Chapter 43

The two sets of footsteps echoed through the labyrinth at short intervals on the 22nd floor.

They were mine and Haru's footsteps.

Without encountering a single monster, we ran with all our might.

We found the stairs to the 23rd floor and went down them.

"The smell is getting closer. It seems Caro is still with Oregairu-sama."

"…There's a good chance Caro and the others have already reached the 24th floor."

"Also, Master, there's a faint smell of blood… It's likely that Sebastian-sama was injured here."

Speaking of Sebastian, he's an old gentleman, a level 49 warrior butler.

If he were solo hunting, it might be different, but he's fighting while protecting Oregairu, so it's no surprise he got injured.

But, if even the reliable Sebastian is injured and Oregairu didn't turn back, that's not a sound judgment.

"Oregairu is a noble, right? You said many nobles can use healing magic, but can he?"

"I have never seen him use it, nor have I heard that he can."

"I see…"

If the reliable Sebastian is injured, we can't afford to waste time.

We need to find the stairs leading to the 24th floor.

The 24th floor is said to be five times the size of the 23rd floor, and monsters spawn at twenty times the normal rate. Once a certain number is reached, no more monsters spawn. Haru heard this from a weapon shop yesterday.

"There are stairs, let's go… wait a moment!"

We found the stairs leading to the 24th floor, but I stopped Haru.

I sensed something from below the stairs.

Thanks to the Hunter skill, Aura Perception.

There was one presence, approaching from below the stairs.

Then, it moved away in the opposite direction.

It was most likely a monster.

"Stay here, Haru. I'll sneak after that monster."

"Master, I want to—"

"If Oregairu finds us, it will be troublesome. Haru, go back to the inn. I'll be fine."

I said this, drew my steel sword, and went down the stairs.

With her strength, especially in this labyrinth where there are hardly any monsters, there's almost no danger to her life.

She said the difficulty level of this labyrinth is intermediate.

I descended to the 24th floor and followed the presence I sensed earlier.

The monster was likely heading towards where the three—Caro—were.

According to the presence, the monster was around the corner.

I peeked around the corner—there was a giant minotaur.

It stood on two legs, with impressive horns, and had a brown coat. It was wearing armor made of cowhide and wielded a massive axe.

A Minotaur… the name of the enemy Haru mentioned.

I had heard of this name even when I was in Japan.

It was a half-human, half-bull monster from Greek mythology.

And the story goes that the Minotaur was confined in a vast labyrinth from which it could never escape.

Indeed, if you think about it, Minotaurs are a staple of labyrinths.

If you believe the words of the goddess, it's normal to think that Minotaurs originally existed in this world and the story was passed down as a myth in ancient Europe. The Minotaur in Greek mythology has a human body with a bull's head, but the Minotaur here is almost entirely a bull.

Well, this one might be easier to fight.

However, it's a monster over 2.5 meters tall.

Its horns are almost touching the ceiling.

The Minotaur continued moving without noticing me. It passed the stairs leading to the 25th floor and went deeper. It then turned at a T-intersection.

Just as I was about to follow it, another Minotaur came from the front. It seems there are indeed many of them.

I watched as the Minotaur turned in the same direction as the previous one, and then I ran. What I saw was—traffic jam of Minotaurs.

What's going on?

Then I heard a loud, shouting voice.

"Here they come again! Sebastian! Take them down quickly!"

It seems Sebastian is fighting.

With so many Minotaurs, it's unclear if there are others besides the three, but at least Oregairu and Sebastian are safe.

And since the monsters are being drawn here, it seems Caro is also safe.

"Oregairu-sama, I'm almost at my limit!"

Sebastian is showing signs of weakness. We need to help him quickly.

"We should kill that slave! If we do, the Minotaurs won't come anymore!"

……!?

Sebastian, you want to kill Caro?

True, if we do that, the monsters won't come, but what selfish people.

"Hey, I'm here to help!"

I shouted, drew my sword,

"Slash!"

and released a vacuum wave of sword strikes. But—so hard!

The Slash cut into the Minotaur's abdomen by several dozen centimeters but didn't deal a fatal wound.

One Minotaur, with a large wound on its side, identified me as an enemy and approached with its axe raised.

Then, I changed my class to "Unemployed, Swordsman, Apprentice Swordsman, Pugilist, Hunter," focusing on physical attacks.

My current physical attack power is about three times that of a level 20 swordsman. If there's an enemy I can't defeat, this place isn't an intermediate-level labyrinth anymore.

The Minotaur raised its axe just above its head—near the ceiling—and brought it down.

But, its speed was clearly slow. The narrow labyrinth is a disadvantage for the Minotaur.

My sword was faster than the Minotaur's axe and cut into its abdomen.

This time, it was a fatal wound, and the Minotaur collapsed to its knees, turning into smoke.

What remained were a magic stone, a bull's horn, and a chunk of meat.

…Tonight, it's beef bowl.

"I just took one down! I'll help you soon, just wait!"

"Whoever you are, you're a savior! Help me quickly!"

What a pompous guy.

I want to wait for Oregairu to be killed by the Minotaur, but if that happens, Caro will be killed by the two of them first.

"Wait, I'll finish this quickly!"

I shouted and ran towards the remaining Minotaurs.