Side Story 1. Empire Invasion

After a brief reunion with my family, I headed to the Adventurers’ Guild to announce my return.

Now that I’m back, I should at least report my safe return. That way, others will know I’ve come back.

“Excuse me. Uh, long time no see.”

“Huh? Wha-Shion?! Shioooon!”

When I awkwardly greeted the receptionist, she jumped in surprise, grabbed my hands, and started bouncing around excitedly.

But what was her name again? I’ve been in the labyrinth for so long that I forgot.

“When did you get back?! We hadn’t heard from you in over two years-we thought you were dead!”

“I just returned this morning.”

“Wow, wow, wow! I’ll go call the Guild Master right away!”

Leaving me at the counter, the receptionist dashed out of the guild building.

For some reason, Moira wasn’t at the guild but somewhere else. I remember her as someone who rarely left the guild. This is quite unusual.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been here too.’

Left alone for a moment, I looked around the Adventurers’ Guild, reminiscing about the past.

But the memories of my time here were hazy.

The past felt so distant that even the guild’s atmosphere seemed unfamiliar.

“Hey. You there.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Yeah, you. Are you new? I don’t recognize you.”

“New…?”

While I was looking around, an adventurer I’d never seen before approached me.

His face was scarred, and he looked like someone who’d seen his fair share of battles.

Could he be someone who arrived here in the last two years?

If he’d been in the Labyrinth City since before then, he’d definitely recognize me.

Seems like this guy is a newbie.

“What’s up?”

“My team’s looking for a porter. If you’re new, we can take you in. I may not look it, but I’m a Silver Rank adventurer. We’re heading down to the 6th Floor, and we need a porter.”

“The 6th Floor? Oh-ho.”

Thanks to me clearing up to the 7th Floor, even Silver Ranks can now descend to the 6th Floor.

Well, the 5th Floor is practically a safe zone now, and I heard the 6th and 7th Floors are the main farming spots. So, it makes sense for Silver Ranks to tackle the 6th Floor.

‘Hmm, while adventurers’ gear has improved, their actual combat skills might’ve been watered down.’

My goal in pioneering the labyrinth was to turn adventurers into soldiers rather than mere explorers.

Though, by the time we reached the 7th Floor, even that proved useless.

Either way, my method of conquering the labyrinth wasn’t about honing individual combat skills but rapidly strengthening the masses.

In short, I created an environment where good equipment and items were accessible, but it didn’t foster the growth of exceptionally strong adventurers.

Because I removed most of the trials from the labyrinth. Adventurers are supposed to grow stronger through hardship, but turning the labyrinth into a factory reduced those opportunities.

If they want real challenges now, they’d have to go to the 6th or 7th Floor.

“Sorry, but I’ve got a lot on my plate. I’ll have to decline.”

At my polite refusal, he nodded and returned to his seat.

Thankfully, he didn’t seem like a bad guy. He probably just wanted to help a newbie gain experience.

‘Sorry, but I’ve had enough of the labyrinth.’

More importantly, if I enter the labyrinth, my soul bound to the throne will react. Who knows how the labyrinth might try to drag me back down to the 9th Floor?

It’s better not to go in. If I want to live long in this state.

“Oooh! Shion?! Ooooh!”

“Ahh! W-Wait-!”

While I was idly browsing the guild’s bulletin board, someone suddenly tackled me from behind.

A massive, furry mass hugged me tightly, nearly crushing me. Could it be-?

“Horaru?”

“Unn. Long time no see. I don’t even know how many years it’s been. You’re alive.”

The one who hugged me from behind was Horaru, a female bear beastkin with thick fur.

She held me for a long time, sniffing me, then licked her honey-stained lips and nodded.

“Unn unn. Good. Welcome back.”

“Thank you for the warm welcome.”

“I’m so happy to see you again after so long. Let’s go into the labyrinth together sometime. I’ll buy you some mead next time.”

“Sure. Let’s do that.”

“Unn. Good. I’ve got plans now, so let’s talk later.”

With a promise to grab drinks sometime, Horaru headed back to her party’s table. I might not be able to enter the labyrinth with her, but drinks are fine.

By the way, is Horaru still single? If she hasn’t found a partner in two years, that’s kind of sad.

“Shioooon!”

“Moira!”

After seeing Horaru off, I was killing time when the guild’s entrance burst open, and a heavily drunk Moira stumbled in.

I can’t even remember the last time I saw her face. Moira looked exactly the same as before. Still beautiful. I guess this is what it means to never age.

“I’m so glad. So glad you’re alive. After I sent you off… Ugh. You have no idea how hard it was.”

“Ah, Guild Master. If you act like this here-”

“Hwaaaah…”

Moira clung to me, tears streaming down her face.

Seems like she had a rough two years. She didn’t used to be like this.

In the two years I was gone, Moira must’ve completely broken down.

“Let’s talk in your office. Everyone’s staring.”

“Yeah. Let’s. Hic. Let’s go upstairs and talk.”

Since the adventurers in the guild were staring, I quickly carried her upstairs to the second floor.

---

“Sorry. I made a fool of myself.”

“Don’t worry about it. It happens.”

Moira, who had already sobered up using mana, rubbed her temples and apologized.

Well, people cry when they’re drunk. I don’t mind.

“So, I’ve heard bits and pieces. You wandered the abyss of the 8th Floor for an incredibly long time. Rafnel told me.”

“Yeah. I drifted around for quite a while.”

“How long were you lost in the labyrinth?”

“Hmm. It’s hard to put into words. That’s why I thought I’d share my memories with you.”

“Share memories? Is that possible?”

“I’ve lived long enough. I’m probably better at magic than most Tower Masters now.”

“…Huh.”

I spent nearly 50 years drifting in the abyss of the 8th Floor. During that time, I learned magic from Helena.

I’ve reached the pinnacle as a mage. I also never stopped honing my swordsmanship, so with just one sword, I could probably topple an empire.

Unintentionally, I’ve become the strongest in this world.

“Here, I’ve condensed the memories as much as possible, so it shouldn’t be too overwhelming. But you might still feel dizzy or nauseous, so be careful.”

“What kind of memories are these…?”

The fragmented memories of an eternity.

I projected a summarized version into Moira’s mind.

For a long time afterward, she sat in silence, her expression complicated.

“…You’ve become a completely different person from the Shion I knew.”

“Well, yeah. You can think of me as acting as Shion to minimize the sense of disconnect.”

“What do the others say?”

“They still treat me as Shion.”

“What about you? Do you still think of yourself as Shion?”

“Honestly, the ‘Shion’ part of me is almost gone. But since everyone still sees me as Shion, I’ll keep living as him.”

“I see. To go through an identity crisis after all that time… Come here!”

“Ghk?!”

Moira pulled me into a tight embrace, burying my face in her chest.

It was hard to breathe with my face pressed between her breasts.

“You’ve suffered. You’ve really suffered. You saved all of us.”

“Ugh.”

“There, there. You can act spoiled if you want. Think of me as your mother. Even though you’re much older than me now. No matter how old you get, you’ll always need a mom. Go on, call me ‘Mama’ while crying.”

“Th-That’s not-”

Still holding me, Moira pushed me down onto the sofa.

“You must’ve been so lonely all that time. It breaks my heart. I feel like crying again. Come on, cry in Mama’s arms.”

“Wait, I can’t just cry on command-”

Moira didn’t seem interested in listening to my protests.

She seemed perfectly content just knowing I was back, lying on top of me like a blanket.

“Do you remember what I said? That I’d kill you if you made me a widow?”

“Yeah. For some reason, that one sentence stuck with me.”

“Good. I’m glad. You came back safely. Thank you for staying alive. That’s enough for me.”

“Really? Is that really enough?”

“Yeah. That’s enough.”

“You’re lying. Something’s wrong with the city, isn’t it? My return alone won’t solve all your worries, will it?”

“……”

The piles of documents stacked high in Moira’s office.

The high-quality parchment.

The letters about international affairs I left in the Executor’s Stone Coffin.

And the suspicious notices on the guild’s bulletin board.

“We’re on the brink of war, aren’t we? The Empire’s picking a fight, right? That thing on your desk-isn’t that an imperial decree demanding surrender?”

“You’re sharp.”

“Well, with all these clues, it’s hard not to notice.”

Moira stared at me for a moment, then kissed my cheek.

“You were always quick-witted. Well, since you’ve figured it out, I might as well tell you. There’s a high chance the Empire will declare war within a month.”

“Is the city in real danger?”

“Honestly, they won’t be able to reach the city immediately. Not with me here.”

Moira can’t enter the labyrinth due to assimilation, but her combat prowess is absurdly high.

So, penetrating the city itself would be difficult for them.

“The real problem is that the Empire has found ruins similar to the labyrinth after exploring uncharted lands.”

“Ruins like the labyrinth?”

“Yeah. Rumor has it it’s a five-floor ruin filled with ancient relics.”

Like a “Human Clone Cultivator” for mass-producing soldiers or an Over Mind created by linking soldiers’ brains.

“Wait, they have those?”

“Yeah. And the Empire’s magic engineering has merged with ancient bioengineering, creating bizarre monsters lurking near the border. Seems like they’re out for revenge after we took the elves and beastkin.”

“Ah.”

Originally, the elves and beastkin were under the Empire’s rule.

They fled en masse from the Empire’s oppression and tyranny, and the Labyrinth City became their refuge.

After I gave them the 7th Floor, the elves and beastkin now live under the World Tree.

“From the Empire’s perspective, they lost a vital resource. They’ve probably planned to wipe out the Labyrinth City.”

“That’s dangerous.”

“They’ve formed something called the Imperial Capital’s 12th Division and are causing chaos. With so many Empire-born adventurers defecting, they can’t close the manpower gap. Adventurers from other nations are also fleeing at the news of war. We’re cornered in many ways.”

“Huh.”

“Worse, they say they can mass-produce Platinum Ranks using the Human Clone Cultivator. If that’s not just a rumor…”

That meant things were even more dangerous than I thought.

“Well, don’t worry too much.”

Of course, the Labyrinth City is only in danger when I’m not around.

“This is the home I fought to protect. I won’t let some bugs lay a finger on it.”

After crawling out from the labyrinth’s depths, some pests are eyeing my land.

Naturally, I’ll have to punish them.

Platinum Ranks? To the current me, they’re nothing but a joke.