The Thief King’s Labyrinth #2

 

Four adventurers advanced through the dark cave.

At the forefront is Dredd, an expert in labyrinth exploration.

Right behind him is warrior Rodri.

The priest Windy and the sorceress Stella follow in the rear.

This is the standard formation to take when moving in a single file through a narrow hallway.

“stop.”

Dread raised one hand.

Dread lowered his posture, wary of something unseen.

Then, as if doing a pantomime, he waved the dagger in the air for a while.

“Is it a trap?”

“Oh. That’s clever. They laid down thick, visible threads, and then hidden transparent threads underneath. If you touch them, poison arrows will rain down from all directions, from the ceiling, walls, and floor.”

Dread said, aiming his dagger at a point in the air.

Rodri narrowed his eyes and glared at the spot Dread was pointing at.

It seems like there is a thread, but it is not visible to the naked eye.

Even if he hadn’t let his guard down, Rodri would have been caught in a trap and killed in an instant if he had been alone.

“As expected, it’s a trap set by the Thief King. Two kinds of thread⋯.”

“Who said there were two types? There are three. The first two are for illusive purposes, and the one lying around my ankles is the real thing.”

Dread smiled, as if he found it amusing. But his eyes weren’t smiling.

“This is truly vicious. It’s truly Akasha. Every single trap is oozing with thick malice. Hey, everyone! When you pass, imitate my stance. If you don’t, you’ll end up on the arrows.”

Dread jumped over the rope in a strange posture, his back bent and one leg extended forward.

It was a stupid-looking pose, but no one laughed.

If you make a mistake, you will be hit by a poisoned arrow and will no longer be human.

“What the heck.”

Rodrigo followed Dredd through the thread.

Next is Stella.

Perhaps because she was small, Stella was able to pass through the trap with relative ease.

And finally, the priest Windy lifted his leg.

Swish.

For a fleeting moment, a chill ran down the back of Rodri’s neck.

My body reacted before I could even think about it.

Rodri immediately drew the longsword hanging from his waist.

Fuchs—!

Arrows that had been hidden in the wall like hedgehog quills were fired all at once.

Rodri, who reacted quickly, cut down more than ten arrows with a single sword, but he was unable to block them all.

‘Wrong. I’m dying.’

The moment I was about to close my eyes, sensing a shock piercing through my entire body.

Rodrigo opened his eyes slightly.

“This is⋯.”

All the flying arrows were frozen in midair. It was as if someone had stopped time.

He stared blankly at the arrowhead, its venom glistening before his eyes, and then turned to look at Stella.

“Oh, thank you. Thanks to you, I survived.”

A surge of magical power surged like a calm wave. Stella was the only one in the party capable of handling such magical power.

More than that, how can we explain the technique of capturing and holding dozens of arrows in such a short moment?

As a rodrigo, it felt like I was witnessing a glimpse of a talent whose end was hard to fathom.

“Huh, I heard your specialty is telekinesis. You’re truly amazing.”

Dread said, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead.

Stella didn’t show off her talents, just nodded. Perhaps the performance wasn’t enough to make a fuss about it.

“Hey, be careful!”

Dread raised his voice. Windy shrugged.

A single mistake nearly wiped out the party. Even if they cursed at me, I couldn’t say anything.

“I’m sorry… This is the first time I’ve encountered a trap like this… I’ll be really careful from now on.”

“Your first time? Are you lying now? This is the sixth time I’ve seen you fall for a trap?”

“Six times? No! I-I didn’t step on it that many times!”

Windy protested as if it was unfair.

Whose words were true? Rodri’s memory was once again in disarray.

‘Damn, I remember again⋯.’

Rodrigo clutched his forehead.

***

Soon, it was time for the next break.

This time, Stella approached Rodri first.

“How are you feeling?”

“Body? Me? I’m fine. A little tired, but I’m not hurt.”

“You were putting your hand on your head earlier. And your expression didn’t look good.”

“That, that is⋯.”

Stella stared intently into Rodri’s eyes.

Rodri felt uncomfortable with that gaze, which seemed to clearly see into his heart.

“You seem to have noticed something strange, don’t you?”

“What happened⋯?”

“At least you have strong willpower, so you seem to be able to resist to some extent. Those two are completely oblivious to anything.”

Stella nodded at Windy and Dredd.

Stella lowered her voice and whispered.

“Didn’t Dread say that earlier? Windy got caught in the trap six times.”

“Ah, that’s right. What the hell happened? Who’s telling the truth?”

Rodrigo also whispered softly.

Could it be that this girl already knew the truth that Rodri didn’t know?

“To be precise.”

Stella continued.

“Windy has been caught in the poison arrow trap sixty-five times so far.”

Rodrigo’s mouth fell open.

I didn’t know how to react.

Is this a joke? Is this kid just trying to be funny?

This is absolutely ridiculous⋯.

However, Rodrigo could not immediately refute the claim.

“You look like you have something on your mind.”

Stella said, looking closely at Rodri’s face.

“I’ll explain what the anomaly is. Oh, but before that, maybe you should get some background information. This labyrinth.”

Rodri just nodded blankly.

“Akasha, a member of the warrior party, decided to build a labyrinth to protect the treasures she’d collected throughout her life. She immediately embarked on a grand project, remodeling the ancient labyrinth and turning its interior into a hellish trap. This is the story that has become known to the world.”

It was a story Rodrigo also knew. Was there another truth he didn’t know?

“And here’s the backstory—Akasha eventually went mad and died in the labyrinth. Of course. Even in the original game, she was a tough party member to handle, even though she was strong. You had to manage her condition and mental health every day to keep her in check, but there’s no way Michael would have done that— Oh, sorry. Forget about that. That’s a different story.”

⋯Game?

It was a story that Rodrigo found difficult to understand. It seemed to be a reference to some magic he was unfamiliar with.

More than that, the story of Akasha’s death was shocking.

‘How does Stella know that?’

I wanted to ask where the information came from, but hearing about the incident took priority.

“So—where did I leave off? Akasha, unable to let go of her obsession even after death, became a mad ghost, wandering the labyrinth. She herself became the curse that guarded the labyrinth.”

“Curse… then….”

“Yes. This phenomenon of being trapped in a labyrinth and repeating the same situation countless times is also caused by Akasha’s ghost.”

Rodri felt a sense of relief.

It was fortunate that Rodri wasn’t the only one experiencing this phenomenon of memories becoming hazy and circling around in the same situations like a hamster wheel.

Moreover, the capable magician Stella is also by Rodri’s side.

Rodri doesn’t know how to escape, but Stella must know a way somehow.

“But, you see. This curse doesn’t end here. Let me ask you a question. How many people are in our party that entered the labyrinth?”

Stella said, holding up her index finger.

“Of course there are four.”

Rodri himself, Stella, Windy and Dread⋯.

Even a child can count to this extent.

Stella smiled bitterly.

“Four? Yeah. I think so too.”

“Is that question important?”

“I just realized it. Well, you see—there were actually three of us when we first entered the labyrinth.”

I felt dazed as if I had been hit in the head with a hammer.

Rodri looked back at the party members.

That can’t be. No matter how many times I checked, it was me, Stella, Windy, and Dread. It was definitely four.

Then how do we explain the extra person?

“At some point, there were four of us. While we were wandering amidst the recurring curse, the ghost of Akasha entered our party.”

Stella explained in front of her students like a professor giving an easy-to-understand lecture.

She’s in a similar predicament. Why is she so calm, as if she’s talking about someone else’s business?

I remembered that Rodrigo had a strong mentality and noticed the strangeness of the situation.

Stella may have even been more mentally resilient than Rodri. That’s probably why she figured out the cause of the anomaly.

“I think if we find out who Akasha’s ghost is, the curse will probably be lifted.”

“I see⋯.”

“Of course, it won’t be easy. As you can see, Akasha has abandoned her original form and is disguising herself as a third person.”

“If it’s a disguise, wouldn’t we be able to inform everyone and confirm the situation? Even if it’s a bit rough, we could investigate the wig or skin makeup—”

“I think that will be difficult.”

Stella shook her head.

“Akasha’s disguise is no ordinary technique. It’s not a disguise that covers the skin, but the soul. Why would he be called the Thief King? It’s impossible to reveal it by examining his appearance.”

“Then how do I find it?”

“We have no choice but to find undeniable evidence and press on. Akasha will likely try to intervene in our party and eliminate us one by one, taking advantage of any opportunity. We must seize that moment.”

One of them is a murderer disguised as the ghost of the thief king Akasha⋯.

My heart sank as if a heavy stone had fallen on me.

I don’t even know when it got mixed in.

I don’t even know who he is disguising himself as.

When everyone lets their guard down, Akasha will finally reveal herself from the shadows.

“I want to save everyone, but honestly, I’m not confident. I’ll try, but… For now, at least try to live as long as you can. It’s your own fault, not someone else’s.”

Stella finished the story.