Chapter 97 – Labyrinth

Squelch- I crushed a bug crawling across the floor and clicked my tongue in disgust.

“Ugh, shit.”

“Urrghhh…!”

We’d been wandering inside the labyrinth for roughly four hours.

Four hours…? I couldn’t be certain, but since I’d changed twice already, it had to be around that long.

“Ughh… hnngh… Hey, how are you not disgusted by these things?”

Stella, who had already emptied her stomach four times, staggered while groaning miserably.

“Not particularly.”

“You’re seriously not right in the head… URGH!”

Though I’d said they weren’t particularly disgusting, they were. Or rather, it wasn’t disgust so much as revulsion.

The culprits were the bugs crawling across the labyrinth floor.

If they had been ordinary insects, I wouldn’t have felt this repulsed, but these creatures were different.

First, they were enormous.
Grasshopper-like bodies the size of watermelons, topped with human heads—or rather, grotesque approximations of human heads.
Complete with eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.

Though they couldn’t speak, they made disturbing sounds: guttural “Gurrrkk” groans, wet “smack-smack” lip-smacking noises, and “click-click” teeth-grinding sounds.

And they had expressions.
When they spotted us, they smiled brightly as if delighted to see fellow humans. But when I tried to kill them, their faces contorted in terror as they lunged for our ankles.

Their blood was dark crimson. The stench was vile. It penetrated even through Stella’s purification magic. That’s why she was now throwing up for the fifth time.

These creatures were called Human-Faced Worms.

They were magical beasts created by Labyrinth, appearing only within this maze.

Their purpose was exactly this—to disturb the mental state of humans who entered the labyrinth.

In fact, the sounds they made could directly affect human minds. That’s why I’d warned Stella not to listen to them when we encountered them.

Thanks to that warning, both Stella and I were mentally sound, even if our stomachs were a bit unsettled.

Or was it just me?

“Hic… sniff… urrrgh…”

Glancing back, I noticed Stella’s eyelids were red. Whether from tears caused by retching or from genuine crying, I couldn’t tell.

“Even if you wanted to turn back now, it’s too late.”

I handed her a tissue with a slight smirk.

“Sniff… I know…”

“That’s why you should have listened to your elders.”

“What are you talking about? Who’s the elder here? You’re younger than me.”

“You and I have lived very different lives.”

“Says the girl who never left her house…”

With a weak “hmph,” Stella wiped her tears vigorously and let out a deep sigh.

“I have no idea where we are… Do you?”

“Neither do I.”

“Aren’t we being too casual about this?”

“We’re walking, aren’t we?”

“No, I mean… Pina’s in danger. Should we really just keep wandering aimlessly like this?”

“It’s fine. They can’t kill Pina.”

“…How would you know that?”

“I read a lot of books.”

“If you don’t want to tell me, just say so! Why do you have to give such half-assed answers?”

“If I just said ‘I don’t want to tell you,’ you’d start nagging.”

“N-Nagging? When have I ever nagged?!”

Leaving behind Stella, who didn’t even realize how much she nagged, I continued walking.

Even after walking for so long…
No breeze stirred the air. The flow of magi was faint, and the mana was stagnant. The only smells were the putrid stench of sewage and the revolting odor of the Human-Faced Worms.

There were no hints anywhere to help us navigate the labyrinth.

Yet, the increasing number of Human-Faced Worms blocking our path suggested we were heading in the right direction.

At first, they had emerged one by one. Then two, then three.
Now entire families crawled out together.

Grandmothers, grandfathers, fathers, mothers, sons, daughters.
A horrifically cheerful-looking Human-Faced Worm family emerging all at once.

When Stella first saw such a family, she hesitated to kill them. So I did it for her.
As a result, my legs were still stained with the blood of the Human-Faced Worm family.

“So… can you finally tell me now?”

“Tell you what?”

“Why we came to a place like this to look for Pina. And… what exactly did you do that made someone I don’t even know give me that information? What are you planning to do about Shibria, and who’s waiting at the end of this labyrinth…”

“You sure have a lot of questions.”

“That’s because you never explain anything! How can you not tell me even one thing? We’re supposed to be labyrinth companions now!”

After saying “companions,” Stella’s face flushed pink.

“You should speak more precisely. I was going to tell you as soon as we entered the labyrinth, but you immediately threw up everything you’d eaten—”

“AHHH! NO! STOP!! DON’T SAY IT!!!”

Stella’s face, which had been pink, turned bright red as she screamed and rushed to cover my mouth.

I immediately pushed her hand away with a grimace.

“Ugh, gross. Don’t touch me with hands you’ve wiped vomit with.”

“W-Wh-What?! No! Nothing got on them! They’re clean! Look! They don’t smell either—I cleaned them thoroughly with a Cleanse spell!!”

“You think a Cleanse spell is enough? You need to scrub with soap until your hands are squeaky clean.”

As I said this, I recalled the strong scent I’d detected in Stella’s room earlier.

Wait a minute.

“Hey, you. Don’t tell me… you usually just use Cleanse spells instead of actually bathing?”

Stella’s expression froze.

“…I don’t?”

“You totally do. How often do you actually bathe?”

“I-I bathe every day…?”

“Once every three days?”

Stella averted her gaze.

“Once every four days?”

Good lord.

“W-Well… it’s not like… you need to bathe if… Cleanse spells work fine. And I do laundry every three days… Of course, if I sweat, I wash immediately, but…”

“Seriously? You only bathe once every four days…?”

Stella’s body flinched visibly.

I pinched my nose between my thumb and index finger.

“…Disgusting.”

“AAAAHHH!!! I’M NOT DISGUSTING!! I’m clean! I don’t smell! And I change my underwear daily! This is just… it’s a habit from when I was in Gevihenum! I can’t help it!!”

“Fine, just don’t get too close to me.”

“I’M NOT DISGUSTING!!! I’M CLEAN!!!”

With a crimson face, Stella flailed her arms wildly.

“Magic Tower mages have to use Cleanse spells because they’re too busy with research! And most people stationed at Gevihenum’s frontlines do the same! So I’m not dirty…”

“Just bathe properly. And change your underwear on time. Don’t do that thing where you wear your bra an extra day because it ‘doesn’t smell yet.’ I noticed your laundry earlier—your panties and bras didn’t even match.”

“AAAAHHH!!! W-WHEN DID YOU EVEN SEE THAT?!!”

If I teased her any further, it looked like Stella’s face might actually explode. Chuckling softly, I stopped the teasing and stretched with a long yawn.

“Mmm-hng… So, are you feeling less tense now?”

“T-Tense? I wasn’t tense to begin with!”

“Wow, impressive.”

“Eek…! Stop teasing me! Is this really the time?!”

“You were so on edge that I helped you relax. Thanks to that, you’ve stopped dry heaving, haven’t you?”

Stella raised her eyebrows and rubbed her chest a few times before giving a tiny nod.

“I guess…? The stench does seem less intense now?”

“When your mind settles, your mana flow becomes more precise, making it easier to maintain the purification spell.”

“Ugh… I know that! I was just talking to myself!”

“Sure. You’re the best.”

“I really hate you. You’re so irritating. So annoying.”

“I hate you too.”

With a shrug, I tightened the bandages on my hands and twisted my stiff waist from side to side, stretching.

“Do you still have plenty of mana?”

“Yes. I’m full.”

“Can you use 4th Circle magic proficiently?”

Stella narrowed her eyes.

“Of course.”

“Be honest. When you’re surprised or panicked, you might make mistakes, right?”

“…Honestly?”

“Yes.”

“M-Maybe a little? In urgent combat situations… I’m not confident yet. But that’s unavoidable! I’ve been 4th Circle for less than a week… Any other mage would struggle for at least a month!”

“What if I ensure that not even a finger touches you?”

“Umm…?”

Crack-crack- I released the tension in my stiff neck and rolled my shoulders. This damn period was making my body refuse to loosen up.

“…Then, I should be… no, I will be fine.”

“Good.”

“Why are you suddenly asking me this…?”

Having finished my stretches, I dug into my pocket and popped a mint candy into Stella’s mouth before speaking quietly.

“Prepare your strongest spell. You have about 30 seconds.”

“What…?”

Leaving the confused Stella behind, I turned away. I steadied my breathing and sharpened my mana to a razor’s edge.

The mana flowing through my meridians surged powerfully.
In the windless labyrinth, my cherry blossom-colored hair fluttered slightly.

And then.

[KRrr…]

A sound like hundreds of needles stabbing through vocal cords echoed from the depths of the labyrinth.

“…Huh? That cry…”

Not the pathetic Human-Faced Worms we’d encountered so far, but true monsters were approaching us.

I recognized that familiar stench.
The odor of reptiles mixed with the smell of blood.

“Reminds you of the entrance exam, doesn’t it?”

“I-I don’t think these are just Lizardmen…”

“You’re right. We’re starting with elites. Looks like five of them. The classic configuration.”

Stella held her breath.
With trembling hands, she firmly gripped the staff slung across her back.

“Twenty seconds now.”

“W-What should we do?”

“What do you mean? I told you to prepare your strongest spell.”

“Can a mere 4th Circle spell kill elite monsters in one shot…? These are completely different from the Lizardmen we saw during the entrance exam.”

“Who said you need to kill them in one shot? If one spell doesn’t work, fire two. If two don’t work, try three, four. Just keep firing until they’re dead.”

“…But.”

Clenching my fists, I took a large step forward.

“Just like during the entrance exam, they won’t be able to touch you.”

“…Okay.”

The moment I finished speaking, Stella’s mana surged behind me. Richer than that of an ordinary 4th Circle mage, her mana tickled the back of my neck.

Simultaneously—twang! A sound like a bowstring being released rang out. Not an ordinary bow. A great bow. At the sound, Stella drew in a startled breath. Her concentration wavered, and the purple mana around her flickered.

“Focus.”

I stepped in front of Stella, shielding her. I raised my right arm slightly, wrapping it in force. With my fist clenched, I exhaled sharply and thrust forward.

BOOM!

The force gathered at my fist exploded outward. A thunderous noise shook the foundations of the labyrinth. An arrow from the great bow—unnaturally large, almost spear-like—embedded itself at my feet.

I had intended to shatter it.

Tsk, clicking my tongue, I checked on Stella.
Though she had turned pale and squeezed her eyes shut, her mana was gradually stabilizing. Her spell should be ready by the time I’d specified.

Calming my tingling arm, I faced forward.

Now I could see them clearly.
Intelligent, bright yellow reptilian eyes.
The power emanating from them felt similar to the Basilisks we’d encountered during the entrance exam.

Five of them in total.

[KKKKKRRRRRRRaaa—!]

“This is definitely different from the entrance exam.”

Listening to their unpleasant screams, I once again enveloped my entire body in force.