The Higher You Fall From, The More It Hurts

The goblin rider was tricky to deal with, but there was one advantage.

“There’s really a magic stone in the boar too?”

The point was that taking down one yielded two magic stones. It was essentially the same as facing two creatures, so it made sense.

“The rider’s magic stone is also much larger than other goblins’.”

“That’s natural for a creature that handles animals. After all, handling a bow while on a mount is not an easy task.”

In the labyrinth, magic stones don’t simply replace a monster’s heart. The capability of the monster is also determined by the magic stone.

In other words, the larger the magic stone, the stronger the body, techniques, and abilities it possesses.

“I wish only goblin riders would appear.”

“They’re easier to deal with, and they give larger and better magic stones?”

“Yes. We need to get Master’s armor made. And I think we should also change the robe to an artifact.”

Artifact. It refers to special items that come from the labyrinth. They have special effects that help with exploration, but sometimes they are cursed, so one shouldn’t use them carelessly.

“Among robe artifacts, there are things like fixation or perception reduction. I think it would be convenient if we had such things.”

“Perception reduction would be extremely expensive. A robe with a fixation effect might be possible, but even that would depend on stock availability.”

If only dyeing were possible, we wouldn’t need to wear uncomfortable things like robes. But dye is very rare, and these black hairs don’t even take on other colors.

“Let’s think about it later when we get out. Right now, let’s focus on finding the adventurers.”

“Yes.”

We have two goals.

The primary goal is to meet the adventurers who abandoned Inis. After that, to rescue the noble’s daughter.

I didn’t particularly care about other adventurers. The reward wouldn’t be that great anyway, and there was more potential for problems due to our hair color.

“But can we really find them? It seems a bit arrogant to try to find specific adventurers in such a vast place….”

We continued walking across the field, but there was no sight of adventurers. Inis glanced at me and spoke. She probably felt sorry about this situation.

『Effort doesn’t betray you. But people do.』

But it wasn’t particularly a loss for me either. Because there was this quest. And I didn’t really think it was impossible.

“Finding the noble’s daughter won’t be easy. That’s truly like finding a needle in a desert.”

“Master, what is a desert?”

“It’s land filled with sand. During the day, it’s so hot you could die from heat. At night, it’s so cold your body could freeze.”

“……Isn’t that hell?”

At those words, I chuckled. If you just went by the description, it wasn’t wrong.

“Anyway, finding the young lady will be difficult. But finding the adventurer party that betrayed you might be surprisingly easy.”

“How?”

“This is the labyrinth, after all.”

“……Ah!”

She clapped her hands as if she understood.

When we first entered using the stairs, we encountered another adventurer party. Is this really a coincidence? I don’t think so.

The labyrinth wants human blood, flesh, and souls. So it lures humans with various treasures and magic stones.

Would such a being, capable of making humans fight each other, just leave it be? That couldn’t be.

“If you continue to hold hatred for those bastards and manifest killing intent… I think we can certainly meet them. Because the labyrinth will want souls.”

Of course, it’s just a hypothesis. But it was a story with sufficient possibility.

“Hatred and anger towards those people….”

She clenched her fist. Her gaze becoming fierce.

Just a few days ago, Inis had no will to live, let alone thoughts of revenge. Seeing her taking the initiative now was quite satisfying.

“The situation back then. The insults, verbal abuse, and wounds they inflicted on you. Keep recalling them. It will be painful, but by doing so, you might meet them.”

“Yes. I’ll try.”

I didn’t feel particularly good about making her pour emotions into something uncertain. But in the end, this was the only way for her to heal the wounds she had received.

‘I hope things work out well….’

“Master.”

I slowly opened my eyes at the feeling of my body being shaken. Then I saw Inis’s face. I got up from my place with a slight frown. Perhaps because it was a cramped cave? I couldn’t fully stretch my upper body.

“Let’s go outside first.”

Feeling stuffy, I immediately escaped from under the tree. Once outside, I stretched my body fully and moved my upper body in various directions.

“Oww….”

My whole body was stiff from sleeping in one position. I really need to buy a tent or something. I can’t continue like this; it’s too uncomfortable.

“Please drink this.”

While I was stretching, she offered me a water pouch. I took it, held a little water in my mouth, and then spat it out.

Gulp gulp―

After swallowing the lukewarm water down my throat, I asked Inis.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes. Did Master sleep well?”

“I couldn’t sleep that well.”

It had already been two days since we entered the greenskin layer. During that time, we hadn’t encountered a single adventurer.

Now, the initial encounter with the adventurer party seemed like a miracle.

“How much jerky and water do we have left?”

“Not much. If we don’t find them today, I think we might have to escape.”

I received jerky from Inis and put it in my mouth. As I chewed it, I strongly felt the salty and fishy taste. Even though I ate it every day, I couldn’t get used to it.

“……It seems my hypothesis was wrong?”

It was a natural statement, given that there had been no results despite wandering around for two days.

“My hatred might not have been enough.”

“Whether my thought was wrong or your feelings were insufficient, it seems like a failure anyway. It means this method was wrong.”

I sighed deeply. I pressed my brow with two fingers.

“I’m really sorry, but let’s focus on finding the stairs while looking for adventurers. We have our limits too.”

“Yes. I don’t mind. It’s not like this is the only opportunity for revenge, right?”

“Right. Thank you.”

“No, I should be more grateful to you for helping me with revenge that you didn’t need to do!”

At Inis’s words, I smiled gently and stroked her head. In reality, it was to complete the quest. I felt a bit sorry and grateful.

“Then, let’s move.”

After forcibly filling our stomachs with jerky and water, I got up. My body was stiff, but there was no choice.

“Yes.”

I took out a magic compass from my pocket. As expected, there was no reaction at all. It seems we’ll have to walk aimlessly for now.

The greenskin layer was no different from usual. The sun shone in the sky, and the plain was still vast. There were occasional monster corpses, but even this had become a common sight.

Booooooo―!

A horn sound was heard while wandering the field. Following that, the orcs’ resonant roars echoed in our ears.

“Master!”

I turned my head in the direction of the noise. The sight of orcs in the distance. But I thought they were coming to attack us, but that wasn’t it.

Other adventurers were fighting with the orcs. There was even one riding a wolf mixed in.

“Orc rider.”

If goblin riders ride boars and shoot arrows, orc riders ride wolves and swing clubs.

Since there weren’t many wolves large and strong enough to carry large orcs, they were also rare to see.

“Master. What should we do?”

Inis asked. Honestly, it wasn’t something we needed to worry about. There was nothing good about helping them.

While I was considering what to do, the magic compass sounded. When I checked, it was pointing in the direction where the orcs were fighting.

“Let’s approach a bit more for now.”

“Yes.”

I cautiously headed towards the battlefield with her. As we gradually approached, the circular staircase became clearer.

“Master.”

“Hmm.”

I wondered why orc riders were roaming around here, but it seems it was because of the stairs. They were guarding the stairs when we escaped before, so in a way, it was a natural thing.

“What should we do?”

Should we help them defeat the orc riders and use the stairs? Or should we use the stairs secretly? Or there was also the option of just passing by.

Helping the adventurers wasn’t very appealing. Hadn’t there been an uncomfortable incident when we first encountered others?

Just as the scale was tipping towards using it secretly or passing by, it happened.

“Gasp….”

Inis was suddenly startled. Her shoulders trembled.

“Why? What’s wrong?”

I was worried that her body might have been strained from being in the labyrinth for so long, so I asked.

“It’s those people….”

“Those people?”

My thoughts stopped at those words. After a moment, the flow of my brain continued.

“Could it be?”

“Yes. The adventurers fighting with the orcs right now are the ones who abandoned me… those people.”

Her voice trembled. The sight of her biting her lips and clenching her fists. Now that she was seeing them like this, hatred seemed to surge up.

“Is that so?”

I narrowed my eyes and tried to observe them more closely.

Three men and two women. Their appearances weren’t particularly special. They were rather on the ugly side.

“W-what should I do about this?”

Inis asked. She was stuttering, suggesting she was a bit confused.

“Let’s help them for now.”

“What?”

She was startled at my words. She probably never dreamed I would say this.

Inis’s eyes looked back and forth between me and the party. She smiled briefly, then swallowed hard. The sight of her clenching and unclenching her hands repeatedly.

“……Alright.”

She finally spoke. Her voice was a bit downcast, and her face was full of skepticism.

“I think you’re misunderstanding, so I’ll say this. I have no intention of leaving them alive.”

“What? Then?”

“Inis. Do you know when a person is most pained?”

Right before receiving salvation.

When you discover hope and just before it becomes reality, when it shatters into pieces, that’s when it hurts the most.

“Then could it be….”

“That’s right.”

I wanted to drop them from the highest place. Because that’s when they would feel the most aggrieved and distressed.

“Revenge should be thorough, right?”

At my words, the corners of Inis’s mouth went up. It was the most beautiful smile I had seen so far.