Chapter 19

Meanwhile, at Labyrinth Academy.

In what appeared to be either a lab or an office, Hugo’s party sat side by side facing a sharp-looking woman.

She glanced at them briefly before returning her attention to some paperwork, then finally spoke up.

“…Seems like you’ve successfully completed the guidance mission. Good job.”

“Th-thank you, Respected Professor!”

Hugo bowed his head in response, clearly tense as he answered. His relief was evident after hearing the professor’s words.

Yeah, he was currently at the academy reporting back to the exam supervisor about their recent Maze Experience Trial guidance mission. And now that the report was done…

‘From joining forces with Yujin to dealing with the Demon Trial, it took longer than expected, but thankfully, there doesn’t seem to be any intention of pressing further.’

Normally, Hugo wouldn’t have even mentioned Yujin, but the situation had been somewhat special. Given how strict academy exams were rumored to be, failing to fully report every detail could lead to pressure from the client side.

Like using Confession Magic during evaluations… or something like that. Anyway.

Mirien had slightly dodged answering questions about Yujin, but regardless, the report was wrapped up smoothly. After all, Yujin hadn’t interfered in anything related to the trial itself.

When the test supervisor used Lie Detection Magic and Hugo truthfully recounted everything about Yujin, she seemed satisfied and accepted it without issue.

The female professor continued:

“The payment for the mission has been sent to the administrative office; you can collect it there. Thanks for your hard work.”

“No, thank *you*. We’ll take our leave now.”

“…Before you go, may I ask one more question?”

“…Yes?”

As Hugo was about to stand up, the professor stopped him with her query.

“I’d like to ask about the Demon Trial you encountered in the fifth layer, which corresponds to the uppermost tier.”

“…”

Hugo hesitated momentarily before sitting back down. He figured it made sense for her to be curious—after all, encountering a demon trial in the uppermost layers, specifically the fifth layer, was quite unusual.

This fact had already been verified by the Lie Detection Magic, but since it was unprecedented, he guessed people everywhere would naturally wonder about it.

“What exactly are you curious about?”

Most of the details regarding the Demon Trial had already been conveyed. The demon possessed an Orc, a mid-level monster, and challenged the party with its conditional immortality ability. When the demon boasted arrogantly about its invincibility, Yujin—who had joined midway—cleverly exploited the condition and killed the possessed Orc.

That was the end of it. So what else could she possibly want to know?

“Was there anything particularly unusual about the demon?”

“Unusual… Hmm, we’re not skilled enough to explore lower levels yet, so encountering a Transcendent being was new to us.”

“…I see. Was there perhaps a Dark Sorcerer nearby?”

“A Dark Sorcerer?”

A Dark Sorcerer refers to mages who use “mako,” not mana, to cast spells. Since their magic originates from demons and relies on demonic knowledge, they’re often labeled as evil and unclean. Anyone identified as a Dark Sorcerer faces global extermination orders.

They’re frequently found in mazes, where most crimes tend to involve them. Due to their possession of mako, they struggle to live normally in society, often becoming criminals out of necessity.

In the Eastern Continent, some even manipulate mako like aura and directly use it in combat, following a faction known as the “Heavenly Demons.” But that’s another story altogether.

After pondering the mention of a Dark Sorcerer, Hugo shook his head.

“No, I didn’t sense any Dark Sorcerers around. Why do you ask?”

“Recently, we’ve received reports of Dark Sorcerer groups stirring trouble in various dark corners of the world. There’s no law against such activity happening here in the maze too, so we’re speculating whether this demon reaching the uppermost layer might be connected.”

“Is that so?”

It was news to Hugo. Dark Sorcerers causing trouble—this sounded serious indeed.

“Of course, please don’t talk about this casually outside. It could unnecessarily panic the public.”

“…Understood.”

“Next question. Is there any possibility that the mage Yujin might be involved?”

At that question, a small circular magic seal appeared above one of her eyes.

Lie Detection Magic. Hugo stiffened upon seeing it and declared firmly:

“No, that’s impossible.”

“…Is that so?”

“…And if I may, I’d prefer you refrain from asking such questions. While it’s understandable you’re approaching this from a third-party perspective and have reasons to doubt, he is our benefactor. Questioning him in such a way feels very disrespectful to us.”

“…I see. My apologies.”

Seeing Hugo’s rigid expression and Chrome’s annoyed frown, she closed her eyes briefly and gave a polite nod.

Though outwardly courteous…

“…”

She was silently observing Mirien, whose behavior seemed off.

“…”

After bowing her head for a moment, the professor looked up and concluded:

“That concludes my questions. You’re free to go now.”

“…Alright, thank you.”

With that, Hugo’s party left the room.

Once the trio exited, the professor sighed softly, stood up, and picked up a document from a nearby desk.

[Report on Dark Sorcerer Activities]

[Recent incidents involving detected mako energy…]

[Interrogation of captured operatives revealed their target to be the Second Princess ‘Elysia von Arsedium’…]

“…Hmm.”

She skimmed through the report and carefully hid it under her desk.

Then, leaning back in her chair, she thought deeply.

‘The rise of Dark Sorcerers, the princess, and the demon appearing in the fifth layer…’

Could these events somehow be connected?

Recalling the party that just left, she focused on one member in particular.

‘…That elf seemed like she knew something.’

She remembered Mirien, who sat beside Hugo. Though hooded and mostly silent during the report, her presence hadn’t gone unnoticed. Despite Hugo glossing over Mirien revealing her spirit magic during the demon trial, the professors at the academy weren’t amateurs.

Even her modest disguise couldn’t fool someone of her caliber. To her keen eye, Mirien…

‘When I asked about Yujin, she reacted strangely.’

Trembling pupils, conflicted emotions, and an underlying fear—all signs pointing to her knowing more than she let on.

While Hugo and Chrome remained oblivious, Mirien clearly harbored secrets about Yujin.

‘A lone mage fresh out of seclusion in a remote study, suddenly arriving in Maze City… Sounds too convenient. Even if he did research beforehand, his familiarity with the maze goes beyond mere knowledge—it’s suspicious.’

Not to mention his ability to teleport effortlessly and kill the possessed Orc without casting a single spell… While Hugo and Chrome trusted him implicitly, from her perspective, Yujin was eerily enigmatic.

‘Should I investigate?’

Academy professors aren’t ordinary teachers—they’re renowned experts in their respective fields, working at one of the most advanced educational institutions in the world. Those responsible for training and testing future heroes are nothing short of legends themselves.

Reina Sahart was no exception.

‘This ties into the rising Dark Sorcerer threat and the princess herself. That’s justification enough for an investigation. Directly interrogating the subject might look bad, so I’ll start with background checks…’

Thus, she began mentally planning her next moves…

***

Elsewhere, Hugo’s party stepped outside the academy grounds.

“Ugh, accusing people so carelessly—what a rude person!”

“While the professor is a third party, it’s not entirely unreasonable to be skeptical…”

“But still! How dare she doubt someone like that?”

Chrome grumbled incessantly as they walked away from the academy, while Hugo half-heartedly tried to reason with him but subtly agreed.

On the other hand, Mirien trailed behind, lost in thought.

‘Dark Sorcerers… Surely, it can’t be…’

She recalled her encounter with Yujin.

‘Tell me who I am. You already know the answer.’

‘…’

Just thinking about it made her shiver involuntarily. Did he really belong to the Dark Sorcerers?

‘…But he saved us.’

Remembering how he rescued them complicated things further.

Recalling his calm demeanor standing behind the bisected Orc, she felt conflicted.

‘…’

Ultimately, she shook her head to clear her thoughts. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions without certainty.

“…Mirien, is something wrong?”

However, observant Hugo noticed her unease and asked.

“Huh? Oh… um…”

“What’s up?” Chrome chimed in, also sensing something was off.

“Hmm? You’ve been unusually quiet lately. Everything okay?”

“…Um…”

Instead of addressing her own concerns, she brought up something else that had been nagging her.

“Why haven’t you guys asked about me being an elf?”

“…Wait, that was it?”

“Haha, I thought it was something else.”

Both laughed lightly.

“Well, yeah, finding out you’re pointy-eared was surprising, but so what? At the end of the day, we’re comrades-in-arms, right?”

“You must’ve had your reasons for keeping it hidden. Ultimately, revealing it means you trust us, doesn’t it?”

“…Hugo, Chrome…”

Touched by their reaction despite her unrelated worries, Mirien felt a bit moved. Chrome grinned.

“So let’s drop it, alright? Unless you’re saying you can’t stay in the party now that we know you’re an elf?”

“No, nothing like that.”

“Then it’s settled. Anyways, we just pulled off another job, so let’s grab some drinks!”

“Hold on, Chrome. You spend too much on booze. We’ve got dinner plans with Yujin soon anyway.”

“Eh, fine, guess I’ll save it for later. Still, I’m beat, so let’s head back.”

“Yeah, sounds good. Come on, Mirien.”

“…Okay.”

With that, Hugo’s party headed toward their guild-provided lodging, their bonds stronger than ever.