Arkys Great Labyrinth (7)
His introduction was accepted, and the first to speak among the three was Yuria, the highest-ranking royal.
"How... how did you know about this labyrinth and get in here?"
"Hmm? So that's your first question."
"Answer me! How exactly did you know about this place."
"Is it really okay if I answer that?"
"What?"
"If I tell you how I knew about this place and came looking for you all, then wouldn't Your Highness have to explain how you knew about it too?"
"Th-that's..."
"This labyrinth is a dungeon that hasn't even been discovered yet by the Adventurer's Guild or anyone in the Pernias Kingdom, let alone the public. So how did you get this information, and what are you here to find? I'm curious too."
"B-but I asked first!"
Yuria trembled at Eunhyeon's pointed remark.
Judging by her reaction to his words, she clearly had something to hide.
"That's why I'm asking."
Eunhyeon's voice suddenly turned ice-cold.
Elenoa jumped in surprise at the abrupt shift in tone and looked at him.
His face showed no consideration or respect for her royal status whatsoever.
He even seemed irritated, deeply displeased by something.
"If I answer your question, will you answer mine?"
"......"
Eunhyeon smiled again as he watched Yuria bite her lip and say nothing.
"It's simple. Just as Your Highness has parts you'd rather not reveal, so do I. So..."
Elenoa felt a profound sense of dissonance watching Eunhyeon revert to his usual mild demeanor, but she couldn't voice it.
"Let's just skip the uncomfortable parts for each other, shall we?"
"Ugh..."
"The reason I'm here is straightforward. At the request of Elenoa Armitas, the sister of Young Master Alex, and Helena Pernias, I came to bring back Your Highness, who ran away from home."
"Mother... sent you?"
Yuria's eyes widened in shock at the mention of Helena's name.
"Yes."
"I'm grateful you stepped in to rescue us. You've done us a favor I can never repay. But... why did you bring Elenoa along?"
Eunhyeon grimaced and made a disgusted face at Alex's words, which made it sound like he had dragged her little sister into this dangerous dungeon.
"What? I brought her? Lady Elenoa, clear this up quick."
Feeling Eunhyeon's gaze—like he'd expected this—Elenoa shuddered slightly and persuaded Alex herself.
"Brother, I insisted on coming. I was worried about you..."
"Even so, what were you thinking following me here? If it weren't for him, who knows what might've happened to you."
"I still had to come. If you died, do you think Ashton would leave me alone back home? You know what would happen. If you die, it's as good as me dying too."
Within the Armitas Duke family, the relationships between Ashton, Alex, and Elenoa were quite complicated.
It all stemmed from having different mothers.
Ashton's mother, who held the position of legal wife, had used her status as the eldest, along with her family's influence and power, to seat her son Ashton as the vice duke and heir to the ducal house.
As Ashton's position grew stronger, Alex and Elenoa's standing in the family only shrank.
If Alex died on this princess escort mission, Elenoa's only remaining allies would be her father Abros and her powerless mother, relegated to concubine status.
Ashton was already scheming to marry Elenoa off strategically to a noble from his faction, eyeing the chance to solidify his position once he became head of the house.
If Alex died, she'd lose yet another person who could oppose such a political marriage and protect her.
"Brother, you're precious to me, but my life is just as precious. So please... don't push yourself too hard."
"...Yeah."
Alex nodded weakly, convinced by Elenoa's words.
She was right—if he died here, his mother and sister's positions would become even more precarious.
Even his father Abros's protection might not suffice.
That realization was why he'd taken up the sword and shed blood and sweat to shield his sister and mother from Ashton and his mother.
"Well, looks like we've sorted that out. Shall we head home now?"
"W-wait a second!"
Yuria urgently called out to stop Eunhyeon.
"What is it?"
"With your power, it might be possible. Could you help us pass this labyrinth's trials?"
"......"
Eunhyeon narrowed his eyes at Yuria.
No one spoke as he fell silent after her plea for help. A heavy quiet descended over the group in the labyrinth.
They only wore troubled expressions.
'Has she still not come to her senses?'
Aisha was furious at Yuria's attitude—still insisting on staying in this labyrinth even after such a close call.
They couldn't stand against the labyrinth's deadly monsters with their own power.
Far from fighting back, the entire party could have been wiped out and become monster fodder.
Until moments ago, as the princess who'd dragged the royal knights into this peril, Yuria had been overwhelmed with guilt, apologizing tearfully and holding back sobs.
But now that a man appeared who crushed the monster with overwhelming power, opening the possibility of exploring further, she was showing her greed again.
There was a limit to selfishness.
Aisha, unable to hold back any longer, approached Yuria to say something, but Merdin—now fully healed—grabbed her arm and stopped her.
Only after seeing Alex shake his head did Aisha grit her teeth and halt, glaring.
She didn't want to stay in this death trap any longer.
And the silver-haired man named Eunhyeon wouldn't refuse the princess's request anyway.
She was royalty, after all.
Despair drained the strength from Aisha's body at the thought of spending days more in this wretched labyrinth.
"No thanks."
"Pardon?"
"Huh?"
"What did you say?"
The three excluding the Armitas siblings all looked stunned, as if they hadn't even considered refusal.
The siblings, knowing Eunhyeon's temperament, just sighed.
"My job is to escort Your Highness and the knights back to the kingdom. Not to clear this labyrinth's trials."
"But you're strong. With your power, clearing it wouldn't be hard. Please. In the princess's name, I promise compensation..."
"If you're after the 'Heart of Arkys', give it up. That's not an artifact Your Highness can handle."
"......"
Yuria's face stiffened at the specific mention of the relic's name.
"Hey, come on, can't you help? We couldn't assist Her Highness, but with the skill to take down that monster so easily, you could surely achieve her goal."
"Whether I help or not isn't the issue. Your Highness knew of this labyrinth and sought it out, but do you not know its purpose?"
"Arkys... One of the heroes who repelled the demon invasion in the Era of the Void. He seized this dungeon, remade its interior into a labyrinth, and set trials for any humans who enter... to await his eventual successor someday."
"You know it well. How could a princess who's not even a puppeteer inherit the puppeteer Arkys's legacy? And yet you plan to take just the labyrinth's core power source, the Heart of Arkys, and leave? Ridiculous."
"Ugh..."
"The trials are the same. Even if I help you clear every trial in this place, you couldn't face the one at the deepest core where the heart lies. Because you didn't pass them with your own ability."
It was practically admitting she wanted a free ride.
Yuria stared blankly at Eunhyeon, speechless as he laid it out.
"No way..."
Yuria, who had only vague knowledge of the labyrinth, eyed Eunhyeon suspiciously as he presented far more detailed and accurate information to persuade her.
Just who was this man?
"Now that you understand, let's hurry out. Your wounds are healed, but stamina isn't fully recovered. Time's short too—we'll exit, then prepare camp."
Not even waiting for Yuria's reply, Eunhyeon turned and briefed Alex, who had been commanding the party.
Aiya, you look displeased about something.
'Just... the princess's behavior rubs me the wrong way.'
He knew Yuria was royalty of noble birth.
But even setting that aside, her actions and mindset irritated Eunhyeon.
She irked him with her freeloader attitude—demanding a ride because she couldn't do it herself.
'This interferes with Arkys's will.'
Eunhyeon, aware of the labyrinth's true purpose, found Yuria's words and deeds utterly distasteful.
Huhu, you're angry like someone robbing a friend's tomb for grave goods.
Verdandi stroked Eunhyeon's head fondly, as if pleased.
Perhaps because her divine touch felt good, Eunhyeon let out a small breath, easing his irritation toward Yuria a bit.
"Got it."
Alex gave a wry smile at Eunhyeon's blunt rejection of the princess's near-coercive request but agreed with his decision.
Personally, refusing royalty wasn't ideal optics, but continuing to explore the labyrinth was no better choice.
"Can you take vanguard?"
"Thanks to Elenoa, my wounds are healed. Tired, but I won't be a burden."
"Same here."
"Good."
Eunhyeon smirked as he walked alongside Alex and Merdin, keeping watch around them.
With Eunhyeon and Elenoa joining, Yuria's expedition team now had solid balance.
Three vanguards including Eunhyeon; one archer for scouting, vigilance, and covering the front with wide vision; one high-firepower mage; and one priest for healing and support.
Still small-scale, but adding a skilled priest and melee warrior stabilized their exploration.
"You've come pretty deep into the labyrinth."
"We hit a trap."
Alex grimaced and explained how their party had fallen underground.
"A trap?"
"The floor suddenly collapsed, dropping us to the lower level. The monsters we met were on another level entirely."
"Ah, the upper floors had more annoying traps than monsters. Without Aisha, we might've died without a trace."
"Detecting and disarming traps took so much focus... the stress was no joke."
Aisha chimed in agreement with Merdin's frown.
Archers, with their wide field of view, typically scouted for monsters and traps in expeditions, warning the party of dangers ahead.
Thus, Aisha the royal knight archer had poured effort into both monster vigilance and trap detection since entering.
Her exhausted expression suggested she'd suffered greatly.
"I want to hand you party command, Eunhyeon. Can you?"
"Wha?! S-Senior!"
Aisha jumped in shock at Alex's sudden request.
Handing command to a man they'd met less than an hour ago was incomprehensible.
"You've been leading this party, haven't you, Lord Alex? What makes you trust me with it?"
"It's a rational decision. You took down that fire boar threatening us from an absurd distance with a javelin. Piercing through multiple barriers in the walls with pinpoint accuracy. Impressive power, but your scouting ability is the real standout."
"S-Senior..."
"Hmm."
Eunhyeon pondered deeply.
Quickly grasping Alex's intent, he smirked.
His gaze naturally shifted to Aisha, who seemed to hold de facto command.
Meeting Eunhyeon's eyes, Aisha stiffened.
"Alright. I'll play along with that intent."
You hate hassle, yet you grant such requests.
'It's a hassle. Everything is. But... sometimes it's rewarding.'
Eunhyeon didn't hate his role as an extra helping protagonists grow.
Whether Aisha became a protagonist or just a background extra was unknown.
But perhaps through some trigger, she could seize a protagonist's role.
If so, aiding her when potential showed—and watching her rise on her own—would be enjoyable for Eunhyeon.
Could she learn something from him?
How much would she grow?
Seeing potential in Aisha, whom Alex seemed to value, Eunhyeon took party command.