Chapter 68: Destined to Enter the Labyrinth

When I came to my senses, I was in the Guild Master’s private room.

I survived the tentacles of the 6th floor Observer.

Moira’s back as she saved me wasn’t a dream.

“Are you awake?”

“Guild Master? The person next to you is..”

“Saint Fria. Greet her.”

“Hello, Guild Master’s porter.”

“Ah.. Nice to meet you. I’m Sion.”

“Huhuhu. I know.”

Her eyes weren’t smiling.

She seems like a slightly twisted person.

Should I say she seems to be living in a different world from me?

I could tell as soon as I saw her. She smells very dangerous.

“Why are you here…”

“We rescued you from the Observer summoned by the heretics and brought you here.”

“Ah.. Thank you. I survived thanks to you.”

“No. Thanks to you stopping it alone, more people were able to survive. I convey gratitude on behalf of the city.”

The Guild Master bowed her head.

In truth, I had no intention of protecting the citizens at all.

I just jumped in to protect Lea.

“You’ll be given a small reward at the city level. And there’s one thing I’d like to discuss with you.”

“Something you want to discuss?”

“Yes. Since it’s not confirmed yet, you just need to listen.”

“Yes, I understand.”

What on earth does she want to talk to me about?

Is it about Yuria?

“Enter the underground city.”

“Pardon..?”

Asking me to enter the underground city.

So suddenly?

I was a bit flustered.

Wasn’t the underground city supposed to be entered together with other adventurers in about 3 weeks when the subjugation battle takes place?

Seeing my flustered expression, Moira asked Fria for an explanation.

“Fria, would you explain the church’s plan?”

“Yes. First, I should tell you about the current situation.”

“Yes..”

“Two parties including Gold Badges and four parties composed of Silver Badges have gone missing in the underground city.”

Fria’s story was quite shocking.

She says that adventurers as high as Gold Badge and many Silver Badges didn’t die, but went missing in the underground city.

“No matter how much we tried to search, we couldn’t find them. Below the layer division, it’s completely twisted like a maze. And the heretics keep popping up no matter how many we kill.”

“Also, they’ve committed several murders targeting citizens in the city.”

“Furthermore, a few hours ago, they performed self-immolation in the square and summoned a 6th floor monster. The Observer you saw was that very monster.”

“Ah. I encountered it on the 1st floor too. It was pretending to be injured and killing adventurers.”

“That’s content we’ve already received reports about several times. Yes, they’re spread out everywhere. They don’t even try to hide.”

“The more serious point is that they’re kidnapping adventurers, or taking severed heads into the labyrinth.”

“Why on earth are they doing such things..”

“It seems they’re performing some kind of ritual.”

“Ritual?”

An unholy ritual.

Apparently, the heretics are doing something with the heads of adventurers kidnapped from the labyrinth and people hunted from the city, below the layer division of the 5th floor underground city.

‘This is information Olivia didn’t tell me.’

Olivia only told me that the heretics would be actively moving, and about their types.

She didn’t know about these events happening in the city.

“We judge that they’re offering adventurers to draw up monsters from the deep levels. The unusually frequent monster attacks and group activities in the upper level areas are probably due to them doing something.”

“The worst part is. They seem to have mastered something similar to the potion of resurrection.”

“What? What on earth are you saying..?”

“Through the adventurers they’ve captured, they’re resurrecting dead heretics. Do you know what the real worst part is?”

“Ah, no. There’s something even worse than this?”

“The abilities of adventurers used as sacrifices are transferred to the heretics when they’re resurrected.”

“….”

The heretic warriors with multiple abilities that Olivia mentioned must belong to this category.

So this is how those enemies who could use strangely many abilities were created.

“It sounds brutal just hearing about it. What exactly is the state of the underground city now?”

“The day before yesterday, most of the conquest team returned. They judged that they could no longer continue the conquest due to the heretics’ attacks.”

The conquest team declared progress impossible.

Unless Platinum Badges go in and sweep through, they say they can’t advance further due to the heretics’ outbursts being too severe.

“Huh.. So what is it you want to ask of me?”

“I’d like you to retrieve the heretics’ corpses.”

“The heretics’ corpses..?”

“Yes. Since they’ve become able to use something similar to the potion of resurrection inside the labyrinth. We can’t leave the corpses there.”

“Can’t we just kill them and burn them?”

“It seems we need to drag them out of the labyrinth and kill them.”

Fria explained the rough outline of their technique.

“Then…”

“Yes. We need to pull out all the corpses killed inside the labyrinth and burn them. Otherwise, they’ll probably resurrect again in a few decades.”

“….”

In the past, there was a time when heretic extermination was carried out inside the labyrinth.

The ones who died back then have now resurrected and are wielding even stronger powers.

That’s why this time, the purpose of this operation is to completely pull out the corpses from the labyrinth and then burn them.

“We need your help to retrieve the corpses.”

“B-But there are two others besides me who have spatial pockets…”

“Mr. Campbell of the Golden Fragrance is already too old and doesn’t have the stamina to enter the labyrinth.”

“Collector Lucan hasn’t come up to the surface for half a year. He must have entered the 7th floor. There’s a high possibility that he’s either dead, or no longer human due to labyrinth assimilation.”

“Then…”

“It’s only you, Sion-ssi. Effectively, you’ve become the only spatial pocket holder that the guild can operate. Unofficially, congratulations on becoming the guild’s sole spatial pocket holder. Huhuhuhu.”

Fria clapped while laughing.

I’m not sure which part is the funny point, but I could tell that laugh wasn’t one made out of genuine joy.

“For now. For now I understand. Um, Moira-nim. I have a few questions.”

“Alright, speak.”

“Yuria. Where on earth did Yuria go?”

“…Yuria went to kingdom territory.”

“When is she coming back? It’s already been two weeks without any contact.”

“She’ll probably return soon. Are you curious about why she left too?”

“Yes. I’m curious.”

“There was a force that contacted the labyrinth’s heretics from outside. They were supplying people to the 5th underground floor through another route.”

“What..? Another route?”

“Moira, that. Is it okay to tell him?”

“Since we’ve already said this much, it’s easier to tell him everything. Above all, this man. His mouth is heavier than expected.”

“So, what exactly is this other route? Is this the reason Yuria went all the way to kingdom territory?”

“Haah. To put it simply. A new entrance leading to the labyrinth has appeared outside the Labyrinth City.”

My head went blank at Moira’s shocking statement.

The labyrinth entrances exist as one each in the east, west, north, and south of the city, totaling 4.

There have been no other entrances besides these 4 until now.

“Did the heretics open that too?”

“No. They don’t have that level of power. It’s probably a phenomenon that occurred with the Great Shift.”

“Then.. to the labyrinth..”

“Outside forces have become able to enter. The location is estimated to be in a forest located in the southern part of the Cayslan Kingdom. Yuria is searching for the entrance that has become connected to the 5th floor of the labyrinth. I ordered her to destroy the transfer stone if she can find it. If she fails due to interference from the kingdom, I told her to just confirm the location and return.”

To think a labyrinth entrance appeared in the kingdom. Moreover, it was an independent route connected to the 5th floor, not linked to the upper levels.

If it occurred due to the Great Shift, we can assume that transfer stones might have appeared in other places besides there too.

This is getting way too big in scale.

“No, it’s amazing that the city is still properly maintained at this point, isn’t it?”

“We’re trying.”

“We’re trying very hard in unseen places.”

What on earth is happening in this city?

What kind of battles are taking place in places I don’t know about?

“Anyway, until we catch the heretics, even the subjugation battle that could be called a festival is impossible.”

“Then do I have to enter the underground city right now?”

“No, right now is a bit difficult. I’ll contact you separately in a few days. You don’t need to go in. From then on, you can start retrieving corpses in earnest.”

“I just need to bring out the corpses, right?”

“For now. But when heretic hunting starts below the layer division, you might have to go down there too.”

First, the heresy inquisitors and saint will enter the underground city and completely clean out the heretics in the upper layers of the layer division.

Then, me following them and retrieving the corpses of the swept away heretics to bring up to the city was the rough outline of this operation.

“Since there will probably be far more heretics than expected. It could be quite a long process.”

“But I have my own work too… I can’t just live in the labyrinth.”

“Would it be impossible to ask you to do this alongside your current work?”

“Haah. For now, I’ll try my best.”

I need to help grow the Young Lady’s party too.

And go down to the underground city to retrieve corpses.

I also need to do personal training and go to the magic tower to research abilities.

It seemed like I would have a lot to do.

---

After answering that I would participate in heretic hunting, I returned home.

I told the Guild Master to let the Young Lady know that I’m safe, so she’ll probably deliver the message.

I was extremely tired today, so I couldn’t do anything else.

It’s too much to go report to the Young Lady directly.

For today, I’ll just sleep first, and meet her tomorrow.

By the way, how many days has it been since I’ve been home?

Even though it’s not my house, it somehow felt like I was returning to my home.

It would be better if Yuria was here too.

“Oh! Master..!”

As I opened the front door and entered, two people greeted me.

“You’re alive…! Thank goodness..”

I hugged Olivia back as she ran to me with tears in her eyes.

She’s kind of like a daughter. Though we’re probably similar in age.

“Um, on your neck.. blood stains.”

As Marine looked at my neck and tried to mention the wound in surprise, I quickly shook my head to stop her.

Olivia can’t see anyway, so she won’t see the wound on my neck.

So I didn’t want to worry Olivia unnecessarily.

“Marine, nothing happened, right?”

“Oh.. Yes! Nothing happened!”

“That’s good. Hey, could you fill the bathtub with water? I don’t need food. I think I need to wash and sleep.”

“Yes! Leave it to me!”

Marine quickly went to the bathroom to prepare the bath water.

Meanwhile, Olivia told me in detail about what happened while attending the Druid club.

“It seems Tiny is teaching well.”

“Yes.. He’s kinder than I expected.. I think I’ll be able to play one song soon..”

“Let me hear it first when you can play.”

“Yes..! I’ll definitely.. definitely let you hear it..”

Earth music, huh.

This is really exciting.

“But.. Master..”

“Hm?”

“Did something bad happen…?”

“Not so much bad, but. I think I’ll be very busy from now on.”

“Aha…”

“Yuria needs to come back soon.”

I miss Yuria.

I missed her grinning expression as she tapped away.

“Um.. Master..”

“Yes?”

“Will you.. sleep together again today..?”

“You don’t have to sleep together anymore. It’s still early evening, so I’ll sleep first.”

“No, no..! Le-Let’s.. Let’s sleep together.”

“Really? Then let’s do that.”

Before formally contracting with the villainesses, I used to sleep hugging Olivia.

It seems that memory remained quite a good one for her.

“The bath water is ready!”

“Oh. Thank you.”

As I soaked my body in the steaming water, extreme fatigue washed over me.

I survived again this time.

Even I think I have a damn tenacious life.

Will I be able to survive next time too?

I was already worried about having to enter the underground city.