Table of Contents
Copyrights and Credits
Table of Contents Page
Chapter 1: An Atrocious New Start
Chapter 6: A Large-Scale Survey
Chapter 7: Listen to Your Heart
Side Story: The Friendly Face at the Nice Perch
Newsletter
Color Gallery
Foreword
Foreword
IT WAS A CHANCE ENCOUNTER WITH ONE OF THE boss monsters that ruled the labyrinth. This wasn’t some secondhand story—it happened right here, to me.
The Abenteurers’ Guild had dubbed it the Giant Alligator, which was exactly what it sounded like, even though the intense malice it exuded made using the name of an animal seem unnatural. It was so tall I had to look to the sky just to see it in its entirety, and its body was covered in sharp, uneven scales from head to toe. Its thick limbs weren’t just there to support its large frame, either—they were long enough to swipe its enemies, and the claws at the end were broad enough to tear a human asunder.
The Giant Alligator’s swift, quick movements belied its size. A simple shake of its body seemed enough to send me flying, but it could leap into the air with ease. It warped my sense of perspective.
But more than anything, it was plain intimidating. It had a unique quality that outstripped any of the other monsters I had faced before. The threat this boss posed was impossible to understand just by looking at it. It took a moment to comprehend, and if you failed to flee in that second or chose to prioritize your ambitions…what awaited you was death. That much was certain.
Chronos, a swordsman and our leader, our sorceress Mehlis, and our priestess Nikola had already been knocked out, and maybe bore serious injuries with lasting effects. All three of them had gone down with just a single swipe of the alligator’s ginormous tail. We should have retreated the moment we saw this thing.
My legs trembled. I had only escaped the attack because I was in the rear. Had I failed to dodge, all four of us would be in its stomach by now. The only reason it had yet to eat the others was because it was focused on me.
The boss acted carefully. Besides its initial surprise attack, it had mostly kept to itself, choosing its moment to strike prudently. In the few seconds it would take for it to figure out my weakness, I had to find a way to get all of us out of here alive.
Do I pick them up and run? No, that would be impossible. Maybe I could carry one, but not three.
Do I use myself as bait to buy enough time for another party to save us? That wouldn’t work, either. I would end up dead trying to lure it away, and there was little hope of it taking the bait anyway. In fact, it seemed likely the party who would come to our rescue would face the same fate we had.
Damn it all! I’ve only got one option. Don’t run now, Wim Strauss.
The moment I made my decision, the trembling spread from my legs to my entire body. I took a deep breath to calm down and somehow managed to take up a fighting stance.
I had some intel, but my chances at victory were next to none. I just needed to scrape every bit of luck I had together. Stay positive. It’s a miracle it granted prey like you enough time to make a decision.
“[Shift: Puppenspieler.]”
That enchantment was impossible to take back, but it was only then that I realized I could have chosen to run on my own and save myself. Seriously, I was just too kind. No, this was the natural choice as a member of Drachenflügel. I owed them, and the days we spent together didn’t amount to nothing.
If I was going to put my life on the line, this was the time to do it.
In fact, I was proud I could think that way.
Chapter 1: An Atrocious New Start
Chapter 1:
An Atrocious New Start
I LIVED A QUIET LIFE, WANTING TO AVOID MAKING a fool of myself and sticking out from the crowd, though I also wished to do all I could for others. Sure, I had hopes and aspirations a long time ago, but I had since figured out my limits and lived the best I could within them. At least, that’s what I thought.
“Get out of our faces, loser,” said Chronos. Those words had me gulping down my spit.
It wasn’t just him. Nikola and Mehlis were glaring at me like I was something less than human, too. The three stood united against me, keeping their distance and failing to conceal the malice radiating from them.
“Heh heh… Um, well…why?” Those were the words I finally managed to croak out.
“Stop it, it’s obvious enough already,” said Nikola.
“You’re a supporter!” added Mehlis. “You had to sense that guy was coming.”
We sat around the usual table at our party’s house. It was our dinner table, meeting room, and center of our shared amusement. It was a place of cooperation, and the very symbol of our group. Yet here I was, getting condemned as if it was some sort of impeachment.
I could think of plenty of rebuttals, but I could already see where this was going. A sudden encounter with a boss monster was a risk all abenteurers accepted when heading out to the front lines. The Abenteurers’ Guild even made sure to warn people of that, and this labyrinth dive was only supposed to be an expedition to fill out our map and gather materials anyway.
“Well, um… I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s my fault. Or, y’know! Retreating would have been the right call, and, um…” To break the silence, I forced some incoherent words out of my mouth. We had been prepared to flee. I had requested we do so again and again and made sure they were all trained to retreat when necessary.
However, our leader Chronos had put his ambitions first. Defeating a boss monster meant having your name known to all of Filburn. His dream of getting some quick glory had led him to act recklessly.
“I think we could have avoided that encounter, but, um…”
As a result, the boss’s first attack had sent Chronos flying, knocking him out with a concussion. Nikola and Mehlis also failed to guard in time, leaving them heavily wounded and knocked out.
“Cut the excuses!” screamed Chronos. “This is all your damn fault!”
I had more rebuttals. I wanted nothing more than to tell him how wrong he was. But once I realized their anger came from elsewhere, there was nothing else I could say.
The real problem was that I had miraculously managed to defeat a boss on my own. Really, it was a miracle. I was just desperate to protect everyone. We were in real danger, and the comrades I had fought with through countless battles had their lives on the line. If I didn’t figure something out myself, we all would have been goners.
And boy, had fortune taken my side. I managed to win out of pure luck. I highly doubted I would be able to accomplish such a feat ever again.
“B-but we defeated the boss. Drachenflügel will be promoted to an A-Rank party, and then we’ll…”
Defeating a boss monster was an achievement celebrated by all. It unlocked the teleportation circle that led to the next floor of the labyrinth, trailblazing new understandings and bringing new riches to the town. Once the guild formally acknowledged that achievement, we would be on to the next stage—the party class of A-Rank. The name “Drachenflügel” would be recorded in the history books, and we would gain overwhelming authority and power.
That’s why I thought everyone would be happy, that they would be praising me for a job well done!
“Wow, you talk like this was all you,” whispered Nikola. Now that we were foes, it cut deep.
“It wasn’t me! It was all because you three had already done some damage! I just landed the finishing blow! I-It was just a coincidence! All of us are responsible for this victory, and I… I just…”
I didn’t know why I was trying so hard to defend myself. Something strange had clearly happened back there, and while I didn’t believe the words coming out of my mouth, I couldn’t stop them.
I mean, this was the only place I had. Drachenflügel was where I belonged, and I had put so much effort into making sure I wasn’t a nuisance to them. If they kicked me out, then I would—
“Shut up.” As soon as Chronos spoke those words, my feelings were useless. I knew there was nothing else I could do.
A loser like me went and stuck out from the crowd. I was just supposed to be the support. While the others kept it to themselves, we all knew I was at the bottom of the totem pole in Drachenflügel.
A guy like me had accomplished something grand, even if it really was just a coincidence. Of course it hurt their feelings. If I wanted to stay here, I shouldn’t have made even a single mistake. I needed to lie low, avoid causing any trouble, and assist where I could. They were putting up with me. It was the least I could do.
I stared at Chronos in a daze. So, this is what true beauty looks like. “Beauty” felt like a weird word to describe a man, but it fit him. I realized the vast difference between someone like me and a guy like him who had been blessed since birth. Please don’t get all mad at me with that pretty face. It’s scaring me!
I looked at the two girls standing behind him, pleading with them for help. Nikola was a priestess, a calm and collected girl. She deserved to be at Chronos’s side. Her cold attitude made her a bit unapproachable, but my undeserving self thought she had a surprisingly soft side as well.
No, she really must have been kind. It was only me she treated coldly. So, this is what it’s like being her enemy.
Mehlis was a happy-go-lucky sorceress. She had a crush on Chronos, but never admitted it to herself. It was kind of adorable. She would vent to me, and while she sometimes got angry, I had mistakenly come to the conclusion that she trusted me.
However, I was wrong. I wasn’t sure exactly when it started but she hated me. Perhaps she always had. She might have been trying to get rid of me for a while now.
“…Fweh heh heh.” I was so nervous, a lifeless laugh escaped me.
“What the hell’s so funny?!” Chronos slammed his hand on the table. I shuddered. He must have seen his chance with the way I expressed my fear. He lunged forward, grabbed me by the collar, and yanked me into the air.
“Agh!” The air was forced from my throat. I was choking and it hurt, but I couldn’t fight back. He was stronger than me, just as our occupations dictated. I was a support caster who specialized in casting buffs on my allies, while Chronos was a swordsman fit for combat. Our inherent strengths were miles apart; I had no hope of beating him.
“You damn nobody,” spat Chronos. I realized he had seemed quite wary of me until now. He might have been afraid of me for having defeated a boss all on my own.
Once he took hold of me, he realized I was weak. In fact, I was more aware of it than anybody. That victory had been a one-in-a-billion coincidence.
I’m…weak.
When he finally allowed me to breathe, the look in his eyes had grown to that of conviction. I propped myself up on the floor as I caught my breath. Now, they didn’t just look down on me figuratively, but literally.
“Whatever. We’ve already found a replacement. Come on in!”
My vision was closing in on me, though I noticed that everyone had now averted their gazes. It was only after turning my head that I realized they were all looking towards the drawing room, where a tall, beautiful woman stood. She had hair and eyes so verdant you could mistake them for foliage, but her most obvious feature was her pointed ears. She was an elf.
“This is Sophia. She’s here to fill the hole you’ll be leaving.”
Having been introduced, Sophia bowed in response. She must have a thing for Chronos, I thought. He really is popular with the ladies.
“So, get the hell out, Wim. We don’t need you anymore.”
That was that. I held back my trembling voice and got to my feet. “Would you allow me to gather my things?”
“Just hurry.”
I kept my head down and ran for the stairs. “I’m sorry, everyone,” I said, muttering an apology. “For everything.”
The life I had known for years had reached its end. I opened the door to my room, realizing only now that Drachenflügel had been nice enough to offer a loser like me his own space. The days I spent here were suffocating, but my comrades made a good team.
Not that it mattered anymore.
I silently packed my bags, stuffing them as fast as I could with everything I had, save for the documents relating to managing the party. I didn’t want to be subjected to any further humiliation.
I didn’t know what my next step was. Everything I had worked so hard to build had come crashing down. Now, it felt like I had nothing. The path ahead was dark and bleak.
“Fweh heh heh.”
The lifeless laugh—the so-called creepy habit others had begged me to fix over and over—slipped from my lips.
Chapter 2: The Nice Perch
Chapter 2:
The Nice Perch
SOME RAIN WOULD HAVE BEEN PERFECT GIVEN my circumstances, but unfortunately, the sky was clear. Filburn was a labyrinthstadt—a labyrinth city full of the hopes and dreams of young abenteurers. It was a lively, prosperous town thanks to the rewards of the labyrinth and the people that it attracted.
In this nation, it was well-known that you could source anything from the labyrinth. There were riches, obviously, but also marvelous sights and special monster materials that couldn’t be found outside. It was a dangerous, unexplored, and endless region that boasted anything a poet could possibly wish to write about.
The status and recognition you could gain for exploring it was limitless. The bonds forged by comrades who had fought together in the face of death were perhaps stronger than even blood.
However, what stood out the most was the risk of losing everything at a moment’s notice. The fools who didn’t let that stop them were known as “abenteurers.” Though, as you could probably tell from what had just happened to me, things weren’t actually so simple.
“Heh heh…” I couldn’t stop laughing. The people on the streets seemed to be enjoying themselves. I was the only one at rock bottom. In a daze, I headed for an inn. I wanted a place to go, even for just a little while.
The clock tower that stood as the symbol of Filburn loomed over me. Juxtaposed against the tallest structure in the whole world, I only felt even tinier and more insignificant.
Miraculously, my feet were able to carry me to the inn where I had stayed the first night I came to this town. I unpacked my things, laid on the bed, and stared at the ceiling.
Where do I go from here?
I had some savings. I had been too busy to spend my funds, and since I had somehow managed to spend the last few years working for a B-Rank party, I could afford to feed myself for a while. Staying at an inn would be expensive, so I would have to find somewhere else.
I absentmindedly did some quick math. Yup, if I find a place and spend frugally, I’ll be able to survive for half a year.
By then, I would have to find another stable source of income, but…could someone like me actually find one? I was sure there would be parties looking to hire if I visited the Abenteurers’ Guild, but I doubted any would be willing to hire a support caster. I was confident in my skills, but not so much that I believed they would be enough to overcome the poor image society had of us.
Should I go solo? No, that would only be undermining the role of a support caster. I would be able to hunt small fry, but I would be on the same level as an E-Rank party. No, even that was overselling it—probably more like an F-Rank party.
“Ugh, I just want to die.”
I wondered when saying that had become a habit of mine. I didn’t think I ever said it in front of others, but I felt that I must have muttered it once every minute when I was alone.
I wasn’t quite sure what you were supposed to do when you were feeling down, so I decided to do the simplest thing and follow what others would do. In other words, I went drinking. The tavern I chose was the Nice Perch, an establishment hidden in a back alley that I visited occasionally, though not to the degree of being considered a regular.
“Come on in! Oh, it’s Wim!” Grete, the face of the tavern, welcomed me inside. She was an energetic young woman, amazing at customer service with a blinding smile. “I heard Drachenflügel defeated a boss! Congrats!”
So, word had already spread.
I silently took a seat at the bar. The tavern was relatively empty, but all who had been in earshot of Grete turned to look at me, bombarding praise at me like “Congrats!” and “You must feel like you’re on the top of the world!” and “You treating us all today, Wim?”
Thankfully, none came to approach me.
“You’re an A-Rank party now! Oh, you must have come to celebrate!”
Now that she mentioned it, I had only ever come to celebrate before—specifically, when our party climbed a rank or other similar circumstances.
“Oh, no. Actually, well… I’m not here to celebrate. Heh heh!”
“You aren’t?”
“For now, um, could you grab me a beer and the usual sausage?”
“Coming right up!”
The Nice Perch’s famous lamb sausages were as thick as an arm, and in an instant, I had a portion and a mug of beer before me. It was a single dish, but the serving size was huge. You would have to be a blue-collar laboring man to finish the whole plate.
I set aside my knife, stabbed the whole thing with my fork, and began to chow down, washing it down with a gulp of beer. Then, I ate and drank some more. Once I felt the area around my mouth had begun to get messy, I wiped myself clean with a cool cloth. Then, it was back to eating.
“Fweh heh heh…”
I couldn’t really taste my meal, though I felt like it was so delicious I could down plenty. Maybe it was seasoned by my unfortunate circumstances.
The rest of the customers finally sensed this was no time to celebrate. The energy in the room died down and they returned to their own conversations. Grete, however, continued to watch over me. I sensed kindness in her silence.
“Heh, heh!” Oh no, I was about to laugh again.
Sometimes, we all came here to celebrate. Though that was only a handful of times, since they almost never invited me. I had a hard time working my way into circles, and I wasn’t good with my words either. Laughing was the only response I was ever able to muster, now that I thought about it. But still, those days were so, so fun…
Damn it. I was starting to get teary-eyed.
The door suddenly flew open.
“Wim!”
My vision was focused on my plate, but I heard a familiar voice coming from somewhere outside my view. It was a girl with thick, red-tinged blonde hair tied up in bouncing pigtails. While her looks were average in this country, she managed to stand out quite a bit.
She just had a sense of presence. She was unafraid of drawing attention to herself, even the bad kind. All that audacity didn’t seem to fit her small frame, so it drew eyes to her.
There was no mistaking it. She was my childhood friend, the girl from my home village, Heidemarie. Oddly, she seemed out of breath.
“Welcome! Oh, it’s Sue, Wim’s stalker.”
“Shut up, you cow! Wait, that’s not what’s important right now.”
Heidemarie and Grete couldn’t lock gazes without shouting insults at each other. Well… They walked a fine line between genuine and sarcastic, so it didn’t feel malicious. Basically, they were good friends—though a petite girl like Heidemarie and a mature woman like Grete did make for an odd pair.
“Wim! Um, well…”
She must already know I was kicked out.
Given the circumstances, even she was at a bit of a loss for words. “Are you…okay?”
“So, the news has already spread?”
“Oh, no. I’m the only one who knows. But still, I can’t believe it! That damn bastard!”
“But how do you know?”
“I mean, I know everything about you, Wim!” Her face was dead serious. She wasn’t joking.
So, it really has spread already.
“What, Sue? Did something happen to Wim?” asked Grete.
Heidemarie cast her an awkward look. She really was a kind girl and didn’t want to add to the rumors by spreading around my mistakes and shame. Well, I guess it was on me to say something.
“Actually…I was kicked out of Drachenflügel.”
“Huh?!”
The whole tavern fell silent.
***
I knew something had happened once I sensed that the transmission crest I had placed on Wim had left his party’s house and stopped at an inn meant for beginning abenteurers. I immediately activated the alphorn and replayed the conversation that had transpired in Drachenflügel.
“Get out of our faces, loser.”
I was shocked at what I heard.
I always knew that piece of garbage was capable of this. Seriously, this is exactly why I was against Wim joining Drachenflügel in the first place! Wim may have chosen this path but treating him like this was just too much.
It seemed like Wim was heading for the Nice Perch, probably to try to drown his sorrows in liquor. I bolted from my room and made a beeline for him.
“Wim!”
When I opened the door to the tavern, he looked incredibly pathetic. He was slumped over with a gloomy expression, which…was how he usually looked. However, this was worse than usual! Oddly enough, his black hair that marked him as an immigrant seemed to suit him perfectly in this state. He kept his hair short for functionality, but all it did was reveal his expressions to the world. It had the opposite effect.
This may sound mean, but he reeked of loser. A stinging aura of sorrow and self-hatred swirled around him. Even a child would get the drift and know not to approach him. The sight took me back to our younger days. I never wanted to see him like this again. We had even vowed to do our best to make sure that didn’t happen.
“Welcome! Oh, it’s Sue, Wim’s stalker.”
A girl who was nothing but big knockers came to greet me, so I kicked her aside. “Shut up, you cow! Wait, that’s not what’s important right now. Wim! Um, well… Are you okay?”
***
I was glad to have a trusted friend at a time like this. Heidemarie had always been a good, outspoken person since our days back in our hometown of Lorlifeld. She didn’t get gloomy or overly sympathetic, so it was easy to pour my heart out.
She sat silently next to me, stuffing her cheeks with a potato as she focused on listening.
“They didn’t give me any time to transition things over. I left all the documents they’ll need behind, so they’ll probably be fine even though Sophia hasn’t done support work before. Though, well… It’s the sort of thing anyone can do, so I think they’ll be okay as long as they split up the tasks until she’s ready to take everything on herself.”
“Sophia? Is that the girl who replaced you?”
“Yup. She’s an elf. A pretty one.”
“Oh, so she must be one of Chronos’s chicks.”
“You’ve really got to keep comments like that to yourself. Though you’re probably right.” I chugged some more beer.
Now that we were on the subject, I realized my room was the only one that was separated from the others. There was something not quite right about the air that surrounded them sometimes, so maybe that’s what was going on.
Now that I was gone, the party was made up of one man and three women. The girls were free to try to appeal to Chronos as much as they wanted. In that sense, this was probably the happiest outcome for everyone.
“Fweh heh heh…”
I really was always out of the loop. Not that I wanted to be roped in to their romances, but maybe things would have ended differently if I had been able to build some rapport with them.
I glanced at Heidemarie.
She was staring at me. “So, it’s back.”
Huh?
“That laugh.”
“Oh, sorry. I know it’s creepy.”
“No, I love it. It’s very you, Wim. I was sad when you stopped.”
“What’s gotten into you? Ladies shouldn’t be throwing the word ‘love’ around too casually with guys, y’know. They’ll get the wrong idea.”
“I don’t mind you getting the wrong idea.”
“C’mon, cut it out.”
Despite that, I truly was grateful that she was there. I was beginning to get drunk, and I could feel it was getting harder to think. I wasn’t feeling good, but I wasn’t depressed either. I was just spacing out—my eyes swam around the room and finally landed on a tapestry hanging from the wall. Every tavern in this nation had one, and it served as that pub’s symbol.
The scene depicted didn’t look like Filburn. It must have been some other land, probably one up to the north. Blue threads formed the waves of the sea. The white head of a lizard and something that looked like a tail peeked out from the water, facing each other like two touching fingers. I had visited this tavern plenty of times before, but this was the first time I noticed the tapestry.
After a moment, Heidemarie began to speak. “So, is it my turn to ask some questions? Why were you kicked out of the party when you’re the one who defeated the boss?”
“Pwah!” I choked. She had suddenly hit the nail on the head and completely saw through what I was trying to hide.
“What’s wrong?” asked Grete, checking on me.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“How long do you think we’ve known each other?!” Heidemarie said. “Your story was clumsy. You were tripping over your words.”
“No, don’t get me wrong! I just…landed the finishing blow? I guess? I mean, Drachenflügel’s centered around Chronos, and we miraculously—”
“This is hard to watch, Wim. Drachenflügel isn’t strong enough to beat a boss. There must have been some other factor.”
“Not at all! Seriously, what are you getting at? This is a boss! How could someone defeat one on his own?!”
“Well, they say only God and the party can know the secrets of the labyrinth,” Heidemarie said, staring off into space. “No matter what I say, it’ll be hard to prove I’m right if you’re so adamant about denying this. But I can make my guesses. I know everything about you, Wim.”
She then looked right at me. Her stare deprived me of the ability to put words together. We had already submitted our report to the Abenteurers’ Guild, as well as the limb we recovered from the Giant Alligator to prove we had defeated it. I included tons of details about what Chronos and the others had contributed, making sure it was recorded as a feat of all of Drachenflügel.
People often talked about the secrets of the labyrinth. When a party went inside, there were no others to observe what happened. As long as there was physical evidence, the reports of the people involved were taken at face-value.
But once I looked into Heidemarie’s eyes, I knew there was no hiding it. Sometimes, she saw right through me, and that’s exactly what was happening now.
“I think…it was the superhuman strength you sometimes get in the face of emergencies.” Heidemarie looked quite proud to have gotten this out of me, while Grete just seemed confused.
“I can’t believe it myself,” I said. “Yeah, I guess I’m proud. But I’m even more shocked. Someone must have done enough damage already. That’s the only explanation.”
“You don’t really think that, do you?” Heidemarie asked.
“And you can’t really believe him—right, Heidemarie?” Grete asked.
“Of course I do. So? Why hide it?”
“I mean, things would just seem weird if the man who defeated the boss was immediately kicked out of Drachenflügel,” I said.
“So, you’re covering Chronos’s back.”
“I don’t think I’m doing anything that grand. It’s just…I don’t think it’s right for someone like me to continue to get in the way of someone like Chronos.”
Grete and Heidemarie shared a look.
“Explain this to me, Sue,” Grete said.
“Well, it’s true, though there’s only circumstantial proof from the discussions between his party members and his own latent potential,” Heidemarie replied. “Wim defeated a boss on his own.”
“Like, metaphorically? It was as if he defeated it on his own?”
“Nope. Literally.”
“You can’t really mean that, right? That would be impossible! Sounds like the weird mumblings of some stalker to me.”
“I get your point, but I don’t really sound like that, right?”
“No, you don’t. But a boss? On his own?”
“Just believe me. It’s easier that way. There’s nothing you could possibly lose, and when people inevitably find out, your pub will be able to say it knew this whole time.”
“Well, as long as I only have to say I believe him.”
The two seemed to have come to an understanding and turned back to me.
“Speak up, cow. This idiot isn’t listening to me.”
“Right.” Grete didn’t seem all too enthusiastic, but began to speak nonetheless. “Wim, I don’t think you could defeat a boss alone using the extra strength people sometimes find in emergencies. I mean…I’ve lived in Filburn my whole life, and I’ve never heard of anyone else defeating a boss on their own before.”
“Um…”
“If this is true—I’m sorry, that sounded like I was doubting you—then you’ve already gotten the reward. If your party’s been recognized for defeating the boss, it means you recovered the limb you needed to prove that, right?”
“It really was a coincidence!” I protested. “Like…a string of miracles?”
“Miracles? What do you mean?”
“It’s hard to explain… Well, it’s a feature of my granting magic. For example, you’re not an abenteurer, Grete, and you’ve never trained for battle before. But if you got into ten thousand fights, you’d be able to win at least one of them, even if you were fighting someone crazy strong, right?”
“I don’t think you can write this all off as miracles and coincidences. I mean, it’s really strange how you’re not pointing out the obvious…”
“Um, Grete? You don’t have to believe me if you really can’t.”
“Huh?! That’s not what I meant!”
“That’s, um, not the only reason I was fired,” I said. “Chronos and I never really got along…heh heh! And that’s true for Nikola and Mehlis too. So…this was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. I’m pretty sure I would have earned praise in some other normal party for accomplishing this—even I think that—but I was kicked out because I already proved I was unworthy.”
I didn’t think Chronos and the others were right to react the way they had, but I carried a lot of blame in this as well. I didn’t try to reach out to them and build rapport, which was what led to our current relationship. Knowing that, I should have tried to weather it. I knew that sticking out would make them uncomfortable.
“So, in the end, I—”
“You’re all wrong about this!” Heidemarie cut me off and slammed her hands down on the table. “Bring me another beer, cow!”
“Sure… But will you be all right? You’re a lightweight, aren’t you?”
“Who cares?! Don’t you want your customer’s money?!”
“One beer coming right up!”
She gulped down her new mug. “Listen, Wim. I’ll tell you why they kicked you out, and exactly what’s warped about you! It’s your cognitive dissonance!”
Why was she suddenly dropping psychology terminology?
She cleared her throat, returning to her usual temperament. “When people have a hard time accepting their view of reality, they attach all sorts of reasons to it. You’ve heard the story of ‘The Fox and the Grapes,’ right? The fox can’t reach the grapes no matter how hard he tries to jump, so he decides they must be sour and disgusting to smooth over his own lack of abilities.”
“I’m not sure I remember that story.”
“Are you joking? And don’t interrupt me! Anyway, Chronos is doing what the fox did. You, who he always looked down on, accomplished something amazing he could never do on his own. To solve that contradiction, he decided you’re a useless piece of crap and drove you away. The other two—what were their names, Nik and Meme? Anyway, those two sluts thought the same way.”
That’s Nikola and Mehlis, Heidemarie. And did she just call them sluts? She always runs her mouth when she’s drunk, and she gets there pretty quickly. Well, I guess she was always calling Grete a “cow,” so maybe that was just her personality.
“Are you listening, Wim?”
“Yes, I’m listening.”
“Basically, what I’m saying is that it’s not Chronos and the others who suffer from cognitive dissonance, but you. You’ve got some false beliefs of your own, and you’re always saying things that are ridiculous. That’s your problem.”
Really? I’m the one with cognitive dissonance?
“The fact you defeated a boss on your own doesn’t mesh with your idea that you’re weak and worthless. So, you’re insisting it was a coincidence or some superhuman strength you found in the heat of the moment. And you putting Chronos on a pedestal only makes that worse.” She once again brought her mug to her lips and chugged down the rest of her drink. “If you ask me, it’s partly because you’re in a shitty environment. You need to take a good look at yourself, Wim.”
Huh. So that’s how it is.
I slumped my head, just enough that it was questionable whether I was nodding in agreement or not. As I did, Heidemarie suddenly stuck her hand in her bag and took out a square piece of paper. On it was Heidemarie’s name and the word “Nachtlibelle.”
Nachtlibelle, the best A-rank party in all of Filburn. Being a member was a mark of great status, and of course, that meant the bar to enter was high. Heidemarie had been scouted by them, and she had immediately established herself, raking in one win after another. She was currently a candidate to serve as one of their future leaders.
“Take it. It’s my business card and it’s special. Bring this to our party’s house tomorrow.”
“Huh? Does it do something?”
“Work with us for a bit, just to test out if you’re a good fit. I put a good word in for you.”
“You…can do that?”
“I’m the seventy-fourth elder and a candidate to be one of our next leaders. Of course I can!”
I was glad she trusted me enough to use her influence to get me in, but at the same time, I detested the vast difference between us. Her occupation was that of elder, capable of using the spells of all other classes—a privilege granted only to the chosen. Once again, I was forced to acknowledge that at our cores, we just weren’t the same.
I looked at her. She was the type of girl someone like me shouldn’t be able to casually talk to. She was just being kind because we were childhood friends from the same hometown.
“I bet I can guess what you’re thinking,” said Heidemarie, sounding exasperated as I stared at her business card. “I just put a word in for you, so if it doesn’t work out, just think of it as getting fired. Take us up on the offer.”
“But…”
“Just come! You’ve got a warped view of things. Take what others say of you at their word and realize that you’ve got countless possibilities and choices!”
Her words were kind, but I was still nervous. I just wasn’t confident and I couldn’t be. I had just been kicked to the curb. It was hard to just change my mindset.
“Listen, Wim.” Heidemarie grabbed me by the shoulders, forcing me to look her in the eyes and preventing me from escaping. “Live the life you want.”
***
I found myself on someone’s large back, rocking as we walked through town in the dead of night.
“Mm-hmm…”
“Y-you’re awake. Can you walk?”
“Don’t think so.”
It was Wim’s back. It had been a long time since he last carried me like this.
He continued down the street. Dang it, I was the one who was supposed to be cheering him up, but now he was taking care of me.
“You really are overprotective,” he said.
“Am I?” I asked.
“But thanks for coming to see me when I was down. I’m glad to have an old friend like you around.” He was staring into the distance as he spoke—not that I could see it, but I just knew.
I was glad to hear those words. “But you don’t have to be so kind to me. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“You’re bringing that up again?”
“I chose this path myself.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“It does.”
“I think you’re the only one who cares, Wim.”
“No. You do too.” There was something else Wim suffered cognitive dissonance about, but I could never bring it up myself.
“So don’t worry about me and live as you want, Heidemarie. Live a good life as an abenteurer and find someone nice once you retire.”
Wim had no idea how I felt. “You don’t understand a thing.”
“Huh? I think I do.”
No, he was the one who didn’t understand. He always interpreted my kindness as something I did out of guilt, which in turn made him feel the same. It was an endless cycle. A ridiculous one.
“No, you don’t. I’m the one who understands.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I mean…”
I know everything about you, Wim.
Chapter 3: Nachtlibelle
Chapter 3:
Nachtlibelle
THE FOLLOWING DAY, I STOOD BEFORE THE party’s house. Nachtlibelle was a large, A-rank abenteurer party with over a hundred members. Thirty percent of all boss monsters had been defeated by their hands.
This place was huge. It looked more like a mansion.
“Do you need something?”
A young man who I assumed to be a guard addressed me while I was looking around instead of knocking on their gate. I must have looked pretty fishy.
“Um… I do. A friend introduced me. Uh, here’s their business card.” As soon as I reached into my bag, the guard took up a fighting stance. I must have looked even shadier than I thought. I took a few steps back and flashed him a harmless smile. “Fweh heh heh.”
Crap!I was so nervous I ended up laughing. He’s just gonna think I’m even weirder!
“Oh, I’m not anyone suspicious! Um, uh… Here, look! Take this!” I hurriedly handed over the business card Heidemarie had given me.
The guard took it, giving me a suspicious glance. “Heidemarie has friends?”
That’s right. He didn’t ask whether I was a friend of Heidemarie’s, but if she had friends in the first place. In other words, she didn’t.
“Well, it does have the official seal of approval…” He seemed to be checking it against something.
“Heidemarie told me I’d be here on a test? Or something… Heh, heh! I don’t really know myself.”
Suddenly, the guard seemed to have an idea of what I was talking about. “Then you must be Wim Strauss.”
“Um… Yes, that’s me.”
Suddenly, he looked very apologetic. “I’m so sorry! I did hear about you! My deepest apologies. You came earlier than I was expecting and… I’m so sorry I was so rude! I’ll call Heidemarie over.”
“Welcome to Nachtlibelle, Wim.”
Heidemarie brought me into the foyer. It was lavish—the pinnacle of luxury. When I looked at the high ceiling, I saw a glistening chandelier. Beside me was an indoor fountain.
“But what was with you, Abel? I told you Wim would be coming.”
“I’m sorry. Um, perhaps this isn’t the best turn of phrase, but he didn’t look like the Wim. I really do apologize.”
“How could you mistake him?”
“Well, you told me he was a dashing, gallant man.”
“No, I didn’t! Wim, I promise I didn’t!”
The young man from earlier wasn’t a guard, but a man named Abel. So, Heidemarie did have friends she could banter with. Thank goodness.
“Hey, Heidemarie,” I whispered in her ear.
“Eek! Wh-what is it, Wim? You shocked me.”
“What did he mean by the Wim?”
“Oh. You’re famous, surprisingly.”
“Huh?”
The two led me to a large room. Based on the layout, it seemed akin to the table on the first floor of Drachenflügel’s party house—a meeting room of sorts. A group from Nachtlibelle was gathered inside and preparing for something. They seemed to be getting their gear in order…as if they were about to dive into the labyrinth.
Each member had an air about them. Just by looking at someone’s sword, it was obvious that it had been custom-made by some famous blacksmith. Similar equipment was piled together, giving off a relaxed, hard-to-describe air surrounding the band of seasoned fighters.
If Heidemarie wasn’t here, it would have been too much for me. I would have run.
One of these fighters stood out against the others. She was well-built, dressed in light silver armor that allowed for much mobility, with an unnaturally long, oddly shaped weapon at her hip. What caught my attention was her beautiful, long silver hair. It was so smooth it reflected light like a halo. She seemed almost…divine.
I immediately knew who she must be. She was famous, after all.
“Here he is, Camilla.”
“Ah, the famed support caster.”
She was the renowned “silver-haired” Camilla, the leader of Nachtlibelle and one of the strongest warriors in all of Filburn.
“So, you’re Wim. You’re smaller than I thought. No, my apologies.”
“Aha ha ha…”
She really was huge once she came close. In fact, she was probably the tallest in the whole party, even among the men. Her aura was incredibly imposing, but she was amazingly beautiful. It was as if she were a statue uncovered from ancient ruins. She had an artistry about her that went beyond sex appeal. I was in awe.
“Welcome to Nachtlibelle. I’m Camilla, its leader.”
“U-uh, it’s nice to meet you. I’m a member of Drachenflügel—ex-member, that is, since I was fired, but… My name’s Wim Strauss. It’s nice to make your acquaintance.”
She stuck out her hand and I took it into a handshake. Her grip clamped down my hand with astounding force.
“I’ve heard all about you from Heidemarie. We at Nachtlibelle welcome all talent. I hope you’ll take in our party and realize our worth.”
“Huh?”
“We likely do things differently from Drachenflügel, so you’ll just be our guest for today’s labyrinth dive. You’ll support us from the back. Though we may have you fight as well, I’m sure you will do fine.”
Huh?
“Hey, Heidemarie.”
“What?”
“What was she talking about?”
“Didn’t I say this would be a test? We’re heading into the labyrinth.”
“Huh?”
“Show her what you’ve got!”
I was essentially coerced into accompanying Nachtlibelle on a labyrinth dive. Not to mention that our destination was the ninety-seventh floor—one before the ninety-eighth floor, which was the new front line that Drachenflügel had just carved a path to.
Traveling between floors in the labyrinth was quite unique. There was no land joining them together, nor were there staircases. Instead, multiple teleportation circles existed on each level, and stepping on one would teleport you to a teleportation circle on another floor.
Each floor had a single boss monster, and once it was defeated, an additional set of teleportation circles would appear—one of which always led to a new floor. The tricky part was that the many teleportation circles could transport you across multiple floors. The only thing we knew for certain was that it was impossible to cross above the newest floor, and sometimes, one of the teleportation circles that appeared after defeating a boss would connect to a much lower floor.
In order to dive deeper into the labyrinth, you needed to know how these teleportation circles were connected, and using them effectively could greatly reduce the time needed to arrive at your destination.
“Sorry, Wim, but could you put this on for a bit?” Heidemarie suddenly said as we were traversing the well-known paths. “Nachtlibelle uses secret teleportation circles. You’re still an outsider, so sorry about this.”
“So, the rumors were true.”
I did as she told me and put on the blindfold. I had heard that larger parties operated with their own information networks—when they discovered teleportation circles, they would conceal them to give their own party an advantage. It was only a rumor, but it was apparently true.
Now that my vision was completely dark, I began to stumble. I really wanted something to help stabilize myself.
“Here, hold on,” said Heidemarie. I was in no position to be picky, so I reached around and felt my hand collide with hers.
“Wow. You’re bold to hold my hand in front of everyone like this.”
“I just couldn’t see…”
“It’s hard having to stoop down, right? Take my shoulder.”
“Got it.” I obeyed and placed my hand on her shoulder.
We arrived on the ninety-seventh floor. Now that the boss had been defeated, it was time to thoroughly investigate the places that had been impossible to search through before, which meant it was the start of a violent race between parties.
This was bad, no matter how I spun it. I was definitely going to hold them back!
“My job is enemy detection, but my equipment isn’t up to snuff… I’ll put out a circle that encompasses Camilla at the front and Heidemarie in the back, and I guess I should be on alert for traps that’ll cause cave-ins or create holes in the ground. No, maybe it’s best to assume things haven’t changed in here… No, I can’t do that. This is my first time entering the labyrinth with around fifty people, so maybe I should leave everything I can to them and stop thinking so hard. No, if I’m going to weigh them down, I at least need to pull my weight.”
“What’s he mumbling about, Heidemarie?”
“This dive has a lot of firsts for him. He’s just nervous. He’s the cautious type.”
“I’m sure being cautious is a good thing,” said Camilla, looking straight at me. I was scared she was going to see through me. “But I can’t call getting cold feet safe, boy!”
She then slapped me on the back.
“Hwah?!”
“You’ve dived on this floor with the B-rank party Drachenflügel, right? You defeated the boss before we could. Keep your chin up.”
“Right…”
“Our main goal today is to work on our map. We’re just going in and coming right back to the surface. Just do what you can.”
Camilla was so nice that I felt tears forming in my eyes. “I’ll do everything I can.”
“All right! Show us what you’ve got, boy!”
She had the reassuring composure of a veteran. If a woman like her told you to remain calm, you would be naturally inspired.
I wasn’t too enthusiastic about being called “boy,” however. I had long passed that age, or so I thought. I was short, though, and well aware I lacked the valor of a grown man. However, a woman like Camilla must have already accounted for such mistakes. Having fought for so long on the front lines, she must be able to see the bigger picture that I couldn’t.
For a moment, I grew curious about her age, but I put that thought aside. I could rest assured knowing that I was in good hands.
I drew in a breath, forced my shoulders to relax, and looked upwards slightly. It was as if my sight became clearer. I had done a dive on this floor before, and it was composed of what made up the rest of the labyrinth. The air was thick with lifeforce, tinting our surroundings blue. The walls were glowing. Some were completely flat, and others were bumpy like the walls of caves. Others had plants on them or animals scurrying about.
All in all, this floor resembled a cavern.
‹તમેવારંવારઆવોછો.›
“Huh?!” I heard something, a whisper in my ears.
“What’s wrong, Wim?”
“Was I just hearing things?”
Was that some monster’s cry? No, I wasn’t sensing any nearby enemies, and nobody else seemed to have heard anything. It didn’t seem like an arrow had passed by my ear, either.
“Isn’t it a precursor to some trap? You should report it.”
“It didn’t feel like that. Maybe I was hearing things. No…”
It was impossible to predict what might happen in the labyrinth. If auditory hallucinations could be an omen, it was best to proceed with caution. I decided to expand the range of my monster tracking.
***
As the leader of Nachtlibelle, keeping track of my personnel was part of the job. There were constant, endless disputes between parties, and plenty of necessary negotiations. Whether you would turn out to be friends or foes, the first thing you needed was intel.
Filburn was the center of these disputes, and the support caster Wim Strauss of Drachenflügel had already grown quite famous. The party had climbed its way to B-rank in just a few years with only four members, the first—and probably last—in all of history. Now that they had defeated a boss, their names were known to all, and many were interested in seeing their skills.
Considering that there had been an inner dispute that led to one of their members being fired right after they accomplished the great honor of defeating a boss, they had become the center of much gossip. The man in question also just happened to be a friend of Heidemarie’s, one of our candidates to serve in our next generation of top brass. It had been an odd stroke of luck.
I was shocked. I had heard about him from Heidemarie, but Wim Strauss was even more useful than I thought he would be.
First, his surveillance skills were incredibly polished. While his range didn’t match Nachtlibelle’s head enemy tracker, he could cast his web both on the ground and in the air, filling a gap in our skills.
‹Um, do you have a moment, Camilla?›
Someone had sent me a personal message using transmission magic.
‹What is it, Wim?›
‹We haven’t quite come up on it yet, but there may be a falling trap up on our left about forty-five paces ahead. It’s just a possibility, but given the position of the phantom dog Simon picked up on, I think that the odds are high.›
‹You’re certain?›
‹Yes. Almost.›
His keen eyes and intellect were particularly worthy of note. He must have been at the forefront of multiple fields of labyrinth research. I had never even heard of anyone predicting the positions of traps before, but he was sniffing them out with shocking accuracy.
‹If I happen to be wrong, I’ll be slowing down the whole team.›
‹At times like this, you can send your transmissions to everybody. You’ve already diverted us from five similar traps. You’re so accurate, it’s scary. Being wrong once would probably help put them at ease.›
‹I see. I’m sorry about that.›
His only flaw was that he lacked initiative. No, maybe that was just his nature. He kept failing to assert himself to a shocking degree. He observed his surroundings almost too prudently, filling in any gaps in our defenses and supplementing what we lacked to minimize risk. In most cases, he was so precise it was astonishing.
Not to mention, he understood and memorized Nachtlibelle’s manual—which we had written over long years of experience—after reading it just once. He even seemed impressed with it, though fully grasping its contents should have required experience in the commander’s seat. Just what role had he served in Drachenflügel?
‹There’s likely a falling trap forty-three paces up on our left. It should weigh almost three hundred and fifty pounds. It’s pillar-shaped, and I believe Abel should be able to defend against it with his shield.›
‹This is Abel. Copy that. I’ll take care of it.›
That trap turned out to really exist, and his continuous accomplishments further backed my appraisal. He was deeply knowledgeable about the labyrinth and had skills far exceeding his age. I could catch glimpses of how he focused on safety. He carefully picked out what information to share—he most certainly gathered information several times, carefully mulled it over, and then made his own conjectures. There was something about his demeanor that seemed suspicious, but that was maybe just because he was always paying too much attention to his surroundings.
What would happen if we snag him for our party? He did have some fame, but people looked at him more out of curiosity than because of his skills. Had Heidemarie not introduced him, I wouldn’t have allowed him to accompany us or consider him to potentially join our ranks.
Joining Nachtlibelle was supposed to be tough, yet I had already begun to calculate how we could best put him to use.
‹Camilla? Um, it’s Wim.›
‹What is it?›
‹I’m sorry that I keep contacting you so much.›
‹Don’t sweat it. Did you find something?›
‹The humidity here is rising, and we haven’t seen any low-flying bugs for a while.›
‹And what does that mean?›
‹Right… I think we’ve entered the territory of a larger monster, likely a slow-footed reptile like a zaratan. This one should be C-class, typically requiring a party of twenty men. It’s probably hostile, but we should be able to avoid it by taking a detour. Oh, and by likely, I mean quite likely. Around a 90 percent chance.›
‹Roger. Send a transmission to the whole team. And whenever you discover something of that high a possibility, you don’t need to check with me first. Go ahead and alert the whole crew.›
‹Right.›
‹Decisions will be made by our leaders and—›
An idea suddenly occurred to me. According to the rumors—particularly, those spread by Heidemarie—Wim could use high-level granting magic. In fact, his main role was that of a support caster.
This all deserved special mention. Support casters were known to be particularly tricky to actually utilize. The fact that they cast buffs to raise innate abilities, strengthen offensive magic, and aid in healing made them sound quite appealing, but doing all that was harder than it sounded. Sloppy buffs would mess with your senses.
For example, let’s take a buff that raises your strength. It would be nice having muscles that worked better than usual, but that didn’t necessarily improve your capabilities in battle. In most cases, you would have a hard time reigning in that strength, and your body wouldn’t move the way you wanted it to. Reconciling that difference in perception and reality required training. Even if you managed all that, it didn’t necessarily mean you performed better than when you didn’t have any buffs cast on you at all.
It was a similar case with buffs that affected magic. While it could increase your innate magic and strengthen the Great Five Elements, a mage would lose the ability to control that magic if it exceeded what they could handle. While the power of their spells would increase, you could hardly consider the buffs useful if it meant they couldn’t land a shot.
In other words, granting magic was particularly difficult to master, and even if someone did become an expert enough to put it to use, their buffs had little effect. Nachtlibelle had employed a support caster in the past, but they had barely managed to pull their weight, even if they had high proficiency with granting magic and a wide range of knowledge. I was curious to see Wim’s skills, considering he had chosen the occupation of support caster himself.
‹Wim.›
‹What is it?›
‹I did say you were just our guest, but could I ask a favor? You can leave the enemy detection to Simon. I want you to move toward the front.›
‹Sure, but, um…›
‹I want you to aid us in combat.›
***
This was my first time accompanying another party in a labyrinth dive, and I was painfully aware of how unworthy I was. Nachtlibelle operated with perfection. They were organized, effective, and always alert. Their transmission was advanced enough to let everyone communicate at once. Every move they made was described clearly in their manual, and every single one of them knew every single page and made proper use of it. It even covered what to do in a variety of unusual circumstances.
With Drachenflügel, all I did was research, pretend I knew what I was talking about, and perform what I had read in battles. Nobody was interested in battle strategy, so thinking about it had been left entirely up to me.
I couldn’t help but think that doing all of that was just a big nuisance. I knew next to nothing about battle strategy. How could I force that knowledge on others? And now that I had seen for myself how smoothly Nachtlibelle operated, I found myself pondering over how those strategies only started to mean something once they had been formed, practiced, and performed with everyone on the same page over years of experience.
Just as those thoughts crossed my mind, I got a personal transmission from Camilla.
‹I want you to aid us in combat.›
So, I really was a nuisance on the back lines. I was just trying to fill in the hole my presence had caused, but I guess I had only done the opposite. Damn it.
I needed to make my way to the front of this perfectly operating team, so I hastily walked through the troops and stood next to Camilla.
“There you are, boy.”
“Yup. Here I am.”
Camilla kept walking. Tanks stood on either side of us, blocking our blinds spots and lighting the path ahead.
“You were right. Simon picked up on a C-grade zaratan. Avoiding it is unnecessary, so we’ll be engaging in combat.”
“Right.”
“Though really, our rear unit will just be attacking it from afar. We’ll be expending nothing but magic.”
“Then…what am I supposed to do?”
“My apologies for stepping out of line here, but could you show me one of your buffs? You’ll likely have an easier time casting on someone you’re more familiar with, so Heidemarie should be the perfect person to aid you.”
It made sense. This was a good chance to test out a suspicious new support caster.
“Understood. I’ll, um, do my best.”
Camilla grinned at me and nodded.
“Heh heh! I haven’t seen you for a while!” Heidemarie seemed awfully happy to see me. The rest of Nachtlibelle were standing a bit away from us and staring. “You can’t refuse a request from our leader, after all! Take a good look at the amazing magic of the amazing elder and captain of our rear unit! I’ve grown a lot since you last saw me in action, Wim!”
“I can’t wait. So, uh… What are we doing?”
“I’ll cast [Eisspeer]. The real magic happens once I launch it at the monster, so I’ll form it myself. Work with me once I’m ready to fire. I haven’t messed with that part of the incantation.”
I could see the imposing, giant figure of the zaratan far off in the distance. Sharp crystals jutted out of the large shell on its back.
“Wim, Heidemarie! We’re still quite far away! Is this close enough for you two?!” Camilla’s voice came from somewhere behind us. She sounded a bit worried.
She was right. We really were quite a distance from the zaratan. Normal magic would have weakened drastically in the time it took to hit the monster, and most attacks would be pointless.
However, approaching any further might provoke the beast, raising its defenses. From a tactical standpoint, it was better to hit it with a surprise attack from back here while its guard was down.
“We’re fine. I think it should work.”
Heidemarie’s magic would easily reach.
“What was that, boy?!”
Apparently, I was too quiet. “U-um…”
“He said it’s fine!” Heidemarie shouted, offering me a helping hand.
“All right, then! Good luck!”
Bombarded with feelings of inadequacy, I shared a glance with Heidemarie before we returned our gazes to the zaratan.
I took a deep breath. This was nostalgic. It brought me back to the old days when we would dive into the labyrinth together.
“All righty!” Heidemarie took out her collapsible staff and held it in front of her. I wasn’t quite sure about the engineering behind it, but it clanged as it stretched out to stand even taller than she was. It was large enough to be used as a battle staff.
I hadn’t seen it in a long while; it seemed like she had done some more work on it. The entire staff was etched with ancient runes and symbols that must be enchantments. The magic stone that served as its core glowed, revealing runes flicking in and out of existence.
“Huh? Did the magic stone get smaller?”
“You’re sharp. I didn’t just make it smaller! I increased the enchantment density by 300 percent! You better be ready for it!” She grinned at me, seemingly unable to contain her joy. It cheered me up too, but I needed to focus.
“[Generieren.]”
As soon as the spell left her lips, a crystal of ice appeared above her head with a pop. Vapor flooded towards the crystal, gathering condensation as I felt the air around me grow drier and warmer.
The crystal grew in a flash, though it sometimes shrank with a loud rumble. It gradually took shape until I eventually saw a spear ready to be launched.
A newbie mage would have been flabbergasted at the sight, as this spell operated on principles far removed from those of the present day. Ice magic typically fell into the category of heat magic and was an attack that focused cold in a single spot. In other words, the highest form of ice magic were frozen attacks that resembled blizzards, not huge, physical masses like what Heidemarie had conjured.
This was what made her class of elder so special. Magic was divided into two categories: Foundational Magic and Practical Magic. Foundational Magic could be considered inorganic, as it didn’t change the nature of Magical Power or MP. Examples included transmission magic and enemy detection.
Practical Magic were the spells related to certain occupations and largely divided into the four categories of warrior, mage, priest/priestess, and granting magic. They had a much larger variety of spells than that of Foundational Magic, and were much more powerful too. This type was also commonly known as Occupational Magic.
The occupation of elder was not only incredibly rare but also considered to be the strongest. What made them so scary was the fact they could use every type of Occupational Magic.
I mean, they were obviously powerful. Even children who had the makings of becoming an elder someday would become pawns in power struggles. So, elders developed an Elder Association to protect themselves.
However, all of that was just the side-effects of being an elder, not their real job. What made elders so special was their ability to lay the foundations needed to create new magic. While those who developed spells struggled and toiled to combine elements together to create something new, elders could create what their spells were missing from scratch.
They were all-powerful, perfect beings that were in harmony with the highest levels of intellect and strength.
“Okay, Wim! Say the incantation! I, Heidemarie, approve you, Wim Strauss, to cast your granting magic on me!”
“Got it!” I observed the ice spear she had created. “[Harden], [quake]…”
I gave my orders to the spear via Heidemarie’s consciousness, minimized the air resistance, and cast a spell that would drastically raise the rigidity of the spearhead right before it landed.
“You’re enchanted!”
The buff was complete.
I made it a rule not to interfere with a mage’s output and instead only cast my buffs on the things they created. I made fires spread their flames faster, and wind reign in its full force until it reached its target. By understanding physical phenomena and breaking them down, a support caster could see the most effective way to use his spells.
“Here I go!” shouted Heidemarie, taking the lead. We glanced at each other and shouted in unison. “[Eisspeer!]”
It lasted less than a second. It didn’t even make a noise. The vacuum the ice spear left in its wake sucked up the surrounding air, creating a raging wind. It slammed right into the zaratan, managing to pierce through its shell.
It was now completely frozen. There was no way it would have survived.
The wind died down, giving way to silence. The members of Nachtlibelle, me, and even Heidemarie, the woman who had cast that spell, were flabbergasted.
Camilla had been the first to clap. Others followed her, mixing in cheers.
“That was excellent!” she exclaimed. “That obviously goes for you too, Heidemarie, but I was amazed by your ideas and refinement, boy!”
“Oh, um…” I had a hard time coming up with words after hearing such honest praise.
“Since your buffs surpassed what the caster could handle, you made up for that shortcoming yourself and only cast your spell once Heidemarie had already finished exerting herself. And all the while keeping an eye on how the force of the spell would later be dampened. Could you actually put that theory to use? No, I suppose you just proved you could. That must explain why your buffs were so effective. Considering you were able to vastly extend the range of her attack, there’s no better word to describe you than useful!”
Camilla saw right through me. I might have expected this from someone who knew me as well as Heidemarie, but she had been able to discern all that at a glance. She really was one of the strongest warriors in all of Filburn.
But…really, I was happy. She must have just been trying to be polite, but she understood me. Her praise was focused on the concrete details. Of course I was happy.
“Um…” I couldn’t get my words straight. I didn’t know what I wanted to say.
“What is it?”
“It’s just… Thank you for the kind words.”
Camilla’s expression grew blank. “Aha ha ha! Hold your chin up, boy!” she said with a laugh, slapping me on the back.
A shiver ran through my slouched back, and I purposefully relaxed my shoulders. It was only then that I realized how nervous I was. I began to focus more on my surroundings and realized that everyone was staring at me.
They were smiling, as if applauding me with grins on their faces.
“How’s your MP? If possible—and you’re free to refuse if you’re not up for it—I’d like to see as much of your buffs as I can.”
For some reason, I started to feel like my skin was crawling. I nodded with zero hesitations.
‹This is Simon. I’ve directly detected a wyvern thirty paces ahead. It’s noticed us as well, and it seems to be hostile. It’s only threatening us for now, but in another twenty—no, twenty-two paces—it will attack.›
‹This is Camilla. Roger that. Let’s set formation in another three paces, just as we planned.› Camilla’s voice was transmitted to everyone.
I was asked to meet with the shield unit so Nachtlibelle could test out my buffs. The squad consisted entirely of tanks, a subdivision of the warrior class. Camilla had likely put me here to keep me safe. Even if my buffs failed, these tanks were strong enough to take on the wyvern themselves if it came down to it. Considering us support casters had terribly weak stats, it allowed them to protect me from any stray attacks as well.
I can relax. These guys are from Nachtlibelle. I just need to do my best.
“I-I look forward to working with you all.”
“I as well. I introduced myself before, but the name’s Abel!”
Mr. Abel—or really, just Abel—was a virile young man roughly my age. He had the air of a ruffian, but his speech was polite and sophisticated. He didn’t seem critical or cold. In fact, I thought he seemed like a good guy.
“Um…”
Yup…
I couldn’t handle this. I just couldn’t start a conversation with someone I had just met.
“Um… Well, uh…”
“Are you all right? Why don’t you try taking some deep breaths?”
“No! I-I’m fine!”
He seemed completely serious. This sucks. I just want to die.
“There’s no need to be so nervous,” said Abel with a reassuring grin.
Ugh, he’s so kind. I was glad to have him around.
“We’ll be fighting a wyvern, so the key to this battle lies in our shield unit being capable of defending against its breath. Would you cast your buffs on us?”
“Yes, of course.” I definitely had an easier time when someone else started the conversation. He really made for a good division captain. “But what sort of buffs should I cast? You see, um… Drachenflügel was a smaller party, so I’ve never had to consider what buffs would be best to cast on a shield unit before.”
“The commander said she wanted to see some defensive buffs. Our main priority is defending against its breath, so I would assume spells that increase heat resistance or something that spread out that heat would be best. But my apologies, I’m not so familiar with granting magic, so I’ll have to leave the decisions up to you.”
I was expecting as much. Abenteurers chose their occupations once they had awakened to magic, but once you made your decision, you couldn’t go back. Considering you had to live your entire life with the constitution your occupation gave you, there really wasn’t any merit in choosing to be a support caster, the class that focused on strengthening your comrades. This meant there were few support casters, and it was rare to find anyone familiar with granting magic at all.
“Then, um…” I took a good look at the shield unit. There were five of them, all with similar builds. It’d be easy to calculate them all together. “I’ll be granting some defensive buffs. Could I have your permission?”
Casting granting magic required consent. Different people defined granting magic differently, but in general, its function was to transform or accentuate matter. In that sense, it really was all-powerful. However, consciousness and awareness were the keys to casting this type of magic—only through that could you see the big picture.
Granting magic could probably be most easily explained as magic that transforms via consciousness. In other words, you could strengthen the inherent abilities of others, but you couldn’t cast buffs on inanimate objects. If there was a boulder blocking your path, softening it so you could break it would be a tall order.
If we refined this principle, you could cast buffs on tools someone was very familiar with—for example, a swordsman’s trusty blade—because those transformations took place via consciousness. Just as you could feel the ground below your feet, items that could be considered an extension of your own senses could be considered part of the human body.
It may sound like a matter of perspective, but surprisingly, that’s what defined plenty of magic.
However, this also meant that support casters were at the mercy of those who would receive their buffs. Unless someone was fully intent on receiving a buff, it was hard to cast one on them. Thus, verbally giving approval was necessary. The actual dialogue didn’t matter much, but people believed that the receiver of a buff giving their consent would increase the buff’s effectivity.
“Wait a moment, Wim.”
A middle-aged man cut me off. If I remembered correctly, his name was Mark. “Could ya explain things again? I’ve labyrinth-dived with a granting caster before, but I’m no fan of buffs. Not that I don’t trust your skills, but buffs change how it all feels. Ya gotta at least tell us what you’re strengthening, since you support casters love randomly and recklessly putting elemental effects on us.”
“Huh?”
Mark was right. The biggest reason people tended to hold disdain for support casters was because buffs messed with their senses. That was probably the biggest worry of anyone who would be granting their permission to receive them.
But given my time in Drachenflügel, another thought occurred to me.
He’s actually interested to know more?
“Um, I can only use basic granting magic, so rather than elemental effects, I cast multiple, rather intwined and complicated buffs instead. I’m quite particular about adjusting my spells to make sure I don’t mess with anyone’s senses, so I should be able to adapt accordingly if you tell me what you’re worried about.”
“Ya think I’m some newbie, huh? I know my stuff. Could you give us some more details?”
“Y-you want more details? I don’t think you need to worry about your senses. They’ll remain as they are now—you’ll just have better reaction time and be able to do a little more than you usually could.”
“Huh? Whaddya mean, my senses will stay the same? I’ve never heard of any buffs like that.”
“I guess that’s for my skills as a support caster to prove. You really don’t mind hearing how it works?”
“N-no?”
No one had ever demanded I explain this to them before. Instead, I had only been told to shut up and keep the details to myself. I was glad to be given this chance.
“First, the well-known uncomfortable shift in senses caused by buffs is due to the templates mainly used when casting Occupational Magic. ‘Templates’ are the magical formula of well-established chants. While I don’t know much about other occupations, us support casters tend to not get good results when we utilize them. If you consider the structure and think through it incrementally, this should be obvious, and—”
“Well, yeah. We all got different builds and strengths, even in groups you can usually lump together.”
“Exactly! One wrong move and you could break someone’s bones!”
I couldn’t believe it—Mark understood what I was saying! I guess the abenteurers of Nachtlibelle would naturally consider these things.
“What support casters need the most is the flexibility to respond aptly to their current situation. Um, this is just something I’ve thought up myself, but I combine the roughly six hundred muscles and one hundred and thirty pairs of bones in the body or connect each nerve in the body to a weapon. I then arrange movements that increase or decrease things—like elasticity, hardness, friction—into their smallest units.
“I call these combinations of small units ‘codes’, and I consider the basic goal of my granting magic to combine the most suitable codes to minimize and optimize the buffs I cast. Sorry, I know I’m talking a lot. But anyway, the buffs I’m casting on you are a combination of seven types of defensive buff code clusters and twenty-five types of sensory buff code clusters.
“All of your builds are similar enough to be grouped together, so I should be able to use the basic codes. The defensive buffs can further be divided into twenty categories, including those that increase toughness and minimize friction. Friction increases will be kept in check with stand-alone codes acting on each of your limbs. Adjusting heat-resistance, quake-resistance, hardness, and dispersion depends on the situation. While you five are in battle, I’ll be controlling these using the paths that connect us together. I’ll run out of MP if all these codes are continuously overlapped, so that’s a last-ditch measure I came up with. Aha ha ha!
“I realized there’s actually a lot of merit to doing it this way. Basically, I won’t be casting anything unnecessary, so you’ll be able to retain a lot of your usual senses without me giving additional sensory buffs. Though obviously, that doesn’t cover it all, so those twenty-five sensory buffs are important too. Oh, and I’ve only been using the word ‘buff’ because it’s convenient, but this applies to debuffs as well! For instance, you can divide the sense of touch between touch via the skin and the physical sense felt in the organs, and—”
“Enough! I get it.” Mark was suddenly begging me to stop.
I returned to my senses. Damn it. I really messed up. My mouth just started running and I ended up babbling to no end.
“I can’t believe it. That means ya can use tens of buffs at once, right?” His expression was one of half-amazement. Clearly, he had been listening. I felt sorry for him.
“Sorry, um, yes—I mean, no. It’s not the type of simultaneous casting you think it is.” As I spoke, I shoved down the feelings of guilt and regret welling up in me. I must have gotten carried away after hearing that praise from Camilla. “I’m just being a bit clever by breaking them into smaller parts. Unfortunately, my magic isn’t very strong, so this is how I make up for it. I’m really sorry for talking so much.”
It was then I realized the entire shield unit had fallen silent. Yup, I had definitely screwed up. There was no doubt about it.
“Just to double-check, ya mean our senses will stay as they usually are?” He must have purposefully been trying to stay calm, as his tone didn’t sound any different.
“Um, yes. It should actually feel really good.”
Mark brought a hand to his beard, seeming to ponder on this for a moment. “Got it. Cast those buffs. I, Mark, approve you, Wim, to cast your granting magic on me.”
“Huh?” I was sure he was going to refuse.
“I could tell you’re really thinking about us,” he said cheerfully. “So why not try it out, huh?”
“Similarly, I, Abel, grant my permission.” Abel and the other three followed suit. The five seemed to be smiling. I couldn’t tell if those expressions were out of defeat or exasperation, but it still felt good to see.
I cast my buffs. “You are now enchanted.”
Mark and Abel shared a glance. “All right, Abel! Show me what you’ve got!”
“Right! I’ll give it my all!”
“This is the kinda time you don’t give it your all, dumbass.”
“Hah!”
“Ya really are stupid! Hold back, ya—”
Abel had already stepped forward, meaning it was already too late to stop him. He flung a fist at Mark, who managed to easily block the attack.
“What the hell…” He glanced at me. “This is amazing. I’m not the one in control, but it feels like I made the move myself. I might even forget I’ve got buffs cast on me!”
All right! He could even forget about the buffs. To me, that was the ultimate praise. That was exactly the point of the sensory buffs. They adjusted one’s perception to match what was cast on them, very much like an optical illusion.
“All right, Abel! This time’s for real!”
“Roger, that!”
The two spent some time throwing punches at each other. So far, everything looked good. Sometimes, they would send me approving glances as well. As time passed, I could feel the corners of my lips beginning to turn upwards.
We set up camp in a wide area with a narrow entrance. If we could lure the wyvern into that bottleneck, we would be able to attack first while fully prepared.
My legs began to wobble. It happened whenever I was near a large monster. I wasn’t getting cold feet—well, in a way, I guess I was. However, it was actually convenient because it could serve as a method of enemy detection. The more I trembled, the closer the enemy.
As it so happens, our trap had worked.
‹All hands, prepare for battle!›
Camilla sent a transmission to the whole team. For a moment, all was silent. Then came the sound of beating wings cutting through the air, and finally, the wyvern emerged from the depths of the labyrinth.
It had the grotesque features usually associated with black monsters. It lacked arms, and instead only had back legs and wings. At first glance, its eyes seemed to number in the hundreds, but upon closer inspection, they were divided into two groups of compound eyes.
Quite honestly, it was disgusting. If I was trying to be cool, I would probably say it was a perfect embodiment of the labyrinth. Its wings were asymmetric, so it wobbled in the air, sometimes having to kick the walls to steady itself. Despite that, it was approaching at breakneck speed.
We were immediately met with a purple breath attack. The five stood before me and formed a line with their shields.
‹This is the shield unit! We’ve confirmed its breath! We’ll now engage!›
The breath struck the shields, knocking them backwards, their feet sliding across the ground. However, we were fine. The wyvern’s breath had been adequately dispersed. Not only that, it seemed like they used that scattered attack to further defend themselves, reflecting part of it back at the wyvern. This was even better than we were hoping. The tanks of Nachtlibelle really were something.
The wyvern came into full view after it had breathed on us. It bore the brunt of the tanks’ reflection, knocking it off balance.
‹Rear unit! Fire!› Camilla barked.
‹Roger that! [Eisspeer!]›
From behind us, the squad led by Heidemarie began to launch ranged attacks, combining ice and lightning magic. A giant spear of ice was charged with electricity and flew through the air with a roar. The wyvern had fallen victim to gravity for a mere moment, but that had deprived it of its chance to dodge. The spear rammed into it head-on.
***
I couldn’t believe what I had just witnessed. Tanks had a secret ability—by dispersing a ranged attack and carefully controlling the direction of scattering, they could use that attack as a shield. Its common name was Reflection, and it was a defensive miracle that seasoned tanks who put in unrelenting effort only rarely pulled off.
Yet, the five before me had just managed it. I was almost entranced, but I managed to keep myself together. I sent a transmission to the rear unit. The [Eisspeer] had hit straight into their target.
‹Rear unit, prepare for a second attack! Begin the enchantment!›
I adjusted our formation and had them move into a second attack. The dust cleared, revealing the wyvern.
It had collapsed, but was desperately attempting to get back to its feet. Its countless eyes darted around the room in a panic, though it had maintained enough composure to gather information.
This was bad. It was practically uninjured. Maybe the attack had only done damage to its insides; it likely had some sort of anti-magic something on its skin. Pushing through was an option, but one that would come with pointless risk.
‹Rear unit, stop your chants! The wyvern is an unusual type! Prepare to retreat! I’ll step in myself.›
I unsheathed my sword. Times like this called for the type of warriors who had been granted unnecessary nicknames. My strength suited the vanguard, though the others always got mad at me for using it.
While the others retreated and took up a new formation, I rushed toward the wyvern. I couldn’t defeat it alone, but I could safely buy us some time.
Just as that thought occurred to me, I remembered the Reflection skill I had just witnessed. Those in Nachtlibelle were the cream of the crop, but could all five of them simultaneously pull off such a miracle? Could a feat that exceeded their usual capacities have occurred today out of pure coincidence?
I didn’t think so. A miracle was a miracle, but multiple ones only happened when it was inevitable. There must have been a reason for it, but what?
That was obvious—it was Wim. I was listening in on the discussions between the shield unit, and his granting magic was unique in more ways than how he just bestowed magical buffs.
I sent a transmission to Wim. ‹Boy! Could you cast a buff on me?›
‹Camilla?! I-is this a personal transmission?! O-oh, right! But um, what?›
‹Strengthen my attacks. You’re familiar with my sword, yes?›
‹I am! But…›
‹I’ll adjust most of my senses myself.›
***
Just as I was marveling at how Camilla had immediately realized there was something special about this wyvern and ordered her party to retreat, I was shocked by the news that Camilla would be heading into the vanguard herself—and she had asked me to cast some buffs on her.
She sure was a fiend for battle. I guess that’s what made her the leader of Nachtlibelle, this “silver-haired” Camilla.
‹Wim. How much can you raise my abilities using your strongest buffs?›
‹Um, it’s hard to say for sure, but if we’re considering impulse, I should be able to raise it to about three times your normal capabilities, considering everything.›
‹That much? No, I’m sure you could manage even more.›
‹What was that?›
‹You have a habit of emphasizing safety more than is necessary. If you raised the risk, you’d be able to strengthen me even further, right?›
‹No! No, no, no, no, no!›
What the hell was she thinking? How could I cast a buff that could fail on the party leader? I couldn’t take on that responsibility!
‹Don’t be so negative. No, I guess that’s just how you are. Then what about 5 percent?›
‹Five percent?›
‹A 5 percent risk. If I allowed a 5 percent risk of failure, how much stronger could you make me?›
‹Probably…around ten times, I guess. No, but I can’t cast a buff like that!›
A success rate of 95 percent was way too low! I couldn’t allow that!
‹Show me that you can take that risk! And don’t worry! Those of us in Nachtlibelle won’t blame you for something so minor!›
“No! I can’t take on that responsibility!” I shouted, cutting off the transmission.
‹Did you say something?›
‹N-no…›
‹Aha ha! I, Camilla, grant the support caster, Wim, to use his buffs on me!›
This woman was crazy.
‹This isn’t my fault!›
“[Analyze,]” I said, beginning my symbolic chant as if I had accepted that this would be my fault.
Chants were how magic was cast, and symbolic chants were just one type. The more advanced a spell was, the longer and more complicated the chant. You could, however, use magic that quickened those chants and make a long chant shorter. These shortening spells came in a variety of types, each one complicated in its own right.
Symbolic chants involved cutting a long chant into individual lines and assigning a tag to them. A written record of those tags could then be read aloud, and would serve in place of a longer chant. This was what defined the symbolic chants.
I analyzed Camilla’s body. Her physique was crazy. It went beyond having just the anatomy of a man or a woman—her build was beyond human. I pinpointed her joints, using their minor displacement to determine her center of gravity, calculate fulcrums, stress points, and points of action.
“[Bauen!]”
I created buff codes to cast on each of her muscles. Obviously, I needed to adjust them as time went on, so I established a path between us as well.
This was what set my granting magic apart from others. Usually, support casters granted buffs with a time limit and left them alone after that. I could use similar magic to some extent, but given my low MP, I would reach my limit after granting just a few buffs. If I tried to add an elemental attribute, I would run out after one spell.
So, I needed to develop new buffs that maximized their effectiveness. I divided them into further categories, casting the most apt one on as few places as needed for as short a time as possible.
I finished my preparations, the path connected.
‹Camilla! You’re enchanted now.›
‹I can tell!›
Camilla was engulfed in a pale light. The buff had been cast.
She unsheathed her sword and held out her right hand, grasping the sword’s unnaturally long hilt with both hands. It was a magic sword, and she had been chosen by it. The blade reacted to her unique magic to grow in size. Its name was “Decapitator.”
She targeted the collapsed wyvern, sprinting to pick up some momentum, and lifted her sword high to the sky as she leaped into the air. Jumping caused her entire body to flex, but her next movements would pull her agonist and auxiliary muscles in opposite directions. So, I reversed some of the codes and slightly adjusted the rest, giving these orders via the path between us.
The codes were established. Now, I just needed to stay focused until she was done, to avoid being a nuisance. The rest was up to her.
“[Multiply.]”
At her command, the Decapitator’s blade began to grow. Based on what I could see, it seemed to expand to about twice its size. Once her blade reached its zenith, she flung it downwards. It grew to four times its size, then eight, then sixteen. It was enough to warp one’s sense of perspective, but she made her attack look effortless.
These were the depths her blade magic had, an anomaly that kept her velocity stable, while only increasing its mass.
“[Giant Hunter!]”
Her ginormous blade cut into the wyvern as if its skin didn’t protect at all. She gracefully landed on the ground, and Decapitator returned to its usual size, the extra mass disappearing into thin air. Her steps echoed through the walls as she cautiously examined the wyvern’s corpse.
‹Boy.›
‹That was magnificent, Camilla!›
‹Thanks. Your buffs were excellent.›
‹Th-thank you.›
Camilla looked through the monster’s corpse thoroughly before finally turning back to us.
‹By the way, Wim. I didn’t bother to ask, but what would have happened should your buffs have failed? What side effects could I expect?›
‹Oh, um… Well, if we’re talking about the risk that entailed, your brain and body could have fallen out of sync if my buffs were off. It’d be uncomfortable, and if I messed up even more, then, um…your muscles could have snapped.›
‹Sounds painful. But how painful? Like tearing a muscle?›
‹It would be as painful, yes.›
‹Really painful? You wouldn’t actually be injured?›
‹No, but it would hurt. It’d give your opponent a chance to attack.›
Camilla suddenly burst out laughing. ‹Aha! Aha ha ha!›
Somehow, we escaped the labyrinth unscathed, and the whole of Nachtlibelle threw a party in the main hall of their house.
Strangely enough, someone must have prepared the food when we weren’t looking. As soon as we put away our weapons and armor, a lavish meal had appeared in the grand hall, a space large enough to hold a whole army.
Nachtlibelle apparently had an extensive junior brigade. Those who had failed to join would take care of the manor with the small hope that it could one day be their turn to enter the limelight.
Even though Nachtlibelle had so many members, seats were somewhat assigned. I was currently sitting in the guest seat they led me to.
Hans, Nachtlibelle’s vice-commander, suddenly stood up and called a toast. “Cheers!”
Everyone raised their mugs into the air and gulped down their liquor.
Our labyrinth dive had been a huge success. Even a stranger would have been able to tell as much given the state of the banquet. Apparently, we had managed to map 70 percent more than what we had planned, and even managed to discover a gold vein.
Labyrinth dives largely had two main purposes. One was to recover resources like magic stones; the other was to recover gold. Gold meant wealth, and the more you recover, the more money circulated throughout the country.
Our nation boasted the most gold in the entire world. In the eyes of our leaders, the labyrinth’s purpose was to be nothing more than an endless goldmine.
“Wim, you were amazing! I was totally in awe!” A girl named Monica was sitting next to me. She was a sorceress from Heidemarie’s unit, and while she was older than the two of us, she was one of the younger members of Nachtlibelle. “You must need to know a ton to cast buffs like those!”
“Well, um… Maybe?”
“You must study hard!”
“No, well… I wanted to be a mage at first, so that’s where most of my knowledge lies. I’ve just expanded my wisdom to other Occupational Magic from there.”
“Wow! You seem complicated.”
“No, well… Aha ha! I’d rather not touch on that.”
Not only was Monica beautiful, she seemed gentle. How exactly do I describe her? She seemed like the complete opposite of Drachenflügel. The popular type, maybe? Not quite, though that was definitely true.
And it wasn’t just her. The entirety of Nachtlibelle had a similar air about them.
I looked around the room. For one, their table manners were excellent. At a glance, they seemed to be influenced by the usual rowdiness liquor tended to induce, but no one was talking with their mouth full, and they clearly put thought into how they were holding their knives and forks.
That was it—they were refined.
At some point, Heidemarie had come to stand next to me, still stuffing her mouth with food. “Hey, Wim! You look like you’re having fun.”
“Yeah… Good work out there.”
“You too, Wim.”
“Where are you sitting, Heidemarie?”
“I’m not sitting anywhere. I just came for some meat.”
“I see…”
I was impressed at how she did whatever she wanted. Maybe that was the privilege that came with being an elder. It was the sort of behavior I would expect from someone who wasn’t like the others.
“This is even more than I was expecting! After seeing what you managed out there, even those who didn’t know about you before must have their eyes on you now.”
“C’mon, stop it.”
“Camilla really looked at you with passion in her eyes, you lady-killer.”
“Like I said, cut it out. That reminds me. Camilla’s in her office, right?”
“Right. She’s probably finishing up paperwork and—”
“Wim!”
Mark and the rest of the shield unit appeared from behind Heidemarie, beer mugs in hand. I stood up and offered them a deep bow in greeting.
“Your buffs were amazing! I can’t believe we managed Reflection. That was your work, huh?”
“N-no, not at all. I just offered a helping hand. The Reflection is proof of your skills, um… Yeah, all five of you.”
Mark laughed while patting my back. “Bwah, hah, hah! You’re good with your words, boy! It’ll take you places!” He seemed like a jolly old man. “So? Ya thinking of joining?”
“No, I’m still not sure if I measure up to you all…heh, heh.” Wait, is that what we were talking about? Didn’t this take a weird turn?
“Um…” Abel stammered as he rose from his seat. His lips were curved into a frown, and he seemed slightly nervous. “You were incredibly talented. I’m embarrassed I didn’t recognize you at first. I really do apologize.”
“N-no, not at all! I really do look suspicious. I think doubting me is, well, natural.” Somehow, I was being showered with praise. I knew they were just trying to be polite, but it still felt good.
Maybe I got swept up in the atmosphere of the party, or maybe I was just drunk, but I was enjoying myself. After getting my bearings, I realized I had made my way into the center of the circle. I had a hard time keeping my cool.
Parties are amazing, huh?
What if I had joined Nachtlibelle instead of Drachenflügel? Not that things would have really gone so well, I was only receiving this treatment because I happened to be Heidemarie’s guest. If I had joined as a member, they wouldn’t consider me any help in battles, and I would only bring the mood down. I would be bowing my head over and over, doing the random jobs they let me have, and eventually, I would be kicked out and—
“Fweh heh heh.”
Suddenly, I noticed Abel had taken a step backwards.
Oh. “I’m sorry! I’ll go lay down and die now.”
“No, don’t! It’s perfectly fine! I heard plenty about you from Heidemarie, and I see you really do live in your own world.”
“Thanks.”
***
My party members were enjoying the banquet, but I still had cleanup from the labyrinth dive to do. It was my responsibility as the party’s leader and was thus unavoidable. I quietly sat alone at the desk in my office and focused on my paperwork.
“Will I really finish all this today?”
We had just had the most massive of successes. We had explored the majority of what was left of the floor and even discovered a gold vein. I couldn’t complain about the piles of reports and files I needed to submit to get the rights to what we had found. Not to mention, we didn’t suffer a single casualty. Nobody was injured, which meant as soon as we had recovered from our exhaustion and got our resources in order, we would immediately be ready for another labyrinth dive.
We were lucky, and it was at least partially the result of everyone’s daily training. However, it would be arrogance not to consider Wim in my calculations. He moved with ultimate caution, acumen, and meticulous skills. But what were most beyond compare were his buffs. With them focused on the key points in our offense and defense, we were able to face off against every strong enemy while expending less time and effort.
Damn.
At some point, my hand had stopped. I was staring into the air, thinking back on what I had felt. It was as if wings had sprouted on my back, every nerve in my body completely in sync. The buffs felt so natural that it was like only my natural skills had been accentuated. They felt amazing, and I had managed to produce power well beyond my innate abilities.
Aside from all that, I had a hunch—not as the leader of Nachtlibelle, but as the warrior Camilla. My instincts burned with passion. Couldn’t we use these buffs in our training?
If I could clearly recall how I felt when he cast his buffs on me, it might serve as a guide that could lead me to new heights. If I trained with a focus to recreate what I had accomplished in the labyrinth, maybe I could burst through the ceiling I had already hit.
Other uses for him occurred to me as well. Wim had undeniably been the core to Drachenflügel. It was thanks to him that a party of newbies was able to defeat a boss monster.
However, that only raised more questions. Why had Wim left Drachenflügel?
There was a knock on my office door.
“Um, Camilla?”
“Wim? Come on in.”
Wim appeared, looking quite hesitant. He had a bundle of papers in his hand.
“Um, I wanted to give you this.”
“What is it? Did I drop it somewhere?”
“Yes… I mean, no. Um, it’s the report I wrote up. The one you’re supposed to submit to the guild.”
“Huh?”
“Um, I’m sorry. Since we discovered a gold vein, I believe the non-party-affiliated members need to submit their own report… Was I wrong?”
“No, you’re right, but… Sorry, and thanks.”
He was right. If unaffiliated members were in the adventuring team during labyrinth dives and there were matters related to a party’s rights, they needed to submit their own reports to avoid discontent.
I flipped through the pages. It was written well—almost too well. He had written too much, and…wait a second. If I divided it up and combined it with what I had already written, it would serve as the perfect report! Thank goodness, that meant I was done for the day.
“I would have needed you to write this report eventually. I’m surprised you remembered such a minor rule. Did you serve as Drachenflügel’s treasurer as well?”
“Um, well, I was just the support staff, so I didn’t have many responsibilities. I tried to help out where I could.”
“Support staff? What exactly did you do?”
“Um, since I couldn’t fight, I did odd jobs, and generally…everything that didn’t involve fighting.”
“Everything? Including enemy detection, accounting, and preparing for labyrinth dives?”
“Yes, since I’m not very strong, as you can already see. It’s the least I could have done.”
I really didn’t know what to make of this. Was he exaggerating? But his report was perfect and he really had performed various roles for us. In any case, I suppose it was safe to assume he performed multiple jobs.
Oh, that was it. This was him trying to negotiate. Now that I knew his worth, he was asking me, the leader, to give him a price. It made sense. He really was smart considering how unsure of himself he looked. Given the fact he had brought me a report as a small gift, he had considered these negotiations carefully and approached me, understanding how hard I worked. This was all part of his plan.
“Um… Camilla?”
“How about five hundred?”
“Huh?”
“Sorry. You were just our guest, but look at what we’ve accomplished, thanks to you. I should have discussed your payment immediately.”
“What?”
“Unfortunately, the gold vein belongs completely to Nachtlibelle. Given that, I can’t provide you any shares. But if you choose to join us, I’ll give you a special bonus of two thousand.”
“Um, I’m not sure I follow…”
“Hmph, so that wasn’t enough.”
I had been hasty to judge him based just on his work from today. There was a chance he was still hiding some of his true skills. We had yet to see him in battle himself.
I did some quick calculations. We had mapped 70 percent more than we had planned, and he kept my party members safe while making sure we didn’t grow exhausted. How much would it take for that investment to pay off? Considering his buffs could potentially be used to aid in our training, I couldn’t pass him up.
I took a look at the boy. His expression was blank, as if he was clueless about negotiations. He really was something.
Don’t let him trick you! Think, Camilla! Think!
Wim came here knowing I had yet to see his full skills, approaching when he had the perfect chance to receive the highest compensation.
“I’ll give you seven hundred for today, and three thousand as a bonus for joining our party. I’ll give you a salary equal to that of our leaders, so six hundred a month. Of course, you’ll get bonuses for your work during labyrinth dives as well, and I promise the lowest bonus you’ll receive will be even higher than the lowest ranking of our leaders.”
“Huh?”
“So? What do you say?”
“Um, is this some sort of joke? I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand,” he said with an awkward laugh.
If anything, the boy seemed flustered. Damn, I thought those terms were excellent. Had my business senses grown outdated?
“How much did you get from Drachenflügel? I’ll double it.”
Now he only looked even more flustered. He twisted and fidgeted before apprehensively holding up two fingers.
“Two hundred?” I asked. “In that case, my six hundred should have already exceeded that condition.”
“N-no, not two hundred.”
“What?! Two thousand?! I don’t think I can. No, considering the profits… Don’t make too big a name for yourself. If those are your demands, I’ll need to find new grounds of negotiation myself during the next labyrinth dive if I want to save face with my members.”
“It was twenty.”
“Huh?”
“My monthly pay was twenty marks.”
Huh? No. No, no, no. What exactly was he trying to do here?
Was it a joke? It had to be. Even without considering his skills, that pay was far too low for an abenteurer who was risking his life. That was the amount a new girl working in a general store earned.
“Um, I’m sorry. I really don’t have a knack for conversation. I guess I don’t really understand Nachtlibelle-style jokes, heh, heh, heh!”
“I wasn’t joking.”
“You really don’t need to repay me. Um… I mean, I worked as hard as my poor talents allowed me to, so I’d be happy if I received something, but, um… Goodbye!”
“Ah! Wait! Stop right there, boy!”
Wim opened the door and rushed from the room.
“Just what is he trying here?”
Wings’ Side 1
Wings’ Side 1
WITH HIM GONE, I THOUGHT WE WOULD GET to enjoy a comfortable life of adventuring. Nikola, Mehlis, and I had recovered from our wounds and welcomed Sophia to replace that nuisance. We had the perfect lineup.
The force of a raging dragon’s wings could cross a thousand seas. Thus the name Drachenflügel—wings of a dragon. Now that we had healed, we should have been able to dive right into the deepest depths of the labyrinth.
So, what the hell was this?
“Nikola! Heal me already!”
“R-right! Um…”
“Hurry up!”
We were right in the middle of a battle, but Nikola wasn’t prepared to heal me at all.
“Whatever! Put up a barrier, Mehlis!”
We switched strategies. Mehlis would buy us some time. Time to escape, that is.
“S-sure thing! Um, [Definition. Die genehmigung…]”
How the hell was she still chanting?!
More goblins swarmed us as she dragged her chant on. I could barely manage to grip the hilt of my sword with my injured right hand and swing it around to fend them off. As a dual wielder, I swung right then left, repeating that attack over and over.
Seriously! Why the hell did we look so lame?
“You’re still not ready?!”
“Sorry! [Fire Membrane!]”
A wall of flames erupted before us. Thank God.
“Everyone, retreat! Follow me!”
Withdrawing was our top priority. I dashed off in the opposite direction of the wall, and Sophia, Nikola, and Mehlis followed behind. The goblins thankfully couldn’t chase after us.
“Haah… Haah…” I was panting. I slowed to a jog as soon as I no longer saw the goblins. “Nikola! Heal me now while you can!”
I stuck out my right hand so she could close my wounds. As always, her hand emitted a faint glow as it healed my injuries. I grimaced. The pain gave way to an intense itch. I had gotten used to this, but it still sucked.
“All right. Then let’s—”
“Wait, Chronos. I’m not done healing you yet,” warned Nikola in a low whisper.
“Aren’t you slow today?”
“I know. I’m sorry, I just haven’t been quite right lately.”
She looked at me, and I could see the displeasure in her eyes. That’s when I realized I had taken my own frustration out on her. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just annoyed too.”
I let out a sigh and looked at the others. Neither Mehlis nor Sophia would meet my gaze.
Damn it! The atmosphere here freakin’ sucks!
All our labyrinth dives had been like this lately. I chocked it up to lack of training the first few times, but at this point, I was starting to realize that maybe we just weren’t in good shape.
“I’m done.”
“Right. Thanks, Nikola! Your healing spells are what’s keeping us all safe! Let’s regroup and get back out there!” I said, clapping my hands to draw their attention.
Things would be fine! We just weren’t feeling it today. We were strong enough to climb another few floors.
“First, let’s figure out where we are. Look for some landmarks.”
I was trying to figure out our next steps, but we needed to pinpoint our location first. Exhaustion was starting to get to us, so we had to start considering going home soon. However, we had to make sure this labyrinth dive was actually profitable too.
There was so much damn stuff to think about. It was annoying.
“Um, Chronos?”
“What is it, Mehlis?”
“What exactly do you mean by ‘landmark’?”
“Dunno. Sorry. Anyone else got any ideas?”
Nobody raised their hands. Choosing to rest here meant the goblins would catch up to us, so we had to keep moving.
Sophia raised her hand. “Chronos?”
“Oh! Do you have any ideas?”
“No. My apologies, but…” She slowly and fearfully pointed ahead of us. It was too dark to see well, but I immediately knew what she was trying to say.
“There’s a wall.”
We had reached a dead end. It was the last place you wanted to find yourself in the labyrinth, and we had arrived here with our enemies on our tails.
Some time had passed since I joined Drachenflügel as a replacement for one of their former members. However, something felt quite off.
Chronos had scouted me in a tavern. I was in need of new work, and as an up-and-coming party who had managed to defeat a boss monster on their own, it was the perfect opportunity. I had no reason to refuse.
An abenteurer had once said thus about Drachenflügel: “Chronos the swordsman and Mehlis the sorceress both carry the might of warrior gods, belying their inexperience. Nikola the priestess is so beloved by the heavens she can heal any wound. While they lack coordination, they fight with both bravery and caution, viewing the labyrinth with both fear and respect despite just getting to know it. Most importantly, they work as a cohesive unit that overflows with adventuring spirit as they seek the newest expanses of the labyrinth.”
That was their reputation. But once I had joined them myself, reality didn’t quite seem to align with the rumors. They were a fine party, and they easily made it through the thirtieth floor—a somewhat difficult level they used for training—on their own faculties without my help.
The problem was the next floors. As soon as anything difficult was asked of them, they immediately fell apart. While they somehow all managed to return alive from our recent trip to the thirty-fifth floor, their poor understanding of the map had gotten them cornered, leaving Mehlis with an injury that necessitated rest for weeks.
“And we can’t forget this…”
I faced a huge pile of papers and notes. According to Chronos, their former member had been a good-for-nothing who volunteered to do the chores, and he wanted me to at least take over that job. He had even told me, “I’m sure you’ll be useful in battle, so we can split up some of the work if it’s too much for you.”
And it was too much. There was everything from reports, plans to transport goods and renovate the party’s house, budgeting receipts, and even plans for labyrinth dives. There were maps of every floor to the labyrinth, notes on the characteristics of every monster they had ever encountered, and…I think these were essays? That was likely just a hobby, but the writings had already been divided between the useful and the useless.
Had someone really done this all on their own? Usually, the four members would split these duties. What in the world was their leader doing?
The idea that I was supposed to be in charge of all the innermost, menial labor of the party had my head spinning. Chronos had told me that this type of work was a cakewalk and roughly shared by everybody, but he was hugely misunderstanding the situation.
At the time, I simply thought there might be more work cut out for me than I had originally expected. It was only later that I realized how naïve that assumption had been.
Chapter 4: Stalker Girl
Chapter 4:
Stalker Girl
THINGS GOT A BIT EASIER FOR ME, TOO, ONCE Wim was given permission to temporarily stay in Nachtlibelle’s guesthouse. Being an elder came with authority, which meant I could do just about anything once I gave the name “Heidemarie.” I could get my hands on anything I wanted, and invent magic to do just about anything.
Unfortunately, there was no teleportation magic, and even elders couldn’t overcome physical distances. The intel I could get from the transmission crest was also limited. It took installing a wiretap stone in Drachenflügel’s party house to finally get a basic idea of Wim’s life, but once he stepped into town, my information dropped back to zero.
But what about now? There was only a few minutes’ walk separating his room from mine, and I could easily get that down to one if I ran.
I had been given a research lab inside Nachtlibelle’s party house, and it also served as my bedroom. Luckily, I could see the entrance to the guesthouse from my window, making it perfect for surveillance.
Since the whole party lived together, we shared the same dining hall and bathing rooms, and some rooms even shared toilets. Now that Wim and I were in the same party, we couldn’t hide certain information from each other. The best part was that I could see my transmission crest moving in real-time.
I was immensely grateful in terms of insurance, too. I was done for if anybody caught me sneaking into the Drachenflügel Party’s house, but now I didn’t have to worry about that. If someone caught me sneaking into the guesthouse, I could probably get out of it if I was insistent enough. Living close to Wim meant I could worm my way out of unexpected situations.
It was the perfect setup, and I had no complaints.
A few days had passed since Wim moved in, and I was jolted awake by the alarm bell placed next to my bed. I quickly spread open the map of our manor to double-check where the signal sent by the transmission crest had come from. It was outside the circle I had drawn and headed for the courtyard.
Wim had left the guesthouse.
I immediately thought this was strange. The only training Wim usually did in the morning was going on a run, and that was more to work the sleep out of his bones than build strength. His usual route went from Drachenflügel Party’s house to the Abenteurers’ Guild, around the building, and then he went from the town square back home. In the town square, he would do some stretches and some small training sequences to keep himself nimble. Sure, he was now staying with Nachtlibelle, but Wim was the type to keep his routine consistent.
So, what was he doing in the courtyard so early in the morning? Training of some sort, probably. Likely practicing with his blade. Knowing him, he would choose to do basic training behind the guesthouse to avoid any onlookers.
He must’ve been summoned by someone.
I activated my wiretap stone and brought it to my ear. The stones were magical tools, decorated and paired together so that the vibrations picked up by one would transmit to the other. I had attached one to Wim’s jacket.
I could hear the sound of the wind and his rustling clothes from the other side. He must have put on his jacket today. So, who had called for him?
Damn, I couldn’t narrow down a list of people. I had a hard time thinking that anyone besides me would invite Wim out. Maybe Abel was trying to be nice?
I picked up on another sound through the static. It was a voice—a woman’s voice.
“No way…” I pulled away from the stone—not that I was truly shaken or anything. I took a deep breath and listened back in.
“Sorry to call you out here, boy.”
It was Camilla.
***
Using buffs to train was Camilla’s idea. I would cast a light buff on her and then she would try to swing her blade and move as fast as possible while paying attention to that sensation. Then, I would undo the buff, and she would try over and over to recreate those same movements.
It made sense. This could be a good way of further refining your abilities—one I had never considered myself. I would cast buffs on myself during battle, so I had naturally done something similar before. But I had never thought of applying that to someone else.
“I know it’s early. You have my apologies.”
“No, not at all! Um… Fweh heh heh. You’ve been so kind to me, after all.”
“This is work, so I’ll give you a bonus for your services later. If this proves successful, I want to have some of our other members try it out, so you can expect good pay if you do decide to join us.”
“I-I see…” I didn’t know how to react. I felt bad getting paid just for waking up a bit early.
Camilla did some squats, jumped in the air a few times, and turned back to me. “Then let’s get started. I, Camilla, approve you, Wim, to cast your granting magic on me.”
“Right.”
The buffs I would be formulating today were just for training purposes. I didn’t put as much power in them, instead providing only a little support for the movements I analyzed.
“You’ve been enchanted.”
“All right.”
Camilla waited for me to move a certain distance before pulling out a training sword and giving it a few swings. And when I say “training sword,” I don’t mean the common foot soldier’s blade people tend to imagine. This sword was huge and so heavy that only some of those with the warrior occupation were able to wield it.
She cut an elegant arch through the air. Her footwork was excellent, and she quickly and easily moved from right to left. The sound of her blade as it sliced through the air was a contrast to her swiftness, and instead embodied the terror a clump of iron could do in terms of damage. It was enough to mess with your sense of perspective.
For one, it was rare that anyone so large could move as nimbly as Camilla. The fact she could wield such a blade so easily exemplified what set her apart from the average abenteurer.
“Undo the buff, boy!”
I did as she said. “Done!”
Camilla nodded. Then, she redid her earlier movements. They were still refined, which made sense given her skills. However, they were just a half-step—or more accurately, a quarter-step—slower than they had been. She repeated her movements again, then once more.
“Hmm…” Camilla froze for a moment, her eyes were open wide. “Recast those buffs on me!”
“On it!”
I silently watched as Camilla swung her sword, casting and uncasting the buffs on her. I was sure she would get bored, but I could tell just by observing her that her skills were shockingly progressing by leaps and bounds. She figured out which of her movements were unnecessary, further polishing her already refined abilities. In just an hour, she had clearly taken a half-step forward.
“Perfect. This is perfect!” she declared.
I was the one who had cast these buffs, but even I was surprised to see how effective they had been. Camilla had the might of a warrior god, and yet she had climbed to new heights. It was almost scary.
“I swing my arms too much. Now, how do I fix this…?”
She had already figured out what she needed to do to improve! Her movements were fluid, but she divided them into parts, and practiced them over and over. Apparently, she swung her arms too far upwards when doing downward, diagonal strikes, which made it more difficult to redirect her attack.
Watching her gave me a thought. “Um…Camilla?”
“What is it?”
“I think you’d get closer to your ideal swing if I adjusted the friction on some of your joints. Though that would mean casting a debuff rather than a buff.”
“You can do that?”
“I can. Basically, your movements will be restrained and instead forced in certain directions. If I undo the sensory buffs on you, I think you’ll be able to feel the difference, which should make things easier.”
“All right. Let’s try it then. I give you my permission.”
I had already watched and analyzed her movements, which made putting together a code easy. “You’re now enchanted.”
Camilla swung her sword downwards, repeating the action a few times.
“Got it. Take it off, now.”
I cut off the path connecting us, and Camilla immediately swung her sword again. The difference was clear as day. The transition between slashes had disappeared, and it had improved her sideway swings as well.
She was a genius. As soon as she got the hang of things, she was immediately able to put them into action.
“You’ve done it, boy!” Camilla’s voice was full of emotion as she took a big step towards me and grabbed my hands. I was about to shrink backwards, but I stopped myself. “Let’s do this every morning! And as a partner… Perfect! I’ll invite Abel!”
I responded with an awkward laugh. I was just glad I was able to please her this much.
***
I was shocked to hear a woman’s voice, but Wim meeting with Camilla wasn’t a problem. Seriously! I let myself get too worried.
After Wim had finished training, he headed for the dining hall. I decided to head there first, specifically, through the back window. I pulled out a collapsible stool, set it up, and stood atop it.
“All righty.”
I could just barely see inside if I grabbed hold of the windowsill and pulled myself up. I think I needed a taller stool.
It was the weekend, so everyone came in at different times. Large plates heated by water had been set out so people could eat as much as they wanted, whenever they wanted.
Wim stepped into the dining hall with a slight bow and quickly figured out which foods he could eat, placing some on his plate. He chose bacon, sausage, and some steamed potatoes. How Wim of him.
Then, he found the least populated table and headed straight towards it. He was usually too embarrassed to sit in the corner, but that’s where he was going today. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to stay low or not.
Watching him eat made me hungry too. I was so worried earlier that I hadn’t had time to eat breakfast.
Should I meet up with him?
The spots directly across and next to him were open. It would probably feel natural if I told him it was just a coincidence.
Actually, never mind. I hadn’t prepared anything to talk about.
“Hey, Wim!”
Just as that thought crossed my mind, Mark approached. Being outside the dining hall, I couldn’t enter the conversation, nor could I hear what they were saying. I had no other choice but to use the wiretap stone. I booted it up and listened in.
“You’ve only got meat and potatoes! Must be nice being so young! But you gotta eat some veggies too, okay?”
“Aha ha ha… I guess you’re right.”
Wim was picky. Or rather, he had the palate of a child and didn’t enjoy any complex flavors.
“I heard you helped the commander train. Must’ve been hard, huh?”
“No, um… It actually gave me some ideas. Heh, heh, heh.”
“You’re doing something special, right? The commander sure looked happy!”
“That’s good to hear.”
The look on his face was…complex, but he was able to keep the conversation going somehow. He seemed kind of…happy? All righty, then! I’m glad he got what he wanted.
“That reminds me, we’re all gonna go drinking tonight. Ya wanna come too?” Mark suggested, seemingly on the spur of the moment. To Wim, this must’ve looked like any other invitation, but it was calculated. Camilla was Nachtlibelle’s collective will, and she had started to corner Wim. It was important to tie him to us via relationships and not just money and preferential treatment. I wasn’t expecting the others to pick up on Wim’s worth quite so quickly, but he deserved this treatment.
Wim fidgeted in his seat a few times, clearly hesitant. Finally, he bowed his head and said, “Then, um… I’d be happy to.”
“All right!”
This was reassuring, or maybe that wasn’t the right word. I let out a sigh. I had forgotten, but being recognized by a big party meant being forced into social circles. I was the one who invited him to Nachtlibelle, but it was annoying to realize that I might have caused more trouble for myself.
Yeah, I was a little bit sad. But it’s not like I wanted to be.
The evening was relatively calm. Wim avoided any harsh training—to make sure he was ready for the next labyrinth dive—and instead rested and did some light reading in his room. And I definitely didn’t follow him the entire day, by the way! Even I knew privacy was important.
I was an abenteurer through and through. Thinking about the labyrinth got my heart pumping, and on the nights before our next labyrinth dive, I was always too excited to sleep.
I was busy with magical research as an elder too. I trained and studied constantly to make sure I was prepared for anything. I meditated as well. I didn’t have the time for any personal relationships, which was why I needed to improve my efficiency in the first place. The wiretap stones and alarm bells ensured I would get the intel I needed.
It was now time for the real important part.
The drinking session tonight was just the guys and mostly the brawny members of the shield division. There was only one place that group could be headed—downtown.
***
The establishment they were kind enough to bring me to wasn’t quite a nightclub, but a flashy tavern with plenty of staff. This was my first time visiting such a place downtown, and I had no idea where I should focus my eyes. Instead, they just kept darting around.
However, the rest of the members of Nachtlibelle seemed to be regulars, and shortly after they put in some food orders, we were brought beers.
“In that case, let’s give a big welcome to Wim Strauss! Cheers!” Hans was the highest ranked among us, so he took the lead as we clanked our mugs together.
“Cheers, guys!”
“Cheers!”
“Woohoo!”
I was the last to lift my mug. “Ch-cheers…”
Damn it, I was too late! Everyone else is already drinking!
“Cheers, Wim.” Abel was sitting diagonally across me, and offered me his glass. I bumped my glass against his.
To be honest, I had agreed to join out of a vague admiration of such gatherings. Since I never really found myself in these situations, I didn’t really know what to talk about. So, I watched the food, licked my lips, and listened to everyone else.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much I could eat. The fried food and meat dishes were all covered in various sauces, and some had gotten on the potatoes served as sides. I wasn’t a big fan of food like this. Instead, I preferred simple dishes consisting of nothing but cooked ingredients.
“Don’t worry and just eat up, Wim!”
With those words, I couldn’t push off eating any longer. Abel cut me a piece of a sausage combined with half an egg covered in salad dressing. Just imagining the complex flavors and acidity this dish was bound to have was enough to have me shrinking backwards.
However, I couldn’t do that. Resisting for no reason would only ruin the mood. So, I steeled my resolve and shoved the whole thing in my mouth with one go.
“Huh…?” I could eat it as well as any other dish. It wasn’t tasty, but wasn’t repulsive either. “It’s really tasty.”
“Right?”
The food had been the obstacle holding me back. With that cleared, I was now able to turn my attention to the conversation around me. Most were talking about their lovers or families. The rest were discussing old times or cracking each other up with inside jokes.
Hans was kind enough to talk to me.
“Wim! I heard you and Heidemarie are from the same hometown.”
“Y-yes, we’re both from Lorlifeld.”
“That’s a long ways away, isn’t it? You did well to make it here in one piece.”
“Thanks, but, um… Coming here had just always been a dream of mine.”
“Just like any other man! We all want to become heroes, after all! The stories of adventuring I read as a kid are what brought me here today!”
“I see… Um, I like to read too.”
“You do? I bet you like to read about heroes too!”
“Y-yes, I dabble in the genre.”
“Just a single sword is enough to get any man up in the world! You’ve got something on your hip too, right? I’ve never seen you use it, though.”
“Um, it’s a machete, a blade that’s really easy to handle.”
Hans chuckled. “So, you do have a blade! But if you’ve got a sword on you, why’d you choose to be a support caster and not a swordsman?”
“That’s, um…complicated. Swords are used for close-range combat, so they mesh well with the skills of support casters.”
W-wait. Were we actually having a proper conversation? Is this what that felt like? Hopefully I can say something thoughtful!
“I heard from Monica that ya originally wanted to be a sorcerer.” Mark was listening in and joined the conversation.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“You don’t seem like the type to get all worked up about the heroes in the stories. I bet ya always preferred the mages by their side, didn’t you?”
He was absolutely right. “Yes, I suppose. So, um, you understand how I feel then?”
“There’s plenty of mages out there who feel the same! At the end of the day, it’s all about your childhood dreams.”
Swordsmen probably weren’t aware of it themselves, but out of all the occupations centered around magic, mages were probably the most admired. If swordmen were the stars of abenteurers, mages were the stars of the magic world. The fact that all skills that used MP were called “magic”—a word derived from “mage”—proved that.
Historically, only the offensive spells used by mages were called “magic.” Back then, the abilities used by swordsmen—a subset of the warrior occupation—were known as “swordskills,” while the healing spells of priests and priestesses were known as “miracles.” There were tons of other subsets as well, but as these skills were further analyzed, it eventually became apparent that they all consisted of the same fundamentals. Thus, all uses of MP by all occupations were simply lumped together as “magic.”
“I, um, always loved witches and wizards. Rather than fighting, I wanted to do things like transform a princess and give her a beautiful dress. Wait, what was I talking about again? Um…”
“Like in Cinderella?”
“Yes, exactly!” It was kind of embarrassing saying that out loud, but I guess gloomy guys like me usually had similar tendencies—not that I knew this was a particular inclination, since I didn’t have any friends.
“Um, this is kind of embarrassing, but when I was a kid, I thought there was a witch occupation. Like the kind that fly around on broomsticks.”
This earned a hearty laugh. “That’s adorable!”
“That turned into a dream of becoming a mage, so I did a lot of research of my own when I was little.” I wasn’t confident that this story was interesting, but I could tell Mark and Hans were listening and actively trying to invite me into their circle. It made me feel like I had more experiences and knowledge I could talk about, so I tried bringing them up.
I don’t know what they thought of me. Maybe I bored them. But still, I was happy to get the chance to speak.
***
I stood on the roof of the opposite building and peered inside the tavern using my binoculars. I grit my teeth. This really was one of those questionable establishments! I was worried they would cut loose a little too much since their group was just the guys.
Was this still within the bounds of what I could allow? No, this was definitely a sloven haven of whores.
Should I rush in? Definitely not, the establishment itself was perfectly respectable and only provided food. If things were going to progress that far with the wait staff, it would be best to keep my eyes on the tips. Squeezing a handful of boob was the absolute limit that would be allowed while dining. I just needed to keep an eye on things and make sure those boorish guys didn’t tempt Wim into anything.
I kept my eyes peeled. There were too many people and too much background noise to pick up their voices using my wiretap stone. Instead, I needed to gather all the intel I could based on their body language and gestures.
Hey! I saw you watch that waitress out of the corner of your eye, Wim! You perv!
“Calm down, Heidemarie,” I told myself, taking a deep, shallow breath. “Stay composed. You’re an adult.”
I shifted my eyes back to Wim. He was definitely out of his comfort zone, but he seemed to be having fun. I could tell the others were trying to match his pace, letting him practice his conversation skills. Things were different while he was still with Drachenflügel. Now, their interests aligned, and all our party members were good people. Even if Wim messed up, I was sure it wouldn’t be a problem.
“Good luck out there, Wim.” I offered some words of encouragement, painfully aware that there was nothing more I could do for him.
I was nothing to Wim. We weren’t lovers or family. I was just a friend. It had never been my place to meddle with him as I did.
The wind that blew through town was chilly, though it helped cool my head.
***
Once we were done eating, Hans covered the entire bill, and we were all off on our own surprisingly quickly. I was relieved to know that I had weathered through that storm safely. Aside from having fun, I felt elated. I had finally gotten to eat and chat with a large group.
Maybe I would have been able to have more fun if I was a little more composed. However, right now, I was exhausted. We would be diving into the labyrinth tomorrow, so I wanted to get back home and rest as soon as possible.
“Wim! Hey, Wim!” As soon as that thought occurred to me, Mark beckoned to me as he stood near the tavern’s exit. “This is the group for single guys.”
I wondered what they wanted. “Aren’t you taken, Mark?”
“Who cares, who cares! Hey, you come too, Abel!”
“I’m not interested, so…I’ll be taking my leave. Feel free to refuse too, Wim!” Abel had been summoned just as I did, but he rushed out in a flash.
“He’s sure got a stick up his butt.”
Were they headed somewhere?
“Um, Mark? Where are we going?”
“Why, that’s obvious! Why else would we come all the way to downtown?”
There was nothing but a big question mark in my head. Mark grabbed me by the shoulder and turned me toward the center of the district.
“Then let’s be off!” Mark was always cheery, but his smile was more relaxed than usual—in fact, it bordered on the vulgar.
That’s when a tall man—I believe his name was Eckenhart—patted Mark’s shoulders. “Hey, Mark. Maybe it’s best we don’t invite Wim out today.”
“Why?”
“See? A certain lady is here.”
“Hmm? But Wim said there’s nothing between them!”
“That can’t be true, Mark. Do you really know so little about her?”
“Huh? What’re you trying to say?”
I had absolutely no idea what was going on. What were they trying to do?
Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice coming from somewhere behind me.
“Hey, Wim! And I see you’re here too, Mark!”
“Oh, Heidemarie.” I turned around to find her standing there. I guess this was our first time meeting today. Still, even though I was used to seeing her, it was refreshing to meet her somewhere new. Heidemarie was just as short as she had been when we were children, making her stick out like a sore thumb being downtown at this hour.
But it didn’t matter what others thought of her. Standing there so menacingly with her innate predilection for violence seemed to oddly suit her.
“What a coincidence! The girls were out here eating too!”
Mark seemed awfully servile. “O-oh, Miss Heidemarie. It’s good to see you.”
“I see you all just finished eating, right? But…huh. Where were you headed next?” She was so awfully intimidating that Mark and the others took a step back. They were clearly on the same page, and there was some context I was missing. This whole thing just didn’t make sense to me.
Once the others were overpowered by her menacing aura, she grabbed my hand. “Let’s go home, Wim. Take me there.”
***
We turned our backs on the downtown area and headed back for the manor. Wim seemed to be happy. He was probably feeling accomplished. He had managed to get into the social circle here. Of course he would be happy.
“Hey, Wim?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you having fun?” I asked him directly.
“I…think?” His response was equally direct. Not much time had passed since he was kicked out of Drachenflügel. Things were getting better for him, but he was too serious to allow himself to be completely happy.
“That’s good to hear.” I still wasn’t sure if inviting Wim into Nachtlibelle had been the right move. I knew it was necessary. His perception was completely warped, and doing nothing to fix that would definitely just make him crazier. In the long run, though, I wasn’t certain that this was the best thing for Wim.
I would accept all responsibility, but that also meant this wasn’t just a matter that me being accountable could fix.
But seeing him smile—or really, it looked more like a snicker—assured me that at least for now, this had been an overall positive experience for him.
“Listen to this, Heidemarie! Today, I—”
“Yup, yup! Tell me all you want, but I already know the whole story.”
“You do?”
“How many times do I have to tell you, Wim? I know everything about you.”
Chapter 5: Excitement
Chapter 5:
Excitement
ONE MONTH PASSED AND I HAD BECOME A temporary member of Nachtlibelle. Surprisingly, Camilla saw a lot of potential in me. She explained this with a hefty serving of her own special type of jokes, which must have been some sort of persuasion tactic. Since they were so nice, I decided to take them up on the offer and join as a provisional associate.
The “provisional” part of my status came from a rule instated by the Abenteurers’ Guild. Those who had left a party couldn’t join a new one for three months, a period colloquially referred to as the “unaffiliation period.”
As of now, I had succeeded at creating a place for me to belong—at least, that’s what I wanted to think. My position changed between the rearguard and vanguard, and I would move freely to cast buffs where necessary. I would also carry out enemy detection alongside the others and alert them of what I found, making sure I wasn’t messaging them too much and being annoying.
Anyway, that’s how it was in the labyrinth, but I continued with my daily morning training with Camilla as well. And my salary was crazy, easily over ten times what I made with Drachenflügel. Maybe this was to be expected from the greatest party in all of Filburn, but I was just thankful that everyone was nice enough to find a way to utilize my skills.
Their trust in me was revealed in other ways as well, and surprisingly, they decided to no longer conceal their teleportation circles from me. They forgot to hand over the blindfold during one of our labyrinth dives, but when I pointed it out to them, they simply told me there was no need to keep hiding them anymore. Afterwards, I was privy to all information, and they even let me attend their strategy meetings.
Of course, I would be able to make some cash by selling their intel, but the fact they still kept me in the loop must’ve been because I had proven my loyalty by shouldering that risk. At the same time, I couldn’t help but think I wasn’t as abandoned as I thought. Though, I couldn’t let myself get carried away just because the people around me in Nachtlibelle were so talented.
We were on our way back from one of our many labyrinth dives, and just a short distance away from a teleportation circle, when Camilla suddenly addressed me.
“I want to see you in battle, boy.”
“I see. But, um, haven’t you seen me in battle plenty of times?”
“I want to see you fighting alone. Support casters can cast buffs on themselves and fight, no?”
“Well, um, I did hunt weeds with Drachenflügel, so I can fight a little, but…”
“You can?”
“Yes, but I’m weak.”
I’d die immediately, okay? That would only cause trouble for you.
“I’ll step in if I need to, so you won’t die. We’re almost home, and your work is almost over. The next monster we encounter will be our last big one for this dive.”
“I see. But, um… I’m sorry, I’m not quite sure what that’s supposed to mean.”
“I’ve got a plan.”
“Um, what sort of plan?”
“You’re reliable, but we need to be careful and plan around using you. If you can fight on your own, then we’ll know we can treat you a bit rougher.”
“I see.”
“Our next labyrinth dive—the one I mentioned earlier—will be a big one. If we want to be prepared, then I need to know how well you can fight.”
It was hard to deny that they were being careful with me; I could tell they were being gentle with me, too. As of now, I was half a combatant, so it was hard for them to know what to do with me.
‹I’ve confirmed a giant golem a hundred and forty paces ahead!›
Simon had sent the message to everyone. Giant golems were ferocious, but a group of forefront abenteurers could easily handle one.
“It’s perfect! Just like I was thinking. What do you say, boy? You won’t be able to let your guard down, but we’ll easily be able to swoop in and save you from a golem. You’ll have a hard time on your own, so I’ll send in Hans and the others once I’ve gotten a good look at what you can handle.”
“…I’ll do my best.”
“That’s just what I wanted to hear!”
Wait. Camilla might know exactly how to handle me.
‹Attention, everyone! Wim will be going in alone so I can judge his skills in combat. We’ll be his backup!›
A jagged, human-shaped lump of clay roughly twice the size of a man stood in front of me.
A golem was basically a giant doll made of mud. They were featureless and seemed to lack sensory organs. The one before me lacked both eyes and ears on what was its face, and there weren’t even any signs that someone had ever attempted to make any. The prevailing theory was that it gathered information via vibrations.
‹Wim.› I received a personal transmission from Heidemarie. ‹I’m here for you, but don’t let your guard down.›
I guess I couldn’t tell her to relax. It was so her to take this so seriously.
I glanced behind me. Everyone was watching. I hope I don’t make a fool of myself.
“Still…” To be honest, I had next to zero hopes of winning this. The reason was simple, and it was also why there were so few support casters and why no one saw us as combatants—we were just too damn weak.
When humans who had gone through puberty underwent the Occupation Acquisition Ceremony, their muscles morphed to be ten times stronger than the average person’s. There was some variance, depending on magical skill and weaponry, but even a group of ten men generally couldn’t defeat a human who had received an occupation.
Then, those with occupations learned how to use their power, which made them even stronger. Those as strong as Camilla were quite literally a one-man army.
However, when support casters received their occupation, they barely became stronger. It was incredibly rare that a support caster could make himself as powerful as other occupation holders just by casting buffs on himself. Thus, there was only one ultimate use for us—to cast buffs on our comrades, lay low, and stay out of the way. Us support casters were hard to utilize, and it was obvious why there were so few of us within high-level parties. Not only were we weak, but it was also hard for us to have any other use. The only advantage of being a support caster was that we could fight immediately after receiving our occupations, since our bodies changed so little.
The golem turned towards me. My limbs started to shake. It was weird—I wasn’t scared, but this always happened to me whenever I faced a big monster. Maybe I was just a coward.
But this was no time to think. My only option was to fight with everything I had, knowing my comrades would have my back if I needed them.
I unsheathed my machete. It had been a while since I last used it in the labyrinth, but I was hoping I would be fine, since I kept up with my training.
“[Pump Up: Zweimal.]”
There was one major difference between casting buffs on others and casting them on yourself: you didn’t need to create the path that delivered your orders to who you were casting on. This meant there was no time lag, so I could be much more exact when manipulating my buffs. I could cast multiple, dense, doubling buffs on myself. Essentially, I could double-cast buffs that I could typically only cast on a muscle once during the same fixed interval.
If my buffs weren’t going to last, I needed to make sure this battle was short. And obviously, I needed to attack first.
I gripped my machete firmly in my right hand. What came next was a risky balancing act of chance. I needed to cast the right buff on the right part at the right time. One mistake meant immediate defeat.
I enchanted my torso, right leg, and left hand. The last would bear the brunt of the recoil. I pulled back my left leg and kicked the ground with my right leg, quickly propelling me forward. My body flew through the air.
My target was the golem’s legs. I slashed into its right thigh, keeping my focus to make sure I completely severed it. However, the mud resisted my blade, and I could feel it through the hilt.
It made it! I was still carrying the momentum from launching myself in the air, so I did a spin. Basically, I was treating this golem like a tower made of blocks.
Next, I momentarily increased the strength of my left leg and right arm. I stuck my left leg forward and kicked the golem’s severed leg as far away as possible. Then, I put some distance between myself and the monster as soon as I hit the ground.
I did it! Without its right leg, the golem was knocked off balance. It put out its right arm on the ground for support.
I braced for the pain. I had placed powerful strengthening buffs on my body, but given how weak I was, there had to have been some calculation errors that would hurt me in some way. If I messed up significantly, it could even spell immediate defeat.
“Huh?”
The pain never came. Why? Had I gotten stronger? Had my calculations been more accurate than I had thought?
Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time to think. The golem had been knocked over, but it was funneling mud over to where its missing right leg was to regenerate.
I jumped back into action. Its right shoulder was on the ground, and I sliced my blade right through it. At the same time, I burst through the rest of its arm with my legs. I sheathed my blade so I could catch my landing with both arms. From the handstand, I used my elbows to spring back into the air and distance myself from the golem. I could see that it had now completely toppled on its right side. Once again, I braced myself for pain. It never came.
Maybe I could keep this up for a little longer?
I was drunk on the sensation. I was normally the type who never got greedy, but that wasn’t true now. Whatever was stopping me in the past was mostly gone.
“[Pump Up: Dreimal.]”
I tripled my strength. It was do or die.
I strengthened both my legs. Then, I placed strengthening codes spreading from my spine to my extremities at a 0.01 second delay. I leaped into the air with my right foot, landing on the highest part of the labyrinth walls I could manage. Then, I kicked off the wall, letting gravity do the work as I shot towards the golem’s chest.
Just before I landed, I buried my blade into its muddy torso. Only a moment had passed. I could keep going.
I slashed a second, then a third, then a fourth time. It had still only been a moment.
Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven. Twelve. I continued to hollow out the golem’s chest.
I finally found its core. It had still been less than a moment.
I stabbed my blade forward and crushed the core with my last remaining strength.
***
As soon as that boy had muttered what had to be an enchantment, he had disappeared.
No, he had leaped toward the golem, but by the time I realized it, he had already sent the golem’s right leg flying. I followed the leg with my eyes, and that’s when its arm went flying.
Wim was crouching on the labyrinth walls. He jumped into the air and torpedoed into the golem. A silver afterimage blossomed in the golem’s open chest as he smashed its core.
“Huh?” I was ready to buckle down and discover his full strength, but the battle had ended before I even got the chance. I could barely follow his movements, and the golem had been defeated before I could grasp what had happened. It was ridiculous, quite frankly.
My men gulped. Everyone knew what this battle must mean. My mind started to run with ideas about how we could use this fantastic power and questions about how long the boy could keep it up. My ponderings were borderline excuses, and by the time I had rid them from my mind, the rest of the party had already run up to Wim.
‹Heidemarie.› I sent a personal transmission.
‹What is it, Camilla?›
‹What the heck is this boy?!›
Golems were strong, but he had beaten one on his own—and it had only taken him a few seconds. This far surpassed the discussion of whether support casters were weak or not. At the very least, it would be hard to find an abenteurer in Filburn who could take him on with his speed.
‹What is he? He’s Wim, of course! The support caster Wim. Oh, and don’t forget we’re from the same hometown.›
‹That’s not what I’m talking about.›
‹He’s strong, huh?›
Heidemarie was on the opposite side of our squad, but she cast a glance at me. I followed her lead, turning to look at Wim as she did the same.
“Oh! Camilla, um… Heh, heh!” The boy had immediately been swarmed by the crowd as soon as he had learned he had destroyed the golem’s core, but he made the effort to look at me. He seemed to be shrugging.
“You did it, boy. I didn’t know support casters could fight this well.”
“Oh, no… Aha ha! I just was testing things out, and it ended up working,” he said, laughing again. “I’ve used up all my MP, so I’m pooped.” His voice sounded higher-pitched than usual. He must be excited. “But hear this! I just felt so good, and since my first attack went better than I expected, I decided to push my limits! My body flew up in the air, and I felt so light, it was like I was flying! Oh, but I must have kept you all waiting. I’m sorry for taking so long.”
Something was off about him. He seemed to be suffering from a high, the same sort beginner abenteurers got when they killed their first monster.
How exactly do I put this…? Could someone at the frontier of the labyrinth really get like this?
His results were clear and spoke for themselves, yet it was apparent he thought very little of himself. Not to mention he had a secret knack for battle. Though given how he was right now, it was hard to think he was hiding it intentionally.
I just didn’t get it. Things didn’t seem to add up when it came to him.
“Calm down, Wim. Time barely passed at all. Your battle was over in a second. It was marvelous.”
“Really? Heh, heh! Um… Fweh heh heh!”
I locked eyes with Heidemarie. I decided to leave Wim to her and head for the teleportation circle. I sent a transmission to everyone.
‹Listen, up! We’re resuming course. Show Wim some thanks!›
***
I was excited. I had no idea I could move like this. But thinking back on it, I had never fought a big monster before, and I had basically been in a trance when I had fought the boss. Thus, I had no memories of the fight.
I felt invincible. The buffs caused my blood flow to increase, and it was now swirling in my head. I couldn’t really think straight, but man, did it feel good.
I couldn’t get the sensations—of kicking off the floor, floating in midair, and letting the momentum spin my body—out of my head. Nor could I forget the exhilarating feeling of pummeling toward the ground that I had felt through my blade. There was nothing I couldn’t see, and while the world existed outside of me, it was all at my disposal. I lost all sensation of time, and my head was completely blank. My mind wasn’t filled with any superfluous thoughts—I just felt good.
And wasn’t I amazing for defeating a golem on my own? I could proudly proclaim I was on par with a B rank abenteurer and…
“Huh?” No, I couldn’t.
I suddenly came back to my senses. The teleportation circle was right before us, and we were headed back to Filburn with our vanguard at our front.
I stared out beyond the magic circle. It calmed me down as I went through my memories.
“Hey, Heidemarie?” I said, glancing at her. She was standing beside me.
“What? Have you calmed down?”
“Did I get ahead of myself? Was I overly excited?”
“You were.”
“I talked with Camilla, right?”
“You did.”
“What did I say?”
“A bunch of things. You were in the clouds.”
Damn, I messed up. When buffs increased your blood flow, it could lead to all sorts of unexpected effects. That was the first time I had properly used a triple buff, after all.
“Did I say anything rude?”
“Don’t worry. Camilla and the others care much more about the fact you defeated a golem on your own.”
“Oh, then I guess I won’t have to make them worry about me so much. That’s a relief. I’ll definitely do my best from here on out.”
“Worry about you?”
“I mean, it was apparently hard for them since they had to be so gentle with me. If I can fight, it’ll make our next labyrinth dive easier.”
“Well, I guess this raised our chances of proving successful during our next dive…” She trailed off, but it seemed like she had more to say. She really was kind to me.
I had finally calmed down. I felt like I deserved some unabashed praise for defeating a golem on my own, but I had only done so because I had everyone behind me to back me up.
Support casters weren’t efficient in battle, and if they pushed themselves too hard, they would end up immobile for a while once they got back home. My muscles were already starting to feel…
“Huh?”
They…weren’t? I flexed and extended my arms. It didn’t hurt at all. No, maybe all my training had just made me stronger. The real problem was my MP. Casting a triple buff had greatly depleted my magic, and now I was near…
“Huuuh?”
I…wasn’t? How I felt didn’t seem to match reality. I knew I shouldn’t be feeling the way I did, but it was hard to deny my senses. I made sure I didn’t get ahead of myself, but at the same time, I thought it was fine to at least think more about it a little, and I wanted to relax.
In the end, I couldn’t help but think that maybe I had gotten stronger.
***
It was nighttime. Once I heard Wim’s sleepful breaths with my wiretap stone—and they had grown steady and regular—I slipped outside the manor and headed for the guesthouse.
I had the spare key, so I opened the door. Wim didn’t seem like he would wake up so easily and remained peacefully asleep. It seemed like his anxiety gave him a hard time sleeping for a while after he was kicked out of Drachenflügel, so he must at least sort of liked it here.
I quieted my footsteps, snuck up to his bed, and peered into his sleeping face. He really did look adorable when he was asleep. He was always on edge in the labyrinth, but he didn’t look it at all right now. Of course, I liked how he looked then as well, but I loved his face here too.
What Wim did today had once again changed how the others in Nachtlibelle thought of him. Rumors of his skills as a support caster had already spread outside Nachtlibelle to some degree, and I was sure rumors that he could fight would spread in an instant too. Those who used a little imagination would easily connect this to the real state of Drachenflügel.
Camilla had already set plans for our next grand labyrinth dive. Wim wouldn’t see direct battle just yet, but he would be involved in the other aspects. It was safe to say he was the general center of our operations. He was still only a temporary member, but once his non-affiliation period was over, he would definitely be welcomed in as an official member. Depending on how far word of him spread, some of the other big parties might want him for themselves. They might practically try to lure him with competitive salaries.
“The world’s starting to notice you, Wim.”
He groaned in his sleep, almost as if in response to my voice. I panicked a little. Still, I wouldn’t really mind it even if he did wake up. I had almost been found out countless times, but he never questioned me about it, for some reason. Maybe he was always half asleep? In any case, it was fine.
However, I did wonder: Just how long was I going to keep this up? He wouldn’t get mad at me for forcing myself into his room, and we could tell each other how we truly felt. But my words rarely ever swayed Wim. He seemed unconfident, though he could be shockingly stubborn about the weirdest things. At least those things were consistent.
In the end, maybe Wim barely thought about me at all. It was a sad idea.
Chapter 6: A Large-Scale Survey
Chapter 6:
A Large-Scale Survey
OF COURSE WE WOULD DRAW ATTENTION. THE abenteurer party of Nachtlibelle—the largest in all of Filburn—was headed towards a large-scale labyrinth dive. Our journey to the Abenteurers’ Guild was one with watchful eyes and many rumors.
“I heard your name, Wim,” said Heidemarie, jeering as she jabbed me with her elbow.
“Cut it out.”
Her words prompted me to pay attention. Now, I occasionally heard mumblings that seemed to be about me, like “So that’s the guy,” and “He must be Wim,” though it wasn’t anything to be happy about. I was kicked out of my party only to become a leech clinging to the biggest party in Filburn. Others would obviously think I used some connections to get in—and it was true in regard to Heidemarie.
Now that I was aware of the eyes on me, I naturally followed them back to their owners. Whenever I became too aware of those around me, I was forced to recall old memories.
Are my comrades still watching me?
I shocked myself. After all this time, I was still calling the members of Drachenflügel my comrades. I heard little about the party lately. At the very least, I doubted they had accomplished anything note-worthy in the labyrinth, but I was too scared to look into it myself. They still must be suffering from their wounds, and their injuries must have kept them from making any profitable labyrinth dives.
What was I thinking? I was no longer affiliated with Drachenflügel, though I still wondered what they would all think, seeing me now. I’m sure it wouldn’t be anything pleasant.
“Fweh heh heh.”
I needed to cut this out. Maybe it was connections that got me in, and maybe they were just being nice, but somehow, Nachtlibelle saw something in me. I needed to stop overthinking things.
The Abenteurers’ Guild was a unique building—or rather, facility. At ground level, there was a large structure that housed the front desks and jobs submitted to the guild, while the basement was on the first floor of the labyrinth. It was completely under the guild’s control, and more an extension of the above-ground building than part of the labyrinth. A paved path led from the first floor entrance to the deepest teleportation circle, wide enough for a whole army to traverse.
Abenteurers never thought about it much, but the guild was technically a government agency managed by the nation. It was affiliated through financial affairs, but since it was a source of capital, it had absolute authority that went beyond being controlled by another authority. The heads of the Abenteurers’ Guild and Elder Association were famous for their influence; these were the top two organizations in all of Filburn you didn’t want to make an enemy of.
Once we had gone through the reception desk, we were finally on the first floor of the labyrinth. We walked down the path for a short while, and once we reached an area that was more open, Camilla turned around to address us.
“Attention!”
We stood straight, and all two hundred and twenty pairs of eyes in Nachtlibelle focused on one spot. Things were a bit different when big parties like Nachtlibelle went on large-scale labyrinth dives than when tiny ones did the same. Parties at the forefront of the labyrinth were responsible for diving headfirst into danger. The labyrinth was brutal, and traps that could kill on sight were common. A long time ago, advance parties made up of slaves were forced into the labyrinth for reconnaissance purposes, but it was a practice the prideful couldn’t condone. It was the strong’s place to dive into danger, and being the first to set foot in a new area of the labyrinth was an honor.
Right now, we were headed for danger. In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we were heading to our deaths. Our determination was akin to madness—an acceptance of suicide, should we make one small misstep. As our leader, Camilla was far from sane.
“We now head for the ninety-eighth floor, a new frontier! As you all know, this goes beyond our recent labyrinth dives. We are quite literally risking our lives, but I’m sure you left your fears behind, alongside a will! It’s time you make your resolves!”
I responded with a nod.
“Throw away your lives to protect your honors, treasures, and the comrades who now stand beside you! Let all of us in Nachtlibelle return in one piece, for our return home needs no sorrow!”
For a moment, everyone’s eyes fell away from Camilla and landed on each other. We could feel the shared passion between us, and the cumulative fervor added to its fuel.
“We shall return in triumph and let all of Filburn know the name of Nachtlibelle!” As soon as Camilla lifted her right hand into the air, our morale burst from us. The ferocious cries of the men echoed through the labyrinth, mixing with the deep, thunderous shouts of the women.
I lifted my arm into the air and tried to join them. “W-woot!”
I wasn’t used to shouting or screaming, so I probably didn’t do it right. Still, it made me feel like part of the group, and that made me happy.
As the shouts began to fade, Camilla cut it off with her final declaration. “March!”
The whole group began to walk forward, the power clear in their steps. I rushed to keep up with them.
So, this was what the biggest abenteurer party was capable of. I shouldn’t have expected anything less.
“You’re not good with this sort of thing, are you?”
“You’re supposed to keep observations like that to yourself, Heidemarie.”
The first thing we did upon arriving on the ninety-eighth floor was get in formation. Our main goal with this dive was to fill in a big portion of the map. Thanks to the work of many parties, maps covering what was within a day’s journey of the teleportation circle had already been finished. Filling in the rest required investigations that lasted multiple days, and we planned to spend four nights total in the labyrinth—two heading one way, and two heading back.
I expected us to reach the other end of the floor within this trip, but the largest floor so far had required three nights to do so, so it was hard to say. I doubted anyone was thinking everything would go as planned, anyways.
The biggest concern for longer surveys was the chance of encountering the boss monster. There were still no sightings on this floor, but surveys as long as this one meant there was a pretty high chance you would encounter it, which came with huge risks. There would be casualties, and defeating a boss on the first encounter was impossible—even for the Camilla, the greatest warrior in all of Filburn. You couldn’t defeat a boss on your own, and when encountering one during surveys like these, the top priority was to minimize casualties while maximizing the intel you could gather.
Thus, we had chosen the bident formation. The vanguard and rearguard were split in two, and powerful transmission magic was cast on everybody. Enemy detectors were placed on the edges of the squads, and they would constantly search for and communicate with each other about any monsters in the path.
The name “bident” referred to both the formation and how we would progress through the labyrinth. At crossroads, we would split into two groups and progress simultaneously until one group hit another crossroad. At that point, the other group would head back to meet up with the first and then split up again at these new crossroads. This process would be repeated over and over.
It seemed inefficient at first glance, but this method allowed us to map a lot more of the new floor. Most importantly, it meant that an encounter with the boss wouldn’t threaten the whole group, and maybe even allow for a pincer attack.
I was placed in the left wing of the vanguard, the squad with the most mobility and most open to enemy attacks. My job was to cast as many buffs as I could and raise our speed, attack, and defense. If I had any magic left over, I was supposed to aid with enemy detection and predict any upcoming paths and traps.
It was a huge responsibility, and I could easily end up being the reason we were behind schedule. I was happy that they accounted for me in their strategy, but quite honestly, I wanted to hurl.
“Are you nervous, Wim?” Abel was worried for me. He was a candidate to serve in the party’s next generation of top brass, just like Heidemarie. Since we were the same age and same sex, Camilla was probably trying to be nice by putting us in the same squad.
“I’ve already done everything I could, so I’m prepared for the wor—bleeegh!”
“Wait, you’re barfing!”
“Sorry about that. I’m fine. Really.”
I took a deep breath. We were operating as a group, so I couldn’t ignore that and just blabber to myself. I had to do my chants in my head.
My job was divided into two steps. First was movement, and the second was battle. During the former, I would constantly cast speed buffs on the whole squad, stay in touch with Bettina—the head of enemy detection—to aid with her job, and predict upcoming splits in the road and traps. When it came to allocating up my stamina, speed buffs were the key. I would have to cast the buff on many people for a long period of time, so I couldn’t use my usual simple codes. Instead, I put together a more advanced one that could act autonomously even if I wasn’t fully focused on casting. Forgetting about this code would slow down our whole plan, so I had to periodically check to make sure it was still active.
First, the path I needed to create wasn’t the normal type…
“…That could act on individuals but spoke-shaped. The symbolic chant starts with ‘[Spin]’… Good, I still remember it. Next, I need to implement a harmony structure that will respond to everyone’s individual athletic abilities to weaken or strengthen their abilities. The symbolic chant is ‘[Wiedersehen].’ But I’m not quite sure I have the real chant down. Should I maybe try breaking it up? No, but I can’t… I need to actually cast a buff if I’m saying it…”
“Wim?”
“Huh?!”
“You’ll be fine. You’ve never failed during our practices, and we’ll never be able to set off if you’re still referencing the real chant.”
“Was I talking out loud?”
“Yup.”
I’d messed up. My heart was already pounding, but now my face was getting red too.
“I’m sorry. It’s just a habit,” I said reflexively.
Abel shook his head. “We’re counting on you, so count on us too, Wim. It will be fine. No matter how much you might mess up, I can protect you until we can get help. I can even withstand a boss, though just for a little bit.”
Damn, he was cool. I was a dude myself, but I felt that I was falling in love.
That was what was so great about Abel. It was only now that he realized how cool that line sounded, and now he was blushing a bit. It was adorable watching his eyes dart around as he tried to hide his embarrassment. He was a good man, and combined with this side of him, it made for a killer combo.
Maybe all of that was in my head, but it felt like we were sharing our embarrassment, and that made me happy.
Is this what having friends was like? We could talk a bit, and he would sometimes drop his formal tone with me. Was Abel my friend?
I didn’t know how to define friends. That’s right, we had never shared a meal together. Maybe I should invite him out sometime? Yeah, I should. Sometime or another…
No, not sometime, but now!
“Um! Abel?”
“What is it?”
“Um… Well…”
No, think this through, Wim! We were risking our lives here, so lines like “Do you want to grab a bite once all this is over?” just seemed like ominous foreshadowing. Maybe I should just ask to meet “sometime” instead?
“Um… How should I put this? Uh…” You’ve done well, Wim. Gather your courage! You can do this! “Sometime, do you wanna—”
“સ્વાગતછે”
“Huh?!”
“What’s wrong, Wim?”
I heard it again. It was the same strange voice I would hear whenever I would visit the labyrinth lately. It was clear this wasn’t some random background noise, but an utterance with meaning.
“It must have just been a bug.”
I had to be hearing things. I only heard it inside the labyrinth, so maybe it was just an expression of my trauma, or a phenomenon specific to the area.
In any case, they would think I was crazy if I brought this up, so I didn’t say anything. It didn’t seem malicious, so I decided to just leave it be for now.
The ninety-eighth floor exuded a peculiar aura specific to the labyrinth. The only beings I could see around me were all human, but the essence of bustling life came floating out of the dark. The walls of this floor seemed like wet rocks—resembling a cave, if I really had to say. The floor wasn’t flat, and you had to watch your feet if you didn’t want to trip.
There was one aspect that really made this floor special: It had a sky. The walls rose up into the air for what seemed like forever, eventually disappearing into the darkness. It didn’t quite seem like the night sky, but it wasn’t pitch-black either. It was as if you could feel the light of the moon, even though it wasn’t there, and neither were any stars.
This phenomenon hadn’t occurred on any other floors, but it didn’t currently seem to be a drawback for us. If anything, it made the space feel more open, which was refreshing.
Our squad had speed buffs on us, so the quicker-than-normal walking speed carried us faster than when we were running. The walls slipped by us, which strangely made it easier to sense changes in our surroundings. Maybe that was because the changes we saw per second were greater?
“Wim. Enemies were sensed fifty paces ahead and to our left, just as you predicted. They’re B-grade hydras.”
“How many?”
“Five, at least. Maybe six.”
“I’ll take a look.”
Based on Bettina’s intel, I narrowed the range of my search and double-checked for myself. I detected a few hydras hiding behind a large obstacle that was probably a boulder of some sort, as well as some traces coming from around them.
“Found them. It’s likely this falls into pattern number twenty-five of the patterns I gave you. The path is about to open up, I think, so… I’ll expand my enemy detection to cover below-ground and our right. Could you continue to search as much of our left as you can?”
“Got it.”
“O-oh, and the road seems to be descending. Watch out for that when making your maps.”
“Huh? Oh, you’re right.”
Hydras needed water, so if there were multiple, there was a good chance there was a water vein somewhere on this floor. The creatures I had been seeing recently were mostly birds, along with some species that seemed to be semiaquatic. It was probably safe to assume there was a lake somewhere.
We were heading toward the center of the labyrinth. Assuming there was a lake, it would need to be in a larger open space, which meant this floor would have to be similarly constructed as those with big open halls.
I noticed a path branching to our right. Maybe this would connect to our advance force in that direction? Based on my enemy detection, it didn’t seem to be a dead end.
I sent a transmission to our vice-commander Hans, who was in the back row.
‹This is Wim. I noticed a small path branching to our right, Hans. It seems like it won’t hit a dead end for a while.›
‹This is Hans. How wide is it?›
‹About big enough for two people standing side by side, but I don’t think it would fit a whole squad.›
‹Copy that. We’ll just make note of it this time. And Wim, you’ll get a party-wide transmission about this soon, but we detected a large monster twenty-five paces ahead. Our row will turn back and meet up with yours.›
‹Right.› I cut off the transmission.
“[Zeigtest mir.]” I projected the map before me and quickly added this path. Apparently, we would be exploring these smaller branches on our next expeditions. Uncompleted maps could be sold at auctions—for hefty sums, from what I’ve heard.
Once I finished making the note, I resumed walking and continued to gather intel. I looked for new channels and traps, as well as any tracks that could have been left by the boss. The rest of what I did was observation, both out of simple interest and practical use.
I was happy. It was easy to follow clear directions, which meant I could focus on what I needed to do. I still had a hard time with my words, and they were more my comrades than friends, but maybe even someone like me—who couldn’t receive praise for having good people skills—could properly get along with everyone else and work toward a common goal.
I felt like despite everything, this suited me.
***
I always had a larger build, and everyone always told me I was brilliant. I was always proud of the fact that I carried both courage and the skills to back it up. I had been blessed with the people around me too. Their eyes always filled with confidence, and I was extremely glad that those people viewed me—Abel—as a man deserving to be one of our next leaders.
Wim, alone, didn’t fit in with the rest of my life.
“AAC, BBB, DAAC. Um… That makes twenty-three against fifty? Which is two against one, but…no. I can’t say for certain yet.” It was break time, but he was mumbling to himself, sometimes scratching his head or spasming.
Some time had passed since he arrived at Nachtlibelle, but he still never failed to amaze me. This large-scale investigation was going so much quicker than our last one, it wasn’t even worth comparing. What kind of walking buff was this? He said it was a simple speed buff, but this was already in the territory of a completely novel method of travel. Was it really possible to cast support magic on so many of us at once for such a long period of time?
So far, he had even found a way to keep us from encountering any large monsters since our journey’s beginning, and had drawn his map with utmost care and meticulous detail. He had showed it to me earlier, and when I saw it, I was flabbergasted at just how differently two people could see the world. It was so good, I was sure it would sell for multiple times what our maps typically went for.
Knowing he was constantly and scrupulously forming hypotheses and testing them, the fact he could predict enemies and traps with terrifying accuracy made his theories awfully convincing.
“What do I do? This is bad. So, so bad. Should I disassemble the enchantment again? No, I don’t have much MP left. Bl-bleeegh.”
Despite all his strengths, Wim himself was so lacking in confidence, he was barfing from nerves.
He would mumble to himself, cast some buffs, then hurl. He sure was a busy man, but he seemed to be having fun. I was only a tank, but even I was too exhausted to speak. Watching him panic with so much energy was enough to wear on my confidence.
He wasn’t a bad person—in fact, he seemed like a perfectly fine guy. Though considering Heidemarie had brought him here, I should have known he’d be quite the oddball.
After seeing his skills for myself, however, I was quite comforted to have him as an ally.
“Here’s some water, Wim. You need to make sure you stay hydrated.”
“Oh. Thanks, Abel. Sorry, I lost myself for a little while there. I mean, I’m sorry. Was I being too loud?”
“No, not at all. I’m used to it, and I should be thanking you. It’s probably hard for you to believe it, since this is your first time accompanying us on a large-scale survey, but we’re progressing amazingly quicker than last time. You’ve really helped us out.”
“No, not at all! You’ve really helped me out, too, so thanks. Heh, heh, heh!” His reaction was so innocent…though also somewhat suspicious.
“Wim.”
“Oh, Hans!”
“The commander’s calling for you. You think we’re about to come into an open space, right?”
“Yes. To be precise—”
“Save it for her.”
I bowed at the two, watching Hans practically drag Wim away. He had gained the complete trust of all our leaders, but that was perhaps only natural. The results he had shown us over the last few months were deserving of their trust, and Wim never placed undeserved faith in himself, either. He always had backup plans ready in case anything unexpected happened. He saw things from a similar perspective as the leaders, which probably made chatting with him easier.
I glanced at where Wim had been sitting, and recalled the buff he had once cast on me, and the bliss of being able to keep up the secret defensive ability Reflection. I often remembered that moment, and hoped to be assigned to the same squad as Wim on every labyrinth dive.
What if we could both be leaders together in the future?
He had already completely corrupted me, huh?
***
We decided to set up camp where the road opened up a bit. This could differ between floors, but the labyrinth tended to be dimly lit regardless of time, which would throw off your internal clock. Even just being a few hours off from how long you had worked made it hard to manage your stamina, and you wouldn’t be able to save yourself from a pinch. Thus, abenteurers often rested when it would be night outside—even when they had strength to spare.
But getting together in dim light during nighttime could only mean one thing: a meeting. That was obvious, right?
“It’s almost certain that there’s a large, open space on this floor,” Camilla said. “We could smell water from multiple paths, which means there must be a lake or river—just as Wim predicted, yes?”
“I agree. Then it should also be safe to assume we’ll able to refill our water supply as well. Do you have any predictions about how the quality of the water here might be, Wim?”
“R-right. There were some spotted butterflies, and um, they can only survive around pure water. So, yes. I think the water quality will be safe.”
Hans had suddenly included me in the conversation, so I was panicking. I looked at his expression to see if my answer had been satisfactory, but it hadn’t changed at all. I was probably fine.
“All right, then as for tomorrow…”
Camilla addressed the rest of the leaders, and they resumed fine-tuning the plan for the next day. The bident formation consisted of two separate groups that would follow separate paths, and one of the advantages of this was that we could scope out the safest way forward, which everyone would then take. In other words, if there was a big monster on one path, that squad could turn back and meet up with the other group. It was thanks to this that we haven’t battled a single large monster all day. Apparently, things had rarely gone so smoothly, and the expressions on Camilla and the others’ faces were relaxed.
However, there was something else weighing on my mind.
“All right, then. Let’s call it a day. Does anyone else have anything to report?”
No one spoke, and a silence—uniquely heard only when all human voices have faded from a space—filled the air of the labyrinth.
I was about to raise my hand, but I hesitated. This was minor, and only a foreboding. I thought about just saying it so we could be prepared for anything, but this could’ve all just been in my head too. Actually, I was almost certainit was all in my head.
Unsavory memories resurfaced in my mind. It had happened when I was with Drachenflügel too. I would run my mouth and just ruin the mood.
Maybe I shouldn’t say it. I would keep it to myself until I was more certain. I was an outsider, so I needed to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention to myself.
“Wim! Do you have something to say, boy?” It must have been clear I was hesitating, as Camilla barked at me.
“Huh?! U-um, no. Nothing important.”
“Then you do have something. Out with it.”
“Um, actually, yeah. I do, but…”
“Calm down. Telling us can’t hurt us.”
“Um…”
“If you’re trying to be polite, then hurry on with it! We can’t end this meeting until you tell us. Here. One, two, three, four—”
“I’ll say it!” I took a deep breath. Then, I tried to look everyone in the eyes, but I was so terrified I felt like I was about to keel over. So, I just looked at Camilla instead. “Um… It’s barely noticeable, but this road is sloped.”
“Sloped? I heard we had generally descended.”
“We have. You can just barely tell with a spirit level, but we were gradually descending, which would be natural if we were approaching a water source. But just now, we started to climb back up a bit. I thought this was strange.”
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“Well, I’m not sure. These slopes can’t be found on other floors, so it might be part of a trap. That’s all, really. Yup.”
Camilla brought a hand to her chin. “So, we’re on a slope. Is a boulder going to come tumbling after us? No, I suppose it would be water if anything. Is this meant to drown us?”
Everyone was on edge. I really should have kept quiet. The potential danger was much greater than the chances of anything happening, which made it the sort of thought that would easily take over your mind. I was just making them anxious for no reason.
“That was my first thought too, but it’d take quite a lot of water to cover such wide paths, not to mention all the little paths and crossroads we’ve passed.”
“I see.”
I couldn’t help but look at the other leaders. I had brought up something I hadn’t needed to, and it was obvious what their reaction would be.
“Did you hear him, everyone? Share this with your divisions.”
“Understood.”
“Right.”
“Copy that.”
“All right, let’s get resting. Don’t exert yourself unless you’re on guard duty. Remember that the weary become the dead.”
Camilla ended the meeting with a clap of her hands, and everyone headed back to where they would be resting for the night. I had let them all down, so I stayed back, standing alone and dumbfounded.
That’s when someone whacked me on the shoulder. “Boy.”
“H-huh?! I-I’m sorry! Everyone gets to rest less now that I went and said something so stupid!”
“I’m starting to get frustrated since we’ve had this same conversation over and over, but—”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re wrong. Don’t underestimate us. Here in the labyrinth, information is the difference between life and death. There’s a huge difference when you run into danger prepared versus ill-prepared. You always provide us with valuable, important intel, and we’re not so small-minded as to throw fits about having to keep track of just one more piece of information.”
Camilla was forceful—not in the oppressive way I experienced when I was with Drachenflügel, but more in the sense that she had something to tell me and wanted to make sure her words came across.
“I’m sure your introspective nature has helped you grow, but you take it too far. It’s going to get in your way. You don’t need to hold back so much, boy.” She looked into my eyes. “You can live how you want.”
Her eyes were stern, but I could sense warmth in them as well.
Progress was shockingly smooth. We hadn’t encountered a single big monster yet, and everyone still had plenty of stamina. We had even discovered a few gold veins. Although we were only partway through our journey, this dive had already proved to be profitable.
In fact, things were going too well. The labyrinth was a place where you could fall into unexpected traps, even with obsessive preparation.
Were we purposefully being drawn further inside? The labyrinth sometimes seemed to change as if it had a mind of its own, and some whole floors were even built like traps.
I observed my surroundings. Did anything seem strange? This was the labyrinth—of course something here had to seem strange.
There was the “sky,” and we no longer saw any vegetation. The number of semiaquatic monsters had increased, and they now made up the majority of what we encountered. We had to be close to a water source. The angle of the slope had increased, and after a short descent, we had climbed back up.
If this was a trap, what could it be? Would water suddenly spurt forth and drown us all?
Damn it. Everything seemed fishy, and the more I thought about it, the more nervous I became.
“Ugh, this is bad.”
My legs started to shake. I really was a coward.
It was now our midday break, and I was once again summoned for a meeting. Camilla and the other leaders were all wearing similar expressions, which gave me an idea as to what this gathering might be about.
“I have a question, everyone! How shall we proceed?”
Everyone understood the purpose behind the query. We all carried the same vague sense of foreboding, but there was no reason for us to turn back. Even if there was a trap, it was the job of Nachtlibelle to confirm it first.
“Just to be clear, it doesn’t seem like we’re being purposefully lead anywhere,” Simon, division captain of the enemy detection unit, said. “It’s thanks to luck and the bident formation that we have yet to battle any large monsters. We’ve observed forty-three so far, and have confirmed the species of twenty-five of those. The remaining eighteen are likely of a new species, and it’s possible the boss is amongst them.”
Everyone nodded. He was right. We had all done our jobs, and this was the natural result. The only reason it felt like things were maybe going too smoothly was because we had prepared properly. It didn’t seem like there were any other explanations.
“You’re right, Simon,” Hans said. “But there’s clearly something weird about this floor.”
“I know that, but we can’t turn back just because something feels off, nor can we submit a map that has ‘something felt off, so we turned back’ on it! We’re Nachtlibelle!”
“There are plenty of examples of parties on the front lines who have called off large-scale surveys during their journey. Maybe we haven’t made it to the end of this floor, but we’ve filled in plenty of the map. We can still rope in other parties and figure out a new strategy.”
“No, we don’t have enough intel to recruit them. You can’t strategize on just a hunch!”
“And you think we can head back? Filburn will be filled with black maps!”
“The same will be true if our whole party gets annihilated!”
Everyone cast their opinions, all of them sensible and convincing. It was the duty for large parties like Nachtlibelle to be the first to head into danger, and they would be responsible for any tragedies that could result from failing to carry out this duty.
Black maps were just one example of this. Quite frankly, creating maps of the labyrinth was easy if you weren’t interested in actually exploring. You could just find a disposable pawn, forcibly cast transmission magic on them, and send them into unexplored areas. They just had to send you all the intel they could before they met their doom. Maps created in this way were called “black maps,” and when a large-scale investigation was called off, the need for these sorts of maps skyrocketed. We couldn’t let someone stupid try to make a map just for some cash, and it was something we risked our pride to prevent.
At the same time, we had to value the lives of our comrades and think about the fate of our own party. I had complete respect for Camilla and the other leaders, and was relieved I had no say in their ultimate decision. That was a responsibility I knew I just couldn’t bear.
I was relieved for another reason as well. Chronos made all the decisions on his own in Drachenflügel, while I had to take all the risk. I used to think it wasn’t necessary, but I was glad to see everyone sharing the load. It felt like I had finally been seen.
“Is that everything?” It was only once everyone had shared their input and the conversation had grown stale that Camilla spoke again. “I recognize the risk, and I share in your fears. But fear can become resolve, and resolve is how we minimize our casualties.”
The corners of everyone’s eyes crinkled. It looked like they were smiling at each other. I even heard someone whisper, “She’s back at it again.”
“Such absurd logic only passes with those of us who are foolish enough to be abenteurers.”
I knew exactly what she was referring to: the spirit of adventure, the longing in all our foolish hearts to reach the end of the labyrinth. If you feared death, it was better never to step foot in here in the first place.
“Wim, what’s the worse-case scenario that you’ve been so scared of telling us?”
My name was suddenly called out, and I hesitated at first. But Camilla had asked, so I had to answer. I steeled myself. “Right… Even when factoring in the branching paths we’ve encountered, we’ve been ascending since yesterday, and it’s already canceled out with how much we had already descended.”
“What does that mean?”
“If a deluge of water were to appear, it would flood the path behind us. Basically, we’d be trapped in here. If the boss uses that time to attack, he’d have it in for us.”
“Got it.” Camilla was silent for a moment. “Let’s continue a little while longer, but we’re doing away with the bident formation just in case. If the boss appears, we all attack together. Be ready for anything.”
Just before we arrived at the large, empty space on this floor, Camilla had us put together an advance unit. Their objective was to scout the area and estimate the size of the water source we believed to be there. If there seemed to be any trap that would flood our road home, we were to turn back immediately and resume our investigation only after we had properly prepared to counter the water.
There were no signs of the boss for now. We were fearful, but we couldn’t stop when we lacked the info we needed to make that decision.
The advance unit consisted of me, Abel, Simon, and two others. The leaders determined the best course of action was for me to cast my speed buffs so we could gather intel as quickly as possible.
“Here we go. [Spin], [Wiedersehen]…” I cast the strongest speed buffs I could muster. “We’re enchanted and ready to go.”
This time, we didn’t speed-walk, but jogged. Our pace now was beyond our earlier speed. I would switch to enemy detection when necessary, then choose the shortest route to avoid encounters.
“Wim! How is it looking?”
Though of course, we couldn’t avoid large enemies completely. Sixty paces ahead, now fifty-nine, fifty-eight…
“We can’t avoid an encounter!”
“What do we do?”
“We’ll pass by. I’ll draw its attention while you head right!”
“Got it!”
I put some distance between Simon and myself and took the lead.
There it was, a frog monster. It was a B-Class Frosch…actually, a new breed. It was three times the size of an adult man, and since both its hind legs were planted on the ground, it must be bracing for something. Its tongue was probably about to fly at me.
I held the hilt of my machete and prepared to unsheathe it. I locked eyes with the slits the frog had for pupils.
Here it comes.
It opened its mouth, which was covered in a black hide. I saw its peach-colored insides, and that’s when its tongue came shooting toward me like a dart.
Frog tongues were pure muscle, and too accurate to dodge. However, that didn’t make what I was about to do meaningless. I feigned sideways to redirect the its trajectory before leaping to my left. Having the tongue change direction forced it to slow down.
I waited until the time was right, then unsheathed my blade. I held it up toward the approaching tongue and supported the flat side with my other hand to prepare for the shock.
“Croaaaak!” The Frosch’s tongue was severed cleanly in half, and it let out a cry of pain shortly after. It seemed like it needed a moment to register the sting.
I was short on time, so I put my legs into motion and ran past its side to meet with Simon and the others. They were still running, so I kept my eyes trained ahead and cautiously called out to them, “I did it!”
“I knew you could, Wim!”
“Fweh heh heh… Thank you!”
My cheap trick had worked, and since it put me in a good mood, I eagerly accepted their praise. Things would have gotten dangerous if I had fought the Frosch for real.
The walls whizzed by us at dizzying speeds. Eventually, I realized our footsteps had started to sound different.
The Frosch had apparently been the final hurdle. The menacing walls beside us slowly began to give way, but more importantly, the “sky” began to spread out even further, making the space feel more open.
We had made it to the big open space. It had just been around the corner!
I felt something akin to how it must feel to stand and prepare to ascend up to the peak of a mountain. I knew that we were about to see something special.
We all ran until we were standing right next to each other. This prevented any fights about who would get to witness the view first.
I lowered my gaze. Should I enjoy the gradual change in surroundings, or wait to see it all at once? The first option seemed underwhelming to me, but I wondered what the others were thinking.
I felt the air around us change and lifted my head.
The view opened up instantly, with the room spreading out farther than I could see. This was no longer just a big, wide space, but a whole new land. At least, that’s what it felt like.
I felt free, and the limitless ceiling was why. It was hard to see here in the labyrinth, so I had been calling what was above us the “sky” for convenience’s sake. But now, it really did seem like a sky. The land before us was expansive, looking like the wastelands you would find back on the surface outside the labyrinth. Like a moonlit plain.
And I could feel water. There was a lake in the middle of this wasteland.
It was a poetic sight. Inside this secluded labyrinth, this area felt like a secret realm. As the first ones here, I was overwhelmed with a sense of accomplishment—or maybe conquest. It was moments like this that made being an abenteurer worth it.
For a while, all words seemed insensitive, so we simply reflected on the flood of emotion that filled our hearts.
“Wim.”
I grabbed Abel’s outstretched hand. “Thank you, Abel!”
“Oh, no. That’s my line. Thank you, and I mean it.”
Sharing this moment only made it feel even more special. I was certain we all thought the same. It even felt like we had forged new bonds.
“Look! There really is a lake. So, it wasn’t a river… Then is it a spring? It’ll be hard to find the source of the water considering how dark it is in here…”
“We need to report back first, Wim. Isn’t the lake smaller than we were expecting? It seems more like a pond.”
“Abel! Wim! We’re resuming the investigation! Let’s get a good look at this place!” Simon announced, kicking us back into gear.
We had assumed there would be an open space, but it was even bigger than we had been expecting. We had an hour, but that wasn’t enough time to explore the whole thing. At the center was a lake, though it seemed a bit too small to be called that. Just as Abel had pointed out, it was a large pond at most. The water was clear, meaning we could probably drink it.
“Simon. Um, what’s inside the lake?”
“Hmm… It’s not very deep, and there’s some small monsters on the bottom, but I doubt they’re hostile. There’s not much water either.”
I observed our surroundings. There were some monsters, but it seemed like they were just here for a drink. They weren’t hostile, and if they approached us, we would be able to run away.
“Don’t you think this makes for a perfect camping spot? There’s great visibility here, too.”
“You’re right. We could put a waypoint here.”
When picking a place to camp, the spot had to be visible and needed to have multiple escape routes. There were plenty of branching paths where we came from, as well as on the opposite side of the pond. If we positioned ourselves well, we wouldn’t be cornered.
There wasn’t enough water here for any traps, so it actually seemed safer for us to have everyone gather here as quickly as possible.
Ultimately, the advance unit concluded that this area was safe, and that the rest of our forces should proceed.
When everyone else had arrived, gasps of wonder echoed throughout the chamber. We immediately carried out a detailed investigation to ensure our immediate safety. We even found a gold vein, cinching that this large-scale survey had profit.
The whole group started to relax. I could even hear laughter around me.
Nachtlibelle decided to build a waypoint here. Then, we were in for an early night. We planned to spend our last days of the dive here and use it as the center of our investigations. We were confident that if we banded together in this open space that had plenty of escape routes, we would avoid complete annihilation even if we were ambushed by the boss.
“You did it, boy!” said Camilla, gripping my hand firmly. All of Nachtlibelle was in good spirits, and they surrounded me.
“Aha ha ha… I mean, I didn’t really do much…”
“What do you mean?! It’s astounding that we were able to come all this way in just two days without being exhausted!”
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“We’re in for a triumphant return! Let’s celebrate a bit early!”
“Let’s have a drink to cheer you up!”
I could hear more jolly shouts from behind me.
“You fools! Don’t let your guards down!” Camilla chided. “But… I won’t be too fussy. Just don’t let our watch falter.” It seemed that she wasn’t going to be too hard on them, which elicited cheers.
This was the sort of high spirits you usually only saw after these large-scale investigations were over. I was jostled by the mob and showered with praise and handshakes. So much so that I felt my spirits lifting, too.
I was awfully calm, but it could be that the amazing view I had just seen was still affecting me. Yes, I was having fun, but I couldn’t completely lose myself to the celebratory atmosphere. I turned away from the crowd’s chatter and laughter and headed elsewhere.
My fears must have been baseless. Personally, I didn’t think I was worrying more than necessary, but I must really be a scaredy-cat.
It had been the same when I was with Drachenflügel. I wasn’t just a worrywart; my fears were more full-fledged anxiety. Ultimately, that balanced well with Chronos, who tended to rush forward without a second thought. Given how scrupulous this party was, though, I was just too on edge.
“Hey, champ. What are you scowling about?”
As I was wandering around to kill time, I heard Heidemarie suddenly call out to me. We hadn’t talked much since the investigation started, so it felt like it had been a while since we last spoke.
“Wow, this view sure is amazing! This is the real thrill of adventuring, huh?”
Her voice was slightly—actually, clearly—lighthearted. That’s when I remembered that Heidemarie had always been like this. She embodied the pure spirit of abenteurers more than anyone, and had made it here on ambition and talent alone. I was only in Filburn now because she dragged me here.
“You don’t have to look so down,” she said.
“Oh, I was just thinking about how great Nachtlibelle is. Heh heh…”
“We’re an A-rank party from Filburn, after all. If we were a mess, there wouldn’t be a good party in the whole town. But that’s all you ever say, Wim.”
“Well, I’m just grateful.”
“Everyone’s always talking about how useful you are, so just be happy and accept the compliments.”
“But all I’m doing is just lending a helping hand. Getting praised for that is kinda…”
“Who cares if it’s just a helping hand? They think highly of you, Wim. Or, what? You’re upset with yourself because you can’t wipe away your anxieties even when you’ve accomplished so much with the members of the great Nachtlibelle?” She really hit me right where it hurts, just as she always did. “Why do you always want to make yourself suffer?”
“Suffer? Well, it’s more like someone like me can’t—”
“Right! Of course! You’re a loser I just happened to take a liking to, and I abused my connections to get you into an A-rank party! I’m just an idiot who’s exploited my standing to damage my own party!”
“That’s not what I meant.” I couldn’t tell if she was trying to provoke me or be self-deprecating, but I knew she was trying to cheer me up in her own way.
She was right… I need to do away with my self-hatred and have confidence. Doing otherwise was a slight to the people who thought so highly of me.
“You can do what you want, Wim. If you want to worry, then worry! And if you don’t want to cause trouble for anyone else, then create some backup plans on your own!”
“Can you read my mind?!”
“I’ve known you for a long time, Wim. But get some sleep, okay?”
I rested under the serenity of the night sky. There were guards posted on all four sides of camp, and their presence helped me relax. Still, I couldn’t stop staring at our map. The labyrinth did have an orientation, so compasses were useful. I compared mine with the map and discovered we had headed straight north. The path generally had been on a slope, then ascended before taking us to the open space.
A flood from the south was what we needed to worry about, as it would submerge our path home and trap us here.
I had looked into the paths leading from this space as well. There were multiple that took us back south, and others that took us further north. If the roads southward were blocked, we would have to retreat using one of the northern passages. I wrote out all the escape routes I could think of, and given the area’s elevation, it was clear we wouldn’t have to worry about any water-based traps.
Once I was done writing, I finally allowed myself to relax. As I closed my eyes and laid down, I wondered why I was so on edge. I was always anxious, but this was more than usual. Since there weren’t any large bodies of water that could rush toward us, anticipating such a trap was practically pointless.
I knew there was no point in thinking about it anymore. I needed to prioritize getting proper rest and preserving my strength. I repeated that thought in my mind as I closed my eyes and made sure not to open them.
Plink!
It felt like someone had poked my forehead. Then, I felt the cold.
I started to rouse to consciousness, but as soon as I was about to react, I felt more of that something pelt my face. The alarm bells in my head started to ring, and I awoke with a start.
My surroundings were wet and so was my head. My entire body ached, as if small rocks were bombarding me. It was too dark to see what they were. The usual gloomy labyrinth was even darker than usual, darkening my vision.
It took me a moment to be certain, as the explanation defied common sense in the labyrinth. No, there shouldn’t be common sense here, but there were some things we had mistakenly decided were for certain.
It was raining. Here, in the labyrinth!
‹Wake up, everyone! It’s raining!›
Someone sent out a universal transmission. My vision finally adjusted, and I saw everyone get up and scramble.
I looked up to the “sky” in protest. “Like I’d be able to predict this, damn it…”
Chapter 7: Listen to Your Heart
Chapter 7:
Listen to Your Heart
‹GET INTO FORMATION! PREPARE FOR THE BOSS!› Camilla shouted over the rain, guiding the rest of us.
It was hard to see, but communication wasn’t impossible. Everyone had torches, and calling out to each other gave us a sense of how we were positioned. Everyone was armored, with the shield division forming a circle around us. I was at the center.
‹Wim. It’s Simon. Can you hear me?!› I was sent a personal transmission.
‹This is Wim! I can hear you!›
‹We’re preparing for battle! Prepare to cast buffs, just as we discussed!›
‹Roger!›
None of us had guessed there would be a rainstorm, but expecting the worst had worked in our favor. Nobody panicked.
‹Everyone! Listen up!› Camilla transmitted as we got into formation. ‹The rain has drowned out the paths to our south! We can’t head back! We’re trapped here!› She laid out the situation to us. It was practically hopeless, but that didn’t put a damper on our spirits. ‹Let me say it again! Prepare for the boss!›
We finished getting into formation, which I confirmed by looking at my neighbor. We knew what we had to do. We would fend off the monster, see how things went, and look for a way to escape. Short and sweet.
Everyone’s fear disappeared as resolve took its place. I looked in all directions through the torrent of rain, focusing to see if I could find anything moving in the darkness.
Amid the pounding rain, all was silent. Or rather, it was just too quiet. I gathered my nerves.
‹One of the paths to the north, the third from the right! Something’s coming!›
That was probably Bettina. Everyone focused their attention on the north path.
‹Shield division, retreat! Rearguard, attack once Wim casts his buffs!›
The rearguard flooded me with personal transmissions giving their permission, and I immediately began to chant. “[Harden], [Quake]…”
I established a path between all of us. Then, I cast a buff made just for [Gewitterspeer] that would adjust the hardness, vibrations, and air resistance of the spell.
‹You’re enchanted!›
A giant ice spear appeared above our heads, emitting a light that brightened our surroundings. Through its glow, I looked to the path ahead and saw a translucent clump. Its size was…well, it was huge—at the very least, much bigger than other large monsters. You would probably need fifty men to take this thing on.
It was writhing.
“[Gewitterspeer!]”
The giant ice spear shot through the clump as an explosion loud enough to drown out the rain reverberated through the air. The rainwater knocked away by the blast came crashing down at once, obscuring our vision with steam instead of smoke.
‹The target is still moving! We’ll presume it to be a miss! Um… It’s transforming! Th-there’s tentacles! Here they come!›
Bettina’s warning put us all on edge.
The shield division leaped between us and the tentacles before Camilla could give her orders. They gave me their permission to cast buffs on them, which I granted.
‹You’re enchanted!›
The steam gave way, and I could see the translucent clump stretch into the shape of an arrow. It flew straight into us. The shield division moved to block it, stopping the attack head-on rather than redirecting it, to avoid it adjusting its trajectory and trying again.
It stopped. We made it through the first attack, and everything went according to the manual. Everyone acted on their reflexes. The rest was up to Camilla.
‹Illuminate what lies ahead! Shield division, prepare to guard! We attack as soon as we get eyes on the thing!›
What followed after her orders was watchful waiting. The way ahead was well-lit, and soon, the whole form of the translucent clump that had charged into this space was gradually revealed.
It looked like a large, round ball. It had two horn-like structures sticking out of it, and I could see what looked like blood vessels running through its entire body.
‹Wim. Do you know what we’re looking at? This has to be the boss, right?›
‹It doesn’t resemble any previous bosses. If anything, it looks like the smaller species known as the sea slug.›
‹Sea slug? I see. Then fire’s our best bet?›
‹I think that would work. My buffs are still cast, so I’m ready whenever.›
‹All right.› Camilla switched over to a universal transmission. ‹Rearguard! I’m lifting the ban on fire magic! Hit it with everything you’ve got!›
Fire magic. In the enclosed spaces of the labyrinth, it was seen as taboo. Monsters were organisms, and almost all were weak to it. But given the confines of the labyrinth, the vast amounts of oxygen fire spells consumed were a problem, so they could only be used in open spaces. However, there was a “sky” here, which meant the oxygen wouldn’t get used up no matter how hotly a fire burned.
“[Feuerball!]”
“[Ashes To Ashes!]”
“[Heat!]”
The ranged attackers pelted the clump with fire magic, including fireballs, fountains of flames, and boiling winds. I adjusted these spells with my buffs to help them gather energy more effectively. The fires were awe-inspiring to see, and burned through the boss’s body with enough heat to evaporate the torrential rain.
The moment the flames hit with the boss, it silently began to wriggle on the floor.
“It’s working!” somebody shouted. More voices followed, and our morale soared.
‹All right! Vanguard, form pairs with the shield division to defend against the tentacles and attack its body! Severing the tentacles should do some damage! Rearguard, form pairs of attackers and counter-attackers!›
At Camilla’s orders, everyone systematically dispersed and started to attack.
‹Boy! You can undo the buffs on everyone but the shield division! Spare some of your energy and focus on defense!›
‹Roger that.›
‹Wim’s buffs will only be cast on the tanks! Rejoice, shields! You can go all out!›
‹Right!› The voices of our shield division resounded.
The spectacle that followed was magnificent. The vanguard and rearguard were in perfect sync as the frontline attackers slipped through the cracks in the boss’s armor created by the ranged attackers’ spells, approaching and retreating so smoothly it seemed they didn’t fear any friendly fire at all. They repeated this over and over, sometimes simultaneously to keep the boss focused, and sometimes staggering their attacks.
It was as if I was watching a game of chess, this battle perfectly calculated.
I could tell we were wearing down the boss. The rain put us firmly within enemy territory, but all possibilities were on our side.
“Boy.” I heard Camilla’s voice, not through a transmission, but in real life. “I’m heading in. Focus your buffs on me and go all out. I, Camilla, approve you, Wim, to cast your granting magic on me!”
I heard someone announce that Camilla was about to head in, and our party members were overcome with excitement. She was only jogging, but her larger-than-life presence made it look like she was gallantly charging into battle.
She was quite large for a woman—or any man, for that matter. Her features were refined, and her silver hair whipped behind her. Her divinity seemed greater than a human’s. She looked like a statue meant to be worshipped.
Her sword, Decapitator, had already expanded to the size of a longsword. I was casting the strongest buffs I could, but I wasn’t sure they would even be of any help. I knew she planned to make the finishing blow.
Bosses were crafty and careful, and they sometimes had plots up their sleeves. It was usually best to end the battle in a single blow before you could see what it had planned.
Sword magic—that is, severing power—was effective against everything. Any being would perish if their vitals were severed. Even lowly animals couldn’t avoid hefty damage.
Everyone’s power was fueling her, and now, what we wanted was a knockout hit.
***
I had lost count of how many times I heard the words, “You’re enchanted.” With each of Wim’s buffs, my body was honed further as my flesh absorbed them.
I didn’t mean that metaphorically. I had repeatedly recreated the movements his buffs allowed me to do on my own. I had long hit the ceiling of my capabilities, and no amount of training changed that. Thus, I no longer hoped to further strengthen my muscles, and I was quite confident in my magic skills as well. However, through that confidence, I felt that I had reached my limits.
I had told myself that because Nachtlibelle was such a wonderful party, I didn’t mind this. If I could polish my skills no further, then I simply needed to dedicate myself to being a commander and leader.
But on the other side of that coin was despair. I had died as a warrior the day I had reached my limits, but Wim’s buffs suddenly burst through my stagnation. Yes, I was operating only under borrowed power, but it had shown me the view beyond the ceiling. I could burst through it as long as his power was with me.
What I had felt up until that moment was an obstruction in my path, but could such a clear goalpost really exist?
In only a short period of time, I had broken through multiple walls at speeds I had never seen before. Now, I thought back to the first moment Wim established a path between me and himself. I realized that the excitement I felt was a premonition of a breakthrough.
I’m sure you have no idea, boy. But how would you? I am so, so grateful to you.
I had tried to put it into words, but these feelings were beyond what I could convey. At that moment, I had been revived as a warrior.
[Wake up, Decapitator.]
It was a rough choice of words, but their spirit acted as an enchantment. My partner readily obeyed my commands, and I could feel its excitement through the nerves in my arms.
Thankfully, there was a “sky” here, which meant I didn’t have to limit my partner’s size, nor think about how high I could leap. I jumped with all my might, expanded my sword as much as I could, and thrust downwards with everything I had.
It felt amazing. My body was so light. I was so agile.
This was a boss we were facing. If I didn’t end it with this one blow, there was no telling what might come next. But before I could even think of such things, the warrior’s fighting spirit blazed like a fire within me.
‹Everyone, retreat! I’m hitting it with a big one!›
I went from a jog into a full sprint, counting the number of steps as I climbed towards my maximum speed. Then, the moment my right hand that gripped the hilt of my sword was in sync with my left foot that kicked off the ground, I leaped into the air.
It was as if Wim’s buffs were guiding me. They provided me with whatever I needed, the moment I needed it. When I reacted to his will and synchronized my sensations to it, my movements became even more polished.
My left hand came to support the hilt of my sword—which was now lifted into the air—before I could even think of doing so. My entire body coiled like a spring, but my muscles were relaxed as I channeled all the strength into them that I could. My partner was working with me, and I knew it would expand at the perfect time, even if I didn’t command it to change its size.
“[Giant Hunter.]”
As I reached my zenith in the air, the tip of my sword bent faster than a whip and expanded to a size I had never witnessed. Even I had no idea how far it expanded or the length of its reach. The only thing I knew was that it was enough to cut through the boss, and that right now, I could wield a weapon of any size.
I slammed into the boss with everything I had, wasting nothing.
***
Camilla’s attack had to be the first and last of its kind, and it split the whole room into two. And I meant that literally. Her blade was so huge that everything from where she stood all the way to the wall was cut in half, including the boss. The translucent clump was now in two parts. It didn’t seem like it would be rejoining to heal itself.
For a moment, all was silent. Then, someone let out a triumphant shout, opening the floodgate to a torrent of cheers. Everyone raised their right fists in the air, confident of our victory.
‹This is Simon! We’re still detecting life-force from the target!›
‹Keep your guards up! Continue with your attacks!›
We resumed our offensive, sure that this was the final push. We were all completely focused.
I stood in the back and cast my buffs, while Camilla prepared for a second attack and shouted out orders. The two halves of the boss lost size as they were sliced and burned, and even my enemy detection could tell its life-force was dwindling.
We had adopted the best strategy we could. There was no better plan out there.
However, the rain was still pouring down on us with no signs of stopping.
‹This is Simon! The target is now silent!›
Now, we were all sure we were victorious. I could hear cheers and even applause. However, I didn’t feel happy. What was it? What was still bothering me? Was it the rain? Was it the fact we had defeated the boss so easily?
No, it hadn’t been easy. We just took care of it before it was a threat. We had prepared accordingly, and if we had faltered at the beginning, the boss would have been strong enough to cause casualties. We had only ended the battle early by overwhelming it with sheer numbers.
But…something wasn’t quite right. I tried to turn around to get a good look at our surroundings, but my feet were stuck in the water, and I almost toppled over. It was now that I realized this entire space was flooded up to our ankles.
“What is this…?”
I looked back on what had just happened. The sudden rainfall had coincided with the appearance of the boss that ambushed us. What did that mean? Under normal logic, it meant that the boss attacked us right when the storm had started.
But what if—just if—the boss on this floor had the ability to make it rain?
I shook my head. I was making a logical leap. Thinking wouldn’t solve anything. If I was going to say something, I needed to approach it from a different angle and within the bounds of an effective plan.
‹Camilla. This is Wim.›
‹What is it?›
‹The water level is rising. I think semiaquatic monsters will be more active, and they can probably move faster in the water. Our speed will be dampened.›
‹You mean we’re not out of the clear just yet?›
I gulped down some spit. ‹We aren’t.›
‹Thanks for saying something. Sorry, I let myself get carried away, didn’t I? We figured out the trick to this floor, and we’ve accomplished enough. It’s time we retreat.›
It felt…underwhelming. Camilla immediately sent a transmission to everyone, commanding them to stay focused. We got back into formation, though the water slowed our footsteps. Once the others realized the water level had risen, they all remembered our current situation. While they were still burning with excitement, the party had regained their composure.
‹Do you have any retreat plans left, boy?›
I was proud I had the opportunity to show off all my hard work from last night.
‹Yes. We can probably circumvent the water using the path to our northwest. It’s a bit far away, but the water will only reach—›
The sound of the water splashing rended the air like an explosion. Then came the vibrations. The water around our feet morphed into waves that crashed against us. I didn’t have time to block the force of the water and was knocked down on my butt. Something gigantic had fallen, that was the only thing I knew for certain. It came from the far walls.
I looked in its direction. From between the torrential rain drops, I saw another translucent clump even bigger than the previous one. It was enormous, looking like a mollusk of sorts—a slug, probably. Its translucent body was filled with water, and it had two organs on its head shaped like horns. I could see a network of veins throughout its body, and its back was swollen with what looked like a ball of sludge. A membrane extended from it, which spurt out blue-black mist at regular intervals.
It was obvious this was the real boss.
There came more splashes as more big somethings fell all around us. They were round, translucent clumps that looked just like the last boss, but there were multiple of them. They tumbled down from around the walls, surrounding us.
Transmissions were flying. We were completely flustered. Yes, we could use words to describe the scene before us, but we couldn’t understand it. We knew that we now faced extreme danger, but we had no clue on how to get out of it.
‹Focus yourselves!› It was Camilla who barked us back into shape. ‹Form one big group and take up the defensive formation!›
Her commands caused my body to move. I needed to stop thinking and just move.
I was thankful Camilla had such a broad presence, as I could see her despite the poor visibility. I dragged through the water in my soaked, heavy clothes and ran to my position, which was right behind her.
Somehow, we managed to get in formation. But what do we do now? The answer was obvious—run.
We were up against the real boss and multiple of its minions. Nachtlibelle was the best party in all of Filburn, but even we couldn’t stand a chance against their numbers.
“Hey!”
But our escape routes were blocked. Did that mean we had to fight? How long could we last? Would we find a way to retreat? Would the boss chase after us?
“Wim!” Someone slapped me on my back. I looked up to see Mark, the tank. “Keep your eyes ahead of ya, you hear?! A skilled guy like you can’t be lookin’ so glum. Look around!”
I did as he said. Everyone looked tense, but none had lost hope. It was mayhem, but they were focused on fighting back. There were over a hundred members in Nachtlibelle, and I was the only one panicking.
“Right!”
I shifted my focus. There was no guarantee we could overwhelm our opponents, but we weren’t at a disadvantage. We had plenty of manpower. Yes, we were in danger, but there hadn’t been any casualties. We would all make it out of this alive.
Take a good look around you, figure out what you need to do, and do it!
That’s what I told myself as I refocused on what lay ahead of us. The boss writhed in the rain. That meant something must be coming. Our orders were to defend—in other words, look for any openings for counterattacks and figure out how this enemy operated.
I cast buffs on the tanks. We would be golden with their defense. Give it all you’ve got, slug!
From the boss’s body, countless tentacles shot up into the air, wriggling and multiplying in an instant. And it wasn’t just the boss—tentacles burst from its minions too.
‹Everyone, prepare for an incoming attack! Once we make it through, we go for the big one!›
Camilla barked out her orders, and we waited anxiously for a strike that could come at any moment. I held back my fear and told myself I got this. Then, I upped my focus.
But the attack never came, even once I had maximized my focus and let it wane. Only a moment had passed, but the attack felt delayed. I instead directed my attention to the multiplying tentacles.
Aren’t there a little…too much?
Someone had muttered that aloud. It was a tasteless comment, but it made me realize that it spelled a reality that would be difficult for us to endure. There were simply too many. They didn’t number in the dozens, but the hundreds, and the amount far exceeded what Nachtlibelle could physically defend against. In a mere moment, we had been completely overrun.
Instead of the rain, it was tentacles that pelted us. I had no choice but to unsheathe my machete and fight back myself. I sensed someone repel an attack headed my way, and I cut down tentacles headed for my comrades behind me in turn, one after another. Some managed to get through, striking me straight on.
This was a storm we needed to weather, and if it hadn’t been for the orders to defend, we would have all been goners. I was incredibly thankful for Camilla’s commands.
Still, Nachtlibelle was on the edge of ruin.
More than half of us had collapsed on the ground. A few of the members near Camilla and the tanks had made it through, but those who were still standing had sustained heavy damage.
The torrent of tentacles had subsided, but the attacks continued, as if the boss was trying to make sure we couldn’t rest.
I couldn’t believe the scene before me. We had predicted a worst-case scenario, and we had come this far prepared to face whatever that was. We had plenty of manpower and training, and any bigger expedition would have been the size of an Abenteurers’ Guild-wide hunting quest the likes that hadn’t been seen for decades.
And yet, we were in shambles.
There wasn’t any logic to the labyrinth, so being prepared for anything was meaningless. A full-fledged retreat with everyone in tow was no longer up for discussion. Our enemy was just too strong—much more than any boss before it. There was absolutely nothing I could do to help. This was the type of floor where the first group that encountered a boss would be decimated.
‹Boy.› Suddenly, I got a call from Camilla.
***
‹You’re still not an official member of Nachtlibelle. You’d be able to escape on your own, and no one would blame you for doing so. But with all that in mind, I have a request for you. Will you hear me out?›
I cornered Wim with malicious honesty.
‹What a mean thing to say, Camilla. I-I could never run on my own.›
‹My apologies.›
I believed that we didn’t let our guards down. This was just something you could only learn once this floor claimed its first sacrifice. I took pride in the fact that it was us. The absurdity of the labyrinth could easily kill any one of us. That was just how things were.
However, I needed to take responsibility as the leader of this party.
‹It will be impossible for us to return home with everyone. We’ll now be operating under the assumption that there will be casualties. You and I are at the center of this plan, so listen up.›
‹Right.›
‹Cast all the buffs on me that you can. I’m going to defeat this thing. There’s no need to cover me. Form platoons of three, weather out the tentacles, and run as soon as you can. If possible, I want you to direct everyone to the escape route.›
‹Wait a second! I can’t—›
‹Let me take responsibility. It will be fine. Nachtlibelle has plenty of talent, but you already knew that, right?›
‹But…›
‹With Heidemarie, Abel, and even you, our future is assured. Oh, that’s perfect! I’ll have you three act as a platoon.›
‹Camilla!›
‹Please. I, Camilla, give you, the support caster Wim, permission to grant your buffs on me.›
All was silent for a moment. Then, I felt my power surge. Wim had established a path between us.
‹You’re enchanted.›
Those words meant I was as strong as a hundred men.
I turned to face the boss. How huge and vexing it was!It saw humans as lowly beings only fit to be trampled. It stood in one place, but writhed around as if trying to provoke us.
I gulped. Starting now, this was a duel between us. My odds of victory were dismal. No, that wasn’t quite right. It was my odds of defeating it that were. I had resolved to sacrifice myself, but somewhere in my heart, I felt a surge of hope. Was it a premonition of victory? No, that wasn’t quite right.
‹Attention!› These would be my last words. ‹This is an order. I’m going to fight the boss. Once you save the injured, form groups of three and hang in there as long as you can. When you find a chance to escape, take it! We’ll save every last one of us that we can! Wim will show you the way.›
I then cut off transmissions from everyone besides Wim. I was sentimental enough to want to hear their voices, but any more could interfere with the battle. I needed to put a lid on it.
But just as I calmed myself, I felt something strange within me. My shoulders felt light, as if a heavy load had been lifted. It was odd.
“I am the warrior, Camilla! I take it you are the boss of this floor, and I will take your life myself!”
Aha ha! I felt rather stupid.
Tentacles rushed forth as if in response to my taunt, all headed in multiple directions. First, some twisted throughout the air to control my movements, then another five flew straight at me. The slug was purposefully hitting me with several tendrils at once to prevent me from blocking.
What a cheap trick.
“[Wake up, Decapitator!]”
And wake up it did. The blade spun as I made a diagonal swing, cutting through all five tentacles at once. I swung up in a crescent shape towards my torso. My partner extended as it needed to, spinning, twisting, and branching off to knock back the other tentacles that were flying at us.
I had no chance to reset my stance before multiple tentacles came crashing down on me. It wasn’t going to let me get a running jump for my next attack. The best I could do was draw the boss toward me.
“Bring it on!”
My blade shifted into a sickle shape, and I reaped the tentacles above me with a single swipe. Severed, they were nothing but falling, gross clumps of flesh.
My body felt so light.
Wim’s buffs were pushed to their limits, which meant my movements and sensations weren’t in sync. But that wasn’t a problem—I actually preferred that feeling. It was as if I still had further to climb, and I could continue to grow without having to think about exhausting myself.
I was excited. Was this really me? Was this truly my stagnated self?
“Is that all you’ve got?!”
Not yet. I still needed to bring it closer.
I repelled the tentacles, approaching the boss step by step as I sliced through its flesh. Each step came with more tentacles.
Not yet! I can still do more!
I moved quickly. I didn’t need to focus completely on defense anymore. I didn’t wait for it to attack, but took the initiative. I cut down all the tentacles, then swung at its body.
I took a step forward just to see what would happen, and the tentacles missed. I spun around and slashed through them—all of them, easily. This could work! I could still fight on even footing.
I can go further! Further, further, further!
***
It was incredible. Camilla, alone, was cutting down hundreds of the assaulting tentacles.
This was the essence of her unique magical abilities. Decapitator shrank and expanded, moving as if it had a will of its own as it severed everything in a whirling dance.
The buffs I had cast were reckless, but Camilla was still standing. In fact, she had perfected movements that were only possible in theory, further polishing her skills in real time to stand on equal footing with the boss. She was keeping at bay a monster that a whole army couldn’t take on, all by herself.
Could anyone else have accomplished such a feat? I highly doubted it. This battle was inching into the territory of the heroes of legend.
This was what the strongest warrior in all of Filburn was capable of. I was really working with someone special.
I realized we couldn’t waste the time she was buying us. We healed the injured and prepared to run just as she had ordered.
“Heidemarie!” I carried two party members on my back while monitoring Camilla’s buffs, but then caught sight of Heidemarie carrying one of the injured herself. She was tiny, but she had always been strong.
“Wim! I knew you’d be safe!”
Maybe our schedules had just been busy lately, but it felt like we hadn’t spoken in a while.
“These are Camilla’s orders! She doesn’t need backup, so let’s do this together. Um, I’ll help carry him.”
“Thanks.”
That’s right, my job was to maintain Camilla’s buffs while I escaped with everyone else. That was it. Wait, what did I mean, “that was it”? This was a nearly impossible task, which meant I needed to give this my all.
“Hans is safe, but the other enemy detection squads next to him aren’t doing so hot. Let’s go.”
“Got it.”
I followed her, but damn did my body feel heavy. I wondered why. I was obviously tired, but that wasn’t it. It was as if there was a weight enveloping my legs.
Oh, that’s right. This was what I had felt that time with Drachenflügel. But I didn’t have the luxury of thinking about that right now.
Focus, Wim! Follow Camilla’s orders.
“Hey, Wim?”
Ugh, I just couldn’t get it out of my head. Why? This had never happened before! No, that was just an excuse.
Focus, Wim Strauss. You can do this. You’ve always made it through. Count to three, and when you’re done, go back to normal. You don’t need to think about this. The members of Nachtlibelle are all elites.
“Wim.”
All right. One, two…
“Hey, Wim!” Heidemarie screamed. “Look at me, you idiot!”
“Wh-what?”
“Let me tell you exactly what face you’re making.”
What the hell was she talking about?
“It’s stiff, and you’ve got that half-smile on your face. The same you always wore when you were still sucking up to Chronos!”
“What are you—”
“Don’t run, Wim. Think.”
“I don’t know what you’re—”
She didn’t stop, but her words were sharp enough to cut through my heart. “You’re hesitating, Wim.”
***
Warmth rushed through my body. The discontent that always swirled within me—the same that had always hindered me—continued to dissipate.
I could go further. Much further!
There were more tentacles now, as the boss had stopped attacking the others and focused on me instead. Just as I had hoped.
What would I do once I went further? The answer was simple—cause it even more trouble. I would raise myself to my absolute limits until I found the right time to strike. Landing that single blow would open a path to escape.
So go further, Camilla!Move quicker and faster until you find the right time! My senses still didn’t quite align with my movements, but they had begun to slowly synchronize. Go further! Swing your sword! Go further, Camilla! Raise yourself up! Go higher!
My eyes could now trace every squirming tentacle in sight, and so I swung. My partner and I worked together to refine our movements, cutting down and repelling as many tentacles as possible with each slice.
A concrete image came to mind—the silver flowers Wim had created when fighting the golem. His blade moved as fast as lightning, leaving behind an afterimage. If I could recreate that here, I could get as close to the beast as I wanted.
That thought occurred to me just as I began to feel like I had finally gotten a hang of things. I was almost there! I could feel myself getting closer to that movement, and now I needed to recreate it—to move my arms and make sure I accomplished what I thought I could.
I leaped, spun, and slashed over and over. Occasionally, I would miss and go flying, but I kept a firm hold onto my partner, regained a proper stance, and immediately swung again.
I didn’t know how much time had passed. While it felt like an eternity, I was sure it had only been a moment.
The time had come. The beast was no longer attacking.
That was my moment, and as soon as I realized it, I kicked off the ground. My partner rippled like an ocean wave, ballooning in size. And I was airborne.
“[Giant Hunter.]”
It was a strike of pure perfection—without a doubt the best I had ever managed, not just in power, but in the fact that even the tiniest of movements culminated into a single, fluid strike. There was zero room for improvement. I could proudly say with confidence that there was nothing in the world that wouldn’t be torn asunder by this blow.
If only I actually landed the blow.
As absurd as it was, the boss rippled and promptly leaped to the side.
***
I was sure she had him, but the boss dodged Camilla’s attack. I thought for certain that its giant form couldn’t move, but I was wrong. It seemed to squeeze its body together as it let out a jet of liquid, using the force to jump aside.
It was a movement that defied all expectations, and left Camilla, who had put her all into that one attack, completely open.
The boss wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass. Its body swayed and it unleashed every tentacle it had. This was the ultimate strike, and it was painfully obvious that the boss saw Camilla as a threat.
She used all her strength to block, but failed to do so in time. The attacks hit her from all directions, sending her tumbling to the ground. Camilla’s body skipped across the water like a rock before sinking below the lake’s surface.
“Camilla!” My body moved on its own, leaving the injured in Heidemarie’s care.
“[Pump up: Dreimal!]”
My instincts screamed that Camilla needed to be saved at all costs. There was no time to consider my chances of success. I cast buffs throughout my body, ignoring the MP it would consume as I swooped in to save her, the boss chasing after me.
I supported her large frame on my shoulders. She was a woman, so it would have been better to princess carry her, but I was too panicked to employ such resourcefulness.
“Abel! Cover me!” I shouted as soon as I caught sight of him. Our gazes locked onto each other, and he immediately realized what I was trying to do.
“I give you permission to cast your buffs!”
“You’re enchanted!”
I rushed behind Abel. A second passed, and I felt no attacks. Abel had managed to repel them all.
“Wim! I’ll keep the boss at bay!”
I set Camilla down. “Are you all right?! Can you hear me?!”
“Boy…? Run. Don’t worry about who will sacrifice themselves. Just run.” She was still conscious, but I could tell she had broken bones all throughout her body. Camilla had only managed to keep her eyes open because she was special—a normal man would already be dead.
“Who’s…left?”
Her hollow voice was full of regret. Nobody had run. None of us had the strength. It took all we had just to defend against the onslaught of tentacles and rescue the injured. We had failed to accomplish what we should have done with the time Camilla bought us by risking her life.
“We’re all still here. None of us could escape.”
“I see…”
“But everyone’s still alive. We’ll all make it home together.”
“Aha ha… You’re still green around the ears, boy. Listen. Leave me and the other injured behind. The young and energetic should disperse…and run.”
“But we can’t!”
“Look around you, fool!”
Everyone was struggling to withstand the tentacles. We had no hope of victory, nor survival. Yet everyone was repelling the tendrils with everything they had in a desperate struggle to stay alive.
“With your buffs, I can at least serve as a meat shield. Please, just fix my major bones. I, Camilla, give you, Wim, permission to cast your granting magic on me.” She stood up, her sturdy frame swelling with life despite the circumstances.
Why the hell was I hesitating? Those who had known Camilla for much longer than I had were gritting their teeth and bearing it. It was foolish for a newbie member like me to be screaming and crying. It was rude, even, an affront to my dignity as an abenteurer.
Look at their stoic expressions, Wim! Everyone else had made their peace, even felt pride in it.
I told myself hesitation was a waste of our precious time. I was wasting Camilla’s life! I sneered at myself as a stubborn fool.
Yet I couldn’t stop myself. Was it because of what Heidemarie had told me? No, that wasn’t it. It was me—my own thoughts. I couldn’t stop the howling in my heart. I had always forced them down, but for some reason, I couldn’t now.
I don’t want this. This is terrible! I can’t accept it! I don’t want to! myheart screamed.
This was true despair—everyone knew it. This boss far exceeded our expectations, and if we failed to sacrifice a huge portion of our members, more of us would die.
Nachtlibelle wasn’t a party that could just be annihilated.
I took a deep breath. I wasn’t a respectable person. I didn’t talk much with others, nor did I fit in. I was a spineless sycophant with dead eyes and a creepy smile who always slouched. I was picky. My personality was atrocious, and I wasn’t just vaguely aware of that. I knew painfully well that I was the type of person who would naturally be banished from his party.
Camilla wasn’t someone we could sacrifice. I had to protect her! I could die thousands of times, and it would never atone for losing her! She was just that amazing!
She was the wonderful person who had accepted me.
Camilla had promised that Nachtlibelle would return intact, but the moment that became impossible, she had overturned that decision.
That had been a mistake. I wasn’t a real member of Nachtlibelle, after all.
‹Everyone!› We still had one option left. I sent out a universal transmission. ‹This is Wim. Um, I’m sorry, but I’m going to defy Camilla’s orders.› This perhaps wasn’t the best choice, but it was the best I could make. Basically, there was no other way, so it was fine, right?
‹I’m going to stop this boss. Please focus on defending the best that you can, and once you find a good time to retreat, do so.›
“[Halt.]” I cut off Camilla’s buffs and cast a debuff on her. Giving a support caster permission to use granting magic on you made you vulnerable to this kind of abuse. Camilla fell to the floor, and it was clear from her expression that she didn’t know what was happening to herself.
“I’ll be the one to defeat this thing.”
Everyone was baffled. The debuff left Camilla unable to move, and her expression shifted beyond mere anger or surprise.
I knew I was stepping out of line, that there was no taking this back. But it was probably fine. This wouldn’t hurt Nachtlibelle, and if I failed in the end, I still would have succeeded at buying them some time.
Maybe one of my screws was loose. I was usually the type who always followed the rules.
Oh, so that’s it. It was all because they told me to live as I wanted.
Chapter 8: Puppenspieler
Chapter 8:
Puppenspieler
“YOU’RE REALLY GOING, THEN?”
The look in Wim’s eyes had completely changed. I thought that it had to be because he was no longer hesitating. However, he seemed a bit flustered as he fumbled his way forward like a chick who had just left the nest.
“Yeah.”
“I see.”
Wim had grown daring. No, I guess he had always been like this. Despite his hesitation, he always jumped into action when it came down to it. That was just who he was.
“This is goodbye, Heidemarie. Probably… Fweh heh heh.”
“I don’t think so. You’ll make it through, Wim.”
“You have too much faith in me. Things aren’t going to go as smoothly as last time. I’m just going to buy us some time. I mean, I’ve gotten stronger, right? And, um… Fweh heh, y’know…”
I was happy to see that his creepy laugh was back. Nachtlibelle was a party that gave its members freedom, but we were still an alliance made up of different people. Even they would find his laugh a bit weird, so I was sure he had been trying to hold back in front of the others.
“I feel weird, like I’m ready for anything. My legs are shaking. Maybe I’m getting cold feet? But I’m always talking about how I want to die…”
I don’t think that’s fear, Wim.
“Um, I’ll be going then. We don’t have much time. Heh heh.”
“Right. Good luck.”
I waved goodbye, and he limply raised his own hand in response. Then, he was gone.
Wim. My Wim. I’m sure you still didn’t know yourself all that well, and that even I know you better. You’re strange, and twisted, and… Maybe it’s not the word to use when describing someone you care about, but you’re shameless.
But one day, the whole world will know your name.
When that day comes, I want you to tell me about yourself. I always say I know you better than anyone, but there’s some stuff that even I don’t know. You’re one of the greatest secrets of this world. Even now, you…
Hey, Wim? Why were you smiling just now?
***
The torrential rain didn’t seem like it was stopping anytime soon. Water continued to pool on the floor, making it hard to move. It was now up to my knees.
The boss was still squirming around to taunt us, its round minions doing the same. If that was all they were doing, it would have only been a bit annoying, but they were now using the water to swim. They must have been made of something that could float, as the more this place grew flooded, the faster they became.
Even if we tried to run, they would just catch up to us.
I took a good look at the boss. The black mist that occasionally spurted from its back was the source of the rain, which meant we would have to defeat it if we wanted it to stop.
Could it really cause such a sudden downpour? It was probably magic of some sort, but the logic just didn’t seem to make sense.
That’s when I remembered the boss had jumped down from above. It must have been stuck to somewhere high up on the wall, and had been scattering the mist to form clouds in the “sky” where it was too dark for us to see. No, maybe the mist condensed the water vapor in the air.
It was a bit careless to think about this given my current circumstances. Maybe the boss was being a bit careless too, or perhaps it was just confused. Bosses tended to be intelligent. It might have found it strange that someone like me stepped in to replace Camilla, a woman who oozed strength.
“I’ll do my best, then.”
I tried to keep my legs from shaking and took a deep breath. My body was freezing, but I would be fine. I was about to fill myself with unbearable heat.
There were plenty of abilities that could be strengthened via buffs but casting them on different parts of the human body could vary in difficulty. The easiest to strengthen were bones, then muscles. These were what most buffs acted on. However, it was possible to take the buffs further. If you wanted to increase oxygen supply, you needed to manipulate blood flow, which required strengthening the heart. Placing buffs on the invisible, inner parts of the body increased the difficulty of casting the buff exponentially. Currently, there were very few support casters who could manipulate blood flow.
Besides the heart, there was one part of the body that was considered taboo to cast buffs on—the brain. It controlled our consciousness, and while increasing the speed of its functions would greatly increase one’s abilities in battle, the difficulty of casting and the dangers meant there were still no support caster who had accomplished it.
There were numerous problems with such buffs. First was how sturdy the consciousness was. The brain was an organ that, since birth, autonomously created thoughts and answers for itself. That meant it fundamentally resisted outside intervention. Casting a buff on someone else’s brain was impossible, and even if a support caster managed to cast one on himself, we were so inherently weak that there was little merit in doing so.
If a support caster managed to strengthen his brain, he would only cause an overload that would immediately leave him unconscious. Casting a buff on the brain can increase processing speeds, but those speeds surpassed the caster’s consciousness. Once increased, the brain will just keep going faster and faster, creating a cycle impossible to escape.
Since I thought it would be the only way to boost my own strength, I did test out brain buffs before. I wasn’t quite sure if there was really a secret to it, but what I did was simple—I made myself aware of my own consciousness. I persistently asked myself questions, and answered them to refine my sense of self. I eventually succeeded in finding the right multiplier that would speed up my brain but prevent overflow and keep me conscious.
That multiplier was just 1.00001, but even that exponentially intensified the burden on my brain with every second. That was the limit given my innate capabilities, not to mention I was sure the side effects would give me some brain damage.
Yet, it was still possible. I could accelerate my brain and realize my theories via self-manipulation. This was…
“[Shift: Puppenspieler.]”
My consciousness reversed current. Everything I had ever seen, heard, and remembered mixed together in my brain, a feeling that was quite odd.
“Agh! Hah!”
Every muscle in my body flexed. My digestive organs squeezed together as my breath was forced out of my throat. The signals from my brain weren’t reaching my muscles, but somehow, I withstood the pain that I had no way of resisting.
Seconds passed, or maybe not even that. Suddenly, my vision relaxed like the surface of a calm pond.
“Fweh, heh heh heh.” As soon as my throat loosened and I could suck in air, a strange, forced laugh slipped out.
I…I had done it.
How could you even describe this feeling? It was like all my senses including time had malfunctioned, and everything around me had become quiet. It felt like I had as much control over every limb in my body as I did my dominant hand, and I was confident I now could write equally well with both if you put a piece of paper in front of me. It was like I could become the best acrobat in the whole world, like I could move every hair on my body! Though, I guess they weren’t connected to my nerves, so that would be impossible.
Then came an attack. The same torrent of tentacles that had left Nachtlibelle half-destroyed now rained down on me from every direction.
“I’m dead.”
There was no making it out of this one but letting the attacks slam into me wasn’t an option. I needed to run, but there was no way I could dodge them all.
Managing to dodge these tentacles would be a one-in-ten-thousand chance.
I was a weakling, and the ideas that came to me in battle fundamentally differed from someone as strong as Camilla. She would improve her abilities to prevent failure, toughening herself so that if she fought ten battles, she would win every single one.
However, I couldn’t do that. In true weakling fashion, I focused my entire being on counting on that one-in-ten-thousand chance.
That was the turning point, I think. This was what my granting magic was based on. I would cast as many buffs of minimal potency on as few places and for as short of time as possible. All while using the least amount of MP. I wouldn’t just succeed, I would make this a success.
“[Pump Up: Zwanzigmal.]”
The buff multiplied my bodily functions by twenty, ten times what I usually cast. The world seemed so slow. I felt like I could take on anything.
I knew my condition to a T. I knew the best action to take and when would be the right time to take it. I felt every sinew in my muscles move with every thousandth of a second. If I continuously matched my buffs to these movements, I would barely expend my MP.
It was like my brain was completely disconnected from the rest of my body, though it perfectly carried out every action the former thought up. I knew exactly what was ideal for my body and continued to match my timing and movements perfectly. One wrong move and my limbs would snap, but at that moment, I felt like that was somebody else’s problem rather than mine.
When my brain accelerated, so did my optic nerve, because they were directly connected. My hearing became fine-tuned as well, and my ability to pick up information reached new heights. I made note of everything I saw and predicted my enemies’ movements. The lights flashed and flickered.
The tentacles rushed me from all directions at once, leaving no openings for me to exploit.
First, I cut through one of the tentacles with my machete to create a momentary escape route, then jumped to the right. The tentacles naturally followed, but I halted my momentum in the air with the recoil from my right leg. It was reckless, but I would be okay. As long as I strengthened the bones and muscles that was bearing the brunt of this action the most for just a fraction of a second, I would remain uninjured. Stopping midair threw the tentacles off course, and they instead flew right by me.
It was as if they were begging to be used as footholds. Their positioning wasn’t quite right, but I could still make it work. I opened my hip joint so wide my right knee was flush to my ribcage and kicked as hard as I could. Under normal circumstances, this would have dislocated the joint, but as long as I toughened the ligament for just a fraction of a moment, I would be fine.
Then, I leaped right between the tentacles, making sure to avoid landing in the water. Instead, I alighted on top of a conveniently placed tentacle, and its tip was already behind me. I stumbled for a moment, but used that momentum to rush forward, scurrying across the tentacle like it was a tightrope.
“Aha ha!”
I had done it! I had accomplished the near impossible!
How many one-in-a-million chances had I already beat? I had lost count, but I wasn’t dead yet. If I was off by just a thousandth of a second—if I made a single lapse of judgment—my bones would fracture, and I would become these tentacles’ punching bag. If I didn’t keep weaving and jumping between them, I would end up in the water, and everything would be over.
So, what’s your next move? More tentacles?
I prepared myself for another onslaught, but the boss began to move differently. I could see the glow of magic, and it seemed to be trying to generate something on the surface of its body.
It was a water blade! Why the heck did it have these and tentacles?
It had to have a plan. It must have realized it was impossible to capture me with its tentacles, which meant this next attack would be fast.
As soon as it took aim, it fired. The blade really was fast and wide. It didn’t rush straight ahead and instead spun in the air with a slight tilt.
Evading wouldn’t be possible. If I could perform a miracle, I could still dodge.
So, dodge it I did. My movements were pure perfection. I visually measured the spin and parried the portion aimed at my neck with my machete. This slightly knocked it off course, and I used that to perform a counterattack against the tentacles I knew were behind it. There was no way I could manage to do this again.
I heard a sound coming from behind me—or really, felt a vibration. I had predicted correctly.
“I can see it! I can see everything! Aha ha ha!”
Before I knew it, I was closing in on the boss. It was huge—as big as a wall. Landing just a single strike on this thing would do about as much damage as a boy trying to level a mountain with a toy shovel.
Suddenly, its movements changed again. The scene of it dodging Camilla’s [Giant Hunter] flashed before my eyes.
He’s gonna jump.
But if it was in the air, that only left it open to attack. My ideas started to scatter, and my thoughts no longer followed any clear path. It felt like my consciousness had derailed from my mind, like I was interrogating my own brain.
The boss spurted out water and jumped into the air. Then, it dived toward me. Are those legs? I guess if this thing is a slug, it technically had feet.
I cut through the air, slashing into its body over and over as if I was trying to dig a hole through it. I carved away all obstructive flesh, seeking a swirling organ inside its body. I could do this. It was still in the air and had more of it to slice into.
I reached its insides in a flash. If I didn’t escape before it hit the ground, the force would crush me.
I would be fine. As long as I didn’t mess up, I would be able to cut through its body.
Find the one chance in thousands!
Facing death only meant you weren’t dead just yet.
***
“Hey, what is that?”
I wasn’t sure who had spoken. Was it Simon or Mark? Maybe it was everyone.
We all thought the boy was crazy. Defying my do-or-die plan to act as decoy wasn’t just talk—he actually went and did it.
A support caster was fighting a boss alone, and this wasn’t just any boss. Alone, it was one of the strongest we had ever encountered. This one could even control the weather and had a band of loyal minions beside it. Rushing in to fight it was suicide.
I was flummoxed. Some tried to stop him, others tried to save him. Some were even furious.
But yes, what was that? Who was that swift warrior capable of fighting a boss on equal footing?
It took all my concentration just to follow his movements. How was he accomplishing all this? He leaped and jumped yet was never in free fall. How could he keep control of himself while airborne? What was he kicking against? Was he using his foe?
This was not the work of a human. He was like a puppet being pulled by strings, accelerating one moment then stopping the next. It was as if he could weave through a hair’s length gap in an overwhelming, impenetrable force.
He had to be destroying himself. Neither his MP nor flesh could withstand such movements. Yet, he kept going, eluding certain death using miracles that could only be the work of the divine.
***
In another moment, the boss would hit the ground. I was currently inside its body. If I didn’t make it out soon, I would be turned into mincemeat.
I decided to escape through its side and changed course, cutting through the flesh beside me. I made one, two, three slashes, creating a triangle. All that was left was to kick my way through.
However, something seemed off. I had been cutting away at its insides and had yet to find any organs. I wanted to at least locate them before I escaped, so I immediately flipped around and stretched my back upwards with all my might, inspecting the boss’s innards as I kicked through the hole.
Its flesh was translucent, but I still couldn’t see everything. Wait, I saw something that looked like black mist, but it wasn’t in the same spot I had seen from outside. It must have moved the organ! It was crazy that a boss could rearrange its vitals.
I was out of time. Making my safe escape, I flew through the air.
I wanted to get one over on this thing. I hurled my knife at the black mist.
Cling! That was the sound I heard right before the boss slammed into the ground—or really, water.
The boss finally seemed to react to my attacks. It stopped fighting and was now wriggling around in a different manner than before. It was probably in pain, which made sense considering a human-sized hole had been ripped through it the moment it jumped into the air. There was no chance it understood what had happened to it—in fact, even I could barely keep up.
Wow, was this amazing. Everything went just as I pictured it! I put my thoughts into action the moment they occurred to me.
My body was on fire, and it was only getting hotter. However, my mind was still calm. Wait, am I excited?
“Fweh heh!” A laugh slipped out. I was getting lost in the moment, but there was no time to get caught up in that. I was carrying the lives of everyone in Nachtlibelle on my shoulders! Someone could die if I failed to buy ample time! Don’t deviate from the role you’re supposed to be playing, Wim. This is no time for fun. I mean, the round minions are still perfectly fine, so—
Wait. Time for fun? Was I having fun right now?
Once I realized that, there was no stopping it. I had discovered the thrill of being one wrong move away from death, and how good it felt to be covered in the goosebumps. The greater the danger, the more I enjoyed it. I couldn’t stop shaking! I must have known deep down that I would be here someday. I had always, always wanted to jump into mortal peril. I had been waiting for this moment my whole life!
I felt so alive!
The boss started to move differently. I thought it was about to launch its tentacles at me again, but I was wrong. It shot all its tentacles out of its body at once, swirling them in the air above its gelatinous body.
It must be trying to defend itself. But how would defense help against a foe like me?
I immediately knew what it was trying to do. The round minions swarmed around the boss and began to float.
“Huh?”
They floated high into the “sky,” spinning above me like a cloud. They all seemed to move independently before, but now it was completely different. They seemed to have turned into one, collective, manipulated consciousness.
What was that—some sort of magic? Magic didn’t mean you could do absolutely anything!
The boss dropped its defense. It looked changed, maybe a bit bigger. It now had more tentacles, and it had another short pair of horns. This was probably its true form. It wasn’t a slug or a snail, but a sea slug.
In any case, it had changed forms, which was a secret, last-resort trump card some bosses used when they had nowhere to go. The one on the last floor had done this too.
In other words, I had this boss cornered.
“Round two, huh?”
What would happen? I didn’t know what tricks the boss had up its sleeves, but I knew it had grown much stronger than before.
I guess that just meant I had to make myself stronger too.
I could hear my heart collapse on itself at the commander’s defeat. How could I consider myself a candidate as a future leader of this party? That was just hubris. I thought I could save people, but I was powerless.
The commander didn’t let me be a part of her fight, and I even let myself be overwhelmed by despair at how the battle ended.
“Abel! Cover me!”
Wim’s words were what finally thrust me back into action. I reevaluated myself and focused on protecting him and the commander. I succeeded thanks to Wim’s buffs, and was glad to have served a purpose—even when we were all on the brink of death.
The moment that occurred to me, Wim had slipped from beside me to fight the boss himself. I was met with the sight of a man with a timid slouch, smaller and more helpless than myself, who was in no position to stand against the might of this beast, yet trying exactly that.
That’s what made Wim so special. Everyone around us, including the boss, had their eyes locked on this out-of-place character.
Right now, that very man had the boss cornered. It was absurd, but I was shocked to realize that I didn’t find this strange or unexpected.
There was a clear difference between us. I wasn’t bothered—the distance that separated us was so extremely vast that I even felt some comfort. It was different from the envy I felt towards the commander. How could I explain it? It was like our goals—no, we were headed down such dissimilar paths that the word “goals” wasn’t quite right.
Oh, that was it—I felt indebted to him. What I felt was hope, as well as gratitude toward the man who had pulled me out of the pits of despair. While I was certain that Wim or others thought that exchange was trivial, I couldn’t help but feel that this moment would stick with me forever.
“Let’s make it out of this alive,” I thought, while using my battered body to withstand the stray attacks Wim had misdirected.
***
The minions floating in the air were enough for me to know that something bad was about to happen, and that I was done for. They were about to send a wide-ranging flurry of attacks down on me, which I wouldn’t be able to dodge.
I needed to remember, predict, and analyze what lay outside my vision.
“[Pump Up: Fünfzigmal.]”
I multiplied my brain function by fifty. Now, I could control my visual acuity, and my short-term memory would be more effective.
All the water in my head grew hotter, like it was on the verge of boiling over.
The attack came as soon as I looked up. It wasn’t using just its tentacles—it had mixed in water blades and lances with the flurry.
But I could see the entire attack! I could see everything and remember it too! There were 377 tentacles, 490 water blades, and 55 lances, including the ones beyond my field of vision. I could even predict their trajectories. This boss really was intelligent—it planned to hit me everywhere at once.
I deduced the shortest path. I could do this.
I kicked off the water. Yes, I could even kick water—I no longer needed a proper foothold. I targeted one of the water blades. Due to its width, if it collided with another attack, they would nullify each other. I leaped into the air and warded off the attack with the belly of my machete, disrupting the tentacles and lances around me.
I had succeeded at stopping or parrying the majority of the attacks. Now I just needed to cut everything down. In this state, neither the tentacles, the lances, nor the blades were a match for me. I used the recoil from slashing my machete to the right to repel the attacks to my left, spinning in the air to get rid of the unnecessary momentum. With this, I had momentarily halted the boss’s attack.
I found a foothold and kicked down with all my might. The boss had already begun the second wave of attacks. I wasn’t out of the woods just yet, but I weathered it—cutting, slashing, kicking, dodging, and spinning around.
“Aha ha ha!”
I feel amazing! This is so much fun! Being fully aware of my entire surroundings, I feel like I can do anything! I utilized every shred of every action and reaction, adding them to my momentum, and my plans actually worked! Could there possibly be any greater pleasure than this?
My body was covered in goosebumps, charged by the thrill that one wrong step meant death. The boss must have had its own tactics, but that didn’t matter. I could strategize on the fly, and it was exhilarating.
Once I realized that, there was no stopping myself. This impulse had always been within me.
I was fighting full throttle, and I was absolutely loving it.
***
Once the boy had closed in on the boss, it jumped, seemingly in fear. That’s when Wim disappeared.
I first thought the boss had knocked him into the air. I realized I was wrong when Wim came bursting out of the boss’s side. He had cut through it. Still airborne, he flipped around and threw his knife at the boss.
It writhed in pain. That one shot had nearly done it in.
“Commander!” Hans’s voice brought me back to reality. “How are your injuries?!”
“I can’t fight well, but I can still stand thanks to Abel.” Abel was still protecting me. The attacks from the boss itself had weakened thanks to Wim, but its minions still bombarded us as fiercely as ever. “Are we prepared to run?”
“We are—agh! Not!”
The flurry of attacks kept going as we spoke. All of our members were completely occupied just trying to stay alive. We were in no position to carry out a plan.
“Commander, your orders!”
Looking into Hans’s eyes, I realized he was panicked, and so was everyone else. I, the leader of this party, had ordered a desperate escape that relied on my own sacrifice. However, Wim had overturned my orders. Then, he showed us a fight so marvelous it had to be the first and last of its kind.
What should I do? What should Nachtlibelle do?
Do we support him? That would be impossible given his speed. The most likely thing to happen would be us getting in his way and getting caught in the crossfire. Do we retreat? We were surrounded, which made that impossible. We currently lacked the strength to carve out an escape path for ourselves. All we could do was counter the minions in front of…
The boss was acting differently now, and it had changed forms. I was shocked that Wim had singlehandedly managed to corner the boss.
The minions that had been attacking us floated high into the air. Were they now auxiliary organs of some sort?
For a moment, the attacks ceased. My mind was still fuzzy, but I immediately knew what the next one would be—and it wouldn’t hit just Wim, but the rest of us too. We were about to become victims to a torrent of lethal rain. I needed to give my orders.
‹Attention! They’re about to attack us from above! Get as far away as possible and focus on defense!›
A moment later, the auxiliary organs pelted us with a rain of arrow-like strikes and tentacles.
“[Wake up, Decapitator.]”
It took all my strength to raise Decapitator above my head. Its blade spread out like an umbrella, and while it was just a temporary measure, it would last for at least a little while. I could feel the force of the attacks spread to my arms, and as I withstood it, I used the rest of my strength to watch Wim.
The boy was doing flips. He twisted his body, cutting down the boss’s attacks and completely dodging the wave of projectiles. He was so close that he was practically colliding with the blows, but he managed to keep up his speed.
Wim had promised to defeat this boss, and clearly, he wasn’t bluffing like I thought. He was doing more than just fighting on equal footing. He had even succeeded in cornering the boss and making it transform.
That was exactly why I wasn’t certain of the outcome. The boy seemed to have the strength needed to defeat the menace, but as hope swelled in my chest, I told myself I needed to stay calm and rational.
There was one thing I knew for certain—there was no place for the rest of us in a battle on that level.
***
I was having so much fun, I wanted to stay like this forever. I even began to relish the time I spent cutting down everything in my path without a single thought.
However, I wasn’t getting anywhere. While I managed to endure the attacks raining down on me, I couldn’t get to the boss’s main body at all. I was giving this fight everything I had, but I lacked the strength to do sideways movements. It was becoming a battle of attrition.
I started to wonder if I had any tricks left to pull when I felt something tugging at the corner of my mind. I was still lacking something—or rather, it was more like there was something I hadn’t realized quite yet. I was overlooking something important, something deep within me was telling me I wasn’t in danger.
What am I missing?
All parts of my vision were committed to memory. It was something before me—right before me…
That’s it! The boss. I heard a loud clang when my knife collided with something earlier. What could that have been?
There was a hard mass within its body. It must have been protecting something, but what?
That was obvious—its weakness. Or really, its vitals. The hard thing was a shell, and if I managed to smash it, I would win.
The moment I realized that, my brain had already deduced a path to the boss. What was this? How had I arrived at the answer? I couldn’t even track what calculations I had made.
This was undoubtedly a sequence of constant epiphanies. I didn’t make any choices in order but immediately jumped to the perfect answer given the probabilities laid out to me all at once.
I had completely predicted the boss’s movements, I was certain of that. It was going to move exactly as I thought it would, and as long as I followed this one path, I could win. Well, as long as I didn’t mess up, that is.
Somewhere along the line, my hands started to shake.
It was odd—it didn’t feel like I was trembling in fear, but in awe that I had found the exact path I needed. While it had come to me in a flash, it was perfectly calculated, so much so that it was almost suspicious. However, there was no room for rebuttals or recalculations. It left me bewildered. That was the kind of trembling this was.
Now that I thought about it, I might have been shaking like this the whole time.
I knew that this was a premonition of victory. Even when up against a foe of impossible odds, making guesses of one-in-ten-thousand miracles could reveal the way forward.
What made this different from delusion? From an objective standpoint, they were ridiculously similar. Yet somehow, I was certain I could pull this off. This was suicide, and I was facing near certain death. But that just made it even more thrilling, and if I could feel that excitement, I didn’t mind the risks.
The lances seemed the easiest to kick. While they were made of water, they were dense enough that they could serve as footholds to launch myself sideways.
I kicked aside what was crashing down towards me, all the while dodging the tentacles. This was a crazy, but I knew I could pull it off.
And as soon as that thought occurred to me, I had won. The processes that controlled my thoughts and actions had fallen out of sync, but surpassing sequential processing speeds had realigned them.
Maybe it was because I had been dodging all the attacks with kicks, but I was now quite high in the air. I turned to my side and shot downwards, half free-falling and dodging, kicking, pushing, and cutting down the attacks I failed to elude, while using the momentum to go faster.
The wind was cold, but it felt good on my skin. Now that I had reached my full speed, I was falling faster than the rain. It had been some time since my skin was last dry.
Sound faded around me, and I prepared for a sonic boom. Time stopped, and all was silent. It was as if I was alone in the world. My heart soared at the feeling of being the sole ruler of this space.
I was a moment away from colliding with the boss. It was right before me, and I knew at this speed, I could blast right through its shell.
The boss was shocked, but it had already set up its final barrier and had no moves left. I sliced at the same spot five times, which was enough to break through it. Then, I used the rest of my remaining MP to toughen up my body as much as I could and slammed right into its flesh.
“Fweh heh!”
I felt something hard hit against my machete twice. My body went straight through its decimated flesh. I felt an unpleasant sensation, as if my entire body was being licked, before resurfacing in an instant.
I had pierced right through it.
In that moment, I saw a large shell through the white that surrounded my field of vision. I knew immediately that this was what I had pierced.
Something crawled out of the gap I had created. It looked human, but I couldn’t see its face. I had no idea what was happening.
The human-like creature slowly came to stand before me. Then, I think it spoke.
“ફરીથીઆવવાદો.”
I didn’t understand what it was saying, but it didn’t feel malicious. So, I responded with a nod.
“Sure.”
When I landed, I was completely depleted of MP and stamina. I turned. The boss was silent, its large, translucent form now looking like a stalactite.
I heard a groaning sound from the boss that was perhaps its scream. Then, from the top down, its giant form began to melt. My vision cleared as I watched the giant crumble into dust before me. What had been sustaining it was now destroyed.
Now, I could see the others. They had stood and were running toward me.
That’s right, I was fighting to protect them. I had forgotten.
My energy sapped, I began to lose consciousness. I dispelled my buffs, and my body gradually returned to its normal state. I was in so much pain, it felt like I being ripped apart. I really overdid it. I was exhausted, and couldn’t move a single muscle.
Someone took me into their arms. They called out to me, but I didn’t know who they were or what they were saying.
But, hey. The rain had stopped, at least.
Wings’ Side 2
Wings’ Side 2
MEHLIS’S WOUNDS HAD HEALED, AND Drachenflügel resumed their labyrinth dives. Perhaps it was only natural after what had happened, but we were better coordinated now. I was still in charge of enemy detection and strategy, but I could do more now that the others had learned how to read the map and handle other menial tasks.
I just couldn’t understand how they had managed so well until now.
I was quite certain it was thanks to their own latent abilities that they had made it through the fiftieth floor. All three of them could manage stunning feats at times, and their courage, bordering on recklessness, sometimes paid off.
However, I couldn’t see a future for them. While I thought they could walk the line between loss and profit as a mid-level party, I saw no hint of the famous Drachenflügel who had stood at the front lines of the labyrinth expedition. I saw no way of them ever returning to their glory days. Not to mention, it seemed physically possible for them to defeat a boss. As mean as it may sound, this party just lacked the strength.
Back at our party’s house, a heavy air surrounded the dinner table. While they pretended to be in good spirits, with Chronos and Mehlis making us laugh with their innate sunny dispositions and Nikola with her sarcastic remarks, it was overwhelmingly dour whenever silence fell.
“That’s it! Why don’t we increase our numbers?” Chronos suddenly suggested, though it seemed like he must have been considering it for a while. “We were too busy building ourselves up to really notice it, but we’re an A-rank party! We’ll get tons of applicants if we ask! Once we get some new members, let’s get right back out there on the front lines!”
Nikola was the first to speak. “How many more are we going to recruit?”
“Good question… The more the merrier, right? Ten, maybe?”
None of us seemed very fond of the idea. That would mean a drastic change in our party’s dynamic, which made it hard to be fully on board. However, it was also hard to give any rebuttals that weren’t purely emotional.
“How should we pick the new recruits? Our party’s full of girls, so some of the guys might try to join with that in mind. We obviously don’t want that. What do you think, Mehlis?”
Chronos stared at her. Once I grew familiar with this party, I learned that Chronos had a habit of trying to control people, just as he was trying to do now.
Mehlis gave the exact answer Chronos had wanted. “W-well, I guess I’d sleep better at night if we only had girls instead of any guys besides you, Chronos. I think.”
This was another of the many problems with this party. Both Mehlis and Nikola were in love with Chronos, and the feeling was mutual—for both of them. We all risked our lives when diving into the labyrinth, but these relationships would occasionally get in the way of our communications or sometimes make them overly smooth.
The two of them certainly weren’t excited over the idea, just as I had expected. I assumed they were worried that Chronos’s affections might shift to any of the new girls who would join the party.
That made me the only one who could oppose his proposal. “Um, Chronos?”
“What is it, Sophia?”
“I think we should be a bit more careful when it comes to expanding our party. We need to consider the costs, and none of us have the experience needed to lead such a big party into the labyrinth.”
The atmosphere grew even more tense than usual, which was what happened whenever we discussed anything important.
Chronos brought a hand to his chin and took a moment to think before speaking. “Don’t you think it’s wrong to decide that something’s impossible before we even give it a shot? Let’s just start with doing what we can.”
I had been expecting this answer. “Um, but in that case—”
“The money will work itself out! We’ve got our reward money for killing that boss! We’ll be able to have some fun and take it easy for a little while, right?”
“Huh?” I had already explained this to him. This was bad. Just when I thought he had figured something out, he had carried out his calculations under false assumptions.
“What is it, Sophia? If it’s something that’s hard to bring up now, we can talk later in my room if you—”
“The guild still hasn’t recognized Drachenflügel for defeating a boss.”
“Huh?”
That’s right. Drachenflügel had yet to become an official A-rank party, as the guild had yet to recognize us for defeating a boss.
“What? Explain, Sophia.”
“The papers Wim passed down to me included the necessary documents and the part of the boss that proves our victory, but—”
The tension in the air spiked. I had messed up.
“Sorry, Sophia. Don’t say his name again.”
Somehow, the name Wim Strauss had become taboo in Drachenflügel.
“My apologies. Um, from what I can tell from the records my predecessor left me, the necessary documentation was all submitted properly. We should soon be receiving the proper acknowledgments, but for some reason, they have not yet authorized things, nor have they given us our reward.”
“You mean he effed up?”
“I…suppose? I mean, it’s past the point of when they’d typically acknowledge that we successfully defeated a boss, but knowing the labyrinth, they may just be having difficulty confirming things. In any case, it will be a little while until we receive the funds we’re owed.”
Chronos slammed his fists on the table. “Damn it all! He’s effed us over again!”
“Calm down, Chronos! This isn’t your fault.”
“That’s right. Drachenflügel defeated the boss on the ninety-seventh floor. There’s no changing that fact.”
Chronos held his head in his hands, and Mehlis and Nikola tried to comfort him. Thus, they banded together to make Wim Strauss the villain.
This was how Drachenflügel had always been, as of late.
Chapter 9: Awakening
Chapter 9:
Awakening
“YOU AWAKE?”
I vaguely made note of the unfamiliar ceiling above me at the sound of Heidemarie’s voice from somewhere to my right.
“Yeah.”
“Morning.”
I could barely speak, and my body felt heavy. Heidemarie gave me some time to get my thoughts together, and I finally remembered what had happened.
Oh, yeah, I dived into the labyrinth with Nachtlibelle. Then, we were attacked by the floor’s boss, and then—
I jumped up from bed. “Is everyone okay?!”
That’s right! Where am I, a hospital room? The sheets were white, and so were the curtains and everything else.
“Heidemarie! Are they all okay?!”
If I’m here, that means they saved me, and, um…
“Calm down, Wim. The members of Nachtlibelle are slightly wounded, but we’re all alive. You’ve been asleep for five whole days.” She grinned at me. “You did well. Got it?”
All the strength seeped out of me. “Thank goodness.” Relief swelled from my chest as I collapsed back into bed. I was really glad to hear this. Throwing my own life away had meant something.
“Camilla asked me to call for her as soon as you woke up. Do you mind?”
“Of course not.”
So, Camilla was fine too. Of course she was—Heidemarie had just told me that everyone was fine. Since I had woken up, she filled me in on what had happened, like how we had escaped, and what they had been doing for the past five days.
“Hey, Wim?” she suddenly asked. “Did you have fun?”
It sounded like there an underlying meaning behind her words, as if she had seen all the circumstances surrounding me to declare, “I can see right through you, Wim.” I was kind of angry at the fact she had me wrapped around her finger, but I didn’t find it unpleasant either.
And so, I decided to tell her exactly what was in my heart. “Sort of, yeah.”
“I see,” she said, flashing me an honest smile.
“Boy.”
“Oh, um, right.”
Camilla’s back was bent at a ninety-degree angle, her head pointed toward the floor. It was an odd sight. Part of me was impressed that someone as tall as her could do such a perfect bow, while the other was preoccupied at how weird and paradoxical it was that a bow could look so forceful.
Wait, this isn’t the time for that.
“Um, if you could raise your head that’d be… Aha ha ha. I don’t know what to say.”
“You have my thanks. I’m not certain I’ll ever be able to make it up to you, but for now, at least allow me to extend my gratitude. Thank you.”
“Not at all, um…”
I didn’t know how to react to her formal display. I panicked and glanced at Heidemarie, as if trying to escape. She was grinning. Yup, she had zero intentions of helping me out of this.
“I’m glad you’re all okay.”
“Wim, you’re truly…” Her eyes locked on to me, filled with deep emotion.
“Um, you can be a bit more casual, and… Agh!” A huge frame filled my vision. Camilla was hugging me. “Agh! It hurts! Save me! I can’t breathe! Aaagh!”
“Ha ha ha! Wim’s getting crushed by the commander!” The voice came from somewhere behind Camilla. He sounded cheery, but I could swear he was crying. It was Mark, and he wasn’t alone. There was Abel, Hans, Simon…everyone.
“Wiiim!” Now Abel was hugging me, too. I thought they were going to kill me!
For a moment, all was silent.
“All right, everyone. As you can see, the boy has yet to fully recover. Let’s avoid doing anything that could further harm him, and just settle with simple handshakes for today. Don’t worry. We have all the time in the world now.”
“You’re contradicting yourself, commander.”
“Did you say something, Mark?”
“Nope.”
They all took turns thanking me and gripping my hand in a firm handshake. Some were so grateful to me I started to feel bad for them.
When I was finally alone, I basked in the afterglow. I was proud of myself. This was the first time so many people had extended so much gratitude towards me, and my heart soared at the thought that even someone like me could contribute.
I began to think about what would happen next. The guild master apparently wanted to speak with me. Some strangers even came to my hospital room, whom I had the others turn away. I was sure I was in trouble.
That’s right. I guess I was an official member of Nachtlibelle now. I was going to be fine. I had someone as strong as Camilla backing me on all the procedures that were about to follow, and since I had plenty of people around me now, I was sure they would help me out.
Yeah, I had plenty of allies now—people who had just thanked me and extended their appreciation. But…
I mentally stopped myself. I couldn’t think that! They had been so kind to me.
However, I couldn’t stop the rapid beating of my heart, nor could I hide the true feelings that were spilling out of me. No, these aren’t my true feelings! I can’t be having these thoughts!
I took a deep breath and hid under my covers.
Side Story: The Friendly Face at the Nice Perch
Side Story:
The Friendly Face at the Nice Perch
THERE WERE LESS PEOPLE THAN USUAL TONIGHT at the Nice Perch. In fact, it was practically empty. There was just me, the cow, and the master cooking in the back. I took a seat at the bar, which inevitably put me face to face with her.
“I’m telling you! You’ve gotta put some more effort into your outfits, Sue.”
“And I’m telling you I don’t want to.”
“If you were being honest about that, I wouldn’t be bringing this up. I can see how your eyes linger on all the pretty women you come across, Sue!”
“Stop acting like you have me figured out!”
I would occasionally come to drink at the Nice Perch alone, just like I was doing today. And as much as I hated it, it was the cow who always served as my conversation partner. I was always trying to enjoy my drinks in silence, but she never stopped yapping at me.
But, well… If she wanted to chat, I wasn’t completely against the idea.
“Uh-huh. You’re soooo stubborn. Don’t come crying back to me when you start to regret it once you’ve hit your thirties!”
“This is just how I am.”
“Riiiight…”
Ugh! The look on her face was so obnoxious.
“Maybe it’s time I used my secret weapon.”
“I know what you’re gonna say, and don’t. I’ll use my authority as an elder to put this place under.”
“You know, I’ve started to hear Wim’s name whispered around here ever since he became a temporary member of Nachtlibelle.”
I had been half-expecting her to bring him up, but I didn’t imagine she would mention any girls.
“Tell me.”
“What happened to your ‘authority as an elder’?”
“I’ll put that aside for now. Hurry, out with it.”
“Right, right.” It was annoying hearing her act so full of herself, but you couldn’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. “The ladies of Filburn love to make promising abenteurers their own. His name’s spread now that he’s joined Nachtlibelle, and people are starting to think he has some promise.”
“What do you mean?”
“The days when women chased only rich, handsome men is over. Now, they love showing off by proving they found themselves a diamond in a place where nobody else was looking. Rather than play dirty to win an ugly fight, it’s more tasteful to discover what no other woman was after.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“There’s a certain group of women who prefer real talent, and the more hidden the gem, the better. Wim’s a perfect target for these girls.”
“Forgive me since I’m not too versed in this world myself, but doesn’t that mean they’re still fighting over him?”
“Well, I won’t deny that.”
“Sounds fun. I guess the girls in town have too much time on their hands.”
“No need to be rude! We’re already at a marriageable age, you know! This is when us girls need to put our pride on the line to prove that we’re in our prime!”
“Right, right.”
I looked up at the cow. Despite working a customer service job, she was dressed in a dirndl that spoke to her personal tastes. She was much, much taller than me, but was short enough to not hurt the pride of an average man. Her chestnut hair was braided to match the current trend, her voice cute and high-pitched, though she still managed to sound kind.
Most importantly, she had huge knockers. There’s no way she would ever have any trouble with the opposite sex.
She was my exact opposite. Wim and I had come from the countryside just to dive into the labyrinth, which meant that we couldn’t live our lives assuming we would one day have families. I had both labyrinth conquering and magical research to do—it kept me busy.
“Anyway, are you really fine staying as you are now, Sue?”
“What do you mean?”
“Wim’s going to be taken from you if you’re not careful. Do you plan on just being his stalker forever?”
“Shut up. I’ve told you I’m not his stalker! I’ve got a real purpose to what I’m doing.”
“Which is?”
“A secret.”
“Tee hee! Yes, of course… Ahem!” The cow put on airs and took a step forward. Then, she cleared her throat a few times. “I’ve got no idea what this purpose of yours is but aren’t you putting the cart before the horse?” she said, speaking in a teasingly low voice. And she was bending her knees to pretend to be short too.
“Just who the hell are you pretending to be?!”
“Wow, so you do have some self-awareness!”
I was actually starting to get pissed off. It was time I went home.
“But, let me be serious for a second, Sue.”
The cow must have picked up on my thoughts, putting aside the joking tone and switching to a serious one. I had no choice but to rescind my plans. This girl was a master of both kindness and cruelty. It was as if I was dancing on the palm of her hand, and it only made me more annoyed.
“Your clothes are a bit weird, Sue. Haven’t you noticed people looking at you when you walk around town? When you’re not stalking Wim, that is.”
I knew reacting to all her teasing would only encourage her, so I gave her an honest answer. “Well, I guess so. If I’m not trying to hide, people tend to look at me. But that’s because I’m an elder. I’m famous.”
“I see. So that’s how you’ve interpreted it.”
“What? Stop talking like you have some secret wisdom!”
“Listen up, Sue.” She stared at me. “You stick out because you look and act weird. An average citizen like me has no right to talk about your labyrinth gear, but your everyday clothes are horrendous. Your hair and fashion sense scream country bumpkin brat. You might think they’re fine, but the things that stick out are practically screaming for attention—and not in a good way.”
“Ugh…” I looked into her eyes. Surprisingly, the cow didn’t seem like she was lying. She was telling the truth. It felt like all her teasing had been leading up to her telling me this. “Th-then, let me ask you this. What exactly about me has that effect…?”
“It’s everything! Absolutely everything! People need to dress to match their age. You’re so afraid of showing skin you basically dress like a nun!”
“A-a nun?”
“Yup. Young girls don’t know manners, so their parents dress them in clothes that’ll keep them from showing their underwear. That’s still what you’re wearing even now that you’re grown, Sue! Have some self-awareness!”
“R-really…?”
“Yes, really! Not to mention, you’re rough, violent, and extremely short. It makes you stick out like a sore thumb!”
Hey, you can’t just say absolutely anything under the guise of being serious!
“Like right now! Close your legs!”
I looked down at my knees. They were plenty closed enough, right?
“You’ve got to keep them squished together. Practice until that gets easy for you. It’s basic manners for a lady.”
“I have no interest in this sex-obsessed culture.”
“Culture?! You can’t choose where you’re born! This is common sense! It’s just being a proper adult!”
“Maybe, but…”
The knockers on the cow must absorb plenty of nutrients, but apparently that didn’t make her an idiot. While there was something sex-obsessed about her statement, they came from the realm of leisure and spoke of societal rules. It probably wouldn’t hurt to accept what she said as fairly accurate.
She really must know how to go with the flow. It must be fun being her.
“Hm, I think I went a little too far. You don’t need to change everything at once. I’m sure you had lenient parents that let you do as you pleased. I can tell you were loved.”
Maybe that’s how it was.
I was so absorbed in our conversation that I forgot to eat or drink. That seemed rude, as a guest at a tavern, so I ordered a fried potato and ate a few bites. Then, I washed down the grease in my mouth with a beer.
I sighed. At least this place had its food going for it.
“Anyway, let’s give you a glow-up!”
After some time, the cow had steered us back to the earlier topic of conversation. She must have time to kill, but I guess that made sense, given how there were only few customers tonight. Shouldn’t she be using this time to prepare for service tomorrow, then? I guess that was for her to figure out.
“Mm-hmm…”
“Let me rephrase that. Let’s stop you from sticking out. Are you really okay attracting unwanted attention alongside the people you’re with?”
“Mm-hmm…”
I couldn’t really handle my liquor, so I only took a few sips at a time. We had been talking for so long that I was starting to get drunk, my thoughts disorganized.
“It’s just embarrassing.”
“Huh?”
I snatched up my mug and chugged half of the beer that was left.
“Sue, be careful.”
I slammed my mug on the table. “I really have been wearing the same clothes I wore as a kid! I like how easy they are to move in! Isn’t hiding the stuff you’re supposed to be hiding the whole point of clothes?!”
“I understand that’s how you think, but what’s embarrassing, exactly?”
“Well, I’m just a bit embarrassed now about, um…”
“Just say it, Sue. We’re in a tavern, aren’t we? Let the liquor do the talking.”
At least be clear about whether or not you actually care about me!
“I-I’ve been with Wim for a long time. Whenever I think about getting new clothes, I think about what his reaction will be, and it’s just…you know?”
“Huh?”
“Changing my look after all this time is just a bit…yeah.”
“Huh? Who are you supposed to be, the Captain of Childhood Love?”
“It’s not that I lack self-awareness, it’s just…”
“Wow… I get it, but you’re even more twisted than Wim in some regards, huh?”
Oh, keep it to yourself.
The cow flicked me on the forehead, grinning ear to ear.
The bell above the door rang with a soft cling.
“Come on in!” The cow turned on her customer service voice and smiled. She really was a professional. Her concerns for appearances probably came from working this job. “Oh, it’s Wim!”
“H-hey, Grete.”
It was Wim. Damn it, I had completely let my guard down! I hadn’t been tracking the transmission crest for the past few hours, since I thought he was spending the whole weekend holed up in the guest house!
Our eyes met. Both of us froze.
Usually, this was when I would give him a hearty, “Hey, Wim!” but I just couldn’t manage it now. This was awkward.
In all honestly, our relationship wasn’t all that relaxed or familiar. Of course, he was an irreplaceable friend and the first I would save in a crisis, but that only held true if I was prepared for it. Surprise encounters with him made it hard for me to act like we were just friends.
Sometimes, the same went for Wim as well. Still, that didn’t make it okay for him to turn around and try to leave the bar!
You’re mean, Wim!
“I see we’ve got another customer! I’ll lead you right to your seat!” The cow made a preemptive strike and dragged him back inside. Given the situation, she probably had the most power out of the three of us.
Perhaps because of her, I was able to gather my wits enough to act natural. “Hey, Wim. You seem to be doing all right.”
“Well, y’know. Thanks to you.”
“What a coincidence!” the cow said. “Sue got here just a little while ago.”
“Huh. I didn’t know you came here that often, Heidemarie.”
“Yup.”
“She doesn’t want to admit she comes to chat with me.”
“If only she was honest.” Wim joined in on the cow’s haughty teasing with a smile.
“Come on, you two. I’m just here for a quiet drink.”
Just for today, I guess I needed to have some gratitude for the cow. I was thankful she was helping cushion the conversation.
“Hear me out, Wim! Sue doesn’t put any effort into her appearance at all!”
So, she hasn’t given up on that yet.
“Oh, um, yeah. I guess so.”
“Apparently, it’s because she’s embarrassed about what you might say if she changes her style.”
“Hey! Stop it, idiot!”
“Idiot? I won’t treat you like an idiot. I don’t know anything about fashion anyways.” Wim’s reaction was once again ridiculously predictable. “So, you should just wear what you want. Yeah.”
Yup, that’s right. Of course he wouldn’t care.
“Wim? This is when you say you’ll compliment her if she gets a new outfit, not that you won’t react at all.”
“But won’t that put some unnecessary pressure on her?”
The two peered at me out of the corners of their eyes as they conversed. They needed to just cut it out; I had no intention of taking either side. Picking Wim’s would just piss me off, and I wasn’t willing to throw away my dignity to take the cow’s.
However, as I struggled to find an answer, the cow slammed her hands on the table. “Let’s all go shopping together tomorrow!”
“Huh?” Wim and I asked in unison.
“Let’s go buy you some new clothes, Sue! And Wim can tag along too.”
What was she suddenly on about?
“Don’t want to,” I said, trying to sound as cold as possible. “That sounds obnoxious.”
“Huh? What’s wrong with a little shopping? I’m sure you make good money as an elder!”
“I’m not going. Absolutely not.”
“Let’s go, let’s go! Please?”
The cow tended to think that enough pleading would eventually get me to cave, but given the circumstances, that would just mean admitting defeat. That would suck, so I decided to ignore her and ate my food in silence with my cheeks puffed out.
…Even though I didn’t know who or what I was losing to.
Wim, by the way, didn’t know what to do and looked panicked.
“Hmph. Fine.” The cow dropped the act, losing some of her earlier composure. My stubbornness was finally starting to work.
Aha ha ha! I won!
“Then meet me at the town square after lunch, Wim! It’ll be just to two of us!”
“Huh?” Once again, Wim and I spoke in unison.
The next day, I holed up in my study. I wasn’t doing any research and instead sat at my chair hugging my knees. The hands of the clock had already reached their apex, which meant it was already noon. Wim had been completely overpowered by the cow last night, and this shopping trip without me was surely about to begin.
I didn’t care. I didn’t think anything would happen between them, and—
“The ladies of Filburn love to make promising abenteurers their own.”
The cow’s words flashed through my mind.
I shook my head, trying to clear the thoughts. She wasn’t stupid! She at least had standards, which meant she wouldn’t indiscriminately make moves on a guy. I had nothing to worry about.
I glanced at the map I had spread out on the table. The transmission crest was already heading to the square.
Th-that’s right. The wrap on my staff was starting to wear out. It was best to use fine leather on it. Did I still have some left?
“I-I guess I’ve got no choice. I need to go shopping.”
I was an abenteurer, and I wasn’t going to cut any corners when it came to the labyrinth.
They had met at the square and naturally began to shop around the city center. While the cow looked perfectly at ease, Wim’s footsteps were awkward and stiff.
As the two chatted—or really, as the cow talked to Wim—they wandered around and occasionally stopped at some shops.
“Ugh…” Looking at them from the sidelines, they seemed completely like a you know what. Not that I’d actually say what that was! I didn’t really care, of course, but I wasn’t going to put it into words.
However, given how the cow was dressed, it was obvious. Just what was with her outfit? She was in a plain dress that looked easy to move around in. The deep green color and its practicality gave her a calming air, and she somehow managed to look put together and slender without seeming immature. She had purposefully chosen the outfit to make her seem even more charming to those who only saw her at the Nice Perch.
“Hey! Don’t let her fool you, Wim…” Despite my threats, I couldn’t show myself. Not that I was limited in what I could do, of course! I just didn’t want to butt in.
I booted up the wiretap stone and brought it to my ear. With all the background noise, it was hard to pick up on their conversation.
‹Jeez! Tee hee hee!›
‹Well… Aha ha ha.›
Those were what I finally managed to make out.
I screamed internally. I couldn’t listen to this! I looked up to the sky and noticed the sun was already nearing the horizon. Given that the cow had requested they meet in the afternoon, she must have calculated the time. She had ensured that the sun would be setting by the end of their shopping trip, I was certain of it!
The two returned to the town square just as the sun was setting. A few people were around, like couples who looked even more charming in the golden glow of the sun. Which, I realized, was practically everyone who was there at this time of day.
“Ugh…”
I had suffered total defeat. I wasn’t sure exactly who or what I had lost against, but that’s what it felt like. I wanted to go back in time to last night at the Nice Perch.
The two faced each other and seemed to whisper amongst themselves. I didn’t need to eavesdrop at this point. They had to be discussing what restaurant they would head to for dinner.
I should just do what I came here to do and then go home. Wim and the cow hooking up wasn’t going to change anything. I had never been after that in the first place. But I was still really curious, so I decided to activate the wiretap stone and listen in for just a moment.
‹We’re done here, Sue.›
It was as if someone had whispered right into my ear.
“Eek!” I was so shocked that I let out a yelp. The cow had caught sight of me and was beckoning me over. For a moment, I contemplated running, but that was impossible. Wim had now noticed me too.
“If you were going to come in the first place, you should have joined us sooner.”
“Y-y-you’re wrong, Wim! Th-this was just a coincidence! I just came to buy some parts to fix the handle of my staff,” I said, offering a pitiful excuse.
The cow watched the exchange and let out a big sigh. “You shouldn’t have let him go free in the first place if it was going to cause you so much panic.”
“Wh-what are you talking about?”
“I’m heading back to the tavern, so take your time together, okay?”
“Hmm?” I asked.
“Thank you for today, Wim,” the cow said.
“Oh, yeah… Me too.”
Once Wim had given her a small bow, the cow headed off in the direction of the Nice Perch. She shrugged as if she had just been completely defeated.
“Seriously! She’s got such a bad attitude! I’d love a chance to meet whoever raised her.”
“I don’t think you’re in any position to say that yourself.”
“She’s a woman who uses her sex appeal to mess with innocent young boys! She’s shallow beyond belief! Don’t fall for her tricks, Wim.”
All righty, somehow, nothing happened! Cheers to Wim for being a wuss and the cow for being all bark and no bite!
As those thoughts passed through my mind, I noticed Wim was squinting at me. “Wh-what? Don’t look at me like that.”
“I’m not really one to talk, but don’t you think this is the reason you don’t have any friends?”
“Agh! Who cares! This is just how I’ve decided to live my life!”
“Well, whatever. Oh, um, I bought you this.” Wim suddenly handed me a paper bag.
“What is it?”
“Earrings. Um, the clip-on kind.”
“Earrings?”
I couldn’t really understand what was happening, but I accepted them anyway.
Huh. He gave me some earrings. Does that make these a present?
“Huh?”
“If you’re too embarrassed to change all at once, then you can start by getting some new accessories to try on. Oh, and these are magnetic, so they apparently don’t really hurt even if you’ve never tried any other clip-on earrings before.”
My skin suddenly felt itchy. Something I couldn’t describe was welling up inside my chest.
No, I knew what this was. I’d read about it in books before, but I hesitated to put a name to it, even if it was only in my own mind.
“I didn’t think you were so considerate, W—”
“That’s what Grete said, anyway.”
“Hey!” Now that I finally understood what was happening, it was my turn to slump my shoulders. So, the two had spent the whole day going from store to store just to buy me these. “Just what is that cow up to?”
But secretly, I was relieved. Wait, not that I was ever worried! Who was the idiot worrying about all this stupid stuff?
Now that I had come back to my senses, it didn’t make any sense for the two of them to hook up when this was supposed to be a shopping trip for the three of us anyway.
I was seriously fed up with myself.
“Hmm… Maybe you think Grete was after me, but I think you’re wrong about that, Heidemarie,” said Wim, looking to be in deep thought.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I’m not really close to Grete in the first place. She just chats with me sometimes because I’m her customer. We talked way more today than we ever have before. I didn’t really get why she was dragging me around anyway.”
“Huh? You’re only confusing me more, Wim.”
“If anything, I think Grete was trying to tease you, Heidemarie. Not me.”
“Huh?”