Chapter 38

Among Labyrinth explorers, it was common knowledge that the difficulty level took a massive leap starting from the 21st floor.

In the past, the Allied Nations had spent less than a year conquering up to the 20th floor. However, they had spent over ten years attempting to clear the path from the 21st to the 23rd.

One cause was apparently the loss of many elites to Teida on the 20th floor, but the primary reason was that the very nature of the Labyrinth underwent a transformation.

Large monsters did not appear on the lower floors, but once you crossed the 20th floor, they spawned in countless numbers. Constructing the Main Path under such conditions was a feat of extreme difficulty.

Naturally, the Allied Nations began to slacken their pace of conquest. They started to feel that venturing past the 20th floor simply “wasn’t worth it.” It was also right around the time financial issues began to surface, and the teachings of the mainland bishops were no longer enough to provide the necessary push.

—The Allied Nations changed their way of thinking.

Reaching the deepest part would grant legendary honor—but once it became clear that obviously no one could reach it, it was better to discuss more fruitful matters.

The location was excellent.

At the center of the frontier, near the sea, with a gentle climate.

The Allied Nations had been built to surround it.

Everyone judged that utilizing the economy rather than Labyrinth conquest was better for the sake of their countries. Since people were drawn in by the “sweet nectar” of the Labyrinth, there was no reason not to exploit it. The movement of people was crucial for a vibrant economy, and this land satisfied all such conditions.

The various kings and nations began to pour their strength into the continental economy rather than Labyrinth conquest.

It was no exaggeration to say the entirety of the Allied Nations had shifted direction.

Once that happened, it was the end.

Labyrinth conquest by the nations beyond the 23rd floor was completely terminated.

From this history, only one thing could be said.

It could be summarized in a single phrase.

—Past the 20th floor, it “isn’t worth it.”

Those who challenged it were either extreme eccentrics, fools, or those loved by the heavens.

That was the common sense of the Allied Nations.

On such a 21st floor, there was a single girl letting out cries of joy as she danced happily against the monsters.

“Ahah, ahahaha—! They’re strong! This is crazy, crazy!! Ah, one went that way, Christ! Hahaha!!”

The extreme eccentric, the fool, and the girl loved by the heavens: Lastiara.

Currently, we were in the middle of exploring the 21st floor of the Labyrinth.

Two monsters that Lastiara had failed to finish off were heading our way.

Both were large-class monsters.

Even a single Minotaur had been a handful earlier, and now there were two that were even stronger.

“Maria, stay absolutely behind me! There are too many enemies! If you get too far away, it’s dangerous!”

“Y-Yes!”

The enemies were Fury—grotesque, four-armed, four-legged monster apes covered in pitch-black fur.

Their movements were slow, but the literal high number of limbs made them troublesome monsters.

I met the heavy arms of the approaching Fury head-on with my single sword.

I struck the side of their arms with all my might to parry them, occasionally pulling Maria back as I retreated.

I couldn’t engage in a battle that relied on mobility. On a floor with such a high monster spawn rate, I couldn’t leave Maria far away.

Inevitably, the battle became one fought while protecting her.

“Just don’t blame me if Maria dies.”

Lastiara’s words from before we entered the Labyrinth today flashed through my mind.

Judging that I couldn’t afford to hold anything back, I shouted.

“—Magic: Dimension · Gladiator! Multiple Deployment! Form! Ice! Freeze!!”

I unleashed all my magic.

It was a torrent of all my spells, powered by mana levels incomparable to my first day.

I released a massive amount of magic bubbles, grasping every detail of the space. Of course, I mixed in bubbles imbued with freezing magic. It was so I could freeze the enemies at any opening. Simultaneously, I lowered the temperature of the entire area. The goal was to transmute the space into one that assisted freezing magic. By doing this, it became easier to refine both Magic: Ice · Arrow and Magic: Dimension Snow.

I struck away the four arms of the approaching Fury with my sword.

It had been since the battle with Teida that I had swung my sword this desperately.

Due to the nature of my magic, I rarely fought with brute force. The current situation was proof that I was losing my composure.

If I truly had no margin left—then the “correct” answer would be to use Maria as a decoy and escape.

“Tch—!”

However, my heart wavered.

Until recently, I had been capable of sacrificing someone. I could move pragmatically, calmly calculating profit and loss through numbers as if it were natural. But now, it was different.

Since when had this started?

Why was I so… for Maria—

I grew irritated that a new problem was arising specifically when I was cornered.

That irritation dulled my movements, and a Fury’s arm grazed my shoulder.

“Gah—!”

Just a graze was enough to tear my cloak, peel back skin, and send blood flying.

This was dangerous.

It was grueling, both physically and mentally.

If this sense of crisis grew any further, that skill, ???, would likely activate. The confusion that had been naturally recovering would increase again.

Thoughts mixed with impatience and hesitation dulled my judgment.

“Master—!!”

“I’m fine, Maria! Just a little longer and Lastiara will handle it!”

I turned my eyes toward Lastiara, who was fighting in the distance.

There, she was annihilating monsters like a war god.

Yes.

This was a battle that could be won simply by stalling for time.

There was no need to clear my hesitation with the ??? skill.

I just had to wait until the freely moving Lastiara finished her annihilation.

Lastiara was alone, continuously thinning out multiple Furies. If I bought time, she would break this deadlock.

Therefore, I had to endure patiently and adopt a stance for a long-term battle.

Just as I thought that and focused solely on interception, two Furies attacked in a pincer maneuver.

However, my positioning was good.

I activated several of the Dimension Snow spells that were near the enemies. The Furies, their bodies suddenly beginning to freeze, lost their balance, and the two collided with each other using their own momentum.

In that opening, I grabbed Maria and distanced us from the two, checking Lastiara’s status with a loud shout.

“Are you done yet?! Lastiara!!”

“Yes, yes! Sorry to keep you waiting!”

Finally, Lastiara turned all the Furies she had been facing into light and rushed over as our reinforcement.

From there, it was over in an instant.

The two Furies, whose movements were hindered by my freezing magic and who were showing openings, took Lastiara’s sword thrusts full-on.

Lastiara’s blade pierced through the Furies’ vitals.

Against the screaming Furies, Lastiara added follow-up attacks without mercy. She made her sword dance like a clinging whirlwind.

It was a speed the Furies couldn’t hope to track. Her sword was thrust into every single vital point without exception.

Before long, the remaining two Furies collapsed, scattering a massive amount of blood.

After confirming that every last Fury had vanished into light, I immediately barked out an order.

“Retreat!! We’re retreating! Back to the 20th floor!!”

“Yes, Master!!”

Without even bothering to pick up the magic stones, we scrambled back the way we came, heading for the 20th floor.

Beside me, Lastiara let out a dissatisfied “Ehhh,” but I ignored her.

Using Dimension to navigate around enemies, we ran until we reached the safety of the 20th floor.

“Huff… huff…”

“Hah… hah… hah…!!”

Having reached the safe zone, Maria and I worked on catching our breath.

Lastiara immediately vented her frustration.

“Hey. Why did we retreat?”

“I never heard that the enemies would be this strong…”

“Eh? I told you. I said to be careful because they’d get a little stronger.”

I was a fool for believing those words and trying to level Maria up on the 21st floor. I really need to sear it into my brain that this girl’s sense of values is completely warped.

“That wasn’t ‘a little.’ That was ‘a lot.’ A whole lot.”

“A lot? Really…?”

“Anyway, combat on the 21st floor is a completely different beast. We’re done for today. At this rate, Maria can’t even participate.”

“Hmm. You know, I really think it would be better if Maria just stayed home and waited, don’t you?”

“…Maria is my companion. I can’t just do that.”

“You can’t do that? Christ, are you sure?”

“…”

I was at a loss for words.

I knew…

I knew that if Maria weren’t here, those would be the perfect enemies.

I knew that if our goal was Labyrinth conquest, the “correct” choice was for Lastiara and me to challenge the 21st floor alone…

Because I couldn’t answer that question, I fell into silence.

Behind me, Maria wore a look of intense frustration. Her voice was small, but I could hear her clearly.

“E-even though my level went up… Even though my level is almost the same as Master’s, I can’t do anything…”

Maria was growing at a speed that would normally be impossible.

In just a few days, she had reached the level of a top-class explorer. But that was only within the realm of ordinary people—she was nowhere near the “irregulars” like Lastiara and me.

She couldn’t reach us.

There was a clear, defining chasm.

Even though our levels were nearly identical, she couldn’t even participate in the fight.

This was the difference in talent.

The difference in Aptitude between the gifted and the ungifted.

Unable to bear the sight of Maria like that, I left Lastiara behind and spoke up to try and support her.

“Maria, don’t worry about it… Once your level goes up more, you’ll be able to fight—”

“Th-That’s right. As long as my level—as long as my level goes up—”

“—Actually, it’s the opposite.”

Lastiara cut into our conversation.

She continued, sounding as if she couldn’t stand watching us anymore.

“The more your level goes up, the more impossible it will be for you to keep up, Maria. You will never catch up to us for as long as you live.”

Lastiara stated it as a cold, hard fact.

She told Maria the truth that I had vaguely sensed but refused to put into words.

“—Eh?”

Maria couldn’t seem to process the meaning of those words immediately.

“There is an overwhelming difference in the rate of growth between us and you, Maria… That’s why, as our levels rise, we’ll only drift further apart. The day will never come where you can help Christ. If anything, the most likely outcome is that you’ll be a burden and end up putting Christ’s life in danger.”

Lastiara didn’t let up, piling the reality onto the confused Maria.

I couldn’t watch anymore and cut in.

“Lastiara, wait a second!!”

“I won’t wait.”

“Maria is getting stronger little by little, and there’s such a thing as the right person for the right task—”

“I thought about just watching you deceive yourself, Christ, while waiting for Maria’s tragic scene to play out… but I decided against it. It turns out I like Maria more than I thought.”

I’m… deceiving myself?

Something like that…

I didn’t want to admit it.

But Lastiara’s serious gaze wouldn’t allow me to turn away.

“That’s not true… That’s…”

“You can see Maria’s Aptitude too, can’t you, Christ? If that’s low, there’s nothing you can do. No matter what happens, the fundamental growth rate of your strength is just different. Knowing that and still dragging Maria around the Labyrinth… it doesn’t seem sane to me. Do you even know why you’re doing it yourself?”

“That’s…”

I knew.

I had realized that Aptitude was linked to the increase in status values.

If you compared my growth—or Dia’s—to Maria’s, it was obvious. Maria absolutely lacked Aptitude.

Even so, the reason I dragged her along was—

“That’s enough… Please, say no more…”

Before I could say everything, Maria stopped me.

Her face was pale.

It was the expression of someone who already understood what I was going to say next.

I had known this too.

The moment Maria saw Lastiara fight—the moment she saw me fight—she had already realized she was useless. I had just been pretending not to notice. Just as Lastiara said, I had been deceiving myself.

Maria’s spirit broke, and she hung her head.

Her eyes were as dark as the bottom of the ocean.

She had those hollow eyes again, just like that time.

Ah…

Please, stop…

It was a trauma for me.

I didn’t want to remember “that time.”

That must be why I had been showing Maria so much favoritism. Out of my own selfishness, I had retreated into self-satisfaction again. And this time, I had done it while unconsciously deceiving myself…

I really am a coward, a fool, the absolute worst…

“Hehe, ufufufu… Hmm, I see, I see. Ah, how nice. You two are so great. I’m so jealous… fufufu.”

As Maria and I were crushed by the answer we had reached, Lastiara began to look on with an envious, excited expression.

Those were the same innocent, merciless eyes from before.

They were inorganic eyes that an ordinary person could never hope to understand.

With those eyes, she watched Maria and me, envying us—yet doting on us all the same.

“…You really have a twisted personality, don’t you?”

“It’s your fault. It’s your fault for living such a thrilling life on the edge. It’s too interesting.”

“Sorry for that… for being on the edge…”

“But that’s what makes it good. You’re both so good at deceiving yourselves that I think I’ll be able to enjoy this for a while longer. But don’t worry. I’ll be watching closely from the sidelines to make sure you don’t die or completely fall apart!”

Lastiara smiled at us with eyes tinged with madness.

I thought I had started to understand what Lastiara was thinking lately, but it seemed I still had a long way to go. However, since I was getting somewhat used to that madness, I answered with a sigh.

“How am I supposed to feel ‘worried-free’ after hearing that…?”

“…Lastiara, please show a little more restraint.”

Beside me, Maria replied with an expression similar to mine.

Though she had been shocked by the truth forced upon her, she seemed to have enough spirit left to snap back at Lastiara’s outrageous talk.

“Ahah! Yes, yes, good, good! As long as you two can still grumble, you’re fine…! Honestly, I think if things had stayed the way they were, something much worse would have happened later! If anything, you should both be more grateful to me for my wealth of party experience—all thanks to my habit of reading adventure stories!”

Lastiara paid our words no mind and laughed with her chest puffed out.

“There’s no way I can be grateful for that…”

“I really can’t feel grateful for this…”

Maria and I shot back at the same time.

There was more than just disappointment in our voices; there was also a wry smile that went beyond simple exasperation.

Lastiara’s merciless yet innocently bright nature might have been what pulled that small smile out of us.

I had fallen into despair because of Lastiara, but it was also true that I was recovering because of her.

I gave a wry smile and spoke, trying to ensure this small bit of brightness didn’t vanish.

“Sigh, seriously… you’re a scary one, as always…”

“Eh? Am I scary?”

“You have no common sense, you’re unpredictable, and you have no restraint. From our perspective, that’s incredibly scary. Right, Maria?”

I gave a small laugh and tossed the conversation to Maria with a lighthearted jab.

“Y-Yes… Lastiara is so unpredictable that I’m always on pins and needles.”

“Ehhh? Even Maria—?”

Maria managed to play along with my banter.

By exchanging lighthearted remarks—even if it was forced—the atmosphere among the three of us gradually brightened. While the problems were still piled high, our spirits were slowly starting to lift.

“—Well then, shall we head back? Lastiara, you can stay if you want, though.”

“No way! I hate being alone! I’m going back too, I’m going back!”

“Fufu. Lastiara, you’re so strong, yet you’re surprisingly prone to loneliness.”

After that, we used Lastiara as the butt of our jokes to successfully turn our depressed feelings around.

In this way, laughing together—even if only for appearances—we passed through the Connection magic on the 20th floor and safely returned home.