Depths of the Otherworldly Labyrinth

Chapter 21 – A Problematic Foreigner

The Labyrinth’s 9th floor. Apparently, the party had researched the locations of the boss monsters they were aiming for in advance, which was why Snow-san led us to the boss’s area without hesitation.

Gradually, the corridor lost light, and the footing became worse. As we proceeded along the cavernous, rocky path, I thought back to the information we had shared beforehand.

The boss’s name was Legion Bats. From what I had heard, it was first and foremost a swarm of giant bats. They even told me that those monsters all shared senses, and even if one of their numbers was fatally wounded, the others would bond with and heal it. It was essential to know how to deal with multiple monsters simultaneously in the dark without losing one’s own source of light to fight it.

But to be honest, with «Dimension», a boss like that would be easy.

Just because it was dark didn’t mean it would hinder my ability to perceive the space, so there was no problem. Depending on the situation, I might even be able to slay them all by myself.

While my mind was preoccupied with such things, Snow and Erna, who were walking in front of us, stopped in their tracks.

“What’s wrong?”

The beastfolk and dragonewt must have caught something with their keen sensory organs. I strengthened «Dimension» as I approached Snow.

“…Someone’s fighting. Probably up against our target.”

Snow replied with a soft voice. Apparently, someone had already started facing off against the Legion Bats before we arrived.

It was the Labyrinth, after all—that was common. In that kind of situation, unless something went horribly wrong, the unwritten rule was first come, first served. Interrupting their fight wouldn’t be a good idea, as quarreling amongst explorers wasn’t allowed.

“Err, Nee-sama… What do we do in this case?”

“…We are to probe them out first. If they are just explorers, we can procure the drop item from them. If they are another party from the academy, then we will deal with them depending on the situation.”

The Hellvilleshine siblings discussed between themselves.

…but still, if they would buy drop items with money either way, then I’d rather have them buy from me instead. However, since I had already accepted the offer of being their escort, I’d have to give up on that idea. Judging from Franrühle’s face, I could tell that she really didn’t want to resort to a buyout.

We approached the scene of the battle, keeping a wary eye on our surroundings.

The area was completely dark, with only the light sources we could rely on in each of our hands. We carefully made our way along the rocky path and rounded several corners, only to find flames waiting for us.

Flames were rising from the ground, and using them as a light source, a group of people were engaging the Legion Bats.

Judging from the smell, I could tell that they were lighting oil on fire. In the illumination of that inextinguishable light, swords and magic were flying around.

“Are those students of the Eltheauliux Academy…?”

Liner-kun mumbled. It seemed like one of them was his acquaintance from the academy.

“It appears they have beat us to it…”

“Erm, Nee-sama. Please don’t assault them, okay?”

“I will not!”

From the looks of it, it seemed like their prospects of getting first rank had vanished.

Once a boss monster was killed, it took time before the same boss monster respawned. We’d have no choice but to wait until the Labyrinth rebuilt its ecosystem and the boss and its underlings were reborn.

“Oh meow, to think there are others that have made it this far. Well, can’t be helped then—let’s just watch them slay the boss. We won’t finish first, but we’ll be safe.”

Erna gave her advice to the siblings.

Indeed, watching the boss’s attack patterns would help alleviate the danger of getting hit. If we could learn the oddities and quirks of the Legion Bats, that meant the fight had its advantages for us.

“You are most correct. Regrettably, we need to settle with being the second… Erna, Snow-san, I take it that you two can see the battle happening from here?”

“Very mewch can.”

“…Easy.”

Even with perfect eyesight, fully seeing the detailed movements of the battle would be demanding. Nevertheless, Erna and Snow-san seem to have a clear understanding of how the battle unfolded. Racial traits were advantageous even in that kind of situation, huh.

“We cannot get any closer, so I entrust it to you two. Please remember to share the information later so we can prepare better against the Legion Bats… Now, Christ-sama, please come with me.”

“Ah, I can see the battle too, so I’ll stay.”

“You can?! I-I would expect no less from you, Christ-sama…”

I spread «Dimension» to the scene of the battle and picked up information. I had never had the opportunity to closely watch how other people fought, so I wanted to use that opportunity as a reference. Also, I’d do anything to avoid having a chat with the pair of siblings.

With the image of splitting my consciousness, my magically constructed sensory organ filled the area. Concurrently, I was also alert to my surroundings. I had grown a lot in the handling of magic in the days leading up to that moment.

At the end of the corridor, in an area illuminated by flame, the Legion Bats split into four and danced midair. They were simply a collection of huge bats, rudimentary speaking, but they still could fly around full of vigor even though it was clear that some of those bats had lost huge chunks of their bodies. It was obviously a boss monster that could take some hits.

【Monster】 Legion Bats : Rank 12

Opposing it was a party of four people close to my age; they gave off a different impression from Franrühle’s party.

Two of their members were wearing the same uniforms as our members, while the other two were wearing shabby clothes with simple protective gear. From what I could see, the ones wearing the fine uniforms were giving orders from behind, while the ones in the shabby clothes played the role of the vanguards.

They were quite balanced as a team. It was so different compared to us that I felt like crying.

I couldn’t say that their individual levels were high, but they all understood their roles and stuck to them. The two vanguards drew the attention of the enemy and acted as a shield while the rear guard provided general support, and the last one was aiming at the monster with a long-chanting magic.

It was such a perfect performance that I wished I could exchange them with the four I was with.

Their seamless coordination allowed them to hit the Legion Bats with long-chanting magic. A huge fireball was created and hit one of the Legion Bats that had been stranded.

Half of its body was lost, and it plummeted to the ground, losing its strength.

Their faces broke into smiles once they realized they had broken an opening. The two in the vanguard attacked the remaining three Legion bats aggressively, while the rear guard began chanting to unleash more offensive magic.

“…!”

I gasped. I knew of it because I was looking at the battle scene from a distance, from a bird’s eye view no less. That was a bad move. The one bat that lost half of its body did not disappear into light particles. And yet, that party had removed it from their awareness, assuming they had defeated it.

And that bad move, as expected, immediately worsened the situation.

One of the vanguards was bitten from behind by that monster. The four-person balance was broken. The other three immediately moved to save him and somehow managed to rescue their bitten member, but the opening they had broken through seemed to have closed again.

I wouldn’t say that the wound was fatal. However, he was still gravely injured by the bite. It was best for them to immediately switch to a retreat maneuver. And yet, the leader of the group didn’t seem to entertain that thought. On the contrary, they continued to use him as a vanguard.

Strictly speaking, that meant that both ends had one wounded member, so that wasn’t that much of a loss. I could also understand why they would continue the battle since there was still a chance to win. But that’s just a cold calculation.

If the battle continued, the kid wouldn’t be able to stop his bleeding…

He’d die…

Watching someone who wasn’t yet an adult die was a burden on my mind. Not to mention, despite having the power to help, letting him die in front of me due to inaction on my part would make me feel the worst.

The logical part of my brain knew that I would grow accustomed to giving up on people, children or otherwise, if it kept happening. However, the immature part of myself wouldn’t allow it. The moral values that came with me from my original world were still up and kicking.

“…Sorry. I’ll go and help them a bit.”

“That will be problemewtic, Onii-san.”

Ema-san stopped me right away.

“Why did you stop me? Someone is going to die.”

“That’s a nyecessary expense. See, their leader is doing just that. That slave was brought here to be an expense, so getting involved with them now will be mewssi.”

Erna addressed the kid on the verge of dying as a slave. Now that she said it, I noticed that they were indeed shabbily dressed and given only minimal equipment, and upon closer look, I could see that they were wearing collars. More proof that they were slaves.

However, that didn’t mean anything to the Kanami Aikawa who had lived in the modern world before. Slave or not, they were just another living, breathing person. On the contrary, if they were heading to their death against their will because of their status as a slave, then more the reason for me to help them.

“…Even so, I can’t let him die on my watch.”

“Eeeh…? But Onii-san, mew are hired to be our escort, so I think I’d prefer it if mew followed what we said…”

“The terms of the contract are that I will guard you guys, and I will at any cost. However, there is no restriction about me saving other people… I understand that I am being selfish. If you don’t find it favorable, just break the contract from your end. I don’t mind. I don’t need the money. I want to save him, no matter what…”

I was spinning my words so desperately that I didn’t even know what I was saying.

For some reason, the mental image of Dia getting his arm slashed off replayed. The sight made my heart beat faster, and sweat poured down my forehead.

“What is the matter, Christ-sama, Erna…?”

Franrühle noticed the argument between Erna and me and approached us from behind.

“Fran. Onii-san here said he wants to save a dying slave.”

“What, a slave? Christ-sama, why would you do that?

Franrühle seemed to genuinely wonder about that question from the bottom of her heart.

A slave is about to die. I want to help him. And you asked why?

Her face said that she really couldn’t understand me.

There was no good or bad will coming from her, only the common sense that slaves were things that didn’t deserve to be helped. Franrühle’s eyes were straight. Her honesty was undoubted.

It was as if I was the odd one out—like my mind became unstable. It was as though my values were eroding me and I wasn’t myself anymore.

No.

No, this was unacceptable. If my mind grew more perturbed, the «???» skill would be triggered.

“…I just couldn’t bear it.”

I could only come up with such a silly reason.

It was clear that the reason was the difference in values between the two worlds. There was no use arguing there. I just had to move on, thinking about keeping my identity with me.

“Christ-sama? It’s just a slave who’s going to die anyway. You don’t need—”

“Forgive me. I have to go.”

I broke into a run, not listening to Franrühle until the end.

* * *

“—Magic, «Dimension Gladiator»”

What I needed to do was the same that I did when I helped Franrühle and her party.

“I am here to help! I’m not going to harm you!”

First, I leaped straight into the fire, shouting all the while. I deliberately chose the most conspicuous way to intrude in order to attract the Legion Bat’s attention.

Surprised by the sudden intrusion of a third party, the group of four retreated to assess the situation, while the monster, the Legion Bats, began to attack me as I took the vanguard position.

Their huge bodies approached me from all sides. I found a gap between the giant bats and easily dodged the four of them. At the same time, I sliced off a wing of one of them as they passed by.

One of them fell to the ground, but it quickly approached the severed limb and tried to repair the lost part by rejoining it. Meanwhile, the other bats attacked me relentlessly, leaving no room for me to stop the restoration.

Araith Household’s Treasured Sword cleaved through the bat’s body like it was butter. The enemy was a rank 12 monster, but it seemed like I had enough ATK to deal with it easily. I daresay it must have been the sword’s ability to increase attack power.

That being said, there was no end to that enemy.

No matter how much I slashed at it, they reconnected their bodies to each other, making themselves whole again. I couldn’t help but ponder if I should freeze them solid like I did Tida.

But then, I found something like a stone dully shining in one of their bodies.

“…!!”

Immediately, I focused my attack on that one, shredding it to bits.

When I did so, a dull, shiny stone was exposed to the air, which I promptly broke with my sword. The bats instantly lost their shape and finally dissipated into light. It was a pretty standard video game boss monster mechanic—they could be easily defeated when being hit in their weak point.

“…Phew.”

The dull, glowing stone dissolved into light particles as well, which then reconstructed themselves back to become a magic stone. That would be the drop item of the Legion Bats. I picked it up and turned my attention to the four people that had engaged it.

“Forgive me. I saw you were having a hard time, so I brought myself to help.”

I sheathed my sword at the same time I said my apology.

A boy dressed in the uniform stepped forward to reply to me. However, he was far away and hadn’t yet let his guard down.

“…I can see that you are a skilled explorer. I thank you for your assistance, but it was something unnecessary. You see, we cannot accept having our opponent stolen from us without prior negotiation.”

The boy seemed prepared to engage me in battle if the situation called for it. He held his sword steadily, and his eyes fell on the magic stone I was holding.

I soon threw the magic stone he needed at him. The young man seemed surprised and caught it in midair.

“My deepest apologies then. I saw someone was seriously injured and in need of immediate medical attention… so I jumped in without much thinking. The fault seems to be mine, so the magic stone is obviously yours.”

“Hrk… Our aim was this magic stone to begin with. Seeing that you’ve handed it to us, I have nothing else to express but gratitude. Let me thank you once again.”

The party of four trusted that I had no harmful intention, so they all put away their weapons.

“That is good to hear. That means you can attend to your wounds quicker.”

“Yeah, thank you for sympathizing with our slave. However, considering we have few means of recovery, his treatment will have to wait.”

With that said, the boy fell back and began using the medicine they had to cure not the slaves but the two dressed in uniform.

I was stunned to see them using and discarding slaves as a matter of course.

The four of them then bowed to me and walked away to leave just like that, not treating the slaves. When I saw blood dripping down behind them as they walked away, I screamed out, unable to hold myself back.

“—W-wait a minute!”

The four of them turned around, wary of me calling out to them even though our discussion had been concluded.

I was at a loss.

If I coerced them, they might heal the slaves’ wounds there. However, that would only be a temporary treatment. From the way Franrühle and the other academy students were treating the slaves, there was no doubt that those slaves would continue to be treated the way they were that day. I could see an unwarranted death awaiting them in the not-too-distant future.

There really was no point in helping the slaves there—Nevertheless

I reached into my waist pouch and pulled out an item from the ‘Item List’, then I tossed it to them.

“Just some cheap restorative medicine. I went out of my way to save him, letting him bleed out like that will haunt my sleep…”

“…Much obliged.”

The boy who received the medicine from me must have sensed my intention, as he immediately used it on the slave. When the powder infused with medicinal herbs was applied to slave’s wounds, I could see the bleeding stop.

…I breathed a sigh of relief.

Next, I felt funny at myself for being so foolish. And then, I felt bitter at how sickening hypocrisy based off of self-satisfaction could be.

I watched as the party of four left toward the stairs that went down to the 10th floor, and then I turned my attention in the direction where Franrühle and the others were.

Those four students must have realized that the whole matter was over, as they were just then approaching me. Franrühle was walking in the lead and was the first to call out to me.

“Christ-sama… Why are you so concerned with slaves…?”

She must have seen it when I gave them my restorative medicine before they left. I could tell that it was a question that came from the bottom of her heart.

“No particular reason. Forgive me for acting out of the line.”

I felt that there was no point in exchanging views, so I just apologized.

“Is… is that so… well…”

Franrühle must have sensed that I didn’t mean what I said. That was why she didn’t seem to know what to say to me.

Erna, who couldn’t bear watching it any longer, interjected.

“Onii-san! Good god, mew can’t do things on mewr own! Usually, this should mean a breach of contract, but we nyever wanted to make the contract that punctual. Instead, I’d want mew to beat the next ‘Legion Bats’ in style like that again, meowkay?”

It was obvious that Erna was trying to lighten the atmosphere with a light joke. Seeing that, Liner-kun got in on the act.

“She’s right, Christ-san. Because of you, now it’s guaranteed we will finish in second place, so please fight the Legion Bats by yourself.”

“Liner! You shouldn’t say that!”

That was probably Liner-kun trying to make a joke, but Franrühle took it seriously and even reprimanded him.

Soon after, Liner-kun laughed, saying that he was joking, and then the air between us became lighter.

I’m being consoled. I saved a life, and yet they console me—as if saving people was a mistake.

I could only resign myself to that fact with a bitter chuckle.

“Hahaha, sorry about that. I’ll give my all in the next fight, so do forgive me.”

I also cooperated in trying to lighten the air. Seeing me smiling, Franrühle brightened her expression and scooted over to me.

Then she started talking about her hobbies and skills and whatnot as if what happened earlier had never taken place. Erna-san cautioned Franrühle with a smile, saying that the exam was not over yet. We then began to discuss the cycle in which the next Legon Bats would appear and what we would do until then.

From what they talked about, those students seemed to have an idea of the time when the Labyrinth would rebuild its ecosystem. In terms of classroom learning about the Labyrinth, I was no match for them. My knowledge of the Labyrinth was spotty and smattering, so I decided to follow their instructions.

Apparently, the Labyrinth’s magic power would transform into monsters in two hours’ time, so it was decided that we would spend some time on the Main Road until then.

We walked away from the boss area. We chatted and laughed with each other while we were there.

—For no reason, I looked behind me.

The corridors of the Labyrinth were stained with the blood left by the slaves.

I walked away, showing not a single care in the whole world. The first thing I had to do was part with that party as soon as possible. Until then, I would not let my mind waver and would only focus on finishing the task.

With that in mind, I continued walking, staring into the darkness of the corridors.

____