Uninvited Guests
I couldn't tell how much time had passed since Eleanor was attacked by the tentacle monster.
Inside the labyrinth, where the sun never reached, it was impossible to track the flow of time.
Still, it didn't feel short at all.
It seemed like at least half a day had gone by.
Fortunately, Eleanor showed no serious injuries.
There were no signs of poisoning, no traces of necrosis or mutation.
Having seen victims of grotesque monster attacks mangled in horrifying ways before, that fact alone let me breathe a sigh of relief.
But her slightly flushed face and somewhat ragged breathing definitely pointed to a problem.
Since she hadn't regained full consciousness yet, it was hard to judge precisely.
Tap.
"Kael. Please don't blame yourself too much."
Lucrezia placed her hand on my shoulder as she spoke.
Her gentle, stroking touch was meant to comfort me.
"Yeah... But I let my guard down. I shouldn't have let her go alone..."
"Mmm... Kael?"
"Eleanor!"
Eleanor had opened her eyes.
She still wasn't fully awake—her gaze was half-glazed as she looked up at me.
"Are you okay?"
"Mm... Ah!"
She had answered in a daze, but her eyes suddenly flew wide open and she bolted upright.
Her body hadn't regained its strength yet, though.
"Ah...!"
Eleanor's frame swayed.
I reflexively moved to catch her, but the outer coat I'd draped over her slipped from her shoulders first.
Thud.
The coat fell to the floor.
Eleanor finally seemed to realize her state and stared down at herself in a daze.
"Kyaa!"
Her scream echoed through the labyrinth.
"Eleanor. You beg Kael to touch you every night, yet now you're embarrassed?"
"Th-that's different!"
At Lucrezia's calm observation, Eleanor flushed crimson and snatched my coat, clutching it tightly over her chest.
"Eleanor. Do you remember what happened?"
"No... I don't really recall. I did feel something was wrong for a moment..."
Eleanor furrowed her brow as if searching through her memories.
"After that, it's blank. I sensed something sweeping in from behind, and it felt like my body was floating... then my consciousness cut off completely."
Eleanor looked down at her own body, still unable to believe it.
"It was truly instantaneous. There wasn't even time to scream, let alone raise my mana. It happened in the blink of an eye."
"We may need to watch for monsters like that even more than the minotaur we met at the entrance. Especially since it slipped through the wall cracks—we have to stay alert for ambushes not just from the passages but from anywhere. More importantly, Eleanor. Can you stand?"
"Mm? I'll try..."
Eleanor pressed her hands against the floor and tried to rise, but her arms only trembled and she couldn't get up properly.
"Is there some kind of poison in that monster's fluids?"
"Haa..."
Eleanor let out a deep sigh.
"I just... can't put any strength into my body... And..."
"And?"
"Haa... It feels like I'm getting... aroused somehow."
My face burned without warning.
Lucrezia checked Eleanor's forehead for fever, then—carefully out of my line of sight—lifted the coat and examined her condition.
"Kael. It appears to be a form of aphrodisiac."
"Aphrodisiac?"
"Yes. It's not a simple paralytic toxin. This kind drains physical strength while making the senses excessively sensitive."
"Then Eleanor..."
"Her life isn't in immediate danger. However, she won't be able to muster proper strength, and her senses will remain far more sensitive than usual."
Eleanor's face turned beet red at those words.
"Fortunately the fluids didn't penetrate deeply into the skin, so the effects should fade somewhat with time. But for now, proper movement will be difficult."
I clenched my teeth.
"It was likely for reproduction purposes."
Lucrezia spoke in a low voice.
"Monsters cannot reproduce on their own. Especially a creature like that—it may have intended to drag a living female of another species back to its nest to use for breeding..."
"Lu-Lucrezia..."
She shrank into herself, clutching the coat I'd given her with both hands.
"Why are you explaining something like that so calmly...?"
Her voice trembled faintly.
Whether from the lingering weakness in her body or the explanation itself, Eleanor couldn't bring herself to lift her head.
Lucrezia gazed at her for a moment before answering evenly.
"Assessing the situation comes first. Feeling embarrassed can wait."
"That... that just makes it sound even more embarrassing..."
Eleanor hugged the coat tighter, her face burning scarlet.
"So that's what it was..."
The monster had tried to swallow Eleanor to sap her strength, cloud her mind, and carry her to its nest in a helpless state.
What would have happened afterward...
A horrific image flashed through my mind, but I barely managed to compose myself and push it away.
"If we'd been even a little later..."
I looked down at Eleanor nestled in my arms.
She was still breathing weakly against me, her body not yet restored.
One small mistake and Eleanor might have been dragged to that thing's lair.
And rescuing her then wouldn't have been nearly as easy.
"Damn it... Going deeper from here is out of the question for now."
"Agreed. We should rest until Eleanor can move properly."
Eleanor kept her flushed face lowered.
"I'm sorry, Kael..."
"It's not your fault."
I spoke as gently as I could.
"We were the ones who let our guard down. Assuming this place was safe was the real mistake."
Lucrezia gave a quiet nod as well.
The spot we'd thought perfect for a short break might have been a trap the monster created from the start to lure in prey.
"Or should we head back to Tilen?"
Eleanor shook her head with effort.
"Let's try to endure a little longer."
She glanced at her still-powerless arms.
"My strength might return soon. Turning back right now because of me could actually be more dangerous."
"More dangerous?"
"Yes. Honestly, right now I'm nothing but dead weight."
She offered a bitter smile.
"If we run into a monster the two of you can't handle while I'm like this, what then? You'd have to protect me too, so you wouldn't be able to fight properly."
I couldn't easily argue against that.
Eleanor was right.
Retreating through the labyrinth while she remained immobile was far riskier than it sounded.
"Besides, that monster from earlier."
Eleanor glanced toward the wall crack where we'd driven the creature away.
"It was probably treating this area as its territory. There's a water source and a space slightly off the main passage—perfect for waiting for prey."
"That... is true."
"Creatures like that rarely abandon their territory. And since we just chased it off, other monsters shouldn't intrude for a while."
Eleanor took another labored breath before continuing.
"Monsters respect territories. Weaker ones avoid places claimed by stronger ones. So right now, this might actually be the safest spot."
Lucrezia considered it briefly, then nodded quietly.
"There is logic to that. The monsters in this vicinity likely steered clear of that individual. Right after its flight, this zone should remain empty for some time."
I still felt uneasy, but I couldn't dismiss their reasoning.
Forcing Eleanor to move now might be worse than standing guard here until her strength returned.
"...All right. But at the first sign of anything strange, we move immediately."
"Yes. Thank you, Kael."
Eleanor smiled apologetically and hugged the coat a little tighter.
I stroked her hair.
Even while out of sorts, her sharp mind was still guiding our party toward the best course.
"Then for now..."
I gathered the backpacks holding our supplies and arranged them into a makeshift backrest.
"Eleanor. Lean back here and rest comfortably."
"Thank you, Kael."
Leaning against the pile, Eleanor soon drifted back to sleep.
She had to be physically drained.
We stayed near her sleeping form for a while, passing the time.
Fortunately the mountain of snacks she'd bought in Tilen kept us from getting bored.
Boom!
"...! Lucrezia?"
"Kael. It's coming from farther away."
Lucrezia and I shot to our feet, scanning the surroundings.
Boom! Boom! Crash!
"This is..."
Lucrezia nodded.
"Yes. It sounds like someone is fighting. Most likely other imperial knights."
"What should we do?"
"I'll follow your decision."
I glanced at the sleeping Eleanor.
Leaving her while she was still unconscious was dangerous.
But if that noise truly came from imperial knights in battle, we couldn't ignore it.
If they were wiped out while we did nothing, we'd soon face the same threat.
"I'll go check."
"Alone?"
Lucrezia's brows shifted slightly.
I nodded.
"We can't leave Eleanor by herself. Stay here and protect her."
"Kael."
"If it feels dangerous, I'll return at once. I'm not going to fight—just to confirm what's happening."
Lucrezia watched me for a moment.
Finally she let out a small sigh and nodded.
"Don't push yourself."
"I won't."
"And if it's truly dangerous, don't even think about helping. Come straight back. With Eleanor unable to move, we can't fight the way we usually do."
"Understood."
I adjusted my grip on my sword and turned toward the source of the noise.
Fortunately I encountered no monsters on the way.
The rumbling grew closer.
Boom! Crash!
The vibrations traveling through the walls and floor were strong enough to feel against my skin.
I raised my mana and activated my Penetration ability.
My vision instantly spread beyond the wall.
"A minotaur...?"
I couldn't see it clearly.
The multiple overlapping layers of stone distorted the shape, and the movements were blurry.
But the overwhelming size and the shape of those horns were unmistakable.
It was a minotaur.
Someone was fighting it.
Every time the creature's massive body slammed into the wall, a thunderous roar echoed.
Other imperial knights?
I couldn't be certain yet.
I couldn't tell how many opponents there were, or who held the advantage.
Only that a battle was definitely underway.
I needed to get closer.
I canceled the ability and moved forward carefully, muffling my footsteps.
I turned the corner and crept toward the source of the noise.
Boom!
At that instant, a cold, razor-sharp sensation pressed against the back of my neck.
"Don't move."
A low, sunken woman's voice spoke directly into my ear.
I froze in place.
The object against my nape was a dagger.
The blade was sharp enough to split skin at the slightest twitch, and it pinned my neck with perfect precision.
"Hand. Slowly away from the sword."
The voice behind me sounded familiar.
I slowly released the hilt.
The blade dug in a fraction deeper.
Gritting my teeth, I tried to reach for the sword at my waist.
In that moment I triggered Future Sight.
Dozens of afterimages unfolded before me.
The future where I ducked to evade the blade.
The future where I drove an elbow into the woman behind me.
The future where I drew my sword and counterattacked.
The future where I rolled sideways to gain distance.
But every single one ended the same way.
My nape sliced open, my wrist severed, or a dagger from behind piercing my thigh.
The woman had already sealed off every possible escape route.
There was nowhere to run.
I swallowed hard.
If I forced a movement, my neck would be the first to go.
I slowly withdrew my hand from the hilt.
"Drop the sword on the floor as well."
"..."
"Slowly. No funny business."
I clenched my jaw, drew the sword from my waist, and let it fall.
Clang.
The blade rang coldly against the labyrinth's stone floor.
"Walk forward."
"Where?"
"To the place you were secretly spying on."
I walked forward in silence.
The dagger never left my nape.
Any suspicious movement and she would slit my throat—she stuck so close I could feel her monitoring even my breathing.
I tried Future Sight with every step, but no path to escape or reverse the situation appeared.
After rounding another corner, a wide cavern opened before us.
There I finally saw the source of the earlier rumbling.
A minotaur.
The massive monster lay collapsed on the ground.
Its neck was half-crushed, and multiple deep gashes marred its chest.
A man stood atop the corpse.
Wolfram von Loendem.
He rested one foot on the fallen minotaur's shoulder and looked down at me.
"Well, well... who do we have here?"
A sneer curled Wolfram's lips.
"The commoner from Tilen."
I frowned.
"Wolfram."
"Still as insolent as ever."
His eyes narrowed to slits.
"Serena. Keep a firm grip on him. If he struggles, you may cut his throat."
"Yes."
The woman behind me answered curtly.
Only then did I know for certain.
The woman pressing a dagger to my nape was the purple-haired imperial knight I'd seen in Tilen—Serena.
"I told Serena to watch for possible additional ambushes, and she brings back something quite entertaining."
Wolfram stepped down from the minotaur's corpse and approached me.
"Were you hiding to ambush me from behind again, just like in Tilen?"
"Ambush?"
I echoed, incredulous.
"How exactly was what happened in Tilen an ambush?"
Wolfram's eyebrow twitched.
"What?"
"You were the one who insulted Eleanor first. She only grew angry afterward. If you hadn't spoken that way, there would have been no reason for a fight at all."
"Ha...!"
Wolfram laughed as though the claim were absurd.
"So? Does losing your mind at a single word from me and swinging mana around count as self-defense?"
"I never called it self-defense. But framing it as a sneaky ambush is ridiculous."
I kept my voice low, conscious of the dagger at my neck.
"We were facing each other. You crossed the line first. Don't speak as if I stabbed you in the back."
The smile faded slightly from Wolfram's face.
But he quickly twisted it back into a mocking grin.
"You certainly have a silver tongue for a commoner."
"..."
"In noble society, however, the one who draws steel over mere words is the more vulgar party. Especially a woman who once belonged to a grand ducal house swinging mana in the middle of the street."
I ground my teeth.
He was saying it on purpose.
As if hoping Eleanor would lose control and charge at him.
"In any case, that day's matter is finished. The reason I came here is because I heard the sounds of battle."
"Whether it's finished isn't for you to decide."
Wolfram descended fully from the corpse and stared down at me.
"From my perspective, the companions of those who attacked me in Tilen were once again lurking near my battlefield. Suspicion is only natural, isn't it?"
"..."
"I'll ask again."
Wolfram's gaze grew icy.
"Where are the other two?"
I kept silent for a moment.
I couldn't reveal that Eleanor was unable to move.
"They're both resting."
"Resting?"
Wolfram repeated, sounding dumbfounded.
"Inside this labyrinth?"
"The fighting has been nonstop. We simply found a place to catch our breath."
"Ha...!"
Wolfram snorted.
"A resting spot in the labyrinth. How convenient. As far as I know this isn't an inn with beds and tea service."
"That's not what I meant."
I kept my emotions tightly reined in.
"There was a monster where we were. A tentacle-type creature that hid in wall cracks and ambushed from them. We drove it off just before."
Wolfram's eyebrows shifted slightly.
"And?"
"Large monsters usually operate around their own territory. Even an imperial knight like you should know that much."
I answered as calmly as possible.
"The minotaur you just defeated is the same. Mediocre monsters don't recklessly approach an area claimed by such a beast. They'd be eaten or driven away."
Wolfram remained silent.
"Our location was similar. It was the hunting ground that tentacle monster had claimed, and we expelled it. Therefore the chance of other monsters gathering nearby is low for the time being."
"So what you're saying..."
Wolfram smiled thinly.
"Is that you commoners stole a monster's territory inside the labyrinth and turned it into your personal rest area?"
"More or less."
"How impressive. A mere commoner who understands the labyrinth's ecosystem."
His tone dripped with mockery, but I didn't rise to the bait.
There was nothing to gain from prolonging the argument.
"How am I supposed to believe any of that?"
Wolfram took another step closer.
"I can't tell whether such a place truly exists or if you're trying to lure us into a trap."
"Believe it or don't. It's your choice. I came because I heard the sounds of battle. There was no ambush like the one you're imagining."
"Then guide us."
"What?"
"To that safe resting place you mentioned."
Wolfram nudged the minotaur's corpse lightly with his toe.
"I've just finished dealing with this minotaur. Serena has built up fatigue, and I need a place to rest as well."
He continued with a sly smile.
"We are imperial knights who accepted the same commission. Even if we don't cooperate, sharing a secured resting spot inside the labyrinth is only natural, isn't it?"
My expression hardened.
If we had genuinely secured a safe area and other knights requested rest, refusing would be difficult.
But the opponent being Wolfram was the problem.
"That place was secured by our party first."
"So?"
The corner of Wolfram's mouth curled upward.
"Planning to charge a seating fee inside the labyrinth? Or are you hiding something after all?"
"..."
"If your words are true, we rest a while. If false, it means you tried to deceive us."
His gaze flicked to Serena behind my neck.
"Serena. If this commoner leads us down any strange path, kill him immediately."
"Yes."
A short reply came from behind.
I clenched my teeth.
Leading these two to where Eleanor and Lucrezia waited was dangerous.
But refusing here would let him brand my words as lies.
Above all, I no longer had my sword.
"...Understood."
I answered in a low voice.
"I'll guide you."
Wolfram smiled with satisfaction.
"Good. Then let's go—to that safe little haven you claim to have taken!"