Chapter 32

Chapter 32

The Labyrinth (1)

Today, in Edward’s class, I was able to receive an item called a “magic tent” as a reward, of all things.

A class reward received after so long.

If it had not been a required Labyrinth item that every other student received the same way, I would have been more excited.

The day before entering the Labyrinth.

Since there was an enemy in the Labyrinth I had to deal with, my heart did not flutter like the night before a picnic.

Class ended early.

It was Edward’s consideration, telling us to rest well since we would be entering the Labyrinth for the first time.

“I will be traveling with my wife for a while.”

Edward’s final unnecessary addition came to mind.

Perhaps it had been an excuse, not consideration.

For the time being, there would be no classes from the homeroom instructor, and Labyrinth activities would replace them, so it could be seen as vacation for the instructors.

That did not mean everyone received vacation, and it seemed they would take turns resting.

Reina’s expression had been dark when I ran into her on the road earlier.

She probably had not received vacation this time. She must have lost a bet, obviously.

Reina was on the unlucky side, after all.

After class ended, I was in the middle of preparations for the enemy in the Labyrinth.

The Labyrinth was full of monsters, traps, and the like.

However, the enemy I would face this time was not a monster generated by the Labyrinth.

If I had to say it, it was closer to an “impurity” that had happened to mix into the Labyrinth by chance.

Since the game’s story had to progress, the academy naturally realized this fact late.

They would think it was simply a slightly strong monster and respond late. It was giving the player time to shine.

But it did resemble a monster quite a lot.

The enemy I had to face this time was a “lycanthrope.”

The kind commonly called a werewolf.

That thing, both human and beast, was truly an existence one could easily mistake for a monster. Partly because lycanthropes were rare.

With no proper witnesses, injured people who had suddenly suffered damage began pouring out of the Labyrinth, and after looking at the wounds, people ended up assuming it was probably some monster close to a wolf.

Of course, for the player, an air of incongruity was created to make it known that this was not an ordinary event.

Since I already knew this fact, I had no need for any creation of incongruity or anything like that.

This lycanthrope could perhaps be considered the first “boss” the player would face.

Werewolves had a greatly developed sense of smell.

It was an advantage, but at times, it became a weakness.

Because it sniffed out scents habitually, mushroom powder with a paralysis effect worked fatally on it.

Woozy Mushroom.

This mushroom was used as a medicinal ingredient and when capturing monsters, but it was occasionally used in crimes too.

Because it was highly useful, it was not easy to obtain.

However, did I not have a quest?

Conveniently, there was an herbalist quest, so there was a route by which I could easily obtain the mushroom.

[ It seems my disciple prepares thoroughly. ]

Sierra, who was floating beside me, said this.

She did not question my actions.

She trusted me completely.

She said her disciple at least did not seem to do useless things.

Apparently, it was also bothersome to ask about every little thing at this point.

Past that Sierra, I saw Ram, the son of Rumbo, the only herbalist working inside the academy, walking beside me.

If one visited Herbalist Rumbo’s house at this point, it was not Rumbo but his son Ram who came out to greet them.

That was because Rumbo, who was an excellent herbalist, had fallen ill and was temporarily unable to work.

I spoke with bedridden Rumbo, then agreed to escort Ram, who had come out to find medicinal herbs that would help treat him.

Even so, since it was a forest located within the academy, there were not many dangerous things, but a father’s heart was like that, was it not?

Rumbo must have needed something, anything, that could reassure him.

As a reward, I could receive one medicinal ingredient I wanted for free.

Escort Ram, and one medicinal ingredient as an optional reward.

That was how the Rumbo and Ram quest was structured.

While walking after Ram, he turned around, looked at me, and opened his mouth.

“Brother Zeto! How do you walk around so well? Gasp! Is it rude to ask something like that...?”

“Haha, it’s all right. I often receive such questions.”

As we walked through the forest, I recited an explanation of perception to Ram, who was walking ahead of me.

After hearing the explanation, Ram’s eyes shone brightly.

“Perception...! That’s amazing...”

To Ram, this thing called perception seemed to feel very cool.

Even if he had inherited his father and possessed profound knowledge about herbs, he was still a young child.

Since there were not many children inside the academy city, it was a rare innocence.

“Ram, when you grow up, will you follow Mr. Rumbo and become an herbalist?”

The forest was quiet and a little lonely, so I asked Ram that. Children around this age usually had at least one grand dream.

“I’m not sure... I want to become a cool academy student like Brother Zeto, but being a student isn’t a job, right? Right now, I’m learning a lot about herbs! Looking at Dad, there doesn’t seem to be any problem making money and living.”

“...”

At Ram’s realistic answer, difficult to believe it had come from a mere nine-year-old child, I ended up speechless.

[ Ho... The young one gives quite an admirable answer. ]

Sierra, who had been listening to our conversation, murmured.

Certainly, Ram seemed full of filial piety.

Perhaps it was because he had lost his mother early.

“What are you going to do after graduation, Brother Zeto?”

Ram asked me as he leapt over a protruding tree root.

“Graduation?”

In the game’s happy ending, a scene of the player character’s graduation ceremony appeared as the epilogue.

Would I be able to return to reality?

Would I have to keep living here?

I did not know.

There was a mountain of things to handle before the ending.

Because I had been moving busily, I had not had the time to think that far.

“Graduation... I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll enter some rich family and become a knight?”

I responded to Ram’s difficult question with a joke.

“Puhaha! Money is the best, after all.”

Ram’s laughter rang loudly through the forest.

Was this truly a conversation with a nine-year-old boy?

Like that, I was walking through the forest with Ram.

Suddenly, Ram darted off somewhere.

Ram sprinted like a beekeeper running to catch a wasp that was trying to harm his precious bees.

I did not know the reason, but for now, I was his escort, so I hurried after him.

Following the place Ram headed, I found him crouching in one corner of the forest, gathering the nearby grasses.

“...What are you doing, running off without a word?”

“It’s inside the academy anyway, so what could be dangerous? Dad just worries too much... More importantly, I found it.”

“The herb to treat Mr. Rumbo?”

“Yes!...This much should be enough. Of all times, Dad started groaning when these had just run out...”

Only then did Ram rise from his crouch and mutter as he placed the herbs he had gathered into a basket.

“Whew... Then that business is done... Brother Zeto, what did you say you needed?”

“...Woozy Mushroom. Can it be found around here?”

“Woozy? It’s hard to find, but fortunately, it’s something you can get around here.”

“It won’t take very long, will it?”

“Obviously! I am Ram, son of Rumbo, the legendary herbalist!”

Ram raised his arm and said this to me in a confident voice.

“Let’s see, if it’s Woozy...”

Muttering his own unique name for the Woozy Mushroom, Ram began searching the surroundings.

Like that, Ram and I walked around the forest a little more to find the Woozy Mushroom.

“But why are you looking for Woozy?”

Suddenly, while searching for the mushroom, Ram asked me.

Seeing his bright, clear eyes, it seemed he was purely curious about its use.

“Hmm... There is an enemy I must deal with, and I want to use less strength in the process?”

“Heeh~. Well, Woozy works really well on monsters too... Ah, come to think of it, the Labyrinth opens tomorrow, right?”

“How do you know that?”

“When doing business inside the academy, Dad says it’s easier if you know what happens during each season. Dad taught me that.”

“Ah...”

Was it like stationery shop owners in front of schools knowing what classes students had and selling school supplies in advance?

At Ram’s overly realistic answer, I could not think of anything else to say.

A long silence followed.

Since there was nothing particularly dangerous, it was closer to a walk than an escort.

The sound of birds chirping.

The fragrant scent of grass refreshing my nose.

The greens here and there that gave a peaceful feeling.

It felt healing for the first time in a while.

“Oh!”

As I slowly followed Ram, he shouted as if he had discovered something.

Soon, Ram ran off again.

Having grown accustomed to Ram’s sudden movements, I calmly chased after him.

The place I arrived at with Ram had a fairly large rock.

Beneath the rock, I saw a narrow space.

“Woozy grows well under rocks like this. There might be poisonous creatures around, so be careful.”

“Poison?”

“Woozy is a mushroom that slowly takes in the poison that flows out from creatures like that. Isn’t it fascinating?”

Ram kindly explained to me.

Near the legs of Ram, who was smiling so brightly, something approached him soundlessly.

I immediately drew the cursed blade and struck down its head.

“Whoa...!”

Startled by the sudden movement, Ram fell backward.

When I examined it closely, it looked similar to a snake. But it had far too many legs, things a snake should not have.

Its legs writhed here and there.

It was quite a grotesque sight.

“Th-this is also one of the creatures that sheds the poison I mentioned earlier... Once it dies, it doesn’t shed poison anymore... but you can’t eat it.”

As if calming his startled heart, Ram resumed explaining to me.

Shedding poison... Since even the plants and creatures were all from another world, every little thing felt fascinating to me.

I flung off the blood on the cursed blade and sheathed it.

“Thank you... I didn’t even sense it approaching... Perception really is amazing. But could you keep this matter a secret from Dad...? He’ll definitely scold me a lot.”

Ram bowed his waist to express his thanks, then asked me with a bitter smile.

“It was nothing. This was my job, after all. You can just be more careful next time.”

Still, perhaps because he was young, he did lack caution. He would have to learn more from his father in the future.

“But if this guy is here...”

Ram moved a little more carefully as he looked around, then lowered his head and peered beneath the rock, muttering.

“...As expected! From now on, it would be good to hold your nose.”

Ram took out something like tongs from his waist, held his nose with one hand, and began rummaging under the rock.

I held my nose as Ram had said.

He had probably found the Woozy Mushroom.

Then Ram rose.

At the end of the tongs was a mushroom with a strange yellow pattern.

Ram kept his mouth tightly shut, took a small pouch from his clothes, and placed the mushroom inside it.

Then he pulled the pouch’s string tight and sealed it.

“Whew... done. The Woozy you wanted, brother. If you carry it like this, the powder won’t leak out.”

Ram exhaled the breath he had been holding and handed me the pouch as he spoke.

“The service is good.”

“Then please buy lots of herbs from us from now on!”

“Haha, I will.”

Ram and I laughed loudly together.

Ram was a kid with a good personality and friendly manner.

When he became an adult, might he do better business than Rumbo? Rumbo was on the blunt side, after all.

With everything done, we moved our steps toward Rumbo’s house. Escorting him to Rumbo’s house was the end of the quest.

“Ah, right. If you plan to use it on a monster, you should prepare cloth to cover your nose and mouth. We have something good at home... Should I give you one? As thanks for earlier... Instead, let’s keep it a secret from Dad.”

“That sounds good.”

Luckily, there was an additional reward.

I had been about to prepare cloth like a mask anyway.

Even though the lycanthrope’s developed sense of smell made it vulnerable to Woozy Mushroom, I too had developed senses through “Keen Senses.”

Judging by his words, it would be cloth herbalists used for professional purposes... so it would be much more effective.

I was walking through the city, chatting with Ram about this and that.

If we went a little farther from here, we could reach Rumbo’s house.

Then, I met someone I knew on the road.

When she tilted her head, her pink twin tails moved along with it.

It was Kaen.

“Whether meeting her here now is coincidence, or because she wanted it...”

When would I be able to peel off that foolish-looking mask? She would reveal her true colors someday.

Kaen approached me naturally, as if she had only now recognized me, and greeted me.

“Oh, Student Zeto?”

“...Miss Kaen. It has been a while.”

“Hehe, you recognize me just by my voice. Who’s the boy beside you...?”

“This is Ram, the son of Mr. Rumbo the herbalist.”

“Heeh! Mr. Rumbo had a son?”

Kaen covered her mouth with her hand and made a surprised expression.

It seemed she knew Rumbo too.

Well, Rumbo was the only herbalist in the academy, so perhaps that was natural.

“Brother Zeto seems really popular. Those female students looking at you earlier too... and now you meet a woman you know while walking down the street...”

Ram, receiving Kaen’s gaze, clasped his hands behind his back and looked at me as if envious.

[ I agree with that boy’s words. Quite a few women gather around my disciple... ]

Sierra, who had been quiet, also narrowed her eyes and supported Ram’s opinion.

“We are just ordinary friends.”

“Right... We’re just friends.”

Kaen matched my answer.

It was awkward to say I was close to her, but it seemed she had understood my intention to gloss over it.

“More importantly, your sword has changed...?”

Kaen asked me while facing forward and glancing at the cursed blade.

“Ah, it is a sword my master passed down to me... I have only now reached enough skill to use it.”

“Ahaha... your master...”

I feel this every time, but Kaen’s acting is rather clumsy.

Though she would not know about Rebellion Against Heaven, she must have already watched from far away that my sword had changed.

Aside from that, she seemed to have many things she was curious about, and began asking this and that.

“What is the pouch at your waist?”

“This is...”

“I got that for him! Brother Zeto said he needed Woozy!”

Suddenly, Ram, who had been quiet, raised his hand high and shouted.

“Woozy...? Do you mean Woozy Mushroom? The one with a paralysis effect...”

At Ram’s shout, Kaen showed curiosity.

It seemed she knew what Woozy Mushroom was.

“Yes! He said there was an enemy he had to deal with, and that using Woozy would make it take less effort.”

Ram’s pure answer followed.

...It was not wrong.

Woozy Mushroom was simply hard to obtain, and possessing it was not against the law, so there was no problem.

However, after hearing Ram’s answer, Kaen’s focus began to waver.

[ Hmm? That woman called Kaen has eyes full of suspicion. Considering she has been watching my disciple from afar recently as well... she is very suspicious. ]

Sierra, watching this, tried to read Kaen’s intentions.

If Sierra already realized that Kaen was the Sword Saint’s disciple, I did not know what sort of request she would make of me, so that was troublesome.

“An enemy to deal with... Ahaha, you mean the Labyrinth opening tomorrow, right...?”

Just then, perhaps having understood late, Kaen scratched the back of her head and spoke to me.

“That’s right.”

I shrugged and answered.

Judging from Sierra’s gaze, it would be best to leave this place quickly.

I had nothing more to say to Kaen.

We were not in the same class, nor had we spoken much.

“Then I have something to do, so I will be going.”

I said that and naturally tried to go our separate ways.

Just as I was trying to hurry away, Sierra’s low voice rang inside my head.

[ I am curious about something, so for a moment... ]

In the end, Sierra headed behind the direction I was walking.

It was the direction where Kaen was.

“What is she trying to do...?”

Sierra’s action was impossible to understand.

However, I could not stop her in the middle of this street where many people passed.

Since Sierra could not move very far away from my side, I had no choice but to walk as quickly as possible.

As I walked, Sierra soon returned to my side.

[ I cannot tell what that woman called Kaen is thinking at all. ]

Sierra, who seemed to have gone to watch Kaen, threw meaningful words at me in a low voice.

I could not answer right away.

She knew that well too, so she continued speaking even without an answer.

[ She was standing there with a serious expression, muttering about how, at this rate, she would be assaulted, and her purity would be stolen, and then something about her grandfather’s swordsmanship... Do you have any idea what that might mean? ]

Sierra’s following words made a huge question arise in me.

“Purity? Assaulted? By whom?”

Something... seemed to be going strangely.