Conveying Reflections And Future Policies.

“You did great, Yoru.”

“Much obliged—”

Holding the still-limp Yoru, I gently pressed a vial of Mana-Vitality Potion to her lips. Her throat moved as she gulped it down, and the glass bottle was empty in an instant. Finishing it all at once, Yoru relaxed her expression and let out a satisfied breath.

When I moved her silver crown aside and lightly stroked the space between her ears, she closed her eyes and began to purr lowly. I checked her status; her HP was gradually returning, and it looked like she’d be fully recovered in about ten minutes. There were no signs of blood seeping through her fluffy fur, and she didn’t seem to be in pain when I prodded her.

“Alright, she seems fine now.”

“You worked so hard, Yoru-chi!”

“Koo-koo!”

As soon as I set her back on the throne, Mia and Kuu pounced on her. Hugged by her younger brother and with Mia pressing a face against hers, Yoru lifted her nose proudly. Yeah, she’s definitely acting like a big sister.

“Now then, what shall we do, Sir Nino?”

At Hans-san’s question, I looked around the arena. There wasn’t a trace of the goblins left. After the match was decided, they’d been enthusiastic for a while, and then promptly filed out. Left behind were the corpse of the loser, the Goblin King, a pile of garlic for the winner, and the entrance to the stairs leading deeper underground.

The mountain of garlic had already been collected, as the two little ones hated the smell. From the King’s corpse, I salvaged a White Magic Cluster and the massive bone club he had been using. I asked Kuu, but he said he wouldn’t eat a Boss Goblin. I guess Wicked Fairies aren’t to his taste.

One thing that caught my eye was the name of the club: Great Bone of a Terror Bird. It seems there are still some truly vicious monsters lurking on this floor.

Anyway, it’s taken us about four hours to get here. We won’t have to fight monsters on the way back, but it’ll still take nearly two hours. Since we left after noon, the sun will likely be down by the time we reach the surface.

“Since we’re already going to be late, shall we take a quick peek at the sixth floor? Yoru worked hard to get us here, after all.”

“Ho. A floor that none of you have seen before? That is something to look forward to.”

Hans-san’s eyes were full of anticipation. He’s completely fallen for the charm of the subterranean labyrinth.

“I’ll carry Yoru. Let’s go.”

Paula reached out, but I declined and picked up the beast-child myself. This is the least I can do, since I can’t fight. With Yo the Fairy leading the way, we descended the stairs in a single file.

After the familiar sensation of teleportation, the first thing I heard was the sound of water. The cause jumped into view immediately. Spreading out beneath the stairs on the sixth floor was a gargantuan subterranean lake, its far shore invisible.

“Whoa-ho! What is this!?”

“Koo!”

With no light source on the ceiling, the black surface of the water looked like it stretched on forever. Far in the distance, several pale lights floated on the surface, which only served to emphasize the sheer scale of the place. Aside from occasional small ripples—perhaps from a slight breeze—the lake surface was still. Droplets dripping from the ceiling created quiet splashes and expanding rings on the water.

I felt an instinctive shiver at the oppressive weight of such a fathomless volume of water. I’ve always been bad with that eerie feeling that something huge is lurking just out of sight.

“Don’t get too close to the water’s edge. We don’t know what’s in there.”

“Okay! Kuu-chi, let’s throw some stones!”

“Koo!”

Mia and Kuu began playing energetically. Yo and Gob-tchi joined in, happily tossing stones into the lake. Conversely, the two adults seemed intimidated by the unfamiliar expanse of water, watching from the foot of the stairs without moving. Mizu the Giant Worm and Imo-tchi the Great Caterpillar wouldn’t even come down the stairs; they clearly hated the water.

Holding Yoru, I walked a short distance along the shoreline. I opened the map in the command menu, but it only showed the wall and the shoreline extending east and west; the actual lake portion remained pitch black.

“This looks like a troublesome floor…”

“Yes, it does.”

The voice agreeing with my accidental mutter came from Paula, who was following behind me. As I stopped, she came to stand by my side. For a while, we continued to stare silently at the black water.

“About that duel earlier…”

“Yes. I am prepared to receive whatever scolding you deem fit.”

“I have no intention of doing that. You saved us again. Thank you.”

If I hadn’t overlooked the King’s second specialty, Yoru would have won with much more room to spare.

“Also, I wanted to apologize for not being clear enough. I’m sorry for forcing you to make such a painful decision.”

At my sudden apology, Paula looked bewildered. I let out a small breath and asked, recalling the situation.

“Even if Yoru looked like she was about to lose, you would have stopped us from interfering, wouldn’t you, Paula?”

“…………Yes.”

Looking me straight in the eye, the Mazin woman continued.

“You are challenging this labyrinth with a great resolve hidden in your heart. We are merely the foundation for that goal. If you stumble at every turn, no matter how great your ambition, it will never be realized.”

Yeah, she had a point. It’s certainly foolish to cause even greater losses just to save one person or creature. Especially since it’s obvious that if I—the only one who can’t be replaced—fall, the development of the dungeon itself will collapse.

However, knowing all that, I still wanted to save Yoru.

“About that. Like I said before, my goal is to build a safe place to live in this labyrinth. If it grows bigger as a result, it might become something like the Empire you mention… maybe not quite that big, but a decent size. And the reason I want such a place is simple: I want to save everyone.”

I paused to check Paula’s reaction. She remained still and silent, but her eyes were fixed on me with total seriousness.

“However, I understand that trying to save everyone is impossible. To begin with, I don’t have the heart to get involved with total strangers anymore.”

I had tried to struggle for that once, long ago. But it was too heavy a burden for someone who only knew a “safe” way of living. So I have to pretend I’ve given up, or the guilt will drive me crazy.

“But the people I am involved with… and monsters, too. I want to save them no matter what. Especially you, Paula, and Yoru and Kuu. Because you’re the ones working the hardest…”

As Paula’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, I continued in a level tone.

“So, from now on, I plan to act recklessly whenever someone is in danger. I’m asking you to act on the premise that we won’t abandon anyone. I know it’s a reckless way of thinking, but… I’d like you to lend me your strength. I can’t do it alone, but if you’re with me, Paula, I think… we can manage somehow. …Maybe that’s a bit too optimistic.”

But this was the one thing I had to convey clearly. I finally felt a weight lift from my chest having said it all, however awkwardly. I waited for her reaction.

Paula stared at me as if she were trying to bore holes into me. Gradually, her cheeks grew redder. Then, she squeezed out a reply in a whisper.

“…To think you care for us so much. What… what merciful words. From this moment on, I shall serve you with even greater sincerity and devotion.”

“Wait, that’s a bit heavy, Paula-san.”

“Why the honorifics again!?”

“If possible, I’d prefer something like ‘Let’s work hard together.’”

As I said that, I handed over Yoru, who was now snoring peacefully and comfortably. After a brief moment of surprise, Paula took the beast-child into her arms. Once I saw her holding her gently, I declared as if nothing had happened:

“Shall we head back, then?”

“Yes, my Lord.”

Our familiars grew by two: Mizu the Giant Worm and Gob-tchi the Goblin. I’m looking forward to how useful they’ll be.

Stats went up slightly, but no major changes—except for Hans-san. His growth in a single day is incredible.

His Physical Attack and Defense are higher than I expected. With decent Speed, he could easily take on a common mercenary. Overall, we’re starting to see the next milestone of Level 20 on the horizon. It’s a good pace for our second day.

Once we get back to the village and organize the items, we’ll challenge the labyrinth again tomorrow.

“Wait… why is this water salty!?”