TO THE GREAT ELROE LABYRINTH
We’re traveling toward the elf village to stop Hugo.
He’s plunged the country into chaos using the power of brainwashing, seizing control over both the church and the empire.
My older brother Leston’s informants discovered that Hugo is currently leading the empire’s huge army toward the elf village, despite the fact that a war against demons has just begun.
If we let him run wild like this, it’s obvious that the demons will take advantage of the resulting confusion.
We have to stop him, no matter what.
However, the elf village is on Kasanagara, so we have to get there from Daztrudia.
There are two ways to travel between the continents.
You can either use a teleport point or cross through the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
The ocean isn’t an option: It’s the domain of powerful water dragons. Any ships that try to cross come under attack and sink immediately.
Unfortunately, Fei can’t fly long enough to take us across by air, either.
A teleport point would be safest, but since those are highly valuable magic tools, every major nation exerts direct control over any in their regions.
Since we’re wanted by our kingdom, and probably the church as well, I doubt any other nations would give us permission to use their teleport points.
The only remote possibility is the kingdom where my older sister, whom I’ve never met, married into the royal family.
However, it would be too dangerous to rely on others for help when we don’t know how far Hugo’s influence reaches.
Our best bet is to work only with the people we know we can trust, meaning the current members of our small band.
In which case, a teleport point isn’t an option.
The only remaining option is to traverse the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
However, as its name implies, it’s an enormous dungeon where monsters abound.
Monsters that have evolved independently, closed off from the rest of the world.
Many of them are poisonous, making countermeasures a must.
Not to mention that the labyrinth itself is dangerous all on its own.
It’s said that the Great Elroe Labyrinth is so incredibly large that you’ll never make it back alive if you lose your way even once.
Because of that, anyone who wants to cross the labyrinth needs to hire a specialized labyrinth guide.
At least, that’s what I’ve gathered about the place so far.
Unlike a teleport point, traversing the Great Elroe Labyrinth is dangerous, not to mention time-consuming.
Fortunately, we still have a little time to spare.
The empire is a long distance from the elf village, and since a large army is weighing Hugo down, it’ll take that much longer for him to travel anywhere.
Calculating back from the information we were given, it should take the empire’s army longer to reach the village than it will take us to get through the labyrinth.
The problem is that the Great Elroe Labyrinth is an unspeakably dangerous place.
Out of our group, the only two people who have entered it before are Hyrince and Anna.
When our teacher first came to this continent with Potimas, the friendship ambassador of the elves, they used the teleport point in our kingdom.
Hugo has since destroyed that teleport point.
Hyrince mentioned that he went into the labyrinth with my brother Julius on a few occasions long ago, for monster extermination and other duties.
Anna entered only once, to travel through it.
Katia, Fei, and I have never even left the kingdom. This will be our first time in the labyrinth, of course.
Unlike the places we visited for exercises at the academy, our lives will truly be in danger here.
All in all, having to face the labyrinth is a little nerve-racking.
We rode on Fei’s back and flew through the sky before finally arriving here, the entrance to the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
“I knew it. Empire soldiers.”
Activating Clairvoyance, I scope out the entrance from a long distance.
It’s surrounded by a fortress that seals it off.
The Great Elroe Labyrinth is the only land route that connects the continents.
If demons want to attack this continent, they’ll have to come through here.
The fortress serves as a breakwater for that, but demons have never come through the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
A maze so enormous that it would be impossible to ever escape it without a guide.
Full of dangerous, poisonous monsters.
The Great Elroe Labyrinth is like a natural fortress in its own right, the most impregnable citadel.
At any rate, demons have never used it as a route to attack humans, historically speaking.
The main role of the fortress is to prevent people from trespassing into the labyrinth illegally and to make sure that no monsters escape.
There wouldn’t normally be any empire soldiers around the entrance, though.
This isn’t part of the empire’s territory.
Without a doubt, this is Hugo’s work.
He must have set up guards here to make sure we can’t simply cross the continental border.
“What should we do?”
“Can we use Stealth and other techniques to evade the soldiers, perhaps?”
Ms. Oka offers a suggestion.
But I shake my head.
There certainly are skills for concealing one’s presence, but they won’t work on someone with stronger perception skills.
That old mage Ronandt is a perfect example.
He was able to sense us even though we were far above him, actively hiding our presence.
Even if there’s no one that powerful here, there could still be someone with strong perception skills.
And if they detected us, a fight would be inevitable.
Since we still have to fight our way through the extremely challenging Great Elroe Labyrinth, we should avoid combat whenever possible to save our strength.
So forcing our way through is out of the question.
“I have an idea. Follow me.”
Hyrince beckons to the rest of the group.
Since he has more experience with the Great Elroe Labyrinth than any of us do, he might have a better plan.
We follow his lead, moving away from the entrance.
“We’re here.”
Hyrince led us to a small village not far from the labyrinth entrance.
As he explained along the way, the village is made up of people who run businesses, inns, and other services for adventurers planning on entering the labyrinth.
Sure enough, the stores seem to stock shatterproof antidote potions, live coals, and so on. The inns are much larger than one would expect from such a small settlement, too.
This must be where people make their final preparations before braving the great labyrinth.
We travel along the outside perimeter, taking care not to be seen.
After all, there’s no telling whether Hugo has eyes in this village.
Fei, of course, is hiding out nearby so she doesn’t draw attention.
A giant wyrm like that is bound to be spotted as soon as she enters the village, after all.
Sneaking along, we arrive at a single isolated house on the outskirts of the village.
It’s a bit larger than most of the other houses.
Hyrince knocks on the door.
“Yes? Who is it?”
A middle-aged man appears from inside.
His powerful muscles, visible even through his clothes, hint that this is no ordinary villager.
Seeing Hyrince at the door, the man looks surprised.
“It’s been a long time, friend.”
Hyrince lowers his head after offering a greeting.
“Indeed. Well, do come in.”
The man peers around cautiously before ushering us inside.
That must mean that he has some knowledge of our situation.
“This is Mr. Goyef, a labyrinth guide. He aided Julius, the others, and me countless times.”
“Indeed. My name is Goyef. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Mr. Goyef, this is Julius’s brother Schlain.”
“Hello, I’m Schlain. It’s nice to meet you.”
Hyrince introduces the rest of the group in turn.
Mr. Goyef listens to it all with a mild-mannered smile, but he doesn’t seem like someone to be taken lightly.
From what I can tell through his clothes, his body seems very well trained, and though he wears a meek expression, it looks to me as though he’s sizing us up with narrowed eyes.
That would explain why Hyrince is speaking rather politely to him, too.
Clearly, there’s something out of the ordinary about this man.
“Now then, Mr. Goyef. Allow me to be frank about our situation. The empire is currently pursuing us on false charges. To settle this matter, we wish to cross through the Great Elroe Labyrinth into Kasanagara. However, empire soldiers are guarding the entrance. Is there any chance that you might have an alternative way to get us into the labyrinth, Mr. Goyef?”
Mr. Goyef ponders in silence for a moment.
“I understand your circumstances, to some extent. I did find it strange when I heard rumors that you had attempted to overthrow the king, Sir Hyrince.”
Apparently, Mr. Goyef already knew a bit about what had happened in the capital.
As part of their job, labyrinth guides tend to have a wide range of connections.
He must have gathered information through this network.
It seems that he was even able to guess that we were being falsely accused based on what he found out.
“Unfortunately, I cannot help you.”
Upon hearing those words, Hyrince’s face falls.
“Mr. Goyef…”
“I am truly sorry. But my own life and safety hang in the balance as well. I cannot afford to draw the empire’s attention by aiding you. My personal safety is one thing, but it could potentially put my family in danger as well.”
“I see…”
Though they aren’t present at the moment, I do see a few signs that children live in this house.
Mr. Goyef has a family.
We can’t ask him to endanger that family to aid us.
I know this, but it’s still a painful reminder that the false label of “traitor” we carry is a heavy burden.
If anything, we should be grateful that he was willing to hear us out.
At worst, he could easily have drawn a weapon on us as soon as we appeared at his doorstep.
Even knowing that we’re innocent, no one would want to make an enemy of an entire empire.
“What’s this now? If this coward won’t guide yeh, I’ll do it my damn self.”
An elderly man kicks open the door with an announcement that startles our gloomy group.
“Father?!”
“Hrmph! I don’t recall raising a coward. A man yer age, afraid of some stupid empire?”
With a bottle of liquor in hand, the man swaggers over.
“The name’s Basgath. If it’s all right by you, I’d gladly guide yeh in this coward’s place.”
“Father, wait!”
“Quiet, you.”
The man’s soft yet powerful voice cows Mr. Goyef into silence.
Even at a glance, Basgath seems incredibly fit for an old man and in possession of an intense spirit.
His strength is so evident that I’m tempted to Appraise his status without thinking.
“Yer too scared of the empire to do yer job? The monsters that lurk in the deeps of the labyrinth are far worse than any empire. Labyrinth guides ought to fear no man, only the labyrinth itself. Don’t yeh know that?”
Basgath scowls at Goyef.
It sounds crazy to me, but Mr. Goyef seems unable to stop him.
“Surely yeh aren’t really satisfied letting proceedings go like this, are yeh? Then let me do it. Even if the empire does take notice, yeh can just say that yer senile old man did it of his own accord.”
“Father…”
Basgath’s insistence quickly drains Goyef’s drive to argue.
Goyef must have his own misgivings about the way the empire has been doing things.
“If yeh don’t mind a retired old gramps like me, I’ll guide yeh. What’ll it be?”
Hyrince hesitates, but my instincts tell me we can count on this person.
I communicate my thoughts to him briefly with Telepathy.
At the same time, I notice a slight reaction from Mr. Basgath.
Apparently, this person can eavesdrop on Telepathy.
“All right. Thank you.”
“Sure thing. Well, not that I can do all that much anyway.”
Yeah, right.
Even in this short amount of time, it’d be obvious to anyone that Mr. Basgath is a pretty big deal.
“Let’s discuss the specifics, then.”
At Hyrince’s proposal, we begin to plan our next moves in detail.
Apparently giving in, Mr. Goyef helps with our plans as well.
I use Telepathy to tell Fei that our negotiations with Basgath were a success.
Then, for some reason, she tells me to switch with Ms. Oka instead.
“Ms. Oka, Fei says she wants to talk to you.”
“Oh? I wonder why.”
Taking over the Telepathy conversation, our teacher talks to Fei for a moment, then tells us that she’s going out and leaves, just like that.
I try to insist on going with her just to be safe, but for whatever reason, she won’t allow it.
Instead, the other women, Katia and Anna, go with her, leaving only the guys behind in Mr. Goyef’s house.
“Women and children are strong these days. Those girls seem pretty skilled, too, eh?”
Basgath is a straight shooter, apparently.
“It’s impolite to ask about other people’s abilities, isn’t it?”
That’s what I was taught, anyway.
It’s the reason why I’m careful not to use Appraisal too often, even though I leveled it up to the max by diligently building up proficiency.
“Normally, sure. But we labyrinth guides need to have a sense of how strong the people we’re guiding might be. In the labyrinth, yeh may well live or die by a guide’s judgment. Manners got no place in a job like mine.”
Basgath shrugs.
“That’s why even without using Appraisal, I can usually tell just about how strong someone might be. Not that I’d bet the farm on my accuracy!”
He chuckles at his own joke and takes a swig of alcohol.
“Yeh all do seem to be a capable lot. But in the labyrinth, even capable humans can die just like that. Don’t let yer guards down.”
Maybe he’s trying to warn us not to get too confident just because we think we’re strong?
Just to be safe, I nod cautiously.
It’s not like I’m in any danger of being overly sure of myself right now.
To be honest, I’ve completely lost my confidence.
Even after becoming the hero, I haven’t been able to do anything when the time calls for it.
I couldn’t land a single blow on Hugo, all I could do against Sophia was run for my life, and Ronandt let me live out of pity.
My stats are quite high.
But some of our enemies are far stronger.
As I am now, I don’t stand a chance against them.
I’ve got no room for overconfidence right now.
I know I have to get much, much stronger.
“Ah, youth…”
Evidently grasping some portion of my inner turmoil, Basgath gives me a warm look.
I hastily turn my face away to avoid his gaze.
“We’re back.”
Ms. Oka and the girls return just in time.
Hmm? Wait…
Ms. Oka came back with Katia, Anna, and…one more person?
“Ta-daa! Introducing the brand-new human model Fei, just released today!”
The new person introduces herself brightly, even striking a goofy pose.
She practically looks like an angel: pale skin, hair white enough it almost glimmers, and feathery wings to complete the look.
But what surprises me most is actually her face.
She looks just like my old classmate, who I haven’t seen in so long: Mirei Shinohara, Fei’s previous incarnation.
“Fei…? Is that you?”
I was already pretty sure from her face, not to mention that she’d already introduced herself, but I still couldn’t help asking.
“You know it! I got the Light Wyrm skill when I evolved, and guess what turned out to be one of its effects? Humanification!”
She’s probably all excited because it’s the first time since reincarnating that she’s been able to look like a human again.
There are still some traces of her dragon form, like the scales on her exposed arms and the feathers dotting her body, but she definitely resembles a human a lot more now.
I can only imagine how she felt being reborn as a dragon, but seeing how energetic she is now, it’s obvious that she’s pretty pleased with this turn of events.
Basgath and Goyef, who have no idea what’s going on, are staring blankly, but hopefully they’ll let her do her thing for a bit.
I don’t recognize the clothing that Fei is wearing.
Ms. Oka probably bought it all in a hurry at one of the village shops.
That explains why she wouldn’t let me come with her.
Well, it’s not like Fei wears any clothes in dragon form. There’s no reason she’d conveniently have clothes on when she turns into a human.
Which means that when she first turned into a human, she must’ve been na…k…e…
“And what might you be thinking about, hmm?”
The alarming darkness in Katia’s voice quickly drives that line of thought out of my mind.
Privately, I assure myself that I had only the purest intentions.
“Wait, so I wasn’t allowed to come but Katia was?”
Technically, Katia used to be male.
“Of course it was fine for me to go.”
I see.
“But seriously, you look pretty good like that.”
“I know, right?! Look at me—I’m sparkling! Heeey, pretty lady!”
Picking up on my muttered comment, Fei twirls around.
In her previous life as Mirei Shinohara, Fei was beautiful enough that she got away with singing her own praises.
It was that same pride that led her to bully Wakaba, unable to stand another girl getting more compliments than she did.
With her feathered wings and almost half-dragon, half-human appearance, Fei is juuust treading the line of resembling a cosplayer, but when combined with her beautiful face, it looks perfectly natural.
Add in her avian light-wyrm feathers, and she really does look like an angel.
Her words and actions are far from angelic, though, so of course it’s still easy to tell that it’s just Fei.
More importantly, this means that Fei is no longer too big to enter the Great Elroe Labyrinth.
In dragon form, Fei’s enormous size makes it difficult for her to get around indoors.
Worst-case scenario, I was worried she wouldn’t be able to enter the labyrinth at all.
As a last resort, I can call her with Summoning, which was why I considered leaving her here.
She’d reassured me that it would be fine, so I trusted her, but still…I had no idea that this was the solution she had in mind.
At any rate, every last one of us can charge freely into the labyrinth now.
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