Ch.2323. Authority

He continued with an awkward smile.

“Hahah, this is a bit embarrassing.”

“I apologize, but if I cannot accompany you, I cannot allow the lady to go either.”

As I maintained my firm stance, his face gradually began to contort.

Of course, this was just my speculation based on my observation skills.

“Hmm. It’s about safety, right? If only I go with her, there could be danger from other people or monsters.”

“That’s somewhat correct.”

More like you’re the most dangerous one here, you bastard.

‘He’s dangerous somehow.’

Truthfully, what I was doing might just be unnecessary meddling.

However, I trusted my instincts honed from years in the Labyrinth.

I absolutely could not hand the lady over to this guy.

“Hmm. Do I look that weak? Do you really think I can’t protect the lady by myself?”

“Yes.”

“You’re an interesting fellow, aren’t you? Don’t you think so, Lady Ainer?”

He pulled the lady back into the conversation.

From what I observed of their interaction, she seemed to be in an ambiguous state where she couldn’t firmly reject him.

“…Adel. Baron Hail is definitely strong. Although this seems to be his first time in the middle layers, Sianne said he’s comparable to a 6th or even 7th floor explorer.”

The lady spoke cautiously.

“I see.”

I examined his body once more.

Light armor made from the skin of a 3rd-grade Wyvern monster. A mythril hammer.

The standard equipment for a speed-type attacker who uses a hammer.

Probably a solo specialist with good sustained damage.

Even if he was stronger in pure combat power, I had the advantage in terms of compatibility.

‘If he’s 7th floor level, he’s probably completed about three Sources.’

He likely hasn’t obtained the Hidden Boss’s Source from the 5th floor here. He has no way to penetrate strong defenses.

If we fought right now, it would be a drawn-out battle with the one whose stamina depletes first losing.

“You may look strong, but I still can’t trust you.”

I spoke after finishing my assessment.

“Not trusting me… are you saying you think you’re stronger than me?”

“Yes.”

What mattered in this conversation wasn’t facts.

It was pure psychological warfare.

If we weren’t going to actually fight, I just needed to push him back by controlling the flow.

I only needed to prevent him from taking the lady.

“I guess I appeared too easy-going.”

For a moment, his face crumpled completely before returning to normal.

Unfortunately, that expression wasn’t just my observation skill at work.

“If the escort doesn’t trust me, I have no choice. Lady Ainer, I’ll go ahead. We’ll have plenty of opportunities to talk later, even if not now.”

With those words, the Baron obediently left.

“…Phew. Thanks for chasing him away.”

Only then did the lady show a smile of relief.

“It was nothing.”

“No, really. He’s been trying to get too close lately, and it’s been uncomfortable. He used to be a decent person… but about a year ago, he suddenly changed, like he became a different person.”

Honestly, I was a bit scared in the middle, but fortunately, my observation skills seemed to be accurate.

“And that ring he gave me—I’m not sure if he knew about its abilities or not.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. He sent it as a gift in advance, saying he couldn’t attend my coming-of-age ceremony.”

Everything about him was suspicious.

“I understand for now. The night is getting late, let’s go to sleep.”

“Okay.”

We returned to the campfire.

Since we lost our luxury snap-tent at the cliff, we had to sleep in regular tents.

“…Now that I think about it, we have a bit of a problem.”

I said, looking at the tents around the campfire.

We had two tents, but four people.

Moreover, one tent was occupied by the unconscious mage.

“I’ll sleep outside. Lady Ainer and Shiro, please work out the tent arrangement between yourselves.”

I removed myself from the conversation.

In principle, the lady should get one tent, but it seemed awkward to force Shiro to give up hers.

I would sleep outside, and then Shiro would hopefully offer to compromise.

“…”

I blinked at Shiro several times intentionally.

Take the hint.

“Then, Lady… Ainer?”

Thankfully, she seemed to understand as she nodded slightly and spoke.

“Yes. Shiro, right?”

They seemed a bit awkward, having never spoken to each other before.

Especially Shiro, who usually spoke informally, would be more uncomfortable, and the lady hadn’t yet apologized for suspecting her back on the 3rd floor.

“It’s a bit late to say this, but I want to apologize now. Adel and Shiro, I’m sorry for treating you both like criminals.”

The lady, befitting her noble status, took the lead in the conversation.

“It’s okay… ma’am.”

She almost ended with informal speech but managed to correct herself at the last moment.

Habits really are powerful.

“Thank you for accepting my apology. And you can speak comfortably with me. Elves are usually older, right? May I ask how old you are?”

Elves stop aging completely once their bodies are fully developed.

Asking about her exact age—perhaps she believes it’s acceptable to speak informally to someone older than herself?

‘Was the lady actually traditional in her values?’

Indeed, from a traditional perspective, even if she was a noble, it would be uncomfortable to receive formal speech from an elder.

“…teen.”

“Hmm? How old did you say?”

“Nineteen years old.”

“…You’re younger than me?”

For reference, this world also uses both Korean age and international age.

The coming-of-age ceremony is at 19 international age, so the lady was currently 20 in Korean age.

“What? I’m older. Would you like to call me ‘Elder Sister Ainer’?”

“…That would be a bit much.”

“Ahaha, I’m joking. Just call me by my name. We’re friends despite the small age difference, right?”

Since she didn’t insist on formal speech, I guess the lady wasn’t traditionally minded after all.

‘But Shiro is 19 years old?’

That was younger than I expected. I thought she’d be at least in her twenties.

“By the way, Adel. How old are you? Barbarians mature so quickly that it’s hard to tell your age.”

Before I could be surprised, the lady asked about my age.

If I were just a regular Possessor, I wouldn’t know my age, but I was a special Possessor.

I had lived in this body since birth, with memories from Earth injected in the middle.

It was essentially like reincarnation.

“I’m eighteen years old.”

That’s how I stated my age.

“…?”

But hearing that, both the lady and Shiro looked at me with strange expressions.

Reading their faces… they seemed to be saying, “Stop joking and tell us the truth.”

“I really am eighteen.”

“…Adel. Lying isn’t good.”

Shiro spoke first. The lady nodded in agreement.

“Right, how could Shiro be older than you? Just imagining calling her ‘Sister Shiro’ feels weird.”

“…”

I remained silent.

Damn, how did we go from discussing tent arrangements to this?

“Hey, you’re joking, right? You’re not really eighteen, are you?”

The lady, finally sensing my mood, spoke up.

“…”

“I… I’m sorry.”

Finally, she apologized, and the conversation ended awkwardly.

Afterward, I laid out my blanket near the campfire and just lay down.

Unlike usual, I didn’t take off my armor. I wasn’t planning to sleep properly tonight anyway.

The lady looked at me strangely, but that wasn’t my concern.

‘I’ll sleep properly after assessing the 5th floor atmosphere.’

With the suspicious gray-haired Baron around, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious about even minor possibilities.

“I’ll sleep next to Adel. Ainer, you take the tent.”

“…Huh? You don’t have to do that. You can share the tent with me.”

“It’s fine.”

Rejecting the lady’s tempting offer to share a tent, Shiro began laying out her blanket next to mine.

‘Yes, good decision.’

After setting up her blanket, she lay down beside me. The space was tight, so we were about 50cm apart.

“Good night.”

“Yes. You too, Adel.”

And so silence fell.

From the front came the sound of the campfire crackling. Above my head, the sandy wind flowed.

As my eyes naturally opened to these sounds, I could see a single constellation shining brightly in the sky.

Leo.

‘It’s quiet.’

Having Shiro lying next to me was a bit distracting, but I no longer had those kinds of thoughts.

Nineteen years old. By traditional standards, she was still a minor.

Of course, elves complete their physical growth at 14, but as someone with a modern mindset, I felt guilty.

I was a modern person, different from the people of this world.

I was different from them. Never the same.

I had to be.

-Kuung.

Just then, I felt a strange rumbling from a distance.

It was a sound from the top of the 20-30 meter high cliff behind us.

A sound I wouldn’t have heard if I were asleep or even slightly further away.

-Kuung.

It was a heavy yet quiet rumble.

‘Did no one else hear it?’

I carefully got up.

Since I was still wearing my armor, I grabbed my shield and moved.

I passed through the dimly lit wilderness and climbed up the cliff.

It might have been dangerous, but I was confident in combat right now.

If necessary, I could jump down from the cliff back to the base camp.

‘The sound definitely came from here.’

Despite being a wilderness, the hill was annoyingly large and hard to search.

After wandering around the top of the cliff for a few minutes,

-Thud.

I stepped in something like a puddle.

Simultaneously, a pungent smell stimulated my brain.

Though not clearly visible, blood was flowing from the abdomen of a woman lying on the ground.

“…Damn it.”

I urgently checked her condition.

No breathing. Her abdomen was completely ruptured with crushed organs, and her spine was smashed, splitting her upper body in two.

She was already dead.

‘Was that the sound of a blunt weapon being swung?’

It was clearly murder, and

-Kuung.

That rumble was felt again.

This time it seemed farther away, as the sound was softer than when I first heard it.

The perpetrator was still nearby.

‘I need to remain silent until I reach the base camp.’

Keeping my eyes in the direction of the sound, I backed away while covering my vital points with my shield.

In that state, what felt like an eternity passed.

“Hello?”

Suddenly someone appeared, waving their hand as if greeting me in the darkness.

Whether due to some perception-hindering magic, I couldn’t properly recognize their face or voice.

‘I’m screwed.’

As I frantically ran, the figure began chasing me.

Moreover, they seemed to be enjoying the situation, running leisurely.

Damn it. Was my curiosity misplaced?

Regret wouldn’t change the situation now. I ran with my shield covering my head in case of thrown objects.

There was still quite a distance to the base camp. Even if I called for help, I’d be dead by the time anyone arrived.

“Huff.”

I took a deep breath and pointed my shield downward.

And then,

“Farewell!”

“?!”

I fell, scraping the cliff with my shield.

“Priests, help me! My arm has been cut off!”

At the same time, I let out a deafening scream to cause panic and summon the priests.

There would still be sentries at this hour.

-Kuung!

With the strong impact, my shin bone pierced through my knee quite severely.

Wow, even after consuming a Source, it still hurts like hell.

“Aaaagh! Please save me!”

It didn’t actually hurt enough to scream, but I exaggerated to call the priests.

“What happened?! You said your arm was cut off?!”

Before long, experienced explorers from the 6th or 7th floor and priests gathered around me.

The perpetrator couldn’t have expected this.

“I’m not important! There’s a dead woman on top of the cliff! A murderer was chasing me! They followed me right to the edge!”

Large guilds receive support from the imperial family to maintain order in the Labyrinth.

They’re essentially the law enforcement of the Labyrinth.

‘You’re dead.’

You killed someone in the Labyrinth?

Now it’s a game of tag, you bastard.