TM-Chapter 48

[Necromancer] (2)

After going through the decisive battle with Sally’s team, Yernil had established one criterion for judgment.

Anyone that Caleb is wary of is truly a dangerous person!

Of course, this necromancer isn’t a raider like Sally. There’s no way Virtanen, an experienced adventurer, wouldn’t have verified a new party member. He surely would have done reference checks with previous parties and investigated reputation through other adventurers.

If he’s from the 4th floor, he’d have quite a lot of adventuring experience, so there would have been plenty of material. Necromancer Antonelli is probably a verified adventurer.

But……

‘If Caleb attacks, I’ll shoot without hesitation!’

Yernil steeled her resolve.

She doesn’t hesitate in situations like this anymore. She had done so before and Sally’s team nearly crushed their entire party.

“W-wait a minute.”

But except for Caleb and Yernil, everyone here was feeling bewildered by this sudden development.

“Let’s all calm down for now.”

Virtanen grabbed Caleb’s hand and lowered his wand’s direction.

“Yernil, you calm down too. I’m honestly shocked right now as well, but let’s give Antonelli a chance to answer.”

Virtanen ventilated the overly heated atmosphere.

“As you all know, necromancy isn’t a bad thing. Antonelli isn’t a criminal either; he’s actually a verified wizard who received a merit badge from the Adventurer’s Guild.”

But Caleb still didn’t withdraw his suspicion.

“Besides what I just mentioned, is there another reason why a 4th floor wizard would come down to the 3rd floor via a 2nd floor party?”

“I’ve been hearing talk about you among the surrounding wizards lately.”

“……”

“I can definitely see how you became so notable in just a month. That was reasonable deduction.”

Antonelli said.

“I’ll be honest and admit it. What you said is almost all correct. I want to go down to the 3.5 floor.”

“Antonelli!”

Deep disappointment was evident in Virtanen’s party’s dismay.

“I’m sorry for hiding it from the three of you. But I absolutely had to enter the 3.5 floor this time. You don’t know much about the 3rd floor, so I thought you’d follow if I led you.”

“How could you do this!”

Emma shouted.

“You lied about undead magic, and you had separate plans for the 3.5 floor……”

“But I didn’t intend to harm any of you. I needed a vanguard to protect me while searching for the urn, and a priest who could heal in emergencies.”

“……”

“Even if we had gone to the 3.5 floor, no one would have been hurt. I would have protected you all well.”

“No. But didn’t you think we were complete idiots?”

Zikal shot back with displeasure.

“No matter how much better an adventurer you are than us, we’re not fools who would just follow your words all the way to the stair gate.”

“You would have followed.”

Caleb said.

“Because of the 3rd floor confusion.”

The 3rd floor periodically casts confusion magic on all adventurers. When hit by this magic, judgment becomes clouded like a drunk person.

Priests have defensive magic, but since it’s a weak team and it’s their first time on the 3rd floor, they’d likely fail the defense if they slipped up, and then Antonelli could have easily persuaded them to follow.

And when they came to their senses, they’d already be on the 3.5 floor.

“It’s problematic to secretly make separate plans and create secrets like this, Antonelli.”

Virtanen growled with great displeasure.

“Moreover, you can’t arbitrarily attempt experiments that haven’t been approved by the Adventurer’s Guild! If problems arise, we’ll be questioned as a party, and responsibility will fall on us too.”

“Only that part is wrong.”

Antonelli said, looking at Caleb.

“The reason I’m looking for the urn isn’t for experiments.”

“What other reason could a necromancer have for seeking an urn besides purposes like soul harvesting?”

“Yes. I……”

He said.

“I’m from Hijikata’s party. The adventurer who had his soul stolen by the Labyrinth Master is also my friend.”

***

Hmm.

This is definitely unexpected.

From roughly listening to the story, this is what happened.

A few years ago, a trio of adventurers from the distant east came over to the labyrinth city Soren.

The party leader was a swordsman who used two-handed swords, the swordsman Hijikata.

His party members were the spirit tribe monk Yuri and the Goblin tribe warrior Gildal.

They felt the need for a wizard in 3rd floor adventures and recruited one excellent practitioner from a 2nd floor party.

His name was Antonelli.

Thanks to his departure, the existing 2nd floor party dissolved. But instead, Hijikata’s party stably swept through the 3rd floor.

Until recruitment offers came in from the 4th floor.

The time the opposite situation unfolded. Hijikata’s party lost Antonelli.

Hijikata’s party became a trio again.

“Have you heard of the labyrinth bowel theory?”

Antonelli asked.

“You mean the story that the labyrinth is the bowel of a giant demon?”

Virtanen asked back.

I know this story too. It’s one of the plot threads that comes up when interpreting the stone tablets that appear by difficulty level in the Abyss of the Labyrinth.

The labyrinth is the bowel of a giant demon.

The demon opens its mouth in various places on the surface like the carnivorous plant Isaac Berry, luring adventurers with the sweet scent of treasure.

Some parties get digested on the 1st floor, some parties get digested on the 3rd floor, some parties go down to the 10th floor.

Just like proteins dissolve in the stomach, fats break down in the duodenum, and water gets absorbed in the large intestine.

And the most nutritious adventurers who make it to the very end get tasted by the Labyrinth Master.

The most interesting part of this theory is that ‘parties that have started being digested’ gradually accelerate their dissolution through a series of incredible misfortune and bad luck.

For example, Aimus’s party, which lost Backstab, were attacked by raiders and dissolved.

The 2nd floor party that lost Antonelli also dissolved after suffering all kinds of bad luck.

“Hijikata’s party has also started being digested. We lost another party member at the same time I left.”

The name of the adventurer who disappeared, consumed by madness, was Gildal.

A goblin tribe warrior who could use a massive iron club and tricky magic.

Hijikata’s party fell to a duo.

Usually, the remaining two would get on edge and blame each other or fight, leading to party division.

And there’s no way reinforcements would join such a party.

Despite this, Hijikata miraculously supplemented one adventurer through his eastern connections and dove back into the labyrinth as a trio.

“Because a method to save Gildal was confirmed through Caleb’s Backstab revival incident.”

For Hijikata too, this adventure is a final gamble with their entire life and career as adventurers at stake.

Either they can’t maintain the party and dissolve, getting digested on the 3rd floor, or retire.

Or miraculously rescue Gildal like Backstab and head to the 4th floor.

“I hope Hijikata can make it to the 4th floor.”

“……”

“It’s true that I joined Virtanen’s party to go to the 3.5 floor. And it’s also true that I want to go to the 3.5 floor because of the urn. But I have no intention of conducting necromancy experiments.”

Antonelli said.

“I didn’t get permission from the Adventurer’s Guild and didn’t consult with universities or temples because it wasn’t necessary. It wasn’t for experimental purposes from the beginning. I’m not a wizard who recklessly causes trouble, Caleb.”

“……”

“I just want to return that item to Hijikata.”

A brief silence flowed.

His story is reasonably acceptable.

However.

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it have been right to join Hijikata’s party?”

I still haven’t withdrawn my suspicion.

“You said they’re a trio now. There’s an open spot, so why did you start from the 2nd floor?”

“Hijikata is a man with strong pride. If I, who once left the party, contacted him, he’d absolutely refuse to take me back. So I planned to secretly get the urn first, then put it in his hands. He surely wouldn’t refuse that.”

“Even if you find the urn first, there’s no way to revive him unless the goblin Gildal appears as an exit boss. You can’t take the urn outside the labyrinth either.”

“Hijikata’s party plans to camp on the 3rd floor this time until Gildal appears as an exit boss. Word has spread throughout the Adventurer’s Guild that they brought in massive amounts of food and consumables.”

“Then.”

I took out a Message Transmission wand and notebook from my bag.

“Would it be okay if I ask Hijikata to confirm this?”

“Caleb.”

Virtanen approached my side.

“Do you really need to go that far?”

Honestly, I don’t know.

Whether I need to go this far.

At least there’s nothing problematic in Antonelli’s answers so far.

Common sense dictates that it’s more reasonable for what he just testified to be true than for a wizard of this caliber to independently use necromancy on an urn without institutional permission or consultation.

Throughout his testimony, his expression and atmosphere didn’t seem like lies either.

If this is acting, he deserves the Sally Award given to the labyrinth’s greatest actor.

‘Am I just being sensitive?’

Having been in all sorts of terrible situations every time I enter the labyrinth, I might have reacted oversensitively.

But what other method is there besides verifying as thoroughly as possible?

Antonelli isn’t a raider like Sally’s group. If I attack him here based on just suspicion, then I become the criminal.

So I have to do at least this as a second-best option.

“It’s Message Transmission. You may do it. But I’m not sure if Hijikata has Message Transmission……”

Antonelli’s reaction was positive.

I wrote down all the testimony I had just heard from him in my notebook, then tore out the paper and aimed the wand at it.

“Message Transmission.”

I wait for Hijikata’s response.

If there are any lies in what Antonelli said, or if this guy shows suspicious movements, I’ll turn the hourglass immediately.

“……”

“……”

A fairly tense silence flowed.

No reply comes.

“Hijikata’s team is an eastern party. Goblins and the Yoho tribe can use magic, but their methods are different from the Memory Book system.”

Antonelli said.

“They don’t use wands much either. They probably don’t have Message Transmission magic at all.”

From my knowledge too, eastern adventurers using things like Message Transmission wands wasn’t very common.

“Ahem. Caleb.”

After a bit more time passed, Virtanen began to wrap up the situation.

“Let’s finish up here for now, and if we meet Hijikata later, we can ask again then.”

Emma also chimed in from the side.

“Antonelli did make a mistake with us, but his current story doesn’t seem to be a lie.”

I think so too.

But why do I feel so anxious?

“Is it true that Antonelli is from Hijikata’s party?”

“Hmm.”

Virtanen sighed as if troubled.

“Caleb. Can’t we stop now? While we did reference checks on the 4th floor party, Antonelli is a verified wizard. Although it’s true this person had other intentions, he honestly admitted and confessed everything. I think suspecting him further would be somewhat rude.”

“……”

Finally, I figured out the reason for my anxiety.

It’s probably because it’s different from the game.

‘If it were a game, I would have just killed Antonelli.’

Regardless of whether he’s innocent or not. Even if he was a good person who wanted to find the urn and give it to Hijikata as he said, it wouldn’t matter.

I would have killed him because I didn’t like the risk of leaving an anxiety factor behind me.

If it were a game.

But this is reality, so I can’t do that.

Antonelli has a much higher probability of being an innocent and loyal wizard, and if I attack Antonelli here, I’ll be the crazy one.

Probably a 4 vs 4 battle would break out. And after winning, all that would remain are wounds.

Someone like Aimus would be very angry. He’d ask what’s the difference between us who came looking for Backstab’s urn before and Antonelli now.

He’d say we just committed murder.

And if Aimus testifies outside, I’ll be taken to the security headquarters and questioned for murder.

Truly worthy of Developer difficulty.

It’s not ordinarily difficult. To think I have to pay attention to parts like this.

Next time I allocate skills at the fountain, should I pick ‘Mind Controller‘ and then cast initiative on Aimus in situations like this?

Then after the situation is resolved, I can properly gather our party and proceed.

‘Wait a minute.’

When did I become such a psychopath?

A month ago, I probably couldn’t have so easily thought of killing people.

Antonelli isn’t even a raider. He even received a merit badge.

Let’s calm down.

Virtanen’s words are right.

I think my worry is excessive right now.

“Understood.”

I lowered my wand.

“I was rude. Antonelli.”

“Not at all. It was a sufficiently suspicious situation……Tion……”

Bang!

Suddenly, a note popped up between me and Antonelli.

It fell onto my palm with a flutter flutter sound.

[This is Hijikata.]

The note is quite shocking.

[Who is Antonelli? He’s not from our party.]

Shit.

Was my 3rd labyrinth run a thriller genre?

“Ah, we could have just passed it over. Who knew easterners would carry Message Transmission things.”

Antonelli pulled out a wand.

“These guys are fully localized.”

Right.

You’re screwed now.

“Skeleton armor……”

I interrupt his incantation.

With the hourglass.

[It is your turn. Remaining time: 60 seconds]

[Action Points: ■■■■]

Now let’s think.

We have a huge numerical advantage.

How do I capture a 4th floor wizard?