Chapter 176 - Doppelgänger (1)

Red hair cut to shoulder length. Tattoos beneath her eyes. A lean, muscular build, standing a little over 170 centimeters tall.

"..."

Standing before the mirror, Amelia tucked her hair behind her ear, exposing the scar where half of it had been cut off.

An injury that would certainly be a flaw if she wanted to live as an ordinary woman. Back then, she hadn't had the money for even a single potion, so she'd had no choice but to leave it alone. Of course, having it healed without a trace wouldn't be impossible for her now...

But she hadn't bothered.

"I'm almost there."

The scar always reminded her who her enemy was.

"Amelia Reinweils. The lord summons you."

She slung her already-packed bag over her shoulder and stepped outside. Someone unexpected was waiting for her.

"I didn't expect you to come."

A member of Orculus. The most widely known evil spirit both aboveground and below, and a major criminal known to the public by the epithet Corpse Collector.

"Things are rather urgent."

"How bad is it?"

"The royal family made a drastic move. I never imagined they'd let that lunatic out of prison."

"... Don't tell me he's out?"

Even Amelia, whose expression was almost always blank, couldn't hide her dismay this time. If the Corpse Collector was an evil spirit known to the public, that man was the opposite. Almost no one knew his name...

But anyone who knew even a little of his true nature had no choice but to fear him more than anyone else.

"Yes, he's here. It's made things a bit complicated. Our people are dying in droves right now, too."

The bespectacled man smiled and patted Amelia on the back.

"So let's get going. Everyone's already gathered. You're the only one we're waiting for, big sis."

"... Understood. Let's move."

Amelia followed him down a silent corridor where nothing could be heard but their brisk footsteps.

"Has the Dragonslayer joined the fighting, too?"

"Hmm? Oh, him... What's he going to do with his arm crippled? He's probably still resting in his room."

"... I see."

Amelia cautiously ventured another question.

"Has he improved at all?"

"Why do you want to know?"

The man stopped abruptly and turned around.

He was famous for his intelligence. Perhaps he was connecting her to the appearance of the Dragonslayer's equipment on the black market.

'That was a mistake.'

Belatedly realizing she'd been too hasty, Amelia answered as calmly as she could.

"I was going to kill him if he'd outlived his usefulness."

"... Huh? Got some bad blood with him?"

"I don't like his eyes."

A silence followed her answer, but it didn't last long. The man burst out laughing as though she'd told him a delightful story.

"Ahahaha! Fair enough! Those snake eyes do get on my nerves. Especially since he doesn't know his place."

He started walking again.

"Still, bear with him. Apparently, his body will heal in six months to a year."

"What about the Dragonslayer Sword? Isn't he pretty much useless without it?"

"Oh, that. We'll have to look for it. The old alchemist says it's not impossible to restore his memories, you know?"

"... I see."

A way to restore his memories?

She wanted to ask what it was, but forced herself to hold back. She normally showed no interest in others. Someone this perceptive would certainly notice something was off.

'I'll have to look into that separately later.'

After another three minutes or so walking down the corridor, an enormous door loomed before them—a white door leading into the lord's audience hall. Inside, she found the lord seated on his throne.

"It has been some time, my lord."

"Welcome, Amelia Reinweils."

After a brief salute, Amelia examined the other four people in the hall. She recognized three of them; the fourth was someone she'd never seen before.

"An explorer from Orculus. We're short on time, however, so introductions can wait. I'll get straight to the point."

She set aside her curiosity and listened.

"As you can probably tell from the fact that I've summoned you, the situation is not favorable."

"Hehe, I heard! That crazy old guy came all the way down here?"

"Indeed, Miss Camilla. The Commander is facing him at present, but I'm told he cannot hold out for long."

The lord continued with a bitter smile. In the end, they had been forced to seal off the city. For two years, no one would be able to enter or leave.

"The moment you escape through the secret passage, I will activate the sealing magic circle. Any questions?"

"No, none."

"See you in two years, handsome lord!"

"Camilla, is that any way to address His Lordship?"

"Whatever, you smelly old man."

Once the brief conversation was over, Amelia entered the secret passage in the floor with her four companions. Before long, they reached a spot marked with a red flag.

["We've arrived."]

["May fortune favor you in battle."]

As they made contact through the message stone, an enormous surge of mana erupted from the direction of the city.

"Wow, that's amazing. You really can't get through?"

A vast barrier of blue mana.

'I never thought I'd leave this city like this.'

Amelia pushed aside the strange emotions stirring within her and recalled her mission.

"Hey, you're in command, right? What do we do now?"

The mission was simple enough: gather intelligence in Raphdonia. That was their primary objective, and, if possible...

'I've finally made it this far.'

Kill one particular explorer.

A long smile curved her lips as she recalled the second mission the lord had given her.

* * *

All kinds of rumors were circulating through the city. Everything from conspiracy theories claiming that the royal family had intended the expedition to fail to predictions of doom declaring that war with Noark would annihilate the city.

'I guess this world is no different when it comes to things like this.'

For days, I made the rounds of the taverns, listening to those ridiculous stories over and over. It was tedious, stressful work, but I didn't have a choice.

Things might have been different behind Mr. Lion's mask at the Round Table. But what could a barbarian starting from nothing do? I had to do the legwork myself.

"Bjorn, are you going drinking again today, nyah?"

"Yes. I'll be late, so go to bed without me."

There was less than a week left until we entered the Labyrinth. As soon as night fell, I headed out into the streets again and drank alone. Just sitting there was enough for information to reach my ears.

"I hear the death compensation payments have been postponed until next month."

"Well, with that many dead, even the royal family must be struggling to afford it."

"Haha, it's the opposite. They have plenty of money, but there are so many dead that counting them is taking time."

In a way, it was like my early days here. Though back then, I couldn't afford taverns and had only kept my ears open over meals.

'Nothing much today, either.'

With the royal family failing to issue a proper statement after the failed expedition, rumors kept reproducing endlessly, as though someone were literally copying them. Still, if I gathered only the things that came closest to fact, it looked like this.

1. Noark had also suffered considerable losses and narrowly escaped disaster by taking the drastic step of sealing itself off just before defeat.

This much was certain, given the number of witnesses. No matter how much they told people to keep quiet, how could they hide it with so many participants?

2. The royal family had an incredibly powerful explorer whose existence was unknown to the public.

I'd heard that directly from a drunken survivor. Derbes, the man I'd met at the gathering, had somehow made it back alive. Apparently, this explorer had fought on equal terms with the Commander of Orculus?

Well, they were the royal family. It wouldn't be strange for them to have at least one expert like that.

Anyway, moving on.

3. Three of the ten great clans had disbanded following the expedition.

Actually, they hadn't disbanded. They'd been wiped out. Less than a tenth of their members had survived, making recovery utterly impossible. And it wasn't just the ten great clans. More than half the small and midsized clans operating on the fifth and sixth floors had fallen apart, too.

'At least that should mean less control over hunting grounds.'

That was the only positive in the current situation. Though the price that came with it was far too serious to celebrate.

'If this turns into a prolonged war, they'll have to settle things in the Labyrinth eventually.'

It was something I'd worried about ever since the first signs of war. Honestly, the thought only made me laugh in disbelief.

'Endless player-killing content...'

That was something I'd never experienced even in the original game.

If the Labyrinth turned into a battlefield, I'd inevitably get dragged in. I had to earn money and grow stronger there.

'And if the supply of magic crystals drops, inflation is bound to start, too.'

Unfortunately, it was hard to hear anyone discussing concerns like these in cheap taverns. Then again, if an explorer were already worrying about inflation, I'd have to start by suspecting they were an evil spirit.

'I need to make my decision now, too.'

The time to choose was approaching. Stop exploring until things settled down, or enter the Labyrinth as usual?

In truth, the answer was already decided.

'... Going in is the right choice after all.'

There was no telling when this chaos would end. Sitting around indefinitely would be a bad move. My feud with that Dragonslayer bastard wasn't over. I had to get as strong as possible before the vine ring broke.

That was my only way to survive.

'Besides, if they introduce conscription later, I'll have to fight in the war anyway.'

More importantly, Noark had suffered considerable damage in this battle. Simply put, they would need time to regroup, too. Even if they didn't, we were better off than other explorers.

After all, we could get through the first floor with a bug. The fourth floor was a separate dimension, so that wasn't an issue. On the fifth, once we entered the mirror, we could hunt free from player killing.

'The problem is how to convince those two...'

Raven the mage and Mister Bear, with his ten years of experience. I still didn't know whether they'd agree to enter the Labyrinth.

'I'll just have to ask them face-to-face.'

As soon as I'd decided, I drained my glass and left the tavern. Barbarians had their own way of doing things.

"I'm sorry, we're closed for the—oh, Mr. Jandel. What brings you here? Is it my husband?"

"Is Avman here?"

"He'll be sprawled out asleep, drunk as a fish. Wait just a moment. I'll wake him up and bring him right down."

Was it because of the hefty dose of financial therapy they'd received this time? Mrs. Bear seemed several times friendlier than before. I sat at a table that hadn't been fully cleared and waited a little. Before long, Mister Bear was dragged over, rubbing his eyes.

"Jandel, what on earth brings you here in the middle of the night?"

"There's something important I need to discuss."

"Hmm, is that so? Let me sober up a little first. Honey?"

At his call, his wife brought over some honey water as if she'd been waiting for it.

"Drink it all."

Judging by that attentive treatment, he'd apparently regained his authority as head of the household.

"Ahh, that's the stuff. So, what did you want to say?"

"I'll ask you straight. Are you joining this expedition?"

"Hmm. From the way you put it, you've already made up your mind?"

"I'm going in."

When I nodded without trying to sound him out, Mister Bear chuckled.

"Really? Then count me in."

"That was quick. Do you know something?"

"Nothing like that. But we're a team, aren't we? If the leader's decided, I should trust him and follow."

That wasn't remotely the kind of answer I'd expected. To think he'd respect the leader's authority! So he was actually traditional about things like this.

"That settles it, then."

"Why not have a drink while you're here?"

"No. Your wife needs to rest, too. Since you're up, help her clean before you go back to bed."

With our conversation over in no time, I left the tavern. As a bonus, my last remark seemed to have earned me a few points; Mrs. Bear's gaze had grown even warmer.

[03 : 24]

It was past three in the morning, but I headed for the Magic Tower without hesitation. This was practically daytime for them anyway. Sure enough, Raven was holed up in her laboratory, in the middle of some experiment.

"Hmm? Mr. Jandel? What brings you here at this hour?"

"I came to ask you something."

"Really? Let me finish what I'm doing first. Sit wherever you like and wait a moment."

I'd thought she might scold me for the rudeness of visiting in the middle of the night, but surprisingly, she didn't say anything. Was it because we were teammates now? At least she no longer seemed to treat me like an outsider.

"Well? What did you want to ask?"

After a short wait, Raven tidied up and sat across from me. Once again, I simply laid it out.

"Are you going into the Labyrinth?"

"Oh, that... Yes, we did need to discuss that. What are the others doing?"

Her tone made it clear she was certain I'd come to ask her last. Somehow, that bruised my pride... But it was true, so I couldn't argue.

"Everyone except you has agreed to go in."

"Really? Then I'll go with you."

"That was quick. Do you know something?"

I repeated the exact words I'd said to Mister Bear, but this time, I got a different answer.

"Yes."

"... What is it?"

"It's nothing much. The royal family hasn't sent the Magic Tower an official notice this time."

"An official notice?"

"Whenever there's danger, the Magic Tower is the first to be notified. Telling us not to go in this time, for example."

My mind went blank for a moment, but it made sense. A kind of VIP treatment, I supposed? Mages were considered top-tier personnel, so the royal family itself looked after their safety.

"So don't worry too much. The royal family led the expedition, and they still haven't sent a notice? That effectively means they've judged it safe."

"... I see. Tell me about things like that ahead of time."

"If that's what our leader wants."

Leaving her teasing smile behind, I left the Magic Tower and returned home. Then I woke Misha and Aynar.

"Ugh, what is it? I was sleeping, nyah."

"Ugh, you stink of booze! Did you go drinking without me again?!"

"Never mind that. Eat these."

I stuck one of the chicken drumsticks I'd brought back into each of their mouths and announced the result.

"We're entering the Labyrinth."

Aynar reacted as though I were stating the obvious, while Misha let out a deep sigh.

"... Ugh, I knew it. You utterly fearless barbarian idiot, nyah."

Whew. If only all my teammates were like these two.

"So that's all, nyah?"

"Yes, that's all. Go back to bed."

"Seriously, just tell us things like this tomorrow, nyah..."

Misha grumbled as she returned to her room, and Aynar followed suit.

"Good night, Bjorn!"

I took out my key and slipped it into the lock. But just as I was about to turn it...

CLICK, CLICK.

Footsteps sounded on the stairs. Considering this was an inn, they were unremarkable background noise. Yet for some reason, tonight every step struck sharply in my ears.

CLICK.

In the end, I turned without thinking to glance at the stairs—and met the eyes of the person coming up. For a moment, I wondered if the skirt had led me to mistake her for someone else...

But no. There was no mistaking her.

'What the hell is she doing here?'

Once in the Land of the Dead, once in the sewers. An eighth-floor explorer from the underground city who had twice shown me what it meant to face an insurmountable wall.

Otherwise known as the psycho bitch.

I gulped. The instant I saw that face engraved in my memory, I involuntarily drew my neck in and swallowed.

But was she just as disconcerted as I was?

"To think I'd meet someone who knows me here."

"..."

"This is rather inconvenient."

She scowled at me, slid one foot far back, and took a stance. Apparently, she'd already found a solution.

"Well, I suppose I can just beat you senseless and erase your memories like last time."

Goddammit.