As a result, it was just a bunch of kind-hearted people.
Perhaps it was because my leg was cut off and I was used as bait once.
However, it is also true that an indescribable anxiety remains (mainly due to the girl named Rustiara).
I integrated the stories of the kind-hearted people and decided to walk the “Seidō” with a straight face.
I passed two women.
However, nothing happened.
I hesitated, wondering if the exit was the right way, but I stopped myself, knowing that people were definitely flowing from this direction.
Along the way, I passed various groups.
There were groups who looked at me as if appraising me, but no particular problems arose.
After walking along the “Seidō” for about thirty minutes, I finally reached the exit.
“I did it… I did it…!”
The sunlight burning my eyes.
The wind carrying a gentle warmth.
The clear scent, incomparable to the inside of the labyrinth.
I had returned to the ground.
As I expressed my joy with my whole body, a man who looked like a neatly dressed guard approached me.
“Hey, hey, that’s over the top.”
The man laughed in a friendly manner.
But seeing the weapon—a sword—hanging from his waist, I tensed up.
From his appearance, I didn’t sense any hostility.
And since he was standing in front of this “exit,” he was likely a guard. His attire was also formal. I immediately cooled my thoughts and suppressed my elated emotions.
“Yes, I went through quite a lot…”
I replied with noncommittal words and observed his demeanor.
“Hmm, you do look pretty beat up. If it’s this time of day, you can still use the waterworks, barely.”
Saying that, the man pointed into the distance with his thumb.
“…Thank you. I’m heading there now.”
Hearing the word “waterworks,” I bowed my head, overjoyed inwardly.
“Go ahead. It’s my job.”
I walked in the direction the man had pointed.
As I walked, I thought that I should have a more in-depth conversation with the man. He called the current conversation “work.” I didn’t know if it was official work, but he seemed likely to be able to help me.
After walking a certain distance, I found a well.
Expecting something modern when I heard “waterworks,” I was disappointed. However, it was definitely a way to survive.
The mechanism was the same as the wells in my world, so I had no trouble drawing water.
First, I refilled the empty leather bag in my inventory with water. I managed to clean some of the mud clinging to my clothes with a damp cloth. I was unsure if I should wash my bladed weapon with water, but since it had a peculiar smell, I rinsed it with water.
As I washed, I thought about the conversation I should have had with the man earlier.
There weren’t many people around, so there was little risk of being overheard.
His personality and appearance didn’t seem bad, so I judged him to be a good candidate for quickly obtaining information.
After simulating several conversations, I approached the man, pretending to be relaxed.
“…Ah. I feel much better. Thank you so much for the waterworks.”
“Ah, Fuziaze is the only place with waterworks at the labyrinth entrance.”
“Oh, really? They don’t have them anywhere else?”
“Yeah, thanks to the Knight Kingdom. Among the five countries bordering the labyrinth, they have the most money.”
Completely unfamiliar words flew around.
Honestly, I wanted to talk about my world—the modern world. But this was a world where Magic already existed. The chances were slim, and I would only arouse suspicion. It wasn’t the time to gamble everything yet.
I pretended to know and tried to elicit more information.
“Does ‘Fuziaze’ have other facilities that cost money?”
“Well, it’s packed with specialized facilities built for the labyrinth. What’s up, kid? Is this your first time in this country?”
“Yes, something like that.”
“It’s much easier to travel between the five countries these days.”
“So, could you tell me about any places where I can learn more about this country?”
“Hmm, well, if you go straight from here, you’ll reach the central plaza. There’s a signboard with a map. From there, you can go to the National Library or the Intermediary Office to investigate further. Once you get used to it, you can also go to the Guild or the Church. I recommend them.”
“I see. Thank you.”
After bowing deeply, the man awkwardly scratched his cheek and said it wasn’t necessary.
“It’s fine. It’s my job.”
I couldn’t prolong the conversation any further.
Perhaps I’ll have another chance to talk with him, who seems to be going out of his way to help me while calling it his “job.” I decided to part ways before he became suspicious.
“Well then, see you…”
“Ah, see you.”
I waved lightly and headed straight for the central plaza as advised.
On the way, I glanced back once.
As I gained some distance, I could now grasp the full scale of the labyrinth behind me.
The labyrinth I had emerged from was an incredibly massive ruin.
And in the center of that ruin stood a giant tree piercing the sky. Its branches were adorned with murky jewels. The decorations were also enormous, and perhaps there was space inside, making that area a labyrinth as well.
I turned my attention forward and moved away from that strange ruin, savoring the fact that I had escaped from there.
◆◆◆◆◆
And then, I arrived at the town.
The townscape looked exactly like a classic RPG.
Culturally, it leaned towards the West, and the era felt like the Middle Ages.
What was distinctive was the incredibly well-maintained roads.
The edges of the paths were decorated with beautiful minerals that seemed to be jewels.
Like the “Seidō” in the labyrinth, lines of jewels extended without interruption.
In this Other World, jewels might not be as precious as I thought.
As I continued walking along the street, I saw many houses.
They were of various types, from wooden ones to those made of brick, lined up irregularly.
The people walking in the town were lively. And the people themselves were diverse. Some wore simple smocks, while others walked with the clanking sound of heavy steel armor. People of various skin colors mingled, and occasionally there were those with beast-like appearances. They were likely demi-humans. Some bared sharp fangs, others had long, sideways ears, and some had fluffy tails or beautiful wings—fantastical races lived here.
The gap between this world and my original world was immense.
Naturally, common sense and uncommon sense were being churned together in a chaotic blender. At the same time, I heard the grinding sound of something precious being chipped away.
Despite the large number of people, I felt a loneliness as if I were the only one in the world.
Despite the vastness of the sky, I felt a sense of confinement.
It was like the feeling I had when I got lost in a large department store as a child.
Ah, this is not the world I came from…
Right now, I, I am…
【Skill “???” has gone berserk.】
Restores mental stability in exchange for some emotions.
Adds a +1.00 modifier to confusion.
“Ah…”
The notification was displayed.
I watched it with a calm feeling.
The symptoms corresponded to the text.
I gained clear thinking at the cost of impatience and anxiety.
I felt uneasy about it being “???,” but I had no choice but to believe that this skill was helping me right now. Without it, I might have been in the stomach of a Giant Wolf by now.
With the clear thinking I had gained, I reconfirmed my situation.
There was no one around who I knew. There were no buildings I recognized.
It was vivid, real, and too grand—any optimistic speculation like a hidden camera prank, a foreign attraction, or an undiscovered land on Earth had been stripped away.
Ah, it can’t be helped.
I had expected this.
What’s more important is, “So, what do I do?”
Just being dazed will get me nowhere.
Calmly, I pieced together my next course of action in my mind.
“First, the signboard.”
Mustering my resolve, I walked through the town with a determined expression.
Fortunately, my attire didn’t stand out.
There were people dressed fashionably, and there were also many adventurers like me, wearing cloaks and carrying swords.
After walking for a few minutes, I found a plaza.
It was about the size of a baseball dome, with fountains and stone benches.
In the center stood a particularly large fountain, and next to it was a giant signboard.
No one was looking at the signboard. More accurately, few people were stopping in this plaza. It was land reserved for official events, and perhaps normally it was just a pathway.
The signboard displayed several maps and also information about the country’s history.
In front of the adjacent fountain stood a statue of a middle-aged man. Perhaps it was a monument of some kind for this country.
I started to examine the signboard, intending to memorize all of it.
—According to the information on the signboard, this country is a “country for labyrinth exploration.”
More accurately, it is an Allied Nations.
The five countries with the same religion are following their teachings, banding together to conquer the giant “Labyrinth,” which is the overall picture. According to the religious tradition, clearing the “Hundredth Ordeal” of this labyrinth will grant “any wish.”
I thought it was a custom-made clear condition.
If I wanted to go home, I’d have to descend 100 floors of the labyrinth, perhaps?
I frowned slightly and continued reading.
The country I am currently in is “Fuziaze,” located in the northern part of the labyrinth.
It is a country centered around aristocrats who value chivalry, with a great knight as their ancestor.
The map detailed my location within Fuziaze.
Fuziaze was divided into one hundred districts, and there was a custom where lower numbers indicated areas where noble people lived. Incidentally, this was district 21. Moving towards district 22 would lead to the shopping district, and district 20 housed public institutions like the Intermediary Office.
“Alright…”
Using that information, I decided to head to the place that looked like a library in district 20.
The library was a conspicuous building, like a symbol of the town.
So, I reached it easily without getting lost.
Hiding my unease, I entered the building.
The staff member looked at me briefly, but I wasn’t stopped.
It was a spacious wooden Western-style building.
It was very quiet, and appeared no different from the libraries I knew.
I picked up a few books that might help me with my current situation and sat down at one of the provided tables.
I opened a book and started reading—and then I questioned the act of “reading.”
More accurately, a fact I had been avoiding now became prominent.
“Why… can I read it…”
I murmured. In response, people who were quietly reading looked up at me.
“Excuse me.”
I gave a small bow.
The people who had looked at me immediately lost interest and returned to their books.
It was strange that my apology was understood.
Among those who looked at me were blond Caucasians and people with fluffy beast ears. People who should not have been able to understand Japanese were responding in Japanese.
The book I was holding was particularly strange.
On closer inspection, it was a bizarre string of characters that belonged to neither English nor Japanese. Yet, I picked it up, thinking it would be useful for understanding this world.
Japanese was being translated into a strange language, and the strange language into Japanese, automatically.
If I were to call it “Magic,” that would be the end of it.
But if this were to happen in my world, it would be a major issue.
First, it would require brain modification. It would involve manipulating the brain and adding or subtracting memories and personalities. Next, vivisection experiments came to mind. It was terrifying. It was truly terrifying—
【Skill “???” has gone berserk.】
Restores mental stability in exchange for some emotions.
Adds a +1.00 modifier to confusion.
Again…
The fear that had been surging was erased. I was not allowed to regret my repeated failures, and my mind became clear again.
It was definitely helpful in many ways, but it was also a displayed notification that gave me an unpleasant premonition.
I think the trigger for its activation was mental.
I need to limit my thoughts as much as possible and not be overwhelmed by intense emotions…
“Haa…”
I took a deep breath and calmed myself.
However, this was not a pleasant state of composure; it might be something else entirely.
In the “Status Ailment” section of the “display,” “Confusion” was steadily increasing. Yet, contrary to the description of “confusion,” my mind was becoming clearer. It was a strange sensation.
The skill “???” itself might have a confusion-nullifying effect, but still, the visible “Status: Confusion 2.99” display made me uneasy.
I was very uneasy, but there was no point in thinking about it further.
I focused on this undisturbed, tranquil mind.
And then, I continued reading the prepared books.
To learn about this world, this country, its culture, and the labyrinth—
For as long as time allowed, endlessly—
