Chapter 20 (2/2)

Before Maal could say anything further, Ria gently held her shoulder.

“It isn’t a trick. I simply crushed from the front.”

Perhaps even the man before Maal right now wouldn’t be an opponent for her. Maal’s current level is 40.

In only three days, her level doubled.

“Ojou-chan should back off.”

As he said that, he reached out his arm. Ria grabbed it.

“What are you-, uwaaah!”

Ria’s grip could crush a goblin’s head by itself. Letting go in moderation, he looked towards her as though seeing a true monster.

“Let it go. Even the smallest kid in that party has a level above 40.”

A man who seemed to be a magician started talking from behind. He probably used Identify.

That ogre is even 55. But I can’t understand that girl’s…”

“Can’t understand it? Read Resistance?”

“It could be magic. But either way, they aren’t opponents you can stand against.”

A feeling of awe spread. Ria stuck out her chest and folded her arms in content.

“Hey Ria, let’s go.”

Looking to avoid more trouble, Lulu urged her. The party left the guild.

When they returned to the mayor’s mansion, though Klaus had gone out, a butler took care of the party.

They discussed things needed for the exploration, surprising Klaus during dinner, and had a peaceful sleep for the first time in a while after taking a bath.

While making Maal a hug pillow, Ria thought.

What she felt in the labyrinth, the presences.

It’s said that the master of the labyrinth is a demon.

However, it didn’t kill humans. Is there a demon that isn’t hostile to humans?

To begin with, demon is the general term for demi-humans that live in the absolutely frozen demon territory. Ogres also used to be called demons. Even now they are affiliated with demons.

If that’s the case, in spite of being demons, don’t they also have a amicable relations.h.i.+p towards humans? Rather, can they even be called demons anymore?

Though it’s said that the labyrinth was completed several times, the labyrinth’s master wasn’t overthrown. Therefore, the labyrinth is still here. Why wasn’t it destroyed? Is it because it isn’t necessary to do so?

While unable to come to a conclusion from thinking, Ria fell asleep.

The entire next day was spent on preparations.

The first go around was to find a weapon and armor shop for Carlos’ sword and s.h.i.+eld, with Serge and Lulu gathering magic potions in the meanwhile.

Serge finally bought a cane. It was able to quicken the activation of water and earth magic. Apart from offensive ability, there was a thought to reduce anxiety about defensive capability.

“If the tenth floor’s boss is a dragon, defensive magic is absolutely necessary.”

Carlos even bought a mithril s.h.i.+eld that was resistant to magic. Though the materials were so-so, it can be imbued with magic, which would be useful against non-simple attacks.

As expected, the armor was impossible. So while Serge looked at grimoires, he used magic to imbue hardness reinforcement, toughness reinforcement, and lightweight reinforcement.

“That’s so good, using magic while reading a book like that.”

Though Lulu was impressed, it was the effect of a Gift.

“Though Lulu is a half-elf, you can’t use spirit magic?”

“U-… since a special ability is different even if it’s called magic…”

Lulu grew timid and drew circles on the ground. She definitely had a complex about it.

Gathering in a room after dinner, they looked through the information they gained that day.

Things concerning the heads of each floor was already heard from the Ogre King.

The problem is how to get to them. There weren’t any active explorers that made it pa.s.sed the eighth floor, and they weren’t able to ask for a detailed account from a retired explorer. However, as you go lower enemies get stronger and the labyrinth seems to narrow.

“Iron golem on the sixth floor, ghost knight on the seventh floor, ‘dogazer’ on the eighth floor, and a hydra on the ninth floor. Judging from the trend on the floors up till now, demons related to the boss appear.”

At this, Maal raised her hand.

“Umm, though I know the other monsters, I haven’t heard of ‘dogazer’.”

Since she was sure Maal had heard about the details from her companions, she hadn’t explained. The ‘dogazer’ is a pseudo-living thing made from magic, a minor monster.

When hearing a brief explanation, Serge had a rough idea of it, but didn’t understand the details in particular.

“In order to obliterate pedophiles from the world, I heard an ancient empire made it…”

“That’s news to me.”

Since Lulu was Rufus’ a.s.sistant and happened to know the details by chance, she explained it.

Then, for the next day’s capture, the party went to sleep early.

Of course, Ria slept while closely embracing Maal.

<script>