**Side Manalease**
Yamato had defeated the Nolef King, and the rescue of the hunters who had participated in the alliance was complete. Fortunately, they had only just begun their battle with the Nolef King, so even though there were people with serious injuries or lost limbs, there were no fatalities. However, two hunters registered as healers were in critical condition, unconscious, so the healers Yuri and Carol had taken on the task of treating them, including reattaching limbs, despite the unreasonable burden. Prim and Rebecca, who could use the Bestowed Magic spell “Healing,” were only assisting due to the nature of this being an undead-infested floor.
“H-h-hurry, hurry and heal me!”
“I’m sorry, but our mana is depleted. Besides, your injuries are the least severe, so you should endure it a bit longer.”
“And besides, if you’re High Class, you should be able to recover from injuries like that in less than an hour.”
Yuri and Carol, who had preferentially used Noble Healing to reattach the limbs of the hunters who had lost them, were resting in a room due to their depleted mana. Therefore, Blood Healing, which could replenish lost blood, could not be used. Even though the hunters had regained consciousness, they couldn’t get up, so they were currently resting in the guest room of our prototype Beast Carriage. This was also because their Beast Carriage had been destroyed by the Nolef King.
“Thank you. I never imagined His Majesty would come here.”
In the observation deck of the prototype Beast Carriage, Slei, the leader of the Gracious Lynx and a female G-rank hunter who was a High Loxy, bowed to me while her injuries were being treated. It was natural not to expect rescue when investigating an unconfirmed floor.
“They were looking for a labyrinth similar to Solpre, and this was it. So, we decided to accompany them during our vacation, but I never thought we’d run into a situation like this.”
I agreed. I had heard that an alliance had been formed for the purpose of exploring the deeper levels. So, I had thought we might encounter them along the way, but I never expected to run into them at such a critical moment.
“It’s surprising that His Majesty was here, but even more so that you defeated the Nolef King, whom we couldn’t even lay a hand on, all by yourself…”
“So, the rumored Ancient Human was this strong…”
El, a female G-rank hunter belonging to Falcon’s Beak and a High Harpy, and Caesar, a male G-rank hunter belonging to Black Army and a High Ogre, looked at Yamato, who had defeated the Nolef King, with looks of dread.
“I understand your surprise. However, they say that the guardian of Solpre was defeated by him and that Ancient Foxy, so it seems that even A-rank monsters can be defeated individually depending on the opponent.”
Prim’s identity as an Ancient Foxy had already been revealed, but neither the Royal Family nor the Hunter’s Guild had made it widely public. However, information is important to hunters, so it wasn’t surprising that it was already known. Caesar, in particular, was a G-rank Order with a Knightly Title, so he should be more likely to hear such things.
“Defeating an A-rank monster solo? Normally, I’d laugh this off as a pipe dream, but I saw it with my own eyes…”
“Indeed…”
The alliance rescued this time consisted of five raids. The remaining two raids were Wise Rainbow and Snow Blossom. The G-rank hunters, who had sustained relatively minor injuries, were talking with my elder brother and Yamato on the deck. They were relatively lightly injured, but in reality, they were quite seriously wounded. Caesar, in particular, had his left arm burned off. Fortunately, the severed limb had survived, allowing it to be reattached and regenerated with Carol’s Noble Healing.
“E-excuse me. Your Majesty, thank you for your rescue this time.”
Frau, the leader of Wise Rainbow and a female S-rank hunter who was a High Human, and Plum, the leader of Snow Blossom and a female S-rank hunter who was a High Elf, also arrived. Both Frau and Plum had sustained severe injuries with severed limbs, and had lost so much blood that they couldn’t get up immediately. However, as it was necessary to discuss the future of the alliance, we decided to have Prim use Blood Healing on these two alone and bring them here. I felt bad for making them push themselves, but they had to be here as Raid Leaders.
“No, there’s no need for thanks. More importantly, I apologize for making you overexert yourselves.”
“No, it’s as expected. Furthermore, Wise Rainbow was targeted preferentially, possibly because there were two healers involved.”
“As for Snow Blossom, it was the root cause of the problem. We had to make up for our failure, even if it meant serving as a shield.”
The whole incident stemmed from the fact that a Level 41 High Human belonging to Snow Blossom, the man who was currently ranting, had ignored orders. Apparently, there had been a treasure chest placed slightly back from the previous battle site. This was the first time I had heard of a treasure chest in a labyrinth, and the alliance had concluded it was a trap and ignored it, but this High Human had insisted it should be opened until the end. I had appeased him on the spot, citing how obvious it was and that we were still investigating, but he was unyielding and decided to go scout for treasure during our break, and opened it alone.
However, as everyone else had predicted, it was a trap, and the Nolef King was hiding inside. Worse yet, by fleeing back to the alliance, he had endangered everyone’s lives. It seemed that on his way back, he had been hit by magic attacks, and the hunters belonging to the Healer’s Guild of Wise Rainbow had immediately used healing magic to treat him. This, in turn, had attracted the Nolef King, and everyone in Wise Rainbow who had been clustered together was attacked first.
“He got carried away because he had just evolved into High Class, huh? There are hunters like that sometimes.”
“Indeed, they were on the verge of annihilation.”
“Yes. If he hadn’t intervened, we would have been wiped out without a doubt.”
“If it were just one or two people, they might have been able to escape using Escaping.”
My adoptive sister Maruca muttered with a sad look, but I understood her feelings. Trial Hearts had almost split up for a similar reason.
“I can’t say anything about that matter. However, for the Hunter’s Guild, this is a serious failure. After all, a High Hunter went berserk just recently.”
The High Hunter my elder brother was referring to was Lux, a High Human who had betrayed Trial Hearts and attempted to abduct me using a subjugation magic artifact. Lux had received a Demon Crystal from Ambassador Retisencia, and was exposed in the Amagi Castle’s Audience Chamber, leading him to absorb the Demon Crystal and become a Demon Race. The demonized Lux emanated magic power comparable to an Ancient Class, and the nearby Trial Hearts members, including Bout, were injured by the shockwaves, and he even pointed his sword at my elder brother. Thus, calling him berserk was no exaggeration. In the end, he was decapitated by Yamato, unable to put up any resistance, but he was still a troublesome entity. The Priest’s Guild and the Trader’s Guild are still researching it, but it is almost certain that Normal Class can gain magic power comparable to High Class, and High Class can gain magic power comparable to Ancient Class. The drawback is that Inn Magic cannot be used, but since Retisencia originally had few users of Inn Magic, I don’t think it’s a significant disadvantage.
“I am aware of that. However, isn’t the truth that Trial Hearts was unrelated, and he was merely manipulated by his vanity and ambition?”
“While that is certainly one aspect, it was also his truth from another perspective. And at the same time, it serves as a solemn reminder for me and Bout, something we must never forget.”
My elder brother wore a sad expression. Not only him but also my adoptive sisters Elis and Maruca consider themselves members of Trial Hearts. They shared enough time together to feel that way.
“More importantly, what will we do from now on? We are scheduled to leave here tomorrow. I have discussed it with Yamato-kun, but if you are willing, I can accompany you.”
“That’s a generous offer, but we plan to leave after resting a bit longer. While this alliance wasn’t a success, we must promptly report that the fifth floor is a labyrinth, a den of undead, and contained a treasure chest with an A-rank monster as a trap.”
Slei decided to cut the current investigation short. Fortunately, there were no fatalities, but the Snow Blossom High Human’s mistake would be a major issue in future alliances, so sooner is better for reporting. Snow Blossom wanted some achievement to redeem their failure, but it seemed the High Human had been a hindrance throughout the journey, so they couldn’t push their agenda too hard.
“I see. I don’t know what kind of punishment the Hunter’s Guild will administer, but are you prepared for that?”
“Yes. Thanks to His Highness Yuriana and Miss Carol, my limbs have been reattached, so I should be able to move after a little rest.”
The hunters who had lost their limbs were now resting quietly in the guest room. They couldn’t get up immediately because they had lost so much blood. Prim could use Blood Healing to replenish lost blood, but with healers Yuri and Carol having exhausted their mana, we couldn’t afford to have Prim deplete her mana on the fifth floor, an undead Labyrinth. Thus, we had informed them of this and they had agreed not to use Blood Healing. If only we could descend to the sixth floor, no, even if we could just find a Safe Area, then Prim could use Blood Healing.
“Safe Area, you say. Slei, did any of you see a Safe Area on this floor?”
“We passed by one. ‘Stuttering.’ Ah, here it is.”
With that, Slei brought up a map of the fifth floor from Stuttering.
“Excuse me. Wh-what? We went the wrong way right from the start.”
Yamato overlaid his own mapping onto Slei’s map. Hunter Magic Mapping can be recorded in Stuttering and projected in the air. It’s quite convenient as it can also be overlaid with other people’s mappings and integrated. Looking at the map, as Yamato said, it seemed we had taken a different path at the first fork in the road.
“If this is a Safe Area… then the only other place must be this unexplored area.”
“That’s right. The entrance to the sixth floor is probably here as well.”
The map that Yamato and Slei overlapped was more complete than expected, as they had recorded it separately. We also discovered that the southeast side had not been surveyed at all, so we decided to head there, and the alliance would accompany us. Since monsters wouldn’t enter a Safe Area, Prim could use Blood Healing, and without it, the alliance participants wouldn’t be able to get up. It’s unknown if there will be raids exploring this fifth floor, but it’s best to quickly finish investigating dangerous floors where not only M-rank but even A-rank monsters appear as traps.
“I apologize for making you help with our work…”
“It’s fine. As Mana said, this floor is too dangerous. With an A-rank monster appearing even as a trap, the investigation should be completed as soon as possible. Right, Yamato-kun?”
“Furthermore, this is an undead floor. I completely agree that the investigation should be finished quickly. Ah, this is something we’re doing because we like it, so please don’t worry about it.”
“I’m sorry…”
I wish you wouldn’t worry about that. Thanks to the map Slei showed us, we had an idea of where the Safe Area, and consequently the entrance to the sixth floor, might be.
“Still, this floor is truly wicked. After all, it looks like there are only two Safe Areas?”
“Labyrinthine floors tend to have fewer Safe Areas, but two is indeed few.”
“And on top of that, a treasure chest with an A-rank monster hiding inside. This labyrinth has a wicked personality.”
I agree with Yamato. Just as there are individual differences among humans and demons, labyrinths are said to have individual differences. This is because each labyrinth is constructed differently. Therefore, the number of floors and the quality of monsters vary greatly from labyrinth to labyrinth, but the trap in this Instant Labyrinth was a vicious one that I had never heard of before. To prepare a treasure chest and hide an A-rank monster inside is truly the act of someone with a wicked personality. However, once you have a map, even a labyrinth can be navigated without difficulty.
“Gah! Wh-what are you doing!”
“That’s what I should be asking you. Enough with the fooling around?”
Immediately after the future course of action was decided, a man was thrown out onto the rear deck. Hey, why is he only wearing underwear!
“Ristis! What are you doing!”
Plum screamed, and understandably so. This man was the High Human who had caused all the trouble.
“What am I doing? I was just trying to calm down because I couldn’t help myself. It’s none of your business, is it?”
“Of course it is! How can you act like this towards the person who saved us!”
The man, Ristis, answered nonchalantly, Plum retorted indignantly, and the Raid Leaders buried their heads in their hands.
“Saved us? He just happened to defeat the Nolef King. I could have handled that guy by myself just fine. Rather, since you interfered unnecessarily, you should take responsibility for it, shouldn’t you?”
His selfish reasoning made me want to bury my head in my hands as well. The truth is, it was your fault for opening the treasure chest without permission. And then you fled back to the alliance, exacerbating the damage. At the same time, intense anger welled up within me.
“This won’t do. It seems he’s become obsessed with a sense of chosenness, just like Lux.”
“Indeed. Hey, Ristis, was it? You’re really pushing it, aren’t you?”
Yamato’s forehead was creased with a blue vein, and understandably so.
“Shut up, kid. I evolved into a High Human at Level 41. That means I’m a hero chosen by God! Therefore, whatever I do will be forgiven!”
“…That’s enough. This is a clear violation of the rules. I’ll inform the Hunter’s Guild of this.”
“Huh? What are you saying…”
Before Yamato could do anything, Plum leaped onto the rear deck, readied her spear, and swiftly pierced Ristis’s face, sending him falling off the Beast Carriage. He was instantly killed, his corpse absorbed by the labyrinth. This was a fitting end for a fool who brought it upon himself and deserved no sympathy.
“I apologize, Your Majesty. I have shown you an unpleasant sight…”
Plum knelt and apologized to my elder brother, but she certainly took a drastic action.
“While it was not a pleasant sight, you have taken decisive action in dealing with a Raid member.”
“Ristis had been doing that sort of thing since his evolution. Furthermore, I had warned him that there would be no second chances, and when participating in the alliance, I told him that if Ristis committed any illegal acts, I would cut him down at any time.”
“Is that true, Slei?”
“Yes. Actually, according to the original plan, Ristis was not to participate. However, Ristis insisted on participating, so we accepted Plum’s proposal and allowed him to participate with new conditions. These conditions included the provision for execution.”
I see. However, although he didn’t commit outright lawlessness like ambushing someone in their sleep, he misinterpreted the leader Slei’s instructions and did not even attempt to help hunters being attacked by monsters. It seemed that if he did the same thing again, it was decided by the unanimous will of the alliance that he would be executed. This time, it wasn’t a borderline situation, so they executed him without hesitation.
“This is the second one. Surely, the Hunter’s Guild will have to take action on this.”
“Indeed. Moreover, my anger hasn’t subsided yet, so if another monster appears, I’m going to take it out on them.”
“I’ll join you.”
“Be reasonable.”
The fact that not only Yamato but also Prim said that meant they were directing their anger at Prim. It seemed I’d have to prioritize pampering Prim tonight. The unfortunate monster that Yamato and Prim took their frustrations out on was a P-rank Heavy Armor Dullahan. This heavily armored knight boasted impenetrable defense, as its name suggested, but Yamato easily tore through its armor with the Azure Silver Sword – Pale Green, and Prim’s Extreme Flame incinerated it and its magic core. Even so, Prim didn’t seem to have calmed down, so she also defeated an M-rank Lich. I never thought I’d pity monsters, but it just goes to show the extent of her pent-up anger.
That said, after advancing for about three hours, we finally discovered a Safe Area. As expected, there was also an entrance to the sixth floor, so we stepped into the sixth floor.
