Vol 2 Chapter 2 (2/2)

“Y-Yes. I’m fine.”

“Great. We should look for a way out while we still have energy to spare.”

Yuuki smiled faintly and, turning to face the others taking up the rear, told them to get ready to move.

Tina and Edgar were chatting quite happily. The two boys’ moods were much improved; her attempts to cheer them up had succeeded, it seemed.

“Now that’s a real s.h.i.+nki…” Kaya thought to herself.

One who protected the people, delivering them from evil – a guardian of this world.

Watching Tina, Kaya was filled with a deep sense of longing – a mix of loneliness and envy.

The party descended the stairs, arriving at the fifth floor.

Kaya reported this change and promptly cut off the connection without waiting for an answer.

What would she do next? Or rather, what would Jahar do next?

The fifth floor looked just as the floor before it had.

To be precise, it, too, was an amalgamation of other floors, a warped mixture of the labyrinth’s levels.

“I have to admit, I feel a little hopeless…”

As she walked slowly along, Franka sighed.

“Who can say what lies ahead? We should continue what we’ve been doing already by mapping out the floor as we explore.”

Yuuki did his best to encourage everyone else.

Out of the blue, Kaya’s vision distorted and her head screamed in pain.

——”It” had come again.

“——”

It was a bit better this time.

Just as the vibrations had begun to rock the labyrinth once more, he’d grabbed Tina and Kaya, who were falling.

“…Sorry Franka, I don’t have any more hands.”

“Oh, no, it’s alright. I’m okay.”

Franka stumbled a few steps, but managed to right herself.

“Mm. Tina’s okay as well, Master.”

“Don’t force yourself. ——How’re you, Kaya?”

“I’m fine,” she replied.

Likely because this was now the second time it had happened, everyone’s symptoms were milder.

Yuuki placed the two he’d caught in his arms gently onto the floor.

“Uh, Yuuki-sensei… behind us…” Edgar exclaimed.

Everyone turned to look behind them.

The stairwell they had just descended had vanished, replaced by a blank stone wall.

“…Everything’s been rearranged again.”

Yuuki clicked his tongue.

It wasn’t as though he hadn’t already considered the possibility of such an occurrence, but it still bothered him more than he cared to admit.

If it continued to happen, then any efforts to map out the new topology would prove futile.

However, the fact that staying where they were wouldn’t improve their situation hadn’t changed. Their small group decided to press forward and explore the fifth floor.

As compared to the fourth floor, their efforts this time were marked by ups and downs.

Everyone was pretty much accustomed to the strangeness of the terrain by now, and any Void Beasts were immediately repelled. Unfortunately, as they proceeded onward, the phenomenon continued to repeat itself time and again, leaving Yuuki and the others very unhappy.

None of the following changes were nearly as drastic as the first had been, though. Essentially only the scenery directly within their field of view seemed to have been effected.

Each change was a small one, along the lines of creating a corner ahead of them where there had been none before, or turning the road before them into a dead end.

Although they were constantly wandering around, eternally on the lookout for water, as time went on, they ran into fewer and fewer adventurers.

Indeed, they had not met another person at any point during their last two hours.

“——It looks like someone’s trying to isolate us,” Yuuki thought.

If he considered that this had been the goal behind the alterations made to the labyrinth, then things started to make sense.

It should be said that he hadn’t thought of this just now; no, this possibility had occurred to him immediately after the phenomenon had first evinced itself. Now, however, it seemed that this was indeed the answer.

This explanation did, after all, make far more sense than “some mechanism within the labyrinth suddenly activated on its own.” If someone was indeed behind this, then he’d just have to pull them out from behind the curtains and give them a sound beating and the problem would be solved. All that remained was deciding how to get them to reveal themselves——

“A Void Beast at 10 o’ clock!”

Franka’s shout interrupted his train of thought. These Void Beast ambushes had happened numerous times already.

Alfred and Franka raced forward to meet the attacker.

The children scrambled to the rear, hiding behind Yuuki. Because this had occurred many times already, the reactions of Edgar and company were fast and their motions practiced.

The two quickly put their enemies – fire breathing wolves – on the brink of death.

Yuuki wanted to avoid combat unless absolutely necessary, since action would risk exposing both his and Tina’s true ident.i.ties. That said, he would not risk Alfred and Franka’s wellbeing simply to preserve that secret. Thankfully, such an occasion had not yet presented itself.

As they gradually ever more fatigued, however, he determined that once they’d exhausted themselves, he would need to act. Watching their actions, they yet had energy to spare, but there was a definite limit both to Alfred’s stamina and Franka’s satchel of Divine Pearls. They couldn’t keep this up indefinitely.

He needed to figure out a way to seize a hold of their enemy before that limit was reached——

“Master! Over here!”

Tina.

Yuuki clicked his tongue and flipped around. He’d been too focused on the battle in front of him, and had forgotten to watch behind them as well.

A black shadow had appeared, a cloud-like enemy preparing to attack the children. It was an enemy often seen on the fourth and fifth floors – a swarm of especially large wasps that could be found only within the walls of the labyrinth.

“Get back!”

Tina grabbed Edgar and yanked him forward. A Void Beast of this level was utterly incapable of harming a s.h.i.+nki, so there wasn’t anything to worry about there.

“Aaaaah——”

A venomous wasp flew at the neck of an ashen-faced Selim, who was taking up the rear. Kaya, in an entirely unexpected display of bravery, swatted it away.

Unfortunately, her action was accompanied by a shrill scream.

“Ah! Y-Yuuki-sensei! Selim——!”

It hadn’t been a single wasp that had attacked him. This second wasp flew in from his blind spot, and stung him in the arm.

“Calm down, Kaya. ——Tina, help Selim treat his wound. Make sure you pull its stinger out!”

This type of wasp left its stinger behind in the victim’s body, where it continually pumped venom into their bodies.

Yuuki gave Tina instructions before promptly charging toward the cloud of wasps. Fuming inwardly at his carelessness, he drew a dagger at his waist. His weapon flashed, and a wasp fell dead, its body split in halves.

In the blink of an eye, he’d slain the entire swarm. The job done, he turned.

“How is it? Anyone else stung?”

“Selim was the only one, and we’ve already removed the stinger. ——He was very brave; he didn’t even cry.”

Tina patted the head of the boy beside her, his eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g with tears.

Yuuki sighed.

“…I’m sorry. I was too careless.”

The strange new layout of the labyrinth meant that the territories of Void Beasts, which never before overlapped, now could, and thus attacks could come from multiple directions. He’d focused overmuch on the large threat before him, and had completely neglected to watch their rear.

“How are you all? Everyone okay?”

The lupine Void Beasts slain, Franka had rushed back to check on the others.

“Selim’s arm was wounded by a poisonous wasp. I’m sorry to ask you to have to exert yourself after a long fight like that, but could you help him?”

“Of course! Leave it to me.”

Franka took his arm and inspected the wound.

“The stinger’s… been removed already. This injury was caused when the stinger was removed, yes?”

“Yeah, because the stinger was buried within his arm, we had to cut it out with a dagger…”

“Well done. Poison will spread throughout the entire body whereas a knife wound like this one can be healed easily enough. ——Okay, I’m going to heal you with an Orison. Please relax, Selim-kun. An injury like this just needs a bit of rest, and then it’ll be as good as new, don’t you worry.”

Franka removed a Divine Pearl from her satchel and focused. In a flash, the flesh on his arm had knit itself together and was made whole once more. Offensive and restorative Orisons were quite hard to do, but these were her specialties.

As Tina heaved a sigh of relief, Yuuki leaned in to whisper to her.

“…When you pulled out the stinger from his arm, how exactly did you manage to open his skin?”

“I used the knife you gave me when we entered.”

“That’s not what I’m asking. What I mean is, I thought you s.h.i.+nki couldn’t harm anyone?”

“Eh?”

Tina tilted her head in surprise and puzzlement.

“I was so focused on what I needed to do to help him that I hadn’t realized it, but you’re right, Master. How did I do that?”

“…You were able to cut his arm because it was for the sake of helping him. If you didn’t realize you were causing any harm, then it seems it’s possible for you to do so.”

The “inability to harm another living being” was purely a mental block. If she hadn’t realized what she was doing was hurting someone else, then this restriction on her actions would not activate. Now that he thought about it, when she’d woken up earlier, she’d crashed into his jaw, inflicting pain upon him.

Although Selim’s wound was now healed, the party decided it was best that they took a break nonetheless.

If any venom were left in his bloodstream, then physical activity would precipitate its spread through his body, worsening his condition. In order to avoid this worst case scenario, they deemed it necessary to observe the situation for a time.

Yuuki placed Selim under Franka’s watchful care while he stood guard.

——Alfred suddenly sauntered up to Yuuki’s side.

“…How’re you holding up, Uncle?”

“Feeling pretty lively still.”

“This is the worst. Originally, I’d thought this was a simple job, and yet look how things have turned out.”

“Just think of these kinds of one-off jobs as a bit of recreation. In the larger scheme of things, continuity and stability are what’s important.”

“…I guess so.”

Yuuki sighed.

“You’re always mentoring new adventurers, Uncle. How’s the money?”

“I don’t rely on this to put food on the table, if that’s what you’re asking. Aside from duties with the training school, I have a long-term employer. If you ever change your mind about being an adventurer, I’d be more than happy to introduce you.”

“Forget it.”

Done speaking, Yuuki turned to face the children.

“The kids seem to be holding up alright. I’d figured they’d be pretty terrified after what just happened, but it looks like they get along well with Tina and Franka.”

Selim was lying on the ground, resting, with the others gathered around him.

“Not long ago, the ‘s.h.i.+nki Crowned with the Moon’ and her Duelist, the n.o.ble Snow Blade King were very well-known. This story——”

Franka seemed to be sharing a story of the Duelists with the children. Selim, too, was an eager listener. From the looks of things, he seemed to be doing just fine.

“You don’t look very happy?”

“…”

Yuuki just grunted in response.

“Let me guess, you think Selim’s injury was your fault? It’s not like I can’t understand how you feel. ‘There’s more I could have done,’ ‘There’s more I should have done’ – you can’t blame yourself like that. If you’re simply reflecting on your actions, then that’s okay. But understand this – masochism and regret don’t change anything.”

“I know.”

It wasn’t like he was omnipotent. In fact, he thought of himself as weak and powerless – as limited. No, perhaps “thought” was the wrong word; more like “recognized.”

But still… it was for that very reason that he didn’t want to experience that ever again.

Franka’s story involuntarily flowed into his ears.

“From that point forward, the ‘s.h.i.+nki Crowned with the Moon’ and the Snow Blade King became bitter enemies. That was when the ‘Black Demon’ made his appearance. They fought, and the Snow Blade King was defeated.”

“Eh?! He lost! The Snow Blade King!” Edgar shouted.

“This isn’t a story that’s been recorded anywhere, so no one really knows, to be honest,” Franka replied with a wry smile. “Truth be told, there are many variations that are pa.s.sed around. There are those who say that the Snow Blade King had grown tired of this world, and intentionally threw the fight. Others say that he had been harmed in the labyrinth first, and lost for that reason. The one thing we know for certain is that from that point on, the Snow Blade King ceased to appear and the Black Demon began to serve the Lunar s.h.i.+nki in his place.”

“So what happened to the Snow Blade King then?” Selim asked, from his spot on the ground.

“Some say that he perished, and others that he was lost. I personally say it’s the latter. It’d just be too sad otherwise.”

“Tina agrees! Mas – er, the Snow Blade King – is definitely still alive!”

Yuuki knew he was frowning. He wanted nothing more than to run over and give the loose-lipped s.h.i.+nki a sound knock upside the head.

“Continuing on, thus the Black Demon became the new Duelist of the Lunar s.h.i.+nki. He and the Snow Blade King couldn’t have been more different. Where the former’s blade had been white, his was black. Not only did he refuse to lift a hand in aid of adventurers in need, if they got in his way, he slew them without the least hesitation. He became a most feared, hated existence.”

“So um, did the Lunar s.h.i.+nki-sama of that time not have anything to say about it?” Kaya inquired.

“Yeah, you’d think she’d be terribly angry, wouldn’t you? Alas, anything she might have said has never been pa.s.sed down. All we know is that one day, she suddenly disbanded her Oath Legion and ceased all action. From then on, there’s been no hint of any activity from her. The Moon’s Oath Legion is the only one that lies dormant these days. At the same time, the name of the Black Demon gradually faded from view. All this took place some five years ago.”

“…”

Five years. Has it really been that long?

“With that, Franka’s story is finished. Yuuki, we should go.”

“…Mm.”

Yuuki stood and smiled lightly.

“——Alright, you guys feeling better? Let’s go.”

“Um, are you really okay? Anything feel uncomfortable?” Kaya asked Selim as they walked along.

“Ah, no, I’m okay. I’m sorry Kaya, for inconveniencing you.”

“Seriously, Selim. You’re too weak.”

Although Edgar’s words right now were unconscionable, the blood had completely drained from his face when Selim had been stung.

“If you feel like you can’t go on, let us know in advance. We can’t let you become a burden to the party, so I’ll take care of you.”

“I said I’m fine.”

Listening to the two banter back and forth, Kaya heaved a sigh of relief.

Seeing how peaceful and calm Selim was, she finally relaxed.

At the same time, she also realized her limits.

——She was simply incapable of harming another.

She remembered Franka’s story about the “s.h.i.+nki Crowned with the Moon.”

Kaya knew nothing of her predecessor. Although the two shared the same t.i.tle, they were two entirely distinct persons, and thus their memories were their own.

And so she knew nothing of what had happened between the previous Lunar s.h.i.+nki and her Duelist.

That deficiency notwithstanding, she did know one thing – the last Lunar s.h.i.+nki had manifested her desire to avoid harming anyone.

——Should she follow that example?

“…Ohh?” Jahar muttered. “Kaya-chan isn’t picking up. She seems to be refusing me.”

“Is it possible that her ident.i.ty was discovered and she was killed?” Elfriede responded.

“If something like that had happened, I would know. She’s still alive. She’s still moving too; I can tell. I think she’s just ignoring me.”

“It’s not unexpected.”

The Stellar s.h.i.+nki nodded expressionlessly.

Indeed, Kaya’s decision was within the realm of her expectation, and so she had prepared a countermeasure.

“Alright then, as we discussed earlier, I’ll take control of things. And, as agreed upon earlier, this means your reward will be reduced.”

Jahar shrugged. This, too, is for victory. So be it.

“…If you’re going to cooperate, there are better ways.”

Elfriede looked down at the labyrinth entrance and whispered.

“This is all because of your cowardice. If you’re going to hate anyone, then hate yourself, O ‘s.h.i.+nki Crowned with the Moon.'”

Translator notes and references

None.

<script>