Ch.98Revealed Truth (5)

# Monsters lurked throughout the maze. Though they were all blind, their hearing was sharp. Even the slightest sound would alert them, causing them to charge immediately.

Fortunately, there weren’t many of them. I quickly dispatched them and continued forward.

The path itself was narrow and winding, making it difficult to maintain direction. Due to the barrier cutting off the outside world, hardly any sunlight penetrated inside, forcing us to use the glowing spores as torches to move forward.

“There’s not enough time to navigate by following only the right wall.”

“Any better ideas?”

“Can’t we just force our way through with magic?”

“Let’s try.”

The Major infused mana into her strike against the wall. The mushrooms forming the wall trembled and released white powder—spores. They looked dangerous at a glance; definitely not something to inhale.

The spores, floating like dandelion seeds, burned away with the Major’s subsequent sword strikes. By then, the wall where her blade had cut was already writhing and regenerating.

“The wall itself is alive.”

“Seems like a regenerating maze.”

“I wonder if there’s even an exit.”

“Probably not.”

When people think of mazes, most immediately think about escaping. The Major and I had unconsciously done the same. Following the right wall was proof of that.

But I just realized something.

To escape this maze, we shouldn’t look for an exit.

Instead, we need to find the most dangerous place.

The place where the leader would be.

“Wait.”

The Major added to my thoughts.

“We know too little about the enemy. Even if we knew the leader’s location, charging in would be reckless. If those Holy Spirit Kingdom soldiers are here, we should join forces with them first.”

“You’re right.”

“That’s the main problem. How do we find them in this vast place…”

The quickest and simplest method would be to walk around calling their names. But since the mushroom monsters were all sensitive to sound, we risked being surrounded if we tried that.

Then I had a good idea.

“Let’s use the fact that they’re blind.”

I took out a light stone and threw it into the air.

A silent flash erupted. The sky brightened momentarily before darkening again.

The effect was temporary, but if the Holy Spirit Kingdom female soldiers were here, they would have definitely seen it. And they would immediately recognize it was my doing, not some monster’s.

Because that flash contained memories shared between the four of us.

***

Riyo blinked her eyes.

“Ugh, where am I?”

She had only blinked, yet found herself in a completely new location. Everything that had happened just moments ago felt like a dream. Or perhaps this situation was the dream.

Riyo’s eyes quickly scanned her surroundings, and her ears twitched left and right, flexibly gathering auditory information.

“A maze?”

[‘This is… space displacement magic.’]

Her sister Miyo whispered.

[‘There are many monsters around. They all seem blind but have sharp hearing. Move carefully.’]

Having gained some experience on the deserted island, Riyo wasn’t too surprised by the monster’s doing. After a brief moment of confusion, she calmly moved forward with her hand against the wall. Her footsteps were quiet and stealthy.

And then at some point.

“…Sniff, sniff.”

A scent began to reach her.

From somewhere not too far away.

She could smell the same scent that came from her own body. It was the distinctive pheromone fragrance of a fox beastkin.

There was also a male scent there.

Riyo put her nose to her left shoulder and inhaled her own scent. The bite mark from Erich. She immediately recognized that the faint scent detected from that direction was identical to the one on her shoulder.

During mating season, beastkin mark their preferred partners with their scent. Until that scent naturally dissipates, the beastkin can continuously track their love interest’s location. The detectable range easily exceeds dozens of kilometers.

Once she identified the scent’s location, finding it was no problem.

“Honey, I’m coming for you.”

Riyo drew her main weapon, an axe, and began moving.

She chopped and sliced through the mushroom monsters in her path, moving at a brisk pace. Despite her almost-running gait, she made absolutely no sound.

That’s when a flash appeared in the sky.

“Oh?”

[‘Hmm?’]

It came from exactly the direction of the scent.

“Could it be you, honey?”

[‘It might be a call for help.’]

If her sister was right, she needed to hurry. Riyo quickened her pace even more.

Meanwhile, in another location far away, a cleric was watching the same flash. It was Tiria Kasten.

Immediately after being thrown into the maze, Tiria was certain this was the work of the leader monster. She exhaled slowly, trying to calm her mind and body.

Her eye color was, predictably, purple.

She had been trembling with worry and anxiety, unable to utter a single word. The moment she was detected by monsters, they would chase her. If cornered in a dead end, she would die instantly.

Even with the divine staff Baculus, she couldn’t inflict much physical damage. Lacking self-protection means, Tiria had no choice but to move cautiously.

“Phew.”

Having a gun provided some comfort at least.

But even that wouldn’t be enough to stop those seemingly tough monsters.

As she was taking small steps, unable to decide what to do, a silent firework burst in the sky.

And simultaneously, she felt it.

“Erich?”

The mana trace of Erich Lohnstein.

Thinking back, she had memorized Erich’s mana trace through holy magic on the island.

Their foreheads pressed together, she had felt his warmth for several minutes. That was also the first day Tiria had pressed her skin against an unrelated man.

Recalling the memory brought heat to her face, but she quickly shook it off and focused.

Having memorized his mana trace, she could find Erich permanently as long as she concentrated. No matter where he was. The detectable range? Theoretically infinite, and practically dozens of miles.

Wait for me, darling. I’m coming to you.

Tiria muttered thoughts still too heavy to speak aloud, then gathered her courage and moved forward.

***

The female soldiers from the Holy Spirit Kingdom must have seen the light stone I fired. Even so, there was no guarantee they could find us immediately.

They might be engaged in battle with monsters, or in the worst case, already defeated by the leader.

We needed to keep moving too.

After walking for some time.

An indescribably evil atmosphere wrapped around my throat.

I instinctively stepped back. Major Adora also showed signs of hesitation.

Hee-hee-hee.

A chilling laugh echoed.

[“It was difficult, so difficult. I feel like I’ve fought a hero from hundreds of years ago. Though in the end, I prevailed.”]

A monster’s voice.

It was talking to someone. The conversation partner let out occasional groans. I could tell who it was just from the tone.

The Valkyrie.

[“That divine power is quite overwhelming, but it’s still only half-formed. Not properly trained. Anyway, it’s fortunate for this old woman. Thanks to you, I can easily obtain the sacrifice needed for the Dark Lord’s revival.”]

“…Ugh.”

This is bad. At this rate, the Valkyrie will be taken away.

I quickly looked around the source of the sound but couldn’t find any entrance.

[“Hmm, come to think of it, The Eight Shadows said they would send a representative… I wonder why they haven’t arrived yet.”]

Representative?

“That’s me.”

Major Adora whispered softly, pointing her finger upward.

“Lift me up. I’ll distract the monster by talking to it from across the wall. Use that opportunity to approach from another direction and rescue the Valkyrie.”

I cupped my hands with palms facing upward. The Major stepped on my knee and hands, then onto my shoulders.

Tap!

Leaping like a cat, the Major drew her dagger and stuck it into the mushroom wall. She quickly climbed up the wall.

Landing gracefully, the Major shouted with all her might.

[“Hey!”]

[“…Hmm?”]

I watched the Major’s back from a distance. She took out a necklace from the cult and continued.

[“The representative is right here.”]

[“Oh my. Speak of the devil.”]

[“Why is the path here so complicated? It’s quite difficult to meet you.”]

Watching the Major calmly converse with the monster leader, anger rose within me before doubt could.

[“This time it’s an energetic young one. Is that old man from before not coming anymore?”]

[“Old man?”]

[“You know, that high-ranking naval officer. This old woman is senile and can’t remember the name clearly, but the face is vivid.”]

[“I’m from the army and serve as the Grand Chancellor’s personal guard, so I’m not familiar with naval personnel.”]

[“I see. Since this is our first meeting, we should introduce ourselves. This old woman was one of the division commanders of the 20th Corps, Niemi.”]

[“I am Major Adora Giford of the Seven Swords, directly under the Chancellor’s Office.”]

My teeth clenched.

So our country was behind this all along? Then what have I been doing all this time? What did my colleagues and fellow soldiers die for?

[‘Oh my god, how can anyone do such terrible things under the guise of a nation?’]

[‘I feel like I’m about to vomit the stone I ate yesterday.’]

[‘This is no time for jokes! You were all sacrificed unjustly!’]

[‘Just leave it, Daisy. To die fighting for your country, only to find out that death was to revive the Dark Lord… I’d lose my mind too if I were him.’]

Dark Lord revival?

What a ridiculous story.

The Magic Kingdom is now my enemy.

I went to the opposite side and found the lowest part of the wall. After making notches in the spores with my dagger, I grabbed the openings and climbed up.

The first thing I saw was the Valkyrie.

She lay collapsed, covered in white spores. She already looked dangerously ill.

“…Ha.”

I bit down hard on my teeth as I dropped to the other side.

Throughout this war, too many comrades, friends, and precious people have died. I had no peers left in my network.

So.

Rachel, I won’t let you die too.