The Labyrinth Old-Timer
by Afuhfuihgs
Ellie narrowed her eyes and spoke, watching Ross suddenly mutter to himself and his expression change.
“…Who are you talking to? You really are a bit strange.”
Ross cleared his throat, putting on a playful expression again.
“Ahem, I just briefly broke the fourth wall. Well, seeing as the connection was immediately cut off… I guess this magic can only be maintained in my world. There were so many more things I wanted to ask…! What a waste!”
Ellie was about to open her mouth to point out his unserious attitude, but Ross cut her off with a rather serious voice.
“Sorry, but can you explain the situation roughly? Why the last Ross-ssi entered the labyrinth, and what problems have arisen now. We have plenty of time to talk, so organize your thoughts and explain in as much detail as possible.”
Ellie took a deep breath, organizing her thoughts for a moment, and then explained to Ross in as much detail as possible what had happened to him. Including her relationship with him, of course, Luna’s death, whom Ross loved, and the purpose of entering the labyrinth. Everything, from the revealed identity of the cult leader to the precious relationships Ross had lost in the labyrinth.
Ross, listening to all of this, had a completely different atmosphere than before, feeling like a different person. Still thinking that the dignity of a great wizard existed, Ellie finished her explanation and slightly shrank her shoulders at the transparent blue eyes that seemed to see right through her.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”
Feeling a strange sense of unease, Ellie asked, raising the corners of her lips slightly for no reason, and Ross gave a bitter smile.
“I understand now. Your condition.”
“…”
“Are you okay? No, can you endure it?”
“Yeah, of course, I’m fine.”
At Ellie’s bright answer, Ross lowered his head and rubbed his forehead with his fingertips.
“…I don’t know the details, but with that body, I can guess that the pain isn’t just pain, but excruciating pain that melts your bones and flesh.”
In Ross’s eyes, looking up at Ellie, there was concern and pity. Without avoiding his gaze, Ellie maintained a faint smile.
“The pain of your insides being torn apart every moment and the pain of your entire soul burning, how on earth are you enduring it? That’s not just something you can call mental strength. You must have placed a specific curse or restriction on yourself.”
Having said that, Ross found the answer before Ellie could even reply.
“…I see, a Geas.”
“That’s right, the item imbued with the power of the ‘Geas’ that Ross used wasn’t just the ring. I managed to find just one.”
Ross’s gaze reached the obsidian earrings on Ellie’s ears. After staring intently at Ellie for a moment, Ross let out a long sigh and a bitter laugh.
“…Honestly, I can somewhat sympathize with what the cult leader said. The you that I knew would never do something like this for me. So, I’m curious. Are your actions really just for Ross’s sake?”
Ellie realized that this Ross-ssi was definitely a different person from the Ross she knew. Unlike Ross, who pretended not to know and chose to swallow the pain himself, this great wizard immediately pinpointed the core.
“…It’s not just for Ross, it’s for everyone.”
“I see. Then I guess I should say that’s just like you.”
He got the answer he wanted, but Ross’s expression looked bitter. After touching his chin for a moment, lost in thought, Ross soon changed his expression and returned to his playful self.
“So, who is still alive among the people who received Ross’s memories?”
“Eunice, Lamine… and Bella.”
“What―――!!! Bella?”
Ellie asked with a bewildered face at Ross’s reaction, who suddenly screamed in surprise.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“No, you gave memories to that crazy yandere too? Is that why it’s come to this?”
“Yandere…? Wh, what is that?”
Ross, who had been silent for a moment, banging his forehead with his fist, looked at Ellie and slumped off the chair like a slime.
“It means a crazy bitch who would do anything for Roel.”
“…You said there was no Roel oppa in your world, right?”
“That’s why she’s even crazier! Because the person she loved suddenly vanished without a word in an instant!”
Ross, who had regained his posture, said firmly to Ellie as if warning her.
“Listen carefully. That crazy bitch Bella made a deal with the Demon King to get Roel back and sacrificed the entire human realm as an offering. I tried to stop the destruction but failed, so I had no choice but to flee into the labyrinth with everyone. No matter how strong I am, only Roel, who holds the title of ‘Hero,’ can kill the Demon King according to the setting.”
“…You didn’t lose to the Demon King in terms of skill?”
Ross, enraged by Ellie’s sharp jab, went into a frenzy.
“Hey, I’ve never been in serious mode even once since I became a great wizard! In the first place, I’m so strong that if I show my true skills, not just the Demon King, but the power of my magic would destroy the human realm! Entering the labyrinth was an unavoidable choice!”
Ellie, who had been watching Ross interestingly as he showed off his strength and demonstrated various magic spells, asked with a curious face.
“Did you enter the labyrinth to get the Holy Grail too?”
“…So that’s why I used this magic on those magic tower bastards, huh? Holy Grail? We don’t have anything like that in our world. Entering the labyrinth was just a choice to avoid destruction.”
Only then did Ellie remember that the other Ross’s world was a place where the discarded settings had not been revived. ‘It’s a complicated story,’ Ellie thought, covering her face with both hands on the table, and Ross slyly did the same, saying.
“Well, I understand that this place is a world with a special charm where discarded settings have been revived. But… that Holy Grail thing. Does it really exist?”
Ellie’s brow furrowed reflexively.
“…Of course, it exists. Otherwise, why would the cult leader and Roel oppa have entered the labyrinth aiming for the Holy Grail?”
At Ellie’s question, Ross tapped his cheek with his finger and said.
“The time I escaped into the labyrinth and survived is hundreds of years in my world’s time. It’s a playtime that you can call a labyrinth old-timer. Of course, it was possible thanks to the information from various readers who were watching… Anyway, I’ve climbed the labyrinth to the end thousands of times, but the labyrinth has always ended on the 8th floor.”
“What…?”
Ellie’s eyes shook greatly. If the labyrinth only went up to the 8th floor as Ross said… then Ross’s act of trying to obtain the Holy Grail by sacrificing so much was all in vain.
Ross continued.
“The concept of the 9th and 10th floors doesn’t exist. In the first place, the 8th floor is a floor where everything is perfectly finished. Should I call it a kind of reward room? After that, there are only doors to exit the labyrinth or return to the 1st floor―――”
At the same time as Ross’s words stopped, Ellie could also hear a sharp ringing in her ears. Ross, who had been looking blank for a moment, lifted his lowered face and looked at Ellie with clear eyes.
“Hehe, something very amazing just happened to me? Information about the 9th and 10th floors of the labyrinth, which didn’t exist in my head, has appeared. Even the conviction that the Holy Grail is real! It seems that the administrator squeezed out his last strength to forcibly connect the severed fourth wall and pass on the information… Anyway, thank you for your precious sponsorship, Patulga-nim! Please calculate the aftereffects of the plausibility yourself! It’s the last time~!”
Ellie, who had been watching Ross shout that into the air, hurriedly interjected.
“Wa, wait… Patulga?”
“What about it?”
“The administrator… is Patulga?”
Ellie’s gaze turned to Patulga’s magic book on the table. Ross, who followed her gaze, nodded as if it were obvious.
“Didn’t you know? The administrator’s nickname is Patulga. In the first place, Rozalin noona’s magic book was Parelga, right? Roughly, the administrator’s role is to secretly intervene in worlds caught in the trap of the cycle and help the characters in the world break the cycle.”
With a face full of confusion, Ellie asked with sincerity.
“What on earth is an administrator…?”
“I don’t know exactly either. I heard they’re a low-level manager at some company? They’re the people who manage all sorts of chaotic worlds like creations, reality, virtual, parallel, multiple… Ugh―! Seeing static electricity on my fingertips, I guess I shouldn’t mention it anymore.”
Ross, who was shaking off his hand with a pained face, turned his head and looked at Ross lying on the bed.
“Not only Roel, but also the cult leader didn’t exist in my world. He must have followed Roel knowing that he had abandoned our world. Seeing that he even killed the Coordinator in advance, he must be a difficult guy to deal with.”
“…Isn’t there a way to wake Ross up again?”
Turning his head to Ellie, who was biting her lip, Ross smiled brightly.
“Hey, have you already forgotten who I am?”
At Ross’s gesture of flicking his fingers, Ellie sighed and put her hand on her forehead. She didn’t want to say it herself, but seeing Ross’s childish appearance, exuding an atmosphere that he had no intention of continuing the conversation until she said it, she had no choice but to open her mouth.
“…Ma, Magician King!”
“That’s right! I’m the Magician King! A genius king who can even use magic belonging to the Coordinator’s [Authority]! There’s nothing impossible for me. Kuahahaha―!”
Ellie, frowning at the childishness of even using magic to amplify his laughter, sighed and said.
“Yeah, I know you’re great, so hurry up and wake Ross up.”
“Ah, but I can’t do it now.”
“…”
As Ellie slowly raised her staff with a shadowed face, Ross frantically waved both hands and shouted urgently.
“I, I need to get the materials from the labyrinth to wake him up! It can’t be helped! You know that it’s impossible to imitate abilities belonging to Authority with just ordinary magic!”
“…Can you really do it?”
To Ellie, who was pointing her staff at him with a suspicious look, the Magician King smiled the most handsome smile he could muster and said.
“Hey, is the old-timer of the labyrinth ready to get on the bus? A special express bus that never stops no matter how many times you press the bell― Kuaaaaak!”
Ellie couldn’t suppress her rising emotions and ended up blasting Ross, who was striking a cool pose, with fire magic.
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