“Oh? What’s happening?”
“I don’t know. It sounds like… something from above?”
Sera, the representative disciple of Glesia, was almost at the exit with Arthur’s support.
It was the sixth day since they entered the labyrinth, and Sera’s body was exhausted from the difficult battles.
Suddenly, a shock as if the labyrinth were collapsing engulfed the two, causing Sera to slump to the ground.
As she groped in the darkness, she realized that Mariel, who should have been with her, was gone.
Looking back, she realized that the arm supporting her had suddenly become weaker.
Feeling her way through the darkness, Sera grabbed Arthur.
“Where is that rogue magician?”
“I don’t know. She let go of my hand halfway and disappeared…”
“For heaven’s sake! Arthur, are you out of your mind?”
“Well, what can I do if she decides to wander off on her own?”
Regardless of their different schools of thought, how could a woman be left alone in such a labyrinth?
It was clear that any sense of consideration, typical of those foolish mages who claimed Meteor as their fire magic, had evaporated long ago.
“Go get her right now. What if Clark gets angry later?”
“You should throw yourself out first and then think about it.”
“What? You’re supposed to go back, aren’t you? All you did was act as a torchbearer to get here.”
“What? Glesia, of all places, barely manages to provide water…”
“Ice and water are different types of magic, you know!?”
Rumble… Bang, Bang, Boom——!!
The resounding noise silenced both of them as they stood facing each other.
The tremendous shock, not only within the labyrinth but permeating the entire Magic Tower, was getting closer.
As the trembling, like the howls of beasts, drew nearer, the sensation of fear tingled through their muscles beyond just their skin.
“Q-quickly, let’s just get out for now!”
“We’re almost there! Just a bit more…!”
Luckily, the exit was right in front of them.
Once they opened the door and stepped out, they could lift the curse of the labyrinth and ascend to the 11th floor.
But even after some time passed, Arthur, who had been supporting her, showed no signs of moving.
The silence seemed to freeze even their breaths.
Just as Sera, who couldn’t see ahead, was about to urge him, an unfamiliar voice pierced her ears.
“Artur? what are you doing? Quickly open the exit…”
“…Mmm, it’s Milone and Skadi.”
The sound of footsteps, the scent of tobacco, and overwhelming magic that distorted the air with every breath.
Frozen in time, Sera felt relieved as the owner of the voice passed by her as though she were invisible.
Any attempt to disturb, or in any way indicate their existence in this space, would result in a hierarchical difference significant enough to be trampled like ants.
“Recently, they said a decent guy came out of Glesia’s cradle, so I guess there might be some prestige in taking the seat of a sage.”
“Oh? Wasn’t Claudia the gatekeeper of the Elemental School?”
“She’s been throwing herself into Milone for a long time because she’s been interfering with the ascent. Kaleidos should also proceed as a small elite in the future. Where was it? Ah…”
“Aitar from Haeju? Ridiculous. If you could break through the upper floors alone like her, you would have done it sooner.”
“More importantly, something seems to have happened on the 10th floor. I sense the aura of death, you know?”
As the gentle words of the woman ended, without any warning, Sera’s eyes lit up.
She would rather have plucked her own eyes out, but her sight had already begun to convey all the information she had seen to her brain.
“I thought you might be struggling, so I took care of it for you. As for the lover next to you… Hmm, this is quite an unusual curse.”
“Pfft, is it too burdensome for you too?”
“No, it’s not that, but it seems like you’re quite satisfied, so I think it’s better to leave it as it is. The exit is right in front of you, so you can just leave like this, right?”
“If you’re going to walk anyway, just clear everything out of this damn space. It’s annoying.”
“I’m hesitating because it seems like they want to leave it this way. It’s fun because it changes appearance, isn’t it? Like a painting.”
“Ugh, what if someone gets annoyed and throws a tantrum?”
A curse that makes it difficult to distinguish between human and demon, received on the first day of entering the labyrinth.
To Sera, who was freed from it, the true forms of the three people were clearly visible.
“Let me tell you, I never even considered for a moment that the brat would be him. There will never be another time when I forcefully tears through dimensions and come over like this.”
Among the three, the only one expressing annoyance was a small girl with sharp eyes and short hair.
She was wearing a mysterious robe that not even some alchemists of the Magic Tower could replicate.
Every time the translucent fabric fluttered like flowing water, the elven script engraved on the body shimmered like starlight.
“I, on the contrary, am absolutely convinced that it’s him. That’s why I immediately squeezed out all the remaining ‘glory’ as soon as I saw the notice, so that I could go to him.”
The blindfolded woman said, putting her hands together.
She, who had just dispelled six curses with a single gesture, was adorned in the attire of the divine of the Divine School.
Although she looked as beautiful as an apostle of the divine, traces of battle could be seen all over her clothes and body.
An unfathomable malice emanated from the small bloodstains on her sleeves.
“Don’t overreact. We’ve broken through over a hundred floors on this side. We’ll soon be able to confirm who the Administrator is. But demons… how bothersome they are… Tsk.”
As the woman who had just pierced a hole in the ceiling of the labyrinth looked around with her tongue clicking, sparks of pale-yellow lightning flashed as soon as she flicked her cigarette, instantly piercing the heads of the remaining undead on the path throughout the labyrinth.
Kurrrrrrrrrrr—!
Following that, thunderous roars poured forth, causing Sera to grimace and cover her ears.
Kaleidos School.
A branch of elementalism founded by the sage Marylin, the namesake of the Marylin Hall, dealing with thunder and lightning.
“Ah, damn it! It’s too noisy!”
“Why don’t you say that to him face to face?”
“Yeah. Wouldn’t you be surprised since he’s so different from your usual concept?”
“Who knows? What can we do when the Witch Note signals in the spirit realm aren’t catching properly!”
“Let’s stop here. We might be late at this rate.”
When she regained consciousness, the three were already gone.
Sera resolved to erase everything she had just seen and heard from her mind.
They hadn’t given any warning, let alone caution, but she knew there was no need for it.
On the ground lay buzzing sparks, dust from spirits, and the sacred patterns of the Holy Spirit scattered.
“…Hey.”
“….”
“Should I go back in?”
“No.”
Arthur, who was actually holding his breath as if he were really dead, probably had the same thought.
To him, who was making jokes that didn’t even make him smile, Sera nodded earnestly.
*
‘No way, is they really coming?’
Sensing the presence from across the corridor, I hastily cleared the area around me.
To be honest, since this gathering was hastily put together and unplanned, I wasn’t prepared at all.
There was neither food nor music, and even the location was a damp and dark cave filled with piles of undead corpses.
Could I ask these guys to resurrect and sing for a bit?
In a hurry to create a space for conversation, I rolled the large stones around me into place like chairs.
I took a broken Gate of the Underworld and laid it on top of the largest rock to serve as a table.
As I brushed off the dust from my reserved chair and caught my breath, footsteps echoed, and three figures approached along the wall.
Owl, deer, and wolf.
Confirming their faces, I realized that I had underestimated the eccentricities of the forum patrons.
‘That’s right. Come to think of it, there’s no way those lunatics who dedicated their lives to the forum made it up the tower unscathed.’
Although I may not be the only one who started climbing again after five years, it was clear that each of them had been fumbling around near the lower floors.
So, they must have been able to rush over as soon as I called.
If I had planned to surprise them, I should have summoned them around the 20th floor from the beginning.
Setting aside bitter regrets, I urged everyone to sit down.
“Welcome. Please, take a seat.”
“This is…”
“Do you not like it? It’s all for you.”
“….”
“….”
The three exchanged meaningful glances and reluctantly sat on the chairs made of rough-hewn stones.
The tense atmosphere was palpable in their gazes.
Although it might be awkward at first, once we started talking about the forum, we would soon become acquainted.
Moreover, with the fost still lingering in the labyrinth, it was perfect for conversing with masks on.
“Sorry for the late introduction. I’m the Administrator of the forum that invited you.”
“I’m not interested in that, I think you’re the Tower Master…”
“Lindsay.”
“Please don’t interrupt, Claudia. I have only one reason for being here.”
“It’s not that, someone is coming.”
“Looks like they’re in quite a bad shape.”
As the wolf-masked individual finished speaking, someone emerged from the corridor with unsteady steps.
It was Mariel, who had been sent off with Arthur.
Approaching with precarious steps while clutching the wall for support, she made her way to the end of the corridor where I was seated and hesitantly sat down.
“Are you alright?”
“Supervisor? Is he okay? Is the injury alright…?”
I admired Mariel’s perseverance.
Surely, she hadn’t even seen the Witch Note, yet she had come all the way to the banquet venue, fearing that she might be left out.
I couldn’t help but admire her determination.
“I’m sorry, I just told you to leave, but seeing him hurt because of me, I just couldn’t…”
“Supervisor… do you wish for your former companion from the labyrinth to be safe?”
“Yes?”
Of course, for her, who could collapse at any moment now without it being strange, hiding my identity should be a priority.
“Then it is so.”
“……!!”
“Remote treatment… tracking and divine magic!?”
“No, I didn’t feel a thing. Not at all…”
“What? What if you didn’t know!?”
While gently pressing the back of Mariel’s neck to knock her unconscious, I took out the Witch Note she had and placed it on the table.
And I spoke to the people who were looking at me with strangely fearful eyes, different from before.
“Now that everyone’s here, let’s start the banquet.”
