Chapter 44 Sealing The Labyrinth
Darkness.
In an unknown, obscure space.
"――I'm truly sorry, 'Magus'."
The woman bowed her head deeply, apologizing to the darkness ahead.
Her failure to kill Aaron Gale. She understood that she might be punished for her mistake, and her apology was laced with heavy tension. Her cold sweat wouldn't stop, and her stomach was churning with anxiety, protesting with a nasty pain.
The damage she had incurred this time was no laughing matter. She had to abandon one of the teleportation circles with 30 "suitable candidates" and a stronghold built in the slums.
The death of those 30 "adepts" was a painful loss, both financially and in terms of personnel. If this were an ordinary illegal organization, a member who had caused such damage would be lucky to escape with their life.
And yet, even the backup plan she had prepared for the failure to kill Aaron Gale was on the verge of collapse.
Adding to that, the damage they had suffered in the 45th floor of the [God's Remains Labyrinth] was a disaster of epic proportions.
She had expected that she wouldn't be able to get off scot-free, no matter who she was.
However, the response she got was a carefree, youthful laughter.
"Hahaha! You're so serious. Why do you need to apologize?"
"――Eh?"
The voice belonged to a young man.
He――the being revered as "Magus" within the organization――dismissed the woman's apology with a light, airy laugh.
"This time, everything is under my command. I did have you move around and do various things, but if we're talking about taking responsibility for the failure, then that responsibility lies with me."
"I, I mean... that's..."
It was true that the ultimate responsibility lay with "Magus". However, from the woman's perspective, saying "it's your responsibility" was impossible, even if her mouth was torn apart.
Moreover, it was the woman who had actually taken action, not "Magus". In that sense, it wasn't unreasonable to blame her.
"However, I was the one who actually took action... and I do bear some responsibility..."
"Yeah, this time was tough, wasn't it? I've put you through a lot of trouble. And besides, you were just following my orders. So I don't plan on holding you responsible."
"That's..."
"Well, it's unfortunate for those who died, but let's just leave it at that. We still have things we need to do. Right?"
"Yes... that's correct."
The woman's voice was tinged with apology, but she felt a sense of relief inside.
It seemed she wouldn't be held responsible and punished. Considering her position, she wouldn't be killed, but there was a possibility she'd be used as a material for the "Nectar" and be killed. That would be a more miserable future than death itself.
"So, before we proceed, I want to confirm something. Do you understand the situation with Necronia?"
"Yes, I've already confirmed it."
With her safety assured, the woman answered firmly.
"The ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫'s clan members were attacked individually or in small groups, and 13 people were killed. At the same time, 'Ipsissimus' was released inside the [God's Remains Labyrinth], causing the explorers to be killed and triggering a massive monster stampede... right?"
"Yeah, that's correct. You're really something, considering you just got back."
"I'm terrified... But wasn't the original plan to attack the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ members and reduce their numbers, then disband the clan itself? Using 'death' wasn't part of the plan, was it? Was it okay to release it in the labyrinth?"
"Well, that's because he returned too quickly. The ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ also increased their vigilance, and further attacks would be difficult. Lately, there have been a lot of unexpected events, and this time, I decided to take a risk and use 'death'."
"...I apologize. If only I could have guided them a bit better..."
She apologized sincerely and bowed her head deeply once again.
If they couldn't kill Aaron Gale, their original plan was to delay his return to Necronia, weakening the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫'s fighting power and gradually reducing the number of clan members.
Even with top-tier powers like Aaron and Io, it's difficult to maintain a clan with a small number of members. Moreover, the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ is challenging the ultra-deep [God's Remains Labyrinth] below the 46th floor. If they could reduce the clan's personnel to a certain extent, they could naturally disband it, citing a lack of fighting power as the reason.
However, Aaron Gale returned in just 5 days, a distance that would normally take a month.
"No, no, I'm not blaming you? Anyone would've been helpless in that situation."
"Yes. Thank you for your concern."
She nodded, then raised a question.
"...Even if bound by the [Testament (Contract before God)], wouldn't 'death' be able to escape the contract by repeating its transformations? I think recovery would be difficult."
"Death" is an existence created by chance during research, and it doesn't swear loyalty to the organization.
Even with the Expert's contract magic, [Testament (Contract before God)], which binds its actions and will, it would be difficult to recover and reuse it once it's been released.
The performance of "death" exceeds Aaron Gale's, making it a valuable existence that's a shame to discard.
However, 'Magus' didn't seem particularly concerned, answering nonchalantly.
"I've finished the necessary research on 'death', so it doesn't matter if we can't recover it."
"...You don't plan to recover it, then?"
"Yeah. If someone defeats it, that's fine, and if not, we can just leave it in the labyrinth forever. ...Or maybe, the contract's power will be lost, and it'll emerge on the surface. That would be interesting, don't you think?"
"...You don't plan to use 'death' to take care of Aaron Gale?"
The woman asked.
If they're going to use 'killing', then let's use it, but right now, what's bothering her is that.
Even Aaron Gale can be killed for sure if it's 'death'. But, according to 'Magus', it doesn't seem like he has any intention of doing that.
And it seems like her guess was correct.
"Yeah, I don't have that intention. The role I've given to 'death' is to cause a 'Great Outbreak' in [God's Remains Labyrinth], making monsters appear en masse. Under the 'Great Outbreak', even the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ can't explore the labyrinth. I'll just maintain the 'Great Outbreak' for as long as possible with 'death' and buy some time. That's the goal."
It seems like the goal is to buy time after all.
But, she feels like that's a bit too passive, so she asks again.
"Isn't a Stampede going to happen?"
"Yeah, it's pointless to cause a Stampede right now. I'll just use 'death' to cause a 'Great Outbreak' and effectively seal off the labyrinth. That's the goal, after all. Well, we'll have a hard time collecting resources from the labyrinth, but that can't be helped. We can't let anyone conquer the labyrinth, after all."
She's convinced that's the case.
There's a discrepancy in their understanding of the current situation between 'Magus' and her. Maybe 'Magus' isn't feeling threatened by Aaron Gale?
The woman who had such doubts thought that she might hurt 'Magus" feelings, but she still decided to confirm.
"So, what kind of measures will you take against Aaron Gale?"
Contrary to her expectations, 'Magus' didn't seem hurt at all. Instead, he even laughed and answered.
"Hahahahaha! You're really worried about him, aren't you? Well, I understand your feelings, but..."
"No...it's just that keeping Aaron Gale alive is a danger to us..."
"Hmm..." 'Magus' changed his tone to a more serious one.
"Indeed, he's dangerous. As a human, he's too strong. I was observing him through [Remote Viewing], but I never thought he could survive in that state and even kill 30 'adepts'. Ah, I took care of one of them, didn't I? ...Anyway, based on my observation through [Remote Viewing], his combat ability is extremely abnormal. It's hard to believe, but he might be able to conquer [God's Remains Labyrinth]. Your concerns are understandable."
"So?"
"Yeah. I mean, but we're canceling the plan to kill him. Maybe 'Death' will take care of him, but we don't need to do anything else. It's too costly to kill one explorer."
"That's, that's true, but...!"
"Don't get it wrong, okay? Our goal isn't to kill him, or disband the [≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫], or destroy the [Four Great Families of the Seals]. It's to use [God's Remains] to access the [God Realm]. Sure, the 'adepts' and 'Death' have given us incredible power, but that's just a byproduct of our research to obtain the means. We don't need to be fixated on killing him just because we've gained power."
"...Understood. So, our operation against the [≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫] is just about sealing the labyrinth with the 'Great Awakening', and nothing else, right?"
Is he getting nervous?
Personally, she can't help but feel a sense of crisis if they let Aaron Gale roam free. However, she can understand what 'Magus' is saying. It's pointless to keep obsessing over him, and it would only lead to unnecessary losses.
So, it's better to focus on buying time until they can wrap things up, which would be more efficient in various ways.
"Yeah, that's how it is. From now on, we'll need a direct descendant of the [Four Great Families of the Seals] to create the [Seal]. The current head... I won't say it's a luxury, but we need someone with strong blood like me. We can't let them get away. So..."
The conversation moved on to the next topic.
"I'm thinking of letting Logan take action once his condition stabilizes."
"I understand. ...But."
The woman showed a hint of concern there.
"Can we use him? Originally, he was supposed to be a pawn under the Kirke family, but that guy... Ail and the Sword Saint did as they pleased, and it ended up being a mess."
It seemed like the 2 of them had fought each other, and both ended up with severe injuries just shy of death. Moreover, the Sword Saint demanded, "Make me stronger as soon as possible," as compensation for betraying the [Four Great Families of the Seals].
But it takes time to become an 'adept' while being part of a clan on the surface. So, they have to gradually modify his body using 'suppressants' while keeping it under control.
The Sword Saint refused that and demanded immediate treatment. On top of that, he needed to receive medical attention, and that's why he ended up being hidden within the organization.
The Sword Saint's position as the leader of the Demon Hawk Knights and the Clan Master of the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ were both lost.
But then, she couldn't believe that the Sword Saint was a believer in power, far more than she had imagined. He couldn't accept the current situation where someone stronger than him existed, and he would stop at nothing to become stronger himself. That's the kind of arrogant person he was.
Well, that's why he's also easy to manipulate, but his role as a joker infiltrating the enemy's camp was ruined for sure.
However, it seems that 'Magus' doesn't think it's a problem.
"[Four Great Families of the Seals] hasn't obtained any concrete evidence that Logan betrayed them yet. Including Aaron, we've been continuously attacked individually, and maybe Logan disappeared due to a similar attack. Well, even if we can't bring Kirke back, we can still cause chaos and confusion elsewhere. There are still many ways to use him."
"I see..."
"Yeah. So, let's use Logan to kidnap the direct descendants of the Four Great Families. If it's not the head of the family, we might be able to get away with it."
And so, 'Magus' began to explain the details――.
* * *
"I see..."
At the Kirke family's mansion.
In one of its rooms.
In the usual reception room, I heard about what happened in the labyrinth.
For now, it's not a stampede, but the stage before that. Inside the [God's Remains Labyrinth], a "great outbreak" of monsters is occurring, apparently. Moreover, the cause is a unique monster that can move freely within the labyrinth.
That monster has killed dozens of explorers, and the labyrinth absorbed them, causing the "great outbreak".
It's unclear whether this is the result of someone's intentions or a natural occurrence.
However, there's another problem besides the monster outbreak.
That's the attack on the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ clan members. Already, 13 members have lost their lives.
It's unclear whether there's a causal relationship between the "great outbreak" and the attack, but the situation is certainly dire, judging by Lady Eva's serious expression.
Knowing that a stampede isn't happening immediately, I regained some composure and thought about what to do next.
First, we'll have to work with the explorer guild to put an end to the "great outbreak", I thought.
"――Mr. Aaron, I have something I want to ask."
"Hm?"
There, Lady Eva, sitting across from me with a very serious face, asked her question.
"Now, as I've explained, we're in a precarious situation. Even if their true identities are unknown, we want to gather allies who can hold their own. So, I'd like you to answer honestly."
"Yeah."
Moreover, this is the pressing issue at hand.
I nod, still a bit bewildered.
"Got it. Of course, I'll answer honestly. What is it?"
Lady Eva gazes at me with a sharp, piercing stare like a skilled swordsman, her tone filled with conviction as she asks,
"Are you... a member of ≪Extreme Sword≫?"
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