Volume 8: Steady Advance
Volume 8 Chapter 148, Steady Advance ~ 01
A high-pitched crackling sound echoed through the dark, stagnant space.
The innermost part of the ancient labyrinth is a large space with only one altar. In the center of the labyrinth stands a towering octagonal pillar of large red crystal, in which a man is trapped. Like an insect trapped in amber, the man in his late twenties, trapped in the crystal pillar, has no expression on his face.
「The labyrinth master (dungeon master) is a substitute. I knew it. He's not here.」
A man in a long robe muttered while looking at the beautiful man trapped in the crystal pillar. Just confirming what is obvious, such a tone of voice. The black robe completely covered his slender body of about 5 feet (150 cm), which is rather small for a man of the human race in this world, and the hood was pulled over his eyes so that his face could not be seen.
「It is as reported by my hometown. I heard that there was a magic power tremor on the scale of a disaster at the end of the summer season.」
A swordsman appeared from the shadow of a crystal pillar. About five and a half feet tall with a slender single-edged sword in his hand and clad in partial sheet metal armor, his appearance was that of a swordsman of many battles. His slightly long, dark-gray hair is slicked back in an all-back bun, and his face is streaked with scars that run from the base of his right eyebrow down to his cheek. His face is fearless due to his scars, but for some reason, it has a unique atmosphere that does not make one feel fearful.
「The core, as expected, does not seem to be there.」
From the other shadow, a woman dressed in a long black robe appeared. She was less than five feet tall, with jet-black, silky hair that reached down to her armpits and was carefully trimmed. Her pale skin and face, which exudes bewitchment, intelligence, and madness, make her a strikingly beautiful woman. Unlike the man in the matching long robe who wears a hood completely over his head, this woman does not wear a hood.
The man in the long robe cowered lightly at the woman's report.
「It has been used, I guess. As expected」（？）
「I don't want to be swept away by "as expected"」（？）
「Well, that's true, though」
Chuckling at the swordsman's comment, the man in the long robe stroked the crystal pillar. His arm stretched out through the gap in his long robe, is eerily pale. It is the same shade of skin as that of the woman in the matching long robe.
「For now, let's gather some more information in the suburbs. And as long as a substitute has been appointed and this labyrinth has not been conquered, Leia-chan is still alive.」
「I agree with that, but I suspect that Leia-sama, the 【Immortal King】, is not doing anything that could be seen by the public. It must be difficult to get information about her.」
The 【Immortal Family】, led by the 【Immortal King】, is abhorred by those who are alive. The reason for this is quite simple. The last thing you want to do is to be touched by a middle or higher level of the Immortal Family, as they will absorb your life force and you will die. Even the less intelligent beastmen are said to have this fear engraved in their instincts.
Of course, this is not all. A vampire of higher rank or higher has immortality, a powerful soul, and several special abilities ― enormous powers that are not available to the living, no matter how much they wish for them.
They are feared, envied, jealous, and persecuted at the same time. Although they are powerful enough to withstand persecution, the higher ranks of the 【Immortal Family】 hide themselves in labyrinths and other places, simply because violence in numbers is troublesome.
The top of the Immortal Family, the 【Immortal King】, is classified as an Immortal Family, but they were originally a human or an elf. They are a person who ceased to be living being through the Forbidden Art of 【Anti Soul】. Their nature is different from that of other Immortal Family who is born with stagnant demonic power deep within their bodies.
But even so ― or rather, because of this ― the Immortal Kings are hated by those who are still alive.
There has never been a case in the past where a person who wants to master the art, does not want to die, or has become so for various reasons, has been able to understand those who are still alive.
However, among those here, the swordsman is a normal human being.
「Yes. But there may be rumors of someone with an extraordinary soul. Granfeld-kun, can I ask you to gather that information?」
「Of course.」
The swordsman called "Granfeld" put his sword on his waist and bowed politely. The man in the long robe nodded in satisfaction and turned his gaze to the crystal pillar he had been touching all along.
The vampire who is currently the master of this labyrinth is not the original master, but a substitute. Nevertheless, if the vampire is defeated, this labyrinth will be liberated. So instead of defeating it, we responded by neutralizing it. It is too early to liberate this labyrinth―that is what the man in the long robe thinks.
This crystal pillar was made by sorcery so that it would break naturally in another half hour (20 minutes). The man in the long robe is probably the only person in the world who can use this sorcery. It is such a unique art.
「It is painful that Leia-sama has used the core of the Tower of Magic.」
「The time is not right. Really. If she had just shifted it one more season, everything would have been fine.」
A man in a long robe responded to the voice of a woman, probably an Immortal Family, as if blurting out something. However, there was no hint of reproach in his voice. His voice is aloof and unaffected, and if one were to listen to it, it would make one feel fearful.
「But you see. If Leia-chan succeeded in that art. If there is a summoned one, there might be an opportunity there.」
―Half an hour later.
Pakyin, The crystal pillar crumbled away with a shrill, high-pitched crackling sound. The crystal, which was supposed to be a mineral, gradually disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.
The master of this labyrinth, who has been frozen for a while, suddenly realizes himself.
He feels as if someone was here. However, it is impossible for a vampire of the highest rank among the Immortal Family not to notice something is wrong. In fact, there is no change in his surroundings, nor is there any change in his body.
―Is it just my imagination?
The vampire thinks to himself and goes back into meditation.
He thinks about the girl who is his master, the one who goes out and never came back.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
Satoru was dreaming.
It was a cheap, shabby, 6 tatami apartment with a toilet and a kitchen. It was the house Satoru had lived in before he was summoned.
Satoru was in his bedroom, and the voices coming from behind the sliding frosted glass door were those of Leia and Rico.
It should be strange, but it is a dream. He doesn't find it strange and accepts it easily.
Dressed in old jeans and a T-shirt, Satoru went into the room that served as the living room. Rico, Leia, Minerva, Liz, and Alice were having breakfast around the kotatsu.
Alice is saying something with a slightly pouty face. Liz intervenes to quiet her down, Minerva is laughing, Rico is making room for Satoru, and Leia is gently smiling at Satoru.
A happy scene.
Satoru felt the presence of someone in the bedroom he came out of, and when he turned around, he found Solor standing there somewhat absentmindedly.
―What are you doing, you're over here too.
Satoru laughs at Solor. From deep within Solor, he hears the sound of something being shaken sharply.
Slowly, his consciousness returns to reality.
The sound of ground stomping and wind whistling comes into Satoru's dream-realized ears. These are the sounds he heard in his dream.
He opens his eyes. There is a strange ceiling. He finally remembers that last night he spent the night in an unoccupied shack, which is set aside every 50 miles on the road for use by travelers.
「......What's that noise?」
Satoru turned his head slightly to the side at the sound of wind and footwork that still lingered. The door to the shack was half-open, letting in the cool, fresh morning air.
「Good morning. The sound was made by Isolde.」
Rico, who had been thoroughly disturbed with Leia in this shack the day before after Sheryl had been sent off, shrugged without a trace of last night's lewd atmosphere. Leia, sitting next to her, also looked out in amazed.
「Of course, she's still not completely cured, you know? I stopped her.」
「That idiot」
Satoru jumped off the skin that served as a comforter and ran outside in his underwear. The cool autumn morning air stung Satoru's skin just before the sun rose.
「Ah, good morning, My Lord.」
There she is, Isolde. With the sword in her hand and steam gushing from her entire body, it was easy to tell that she had been exercising early in the morning in her own way.
Seeing Satoru's face, Satoru walked up to Isolde, who greeted him, and Satoru mercilessly slammed his iron fist into her brain.
Gon, a dull sound echoes.
「~~~~! W-Why!?」
Isolde probably didn't expect to have an iron fist slammed down on her brain so early in the morning. She protested with tears in her eyes due to the unexpected pain, and Satoru spat at her.
「Listen here, you. Your ankle was only cracked, but your right wrist hasn't fully recovered yet, right?」
「Th-that's exactly right」
It was three days ago that Isolde was injured in the fight with Satoru. A simple fracture of the right ankle, a dislocated left shoulder, a complicated fracture of the right wrist, and numerous bruises and abrasions almost all over her body. Although she has been treated with Leia's 【Regenerative Healing】, her right wrist, which had a complicated fracture, was diagnosed to take a long time to heal.
「If you push yourself in such a state, even things that heal will heal more slowly! Until you get Leia's permission, just shut up and rest!」
「B-But this is like my daily routine that I have been doing every morning without fail. ......eekk!」
Isolde's rebuttal stopped mid-sentence. She was frightened by the flickering that rose up from Satoru's underwear-clad body. Satoru, with his overflowing magic power, looked at Isolde with a demon-like stare.
「If you don't shut up and do what I say, I'll tell you. I can send you to Sheryl's place with you tied to a rock.」
「Th-that's a problem!」
「Then! Silently listen to what I say!」
「U-Understood!」
Isolde puts aside her sword and gets down on her knees. Perhaps she doesn't think she did anything wrong. But now Isolde is a magical slave who has sworn allegiance to Satoru. She is not allowed to rebel against the Lord's command.
「Good grief」
Isolde turns around and follows Satoru back to the shack.
She is a beautiful woman with a dignified look, and he can tell that she has a thin, fleshy body overall, but her whole body is toned, like a spring(?). She is a beautiful woman with a naturally beautiful body that is the result of her training, but why is it that the word "disappointing" is attached to her in some way?
Isolde is not a member of the night activities group at this time.
It's not that Satoru can't get a boner with Isolde, but that he has not fully accepted her. She is the one who surrendered after losing the battle. The main reason is that Satoru did not want to force sexual intercourse on someone who had surrendered.
The day before yesterday, and the day before that, Satoru was having sex with Solor, and yesterday with Leia and Rico, while Isolde was just watching from a little distance with her body frozen in place, not even looking at the scene. Satoru thinks that she seems to have a slight aversion to sex.
Well, on the one hand, there is something that can't be helped. If you are brought up in a clan that is constantly fighting and undergoes rigorous training, you will inevitably be far removed from sexual activity.
Isolde was the leader of a clan that lived only to fight demons, and she hid her beautiful face behind a mask as soon as she became the head of the clan. It was only natural for the holder of the Holy Sword to be cursed by all living things to hate her if her face was seen, but she probably never had the chance to come into contact with such a thing.
Satoru does not want to force himself on someone who doesn't like it. That is why Isolde is excluded at this point. Everyone except Isolde understands the subtleties of Satoru's mind.
Morning greetings again to Liz and Solor, who were preparing breakfast. In case you are wondering, Minerva, is still sleeping. Isolde wiped her sweat and walked up to Leia, wondering what to do.
Normally, Isolde is the lowest-ranking person in the group and has to prepare meals, but she is too unaware of this. Rico and Liz don't care much about that, but they can't just leave her like this ― that's why Leia said coldly to Isolde, who held out her right wrist to be treated for her still-unsteady right wrist.
「There is no way to treat a fool who doesn't listen to others and aggravates the affected part of her wrist with her daily routine. Who the hell do you think you are? You are the lowest of the low, and you don't even help prepare the meals.」
Liz glanced back at Isolde, who was absolutely mortified. Liz has not been told exactly how old Isolde is, but she is probably over 20. Liz feels that she is the youngest of the three. But then, Liz is elbowed in the side by Rico and winked at her lightly. It is Leia's domain to control the magical slaves in such a situation.
「First of all, it is the Lord's goodwill to heal you. Why should I obey a fool who takes it for granted that I will do it for her?」
「Ah ......uuhh」
The Holy Sword Clan's diet was basically poor and they were accustomed to eating poorly, and when they traveled alone they would just get by on that meager diet, so they had no idea how to cook a proper meal like Satoru and the group does now.
Even the treatment of Isolde's right wrist came from her desire to quickly and completely heal it and work as Satoru's limb. Although she was able to heal it with physical arts and suppress the pain, she still felt that she could not regain her grip strength.
「Ah ...... Um, if this keeps up, when's my full recovery?」
The look of Leia toward Isolde is extremely cold.
「It was broken quite complicatedly. Is it a year, I think」
「A yea―....」
「But you were able to heal yourself to a certain extent with your physical arts, aren't you? Still, we'll have to wait 20 days.」
Leia's assessment is accurate. It is possible to heal a broken bone with physical arts, but of course, it depends on the talent of the physical body and the amount of magic power. It can also speed up the recovery process, but it is not as dramatic as the Holy Arts.
A swordsman who can't handle a sword for 20 days is useless―Isolde was so frightened that she got down on both knees on the floor of the shack and hurriedly bowed her head toward Leia.
「I-I am so sorry! I want to heal as soon as possible, so please, please give this fool a recovery!」
「Now. First, plea to our Lord.」
Raising her head, Isolde looks back at Satoru with a world-weary face.
「M-Milord, ......」
「I don't know. Ask Leia.」
That sullen line means that Satoru will not order Leia to do it. The fact that Isolde's face turns blue when she thinks of Leia's cold attitude right now is understandable.
Isolde looks up at her with a small trembling body, while Leia gives Isolde a cold stare.
「Le-Leia-dono ......, please, please heal me」
Minerva seems to have been woken up by the bustle around her. She rubs her sleepy eyes and looks around curiously. Liz and Rico seemed to be preparing a meal as usual, but the sight of Isolde kneeling at Leia's feet was a bit tough to see so early in the morning.
「Will you listen to me?」
「Of course.」
「Even Liz? Your position is the lowest of the low among the magical slaves. Age and former position have nothing to do with it.」
Isolde bites her lip at Leia, whose voice sounds as if she is trying to persuade her.
「I-I understand」
The Holy Sword Clan, where Isolde was from, is a thoroughly meritocratic society. If you are better, it doesn't matter how old or young your opponent is. If you are superior, you are respected; if you are inferior, you are subjugated. It is the same thing. However, unlike the clan, this hierarchy will never be reversed in the category of magical slaves.
「I can't act like a big shot, you know ......」
Liz interrupted, as expected. It is not in Liz's common sense to act as if she were a grown woman when she is not yet an adult.
「I'm just saying, for example.」
After a bitter smile, Leia turned her attention to Isolde again.
「You should know your place. You are no longer the head of the Holy Sword Clan. You are now the "Foreigner" Kasahara Satoru's lowest-ranking magical slave.」
「Yes. ......」
「You are indeed strong. Even without the Holy Sword, I'm sure I'm no match for you in the battle.」
Leia's unexpected words made everyone turn to look at her. Certainly, Isolde is kneeling at Leia's feet, which is within sword range. Isolde would never do such a thing, but if she were to make a lightning-quick strike here, even Leia would not be able to stop her. With a single blow, Leia would be decapitated, and her head would be torn to shreds with no time to recover.
「But you have learned that strength alone is not enough. Just like your fight with our Lord」
Ughh, Isolde choked. The main reason for Isolde's surrender to Satoru is that she suffered a complete defeat in her battle with him. Not only the simple physical strength but also the fact that before her vessel, even with the Holy Sword, she could not reach him.
That's why I wanted to work by his side, and I also wanted to fight for him. I managed to get him to accept me, but I took advantage of that and now I'm in this mess. I was scolded by the first magical slave, coldly rejected by Milord, and I was already without a place to stay.
Leia sigh in front of the shrinking Isolde.
「Good grief, what a hopeless woman. Let me see ...... 『Diagnosis (Diagnosis)』」
Leia's hand was lay over Isolde's right wrist. Since Isolde had not yet created the 【Life Force Absorption】 countermeasure equipment, Leia could not touch her. Leia's face contorted with difficulty as she closed her eyes to check Isolde's bones.
「.....I don't need to tell you. What could have been cured tomorrow if you had just kept quiet is now a little distorted. ...... 『Regenerative Healing』」
Leia's hand shines faintly. The sound of bones snapping could be heard from Isolde's wrist. It is healing by advanced Holy Art. Although Leia uses it with extreme ease, a fracture that has been intricately disintegrated within the body cannot be healed so easily.
Isolde gripped her right-hand several times to check the feeling. The discomfort she felt just a few moments ago is gone.
「Do not use your right wrist until the day after tomorrow. Swinging a sword is out of the question.」
「.........」
She looked at her wrist with incredulous eyes and repeatedly clenched and unclenched her hand, while Leia sighed through her nose and hit her on the head with her favorite wand.
「What's your reply?」
「U-Understood」
Satoru's voice hit Isolde from behind as she hurriedly replied.
「If you repeat the same thing again, I'm going to put a collar on you and send you to Sheryl's place.」
「Ah, auhhh... ......」
The upset Isolde dances furtively. She looks resolute and sharp and beautiful, but she is completely ruined.
「Pfft.」
With a small laugh, Rico puts the pot on the table.
「First, let's have breakfast. Isolde-san also eats first. Let's nourish our energy.」
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