Chapter 580 Gieze Team・16th Floor
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
(Gieze’s POV)
”Finally, I thought I’d get to fight the floor boss, but──hmm, what a lackluster opponent.”
Violet slides her katana back into its sheath.
I, fighting another One-eyed demon, was watching her every move…
(With each battle in the Great Labyrinth, her draw speed and technique with the katana improve…)
That’s right.
In this battle on the 16th floor, her ‘Obu Muso Style’ swordsmanship has been refined, and in this floor boss fight, after dodging a blow from the One-eyed demon’s double-edged axe, she leaped high and sliced its neck in a flash with a single strike.
Her 3-dimensional movement was just like…
(The movement of Lord Hiroya…)
I watch the One-eyed demon turn to dust before me, recalling Violet’s fighting form with a sigh of admiration.
”Nicely done, Violet. One strike to fell a One-eyed demon?”
”Indeed. I feel like with each battle, my body moves a bit better, sister apprentice.”
”Let me tell you, both of you are something else.”
Gorge scratches his head in amazement as he listens to our conversation.
”I could have freely attacked the One-eyed demon that Eluda was distracting, but I was pretty tied up… quite a handful.”
”Well, that’s the role of a Tank on the front lines.”
Eluda, who had recently joined the vanguard, lightly taps Gorge’s back as his shoulders drop.
Since the floor boss was 3 One-eyed demons, Charlotte Zeitz, a researcher, had joined this exploration and left the rearguard to a ‘Golem’ she created.
”Th, th, this kid… h, how long can you maintain it?”
”The Golem I create… should last about 2 hours. But…”
Looking up at the golem and touching its stone legs with a soft tap, Karina is asking, while Charlotte responds with her gaze slightly downcast.
”When it comes to battle… the duration will be shorter as a result…”
The more complex the movements, the more magical power is consumed from the ‘pseudo-magic core’ created by Charlotte, which in turn shortens the golem’s active time.
”Y, y, yes, but… it’s still s, s, so amazing!”
Karina listens and nods to Charlotte’s explanation, again looking up at the golem to shower Charlotte with praise.
The golem looking down at Karina seemed… somewhat proud.
”I’ve retrieved the Magic Stone.”
”Next is… unlocking Noriss’s treasure chest.”
Romy stowed the One-eyed demon’s Magic Stone in her bag, while Gunilla folded the prepared Arbalest and readjusted it on her shoulder.
”It just opened now. ──This looks like a necklace… and a ring?”
Noriss hands over what appears to be jewelry to Charlotte, who is knowledgeable about enchantment magic.
”The necklace is… just an ornament. And regarding the ring──”
Charlotte passes the necklace to Romy and then gazes closely at the ring in her palm.
”──It seems to be a ring that affects status… …dexterity?”
”Hmm. Then Noriss should hold onto it.”
Violet, who had been peering at Charlotte’s appraisal from the side, plucked the ring and tossed it to Noriss.
”Is, is that alright?”
Noriss, who caught it in a hurry, sent a questioning glance at herself.
”It should be fine during exploration. The decision will be up to Ms. Liz and the others once we return to the Clan house.”
With the leader My’s judgment, Noriss happily slipped the ring on her finger.
The magic for size adjustment must have been added, as the ring fit perfectly on Noriss’s finger.
* * *
”Everything is going exceptionally well. Well, it helps that we’re focused on moving forward and not detouring.”
”With Gunilla’s Arbalest and the addition of Violet and Charlotte, it’s not really my place to say, but at this level, there’s no real challenge.”
The last 2 in line, Eluda and Romy… no wait, the very back is Charlotte’s golem.
Anyway, I could hear their conversation, which made me chuckle to myself.
As Eluda pointed out, ever since Liz’s group set off the morning after, we’ve been diving into the Great Labyrinth and, as a result, cleared the 16th floor by early afternoon.
(Surely there’s some truth to their reasons…)
’I just want to catch up to Liz’s group quickly.’
That’s my selfish wish too.
Of course, it’s also considering the party members’ abilities.
I’ve been sticking to the clan’s motto of ‘absolutely no pushing it.’
After we conquer this Great Labyrinth Raetia… the members of Liz’s group will likely be off to the Empire.
To the next target, the Welnia Labyrinth.
(I have to release Ms. Lilith’s true form before Azradelius does.)
And… it should lead to the final showdown with that wicked, heartless demon.
(To join them on their journey…)
We also… have to conquer this Great Labyrinth Raetia.
Moreover, we need to do it without falling too far behind Liz’s group.
(I don’t want to be left behind… by those people. And…)
Lord Hiroya.
──I will… we will definitely be a power to him.
I’ll make it happen.
”G, Gieze?”
Karina, who should be halfway in the line, had somehow ended up next to me.
”W, we’ll do our best…”
Karina, who smiled as she said that, probably felt the same way.
The tension I had been feeling gradually calmed down thanks to her smile.
”Ah, thank you, Karina.”
I smiled back at Karina and kept my eyes on Noriss’s back as he walked ahead.
* * *
(Hiroya’s POV)
”Well, we’re finally at the deepest level.”
Liz gathered everyone in front of the door to the two1st floor.
”According to the story of the Water Dragon (Washu), when you open the door… there’s a vast hall, and it seems that Frejya is sealed there.”
After saying that, Liz looks at me.
She’s probably curious about what happened to Kamikirimaru’s Frejya.
”I’ve been sending magical power. But there’s still no response──”
’I’m awake.’
Frejya’s gentle voice echoed in my head.
It wasn’t just me; everyone here could hear it.
Everyone was looking around, wide-eyed.
’I don’t have enough power to take physical form yet… but we can still converse like this. And… I have a request for you all.’
Her voice became just a bit softer.
…I wonder, is it a complicated request?
”If it’s something we can do…”
Liz responded, and everyone nodded in agreement.
’By releasing this one, this one and the Dungeon Core of the Great Labyrinth will be separated, and eventually, this labyrinth will be reconstructed. …I want to prevent that.’
At Frejya’s plea, we all realized something.
”I see… the ‘Closed World’ on the Fourth Floor…”
Frejya responded to Kazumi’s murmur.
’Yes. That land was created by this one’s feelings of loneliness and despair when I was trapped in this labyrinth. It seems that there are now those who have moved there as a place of refuge. ──We cannot afford to lose it in the reconstruction.’
(Well… this is quite a conundrum…)
In front of the door, we decided to pool our wisdom.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply