Chapter 109

The Demon from the Labyrinth

About two weeks ago from now.

Maria visited Soren and secretly snuck into the dormitory in the middle of the night.

In the dormitory where an enormous number of wizards had died in the labyrinth eruption incident 12 years ago, there were more empty rooms than students.

There was a security office at the entrance of the dormitory, but the actual security guard was leaning back in his chair, fast asleep.

“Krrrrr…”

While listening to the loud snoring, Maria slowly passed through the lobby.

In fact, even if the security guard had seen Maria, he probably wouldn’t have made any particular effort to stop her.

Why?

Because it was common for students to bring lovers or friends to stay together in the empty dormitory. For example, like the Elf archer who was a party member of the genius wizard in room 308.

Maria, who had reached her destination – Teramond’s room, room 301 – all too easily, took out the dagger she had hidden in her bosom and paced back and forth for quite a while.

If she knocked on the door, Teramond would come out.

‘And then I’ll stab him to death.‘

She had come with firm resolve.

She felt that if she didn’t kill him, she wouldn’t be able to carry on with her life anymore.

She had to end it here.

However, compared to her determination, her nature was unexpectedly too soft, making it difficult to put into action.

It was around that time that she met the demon.

“You’ll never be able to do it if you hesitate like that.”

At the end of the corridor. In the blind spot of the moonlight coming through the glass window.

The silhouette of that man who appeared from the darkness was dressed in wizard formal wear like the professors.

He was a tall man with broad shoulders.

“Shall I help you?”

However, when he stepped into the moonlight, his intimidating presence and grotesque sense of terror made Maria shrink back.

Because what was on his shoulders wasn’t a human head, but a lion.

One with beautiful white mane flowing abundantly down to his chest.

“First of all, that door has security on it, so you can’t open it. You need to use magic to unlock it.”

The lion strode toward Maria and held out his palm.

“I’ll give you a gift.”

In that palm was something like a gently glowing whirlpool.

The White Lion picked something up with his index finger and thumb from within it and pulled it out.

It was a parchment scroll.

[Unlock Scroll]

“And after you kill him, you’ll need to clean up afterward.”

The White Lion pulled out several scrolls in succession.

[Corpse Explosion Scroll]

[Object Memory Erasure Scroll]

[Object Memory Erasure Scroll]

[Object Memory Erasure Scroll]

[Object Memory Erasure Scroll]

“From the dormitory entrance, along the path you walked to get here, erase all the memories. If you remove the memories all the way to the main street, you’ll be safe.”

“Who…”

Maria felt as if her breath was completely cut off.

“Who are you…?”

“I’m a professor at the university. One who dislikes bad children. Similar to you, right? You also dislike bad children, don’t you?”

“…”

“You want to kill the student in this room, right? Go ahead and do it!”

The corners of the lion’s mouth curved up cunningly.

“Go ahead and kill him. Since I’m here, leave all the cleanup to me. Oh right, you’ll need this too.”

The White Lion pulled out one more scroll.

[Bleach Scroll]

“It’s a type of practical magic. It’ll completely remove the blood that gets on your clothes. And, hmm. You’ll need this too.”

[Silent Night Scroll]

“It’s magic that blocks noise generation within a certain range. No matter how you torture that student inside or what screams come out, no one will be able to hear them.”

While handing her a bundle of scrolls, the White Lion gently stroked Maria’s hair.

“Trying is the difficult part; once you actually do it, it’ll be easy.”

If Caleb’s escape from the club was eerily rational, that White Lion was chaos and madness incarnate.

This isn’t human.

Maria instinctively realized this fact.

Since country girl Maria had only seen other races a handful of times, she initially wondered if this man was a beastman, but that probably wasn’t it.

This is a monster.

Or something that could be called a demon.

“I… I can’t do it… I’m sorry…”

“Hmm.”

When Maria became frightened, the White Lion bent down and kindly met her eyes.

He didn’t pressure her.

“I see. That’s fine, child. I understand.”

“…”

“Shall I take you home?”

“N-no. I checked into an inn…”

“Where is that?”

“Guild Inn Branch 2…”

“Hold my hand tightly.”

The White Lion grasped Maria’s hand firmly, and Maria was sucked into the whirlpool in the White Lion’s palm.

When she came to her senses, she was at the inn.

---

“After that, that person came to the inn several times. In the middle of the night. At first I thought he was a monster, but as time passed, he seemed like a professor.”

“…”

“He said he also didn’t like slave-born wizards, and that if I was going to do something about it, he would help me. But he said if I was going to do it, to kill them all… And after thinking about it for about a week…”

“You murdered Teramond.”

It was good that I had drawn Maria aside to talk with her first.

I had asked wondering if she might know something about the White Lion, and this was more of a harvest than I had expected.

‘So he pulls scrolls from his palm?‘

Like pulling tissues from a tissue box?

No, this is ridiculous. Really totally overpowered, isn’t it?

And he instantly teleported Maria to the inn?

Guild Inn Branch 2 would be the inn near the Labyrinth Guild, and the distance from there to the dormitory is by no means close.

Could Bipa’s ‘Dimensional Leap‘ send someone that far?

‘Is it a gate?‘

I mean what’s opened in the White Lion’s palm.

It might be possible.  

The elevator is also an artificial ‘gate‘ built based on the exit gate structure of the exit room, isn’t it?

If people can make it, then it would be reasonable to assume that a labyrinth-born monster could naturally do it too.

“I…”

Maria said hesitantly.

“What should I do now…?”

She was fidgeting with the poison in her palm.

“First, that poison and the Corpse Explosion Scroll wrapped around your body – hand them all over to me.”

I confiscated fifteen scrolls and the poison from her.

“I’ll tell Security Headquarters that after you came out of Soren, your excitement subsided and you complied with arrest peacefully. So it can be taken into consideration.”

“Arrest…”

Maria’s complexion darkened.

What?

You weren’t thinking of going home, were you?

The circumstances are certainly pitiful, but I still can’t let go of someone who was about to carry out a large-scale bombing terror attack, even if it was attempted.

Besides, even if I did let her go, she wouldn’t get far before being caught.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

I can already hear the footsteps of security officers running toward the gate from around the corner.

‘Huh?‘

No.

There’s something that needs a slight correction.

Those footsteps weren’t from security officers, and they weren’t running toward the gate either.

Crash!

Mugol leaped over the castle wall. With Bipa, whose complexion had turned pale, tucked under his right arm.

He had used the skill ‘Divine Stride‘ to vault over the castle wall.

“Hmm.”

Upon arriving, Mugol looked back and forth between me and Maria. I showed him that all of Maria’s Corpse Explosion Scrolls and poison were in my hands.

“You really did handle it alone.”

“I persuaded her well with words.”

“While summoning all these clouds and wearing a magic coat on your body?”

Those were conversational tools, what do you mean.

“Caleb.”

Bipa emerged from Mugol’s side and then smoothed down her disheveled hair.

That deep layer expert from Windham seems to find the scene unfolding before her eyes quite interesting.

“I didn’t originally know you very well, but too many things have changed from my memory.”

“…”

“Did Hyedam do something to you by any chance?”

“I wonder.”

I really don’t know either.

“Anyway, we have no intention of laying a hand on you as long as you’re not a possessor. If you live healthily and magnificently, Hyedam would be happy too.”

“…”

“But that’s under the premise that you keep your promise. Caleb. Where is the elevator?”

Things never go according to plan when dealing with deep layer adventurers.

Even with Chrome, when I proposed negotiations, he just overturned the negotiation table and blew off Enver’s head right in front of me.

And these guys are the same.

Originally, I was going to sell the elevator location information to dig into Hyedam and the inter-floor village…

‘So it’s come to this.‘

It can’t be helped.

Right now I’m much more worried about Dalstream. When the White Lion pushes Maria to carry out the bombing terror and Security Headquarters and the Magic University’s attention is focused there, who knows what he might try to do.

I’d like to have these two participate if a battle with the White Lion might break out, but they’d naturally refuse, right?

“I’ll tell you.”

Then go to Ingelram’s hideout, take over the elevator, and become my insurance.

“Do you know Fog Cliff, about 5 kilometers northwest of here?”

“Is it there?”

“Probably.”

“It wasn’t certain?”

“It’s almost certain.”

“Hmm.”

Fog Cliff is a magical zone that disturbs the five senses of anyone who enters.

According to the game’s setting, there was mention that one of the gods devoured by the labyrinth in ancient times originally built a temple there.

“For now.”

And both in the game and here, it’s a very deserted place.

“It is a place that’s difficult for anyone to approach.”

It’s not that monsters appear, but once you enter, there’s a very high probability of getting lost and wandering around, plus the terrain is rough and dangerous poisonous plants bloom there in abundance.

That’s why it’s the top candidate among the potential sites.

If an individual was going to construct an elevator, it would have taken a tremendously long time, and during that time, they couldn’t be discovered by outsiders.

***

At the time when a major explosion accident was about to occur at Black Dog Club.

“Kahaha!“

In the underground record storage of Security Headquarters, a fluffy scene was unfolding.

Yernil felt at ease meeting an Elf elder who could be considered elderly.

“Shall we read this one this time?”

It was like a grandfather and granddaughter reading a book side by side.

Actually, it would be more like a granddaughter’s granddaughter’s granddaughter’s granddaughter.

“What kind of material is it?”

Dalstream also liked this role, setting aside his businesslike tone and making a kind and caring expression like an elder dealing with a young Elf.

“This one.”

[Investigation into ‘Henry,’ the target of the Labyrinth Eruption Incident. Based on interviews with surviving acquaintances and economic activities.

-This material has been classified as Level 2 security due to the potential exposure of many citizens’ personal information and private lives-]

“If it’s about Henry, there will probably be many proper nouns that will be difficult for you to understand.”

However, Dalstream knows all about such things.

“Let’s take a look together.”

The kind professor set aside even his own research for a moment to comfort Yernil.

“Yes!”

Yernil was about to open the first page of the report when her ears suddenly perked up.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Something upstairs…”

But the underground record storage has excellent soundproofing.

To the extent that it’s difficult to grasp the exact situation.

“It seems a bit noisy.”

“Don’t worry too much about it.”

The professor opened the report.

“I’ll teach you, so study well and let Caleb know.”

“Yes!”

***

In the southern slums of Soren, one adventurer had been living alone for three years. He was a student at the Magic University and an enthusiastic adventurer who dove into the labyrinth every two weeks or so.

However, since his skills weren’t good, the point he had reached in three years was at most the 2nd floor.

Evidence that he was a possessor had been found in several places from before. For example, the following testimonies from neighbors can be referenced.

[He was looking for city hall and was going toward the plaza. But city hall was relocated 50 years ago, right? It’s strange that such a young person would know the old location, but to head there blindly was a bit… (Nathaniel Priest Belnier)]

[He was drinking at a tavern, and after getting drunk, he said he was actually drinking for the first time. He’s in his late twenties though (Former party member Thief Jeni)]

[How should I put it, I felt his mental age was young. Compared to his actual age, I mean. His way of speaking too, and how he would get excited quickly or cry often (Neighbor Ronan)]

[Every time he entered the labyrinth, he would tremble and say he was scared. He said he was someone who couldn’t do this kind of work. He even said he missed his mom once (Former party member Fighter Cleo)]

According to materials obtained by Security Headquarters, the name of that soul that entered Henry’s body was Thomas.

He was a student attending middle school in a country called America.

His age at the time of possession was 14 years old.

However, despite his young age, he was responsible enough to dive into the labyrinth every two weeks without fail for three years.

Except for the last two weeks.

This document focuses intensively on Henry’s activities during his last two weeks.