55 Labyrinth City Lavrintos (1/2)

Black haired wise man Chiyuki

Nao-san, how did it go?

It's no good. ...... Mr. Chiyuki, there's no way to escape. There's no way to get out of here. It's not easy to find, Ruby.

Nao replies as she strokes the mouse on her head.

It looks like we'll be keeping the rat after all.

The rat was named Ruby. The name is apparently derived from its flaming red fur line, which looks like a ruby, a jewel.

Ruby looks somewhat resigned.

At first she seemed reluctant to do so, but lately she's become more docile.

'So ....... Not even around here. ......'

We've been here for five days now.

Nao and I have been searching every day to find a way out of the five underground levels together.

There is no way to get out of these five levels by transferring to the other levels because of the wards that are set up throughout the building.

That's why I'm looking for a way out.

But I haven't been able to find a way out.

I tried to use Reno's earth spirit magic to dig a tunnel to escape, but this labyrinth seems to be made of a special material, so I couldn't make a hole in it.

To begin with, it seems that the spirits are too weak to do anything in this labyrinth.

I'm not going to be able to use my sensory abilities as well because they are blocked by the wards.

I thought about destroying the labyrinth with my magic, but to begin with, this labyrinth is so strong that it cannot be destroyed.

Even if we were able to destroy it, the rest of us would not be safe if we did.

We're completely out of options.

It was a mistake to enter the transition gate at that time. But if we hadn't entered, we wouldn't have known anything.

There's no point in regretting it.

Instead, let's find a way to get out of it.

What are you going to do, Chiyuki-san?

It's all right. Let's go back to the city of Ursus.

Me and Nao decide to return to the city of Us.

I am a flying spell and Nao flies through the air with wings growing on her back.

Nao's wings are not pure white, shining like Shirohne's, but instead do not glow, but have a slight blue tint to them. And in a straight line, they are sometimes slower than Sirone's.

Nao says that this is unfair to Shirohne, but I think Nao's wings are beautiful enough.

After a short time in the sky, the city of Us comes into view.

This city of Urs has no walls.

The reason there are no walls is because there are no monsters that threaten humans on these five levels. That's why there is no need for walls.

We went down to the central square of the city.

When we get down, the people in the square run away from us.

They are afraid of being with us. People are looking at us from afar.

No one speaks to us.

The reason is because we killed the minotaur that ruled this city.

The people of the city of Urs are afraid of retaliation from the minotaurs below them. That's why they try to stay away from us as much as possible.

The people in the square seem to live much the same as the people in the outside world.

The city of Urs is located on the fifth level of this labyrinth city of Lavrintos.

From this fifth level down, the underground city where the minotaurs live seems to spread out.

I first learned that the labyrinthine city where the minotaurs live is called Lavurintos from the city of Urs.

And this city of Urs was built by the minotaurs for the humans to live in.

The population of the city of Urs is about 40,000. The people here are either brought here by the minotaurs or are their descendants.

In other words, the people of this city of Urs are all slaves ...... of the minotaur tribe, or rather cattle.

They are forced to offer sacrifices to the minotaurs.

I've heard that some of the people who were just brought in resisted, but the minotaurs couldn't stand up to them as humans. It seems that they were only sacrificed to him.

However, if you don't disobey, you can live peacefully on these five levels.

The stone houses, complete with water and sewage, are very impressive and rival the luxury homes of the Republic of Ariadia.

And the giant crystal above you will darken and lighten over time to create day and night. Furthermore, there is an abundance of plants, trees and water.

Perhaps it is because the power of the earth in the plain of Minon is gathered by magic, but the land is very rich and can produce a variety of crops.

Humans are carefully raised on these five levels. If only they can meditate on the sacrifices of a few people a year, they can live in abundance.

Maybe they will be richer than they are on earth.

At the very least, they seem to be better off than the goblins that are being used by humans.

And, except for the minotaur, there's no threat from demons. It's probably safer than on the ground.

Thinking that far, I shake my head.

No matter how rich and safe we are, it's still livestock security. I can't accept that.

Besides, as long as I promised to help the people of the Pasipaea Kingdom who were brought to this city, I must escape at all costs.

It seems that the people of Pasipaea Kingdom have been brought to this Us.

But not all the people who were taken away. Some were killed on the way, and some were taken to a lower level than here.

Most importantly, Eulia's mother, the Queen of Pasipaea, is not here. If she's alive, she must have been taken to a lower level.

The people of Pasipaea in this city of Us are about 3,000 people. That's a lot less than the number of people who are gone.

But I don't really want to think about the reason for the decrease.

I met the people of Pasipaea, but they all had a dark expression on their faces. Well, it's natural because we don't know what will happen from now on.

Anyway, the people who used to enslave the goblins on the ground become their own livestock here. What an irony.

Nao and I walked to the temple in the center of the city.

The gate of the temple has an emblem of an axe with a blade on either side.

It is the holy seal of the evil god Lavrus.

This double-bladed axe is also the weapon that symbolizes the Minotaur tribe.

It is said that this axe can only be held by the ruling class of the Minotaur.

''Chiyuki-sama.''

As I was about to enter the temple, I was stopped.

When I turned around, there was a little girl standing there by herself.

She's probably less than ten years old and has a moderately pretty face.

'What's up?'

I say in as gentle a voice as I can consciously muster.

'Oh ...... I brought you those vegetables and bread.'

The girl holds out the basket in her hand.

'Yes, thank you.'

I take it and the girl bows her head and turns on her heel and runs off.

Most people are too scared to approach, but there are exceptions.

The girl I just mentioned is one of them.

The girl's sister, after all, was to be sacrificed to the Minotaur in a month's time.

But it seems that she was saved by our coming.

I remember the girl and her sister came to thank us.

Since then, she has been bringing us food.

There are people who support us. If there are people who need our help, I want to help them.

I didn't want to help at all when the goblins were being enslaved, but I still can't stand the idea of humans being enslaved.

I take Nao and go to the back of the temple.

The back of the temple is an altar and there is a huge statue over 10 meters tall. The statue is a bull-headed, six-armed monster with the body of a human.

It is a statue of the evil god Lavrus.

In front of the statue, there is someone standing in front of it.

It is a minotaur about two meters tall.

This is Chiyuki-sama and Nao-sama. Welcome home, Bumo.

The minotaur spots us and bows his head.

'I'm home, Zoon. Where are you guys?

The Minotaur's name is Zun.

He was one of the Minotaurs that ruled over the humans in this city of Urs.

But this Zoon was bullied by the other Minotaurs.

The Minotaur tribe's hierarchy is determined by strength.

This Zoon is the weakest and most subordinate of all the minotaurs in Ravurintos.

When we came to this city, we fought the Minotaurs who ruled over the people and won.

At that time, Zoon was the only one who begged for his life. So he didn't even take a life.

Then Reno took control with his mesmerizing magic and extracted the information.

According to Zoon, to get in and out of these five levels, you have to open it from the outside.

I heard many other things from this Zoon.

The Minotaurs are determined by their strength. And it seems that the weaker ones are absolutely obedient to the stronger ones.

In some cases, they can be killed and eaten.

It seems that the Minotaur people have a propensity for cannibalism.

In the myths of our world, the minotaurs are cannibals, eating humans even though they were born to human women. It seems to be the same in this world as well.

And it seems that Zoon was also in a position to be eaten if they couldn't raise humans well.

They were treated worse than the people in the city of Ursus.

It's like being an employee of a ranch run by a black company. It's very sad to be in a position lower than livestock.

That's why it makes no sense to try to make Zoon a cattle hostage instead of a hostage.

The minotaurs in the lower echelons of the hierarchy will simply abandon Zune.

''I'm sorry, Chiyuki-sama, ....... I don't know, Bumo, as I haven't seen you yet today. Perhaps you are still asleep, Bumou.

Bumo Bumo and Zoon say apologetically. It's creepy because his face is a cow.

So what do we do now? I'm going to think about it while I eat lunch.

Chiyuki, the wise man with black hair

It was noon and everyone, except Zoon, was gathered in the dining room.

In front of them there is a thin loaf of bread, vegetables and cheese.

The bread in this world is usually thinly baked.

Thinly baked bread is a simple bread made from grain and water with no yeast.

It's not that there isn't yeast in this world. In fact, in the Republic of St. Renaria, there are some fluffy breads that are sold with yeast.

The reason why thinly baked bread is so common is probably because it needs to be preserved and requires little fuel to bake.

And it is usually eaten with vegetables or meat between them.

It is a popular way to eat bread with something in between, even in our former world.

I put cheese and vegetables on the bread.

The cheese is a kind of feta cheese taken from the goats on the fifth floor.

There is no shortage of salt on the fifth floor, as there is a huge quantity of rock salt. We don't even know where the water is drawn from.

So it looks like we'll be able to live forever without leaving the 5th level.

'No. ...... There doesn't seem to be any other loopholes.

Over lunch I tell everyone about the results of my exploration with Nao.

'I see. I'm sorry, Chiyuki. What shall we do, Reigi-sama~'

Eulia makes a sweet sound as she leans into Rage.

Reno and Nao get a grim look at that. Sahoko doesn't look too amused either.

'Eulia-san ....... We are in the middle of a serious conversation, can you not be too sticky?

I glare at Eulia. But Eulia has a cool face.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you're not going to be able to get away. Since Rage-sama is safe, I won't leave.

Then he hugged Rage.

Eulia was grabbed by a minotaur two days ago after chasing after Rage. And they brought her here.

And for some reason, he has been living in this temple.

He can afford to be quite dangerous.

And she doesn't seem worried that her mother hasn't been found.

And what I'm concerned about are the handmaidens who were brought with her.

They are completely unfazed by the situation, just as Eulia was.

They also live in this temple as a matter of course and take care of Eulia.

They clean the room, prepare meals and baths, etc., which is helpful, but aren't they worried about it?

That's all right, Chillun. Let's just relax.

Rage says as he chews on an apple-like fruit.

'Hey, Rage-kun!　You're going to stay here forever!

I yell at her. But Reigi sees me and smiles gently.

It's okay, Chiyuki. The minotaurs won't leave it at that forever. They will do something. Just wait until then. Besides, Shirohne and Kaya are out there. They'll do something about it. Let's just relax until then.

He was completely unfazed by the fact that he was locked in. As usual.

Sigh. Rage is a really big deal.

To tell you the truth, I'm pretty upset about being locked in. As any normal person would be, I suppose.

But I'm the only one who's upset in this.

It's not just Eulia and her friends, but also Sahoko, Reno, and Nao are all unconcerned.

I'm not sure if my restlessness is strange.

They all believe that Rage will take care of it.

Or they may think that as long as they have Rage on their side, it's no problem to be locked up. Sahoko, for example, seems to think that way.

The day is short for Eulia, but she also believes in Rage. That's why she has this attitude.

I can't believe in Rage that much.

Sigh. The others may be good, but I'm honestly worried. It's been like this for 5 days now. I wonder what's going to happen to me .......

I get down at the table.

”Chiyuki.

Immediately I hear a voice in my ear.

When I turned around in the direction of the voice, before I knew it, Rage had come to my side.

It's okay, Chiyuki. Trust me. And trust Shirone and the others out there.'

Then Rage pulls his face closer to mine.

A beautiful face comes up to me and I'm thrown into a daze. This guy is in trouble because his face is definitely the only good one.

If this was the only time he would look at me, I would have fallen.

Rage's eyes are more serious than ever as he pulls his face closer to mine. I wish my face was always like this.

And then Rage just pulls his face closer to mine.

This isn't good!

My rational mind sends out a danger signal.

'It's okay, Mr. Rage!　It's just something to cheer you up!

I push Rage away.

I almost got swept away. Dangerous danger.

But the anxiety I felt a while ago has disappeared.

But my heart is still pounding.

I look at Rage and he's grinning despite being pushed away. Totally this guy is .......

It's a good thing Chiyuki is feeling better now. We'll go for a picnic tomorrow. It doesn't look like it's going to rain here. It's supposed to feel good, everyone.

Sansei~!

Rage says cheerfully, and Reno agrees.

These five levels are wide and have hills with grass and flowers growing on the lake.

The light emitted from the crystal would be just right for a warm picnic.

''I'll make lunch then. Come on, Nao-chan, help me.

Yes, sir!　Mr. Sahoko!

Sahoko and Nao say as they look at me.

Apparently, it's not just Rage, but Sahoko and Nao are also caring for me.

It certainly doesn't help that I'm depressed.

I decide to cheer up.

'Sahoko-san, I'll help you with that.'

Thank you, Mr. Chiyuki.

Sahoko smiles at him. It is the smile of a saint. It soothes the hearts of those who see it. Naturally, so do I.

I can't just be down and out. I can't be the first one to go down.

I have to be strong.