Chapter 8

The dying roar of Behemoth echoed, accompanied by the crumbling stone bridge with a clattering noise, and then... along with the rubble, Aichi disappeared. The scene unfolded like slow motion, with time passing slowly, and Kyouko felt despair as she could only watch.

Kyouko repeatedly recalled the scene from last night in her mind. In the room illuminated by moonlight, Aichi had prepared a kind of herbal tea, which, even with the most generous praise, could hardly be considered delicious. The two of them talked while drinking the tea. It was the first time they had such a proper conversation. Driven by the unease of a nightmare, Kyouko had suddenly visited, and Aichi was quite surprised. Despite this, Aichi listened to her seriously, and by the time she noticed, her unease had disappeared.

Returning to her room in a good mood, she realized that her attire was quite daring, which made her feel embarrassed and uncomfortable. At the same time, she remembered that Aichi hadn't shown any particular reaction, wondering if it was because she lacked charm, which made her feel down. Her roommate, Shizukana, watched in surprise as Kyouko's expressions changed rapidly, which would likely become a black history.

Moreover, that night, the most important thing was the promise. "To protect Aichi" was the promise Aichi had proposed to Kyouko to ease her unease. Staring at Aichi as he disappeared into the abyss, the memory replayed in her mind several times.

It seemed like she heard a distant wail, and when she realized it, she found that it was actually her own. Kyouko quickly returned to her senses, feeling her face wrinkle.

"Let me go! I have to go to Nango-kun! We made a promise! I will protect him! Let me go!"

Facing Kyouko, who was trying to rush out, Shizukana and Hikaru desperately held her arms. 'How can such a delicate body have such extraordinary strength?' While harboring this question, they tightly held her.

If this continued, Kyouko's body might break. But even so, they absolutely couldn't let go. If they released her now, she would surely jump off the cliff. Her appearance was so desperate that there was no trace of her usual calmness. No, perhaps it should be called a look of grief.

"Kyouko! No! Kyouko!"

Because Shizukana understood Kyouko's current state, she couldn't find the right words and could only call her name desperately.

"Kyouko! Do you want to die too? Nango is already gone! Calm down! Your body will break!"

Hikaru, using all his strength, said only what he was worried about regarding Kyouko. However, in the current situation, these were the last words that should be said to Kyouko, who was already in a state of confusion.

"What do you mean 'gone'? Nango-kun is not dead! If I don't go, he must be seeking help!"

Falling into the depths of the abyss, from anyone's perspective, Nango Aichi was already beyond saving. But Kyouko's heart had no room to accept this reality. Saying too much would only lead to more arguments and further strain herself. Ryutaro and the surrounding students were at a loss, just choking back their sobs.

At this moment, Captain Merudo approached with a clattering sound and, without any need for words, delivered a chop to Kyouko's neck. Kyouko convulsed for a moment and then lost consciousness. Hikaru, holding the exhausted Kyouko, glared at Captain Merudo. Before he could voice his complaints, Shizukana preempted him, bowing to the captain.

"Sorry. Thank you very much."

"Thank you... please stop. I won't let anyone else die. We will fully escape the labyrinth... I leave her to you."

"Of course."

Watching the captain leave, Hikaru, who had not spoken, showed a displeased expression. Shizukana, who had taken Kyouko, told Hikaru.

"We couldn't stop her, but the captain did. Do you understand? There's no time now. It was necessary to stop her before her cries caused more harm to everyone's hearts or she hurt herself. ... Look, you will lead the way until everyone escapes. ... That's what Nango-kun said."

Accepting Shizukana's words, Hikaru nodded.

"Yes, let's go quickly!"

In front of them, a classmate had died, and the students' spirits were deeply scarred. Everyone had a dazed look, gazing in the direction of the stone bridge. Some were saying, "I've had enough!" and sitting on the ground. As Aichi had said, they needed a leader now. Hikaru raised his voice to the classmates.

"Everyone! Now, just think about surviving! Let's retreat!"

Hearing this, the students began to move in a flurry. The magic array was still intact, and the number of skeleton soldiers was increasing. Fighting in their current mental state was reckless and unnecessary. Hikaru shouted desperately, urging the students to escape. Captain Merudo and the knight members also encouraged the students.

Then, everyone escaped up the stairs.

The stairs leading up were long, and it was pitch black, continuing upwards. It felt like they had climbed more than thirty floors, and their magically enhanced bodies were starting to feel fatigued. They had also been injured in previous battles, and the dark, long stairs only added to the sense of oppression. Just as Captain Merudo was considering a short rest, a wall with a large magic array finally appeared above.

The students' faces began to regain some life. Captain Merudo and his team ran to the wall and began a detailed inspection. They also used the Fil display. As a result, they understood that it was not a trap. The magic array was engraved, apparently to move the wall in front of them. Captain Merudo chanted a spell and infused the engraved magic array with magic power. The stone wall then opened like a hidden door in a ninja house, revealing a path to the inner room.

Passing through the door, they found themselves back in the room on the 20th floor.

"Are we back?"

"Are we back?"

"Back... we're back..."

The students sighed in relief one after another. Some were crying, and others were hugging each other. Hikaru and the others, after passing through the wall, sat down on the ground. However, they were still in the labyrinth. Although it was at a lower level, they didn't know from where monsters might appear. They had to escape the labyrinth before their tension completely broke.

Captain Merudo, suppressing the urge to let everyone rest, made the students stand up.

"You! Don't sit down! If you relax here, you won't make it back! Avoid fighting monsters and escape by the shortest route! Don't repeat the same mistakes!"

The students, with their eyes asking for a short rest, were silenced by Captain Merudo's glare. They reluctantly stood up. Hikaru, despite his fatigue, led the way. The knight members, centered around, minimized the number of enemies they had to defeat, and they sprinted towards the ground floor.

Finally, they met the receptionist at the main entrance on the first floor, a familiar sight. Although they had only been in the labyrinth for less than a day, many felt as if it had been a long time since they last passed through there.

This time, the students truly showed expressions of relief. Some sprawled out on the ground in the main square, completely fitting the image of survivors. However, some students—Shizukana, who was carrying the still unconscious Kyouko, Hikaru, Ryutaro, Eri, Suzu, and the female student Aichi had helped—had dark expressions.

Captain Merudo, glancing at these students, went to the reception to report. The new trap discovered on the 20th floor was too dangerous, and although the stone bridge had collapsed, it was necessary to report whether the trap was still active.

Then, the report of Aichi's death was also necessary. It was difficult not to show the gloom on his face, but Captain Merudo could not let out a sigh.

After returning to the town of Horuad, the group, devoid of any spirit, entered the inn's rooms. Some students were discussing with each other, but most immediately fell into deep sleep on the beds.

Among them, Hiyama Daisuke left the inn alone and sat in a corner of the town, hugging his knees. He buried his face between his knees, motionless. If the students saw him like this, they would think he was quite down. But in reality...

"Hehehe. It's that guy's fault. He's just a nobody... yet he got so cocky... Karma. ... I didn't do anything wrong... because of Shizuka... for such a nobody... it doesn't matter anymore... I didn't do anything wrong... hehehe"

A dark smile, murky eyes, and self-justification.

Yes, at that moment, the fireball that deviated from its course and attacked Aichi was released by Hiyama. When considering the escape from the stairs and Aichi's rescue, the moment Kyouko, who was staring at Aichi, entered his field of vision, Hiyama heard the whisper of a demon in his heart. "If you do it now, no one will notice..." Then, Hiyama sold his soul to the demon.

To avoid being exposed, he performed a precise snipe at the perfect moment, adding a guiding fireball that hit Aichi. In the chaotic situation with magic flying like meteors, it would be difficult to determine who cast the spell. Moreover, Hiyama's affinity was wind. There was no evidence, and no one would know. He told himself this, and a dark smile appeared on his face.

At this moment, unexpectedly, a greeting came from behind.

"Hey~ It's you. The first murderer in the other world... quite impressive, huh~"

"–!? Who, who is it!"

Hiyama turned around in panic. It was one of his classmates.

"Why are you... here..."

"This isn't the point. Rather... murderer classmate? How do you feel now? How does it feel to kill your rival in the chaos?"

The person chuckled, a happy expression as if watching a comedy. Although it was Hiyama who did it, the person seemed unaffected by the death of a classmate. Just a moment ago, they were as exhausted and affected as the other students. Now, there was not even a trace of that.

"… Is this… your true nature?"

Hiyama muttered in a daze. The person mocked him with a look of disdain, as if looking at a fool.

"True nature? That's an exaggeration. Generally, everyone wears one or two masks, right? Rather... how about spreading this to everyone? Especially… if that child hears it…"

"–!? That, that kind of thing… won't be believed… there's no evidence…"

"No evidence? So you don't believe what I say? The words of the one who caused that situation no longer have any persuasiveness, right?"

Hiyama was tightly pressed. The words were like mocking a weakened mouse. He never thought this person would be like this; it was more believable to think they had a split personality. The person in front of him, whom he looked down upon, now made him feel a chill and tremble all over.

"What do you want?"

"Hmm? Surprised, huh? It's like I'm threatening you? Hehe, I'm not asking you to do anything right now. Just obey me and be my subordinate, okay?"

"That, that kind of…"

A declaration of virtual slavery. Hiyama hesitated. Of course,