set her jaw, then immediately turned her back and walked out of my room.
"Anyway, I already told you. I'm going too. While you were reading that information, I peeked at it too. I know how to get there. So... if you leave me behind, I'll chase after you no matter what."
She said it in a dead serious voice.
"...If you want me dead, then go ahead and abandon me."
And then, thud. The door closed.
"Is she seriously threatening me right now?"
I walked out without a moment's hesitation.
*****
"Hah... hah, hahh... huff, huff... hah...!"
Stella, who had finished getting ready and chased after me, was gasping for breath.
"You, you... hahh... you... you really tried to leave me behind! Hah... how can you be so cold?!"
"I clearly told you not to follow."
"I, I... huff... hoo... I said to leave me behind if you wanted to watch me die!"
Tch. I clicked my tongue, turned around, and walked toward the Academy's main gate.
"S, so... where are we going?"
"You said you saw."
"...I actually didn't see."
"You little shi—"
I whipped my head around and glared at Stella.
"What! What do you want me to do! It's your fault for falling for it!"
Stella stuck her tongue out—bleh—and I was so dumbfounded I couldn't even speak.
Did she turn her back to hide her expression?
For Stella, she actually used her head.
"You little, ugh."
"What little! You gonna hit me?! Huh?! Fine! Hit me! Hit me—aaahk! Hah... you, you hit me?! You actually hit me, you!!"
I rapped her on the head with my fist.
I hit her a little hard.
She'll probably get a bump.
"If you're coming, come quietly. I'll explain the situation on the way."
"...Ow, it hurts... But, then... if I'm not at the Academy, who's going to look for us if we don't come back?"
I handed my Device to Stella as she came trotting along, rubbing her head.
"Set up a scheduled message on this."
"Scheduled message? Heheh. You... were planning to wait for me from the start, weren't you?"
"Shut up and set the schedule before I beat you and tie you up like last time."
"Ugh... just say it a little nicer, would it kill... what is this? This is basically a will!"
"Will my ass. I'm not planning to die."
"...Really?"
"Yeah. You, me, and Pina. We're all coming back. No matter what."
Stella took the Device with trembling hands, gulped dryly, and set the schedule.
Two scheduled messages in total.
One to Sedil. The other to Silina.
The one to Sedil was set for two days from now, and the one to Silina for one day from now.
My immediate goal was to find Pina and return within 30 hours.
If I came back within that time and canceled the scheduled messages right away, there wouldn't be any problems.
"Done. So, how do we get out now? The guard is watching the main gate."
I tossed the Device Stella had handed back to me into some bushes. If I took it with me, the messages wouldn't send, so I had no choice.
When I got back, I'd have to make Pina come find it as thanks for saving her... no, I'd have to ask her.
"We sneak out."
"How do we sneak out?"
I smirked and turned my head.
Straight ahead, the guard was eyeing us suspiciously.
Looking at him, I clenched my fist.
"If no one sees us leave, then we're sneaking out. What else is there to it?"