episode_0079

300 years ago, when the labyrinth was open, heretics would have entered here and hidden themselves.

There would be no place safer for them than a labyrinth.

“Are all the heretics’ assets buried in the labyrinth?”

“Yes. So discovering the altar of the evil god may not be such a bad thing.”

Of course, it’s good for me too.

Wouldn’t it be better if I discovered the altar to the evil spirit and took care of it cleanly rather than having someone else discover it and cause trouble?

“Actually, everyone is feeling uneasy after meeting the altar twice. I think it would be nice if Priest Arthur told the group that. What do you think?”

Just seeing the altar to the evil spirits is enough to make you feel bad.

“If necessary, I will do so.”

This is not meant to be a rough approximation of the current situation.

Unfortunately, just as the bad guys ate well and lived well, the heretics also made money by doing bad things.

The reason it was not made widely known was to prevent it from being led astray by heretics out of foolish desire.

Now that we have heard the details of the altar of the evil spirit, at least none of our party will sympathize with the actions of the heretics.

* * *

Since information about heretics was strictly blocked by the Church, the group listened attentively to what I was saying.

“Oh my, this is the place where the heretics were hiding because there were so many traces found along this road. Now I understand.”

“But isn’t it strange that heretics wander around here without being caught, when the road is so open?”

“That happened 300 years ago. The terrain changes every three months, so how could it be any different here?”

“I suspect so too. This path was probably hidden 300 years ago. It must have changed as the terrain changed.”

No one knows what happened inside the labyrinth when it was sealed for 300 years.

So, I needed to think about various things and believe that anything was possible.

“Anyway, everyone should stop complaining now. Surely no one would want to go back even though this path has a higher chance of success than the other path?”

“I wish there was good equipment, but it’s unpleasant to think that it’s something that heretics used. It’s difficult.”

It seemed that the commoners wanted money, while the nobles wanted special items.

I don’t think you’re convinced of the sincerity of my words yet, but once you check it out for yourself, your confidence will naturally increase.

Perhaps, my eyes would have been gleaming, searching for traces of heretics from the past.

After we had cleaned up the traces of the altar to the evil god, we set off again.

Everyone was keeping a close eye on their surroundings, perhaps because they had heard that this might be the road where heretics lived.

Because he would call me first whenever he found a suspicious place, the cumbersome situation of having to go around here and there continued.

But I never complained, and whenever I was called, I ran as fast as I could to find any trace of the heretics.

“I don’t think so.”

“Oh my, I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would be a failure again. I thought it would be exactly the same for everyone.”

He scratched the back of his head and said hurriedly, looking apologetic as if he was sorry for continuing to fail.

“It’s okay. You’re doing great right now. If something seems suspicious, you should call me right away. If you touch the real traces after thinking about me, it’ll be even worse. It’ll be much harder to clean up after that.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was going to call that person, but it’s not easy to talk to him.”

I guess it was easier to call myself than to call Sister Melody, so I was the one who was called often.

“Please call me again next time. Don’t be sorry. I’m calling you to do what I have to do, so there’s no reason to be sorry. If there’s even a little possibility, it’s my job to check it out.”

You should never feel pressured to call me.

What if I just pass it over because it’s annoying and it turns out to be the property of a heretic?

A moment of carelessness can lead to a big problem.

I have repeatedly told people who feel sorry not to pass over even trivial items lightly.

And the repeated requests worked.

“I wonder if this is right. It’s a really old piece of paper. I was going to ignore it, but I remembered what the priest said.”

“Paper? I’ll take a look.”

“It’s extremely old and torn.”

It’s a face that looks like it’s hesitating whether it’s really okay to call it something like that.

After checking the paper, I sighed deeply and said.

“You did a great job.”

“It’s nothing, right?”

“No, it’s the heretic’s stuff.”

“!!”

“This is something that needs to be submitted to the church. Once the content is confirmed, compensation will probably be issued. I will tell you separately later.”

“, is it true?”

The man seemed to know that reporting something related to heretics would result in a hefty reward.

“Yes. I will ask you to do so again next time. This is a place that requires such meticulous attention. Thanks to you, I can feel at ease.”

“Haha! Don’t worry. I’ll find them all and show them to the priest!”

Everyone felt encouraged as a success story finally emerged.

The labyrinth exploration continued, with encounters with monsters, fights, and searching the surroundings.

Everyone seemed to have gotten used to it and was moving around quickly.

Meanwhile.

“Huh? What is that?”

To our surprise, we discovered a giant ice castle.

“Looks like we found the right place!”

Anyone who looks at it can feel that there is something inside.

This is a place where you can be sure that if you conquer that castle, you will hit the jackpot.

“It seems like no one is here. It’s not like there are no traces, but they are traces that were created a long time ago.”

“I don’t think you can conquer that in a day or two. You’ll need to slowly conquer it for at least a few days.”

“Yeah. The castle is really big. It must be full of monsters inside.”

We decided to set up camp in earnest near a place where we could watch the castle.

After discussion between the leader and Princess Rasiel, they decided to build a temporary camp nearby.

An ominous atmosphere was flowing out of the castle.

“We should send out reconnaissance… .”

Two large ice golems in front of the gate.

“Leader, that ice golem. It’s not for decoration, is it? If you get close, will it move?”

Stone golems are a disaster for common mercenaries.

It looked like it had no black spots and would not budge from most attacks.

“The best way is to knock the golem down with overwhelming ‘force’.”

“Yes, the most important thing is to knock them down. Then you can beat them together.”

I don’t think I ever thought of a golem as a scary thing.

Normally, monsters like orcs and ogres are scary just hearing their names, but things like stone golems don’t have that threatening an image.

But anyone who has seen the golem with their own eyes would never think that way.

‘The golem’s size is no joke.’

I must never ignore the golem again.

“You have to hit the dagger to make it unable to move… .”

“How do I knock that down?”

“If you swing your sword at that guy, doesn’t it feel like poking him with a toothpick?”

“Strong firepower is required.”

At the mention of strong firepower, everyone’s eyes turned to the two.

They were people who had not been active in battles until now.

Yet no one complained to them.

because….

“Isn’t that why I came here?”

“Just knocking down a golem. I can do it for you if you ask me.”

That’s because those two people were ‘wizards’ with advanced abilities.

Priests are high-level ability users, but magicians are also high-level personnel who are no joke.

The reason they haven’t used their abilities until now is because they wanted to use them in moments like this.

“Wow, that’s so cool.”

Someone’s small muttering rang out at the very moment when everything had suddenly become quiet.

“Phuhut!”

There was an outburst of laughter.

The wizards who heard the praise openly were also smiling, as if they were not offended.

“Let’s get ready!”

Now that a surefire way to deal with the golem had been established, everyone began to set up base camp with ease.

* * *

After I finished pitching my tent, time flew by.

We got some snacks from where they were preparing the meal and were eating them in front of the campfire when Sister Melody approached us.

I gave her some snacks and was taking a break while quietly looking at the campfire when something suddenly occurred to me and I asked.

“Are there any traces of heretics left inside?”

“It will definitely remain. The reason the heretics moved was because of that castle.”

“There must be another path leading this way. Who on earth would build a castle like that in a labyrinth? It feels ominous. I have a feeling a lot of things are going to happen in there. You should prepare yourself well.”

“Yes, I will prepare it.”

Because I trusted Sister Melody, I was able to endure the unknown anxiety that came over me.

After eating a snack, we made a makeshift prayer room.

This time, it was a prayer room that I made just for me, not for other people.

It was a prayer to calm the anxiety that would not go away in my heart.

‘When times are tough, it’s best to lean on Him.’

There was an abundance of things to pray about.

First of all, we prayed that He would look down on us, that no great misfortune would come upon our group, and that if there were any unclean things in the city, they would safely return to His embrace.

If you have sinned, you must pay the price, repent, and be born again.

‘How many lives are trapped in this labyrinth?’

I thought I knew why he had been paying special attention to me in the labyrinth.

Isn’t it His wish to save the lives of those suffering here?

Of course, I don’t think it makes sense for me to guess what he means.

However, I felt like I had a vague idea of ​​what I should do going forward.