Let's Collapse the Small Labyrinth (2)
Labyrinth City isn't affiliated with any specific nation. That's why people who couldn't adapt to society for various reasons flocked here. But there was no guarantee that those who couldn't get along with others elsewhere would suddenly fit in here either.
"Monsters are all living beings just like us! Indiscriminate monster slaughter must stopwa yo!"
For instance, this young lady with four arms, Gerda.
Gerda had joined the guild with her specialty in potion manufacturing. She'd hidden it well at the time of joining, but as she got active, she started revealing her utterly absurd monster protection ideology. Labyrinth City had a notorious cult called the Monster Protection Association, and she seemed to have come from there.
"I see. But monsters try to kill people on sight, don't they? How do you expect to coexist with things like that?"
"It's only natural for living creatures to attack others to survive wa yo! Thinking that's a problem is where everything goes wrong wa yo!"
Then wasn't it equally natural for humans to attack monsters to survive? I swallowed the retort that was bubbling up.
Gerda had interfered with her party members killing monsters in real combat where lives were on the line. She'd put her comrades in danger, earned a reprimand, and her notoriety meant no one would take her into their party anymore.
"I'm very interested in Gerda's ideology. I'd love to give you a chance to spread your message to the world."
"Tell me more wa yo!"
"Our guild recently took over managing a Small Labyrinth. We're planning to clean it up to a controllable level first, then figure out long-term uses for it."
"Absolutely not wa yo! I won't tolerate killing even a single monster wa yo!"
"In that case, why don't you take charge on-site, Gerda? Find a way to manage the Small Labyrinth without killing a single monster."
Bam! Gerda shot to her feet, slamming the table. She placed one arm over her chest and pointed at herself with the other three.
"Leave it to me wa yo! I won't let you down wa yo!"
With that bold declaration, Gerda marched right out of the office like she was heading off immediately.
Marie, who had been watching the whole thing, spoke up with a worried look.
"Um, Vivaldi-nim. Is this really okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"Even a small labyrinth... if you leave the monsters alive unchecked..."
Monsters in labyrinths didn't venture out from boredom to attack people. They multiplied like cockroaches inside until space ran out and they spilled over. If Gerda clamped down on hunting there, the surrounding area would be overrun in no time.
"I believe in Gerda's ideals."
I believed they were utterly pie-in-the-sky nonsense. Coexistence with monsters? If that were possible, the adventurer profession wouldn't even exist. It was all flowery words with zero practical plans.
Without any countermeasures, that Small Labyrinth would spiral out of control. And as the one responsible, I'd face disciplinary action! Maybe even expulsion from the guild.
"Even if no one else believes, at least one person can, right?"
"If Vivaldi-nim says so..."
For some reason, Marie blushed and quietly backed off. Had my nonsense pissed her off that badly?
It had been about a week since I'd handed the job to Gerda.
"Hey! Vivi!"
"Bella-ssi, you can't just barge in like—"
Bella ducked through the door, which was much shorter than her height. Two Maries clung to her trying to block the way, but stopping that massive, muscled woman was impossible. Every step she took made the whole office shake, sending stacks of papers tumbling down.
"Why the hell did you send that crazy cult bitch to command the Small Labyrinth site?!"
"Uh, weren't you not assigned there, Bella-ssi?"
"I heard from a friend who was drunk off his ass! Monsters are pouring out, and she won't let 'em kill any—what's the plan?!"
"Euuugh."
Bella grabbed my body with her huge hands and shook me like a ragdoll. The force rattled my brain; I felt like I was gonna puke from dizziness.
"At this rate, the Small Labyrinth we finally snagged will be useless!"
"If it goes wrong, I'll take responsibility, so euuugh."
"Damn right you will! This is something the vice guild master trusted you with! You could get exiled as is!"
"......Heh."
Exile! Hearing that sweet word made my lips curl up involuntarily. Bella looked horrified and let me go.
"Did I shake you too hard and break your brain? Fine, I'll head there now. It's still salvageable if I step in—"
"N-No!"
"What's 'no' about it! Without you at the guild, what's the point of even coming to work?!"
"B-Believe in me! Just wait and see!"
To stop Bella from heading to the site, I clung to her desperately. She only calmed down after kneading my cheeks bright red and then finally left.
It had been about a month since sending Gerda off. I'd been ignoring the flood of complaints from guild members on-site. But this time, word came of a truly serious problem.
Was this finally the moment I'd have to take responsibility? My heart fluttered with anticipation as I headed to the Small Labyrinth.
It was chaotic, alright—clearly a big issue—but not the one I'd expected.
"The vile adventurer guild Tragodia must stop its monster abuse right now!"
"Stop it! Stop it!"
A crowd was protesting in front of the Small Labyrinth, waving signs.
"Monster Protection Association? Why...?"
Gerda, one of their own, was managing the site—why were these cultists here raging?
"Get lost wa yo!"
"Kyaaak!"
"No violence!"
"Gerda-ssi, stop!"
Gerda was hurling fist-sized rocks with all four arms. Worried about injuries, I rushed to restrain her.
"Oh! Vivi-ssi wa yo? Come on in wa yo! Perfect timing wa yo!"
"Gerda-ssi, how's the Small Labyrinth situation...?"
"I'll show you right now wa yo!"
Following Gerda's lead into the Small Labyrinth, I saw stairs had been built at what used to be just a pit entrance. The first chamber was filled with a misty vapor that obscured everything.
"Those rioters made us close the entrance, so no ventilation wa yo. It's not poisonous, so don't worry wa yo."
After a moment, the vapor cleared enough to reveal a bunch of lab equipment. Even I could tell it was a potion manufacturing setup. They were mixing magic stones from killed monsters with herbs from the labyrinth to brew potions.
"Wh-What is all this?"
"Just as it looks—making recovery potions wa yo! We can get all the materials here, so we can steadily supply the guild with potions from now on wa yo."
"Weren't you not killing monsters, Gerda-ssi? How'd you get the magic stones...?"
"We didn't kill them wa yo? You can extract magic stones without killing monsters wa yo."
"Huh...?"
—Kieeeekeeeeek!!!!
A ear-splitting shriek echoed from underground. Something unspeakable was happening. I didn't want to check, but Gerda grinned and led me deeper.
"This bastard's full of energy! Krahat!"
"It's the first extraction for this one."
A lizard-like thing the size of a person, rotten-wood textured, was thrashing. Most monsters looked like that, just varying sizes. Two guild members had it chained and hung from the ceiling, gleefully hacking at its belly with axes.
"Wh-What the hell are you doing...?"
"Extracting the magic stone wa yo. Using it to make potions wa yo."
"Weren't you protecting monsters...?"
"We are protecting them wa yo. They go dormant until the magic stone regrows inside, but they don't die wa yo."
"As long as they're alive, huh...?"
"Living creatures need a price to pay to survive wa yo! You can't live without any suffering wa yo."
"......"
Damn, I thought she was just some crazy from the Monster Protection Association, but she's way crazier...!
Deeper in, I saw what looked like monster farming. Guild members whipped them into various rooms in the Small Labyrinth. The cramped chambers were packed with monsters crammed in, huddled tight.
"Why are the monsters so docile...?"
"Monsters are innately numb to pain, so they're feral wa yo. That's why I injected a special toxin I made to amplify their pain wa yo. Nothing teaches low-intelligence creatures like pain wa yo."
"What if their numbers explode beyond control and they rampage en masse...?"
"Simple solution for that wa yo. Just don't feed them wa yo!"
"Pardon...?"
"Then they resort to cannibalism to thin their own numbers wa yo."
"What's the difference from just killing them...?"
"Disappearing by the laws of the ecosystem is different from humans killing them artificially wa yo!"
What bullshit. Starving them isn't artificial? For the first time since coming to this world, I felt sorry for the monsters.