The Wife Who Should Be Dead
I stared at Alice as she picked at her food during the meal. It wasn’t anything new. Even though the world had ended up like this, some infrastructure seemed to have survived. It was all thanks to the Labyrinth’s homeostasis. So it wasn’t strange that androids or military weapons might still be around. I never imagined I’d end up adventuring with one of those androids, but it wasn’t a bad thing either.
Even the micro-current I’d spread while sleeping hadn’t detected any sudden movements, bladed weapons, or attempts to attack. I only ever let half my brain sleep anyway, so surprise attacks rarely worked on me. Yet Alice hadn’t tried anything while I was unconscious. Quite the opposite, in fact. She had simply sat there the entire time, watching over me.
That part had been somewhat surprising. Or maybe not entirely.
It was right when Remy scratched his head awkwardly and apologized.
“Sorry. I fell sound asleep.”
“It’s fine! Mister Jinwoo kept me company. Right?”
“Did I? Still, I should have taken the night watch today…”
“There’s no need. I don’t mind at all. You got some sleep too, Mister Jinwoo. You were sleeping so deeply I didn’t have the heart to wake you.”
Alice looked back at me again with a bright “Right?” Her expression was radiant. So bright it was hard to remember that I had nearly killed her yesterday. Despite the wariness from the day before, Alice was clearly friendly toward me.
Even while eating the steamed fish, fried bread, and porridge Vertea had prepared, she kept turning her smiling face toward me. It felt a little overwhelming, so I focused on the food instead. It was delicious today as well. The savory white flesh of the fish that crumbled on the tongue, the hidden sweetness of dried fruit inside the fried bread, and the subtle floral and honey aroma that rose unexpectedly from the porridge. Vertea really was an excellent cook. Which also meant that if she mixed in sleeping pills, no one would notice.
I watched the party eat without a single trace of suspicion.
“This unit presumes that the feeling of fullness and the warm meal induced deep sleep.”
Vertea, who had only just begun portioning out her own share, spoke up. There had been no sleeping pills in today’s meal. It would have been disastrous if someone grew drowsy and collapsed in the middle of an adventure, so she must have left them out. That meant no one would fall asleep without waking today, but Remy still seemed bothered.
“I’m not usually a deep sleeper. Strange.”
“Don’t worry about it. Really, it’s fine.”
“Mm. I feel ashamed.”
“It may have been the herbs. I will reduce them in the next meal.”
Watching her pile fish on top of her porridge and devour it, she didn’t seem suspicious at all. I’d still have to be careful going forward. I glanced at Vertea, and our eyes met. She studied my expression. Things had gone well. Alice knew me, but she held no murderous intent toward me. At least, that was what I believed.
Androids might not be as purely rational as AIs, but I saw no reason for her to harm me now. And even if she did, a surprise attack would never work on me. As long as I had my micro-current, I could even dodge a sniper shot.
I finished my meal in peace before finally speaking.
“So, what’s the plan for today?”
“Ah, I hadn’t explained the request details yet.”
Alice clapped her hands together and laughed, looking a bit embarrassed.
“It’s a request from the Pathfinders. We need to map out the rough structure of the underground labyrinth ahead, scout it, and identify both its interior and exterior. We’ll also have to draw a map.”
“Underground labyrinth?”
“…Ah, you probably wouldn’t know. Would subway station sound more familiar?”
“Ah… So that’s why it’s called an underground labyrinth.”
That was a new discovery. A labyrinth underground, so they called it an underground labyrinth. In some ways, it felt even more dangerous than the surface.
“What exactly are these Pathfinders that they’d give out a request like this?”
I thought I’d heard the name before, but I’d never learned what they actually did. When I asked with genuine curiosity, Alice seemed to realize I wouldn’t know and explained in detail.
“They’re an organization based in the Pathfinder’s Citadel, located between the Avenue of the Gods and the northern part of the Adventurer’s Street.”
Alice gestured lightly with her wooden spoon.
“And! The people who work there guide travelers through the paths between underground labyrinths, which is why they’re called Pathfinders.”
“What’s inside these underground labyrinths? If it’s just about moving from one place to another, there’d be no need to use them…”
“They offer faster routes and let you bypass dangerous environments in certain labyrinth zones. You’ll understand once you see it.”
I stroked my chin with interest, and Alice gave me a warm, smiling glance.
“Anyway! Our request is to identify the entrance, exit, interior, and surrounding terrain of this underground labyrinth, plus gather information on the monsters that wander nearby.”
“Just verbal information?”
“No, no. We draw maps and such… I usually handle the drawing, so don’t worry.”
Did domestic helper androids come with that kind of function? It might have been installed for emotional development. Or maybe she learned it later. Especially since she could use magic too.
Alice hugged her knees and beamed.
“We’ll compile all that information into a map, conduct a light exploration of the interior, and then return.”
It really did feel like a reconnaissance and scouting mission. Something I was very familiar with.
“Anything we find or discover during the process, including loot, belongs to us.”
“And the reward?”
“Six hundred Labyrinth silver coins. That would be one hundred per person, right? There are no contribution points since this isn’t a guild request, but…”
I still wasn’t entirely clear on the currency values, but considering that killing twelve fairies had only been worth fifty silver coins, this seemed quite generous. Suddenly remembering something Vertea had said about “treasures found in the labyrinth,” I asked.
“What about loot?”
“The finder usually has priority, but if there’s something someone really wants, we try to compromise and yield to each other.”
Alice answered while looking at the party with warm eyes. It felt less like ironclad rules and more like a flexible system that considered everyone’s convenience. It suited Alice’s gentle charisma. Not a bad feeling at all. I was used to military-style discipline, but this wasn’t bad either. Of course, that same looseness sometimes led to people daring to talk back to superiors.
“You didn’t talk about this last night? Uncle and Alice, what exactly were you two doing all night?”
“Eh? What?”
“Maybe… you did something?”
Kiyara wiggled her eyebrows as she looked between me and Alice. Alice seemed flustered and couldn’t answer right away.
“We just talked about life. I’m old, so we had a lot in common.”
“Really? For real? Truly?”
“Yes, really. Come on, let’s get moving.”
I knew Kiyara had only been looking for someone to tease, so I brushed it off lightly. Pon watched with curious eyes, and Remy’s ears twitched with interest as well. But nothing had actually happened. And revealing that Alice was an android seemed like something that should stay secret. So I didn’t bother making up any more excuses, stood up, and shouldered my pack.
“Ugh, boring.”
With Kiyara grumbling, Alice letting out a sigh of relief, Remy silently gathering his bow, and Pon maintaining his involuntary silence, only Vertea approached me and whispered.
“This unit would not mind if Master were a philanderer. As many times as you wish…”
“I said no.”
“Please inform me whenever your mind changes.”
“About what?”
Vertea walked away without answering, and I muttered to myself without realizing it.
“About what…?”
After leaving the apartment and walking along the road between the buildings, I saw that almost none of the asphalt remained intact. We walked in formation through the torn and broken pavement, six of us in a line. I took the lead. My combat ability had already been proven, and since I was a vanguard to begin with, having Alice—who knew about my micro-current detection—behind me let me move forward with peace of mind.
Unless the enemy used wide-area attacks like a Holy Knight, I could knock arrows or needle gun shots out of the air or even catch them mid-flight. And beside me was Alice. When I glanced over, the android with those unique eyes met my gaze and smiled brightly. She held a compass in one hand.
“We’ll have to choose our route on the fly. At least from what I saw from above yesterday… it should be southwest from here. As long as we keep our direction right, we should be fine.”
That was her answer when I asked if she wanted to walk in front. “Ah, I was just about to mention it. As you can see, the path gets blocked sometimes.”
The direction Alice pointed with her doll-like hand was indeed difficult to pass. Countless vines and massive tree roots completely blocked the way.
“We’ll have to go around, right?”
“Would it be hard to climb up and drop a rope?”
“With your physical ability, Mister Jinwoo, it wouldn’t be difficult. As long as those things don’t move.”
I looked at Alice blankly.
“They move?”
“Yes. Would you like to touch one?”
“Should I?”
“I’m joking. Don’t touch it. I’d rescue you if you got dragged away, but it would be a waste of time.”
Chuckling, Alice patted my shoulder. We detoured around the vines and continued westward. What we saw along the way was truly the ruins of a city. Crumbling buildings, shopping districts that had been empty for a long time due to the prolonged war and had become hideouts for thugs. Every one of them was overgrown with thick vegetation. Whenever I spotted monster droppings, I spread my micro-current wide to scan the surroundings.
“How about this alley?”
“Good! Pon, watch our backs.”
Alice suggested it, and Kiyara agreed. The boy whose name was called frowned slightly instead of moving to the rear.
“Hey, I was joking! You’re really going to hold that against me?”
“Yes, yes, of course you do! I won’t leave you behind, so just watch the rear, okay?”
The narrow alley that had once been the parking lot and auto repair shop of an officetel was relatively clear of vegetation. It formed an L-shape between the stacked officetel buildings. As I looked at the buildings on either side, I asked something I’d been curious about.
“How do you usually find treasures or loot?”
“Hm? Ah, you mean magical items or things from the Labyrinth?”
“Yeah, that kind of thing.”
“They’re usually in places where you’d expect them to be. Old laboratories, armories, barracks, or suddenly appearing Karnevarin-style structures.”
“…Those exist?”
“It’s the Labyrinth. Rules don’t matter much here.”
It was fascinating. Karnevarin-style structures clearly meant medieval, fantasy-style buildings. I was intrigued.
“They don’t always appear. Sometimes they’re in the same spot, sometimes they show up for no reason, and sometimes you even get dragged into them.”
“Dragged in.”
“How should I explain it… You ride an elevator or escalator, blink once, and suddenly you’re in a completely different place!”
The description gave me a strange sense of déjà vu. I vaguely remembered being scared by something similar when I was very young and sleeping with my parents. Was it called the Back Room? No, it hadn’t been that rustic. The memory was too hazy now. It had been at least 127 years ago, after all. Still, I got the general idea. And I was actually a little excited. It had terrified me as a child, but now it felt like unknown territory worth exploring.
“So you never know when or how you’ll end up there. Sounds fun.”
“You really are a strange old man. Finding that fun.”
“Master is indeed strange.”
“That’s too much. Really.”
Chatting about this and that, we left the alley and faced the main road again. The remaining path stretched southwest along a long avenue. I mulled over the traces of the old civilization on either side while spreading my micro-current wide to stay alert. The road was somewhat rough, but it was better than the mud of a battlefield. I stayed beside Alice, keeping watch, until I realized we had reached an open avenue. That was how we arrived in front of the subway station.
The number one exit of a subway station that had once housed a post office, karaoke bar, and convenience store. Even with the massive trees growing over the road, the wide avenue still felt open.
“Ah, a convenience store. Lucky us. This one isn’t destroyed.”
“Why a convenience store?”
“You don’t know, Uncle? Food, fresh produce, drinks, daily necessities, cigarettes—everything sold in convenience stores fetches a high price in the Labyrinth.”
The demon girl swished her long, slender tail proudly. I understood what she meant. The fantasy-world cigarettes Maribella had brought me were definitely not as good as the Labyrinth ones.
“Can you get me some cigarettes?”
“Hey, finder’s rights for loot!”
“This unit will find them for you.”
“Ugh, boring.”
“The red ones. Red background with a white triangle at the bottom should be fine.”
“I will look for them.”
“If not, anything’s okay.”
“Understood. If I cannot find them, I will burn the convenience store down if necessary to locate them.”
“…There’s no need to go that far.”
When Vertea and Kiyara entered the convenience store, I stood beside Alice. She had placed a clipboard behind a sheet of parchment and was quickly sketching a map of the area. The surroundings were quiet. It felt safe, yet somehow not. Nothing registered on my micro-current, so I stood there absentmindedly holding my sheathed sword.
“…They’re taking too long.”
Remy spoke. Pon, standing beside him, was also frowning slightly.
“I’ll go check. Pon.”
Pon and Remy entered the convenience store side by side. I watched their backs. Their faint silhouettes moved around inside the store. Something felt off. It wasn’t even that big inside. While they were looking around, the moment I blinked—they were gone.
“Alice.”
“Yes?”
“The others who were in the convenience store disappeared.”
The android’s eyes widened as she lifted her head. I stood beside her, staring at the completely empty store with not a single person inside.
“I saw them walking around and looking for things, but they vanished in the blink of an eye.”
It was an unexpected situation. Fortunately, I didn’t have to figure it out alone.
“…Do you remember what I mentioned earlier?”
“About getting dragged away?”
“Yes. That phenomenon is called a Transmigration Labyrinth here.”
Transmigration Labyrinth. A simple term that hinted at its nature despite the suddenness. A labyrinth one was transferred into. I closed my mouth with an uncomfortable expression.
“We should follow them.”
“…I suppose we have no choice.”
A zone governed by completely different laws. Four of our party members had vanished into it. We couldn’t just sit around sucking our thumbs waiting for them to come out. I adjusted my backpack, slung the longsword across my back, and tightened the straps so it pressed firmly against my body. I didn’t want to lose it no matter where or how I was thrown. Then I secured the holster I’d been carrying from the start. Preparations complete.
I entered the convenience store with Alice. There were many things visible. Fully stocked shelves. Refrigerators humming with drinks inside. A desolate, ordinary convenience store with no trace of people. We stepped into that space, intending to look for something, but an anomaly occurred first.
The moment I blinked, the scenery touching the micro-current radiating from my skin changed. It was a wide-open office. Beneath bright incandescent lights, countless office desks filled the space. Alice was nowhere to be seen. Neither were Vertea, Kiyara, Remy, nor Pon. Only me.
No. That wasn’t true. I sensed a presence interfering with my micro-current like static and turned, shotgun already in hand. With a click, I released the safety. The person waiting at the other end of the aimed barrel had ash-blue hair and ash-blue eyes. Long side-swept bangs and a bob cut. Warm eyes looking at me. A tactical uniform that clung to her body. My heart raced. My breath caught. The grip I squeezed felt burning hot as it dug into my palm.
I called her name.
“Sera…?”
The wife who should have been dead was standing right in front of me.