episode_0054

“Back!!!”

Thankfully, the heavens were on my side.

Seeing the look of despair on the man’s face made me feel good for no reason, but I didn’t show it.

There was no way he would act impulsively.

Because a knight was standing right in front of him.

I took the golden card and returned triumphantly.

When I handed the card to Grace, who had approached me, she put the golden card into her subspace bag.

Situation ended.

But the knight was still standing quietly between us and the explorers on the opposite side.

Meaning, disappear without getting involved with each other.

As if they understood those words, our party members had finished preparing and were ready to leave.

“Let’s go.”

Following Grace’s guidance, we went outside.

Stomp, stomp.

We were walking as usual, but.

“Huh?”

I heard the knight’s voice.

I turned my head to look at the knight at the somewhat flustered voice, but he was no longer there.

Feeling anxious, I spread my senses and looked around, confirming where the knight was.

Next to Hans.

The knight was holding Hans’s arm.

At the sudden change in situation, Luca and Grace were about to attack, but Kairek raised his hand to stop them.

No matter what, fighting a knight would be insane.

First, we decided to quietly observe how the situation unfolded.

“You, you’re Hans, right?”

“……”

Hans, not even replying.

Who on earth is that knight that he knows Hans?

Curiosity kept building up.

Furthermore, because of the feeling that he knew Hans, the wariness of our party members also eased slightly.

Clang!!

The knight opened the visor of Hans’s helmet.

Seeing Hans’s eyes inside the helmet, the knight immediately smiled.

“It is Hans. Long time no see.”

The knight immediately hugged Hans tightly.

We could only watch without saying a word.

*

The way to the safety zone after leaving the ice cave.

We slowly climbed the snow-covered mountain along the frozen valley.

The knight naturally joined us.

His overbearing and aloof attitude was gone, and he acted friendly like any explorer you might see.

His stiff way of speaking softened, and his body, which had moved rigidly almost like a machine, also relaxed a bit like a soldier nearing the end of his service.

I was a little flustered by the change, which was hard to adapt to.

Since even Hans kept his mouth shut, the conversation ended up being between Grace and me.

“Thank you for helping with the conflict.”

“It was nothing. If I had known you were Hans’s companions, I would have just taken your side.”

He seemed quite interested in us.

“I had no idea this guy would form a party and climb all the way to the 5th floor.”

“Ah, that’s right. If Mr. Ivan hadn’t specifically chosen him, he probably would have just stayed on floors 1-2.”

“Oh? As I thought, I always believed an explorer who recognized this guy’s true worth would appear someday. And he caught the eye of a wizard, no less?”

Pat, pat.

The knight approached Hans in a friendly manner, but Hans was laughing awkwardly and avoiding his gaze.

A moment of silence.

I immediately got to the point.

“By the way, what is your relationship?”

“Ah, Hans and I came here from the same town. It was about 3 years ago, I think. You know, the kind of story where young people with big dreams team up and come up to the Labyrinth City from the countryside.”

Hearing the knight’s words, I had a guess.

Blue Sun Clan.

Rain and her companions must have also come to the Labyrinth City with a similar feeling.

“In the Labyrinth City, you can easily get cards, but outside the city, it’s hard to even get white cards. If you go a certain distance away from the city center, they lose their power and disappear.”

“That’s the first I’ve heard of that. I was born and raised in the Labyrinth City.”

“That’s why young people from all sorts of towns across the continent gather in the Labyrinth City. I was an explorer too. An 8th-floor explorer, no less? It seems it’s been a little over a year since I became a knight.”

“I see.”

“But why are you out this far? As far as I know, knights stationed in the labyrinth stay in or near the safety zones.”

“This is near the safety zone, but more than that, it’s because of my hobby.”

Suddenly, the knight pulled something out from his pocket.

A map that seemed to depict the scenery of the 5th floor.

Of course, it wasn’t fully drawn yet.

But it was drawn quite meticulously.

To the extent that Grace, upon seeing it, let out an exclamation of admiration.

“Did you draw it yourself?”

“Of course. Being stuck on the 5th floor for half a year, I got bored.”

“This seems even better than most guides, though?”

“Haha, thanks.”

Seeing him happy from being praised for the map, it didn’t match the demeanor he showed earlier at all.

This is probably his true nature.

The knight laughed heartily and put the map back in his pocket.

Then, he approached Hans, who was looking at the distant mountains, and put his arm around his shoulder.

“When this kid was young, I saved him from falling into the river. He was really cute back then.”

“Things are different now.”

He approached friendly, but Hans still kept his mouth shut tightly.

But as if he wasn’t bothered by it, the knight said calmly.

“Are you still sulking?”

“…No.”

“Alright then.”

As we chatted like that, we somehow reached the peak of a small mountain.

I wondered where and how we would go from here.

The knight pointed his finger at one spot.

“See down there? The ice lake. The safety zone is there.”

“……Yes.”

The safety zone was barely visible even for Grace, who had good eyesight, concentrating with furrowed brows.

Of course, I couldn’t see it at all.

Because there was also a slight hazy mist floating around.

“If you slide down from here, you’ll arrive right away.”

“Huh?”

We looked at the knight with incredulous expressions.

Was it true that we were supposed to descend this place which looked almost like a cliff no matter how you looked at it, boasting such a slope?

Of course, I had skied a few times in modern times, but you’d need to be at least a professional for this, wouldn’t you?

“Surely a 5th-floor explorer can do at least this much.”

Thud.

The knight kicked Kairek with his foot and pushed him towards the cliff.

Roll, roll, roll.

Kairek rolling down so miserably.

As soon as they saw that, Grace and Hans also jumped down.

No matter what, you couldn’t go down without even getting into position.

I was also just helplessly watching, when.

“…Come into my arms.”

Luca, who had approached at some point, hugged me.

Held in Luca’s arms, we went down the snow-covered cliff.

Luca descended naturally as if skiing.

Grace also had no problems.

Hans was descending precariously.

I wondered if that wasn’t dangerous.

But the knight was sliding down right behind Hans, so I decided to just let it go.

Kairek, who went down first, was rolling, but thanks to his sturdy body, he was fine.

But the speed kept increasing.

“Will this be okay like this?”

“…I don’t know. But perhaps the knight had something in mind?”

As Luca said, I looked at the bottom of the cliff and saw a large pile of artificially accumulated snow.

It looked like it was clearly meant for you to go into there. They had even kindly broken branches to make an arrow.

“It’s safe if you go in there!!”

The knight shouted.

So, were we really forced to go into there?

I closed my eyes and accepted my fate.

Thud!!

Getting stuck in the snowpile didn’t feel as good as I thought it would.

I wasn’t badly hurt, but I couldn’t move due to the heavy weight of the snow.

Poof!!

Luca lifted my body.

Looking around, everyone’s expression wasn’t that great.

Except for one person, the knight.

“Everyone alright now? Hurry and follow me.”

Following his slightly light footsteps, we walked towards the ice lake visible ahead.

*

The appearance of the 5th floor safety zone could be described in a single phrase.

An island floating on an ice lake.

Unlike the warm lakes in the four directions of the 5th floor of the labyrinth, this was an ice lake that was frozen, allowing you to walk on it.

In its center, there was an island.

On that island, a small fortress had been built.

For insulation, cloths were wrapped around the exterior of the fortress.

The entrance was firmly closed, but as we walked towards it, the door opened.

The interior looked simple.

Unlike the relatively well-equipped safety zones seen on floors 1-3, the number of merchants was very small.

There were inns and various wooden buildings, but not very many.

The space inside the fortress was narrow to begin with.

“I’d say I made it quite well, but it’s lacking compared to the 3rd floor.”

The knight, whose tone had changed to that of a knight.

His attitude, which had been like a soldier nearing the end of his service, had completely disappeared, and a knight was born.

Seeing that gap, the party members awkwardly looked around.

“Here there are inns and a guild where explorers stay. There are other facilities as well, but it’s best not to expect too much. As you know, transporting supplies this far is impossible unless you have separate subspace, and the price is quite high.”

“Yes. Thank you for the advice.”

“The imperial family pays for all the inns here, so feel free to use them as much as you like. Consider it a privilege unique to mid-floor explorers.”

On the lower floor safety zones, the price was whatever they called out. Is the treatment really different from the mid-floors onwards?

“Ah, of course, it might be different from the upper floors. It varies depending on the personality of the knight staying in the safety zone above the 5th floor.”

I remember Karin, who was on the 1st floor, only stayed for a month.

It seems the higher the floor, the longer the knight stays, and accordingly, the safety zone also changes depending on the knight’s personality.

“You have to stay here for half a year, so it must be tough.”

“Well, that’s true. But it’s also somewhat fun. Seeing people who benefit from me makes me feel like I did well to become a knight.”

I immediately turned towards the inn.

But Hans was stopped on the way.

“Hans, you follow me.”

“……Yes.”

Hans followed the knight inside the fortress.

Unlike the somewhat excited knight, Hans was dispirited.

Seeing their contrasting appearances made me feel somewhat uneasy.

*

“Whoaaah.”

Grace throwing herself onto the bed.

Seeing her, I also unpacked my luggage.

Although they give rooms for free, they aren’t spacious enough for men and women to have separate rooms.

What’s provided is one 5-person room per party.

But it was a bit small to be called a 5-person room.

Roughly the size of a 3-person room.

Two beds and one sofa.

The beds weren’t big either, just enough for one person to lie down and sleep.

Since it was an inn in the labyrinth, I shouldn’t expect too much, but I couldn’t help but feel it was lacking compared to the 3rd floor.

“I’ll sleep on the floor!!!”

Kairek lay spread-eagled on the floor.

Since he usually sleeps well on the floor.

Isn’t there an saying like this?

It’s good to have a friend who likes chicken breast when you eat chicken.

Kairek is exactly that case.

Zzzzz.

Kairek fell asleep in less than 3 minutes.

It seems he had accumulated quite a bit of fatigue.

“Oh, it’s cold water, but water comes out!”

“…That’s good.”

Luca and Grace kindly went in to shower.

They hadn’t been able to wash for days, their hair was greasy and a mess, so they were naturally thrilled.

There were also adequate magic tools. Although the inn was small, it seemed to have everything it needed.

I also took off my clothes appropriately, drew back the curtain, and looked outside.

Just then, I could see the portal from the inn.

The portal located exactly in the center of the island.

Explorers were steadily entering towards it.

As I quietly looked around the area, I also saw familiar faces.

‘Isn’t that Kairek’s former party?’

Kairek’s former party members whom I had seen at the entrance to the Orc Holy Land on the 3rd floor.

Their name was surely Erika, wasn’t it?

They were chatting in front of the portal.

“…I thought they would have gone up faster than us.”

Well, as high-floor explorers, they might have moved leisurely, but.

While debating whether or not to wake Kairek.

Something flashed through my mind.

Senses rapidly expanding.

The mana around the fortress began to be read all at once.

However, it seemed this phenomenon wasn’t something only I was experiencing.

Because other things began to mix in with the expanding senses.

In fact, a man who seemed to be a wizard from Kairek’s former party was staring intently at the portal.

A change sensed only by wizards.

What on earth was happening?

The answer was simple.

Whoooosh!!!!

The portal in the center of the island began to shake.

And in an instant, the portal vanished.

*

I immediately took the party members who had finished getting ready to the central square where the portal was located.

Nothing was visible on the altar where the portal had originally been located.

The portal was gone.

Murmuring.

A noisy scene.

Countless explorers were exchanging all sorts of stories about the current situation.

But it seemed no correct answer emerged from any of them.

“What’s happening?”

Hans also spotted us and joined.

He seemed to want an answer from me, but I had no answer to give.

Because I didn’t know either.

“Silence, everyone!!!!”

Thump!! Thump!!

Amidst the chaotic situation, the knight order arrived, cutting through the crowd.

Unlike their light attire when we first met, they were fully armed.

What on earth had happened?

Unfortunately, the knight also couldn’t provide an answer.

“…What on earth is going on?”

Gasps erupted from around.

Since even the knight they trusted didn’t realize, the confusion spread even further.

Noisy, noisy.

Amidst the spreading confusion and despair.

Someone raised a finger towards the sky.

“Look, look at the sky for a moment!!!”

“The sun……, the sun is setting!!!”

The sky, which had been bright for days, began to rapidly turn black.

Darkness spreading like squid ink coloring clear water.

At the same time, darkness also began to settle inside the fortress.

“Light the torches!!!”

By the time they quickly lit the torches installed inside the safety zone. The sky was already stained black.

“What on earth is this. I knew about White Nights, but did something like this ever happen?”

Thump!!

The knight heavily stomped the floor, creating a shockwave.

“Is there anyone who can explain this phenomenon?!!”

Even though the knight spoke, no one could step forward.

If someone had known about it, wouldn’t they have stepped forward sooner?

Numerous people realized that the situation was developing unusually.

“What do we do?”

“For now, our only option is to leave the labyrinth at midnight.”

Everyone had the same thought.

Because the answer was to leave the labyrinth without unnecessarily taking risks.

But wasn’t it said that bad things come in succession?

Time passed, and even though it was midnight, the portal to leave the labyrinth did not open.

“…That doesn’t make sense.”

“On the 2nd floor, the portal was certainly created, though.”

On the 2nd floor, where the black mages acted and the witch appeared, the portal to leave was indeed created. Although they manipulated it to prevent people from leaving.

This time, it didn’t even generate at all.

Amidst the spreading despair.

Explorers continuously began entering the safety zone.

It was common sense for explorers to gather in the safety zone when an anomaly occurred in the labyrinth.

However, among the many explorers, no one knew about this phenomenon.

People waiting for the knight to reach a conclusion in the difficult situation.

“…Damn it.”

But then. The knight looked out far beyond the fortress and soon spotted a group of explorers.

And then he quickly went down and waited for them at the entrance.

Before long, a group of explorers, no, wizards, passed through the entrance of the fortress.

“Haha, it’s been a while. Lord Othlus.”

“Not at all. Blue School Head.”

The head of the Blue School of the Magic Tower.

He, who had been investigating the White Night, had returned to the fortress.

“Do you perhaps know what this situation is?”

When the knight asked politely, all eyes focused on the School Head.

He walked slowly without a word and headed towards where the portal to the upper floors had been.

Swish, swish.

After waving his staff a few times, he nodded as if he understood.

“It’s certain. This phenomenon is the Polar Night. It means eternal night.”

“Polar Night. Then why did this phenomenon occur?”

The School Head sighed, looked around, and then revealed a shocking truth.

“It seems the Red Skull Clan has been annihilated.”