Chapter 96

Suppressing my anxious heart, I drew my dagger.

If Mist were to turn against us, the Labyrinth City could not be used as a base, as I was just told. This thought was firmly etched in my mind.

That’s why I could understand that the current situation was the worst possible scenario.

In response to my drawing the dagger, Hansum placed his hand on his sword, and Narsena entered a combat stance.

As for Master and Ronaldo, there was no visible change.

However, both of them were emitting a piercing hostility towards their surroundings.

The tense atmosphere rapidly enveloped the scene.

Despite this, the only one who seemed to be causing this tension, Mist, was smiling.

"There’s no need to make such frightening faces. Didn’t I say that I would cooperate to protect the Labyrinth City?"

At least, Mist had no intention of starting a fight right away.

Understanding this, a sense of relief spread through my chest.

Still, we wouldn’t disarm just because of Mist’s words.

Even if he didn’t intend to kill us immediately, it was certain that Mist was our enemy.

That’s why there was something I couldn’t understand.

"If that’s the case, why did you deliberately reveal that you isolated the Labyrinth City? ...Why did you tell me about the existence of this wall?"

Indeed, as Master said, the reason why Mist isolated the Labyrinth City here was unclear.

Originally, only Mist knew about the Labyrinth City’s walls.

If he hadn’t told us, Master wouldn’t have been certain that Mist was involved with the barrier of Nibelung.

Despite this, Mist didn’t hide anything.

"There’s no point in hiding it from you, who almost certainly suspect my involvement. From what I heard from the guild, you were already certain that I was involved, right?"

Was Mist listening to our conversation just before he teleported in?

Even realizing this, I no longer felt surprised.

However, there was still one thing I couldn’t understand.

"Trying to hide it would only make you more suspicious. So, I decided to be honest and affirm it. And now, I will make another proposal."

Mist continued to speak with a smile, despite the hostility directed at him.

Seeing this, my doubts only grew stronger.

...Why is Mist being so cooperative with us?

"Indeed, I isolated the Labyrinth City. Not long ago, I would have been your enemy, no exaggeration. But that’s in the past. Now, it’s different. I have a purpose, and for that, I need your cooperation. – So, let’s work together to overcome the Labyrinth Rampage, shall we?"

"…There’s no way we can trust you."

Master didn’t nod in response to Mist.

With a suspicious look, Master questioned him.

"If you want our cooperation, tell us your purpose. What’s the reason you need our help? Without that, there’s no way we can trust you…"

"It’s not necessary."

Mist’s response to Master’s words was just one word.

Master was left speechless by Mist’s unyielding answer.

"That’s right, Ralma. What you need now is the fact that the Labyrinth City can’t be protected without me."

Smiling, Mist walked towards the wall.

"Deploying this wall alone is impressive. It’s a testament to the divine favor and skills, I suppose. – So, how long can you maintain this wall?"

"…!"

Master’s face clearly showed his shock.

It was as if his reaction affirmed Mist’s words.

"In this situation, you can’t shake off my hand. No matter how suspicious I seem, as long as my usefulness is clear, you absolutely can’t."

No one could respond to Mist’s words.

Their silence was the most eloquent affirmation of Mist’s words.

"Then, I look forward to working with you in the future."

With a calm but unyielding tone, Mist spoke, and I clenched my fist tightly.

"…Who would with such a forceful approach!"

I couldn’t help but interject at Mist’s one-sided way of proceeding.

Mist’s words were true; he might be necessary to deal with the Labyrinth Rampage.

However, I couldn’t accept Mist under these circumstances.

At the very least, I needed to find out his purpose before accepting him.

With a determination not to back down, I glared at Mist.

"…Lau, stand down."

But Master stopped me.

For a moment, I thought about brushing him off.

However, that thought vanished the moment I saw the anger on Master’s face, which was even greater than mine.

"The beasts are coming. That’s the priority now."

"…!"

Faced with the reality of the Labyrinth Rampage, my head cooled.

No matter how frustrating it was, it was indeed necessary to have Mist’s presence.

With a killing intent, I glared at Mist.

"…You’ll regret using us."

"I’m looking forward to it."

That clear resentment was the last resistance I could muster.

◇◆◇

After that, we hurried back to the guild using Mist’s teleportation array and explained the sudden appearance of the wall to the panicked people.

Although it took some time initially, the commotion gradually subsided once they learned that the wall was there to protect the Labyrinth City.

Still, it took time, and by the time we gathered at the guild with our battle preparations, a considerable amount of time had passed.

"Everyone is here except for Sieg, who is watching Mist."

Master, who had been waiting for us in the room, was sitting in his usual arrogant posture, legs crossed and leaning back in his chair.

His appearance was the same as always.

Arrogant, as if nothing could affect him.

In normal times, this attitude would have drawn some resentment, but in this tense situation, it was reassuring.

...However, Master’s complexion was worse than usual.

"Ah, don’t worry about me. I just used up my magic power to create the wall."

Before I could say anything, Master waved his hand and said this.

His attitude didn’t seem to indicate any particular problem, so I remained silent.

If Master said he was fine, then it wasn’t something to worry about now.

Suppressing the unease in my chest, I closed my mouth.

Confirming this, Master spoke.

"Still, I won’t be able to fight this time."

The withdrawal of Master, who possessed overwhelming offensive power and extensive experience, was a shock.

However, it was something we could have predicted, so there was no panic among us.

If he had built such a wall, it was only natural that Master would be greatly exhausted.

Still, even with such effort, the wall wasn’t perfect.

Looking around at the others preparing for battle, I muttered.

"…It seems we can’t just hide behind the wall, then."

"Indeed. Even I couldn’t create a perfect wall alone."

"Then, I’ll use magic to—"

"No, you can’t."

Master rejected Armia, who was about to offer to contribute her magic.

"My assessment was wrong. This is something that can’t be deployed by any number of mages. Only a sorcerer can do it."

Sorcery, a method of handling magic without the use of skills, which Master had once taught me.

However, Armia, who had no knowledge of such things, looked puzzled.

"A sorcerer, you say?"

"Consider it an alternative name for elves."

"Y-Yes."

Although she wasn’t convinced, Armia closed her mouth, seeing that Master had no intention of explaining further.

Among those who were puzzled, including Narsena, who had heard the explanation before, I was thinking about something different.

If sorcery is an elven technique, then the person who taught Master sorcery must be Mist, I thought.

If that’s the case, then his words about the wall not being perfect might be based on that insight.

– How long can you maintain the wall?

Recalling Mist’s question to Master, I understood anew.

Mist’s threat wasn’t in combat but in some other aspect.

...However, recalling Mist’s tone, I felt a slight sense of unease.

It seemed to be about something other than the wall’s strength.

But my thoughts were interrupted when Master spoke again.

"Well, while it can’t handle mutated super-difficulty beasts, it can withstand mutated orcs. This wall is still the hope of the Labyrinth City, even with my absence. ...I admit it, though it’s a bitter pill to swallow."

A wall that could withstand orcs was indeed useful, even considering Master’s absence.

No, such words couldn’t express the value of this wall.

The current situation, with super-difficulty beasts appearing, was, to put it mildly, the worst.

In such a situation, this wall was the only hope.

"Therefore, don’t let Fenrir get close to the wall. Absolutely protect the wall."

With unusually heavy words, Master spoke, and no one responded.

Instead, they clenched their fists tightly.

Everyone understood.

If they couldn’t maintain the wall, they had no future.

Master’s gaze sharpened, as if confirming our resolve.

"However, it’s not something that requires such heavy tension."

But his gaze quickly softened.

"Normally, Ronaldo alone would be enough to handle Fenrir. Even with other beasts, if you follow the plan, there won’t be much damage. Keep that in mind as you listen to the instructions."

Understanding that we were about to receive orders, we closed our mouths.

"First, the other adventurers. They will handle the orcs and lower-level beasts to make it easier for you to fight. Mist and the guild staff will support them. And Laila."

"Yes."

"You will heal the adventurers and take charge of giving orders if unexpected situations arise."

"…While keeping an eye on Mist, of course."

"Yes, that’s right."

Satisfied with Laila’s response, Master turned to Armia.

"The mage there, for now, stay in the rear with the other mages and attack on Laila or Ronaldo’s command."

"Y-Yes."

Next, Master turned to me and Narsena, his expression more serious than usual.

"Lau, the foolish disciple, and Narsena, and Sieg, who isn’t here, will initially handle the orcs. The enemies the adventurers can’t handle."

The word "initially" in Master’s instructions indicated that he was unsure of my capabilities.

"And after dealing with the orcs, you will support Ronaldo. Understood?"

"Got it. If it’s just orcs, there’s no problem."

"Sure, with my brother, it’ll be a breeze!"

Understanding this, Narsena and I ignored Master’s concerns.

– Orcs are no problem, we asserted implicitly.

I knew that such confident behavior didn’t suit me, but I no longer felt the need to undervalue myself.

The girl beside me had taught me my worth.

Perhaps my unprecedented confidence caught Master off guard, as he momentarily widened his eyes.

"…You’ve become quite insolent."

But Master quickly changed his expression to an unusually sullen one and spat out the words.

However, his voice betrayed his excitement.

"Well, if there’s no problem, we’ll proceed this way. The rest is up to Ronaldo to command."

With a feigned sullen expression, Master declared the end of the meeting and hurriedly left the room.

However, just before he completely left, he stopped.

"…Well, whatever. Just get back quickly. At least for today, we can have a small celebration with the supplies we have."

With those final words, Master left the room, and Narsena and I exchanged smiles.

We knew that Master left to avoid being seen as happy.

"Let’s finish quickly."

"Sure. Let’s go back with empty stomachs!"

With those final words, we walked side by side.

…That was the beginning of the intense wall defense battle.

I apologize for the delay in updating…