[ooooooo…]
A large golem stood in front of the pedestal, ready to fire a heat ray.
“Scatter!”
Ur shouted, and they jumped to the sides. A heat ray scorched the spot where they had stood, filling the air with a burning smell.
“Is it firing a second shot?!”
The golem’s rapid charging and the intensity of the light and sound indicated a stronger attack was coming.
“Shizuku! How many spells can you cast?”
“Two more!”
With the azure crystal staff, Shizuku could use up to four spells, but she’d already used two on the way.
“Prepare a barrier!”
Ur gave the order as the golem continued to charge its attack.
“Isn’t it overcharging?”
“It’s starting to shake!”
The golem didn’t fire immediately. The heat energy gathered in its head, causing it to vibrate and make strange noises.
[O──────!!]
When it reached its limit, the golem’s head exploded.
“What the…?!”
“…………!!!”
Ur and Shizuku were blown away by the flying fragments of the earthen golem and the blast. However, they managed to regain their footing while rolling on the ground. Hurriedly turning forward to assess the situation, they saw that the golem which had self-destructed moments ago, despite emitting smoke, still maintained a vigilant stance.
But its head was gone, cleanly blown off. If this were a human, it would mean certain death. However,
“…Shizuku.”
“Yes, this is bad.”
Indeed, this was bad. Ur had learned about the dolls’ behavior patterns from Glen. He knew about the most dangerous aspects of these dolls.
— Destroying the core would stop the golem’s activity. However, destroying the Control Sigil, which sends commands to the golem without destroying the core, leads to complications.
Despite the Magic Core intact and capable of absorbing magical energy from its surroundings like a living being, there were no commands to move its body.
[o…………o…………]
In other words, it would enter a state known as “Rampage.”
[ooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!]
With its head gone and its empty mouth gaping, the golem howled. It wasn’t vocal cords making the sound, but the golem’s heart, the drive of the Magic Core, resonating like a beast’s roar.
“Ur-sama!”
“Yeah! I’ll destroy it!”
Ur momentarily hesitated in the face of the monstrous transformation caused by the Rampage, but Shizuku’s voice spurred him back into action. As long as the rampaging golem occupied the path to the retrieved core, there was no choice but to defeat it. Ur strode straight towards the golem and thrust his spear forward.
“A direct assault…!?”
[OOOOOOO────!!]
However, there was no resistance. The tip of the spear found no target. The giant golem, over two meters tall, vanished from sight in an instant, leaving Ur bewildered.
“It’s above!”
“What!?”
Looking up at Shizuku’s warning from behind, Ur was speechless. The golem was indeed there.
[OOOOOOOOOO!!]
With its limbs embedded in the ceiling, the golem twisted its body to face them, its headless form gaping open like a mouth. Then, without eyes or a nose, only a mouth, the monster howled.
[GAAAAAAAA!!]
“Is this even a golem…!?”
Ur had underestimated the phenomenon of “Rampage.” He had imagined it as simply an out-of-control golem once its control mechanisms failed. However, it seemed to be far beyond that.
[GAAAAAAAAANN!]
Then, the golem with a mangled, toy-like head lunged at Ur.
“Whoa!”
But just before it could crush Ur under its assault, it was blocked. Shizuku swiftly deployed a translucent, shimmering barrier of ice in front of Ur, preventing the impact.
“Now’s our chance!”
[GAAAAAAAAAA!!]
Even blocked by the barrier, the golem relentlessly pounded on it, freezing and crumbling it with its fists. Despite his fear, Ur didn’t hesitate. He drove his spear into the golem’s abdomen again.
“Daaaaaaah!!”
[GGGGGOOOOO!!!]
Pouring all his strength into the spear, Ur kicked it away in one swift motion. With a heavy thud, the golem flipped backward. Ur grasped the spear handle and pulled it out, raising it again.
“Singe, sing, to that one with the powerful voice!”
“Crush!”
Boosted by Shizuku’s strengthening magic, Ur drove the spear down with a final blow. Piercing through the golem’s soil-like abdomen, it shattered the glowing Magic Core inside.
[─────]
There was no dying cry. The golem, which had thrashed like a wild beast, abruptly ceased functioning.
“…………Phew, haah…”
Ur let out a deep breath. But there was no time to relax. They had to do something about the Magic Core floating nearby; otherwise, this place would remain a labyrinth. Following Magica’s instructions, Ur touched several sigils on the pedestal, causing the glow of the Magic Core to dim and it fell into his hands. As he caught it, the oppressive atmosphere in the underground room dissipated.
Understanding that the labyrinth formation had ceased, Ur sighed deeply.
“Ur-sama, are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but…”
Shizuku, having exhausted her magic for the day, looked pale. Ur was no different. Looking at the spear still lodged in the golem’s abdomen, broken halfway down the shaft from the force of his blow.
“…Today’s usual labyrinth exploration was a bust.”
They had needed the resolve of the Golden Hammer group and the ability to withstand Glenn’s punches.
Mission accomplished:
[Labyrinth Capture – Magica Grace’s Home, Underground golem Weapon Testing Zone]
Items acquired:
- Magica’s newly developed Magic Core [Prototype Zero]
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
“Yay, thanks for retrieving it! Well, see ya!”
“Wait just a minute!”
After retrieving the Magic Core and returning, Ur and Shizuku were greeted by Magica waving and smiling cheerfully, trying to usher them out.
“What’s wrong?”
“We’ve conquered a really tough labyrinth. We need our reward. Fix the Dragon Fang Spear.”
The experience had been more grueling than they imagined. They needed a fair reward.
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
However, they quickly realized dealing with her was going to be troublesome.
“I never once said I’d pay you if you did it.”
“That’s… true.”
She was right. Magica had never explicitly guaranteed their reward; the underground labyrinth was inherently dangerous, and any agreement was vague. It was likely a misunderstanding.
“You guys just invaded the labyrinth in the basement of my house on your own. I had nothing to do with it. That’s all there is to it. That’s all.
“This woman …… “
Ur considered challenging her outright, but as a Silver-ranked mage, she had greater combat ability. There was no easy way to resist her tyranny. So, what now?
“I see. Understood.”
As Ur pondered these thoughts, Shizuku smiled softly and directed that smile towards Ur.
“Well then, there’s no other choice. Ur-sama, let’s go.”
“Uh, but…”
Ur attempted to protest, but Shizuku’s expression left no room for argument; it carried an odd sense of pressure. She stood up and firmly grasped the catalyst for the Labyrinth transformation that Ur had offered earlier to Magica—the Magic Core.
“Hmm?”
“Well then, if you’ll excuse me, Magica-sama. Good day.”
And with that, she tried to take it away.
“Wait, hold on a second!”
Even Magica, renowned as she was, tried to stop her. But Shizuku just tilted her head in curiosity.
“Yes?”
“What are you trying to take?”
“It’s the spoils of our Labyrinth conquest, isn’t it?”
Shizuku asserted herself.
“This Labyrinth in the basement emerged independently of Magica-sama’s oversight, so if it doesn’t concern you, then we, the conquerors of this Labyrinth, have the right to claim it.”
Indeed, what she said wasn’t entirely wrong. labyrinths were nests of magic, and conquering them was a duty of humanity, entitling the conquerors to what they found, as per the Great Federation Law.
If Magica intended to go back on her vague promise with Ur and Ur…
“It’s okay if you take it, but that thing is really dangerous. If someone other than a mage like me messes with it, they might get caught by the Knights.”
But there was the question of what they would do with such a dangerous magical device that could turn the surroundings into a Labyrinth. Ur naturally had no way to handle it.
It was precisely because Ur had no such connections that Magica had probably thought to brush her aside. There still remained an underestimation of Ur and her companions.
“I see, I understand now.”
However, Shizuku elegantly nodded at Magica’s words. And then…
///
continue
///
“Let’s sell it then.”
She said.
“…Uh, but where would we sell it?”
“We’ll sell it to Lord Rolondo of the Magic Guild, the Semi-Sage.”
“Huh, Rolondo!?”
Among the magicians who had come to the Adventurers’ Guild for magical instruction, there was a man with such a name. He seemed to have been thrown down south last time, but Shizuku had apparently established a connection with him.
“Yes. Lord Rolondo will be delighted. He’s very fond of you, Magica.”
At those words, Magica’s face tensed up. It seemed there was some unknown, probably embarrassing, history between them that Ur wasn’t aware of.
“Therefore, there’s no problem. Thank you for your concern, Lady Magica. Now, if you’ll excuse us.”
With that, Shizuku grabbed the magic core with one hand and Ur’s arm with the other, intending to leave the living room. Magica hurriedly stood up.
“Okay, okay! I’ll pay the reward, all right? I’ll repair the Dragon Fang Spear! Will that make you happy?”
Shizuku’s forceful negotiation impressed Ur.
“We don’t need it.”
“!? “
But her negotiation was just beginning.
“Lord Rolondo would buy this at a high price. With that, we can just purchase a new Dragon Fang Spear.”
“Well, I’m not so sure about that… That guy is pretty stingy. He might haggle the price down.”
“It’s fine. Lord Rolondo was very kind. He’ll take good care of us.”
“That lecher… No, but that’s my personal property! It would be troublesome if it’s sold without my permission!”
“Then we’ll report it to the Adventurers’ Guild as a ‘relic found in the Labyrinth’. If we follow the proper procedures, it should be returned to you without any issue. Otherwise, it becomes ours.”
“But if you do that, the Knights will… Ah, geez!”
Shizuku was relentless, not yielding an inch. It was a stubbornness that seemed uncharacteristic of her usual gentle demeanor. Ur watched in awe as Magica slowly capitulated.
“Okay, okay… I said I’ll pay the reward! Why are you being so inflexible!”
Exhausted, Magica finally gave in with an exasperated sigh. Shizuku, meanwhile, looked at her intently and spoke softly yet firmly.
“Ur was concerned about you, Lady Magica.”
“Huh?”
“What?”
Ur sama was surprised to hear his name. Magica also looked at him suspiciously, which made him uncomfortable.
“He felt it would be a shame if you were evicted from the home you built. So he tried hard.”
“…”
It was true. Ur had indeed said that, and it seemed Shizuku had taken it to heart. She spoke gently yet firmly, like a mother scolding a child.
“Returning kindness with malice is truly sad, Lady Magica.”
“Alright, alright! I get it! I’m sorry!”
Finally, Magica gave in, her shoulders slumping in defeat. Shizuku took her hand and smiled warmly.
“I’m glad you understand, Lady Magica. Now, we need the complete repair of Ur sama’s Dragon Fang Spear, information on the jewel dolls, and the installation of the magic core.”
“Wait! That’s too much! I can’t give you the magic core! Do you know how much it costs?”
“How about five silver coins?”
“The average price is five gold coins!”
After some haggling, they finally settled on the repair of the Dragon Fang Spear (though Magica refused to provide the magic core for free), information on the jewel dolls, and a reward of twenty silver coins for the Labyrinth expedition.
Visit the request page If there’s a Japanese Light Novel (LN) or Web Novel (WN) you’d like me to translate
When the donation goal progress bar above hit 100% one novel will be chosen for translation
| Table of Contents | Next* |
Support the Author by Buying the Original Books!
