Chapter 76

"Where am I...?"

I found myself in an unfamiliar place.

I was supposed to be in a dark labyrinth just a moment ago, but now everything around me felt very bright, with no shadows at all.

There was no ceiling above, and the sky was hazy, like a cloudy day, or a rainbow glowing in seven colors... It felt very strange.

As far as the eye could see, the ground was flat and endless.

Apart from a giant skeleton and a woman lying on the ground, there were no obstacles or anything else.

...I had no idea where I was.

I approached the woman lying at the feet of the skeleton, which was visible in the distance, and it seemed she had noticed me.

"Who are you...?"

The woman slowly got up from the hard ground and looked at me.

She had a similar aura to the green-haired boy who kept talking to Lean yesterday.

"Did you also get swallowed by the core of the labyrinth?

...Are the people outside... Are Oaken and Roy safe?"

"...Oaken?"

I don't quite understand what the core of the labyrinth is, but I remember Oaken was the name of the old magic instructor.

"I know Oaken... Are you an acquaintance?

As for the other one, Roy, I'm sorry, I don't know him.

...But I do know Roro."

"Roy is a Lepi adventurer.

He was our party's scout.

I hope he managed to escape from this labyrinth.

...Is Oaken well?

How much time has passed outside?

To me, it feels like a very long time has passed."

"I'm not quite sure about the time...

But Oaken, the old man, is as healthy as ever."

It seems this woman is an acquaintance of the magic instructor.

She looks quite young, about my age... Perhaps she met him recently.

Or maybe, like me, she was taken care of by him as a child.

As I was thinking about the instructor, the woman in front of me looked very surprised.

"Oaken... is an old man...?"

"Yes, but is something wrong?

The instructor who took care of me was so old that it wouldn't be surprising if he passed away at any moment...

Could it be a different person?"

"No...

If he's a magician, it's probably the Oaken I know.

...I see. So much time has passed.

Then... are you also an adventurer?

Did you come here to conquer the labyrinth?"

"No, I'm technically an adventurer, but I ended up here by accident.

I didn't plan to enter the labyrinth, but I fell here without knowing why.

...What is this place?

I touched a blue stone, and suddenly I was standing here."

"So you also touched that stone...

That stone is the core of this 'Lamenting Labyrinth.'

But it seems to be more than that.

I don't know the intention behind it, but I think it's a trap set by the master of the labyrinth to capture those who enter."

"Master of the labyrinth?"

"Yes... the entity at the heart of the labyrinth, the core of the labyrinth—

—this is it."

She looked up at the giant skeleton sitting next to us.

"To put it another way, a powerful monster that was sealed here long ago by someone...

I once fought it here, but I couldn't do anything... Yet, for some reason, I was kept alive and locked here.

The monster's essence seems to have escaped and is doing something outside, but I don't know what."

"Outside? ...Is this it?"

I looked up at the skeleton again.

Upon closer inspection, it was really huge.

It was about twice the size of the goblins I know.

I don't think I've ever seen anything like this outside...

No, it does resemble the skeleton depicted in the paintings on the upper floors.

What's going on here?

"A monster's shell, huh."

I poked the shin of the skeleton with my black sword to check what it was made of.

A crack appeared.

Not good.

I might have hit it a bit too hard.

...What if it wakes up because of this?

As I was worrying, the woman in front of me looked surprised.

"—What?"

"Is something wrong?"

"No, I've tried to hurt it before, but I couldn't even make a scratch...

...By the way, what is that sword...?

It looks more and more amazing the more I look at it..."

She looked at my 'black sword' with curiosity.

Well, I do think it looks impressive too.

"...This. To be honest, I don't really know what it is.

It was a gift, but it's very useful.

It's a bit heavy and looks bad, but it's good for training."

"I see.

Still, you're a bit of a mysterious person.

You don't show any signs of panic in this situation.

Just being with you gives me a strange sense of reassurance."

"No, I was worried when I was swallowed by the blue stone, but I felt relieved to find someone here.

I wouldn't want to be alone with this creepy skeleton."

"Hehe, I see. You're really interesting."

She clapped her hands as if remembering something and looked at me.

"Oh, by the way, we haven't introduced ourselves yet, have we?"

"Yeah. I'm Nohl.

I'm an adventurer in the Crease Kingdom... sort of."

It seems I've been introducing myself a lot today.

Well, since I'm in a different country, it's to be expected.

"I see. So your name is Nohl."

After I finished introducing myself, the woman smiled kindly.

She straightened her posture, brushing off the dust from her clothes, and told me her name.

"I'm Astilla.

I'm part of the adventurer party 'The Sage's Chalice,' formed with Oaken and Roy.

...I used to be a member of a somewhat famous party?

Now, probably fewer people know us."

She smiled a bit sadly and playfully in front of me.