The Thief King’s Labyrinth #1

 

‘This is-’

The human inspector, Rodri, suddenly came to his senses.

‘What was I doing here?’

My head was spinning.

Like the morning after a night of heavy drinking and blacking out, my memory had vanished at some point.

A strong sense of anxiety washed over me.

The most fundamental fear of any intelligent being: the loss of self.

The country that thinks and perceives will disappear forever.

I was scared.

Like a rock worn away by the winds of time, my memories will gradually fade away, and at some point, I won’t even know who I am.

Rodrigo shook his head vigorously.

‘No, I don’t know why, but it’s just a temporary phenomenon.’

Rodri took a deep breath, trying to calm his mind.

Fortunately, his memory gradually returned.

Human Inspector Rodri, S-rank adventurer.

Yes. S-rank. Rodri was a capable veteran with numerous accomplishments in the Adventurer’s Guild.

Once I opened the floodgates of my memories, the rest came flowing out smoothly.

‘I was exploring an underground labyrinth.’

The Demon King’s Labyrinth.

It is a place notorious for its brutal exploration difficulty.

Suddenly my vision broadened.

Only then did Rodri’s surrounding scenery come into view.

The shadow of a flickering torch. A dark maze of caves where dust floats.

The party members who had gathered for this expedition were also seen.

Windy, the scared squirrel-like priest.

Dread, a thief with sunken cheeks who gives off a nervous impression.

Stella, the enigmatic sorceress wearing a hooded cloak.

And Inspector Rodrigo.

Except for the A-rank priest Windy, all adventurers are S-rank. This is proof of the high difficulty of this expedition.

“So far, it’s been easy. There haven’t been any major crises, and I haven’t encountered any significant obstacles.”

Rodri silently reflected on his current situation.

I still don’t know why my memory suddenly disappeared. Maybe it was because I was tired.

Or…

“It’s written in ancient language.”

Stella said in a clear voice like falling glass beads.

A small and slender figure. The face occasionally glimpsed through the hood was as delicate as a doll made by a master craftsman.

Although she is covered with a cloak, it is not difficult to tell that she is a girl.

And the fact that she is a very cute girl.

Where did that girl come from?

Rodrigo had no memory of her either.

Windy spoke to Stella.

“Can you read it?”

“Yeah. It’s written about the underground labyrinth. When it was first built, how long it took to build, etc… I’ll skip over the unimportant details.”

Stella brushed the dust off the wall with her hand and deciphered the ancient inscriptions.

It’s truly a vast amount of knowledge.

Are all wizards that knowledgeable? Rodri silently watched Stella’s back.

“Oh, my. This place is cursed. It was cast upon everyone the moment they first set foot in the labyrinth, and there’s no way to break it. Only death can free us.”

“What? You’re saying that it can only be solved by dying?”

Rodrigo’s voice trembled.

The crowd stirred and exchanged anxious glances.

What a curse.

Is it because of the curse that my memories of the past are unclear and my mind is clouded as if covered in fog?

“Why are you acting like amateurs? It’s not uncommon to scare uninvited guests with curses and such in ancient tombs like this. Don’t be afraid.”

The thief Dread blurted out cynically.

“Aren’t you being too optimistic? It’s the curse of the Great Labyrinth—”

“What else are we supposed to do? They said I was already hit the moment I set foot on it. I don’t even know what that damn curse is. Even if I tried to deal with it, I don’t have the information right now.”

Rodrigo remained silent, at a loss for words.

Clearly, Dread is more of a specialist than Rodri in exploring these ancient tombs.

Rodri was confident that he could outperform anyone in combat or as an escort, but he had no knowledge of curses or anything like that.

‘I guess there’s nothing I can do.’

They felt uneasy, but decided to move on.

‘But I don’t like that guy, Dread.’

Rodrigo glared at the side of Dread’s face, which was covered in grayish calluses.

Then my head felt dizzy as if there was noise.

His vision darkened, and Rodri quickly sank into his inner world as if he were fainting.

I see and hear something.

Cloudy shapes were writhing and swaying, conversing about something.

—Even if you’re cursed, it’s not the worst situation considering the current situation.

—What does that mean?

—That makes sense. Nobody’s dead yet, is it? Am I wrong? If anyone’s dead, raise your hand. Hehe.

From beyond the memory, the voices of Dread and Windy flowed out.

Is it a fantasy?

While Rodri was panicking, he had already returned to reality.

None of the surrounding party members noticed his change.

Dread looked back at the party members and smirked.

“⋯If you just look at the current situation, it’s not the worst.”

“What does that mean?”

Windy tilted her head.

“⋯Am I wrong? If there’s anyone dead, raise your hand.”

Dread raised his hand teasingly with a mischievous smile.

Rodrigo’s eyes widened.

A strong sense of foreboding. This conversation was identical to the fantasy he’d just recalled.

‘What the heck is this⋯?’

Did you foresee the future a few seconds later?

no.

It didn’t feel like that.

Not that I foresaw it, but a little further back in time⋯

It feels like being drawn from the bottom of a deep well.

“This isn’t the future… this is my past. I’ve had this same conversation before. Over and over again—so… I already knew. It would happen again.”

It felt like I was in a dream from which I couldn’t wake up.

My heart felt cold.

‘How many times have I been repeating this situation?’

His legs gave out and he stumbled. Rodri barely managed to hold himself up by leaning against the wall.

***

The ancient labyrinth was a place where the same scenery was repeated over and over again.

Well, it wasn’t a tourist attraction in the first place, so they probably didn’t have different themed attractions on each floor.

In fact, it’s the opposite. You’re in a position where you have to kick out the customer.

The repetition of the same indoor structure will be excellent in numbing the mind of an intruder and disrupting their concentration.

Dredd, who is an expert at exploring labyrinths, guessed that this labyrinth was probably in the shape of an inverted pyramid that went underground.

As you go down, the width of the layers is clearly decreasing, although it is subtle, so it is said that you will eventually reach the lowest point.

“Let’s take a break here.”

Since no one objected, they decided to take a short break.

As expected of S-rank adventurers, they all took care of their own work without being told to do so.

Dredd set up alarms and traps around the rest area, while Windy restored the party’s fatigue.

Rodri trained his tools and polished his weapons for battle.

The oiled axe blade reflected the light of the torch and sparkled.

As I was turning it around to check if there was anything missing, I saw Stella’s face staring blankly in this direction.

“You said you were a wizard of the Ice School, right? Your specialties are telekinesis and the Frost Sword.”

Rodrigo spoke first.

He may look young, but he is still an S-rank adventurer.

It must have been a force that could never be ignored.

Rodri was always filled with awe whenever he encountered a wizard. Perhaps it was because magic, beyond the world of muscle and weapons, was a realm he was unaware of.

During the break, Rodrigo and Stella chatted about various things to pass the time.

‘Stella. I think I’ve heard of it.’

There have been several adventurers who have become famous recently.

They are new faces who have been active for a short period of time but have built up a lot of achievements in a short period of time, and I remember Stella being one of them.

However, it is rare to see a rookie who has risen to the S rank.

‘The name is probably a pseudonym.’

Adventurers do not easily reveal their true names to others.

It’s a world of magic and curses. There are sorcerers who will cast curses on you just by knowing your true name, so you can’t let your guard down for even a moment.

Rodri was the same. Rodri’s real name is Rosen, but only close friends know this.

Stella probably has a real name, too. Rodri probably won’t have a chance to find out during this expedition, though.

“You’re looking for treasure, Stella?”

“huh.”

“Just like me. I came to this labyrinth in search of gold and jewels.”

The master of “The Thief King’s Labyrinth” is the famous Thief King Akasha.

A legendary female thief and one of Michael’s colleagues.

It is said that the precious treasures that Akasha collected throughout his life are buried here.

However, no one has ever come out of the labyrinth with even a single gold coin.

That can’t be helped.

A good thief is not only a skilled thief, but also a master of traps and devices.

This labyrinth, befitting its owner, Akasha’s name, was covered with numerous traps and did not allow outside plunder.

“Stella, what are you aiming for?”

Instead of answering, Stella simply twirled her smooth silver hair with her fingers.

It’s only natural that you don’t fully trust Rodrigo yet.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to reveal anything. I don’t intend to force you to answer.”

“⋯No, it’s okay. I’m looking for India’s walking stick.”

“Indian walking stick?”

This is an artifact that even Rodrigo has heard of.

Of course, I’m not talking about the real world outside of “Nine Stars,” the Republic of India, famous for its curry and 1.4 billion people.

The staff of guidance.

A magical device that allows you to find anything, whether it’s a person or a place, by using the staff.

“Hoo. So that artifact is in this labyrinth? I’ve never heard of it before.”

“According to my information.”

“Surely, if it’s an artifact of that level, it’s worth taking the risk and going for it… But what are you looking for that you need the staff of India for?”

Speaking, Rodrigo felt like he was going to die.

Did I ask too thoughtlessly? My curiosity got the better of me and I did something unbecoming of an S-rank adventurer.

Although you are a party member, you do not need to share all information with each other.

A relationship based on mutual interest, where people come together and separate according to their own goals.

Whether Stella was selling the Indian cane at the auction, looking for people, or making soup, it was none of Rodri’s business.

“To find the castle of the vampire queen, Camula.”

However, Stella answered immediately without showing any sign of displeasure.

It was surprising. Contrary to his first impression of being unapproachable, he was actually more honest than I expected.

Rodrigo naturally developed a liking for Stella.

“Huh, Kamula’s castle… Indeed. It would be hard to find without using the Indian staff.”

“Then I’ll ask you again. What can I do to find Camula’s last name?” Right?

Stella smiled faintly, the corners of her lips tilting.

Rodrigo also laughed.

“Okay, okay. Enough questions. I hope you find the staff of India.”

“Thank you. I hope you make a lot of money too.”

“Hmm. I hope we can achieve our goals without a hitch.”

The short break is over.

Rodri quickly finished getting ready without saying a word and got up.

After several days of exploring the labyrinth, my body was getting tired, but I was still able to hold out.

However, there was something else that was bothering Rodri.

An ominous feeling that this whole situation, this whole conversation, might be repeating itself endlessly like a hamster wheel.

Even the conversation I had with Stella just now.