Chapter 296 - Newbie (4)

Noark, a city overflowing with warmth.

Look at it another way, though, and that meant warmth was all it had going for it.

Prices were such a chaotic mess that I couldn't get used to them. The administrative services were antiquated and behind the times. When we visited the Labyrinth Administration this morning for Unity magic, the administrative mage serving my line even announced they were tired and took an hour-long break.

Well, after that, I got annoyed and went to the front to get someone to give me their spot.

"How long are you going to stand there?"

"Oh, it just felt strange for a moment. It really is exactly the same in here as it is twenty years from now."

"Why are you stating the obvious as though it's some new discovery?"

Talk about having no sense of romance. Identical or not, this was still the Labyrinth twenty years in the past, wasn't it?

"Keep up."

My moment of looking around and taking it all in ended as I ran after Amelia, who had already set off.

Something was a little strange. She seemed to be heading in the right direction, but...

How was she finding her way without even looking at a compass?

'Wait, don't tell me...'

"Are you a Guide?"

Amelia glanced back at my question, then resumed running without a word. That was an answer in itself.

'Holy shit...'

A human character who could use Aura, had a doppelgänger Essence, and even possessed the Guide trait?

It reminded me just how unfair the world was. And made me a little greedy, too.

'Having someone like her on the team would be seriously reassuring...'

If we got a little closer here, would she accept an invitation to join after we returned? We still had plenty of places to fill before reaching our clan's ten-member limit...

Oh, come to think of it, our clan was getting along fine without me, right?

"..."

I was running after Amelia, thinking about this and that, when it happened.

"Oh, traveling as a pair?"

A group of explorers we encountered along the way called out to us. They weren't lower-floor explorers; like us, they were running toward the second floor to cut down on travel time.

'This is surprisingly nerve-racking.'

I currently belonged to Noark, not Raphdonia. Maybe that was why my first concern was that they might find us suspicious.

As it turned out, that worry was pointless.

"Mind your own business."

"Haha, prickly, aren't you? Best of luck!"

At Amelia's icy reply, the group laughed good-naturedly and disappeared along their original route.

"Why are you so tense?"

"It's just... nothing. I was just thinking I really couldn't live a life of crime."

"... What?"

Amelia repeated the question as though she couldn't believe what she'd heard, then burst into genuine laughter.

"Ha, pahahahaha!"

Honestly, it was incredibly jarring. Not only had I said nothing that funny, but I'd never seen her laugh so hard before.

"... Heh, so this is your kind of humor?"

For some reason, I felt rather proud as I asked. Amelia stopped laughing and put on a serious face.

"Don't get the wrong idea. I only laughed because it was so absurd."

Oh, come on. At least stop smiling before you say that.

Was her sense of humor so bizarre because she was from Noark? Was watching me shake with anxiety that entertaining?

I clicked my tongue in displeasure, and Amelia spoke.

"Besides, those people we just saw were from Noark."

"What?"

That man who seemed like nothing more than a cheerful middle-aged guy was from Noark?

"How can you tell? I heard wearing a faction insignia was up to us."

Amelia gave me a brief explanation.

Their team had neither a mage nor a priest. Their equipment didn't match in color or design, as though they'd taken it from other people.

And above all...

"Only people from our side take children around with their faces hidden under robes."

"Children? Oh, you mean that little explorer in the back?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. I thought that was just a short woman or a dwarf... How can you be sure?"

Amelia answered in a slightly strained voice.

"I can just tell by looking."

"What?"

"Enough. Let's get moving."

She cut off the conversation as though it wasn't a subject she wanted to discuss at length.

This was one of her bad habits. Seriously, she really knew how to leave a guy curious.

"Amelia."

"..."

"If what you say is true, why do people from Noark bring children into the Labyrinth?"

Instead of pressing her about how she'd recognized the child at a glance, I asked something a little different. Apparently that much was acceptable, because she answered.

"For one thing, you can work children for next to nothing."

"Hmm, but I'm not sure that's reason enough to bring them into the Labyrinth."

"They're surprisingly useful. You can make them handle chores like cooking and night watch, and they help with plundering, too."

"They help with plundering...?"

"As bait. If a child approaches and asks for help, even the most cautious explorers will at least try to hear them out."

Hmm, would they?

"That's strange. I'd be even more wary if a child approached me. Doesn't Raphdonia ban minors from entering the Labyrinth?"

"That's because you're from twenty years in the future. The law is the same in both periods, but in this era, even the officials tacitly allowed it."

Wow. Hearing her say that really was like listening to an elder start in with, 'Back in my day...'

"By the way, Amelia, how old are you?"

"... Move your feet instead of wasting time talking nonsense."

Anyway, we continued chatting as we headed toward the second floor. Since we were running, we soon reached our destination.

As expected, someone had already opened the portal.

Tsk, what a shame. I'd thought we were pretty early, too.

"Let's go up."

We stepped through the portal, and ominous, clammy air greeted us.

'This place feels awful every time I come here.'

The Land of the Dead.

A region inhabited by all sorts of undead monsters, including ghouls and deathfiends—and the very place where Amelia and I had first met.

'Whew. Back then, I was so scared I nearly pissed myself.'

It just went to show that you never knew what life had in store. Who could have guessed we'd return here with just the two of us, this time as companions?

"Amelia, there's something I'm curious about."

"Don't ask."

"Back in Bifron, you said the people you killed here had committed sins deserving of death. Did they have something to do with the past you're trying to change?"

"You... certainly have a lot of questions about me."

"Of course."

Completely unfazed by her sarcasm, I nodded. Amelia clicked her tongue and answered.

"Yes, they did."

Hmm, just as I'd thought.

I wanted to hear the rest, but her expression suggested she'd get angry, so I left it there. I'd have to ask again some other time.

"If you're finished with your questions, let's move."

Now on the second floor, we kept moving, slaughtering monsters without pause.

Was it because there were just two of us? It brought back memories of my days exploring as a duo with Aynar. Every single fight had been an ordeal back then.

Time really did fly.

THUD!

To think I could now beat even a deathfiend to death with my bare fists.

"Vehel-Laaaaaaa!!!"

"..."

"Oh, sorry. Force of habit."

"Never mind. Sit down. We'll rest here for a while."

After spending the whole day traveling, we settled down when night came. Over a simple meal, we agreed to sleep for just three hours before moving on.

For the record, neither of us would be standing watch. Apparently, she could simply summon a double with [Autoreproduction].

"... You can do that?"

In the game, the doppelgänger Essence didn't come with an 'auto-hunt' mode. So how did this work?

The answer was very simple.

"Don't worry. I haven't slept properly even once since reaching adulthood."

Since her mind always remained half awake even while she slept, she could control her double to a certain extent.

Well, that was her explanation, anyway. I had no idea whether it was biologically possible.

"Tsk. No wonder your eyes always look so hollow."

"Are you picking a fight?"

"What a temper. I meant you should get some proper sleep."

"..."

Anyway, although its movements were apparently slower than usual in auto-hunt mode, that would be more than enough on the lower floors.

"Get some rest, then."

So I lay down without objection. Sleep didn't come right away, but not because I was nervous about having no one on watch. I was a tank, after all. Even if something hit me in my sleep, most attacks wouldn't kill me outright.

'I wonder how everyone's doing...'

Camping in the Labyrinth made thoughts of my companions circle through my mind all the more.

And so the first night passed.

* * *

Day two in the Labyrinth.

We reached the third floor right on schedule. That meant it was about time to get to work on the mission we'd entered the Labyrinth for.

Oh, there was only one mission: return with enough to show for our efforts to catch the lord of Noark's eye.

["We proved our strength by stirring up the city from our very first day in Noark. Yet the lord still hasn't approached us."]

Amelia had explained the reason like this:

["He must be exercising caution. The royal family has sent agents underground on several occasions."]

In other words, what we needed to prove in the Labyrinth this time wasn't our strength, but our 'disposition.' Were we truly the sort of people who belonged in Noark?

["The easiest way to prove ourselves is plundering. If we return from this expedition with a conspicuous haul of stolen goods, he'll be less suspicious."]

Amelia proposed plundering as our first option, and I agreed. With one condition, of course: we would plunder plunderers, not ordinary explorers.

["Is that your condition?"]

["Yes. I may no longer place such an enormous value on human life, but I still won't kill just anyone for my own gain."]

["... But how will you tell who's a plunderer?"]

Amelia proved flexible, saying she'd go along with it if I had a method. I told her it was difficult to explain and that I'd show her later.

Which brought us to the present.

"Well? What now?"

We had reached our target, the third floor. The fourth floor's structure made it impossible for plunderers to operate there, while the fifth would be difficult for just the two of us.

In short, the third floor was perfect for farming plunderers.

"If you really have a way to identify plunderers, get on with it."

So impatient.

I began by asking Amelia to do a few things.

"Amelia, first, use a stealth Ability."

"... Stealth?"

"Why are you pretending you don't know? The one you used in front of me back then. When you suddenly disappeared into the darkness."

"..."

Without any further questions, Amelia vanished into the darkness as instructed.

Whew, I really couldn't sense her presence at all. Once I got back, I'd have to get myself a detection-type Numbered item ahead of time.

"All right, what's next?"

Hearing her voice come out of thin air was incredibly strange, but I answered calmly without letting it show.

"Nothing special. Just follow me like that. I'll find the plunderers."

"Very well."

That was one of the nice things about having Amelia as a companion. Whatever I did, she would hold back on unnecessary questions and watch for the time being.

Well, that was how it was supposed to work...

"Barbarian."

Out of nowhere, she asked me a question.

"Why... are you suddenly taking off your equipment?"

Oh, right. She'd been too curious to hold that one in.

I supposed it would be hard for an ordinary person to understand. Still, I'd hoped she, at least, might get it.

"It's hard to explain. Just watch."

I put all but a few pieces of equipment into my subspace ring. Then I took out the beginner set I'd picked out beforehand and put it on.

"..."

Judging by the silence, Amelia still had no idea what I was trying to do.

But as the saying went, seeing was believing. Hearing something a hundred times couldn't compare to seeing it once.

"All right, I'll get started. Keep up."