Chapter 45 What The...?!
Let's get our situation in order.
After returning to Necronia with Chloe from the Hellem wilderness, I sent Chloe to the Caduceus mansion and then headed to the Kirke household.
I needed to explain what had happened to me during the 5 days I was away from Necronia.
However, when I arrived at the Kirke household, I was surrounded by an atmosphere that felt like a chaotic battlefield. It seemed like the servants had reported my arrival, and Lady Eva and Fiona came out from the inner part of the mansion, along with Io Suleiman, the "Sage," for some reason. We ended up moving to the usual reception room. Apparently, there was a possibility of a "Stampede" occurring in Necronia.
The 4 of us, including me, decided to exchange information.
As for me, I wanted to hear about the Stampede, but Io seemed to be trying to calm me down, saying.
"The Stampede is still just a possibility. The heads of the [Four Great Families of the Seals] have confirmed that there's no abnormality in the [Seal Temple]'s barrier function. Besides, they're strengthening the surveillance of the [Seal Temple] itself. It's unlikely that a Stampede will occur immediately."
And he added,
"Rather, let's hear about what happened to Aaron first. It's probably just as we imagined, but we want to know what happened to you."
"...Got it."
My mind was still reeling from the unexpected events, but I had originally intended to do so anyway.
I reluctantly decided to explain from my side.
"Uh, it was about 5 days ago? I went out shopping, and some weird guys started following me. So, I tried to hear them out in a deserted alleyway, but..."
"Uh, Mr. Aaron? Isn't it correct to avoid deserted areas and seek help in situations like that?"
Lady Eva chimed in, looking puzzled.
I shrugged and explained that it wasn't the case.
"It's not like I'm an explorer or anything, but what I did was pretty normal in the explorer community, right? It's like they say, 'when someone picks a fight, you take it.' The standard for what's normal changes depending on the situation."
"......"
Lady Eva gave me a silent stare. I silently nodded back.
I wondered what that nod meant, but I'm sure she was agreeing with me. Anyway, I continued explaining.
Five guys with an explorer vibe appeared in the alleyway. They told me they were holding someone I care about hostage. With the hostage taken, I couldn't do anything to them.
"Wait a minute!! Who's this person you're talking about?! You don't have anyone that important, do you!!"
"Excuse me, Fiona," I said, cutting her off.
For some reason, Fiona had inserted herself into the conversation with a tone of absolute certainty.
I scowled and replied, "I do have someone important, too..."
By the way, our seating arrangement was like this: Fiona was sitting next to me, with Lady Eva and Io sitting across from us, separated by a round table.
"......I do have someone important, too..."
When the guys said that, I didn't think of anyone right away. That's a secret.
Anyway.
"That's not the point. Who is this person you're talking about? That's what I want to know."
And then the guys answered, saying it was a woman from the [Four Great Families of the Seals], along with some proof.
"So when I was convinced Lady Eva was kidnapped, I decided to follow them."
"Eva...?"
For some reason, Fiona called out to Lady Eva in a voice that seemed to come from the depths of the earth.
"You guys... were you in a relationship like that...?"
"――What?! No way! That's a ridiculous misunderstanding! Mr. Aaron, please deny it right away!!"
"What's with the panic? It's only natural that Lady Eva is an important person, right?"
"Ahahah!!"
As the patron of the clan and the next head of the Kirke family, Lady Eva is an extremely important person. It's obvious without needing further explanation.
"......"
"Hey, Fiona! Stop staring at me like that!! What do you plan to do to me?!"
I ignored Eva and the others, who were making a ruckus, and continued explaining.
I was led to a slum by some guys, and we entered a house that was hidden in a secluded area. And in the basement of that house, there was a teleportation circle set up, which we used to transfer to a faraway place.
It was only later that I found out where we had teleported to ―― the Hellem Wilderness in the Republic of Ilias.
When we got there, 25 more guys were waiting for us, and all 30 of them were eager to kill me.
And the hostage they had was, surprisingly, not Eva, but Chloe.
"Look! Look!! Did you hear that, Fiona?! It wasn't me, after all!! ."
"...Chloe? So, the person you care about is Chloe...?"
"Yeah, I was surprised too, but it seems that's the case."
I answered Fiona's question. I never would have imagined that Chloe was the person I cared about...
"Hmm, Chloe, yeah... So, she's the girl with glasses and 3 braids from the Caduceus family, right?"
"Ah, that's right. You remembered well."
It took me a little time to recall it too.
"Hmm..."
The conversation had strayed off a bit, but I continued explaining.
Because Chloe was taken hostage, I had no choice but to obey those guys. They took away my weapon and storage ring, and even forced me to wear an "Anti-Magic Ring". And except for the one guy who was holding Chloe captive, the other 29 guys drank a red potion, and their eyes turned golden, just like Judas's, and their magical energy was amplified.
Those guys surrounded me and attacked me with all their might.
In the end, I managed to take down all of them.
"Wait a minute!! That's weird!! What's going on right now!! ."
"Huh? What's weird about it?"
I tilted my head at Lady Eva's retort. Was there something I didn't understand?
"Didn't Mr. Aaron wear the 'Anti-Magic Ring'? How did you win? You should've died normally, right? I mean, even if it wasn't normal, you should've died, right?"
"Ah, that's――"
I explained the weaknesses of the "Anti-Magic Ring" to Eva and the others.
In other words, the "Anti-Magic Ring" can't control the aura that's been prepared beforehand.
If I explained how I used the aura stored inside me to defend against the guy's attacks, it would take too long, so I just said I used a skill to block his attacks. Then, I told them that the ring was destroyed by the guy's attack, and after that, I took advantage of their weakness and freed Chloe, and then defeated the guy normally.
"......You defeated them normally, but Mr. Aaron, weren't you unarmed at that time?"
"Ah, I was more than unarmed ―― I was completely n*ked."
"Completely n*ked!? What happened to make you like that!?"
It seemed that Lady Eva was surprised that I, a Swordsman-type job, could fight unarmed. Or maybe she was more concerned about my n*kedness.
"Hey, weren't there 30 of them? Were they strong?"
Fiona asked next. She must have thought it was a hopeless situation.
"Well, they were a bit stronger than Judas and the others."
"It's already strange that you could win against such opponents alone, but what's even more unbelievable is your technique to retain aura and delay skill activation. It's terrifying, you're..."
Io said, looking amazed.
But I think it's not a big deal since one wouldn't normally need such techniques. It's not a problem even if one can't use them.
"Shall I continue? ——After defeating the guys, I tried to extract information from the one I spared..."
"No, I don't want to hear that. You didn't take any prisoners in that situation, did you? Did you have a lot of leeway?"
Io interrupted, and I shook my head, feeling exasperated.
"Hey, that's not possible, right? That was one of the top 12 most dangerous moments in my life."
I really thought I was going to die.'
"It seems like you've had a lot of close calls... or should I say, your life is full of danger, isn't it?"
But Io didn't seem convinced. What a stubborn guy.
Anyway, let's get back to the story. I captured a prisoner, but then, he was killed thanks to some magic from a distance, probably using Space magic.
"Spacemagic, huh..."
"Yeah, I think it was cast from a pretty far distance. Not just a few kilometers or tens of kilometers, but way farther than that."
Lady Eva's serious expression hinted at the power of magic.
Was it the incredible power of Space magic, or was the magician's skill just that good? Either way, it's clear that the they're ridiculously talented.
In any case, after he was killed, I collected the men's bodies and equipment, storing them in the storage rings they were wearing.
By the way, I brought back 30 storage rings, all wrapped up in cloth.
"That's it."
"Thank you. I'll take a look."
"Yeah, but those guys were thorough. I don't think we'll find anything useful, though."
I handed the luggage at my feet over to Lady Eva.
Lady Eva received the 30 storage rings and called a servant to take care of them. She must have been planning to examine the contents right away, since she gave instructions at the same time.
After the servant left the room, I continued the story.
We had to return from the Hellem Wilderness, but the teleportation circle I used was destroyed by the enemy's attack. According to Chloe, who's knowledgeable about geography, it would take a month to get back normally. I thought that would be a hassle, so I carried Chloe on my back and we traversed mountains and whatnot, making it back here in just 5 days.
I'll keep quiet about Chloe's embarrassing moments, like when she vomited or wet herself, or when she was seen n*ked, for her sake.
"I see. I understand your situation. It's quite impressive..."
"It's an unbelievable series of events, isn't it?"
The conversation had ended, and Io and Lady Eva let out a deep sigh.
Although they seemed to be thinking about organizing the information, I decided to wait for a bit before prompting them to continue the conversation.
"So, I want to hear about what happened with Stampede and the others."
"Ah, yes. I understand."
Lady Eva nodded and began to explain.
According to her, starting from the day I disappeared from Necronia 5 days ago, the members of the Labyrinth Conquest Team were attacked by unknown assailants for 3 consecutive days.
Those unknown assailants were likely from the same organization as the ones who kidnapped Judas and me.
They had killed many of our clan members, targeting them when they were alone or in small groups. As a result, 13 people had died so far.
In other words, the only remaining members of our clan were Io, Fiona, and me, as well as Garon and the others from the Iron Wall Alliance, Calum and the others from Balmung, Claire and the others from Flames of Dominance, and one more party called the Glen Squad.
We had a total of 24 people left. Initially, we had 51 members, but we had lost more than half of them in just a short period of time.
To be honest, it was a desperate situation. Our clan was barely holding on.
Io looked tired and relieved as he said,
"I'm glad you're back. Honestly, if Logan, Ail, and you had all disappeared, we wouldn't have been able to maintain the clan."
"Huh? Why's that?"
"Think about our clan's goal. With our current strength, we can't even explore below the 46th floor. And if you had left, we might not have been able to defeat even the floor bosses."
Our clan's goal...
It goes without saying that we need to conquer [God's Remains Labyrinth] all the way to the lowest floor. However, there's a catch ―― if we don't uncover the true identity of the organization Judas and the others belonged to before reaching the lowest floor, it's all for nothing.
In reality, conquering [God's Remains Labyrinth] and uncovering their true identity are directly connected. The reason is that there's irrefutable evidence of who the traitor is at the lowest floor ―― and the members of the [Four Great Families of the Seals] are convinced of it.
Needless to say, we need a strong enough force to conquer [God's Remains Labyrinth].
In other words, if we lose the strength to conquer it, the true reason for forming the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫ will be lost, and it's only a matter of time before the clan disbands.
In any case, let's get back to the main topic.
Our clan members were attacked, and many were killed. Although their bodies didn't show up, I was also thought to have been killed in the attack.
And with this incident, Logan and Ail, who suddenly disappeared, are now highly likely to have been killed in the attack as well...
The clan and the [Four Great Families of the Seals], thrown into chaos, decided to cancel the scheduled meeting.
For now, it seems Io has taken on the role of Clan Master. It seems he was at Kirke's mansion, discussing the future with Kirke, the head of the Kirke household, as the new Clan Master.
On the other hand, Fiona was at the mansion because she was on high alert against the attackers.
Our clan members are currently scattered among the [Four Great Families of the Seals], guarding important figures and keeping watch for any attacks against themselves.
In other words, they're gathering in large numbers to prepare for the attack, thinking it's too dangerous to be alone ―― that's the situation.
By the way, it seems that Io and Fiona were also attacked.
Io was attacked while alone, but managed to fend off the 3 attackers. Fiona, on the other hand, was searching for a missing party member with other clan members when they were ambushed.
The missing party member had lost contact in the labyrinth, so Fiona and Lady Claire's party, "Flames of Dominance," and another party called "New Star" ―― a total of 12 people ―― were searching for them inside the labyrinth.
However, they were attacked, and although they managed to fend off the attackers, the members of "New Star" became victims.
After that, we strengthened our guard, and there haven't been any attacks for about 2 days. But instead, a major incident occurred in the [God's Remains Labyrinth].
The signs were there about 4 days ago.
A monster unlike any seen before was discovered roaming inside the labyrinth, and explorers reported it to the guild.
However, the emergence of such a monster is not unusual and can happen in any labyrinth, although it's not frequent.
The problem is that the monster that appeared this time was ridiculously strong.
Usually, unique monsters are much stronger than regular ones. But the one that appeared this time was so powerful that it couldn't be compared to other unique monsters.
The guild temporarily banned entry to the [God's Remains Labyrinth] yesterday, but by then, over 100 explorers, regardless of their level ―― Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced ―― had become victims.
What's more, most of them were absorbed into the labyrinth without even leaving behind their bodies.
The labyrinth had absorbed over 100 explorers, rich in nutrients. It's only natural that the labyrinth, now overflowing with nutrients, would react by spawning a large number of monsters.
The guild's investigation revealed that from the 1st to the 46th floor, a "mass outbreak" of monsters had occurred in all confirmed floors, making the interior extremely dangerous.
To prevent further victims from being absorbed into the labyrinth, we prohibited entry into the labyrinth. However, in reality, we can't keep the labyrinth sealed off forever.
The reason is that Necronia is a city that thrives on the abundant resources produced by the labyrinth. If we seal it off for a month, companies will go bankrupt, stores will close, and unemployment will skyrocket, leading to chaos.
Furthermore, explorers moving to other Labyrinth Cities is also a problem.
If our combat power decreases, we won't be able to respond when something happens, and we'll need combat power to resolve the "mass outbreak" in the first place.
This is a pressing issue that requires immediate attention not just from the explorer guild, but also from the Necronia Council and the [Four Great Families of the Seals].
"I see..."
――I muttered, having heard the story up to this point.
I now understood what had been happening in Necronia while I was away.
Lady Eva approached me with a serious tone, her eyes sharp like a swordsman's. When I asked what she meant, she said.
"You're... a member of ≪Extreme Sword≫, aren't you?"
"≪Extreme Sword≫?"
On the other hand, I dug through my memories.
≪Extreme Sword≫ was definitely the alias used by Judas and his friends, right? Or was it? Were they impostors?
In the end, it was unclear who ≪Extreme Sword≫ really was.
But anyway...
"I don't think that's me, though..."
I denied Lady Eva's words with a tone full of conviction, but felt bewildered.
However, Lady Eva was stubborn.
"I think there's no need to hide it at this point, don't you? You know that ≪Extreme Sword≫ is a group composed of a small number of elite members, right? Given the current situation where our clan's personnel has decreased so much, it's only natural to want to ask for help from hidden powerful individuals. So, won't you please tell me the truth?"
"Wait... I mean..."
I was troubled. Really troubled.
I was misunderstood as someone who doesn't have any sense of self-awareness, and on top of that, I was being asked to introduce non-existent friends... And to make matters worse, Lady Eva seemed to have absolute confidence in her own thoughts. ――What was I supposed to do about this?
"It's not me, I tell you..."
My words of denial were also growing weaker.
"Is there something you want to hide?"
"No...because...I'm not, Extreme Sword is not..."
"...Mr. Aaron, I understand that you don't want to tell the truth. ...But if that's the case, could you at least introduce us to your friends?!"
"Friends...?"
"Yes. We're in a state of emergency, and even if your friends are criminals, we want to borrow their power. If there's a reason you can't reveal their names, we'll consider it and offer a reward that meets your demands! So, please, won't you talk to your friends about it?"
"Friends...?"
"Yes, your friends."
Friends...≪Extreme Sword≫ friends, perhaps....
No, because I'm not ≪Extreme Sword≫. What could I say to make them believe me?
I felt guilty for disappointing Lady Eva's expectations. However, I had to say it. I steeled myself and opened my mouth.
"I..."
"I?"
"I-I'm sorry, Lady Eva...it's really not me."
"..."
"I'm not ≪Extreme Sword≫ or anything..."
I looked Lady Eva straight in the eye and told her sincerely.
Lady Eva gazed at me with a skeptical face for a while. But eventually, she seemed to realize that I wasn't lying. She asked hesitantly.
"Eh... really?"
"Really."
I nodded deeply.
Lady Eva's expression was one of astonishment.
We stood in an awkward atmosphere, silent for a while, until Io let out a deliberate cough to break the silence.
"...Well, Miss, now that we've cleared up the misunderstanding, how about we just drop it?"
"...Huh?"
"It's not like the title 'Extreme Sword' is official or anything. It's just something people started calling them. The ones who defeated Ignitor the Imperial Flame Dragon, the core of last year's Stampede, might not even know about it themselves. And our reason for thinking Aaron was the 'Extreme Sword' was pretty weak anyway. Instead of relying on someone we can't trust, shouldn't we try to stop the 'Great Outbreak' ourselves?"
"Th, that's...~right, I guess... I might have been clinging to a convenient delusion..."
Lady Eva nodded slowly in response to Io's words.
It seemed like she had accepted it. Or rather, I was surprised that she was so confident in her denial, despite having no solid evidence.
"――――."
Well, that's that, I suppose?
As for me, on the other hand...
"!?"
I didn't show it on my face, but I was shocked... no, confused.
So, the core of last year's Stampede was Ignitor after all? Or was the 'Extreme Sword' the one who defeated the core of the Stampede?
That's... that's... I have a weird feeling about this, but what is it?!
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