“…If this is a labyrinth, why are we going with the bare minimum number of people?”
A question suddenly flew toward the emperor, who wore a look of confusion.
Lumel, unconsciously stroking her silver hair, asked.
When the emperor turned his curious gaze toward her, she hesitated under that stare but continued, “I understand that the labyrinth has already been cleared. There’s no need to go with just the bare minimum; it would be better if all of us went…”
“No, that’s not the case, General Lumel.”
Hearing the long-unheard title, Lumel flinched slightly, and the emperor smiled faintly as he spoke: “Because specters have taken over that labyrinth and are holding a feast inside it.”
While Lumel was clearly startled by the revelation of her true identity, it was information the emperor, who was essentially Resham’s superior, couldn’t help but know.
Aslan glanced at Lumel for a moment, and Lumel seemed to recall something, maintaining her composure.
“What needs to be done isn’t disrupting the feast in the labyrinth, but infiltrating it disguised as specters to gather intelligence. For that, we’ll need someone well-versed in etiquette and someone capable of handling any situation.”
Someone well-versed in etiquette and someone capable of handling any situation.
It was obvious who they were referring to.
At least among this traveling party, there were only two individuals knowledgeable about etiquette, and Aslan was the only one capable of handling any situation due to his versatility compared to others.
And since Aslan could handle various tasks and was also skilled in covert operations, even if not outright espionage, the emperor’s next words were predictable.
Thus, Aslan understood when the emperor turned his golden eyes toward him with a slight nod.
“I recommend avoiding combat and infiltrating as much as possible to gather intelligence. Of course, I will leave on-the-spot decisions to you, but I do not recommend engaging in battle.”
Aslan nodded in response to the emperor’s words directed at him.
It was an understandable judgment.
We don’t know what kind of specter might be present, but if one of the ancient heroes mentioned by the emperor were guarding the place as a priest or high-ranking priest…
“If all of you were to attack, and even if the empire were to support you, the chances of success would be slim.”
According to the emperor, the chances were indeed minimal.
After all, the ‘material’ involved could potentially become a monster surpassing even the Supreme Divinity’s Sword. Thinking about such a cautious approach being necessary, Aslan agreed.
Infiltration was undoubtedly the best option.
As Aslan was nodding thoughtfully, Angie, standing beside him, quietly observed Aslan before speaking up.
“Will the two of us just go then? What should the rest of us do?”
“It would be appropriate for the rest of you to wait far enough away from the labyrinth’s detection range and prepare for support or reinforcement.”
The emperor’s tone became more polite, perhaps out of respect for the ancient deity of poetry.
Angie, unfazed by this, smirked lightly.
“Alright. Then let me know… If it’s a banquet, do we need dresses or something? I don’t have a dress, so can I borrow one here? Can Aslan go as he is?”
She spoke as if it were already decided that she and Aslan would be the ones going.
A flicker of hesitation crossed the emperor’s eyes before disappearing, and then he said,
“To be honest, I hesitate to say this, but instead of Lady Angela going, it would be better to send someone else.”
Seemingly sympathizing with his own predicament of having to tell the ancient deity of poetry that she shouldn’t go, the emperor adopted a defensive tone.
“Huh?”
Angie was clearly dissatisfied with this statement, but the emperor smiled helplessly.
“Where am I going to find someone as versatile as me?”
“Of course. Lady Angela’s power can certainly make everything possible, but supporting roles would be more suitable.”
Upon hearing this, Angie looked incredulously at Aslan, sending a pleading glance asking for his support.
“I agree with His Majesty.”
The problem was that Aslan also sided with the emperor.
“I don’t know much about etiquette. It’s not really my thing, so it would be better if Richard or Lumel, who are familiar with etiquette, join me for the infiltration.”
Angie’s face fell, showing a hint of betrayal.
Recalling what she had planned to do, she grew despondent, and Aslan smiled apologetically.
Since leaving things as they were wouldn’t work, Aslan tried to placate Angie by adding some words, though—
“Later, okay?”
“Later? What exactly will we do later?”
That was a mistake.
The reaction didn’t come from Angie but from Ereta.
When Aslan turned to look at Ereta after hearing this, Ereta blinked innocently, tilting her head as if she didn’t understand at all, while Phey sitting beside her wore a cold expression.
An expression that seemed to suggest she had figured things out long ago.
Come to think of it, ever since they left the border fortress and arrived at the Green-skin Fortress, Phey had been unusually quiet.
Perhaps her silence until now was a way of controlling her anger.
Aslan belatedly realized this and broke out into a cold sweat.
Avoiding the lifeless azure eyes staring at him, Aslan turned to Richard.
Throwing in some nonsense along the way was an added bonus.
For some reason, Aslan had an intuition that going with Ereta would be dangerous.
Following that intuition, he chose Richard, who was of the same gender.
“In any case, if Richard goes with me…”
But even Richard showed an unpleasant reaction.
“I’m not very familiar with ancient etiquette either. Sorry, Aslan.”
Richard glanced sideways involuntarily, checking someone’s reaction.
The direction his eyes moved revealed Lumel. She was smiling brightly, trying hard to act as if nothing was wrong.
There was a certain chill emanating from her as she brushed her silver hair aside with her hand.
Richard was carefully observing Lumel’s gaze while forcing a smile.
Aslan quickly added,
“Ancient etiquette won’t be necessary. So…”
“No! Even so, um, wouldn’t it be more appropriate to take Lumel, a woman, rather than me? After all, um, it doesn’t seem right for two men to attend the banquet, does it?”
Richard forced out an answer.
Though it wasn’t an incorrect statement, considering how Richard was hunched over, sweating profusely, it likely wasn’t his true intention.
It was obvious that something had happened behind the scenes.
Aslan wore a desperate expression, but Richard shook his head despite seeing it.
“Lumel is good at acting too. Um, yes! I’m not good at acting!”
That much was evident just by looking.
Aslan turned to Lumel with a darkened expression, and Lumel raised her hand slightly with a cheerful smile, as if reluctantly volunteering.
“I’ll go with you then. Though I’m not an expert in etiquette, I won’t hinder Aslan.”
“With General Lumel, I trust this arrangement will work. I also think this selection is good, but what do you think?”
With the emperor’s approval, Aslan felt like there hadn’t been any choice from the beginning.
Aslan sighed in agreement, and a week later, he and Lumel departed from the fortress, heading towards the border.
*
[Aslan]
[Strength 2] [Agility ■] [Health 2]
[Mana 10] [Resolve 10] [Luck 10]
[Stored Spells: Flame Wave, Shadow Fog, Silence, Equalization, Thunder Strike]
[Ongoing Main Quest]
[ ? Defeat the Evil Deity, Abyss]
[Completed Main Quests]
[ ? Defeat the Evil Deity, Abyss]
Aslan stared blankly at the floating system window.
Only the horse carrying him trotted roughly across the gravel field, while Aslan showed no signs of movement or speech.
The floating system window gave Aslan two questions.
Why, despite completing the main quest by defeating the Abyss, a massive enemy, had his level not increased?
And the ambiguous state of the quest, neither completed nor ongoing, was another issue.
Of course, the guess was simple.
It must be because Lewena is restoring her self-awareness, meaning the Abyss cannot be considered fully defeated yet.
Due to this, Aslan felt Regret.
He had thought that leveling up after a long time would allow him access to more diverse means, but the reality was otherwise, leading to this feeling of regret.
Aslan sighed, and Lumel’s gaze subtly followed.
Looking through the system window at the amber eyes visible beyond it, Aslan waved his hand slightly, and Lumel tilted her head before looking forward again.
A scene devoid of any tension.
Their journey was peaceful to that extent.
Sometimes, Aslan idly stared at the system window, lost in thought.
‘Rock, Shield, Fire Emission, Vibration Assignment. This order seems good.’
He took out four scrolls from his bosom, arranging them to consider which placement would make them easier to use, without anything significant happening during their journey.
Considering the route they chose, it was natural.
While the group was likely exploring the labyrinth near the border region, Aslan and Lumel had chosen a different path.
Following the gangway extending from the Green-skin Fortress, they veered southwest, exiting the tunnel and heading straight toward the labyrinth.
It was the fastest route to the labyrinth, crossing the rugged mountains of Tiyalmisof.
Thus, encounters were rare, and given that this was the territory of the fallen Pervere Kingdom, there were no civilian settlements either.
Wild animals had long fled the Veil of Compassion, leaving only the cracked earth visible to Aslan and Lumel.
On this road, Aslan occasionally glanced at the two quest windows for the Abyss Defeat mission, neither progressing nor completed.
Staring at the blinking window for a long time, his gaze naturally dropped toward the Abyss Blade.
The Abyss Blade hanging from Aslan’s waist.
This short sword had been silent since reacting during his union with Angie.
It must be taking time to establish its self-awareness.
Based on the assumption that it might take longer, Aslan had left Lewena’s body at the Green-skin Fortress and only brought the Abyss Blade.
A woman whose awakening, if ever, remained uncertain.
Thinking of Lewena, Aslan absentmindedly touched the Abyss Blade.
“Ahslan, over there…”
Reacting a beat late to Lumel calling his name, Aslan snapped back to reality.
And upon snapping back and looking ahead, he was quite startled.
The labyrinth of the Pervere Kingdom known to Aslan.
Even when the kingdom of Pervere was intact, it was a plain land where excavation work was carried out, filled with practical buildings.
Rather, it felt barren to the point of desolation.
Given his experience working as a mercenary there multiple times, Aslan’s expectations weren’t far off.
At most, he expected some attempts to utilize the buildings, and that was what Aslan thought and anticipated.
However, the landscape before his eyes defied those expectations.
Before Aslan stood a grand building reminiscent of a palace or a large ballroom.
Filling the space where the labyrinth should have been, this palace had countless carriages, fine horses, dragons, and beasts parked in front of it.
People resembling stable hands bustled around the stables of this palace, and behind them were elegantly dressed individuals entering or exiting the banquet hall.
All of them wore splendid armor or clothing fit for ancient times and were adorned with magical equipment.
Aslan understood.
This was no longer the labyrinth he knew.
Realizing this, Aslan approached cautiously, feeling a mix of surprise and unease.
