Volume 7, Chapter 6 – The Labyrinth and the Guardian

Seeing that the third son had been talking for a full ten minutes with no signs of stopping, Yisi finally couldn’t help but interrupt him.

“I heard you say just now, Derrick, that your brother took adventurers into the underground labyrinth. Did something happen? I would think that as a noble, he wouldn’t go on adventures so casually.”

“Ah, indeed, just as you say, Your Eminence, nobles don’t typically go on adventures. But that’s for nobles on the outside. In our Marquisate of Taris, women like strong—uh, adventurous men,” the third son quickly corrected himself, likely considering that he himself was not the strong type. “My brother is that type. Moreover, he is an honest man. Our family’s expenses are not covered by local taxes; we make our living entirely from the money we earn adventuring in the underground labyrinth. That’s why my brother is often away from home like this. Ah, I am the home-loving type. My brother often praises my talent for paperwork.”

The glance he shot at Camilla when he said that last part was unnecessary.

And Camilla is only sixteen, while you look to be at least forty. That’s a bit too fanciful.

As expected, Camilla scoffed just loud enough for the third son to hear.

“Baldy.”

“Uh…”

The third son was instantly embarrassed, and Yisi along with him.

Although the third son’s emotional intelligence was indeed worrying, there was no need to show such blatant contempt. If Camilla were as petite as Mary, she probably would have patted her on the head and told her to be quiet for a bit. But Camilla was clearly not a child, and patting her head would make the atmosphere ambiguous.

Yisi could only smile and change the subject.

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“Speaking of which, there is something I’d like to ask you, Derrick. What exactly is this underground labyrinth?”

“Your Eminence means…? I’m very sorry, I don’t understand your meaning. Isn’t an underground labyrinth just an underground labyrinth?”

Is the concept of an underground labyrinth common knowledge in this world?

Yisi tilted her head, her silver twin-tails, streaked with blue, swaying back and forth.

“Hmm, what I mean to ask is, what is inside the underground labyrinth, and why did it appear?”

“If Your Eminence is referring to all the labyrinths on the continent of Alexia, the common features, besides having many monsters, are the treasures guarded by those monsters. Taking our mining city’s underground labyrinth as an example, most of the monsters live by eating ore. So, when we find their lairs, we have a chance to obtain the highly concentrated gems they’ve formed. Besides that, the most noteworthy things are undoubtedly the guardians of each floor and the treasures they protect.”

Guardians again?

She had wanted to ask the city guard about them when they entered the city.

After she voiced her question, the third son eagerly explained.

“Although many labyrinths are above ground, the one in our mining city descends floor by floor. Almost all labyrinths are as interconnected as an ant’s nest. People unfamiliar with them can easily get lost, which is why everyone calls it a labyrinth. The guardians are like kings who only operate within their own territory. They are incredibly powerful and don’t easily venture elsewhere, usually remaining in a dormant state. But if someone awakens them, they will tear the intruders to shreds.”

“What kind of monsters are the guardians usually?”

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“I can’t be certain about that. My brother is currently leading the top adventurers to the twelfth underground floor, preparing to advance to the thirteenth. And no two guardians on the first eleven floors have been the same. Sometimes they are stone statues, other times they are insects. But even if it’s an insect, it’s at least level 20. Back then, we didn’t have any powerful adventurers here, and we lost over a hundred people just to defeat it. Myself included—if my brother hadn’t saved me, I wouldn’t be here now.”

As if recalling the terrifying scene, the third son’s face turned pale, his expression one of a survivor.

“And the treasures they guard? Does every guardian have one?”

“Naturally. The reason they are called guardians, aside from the fact that defeating them makes it easy to proceed to the next floor, is that each one of them protects a treasure. These treasures are placed in plain sight near them, and no adventurer can look away after seeing one. Any one of the magic weapons is of mithril-grade. The guardian of the eleventh floor, for example, yielded a potion that restores youth, which was sold in the kingdom for the sky-high price of ten gem coins. In the end, it was bought by His Majesty the King for twenty gem coins.

Your Eminence must have seen the notice posted at the city gate. The guardian of the twelfth floor is currently protecting a woman sealed in an ice coffin. Even we Tarisians, who value strength as beauty, think that woman is like an angel—no, as beautiful as you are. According to the rule that the treasure on each floor is better than the last, that woman must be no ordinary person. I’m guessing she’s a powerhouse of at least level 30. Whoever can break the seal will form a slave contract with her.”

Hey, hey, hey… is no one going to point out how much this resembles a game?

Such a setup is very common in games. No one would question why the guardians don’t just lead the monsters to conquer the surface, nor would they ponder why the guardians protect weapons that are of little use to them. But in reality, such a situation can only be described as bizarre.

Why would man-made treasures like weapons appear in a labyrinth that no one has ever set foot in before?

What sealed the angel-like maiden, and why?

If I didn’t have the power to rival a Demon Lord, I would probably feel like a butterfly caught in someone’s palm right now, a sense of helpless struggle and fear.

After some more meaningless conversation, Yisi prepared to leave the residence with Camilla and Mary. Just then, she suddenly felt a connection form in her mind.

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It was the communication magic she had given Tiffany.

｢Yisi, this is bad.｣

Unlike her usual emotionless tone, Tiffany’s voice held a hint of urgency. Yisi immediately stood up and responded in her mind.

｢What’s wrong?｣

｢Guardian, discovered.｣

“What?!”

Forgetting the situation, Yisi cried out in alarm.

｢You were discovered by the labyrinth’s guardian?｣

｢Theft failed.｣

Did those three really try to steal the ice coffin while the guardian was sleeping?

Yisi shot Camilla and Mary a look that said, “Don’t panic.”

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｢I’m on my way. Tell Pepe and Refina to find a place to hide first.｣

｢Okay. I’ll go tell the guardian to run.｣

She’s still joking at a time like this.

After Tiffany ended the communication magic, Yisi looked at the third son of the Taris family, who had also stood up with a bewildered expression.

“My companion just informed me via communication magic that they’ve run into some trouble on the twelfth floor. I need to go help them now.”

The third son’s mouth fell open in an exaggerated fashion, his face filled with disbelief.

“The t-twelfth floor! You’re going there too? Even people above level 20 have a hard time surviving there alone. You should wait for my brother to return and then organize an army to attack it!”

“That won’t be necessary. Time is of the essence. I’ll go call for help from the people at the church.”

“Uh, alright then. I’ll send someone to inform my brother.”

“Thank you.”

After bidding farewell to the third son, Yisi quickly left the residence with Camilla and Mary, and then activated a teleportation spell.