Chapter 188

#188 Chapter: The Tin Knight and the World in the Library (8)

《&@**@#!@%&…*%#&&*…&%…….》

Thud! The Jabberwock’s arm fell to the ground with a wet, dull thump.

Its body, continuously shifting and regenerating, melted down like it could take no more.

Creak, creak.

The White Knight wasn’t in any better shape either.

His left arm was severed, and his breastplate was half torn apart, exposing the magical core at the center of his body.

His pure white armor was battered and dented, making a metallic grinding sound with every move.

It was clear to anyone that the White Knight had reached his limit.

But still, he raised his spear.

His condition suggested that fighting wasn’t a viable option, yet he stepped forward towards the Tin Knight without a moment’s hesitation.

Some might say it was expected of a magical automaton. Just following the programmed algorithms, it would fight because its master commanded it to.

To assign meaning or feel moved by such actions would be a foolish endeavor.

[‘The Tin Knight expresses admiration for the White Knight!’]

The Tin Knight couldn’t care less.

What’s so bothersome about being foolish? What’s wrong with being silly?

He thought the White Knight’s determination was “awesome.”

He believed the actions of the White Knight contained soul and heart.

And that was enough for him.

To honor the opponent who pushed him to his limits, put him in peril, and made him achieve victory not through mere brute strength but through intricate strategizing, the Tin Knight readied himself once more.

This time, he meant to finish it for real.

“─Enough, Sig.”

Had it not been for the white girl standing in front of the White Knight, the Tin Knight would have undoubtedly followed through.

The White Knight’s body trembled as though in agitation.

The distance between Gale and the Tin Knight was alarmingly short.

Although Gale was also quite skilled, in this position, she could easily strike before a counterattack could ever happen.

Yet, without a shred of fear, Gale boldly met the gaze of the Tin Knight.

“I’ll concede defeat. As a loser, I’ll follow the victor. So please, sheathe your sword.”

The Tin Knight hesitated for a moment but then willingly returned the sword to its sheath.

“Thank you, Tin Knight.”

Gale elegantly bowed her head, stepping to the side of the White Knight to tend to him.

“…What’s with this sudden change of heart?”

Dorothea, who had been standing a step back, questioned the Tin Knight.

[‘The Tin Knight responds, weren’t you intending to stop him anyway?’]

“No, I wasn’t.”

[‘The Tin Knight remarks that he felt your hesitation from behind!’]

“When did I!”

[‘The Tin Knight declares that he’ll simply let it slide, displaying the composure of an adult!’]

Clang!

Only after taking a hit did the Tin Knight finally stop teasing.

Even then, he didn’t use his magical power as he typically would, so it only made a loud noise with almost no real damage.

Whether it was an act of courtesy towards the exhausted Tin Knight or simply a reaction to something he said, it remained unclear.

“Looks like it ended somehow.”

“You both did great!”

Sophia and Adel, who had kept their distance to avoid the conflict, approached to offer their congratulations.

In other words, they were the only ones safe.

The once grand building, which served as a courtroom, was now left in ruins, and the many spectators had long fled or been devoured by the Jabberwock.

It was then that a voice echoed from the void.

《You have defeated the Guardian of the Labyrinth.》

《But the truths of the Labyrinth have not yet been revealed, nor has the curse been lifted.》

《You chose to become the new Guardian, waiting for the day of liberation to come.》

《Normal End.》

The chaotic scenery blurred away, replaced by stone chambers and a throne covered in bricks.

The throne, with its classic ambiance, emitted a gentle light as if welcoming the new Guardian.

Clunk! A sensation of something falling into place enveloped the group.

It felt as though they had become small gears caught within a massive mechanism.

The group realized they were bound by threads.

These threads were quite loose, allowing some degree of movement on stage, but they wouldn’t be permitted to exit the stage entirely.

Thus, they were forcibly made the Guardians of this place.

“Um, what do we do now?”

Adel asked with a troubled look.

“Well, since it seems Gale is free now, she could request support from outside. She could convey the internal situation, so bringing a satisfactory challenger to this space shouldn’t be impossible.”

The library was located in the Tower of Prophecy, a den where high-ranking wizards congregated.

The internal situation was still unknown, but they had only left it alone due to a lack of proper information; breaking through wouldn’t be that hard with the right intel.

“What are you talking about, why are we waiting for that?”

[‘The Tin Knight insists that since he already enjoyed the main battle, it’s time to wrap up the trivial matters quickly!’]

However, the impatient servant had no intention of following such a “proper” approach.

They knew very well how to distinguish between an admirable opponent and one who wasn’t worth their time.

Gale and the White Knight were the former, while this space clearly fell into the latter category.

Clomp, clomp. Dorothea approached the now-melted Jabberwock, which had transformed into a black sludge.

Sensing what she intended to do, Gale cautioned her.

“Be careful; it might become quite a hassle to clean up afterward. Your master might not mind, but the strict folks around here certainly will.”

“Not my problem. I’ve achieved everything I needed to here and paid the price.”

Rumble, rumble.

As if realizing something was off with Dorothea’s demeanor, the ground of the chamber began to ripple like waves, attempting to engulf the Jabberwock’s slimy form.

Swish!

But the wave made of rock and sand was halted by the Tin Knight’s sword, unable to achieve its goal.

This time the chamber attempted to split open the ground, trying to extract the Jabberwock through the crack, but even before that, the tip of Dorothea’s staff struck the slime.

Absorbing the magical power that flowed from Dorothea’s body, the Jabberwock slowly began to expand in size.

《You are the Guardian of the Labyrinth. You must not harm this Labyrinth. You must protect this Labyrinth.》

Despite failing to stop Dorothea, the voice didn’t sound anxious.

It couldn’t help it.

The Labyrinth was a world of stories.

The ground, the walls, the space, and even the characters present were merely parts of the stage.

Even reviving the Jabberwock, no matter how strong and massive it was, held no significance.

《There is a monster in the Labyrinth. Once controlled by a witch, that monster was incredibly savage and grotesque, but in the end, it was just one of the prisoners unable to escape.》

No, it wasn’t just meaningless—it was being utilized as part of the stage.

The formless sludge began to move in accordance with a certain pattern.

It almost appeared as if it were listening to the voice of the Labyrinth.

《The monster is hungry. The monster wanders the Labyrinth, and it won’t spare even those who call themselves Guardians.》

《You must hurry to escape from the monster.》

《If you remain, you will be eaten by the monster. If you leave this place, you can escape from the monster.》

Some of the sludge transformed into a maw and teeth, fixing its gaze upon Dorothea.

Yet, Dorothea didn’t halt her input of magical power.

《Foolishly, you chose to stay. You will be caught by the monster…?》

The voice abruptly stopped, sounding perplexed.

It detected the foreign entity that intruded upon its space, and the world flinched in surprise.

“Are you trying to tame this creature? Then allow me to ask, do you know this thing?”

The Black Witch raised an eyebrow with a wicked smile.

It was the grin of a malevolent witch.

“Can you define what this monster looks like? Can you describe its ecology? Can you define its abilities? That would be tough, wouldn’t it?”

The Jabberwock. Unidentified, indefinable, and bizarre monster.

Its horror wasn’t in brute strength, regenerative abilities, or diverse abilities.

It was merely the essence of a riddle.

《You must become the Guardian and protect this Labyrinth.》

《You chose to become a Patron of this maze.》

《You can’t comprehend…?》

The voice deteriorated into a jumbled mess.

The concise and clear explanation collapsed into an incomprehensible and bizarre language.

────!

The world screamed.

As the foreign entity dug deep inside, the library thrashed about, trying to expel it.

And to spite that, the witch raised the rate of the world’s erosion even further.

《The weak and feeble Jabberwock has perished.》

《And it shall be resurrected! Because you didn’t kill it with the Bophall Sword! What is the Bophall Sword, you ask? It’s a very hefty sword! If you ponder for a moment, you’ll find that blade where it cleaves!》

《The Guardian must protect the Labyrinth. The curse of the Labyrinth shall not be lifted by anyone.》

《And the curse of the Labyrinth was split in half! Oh, pure child, on this wondrous day, let’s sing your praises!》

The ground began to give way.

Bricks crumbled.

Light vanished, air thickened like lead, and everything started to decay.

《─Thus, the party seized the golden rope leading outside the labyrinth, escaping into the light. Happy End.》

One conclusion had been sealed.