Chapter 15 I'M Grateful. You'Re Telling Me This Story
"――So? Are you going to tell me about last year's Stampede right away?"
The location was the western central district of Necronia, where the [Four Great Families of the Seals] boasted a vast estate, and the Kirke family's mansion stood out among them.
I was currently in one of the reception rooms within that mansion.
After facing off against the sword saint Logan at the explorer guild's underground training ground, I was taken to this place in the same carriage as Eva and the others.
I had parted ways with Fiona at the guild.
Currently, the only ones in the room were me, sitting on a reception sofa, and Eva, sitting across from me with a rote table between us. And then there was Logan, standing behind her, keeping watch.
Logan was standing because he was Eva's bodyguard, and also to keep an eye on me. While I didn't think Kirke's family would do anything strange, the atmosphere was still tense, and Logan's vigilance was understandable.
"It's us who did something to offend you, but I'd be happy if you didn't glare at me with such a scary face."
Eva said, sipping her tea elegantly, then putting the cup back on the saucer.
By the way, the servant had prepared the tea and then left, so it seemed that even within my own mansion, this was a conversation that couldn't be overheard by others.
"It's not like I'm in a bad mood or anything. ...Whether or not I get upset depends on what you have to say."
The room was decorated with luxurious but not overly flashy furnishings, giving off an air of a noble family that was a cut above the nouveau riche. Even the small vase on the wall was worth enough to let a commoner live comfortably for several years.
As a high-earning explorer, I was nothing but a small fry compared to the truly wealthy.
If it were the usual me, I would have felt uneasy just by entering this room, but I didn't feel that way now.
It's a story about the Stampede that I'd rather not think about. I'm well aware that the other party has overwhelming power, but if the content is unsatisfactory, I'll just leave without waiting for the conversation to end.
"Fuuh... understood. Then, let's get to the main topic right away. But before that, one thing..."
"What is it?"
"I think you understand, but please keep what we discuss here confidential. If it gets out, unnecessary confusion will spread."
"Got it. I promise not to tell anyone."
"Thank you. Then..."
And with that, Eva changed the atmosphere and began to speak seriously.
"Last year's Stampede in Necronia... it wasn't a natural occurrence. It was a man-made disaster caused by human hands."
"......"
"At least, we [Four Great Families of the Seals] are convinced of that. There are 2 main reasons. One is that, like the God's Remains Labyrinth, it's a labyrinth where many explorers venture daily, and it's unlikely for a Stampede to occur. Do you know the conditions for a Stampede to occur in a labyrinth, Mr. Aaron?"
"...Abandonment, right?"
That's correct, Eva nodded.
The so-called "Labyrinth Stampede" phenomenon occurs when a long-abandoned labyrinth produces a large number of monsters and releases them outside, causing a Stampede. It's a phenomenon that occurs when the cycle of monster generation and extinction becomes biased towards generation.
However, that's not the only reason.
I pressed Eva about the part she didn't mention.
"There's also the possibility that a unique individual monster is born and becomes the trigger for the Stampede."
Unique individual.
It refers to a monster that has undergone special evolution or transformation, different from ordinary monsters.
If such a monster is born, there are 3 possible reasons why a Stampede occurs.
One is the "King's Rule" ―― when a monster with strong leadership skills is born, it can lead other monsters in the labyrinth out into the world.
The second is the "Queen's Propagation" ―― when a monster with strong reproductive abilities is born, it can give birth to a large number of monsters, resulting in a stampede.
And the third is the "Mass Death of Explorers" ―― the labyrinth is said to absorb the magical energy, corpses, and possibly even the souls of explorers who die within it.
If we compare the labyrinth to a living being, its usual food is the magical energy absorbed from the earth's veins and the magical energy dispersed by explorers inside ―― specifically, the magical energy released into the air after using skills or magic, and the faint magical energy constantly emitted by explorers.
However, when an explorer dies, the labyrinth can absorb an enormous amount of "nutrients" that cannot be compared to its usual food.
And if a large number of explorers die in a short period, the labyrinth temporarily becomes over-nourished, producing more monsters and resulting in a stampede.
For example, when a strong, unique monster is born that doesn't belong to the King or Queen system, this type of stampede can occur.
"I understand what Mr. Aaron is saying."
Eva nodded.
She must have also considered other possibilities, of course.
"And on top of that, I have a reason to believe that it was a man-made stampede. The second reason is that."
"Hmm... so what's the second reason?"
"The barrier."
Think about the meaning of those words.
If we consider the labyrinth, stampede, and barrier, there's only one possibility that comes to mind.
"... the [Seal Temple] barrier, right?"
Usually, labyrinths don't have barriers set up.
It's not that they don't need them, but rather, it's impossible to maintain a barrier of that scale for a massive labyrinth.
But, in the entire world, [God's Remains Labyrinth] is the only exception.
Here, there exists a "Seal Temple" that can be said to be a "Seal God's Artifact" created by the Gods, and a special bloodline that takes care of the maintenance and management of the barrier using this [Seal Temple].
The barrier set up by the [Seal Temple] and the [Four Great Families of the Seals] is extremely powerful, and it has an absolute effect against the monsters inside the labyrinth and the "Evil God's Remains" that is the core of the labyrinth.
Last year's Stampede was announced to have temporarily broken the barrier due to the overwhelming strength and number of monsters that appeared, but...
When you think about it, this is a contradictory story, saying that the "absolute barrier" was broken. However, the residents of Necronia, including me, didn't doubt the official announcement from the council.
The reason is simple.
We already knew that the [Seal Temple]'s barrier wasn't absolute.
In other words, there have been several Stampede incidents in the history of [God's Remains Labyrinth]. Since it has happened before, it's understandable that it happened again, and the reason is the same as in the past.
Moreover, even if the barrier was broken, it was only temporary. Last year, the barrier was restored to its original state about an hour after the monsters flooded out.
The barrier may be broken temporarily, but it will never be lost. That alone is enough to call it the "Gods' barrier", surpassing human wisdom.
So, even if people are uneasy, there are few who doubt that the barrier was broken.
"It's a lie that the barrier was broken."
But Eva Kirke denied it from the start.
"The [Seal Temple]'s barrier will never be broken by monsters. Therefore, no matter how many monsters increase inside, a Stampede will never occur in [God's Remains Labyrinth]."
"But, in reality, Stampede incidents have occurred many times, haven't they?"
"Yes. Including last year, none of those things happened because the seal was broken. That's just what they announced publicly, but the truth is different. The seal wasn't broken; instead, the operation of the [Seal Temple], which generates the seal, was stopped."
I understood why Eva was so adamant that it was "man-made" after hearing her explanation.
Of course, it's impossible to stop the [Seal Temple]'s operation from inside the seal. If that were possible, it would be like a prisoner being able to unlock their own cell from the inside, which would be a fatal flaw.
It's unthinkable that something created by a god would have such a flaw.
In other words, the truth behind last year's stampede is...
"Someone inside must have spawned a large number of monsters and stopped the [Seal Temple]'s operation."
I have no idea how to stop the [Seal Temple]'s function, but it's easy to figure out how to spawn a large number of monsters inside.
All you need to do is kill a lot of people inside the labyrinth.
You just need to feed the labyrinth a lot of human lives.
And if you're an explorer with a lot of magical energy, you'd need fewer lives.
"I see... it doesn't seem like you're lying."
Eva Kirke wouldn't have a reason to lie to me, and neither would the [Four Great Families of the Seals] spread a lie that would be a flaw for themselves.
The possibility that this story is true is quite high.
So I laughed.
"...heh heh heh."
I couldn't help but laugh.
It's just... the truth behind the stampede is too ridiculous.
"Mr, Aaron...?"
"Calm down, Aaron."
Eva's expression turned stern, and Logan gripped the hilt of his sword.
Oh no, I've made them wary again.
"Ah, sorry. I'm not angry or anything. I'm actually grateful to Lady Eva for telling me this."
"Grateful, you say...?"
"Yes."
I nodded, touching my face.
No doubt about it, I was laughing. Maybe I was happy. No, I must have been happy. Why?
"If it's a natural disaster, there's nothing I can do for them. But if it's a murder committed by someone, then there's something I can do, right?"
I had someone to vent my pent-up emotions to.
My mood was terrible, but this was definitely a happy occasion. So, even before hearing the details, I had made up my mind.
"Let's work together, Eva Kirke. What do you want me to do?"
* * *
"Ha... it was like we were having a conversation while touching a dragon's reverse scales."
"That's that."
After finishing the conversation with Aaron Gale, who had left the mansion.
Eva Kirke let out a deep sigh and slumped on the sofa in the reception room where we had our conversation.
It was unusual for her to be so relaxed, but it was probably because she had been under intense pressure during her conversation with Aaron.
Seeing her like that, Logan sat down on the opposite sofa, looking amused.
"I really thought he was going to blow up at any moment, it was scary."
"You're also worried, aren't you, lady? There's no reason for him to attack you, after all, you're not an accomplice to the crime."
"That's what I think, but... normally, one wouldn't be so full of killing intent during a conversation with ,e. And I'm the young lady of the Kirke family, after all."
"But he wasn't directing his killing intent at you, wasn't he? Strong people like that are a bit crazy in the head, but they're not criminals, and they have a minimum level of common sense."
"...when Logan says it, it sounds more convincing."
"I'm relieved."
Eva gave Logan a sharp glance, then shook her head in resignation, thinking back to her conversation with Aaron.
They had talked about the truth behind last year's Stampede.
After that, they also discussed the culprits behind the Stampede, including the information that had been revealed so far, and the speculations that had no solid evidence, and Aaron had explained it all to her.
And in the end, he reversed their positions, and he asked for their cooperation, which she accepted ―― that was the flow of the conversation.
Everything went better than she had expected, thanks to Aaron's cooperation. He even took the initiative to help her out.
However, she couldn't be genuinely happy because she was scared.
"...Pissing off someone that strong is terrifying, isn't it?"
Even now, she get goosebumps just thinking about it.
After she explained that the Stampede was a man-made phenomenon, Aaron flashed a smile at me.
He said he wasn't angry, but she could tell he was. Even though she knew his anger wasn't directed at her, she couldn't help but feel intimidated.
After that, Aaron listened to her calmly, his anger suppressed. But the fear she felt at that moment couldn't be erased so easily.
"In the end, I couldn't even confirm if he was a member of ≪Extreme Sword≫ or not..."
"Well, I don't think he'd answer me honestly even if I asked..."
"That's true, but..."
"If you're that curious, you should've just asked him, don't you think?"
"You think it's that simple? In that heavy atmosphere, there's no way you could ask him that..."
Logan, on the other hand, remembered that incident and chuckled to himself.
"Hmm...being targeted by his genuine killing intent is...I'm a little envious of those criminals, I suppose."
"Huh?"
Eva was stunned, and Logan explained.
"Being able to fight someone who's seriously trying to kill you...I'm almost jealous."
Eva's face turned pale, and she fell silent, but somehow managed to squeeze out some words.
"......Logan, please, don't do anything weird, okay?"
"Hmm, of course not. I'll take care of it."
She was extremely uneasy.
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