Chapter 4

Progressing smoothly through the labyrinth, I descended the gently spiraling ramp and arrived at the seventh level.

At the entrance of the level, I held my guild card up to the large crystal.

In every labyrinth, there is always a large crystal at the entrance of each level. This crystal serves as a transfer device, allowing instant teleportation from this crystal to the crystal at the entrance of the labyrinth. In the past, it was a one-way trip from each level to the entrance of the labyrinth, and one had to start from the first level again to re-enter. However, the situation changed dramatically when the guild developed the guild card a few decades ago. With the guild card, which can remember the crystals, it became possible to teleport instantly from the entrance of the labyrinth. Thanks to this, the speed of progressing through the labyrinth has significantly increased. In the past, explorers used to stay overnight in the labyrinth, but now day trips are the norm.

Furthermore, the crystal has a protective effect. No monsters can enter within a twenty-meter radius of the crystal, making it a resting place and a temporary shelter.

It is truly a convenient tool for explorers.

Since it was about to get dark, I decided to call it a day and head back. Just as I was about to use my guild card to teleport to the entrance of the labyrinth, a group of explorers, presumably a party, rushed to the safe zone from deeper inside.

They looked like they had been fleeing from monsters, and their faces were pale. From their equipment, they didn't seem to be a particularly skilled party.

"Damn it! Why did this happen?!"

One of the party members shouted, venting their pent-up emotions. They seemed to have made a mistake, but as long as they were alive, they could start over. This failure would become a lesson for the future. ——But who do I think I am to judge?

As I mentally scolded myself, I heard the voice of the person who had shouted and the one with the best equipment in the party, who seemed to be the leader.

"You can hate me as much as you want. But I can proudly say that my judgment was not wrong."

"But to abandon a girl who hasn't even reached adulthood...!"

"Swallow it. We didn't expect such a large number of monsters to appear! I value you, who have been with me through thick and thin, more than a girl I just met today!"

It seemed that an unexpectedly large number of monsters had appeared, and they had used one of their party members as a decoy to escape. From what I heard, the leader's reasoning was understandable. Prioritizing someone you've been through hardships with over a stranger isn't unreasonable. However, from an outsider's perspective, what they did was despicable.

...I shouldn't get involved in other parties' affairs. Normally, I would just think that the abandoned girl had bad luck and leave it at that.

However, having been kicked out of a party just yesterday, I couldn't remain detached. Being abandoned by party members is a painful experience. Even if I tried to move on, the faces of the party members would sometimes come to mind, reminding me of being cast aside.

Moreover, the girl had been left in a place infested with a large number of monsters. The situation was such that even the entire party couldn't escape. The girl, who had become an explorer, was probably prepared to die, but she certainly didn't expect to be abandoned by her party members and die.

I could handle dozens of monsters in this labyrinth without any problem. If I could reach her in time— I wanted to help.

"Still, even so—"

"I can't stand to listen to this."

Seeing the explorer who had been shouting about to lunge at the leader, I couldn't hold back and spoke up.

"...What do you want, you?"

The explorer, surprised by the unexpected voice, looked momentarily stunned but quickly turned angry.

"Listening to you, you're just a whiny kid. You don't seem to agree with the leader's decision, but why are you here now? You didn't help the girl, and you just ran to a safe place and complained. That's the most unpleasant type."

"You... If you let me talk, I'd say...! In that situation, I couldn't have helped her alone!"

The explorer lunged at me.

Before he could grab me, I grabbed his wrist, placed my other hand under his chin, and moved to his side.

Kicking his heel from behind and pushing the hand under his chin backward, he fell neatly to the ground.

Looking down at the explorer lying on his back, I said,

"Then, shut up and lie there."

The air froze.

Ignoring it, I spoke to the leader.

"Where did you abandon the girl?"

"...What?"

"Tell me where you abandoned the girl quickly."

"Go, go straight and turn right at the end, then turn left at the second alley."

After hearing the location, I immediately activated the intermediate magic [Agility Boost] on myself and headed toward the location.

"Hey, are you going to help her!?"

"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't."

Answering the leader's question, I headed toward the location he had given me.

On the way, I encountered an orc, presumably chasing the party. Time was precious.

I activated the intermediate magic [Rock Bind], encasing the orc in rock and immobilizing it.

Without slowing down, I slipped past the immobilized orc.

Following the directions the leader had given, I spotted a group of orcs ahead.

There were thirteen orcs. They were indeed a tough opponent for a low-level party, but I could handle them easily.

"No... don't come... don't come...! I don't want to die... Miss..."

All the orcs were facing the same wall, and in front of them was a girl with long, crimson hair in twin tails. The girl, with tears in her pink eyes, was desperately using magic to defend herself with a magic barrier. Despite her fear, her eyes were not dead.

(To still not give up in this situation is impressive.)

I was genuinely impressed by the girl's mental strength.

"...[Wind Strike]"

I timed my attack to coincide with the interval between the girl's magic casts. I activated the basic magic [Wind Strike] at the right moment.

The air between the girl and the orcs dispersed, creating a shockwave.

The magic barrier protecting the girl was unaffected, but the orcs, though not damaged, were pushed back three steps, creating some space.

"...Huh?"

The girl looked surprised as the orcs suddenly retreated.

I lightly kicked off the ground, leaped over the group of orcs, and landed in front of the girl. I then activated [Flash] to blind the orcs.

"Focus on maintaining your magic barrier. I'll take care of the orcs."

"O-Okay...!"

After telling the girl, I activated [Strength Boost], [Skill Boost], and [Sharpness Boost] on myself and my sword, respectively, and began to eliminate the orcs.

Orcs are low-intelligence monsters. Without their sight, they were just lumps of flesh.

I slashed at the vital points of each orc.

The sword, enhanced by support magic, felt as if it was just swinging in the air. However, a large amount of blood spurted from the points where I had struck the orcs.

Ducking to avoid the splashing blood, I swung my sword a dozen times, and only the magic stones of the orcs remained.

Turning to check on the girl, I saw that she was still in shock, not even maintaining her magic barrier.

She didn't seem to have any external injuries. To be safe, I activated the healing magic [Cure] on her and smiled to reassure her.

...Am I smiling properly?

"I'm... alive...? It was... so scary..."

The girl, who had been on the verge of collapse, slumped to the ground and burst into tears.

She looked to be around fourteen years old.

What should I do... I don't know how to handle a younger girl crying...

The girl was trying to suppress her sobs, but she didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon.

She had been in a situation where she thought she would die. It's understandable that she would cry.

(That must have been terrifying.)

Being abandoned by her party in that situation. Putting myself in her shoes, I felt a constricting sensation in my chest. Before I knew it, I was stroking her head.

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