Chapter 217

The girl was having a dream.

Actually, it didn’t really feel like a dream.

In the hazy vision, the ‘Black Sword’ was continuing its struggle to protect the girl.

Spiders were charging from all directions.

And the Black Sword was intercepting the spiders by stretching itself in every direction.

As the number of spiders increased, it became harder for the Black Sword to protect the girl while trying to fend them off.

This created a vicious cycle where the spiders multiplied faster and faster.

When it seemed impossible to hold back the spiders any longer, the Black Sword stared intently at the girl, as if watching her every move.

It felt like when a sneaky puppy tries to eat snacks and nervously checks on its owner.

After staring at the girl for a long time, the Black Sword suddenly transformed.

Into a cute fairy no bigger than the palm of the girl’s hand, with glowing yellow eyes.

Even though it had no wings, the girl somehow felt it was a fairy.

At that moment, a memory surfaced in the girl’s mind.

The mysterious black object that had fallen into a flowerpot before—it had made cute sounds too, like “Peeep!”

It had been following me this whole time!

And just like that, the dream ended abruptly.

The Black Sword, which had turned into a fairy to protect the girl, was now consumed by a massive gray monster, marking the end of the dream.

***

Snow was falling.

No, it was so cold that snow was rising toward the sky. The girl and the Deviant Reaper lay collapsed, clinging to each other for warmth like two lovers sharing body heat.

How do I torment the Deviant Reaper enough to make rumors spread about how well I tormented them?

While deeply contemplating this very important question, I noticed something was wrong with the girl’s condition.

Though I thought she was sturdy like an object, she was burning up with fever.

First things first, we need to heal her since she’s dying.

I tried to summon the Blue Reaper for treatment, but something felt blocked, like a strong resistance in the labyrinth.

But I forcibly tore through the space and created a makeshift gate connecting to the Mini Reaper Garden.

As soon as the garden connected to the labyrinth, a bashful-looking Blue Reaper popped out, followed closely by cheerful Golden Reapers flooding out one after another.

“Let all wounds heal!”

The Blue Reaper gasped upon seeing the injured girl and immediately began reciting healing strings.

Once the girl’s breathing stabilized, the Blue Reaper, seemingly disliking the labyrinth, disappeared back into the garden in an instant.

Through the open gate, the Golden Reapers burst forth, raising their hands high and rushing toward me with great enthusiasm.

“Mommy!”

The Golden Reapers, despite being separated from me for only a short while, clung tightly to my body with incredibly joyful expressions.

“Yes, yes, it’s Mommy.”

I gently patted each of the Golden Reapers and tossed them back into the Mini Reaper Garden.

“Huh?”

The Golden Reapers landed with betrayed looks, rolling around on top of the Mini Reaper Garden.

Mom has to continue her adventure, so there’s nothing I can do.

I hoped they would understand as I closed the gate to the Mini Reaper Garden.

“Mommy!”

The Golden Reapers desperately ran toward the shrinking gate, but they couldn’t cross over before it closed completely.

Alright, now that the girl is healed, it’s time to torment the Deviant Reaper.

I carefully extracted the Deviant Reaper from the girl’s embrace and vigorously rubbed its cheeks until the Black Reaper woke up.

It seemed quite exhausted and was slow to wake up, but as I kept rubbing its cheeks, it blinked sleepily and finally awoke.

Its eyes were odd due to the lingering effects of white firewood—one eye was white, the other yellow.

Eating different kinds of firewood can apparently change you like this.

It was interesting to see some unique characteristics.

“Mommy…”

Upon seeing my face, the Deviant Reaper smiled with relief.

Is this some kind of scheme to get away with committing deviance by smiling?

Refusing to fall for such emotional manipulation, I opened my mouth wide and bit down on the Deviant Reaper.

Chomp chomp, as if I were going to devour it entirely.

Startled, the Deviant Reaper began thrashing around.

Thinking it was about to be eaten by a weak mother who had suddenly become fierce, the Deviant Reaper eventually gave up and went limp.

“Goodbye, Mommy.”

It emitted a sad atmosphere, closing its eyes and waiting for death.

Thump thump.

I tapped its head lightly, expressing disappointment.

Even if I torment them, I don’t intend to hurt them…

Well, they have been hurt before, haven’t they?

Anyway! I’ve never intentionally hurt anyone, yet the Mini Reapers seem to lack trust in me.

As I tapped its head, the Deviant Reaper opened its pale yellow eyes wide and transmitted a message of willpower.

“Mommy, aren’t you going to eat me?”

“Not eating you!”

With my answer, the Deviant Reaper happily grinned.

What exactly did the big guy inside the Unchanging Sphere do to make the Mini Reapers think this way?

Tormenting the Deviant Reaper is probably enough for now.

For some reason, Black Reapers always look pitiful when tormented.

As I let go of the Deviant Reaper, other Black Reapers swarmed around and started playing with it.

“Does it hurt?”

“I’m fine!”

The Black Reapers exchanged concerned intentions while looking at the glowing white eyes.

“Ugh.”

While observing the Mini Reapers playfully teasing each other, I sensed the girl who had collapsed earlier beginning to regain consciousness.

“Black Reaper Armor!”

I quickly spread my arms wide and summoned the Black Reapers.

Like a scene from a movie, the Black Reapers transformed into armor pieces and attached themselves to my body.

The Deviant Reaper looked happily at the awakening girl and snuggled into her embrace.

Then it squirmed and transformed into a black sword.

Unlike the Golden Reaper, it wasn’t affected by mental pollution and could stay close to its human companion because it could transform into a weapon.

“Hnnng.”

The girl slowly sat up, looking like she’d had a deep sleep.

***

The first thing the girl saw upon opening her eyes were two things:

The black sword nestled in her arms.

And the mysterious entity cloaked in black armor standing before her.

Although still half-asleep, the girl remembered quite a lot—vaguely recalling the Black Sword’s struggle and rampage, and the appearance of the black armor that put an end to the chaos.

Even though she hadn’t seen clearly, the girl knew instinctively that the black armor had helped save her and the Black Sword.

However, the moment she saw the yellow glow emanating from beneath the helmet, the girl tensed up and backed away.

This object radiated immense power far surpassing any monster she had encountered in the labyrinth.

Logically, she should have said “Thank you for saving me,” but the overwhelming aura from the black armor left her tongue-tied.

The black armor seemed to expect something from the girl, but when she continued to feel afraid, it lowered its gaze and quietly sat down, appearing disappointed.

That look made the girl feel like the object was genuinely upset and deflated.

I should thank it!

Biting her lip, the girl tried to express gratitude but couldn’t bring herself to speak.

Gurgle.

Was it due to her extreme tension? Not only could she not speak, but her stomach growled loudly.

Embarrassed, the girl clutched her belly and managed a sheepish smile, while the black armor clenched its small fist and then released it.

Poof!

Suddenly, a delicious-looking giant pudding appeared in its empty palm.

Gurgle gurgle.

“Pudding! It looks so tasty.”

Though the labyrinth city wasn’t lacking food, desserts were rare. Especially since the girl hadn’t indulged in snacks since entering the maze.

Fear or hunger? In the end, hunger won.

As the girl greedily ate the pudding handed to her by the black armor, the surroundings gradually changed.

Countless sweets and cookies.

A campfire roasting something large, round, and white.

Transparent flamingo-shaped torches made of candy.

A cookie bowl filled with floating marshmallows steeped in hot chocolate.

The chill of the second floor of the labyrinth dissipated, replaced by warmth and the sweet aroma filling the air.

“Wow!”

The girl marveled at the magical sights and began devouring the delicious treats.

***

After eating her fill, the girl no longer felt afraid of the black armor.

The yellow light glowing within the helmet exuded intelligence unlike any ordinary object.

And the yellow hue in the helmet resembled the yellow glow from the ‘Black Sword,’ making the connection seem familiar.

“Although I don’t remember clearly, you saved me and this child, right? Thank you so much!”

Shaking off her fear, the girl stood up, bowed deeply, and expressed her gratitude.

Though the Gray Reaper didn’t understand Japanese, it picked up on the emotion of gratitude and nodded slightly.

Thus, the girl spent a considerable amount of time thanking the black armor before picking up the Black Sword and starting a quiet conversation.

“This isn’t your true form, is it?”

The girl’s expression conveyed that she already knew everything.

Seeing this, the Black Sword melted into a puddle and transformed into the Appearance of the Black Reaper, trembling like a frightened puppy fearing abandonment.

The sight moved the girl, who hugged the Black Reaper tightly and said,

“Thank you for protecting me!”

Then she began petting the Black Reaper affectionately, like one would with a cute creature.

Petted repeatedly, the Black Reaper wore a contented smile, as if all its hard work had been rewarded.

After the shower of praise and affection, the girl turned the Black Reaper back into a sword and spoke seriously.

“I’m going to explore the labyrinth to find the exit. Will you come with me?”

Despite lacking a map or experience, the girl asked with determination.

***

The girl wore a meaningful expression while saying something.

Though it was in Japanese and thus incomprehensible, various emotions could be felt, giving me a rough sense of the atmosphere.

Resolve and courage.

Invitation and hope.

Perhaps it was an invitation to go on an “adventure” together in the labyrinth.

Finally, I have my own adventuring party!

A labyrinth exploration!

I nodded and stood up.

Thus began our exploration of the second floor of the labyrinth.

Clang clang.

The sound of my armor hitting the ground echoed as we walked.

“Ugh, uncomfortable.”

Even wearing armor, the discomfort wouldn’t go away.

If it weren’t for the labyrinth exploration, I would never have worn it.

Normally, without clothes, I had a 360-degree field of vision, but now my view was restricted to the holes in the helmet, making me feel suffocated.

My object-specific senses usually allowed me to detect everything precisely in all directions, but now that ability was gone.

If only I could stick my antennae out of the helmet, it might improve things—but it would look strange…

Still, thinking about the labyrinth adventure made me smile under my helmet.

Having a companion doubled the fun.

If we gather more people, forming a four-person party, it would be four times as enjoyable, right?

Hehe.

Lost in these random thoughts, I walked through the second floor of the labyrinth when fog began to roll in thickly.

By the time I realized something was amiss about the fog, my companion was already nowhere to be found.

“No! My first companion is gone!”

Clang clang clang clang.

I hurriedly searched the foggy area for the girl.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

Just then, the girl’s scream pierced through the dense fog.

Rushing toward the source of the scream, I stumbled upon a bizarre scene.

The girl, holding the Black Reaper Sword, knelt on the ground sobbing.

Standing guard-like beside her was a middle-aged man impaled through the abdomen by a massive blade, bleeding profusely.

The decapitated body of a Black Reaper lay sprawled on the floor.

“Ahh! Uncle! Uncle!”

The girl repeatedly cried out as she watched the bleeding man.

From the severed neck of the Black Reaper flowed a yellow flame-like substance.

Something feels off here…