Chapter 2: 1

Second First Meeting

I, the Dark Knight Alba, once again headed down the profound labyrinth with my two allies. In order to accomplish my dream of owning my own home in the capital, as well as to save the entire Goldo Empire by defeating the Devil God of Demise that is sealed away in the deepest floor of this dungeon, I can’t skip out on today’s share of work!

“Alba-sama, it’s over here.”

We went down the long set of stairs to reach the first floor, when my team member Rufa, the 7th princess of the Empire, as well as an elf magician, pointed at a stone wall next to the stairs.

“Please offer your medal here.”

I did as I was told, showing the white medal I’d received after defeating the guardian of the 1st floor, Slothful Sloth. Through that, the wall ahead of us vanished into a burst of particles, revealing a narrow path.

“I’ve heard about this before, but it truly is a mysterious mechanic.”

The red-headed dwarf warrior Garnet commented as she caressed the beard attached to her chin. She couldn’t be blamed for that, as it even took me by surprise. I wonder how that even works? As I tilted my head in confusion, Rufa gave me an explanation.

“Just as the magic stones of this labyrinth, the walls are objects created of mana. That is why they can appear and disappear like this, and they rebuild themselves after being destroyed.

I see. It looks like your regular stone wall, but they turned out to be lumps of mana. But, wait…Doesn’t this mean we could get an endless amount of magic stones by destroying the walls?! I thought I cracked the code, but Garnet rammed her face into me.

“If we could do that, everybody in this country would be rich.”

As I was groaning in pain, I went to test that theory and sliced through a small part of the wall with my greatsword. As a result, bricks of the stone wall fell to the ground and quickly scattered into a faint light, disappearing.

“As you can see, we can’t take these home.”

“The walls aren’t as dense as magic stones, making them unstable.”

I dropped my shoulders in defeat as I listened to Rufa’s explanation. It’s a real shame, I thought I came up with something good. Then again, honest and hard labor would always pay off the most.

“Alba-sama, there is nothing wrong with wanting to earn money quickly and easily. It makes you clever and effective.”

“You’re not even wrong, but the way you say it makes it sound like an excuse for all your deeds.” Garnet slammed her head into Rufa’s side, who seemed pretty confident in her advice.

While exchanging banter like this, we continued to move deeper down the hidden storage, reaching a small room with a magic circle drawn on the ground. This must be the function that will allow us to Teleport further down the labyrinth.

“Then, let us go.”

With Rufa’s voice as a signal, we all stepped onto the magic circle. Immediately after, the white medal in my hand reacted, as the circle beneath us lit up. I felt dizzy for a moment, only for my eyes to get used to the light and be overwhelmed by a sea of trees—Wait, sea of trees?! I doubted what my eyes were telling me and looked around, but all I could see were walls of giant trees you wouldn’t expect to see inside the labyrinth. They stood ten times taller than my own height, so dense together that it looked like a blockade.

“What is this place?” I let out a baffled voice as I looked above me.

Instead of a clear blue sky, I was bewildered at the sight of a lid that resembled a gray sky of clouds. Seriously, what is this? It looks too surreal to be above ground, but it doesn’t resemble anything I know from the labyrinth. Witnessing my reaction, Garnet and Rufa sighed in unison.

“I’ve heard the stories, but seeing it with your own eyes makes it even harder to believe.”

“Indeed. However, we’re unmistakably on the 2nd floor of the labyrinth,” Rufa said as she gave me another explanation. “They say that this mysterious space is actually a type of different world.”

A different world—so, we moved away completely from the world we came from?

“It is said that this place is similar to the world we know, but it equally is seen as the world of beings that hold no physical body—making this the spirit world where the countless spirits reside.”

Ah, so this must be the homeplace of Ifrit-sensei. Sadly, we ended up in a dead-or-alive relationship when I last saw him, so I haven’t heard much from his hometown. I bet Gramps Oberon or Grandma Titania would know a lot more about this. I guess I should have asked.

“At the same time, the orcs believe this to be Valhalla, whereas others think this is Avalon, where the legendary monarch rests. Naturally, the island of treasure I-Rapsel where the fairies reside is also seen as a different world, but those are just a few examples.”

Hold on, they think that my hometown is part of a different world? In reality, our seniors were worried that bad humans might come to steal fairies like us and sell them away, so they set up a fog barrier to keep us undetected and have any intruder lost for all eternity, but it does exist in this plane of existence. But of course, as long as you have the permission of the person who set up the barrier, namely my grandma, you can come and go as you like.

“Say, are you thinking about something preposterously insane again?”

Garnet must have read my thoughts, as she sent me a dubious gaze. Well, I don’t like lying to my team members, but I also can’t risk the safety of everyone back home. And if people found out that I’m a quarter-fairy hybrid, I’d be sold off faster than I could count and turned into some zoo animal. I don’t think Garnet or Rufa would go that far, but there’s no guarantee other people won’t figure it out. You know as the saying goes: “Tell one person your secret and a hundred will know.” And they hold even greater value considering the beating my gramps took from grandma each time he bragged about all the times he cheated on her. That’s why I’ll have to keep this a secret. I’m sorry.

“I don’t mean to put trouble over you for this. I’m sorry, too.”

I clapped my hands together as an apology when Garnet also voiced her regrets. To think she would show consideration for my secrets and doesn’t blame me for keeping them…She’s really such a good person. Gramps also said that “The proof of a good woman is when she allows the man to keep secrets,” so I bet Garnet will become a great wife in the future.

“Just remember that ‘Keeping secrets’ isn’t the same as ‘Cheating, okay?” She read my thoughts once again and sent me a sharp gaze.

Well…I guess Gramps’ proverbs turn out to be wrong from time to time.

“Anyway! About the rest of the second floor…” Rufa cleared her throat and brought us back to the original topic.

She seemed to be displeased, pouting with a “Stop flirting around without me!” expression, so I quickly turned my attention toward her.

“Just like the other different worlds that exist, the idea that this physical world is a bit different from the one we know seems to hold strong. This can be explained by the fact that you cannot reach the deeper floors without using the teleportation magic.”

I see. That means all floors lower than the first aren’t even located beneath the empire.

“I believe someone tested this before?” Garnet asked.

“Yes. A 6th-floor ranked magician went one thousand feet (roughly 3km) underground, but let alone finding the renowned 7th floor, they didn’t even encounter the other floors.”

In other words, you can’t reach deeper inside the labyrinth by just ignoring the guardian. This is well-thought-out, I gotta say.

“This isn’t the time to show admiration, is it? Thanks to that, we have to get through every single guardian.”

“And we only have one year left, too.”

Garnet and Rufa reconfirmed their time limit with stern expressions. I nodded along, deciding that we should leave the idle talk up to here and focus on traversing the labyrinth. However, the magic circle we came from was located in the center of a larger open area, with four separate baths in all directions expanding from it.

“Where do we go from here?”

“Please wait a moment,” Rufa answered my question, raised her wand, and began chanting. “O Light, illuminate our path—Orientation.”

An arrow grew from the tip of the wand, pointing in one particular direction.

“This direction is north, and according to what I heard at the bar yesterday, they ended up running into it northeast, so let’s try and go south today,” Rufa said and started walking in the opposite direction the arrow pointed.

It’s really weird that you can tell directions despite this being a supposedly different world. Also, Rufa made it sound like she wanted to avoid something, so I wonder what that’s about.

“It’s an annoying thing, really. The guardian of the second floor, the Gluttonous Glutton wanders the inside of the labyrinth.”

Wait, so there’s no boss room like on the previous floors?!

“Well, that’s the case for all the floors…just except this one. And like with Sloth on the first floor, you can’t leave unless you defeat the guardian.”

“However, Glutton is the exception, and it just wanders around the floor without a particular room to greet you in.”

They’re adding an exception right on the second floor already? That’s a bit too soon, no? Rufa seemed to have picked up on my displeasure and flashed a wry smile.

“That’s right. There have been countless tales from adventurers who happened to run into the guardian without a moment to prepare and were annihilated in an instant. For that, this floor acts as the wall to prove you can face what lies beyond this.”

Only the strong would be able to fight against a surprise encounter with a guardian and come out on top. Thus, they would be allowed to proceed further down the labyrinth.

“That being said, as long as you don’t actively search for Glutton and attack it first, it rarely happens that he goes out of his way to attack adventurers. And if you bring the adventurers together, you can exchange information with them and actively avoid the Glutton.”

I see. That’s why she went to ask the other adventurers at the bar. It’s a great help to have these two around since all other adventurers tend to avoid me for some reason.

“Thanks.”

“Those words alone are plenty of a reward.”

I gave my gratitude to these two, to which Rufa blushed ever so slightly and thanked me. That smile, looking like it was directed at the person she loved, was so adorable, I couldn’t pull my eyes from it. But, that doesn’t mean I should get excited about this! A noble lady like Rufa would never develop feelings for a country pumpkin like me!

“I think I should break your head open and try to fill it with some extra brain mass,” Garnet grumbled as she sighed.

I wonder what’s gotten into her? Maybe this is one of the days when “Girls just are in a bad mood” that Gramps talked about before. But when I asked my childhood friend about this, she called me a “Sexual harassment bastard,” as she kicked my nose…

“Rufa!”

I stopped my thoughts and embraced Rufa from behind.

“A-Alba-sama?! You can’t! Not while Garnet is watching!”

“You fool!”

Garnet must have realized what I was doing, as she screamed with a red face and readied her large shield. Right after, several black bullets came flying toward us from the thicket ahead.

“Guh!”

Garnet used her shield and I used the greatsword to block those bullets. Yuck, it’s all sticky now. What is this scent? Soil?

“That’s a Catapult Plant,” Garnet answered my question, as the monster stopped its camouflage and appeared in front of us.

It looked like a giant pitcher plant with several roots the size of an arm growing from it. It would suck up the ground around it, turning it into something like a bullet or cannonball, and fire it at us through the tubular stalk.

“How handy for a plant!” Garnet roared as she blocked another bullet, running towards it to smash it with her weapon.

However, its roots seemed to be quite sturdy, as her mace didn’t inflict much damage. Blunt attacks didn’t seem too effective—is what I thought and attempted to step forth when Rufa swung her wand.

“O Flame, reside in my weapon and burn my enemies to ash—Fire Weapon!”

The light of aura that emitted from her wand moved towards Garnet’s maze, as it lit up like a candle.

“Good job!”

The Catapult Plant showed genuine terror at the burning flame approaching, as Garnet slammed her scorching hot mace down onto it. I guess this is similar to putting fire tongs into a human’s mouth, right? That’s a bit…nasty. I watched over this grotesque scene with a bit of sympathy for the monster, as the Plant roared in pain and eventually explode into particles of light. Now that the fight was over, Rufa escaped from my arms and deeply lowered her head.

“I’m sorry, you two. I was careless.”

“It’s okay. Thankfully nothing bad happened.” Garnet showed a faint smile and didn’t press the topic further.

I did the same, gently tapping her on the shoulder to cheer her up. Still, hiding along the walls, firing projectiles, that monster was quite adroit.

“Because it’s a lump of mana. Any normal plant does not think about anything.” Garnet commented as she picked up the magic stones dropped by the Catapult Plant, flinging them at me.

That size should get us…four gold coins. Good thing even plans are a viable strategy to earn money.

“Still, this second floor is riddled with these plans, eh? Guess I messed up…” She picked up the mace that had burned out and furrowed her eyebrows.

That scene unveiling in front of me had a doubt pop up in my mind.

“How about getting an ax?”

When thinking of dwarves, you usually see them using axes, so I wonder why Garnet chose to go with a mace. But the second I finished my question, her adorable face distorted in disgust.

“What’s wrong with a dwarf using a mace?”

“Huh?”

“Connecting dwarves with axes is a prejudice! We have the right to choose our weapons as much as you do!”

She suddenly started talking like a political activist, which completely caught me off-guard. As I grew worried, Rufa delivered an explanation.

“Garnet is just so clumsy she can’t use an ax as a weapon.”

Huh? Born as the child of a renowned dwarven blacksmith? Also, using an ax is relatively simple, so being completely useless with that…She must be more clumsy than the average human. In shock, I was at a complete loss for words, but that seemed to only have hurt her further. She pouted with her lips, like a young child.

“Just laugh at me all you want. I’m a clumsy, beardless, and useless dwarf.”

So she finally admitted the fact that she’s putting on a fake beard…Wait, that’s not important right now. I looked at the dejected Garnet and loathed myself for my previous words. How do I…cheer her up? At times like this, I should listen to Gramps’ advice.

“Garnet.” I gently embraced her from behind, whispering in her ear.

“You are adorable.”

Even if she despised her youthful stature, I find it very cute. And her vibrant red hair was truly lovable like a garnet.

“You are strong.”

She was the only person who trusted Rufa’s words when nobody else would, going so far as to travel the labyrinth together. Her will was as immovable as an iron wall. And she even helped me when I was backed into a corner because I never talk.

“You’re a wonderful woman.”

That’s why her being a dwarf doesn’t matter. I embraced her stronger to convey that feeling when she turned around and—

“If you don’t leave it at that, I’ll split your brains open.” She grabbed hold of my mask, shaking it left and right.

That’s impossible! The “Surefire way to cheer up any woman” that Gramps taught me…failed?!

“It didn’t work because you were genuine about it, and not just as a means to satisfy me!” Garnet swung around my head even more fiercely.

I’m feeling a bit dizzy right now…Still, it is a weird feeling to have people mad at you because you spoke the truth.

“I’m tired of this,” Garnet sighed and let go of my mask.

I’m just glad she cheered up.

“One day you will get stabbed in the back, and I won’t take any blame for that.”

Why is she saying the same thing that Gramps would get told all the time for going around cheating? I looked for Rufa in hopes of her offering me a helping hand, but—

“Alba-sama, you shouldn’t fool around like this inside the labyrinth, okay?” She smiled, but her eyes weren’t, as a fire started to gather at the top of her wand.

Wh-Why is she glaring at me like Grandma would when Grandpa went to cheat on her again?! Showered in Rufa’s astonishing killing intent, I felt a cold sweat run down my back—No, wait! There’s a different type of hostility mixed in there! I frantically turned around, spotting what looked like another Catapult Plant and a giant ant heading towards us. They probably heard the noise from over here and headed towards us.

“Tsk. Let’s leave this talk for later.” Rufa clicked her tongue and pointed the tip of her wand away from me towards the approaching monsters.

Thank the gods, I’m saved.

“Rufa. That just now was my fault, but if you get jealous at something without even being married to the man, you’ll stay single forever, you know?”

“O Flame, roam free and burn everything to ash—Fireball!”

Rufa completely ignored Garnet’s comment and sent off a fiery hell. I equally pulled my greatsword and stormed towards the horde of monsters.

*

After we fought our way through fifty and more monsters, we left the labyrinth once again.

“Listen well, Alba-sama. You can’t just suddenly embrace a woman from behind and whisper sweet praise into her ear! What will you do if she gets the wrong idea?!”

“I’m sorry,” I became docile and apologized as Rufa lectured me with puffed-out cheeks.

I guess Gramps’ teachings don’t work that way in the big city, huh? But, I understand! I’ll make sure to never hug you ever again, Rufa! I swear!

“You truly love digging yourself a deeper grave, do you not?”

“This is necessary damage right now!” Rufa complained as Garnet threw her an exhausted look.

I don’t really know what they’re talking about, but I’m glad the lecture is finally over—or so I sighed in relief when Garnet slammed her fist into my hip.

“Alba, this is a bit hard for me to say, but you smell.”

“Wha…?!” I let out a baffled voice.

I’m making it a habit to wash my body with a wet towel every night, so…

“When you hugged—approached me from behind a moment ago, I could pick up a strong stench of sweat from your armor.”

It felt like a giant hammer was slammed right into the back of my head, that’s how shocking this revelation was to me. That should be impossible…this coolest jet-black armor would never reek of…Actually, now that I think about it, I haven’t washed the inside of this armor once since I left my hometown a month ago. It had a cooling spell cast on it, so I shouldn’t be as sweaty here, but considering the time I didn’t wash it, that makes sense.

“Garnet, don’t you think it’s quite rude to point out something like that?” Rufa saw me frozen stiff in shock, as she took my side. “He isn’t some noble lady, and considering he’s fighting day in and out to fight monsters, we can’t exactly blame him for not looking after how he smells.”

“That is also true. I’m sorry, I spoke too far.” Garnet apologized and took back her previous statement.

And yet, the two of them always smell like flowery soap…I brought my nose closer towards them to confirm that, as Rufa began blushing furiously and jumped away.

“Alba-sama, that is a bit too embarrassing even for me, so could you refrain from doing that?”

“You lack delicacy for wanting to smell the scent of a girl.” Garnet was equally furious and kicked at my shin.

That doesn’t make sense, she’s the one who brought up this whole smell talk. But either way, I can’t let this stand if my precious jet-black armor actually smells.

“I wanna take tomorrow off.”

And I’m gonna use that time to thoroughly wash the armor. That should get rid of the stench. Because of the Catapult Plant’s attacks, the outer side of the armor got dirty with soil, too, so I was thinking of washing it either way. And the other two agreed with that.

“I understand. I was hoping I could learn some new magic anyway, so let us take a break from adventuring the labyrinth tomorrow.”

“And I will consult my father about my weapons. I am not cut with sharp ones, but the situation demands it.”

Thank you. And I’m sorry for being this selfish even though we don’t have much time until the Devil God of Demise resurrects. I bowed my head to convey these feelings, to which Rufa cheerfully cheered me up.

“As I said before, we need to take proper rest when we can, so don’t worry about it.” She gently smiled at me, which filled my heart with warmth to the point it made me want to embrace her.

However, as I just promised, I won’t ever do that to her again!

“…Garnet, please punish me for being this foolish.”

“This misunderstanding will be resolved eventually, so don’t let it get to you.” Garnet gently tapped Rufa on the shoulder, who suddenly seemed much more devoid of energy.

Anyway, that means that we have the day off tomorrow.

The following day, I paid the manager of the Eternal Maiden to use hot water, soap, and a towel to get to washing my armor.

“Emerge.”

I muttered these words and took off the armor, sitting down on the floor with just my underwear, and began scrubbing on the armor. Since it’s full-body armor, cleaning every single part can be pretty exhausting, but it’s also quite fun all the same. I just became engrossed in cleaning my armor, drying it with the towel I had, and placing the parts near the window that received a lot of sunlight.

“All right, guess I’ll just have to wait for it to dry.” I wiped my sweat as I was filled with a feeling of success when another question popped up in my mind. “What do I even do after this?”

Looking outside the window, the sun had just barely reached its zenith, leaving half the day left for me, and yet I had no plan on what to do. I got up early so I would definitely finish the cleaning process during the day, but to think it came back to bite me like this…

“Maybe I should just head to bed?”

No, that won’t do. I’ll end up unable to sleep during the night, leaving me tired for tomorrow.

“I could go buy a book.”

Though, the books at the shopping district are all at least five gold coins and more. And I’m scared to walk along a crowd without my armor on since people might realize that I’m a hybrid.

“Oh yeah, I could train my skills with the sword.”

Just doing a few practice swings in an isolated place wouldn’t cost me any money and nobody would spot me. Also, I’ve been pretty busy since I came to the Imperial Capital, so my skills have gotten a bit dull. My master also said that “Nothing beats battle experience, but there are things to be learned only through training,” and I’d like to live after that.

“All right, now that that’s decided!”

I changed from my sleeping attire into a casual shirt and pants and stepped out of my room. When I fought Sloth, Rufa and Garnet didn’t find out either, so as long as I suppress my aura and keep my wings hidden, things should be fine. And at this time of the day, most adventurers had left for the labyrinth. Relieved at that, I headed for the manager.

“Do you have a wooden sword?”

“I thought you were taking the day off only to train still? How diligent.” The manager immediately filtered out my intentions as she grabbed a black wooden sword from the back. It was as heavy as iron, which should allow me some good training.

“A wooden sword, yes?”

“Yeah.”

“Good, good.” The manager seemed satisfied with something.

Did I…say something weird?

“I have to say, you don’t look alike at all except for your hair color.”

“Huh?”

“No, don’t mind. If you want to do some training, do it in the 8th district’s corner. That’s where barely any person comes.”

As I was baffled, the manager left this final comment behind as she disappeared deeper into the kitchen. What did she mean by that, I wonder. I wanted to ask, but I doubt she’ll give me a proper answer. I just gave up thinking about it, grabbed the wooden sword, and headed for the 8th district. Only the entrance to the labyrinth was heavily guarded, but the 8th district was large enough to allow for some good practice and undisturbed peace. Since I didn’t want to be seen and embarrassed by others, I headed to the corner of the district that the manager mentioned. Surprisingly enough, however, I met another person who was already there.

“That’s…”

It was a girl with a black ponytail, swinging her wooden sword with all her might. This time around, she wasn’t wearing her typical eastern-style armor, just making do with a hakama, but I was fairly certain. That should be…

“Chidori-san?”

The girl, who once attempted to strike me down with her sword, was now focused on her training.

*

Splitting up from her party, Chidori began swinging her wooden sword in silence. Her swings possessed the sharpness and speed worthy of being categorized as divine-speed strikes. However, any talented swordsman would be able to tell at a glance that she was not in her prime right now.

“How pathetic.”

Tormented by her inexperience in letting her sword and heart fly out of control this easily, Chidori cursed herself as she remembered the incident of this morning.

“Telling us to leech off the imperial family’s influence…Quite the shameful request you’ve given us.” Chidori glared at Eclair without hiding her animosity, but she remained clear and calm.

“I’m well aware of such. But, it is necessary.”

“For the sake of that tomboy princess?”

“…”

Chidori’s question left Eclair silent, flashing a troubled smile.

They want the strength to protect Princess Rufa, right?

It made sense. Even if she became an adventurer, she was still a member of the imperial family, so it was weird to see her walk around with any guard. However, these fishy girls with their request don’t seem like proper bodyguards either. Chidori sent a gaze of doubt and confusion at Eclair, who showed a polite bow.

“This is to protect the peace of this country, so I sincerely ask for your assistance.”

Her words and gestures seemed righteous and well-meant, but Chidori couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just plain acting. And only an adventurer of her level, someone who survived countless challenges on her way down to the 6th floor, was able to do that. It wasn’t anything major, but she couldn’t exactly ignore it either.

What should we do about this?

All the group’s gazes focussed on the Holy Knight. He remained quiet for a moment and then asked.

“What happens if we decline?”

“Only we’ll end up troubled, but you won’t face any repercussions. I could never hope to do anything to the legendary White Wings, either,” she answered, seeming slightly flustered.

Even if she was putting up an act, it didn’t seem like she was lying. All 6th-floor rankers hold enough strength to fight 100 people and more on their own. The Empire cannot afford to make an enemy out of such a large force. And as long as no 6th-floor ranker deserted to an enemy country and worked against the Empire, they were granted as much freedom as you could imagine. That was also the reason why the manager of the Eternal Maiden or employees at the Imperial Bank were allowed to follow their professions even if their skills could hold value for something much greater.

“However, in the event that you decline, the imperial family might hold dissatisfaction towards you.”

This worried comment from Eclair made the Holy Knight’s eye twitch. As he had planned to be appointed to the Imperial Army after his retirement, being on the bad side of the imperial family could possibly prevent that possibility. And the same goes for the female magician, who would return to the Imperial Academy, as well as the Beast Priest who had the church in his hometown to worry about.

“…Normally, this kind of behavior would be strictly forbidden, but it is for the sake of the Empire.” The Holy Knight nodded, which was followed by the female magician and the Beast Priest.

However, the orc Willow clearly spoke against this.

“I won’t help you. A hero shouldn’t be seeking out strength without getting his own hands bloody.” His tone sounded cool, but his green skin had begun turning crimson red from fury.

“I have to decline, too.” Chidori followed after Willow.

She had her own goal she wanted to accomplish before returning to the Country of Wano, and whether the nobles liked her or not wasn’t any of her business. And just like Willow, she couldn’t stand the idea of people who wanted to obtain strength without working for it.

“Then only the three of us will be assisting you.” The Holy Knight said, not trying to forcefully convince Chidori and Willow.

Higher-ranking adventurers were all strong in their own right. Rather than trying to force cooperation amongst each other, they’ve learned that everything would work out much easier if they just stayed true to their own convictions.

“The three of us will only be able to reach the 5th floor. Is that okay with you?”

“Yes! We’re really thankful for your assistance.” She seemed ecstatic as she ran towards the Holy Knight and strongly grasped his hand.

During that entire moment, the female magician sent her a wave of killing intent and jealousy. Eclair let go of his hand and smiled.

“Could we ask for your assistance right away?”

“Got it.”

The three stood up. Since they had planned on heading down to the 6th floor today, they were already prepared to depart. The moment the Holy Knight passed by them, he whispered in a quiet voice.

“Sorry.”

Rather than accepting the girl’s request, this was most likely more directed toward the case of the Dark Knight. Willow didn’t seem to mind too much as he slapped him on the waist, and Chidori shook her head, too. After the three and the other girls left, Willow stood up with a sigh.

“I’ll go have some fun with a prostitute to blow off steam.”

“You didn’t have to say that.”

“Why don’t you buy yourself a hottie male prostitute for once?”

“Keep your nonsense to yourself. I will keep my virginity to the prince that will appear in front of me one day.”

“Kahaha…Don’t blame me if your groin ends up full of cobwebs.”

Chidori threw a kick at the licentious orc. Willow pretended to be in pain as he jumped up and down, and left the room while roaring in laughter.

Now then, what do I do?

That exchange just now allowed Chidori’s feelings to have cleared up a bit, but now that her plans for the day were gone, she was filled with too much time.

No, there is always one thing to do.

Chidori quietly got up and left the room behind her, seen off by the maid. She grabbed her wooden sword that she keeps in her room and headed for the corner of the 8th district.

Maybe this is the tidal hour.

You are reading story Ankoku Kishi to Issho! at novel35.com

Chidori finished several thousand swings and thought to herself. The goal of the White Wings was to reach the lowest floor of the labyrinth. And yet, after they were decimated by the Dark Knight, half of the party had given up already.

No, not yet.

The reason they’re backing down is that they see no chance of victory. As long as Chidori can show them can win, their leader will agree to challenge the Dark Knight again, and the female magician plus Beast Priest should join back in, too.

But, how do we best that monster?

One way to achieve that would be to simply grow stronger than the Dark Knight himself. However, that was impossible. After all, Chidori and the others had begun to scrape at the limits of their own strength. The prowess of an adventurer is decided by their ability and the sheer amount of aura they’ve gathered. The stronger your aura, the greater your grip strength, allowing you to crush mountains with a bare hand. You obtain the power to achieve sturdiness to withstand a monster’s claw attacks. You acquire skills allowing you to fire off blades of light, as well as magic skills to blast off several enemies at once, and even more than that. That is why adventurers defeat monsters, absorb their mana and strengthen their aura. However—

I have no more means of strengthening my aura.

The White Wings’ aura across the board was reaching its limit, not allowing for much more significant growth. Strictly speaking, there was no limit as to how strong you could get with aura alone. However, the mana you gather from monsters isn’t going to get stronger. It’s the same with muscle training. If you do it a certain number of times each day, you’ll eventually get used to it, and the growth of your muscles stops. So, if you aren’t basked in gradually stronger mana, your aura won’t expand. And since the density of mana is equivalent to the strength of the monsters, there’s a hard wall you hit on floor 6.

Since Chidori and her team members had already defeated thousands of monsters down on the 6th floor, they had gotten used to the mana the monsters gave them, and they lost their way of training their aura. This was probably the main reason why the Dark Knight had been undefeated over the past thousands of years.

We can’t defeat it with raw strength. That means we have to overcome the difference in strength without skill.

Just as an old man could easily beat an inexperienced youth, they didn’t have to rely on raw strength to beat an enemy stronger than him. Using techniques to overcome the difference in strength was what truly determined skill.

However, is defeating the Dark Knight with skill alone truly possible?

Chidori couldn’t help but feel like that thought itself was impossible. Blocking all their attacks at once, and stealing the sword from one of her teammates, the Dark Knight’s abilities all seemed like divine work. Even if they managed to overcome him with raw strength, his skills seemed unparalleled.

But…that is all the method we have left.

There existed three other parties other than the White Wings who had reached the 6th floor, so if they all teamed up together, it may be possible to overwhelm the Dark Knight with their sheer numbers. However, that was just as impossible. A lot of 6th-floor rankers weren’t on the best of terms with each other, some even resenting each other to the point they’d go for each other’s throats. You couldn’t expect any of them to seriously work together. And at the same time, defeating the Dark Knight and reaching the 7th floor to have your wish granted went against the very idea of cooperation.

It works for our group since our wishes aren’t anything major.

The female magician wished for honor and fame, the Beast Priest wanted people to experience fortune and happiness. Willow just wanted to have a “match with an absolute (macho) beauty.” It was a bit dubious of a wish, but it wasn’t anything that would shake the boundaries of this world. Chidori hadn’t heard of the Holy Knight’s wish, but knowing his diligent personality, he wouldn’t wish for the pain of others. And Chidori’s wish revolved around herself, not even influencing the world around them. However, how about the other clans and groups?

There may be those wishing for world domination.

In fact, there were many individuals who held such possible desires, and you won’t make it far if you don’t hold any such strong convictions. In reality, the White Wings were part of the exception.

The rumors are saying that this was how the Empire was born, anyway.

It is said that the first emperor of the Empire, the first adventurer Leonard, reached the 7th floor and wished for a thousand-year prosperity of the Empire. And now that this time period was reaching its end, there were those with wicked desires gathering in the Imperial Capital. You couldn’t be careless when working together with others.

…That can’t be the reason, can it?

A certain thought crossed Chidori’s mind, giving her shivers. To ensure that nobody would dare to overturn the empire, and to avoid any cooperation between the adventurers, they may have created this rumor on purpose.

No, it has nothing to do with me.

Chidori shook her head and stopped her thought. It didn’t matter what was happening behind the scenes. She would send the Dark Knight’s head flying by using her own strength. That was her one and only goal.

If not for that, I won’t be able to face him.

In the back of her head, the hazy face of a man popped up. The man who cast them aside to die during the battle.

I still resent him for that. But without getting revenge, I won’t move forward.

Because of that, she had to defeat the Dark Knight with her own hands. That is what she trained for.

But, that is far more difficult than I thought.

She grew angry at her sloppy technique and stopped swinging the wooden sword. Back in her hometown, she was regarded as a prodigy who excelled at all the techniques of the Hakuyou Style, but if it came to the righteousness and correctness of her techniques, her skill had regressed since then. Naturally, that didn’t mean she had gotten weaker. She simply acquired a more battle-focused blade. A fight amongst swordsmen couldn’t be compared to the fights happening down in the labyrinth.

Unlike a battle where you just have to focus your mind on one opponent, the labyrinth is crowded with nasty monsters and tricks you wouldn’t expect, so you can’t ever let down your guard no matter the moment. And since monsters differ from humans in quite a lot of ways, their attacks vary greatly. There’s the Giant Spider with its eight legs that leaps at you from above, a Wyvern that spews fire at you, and Lich that casts death magic on you. In order to best these adversaries, one can’t simply rely on just the techniques used in a duel. In fact, they only get in the way.

If you want to defeat a human, you simply have to cut off all their limbs or create a mortal wound in itself, but some monsters keep attacking unless you crush their hearts or heads, and some monsters are dead from the beginning. The sword skill of an adventurer is one honed through a thousand battles against monsters. It wasn’t something to be learned at a dojo, but rather exclusively battles, which made it even harder to acquire.

In any different scenario, an utter difference in strength and skill would be sufficient…But against him…

The Dark Knight wielded divine techniques that pulverized any attack. In order to even have the slightest chance against that, she’d need to retrain herself in the sword of the dojo.

“What irony.” Chidori cursed.

From the 1st to the 6th floor…all the experience she acquired on the way now became her downfall. All the fights up to this point trained Chidori in a way that would make defeating the Dark Knight impossible. It was all one giant trap. Calculating even this, the originator of the bottomless labyrinth must have quite a twisted personality.

The originator of the labyrinth…huh?

The idea that the labyrinth formed naturally was a common hypothesis. However, as long as nobody has reached the deepest part of the labyrinth. And on that train of thought, if the labyrinth is equipped with floor guardians and monsters attacking you at every corner, why is it even built to be conquered? If one wanted to halt adventurers from reaching deeper inside the labyrinth, wouldn’t the creator place the Dark Knight right at the entrance to the first floor? And yet, it began with weak kobolts and goblins, as the floors and its monsters gradually grew stronger. It almost feels like a training facility to strengthen the adventurers.

If this was created by will, then why put the Dark Knight as the final barrier?

Unlike the other guardians, defeating him wasn’t as simple as raising your aura and acquiring excellent fighting skills.

Maybe he isn’t supposed to be defeated? Or maybe…

Chidori was lost in thought, as she felt a presence approach her.

“Who is—Huh?!”

She let out a voice of caution, only to fumble. Standing there was a young man she hadn’t seen before. And even more than that—

“My prince…”

It was a hottie she had always dreamed of meeting one day. His silver hair shone brightly as it was illuminated by the sun, and he possessed a youthful face contrary to his well-built body. He was a beauty standard of a hottie that would make 100 out of 100 women turn around to look again.

“…”

“Prince?”

Looking at Chidori, who was at a loss for words, the young man tilted his head in confusion. For a moment, his voice sounded familiar to Chidori, but she couldn’t remember.

“Wh-What do you want from me?” Chidori was so nervous her voice went up an octave, to which the young man showed a gaze along the lines of “I just wanted to say hello because it’d be proper etiquette.”

However, unlike a certain sharp-witted dwarf, Chidori couldn’t read his thoughts.

“A-Are you here to confess to—Hm?” Chidori spoke up, only to realize that he was holding a wooden sword.

Immediately after, she was pulled into the deepest depths of disappointment.

“You wish to fight me, is it…”

As Chidori was a renowned adventurer, many have approached her in hopes of a duel. For some reason, a majority of these were female adventurers, who handed Chidori a love letter at the end of their bout, but that wasn’t important right now. The young man in front of her was out to fight a 6th-floor ranker, so she couldn’t hide her disgruntlement as she readied her wooden sword.

“Very well, I’ll be your opponent.”

As of late, Chidori had declined all requests for a duel, but now that her blade was lost, she saw this as the perfect opportunity.

And I’m not being lenient just because he’s a handsome man!

Chidori made excuses as she waited for the man to move. A brief moment passed, and he followed suit.

“Oh?”

Chidori couldn’t hide her admiration at the sight of the man’s posture. He stood tall on the ground like a tree that had been alive for the past hundreds of years, stretching his back in a beautiful straight line, as the tip of his blade didn’t waver at all. Only his hair moved because of a slight breeze.

Not bad.

Witnessing that beautiful posture, Chidori understood that the young man didn’t just possess excellent looks. That tickled her interest, and a smile formed on her face.

“Then, here I come.”

She stepped forth at the same time as she said that, cutting straight down as if she wanted to cleave him in two. The young man put his sword diagonally and accepted Chidori’s attack, slipped past it, and slashed at her wrist in return. Chidori anticipated this and stepped back to easily avoid that attack.

Not bad.

Chidori praised the man inside her thoughts and stepped forward again for a sharp thrust aimed at his chest. The young man dodged to the side and sliced at Chidori’s open left shoulder. It was a perfect attack, offering no time to evade or block. However, Chidori was a hero who made it down to the 6th floor, so she was a monster in her own league.

“Hah!” She let go of the sword with her left hand and fired off a back-hand attack in the same breath.

It was the same attack the Dark Knight used to deflect her attack all that time ago. She managed to deflect the incoming sword and changed its trajectory.

“?!”

The young man was bewildered at this, as Chidori fixed her wooden sword with just her right hand, slashing at the man’s body. It was a counter-attack as his sword was put off course. No ordinary person would be able to defend against this attack, let alone evade it. And yet, the young man loosened up all strength in his knees as he slumped backwards, evading the strike as it passed by his eyes. And immediately after, he fixed his posture and readied his sword for the next attack.

“Well done,” Chidori gave him praise that came from the bottom of her heart.

The very first strike was meant as a measure to figure out his strength, but after that, Chidori was serious. And yet, the young man managed to keep up just fine. It had been years and years since someone entertained Chidori this much in a simple duel without relying on aura. Nobody rivaled Chidori like this after she began training her anti-Dark Knight skills.

“Please let me test you a bit longer.”

“Sure.”

This time, it was Chidori doing the request. He replied with a smile. And from then on, the two’s fight continued for hours.

“Phew…it feels like year-old rust was washed off me. You have my gratitude.” Chidori wiped the sweat off her face and lowered her head.

The young man accepted these words and returned his gratitude.

“Likewise, thank you.”

“!!”

His smile possessed a certain level of youthfulness while it depicted his experience as a swordsman, which made Chidori’s heart skip a beat. To make sure the young man didn’t pick up on the, she desperately thought of what to say next.

“Are you from the east?”

The sword he used wasn’t any regular wooden one, but rather one with a curve, which focused more on the speed and angle of the cut rather than the brute force behind it. This emphasized that his sword skill originated from the east. However, his silver-colored hair and refined facial features made it seem like he was of western origin. Chidori half-expected him to deny her assumption, and as anticipated, he shook his head.

“No.”

“That be? Then, do you mind telling me the name of your sword style?”

To obtain an eastern fighting style of such skill must require rigorous training from a skilled teacher.

And I’ve never heard of a master of the sword living to the west.

Chidori’s home, the Country of Wano, was half-enclosed and in a state of isolation. When she stated she wanted to cross the ocean and go to the larger continent, the people around her were speaking against that. However, this was the perfect opportunity for Chidori to learn other sword styles, which brought her here.

“Do you mind telling me the name of your style?” Chidori asked, and the young man obliged.

“The Kurokage Style.”

“Kurokage…Could you show me how to write that?”

“Like this.” The young man used the wooden sword to write it on the ground.

Looking down at that, Chidori’s eyebrows furrowed further.

I’ve never seen this Kurokage Style before. However…

It was the exact opposite of her family custom, the Hakuyou Style1. Going from the intuition Chidori obtained after traversing the depths of the labyrinth, she felt that this couldn’t have been a coincidence.

But, what does this mean? And how does he know that style?

Same as she’d felt when a surprise attack was waiting for them, Chidori felt a shiver run down her spine, and it was like she was one step from solving the whole equation.

“Apologies, but—”

—Could you maybe explain it to me in greater detail? That’s what she wanted to ask, but when she raised her head, the young man’s alluring face was right at the top of her nose.

“Are you okay?”

“Wah?!” Chidori shrieked and stepped backward, as the young man moved closer to her with a worried gaze.

“I-I’m fine! It’s nothing!”

“I see.”

Chidori’s heart was beating rapidly as she nodded several times. Witnessing this, the boy seemed relieved and turned her back toward her. He was about to leave, when Chidori frantically called after him.

“Please wait!”

“What?”

“Ah, well, um…”

Chidori didn’t know what to say, so she just voiced her genuine feelings.

“Would you…mind sparring with me again?”

—This is all to practice my sword skills! I have no ulterior motive!

Chidori frantically tried to satisfy herself, as the young man responded after a quick moment of thinking.

“If you can make time after sunset.”

He must be traveling the labyrinth during the day, which is why he wanted to have the time moved like this. But, receiving a positive answer had Chidori happy enough that she jumped at his hand.

“Much appreciated!”

“Likewise.” The young man smiled and returned the handshake.

Feeling his warmth, Chidori’s own body grew hotter. While she watched him walk off, she, however, realized one fatal mistake she committed.

“I forgot to ask his name!”

That being said, the unfamiliar hot and handsome skilled swordsman she didn’t know the name of made Chidori’s heart jump in excitement.

“After many years of devoting my life to the blade, my own youth has finally arrived…No, I can’t be getting excited like this!” Chidori scolded herself, but she found herself grinning all the same.

And while that grin persisted, she continued to swing her wooden sword until it became dark.

*

After my bout with Chidori-san ended, I started heading back to the inn. When we first met, she genuinely tried to cut me down on the spot, and even today, she asked for a mock fight like this, but spending time with her like this, I realized that she’s actually a good person deep down. And I should consider myself lucky that I got to spar with a talented warrior like her. I know that conceit is one step to failure, but the monsters on the first and second floors are just too weak to be any good training for me. The guardian was definitely strong so I’m not disappointed there, but the regular monsters made me feel like I was just kicking down on the weak.

“Well, money is money, I guess.”

Really, I must sound like a conceited bastard. From the point of view of a monster, we adventurers might be the true villains of this story. Leaving that aside, the point I’m trying to make is that my skills will be dull if all I do is bully weaker monsters. If I regularly spar with her, I’ll not only maintain my skill, but I might even be able to achieve greater highs.

“Also, I’m surprised I didn’t get found out.”

Even as I was walking around wearing my jet-black armor and showing my true face, nobody assumed that I was a hybrid of a fairy. Since Chidori-san had no idea despite us sparring at such a close distance, I guess I should be on the safe side as long as I don’t flash my wings. My childhood friend said that “You shouldn’t be taking off that mask in a place with girls around. You better remember that!” but maybe she was worrying for no reason.

Either way, I felt hungry after all that rigorous training, so I headed to the Eternal Maiden. The first floor, acting as the bar, was filled with adventurers who had returned from their trip to the labyrinth. I didn’t want to be surrounded by strangers while eating my dinner, so I decided to buy something and take it to my room. With that decided, I called out to the manager.

“One set, please.”

“Comin’ right up. I just gotta bring it to your room, yeah?”

I finished putting in my order, when I remembered something else.

“Also, would it be possible for me to buy this wooden sword?”

I promised to have another match with Chidori-san if I find the time, so I figured it’d be better to just buy it outright than borrow it each time. Granted, I could head over to the business district and find myself another one, but I happened to actually like this one quite a bit. Not to mention that it didn’t even snap after all our fighting, it even fired off a faint light that made it seem like a jet-black wooden sword!

“Spoken like a true man. You can have it for 2 gold coins.” The manager flashed a bitter smile as she named her price, so I paid that, as well as the single silver coin for the food.

Following that, I went up the stairs and back to my room.

“All right, it’s drying beautifully.”

I tried sniffing at the armor that was drying near the window, but there was no more vile scent left. After drying it off some more with a towel, I tried putting it on. Right as I placed the mask on my face, I heard a knock on the door. I assumed it would be the food I ordered, but when I opened the door, I was instead greeted by my team members Rufa and Garnet.

“What’s wrong?”

“We finished our agenda for the day, so we figured we might as well eat dinner together.”

I was worried about just what this was about, when Rufa turned her gaze toward the armor I was wearing.

“It’s gotten beautifully clean, I see.”

“Yeah.” I puffed out my chest, when Rufa pushed her head closer, sniffing me.

…Huh?! What is she doing now?! I grew flustered and jumped back to which Rufa showed a mischievous grin.

“Hee hee, this is payback.”

“…?!”

That innocent smile of hers made my face burn up hot like melted iron. I’m glad I was wearing my mask right now. Meanwhile, Garnet also grinned to herself, only for her to tilt her head.

“By the way, did something happen today?”

“No?”

The sun rose in the same direction as always, and dead trees didn’t suddenly begin blooming. Anything worth mentioning is that I had a sparring match with Chidori-san.

“Mhm, then it must have been my imagination,” Garnet said, but she still didn’t seem satisfied, as she looked at the wooden sword I placed in the corner of my room.

Ah, maybe she wants this, too? I could ask the manager where she got it from!

“That’s not what I was on about, you fool!”

I was just trying to be nice, but Garnet roared at me in anger. That’s just cruel…Rufa, go tell her! I looked over at the blonde elf, but she seemed lost in thought.

“I might just be thinking up nonsense…but, Alba-sama, I can pick up another woman’s scent from your body.” She muttered something that didn’t reach my ears, but I could feel her animosity that sent shivers down my spine.

“Rufa, getting jealous can be a cute thing, but you should not tread down the path of crimes.”

“Wh-What are you talking about?! I would never think of using my influence as a princess to completely erase any and all trace of that woman!”

Garnet showed a genuinely terrified expression as Rufa returned something equally unholy. This course of events is dangerous. I have to change the topic as quickly as possible—is what I thought, right as the employee of this place brought the food.

“I’m sorry, I’m here to deliver the food…”

“Thanks.”

She was bewildered at the sight of Rufa and Garnet, as I accepted the tray and pointed outside.

“We were gonna eat together, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Whatever the circumstances, I am hungry.”

They remembered their initial business of coming here and stepped out. I apologized to the employee for the unnecessary trouble and followed them.

*

During the evening, Eclair and the three from the White Wings came back from their trip down the labyrinth.

“Thank you very much for today.”

“Don’t mind it.”

The Holy Knight responded nonchalantly in the face of Eclair’s bright smile. Since they’d been trained in the fights on the 6th floor, the monsters on the 5th floor weren’t that much of a problem to handle. Although they lacked Chidori and Willow’s assistance, the Beast Priest could fight while swimming his mace, and the female magician’s large-area magic did the trick at clearing the waves. Granted, they couldn’t let their guard down since any attack could end the lives of Eclair and the others, but it was still relatively simple work. Because of that, it didn’t feel as if they accomplished much, but Eclair and the others still thanked them.

“Thank you so much. At this rate, we can keep going for a hundred monsters.”

“Got it.” The Holy Knight scratched his cheek.

Even today, they defeated roughly 150 monsters. By defeating these many, you can claim to have the aura of a 5th-floor ranker. It took him ten years and more to reach this level, survived ten deaths, and parted with many people.

“I’m getting old.”

“Leon?” The female magician glanced at the Holy night’s face, who returned a smile and faced Eclair.

“We’ll use tomorrow and the day after to bring you up to 5th-floor level. That’s good with you, right?”

“Yes. We’ll make sure to tell our master of your kindness, so please look after us.” Eclair once again showed her influence as a noble, as she smiled.

The Holy Knight didn’t give any comment on that and just returned to the residence he and his allies owned. After breaking up with the people from White Wings, Eclair and the others passed a deserted back alley, entering a small rented home. It looked shabby on the outside, but protective magic was cast on it, which prevented any eavesdropping or other obstruction. Inside that home, the middle-aged knight Ox sat on the sofa, waiting for the girls to arrive.

“You’ve gotten much stronger, Eclair.”

“My name right now is Eclaire, though.” Eclair corrected Ox, who stayed seated. “I’ll cast this name away in a few days, but keep it together at least during this time.”

“You enjoy using sweets as your name, is it? Why not go with alcohol next?”

The Priest Jam brought a bottle of alcohol, and the spearman Cracker accepted that. If spies from opposing countries were to enter the Empire as adventurers, they would be killed, and if there was a party close to reaching the lowest floor, they would try to break them apart and swing around political power. This group was tasked with preserving the prosperity of the Goldo Empire, achieved by keeping the bottomless labyrinth convenient for everyone. They carried the name of the Labyrinth Preservation Force. As a member of that, serving under Ox, Eclear’s group leeched off the White Wings to raise her own strength and aura. Ox felt the growth from Eclear’s group through their sheer movement and brought up the main topic.

“So, you think we can defeat the Dark Knight?”

“If we combine our strength as three 5-rank adventurers, even a 6th-floor guy can’t survive against us.”

“Fighting together with the White Wings’ Holy Knight helped in assessing the strength of a 6th-floor, too.” Eclair and her two allies nodded confidently.

Since their plan of becoming his allies and having him get killed by the guardian failed, his caution must be at an all-time high right now, so they can’t cling to him again. If so, then they just have to crush him by using all their strength head-on. It was more brawn over the brain type of a plan, but that’s what made it likely to succeed.

Though it’d be bad if they get drunk on this power.

Ox thought to himself, keeping his thoughts a secret from Eclair and the others. If they successfully mooch off the strong, you can produce as many strong adventurers as you want. However, the Empire won’t let that stand. In fact, they regard it as an “embarrassing act” as they spread this sentiment, and sometimes the Preservation Force has to get involved and eradicate any problem from the shadows. The reason for that was simple, too, as the Empire didn’t want stronger adventurers to emerge, since it could throw off its politics.

Through the absolute strength of the heroes of the empire, the adventurers, it managed to annex a lot of its surrounding countries. For such, they always needed a certain number of adventurers at the ready, but if they end up with too many hero-class adventurers, they might just think that “We’re the ones who should rule this country,” as they begin a revolt against the Empire. The ones who are tasked to put an early stop to this is the Labyrinth Preservation Force, but if Eclair and the others obtained stronger power than what they could obtain, it would cause the same problem.

Then again, asking those who mooched off before to train themselves is too much to ask.

Unlike Ox, who had been training as an adventurer since a young age and obtained his current strength in an orthodox way, Eclair and the others had been parasites to stronger adventurers and strengthened their aura. In reality, the Preservation Force doesn’t even need inhumane strength. The moment anybody would apply to become an adventurer, they’d have their background thoroughly investigated, and erased from the face of the earth if they turned out to be a spy. This kind of investigative ability was much more appreciated.

Eclair and the others were specialized in this, too, and they simply pretended to be adventurers to get closer to the source. Even before they were trained by the White Wings, they possessed an aura leveling the 3rd floor, but that was also because they leeched off the former 6th-floor ranker and leader of the Preservation Force.

Strength is a tasty alcohol, and if you don’t get used to it, you’ll soon be drunk from it.

Contrary to them, adventurers who obtained their strength all on their own may be a bit weird in the brain, but they are all diligent people, too. After all, you need to work together with your allies to defeat stronger monsters and strengthen your aura. The average ‘Greedy and self-centered’ adventurer that most people think of usually ends up bringing ruin to the party and gets stuck in the early floors. Interests and thoughts good or bad, leaving aside faith and thought process, if you don’t have a certain level of diligence and willingness to adjust, you can’t reach the 6th floor.

However, leeches don’t have that.

No matter the vile and lazy personalities they have, they still obtain strength. And that is exactly why the thought of leeching off others to grow stronger is such a reproachable act. And at the same time, if they obtain unfathomable strength without knowing the pain and suffering from actual fighting, they tend to put themselves on a pedestal and rebel against the Empire. That’s why Ox was strictly against this current plan of the Preservation Force, but they had no other option other than this left.

“Their Highness prepared a sealed letter and a great sum of money. I won’t allow you to fail again.”

“I know that.”

Ox pressed this matter to remind Eclair, who clicked her tongue in annoyance. The Labyrinth Preservation Force was a secret agency of the empire, and the adventurers were not allowed to learn of their existence. And yet, Alba’s group found out. Normally, this would require a political purge.

“Our paths may differ, but our goal matches with what the Princess is trying to do. To guarantee the safety of the Empire. And she won’t make the existence of the Preservation Force public.”

Just as Ox predicted, Rufa kept this fact a secret, and even asked her allies to not make this public. And that fact alone was what allowed Eclair and her team members to even be alive at this point. This Ox conveyed with a sharp glare.

“You say that, but you have no more chances left, right?”

“……”

Sparks flew between the silent Ox and Eclair. He was nothing but a baronet in terms of court rank, but he obtained strength great enough to traverse the 3rd-floor, so he was hired as a royal guard. And after showing exceptional results, the current Emperor Graf ordered him to strike down the fake Dark Knight and bring back his runaway daughter. If he were to succeed in this, he would receive great trust from the Emperor, and surely a promotion. However, any failure would lose him the Emperor’s trust, and he would surely lose his position as the royal guard.

“We’re in the same boat here, so don’t forget that.”

“I’m well aware,” Eclair answered earnestly in the face of Ox’s warning. “But if you say that, why don’t you actually do some work yourself?”

“Unlike you, I don’t have any skill in disguises,” Ox said and looked at the three, who’ve stopped even resembling the three he saw the other day.

As a member of the royal guard, his face was known to the public, so if he were to openly dispose of the fake Dark Knight, it would only invite suspicion. That is why they had to go through this troublesome method instead. He couldn’t leech off others to get stronger as they could.

“However, I’ll praise your wisdom,” Ox said and revealed his own plan.

“Hm, it’s better than doing nothing at all, I guess?”

“Leaving aside that fake Dark Knight, we could easily overwhelm that princess and the dwarf, no?”

“Even if they are only 2nd-floor rankers, it’d be best to get any unnecessary trouble out of the way.”

Eclair’s group had their complaints but accepted Ox’s idea.

“So, when will we strike?”

“The contract with the White Wings ends in two days. It’d have to be after that, depending on how the fake Dark Knight moves.”

“Very well.”

Ox judged this conversation to be over and stood up. Eclair watched him off and remembered the face of the Dark Knight who had embarrassed them so much.

“This time, I’ll crush you and turn you into a Lost.”

And at the same time, she was thinking of letting the princess taste a bit of fire. Like cats about to hunt for mice, Eclair’s group flashed smiles that are only reserved for the strong.

1 Kurokage written with the kanji for black + shadow, Hakuyou written with the kanji for white + sun.

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