CHAPTER 5

Admiration and Stealthy Malice

Part I: Temptation

“Kaede, be careful!” Ryouko called out.

“Yeah, I know!” I replied, jumping back to avoid the clump of mud this ginormous caterpillar monster shot at me.

We’d started seeking in a new labyrinth so we could catch up with Arihito and the others. One of the Guild officers told us that out of all the labyrinths in District Seven, we could probably hold our own raiding this one, the Plateau of Primary Colors, even if it was just the four of us. I had no clue what kind of place it’d be from its name, but it turned out to be kinda like the reddish-brown Australian wilderness or Andes mountain range landscapes I’d seen before reincarnating. I guess maybe the Primary Color bit of the name had something to do with colors found in nature.

“—Anna, let’s go!”

“Okay—!”

♦Current Status♦

Ryouko used water from this nearby puddle to make all these huge water balls and hurled them at the caterpillar’s full-body mud armor. For something that cute, it could be a real pain since pretty much nothing could get through to it once it smeared mud all over itself. I’d heard it was pretty hard to beat if your party didn’t have any aquatic attacks.

Ryouko’d drenched it in water and left it wide open to electrical attacks. The shock hit it so bad, for a split second, we could see its bones. I’m pretty sure regular caterpillars don’t have bones or anything, but this one had a real clunker for a skull and even had bones running through the poison spike on its tail.

“—BEGYEEEE!”

“Hyaaaa!!”

♦Current Status♦

I bashed the sucker and ran past it just as Ibuki kicked out the final blow.

“BEGYEEEE…”

Someone in the party I joined when I first got to the Labyrinth Country once told me you should basically wipe out your enemy before they get a chance to hit you back. Those guys are still stuck back in District Eight. They said it’s pretty common for people to call it quits if they lose to a monster even just the once, and I couldn’t do a thing about it when the party decided to split up. But it was gonna take more than that to keep me down. I went off hunting Cotton Balls on my own and waited till I could find my own party. That’s when I found Ibuki—and not too long after that, Ryouko and Anna.

“Phew… It would be lovely if we could stop at one, but these caterpillars aren’t worth many contribution points,” said Ryouko.

“The materials we could harvest from it don’t garner a very high price on the market, either. I suppose most people prioritize hunting the more time-efficient monsters first,” added Anna.

“All we can do is take it step by step,” said Ibuki. “We fought with Teacher and his group, so we got credit for taking down two Named Monsters… Just one more, and we can check off that box.”

Our situation did a total one-eighty after we met Arihito and his party. Until then, we hadn’t met a single Named Monster since we got to District Seven, and some jerks had monopolized Beach of the Setting Sun, the labyrinth everyone said was the most efficient place to hunt. Plus, there was a ton of competition, and sometimes other Seekers would even steal monsters right out from under our noses.

We’d sometimes talk about how it could take us a whole year to move up to District Six. But even I knew deep down nothing mattered if we wound up dead, so we decided as a group that we’d make a run for it at the first sign of trouble if we went up against a really dangerous Named Monster.

“…Kaede?”

“Kaede, you seem a bit distracted today… Do you want to call it a day and head back to town?” offered Ryouko.

“Oh, uh, n-no… Sorry, I just got somethin’ on my mind. But I’ll be on it if we start fightin’, don’t worry.”

“…Are you perhaps thinking about Arihito and the others?”

Anna really doesn’t hold her punches with this kinda thing. I mean, it’s better for me, too, if someone else can say what I’m thinking, but I know I shouldn’t let her do all the hard work for me. She tries to sound all mature, but she’s the youngest one here for cryin’ out loud.

“…I was just wonderin’ if we’d ever catch up if all we do is go at it like we did before we met those guys. We’re all doin’ our best, and I know some people do make it up to higher districts, but…”

“But…we don’t have any other choice. We can’t ask them to slow down for us… We just have to try our hardest, and we’ll catch up,” said Ibuki.

“…Whether we find another Named Monster will be up to fate, of course. The ones we all know how to find are fair game for everyone,” Ryouko pointed out.

I had no idea if we’d ever get a shot at another one. Named Monsters do show up again after they’re taken down, but that could take a week or even a month. Unless we got real lucky, we’d never get that third Named Monster. And unless we basically killed ourselves, we’d never meet that twenty thousand monthly contribution points.

We had no choice but to go for it if we wanted to get those points. We’d get there eventually if we could hunt seven hundred points’ worth of monsters a day like we were.

But the cold hard truth was I knew that meant we’d have to take down monster after stupid monster until we were sick and tired of it. We had no business moving up to District Six if we couldn’t even get that strong. At the same time, I couldn’t help but suspect the Guild wanted to keep us all from movin’ up. Just thinking about that made me queasy.

I never felt that way when I was with Arihito, though, not even once. I always felt so pumped, like I could take on the nastiest monster as long as I could do it with him.

“Hey… You guys reach a dead end?”

“…Oh, h-hello… No, we were just fighting a monster here.”

Some pretty girl wearing sunglasses we almost never saw even around town and a white cloak had been watching us for who knows how long. It didn’t take me long to remember. Not many girls walking around in that getup.

She had hair a little whiter than gray and lots of white in everything from her weapons to her armor. I remember thinking she must really have a thing for the color white. Her armor was obviously loads better than anything you could get your hands on in District Seven. I wondered what the hell someone like her was doing all the way down here by herself. It was weird.

“Need something from us?” I asked, kinda skeptically. I remembered Arihito had warned us to be careful around this girl.

“I got here just in time to see you finish that Mud Crawler off. You hit him first with water and lightning, then the last two of you went in and cornered him perfectly. That kind of coordination should work even up in District Six, don’t you think?”

She said it so easily, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I couldn’t believe it.

I’d thought we had so far left to go, that we had so much more to do.

But—actually, I agreed with her.

We did our part just as good as anybody when we fought on Arihito’s team. Didn’t we deserve to go up to District Six with them, too? It’s not like I was jealous of those girls. It’s just, we’d promised to meet up again in the upper districts, and I was nervous ’cause I didn’t know if we were gonna get to keep that promise.

“It’s quite difficult to meet all the requirements for advancing to District Six… And we’re still a bit…” Anna trailed off.

“It’s definitely easier if you hunt a Named Monster. But if you guys can take down a level-five Mud Crawler that easily, I’m sure you can get the contribution points as long as you work at it. The Guild doesn’t regulate points for the less popular monsters, so you can get fifty points for each one, no matter how many you hunt.”

But what if that took us a week, or a month—or even longer? By the time we finally did catch up, we’d be old news.

They’re gonna get close to another party and blow up even more, and we’ll end up being that party they fought with one time way back when…

I knew he was never gonna forget us. But it’d suck just as bad if we never caught up.

“But you know, the Named Monster on the first floor here’s already got its eye on another party, so I think it’s going to be pretty hard to find. If you go to the second floor, though, I’m sure it’ll come out right away—as long the conditions are right.”

I could hear my heart thumping loud as hell.

I thought maybe, just maybe… This girl looked super high level, like she knew lots of stuff we didn’t know. What if she knew something about Named Monsters?

“Do you want me to lead you to it? I won’t ask for much in return. There’s this one kind of monster on the second floor that tends to drop a certain item I’m looking for. We could call it even if you let me have them. Don’t worry, it’s not worth much to anyone but me really, and I’d pay you a fair price for it.”

“Why would you go that far to help us…?” I asked.

“U-um… Would you really show us where to find it?” Ibuki asked the woman in white. “If you promise, then I guess…”

“Ibuki, we mustn’t ask such questions… That’s really valuable information for Seekers.”

Ibuki’d basically read my mind, but Anna said we shouldn’t ask that kind of thing—I got where they were both coming from. Ryouko had been the one who decided what we did ever since she joined the group. But now that same Ryouko stood speechless. I could see the hope in her eyes as she looked at the woman in white. I felt like it was my turn to stand in for Ryouko and talk for us, just this once. There were some things adults couldn’t come out and say.

“…If you really think we’ve got what it takes…if you know what we’d need to do to get to that Named Monster…please. Could you please tell us?”

“…Kaede,” said Ryouko, but it didn’t sound like she was calling me out at all.

The woman in white smiled with this super-innocent look, like she’d been waiting for us to say exactly that.

“I’ll say it again, but I think you’ve got what it takes to go up to District Six. So let me give you a little advice.”

Part II: A Momentary Return Home

We left the scene of our fierce battle with the chariot through a pathway that opened in the back corner. Unlike on our journey here, this time we didn’t see a single skeleton. No one had ever come this far. Who made this labyrinth and why? I didn’t want to believe its sole purpose was to massacre Seekers.

Elitia led the way and stopped at the entrance to the next room. A teleportation pad like the one we’d used to come here lay in the middle of the circular room. “So we can use this to teleport home…?” she asked.

“Probably, but first we’re going to stop at Ariadne’s. It seems like we can set that destination into this pad.”

“I guess it’s no surprise this place would have something to do with Hidden Gods. We did find an armament here, after all,” said Igarashi.

“I poked around the areas that stood out to me, but I wonder if we’ve missed some secrets…,” continued Elitia.

“I performed Exorcism on the wandering spirits here. I felt it was the least I could do to ease their pain…” Suzuna glanced behind her. It looked like nothing to me, but she could probably see the ghosts of the Seekers who’d lost their lives in battle against the chariot. I turned around, closed my eyes, and offered them a prayer in consolation.

I know this kind of thing is fairly common in the Labyrinth Country. But I can’t shake the thought we might have made it in time to see at least some of them alive if only we’d gotten here sooner.

“…Sparing such thoughts for these lost souls helps deliver them some comfort. Your prayers are not in vain,” I heard Ariadne say. No one said anything out loud; we were all silently praying. Suddenly, the pad beneath our feet began to radiate light and whisked us away, back to Ariadne’s Sanctuary.

When I opened my eyes, we were already in the room where Ariadne’s reliquary lay. We hadn’t gotten a chance to look all around the last time we were here, but this time I saw there was a teleportation pad set up in the room.

But Ariadne has the power to teleport us back to the first floor of the labyrinth just by placing her hand on our heads, so this pad must be different, special in some way.

“…I have the power to exercise Return magic. It is similar to a Return Scroll, but from here, I can only send you to the first floor in the Field of Dawn,” said Ariadne. For once, her voice did not echo in my mind.

Ariadne lay flat on the reliquary and was trying to sit herself up. However, it looked like she could only move her upper body. She managed to place her hands on the side of the reliquary but could not stand up.

“—Ariadne!” Igarashi cried out and rushed over. She raced up the steps and held out her hand to Ariadne, who still sat in the reliquary—but Ariadne didn’t take it.

“…I can operate a greater range of movement now that I have collected two Mechanical God parts. This was merely a trial… I have not yet gained the ability to walk autonomously.” Ariadne had mentioned before she would one day be able to move outside of the Sanctuary for limited periods of time if we collected all her parts. Adding the chariot to her collection had restored movement to her upper body.

“This room…and this young girl…” Seraphina trailed off.

I quickly explained who Ariadne was to Seraphina and Melissa. I told them it was her Guard Arm we summoned in battle and about how we’d signed a contract and officially gained her protection.

“…Your sword… Ever since our battle against Murakumo, I sensed something. You and your party have touched upon untold secrets in the Labyrinth Country that not even the Guild fully understands.”

“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to share these details with you until now. You’ve fought alongside us twice against Ariadne’s different parts, and I can’t even begin to thank you for everything else you’ve done for us… That’s why I wanted you to know.”

Seraphina didn’t answer right away. She looked at us, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

“I am deeply humbled you would share such valuable information with me. All this time, I hoped for nothing more than to assist you. But now, I…I wonder if I might consider myself a member of your party?”

“Me too… I’m glad you told me. I’ve gotta tell Madoka.”

“Yeah, we’ll have to bring her here, too, one day. I was sure it’d be kind of hard for us to come back to District Eight…but I suppose that’s all changed, hasn’t it, Ariadne?” It was just as Ariadne said: If we made offerings to her, we could power the Sanctuary and eventually set a teleportation pad leading here somewhere outside.

“…I meant to explain this sooner. Offerings encompass more than simply material items… They can also be devotion itself. Your devotion level has increased, expanding the extent to which I can intervene in matters outside of this Sanctuary. That is why I am now able to operate on teleportation pads and the like and redirect their destination here.”

“Does that mean we can come here, like, all the time?” asked Misaki. “That’s super exciting—it’s like we have our own secret hideout! Don’t you think, Arihito?”

“I must each time convert your devotion into energy in order to redirect your teleportation destination; therefore, I cannot use this power indiscriminately. You should come to my side only when truly in need.” What did Ariadne use to power her other skills? Probably the same devotion level. If so, we needed to make sure we increased it as much as possible.

I don’t see a problem in asking for Suzuna’s help if we can do that with Medium. But would it also work if I use Charge Assist directly on Ariadne? Maybe we can try it out now that she can sit up—

But I realized what that meant as soon as the thought crossed my mind.

“Oh…A-Arihito, you really shouldn’t look that much. She’s…,” started Suzuna.

“…Y-yes, good point. Things may be different for Hidden Gods, but I really do think you should wear something…,” continued Igarashi.

“…I will be able to generate clothing once I recover my parts. I have no need of it now.” I understood what she meant, but she had nothing except her long hair covering her chest, and I wasn’t sure what to think. As these thoughts played around in my mind, Ariadne lay back down in the reliquary. “The Silver Chariot will need some time to repair itself. I will tell you once it regains functionality, Arihito.”

“The Silver Chariot…? But, Ariadne, that chariot…”

It was not silver. But Ariadne closed her eyes before I could tell her. Perhaps she was not yet used to the strain of moving her body.

“…I shall transport you…back to the Guild…in District Seven…”

“Yeah… Okay. Ariadne, I’m glad we could come see you again. Sleep well.”

“……”

Ariadne did not answer. Only her lips moved slightly, and we began to teleport once again.

When I opened my eyes this time, I saw we stood in a familiar place: the teleportation center near Green Hall. We opened the door and walked out onto the street. I thought we might stop by Green Hall and check in with Louisa since it was still around noon.

“Mr. Atobe… Look at this. We were right; the days do appear to pass more quickly in that labyrinth,” said Seraphina.

By the days, she meant time flowed in days there, not hours. Seraphina bought a kind of simplified newspaper at a stall nearby and showed me the date at the top—several days had already passed since we teleported to the treasure labyrinth.

“—Mr. Atobe…! Thank goodness, you’ve all returned safely…!” Louisa came running out of Green Hall and straight for us. She looked unusually flustered, even considering our extended absence.

“Haaah, haaah… I’m terribly sorry, I saw you from my office and rushed out as fast as I could…”

“I’m sorry to make you worry so much. We ran into some unexpected complications… I’m sure Madoka and the others are worried, too. Are they all right…?”

“Yes, they’re fine. Ceres and Steiner returned as well, and I’ve been sharing a room with Madoka. We all discussed it and agreed you must be running a little late but that you would certainly come back to us.”

So you can end up spending several days in a labyrinth, even if you mean to come back the same day—I’ll need to bear that in mind. I should apologize to Madoka and the others later.

“More importantly, and I do apologize for bringing this up as soon as you’ve just returned…but I have something important to discuss with you,” Louisa said.

“That’s no problem; it’s only felt like half a day for us. Is something wrong?”

“The thing is…my coworker told me Four Seasons went out on a seeking expedition yesterday but haven’t returned yet. I know they practice great caution as a rule, and my coworker said they never stay overnight unless they plan it ahead of time…”

Memories of what to me felt like mere hours ago flashed through my mind. I’d seen the four ladies of Four Seasons heading toward a labyrinth…but we’d been on our own way to the teleportation center ourselves and hadn’t spoken with them.

“Louisa, did those four go to the Plateau of Primary Colors?”

“Y-yes…that is what I’ve heard. They had been raiding it little by little, and apparently they told my coworker they expected to descend to the second floor yesterday. The first floor of that labyrinth is incredibly vast, so it took them a long time to discover the entrance to the second floor, but it seems they’d finally found it…”

So they’d started off carefully making progress. Then something unexpected happened on the second floor, or maybe they needed to camp overnight for some reason. I found it hard to believe they meant to camp overnight going into it, given the fact they’d explained their plans to their caseworker ahead of time. If that were true, though, it meant something had happened to them.

“It’s entirely possible they’ve simply been delayed, but…Arihito, I think we should go look for them, just in case,” said Elitia.

“I’m afraid the Guild Saviors cannot respond unless they can confirm the situation requires their assistance…and Ms. Adeline is now leading a follow-up investigation as a member of the Five Hundred and Thirteenth Guild Savior Corps into the events that occurred at the Beach of the Setting Sun.”

“Thank you for the report. I had instructed my subordinates to carry out any commands from headquarters during my absence. Adeline is aware of what occurred at the Beach of the Setting Sun, so the investigation is in good hands.” I was sure the corps weighed heavily on Seraphina’s mind, but she said she’d come with us to search for Four Seasons. She must have been concerned the worst had happened to them.

“Listen, everyone, I’m sorry, but…I think we should go to the Plateau of Primary Colors. It looks like it’s going to be a really big labyrinth, so if you’re tired, please stay back and rest up,” I said to the group.

“—Bow!”

“It’s Cion! And Madoka—!”

Cion walked toward us with Madoka on her back. I looked over and saw Louisa had pulled out her license and smiled. Madoka had sent her a message saying she’d spotted us.

“Arihito! You guys—! I’m so glad you’re back—!”

“I’m sorry, Madoka… You must have been worried,” I told her.

“No, it’s all right. All I wanted was to know you’re all okay…” Madoka wiped her eyes with the handkerchief in her hand. We all gathered joyfully around Madoka and Cion—but we couldn’t stay long.

“I think I’d like only our fastest members to come on this raid. We need to get to them as quick as we can.”

“I—I get it. Even if I sprinted with all I’ve got, I’d never catch up to our suuuper speedy Ellie or Theresia,” said Misaki.

“And I…well, I have Wolf Pack, so if Cion comes with us, I can run pretty quickly.”

“I can also carry my shield without sacrificing speed if need be. I’d greatly appreciate if you would allow me to join you.”

I’m probably the slowest one here. But if I use Yoshitsune’s Leap at key points, I should be able to get over obstacles and things without much trouble.

♦Current Party♦

“Arihito, please be careful… Next time you come back, we’ll all…,” said Madoka.

“We’re gonna jump in the bath with youuu! And no sleeping on the first floor!” cut in Misaki.

“Please…we’re counting on you to help the members of Four Seasons,” added Louisa.

“Of course, I promise we’ll all come back safely. All right, let’s move!”

We set off running full speed toward the entrance to the Plateau of Primary Colors.

Once inside, we saw a vast, reddish-brown wilderness; large puddles dotted the terrain sparsely populated by green, leafy trees.

♦Monsters Encountered♦

““BEGYEEEE—!””

A caterpillar monster saw us furiously racing by, hurled up thread, and shot it at us. But we stayed out of its attack range and pressed on without missing a beat.

“You can see a few of these monsters were defeated here… But there’s no way to tell if Four Seasons took them down—!” shouted Igarashi.

“Let’s keep going until we get to the second-floor entrance… Wow, this labyrinth is huge—!” I called back.

“……!!”

“Mr. Atobe, I can switch with you at any time! Please tell me before you get tired!” We had Seraphina riding on Cion’s back so we could move as quickly as possible. I was sprinting with all I had but could still just barely keep up.

“…Arihito, want me to carry you? I’m actually pretty strong,” offered Elitia.

“That’s okay… I’ve also got a little something up my sleeve—!”

♦Current Status♦

Each leap flung me from ship to ship, like the legendary warrior Minamoto no Yoshitsune had in battle against the Heike. I definitely did not have the strength to move that way on my own but could fly through the air like a natural as long as I wore Hannya’s Greaves.

Still…this labyrinth is enormous. Is that why there are so few Seekers…? I would like to know more about the materials we could get from the monsters we’ve spotted. They’re so spaced out, though; it must be hard to earn many contribution points here.

Even with the Alliance’s monopoly out of the picture, we all still strived as a basic rule to choose labyrinths where we wouldn’t encroach on other Seekers’ hunting grounds, and vice versa. That was probably a big reason Four Seasons chose to come here. Lighter competition also meant they had better odds of finding a Named Monster. And if the Named Monster on the second floor of this labyrinth hadn’t been defeated yet, there was a chance they’d run into it, albeit a very small chance.

Those four were very brave Seekers. At the same time, they strongly believed in taking every precaution they could, or at least that’s what I’d thought. What would make them go hunting down on the second floor when getting there in itself took so much out of you?

“…I imagine…they were in a rush. They wouldn’t have come so far without good reason. We should never criticize them for that,” said Seraphina.

“Yes…I know. And I wouldn’t be surprised if they told us to mind our own business. We don’t even have the right to think of ourselves as overprotective; that’s far too patronizing,” I replied.

“It’s fine… The truth is we are worried… If we don’t act now, we’ll regret it later—!” said Igarashi.

“Awoooo!!” In one valiant bark, Cion put it better than my clumsy comment ever could.

I took a sip of the mana potion just as I was about to run out of magic. I’d been trying my best not to use too much of it, but with that, I drained the dregs of another bottle.

Part III: Trap

An enormous stone edifice marked the entrance to the second floor. Large boulders had been fit together to create the almost primitive man-made structure; once we passed beneath it, the scenery around us changed completely.

It had taken us maybe two hours to reach that point, but we’d seen almost no other Seekers on our way. The labyrinth also had very few monsters and therefore a reduced risk of a stampede occurring; I figured most people probably left it alone for that same reason. However, we noticed something unusual as soon as we stepped into the second floor.

“Look… Do these clumps of mud have arms?” asked Igarashi.

“…It looks like they have faces. Someone wet these clay golems…made them soft, then beat them down,” explained Melissa. She and Igarashi examined the defeated monsters’ remains that had been left strewn all over the ground. Theresia didn’t respond in any way, so unless there was something Trap Detection 1 couldn’t catch, we were safe to look around.

The same large puddles we’d seen before dotted the landscape here as well. Except here, an unnaturally steep kind of wall towered overhead and cut off our line of sight. But that wasn’t what surprised us; we’d seen something similar in the Beach of the Setting Sun. What did set off alarm bells was the fact that none of the monsters defeated here had been retrieved by a Carrier.

“A water skill… Ryouko and the others fought here a few hours ago…” It seemed Melissa’s Appraise 1 allowed her to examine defeated monsters—or rather, the materials they were made of—and detect some other bits of information.

“…What are these…?”

I noticed a depression in each of the monsters’ foreheads. Every one looked like it’d held something at one point. We kept going a bit farther and found even more carcasses; these also bore the same empty dents barely large enough for a magic stone to fit into.

Did they…just harvest the magic stones and keep going…? There are some gaps between the monsters, but they clearly defeated every one they came across. But what does that mean? Also, is it possible that every single one of these monsters had a magic stone? Does that kind of monster even exist? What were they collecting? And why? Or did they just happen to pick up whatever it was?

“…Arihito—! I can hear someth—”

“Let them go—! Please, give them back—!”

“Anna—?!”

“……!”

Igarashi cried out, and Theresia raced off, the rest of us close on her heels. We had no time left to think and not a second to waste. Anna’s voice echoed over the whole area from the other side of the wall looming over us; we had to get to her as quickly as possible.

We saw a few more mud creatures as we ran. They looked to be around level-5 or level-6 monsters. Four Seasons had most likely worked together to defeat a few of them, but some corpses mixed in among the remains bore markings hinting at a totally different hunting style. Some kind of sword had sliced these carcasses to shreds. Four Seasons never used more force than necessary to defeat an opponent, yet these monsters had clearly been on the receiving end of an overwhelmingly powerful attack.

None of the District Seven Seekers we’d seen so far could even begin to compare to the force this person commanded—but I knew one person with the weapons to leave such marks. A young girl with two short swords hung about her hips: Shirone.

“I’ll give you until the next time we meet to think it over.”

“If you have a change of heart, come find me anytime.”

If it really was her, what was she doing with Four Seasons…?

“—Anna!”

We sprinted around to the other side of the wall blocking our sight. That’s where we saw her: Anna, cornered up against the wall, gripping her racket tightly in both hands. A clay golem so enormous we had to crane our necks to see all of it stood before her, raising its fists in the air.

“Run, Anna—!”

Elitia activated Sonic Raid and sped up; she didn’t waste a single breath and went straight in for the kill.

“—Stop—! You can’t attack him! They’re all—!”

“……!!”

It all clicked as soon as I heard Anna’s anguished cry.

♦Monster Encountered♦

“—OOOUGHHH—!!”

“Shit—!!”

Once we realized what Anna had meant when she screamed Give them back! we could think of nothing but to avoid attacking the three ladies who had been captured. The golem slammed its fist down on Elitia, but she somersaulted in midair, landed, and immediately raised her sword.

“…I’ve never even heard of such a vicious monster…!”

This Clay Giant looked like an enormous version of the golems we’d just seen. It’d buried Kaede, Ibuki, and Ryouko in its chest. Only their heads stuck out, but we could see the outline of their bodies underneath the clay.

“Ugh… Aah—!”

“…Anna… Everybody, run—!”

“Please…save Kaede, Ibuki…and yourselves…!”

Anger boiled up within me. I wanted with everything in my body to scream out of rage, but that wasn’t going to help anyone.

We need to find a way to attack without hurting them… Show me its weak spot…!

♦Current Status♦

Buried underneath its head—or rather, the bulge sticking up out of its body in place of a clearly defined head—were three masks of different colors and bizarre expressions. The blue and yellow ones were glowing; only the red one remained unlit. I glanced at my license and tried to guess what the colors represented.

The blue one is probably for water, and the yellow, electricity—those are the ones it says the monster can “absorb” now. In other words, it absorbs attacks of the same type of whatever masks are lit… So right now, only fire attacks will work on this thing. That’s got to be its weak point—!

“Theresia, get the red mask—!”

I’ll get her to attack that red one with the fiery Azure Slash. First, I’ll use Command Support to pinpoint her target, then I’ll add on either Attack Support 1 or 2. We’ll wait to see how it reacts once we get that out and either decide to go in for another attack or take a defensive stance.

I decided our course of action—but never got the chance to call out the full command.

“Good work coming all the way out here, rearguard. But this is where you take your leave.”

“Shirone—!!”

Where was she hiding? Is this what she’d been waiting for?

No. She’d been planning this for a long, long time.

♦Current Status♦

Anna and the rest of my party turned back to look at me and stared wide-eyed. The world around me started to recede, and there was nothing I could do to fight it. A split second later, I was once again looking upon the scenery we’d seen two hours prior at the entrance to the Plateau of Primary Colors. I checked my license. Shirone had activated her skill, torn me alone away from the group, and teleported me back to the start.

I ran—if only I had a little time to think. District Seven had another unusually powerful level-9 Named Monster: Merciless Mourner. This labyrinth should have been classified as much more dangerous if it had a Named Monster that was just as strong. Shirone very likely had some background on this Named Monster. Maybe she’d gotten it through raiding this place with the White Night Brigade, but that was all I really knew. She’d realized Four Seasons and I were close and lured them to the Named Monster. Or maybe she’d had them help her create the conditions to make it appear. But the clay golems she’d decimated with techniques unlike anything Four Seasons used proved she had not merely sat by and watched.

♦Current Status♦

I chose the fastest way I knew how to move and leaped up and down through the air without stopping. I took out the other mana potion I had as I was about to run out of magic—but it did not go as planned.

I tried to drink the potion only to feel my body reject the liquid. I lost control of my body, crashed down into the reddish-brown earth, and rolled down a slope.

“…Gak—!”

♦Current Status♦

Wow…was I that low on magic already? I don’t have time for this…

I started running again. But my legs felt as heavy as lead, and I couldn’t run as easily as I had the first time. Mud Crawlers I should have been able to shake off blocked my path. I could have jumped over and ignored them with Yoshitsune’s Leap, but I no longer had that option.

“““BEGYEEEE—!!””” they cried, calling over more of their mates. The next thing I knew, I was loosely but unmistakably surrounded by monsters.

How did we get here? I could think of two reasons: I knew Shirone harbored nothing but ill will for me yet still neglected to investigate what had happened when she touched me. That was probably how she had secured the conditions for her Magic Marking to work.

The other reason: I had fought alongside Four Seasons and promised to see them again in a higher district. I meant every word, but I never should have said something that would pressure them to rush.

But I had other things to worry about. There I was, covered in mud, at a standstill, completely hopeless.

“I can’t let it end here…not like this…”

As a rearguard, I had only one way to break through when surrounded on all sides: I had to call on Murakumo.

I still have the power to change my vitality into magic. I’m completely drained now, but I don’t care if it means chiseling away at my life, I have to—

“My dear devotee. Should you wish it, I shall grant you the power to protect your friends.”

“…Ariadne… Could you teleport me to where they are…?

“That I cannot do. However, I can take you to them.”

She was going give me the power to go back over this wasteland, back to where my friends were fighting the Clay Giant. “…I beg you…lend me your strength. Ariadne—!”

“Unwavering rearguard, I shall reward your devotion and guide you—on the Silver Chariot, which races over roads of light.”

♦Current Status♦

“—In the name of mine Hidden God Ariadne, we shall lead her beloved devotee. We are Alphecca…the incarnation of Arianrhod.”

“Arianrhod…the Silver Chariot…”

A silver-colored chariot materialized around me, and I found myself sitting on the carriage between its wheels. Alphecca had manifested and pulled me on board.

“Remain seated, Master. We shall arrive in but a flash.”

Neither Ariadne nor Murakumo said anything. They, and Alphecca, were waiting for my command.

“Full speed ahead, Alphecca!”

“As you wish.”

♦Current Status♦

The Mud Crawlers slithering after us pounced all at once—but the chariot had already started moving and didn’t give them the chance to get close.

The chariot is floating…and flying through the air—!

“—BEGYEEEE!”

♦Current Status♦

The monsters hit the chariot, now strengthened by Rose Spike, and got blown back. I’d never seen anything get flung that far. The instant they collided with the chariot, I could feel power surge up within me. Magic flowed into my body that had refused the restorative powers of the mana potion. The ghostly apparition at my side looked over at me and checked how I was doing. Her face was almost entirely translucent and difficult to see, but I thought I saw her smile.

“Healing our passengers falls under our sworn duty. We shall deliver you in perfect condition.”

“Yeah…please do. You’re a huge help—!”

Alphecca rose up from the ground and slid through the air, racing along the undulating currents. We raced not quite as quickly as Sonic Raid but at a steady and furious pace, one exponentially faster than the first trip down this road.

Part IV: The Clay Giant

Shirone had teleported Arihito away, forcing the rest of us into fierce battle with the Clay Giant. We still hadn’t found any effective method of attack, leaving us only capable of defending.

“Ellie—!”

“Agh—!”

The Clay Giant raised its fists and slammed them down—the attack reached far and wide. I heard Kyouka’s warning cry as I leaped through the air and dodged it. Evading large-scale attacks, even powerful ones, isn’t very challenging in and of itself. But we had a very clear reason why we couldn’t afford to put space between us and the monster—or run away entirely.

“Grr…… Grrrr…”

Cion had bravely attacked the giant, but it covered her in mud and left her unable to move. Seraphina ran over to protect her.

“I’m your opponent, not her—!” she screamed.

♦Current Status♦

The Clay Giant used the mud that splashed up every time it smashed its fists into the ground to trap the three girls ever deeper. Each time, the monster drained more and more power from them.

“You coward—! Release them—!”

♦Current Status♦

If we break only the surface of its armor, the Clay Giant restores it by adding on more mud… Does this mean we can’t beat this enemy unless we figure out its weak spot…?!

Arihito had started saying something—I’m sure he meant the three masks on the bulge the giant had for a head were his weak spot. But I’d run the risk of inflicting collateral damage on the Four Seasons girls trapped in his chest if I were to try to take the masks out with Blossom Blade. My attacks were never meant for precise targets. And they were most powerful when Arihito supported me and told me how and where I should strike to make the biggest impact.

But Arihito wasn’t here. We had to get through this on our own. Shirone had been observing us ever since she’d appeared. If we didn’t survive this, we’d never get the chance to make her pay for what she’d done.

“Look, Ellie, here it comes again! If you’re having trouble with that sword, want me to use it for you?!”

“…Shirone…you little…!”

She taunted me, knowing very well I could never let go of this cursed blade.

…Or maybe she’s thinking if I die here, she can take it back…?

♦Current Status♦

“—Curses—!”

“—Hyaaaaa!”

♦Current Status♦

“Ugh—!”

“—Seraphina!”

“That mud is dangerous—! Once that giant gets it on you, it can pull you in—!”

♦Current Status♦

Seraphina was about to get captured. The three of us attacked to prevent that from happening, but none of our attacks made any dent on the giant.

“……!!”

“…We can’t stop it—!”

“We have to do something about those masks… But what kind of attacks will work on them…?!”

If the shining masks represented the types of attacks our enemy could resist, then… The red one was the only one unlit, meaning its weak spot was probably fire. I wished Ceres were here, so she could attack with her Fire Text. But there was no use asking for the moon. Seekers should always strive to have attacks with as many different properties as possible. Theresia had her own fire attack, but even with that, our enemy wasn’t going to make it easy for us.

“……!”

“—Theresia!”

♦Current Status♦

“……!!”

The Clay Giant shifted targets from Seraphina to Theresia. Theresia flailed in the creature’s enormous hand, unable to escape. Not only had we failed to save anyone, we’d actually added to the number of hostages. They could breathe now, but every time it used Mud Cage, they got buried further and further into its chest and would eventually completely disappear. If that happened…we’d be letting them die. I’d watch it happen once again, right before my eyes, helpless.

“…If I…bathe in blood…”

“—Ellie, no! You can’t!” Kyouka cried out. She sounded so very far away.

I looked at my blade. Once blood landed on me, I would activate that abominable skill—and lose control.

But I don’t care, as long as it means we can defeat this giant. Nothing should be able to resist the Death Sword.

“…I’m sorry… This is all my fault for being so weak…”

“—Raaaaaaaah!!”

I heard it just as I clenched my sword: the voice I’d been waiting for all this time. His voice, the one I believed would come back for us. There was no mistaking it.

Part IV: The Silver Chariot

We bounded into the second floor and continued forward at full speed. Finally, we came upon a terrible, but not entirely hopeless, scene. The Clay Giant was clutching Theresia in its hand. I needed to get her free first, before anything else.

“Let’s go straight in for the attack… Can you find a way to blast that thing’s arm off?”

“We can charge at maximum speed if we should burn all the magic we currently possess.”

“All right… Give it all you got—!”

“—As you wish.”

The Clay Giant turned toward us. In that split second, the chariot rose up and floored it.

♦Current Status♦

The next instant, I was floating in midair. I looked back and saw traces of the Silver Chariot’s light along the path we’d flown.

“—OOUGHH—!! —OOOUGHHH—!!”

The Clay Giant’s right arm had ripped clean off. Its grip loosened, and Theresia immediately escaped its clutches—but the enemy still had one good arm left.

“—Theresia, aim for the red mask with your sword!” I yelled.

Normally, she would have a tough time aiming for something that high up—but not this time.

“……!”

“—Get hiiim!!”

♦Current Status♦

Theresia’s blade, imbued with fire properties by the blue flame stone, radiated blue light as it hurled through the air—and thrust straight into the Clay Giant’s red mask.

“—OOOUGHHH—!!”

♦Current Status♦

That one blow turned the tide of the battle. The Clay Giant reeled, lost its balance, and steadied itself with its left hand against the ground.

“…What do you think you’re doing? This is where you lose, you know…”

“Shirone, we will never let you have your way…never—!” Elitia screamed. She had no idea how much her voice, her fighting spirit, emboldened the rest of us.

“—Igarashi, Anna!”

““Okay!””

Water and thunder: Four Seasons’ attacks were not necessarily useless against the Clay Giant. It’s just that without fire, we would not have managed to force its weakness to shift.

We haven’t done anything wrong. We can definitely turn this around…!

With the red mask crushed, the yellow mask faded and went dark. That meant a different type of attack would hurt him now: electric.

♦Current Status♦

The yellow mask shattered beneath Igarashi’s and Anna’s attacks, and then we were down to one: the blue mask.

“Ugh…uhhh…”

Ryouko was the only one who could use water attacks, but she was still suffering, trapped inside the Clay Giant. I kicked myself for not buying another tide stone, then shook that off and tried to think of another plan.

“—Master, of what material is that giant composed?” Alphecca asked me. A Clay Giant; was that some kid of hint?

Clay… It’s made of clay. What works against that…?

“Not an attack—divine providence. What plunders strength and grows…from clay?”

“…Plant roots… Your vines might be able to break that cage—!”

“A crown of thorns adorns our brow. We are the chariot racing to battle, and she who harbors the power to bend vines to her will—!”

“—That could work—!”

♦Current Status♦

Vines flew out of my slingshot fitted with the living young vine, the material we’d taken from the Vine Puppeteer, for a bowstring. They effortlessly pierced through the giant’s clay crust and dug into its body. Alphecca wound the vines around Ryouko’s body and tore her away from the clay restraints. The Clay Giant was instantly weakened. It had only reached a high level so out of place for this labyrinth because it had captured Seekers and, in that, accumulated strength.

“—Ryouko! Please aim a water attack at the last mask!” I shouted to her.

I knew I shouldn’t force her to do that the second she recovered her freedom, but someone else might fall into the giant’s clutches again if we let our guard down.

“…Let my friends…gooo—!!”

♦Current Status♦

The last mask cracked open. I immediately pummeled the giant with two vine shots, which Alphecca then took over. The Clay Giant dropped another two levels and shrunk by about a third of its original size.

“You’re joking… This can’t…be happening…,” protested Shirone.

“—It’s no joke. This is how…we and Arihito have come so far…!”

“—NOOOOOOOOO!!” Shirone howled. She’d been so sure the Clay Giant would win and finally lost all composure.

“Elitia…I’ll support you!”

“Scatter like flower petals… Blossom Blade!”

♦Current Status♦

Elitia swung her sword in a frenzied dance—vines sprouted at every blow and shackled the Clay Giant, imprisoning it.

“…That’s much better. Now you look the part for the Plateau of Primary Colors.”

Elitia sheathed her sword and turned her back to what was once the Clay Giant. Vines coiled around its entire body and made it look like a huge sculpture.

“—Shirone!”

Elitia had without a doubt unleashed her strikes on the Clay Giant. However, Shirone’s cape was now torn to shreds and her body covered in wounds, as if she had borne the brunt of Blossom Blade herself. The sheaths holding her swords had broken and fallen on the ground, but she was so depleted, she didn’t even have the strength to pick them up.

“Ugh—!”

She staggered as she stood up but used a skill to recover some vitality, then made a run for it, heading deeper into the labyrinth, all by herself.

“…What she did was against Guild law. Her information will be sent to every district, and she’ll get arrested at some point,” Elitia said, her eyes downcast. It would be flippant to say I knew exactly how she was feeling—however.

“I know she’s a very high-level Seeker, but there’s no telling what might happen if she comes upon a group of monsters. If she has a Return Scroll but chose not to use it, that means…”

“…I don’t know. I have no idea what she’s thinking. She was never the kind of evil person who’d go around deceiving people before.” It wasn’t going to be easy to decide what we should do. But first, we needed to get the Four Seasons members back to town.

“Kaede, Ibuki…Arihito…and everyone else saved us…”

Igarashi was looking after Kaede, and Melissa was tending to Ibuki. The girls still seemed to be fading in and out of consciousness, but they both managed to squeeze the hand of the person caring for them. They were all alive.

“Thank you, Cion…for jumping in to protect us,” said Ryouko, pouring water over Cion.

“Bow!”

Ryouko washed away the hardened clay that immobilized Cion and set her free. Fortunately, she looked otherwise unharmed.

“……”

Theresia went over to retrieve her sword from the Clay Giant carcass and then walked up to me.

“You did a great job… Theresia. I’m so sorry, everyone,” I said.

“You have nothing to apologize for… But I will say, I never imagined you’d come back on that Silver Chariot,” responded Elitia, smiling grimly. She was also covered in mud head to toe, but none of that mattered. These were the best friends I could ever ask for.

Relief spread across their faces and turned into smiles, but I knew I probably never would have made it back by myself. I could have been stranded, completely drained of magic, unable to move an inch. A renewed sense of appreciation welled up within me for the Silver Chariot that guided me here and my friends who stuck it out, believing I would come back for them. Georg of Polaris had said he and his party would be done for if they lost even one member, and I couldn’t agree with him more. We had to keep pushing forward, but I would never allow us to lose anyone along the way. I vowed I would continue to protect everyone I held dear.

Seraphina, who had been staring out into the direction Shirone ran, approached us. The first words out of her mouth were full of appreciation for what we had done. “I cannot help but admire the bonds you share. Everyone firmly believed you would return, Mr. Atobe…myself included.”

“Shirone used her special skill on me, but I didn’t even realize. All this has taught me I need to pay much closer attention.”

Seraphina nodded and grinned slightly. But she still had more she needed to say.

“Based on the record on my license, I believe that woman… Shirone was the one controlling the Clay Giant. Why would she have done such a thing? She must have known she would pay dearly for this in karma…”

“…Do you think she ran deeper into the labyrinth because she knew she would be arrested as soon as she left?”

“Most likely. Inciting a monster to attack other Seekers is a crime, but the perpetrator’s karma will only increase if there is evidence to prove the claim… However, we have many witnesses here, as well as tangible proof. I have already sent a preliminary report to the Guild Saviors headquarters. As of this moment, Shirone Kuzunoha is a wanted criminal.”

Shirone had lost any chance of returning to the White Night Brigade. Had she disappeared so she could shake off the Guild and find a way to escape this labyrinth? Or—

“…I’m sorry, but could you tell me what happened to your party—and what Shirone did?” I asked Anna, who had escaped capture from the Clay Giant. She looked over at her companions. Igarashi was still tending to Kaede, who painfully struggled to sit up, then said, “It’s my… It’s all my fault. I was in such a rush… She said she would tell us how to find a Named Monster, that we could all take it down together…”

“That’s not true… We decided to do that as a group. I think Shirone didn’t actually believe we could defeat that Clay Giant, but…she promised she would tell us about it, and she kept her word. Mr. Atobe, I cannot apologize enough. You’ve come to our rescue so many times, and now we’ve kept you from moving up to District Six…”

Tears streamed down Ryouko’s cheeks as she spoke. Ibuki had her head resting on Melissa’s lap and covered her eyes with her arm to hide her own tears as well.

“I’m so sorry, Teacher… We all just really wanted to…be with you…and everyone again…”

They had no reason to apologize. They’d worked so hard to advance to the next district so they could catch up to us as quickly as possible. If that was why they’d gone a bit overboard, there was only one thing I could say.

“Thank you. You’ve all worked so hard so we could go seeking together again… It’s that kind of care that inspires us to keep doing all we can, too.”

“I know normally parties compete with one another, but…I would love if we could build a relationship where we support one another instead,” said Igarashi.

She was exactly right. Anna was silently crying, and Ibuki sobbed like a child. Theresia placed her hand on Anna’s shoulder and softly patted it to soothe her, while Melissa handed Ibuki a handkerchief and stroked her head to calm her down.

“We bear some of the responsibility for accepting Shirone’s proposition. But…”

“…Elitia. You said there’s more to Shirone than plotting against other Seekers. Do you think there might have been another reason for what she did?”

“I…”

I knew it wouldn’t be an easy question for Elitia to answer. I could see the hesitation in her eyes; she didn’t know what we should do for Shirone, who had ventured off deeper into the labyrinth, alone and unarmed.

“I…I know this will sound naive. But I can’t just leave her alone in good conscience. I’ll admit, I was definitely angry at her when she sent me flying back to the entrance. But I don’t think we should let her go into the labyrinth on her own… That’s not how she should pay for her crimes.”

“…Arihito.”

There was no denying the fact Shirone had led the members of Four Seasons into a trap. And we couldn’t simply forgive what she’d done. But at the same time, not even her victims wanted to leave her to fend for herself. If that’s where they stood, I had to respect their wishes.

“That’s true… Even if you trust you can make do on your own, you could be hard-pressed to handle unexpected situations if you’re not with a party.”

The rest of the group agreed with Igarashi’s sentiments. Cion also barked softly to signal she was on board, too.

“Seraphina, could I leave the ladies of Four Seasons in your hands?”

“Understood. In that case, I shall use a Return Scroll to retreat for the moment and take the opportunity to file a complete report at headquarters… Please do be very careful.”

“…Arihito, thank you…thank you so, so much…!” said Kaede, fat tears spilling down her cheeks. Her sincere gratitude tugged at my heartstrings.

“We’d better brace ourselves, Atobe… Also, I can’t believe it—it looks like you’ve completely recovered. And that was such a fierce battle.”

“It’s all thanks to the chariot. It really put us through the wringer as an enemy, but it’s an incredibly reliable ally to have on our side.”

“Master, you are enamored with the Stellar Vehicle. I shall endeavor to prove even more useful to you.”

“Weapons and vehicles fulfill different roles. Should we ring our voices out in chorus, we shall surely exalt one another.”

Murakumo had materialized and was now speaking with Alphecca, who sat atop the chariot. Seraphina saw them and said, “The Silver Chariot… I wonder how far it will take you. I only hope I can see for myself at your side.”

We proceeded to decide who would sit on the chariot as we went after Shirone. It held three people at most. Theresia sat on my lap because of her contributions to the fight while Elitia and Melissa stood behind us and held on tight.

“……”

Theresia had fought so valiantly, yet now she was sitting prim and proper on my lap. I felt a little embarrassed but didn’t have time to be worrying about that.

“…Master, your orders,” said Murakumo.

“All right. Onward, Alphecca…after Shirone.”

“—As you wish.”

The chariot’s wheels slowly began to turn. Four Seasons and Seraphina saw us off as we started our journey, down to the third floor of the Plateau of Primary Colors.