Chapter 100 – Labyrinth

“Y-You… you-you-you crazy bitchhhhh!!!”

Stella, who had been sprawled unconscious on the floor, immediately started screaming the moment she regained consciousness.

This continued for a full five minutes.

“You, you, YOU! You actually… killed the Vice Headmaster…! Y-You k-k-killed someone!!”

Trembling violently, she darted her eyes around before cautiously examining the body lying on the floor.

A headless corpse.
After dry heaving several times at the sight, Stella staggered unsteadily and grabbed my arm with a vice-like grip.

“What are you going to do now? Huh?! Should we hide the body? Would that even help? Since no one saw, if I just keep quiet maybe it’ll be… but killing the Vice Headmaster… wait, huh?”

Suddenly, she tilted her head in confusion.

“…What is this?”

The corpse was melting into a puddle.

“That’s not the Vice Headmaster.”

“…Huh?”

Still watching the dissolving corpse, Stella lifted her gaze to meet mine. Her wide eyes glistened with tears.

“It wasn’t even human to begin with.”

“I can see that… but then… what was it? An illusion?”

“A Mimicras.”

A mid-tier monster capable of replicating human appearances.
A higher-tier version with similar abilities would be the Doppelgänger.

The reason for their different rankings is simple.
While Doppelgängers can closely mimic a person’s memories, speech patterns, small habits, and even some abilities, Mimicras cannot.

They’re inferior to Doppelgängers in every way.

So for someone like me… who inherently distrusts people and habitually observes them closely, the differences were easy to spot.

Even without that advantage…
This creature had answered questions that the real Leona couldn’t possibly have known.

If Leona was away on external duties, she wouldn’t have known about Pina’s kidnapping.
And she certainly wouldn’t have known that the culprit was an Academy professor.

But something still bothered me.

“Mimicras” doesn’t refer to a single creature.
The term applies to a group of at least ten or more.

And they can only replicate human appearances they’ve personally witnessed.
Yet this one had mimicked Leona’s appearance, speech patterns, and even her laughter with remarkable accuracy.

This meant either…
Leona was also somewhere in this labyrinth?
Or perhaps it had somehow remembered her from a previous encounter?

If the latter, that would mean it had infiltrated the Academy at some point. But how could a mere monster accomplish that?

The former seemed more likely.
At least four hundred years ago, Mimicras didn’t possess the ability to replicate someone they’d only seen in the past.

But now I had to consider the latter possibility as well. More specifically:
Someone—a Black Magician—might be controlling these Mimicras, molding them to their will.

The one we encountered earlier was far more intelligent than any Mimicras I remember.
Its human imitation felt unnaturally natural.

The speech patterns, intonation, facial expressions, overall presence, even the movements of its ears and tail.
While not as flawless as a Doppelgänger, it came disturbingly close.

Most tellingly…
When I confronted it, the Mimicras’s face froze.
That reaction wasn’t feigned—it was genuine.
And it was an expression no ordinary monster should be capable of making.

This was a change I couldn’t explain.
Which is why I had to consider the latter possibility as well.

Either way…

“We need to move.”

One Mimicras had died. The others would sense it and swarm toward us.
If there truly was a Black Magician controlling them, we’d face more than just Mimicras.

Instead of staying in this open area, we needed to find a narrow passageway.

“Uh… Oh? Okay… but what is a Mimicras anyway? If it copies humans, isn’t that just a Doppelgänger?”

Even at a time like this, Stella was asking stupid questions.

“…You don’t know what a Mimicras is?”

“How do you know about them?”

“How do you not know?”

Do young people these days really not know about Mimicras?
Well, I suppose labyrinths aren’t as prevalent now as they were in my time.

Actually, this is rather amusing.
She had the nerve to mock my “outdated” knowledge and claim my notes were worthless, yet she didn’t even know what a Mimicras was?

Kids these days… tsk, tsk.

“I read about it in books. That’s why you should study harder. I mean, how can someone who claims they’ll reach the heart of Gevihenum not even know this?”

I spoke with a strange sense of superiority.
See? My knowledge wasn’t so outdated and useless after all.

“There you go again with that old-man talk. Ugh.”

Stella furrowed her brow and cast a disgusted glance at the dissolving remains of the Mimicras.
She shuddered and rubbed her arms as if trying to scrub away the memory.

“…I can’t believe it. So I was… just casually chatting with a monster this whole time? Ugh, that’s revolting.”

“That’s why you’re stuck at 4th Circle.”

“What?! What does that have to do with anything?!”

“There are differences a mere 4th Circle mage simply can’t comprehend.”

“Urgh… you’re so annoying, seriously… Just wait. Once I reach 5th Circle, I’ll—”

“You think I’ll just be standing still? By the time you reach 5th Circle, I’ll already be at 6th Rank.”

Stella glared at me.

“You think reaching 6th Rank is easy or something?”

“It is for me.”

“Listening to you talk, anyone would think you’ve already reached 8th Rank.”

8th Rank? As if.

“Sigh. How could a sparrow comprehend the aspirations of a phoenix?”

I didn’t bother arguing further and simply chuckled as I walked ahead.

“Sparrow? Phoenix…? Wha-What?”

It took her a while to process my words, but when she finally did, she started chirping angrily and flailing her arms in protest.

***

The wide passage narrowed considerably.
There was only one path forward now.
And not a single monster’s sound echoed in the distance.

“Let’s rest here for an hour.”

I stopped walking and rummaged through the waist pouch at my side.

“Ugh… Finally…”

Exhausted beyond measure, Stella simply collapsed where she stood.

We had encountered countless monsters along the way.
Lizardmen, Human-Faced Worms, Mimicras, Nagas crawling up from the water channels, bipedal crocodiles called Kroktars, and more.

It felt like we’d faced every reptilian monster in existence.

Among them all, the most irritating were undoubtedly the Mimicras.

Yurasia, Stella, Pina, Leona, my father, my uncle, Sedil, Wivir, Silina, Fabiana…
Good grief, they had taken the forms of practically everyone I’d met in the capital.

I killed them all, of course.
It felt like we’d been fighting every five minutes. Even I was beginning to tire.

No matter how clearly I knew they were monsters, punching a familiar face was never easy.

And punching alone wasn’t enough.
Unless you completely destroyed their heads, they would simply regenerate.
So I had to crush their skulls.

Perhaps that’s why…
Stella was already half-delirious.

“What do you want to eat?”

“…My stomach feels awful.”

“If you don’t eat now, you won’t make it.”

“Ugh… fine, I’ll eat something…”

She must have been running low on mana—her eyes were half-closed and her hands trembled as she reached out.

“What would you like?”

“Something soft?”

Looking for something soft in a labyrinth?
Well, not impossible.

Clicking my tongue, I pulled out a thermos nearly the size of my torso from my waist pouch, which had a spatial expansion spell cast on it.

“…What’s that?”

“Something soft.”

I opened the thermos and poured its contents into a paper cup. A fragrant aroma wafted through the steam.

“Sniff, sniff… That smells amazing.”

Stella audibly gulped.

“When did you even prepare this?”

“I always do.”

I always keep things like this prepared.
You never know when or where something might happen.
Like today, when we had to move at a moment’s notice.

That’s why I always make sure I’m ready.

Call it an obsession if you want.
But if you’d ever seen people resort to cannibalism inside a labyrinth—if you’d witnessed that scene just once—you would develop similar habits.

Four hundred years ago, everyone I fought alongside had their own form of obsession.

Mine was food.
Thanks to the emergency rations I always carried, we never went hungry. The real problem was Luna, that gambling addict, who kept wasting all our resources.

“…You always prepare things like this?”

“Yes.”

I nodded and handed Stella the cup.

“Drink it.”

“Huh… what is this?”

“Scorched rice soup.”

“Scorched… rice soup?”

“What? You don’t like it?”

“No, that’s not it… It’s just… why scorched rice soup? There are other things like broth or regular soup.”

“I like scorched rice soup. And if you think about it, it is a kind of soup.”

“You’re not even old yet you sound like an old man…”

“Complain one more time and I’m taking it back.”

Stella’s lips twitched as if she had more to say, but she swallowed her words along with a sip of the soup.

“It is… good. Really savory…”

“Eat these too.”

I handed her some jerky, nuts, and dried fruit.

“Keep the rest in your pocket.”

“Jerky is one thing, but nuts and dried fruit? Eating these in a labyrinth feels so strange…”

Despite her complaints, Stella’s eyes were carefully examining everything I’d brought.

I could practically read her thoughts: “I should start carrying these too.”

If we made it out of this labyrinth alive, perhaps I’d get her a bag like mine.
An artifact with spatial expansion and preservation magic.

With that thought, I chewed on my jerky. I’d used the seasonings Sarah taught me, and it tasted delicious.

Sarah really knows her stuff.

After quickly emptying her cup of scorched rice soup, Stella let out a satisfied sigh and finally spoke.

“Now tell me.”

“Tell you what?”

“Why Pina was kidnapped and brought to a place like this.”

Then, without hesitation, she grabbed my thermos and poured herself another cup.

“I can tell you, but first—tell me what happened between your mother and Eustetia.”

Stella froze mid-pour.

“…Do I really have to?”

“You were about to tell me earlier. Why hesitate now?”

“That… that was just…”

She fidgeted with the paper cup, gripping it with both hands.

“You said… if I told you everything, you’d believe me. Is that really true?”

“If you tell me something completely absurd, I won’t believe it.”

“What if I tell the absolute truth, but it sounds unbelievable to you?”

I turned to look at her.
For someone discussing such a serious topic, she was casually sipping scorched rice soup.

“I’ll still believe you. That was our agreement.”

“…What if I’m lying?”

“Eventually, it will come to light. And we’d grow distant.”

“So for now… you’ll trust me?”

I nodded while chewing on my jerky.

“When I look at you… I just can’t figure you out.”

Having finished her soup, Stella popped a few nuts into her mouth and hugged her knees close.

Then, looking directly into my eyes, she chuckled softly.

“You act like you don’t trust anyone, but at the same time, you seem desperate to believe in someone. Like an abandoned dog… No, not a dog. A cat. A stray cat? Something like that.”

“Are you done talking nonsense?”

“I really can’t understand you…”

What was this girl suddenly rambling about?
This wasn’t like Stella at all.
Was there something strange in the scorched rice soup?

Ahem. After clearing her throat and composing her expression, Stella finally began her story.

“My mother disappeared seven years ago. Or rather, she was taken. It didn’t happen suddenly. Before she vanished, she was accused of conspiring with demons and plotting terrible things… False accusations, all of them.”

I listened in silence.

“During the investigation, they declared her guilty. Treason? Something like that. They piled on every imaginable false charge. But I know she was innocent. On those dates and times they claimed she was involved in these conspiracies… I was with her. But no one believed me. I don’t think there was ever a real investigation. From the very beginning… they simply wanted my mother executed.”

Absently rolling a walnut in her palm, Stella lifted her gaze to meet mine.

“Eustetia. The Knights of Eustetia and the Marquess of Verheigen… they’re the ones who did this to my mother.”

I returned her gaze.

So what about her mother’s disappearance?

Just as that question formed in my mind…

A magic circle appeared on the ceiling of the passageway.
Not an ordinary magic circle.
Not human magic, but demonic.

The magical formation locked onto Stella.

“…Huh? What is that?”

Looking between the magic circle and me with alarmed eyes, Stella immediately stood up.

And in that instant—flash!

Stella vanished.

“…They really don’t want her talking, do they?”

More precisely…
She had been teleported elsewhere.