We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Exploration: Treasure Orb Palace
“The three of you, your guide is here.”
Just as the hole in the ceiling disappeared, a passage suddenly opened up deep within the hall.
“You really are so free with your movements, aren’t you?”
“Rearranging things is one of my hobbies.”
“That’s wonderful!”
After all, even the Spirit Tree has a will and lives.
Normally, it probably converses with Knasha-chan, but I can’t help but think it must be difficult to survive for over a thousand years alone just by doing that. It’s good to have something to stimulate you in times like that. Perhaps the Spirit Tree’s hobby of redecorating the Treasure Orb Palace led it to create various exteriors and rooms.
“By the way, why am I involved in this?”
Let’s think about this calmly. The culprits are Astel and the Puppet King, and I haven’t caused any problems, right? So why am I left trapped underground with the two of them?
“Fool. Our problems are your problems too.”
“Lord Elnea’s problems are his own, aren’t they?”
“Isn’t that incredibly unfair!?”
Astel and the Puppet King laugh with amusement at my surprised expression.
“Honestly. Wouldn’t the world have been better off if Astel and Elin-chan had remained on bad terms?”
Could it be that I’ve inadvertently created a pair of best friends who are a force to be reckoned with? When these two return to the Demon Race’s Country, an unprecedentedly troublesome uproar might occur, and the world could be plunged into chaos!
“Is Elnea’s imagination running wild?”
“Hah!” Phew, that was dangerous. I almost escaped into the world of my imagination.
“Well then, let’s get a move on. The three of you, welcome to the labyrinth.”
“Did you just say labyrinth!?”
The Spirit Tree shakes its roots and laughs at my renewed surprise. Of course, Astel and the Puppet King were also laughing.
“Grrr, I feel like this is so unfair.”
Am I, the serious one, the one suffering the most? Or is it just my imagination?
“It’s not your imagination.”
If the sacred Spirit Tree says so, I should believe it. I pull myself together and look at the passage that has opened at the back of the underground hall, and the two troublemakers.
“By the way, now that I think about it, could you two hear the Spirit Tree’s voice too?”
“Of course we could.”
“I could hear your exchanges with Lord Elnea as well.”
“Then our talk will be brief. It seems we have to navigate through the Treasure Orb Palace’s maze to get back to the surface.”
“Hmph, I guess I have no choice but to accompany you.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Astel and Elin-chan say so and, without hesitation, position themselves behind me, pushing me forward.
“Go on, move.”
“It’s a bit unsettling not knowing what kind of traps lie ahead.”
“These two are totally planning to use me as the vanguard to avoid any traps!”
Is it just my imagination that I seem to be assigned the most disadvantageous roles?
“It might not be your imagination?”
“I knew it!”
Even if I weep, my comforting wives are not by my side.
“Alright, if that’s the case, I’ll quickly reunite with everyone and have them acknowledge my troubles.”
“Do your best!”
Cheered on by the Spirit Tree, I finally step into the passage.
The underground hall where the Spirit Tree’s roots grew from the ceiling from there, the passage led to a corridor that seemed to continue endlessly, similar to what I had seen on the upper floors. The only difference, perhaps, is that the floor is made of Knasha-chan’s internal organs.
“Don’t tell me if we leisurely try to clear this, we’ll end up being digested by Knasha-chan?”
“Aaaah, Elnea, hurry up!”
“That’s terrifying.”
I had intended it as a joke, but Astel and the Puppet King became genuinely frightened. It was so amusing that I couldn’t help but laugh. Then, Astel hit me on the back.
“Ouch, ouch! Stop hitting me, I’ll move forward properly. By the way, Elin-chan, where is your attendant doll?”
If Elin-chan had her attendant doll, perhaps it could detect traps? When I asked, Elin-chan’s expression turned troubled.
“I left it at the beach. Apparently, it exceeded the weight limit.”
“Oh dear. It must have exceeded Ruilala’s capacity.”
Thinking about it, perhaps Fiorina and Rim couldn’t come because they exceeded the capacity.
“I hope I can get souvenirs for Fiorina and Revalia who are staying behind.”
“Before you worry about what happens after we get back, seriously consider our current situation.”
“And you, Astel, are just hiding behind my back, aren’t you?”
“Of course. Eirin and I are weak.”
“Fufu, fufufu. I don’t mean to brag, but I’m not very useful unless I’m in an environment where I can use my dolls.”
I lead the way, advancing down the long corridor. The walls and ceiling still had a pearl-like texture, emitting a faint glow. So, I had no trouble with lighting, but proceeding without any indication of how far I needed to go was surprisingly draining on my stamina and spirit.
“Where in the Treasure Orb Palace could this be? The floor being Knasha-chan means we must be on the lowest level, right?”
Once I entered the long corridor extending from the underground hall, the Spirit Tree’s voice could no longer reach me. Perhaps the communication was intentionally cut off to create a tense labyrinth exploration atmosphere? Be that as it may. It can’t be that we have to go further underground from here, right? Yet, no matter how many times we turned right or left down the winding corridor, we couldn’t find any stairs, let alone rooms or branching paths. Still, we had no choice but to proceed. Because if we turned back, we would only return to the hall with the Spirit Tree’s roots.
“Hmm, how far does this corridor go?”
“We’ve been walking for quite a while. Are we sure this is the right way?”
“It’s a single path, so I don’t think there’s any mistake?”
“So far, there haven’t been any apparent traps, right? It’s just the corridor stretching on and on?”
It was then that I stopped in my tracks.
“Hey, don’t stop so suddenly.”
“What’s wrong?”
Astel and the Puppet King bumped into me, who had stopped abruptly. I turned to face them.
“What if… we are already lost!”
My absurd statement made Astel and the Puppet King’s eyes go wide. Immediately, a retort came.
“You really are a complete idiot. We’ve been walking down a single path, so how could we possibly get lost?”
“There was only one entrance to this corridor, and I don’t think it’s possible to get lost even if we tried.”
“Sigh,” Astel let out a regretful sigh, as if to say what a foolish person I was. The Puppet King gently patted my head with concern. However, I was confident.
“Hmph. You two don’t know me that well yet, do you? If that’s the case, I’ll tell you.”
“Ehem,” I declared proudly and at the top of my voice.
“I get lost very easily! Yes, especially when dealing with Spirit Trees and spirits!”
Despite my confident assertion, cold glares rained down on me.
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Lord Elnea seems to have gone mad.”
Astel and Elin-chan’s gazes were piercing. But I was not wrong. Because in the Dragon Forest, where giant Spirit Trees grow, I used to get lost almost every day. And in the Dragon King’s Forest, where spirits live, I am often lost. Therefore, there’s no way I wouldn’t get lost in the Treasure Orb Palace, a secret of the deep sea! After all, a Spirit Tree grows here. Furthermore, at this very moment, not only Astel-chan, the Spirit Tree Spirit, but also Priscilla-chan of the Mimicho Race, are by the Spirit Tree. And Lord Reed is here too! In other words, the Treasure Orb Palace has become a small anomaly. There’s no way I wouldn’t get lost here!
After I explained with full confidence, Astel let out another big sigh.
“So, why would you get lost on a single path?”
Yes. Astel’s statement is valid. But, please consider this. The Spirit Tree can manipulate the Treasure Orb Palace at will, right? If that’s the case…
“This labyrinth is not one that can be cleared by simply moving forward. This single path itself is the Spirit Tree’s trap!”
Pointing to both the corridor we had walked through and the one ahead, I explained. Finally, Astel and the Puppet King looked serious.
“Then, what should we do?”
“This is troubling. Even if the single path is a trap, we have no choice but to move forward, do we?”
Or perhaps returning is the right answer? the Puppet King tilted her head and asked.
“I’m sure even if we go back, we won’t be able to return to the hall of the Spirit Tree’s roots. The Spirit Tree will have changed the path.”
Whether we advance or retreat, we will continue to be lost indefinitely. Unless we see through the Spirit Tree’s trap.
“At first, I thought this was just the Spirit Tree’s playful little game. But isn’t this actually a mechanism designed to confuse those who have unlawfully intruded into the Treasure Orb Palace?”
Perhaps, originally, the walls and ceiling did not emit light. Maybe the Spirit Tree’s roots did not grow in the initial hall either. Intruders would be dropped to the lowest level and forced to walk endlessly through the labyrinth without light. An intruder would have no choice but to proceed if a path was indicated, right? But that would be the entrance to an endless labyrinth, and they would continue to walk through a lightless corridor. And, though I said it as a joke at first…
“Gradually, the intruders would be digested by Knasha-chan.”
The moment I finished speaking, Astel and the Puppet King let out screams.
“What do we do!? If this continues, we can’t get back!”
“What should we do? Have we truly angered the Spirit Tree?”
The two, who lacked combat ability, trembled. They huddled together, looking around with eyes filled with anxiety. Nevertheless, you’re not creating destructive weapons through material creation, nor are you interfering with the Treasure Orb Palace or Knasha-chan using puppet strings? Only I was calmly assessing the situation. It’s strange, isn’t it? The Primogenitor Race is born from places where the world’s impurities and the grudges and lingering regrets of those who have died accumulate. The Primogenitor Race, a mass of negativity, poses a bad influence to the world as terrifying beings. Even the true ruler of the Demon Race fears this so much that he restricted them by bestowing them with the Duke Rank. And yet. They absolutely do not commit evil acts against things or beings that seem to be connected to the fundamental underpinnings of the world. Even though the Giant King and Charlotte knew of the Spirit Tree’s existence in the Dragon Forest, they did not interfere. Astel used so much power during the battle to subjugate the Demon King that they weakened while protecting a mysterious girl. And now. Astel and the Puppet King, no matter what happens to them, would not try to harm the Spirit Tree or even the Treasure Orb Palace. Surely, there are still many secrets about the Primogenitor Race that we don’t know. The secret of their birth. The meaning of their existence. The origin of their power and knowledge. “The ‘wicked’ beings are merely a superficial aspect, aren’t they?” “Hmm? Did you say something?” Astel reacted to my muttering, and I smiled back, saying it was nothing. “It’s okay. Just as Astel and Elin-chan treasure the Spirit Tree, the Spirit Tree doesn’t see everyone as an enemy.” That’s why, if we proceed correctly, we will definitely reach our destination in this labyrinth. “Then, what is the correct way to proceed?” I replied to the Puppet King’s question with a smile. “Leave it to me. I will safely escort the two of you back everyone!” You can easily convey your support by clicking the heart. (Login required) Support If you have an account, log in Learn more about the reading experience on Kakuyomu
