Ch.7171. Speedrun

The Demon King will appear in about 30 years.

Even that distant timeframe of 30 years had instilled a slight sense of tension.

“The Demon King will appear in just a few months?”

“Yes.”

The statement was so sudden that I didn’t know how to react.

“…”

Bewildered, I calmed myself and met her eyes.

I wondered if she might be lying.

“It may be hard to believe, but it’s true. Since demonic energy began seeping into the Labyrinth, the Demon King’s encroachment has accelerated.”

Her expression was incredibly resolute.

“I… see.”

Honestly, I felt nothing.

Shouldn’t such important information be delivered with proper buildup?

‘…No, I shouldn’t take this lightly.’

I was so shocked that I momentarily treated it like a trivial matter.

The time remaining until the Demon King’s appearance was barely a few months.

In other words.

The world had only a few months left before destruction.

“Guild Master. Then, what can we do?”

I asked her in the calmest tone I could manage.

Surely she hadn’t brought me here just to explain that we’d all die in a few months.

There must be a reason she told me this from the beginning.

“There’s not much to do.”

“…Pardon?”

Her expression revealed no emotion whatsoever.

‘Has she already given up?’

A chill ran down my spine.

“Ah, I think I phrased that poorly.”

The Guild Master corrected herself, perhaps noticing my darkening expression.

“I meant there’s nothing to do right now. As you said, the Labyrinth is the passage through which the Demon King approaches us, and simultaneously our path to approach him.”

She stood from her chair and gestured for me to get up from the bed.

“For now, follow me.”

I followed her into the living room.

Several people were seated at the table there.

“Adel. Are you feeling better?”

Deneb, smiling brightly.

“Now we can finally proceed with our discussion.”

The princess, giving me an emotionless gaze.

“Mr. Adel, you’ve awakened earlier than expected. As expected of Ms. Deneb.”

Kyle, the deputy commander of the Imperial Second Guard, whose face was hidden by his helmet.

This was already an impressive lineup, but…

The person who made my heart race was someone else.

“Adel.”

Silver hair, dark purple eyes that seemed to draw in my soul.

Evidence that we shared the same life,

“Thank you for not dying.”

A gentle smile.

“Shiro.”

She was here.

***

In truth, I had no idea what was going on.

I didn’t know why everyone had gathered here, but I was certainly confused.

1. I passed out and woke up.

2. I heard the world had an expiration date.

3. Everyone was gathered here.

‘What exactly is happening?’

So even now as I sat down, I still didn’t understand what was going on.

“Then, let’s resume our discussion. We’ve stayed here for three days waiting for you. The Imperial Court must be growing suspicious, so we can’t delay matters any longer.”

As soon as I sat down, the princess hurried to continue the conversation.

“No, what’s more important right now is conveying information to Adel. Without him, we can’t resolve this situation.”

The Guild Master responded firmly to the princess’s words.

“…You need to explain the information? Have you not heard anything yet?”

“No, I apologize, but I haven’t…”

I bowed my head to the princess.

I was abducted out of nowhere, so I needed to understand the situation first.

“…Then, since I am deeply connected to this matter, I shall explain slowly. You are the most important key to resolving this situation.”

“Thank you.”

I tried to follow the flow of their conversation, but certain expressions kept bothering me.

‘The most important key?’

I had initially dismissed the Guild Master’s claim that “without me, the situation couldn’t be resolved,” but now I was growing increasingly uneasy as even the princess spoke in similar terms.

Was I supposed to be some kind of sacrifice that would stop this?

I tried to think of anything special about me.

‘…A Possessor?’

Come to think of it, I had experienced something strange before.

The princess had ignored the holy barrier set up in her tent, and immediately afterward, she had ignored the healing magic used on my body.

‘Nothing particularly unusual has happened since then.’

Could it be related to that?

As my thoughts deepened…

“You.”

The princess looked at me with serious eyes.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Do you recall any instances where your body continued moving despite what you thought were your limits?”

“…I believe I do.”

This question was also sudden, but I answered with what came to mind.

“When was that?”

“During the purification operation, when we were eliminating a giant monster.”

At that time, my body had definitely surpassed its limits.

I had dodged attacks that should have been impossible to avoid.

I had overcome obstacles that should have been insurmountable.

It wasn’t just a matter of overcoming physical limitations through willpower—I had accomplished something truly impossible.

“For what reason do you think that happened?”

“…I don’t know.”

“I see.”

The princess briefly looked at the Guild Master, then smiled faintly and spoke.

“Both cases are similar. The difference is that you awakened on your own.”

I couldn’t understand the princess’s words.

How was I similar to the Guild Master? And what did she mean by awakening on my own?

I had expected her to mention the incident where I ignored holy power, but this seemed to be something entirely different.

“I don’t understand what Your Highness is saying.”

“That’s fine. We’re having this conversation to explain it to you.”

I turned my head to gauge everyone’s reactions.

Deneb, Kyle, and even Shiro.

“It seems everyone already knows.”

“We explained everything while you were unconscious.”

I felt somewhat left out, but anyway.

“…Then, what caused my previous experience?”

I asked seriously, looking into the princess’s red eyes.

“Constellation.”

A brief answer.

“You have been chosen by them.”

The Constellation’s choice.

For a moment I wondered what she meant, but considering the circumstances, I could make a guess.

“…So I’ve been marked as a proxy to clear the Labyrinth.”

“You catch on quickly. Yes, like the Guild Master here, you’ve been chosen by a Constellation. As one of the few humans who can oppose the Demon King. The reason the Guild Master could become the strongest explorer in history is because she could partially wield the power of a Constellation.”

“I see.”

I lowered my head and continued thinking.

The more I heard, the more questions I had.

There was so much I wanted to ask, but one question stood out.

“Did you approach me knowing I was chosen by a Constellation? Or did you discover it by chance?”

“It’s true that I intended to approach you from the beginning. You were a capable explorer, and you were always with Shiro.”

“…During the purification operation, were you targeting Shiro?”

“You could say that. I heard a lot from Deneb over there, but ultimately, if Shiro hadn’t been involved with that group, I wouldn’t have approached you.”

The group Shiro was involved with.

“Team Kimchi.”

Shit.

“You must have heard about it when you were captured by the Imperial Court?”

“…”

“…? What’s wrong? Your complexion suddenly doesn’t look good. Are you still not feeling well?”

“No, I’m fine. Please continue.”

In the middle of a serious conversation, the princess suddenly mentioned “Team Kimchi.”

This was beyond what I could manage with a poker face.

“Very well, but don’t push yourself.”

The princess continued explaining about “Team Kimchi.”

And I somehow endured it.

***

“—and that’s how we arrived at the current situation.”

My conversation with the princess ended.

To summarize:

The Imperial Court wanted to prevent the Labyrinth from being cleared, while the Guild Master was determined to clear it.

But the Imperial Court tried to suppress the Polaris Guild, and officially, the Guild Master died.

The important point here is that the princess stepped in to deal with the Guild Master.

On the surface, she appeared to handle the situation properly, but in reality, the princess disagreed with the Imperial Court’s thinking.

She refused to live in a cage.

Afterward, she secretly contacted the Guild Master, and they gradually developed a plan.

All for the purpose of clearing the Labyrinth.

Over the past few years, they had safely secured talented individuals, and this situation was the culmination of their efforts.

‘But there aren’t many people here.’

Two people gathered others, but only four people were assembled.

“…We can’t help that there are only four. If we recruited even one wrong person, everything would be over.”

As if reading my thoughts, the Guild Master immediately countered.

Creepy. Is this the power of a Constellation?

“It’s all over your face right now.”

“I wasn’t thinking that.”

“…Right.”

Anyway.

“In any case, once you exceed four people in the Labyrinth, additional members become meaningless, so we wanted to gather only the elite. With the intention of filling that final spot, Team Kimchi—”

“—Kugh.”

“?”

The princess looked at me as she continued speaking.

Her eyes showed concern, wondering if I was really unwell.

“It’s nothing.”

“…I see. Very well.”

After overcoming several more difficult moments,

I finally managed to hear the princess’s explanation to the end.

“Things have become a bit complicated now. Initially, we planned to approach slowly and then draw in Shiro. She has a grudge against them.”

Team Kimchi was the group that killed Shiro’s grandfather.

Because of that, they thought their interests aligned.

‘And they’re right.’

Throughout the conversation, I sensed that Shiro was taking this matter seriously.

It was natural, considering she had lost someone who was like a parent to her for most of her life.

“Now, I’ll explain what we need to do next.”

After the long conversation and situation briefing ended,

The Guild Master explained the upcoming operation.

“According to the princess, the Imperial Court will directly restrict entry to the Labyrinth portal from now on. Only a minimum number of people whose identities are guaranteed to them will be allowed to enter.”

“…Is that true?”

“Yes. It’s essentially confirmed internally. They probably think it won’t be a big issue since they’ve already declared martial law to catch us. In fact, all explorers who participated in protests against the martial law have either died or been arrested.”

She sighed and rubbed her head as if it ached.

“Anyway. Our main operation is to help Adel and Shiro grow stronger, right?”

The four of us—me, Shiro, the Guild Master, and Deneb—will participate and maximize our growth inside the Labyrinth.

Of course, this main operation was decided without my knowledge.

“So we’ll have no choice but to break through the Imperial Court’s defenses to enter the Labyrinth.”

What?

“…If the Imperial Court restricts entry, knights will surely block all paths. How do you plan to break through?”

“Adel, good question. As soon as the portal opens in the square, I’ll throw each of you into it. Then everyone will quickly clear the first floor and meet on the second floor.”

“…”

This wasn’t going to be easy.

“Ah, you’re worried because Deneb can’t clear the first floor alone? Don’t worry about that. I’ll carry Deneb with me.”

Really, this wasn’t going to be easy.