Prologue
In the Holy Kingdom of Almada, inside the labyrinth of the Holy Capital of Tonerico, Rio and Sora had just arrived on the eleventh floor, where they found themselves at a dead end with nowhere to go. Elsewhere, deep within the labyrinth, there was a giant magic circle drawn in the center of a spacious room. A young child in white clothing stood in the room; their eyes were hidden behind long bangs, making it hard to determine their gender, and they didn’t seem any older than ten years old.
The child was grinning in delight while staring up at the ceiling, when a man closely resembling the ambassador of the Proxia Empire, Reiss Vulfe, appeared out of nowhere, dressed in pure-white robes.
“Good evening.’’
“Oh, it’s you. Long time no see.”
“I’m in need of a golem, so I came to pick one up... What are you looking at?”
“There’s someone rather interesting here. No, someone very interesting. How’s the outside world been lately?”
“It’s rare to hear you express interest in the outside world.”
“Yeah, it just hit me out of the blue. It might even have something to do with why you’re here to pick up a golem...” The child finally looked away from the ceiling. “Right, Fenris?”
They turned to the man who resembled Reiss with a mischievous grin. Fenris fell silent in thought.
“The two people of interest have sneaked into the labyrinth. They're exploring the eleventh floor right now,” the child continued, returning their gaze to the ceiling.
“Oh, I see..." Fenris made a look of understanding.
“Hmm? Did that information just remind you of something?”
“Just reaching the eleventh floor requires a party of hero-class veterans, or someone at the level of a legendary hero. And you said those two are exploring the eleventh floor—not fighting or fleeing, but exploring,” Fenris explained.
“Yes, they completely wiped out the monsters on the floor,” the child said with a shrug. “They’re now combing the area for a path to the twelfth floor.”
“In which case, only a handful of candidates come to mind. There are three people I consider to be extremely dangerous out there... No, now there are four. Two of them must be here.”
Although Fenris didn’t say whom he was thinking of, there were apparently four people that he was wary of.
“Oh? So there are another two monsters still out there.”
“The world is a big place, after all. There might even be others I am unaware of.”
“Well, that’s fair. Okay, tell me more about the two on the eleventh floor right now, then. I know one is the disciple of the Dragon King, but I can’t figure out who the boy is. He looks like a human in his midteens.”
“The Dragon King’s disciple, and a boy in his midteens? I knew it...” Fenris rubbed his chin in contemplation, then sighed tiredly. “If you know that much, you should be able to predict the rest, no? A disciple would never willingly obey anyone besides their master,” he added.
“Are you saying he’s the Dragon King? No way. I’d never mistake him for someone else. And even if his disciple is still alive, there’s no way the Dragon King himself could still be,” the child said with excitement, surprised to hear Fenris’ words.
“Of course, I don’t believe the Dragon King is alive either. But if the boy on the eleventh floor is who I think he is, then there’s no doubt the world considers him a transcendent one.”
"..."
“He most likely used his powers and caused the rules of god to activate, marking him as a transcendent one. Despite still being a human, that is.”
“Unbelievable... No human could possibly withstand the use of transcendent powers. Even a hero assimilated with an upper high rank spirit would die.”
“Indeed. But his status as a transcendent one is an unshakable fact. As is how he lived in regular human society until just recently.”
“Hmm. You sure seem to know the boy well,” the child said, interested in Fenris’ information.
“I just so happen to have some ties to him. Quite a lot happened before he became a transcendent one...”
“It sounds like you’ve been having fun while I've been in the labyrinth, Fenris.”
“If what I just said sounds fun to you, then I’m baffled.” Fenris sighed in exasperation.
“We finally have some competition. I was getting bored of being the only one to move any pieces in this one-sided board game. Now it’s getting interesting,” the child said in a pleased tone.
“Our plan isn’t just some board game.”
“Duty and enjoyment can coexist. Indeed, it is enjoyment that motivates us to do our duty.”
“Your opponent might be the Wise God Lina, though.”
The child frowned blatantly at the mention of Lina. “If the Dragon King is back, then I suppose it wouldn’t be strange for her to be in the picture as well... Although I thought she died alongside the Dragon King.”
“I have yet to confirm her being alive. But that goddess’s presence keeps popping up. It’s possible that she prepared something against us a thousand years ago.”
“That woman’s ability to see the future has always been such an annoyance. And she certainly always has been a shrewd one.”
Despite what the child was saying, the look of delight was returning to their face. It seemed they couldn’t hold back their excitement after all.
“Getting back on topic,” Fenris said. “The boy possessing the same power as the supposedly dead Dragon King has brought his disciple to this labyrinth. This could potentially be an extremely bad situation.”
“Normally, it would be impossible to enter the twelfth floor without my permission, but there’s a chance he may use the Dragon King’s power. I’m not a fan of skipping straight to the final boss fight—but should I eliminate them now?”
“No... As long as they remain on the eleventh floor, there’s no need to make the first move,” Fenris said.
“How prudent of you. We’ve got several golems sleeping there, and if I accompany you as the custodian of the labyrinth, the rules of god will be weakened to an extent. You should be able to fight with a decent portion of your original strength, Fenris.”
“If he has complete control over the Dragon King’s abilities, then we will risk suffering extensive damage. The situation is startling, but not something to panic about just yet. We should first gather information regarding how much of our plan they are aware of. That is, if they don’t descend to the twelfth floor first,” Fenris suggested.
“I see. Leave it to me, then,” the child offered eagerly.
“What exactly am I entrusting to you?” Fenris asked with a brief sigh.
“Gathering information, of course. We need to know what they’re up to, right?”
The child smirked fearlessly.
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