Chapter 214 The Encroaching Blade
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The Labyrinth had essentially vomited adventurers back into the world. Within the day, the information brought back by the initial scouting party was picked apart.
The result was a monotonous loop of reports: the interior showed absolutely no signs of change. Worse, this information leaked out to the public somehow, and even King Valentio found it impossible to maintain the Labyrinth under lockdown any longer.
Of course, the idea that the Labyrinth Master was just waiting for the right moment to bare his fangs once everyone was inside was a very real possibility. However, the entire kingdom’s infrastructure was built on the resources pulled from that hole. The King had no choice but to listen to the people who relied on it for their very survival.
Once the rowdy vanguard returned with a massive haul of goods, those who had been playing it safe suddenly lost all restraint and charged for the “Gate”¹.
People are fickle that way; while there were anxious whispers on the first day, it only took three days for the capital to return to its usual, money-driven routine.
”-It’s been ten days already!” the King snapped. “Is this Labyrinth Master trying to toy with us? Is his goal to just let us wither away in suspense?”
”Hmm. Perhaps,” Marquis Aprelton replied. “It’s possible they are also struggling to decide exactly how they should approach us.”
The resumption of the Labyrinth economy had barely saved the Kingdom of Restea from total collapse. But that didn’t mean anyone was actually breathing easy. The nation’s lifeline was still firmly in the hands of the Labyrinth Master, and the upper echelons of the state-starting with King Valentio-spent their days in a state of high-strung exhaustion.
”What is there to struggle with?” the King demanded. “I have my lines, of course. But while production volume is up for debate, I fully intend to reward the increased prosperity they’ve brought us. The lives of my people depend on that place. If they were going to be this hesitant to negotiate, they shouldn’t have started this mess in the first place.”
”Yes, Sire. They might even want to work with us,” the Marquis said. “But they’re likely terrified that if we can’t reach an agreement, any messengers they send will be thrown in chains.”
For a king like Valentio, setting aside emotions to negotiate was second nature. Because of that, he couldn’t wrap his head around how anyone with that much power could lack the sense of duty to act.
Marquis Aprelton spoke softly, as if trying to soothe the King, as he speculated on the mindset of the Labyrinth Masters who had suddenly come into such overwhelming power. If they viewed the state as a cold-blooded machine and feared for their comrades, then this silence made perfect sense.
”In the deep layers of a Labyrinth, disposable pawns are just a liability,” the Marquis explained. “We don’t know how many floors the Royal Capital Labyrinth has, but those who reach the bottom have to trust each other implicitly. They risk their lives to protect one another. That’s why those who reached the ‘dungeon core’²-no, they must have an incredibly strong bond. It’s only natural they’d hesitate to send someone they love into the heart of a government they don’t trust.”
”Hmph. It’s true we have extrajudicial measures³ at our disposal, and we use them,” the King muttered. “But we only use them on criminals. On those who actually threaten this kingdom.”
Rationally, you’d think that even if the other side has the power to destroy you, they’d realize it’s better to just get along and make a profit. But sometimes, a single careless move crosses a line, and things spiral into a war nobody wanted. If the Labyrinth Master saw the nobility as some kind of incomprehensible threat, they weren’t going to just waltz into the lion’s den.
”-Then why not issue a public decree?” the Marquis suggested. “Word is that whoever holds the Labyrinth can grant others the power to teleport within it. I’d bet a few of their people are hiding in the city right now, keeping an eye on us. We should put the word out that we want to meet on their turf-inside the Labyrinth itself.”
”I see. That way, the Labyrinth Master can teleport their messenger to safety at any moment,” Valentio noted. “If the talks go south, they can just retreat into the depths. -Baroness Confianza!”
”Ye-Yes, Your Majesty!”
The Baroness nearly jumped. Aside from handing over her required reports, she’d been ignored for days. Being suddenly called out in a meeting she was barely supposed to be attending made her voice hitch.
Even though she was one of the ten people trusted with the Labyrinth’s secrets, she knew that acting out of turn would ruin her reputation with the other nobles. Giving advice without the power to back it up was a quick way to be labeled irresponsible. Besides, the Marquis had been so cooperative lately that she hadn’t found a single opening to use her expertise. She had basically resigned herself to being a stenographer, so the sudden spotlight caught her completely off guard.
”I’m just confirming,” the King said. “The Guild monitoring hasn’t flagged anyone suspicious coming out of the Labyrinth, right?”
”Correct, Sire,” the Baroness replied. “Since the reopening, we’ve had guards with (Appraisal)⁴ working overtime. We haven’t seen anyone with the kind of high-level skills you’d expect from someone who conquered a Labyrinth.”
Her job was basically acting as a glorified messenger between the Guild and the palace. Since the official orders were handled by the bureaucrats, she was mostly there to report on the “vibe” of the Guild. It meant she spent her days at the castle and her nights trying to figure out what the adventurers were actually up to.
( -And on top of all that, someone’s been trying to feed me fake Intel since this morning. Even now, they’re trying to sabotage me…!)
She wasn’t sure if it was the Marquis’s doing or someone else, but her junior, Milka, had been getting slammed with a ton of suspicious rumors. Fortunately, her years at the Guild and her network of adventurer friends let her sift through the garbage. She hadn’t made a fool of herself in front of the King yet.
”Hmm. Skills are just one part of the picture,” Valentio mused. “They might be sending someone with a low-profile skill on purpose. Fine. We’ll go with Paradis’s suggestion. We’ll try to make contact inside the Labyrinth.”
Valentio didn’t care about her stress; he was too busy leaning on Marquis Aprelton. The King accepted the plan immediately. Several nobles from the Princess’s Faction looked like they’d just sucked on a lemon. They looked at the Baroness, hoping she’d say something since she knew the Labyrinth best, but she didn’t want any part of it. The rank difference was too huge. She just wanted to go home.
The Marquis caught the look on the faces of the Princess’s Faction and gave them a sickeningly sweet smile. He was playing them perfectly-by helping the King now, he was cutting the Princess’s Faction out of the loop and making them look useless.
”Good. We’re done for today,” Valentio announced. “Everyone except those I’ve chosen for tomorrow’s mission can leave.”
Valentio probably knew exactly what the Marquis was doing, but he couldn’t afford to push away the man who had probably framed his daughter. Not while the kingdom was still on the brink. The Princess’s Faction knew it too. They just swallowed their pride and left.
* * *
”Oh, Baroness. Is your ride here?”
”No,” she said, grabbing her things. “My husband is waiting, but I’d rather walk than wait in that carriage line.”
The noble she was talking to looked shocked. In a room full of titles, the higher ranks got to leave first. As a Baroness, she was at the back of the line. She wasn’t about to wait an hour every single day. Most people knew she used to be an adventurer, so they didn’t push it. If anything, they were jealous she could just walk out.
”See you tomorrow, everyone.”
She bowed to the crowd that was going to be stuck there for a while and hurried out. Once she got to the outer gate, she took her sword back from the guards. She ignored the long line of carriages that weren’t moving an inch and slipped out the side door.
( I don’t even think I’ll stop by the Guild tonight…)
The main road ran straight from the castle to the Labyrinth. Going to the Guild meant pushing through a massive, noisy crowd, and after being stuck in that meeting all day, her brain couldn’t handle it.
She turned off onto the quiet streets of the noble district. As the noise of the city faded until she could hear her own footsteps, she let out a massive sigh. She thought back to the secret the Marquis had shared with the ten of them.
Imagine it, he had said. Even if you merge with a ‘dungeon core,’ the human mind has its limits.
To become one with the Labyrinth meant trying to process an ocean of data with a brain that was already at its limit just trying to move a human body. It wasn’t enough to lead an army. You could barely manage to squeeze out some extra resources and that was it.
She realized then that whoever had conquered the Labyrinth had probably known that. They had touched the core knowing they would become something that couldn’t even think for itself anymore.
And so, there remained one solitary hope that the still-missing Princess Marina and her party were alive. If they were indeed the Labyrinth Master⁵s, then the person who had become the “dungeon core”⁶ could be none other than Yuuri, the one of the lowest social standing among them.
(Him…)
Even now, I can vividly recall the face of the protege I sent off with such confidence three months ago. Regardless of the Princess’s ultimate fate, the boy I once looked after would never return.
When I thought of that, a sense of hollow emptiness inevitably preceded my anger, even when considering the maneuvers of the Marquis who was now so skillfully currying favor with King Valentio. While my resolve to at least ensure the survival of the Baron house never wavered, I felt utterly powerless against everything else.
”It’s not the first time, I suppose…”
In the adventuring trade, it wasn’t rare to find that you’d never see a person again the very next day. That hadn’t changed since I became a Guild receptionist, yet it had been a long time since I felt a shock this profound.
Even as I recognized the source of the unease coiling within me, my mood refused to brighten. I kept my eyes on the ground while dragging my heavy heart along, and because of that, I didn’t notice the person standing in my path until I was only a few meters away.
”Ah. Excuse m—Gah!”
I jerked my gaze up. The first thing I saw was a massive, cloaked figure.
The cloak was so wide it practically swallowed my field of vision, its breadth speaking of the man’s immense shoulders before I even looked him in the eye.
I had to tilt my head back considerably to see a large palm held aloft.
In it sat a magic stone so gargantuan it overflowed from between his thick fingers.
”You! It can’t be!”
I had been dazed, leaving me completely wide open.
Normally, there would have been more than enough time for someone to cut me down where I stood, yet the giant didn’t move an inch.
He didn’t even try to stop me as I leaped back; he merely glared from deep within his hood, his eyes projecting a glinting, sharp murderous intent.
However, the magic stone in his hand was already glowing with the light of activation.
There was no time left to stop it.
”Dammit…!”
I slammed my luggage onto the ground and immediately drew the sword at my hip.
From this moment on, a single heartbeat of hesitation would be a fatal mistake.
I realized the massive stone likely wasn’t meant for a direct attack.
If it were packed with offensive magic, a stone that size would catch the entire district in the blast.
Assuming this man was an assassin, the political fallout of leveling the nearby noble estates would be a far greater loss than the benefit of killing me.
(Wait, I messed up.)
I should have bolted the second I saw him.
(Even if he tried to cut me down from behind, I’m confident I could have parried a few exchanges. He knew that. He was trying to set the stage before the violence started so he wouldn’t draw a crowd.)
I’d been away from life-threatening danger for too long.
My instincts had grown dangerously dull.
A growl of pure regret rose in my throat just as the magic stone shattered, erupting in a burst of black light.
The pulse of mana that ripped through the air didn’t wound my body, but the suffocating density of the magic didn’t dissipate.
It clung to the air, heavy and stagnant.
”A People-Clearing Ward⁷…!”
”Correct. Sound, light, and even the curiosity of the neighbors—this ward shuts it all out,” the man said.
It was a specialized tool for assassination—a stone that required massive size to function, yet yielded an effect far too niche for its magnitude. It was the kind of tactically inefficient, high-cost item that no ordinary noble would even dream of owning.
”The Marquis must have spent a fortune to put me in the ground,” I said.
”Hmph,” the man replied.
There was one more problem. This specific magic stone couldn’t actually cause harm on its own. To make it work, you had to send a top-tier killer along with it. But hearing that familiar voice, even as the target, I had to admit the Marquis had chosen well.
”A Knight of Glory has certainly fallen far, Arman…!”
”Shut up. The one who dragged my glory through the dirt was you!” Arman barked.
It was the name of an old friend who had reduced himself to a political pawn—someone I had personally finished off three months ago. We were relics of a past where we once laughed together, wishing for each other’s success before our paths diverged. He was the man who cost me the protege I cared for, and the man now standing there to take my life.
Arman Fried.
Beyond any doubt, the strongest man in the Royal Capital stood before me as an assassin.
—
Summary:
King Valentio and Marquis Aprelton discuss the silence of the Labyrinth Master, concluding that the Master likely fears for their companions’ safety. They decide to issue a decree for a meeting inside the Labyrinth to provide a safe exit for any messengers. Meanwhile, Baroness Confianza struggles with the mental fatigue of balancing Guild duties and court politics while ruminating on the heavy cost of merging with a dungeon core.
The narrator reflects on the presumed loss of her protege, Yuuri, while suspecting Princess Marina’s party has become Labyrinth Masters. Her mourning is interrupted by an assassination attempt in the Royal Capital. The assassin is revealed to be Arman Fried, an old friend and former ‘Knight of Glory’ seeking revenge for his downfall.
—
Trivia:
- The ‘Ten’ are a group of individuals sworn to secrecy regarding the dungeon core’s nature.
- The Princess’s Faction is currently being politically outmaneuvered by the Marquis.
- The King admits to using ‘extrajudicial measures’ (torture) but claims it is only for criminals.
- Merging with a dungeon core severely limits human cognitive functions to basic resource management.
- The narrator delivered the ‘final blow’ to Arman’s career three months ago.
- The ‘People-Clearing Ward’ is a high-cost magic stone specifically for silent assassinations.
- The Marquis is currying favor with King Valentio while plotting against the narrator.
- Yuuri is considered the most likely candidate for a ‘dungeon core’ due to his low status
—
Character Insight:
Baroness Confianza feels isolated in the noble world due to her adventurer roots, preferring to walk home and carry a sword rather than engage in the performative carriage queue.
The narrator is struggling with a sense of helplessness despite her past strength, admitting her survival instincts have dulled. Arman’s appearance reveals he has transitioned from a figure of glory to a tool for hire, fueled by personal grudge.
—
Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The author uses the political tension to set up a clash of perspectives between ‘state duty’ and ‘personal bonds’ (nakama-ishiki).
The use of the ‘People-Clearing Ward’ highlights the extreme wealth and determination of the Marquis to remove the narrator without causing a public scandal.
—
Glossary:
Notes:
• Valentio – The King of Restea, a towering figure with sun‑gold hair and a crown, radiates authority yet trembles over his daughter Marina’s fate. Pragmatic and duty‑bound, he stages her funeral as a political display while confronting a national crisis sparked by the Labyrinth Master.
• Aprelton – A composed Marquis, head of the Prince’s faction, wields deep knowledge of Labyrinth mechanics and foreign affairs. He exploits the Princess’s death, now cooperating with the King to undermine the Princess’s faction and weaken the King’s authority.
• Restea – Yuuri’s homeland.
• Confianza – Baroness Elara, silver‑haired and cloaked in embroidered sable, entered the Princess’s court as a political novice. Once a daring adventurer, she now serves as the vital link between the Guild and the Castle, navigating high‑level councils while battling mental fatigue from relentless intrigue.
• Milka – A junior Guild Receptionist, a promising and well-organized junior colleague to Roeni. She wears the crisp, professional Guild uniform and maintains a neat appearance, but her focus on the paperwork betrays her nervousness.
• Paradis – Mentioned as Suzuri’s companion, he was part of the group that explored the labyrinth and was someone she hoped remained safe after she drew the monster away.
• Marina – First Princess of Restea—needs labyrinth escort.
• Yuuri – The Master, a masculine‑identified protagonist of the Workshop, commands Suzuri and Yui with high‑level garment and creation skills. He treats his wives and servants possessively, wielding an arrogant, dominant aura and an erotic skill that grants powers through sexual acts.
• Arman – A once-proud Knight of Glory, now an assassin, he wore polished steel armor with a scarred helm, his stern gaze hidden beneath a tattered cloak. Formerly Marina’s escort on her first mission, he was cast out three months ago by the narrator, leaving behind fractured loyalty and a thirst for redemption.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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