Foreigner's Mistake

Book 5: Chapter 46: Labyrinth ~ 04

As soon as he entered the cave with the light in his hand, he saw human bones scattered about. As expected, Satoru shuddered at the evidence that this was indeed a dangerous labyrinth. Praying for the souls of the poor victims, he continued on his way, and soon the cave was inhabited. 20 steps led down to a floor half a meter high and one meter wide. The floor was about half a majors (4.5 meters) high and one majors (9 meters) wide, enough room for a Giant Killer.

The floor, walls, and ceiling all seem to be rock walls. The situation is the same as in the Deepest Labyrinth, where Leia was.

Come to think of it, Leia. How many layers were there in the labyrinth you were in?

The Deepest Labyrinth, where I was the master, had 100 layers. I'm sure it's about the same here.

Uwahh........It's a pain in the ass. But we have to do it.

There was no sign of anyone around. It may be because they've just entered the labyrinth, but surprisingly, there are no monsters or beasts in sight. It's too quiet for a place where monsters and demons are supposed to be spewed out of the labyrinth.

Rico, who was cautiously searching the area, stopped Satoru's movement. She put her finger to her lips and pointed to the ceiling with a gesture. There seems to be something there. Satoru's eyes didn't see anything - or rather, he concentrated his gaze on the area and saw that there was indeed something there. There were five or six large bats hanging from the ceiling, watching them. Their natural appearance, blending in with the surroundings - a mimicry that is only apparent if you look closely - is magnificent.

Satoru immediately thought of the many fireballs he could create, and as soon as about 20 fireballs appeared around him, Satoru attacked the swarm of bats hanging from the ceiling. In the end, they were swallowed up by the fireball and scattered easily. This is a different variation of the Scattered Flames that Leia used to kick out the flock of saber tigers that were attacking Rico.

......It was so easy.

Rico, who had been preparing herself for an attack, cowered in dismay at the viciousness of Satoru's magic. The monster hanging from the ceiling must have been a Giant Vampire Bat. Rico remember from her time in the thieves' guild that it was a tough beast, with quick movements and high evasion capabilities, but it didn't give Satoru any trouble at all.

Nonono. This is because of my Lord's soul. Anyway, Rico, how did you noticed them?

Hmm, I guess. That's what I'm good at.

At Leia's compliment, Rico smiled wryly. Basically, she's not used to being praised.

Leia also has night vision as a characteristic of her race, but the Giant Vampire Bat was mimicking a rock and she did not notice them. She is amazed at Rico's keen intuition.

Well, if you think of my Lord's soul, they'll probably blow away some of the affinity, but some monsters, for example, are completely immune to fire. There is no choice but to get used to it, but ......My Lord

Hmm?

When he poked the giant bat that had turned into charcoal with the Giant Killer, it seemed to have carbonized and collapsed. I'm amazed at how powerful I am, Satoru thought, looking back at Leia.

If possible, please put your words on it. It's hard for us to deal with something when we don't know what kind of arts you're going to use.

Even if I was told put words on my arts. I don't know the names of any specific arts.

No, it doesn't necessarily have to be the name of the art. I think a spherical art would suffice, but if you could just tell me the type of art, sword, earth, water, fire, wind, etc.

Oh, okay. Got it.

Satoru agreed that it would not be too much trouble.

This was the first time Satoru had used his magic to destroy an enemy. The first time at the Flying Dragon's Nest was all flesh and blood, and the only time he used his Roar was against Galhassan's guild. This was the first time he had actually taken a life, since his goal was to neutralize the enemy.

However, he didn't feel too guilty. It was probably because he was dealing with a monster. He doesn't know if he would have been able to cast the attack arts without hesitation if it had been against a human. With just a little imagination, magic can be used to easily vaporize an opponent... Once again, Satoru is reminded of the horrors of this world.

And it seems that the magic training Leia gave him was accurate. He knew that his own magic power was an order of magnitude greater, but it would be meaningless if he didn't know how to use it to some extent.

At first, Satoru was able to use the sphere magic of the four elements to freely control a single huge object, but that was overkill. Even if he could overpower multiple enemies, as he was doing now, there was a good chance that he would miss them, and too much power could cause the labyrinth to collapse. Even Satoru would be helpless if he were buried under several hundred million tons of earth and sandprobably.

Also, I'll make a map just in case

I'll leave that to you.

Satoru's not good at using his head. It's probably best to leave it to the right person. A labyrinth that had been discovered hundreds of years ago, and had so far refused to be touched by human hands, of course it would not be a simple task.

He was prepared for this, but the search for the labyrinth proceeded surprisingly smoothly.

After all, Satoru's firepower is too high. Even fire-resistant monsters were overwhelmed by his fire magic, so his firepower was truly unparalleled. Minerva, on the other hand, never used any magic at all and just yawning. Satoru took care of almost everything by himself. Leia took care of the rest.

However, this was only possible because of Rico's high sensing ability. She was aware of the monster's presence before Satoru and Leia were aware of them, and were quick to warn Satoru and others. 10 layers later, a certain combination was forming.

They say you can't be too careful, but ...... it's too tough, and it's hard to walk.

No, that's because we have Satoru. It's strange that we can get through ten layers so easily.

Riko said with a half-smile. It's been about an hour since they started the search so far. There are no traps, and they just keep going deeper and deeper, fighting off the occasional monster or beast.

According to Rico's information, the highest floor in the labyrinth is the 67th floor, and while the traps are mostly cleared up to the 20th floor, it's hard to say where it goes from there. The real challenge will probably come from the 21st floor onward.

Minerva too, is getting a little bored.

At the moment, Minerva is really just following him around, so that can't be helped.

From time to time, the corpses of people, probably adventurers, are lying around. It seems that it's been quite a while, so there seems to be no need to bring back any mementos. In fact, he never come across a living person here before.

Let's take a break. It's almost dinner time.

Realizing that he was getting a little tired, Satoru suggested that they take a break. They found a small, independent room, where Leia set up multiple effective wards. The most important thing here is to avoid monsters. Apparently, the wards are designed to prevent monsters from coming to this area unconscious. It must be a technique with a mild hypnotic effect.

If they were in an encampment, Minerva would always come hunting for Satoru, but that's not the case in the labyrinth. They had some beast meat that they could use as food, thanks to Leia and Rico's knowledge, and Rico started cooking with it. The wood for the fire was made from the branches of plant monsters.

Well, thanks to my Lord and Rico, we've had it easy.

Leia muttered, her face a little thoughtful. Satoru is in charge of the vanguard, Rico is in charge of sensing, and Leia is in charge of wisdom and rearguard. At the moment, Minerva has no definite role to play.

What's the matter? What are you thinking?

...... Yes. Minerva, will do her best.

Rico, who was watching the exchange, gave a small shrug.

That's good.

What's good?

The way you treated Minerva.

Satoru cowered slightly. He didn't mean to take it lightly.

I meant it. I'm not lying at all.

...... Minerva, rather than Leia? [TLN: sorry bit hard to translate, ]

Indeed, Leia was able to kill Satoru's leaks with precision and efficiency. As a rule of thumb, Riko moves to the back of the line when a battle breaks out, but in most cases, the battle is over when she moves back. All the battles that have occurred so far have been one turn kills.

I won't deny that Leia is like that, though. When it comes to fighting, Leia is looking at me. Minerva is looking behind us. That's the difference.

Oh, I see. I get it.

Although Rico is also following a wide area, she tends to neglect the back. This is especially true if a monster appears in front of them. Minerva trusts everyone, not just Satoru, so she doesn't think that the attack will be directed at her at all. That's why she makes sure to take care of the rear.

Satoru muttered to himself as he watched Rico's handiwork, cooking quickly.

You can do anything, Rico.

Rico laughed and shook her head left and right.

That's not true. I'm not good at fighting. Satoru killed most of them with a single blow, so it looks like there's no problem, but even the monsters that have appeared so far are all ones that would be dangerous to someone like me if I took a single blow, you know?

The monsters that Satoru had dealt with so far had been neither formidable nor formidable, but they were still the most feared monsters in the world.

I wasn't looking for Rico to be a fighting force.

At Satoru's assertion, Rico looked down slightly.

...... It's a little hurtful when you say it outright.

But other than fighting, Rico has provided for almost everything else. If it weren't for Rico, I wouldn't have had such an easy time fighting, and I wouldn't have made the trip.

She takes care of everything in their lives, including cooking and laundry. When they enters a town, she does the shopping and gathers information, and when they enters a labyrinth, she quickly finds the enemy.

It is the duty of those who are able to protect Rico to be useful. It's just a matter of each of us doing our part.

Thieves have their own role to play. The warrior's job is not only to destroy the enemy, but also to protect the magicians, thieves, and monks who provide firepower in the rear. It's the same in this world and in the world of fantasy RPG games.

...... Sometimes, I almost forget that Satoru is from another world.

Rico gave a small laugh. He is a very reliable man, and he knows how to handle things from her point of view.

You knows everything, you can do anything, and you can protect us. You're very cool, Satoru.

Really?

Satoru, who had never been called "cool" before, honestly showed an itchy face.

For Leia, for Minerva... That's why I'm following you, Satoru. I'm the same way

She put the prepared meat into the pot and muttered to herself. It's unmistakably her true feelings. It's not often that she find a good man who is always honest, cares for others, and protects them with his great strength.

...... Someday, I'd like to have Satoru's child, too.

.........

Satoru was unable to reply to the words that were muttered to him. Rico, realizing that she had spoken out her secret little hope, hurriedly made up for it.

Oh, don't worry too much. Satoru will return to your world. I know that for sure.

Rico didn't know this because she was fainting, but when the three of them had sex in the city of Ares, Leia also cried for Satoru. She cried, imagining their separation. The same feeling was felt by Rico. The time to say goodbye would eventually come. Satoru is no longer a resident of this world. She know that, but at this point she can't imagine what will happen after Satoru is gone. Still, she have not wavered in her determination to stay with him until that time.

Until that time, I want to be by Satoru's side. It's not just me, I'm sure everyone feels that way.

...... I'm sorry.

Rico just smiled and didn't give any more back.

Okay, dinner's ready. Let's eat, Satoru.

Satoru nodded back, and thought about it.

He thought about Alice in his original world. About his friends, of whom there were not many. About the president and his colleagues.

And of Leia, Riko, and Minerva, with whom he had formed bonds in this world.

For now, I'm going to home, though I'm moving with that in mind.

But can I really leave them behind and go home without a care in the world? Even now, Satoru was aware that he was unsure.